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"Take
Heed" Ministries
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Cecil Andrews, PO BOX 13, Ballynahinch, BT24 8AL, Northern Ireland. Telephone/Fax 028 9756 5511. E-MAIL - takeheed@aol.com WEBSITE - http://www.takeheed.net |
The “promised
prophet” of Deuteronomy 18:
Jesus
Christ or Mohammed?
Islam
claims to respect Jesus Christ as a true prophet of God. In the Koran in Sura 2:136 we read “Say:
We believe in Allah and (in) that which had been revealed to us, and (in) that
which was revealed to Ibrahim [Abraham] and Ismail [Ishmael] and Ishaq
[Isaac] and Yaqoub [Jacob] and the tribes, and (in)
that which was given to Musa [Moses] and
Isa [Jesus], and (in) that which was given to the prophets from
their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him do
we submit”.
On this Islamic website http://www.inter-islam.org/Biographies/Hazisa60.html
we read these quotes -
Imam Bukhari(d.256/834)and Imam
Muslim(d.261/839) have narrated that the prophet [Mohammed] said,
"Both in this
world and in the hereafter, I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the
son of Maryam (Mary). The prophets are
paternal brothers, their mothers are different but their religion is one."
In the Bible, in Deuteronomy chapter 18, God through His then prophet Moses, makes a specific promise that a very special and important prophet would at a future date appear on earth. Islam claims that this “promised prophet” was Mohammed and not Jesus Christ and actually seeks to use the Bible to substantiate their claim.
On another Islamic website [Islam Guide] and on this link http://www.islam-guide.com/ch1-3.htm
we find a section headed ‘Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Mohammed the
Prophet of Islam’. In this section the article identifies 3 characteristics
that the “promised prophet” will possess and having given their
understanding of the person who possessed these 3 characteristics they state in
conclusion – “whoever believes in the Bible must believe in what this
prophet says and this prophet is the Prophet Mohammed”.
Let me first deal quickly with 2 of the stated characteristics. The first characteristic of the “promised prophet” that was identified on the website was that “he will be like Moses”. Moses was a prophet, a spokesman for God. Moses was also the one who delivered God’s people from slavery and bondage. I would agree that the “promised prophet” would possess this characteristic.
Another characteristic of the “promised prophet” that was identified on the website was that “God will put His words in to the mouth of this prophet and that he will declare what God commands him”. Once again I would agree that the “promised prophet” would possess this characteristic.
However, when it comes to the third characteristic of the “promised prophet” that was identified on the website, this is where they and I disagree radically.
On the website the remaining
characteristic of the “promised prophet” was identified as follows – “He
will come from the brothers of the Israelites, i.e. the Ishmaelites”. According
to the website the “promised prophet” would come through the line of
Abraham and Ishmael and not through the line of Abraham and Isaac. This is how
they explain it on their website – “Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 21).
Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation,
and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation. The prophet spoken
of was not to come from among the Jews themselves, but from among their
brothers, i.e. the Ishmaelites. Muhammad, a descendant of Ishmael, is
indeed this prophet”. How do they
justify such a claim?
Early in the article they quote the following verses from
Deuteronomy chapter 18 – “I raise up for them a prophet like you from
among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them
everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the
prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account” (Deuteronomy
When studying the Bible the rule is that when considering
a topic or subject ALL relevant verses must be considered in order to get ‘the
full picture’. It is very unsafe to base a judgment on a few isolated verses as
other verses relating to the topic often add to our full and complete
understanding. Paul, when writing to the
Corinthians stated in 1st Corinthians
Bearing this principle in mind it is very interesting to note that the verses 18-19 of Deuteronomy 18 that are quoted on the Islamic website are not the first reference in the chapter to the coming of the “promised prophet”. A few verses earlier, in verse 15 we read what Moses actually said to the gathering of the tribes of Israel, the Israelites, who were assembled before him. This is what Moses said to the Israelites “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst OF THEE, of they brethren, like unto me, unto him YE shall hearken”.
From this verse we learn that the future “promised prophet” that God would send would come from the line of the brethren assembled before Moses – “the midst OF THEE” – and the brethren assembled before Moses were of the line of Abraham and Isaac – they were the Israelites and not the Ishmaelites.
The claim on the Islamic website that “whoever believes in the Bible must believe in what this prophet says and this prophet is the Prophet Mohammed” is shown from the Bible itself to be a false interpretation of what Deuteronomy 18 teaches.
Another argument advanced on the Islamic website to supposedly prove as they phrase it “that Jesus Christ is not the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18” reads like this –
Also,
one notices from the Gospel of John that the Jews were waiting for the
fulfillment of three distinct prophecies. The first was the coming of
Christ. The second was the coming of Elijah. The third was the
coming of the Prophet. This is obvious from the three questions that were
posed to John the Baptist: “Now this was John’s testimony, when the Jews of
It takes quite a measure of
convoluted thinking, coloured I suspect by a large dose of pre-determined
conviction and belief, to draw the conclusion “that Jesus Christ is not the
prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18” from this portion of God’s Word
found in John 1:19-21.
What we can safely conclude
from this portion of scripture is that John the Baptist rejected any notion
that he was either ‘The Christ’, ‘The Prophet’ or some kind of ‘reappearance
or reincarnation of Elijah’.
Does the Bible itself give us
any information that would help us identify anyone who would be the answer to
the questions put to John the Baptist by the Jews of Jerusalem?
Let me first deal with their
question to John – ‘Are you Elijah?’ The Jews no doubt had passages from
Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6 in mind. Malachi 3:1 reads “Behold I
will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord
whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the
covenant whom ye delight in; behold he shall come saith the Lord of hosts”.
The Bible Knowledge
Commentary states ‘though some
have taken “my messenger” as the writer of this book or as an angel it
seems best to see him as a future prophet. Jesus explicitly identifies this
person as John the Baptist (Matthew 11:7-10). The fact that this messenger will
prepare His way harmonises with Isaiah 40:3’- and also with John’s own
words in John
In Malachi 4:5-6 we
read “Behold I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the
great and terrible day of the Lord”. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers
to the children and then heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come
and smite the earth with a curse”.
In Luke 1 we read of
the angelic announcement of the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist and the
angel said to John’s father, Zacharias “Fear not Zacharias; for thy prayer
is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his
name John…And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord, their
God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children” [Luke
The Bible Knowledge
Commentary states ‘Before John
the Baptist was born an angel of the Lord predicted that he would minister “in
the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their
children – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). This
would seem to put together the two prophecies (Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6) and to
see John as fulfilling both of them.
Reference was made earlier to
what Jesus said in Matthew 11:7-10 and extracts from those verses read “Jesus
began to say unto the multitudes concerning John…this is he of whom it is
written, Behold I send my messenger before thy face who shall prepare thy way
before thee”. It is then very enlightening to read what Jesus goes on to
say in verses 13-15 “For all the prophets and the law prophesied
until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah who was to come. He that hath ears to hear let him hear”.
The disciples also raised this
question of ‘the coming of Elijah’ with the Lord in Matthew 17. The Lord
Jesus had just been transfigured and during that marvellous event
He had been in conversation with Moses and Elijah [see
Matthew 17:2-4]. We then read in verse 10 “And his disciples asked him
saying, why then say the scribes that Elijah must come first?” In the
context of what we are considering the next verses [11-13] are very
significant – “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall
first come and restore all things, But I say unto you
that Elijah is already come and they knew him not, but have done unto him
whatsoever they desired. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spoke unto them
of John the Baptist”.
John the Baptist was not
literally a reappearance or reincarnation of Elijah but in the light of the
scriptures quoted, particularly those words of the angelic messenger to
Zacharias and the words of the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples, he certainly
was the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies of Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6
that were the basis of the question put to John by the Jews of Jerusalem in
John 1:21.
I want now to deal with the
statement made by John – “ I am not the
Christ”. Does the Bible itself give us any information that clearly reveals
the identity of “the Christ”? Before answering this I just want to point
out that the Greek translated as “the Christ” [God’s anointed one] equates
to the Hebrew term for “Messiah”.
Following on from the
questioning of John the Baptist by the Jews of Jerusalem, in a not too
dissimilar vein, we read in Matthew 16:13 “When Jesus came into the borders
of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples saying, who do men say that I, the
Son of man, am?” Their reply is recorded in verse 14 “And they said,
some say that thou art John the Baptist [John had already been killed by
this time] some, Elijah [no doubt
these people thought Jesus was the fulfilment of the prophecies in Malachi] and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”. Jesus
presses the questioning in verse 15 and we read in verse 16 “And
Simon Peter answered and said, thou art THE CHRIST,
the Son of the living God”.
Did Jesus, as John the Baptist
had earlier done concerning himself, reject this identification of Himself as “the
Christ”? He did not and He went on to say to Peter in verse 17 “Blessed
art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it [the truth
that He was “the Christ”] but
my Father who is in heaven”. Recognition
of who Jesus Christ really is only comes as a gracious gift from God Himself
and Jesus Himself by this statement to Peter acknowledged that He truly was “the
Christ”.
In John 4:5-29 we have
the account of the Lord’s meeting with the woman at the well. Towards the end
of their encounter we read in verse 25 “The woman saith unto him, I know
that Messiah, who is called Christ, when he is come, he will tell us all
things”. The Lord leaves her and us in no doubt Who He is with His reply in
verse 26 “Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he”.
Jesus Christ plainly declared Himself to be “the Christ” and “Messiah”, God’s
‘anointed one’ and that makes sense of what He said early in His ministry in
the synagogue at
Finally I want to deal with
the question put to John – “ Art thou that
prophet” to which his reply was “No” [John
In John
In John chapter 6 we
read at the start of the chapter of the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 with
the five barley loaves and two fishes. Having fed the crowd we read “When
they were filled, he [Jesus} said
unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost.
Therefore they gathered them together and filled twelve baskets…Then those men when
they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This
is of a truth THAT PROPHET that should come into the world” [verses 12-14].
In Acts chapter 3,
following the healing of the lame man at the gate called Beautiful, the apostle
Peter began to preach to the Jews and recounted to them the crucifixion and
resurrection of the Lord in verse 15. To emphasise just exactly who
Jesus Christ was he said, “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, a prophet
shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me [the “promised
prophet” of Deuteronomy 18]; him shall ye hear in all things whatever he shall say unto you…and all
the prophets from Samuel and those who followed, as many as have spoken have
likewise foretold of THESE DAYS”.
The “days” that Peter was speaking of related to the life and times of
the One he had just been preaching about, the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, to summarise, John the
Baptist, although not being a literal reappearance or reincarnation of Elijah [hence his
denial of being Elijah] was nevertheless
the fulfilment of the relevant prophecies in Malachi. Then the Bible clearly
identifies both “the Christ” or “Messiah” and the “promised
prophet” of Deuteronomy 18 as being the Lord Jesus Christ.
The statement on the Islamic
website that “whoever believes in the Bible must believe in what this
prophet says and this prophet is the Prophet Mohammed” is clearly rejected
by the divine truths contained in the Bible itself.
Then what of Mohammed – was he
a “promised prophet”? Perhaps these words of God’s true “promised
prophet” and “Christ”, the Lord Jesus Christ, speak in answer
to that question – “And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive
many” [Matthew 24:11].
Cecil Andrews – ‘Take Heed’ Ministries