DID PROPHET MOSES PREDICT THE COMING OF THE PROPHET OF ISLAM? The now dead Muslim apologist Ahmed Deedat, [1] in his book What the Bible Says About Prophet Muhummed, quoted the Deuteronomy verse (18:18) from the Bible out of its context and proceeded to construct his heretical teaching that it is a prediction of Muhammad Ibn `Abdallah. This method of “interpreting” the Bible common among Muslims is known as perversion of the text leading to a deception of the readers. There was never an ounce of honesty in Ahmed Deedat. Therefore, his was never the work of a reliable scholar; but of a highly influential Muslim deceiver. It is notable also that Muslims claim, on no factual bases, that most of the Bible, if not all of it, has been corrupted and lost, [2] and therefore their god (the Muslim Allah) sent the Qur’an to set the record straight. But, when they find a verse in the Bible that in their twisted view appears to support their claims, that verse(s) has not been corrupted. In addition, recent Islamic publications claim that many similarities existed between their Prophet of Immorality Muhammad and the Prophet of the Exodus Moses the writer of the Pentateuch. On the other side, such publications also seek to contrast the Lord Jesus Christ with Moses. All these efforts are aimed at “proving” that Moses predicted the coming of Muhammad Ibn `Abdallah, not the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Position of The Islamists Careful readers of the Qur’an would note that the book seems to major in the minors and to either ignore the majors altogether, misrepresent them, or to relegate them to places of lesser importance. For example, while there are numerous instructions on non-consequential matters, the Qur’an drastically fails to deal with the great issues of sin, morality and ethics. Likewise, in the Qur’an the unity, power and greatness of the Creator are emphasized repeatedly, but His Self-Giving Love and His Fatherhood are conspicuously absent from its pages. Mr. Deedat, likewise, in stating his position on the pro-Islam theory that Prophet Moses predicted the coming of Prophet Muhammad, he accentuates the trivial, non-consequential similarities and ignores the major contrasts between the two men. Here are three of the most significant similarities Mr. Deedat asserts: 1. Both Moses and Muhammad were the lawgivers, the military leaders, and the spiritual guides of their peoples and nations; 2. Both Moses and Muhammad were at first rejected by their own people, fled into exile, and returned years later to become the religious and secular leaders of their nations; 3. Both Moses and Muhammad made possible the immediate and successful conquests of the Land of Palestine by their successors, Joshua and Umar respectively. In a similar unscholarly manner, Islamic publications present a non-consequential contrast between Prophet Moses and the Lord Jesus Christ. Based on this contrast, they claim that Moses prophecy in Deuteronomy cannot refer to the Lord Jesus and that the above similarities indicate that the prophecy rather refers to Muhammad. 1. Moses was only a prophet but, according to Christian belief, Jesus Christ was the Son of God; 2. Moses died naturally but Jesus died violently; 3. Moses was the national ruler of Ancient Israel, while the Lord Jesus never was, not at any time during His public ministry. Indeed, Islamic theology and its processes of reasoning often would be hilariously laughable, were they not tragically affecting the lives and eternal destinies of their followers, as well as the conditions of the world scene. The Biblical Context Of Moses Prophecy Here is the full Deuteronomy passage that the Islamists fail to present to their readers −− (Deut. 18:15-20, NASB): 15. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among you [the Jews], from your countrymen [out of Ancient Israel], you shall listen to him. 16. This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of theassembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die. 17. The LORD said to me, They have spoken well. 18. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen [an Israelite] like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. 20. But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak,or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. THE INTERPRETATION & APPLICATION OF THE PASSAGE: Ahmed Deedat claimed that this is a prophecy of the coming of the Prophet of Islam. I strongly disagree, and here are the reasons for my disagreement: 1. The Identity of the Predicted Prophet (v. 15). a. He will be of Jewish descent --- “from among you [the Jews].” Therefore, the passage cannot be speaking of Muhammad. 1) “your countrymen” or “your brethren” refers to the Jewish people, not to their Arab antagonists (see v. 2; 17:15). 2) Moses was of Jewish descent & so was the Lord Jesus Christ. 3) Muhammad was of Arab descent; he was not the one predicted. b. He will come from Ancient Israel --- “from your countrymen [Israel].” 1) Moses was an Israelite & so was the Lord Jesus Christ. 2) Muhammad was from Arabia; he was not the one predicted. 2. The Identity of the One Who will Send the Predicted Prophet (vv. 15- 16). a. The Jews prayed to their God for the predicted Prophet (vv. 16- 17). b. The perfect God of the Bible will send the predicted Prophet (v. 18). 1) Moses was sent by the Perfect God of the Bible & so was the Lord Jesus Christ. 2) Muhammad was sent by the evil Allah of the Qur’an; he was not the one predicted. 3. The Predicted Prophet Will Preach the Words of the God of the Bible (v. 18). a. Moses preached the words of the God of the Bible & so did the Lord Jesus Christ. b. Muhammad preached the words of the Allah of the Qur’an, a strange gospel; he is not the predicted Prophet. 4. The Resemblance of the Predicted Prophet (Jesus Christ) to Moses. a. Like Moses He was a descendant of Isaac, not Ishmael (Gen. 17:21; 21:12; Matt. 1:2). b. Like Moses He was spared death while yet a baby (Exod. 2; Matt. 2:13-23). c. Like Moses He renounced a royal court he lived in (Heb. 11:24-27; Phil. 2:5-8). d. Like Moses He had compassion on His people the Jews (Num. 27:17; Matt. 9:36). e. Like Moses He made intercession for the people before God (Deut. 9:18; Heb. 7:45). f. Like Moses He spoke with God face to face (Exod. 34:29-30; 2 Cor. 3:7; cf. Deut. 34:10). g. Like Moses He was the mediator of a covenant between the God of the Bible and His worshippers (Deut. 29:1; Heb. 8:6-7). h. The Lord Jesus said that Prophet Moses wrote about Him (John 5:45-47). i. The New Testament asserts that Moses spoke of Jesus: “And that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you.” (Acts 3:20-22; cf. John 1:45). 5. How Prophet Muhammad fits into verse 20. But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. a. Muhammad spoke presumptuously in the name of the Supreme Being what God did not command him to speak. b. Muhammad spoke in the name of a strange god he named Allah. c. Muhammad was among those predicted by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 24:11). d. In a just society, Muhammad’s multiple crimes would have sentenced him to death. CONCLUDING OBSERVATION The singular pronoun used in the Deuteronomy passage above indicates that the predicted Prophet is uniquely superior to all other prophets. None of the Old Testament Prophets claimed to be the Prophet promised by Moses. The New Testament interpreted this passage as referring exclusively to and was completely fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of all the prophets of the Bible (Acts 3:22-23; 7:37). However, as the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ is more than just a prophet. He is perfect God and perfect Man. He thus occupies all of the following offices, among others, simultaneously: The Son of Man (He possesses a genuine human nature) (Luke 5:24; 6:5; 7:34; 9:44; John 1:51; 3:13-14; Acts 7:56). The Supreme Servant of Man & God (A man of constructive action) (Isaiah 53:11; Matthew 12:18; Luke 22:27). The Supreme Prophet of God (The most authoritative mouth piece of God) (Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:28). The Supreme Judge of the World (He will judge the living and the dead) (Acts 10:42; Romans 14:10). The King of Kings (He is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe) (1 Timothy 1;17; 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). The Son of God (He is God who assumed humanity) (Luke 4:41; 9:35; John 1:18, 34, 49; Romans 1:4). The Savior of the World (He saves from the bondage and the penalty of sin, onto eternal life) (Matthew 1:21; 18:11; John 3:16-17, 36; Acts 4:12; 1 John 4:14). The Mediator between Man & God (He intercedes on behalf of sinners) (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; 9;15; 12:24). The Head of the Church (He unites the believers with Himself & He gives guidance, provision & protection) (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). Your friend for the Word of God & for the Testimony of Jesus Christ, Dr. Habib J. Khoury, B.A., M.A., M.DIV., TH.D. P. S. For my Bible-teaching articles, please go to my Facebook Notes. To register for my free Bible-teaching BAMI ONLINE NEWSLETTER, please follow this link ► app.expressemailmarketing/Survey.aspx?SFID=171290 Then go to your email inbox and confirm your registration. Confirmation is necessary for subscription. Newsletter will resume once number of subscribers reaches 150. To order my Bible-teaching publications and/or my counseling services securely online, including quantity discounts, please follow this link: bamicounseling.org _________________________________________ [1] By seeking to displace the Son of God and establish Muhammad in His place, Islam does the work of the Antichrist. [2] The implication here is that the Lord God has failed to preserve His Word and needed the help of an Arabian camel driver to restore it. Do you have a hunger for God? Then read this book. You can order this book online (only $14.99). .Do you have a hunger for God? Then read this book. You can order this book online (only $14.99).
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 10:09:21 +0000
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