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In the Bible Deuteronomy 18: 15 says, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.” If you don’t have good idea about Koran and the Holy Bible and any Muslim asked this to a Christian then I am sure it will strike like a hammer to your faith! Before I discuss this verse let’s see what Koran says. When we read Koran then we see a verse of the Sura Al-Maida 68, which says, “Say, O people of the Book! You will be nothing unless you uphold the Torah and the Gospel, and that revealed to you from your Lord.” We must always remember that the Torah and the Gospel which are mentioned in the Koran are the same Torah and Gospel found in the Bible now. Some of you (Muslims) might think that the Torah and the Gospel in the Bible have been falsified! As we know Muhammad Dib, a Bedouin shepherd of the tribe of Ta’ Amireh, in 1947, first found the Dead Sea Scrolls in the cave of Qumran when he went there to look for his lost lamb. The Dead sea Scroll proved that each word of the Holy Bible is correct and nothing been changed. Praise to Lord, Amen. Now let’s go back to Koran. In the Koran Sura Al-Sajada 23, says “And surely we have Moses the Book (Torah), so do not you (Muhammad) hesitate to accept it.” Sura Al-Maida 46, says, ”And we let their (those of the previous prophets) footsteps follow Jesus, the Son of Mary, fulfilling what He had in His hands from the Torah. And We have given Him the Gospel containing guidance and light, and affirming all that He had in His hands from the Torah, as guidance and warning for devoted to God.” Sura Al-Maida 47, says, “And the people of the Gospel must decide (judge) their matters in accordance with what God has revealed in it. And whoever does not decide (judge) according to what has been revealed by God, those are the rotten once.” Sura Al-Baqara 62, says, “Truly the believers from the Jews, Christians and Sabians, whoever believe in God and the last day, doing the good deeds, they will have their rewards with their Lord and fear will not press them nor despair.” There are still more verses in the Koran indicating that the Torah and the Gospel are a real way of truth in accordance with the will of God. Also we must always remember here that Muhammad came this earth 600 years later the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. By that time how many thousands of copy of the Holy Bible been distributed to the believers we don’t know. Now if any Muslims brothers and sisters tells that Torah and Gospel been changed then the very easy question comes to our mind then why Muhammad said in his time that Torah and Gospel are true? Because the Gospel had been translated into Arabic before the appearance of Islam for the benefit of those Arab tribes who were Christianised, such as Himyar, Ghassa, Rabiya and the people of Nirjan, Heera and others. These facts are corroborated in the book “Al-Aghanee” (The Songs) for it relates that Waraka Bin Nawfal (The most famous Arab writer of Muhammad’s time) wrote this book, copying in it whatever he desired of the Arabic Gospel. Now, if the Gospel had been subsequently changed, Muslims would have kept the original to substantiate their case. As for the Jews, their zeal in preserving their book is proverbial. They know the exact number of words and letters it contains as all who have associated with their leaders know. Thus, the Holy Bible in its entirety is free from alteration and change will never overtake it, as is witnessed by common sense and historic transmission. Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran, it has become abundantly clear that the copying and transmission of God’s Holy Book is living proof of the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church of Christ. Now we will see what Koran says about the Holy Bible. “And believe in that I have sent down, confirming that which is with you.” (The Cow, 38). “Confirming what was before it.” (The Cow, 91). “Then there shall come to you a Messenger confirming what is truth.” (The House Of Imran, 75). “He has sent down upon thee the Book with the truth, confirming what was before it.” (The House of Imran, 2). “You have been given the Book, believe in what We have sent down, confirming what is with you.” (Women, 50). “This Koran could not have been forged apart from God; but it is a confirmation of what is before it, and a distinguishing of the Book.” (Jonah, 38). “And We have sent down to thee the Book with the truth, confirming the Book that was before it, and assuring it.” (The Table, 52). “Say; People of the Book, you do not stand anything, until you perform the Torah and the Gospel.” (The Table, 72). These verses like tens of others demonstrate unequivocally that the Koran came attesting to the veracity of the Torah and Gospel, confirming them and watching over them, that is, as a guardian and preserver. Now we will discuss about the verse of the Bible which we find on Deuteronomy (18;15.) The book called “God has chosen for me everlasting life” (Publisher; The Good Way, Switzerland) written by the famous preacher from Jakarta, Rev. Hamran Ambrie. Once he was a Muslim preacher but when he found that Salvation comes only through Jesus Christ, he accepts Jesus as his personal Savior and devoted his life for the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his book, he wrote (page11ff) “I know Muslims use this verse (Deuteronomy 18;15) as a hammer to strike the faith of Christians, whether they were preachers, evangelists, pastors, priests or ordinary believers, with the intention that they would acknowledge and believe in Muhammad as the prophet who had been prophesied by the Bible in this verse. Now I am telling you what you will understand if you don’t guided by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. · Moses was born of parents; Muhammad was also born like Moses, of a father and a mother. He was not like Jesus Christ, who was born only of a mother, without a father. · When Moses became an adult, he was married; Muhammad was also married, contrary to Jesus Christ who never married. · Moses had sons and Muhammad had children too. But Jesus did not have any descendants, as He was never married. · Moses died in old age and was buried and the same happened with Muhammad. But Jesus Christ is not dead. He died in the cross for our sin, on the third day He rose from dead and forty days later ascended to heaven alive. Previously, it had been obvious to me that the verse in Deuteronomy 18: 15 indicated Muhammad as the prophet promised by Moses, but did not prophesy Jesus Christ as prophet and not at all, as the Son of God, according to the Christian faith. Now let’s read these words slowly and earnestly to understand the real meaning. “A prophet like me (Moses).” If you meant the similarity between Muhammad and Moses was that both were born of parents, and then they were only similar to the rest of the mankind who are born with parents. This characteristic cannot be used as a point to indicate the truth of the prophecy. Furthermore, if Muhammad likes Moses because he was married, then both were like most others in this world! So this too could not be used to prove that Muhammad was prophet. If Muhammad was regarded the same as Moses, because he had descendants, then this fact could not be used to determine the prophecy, because most people in this world have children. Muhammad, just like Moses, died in his old age and was buried. If this example was used to prove the meaning of the prophecy, then this point too could not be used to prove the similarities, as every person in this world has to die and be buried. To die and be buried is common to all and does not make a man unique. But it should clear to every one of us that the prophecy of Moses only indicated to Jesus Christ as the promised one. For the reason we have to find unique and extraordinary similarities between Moses and Jesus Christ. Indeed, we will see several outstanding similarities between these two men, not shared with others. -During the childhood of Moses, Pharaoh threatened to kill him, just as Jesus in His childhood was threatened to be killed by Herod. Not all people are born and threatened to be killed their infancy. · During the birth of Moses, the Pharaoh was furious and ordered that all little boys under two years old should be killed. When Jesus was born, Herod was very angry and ordered that little boys under two years had to be killed. In the whole world, only these personalities have experienced such intense hatred and persecution. · During his childhood, the daughter of Pharaoh protected Moses. As a child, Joseph his foster father protected Jesus. Not all people were protected by people chosen of God during their childhood when their lives were threatened. · During his childhood, Moses lived far from his home country Egypt. It was the same with Jesus, who during his childhood lived in exile in Egypt. Not all children have had to escape to a distant country, like Egypt, during their childhood. · When Moses served as the divine messenger of God, he received the power of the Lord to perform miracles, just as the Jesus, who in his authority as the Living Word, received power from God to perform miracles by healing the sick and raising the dead from the grave. · Moses freed the people of Israel from the bondage of the Egyptian slavery, but Jesus freed his people from the bondage of Satan. These special proofs should allow to all Muslim brothers and sisters to believe that the unique prophecy mentioned in Deuteronomy 18;15 was not intended to prove Muhammad as the prophet foretold, but to indicate that Jesus Christ was the Word of God incarnate.” There is another book named “Themes for the diligent” written by Nicola Yacoub Ghabril (Publisher; The Good Way, Switzerland). In this book, the writer cleared to us about the Paraclete and Muhammad. In this book (Page 120ff) the writer said, “Our Muslim brothers also claim what is very important to mention here, that the name of their prophet Muhammad is mentioned in the Gospel, based the words in the Koran in the The Ranks, 6, “And when indeed the Messenger of the God to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings of a Messenger who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.” It was said that the meaning of the Greek Paraclete in the Gospel is the same as Ahmad, the praise one, and that Ahmad and Muhammad are the same. Some allege that the Gospel has been altered because this announcement is no longer in it, even though it is still recorded there as it was in Muhammad’s day in the Greek. However, what the Koran understood by the intended word was MISCONSTRUED because the word in the Greek is this; HAPAKAHTOE not HEIPIKAHOTE. In the Latin spelling thus, PARACLETOS and not PERICLUTOS is its correct form. The first means the comforter while the second is the famous or praise one. These verses are still in the Gospel, providing that it has not undergone change. Let us now return to study the verses containing the word PARACLETE in order to understand its meaning in the Koran and see if it is right to attribute it to Muhammad as our Muslim brother’s claim. 1. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the word cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14; 16-17). 2. “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” (John 15;26). 3. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (John 16; 7-8). 4. “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father,” which He said, “You have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts.1; 4-5). 5. “Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and sat upon each with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2; 1-4). Now it is clear that Christ was the disciple’s teacher while He was among them. He was Guide and Comforter to them, defending them, so that they became attached to Him. With His foreknowledge He knew that His departure from them through death would break their hearts. He was convinced that they were in need of heavenly help to strengthen, guide and comfort them after His departure. For this reason He promised to send them the Holy Spirit to be their Comforter, as you have seen previous verses. After close examination of these texts, it becomes clear to us that the Person who was promised could not possibly be Muhammad the Prophet of Islam for reasons, which we see, in the same verse. FIRST, the one promised was not corporeal (Spirit of Truth), therefore the world could not receive Him because they could not see Him. This description does not fit Muhammad because he had a body and the world saw him, both believers and infidels. SECOND, the Promised One came to stay with the disciples forever. This too cannot be said of Muhammad because he did not come at the time of the disciples and did not remain in the world forever. THIRD, the Promised One was at that time with the disciples, “Because He is with you”. This also cannot apply to Muhammad because he was not with the disciples. FOURTH, Christ instructed the disciples “Not to leave Jerusalem but wait.” For that Comforter, the Holy Spirit. In obedience to their Master (And Muslims believe that disciples are obedient) they waited ten days in Jerusalem until that Comforter came and “Everyone was filled with Holy Spirit”. This too cannot apply to Muhammad. Otherwise it would have been necessary for the disciples to wait in Jerusalem 600 years until Muhammad’s arrival. How long they live, especially as Christ promised them to send the Spirit Comforter!? Otherwise it was no use comforting them after death. Therefore to encourage them He said, “For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1;5). So from the above discussion, I do not think that the Muslim brother want to believe that Christ is the one who sent Muhammad, because the verses above show that Christ was the one who sent the Comforter Spirit. If that was so, it would be another matter, for he would have to the divinity of the one who sent (Christ), because Muhammad claimed to be God’s apostle, imagine! I ask God to give my Muslim brother this Holy Spirit, as He gave to those disciples, so that He would guide him to the truth and guide him to the right path and enlighten his mind so that he may distinguish between the worthless and the worthwhile!” Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6).
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