Islam from a Christian Perspective.

By Nick Bibile

 

Since 911 the religion of Islam has come to the spotlight. Radical Islamism had vowed to destroy America. Now we are at war against the regime of Saddam Hussein. There are many who have sympathy for the Islam terrorists. We as Christians should not be ignorant of Islam and not live in a bubble. We must have knowledge of Islam and defend Christianity at all costs in evangelism. Apostle Paul was engaged with different philosophers and he knew how to defend Christianity.

Ac 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, what will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?

20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.

21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)

 

Paul even quoted their own scripture, which means Paul studied their philosophy.

Ac 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring.

 

History

Islam is a religion. It comes from the Arabic word salama means to be devoted to God or submitted to God. Moslem or Muslim is a person who believes in Islam. There is an interesting connection between the Arabs and the Jews. Ishmael was Abrahams oldest son by Hagar the concubine.

 

Ge 16:1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

Ishmael had twelve sons, who became the founders of so many Arab tribes or colonies, the Ishmaelites, who spread over the wide desert spaces of Northern Arabia from the Red Sea to the Euphrates.

 

The founder of Islam.

The Prophet Muhammad founded Islam religion. The name Mohammed means "Highly Praised". Founded in the 7th century. When he was 40 years old he was called to preach. Thereafter throughout his life he continued to have revelations, many of which were collected and recorded in the Quran.

 

Growth of Islam

Today there are over 1 billion believers of Islam and it is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, it began in the Middle East and has spread towards East Asia, Europe and North America. The largest Moslem population is in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Nigeria. There are 14-17 million Moslems live in Europe. Surinam which is in South America is more than 15% Moslems. There are 400,000 Muslims in Canada! Islam, from its inception, is a political as well as a religious movement. Religion is embedded with the culture of Islam and they are inseparable. Islam does not have a religious history apart from its political history. Over 80,000 U.S. foreign exchange students are Muslim.

 

Ge 16:12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

 

Amazing prophecy as the above scripture signify, that he would be of a quarrelsome temper and warlike disposition, continually engaged in fighting with his neighbors.

 

Different Sects.

There are some Moslems who are more peaceful and the others more aggressive. 90% of the Moslems are Sunni and 10% are Shiites more militant.

What is Jihad?

They believe in a holy war against unbelievers. Let the Koran explain it:

"God has bought from the faithful their selves and their belongings against the gift of paradise; they fight in the way of Allah; they kill and get killed; that is a promise binding on Allah... (Repentance, 9: 110).

They are radical Moslems who follow every scripture in Koran and trust in the Koran. Koran promotes fighting for the cause of their evangelism. Here are some scriptures from Koran.

If a Muslim does not go to war, Allah will kill him (Sura 9:39). He is to be told, "the heat of war is fierce, but more fierce is the heat of Hell-fire" (Sura 9:81).

Allah loves those who "fight for his cause" (Sura 61:3).
Anyone who fights against Allah or renounces Islam in favor of another religion shall be "put to death or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off alternative sides" (Sura 5:34).

The Koran also instructs not to make friendship with Jews and Christians (Koran 5:51) but to war against them: "When the Sacred Months are over, kill those who ascribe partners to God whosesoever ye find them; seize them, encompass them, and ambush them; then if they repent and observe prayer and pay the alms, let them go their way (Koran 4:5)

On the other hand Jesus never told his followers to kill those who do not repent.

Mt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Ex 20:13 Thou shalt not Murder.

Lu 6:27 But I say unto you, which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.

(This scripture is for individuals and not for nations as a whole. God in the Old Testament allowed Israel to destroy wicked nations.)

Mohammed is the last prophet according to Islam.

De 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

De 18:21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?

22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Islam denies the crucifixion of Jesus. We need to expose Islam in the light of the Bible, as the Bible is older than the Koran. The new revelations should be tested in the light of the old not vice versa.

Ps 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

Here wicked men are compared to dogs. The death penalty in the Old Testament was stoning, but here speaking of the Messiah for the first time we see crucifixion,

Jesus after the crucifixion appeared to the disciples and they thought he was a ghost, spirit but he said to them:

Lu 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Read the chapter of Isaiah 53 speaks of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus.

According to Islam like all the other religions salvation is of good works.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Islam says, the only sure way to make it to heaven is for a Muslim to die in a jihad ("holy war").  This is false according to the Bible.

Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

1Jo 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1Jo 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

The Koran claims divine authorship and inspiration.

The Bible of the Moslems is the book of Koran. The Moslems say Mohammed never did any miracles but the greatest miracle is the Koran, the Koran is in the original language. How can an English speaking person know if the Koran is correct, too bad he has to learn Arabic first.

 

It is not the Koran but the Bible is the word of God.

Ps 119:89 Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

 

Isa 30:8 Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.

 

Isa 40:8 The grass withered, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.

In Islam women who do not obey their husbands should be beaten.

"Good women are obedient.... As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them. Then if they obey you, take no further action against them." (Koran 4:34)

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Col 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

 

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