In the Chapter of John, some Jewish priests quizzed John the Baptist about three people who they were informed about in their scriptures. They asked him: “Who are you?” John confessed (he didn’t deny but confessed), “I’m not the Christ.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” John said, “I’m not.” “Are you the Prophet?” John answered, “No.” [John 1:19-21] So they then asked him, “Why do you baptize if you aren’t the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” [John 1:25] The priests were expecting three people as prophesied by their books, so they asked about Christ, Elijah and ‘the Prophet’. So who is ‘the Prophet’ they are referring to here? This cannot be a reference to Jesus as he is the Christ. Looking at a copy of the Bible with cross-referencing, we find that the words ‘the Prophet’ which occur in John 1:25 refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:18 in the Old Testament, which also mentions a forthcoming Prophet. According to Deuteronomy 18:18 God speaks to the Prophet Moses and tells him that he will raise up a new Prophet who has certain clearly identifiable characteristics: I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. [Deuteronomy 18:18-19] In this prophecy God is telling Moses that he will raise a Prophet like him, who will be from ‘among their brethren’. Since these verses are directed to Moses and the Jewish People, the ‘brethren’ mentioned here are the brethren of the Jewish people. Now Abraham, the forefather of the Jewish nation had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 21). The children of Isaac are the cousins of the children of the Ishmael. The children of Isaac are the Jews and the children of Ishmael are the Arabs. ‘Brethren’ in the language of the Old Testament can refer to the Jews themselves (Numbers 32:6), or to the ancestral cousins of the Jews such as the Arabs, Edomites and others (see Deuteronomy 2:4,8 for usage of the word ‘brethren’). So the Arabs are considered the brethren of the Jews. Some people may claim that Jesus is the new Prophet being referred to in Deuteronomy 18:18. However ‘the Prophet’ mentioned in John 1:25 can’t be Jesus because he is described as a separate person to ‘the Christ’. In addition to this, the verse informs us that the Prophet will have the characteristic of being someone who is ‘like’ Moses. Jesus was very different to Moses, but what about Muhammad (pbuh)? Description. Moses Mohammed Jesus Natural Birth. ✓. ✓. X Married. ✓. ✓. X Children. ✓. ✓. X Given Prophethood at the age of 40 ✓ ✓ X Forced migration by enemies. ✓. ✓. X Initially rejected by his people (Jews or Arabs), but then accepted. ✓. ✓. X Statesman. ✓. ✓. X New Legal Laws bought. ✓. ✓. X Military Leader. ✓. ✓. X United various tribes under one cause ✓ ✓ X Victory over enemies. ✓. ✓. X Natural cause of death. ✓. ✓. X Worshipped as God/Son of God (After departure). X. X. ✓ Of the Jewish Race. ✓. X. ✓ Called people to worship God alone. ✓. ✓. ✓ There is no doubt that Moses and Muhammad (pbuh) are very similar. Many historians who have studied the lives of Moses and Muhammad (pbuh) have remarked upon the many similarities between them. The late Reverend James L. Dow (1908-1977) who authored the Collins Gem Dictionary of the Bible wrote under the entry of ‘Moses’: ‘’The only man in history who can be compared even remotely to him is Mohammed.’’ All of the evidence so far shows conclusively that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Prophet mentioned in John 1:25.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 12:13:12 +0000
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