'I do not like the late resurrection of the
Jesuits .... If ever any Congregation of men could merit
eternal perdition on earth and in hell ... it is this
company of Loyola' -- President John Adams
'It is my opinion that if the
liberties of this country - the United States of America
-- are destroyed, it will be by the subtlety of the
Roman Catholic Jesuit priests, for they are the most
crafty, dangerous enemies to civil and religious liberty.'
-- Marquis de Lafayette
'This war would never have been
possible without the sinister influence of the Jesuits.'
-- Abraham Lincoln
'[Dr. Anthony Fauci] takes great
pride in his Jesuit education, as he proudly professes,
it has formed his life and his career.' -- Jesuit Father
Daniel Lahart
American Jesuits may be one of
the most important documentaries ever produced concerning
the social and political conflicts in the United States
today. The influence of Rome in America is one that
was written about extensively by authors throughout
the 19th century and into the early 20th century, with
many warnings about a hidden plan by foreign powers
to enslave the country. Nevertheless, most modern history
books have been carefully rewritten to remove critical
infomation that would likely warn the people about what
has been happening behind the scenes for more than 200
years. Is it just a coincidence that many key figures
in power today (Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez, Dr. Anthony Fauci), to name a few are
either directly or indirectly associa1ed with the Roman
Catholic Jesuit Order? And what will be the ultimate
influence of this notorious society, which has been
expelled from at least 83 countries, city-states, and
cities around the world?
Mac Dominick has given
us a series of articles this week titled "THE
GODS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD: REAL, OR SOMEONE'S IMAGINARY
FRIEND?
" and Ron Riffe has written "Islam
Compared to Christianity". Doug researches
the news for us giving me a wonderful group of news
articles for me to work with to keep us all up on world,
USA and Israel events and more in our Daily
News Updates page.
Podcast from David's
earlier radio shows.
This Cutting Edge Radio
program recorded by David Bay over 25 years ago seems
very insightful as we watched chaos and terror in two
American cities as 2025 began.
Quote from this podcast
- "The writers of the plan to achieve the new world
order have boldly stated that as the world is coalescing
into the planned one world government, economy and religion,
a final stage of planned violence in Europe and the
United States is necessary to panic the people into
allowing their freedoms to be taken away and their present
constitutional system of government to be suspended.
Supposedly so our government could deal effectively
with terrorism."
If you can't wait to hear all 60 of
these podcasts as we post 1 per week, you can have them
all on CD in mp3 format now. Cutting Edge Radio Programs
by David Bay - 60 Programs - All On Two Discs. Order
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NEWS UPDATES
THE GODS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD:
REAL, OR SOMEONE'S IMAGINARY FRIEND? by
Mac Dominick
This is a series of articles.
We will publish one each week. Here are the titles:
THE ORIGIN OF THE GODS
REBELLION OF THE ELOHIM
REBELLION OF THE WATCHERS
TOWER OF BABEL REBELLION
ADDITIONAL REBELLIOUS ELOHIM
THE GODS IN THE WORLD TODAY
THE FATE OF THE GODS
CONCLUSION
Part 1 Introduction and THE
ORIGIN OF THE GODS
THE
GODS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD:
REAL, OR SOMEONE'S IMAGINARY FRIEND?
by
Mac Dominick
In 1988, British humor/satire author Douglas Adams released
the novel The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul. The plot
portrayed "holistic" private detective Dirk
Gently's quest to solve an unsolvable murder that took
place in an upper-class London neighborhood. Over the
course of his investigation, Mr. Gently discovered that
the ancient Norse gods were alive and at large in London.
Unfortunately for them, Odin, the All-Father, cut a
deal with certain unsavory characters for his long-term
care in an exclusive retirement/health facility in exchange
for the "power of the gods." This action relegated
the now powerless gods and goddesses to a hopeless,
homeless, miserable existence on the streets of London.
At one point in the narrative, Mr. Gently exits his
car in the middle of an intense traffic jam and walks
up and down between the stopped vehicles, exclaiming,
"The gods are walking the earth! The gods are walking
the earth!"
While the plot of Mr.
Adams's novel is pure fantasy, it does provoke some
intriguing questions:
1. Were the immortal
gods (small letter "g") of the ancient world,
whether Norse, Mesopotamian,
Egyptian, Canaanite, Greek, or other cultures real entities
or a figment of overactive
imaginations?
2. If they were real entities, where are they today?
After all, immortal does mean immortal--does it not?
3. If they are here today, where are they and what are
they doing?
4. Why should we care?
This article will investigate
and answer these questions from a biblical perspective.
Ancient history and mythology
are rife with tales of supernatural entities that ruled
over, enabled, or oppressed mankind. These entities
demanded worship, sacrifices (both human and animal),
and the performance of specific tasks from their human
underlings. The tales of these "gods" permeate
the surviving records of every ancient culture, making
this phenomenon universal--no culture was excluded.
Modern man has relegated such notions to the overactive
imaginations of primitive, unsophisticated cultures
that fulfill an innate religious impulse that resides
within the psyche of every individual. However, if these
cultures were so primitive and backward, how did they
construct some of the most magnificent megaliths of
all time? Were the cultures that established great civilizations
suffering from a major religious psychosis, or were
these gods and goddesses tangible entities that aided
and abetted in establishing said civilizations?
The modern intellectual
elite class has gone so far as to dismiss the existence
of any divine entity while embracing evolutionary concepts
that negate any notions of spiritual beings that exist
in higher dimensions. Following the logical conclusions
reached from this perspective, our modern society promotes
humanism and atheism. As a result, those who profess
Christianity or Judaism are viewed by the elite as ignorant,
gullible, backward, and under-educated. Christians are
often publicly ostracized for their faith, and the rising
tide of antisemitism is no secret to anyone. Since atheists
and humanists claim intellectual superiority, many believers
are too intimidated to stand toe-to-toe with the critics
when challenged to defend their faith based on the source
document of Christianity--the Word of God. This article
addresses one point of attack: What does the Bible tell
us of the existence of the gods and other supernatural
entities?
THE ORIGIN OF THE GODS
As a prerequisite to the
origin of the small "g" gods, one must examine
the origin of God with a capital "G." The
Old Testament Scriptures (hereafter termed the Hebrew
Scriptures) begin with God creating the heavens and
the earth. There is no narrative describing God's origin.
As one continues into the text of the Hebrew Scriptures,
the concept of God's eternal existence becomes apparent.
God had no beginning, and He has no end. God is an infinite,
all-powerful, all-knowing, and omnipresent spirit. He
is described in Psalms 90:2, "...from everlasting
to everlasting." He created all things, visible
and invisible, for His pleasure. This means that if
small "g" gods exist, they are His creation.
If one looks outside the
Bible at the attributes of the gods in pagan mythology,
there is no question as to their physical constitution.
They fly through the air. They travel in and out of
the underworld and the heavenly realm. They appear as
animals. They appear as human beings. They appear as
apparitions. They have sexual encounters with human
beings and among themselves that result in pregnancies.
Based on these (and other) attributes, one would conclude
that the gods are supernatural, multi-dimensional spiritual
entities that permanently dwell in a higher dimension
than human beings but have access to our 4-dimensional
time-space continuum. The Hebrew Scriptures, as well
as our New Testament, speak of such entities. These
biblical entities are commonly known as angels, but
more accurately, they should be classified by the Hebrew
term for a spiritual entity from a higher dimension--elohim.
For clarity, the word
elohim (or Elohim--there are no capital letters in Hebrew)
appears more than 2500 times in the Hebrew Scriptures.
In most cases, the Hebrew word elohim is the plural
for God with the capital "G." However, there
are many instances where the word elohim cannot, by
the context, be a reference to God and, therefore, must
reference other supernatural entities. Thus, a good
definition of elohim is "a supernatural inhabitant
of a higher spiritual dimension." (1) This eliminates
the confusion by revealing that God is Elohim--He is
the Chief (for lack of a better term) Elohim in the
spiritual dimension and referenced simply as Elohim
more than 2000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. There
is, however, a hierarchy of lesser elohim that dwell
in the higher spiritual dimensions, and these entities
appear in the Scriptures as Archangels, Watcher-class
angels (bene ha elohim or Sons of God), Cherubim, Seraphim,
and Messenger angels. In most cases, our English Bibles
translate these occurrences of the word elohim in the
Hebrew Scriptures as small "g" god (or gods).
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul names the lessor
elohim as "powers, principalities, and powers."
(2)
Since God created all
things, and He is the only infinite Eternal Being, one
must conclude all the other elohim are finite and conditionally
immortal. As created beings, they had an origin, and
that negates any infinite aspect of their existence.
Their immortality is controlled and dictated by their
Creator--God. When were they created? The Book of Jubilees
(Jubilees 2:2) states that the "heavenly host"
was created on the First Day of Creation. (3) Some conservative
scholars place the creation of the angels (elohim) before
the creation of the earth. (4) I respectfully and humbly
disagree with both of these assessments. One must understand
that God and all the lesser elohim dwell in spiritual
dimensions outside of our 4-dimensional time-space continuum
and are not bound by the restrictions of time and space
as we know it. Thus, one may logically and biblically
conclude that the Genesis 1 Creation Account describes
the creation of everything in our time-space continuum
(the beginning of time as we know it), and the elohim
that dwell with God in higher dimensions were created
outside of our realm of time and space. Admittedly,
this is a difficult concept to grasp, but hyper-dimensionality
of the elohim must be the case.
In summary:
• God (with a capital
"G") is the infinite Creator of the universe.
• All spiritual entities (elohim) that dwell outside
our 4-dimensional time-space continuum are included
in God's Creation.
• Since this creation includes the supernatural
pagan gods that oppose the laws of the Creator God,
they must be elohim who were once obedient to God.
• If these pagan gods were once obedient citizens
of the spiritual dimensions, there was a rebellion or
series of rebellions against the Creator God.
NEXT WEEK - REBELLION OF THE ELOHIM
Title: Part 1
on Islam - Islam compared to Christianity
Subtitle: Convert
or die?
Across
the world today there continues to be clashes between
two major religions: Islam and Christianity. Many nations
are slowly being taken over by Muslim immigrants, who
when firmly established as citizens, insinuate themselves
into positions of government—both local and nationally—and
this inevitably leads to confrontations between opposing
systems of belief and practice. The United Kingdom is
a prime example of this taking place today and in the
US enclaves are beginning to sprout up. Hamtramck, Michigan
is now the first US city with an all-Muslim government.
Dearborn, located just outside of Detroit, is home to
the nation's most densely populated Arab community.
And in order to prevent Islam’s Sharia Law from
being implemented, Michigan’s house of representatives
introduced a bill in 2017 to deal with it. But opponents,
such as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), continue
to oppose such action—thereby creating chaotic
differences of opinion which can easily lead to violence.
One of the most well-known,
but still relatively small, groups in the US supporting
the growth of Islamic interests are found in the US
House of Representatives. Four original members self-identified
as “The Squad” is a far-left, progressive
grouping in the US House of Representatives forming
part of the Democratic Caucus. All are members of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus and were elected in
the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
of New York
Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts
Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
Their numbers expanded
following the 2020 United States House of Representatives
elections with newly elected Jamaal Bowman of New York
and Cori Bush of Missouri joining. They were joined
by Greg Casar of Texas, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania,
and Delia Ramirez of Illinois following the 2022 elections.
In the 2024 elections, Bowman and Bush were defeated
in their primaries meaning they will be leaving the
group in the 119th Congress.
This “little but
loud” group is, as would be expected, meeting
with stiff opposition—but with the ongoing war
between Israel and terrorist organizations such as Hamas
and Hezbollah, college campuses across the US are exploding
with student groups demonstrating on behalf of the Moslem
world. Yes, the group is small, but remember that one
little match can ignite a conflagration. And how the
numbers of illegal immigrants with Islamic ties continue
to enter the US due to the insane Biden administration’s
open border policy will eventually impact our way of
life, is something the incoming Trump administration
must deal with as soon as possible.
Have we already passed
a “tipping point” of no return? Perhaps,
but God is in complete control of the situation and,
as believers, we find our ultimate rest in Him. This
does not mean we will escape possible suffering in the
process, but it does mean we are “more than conquerors”
in Christ:
Romans 8:31-39 (Amplified
Bible)
31 What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for
us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if
God is on our side?]
32 He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son
but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him
freely and graciously give us all [other] things?
33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect [when
it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right
relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse
or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who
acquits us?]
34 Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the
Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the
dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading
as He intercedes for us?
35 Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall
suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity
and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution
or peril or sword?
36 Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to
death all the day long; we are regarded and counted
as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors
and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved
us.
38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither
death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things
impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation
will be able to separate us from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A COMPARISON OF ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY
The following comparison
was copied verbatim from the web site Bible Reasons
https://biblereasons.com/islam-vs-christianity/
Islam seems like an indecipherable
puzzle to many Christians, and Christianity is likewise
perplexing to many Muslims. Christians and Muslims sometimes
experience an element of fear or uncertainty when encountering
those of the other faith. This article will explore
the essential similarities and differences between the
two religions, so we can build bridges of friendship
and meaningfully share our faith.
History of Christianity
Adam and Eve disobeyed
God and ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3), which brought
sin and death into the world. From this point on, all
people sinned against God (Romans 3:23).
However, God had already
planned a remedy. God sent His own Son Jesus, born of
the virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-38) to take the sins of the
entire world on His body and die. Jesus was crucified
by the Romans at the urging of the Jewish leaders (Mathew
27). His death was verified by the Roman soldiers who
killed Him (John 19:31-34, Mark 15:22-47).
“For the wages of
sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23).
“Christ also suffered
once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that
He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
Three days after Jesus
died, He rose back to life (Matthew 28). His resurrection
brings the assurance that all who believe in Him will
also rise from the dead. (1 Corinthians 6:14).
After Jesus resurrected,
He was seen by 500 of His followers (I Corinthians 6:3-6).
Jesus appeared to His disciples multiple times over
a period of 40 days (Acts 1:3). He told them to stay
in Jerusalem to wait for what the Father had promised:
“You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not
many days from now” (Acts 1:5)
“You will receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you
shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea,
and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the
earth.
And after He had said
these things, He was lifted up while they were watching,
and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight.
And as they were gazing
intently into the sky while He was going, then behold,
two men in white clothing stood beside them, and they
said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking
into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from
you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have
watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:8-11)
After Jesus ascended to
heaven, His disciples (about 120) devoted themselves
to prayer. Ten days later, when they were all together
in one place:
“Suddenly a noise
like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it
filled the whole house where they were sitting. And
tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing
themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began
to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving
them the ability to speak out.” (Acts 2:2-4)
Filled with the Holy Spirit,
the disciple preached to the people, and about 3000
became believers that day. They continued teaching about
Jesus, and thousands more believed in Jesus. This is
how God’s Church was established, and from Jerusalem,
it continued to grow and spread throughout the world.
History of Islam
Islam began in Saudi Arabia in the 7th century under
the teaching of Muhammad, who Muslims believe was God’s
final prophet. (The name of the religion is Islam and
the people who follow it are Muslims; the Muslim’s
god is Allah).
Muhammad claimed that
a supernatural being visited him in a cave while he
was meditating, and told him, “Read!”
But Muhammad told the
spirit-being he couldn’t read, yet two more times
he told Muhammad to read. Finally, he told Muhammad
to recite, and gave him some verses to memorize.
When this first encounter
was over, Muhammad thought he’d been visited by
a demon, and became depressed and suicidal. But his
wife and her cousin convinced him he’d been visited
by the angel Gabriel and that he was a prophet. Muhammad
continued to have these visitations throughout his lifetime.
Three years later, Muhammad
began preaching in the city of Mecca that there was
no god but Allah. Most people in Mecca, who worshipped
idols of multiple god scoffed at his message, but he
gathered a few disciples, some of whom were persecuted.
In 622, Muhammad and his
followers moved to Medina, which had a large Jewish
population and were more receptive to monotheism (belief
in one god). This journey is called “Hijra.”
After seven years in Medina, Muhammad’s followers
had grown, and they were strong enough to return and
conquer Mecca, where Muhammad preached until he died
in 632.
Islam spread rapidly after
Muhammad’s death as his disciples grew increasingly
powerful, with successful military conquests of most
of the Middle East, North Africa, parts of Asia, and
southern Europe. The people conquered by the Muslims
had a choice: convert to Islam or pay a large fee. If
they couldn’t pay the fee, they would be enslaved
or executed. Islam became the dominant religion of most
of the Middle East and North Africa.
Are Muslims Christians?
No. A Christian believes
Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead
(Romans 10:9). A Christian believes Jesus died to take
the punishment for our sins.
Muslims don’t believe
Jesus is Lord or that He died on the cross for our sins.
They don’t believe they need a Savior. They believe
salvation depends on God’s mercy and He decides
who He will forgive, so they have no assurance of salvation.
Similarities between Christianity
and Islam
Christians and Muslims
both worship only one God.
The Quran recognizes some
of the Biblical prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses,
David, Joseph, and John the Baptist. They believe Jesus
was a prophet.
The Quran teaches that
Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, that He performed
miracles – healing the sick and raising the dead,
and that He will return from heaven on the Day of Judgement
and destroy the antichrist.
Both Christianity and
Islam believe Satan is evil and tries to deceive people
and lure them away from God.
Prophet Muhammad vs Jesus
Christ
The Quran teaches that
Muhammad was a man, not God, that he was God’s
last prophet, thus he had the final say on theology.
Muhammad’s revelations conflicted with the Bible,
so Muslims say the Bible was corrupted and changed over
time. Muhammad died a natural death and stayed dead.
Muslims believe he will be the first to rise from the
dead on the day of judgement. Muslims believe Muhammad
never willfully sinned, but he did make unintentional
“mistakes.” The Quran teaches that Muhammad
was God’s messenger, but not the Messiah or Savior.
The Bible teaches that
Jesus Christ is God: He existed from infinity, and He
is the Creator (Hebrews 1:10). The Trinity is one God
in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John
1:1-3, 10:30, 14:9-11, 15:5, 16:13-15, 17:21). Jesus
existed as God, then emptied Himself and became a man
and died on the cross. Then God highly exalted Him (Philippians
2:5-11). The Bible teaches that Jesus is the exact representation
of God’s nature, and after He died to purify us
from our sins and rose from the dead, He is now sitting
at the Father’s right hand, interceding for us
(Hebrews 1:1-3).
Population
Christianity: about 2.38
billion people (1/3 of the world’s population)
identify as Christians. About 1 in 4 consider themselves
Evangelical Christians, believing in salvation by faith
alone through Jesus’ atonement and in the Bible’s
authority.
Islam has almost 2 billion
followers, making it the world’s 2nd largest religion.
Islamic and Christian
views of sin
Christian view of sin
Because of Adam’s sin, all people are sinners.
We cannot earn God’s favor. The wages of sin is
death – eternity in Hell. Jesus did what we could
not do for ourselves: Jesus the eternal Son of God kept
God’s Law perfectly – He was fully holy
and righteous. He took the place of people on the cross,
bearing the sins of the entire world, and taking sin’s
punishment and curse. God made Christ, who never sinned,
to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be
made right with God through faith in Christ. Those who
belong to Christ are freed from the power of sin and
from the condemnation of Hell. When we believe in Jesus,
the Spirit of God comes to live in us, giving us power
to resist sin.
Islam’s view of
sin
Muslims believe sin is disobeying Allah’s commands.
They believe Allah’s mercy is great and he will
overlook many unintentional minor sins if people avoid
major sins. Allah forgives any sin (of a Muslim) if
the person repents and asks him for forgiveness.
The Message of Islam vs
The Gospel of Jesus
Christianity and the Good News of Jesus Christ
The central message of Christianity is that forgiveness
of sins and relationship with God is found in Jesus
alone, on the basis of His death and resurrection. As
Christians, our chief purpose in life is to share the
message that one can be reconciled with God through
faith. God desires to be reconciled to sinners. Jesus’
last command before He ascended to heaven was, “Go
and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew
28:19-20).
What is the message of
Islam?
Muslims believe that the Quran is God’s final
revelation to mankind. Their central purpose is to restore
mankind back to what they consider to be the only true
revelation and to accepting the Muslim faith. Their
goal is to bring all to world into Islam, which will
usher in God’s kingdom on earth.
Muslims have some respect
for Jews and Christian as “people of the book”
– sharing some of the same prophets. However,
they think the Trinity is 3 gods: God the Father, Mary,
and Jesus.
The Divinity of Jesus
Christ
Christianity and the divinity of Jesus
The Bible teaches that Jesus is God. “In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things
came into being through Him. . . And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-3, 14).
Islam and the deity of
Jesus Christ
Muslims think Jesus is not the Son of God. They think
it is contradictory to have a father and son be the
same person and thus one can’t believe in the
Trinity and also believe in one god.
Resurrection
Christianity
Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity.
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection
and the life; the one who believes in Me will live,
even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes
in Me will never die.” (John 11:25-26) Jesus rose
back to life, both body and spirit, so we could as well.
Islam
Muslims don’t believe Jesus was really crucified,
but that someone who resembled Him was crucified. Muslims
believe someone else died in Jesus’ place. Muslims
do believe Jesus ascended into heaven. The Quran says
that God “took Jesus up to Himself.”
Books
Christianity’s scripture
is the Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments.
The Bible is “God-breathed” or inspired
by God and the only authority for belief and practice.
Islam’s scripture
is the Quran (Koran), believed by Muslims to be the
final revelation from God. Since Muhammad could not
read or write, he would remember what the spirit-being
(who he said was the angel Gabriel) told him, then his
followers would memorize or write it down. The full
Quran was written after Muhammad died, based on his
disciple’s memory and portions they had previously
written down.
Muslims accept the Bible
as a “holy book,” giving special reverence
to the Pentateuch (first five books), Psalms, and the
Gospels. However, in places where the Bible conflicts
with the Quran, they stick with the Quran, as they believe
Muhammad was the final prophet.
View of God – Christian
vs Muslim
Christianity: God is perfectly
holy, all-knowing, all-powerful, present everywhere.
God is uncreated, self-existing, and the Creator of
all things. There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4,
1Timothy 2:6), but God exists in three Persons: Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14, Luke 1:35,
Matthew 28:19, Matthew 3:16-17). God desires intimate
relationship with humans; however, sin bars relationship
between a perfectly-righteous God and sinful humans.
In His great love, God sent His Son Jesus to die for
the world, so humans can walk with God in relationship
and be saved from their sins (John 3:16, 2 Corinthians
5:19-21).
Islam: Muslims believe
strongly in one god: this is Islam’s chief concept.
They believe Allah created all things, is all-powerful,
and exalted above all created things. God is the only
being worthy of worship and all creation must submit
to Allah. Muslims believe Allah is loving and merciful.
Muslims believe they can pray directly to Allah (instead
of through a priest), but they don’t have the
concept of a personal relationship with God. Allah is
not their Father; he is to be served and worshiped.
Idol Worship
Christianity: God is repeatedly
clear that His people must not worship idols. “Do
not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone
for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your
land to bow down before it.” (Leviticus 26:1)
Sacrificing to idols is sacrificing to demons (1 Corinthians
10:19-20).
Islam: The Quran teaches
against idolatry (shirk), saying that Muslims must fight
idolators and shun them.
Although Muslims say they
don’t worship idols, the Kaaba shrine is in the
center of Islamic worship. Saudi Arabia. Muslims pray
facing the Kaaba, and they must circle the Kaaba seven
times in the required Hajj pilgrimage. Within the Kaaba
shrine is the Black Stone, which is often kissed and
touched by pilgrims, who believe it brings forgiveness
of sins. Before Islam, the Kaaba shrine was a center
of pagan worship with many idols. Muhammad removed the
idols but kept the Black Stone and its rituals: the
Hajj pilgrimage and circling and kissing the stone.
They say the Black Stone was part of Adam altar, which
Abraham later found and built the Kaaba shrine with
Ishmael. Yet, a rock cannot bring forgiveness of sin,
only God. And God forbade setting up sacred stones (Leviticus
26:1).
Afterlife
Christianity: The Bible
teaches that when a Christian dies, his or her spirit
is immediately with God (2 Corinthians 5:1-6). Unbelievers
go to Hades, a place of torment and flames (Luke 16:19-31).
When Christ returns, we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:7, Matthew 16:27). The
dead whose names are not found in the Book of Life will
be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15).
Islam: Muslims believe
Allah will weigh sins against good deeds on the Day
of Judgement. If the sins outweigh virtuous deeds, the
person will be punished. Jahannam (Hell) is the punishment
for unbelievers (anyone not a Muslim) and for Muslims
who commit major sins without repentance and confession
to God. Most Muslims believe sinful Muslims go to Hell
for a while to be punished for their sins, but later
go to Paradise – something like the Catholic belief
in purgatory.
Prayer comparison between
Christianity and Islam
Christianity: Christians
have a relationship with God and that involves daily
prayer (throughout the day but with no set times) prayers
of worship and praise, confession and repentance, and
petitions for ourselves and others. We pray “in
the name of Jesus,” because Jesus is the mediator
between God and people (1 Timothy 2:5).
Islam: Prayer is one of
the five Pillars of Islam and must be offered five times
a day. Men are required to pray with other men in the
mosque on Fridays, but ideally on the other days as
well. Women can pray in the mosque (in a separate room)
or at home. The prayers follow a certain ritual of bowing
actions and recitations of prayers from the Quran.
How many Muslims convert
to Christianity every year?
In the past decade, the
number of Muslims converting to Christianity has intensified,
which is remarkable, considering that if a Muslim leaves
Islam, it can mean losing his or her family and even
life itself. In Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia,
and elsewhere, dreams and visions of Jesus are propelling
Muslims to find someone to study the Bible with. As
they read the Bible, they are changed, overwhelmed with
its message of love.[1]
Iran has the fastest-growing
Christian population in the world. It is hard to get
precise numbers because most Christians secretly meet
in small groups of ten or less, but a conservative estimate
in Iran is 50,000 a year.[2] Satellite programming and
digital church meetings are also growing exponentially
in the Muslim world. One satellite ministry reported
22,000 Iranian Muslims converted to Christianity in
2021 in their ministry alone! Algeria in Northern Africa
has seen a fifty percent increase in Christians in the
past decade.
Missionary David Garrison
believes 2 to 7 million Muslims worldwide converted
to Christianity between 1995 and 2015, presenting research
in: “A Wind in the House of Islam.” [3]
About 20,000 Muslims convert to Christianity each year
in the United States.[4]
How can a Muslim convert
to Christianity?
It they confess with their
mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” repent of their
sins, and believe in their heart that God raised Jesus
from the dead, they will be saved (Romans 10:9, Acts
2:37-38). Whoever puts their faith in Jesus and is baptized
will be saved (Mark 16:16).
Conclusion
If you are sharing your
faith with a Muslim friend, avoid criticizing their
beliefs or getting into debate. Simply share straight
from the Scriptures (such as the verses listed above)
and let God’s Word speak for itself. Better yet,
give them a New Testament, a Bible-study course, and/or
a copy of the Jesus film (all available for free in
Arabic here[5]). You can assist them with accessing
a free online Bible (Bible Gateway) has the online Bible
in Arabic, Persian, Sorani, Gujarati, and more). [End
of comparison by Bible Reasons]
It appears that some moderates
within the Islamic culture interpret the Koran to teach
rapprochement with “the righteous”
of other faiths. But actions speak louder than words
and in the real world virulent hatred is apparently
the rule rather than the exception. The following excerpt
is from the web site www.islam.com :
"Set out for battle
for the sake of God and fight those who disbelieve in
Him. Go into battle, but do not go to extremes, behave
treacherously, mutilate their dead, or kill children.
When you meet your enemies, the unbelievers, offer them
three options, and accept any one of them to which they
agree and cease the battle: [*My note: Option (c) below,
by any other name would still be essentially “convert
or die.”]
(a) Invite them to join
Islam. If they agree, then accept this and cease the
battle. Then invite them to move from their lands to
the Land of the Immigrants (Medina), and inform them
that if they do so, they will have the same privileges
and obligations as the other migrants. If they refuse
to migrate from their lands, inform them that they will
have the same status as the nomadic Muslims: that they
will be subject to the Law of God which applies to all
Muslims, and that they do not have a share in wealth
obtained from conquest, unless they participate in the
jihad with the Muslims.
(b) If they refuse, then
ask them to pay the jizyah, [Jizya: a protection tax
payable by non-Muslims as a tribute to the Muslim ruler],
and if they agree, then accept it from them and cease
the battle.
(c) If they refuse all
this, then seek God’s help and battle with them.’
First of all, when they
use the term “God” they are referring to
Allah, not Jehovah, the God of Christians and Jews.
Secondly, in spite of attempts to moderate their actual
position, hatred of “Infidels” (especially
Jews) is blatantly manifested throughout the world on
a daily basis. And anyone who dares, in their opinion,
to denigrate Allah—will be put to death. A case
in point is the Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie,
who authored a book entitled “Satanic Verses.”
After publishing that novel, he became the subject of
several assassination attempts and death threats, including
a fatwa calling for his death issued by Ruhollah Khomeini,
the supreme leader of Iran. In total, 20 countries banned
the book. Numerous killings and bombings have been carried
out by extremists who cite the book as motivation, sparking
a debate about censorship and religiously motivated
violence. In 2022, Rushdie survived a stabbing at the
Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, but
was blinded in one eye and lost the use of one hand.
[Cited on Wikipedia, et. al.]
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By way of contrast, Jesus Christ was innocent of any
crime and brutally murdered. And now over 2000 years
later His name is still slandered, used as a swear word
and vilified by untold numbers of people. But those
of us who have received Him as our personal Lord and
Savior do not try to silence blasphemous unbelievers
by killing them—quite the contrary is true, because
He taught us to love our enemies and pray for their
salvation. So the contrast between Islam and Christianity
is actually very pronounced if people will take the
time to consider the facts carefully and be as objective
as possible. But to be fair, it must be admitted that
no Christian is perfect due to our retaining a sinful
nature after receiving Christ. Our sins of the flesh
were forgiven in Him, but even though we cannot be sinless,
we must strive to sinless. And those of the world who
do not understand that seemingly contradictory principle,
tend to “throw the baby out with the wash water”
and adopt an attitude of “if that’s being
a Christian, I want no part of it!” This was illustrated
by an incident that occurred
years ago, when someone asked Gandhi of India (a Hindu)
what he thought of Jesus Christ. He replied something
to the effect that he admired Jesus, but his followers
were so unlike him! Ouch! The truth hurts sometimes.
But I doubt if Gandhi understood the theological implications
of the salvation offered in Christ—which is a
free gift infinitely paid for by His shed blood on the
cross and given to those who earnestly come to Him seeking
it.
Have you ever done that?
If you are interested, please read the “What must
I do to be saved?” link at the following address:
https://www.cuttingedge.org/news/salvation.html In it
you will find a “self test” to determine
if you have truly received Christ into your life. Then
if you have questions, please feel free to contact me
by Email (address below) and I will try my best to answer
them for you.
