Why earth?
John wrote: "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1 John 3:8)
Peter said: "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil" (Acts 10:38)
Here are the reasons given in the Gospels why Jesus came to earth.
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:23 Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
Matthew 9:13 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 9:35 Jesus went through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
Matthew 10:7 “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Matthew 10:34 “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
Matthew 11:27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Matthew 11:29 “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 18:11 “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”
Matthew 20:28 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom* for many.”
Matthew 24:14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
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Mark 1:14 Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 1:38 “Let us go to the nearby villages so I can preach there also. That is what I have come to do.”
Mark 2:17 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom* for many.”
Mark 16:15 Jesus told them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
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Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Luke 4:43, 44 “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 9:2 He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.
Luke 9:11 The crowds followed Jesus; and welcoming them, He spoke to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.
Luke 9:56 “For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.”
Luke 9:60 “But as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
Luke 12:49-51 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.”
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
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John 3:17 “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
John 6:38-40 “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 9:39 “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
John 10:10 “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Jesus 12:31 "Now the prince of this world will be driven out."
John 12:46 “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”
Jesus 16:11: "The prince of this world now stands condemned."
John 18:37 Pilate said to Jesus, “You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
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* To many Christians, the word "ransom" sounds like sacrificial language, for we sometimes speak of Jesus as the ransom for our sins. But it almost certainly does not have this meaning in the two places that it is used in the Gospels. The Greek word translated as "ransom" (lutron) is used in the Bible not in the context of payment for sin, but to refer to payment made to liberate captives (often from captivity in war) or slaves (often from debt slavery). A lutron is a means of liberation from bondage.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
PAGAN SUN WORSHIP AND CATHOLICISM
ShaLoOM!!! readers.. have you heard about The Great Controversy?!!!
Here some story i want to share with you all..
THE MONSTRANCE and the WAFER GOD
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: ...
Acts 19:26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
Note that the commandment of God forbids making and bowing down to images. Among pagans, perhaps the most common form of idolatry is sun worship, and the above prohibition would clearly exclude bowing down before images of the sun or moon (things in the heaven above). But then God gets even more explicit:
Deu 17:2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
Deu 17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
Deu 17:4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and inquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
Deu 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
Jer 8:1 At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
Jer 8:2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
Jer 8:3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.
With that in mind, lets look at solar and lunar images directly associated with the Catholic Mass.
PAGAN SUN WORSHIP AND CATHOLICISM
Here is Pope John Paul II holding what is called a Monstrance or Ostensorium. It is used to display a round wafer of bread, called the host, which is used in what is called the Mass, Lord's Supper, Communion or Eucharistic meal. The Catholic believes this wafer of bread turns into the actual body of Christ when consecrated during the Mass.
From the "Be Not Afraid" series of videos, Copyright © 1992,
Apostolate for Family Consecration
The Roman Catholic Church even admits the Monstrance to be a sunburst:
"During the baroque period, it took on a rayed form of a sun-monstrance with a circular window surrounded by a silver or gold frame with rays."
Source: The Dictionary of the Liturgy by Rev. Jovian P. Lang, OFM., published and copyrighted © 1989 by Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, ISBN 0-89942-273-X, page 436.
Photo of a Monstrance in the Vatican Museum
From the book "The New Illustrated Great Controversy"
Copyright © LLT Productions - Used by Permission
In fact, according to the 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia-
The most appropriate form (for the monstrance) is that of the sun emitting its rays to all sides (Instructio Clement., 5). [See Altar Vessels: Ostensorium]
Notice the letters SFS in the small sunburst blaze on the large close up of a Monstrance above? Each of the letters is a universal symbol for the number 6 in the pagan mysteries, so to the pagan it reads 666! The number 666 is also associated with what is called the "magic square of the sun". The practice of equating names and letters with numbers is called gematria.
The letter F:
The Hebrew letter Vau (V) has a value of 6. The English letter F is a descendant of Vau and retains the same value. The letter F is also the 6th letter of the English alphabet. In pagan numerology the letters F, O, and X have the value of 6.
The Greek symbol Digamma also looks like the letter F and has a value of 6.
The letter S:
The Greek equivalent of Vau is the letter Stau, which looks like an S, and it also has the value of 6.
Sources: The Modern Numerology by John King, published by Blandford, Copyright © 1996, ISBN 0-7137-2560-5, page 121 / Behind Numerology, by Shirley Blackwell Lawrence, published by Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc., Copyright © 1989, ISBN 0-87877-145-X, page 93 / Jesus Christ Sun of God, by David Fideler, Copyright © 1993, published by Quest Books of Wheaton Illinois and Madras India, ISBN 0-8356-0696-1, page 27.
And the flaming Sacred Heart located just below the SFS is actually symbolic of Baal / Tammuz!
(See Consecration to Flaming Sacred Hearts)
The priest (here the Pope) sometimes holds up the sunburst monstrance with the host encased for the congregation to adore and venerate. Virtually any time the monstrance, a pagan sun symbol, is viewed by the congregation, they kneel in submission. A Catholic cannot walk past this sun symbol without acknowledging it by kneeling and or making the sign of the cross with their hands.
From the "Be Not Afraid" series of videos,
Copyright © 1992,
Apostolate for Family Consecration
Remember God's commandment forbidding bowing down to images? How can the Catholic justify bowing down before a sun image in veneration? They will tell you that they are paying homage to the host, bread they believe has actually turned into the actual body and blood of Jesus after being consecrated by a priest. Since the wafer, they believe, has been transformed into God Himself, it is the round wafer god inside the sunburst monstrance that they bow down to in worship, not the sunburst monstrance. However, the round wafer of bread itself is also a sun symbol, which is sometimes made quite obvious in Catholic representations of the host in various forms of artwork.
Above is the huge processional monstrance of the Cathedral of Toledo, Spain, made of gilded solid silver and solid gold, being paraded through the streets for public display on the festival of Corpus Christi. It is said to contain 18 kg (40 pounds) of gold, and 183 kg (400 pounds) of silver, for a total weight nearing 1/4 ton of precious metals.
The great monstrance of the cathedral of Toledo, which is more than twelve feet high, and the construction of which occupied in all more than 100 years, is adorned with 260 statuettes, one of the largest of which is said to be made of the gold brought by Columbus from the New World.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia Online, Ostensorium (Monstrance).
Another very large monstrance has recently been made for St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Chicago that stands 9 feet tall. It depicts the Ark of the Covenant, 2 Cherubim on either side with wings overspread, and Mary in place on the Ark's mercy seat! On her chest is the sunburst symbol that contains a one foot wide wafer host. This is blasphemy and idolatry, depicting Mary on the throne of God in the Holy of Holies of the Sanctuary!
The Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy.
At right is the general sunburst pattern used to symbolize the host, the supposed "true body" of Christ. This design has also been adopted by the Jesuits as their symbol. The IHS is thought by some to represent the first letters of each word in the Latin phrase Iesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus Saviour of Men), although according to the Catholics themselves they actually represent the first three letters of the name "Jesus" in Greek (spelled in Greek iota-eta-sigma-omicron-upsilon-sigma). The pagan though, would quickly see the same sun disk symbol associated with many pagan deities of Egypt, among them Isis, Horus, and Seb. In Egyptian mythology Seb (Geb) was the father of the goddess Isis (Aset), the mother and protectress of her divine son Horus (Harpocrates). Horus (the younger) is frequently depicted on Egyptian temples as a winged sun disk, representing the rays of the rising sun.
At left is a statuette of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Her headdress shows the sun disk within the horns of an Apis bull, symbology which is virtually identical to that of the sunburst monstrance. Also of note, in Isis lap is her infant son, Horus. In this one image you have the symbology of the Catholic monstrance and Mother / child worship which is so prominent in Catholicism.
The Egyptian pharaoh also claimed to be the embodiment of Horus on earth, much like the pope claims to be the infallible Vicar of Christ on earth.
The Apis bull, as depicted in this Egyptian statuette, is likely to be the pattern used for the golden calf the Israelites made at Mount Sinai (Exo. 32), since they were undoubtedly quite familiar with it as a result of their long captivity in Egypt. Note that in front of the sun disk and horns, which looks virtually identical to some Catholic monstrances, there is the serpent poised to strike. In Scripture the serpent is symbolic of Satan. (Gen 3, Rev. 12:9)
At left is the reverse side of a medal commemorating the Catholic Eucharistic Congress held in Chicago in 1926 (On the front there is a bust of Pope Pius XI). Note that the round wafer host above the golden cup is portrayed as a radiant sunburst.
UBI PETRUS - IBI ECCLESIA
Where Peter is, there is the Church
The Worship of Baal is Sun Worship
Below is an artifact unearthed in the holy of holies of the pagan temple in the Canaanite city of Hatzor / Hazor, in northern Israel. It is described as follows:
"Of special interest is a square basalt altar for burning incense. On one of its sides, a circle with a cross in the center – the divine symbol of the Canaanite storm god – is carved in low relief."
"... a basalt offering table, pillar-shaped, with a carved symbol of the storm god Baal on its side. That symbol was a circle with a cross in the center"
Sources:
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hatzor: "The Head of all those Kingdoms"
University of Illinois, Religious Studies, Hazor (archived page)
2 Ki 23:3 And the king [Josiah] stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.
2 Ki 23:4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.
2 Ki 23:5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
2 Ki 23:6 And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
Baal Worship in Canaan Baal worship revolved around two themes that represented the conception of Baal his worshipers held. Baal was both the sun-god and storm-god. He was worshiped as sun-god when the people wished to express thanks and gratitude for light and warmth and fertility.
Source: Holman Bible Dictionary, Computer version, entry on Baal by James Newell.
BAAL AS A DEITY
... in many Chanaanite, Phoenician, or Palmyrene shrines, the sun was the Baal worshipped, ...
Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia Online, entry on Baal, Baalim.
Catholic Sunburst Eucharist Host
Here the Eucharistic host, as Catholics call it, has actually been made as a sunburst (note the flames around the edge). This sun symbol, after consecration, is called the true body of God, to be adored and bowed down to and worshipped by the laity, especially when displayed inside a sunburst monstrance.
Note the similarity to the symbol of Baal from Hatzor: a cross within a circle.
From the video "This is my Body, This is my Blood,
Miracles of the Holy Eucharist" by Bob and Penny Lord
Copyright © 1988.
At left is a pagan Canaanite cultic pillar or "matstsebah", also found in excavations of the city of Hatzor, showing hands raised in praise to the sun disk, portrayed within the crescent moon.
Deu 16:22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image (matstsebah); which the LORD thy God hateth.
On the cover of the Jan/Feb 2000 edition of
Envoy Magazine, a Catholic publication, an elevated consecrated host of the Eucharist is unmistakably depicted as a bright yellow sun disk against the background of a cloudy blue sky!
Above photo by Richard Lannoy
At left is pope John Paul II celebrating Mass, elevating a large host for adoration. Note the similarity with the pagan Canaanite pillar!
Image from the "Be Not Afraid" series of videos, Copyright © 1993,
Apostolate for Family Consecration,
P.O. Box 151, Bloomingdale Ohio, 43910.
Do you think this is what Jesus had in mind at the Last Supper? No, when He "broke bread" He handed His disciples a torn fragment of unleavened bread, that symbolized His sinless broken body on the cross, but this is NOT what is conveyed with a pressed, round, intact and unbroken wafer that has been so commonly used.
Now, a Catholic might respond: the manna that fell from heaven was ROUND:
Exo 16:14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
Voila! The round disk-like wafer host of the Mass is a copy of God's manna!
No. Not, so fast. Note that scripture give us a description of manna in size, shape, color and taste:
Exo 16:14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. [NKJV]
Exo 16:31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed [in size and shape], white [color]; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. [KJV]
Num 11:7 And the manna was as coriander seed [in size and shape], and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium [white].
Num 11:8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. [KJV]
Psa 78:24 he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. [NIV]
Psa 78:24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. [KJV]
The size and shape of manna
Exodus 16:14 tells us manna was small, small like the frost on the ground. We are also told in Exodus and Numbers that manna was like Coriander seed. Coriander is common today, and is used in brewing beer. It is round like a ball, and quite small. Eight to ten Coriander seeds might fit in the space of a pea. A picture of one ounce (hundreds) of Coriander Seeds. So Coriander is a miniscule round seed.
In Psalm 78 manna is further described as the grain or corn of heaven. In Strong's the word in Psalm 78 is:
H1715. dagan, daw-gawn'; from H1711; prop. increase, i.e. grain:--corn ([floor]), wheat.
Manna, therefore, was small and round like a ball, similar to a small seed grain.
The color of manna
The meaning of bdellium is somewhat uncertain, however, similar words in other languages favor identification with a resinous gum. In droplet form, the gum may have the appearance of a pearl, white. Exodus 16:31 confirms that manna was white in color by plainly stating it.
The taste of manna
Exo 16:31 ... the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
Num 11:8 ... the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.
As described in the Bible, manna resembled Coriander in size and shape: it was like a grain, like a small white round ball-like seed which was collected, ground up, and baked to make cakes, like wheat is ground to make bread. So, no, the Catholic wafer host does not imitate manna in either size or shape.
Here is a Catholic Web page advocating that churches begin a program of perpetual 24 hour adoration (worship), of the wafer host:
Apostolate for Perpetual Adoration.
You might call this the perpetual worshipping of "God in (of ?) the Sunburst Monstrance".
Here are additional pictures of monstrances online-
Museum of Monte Cassino, Italy.
The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano.
The last item is quite extraordinary. In the 8th century, it is alleged that the host and wine turned into actual living flesh and blood during a Mass, which it is said, remain well preserved in a monstrance in Italy to this day.
On the right is a photo of a stele from Ur of the Chaldees, with the symbol of the Babylonian sun god Shamash within the crescent of the moon goddess Nanna.
Stele of Ur-Nammu, detail
At right is a close-up of a monstrance, and inside the glass enclosure is a crescent, upon which the round wafer god host is placed, a virtual duplication of the symbology of the Canaanite and Chaldean stele shown above. Many monstrances use this crescent, which is officially called a "lunette" or "luna" (moon), to hold the round wafer host. The sun disk in the crescent moon is a quite common symbol for pagan religions, to include Babylon, Syria, and India.
From the video "666 and the Mark" by James Arrabito,
Copyright © LLT Productions - Used by Permission
Worshipping the Eucharist as God
Images from the video "666 and the Mark" by James Arrabito,
Copyright © LLT Productions - Used by Permission
Above on the left you see the pagan sunburst wafer god, inscribed with IHS and the cross, is portrayed above the cup of wine. This is the door to a place where the wine and wafers are stored. Above on the right, you see a similar carving depicting angels kneeling in idolatrous adoration or worship of the wafer god and wine.
In case you think the word "worship" is an exaggeration on my part, please note this paragraph from the new Vatican Catechism of the Catholic Church: (Italics present in the original text)
1378 Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. "The Catholic church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated host with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession."
Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church, published by Ligouri Publications, English translation © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana, bearing the Imprimi Potest of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, page 347.
And note this decree concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist from the thirteenth session of the Council of Trent, October 11th, 1551:
Chapter V
THE WORSHIP AND VENERATION TO BE SHOWN TO
THIS MOST HOLY SACRAMENT
There is, therefore, no room for doubt that all the faithful of Christ may, in accordance with a custom always received in the Catholic Church, give to this most holy sacrament in veneration the worship of latria, which is due to the true God.
Source: The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, Translated and introduced by Rev. H. J. Schroeder, O.P., Published by Tan Books and Publishers, INC., Rockford Illinois, 61105, © 1978, ISBN: 0-89555-074-1, page 76.
Here is the Thirteenth Session of Trent online. See Chapter V.
Dominicae Cenae - On the Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist, promulgated by John Paul II On February 24, 1980 To All the Bishops of the Church.
Conclusion
So the Catholic Church describes itself in its documents as engaged in the act of worshipping the Eucharist, which is also called adoration or veneration. Isn't it amazing how the Catholic Church justifies bowing down before images of the sun, as depicted by the monstrance and a round wafer, by claiming the bread has actually become God! God's commandment is cleverly made of no effect by the Traditions of men, by mixing error and truth.
Note these 100 Lire coins issued by the Vatican for nearly 10 years. (Click on a coin for a closer look.)
Pope Pius the 12th - 1958
Pope John the 23rd - 1959
CITTÁ DEL VATICANO - CITY OF PROPHECY
Pope Paul the 6th - 1963
Incredibly enough, the woman representing faith (the Catholic Church) on the reverse side of the coins holds up a cup in her right hand, in which you see pagan sunburst wafer god, which recalls these verses in Revelation:
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
The cup of wine of the apostate woman (church) represents spiritual and doctrinal fornication, a mixing of truth and error, Christianity and paganism, which she has taught to the world (made the nations drink).
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
There is only one self-proclaimed "Mother" church, The Universal (Catholic) Church.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
See also:
star.gif (4793 bytes) The Sun Wheel, the Obelisk and Baal.
star.gif (4793 bytes) The Sunburst Image, the Queen of Heaven and Baal.
star.gif (4793 bytes) The Catholic Mass.
http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/
Here some story i want to share with you all..
THE MONSTRANCE and the WAFER GOD
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: ...
Acts 19:26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
Note that the commandment of God forbids making and bowing down to images. Among pagans, perhaps the most common form of idolatry is sun worship, and the above prohibition would clearly exclude bowing down before images of the sun or moon (things in the heaven above). But then God gets even more explicit:
Deu 17:2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
Deu 17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
Deu 17:4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and inquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
Deu 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
Jer 8:1 At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
Jer 8:2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
Jer 8:3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.
With that in mind, lets look at solar and lunar images directly associated with the Catholic Mass.
PAGAN SUN WORSHIP AND CATHOLICISM
Here is Pope John Paul II holding what is called a Monstrance or Ostensorium. It is used to display a round wafer of bread, called the host, which is used in what is called the Mass, Lord's Supper, Communion or Eucharistic meal. The Catholic believes this wafer of bread turns into the actual body of Christ when consecrated during the Mass.
From the "Be Not Afraid" series of videos, Copyright © 1992,
Apostolate for Family Consecration
The Roman Catholic Church even admits the Monstrance to be a sunburst:
"During the baroque period, it took on a rayed form of a sun-monstrance with a circular window surrounded by a silver or gold frame with rays."
Source: The Dictionary of the Liturgy by Rev. Jovian P. Lang, OFM., published and copyrighted © 1989 by Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, ISBN 0-89942-273-X, page 436.
Photo of a Monstrance in the Vatican Museum
From the book "The New Illustrated Great Controversy"
Copyright © LLT Productions - Used by Permission
In fact, according to the 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia-
The most appropriate form (for the monstrance) is that of the sun emitting its rays to all sides (Instructio Clement., 5). [See Altar Vessels: Ostensorium]
Notice the letters SFS in the small sunburst blaze on the large close up of a Monstrance above? Each of the letters is a universal symbol for the number 6 in the pagan mysteries, so to the pagan it reads 666! The number 666 is also associated with what is called the "magic square of the sun". The practice of equating names and letters with numbers is called gematria.
The letter F:
The Hebrew letter Vau (V) has a value of 6. The English letter F is a descendant of Vau and retains the same value. The letter F is also the 6th letter of the English alphabet. In pagan numerology the letters F, O, and X have the value of 6.
The Greek symbol Digamma also looks like the letter F and has a value of 6.
The letter S:
The Greek equivalent of Vau is the letter Stau, which looks like an S, and it also has the value of 6.
Sources: The Modern Numerology by John King, published by Blandford, Copyright © 1996, ISBN 0-7137-2560-5, page 121 / Behind Numerology, by Shirley Blackwell Lawrence, published by Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc., Copyright © 1989, ISBN 0-87877-145-X, page 93 / Jesus Christ Sun of God, by David Fideler, Copyright © 1993, published by Quest Books of Wheaton Illinois and Madras India, ISBN 0-8356-0696-1, page 27.
And the flaming Sacred Heart located just below the SFS is actually symbolic of Baal / Tammuz!
(See Consecration to Flaming Sacred Hearts)
The priest (here the Pope) sometimes holds up the sunburst monstrance with the host encased for the congregation to adore and venerate. Virtually any time the monstrance, a pagan sun symbol, is viewed by the congregation, they kneel in submission. A Catholic cannot walk past this sun symbol without acknowledging it by kneeling and or making the sign of the cross with their hands.
From the "Be Not Afraid" series of videos,
Copyright © 1992,
Apostolate for Family Consecration
Remember God's commandment forbidding bowing down to images? How can the Catholic justify bowing down before a sun image in veneration? They will tell you that they are paying homage to the host, bread they believe has actually turned into the actual body and blood of Jesus after being consecrated by a priest. Since the wafer, they believe, has been transformed into God Himself, it is the round wafer god inside the sunburst monstrance that they bow down to in worship, not the sunburst monstrance. However, the round wafer of bread itself is also a sun symbol, which is sometimes made quite obvious in Catholic representations of the host in various forms of artwork.
Above is the huge processional monstrance of the Cathedral of Toledo, Spain, made of gilded solid silver and solid gold, being paraded through the streets for public display on the festival of Corpus Christi. It is said to contain 18 kg (40 pounds) of gold, and 183 kg (400 pounds) of silver, for a total weight nearing 1/4 ton of precious metals.
The great monstrance of the cathedral of Toledo, which is more than twelve feet high, and the construction of which occupied in all more than 100 years, is adorned with 260 statuettes, one of the largest of which is said to be made of the gold brought by Columbus from the New World.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia Online, Ostensorium (Monstrance).
Another very large monstrance has recently been made for St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Chicago that stands 9 feet tall. It depicts the Ark of the Covenant, 2 Cherubim on either side with wings overspread, and Mary in place on the Ark's mercy seat! On her chest is the sunburst symbol that contains a one foot wide wafer host. This is blasphemy and idolatry, depicting Mary on the throne of God in the Holy of Holies of the Sanctuary!
The Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy.
At right is the general sunburst pattern used to symbolize the host, the supposed "true body" of Christ. This design has also been adopted by the Jesuits as their symbol. The IHS is thought by some to represent the first letters of each word in the Latin phrase Iesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus Saviour of Men), although according to the Catholics themselves they actually represent the first three letters of the name "Jesus" in Greek (spelled in Greek iota-eta-sigma-omicron-upsilon-sigma). The pagan though, would quickly see the same sun disk symbol associated with many pagan deities of Egypt, among them Isis, Horus, and Seb. In Egyptian mythology Seb (Geb) was the father of the goddess Isis (Aset), the mother and protectress of her divine son Horus (Harpocrates). Horus (the younger) is frequently depicted on Egyptian temples as a winged sun disk, representing the rays of the rising sun.
At left is a statuette of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Her headdress shows the sun disk within the horns of an Apis bull, symbology which is virtually identical to that of the sunburst monstrance. Also of note, in Isis lap is her infant son, Horus. In this one image you have the symbology of the Catholic monstrance and Mother / child worship which is so prominent in Catholicism.
The Egyptian pharaoh also claimed to be the embodiment of Horus on earth, much like the pope claims to be the infallible Vicar of Christ on earth.
The Apis bull, as depicted in this Egyptian statuette, is likely to be the pattern used for the golden calf the Israelites made at Mount Sinai (Exo. 32), since they were undoubtedly quite familiar with it as a result of their long captivity in Egypt. Note that in front of the sun disk and horns, which looks virtually identical to some Catholic monstrances, there is the serpent poised to strike. In Scripture the serpent is symbolic of Satan. (Gen 3, Rev. 12:9)
At left is the reverse side of a medal commemorating the Catholic Eucharistic Congress held in Chicago in 1926 (On the front there is a bust of Pope Pius XI). Note that the round wafer host above the golden cup is portrayed as a radiant sunburst.
UBI PETRUS - IBI ECCLESIA
Where Peter is, there is the Church
The Worship of Baal is Sun Worship
Below is an artifact unearthed in the holy of holies of the pagan temple in the Canaanite city of Hatzor / Hazor, in northern Israel. It is described as follows:
"Of special interest is a square basalt altar for burning incense. On one of its sides, a circle with a cross in the center – the divine symbol of the Canaanite storm god – is carved in low relief."
"... a basalt offering table, pillar-shaped, with a carved symbol of the storm god Baal on its side. That symbol was a circle with a cross in the center"
Sources:
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hatzor: "The Head of all those Kingdoms"
University of Illinois, Religious Studies, Hazor (archived page)
2 Ki 23:3 And the king [Josiah] stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.
2 Ki 23:4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.
2 Ki 23:5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
2 Ki 23:6 And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
Baal Worship in Canaan Baal worship revolved around two themes that represented the conception of Baal his worshipers held. Baal was both the sun-god and storm-god. He was worshiped as sun-god when the people wished to express thanks and gratitude for light and warmth and fertility.
Source: Holman Bible Dictionary, Computer version, entry on Baal by James Newell.
BAAL AS A DEITY
... in many Chanaanite, Phoenician, or Palmyrene shrines, the sun was the Baal worshipped, ...
Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia Online, entry on Baal, Baalim.
Catholic Sunburst Eucharist Host
Here the Eucharistic host, as Catholics call it, has actually been made as a sunburst (note the flames around the edge). This sun symbol, after consecration, is called the true body of God, to be adored and bowed down to and worshipped by the laity, especially when displayed inside a sunburst monstrance.
Note the similarity to the symbol of Baal from Hatzor: a cross within a circle.
From the video "This is my Body, This is my Blood,
Miracles of the Holy Eucharist" by Bob and Penny Lord
Copyright © 1988.
At left is a pagan Canaanite cultic pillar or "matstsebah", also found in excavations of the city of Hatzor, showing hands raised in praise to the sun disk, portrayed within the crescent moon.
Deu 16:22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image (matstsebah); which the LORD thy God hateth.
On the cover of the Jan/Feb 2000 edition of
Envoy Magazine, a Catholic publication, an elevated consecrated host of the Eucharist is unmistakably depicted as a bright yellow sun disk against the background of a cloudy blue sky!
Above photo by Richard Lannoy
At left is pope John Paul II celebrating Mass, elevating a large host for adoration. Note the similarity with the pagan Canaanite pillar!
Image from the "Be Not Afraid" series of videos, Copyright © 1993,
Apostolate for Family Consecration,
P.O. Box 151, Bloomingdale Ohio, 43910.
Do you think this is what Jesus had in mind at the Last Supper? No, when He "broke bread" He handed His disciples a torn fragment of unleavened bread, that symbolized His sinless broken body on the cross, but this is NOT what is conveyed with a pressed, round, intact and unbroken wafer that has been so commonly used.
Now, a Catholic might respond: the manna that fell from heaven was ROUND:
Exo 16:14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
Voila! The round disk-like wafer host of the Mass is a copy of God's manna!
No. Not, so fast. Note that scripture give us a description of manna in size, shape, color and taste:
Exo 16:14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. [NKJV]
Exo 16:31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed [in size and shape], white [color]; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. [KJV]
Num 11:7 And the manna was as coriander seed [in size and shape], and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium [white].
Num 11:8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. [KJV]
Psa 78:24 he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. [NIV]
Psa 78:24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. [KJV]
The size and shape of manna
Exodus 16:14 tells us manna was small, small like the frost on the ground. We are also told in Exodus and Numbers that manna was like Coriander seed. Coriander is common today, and is used in brewing beer. It is round like a ball, and quite small. Eight to ten Coriander seeds might fit in the space of a pea. A picture of one ounce (hundreds) of Coriander Seeds. So Coriander is a miniscule round seed.
In Psalm 78 manna is further described as the grain or corn of heaven. In Strong's the word in Psalm 78 is:
H1715. dagan, daw-gawn'; from H1711; prop. increase, i.e. grain:--corn ([floor]), wheat.
Manna, therefore, was small and round like a ball, similar to a small seed grain.
The color of manna
The meaning of bdellium is somewhat uncertain, however, similar words in other languages favor identification with a resinous gum. In droplet form, the gum may have the appearance of a pearl, white. Exodus 16:31 confirms that manna was white in color by plainly stating it.
The taste of manna
Exo 16:31 ... the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
Num 11:8 ... the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.
As described in the Bible, manna resembled Coriander in size and shape: it was like a grain, like a small white round ball-like seed which was collected, ground up, and baked to make cakes, like wheat is ground to make bread. So, no, the Catholic wafer host does not imitate manna in either size or shape.
Here is a Catholic Web page advocating that churches begin a program of perpetual 24 hour adoration (worship), of the wafer host:
Apostolate for Perpetual Adoration.
You might call this the perpetual worshipping of "God in (of ?) the Sunburst Monstrance".
Here are additional pictures of monstrances online-
Museum of Monte Cassino, Italy.
The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano.
The last item is quite extraordinary. In the 8th century, it is alleged that the host and wine turned into actual living flesh and blood during a Mass, which it is said, remain well preserved in a monstrance in Italy to this day.
On the right is a photo of a stele from Ur of the Chaldees, with the symbol of the Babylonian sun god Shamash within the crescent of the moon goddess Nanna.
Stele of Ur-Nammu, detail
At right is a close-up of a monstrance, and inside the glass enclosure is a crescent, upon which the round wafer god host is placed, a virtual duplication of the symbology of the Canaanite and Chaldean stele shown above. Many monstrances use this crescent, which is officially called a "lunette" or "luna" (moon), to hold the round wafer host. The sun disk in the crescent moon is a quite common symbol for pagan religions, to include Babylon, Syria, and India.
From the video "666 and the Mark" by James Arrabito,
Copyright © LLT Productions - Used by Permission
Worshipping the Eucharist as God
Images from the video "666 and the Mark" by James Arrabito,
Copyright © LLT Productions - Used by Permission
Above on the left you see the pagan sunburst wafer god, inscribed with IHS and the cross, is portrayed above the cup of wine. This is the door to a place where the wine and wafers are stored. Above on the right, you see a similar carving depicting angels kneeling in idolatrous adoration or worship of the wafer god and wine.
In case you think the word "worship" is an exaggeration on my part, please note this paragraph from the new Vatican Catechism of the Catholic Church: (Italics present in the original text)
1378 Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. "The Catholic church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated host with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession."
Source: Catechism of the Catholic Church, published by Ligouri Publications, English translation © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana, bearing the Imprimi Potest of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, page 347.
And note this decree concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist from the thirteenth session of the Council of Trent, October 11th, 1551:
Chapter V
THE WORSHIP AND VENERATION TO BE SHOWN TO
THIS MOST HOLY SACRAMENT
There is, therefore, no room for doubt that all the faithful of Christ may, in accordance with a custom always received in the Catholic Church, give to this most holy sacrament in veneration the worship of latria, which is due to the true God.
Source: The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, Translated and introduced by Rev. H. J. Schroeder, O.P., Published by Tan Books and Publishers, INC., Rockford Illinois, 61105, © 1978, ISBN: 0-89555-074-1, page 76.
Here is the Thirteenth Session of Trent online. See Chapter V.
Dominicae Cenae - On the Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist, promulgated by John Paul II On February 24, 1980 To All the Bishops of the Church.
Conclusion
So the Catholic Church describes itself in its documents as engaged in the act of worshipping the Eucharist, which is also called adoration or veneration. Isn't it amazing how the Catholic Church justifies bowing down before images of the sun, as depicted by the monstrance and a round wafer, by claiming the bread has actually become God! God's commandment is cleverly made of no effect by the Traditions of men, by mixing error and truth.
Note these 100 Lire coins issued by the Vatican for nearly 10 years. (Click on a coin for a closer look.)
Pope Pius the 12th - 1958
Pope John the 23rd - 1959
CITTÁ DEL VATICANO - CITY OF PROPHECY
Pope Paul the 6th - 1963
Incredibly enough, the woman representing faith (the Catholic Church) on the reverse side of the coins holds up a cup in her right hand, in which you see pagan sunburst wafer god, which recalls these verses in Revelation:
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
The cup of wine of the apostate woman (church) represents spiritual and doctrinal fornication, a mixing of truth and error, Christianity and paganism, which she has taught to the world (made the nations drink).
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
There is only one self-proclaimed "Mother" church, The Universal (Catholic) Church.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
See also:
star.gif (4793 bytes) The Sun Wheel, the Obelisk and Baal.
star.gif (4793 bytes) The Sunburst Image, the Queen of Heaven and Baal.
star.gif (4793 bytes) The Catholic Mass.
http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Questions from a Muslim about Jesus being God
Following is a list of questions that received from a Muslim via e-mail. The answers are provided along with commentary. Generally speaking, Muslims do not seem to understand Christian theology. They repeatedly ask the same kinds of questions. Nevertheless, here are the responses and we hope that they help Muslims understand Christian theology better so that they would choose to come to Christ instead of follow Mohammed.
Also, you will notice throughout this response that this same basic answer is given to multiple questions. This is because the one truth concerning Christ's two natures answers almost all of the objections this Muslim has raised.
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Muslim: In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful. To my fellow People of the Book and fellow siblings of Adam, I would like to draw your attention to the following facts in the hope that you may see the truth. For your own sake, read with the intent of finding the truth and not with the intent of winning an argument. If after this, you don't believe, then I have tried. Either way, it is between you and ALLAH, the one God.
Answer: We are saddened to see the continued deception held by Muslims. They do not follow the true God and they fail to understand who Christ really is. Muslims believe that the Bible has been corrupted (it hasn't), so that they can make room for the justification to deny what it really says. Instead of believing the eyewitnesses, they believe what Mohammed said about Jesus 600 years later. So, essentially they are believing what their so-called Prophet said instead of those who actually walked and talked with Christ. Add to that a lack of understanding of biblical theology and you get the following questions:
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Mark 12:29 did Jesus say, "Here, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." The words "our God" indicate that Jesus had a higher God over him, a stronger God than him. Jesus didn't say "Your God". He said "our God" which includes Jesus as the creation of GOD.
Answer: Basic Christian theology teaches that Jesus was both God and man. He had two natures. He was both divine and human at the same time. This teaching is known as the hypostatic union; that is, the coming-together of two natures in one person. In Heb. 2:9 states that Jesus was ". . . made for a little while lower than the angels . . ." Also in Phil. 2:5-8, it says that Jesus "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men . . ." Col. 2:9 says, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." Jesus was both God and man at the same time.
Therefore, since he was a man (though not only a man) and since he was made under the law, and lower than the angels, it is natural to conclude that he would have someone that he would call God. In this case, it is God the Father.
But we must make a clarification. To say that Jesus Christ is God is not as clear a statement as it needs to be. Christianity teaches that God is a Trinity; that is, God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To say that Jesus Christ is God is almost like saying that he is the Trinity, and that would make no sense. When the Christian says that Jesus is God, he really means that Jesus is divine in nature. Since God is three persons, and since Jesus is the second person in the Trinity, he shares the same divinity with the Father and Holy Spirit.
Having explained this, when Jesus says "Our God" it must be understood that Jesus is speaking as a man. But it does not mean he does not possess the divine nature as well.
For further reading please see the two natures of Jesus.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 20:17 did Jesus say, "I ascend to my God and your God? This tells us that we and Jesus have a common GOD.
Answer: The same explanation above applies here.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 8:28 did Jesus say, "I do nothing of myself"? Can't GOD do anything he wills?
Answer: Jesus was fulfilling his ministry completely as a man. He was made under the law (Gal. 4:4) and operated under the law. He fulfilled his ministry having emptied himself (Phil. 2:5-8) and was completely subject to the Father (Luke 22:42). Therefore, since he was under obligation to fulfill the law (which included complete dependence upon the Father), and since he had emptied himself and was working in cooperation with human limitations, he would naturally do nothing of himself. Jesus did not come to do his own will, but the will of the Father. "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done, ' (Luke 22:42). 'I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me," (John 5:30).
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 14:28 did Jesus say, "My Father (GOD) is greater than I"?
Answer: "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you. ' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I,'" (John 14:28).
Jesus said the Father was greater than He not because Jesus is not God, but because Jesus was also a man and as a man he was in a lower position. He was ". . . made for a little while lower than the angels . . ." (Heb. 2:9). Also in Phil. 2:5-8, it says that Jesus "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men . . ."
Jesus has two natures. Jesus was not denying that He was God. He was merely acknowledging the fact that He was also a man. Jesus is both God and man. As a man, he was in a lesser position than the Father. He had added to Himself human nature (Col. 2:9). He became a man to die for people.
A comparison can be found in the marriage relationship. Biblically, a husband is greater in position and authority than his wife. But, he is no different in nature and he is not better than she. They share the same nature, being human, and they work together by love.
So, Jesus was not denying that He was God. He was simply acknowledging that He was also a man and as a man, he was subject to the laws of God so that He might redeem those who were under the law; namely, sinners (Gal. 4:4-5).
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Luke 23:46 did Jesus say, "Father (GOD), into thy hands I commend my spirit"?
Answer: Because Jesus has two natures, divine and human, as a man he would have someone he would call his God. This does not make two gods since the doctrine of the Trinity states that there is only one God in three persons and that the second person of the Trinity became man. Therefore, Jesus committed himself to God the Father.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 19:16 did Jesus say, "Why call me good, there is none good but One, that is GOD"?
Answer: The simple question to ask here is, "was Jesus good?" If the Muslim wants to say that Jesus is not good, then he's saying that Jesus was evil. If, however, the Muslim wants to admit that Jesus was good, then the natural conclusion is that Jesus is God.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 26:39 did Jesus beg his GOD to have mercy on him and to pass the cup to death (kill Jesus in another words) before Jesus goes through the pain of crucifixion? Also see: Jesus's crucifixion in Islam.
Answer: Jesus did not ask to be killed. As a man, he did not want to go through the torturous ordeal of the crucifixion. What man would desire such a horrible death? The fact that Jesus did not want to go through it is proof enough that he was human. But it does not mean that he was not divine.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 18:38 didn't he reply when he was asked about the truth.
Answer: John 18:38 says, "Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth? ' Jesus did not respond because of the Old Testament prophecy that said he was silent before his accusers. "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth," (Isaiah 53:7).
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 24:36 did Jesus tell his followers that no one (including Jesus) knows when the judgment day will come, only GOD knows?
Answer: Matt. 24:36 says, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." As a man, Jesus cooperated with the limitations of being a man. That is why we have verses like Luke 2:52 that says "Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." Therefore, at this point in his ministry he could say He did not know the day nor hour of His return. It is not a denial of His being God, but a confirmation of Him being man.
Also, the logic that Jesus could not be God because He did not know all things works both ways. If we could find a scripture where Jesus does know all things, then that would prove that He was God, wouldn't it?
He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus *said to him, "Tend My sheep" (John 21:17 - NASB).
Jesus did not correct Peter and say, "Hold on Peter, I do not know all things." He let Peter continue on with his statement that Jesus knew all things. Therefore, it must be true.
But, if we have a verse that says that Jesus did not know all things and another that says he did know all things, then isn't that a contradiction? No. It is not.
Before Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection He said the Father alone knew the day and hour of His return. It wasn't until after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection that omniscience is attributed to Jesus. As I said before, Jesus was cooperating with the limitations of being a man and completed His ministry on this earth. He was then glorified in His resurrection. Yet, He was still a man (cf. Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5). After Jesus' resurrection, He was able to appear and disappear at will. This is not the normal ability of a man. But, it is, apparently, the normal ability of a resurrected and glorified man. Jesus was different after the resurrection. There had been a change. He was still a man and He knew all things.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Isaiah 11:2-3 did GOD put the spirit of fearing GOD in Jesus?
Answer: Isaiah 11:2-3 says, "And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear." It is good that this Muslim recognizes a prophecy concerning Christ and it adds to the validity and inspiration of the Bible.
This verse cannot be used as an objection to Christ's deity. As we have stated repeatedly above, Jesus was both divine and human and as a man he was under the law and behaved and acted as a man. This would mean that he would have the fear the Lord just as any godly Jew would. Furthermore, the word fear does not mean simply to be afraid. The context means awe, respect, etc.
The miracle of the incarnation is that the Word added human nature to himself in order to become one of us so that he might fulfill the law and take our place of punishment. In order for this to be done, the Word became flesh, became a man. This is why the Bible says that the word which was with God and was God, became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14). As a man, Jesus would naturally and properly have fear the Lord.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:31 did Jesus tell his followers that if he (Jesus) bears witness of himself, then his record is not true?
Answer: John 5:31 says, "If I alone bear witness of Myself, My testimony is not true." Jesus was speaking in accordance with Old Testament law that Paul referred to in 2 Cor. 13:1, "This is the third time I am coming to you. Every fact is to be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses."
The Jews knew that truth was established by more than one witness. If Jesus was alone in his witness concerning himself, then how could his testimony be true? This is why the Old Testament law prohibited condemning someone to death on the testimony of a single witness. The idea was that for a fact to be established, you need more than one person testifying to a truth. Of course, in this context of Christ, we know that Jesus does have another witness because the Father bore witness of Jesus and commanded that we hear Jesus. "and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased," (Matt. 3:17).
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:30 did Jesus tell his followers that he can't do a single thing of his own initiative?
Answer: As stated above, Jesus was a man, under the law, cooperating with the limitations of being a man, and who had come not to do his own will, but the will of the Father. Therefore he could do nothing of his own initiative because he was sent from the Father to do the will of the Father.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:36 did Jesus say that GOD had assigned him (Jesus) work and GOD is a witness on Jesus?
Answer: John 5:36 says, 'But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me."
Again, this does not mean that Jesus does not have a divine nature. It means that Jesus was under the law and had been sent by the Father as a man to accomplish the purpose of the Father. This does not mean Jesus is not God.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:32 did Jesus tell his followers that they have never seen GOD at anytime nor ever heard his voice?
Answer: The Muslim made a mistake in his question. It is not John 5:32, but John 5:37. Also, the word is not "God". Instead, the word is "Father." John 5:32 says, "There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the testimony which He bears of Me is true." John 5:37 says, "And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form."
The answer is simple in that Jesus was speaking to the Jewish leaders and he told them that they had never seen the Father. Jesus is not the Father so Jesus' statement that they had never seen the Father is correct.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why did he pray to his GOD in Luke 5:16?
Answer: Luke 5:16 says, "But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray."
Again, the answer is simple. Jesus has two natures. He is divine and human. He was made under the law (Gal. 4:4), lower than the angels (Heb. 2:9), after having emptied himself (Phil. 2:5-8) even though he was the Word of God, which was God, and was made flesh, (John 1:1,14). Therefore, as we have stated before, Jesus would properly pray to God the Father.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 26:39 did Jesus fall on his face and prayed to his GOD?
Answer: Same answer as above.
Also, you will notice throughout this response that this same basic answer is given to multiple questions. This is because the one truth concerning Christ's two natures answers almost all of the objections this Muslim has raised.
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Muslim: In the Name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful. To my fellow People of the Book and fellow siblings of Adam, I would like to draw your attention to the following facts in the hope that you may see the truth. For your own sake, read with the intent of finding the truth and not with the intent of winning an argument. If after this, you don't believe, then I have tried. Either way, it is between you and ALLAH, the one God.
Answer: We are saddened to see the continued deception held by Muslims. They do not follow the true God and they fail to understand who Christ really is. Muslims believe that the Bible has been corrupted (it hasn't), so that they can make room for the justification to deny what it really says. Instead of believing the eyewitnesses, they believe what Mohammed said about Jesus 600 years later. So, essentially they are believing what their so-called Prophet said instead of those who actually walked and talked with Christ. Add to that a lack of understanding of biblical theology and you get the following questions:
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Mark 12:29 did Jesus say, "Here, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." The words "our God" indicate that Jesus had a higher God over him, a stronger God than him. Jesus didn't say "Your God". He said "our God" which includes Jesus as the creation of GOD.
Answer: Basic Christian theology teaches that Jesus was both God and man. He had two natures. He was both divine and human at the same time. This teaching is known as the hypostatic union; that is, the coming-together of two natures in one person. In Heb. 2:9 states that Jesus was ". . . made for a little while lower than the angels . . ." Also in Phil. 2:5-8, it says that Jesus "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men . . ." Col. 2:9 says, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." Jesus was both God and man at the same time.
Therefore, since he was a man (though not only a man) and since he was made under the law, and lower than the angels, it is natural to conclude that he would have someone that he would call God. In this case, it is God the Father.
But we must make a clarification. To say that Jesus Christ is God is not as clear a statement as it needs to be. Christianity teaches that God is a Trinity; that is, God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To say that Jesus Christ is God is almost like saying that he is the Trinity, and that would make no sense. When the Christian says that Jesus is God, he really means that Jesus is divine in nature. Since God is three persons, and since Jesus is the second person in the Trinity, he shares the same divinity with the Father and Holy Spirit.
Having explained this, when Jesus says "Our God" it must be understood that Jesus is speaking as a man. But it does not mean he does not possess the divine nature as well.
For further reading please see the two natures of Jesus.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 20:17 did Jesus say, "I ascend to my God and your God? This tells us that we and Jesus have a common GOD.
Answer: The same explanation above applies here.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 8:28 did Jesus say, "I do nothing of myself"? Can't GOD do anything he wills?
Answer: Jesus was fulfilling his ministry completely as a man. He was made under the law (Gal. 4:4) and operated under the law. He fulfilled his ministry having emptied himself (Phil. 2:5-8) and was completely subject to the Father (Luke 22:42). Therefore, since he was under obligation to fulfill the law (which included complete dependence upon the Father), and since he had emptied himself and was working in cooperation with human limitations, he would naturally do nothing of himself. Jesus did not come to do his own will, but the will of the Father. "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done, ' (Luke 22:42). 'I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me," (John 5:30).
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 14:28 did Jesus say, "My Father (GOD) is greater than I"?
Answer: "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you. ' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I,'" (John 14:28).
Jesus said the Father was greater than He not because Jesus is not God, but because Jesus was also a man and as a man he was in a lower position. He was ". . . made for a little while lower than the angels . . ." (Heb. 2:9). Also in Phil. 2:5-8, it says that Jesus "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men . . ."
Jesus has two natures. Jesus was not denying that He was God. He was merely acknowledging the fact that He was also a man. Jesus is both God and man. As a man, he was in a lesser position than the Father. He had added to Himself human nature (Col. 2:9). He became a man to die for people.
A comparison can be found in the marriage relationship. Biblically, a husband is greater in position and authority than his wife. But, he is no different in nature and he is not better than she. They share the same nature, being human, and they work together by love.
So, Jesus was not denying that He was God. He was simply acknowledging that He was also a man and as a man, he was subject to the laws of God so that He might redeem those who were under the law; namely, sinners (Gal. 4:4-5).
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Luke 23:46 did Jesus say, "Father (GOD), into thy hands I commend my spirit"?
Answer: Because Jesus has two natures, divine and human, as a man he would have someone he would call his God. This does not make two gods since the doctrine of the Trinity states that there is only one God in three persons and that the second person of the Trinity became man. Therefore, Jesus committed himself to God the Father.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 19:16 did Jesus say, "Why call me good, there is none good but One, that is GOD"?
Answer: The simple question to ask here is, "was Jesus good?" If the Muslim wants to say that Jesus is not good, then he's saying that Jesus was evil. If, however, the Muslim wants to admit that Jesus was good, then the natural conclusion is that Jesus is God.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 26:39 did Jesus beg his GOD to have mercy on him and to pass the cup to death (kill Jesus in another words) before Jesus goes through the pain of crucifixion? Also see: Jesus's crucifixion in Islam.
Answer: Jesus did not ask to be killed. As a man, he did not want to go through the torturous ordeal of the crucifixion. What man would desire such a horrible death? The fact that Jesus did not want to go through it is proof enough that he was human. But it does not mean that he was not divine.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 18:38 didn't he reply when he was asked about the truth.
Answer: John 18:38 says, "Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth? ' Jesus did not respond because of the Old Testament prophecy that said he was silent before his accusers. "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth," (Isaiah 53:7).
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 24:36 did Jesus tell his followers that no one (including Jesus) knows when the judgment day will come, only GOD knows?
Answer: Matt. 24:36 says, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." As a man, Jesus cooperated with the limitations of being a man. That is why we have verses like Luke 2:52 that says "Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." Therefore, at this point in his ministry he could say He did not know the day nor hour of His return. It is not a denial of His being God, but a confirmation of Him being man.
Also, the logic that Jesus could not be God because He did not know all things works both ways. If we could find a scripture where Jesus does know all things, then that would prove that He was God, wouldn't it?
He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus *said to him, "Tend My sheep" (John 21:17 - NASB).
Jesus did not correct Peter and say, "Hold on Peter, I do not know all things." He let Peter continue on with his statement that Jesus knew all things. Therefore, it must be true.
But, if we have a verse that says that Jesus did not know all things and another that says he did know all things, then isn't that a contradiction? No. It is not.
Before Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection He said the Father alone knew the day and hour of His return. It wasn't until after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection that omniscience is attributed to Jesus. As I said before, Jesus was cooperating with the limitations of being a man and completed His ministry on this earth. He was then glorified in His resurrection. Yet, He was still a man (cf. Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5). After Jesus' resurrection, He was able to appear and disappear at will. This is not the normal ability of a man. But, it is, apparently, the normal ability of a resurrected and glorified man. Jesus was different after the resurrection. There had been a change. He was still a man and He knew all things.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Isaiah 11:2-3 did GOD put the spirit of fearing GOD in Jesus?
Answer: Isaiah 11:2-3 says, "And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear." It is good that this Muslim recognizes a prophecy concerning Christ and it adds to the validity and inspiration of the Bible.
This verse cannot be used as an objection to Christ's deity. As we have stated repeatedly above, Jesus was both divine and human and as a man he was under the law and behaved and acted as a man. This would mean that he would have the fear the Lord just as any godly Jew would. Furthermore, the word fear does not mean simply to be afraid. The context means awe, respect, etc.
The miracle of the incarnation is that the Word added human nature to himself in order to become one of us so that he might fulfill the law and take our place of punishment. In order for this to be done, the Word became flesh, became a man. This is why the Bible says that the word which was with God and was God, became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14). As a man, Jesus would naturally and properly have fear the Lord.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:31 did Jesus tell his followers that if he (Jesus) bears witness of himself, then his record is not true?
Answer: John 5:31 says, "If I alone bear witness of Myself, My testimony is not true." Jesus was speaking in accordance with Old Testament law that Paul referred to in 2 Cor. 13:1, "This is the third time I am coming to you. Every fact is to be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses."
The Jews knew that truth was established by more than one witness. If Jesus was alone in his witness concerning himself, then how could his testimony be true? This is why the Old Testament law prohibited condemning someone to death on the testimony of a single witness. The idea was that for a fact to be established, you need more than one person testifying to a truth. Of course, in this context of Christ, we know that Jesus does have another witness because the Father bore witness of Jesus and commanded that we hear Jesus. "and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased," (Matt. 3:17).
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:30 did Jesus tell his followers that he can't do a single thing of his own initiative?
Answer: As stated above, Jesus was a man, under the law, cooperating with the limitations of being a man, and who had come not to do his own will, but the will of the Father. Therefore he could do nothing of his own initiative because he was sent from the Father to do the will of the Father.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:36 did Jesus say that GOD had assigned him (Jesus) work and GOD is a witness on Jesus?
Answer: John 5:36 says, 'But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me."
Again, this does not mean that Jesus does not have a divine nature. It means that Jesus was under the law and had been sent by the Father as a man to accomplish the purpose of the Father. This does not mean Jesus is not God.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:32 did Jesus tell his followers that they have never seen GOD at anytime nor ever heard his voice?
Answer: The Muslim made a mistake in his question. It is not John 5:32, but John 5:37. Also, the word is not "God". Instead, the word is "Father." John 5:32 says, "There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the testimony which He bears of Me is true." John 5:37 says, "And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form."
The answer is simple in that Jesus was speaking to the Jewish leaders and he told them that they had never seen the Father. Jesus is not the Father so Jesus' statement that they had never seen the Father is correct.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why did he pray to his GOD in Luke 5:16?
Answer: Luke 5:16 says, "But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray."
Again, the answer is simple. Jesus has two natures. He is divine and human. He was made under the law (Gal. 4:4), lower than the angels (Heb. 2:9), after having emptied himself (Phil. 2:5-8) even though he was the Word of God, which was God, and was made flesh, (John 1:1,14). Therefore, as we have stated before, Jesus would properly pray to God the Father.
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Muslim: If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 26:39 did Jesus fall on his face and prayed to his GOD?
Answer: Same answer as above.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Return of Jesus in the Qur'an and the Hadith
Shaloom readers....
“It must come as something of a surprise to Christians to hear that the return of Jesus to earth is as much a basic belief of the Muslims as it is ours. Once again the vast majority of the Muslims of the world hold to this belief. As with the ascension the Qur'an does not treat the subject at any length and, as with so much of its teaching about Jesus, it is somewhat ambiguous. The one passage invariably brought forth to justify the doctrine is this one:
And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): Therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way. Surah 43.61
The key words in the original Arabic are Wa innahuu la'ilmil-lissaa'ati which, literally interpreted, mean only "And there is knowledge (ilm) of the Hour (sa'ah)". Arberry thus translates it, viz. "It is knowledge of the Hour", as does Pickthall: "Verily there is knowledge of the Hour". At first sight Yusuf Ali's interpretation in the quote above, to the effect that Jesus himself is the sign of the Hour of Judgment to come, appears to be broadly read into the text which would not otherwise yield it. A well-known Christian writer, however, summarily discounts any possibility that the text might refer to the second coming of Jesus at the end of the age. He says on this point:
No eschatological interpretation could possibly have been current in Arabia in reference to Jesus. The Medinan verse 43:61: "And it/he will be a sign of the Hour" may be translated: "Verily there is knowledge of the Hour". Any idea of Jesus' future coming derives from subsequent interpretation. (Trimingham, Christianity Among the Arabs in Pre-Islamic Times, p. 267).
Another writer, however, accepts that if the pronoun built into the word innahuu refers to Jesus, then it may well be that this text is intended to allude to his return to the earth towards the end of time.
It is also significant that Christ is spoken of as a sign of the "Hour" (Sure xliii.61) which would appear to be a reference to His second advent (in which Muslims believe) if the pronoun refers back to Christ. (Sweetman, Islam and Christian Theology, Part One, Vol. 1, p. 34).
Commenting on the same verse a Muslim writer seeks support for the interpretation in favour of the return of Jesus to earth in some of the expressed views of some of Muhammad's own followers as they have been recorded in the traditions:
Distinguished Companions of the Holy Prophet Sallallaho alaihe wasallam, such as Hazrat Ibne-Abbas, Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Qatawa have opined that there is a specific allusion in the abovequoted wordings to the appearance of Jesus Christ before the Last Day. (Alam, Nuzul-e-Esa: Descension of Jesus Christ, p. 28).
In another place, referring to the opinions of the early Muslim interpreters of the Qur'an, he says:
Another commentator, Ibne-Atya, goes on to state that Moslem theologians are unanimous in holding that Jesus Christ is physically alive at present in Heavens and is destined to return to this world in the same condition towards the approach of the Last Day. (Alam, Nuzul-e-Esa: Descension of Jesus Christ, p. 37).
When the text is placed in its context in the Surah there does appear to be much to support the argument that it is Jesus himself who is spoken of as the knowledge or sign of the Hour. The passage begins by saying that Muhammad's people ridicule him when he seeks to hold up the son of Mary as an example (Surah 43.57), goes on to quote their objection that their gods are better than he (v.58), and asserts In huwa illa abdun - "He was no more than a servant" - who was made an example to the Children of Israel (v.59). Thereafter Jesus himself is quoted (w .63-64) and, analysing the key verse in this context, it is hard to see what else could be the "knowledge" or sign of the Hour of Judgment if it is not Jesus himself, the subject of the whole passage. Yusuf Ali has the following comment appended to the text:
This is understood to refer to the second coming of Jesus in the Last Days just before the Resurrection, when he will destroy the false doctrines that pass under his name, and prepare the way for the universal acceptance of Islam, the Gospel of Unity and Peace, the Straight Way of the Qur'an. (Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, p. 1337).
Another Muslim translator of the Qur'an has a similar comment on this verse: "The reference is to the second advent of Jesus" (Daryabadi, The Holy Qur'an, Vol. 2, p. 493B). Going on from the Qur'an to the Hadith we find that there are a wealth of traditions in support of the doctrine of the return of Jesus to earth. There are no less than seventy in fact and they are regarded as mutawatir, "universally attested" traditions of unquestioned reliability. One reads:
Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: By Him in Whose hand is my life, the son of Mary (may peace be upon him) will soon descend among you as a just judge. He will break crosses kill swine and abolish Jizya, and the wealth will pour forth to such an extent that no one will accept it. (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, p. 92).
Another tradition states that "spite, mutual hatred and jealousy against one another will certainly disappear" during his reign when he returns (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, p. 93) and in yet another tradition we read that Surah 4.159, which teaches that "there is none of the People of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) but must believe in him before his death", is also a proof that Jesus will return to earth to receive the homage of all to whom the Scriptures have been given (Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, p. 437). Throughout the various works in the Sirat and Hadith literature we find similar traditions suppor tiny the return of Jesus, another of which reads:
When Christ was raised (to the heavens), he was thirty-two years and six months old. The period of his prophethood lasted for thirty months. Allah raised him to heaven with his body; he is still alive and will return to this world and he will be a king of the whole earth and then he will die like other living beings. (Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 1, p. 47).
Another example that Jesus in Hadith
Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 34, Number 425:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims) as a just ruler and will break the Cross and kill the pig and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims, who are in the protection, of the Muslim government). Then there will be abundance of money and no-body will accept charitable gifts.
Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 656:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts).
Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 651:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "I am the nearest of all the people to the son of Mary, and all the prophets are paternal brothers, and there has been no prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus)."
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 652:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one."
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 657:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler); he will break the Cross and kill the pigs and there will be no Jizya (i.e. taxation taken from non Muslims). Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it." Abu Huraira added "If you wish, you can recite (this verse of the Holy Book): -- 'And there is none Of the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) But must believe in him (i.e. Jesus as an Apostle of Allah and a human being) Before his death. And on the Day of Judgment He will be a witness Against them." (4.159) (See Fateh Al Bari, Page 302 Vol. 7)
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 658:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Quran and not by the law of Gospel (Fateh-ul Bari page 304 and 305 Vol 7)
Sahih Muslim Book 030, Number 5834:
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (pbuh) as saying: I am most akin to the son of Mary among the whole of mankind and the Prophets are of different mothers, but of one religion, and no Prophet was raised between me and him (Jesus Christ).
Book 030, Number 5835:
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (pbuh) as saying: I am most akin to Jesus Christ among the whole of mankind, and all the Prophets are of different mothers but belong to one religion and no Prophet was raised between me and Jesus.
Book 030, Number 5836:
Abu Huraira reported many ahadith from Allah's Messenger (pbuh) and one is that Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said: I am most close to Jesus, son of Mary, among the whole of mankind in this worldly life and the next life. They said: Allah's Messenger how is it? Thereupon he said: Prophets are brothers in faith, having different mothers. Their religion is, however, one and there is no Apostle between us (between I and Jesus Christ).
Sunan Abu Dawud Book 37, Number 4310:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (pbuh) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (pbuh). He will descend (to the earth). When you see him, recognize him: a man of medium height, reddish fair, wearing two light yellow garments, looking as if drops were falling down from his head though it will not be wet. He will fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizya. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him.
It is immediately apparent that there are key differences between Christian and Muslim beliefs regarding the return of Jesus but what is of great significance is the very admission of this climactic event to come at the end of time.”
“It must come as something of a surprise to Christians to hear that the return of Jesus to earth is as much a basic belief of the Muslims as it is ours. Once again the vast majority of the Muslims of the world hold to this belief. As with the ascension the Qur'an does not treat the subject at any length and, as with so much of its teaching about Jesus, it is somewhat ambiguous. The one passage invariably brought forth to justify the doctrine is this one:
And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): Therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way. Surah 43.61
The key words in the original Arabic are Wa innahuu la'ilmil-lissaa'ati which, literally interpreted, mean only "And there is knowledge (ilm) of the Hour (sa'ah)". Arberry thus translates it, viz. "It is knowledge of the Hour", as does Pickthall: "Verily there is knowledge of the Hour". At first sight Yusuf Ali's interpretation in the quote above, to the effect that Jesus himself is the sign of the Hour of Judgment to come, appears to be broadly read into the text which would not otherwise yield it. A well-known Christian writer, however, summarily discounts any possibility that the text might refer to the second coming of Jesus at the end of the age. He says on this point:
No eschatological interpretation could possibly have been current in Arabia in reference to Jesus. The Medinan verse 43:61: "And it/he will be a sign of the Hour" may be translated: "Verily there is knowledge of the Hour". Any idea of Jesus' future coming derives from subsequent interpretation. (Trimingham, Christianity Among the Arabs in Pre-Islamic Times, p. 267).
Another writer, however, accepts that if the pronoun built into the word innahuu refers to Jesus, then it may well be that this text is intended to allude to his return to the earth towards the end of time.
It is also significant that Christ is spoken of as a sign of the "Hour" (Sure xliii.61) which would appear to be a reference to His second advent (in which Muslims believe) if the pronoun refers back to Christ. (Sweetman, Islam and Christian Theology, Part One, Vol. 1, p. 34).
Commenting on the same verse a Muslim writer seeks support for the interpretation in favour of the return of Jesus to earth in some of the expressed views of some of Muhammad's own followers as they have been recorded in the traditions:
Distinguished Companions of the Holy Prophet Sallallaho alaihe wasallam, such as Hazrat Ibne-Abbas, Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Qatawa have opined that there is a specific allusion in the abovequoted wordings to the appearance of Jesus Christ before the Last Day. (Alam, Nuzul-e-Esa: Descension of Jesus Christ, p. 28).
In another place, referring to the opinions of the early Muslim interpreters of the Qur'an, he says:
Another commentator, Ibne-Atya, goes on to state that Moslem theologians are unanimous in holding that Jesus Christ is physically alive at present in Heavens and is destined to return to this world in the same condition towards the approach of the Last Day. (Alam, Nuzul-e-Esa: Descension of Jesus Christ, p. 37).
When the text is placed in its context in the Surah there does appear to be much to support the argument that it is Jesus himself who is spoken of as the knowledge or sign of the Hour. The passage begins by saying that Muhammad's people ridicule him when he seeks to hold up the son of Mary as an example (Surah 43.57), goes on to quote their objection that their gods are better than he (v.58), and asserts In huwa illa abdun - "He was no more than a servant" - who was made an example to the Children of Israel (v.59). Thereafter Jesus himself is quoted (w .63-64) and, analysing the key verse in this context, it is hard to see what else could be the "knowledge" or sign of the Hour of Judgment if it is not Jesus himself, the subject of the whole passage. Yusuf Ali has the following comment appended to the text:
This is understood to refer to the second coming of Jesus in the Last Days just before the Resurrection, when he will destroy the false doctrines that pass under his name, and prepare the way for the universal acceptance of Islam, the Gospel of Unity and Peace, the Straight Way of the Qur'an. (Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, p. 1337).
Another Muslim translator of the Qur'an has a similar comment on this verse: "The reference is to the second advent of Jesus" (Daryabadi, The Holy Qur'an, Vol. 2, p. 493B). Going on from the Qur'an to the Hadith we find that there are a wealth of traditions in support of the doctrine of the return of Jesus to earth. There are no less than seventy in fact and they are regarded as mutawatir, "universally attested" traditions of unquestioned reliability. One reads:
Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: By Him in Whose hand is my life, the son of Mary (may peace be upon him) will soon descend among you as a just judge. He will break crosses kill swine and abolish Jizya, and the wealth will pour forth to such an extent that no one will accept it. (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, p. 92).
Another tradition states that "spite, mutual hatred and jealousy against one another will certainly disappear" during his reign when he returns (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, p. 93) and in yet another tradition we read that Surah 4.159, which teaches that "there is none of the People of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) but must believe in him before his death", is also a proof that Jesus will return to earth to receive the homage of all to whom the Scriptures have been given (Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, p. 437). Throughout the various works in the Sirat and Hadith literature we find similar traditions suppor tiny the return of Jesus, another of which reads:
When Christ was raised (to the heavens), he was thirty-two years and six months old. The period of his prophethood lasted for thirty months. Allah raised him to heaven with his body; he is still alive and will return to this world and he will be a king of the whole earth and then he will die like other living beings. (Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol. 1, p. 47).
Another example that Jesus in Hadith
Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 34, Number 425:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims) as a just ruler and will break the Cross and kill the pig and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims, who are in the protection, of the Muslim government). Then there will be abundance of money and no-body will accept charitable gifts.
Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 656:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts).
Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 651:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "I am the nearest of all the people to the son of Mary, and all the prophets are paternal brothers, and there has been no prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus)."
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 652:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one."
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 657:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler); he will break the Cross and kill the pigs and there will be no Jizya (i.e. taxation taken from non Muslims). Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it." Abu Huraira added "If you wish, you can recite (this verse of the Holy Book): -- 'And there is none Of the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) But must believe in him (i.e. Jesus as an Apostle of Allah and a human being) Before his death. And on the Day of Judgment He will be a witness Against them." (4.159) (See Fateh Al Bari, Page 302 Vol. 7)
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 658:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Quran and not by the law of Gospel (Fateh-ul Bari page 304 and 305 Vol 7)
Sahih Muslim Book 030, Number 5834:
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (pbuh) as saying: I am most akin to the son of Mary among the whole of mankind and the Prophets are of different mothers, but of one religion, and no Prophet was raised between me and him (Jesus Christ).
Book 030, Number 5835:
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (pbuh) as saying: I am most akin to Jesus Christ among the whole of mankind, and all the Prophets are of different mothers but belong to one religion and no Prophet was raised between me and Jesus.
Book 030, Number 5836:
Abu Huraira reported many ahadith from Allah's Messenger (pbuh) and one is that Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said: I am most close to Jesus, son of Mary, among the whole of mankind in this worldly life and the next life. They said: Allah's Messenger how is it? Thereupon he said: Prophets are brothers in faith, having different mothers. Their religion is, however, one and there is no Apostle between us (between I and Jesus Christ).
Sunan Abu Dawud Book 37, Number 4310:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (pbuh) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (pbuh). He will descend (to the earth). When you see him, recognize him: a man of medium height, reddish fair, wearing two light yellow garments, looking as if drops were falling down from his head though it will not be wet. He will fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizya. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him.
It is immediately apparent that there are key differences between Christian and Muslim beliefs regarding the return of Jesus but what is of great significance is the very admission of this climactic event to come at the end of time.”
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