THE GREAT DECEPTION
Islam is going to great lengths to make Westerners believe that Muslims and Christians have common spiritual heritage in Jesus. This pressure from Islam is forcing Christians to become acquainted with Islamic theology to defend their own faith. The danger is to take a Muslim at his word, when he states that he too, like you, believes in Jesus. An uneducated response to that is not going far enough to uncover the real spiritual fork in the road. That division is of such magnitude as to fall into the category of ‘damnable heresy.’ However, very few Christians can speak with knowledge on the subject. It is not because the information isn’t available. The web site below is one of the very best web sites I have come across, technically speaking. Its sole purpose is to make Islam palatable to the Western mind. The deception is easy to spot for one who knows the Bible, but what about marginal Christians? The danger is clear. The web site displays a tab called, “Jesus in Islam.” The following are excerpts from that subject tab show you what Muslims actually believe about Jesus.
“For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect -- if that were possible” (Matthew 24:24).
WAMY (Islamic Website): Jesus is simply a messenger of God
“The Qur’an speaks of ‘the Gospel’ (Injil) as a Scripture revealed to Jesus by God, from which he preached, like the Torah of Moses. “It is clear from early Christian history as well as modern Biblical studies that this original Scripture has been lost forever, and the fragments that remain in the form of various gospels have been so corrupted that they no longer inspire confidence. “The Qur’an, which was revealed partly in order to clarify points that had been misunderstood by previous religious groups, paints a brief but clear portrait of Jesus as Messenger of God. “Responding to the views of an early Christian sect known as ‘Adoptionists’, who believed that God had ‘adopted’ Jesus, the Qur’an says: ‘It does not befit (the majesty of) the Compassionate God that He should adopt a son. There is none in the heavens and the earth but shall come to the Compassionate One as a servant.’ (Q. 19:92-93) (The inference is that Jesus is no more than a servant of God.)”
“The Qur’an further cautions: ‘O People of the Scripture, (Jews and Christians) do not exaggerate or go to extremes in your religion, or say anything about God but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was no more than an (honored) Messenger of God, and His word that He imparted to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers and do not say, ‘Three (in One).’ Cease, for your own good! For your Lord is One God; Glory be to Him – (He is far) above having a son! All that is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. And God is Sufficient as Guardian (of the affairs of the universe). The Messiah would never scorn to be a servant of God, nor would the angels who are near (to Him).
. .'" (Q. 4; 171-2).
Islam’s Invitation
Not lunacy . . . It's Islamic Tradition
President Bush received a letter from 138 notable Islamic scholars inviting him to lead Americans in what adds up to conversion to Islam in that we would agree on what they call, “A Common Word” between us. It's a quote from the Qu’ran threatening Christians and Jews. Twenty-nine pages of text boils down to the same message: There is none beside Allah. We (Christians) are being invited to proclaim that along with them - a theological impossibility. Ahmadinejad himself sent President Bush a letter of the same nature two years before. Most Americans chalked this up to a mentally unstable Iranian leader, however, Muhammad himself began this tradition. Letters were sent to infidel villages to embrace Islam before they were destroyed should they choose not to submit to Allah. I don’t imagine us close to destruction, just close to confusion on the issues that separate Islam’s Messiah and Islam’s Jesus of Mecca from our Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
Matthew 24 : Jesus Reveals Himself
Islamic depictions of Jesus’ Second Coming bring Matthew 24 and the warning right up to our daily news. Islam teaches that the Mahdi will come out of hiding and that he and Jesus will come together. "Jesus will appear to a group that will be righteous at the time and comprising of 800 men and 400 women. The people will be preparing for war at the time against the anti-Christ (they call him al-Dajjal)." It will be time for Fajr prayers (the night prayer at 12:58), and Imam Mahdi (the Islamic Messiah) will be the Amir (leader). From the darkness of that dawn, a sound will suddenly be heard that “one who listens to your pleas has come” -- the righteous people will look everywhere and their eyes will fall on Jesus. “Jesus will appear near the Minaret in Damascus close to the Mahdi. At that time the Mahdi will lead the prayers. The Mahdi will call Jesus to lead the prayer, but he will instead tell Imam Mahdi to lead the prayer (Jesus is considered lower than Muhammad). Thus the Mahdi will lead the prayer, and Jesus will follow him. After the next round of prayers, Jesus will announce: 'Allah has killed Dajjal and the Muslims have risen.'"
The Holy Spirit : This Sin Will Not Be Forgiven Men
Islamic commentary on John 14 and 15 seems to me to be as close as one can get to blasphemy. However, I am not God and am not judging, but I am exposing the theology for followers of Jesus that they might be equipped in these latter days to “give an answer to every man” with an educated advantage. Islam says: “Jesus himself told of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad. In the Bible, Jesus says, "If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray to the Father and He shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you forever." (Bible, John 14-15/16) "But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me, and he also shall bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning." (Bible, John 15-26/27) "I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. How be it when he, the spirit of Truth will come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall speak not of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that he shall speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and he shall show it unto you." (Bible, John 16-12/14) “Scholars in Islam have said that the person who is described in the above verse does not comply with any other person but the Prophet Muhammad. The “person” whom Jesus prophesied would come after him, is called Pargaleeta [sic] in the Bible. This word was deleted by interpreters and translators and changed at times to “Spirit of Truth” and at other times, to “comforter” and sometimes “Holy Spirit.” The original Greek and its meaning is “one whom people praise exceedingly.” The sense of the word, then, is applicable to the word Muhammad in Arabic, since Muhammad means “the praised one.” The crucifixion of Jesus is denied as well as his sonship. The Qu’ran states: “They slew him not, nor did they crucify him but it was made dubious to them” (Surah Nisaa, Verse 157).
No Millennium : Jesus of Mecca’s Marriage, Death and Deputies
Islam ends Jesus’ life, not in a heavenly kingdom and a millennium of peace on earth, but in marriage and death. “After his appearance on earth, Jesus will marry. He will have children, and he will remain on earth 19 years after marriage. He will pass away and Muslims will perform his burial ceremony and bury him next to the tomb of Muhammad.” So, our biblical Jesus has been hijacked, demoted, humanized and laid to rest beside the other dead prophet, Muhammad. It is time to educate ourselves on the looming darkness spreading itself over the earth. Many say it is too late for Europe and are warning us to wake up.
Most Christians I speak with on this subject are dismally uninformed. However, once informed, their outlook changes instantly. There is no other religion in the world declaring internationally that they will dominate the earth. There is no other religion in the world that has Scripture to back the murder of those who don’t agree with them. There is no other religion in the world that declare until moderate Islam stands up and declares that Islam must be reformed, those who know the tenet of the religion must declare that they will never submit to a “Common Word between us.”
