Sunday, March 23, 2008

Shining God's Light on the Koran

This article is part of an on-going series contrasting the Judeo-Christian Bible with the Koran on a variety of topics. Previous articles include: "Was Abraham a Jew or a Christian?", Idolatry 101, 102, 103, Oneness, Unbelievers, God's Character, The Resurrection, The Proclamation, The Judgment, The Creation of Man, The Creation of Woman, and The Fall of Man: Part 1-The Command, Part 2 – The Disobedience, Part 3 – The Consequence, Part 4 – Its Ramification, Right Dividing (Interpreting) the Word – Part I, Part II Part III, Mortality versus Immortality, Worship, Adam or Jesus?, God Begat a Son.


The Crucifixion and the Resurrection

Happy Easter, everyone! He is risen! It is only in Jesus Christ and therefore, only in Christianity, that mankind can find true and everlasting hope. Jesus’ person, life, death and resurrection offer each human being hope for eternal life.

The observable universe is thirty billion light years in diameter and people wonder if life exists else where in the universe. In the entire universe there is only one place where anyone was ever made in the image of God. That is here on earth. Being made in the image of God makes people special, significant, and important to God. When mankind was separated from God, through Adam’s disobedience, it required that God restore or bring him back to Himself. This required the personal intervention of the Creator Himself, who came to earth and died for each and every person. Nowhere else in the entire universe, or in all the galaxies, did the Creator choose to die on a cross. However, not everyone believes this. The Koran teaches otherwise.

THE KORANIC ACCOUNT

He (Jesus) was but a mortal whom We favoured and made an example to the Israelites (1).

The Messiah, the son of Mary, was no more than an apostle: … (2).

Denied the truth and uttered a monstrous falsehood against Mary. They declared: ‘We have put to death the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the apostle of God.’ They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did. Literally, (He was made to resemble another for them.)(3).

Those that disagree about him were in doubt concerning him; they knew nothing about him that was not sheer conjecture; they did not slay him for certain. God lifted him up to Him (4).

COMMENTARY ON THE KORAN

If Jesus was mortal, as the Koran states, then He would have had sin in Himself and, thus, would be incapable of dying for any one. Of course the Koran has no problem with that since it claims that Jesus was only an apostle. It further claims that Jesus neither was crucified, nor did He die. God brought Jesus up to Himself in heaven without Him ever dying. The people actually knew nothing about Him.


The Koran has no concept in it about substitutionary death, where one dies for another. Sins are never atoned for. The god of the Koran has no basis for which to forgive anyone. According to the Koran, Jesus is a mortal who never died.

The Koran totally disregards the eyewitness accounts of the disciples or the historic and well-researched account of Luke from eyewitnesses who were alive at the time and knew what happened. They were not confused.

THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT

We have not a high priest (Jesus) which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin (5).

The life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the alter to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul (6).

He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shears is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of he living: for the transgression of m people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when you shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors and he bare the sin of many , and made intercession for the transgressors (7).

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the in the wilderness , even so must the Son of man be lifted up:(8)


Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father (9)

Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by that law he out to die, because he made himself the Son of God (10).

And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots (11).

In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay (12).

Then saith he (Jesus) to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing (13). And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed : blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed (13).

COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT


Jesus, as God and as man, is perfectly sinless. God provided blood upon the altar to make atonement for the all peoples’ sins. This is substitutionary death. The crucifixion was prophesied many years before the event took palace. Jesus said He had to be lifted up in the same way that the serpent in the wilderness was in the Old Testament. He had the power to lay down His life and the power to take it up again. No one took His life from him. The Jews wanted Jesus crucified because of His claim that He was the Son of God. As prophesied, Jesus was crucified. Furthermore, Jesus rose from the dead and the disciples along with Thomas examined Him. They knew who it was that was crucified and rose again from the dead.

REFERENCES


1. The Koran, Page 346 Paragraph 43:60
2. The Koran, Page 88 Paragraph 5:75
3. The Koran, Page 76 Paragraph 4:157
4. The Koran, Page 77 Paragraph 4:158
5. The Holy Bible, Hebrews 4:15
6. The Holy Bible, Leviticus 17:11
7. The Holy Bible, Isaiah 53:3-12
8. The Holy Bible, John 3:15
9. The Holy Bible, John 10:17,18
10. The Holy Bible, John 19:6,7
11. The Holy Bible, Matthew 27:35
12. The Holy Bible, Matthew 28:1-6
13. The Holy Bible, John 20:27-29

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