Friday, April 16, 2021

160 QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SABBATH

 

BEFORE CREATION


1. John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.


Why would God's own 'residence' have night and day?



Ans: There is no night and day in the Presence of God.



2. If the Sabbath is part of the eternal moral character of God, was it observed in heaven in eternity past before creation?



Ans: No. The Sabbath is related to the rotation cycle of earth. Unless heaven and other planets have the same rotation cycle it is irrelevant.



3. Does heaven have a rotation of night and day?



Ans: No. Why would it need such?



4. Does heaven have a seventh-day Sabbath?



Ans: No. Not according to Revelation 21 and 22. Many believe that the phrase “from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another” in Isaiah 66:23 either refers to the Millennial reign on earth or to “every day” – every day between the new moon and Sabbath.



QUESTIONS ON THE CREATION SABBATH



5. Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23 and 31 describe the first six days of heaven having an evening and the morning.



Why was this sequence omitted concerning the first Sabbath in Genesis?



Ans: God was telling us that the first Creation Sabbath was different from other days and the weekly Sabbath.



6. Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.



How long was the first creation Sabbath?



Ans: Theory #1: One 24 hour day.

Theory #2: Unknown. It lasted until Adam and Eve sinned. It could have been thousands of years. As long as sin did not exist every day was in the presence of God.

Theory #3: Still continues. God is still resting from his finished creation and has not created new kinds since then. Only speciation occurs now. The text focuses on God's rest and not man's rest.



7. Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.



Did God bless the seventh day because he rested on that day and not because he was the Creator?



Ans: The text says that God blessed the day because He rested on it.



8. Where in Genesis is man commanded to rest on the Sabbath day?



Ans: Nowhere. It is assumed that man did not do real work until after sin entered.



9. Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.



Does the Hebrew word for day, yom, always refer to a 24 hour day?



Ans: Not in Genesis 2:4.



10. Did not Adam join God in that rest 7 days a week 24 hours a day until he sinned?



Ans: He must have.



11. Is the first sinless creation rest a perfect type of salvation rest in Christ in which God imputes perfect sinlessness and returns the believer to where Adam was before he sinned?



Ans: Yes. It was a shadow of things to come. The SDA “memorial” of creation is really a “memorial” of Creation REST.



12. Does the believer walk 7 days a week 24 hours a day in God's perfect rest?



Ans: Yes. He/she has been spiritually restored to the position of Adam before sin.



13. Heb 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest …



Which rest is a better type of salvation ---the one-day-a-week rest of the Sabbath Day? or the every-day rest of creation?



Ans: The every-day rest before sin.



14. Genesis 2:17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.”



Is not spiritual death a separation from God's perfect sinless rest?



Ans: Yes. Adam and Eve died spiritually when they sinned; they were separated from God. Adam and Eve did not begin to die physically until then sinned; they began to age.



15. Genesis 5:3 “Adam lived a hundred and thirty (130) years” before Seth was born. Genesis 5:5 “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty (930) years: and he died.”



Did the 930 years of Adam's life begin when he was created or after he sinned?



Ans: Either answer appears to be appropriate. Genesis 2:17 suggests that Adam began to age when he sinned. Also Romans 6:23.



16. Genesis 2:3 to Exodus 16:



Is it true that no rest day or Sabbath is mentioned in God’s Word from Genesis 2 until Exodus 16 (at least 2000 years)?



Ans: Yes. Check it out for yourself.



17. Is there any evidence that the seven-day weekly cycle was universally known through general revelation before Exodus 16?



Ans: Only if you limit your list to arguments used by SDAs. If you expand your search, you will discover that there were many very different cycles.



18. Did the ancient Sumerians and Babylonians have a seven-day (7) week because they worshipped 7 heavenly bodies such as the Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Saturn?



Ans: Yes. They thought these were the only ones. If they had known of other planets, their week would have been longer.



19. Did the frequency of market days determine the length of the week in many nations?



Ans: Yes. West Africa adopted four-day (4) intervals between market days. The Assyrians adopted five-day (5) intervals. Ancient Rome adopted eight-day (8) intervals. And the ancient Egyptians adopted ten-day (10) intervals. It was not until the first century B.C. that Rome adopted the seven-day weekly cycle.



QUESTIONS ON THE WEEKLY SABBATH DAY



20. Ex. 16:23 Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath to the LORD: bake that which you will bake today, and boil that which you will boil; and that which remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.



Is not this at least 2500 years after Genesis 2:3?



Ans: Yes, and it is the first mention of a rest day since Creation. It was only given to Israel and it did not involve corporate worship.



21. Do SDAs eat meat which has been fried or roasted? Why?



Ans: Yes. They ignore this command to Israel.



22. Ex. 16:26 Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.



Is it evident than even Israel had not been observing any Sabbath day and that the day had been lost in history?



Ans: Yes. Otherwise God would not have had to tell which day was the Sabbath. And God only corrected this to Israel. He did not expect the Gentiles to observe it.



23. Ex. 16:28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?

Ex. 16:29 See, for that the LORD has given you the Sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

Ex. 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.



Is it not evident that the Sabbath was a law designed for only the Hebrews to observe? Does not the "you" only refer to the Hebrews?



Ans: Yes.



24. Was this first Sabbath day for Israel NOT a day of corporate worship? Does that mean that the Sabbath has been changed by God to become a day of corporate worship?



Ans: The first Sabbath day for Israel was only a time to rest in one’s tent and perhaps have private devotions. It was a HOLY REST, not a corporate worship. This was changed to become corporate worship.



25. Was this "rest" only a physical rest at that point in Israel's history?



Ans: It appears to be so. There is no mention of worship. However, one would expect private devotions.



26. Ex. 19:3 And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel.



Is not the Law to be given only to Israel?



Ans: Yes. It was very limited.



27. Ex. 19:4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself.



Did God separate Israel from Egypt in order to only give Israel his covenant and law?



Ans: Yes, and He never commanded Egypt to obey the Law He gave only to Israel.



28. Ex. 19:5 Now then, IF you [Israel] will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, THEN you [Israel] shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine.

Ex. 19:6 and you [Israel] shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.



How can the Law with the Sabbaths be the standard for all nations if it was only given to Israel?



Ans: It cannot. The SDA interpretation is wrong.



29. Were every commandment, every statute, every ordinance, and every Sabbath in this covenant to end (as a covenant) if its conditions were not met by literal Israel?



Ans: That is the meaning of “if” in Exodus 19:5. And it is the purpose of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31.



30. Ex. 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,

Ex. 20:2 I am the LORD your God who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.



To whom did God give the Law and Ten Commandments?



Ans: Only to Israel whom He had literally brought out of Egyptian bondage.



31. Is Yahweh the sole covenant God of the nation he redeemed from Egypt?



Ans: Yes. Yahweh, the LORD, was Israel’s covenant God.



32. Deut. 5:1 Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that you may learn them and keep and do them.



Forty years later was the Law still only for Israel?



Ans: Yes. This truth is greatly abused today.



33. Deut. 5:2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.



Did God make the Old Covenant with any other nation?



Ans: No. It is wrong to preach and teach about the Law without pointing out this context. Gentiles were accountable to the law of nature and conscience per Romans 1:18-20 and 2:14-16.



34. Deut. 5:3 The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.



Did God make the Old Covenant of Law with the patriarchs of Israel?



Ans: No. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not have the formal written Law.



35. Deut. 5:6 I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.



Did God redeem any other nation out of Egyptian bondage?



Ans: No.



36. Ex. 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.....



Did God command any other nation to do this?



Ans: No. While in Exodus the Sabbath was a rest to remind Israel of God’s REST after Creation, in Deuteronomy the Sabbath is linked to the rest from Egyptian slavery.



37. Ex. 20:10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates.



Did God command Israel to have corporate worship on the Sabbath day?



Ans: Not yet. It was changed later.



38. Does the Sabbath commandment imply that slave ownership is acceptable?



Ans: Yes. This is ignored today.



39. Does the Sabbath commandment command Israel not to be the cause of others working on the Sabbath?



Ans: Yes. This is ignored today also.



40. Why do SDAs ignore this?



Ans: Ask them. It would cause them to stop much of what they do on the Sabbath. It does not suit their goals.



41. Deut. 5:14 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God ---

in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as yourself.



Ex. 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.



When the Sabbath commandment is first given is it a memorial of creation or of the "rest" of creation?



Ans: It is not a memorial of creation itself. Rather, it is a memorial of the REST after creation had ceased.



42. Is the Sabbath of the Ten Commandments a 24-hour type of a much longer Sabbath of creation?



Ans: Yes. It is a type of Creation Rest which Adam had before sin. It is also a type from Hebrews 4:3a.



43. Deut. 5:15 And remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out from there through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.



When the Sabbath commandment was repeated forty years later, was the reason for rest changed from creation rest to rest from Egyptian slavery?



Ans: Yes.



44. Is not this a 'change' of the reason for resting on the Sabbath?



Ans: Yes, and it goes against SDA claim that the Sabbath has not been changed.



45. Since Jews give more importance to Deuteronomy than Exodus, should the Sabbath commandment in Deuteronomy be emphasized more?



Ans: Yes, but it is not.



46. Is the every-day rest from Egyptian slavery a better symbol of the gospel than the weekly Sabbath day which is only a type of that rest?



Ans: Of course.



47. Ex 23:10 And six years you shall sow your land and shall gather in the fruits thereof:

Ex. 23:11 But the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie still; that the poor of your people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner you shall deal with your vineyard, and with your olive yard.



Is the 7th year rest of the land less important than the seventh-day rest?



Ans: No. It came with more blessings such as release from many things.



48. Ex. 23:12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest: that your ox and your ass may rest, and the son of your handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.



Should true Sabbath-keepers stay home on the Sabbath and not cause others like policemen, firemen, utility workers and medical workers to rest?



Ans: Yes, if they wanted to literally obey the commandment.



49. Ex. 23:32 You shall make no covenant with them [other nations] or with their gods.

Ex. 23:33 They shall not live in your land in case they would make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.



Does this forbid Israel from missionary work to the Gentiles and from expecting them to observe the Sabbath day of their unique covenant?



Ans: Yes. Common sense.



50. Do Sabbath-keepers live in their own communities and forbid others from living among them?



Ans: Secular law would forbid this.



51. Deut. 7:2 And when the LORD your God shall deliver them before you; you shall strike them, and utterly destroy them; you shall not make any covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them:

Deut. 7:3 Furthermore you shall not inter-marry with them....

Deut. 7:6 For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.



Do SDAs kill outsiders who move into their communities? Why not?



Ans: Secular law would prohibit it.



52. Does the SDA church strictly forbid intermarriage with non-SDAs? Why not?



Ans: No, but they should if they want to literally apply the OT Law to themselves.



53. Does not Deuteronomy 7:6 reinforce the idea that the law was only given to Israel?



Ans: Yes.



54. Ex. 31:13 But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, You shall surely observe My sabbaths: for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.



Is this the most clear verse in the Bible which states that the Sabbath is to be a special sign of the Old Covenant between God and national Israel?



Ans: I think it is; it is extremely important.



55. How can it be a sign of distinction if it is also supposed to be for everybody else?



Ans: It cannot be both.



56. Ex. 31:14 Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Every one who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.



Is the Sabbath to be holy only to Israel?



Ans: Yes, and SDAs should request permission from the government to KILL disobedient believers as long as they insist on literally applying the Sabbath and Israel-identity to themselves.



57. Are only Sabbath breakers who are Israelites to be put to death for violating it?



Ans: Yes. This did not apply to Gentiles.



58. Do SDAs advocate putting their own members to death when the Sabbath is broken? Why?



Ans: Of course not. Why? Ask them.



59. Do SDAs advocate putting to death non-SDAs for violating the Sabbath? Is this the SDA rebuttal to the teaching of the 'mark of the beast'?



Ans: They actually teach that God will do this for them in the last days. They are two-faced on this issue.



60. Ex. 31:15 For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of [NAS: complete; RSV: solemn] rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath shall surely be put to death.



Does the Sabbath "of complete rest" dictate against many church activities on the Sabbath? Is not the Sabbath the busiest day of the week in SDA communities?



Ans: SDA completely ignore the Sabbath command to rest and often make it the busiest day of the week.



61. Ex. 31:16 So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.



How can the "sons of Israel" also mean that everybody is supposed to observe the Sabbath?



Ans: It cannot. The Old Covenant, including the Sabbath, were only for Israel (Ex 19:5-6).



62. Is the "perpetual covenant" the Old Covenant?



Ans: Yes.



63. Ex. 31:17 It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.



Since the "sign to Israel" has been repeated twice, is it not of double importance?



Ans: Yes. It only applied to Israel.



64. Ex. 31:18 And when He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.



How can the Ten Commandments be for all nations but the seventh-day Sabbath only for national Israel?



Ans: Neither applied to any nation other than Israel.



65. Second Corinthians 3:7 “But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses...

…..

Second Corinthians 3:10 For indeed what had glory in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses it.”



Does the covenant symbolized by the Ten Commandments have “no glory” in comparison to the surpassing glory of the New Covenant of the Holy Spirit. (Also compare Romans 8:1-3.)



Ans: Yes. That is the context. In order to apply to the New Covenant after Calvary, it must be repeated in terms of the New Covenant.



66. Ex. 34:21 Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest: in plowing time and in harvest you shalt rest.



Exodus 34:21 is surrounded by various judgments and statutes such as the firstborn and yearly festivals. Do they not all have the same value?



Ans: Yes. It was one indivisible law. It is wrong to separate one part of the law from the rest (Mt 5:17-20).



67. Ex. 35:2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever does work therein shall be put to death.

Ex. 35:3 You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath day.



How can the Sabbath commandment itself still be valid but the death penalty for violating it not be valid?



Ans: Whenever a law is passed, the penalty for violating it is passed also. With no penalty, the law is meaningless. The penalty for Sabbath-breaking is death. SDAs should insist within their own community.



68. Does the prohibition against lighting a fire on the Sabbath prove that Israel was not to inhabit cold regions?



Ans: Of course. They would have died from the cold on the Sabbath.



69. Does the commandment also prohibit placing more firewood on a fire during the Sabbath day?



Ans: Not discussed in the Bible.



70. How can SDAs teach that the Sabbath is for all people and all nations if those in cold regions are not allowed to keep warm on the Sabbath day?



Ans: They could not have done so before modern times.



71. Lev. 23:2 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

Lev. 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

Lev. 23:4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their seasons.



Is this not a discussion of all feasts, including the Seventh-day Sabbath?



Ans: Yes.



72. Is the seventh-day Sabbath only the first of many equally important feasts and holy convocations which the LORD (Yahweh) had given only to Israel?



Ans: Actually the seventh-day Sabbathis the least important when one considers the amount of offerings required.



73. Since the other Sabbaths were determined by the new moon, is it true that they could fall on any day of the week?



Ans: Yes, but they were still holy commanded Sabbaths for Israel.



74. Numb. 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day.

…..

Numb. 15:35 And the LORD said to Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.



Seventh-day Adventists would rather not discuss these texts. They prefer to talk about how wonderful the Sabbath is and how God wants everybody to observe it. Yet Israelites did not expect those outside their covenant to be put to death for Sabbath-breaking. Why is the penalty of Sabbath-breaking ignored by SDAs?



Ans: They pick-and-choose only that which suits them and do not apply the Word of God literally.



75. Ezek. 20:12 And also I gave them My sabbaths to be a SIGN between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Ezek. 20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, by which if a man observes them, he will live; and My Sabbaths they greatly profaned...



Is the Sabbath sign only for national Israel?



Ans: Yes. And there is reason to believe that “them” refers to all the Sabbaths and not merely the 7th day Sabbath. It is wrong to observe one Sabbath and ignore the others. The man-made designation of “ceremonial Sabbaths” is wrong.



76. How can SDAs justify teaching that the statutes and ordinances no longer apply but the Sabbath does?



Ans: They cannot. The Law was an indivisible whole for Israel alone. Either all of the Law is still in effect or none of it is per Matthew 5:17-19.



77. Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you sealed for the day of redemption.”



Whereas all of the Sabbath days and Sabbath years in Leviticus 23 and 25 were “signs” of God's Old Covenant promises to national Israel, the Holy Spirit is the “sign,” or “seal” of God’s promises to the church. Is that true?



Ans: Yes. The “sign” and “seal” of the New Covenant is the Holy Spirit and not the seventh-day Sabbath.



78. Neh. 9:2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.



Is it true that Israel did not attempt to convert Gentiles to its covenant and its Sabbath?



Ans: Yes. Interpret the texts literally.



79. Neh. 9:13 You came also upon mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

Neh. 9:14 And made known to them your holy Sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses your servant.



Again, is it true that the judgments, laws, statutes, commandments and Sabbaths had the same value as part of the indivisible law?



Ans: Yes. The Law was an indivisible whole. All of it must be obeyed or none of it (as a covenant).



80. Neh. 10:31 As for the people of the land who bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day; and we will forego the crops the seventh year and the exaction of every debt. NASU



Did the Ssbbath, other holy days and holy years have the same moral value for Israel?



Ans: Yes. And they did not attempt to share them with Gentiles.



81. Neh. 13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath: and I placed some of my servants at the gates, that there no burden should be brought in on the Sabbath day. (See context 13:15-22.)



If Nehemiah would not allow any traffic in or out of the Hebrew community on the Sabbath day, why do not SDA college communities shut their gates on the Sabbath?



Ans: Yes. And SDAs should be asked to stay home and not leave in order to prevent causing others to work on the Sabbath.



QUESTIONS ABOUT SHADOW SABBATHS



82. Isa. 1:13‑14 “Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable New Moons [monthly], Sabbaths [weekly] and convocations [seasonal]‑‑I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.” NIV



Lev. 23:2 Speak unto the children of Israel and say to them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

Lev. 23:3 (the weekly Sabbath convocation is first on the list)

Lev. 23:4-44 (seasonal Sabbaths and convocations)



Did not God equally reject all Sabbaths in Isaiah 1 above?



Ans: Obviously. All Sabbaths were equally important.



83. Is it not clear that weekly, monthly and seasonal Sabbaths all had at least equal value?



Ans: From the texts and context, yes.



84. 1 Chron.23:31 “...in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts...”

2 Chron.2:4 “...on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts”

2 Chron.8:13 ... on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts...

2 Chron. 31:3...for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts

Neh. 10:33... of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts...

Ezek. 5:17...in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths...

Hos. 2:11... her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts..



Do these seven additional texts make it clear that the seventh-day Sabbath was not greater than the other Sabbaths?



Ans: Yes seven more times.



85. Col. 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances [Greek: dogma] that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way -- nailing it to his cross;

Col. 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Col. 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in food, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday [seasonal], or of the new moon [monthly], or of the sabbath days [weekly]:

Col. 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”



Is it clear from Colossians 2:16 that the seventh-day Sabbath is included in the list of ordinances which have been blotted out?



Ans: Yes.



86. Is it clear from 2:16 that the sequence is from seasonal to monthly to weekly holy days?



Ans: Yes.



87. Heb. 10:1 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”



Is the weekly Sabbath rest also a shadow of the future return to perfect sinless rest of Christ's righteousness?



Ans: Yes.



88. Gal. 4:9 “But now, after that you have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto you desire again to be in bondage?

Gal. 4:10 You observe days [weekly], and months [monthly], and times [seasonal], and years [yearly].

Gal. 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.”



Is it not clear that the sequence is from weekly to monthly to seasonal to yearly Sabbaths?



Ans: Yes. They all had equal value.



89. Does this sequence not include the weekly Sabbath day?



Ans: Obviously.



90. Heb 4:3 “For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: ‘So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest,’ although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Heb 4:4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works’;

Heb 4:5 and again in this place: ‘They shall not enter My rest.’

Heb 4:6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience.”

Heb 4:11 “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” NKJV



Does not verse 4 lower the importance of the Sabbath day in favor of the rest of faith in verse 3?



Ans: The diminutive is obvious. The importance of the Creation Sabbath is overshadowed by implication.



91. Was the one-day-a-week seventh-day Sabbath a shadow of the seven-days-a-week twenty-four-hours-a-day perfect sinless rest of believers?



Ans: No. However, that which is pointed towards was.



92. Is not the rest of faith from verse 11 a return to sinless creation rest?



Ans: Yes.



93. Although the word “rest” occurs eleven times in Hebrews 3:11, 18; 4:1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11, the Sabbath day is not prominent. Is that not significant?



Ans: Yes. The writer of Hebrews is downplaying the importance of the Sabbath day.



94. Deuteronomy 12:9 “For you are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God will give you.”



Although Israel had been observing the Sabbath day for almost forty years in the wilderness, did not God make it clear that weekly Sabbath day rest was inferior to the “every day” Canaan rest?



Ans: Yes.



95. Do not the phrases “it remains that some must enter it” and “let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest” give one more reminder that God’s true rest comes, not to the Old Covenant Israelite Sabbath-keeper, but to every New Covenant believer?



Ans: Yes.



96. Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Luke 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.



Did Jesus compare His message to the Jubilee Sabbath year instead of the weekly Sabbath day?



Ans: Yes. It was a more important Sabbath.



97. Luke 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

Luke 4:21 And he began to say to them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”



Did Jesus fulfill the Jubilee Sabbath?



Ans: Yes.



98. Is the fulfillment of the Jubilee rest greater than the fulfillment of the weekly Sabbath rest?



Ans: Much more. It is an every day rest.



99. Was the Jubilee Sabbath the highest pinnacle of all Sabbaths?



Ans: Yes. The 7th day Sabbath was the bottom of the list when the number of sacrifices is counted.



100. If the Jubilee Sabbath is more important than the weekly Sabbath why would the "greater" be removed and the "lesser" retained?



Ans: Jesus fulfilled all of them. The greatest is the Sabbath rest of faith per Hebrews 4:3.



101. Rom. 1:19‑20 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has shown it to them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”



Rom. 2:14‑15 “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another.”



Do natural law and the conscience reveal that a man should worship God?



Ans: Yes. This is the real moral law. A specific day is not revealed to all men.



102. Do natural law and the conscience reveal that man should worship every seventh day?



Ans: No.



103. Do natural law and the conscience reveal that man should worship on the Saturday Sabbath?



Ans: Not at all. That is why God does not judge the Gentiles for not observing the Sabbath day.



104. If not, then how can God be just and condemn those who have no special revelation of the Saturday Sabbath?



Ans: He does not and will not condemn Gentiles and the Church for not observing the seventh-day Sabbath. It was a special revealed sign only for Old Covenant Israel. Ex 31:13-17.



105. If not, then how can the Saturday Sabbath be an eternal moral law?



Ans: It is not and never has been. It is not part of the moral law (nature and conscience) within all men.



106. In order to keep orderly time on a round globe man has been forced to arbitrarily set the limits of an International Date Line in the most uninhabited zone in the middle of the Pacific. Does this not prove that the seventh-day Sabbath cannot be observed equally on a round earth?



Ans: Yes, it should. And the same logic applies to worship on any other day of the week. There are no holy days in the New Covenant for the Christian and Gentile.



107. Parts of the round earth at the north and south poles have very long periods of daylight and darkness. Without watches and calendars they could not have a weekly cycle of 24 hour days. Does this not prove that the seventh-day Sabbath cannot be observed equally on a round earth?



Ans: Yes. And the same is true of other “holy” days.



108. Astronauts circling Earth of traveling to the Moon or Mars do not experience 7 day weeks of the earth and normal sunset or sunrise to change days. Does this not prove that the seventh-day Sabbath cannot be equally observed by all mankind?



Ans: Yes. And SDAs teach that un-fallen life exists on other planets (One World, HMS Richards). It would be highly unlikely that they would have the same Sabbath day.



QUESTIONS ABOUT OTHER SABBATHS



109. Ex 12:15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.



Did failure to observe the Passover and its two Sabbath days carry the same punishment as failure to observe the weekly Sabbath?



Ans: Yes.



110. Ex. 12:16 And in the first day [of the first month] there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day [of the first month] there shall be a holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.



Was the Passover given to Israel before the weekly Sabbath day in Exodus 16?



Ans: Yes. And this was not necessarily on the seventh day.



111. On what day of the week did the Passover begin?



Ans: On the fourteenth day following the third new moon (third month). It could fall on any day of the month.



112. Did the Passover have Sabbath days?



Ans: Yes and they could fall on any day of the week.



113. Ex. 13:9 And it [the Passover] shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.



Was the Passover equally important as a sign and a memorial to national Israel as the weekly Sabbath?



Ans: Obviously. All Sabbaths were sign Sabbaths to Israel. The Sabbaths reminded Israel that it had been set apart from the rest of the world.



114. Booths/Ingathering: Numbers 28:13-38; Lev 23:39-44

Day of Atonement: Numbers 29:1-12; Lev 23:25-36; Lev 16 all

Weeks/Pentecost: Numbers 28:26-31; Lev 23:15-21

Passover: Numbers 28:16-25; Lev 23:5-14

Monthly New Moon: Numbers 28:11-15

Weekly: Numbers 28:9-10



It is true that as the importance of the Sabbath day increased beyond the weekly Sabbath day, so did the sacrificial offerings?



Ans: Yes. And this should be extremely important for understanding the importance of the weekly Sabbath, but it is ignored by SDAs for obvious reasons – it destroys their Sabbath argument.



115. Is it not logical to conclude that the weekly Sabbath was the LEAST important Sabbath?



Ans: When considering the amount of required sacrifices – YES.



116. Jubilee Year: most rest; Lev 25:10-12

Sabbath Year: more rest; Lev 25:1-7

Weekly Sabbath: least rest



Is it true that the weekly Sabbath provided less rest and release than the yearly and Jubilee Sabbaths?



Ans: Obviously. Yes.



117. Why have SDAs emphasized the least important Sabbath and ignored the more important Sabbaths?



Ans: They do not understand the Bible.



QUESTIONS ABOUT JESUS AND THE SABBATH



118. Galatians 4:4 “But when the foulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Gal. 4:4).



Did Jesus live under the jurisdiction of the Law?



Ans: Yes, and this affected everything he taught to the Jews before Calvary.



119. As a Jew was Jesus expected to teach the Law and worship on the Sabbath?



Ans: Of course. Failure to do so was SIN. He was expected to teach and observe the whole law.



120. Matt 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.



Did Jesus teach Jews to only observe the Ten Commandments or all 613 commandments of the Law?



Ans: The whole law; all commandments, all statutes and all judgments.



121. Matt 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.



Did Jesus tell his Gentile disciples to go to the temple?



Ans: No. It would have been SIN to do so. He only commanded Jews to keep the whole law.



122. Matt 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.



Did Jesus tell Gentiles whom he healed to show themselves to the priests?



Ans: No. It would not have been permitted. Again, He only commanded Jews to keep the Law.



123. Matt 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.



Did Jesus tell his Gentile disciples to tithe?



Ans: No. He could not have done so because it was not legal.



124. If Jesus did not teach Gentiles to observe Jewish Law, did He command them to worship on the Saturday Sabbath?



Ans: No. He commanded His disciples to only go to the cities of Israel. He reminded Gentiles that His mission was not to them before Calvary.



125. Phil 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.



Is the believer's righteousness based on obedience to the Law?



Ans: No.



126. Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the GOSPEL to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at LIBERTY them that are bruised,

Luke 4:19 To preach the acceptable YEAR of the Lord.



Did Jesus compare his message to the weekly Sabbath or to the Jubilee Sabbath?



Ans: To the Jubilee Sabbath which was the most important of all Sabbaths.



127. Mark 2:27 The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.



Mark 2:27 (Greek) Ta sabaton [the Sabbath] dia ton anthropon [for the man] egeneto [came to be], kai ouch [and not] ho anthropos [the man] dia ton sabbaton [for the Sabbath].



Seventh-day Adventists insist that “man” means “man in general,” “all men” or “mankind.” Therefore, (to SDAs) the text means, “The Sabbath was made for all mankind, not all mankind for the Sabbath.”



Is it true that the only time the Sabbath was for all mankind was when "all mankind" was only Adam and Eve?



Ans: Yes. There is no Sabbath command found from Eden until Exodus 12 which imposes the Passover Sabbath first to Israel.



128. How can all mankind be expected to observe the Sabbath while specifically being only a sign of the Old Covenant for national Israel in Exodus 31:13-17?



Ans: It cannot be both.



129. Why does the Greek contain the article "the" in front of man in Mark 2:27? Is not this a reference to a specific man rather than to mankind in general?



Ans: The Holy Spirit is trying to tell us that something other than “all mankind:” is indicated here.



130. Is it true that, often whenever anthropos means "mankind" there is no article associated? (Compare Rom. 1:18; 5:12).



Ans: Yes.



131. Is it true that anthropos is never translated as "mankind"?



Ans: Yes. Compare 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim 1:10 (Strong’s 733) and James 3:7 (Strong’s 442; an-throo-pi-nee)



132. Is the Greek word phusei translated “race,” “species” or “mankind” in James 3:7?



Ans: Yes.



133. Did God command Israel NOT to share its covenant with other nations in Exodus 23:32 and Deuteronomy 7:1-6?



Ans: Yes. God did not care whether the Gentiles kept the Sabbath or not.



134. Did the command not to share its covenant with other nations include the Sabbath as a wall of separation? (Ex. 19:5, 6; 20:2; 31:13-18; Deut. 5:12-15).



Ans: Obviously, yes.



135. Since “they” were Jews, then, the question concerned only the Hebrew man who is under the Law! The Pharisees would not have asked Jesus this question if “they” were Gentiles who were not under the Law! If this is the correct logic, then the answer would be: “The sabbath was made for the Hebrew man [who is under the law], and the Hebrew man was not made for the Sabbath.” This answer would be honest both to the question and to the Greek syntax. Whether of not the Sabbath day was a day of rest since the creation is irrelevant because it had been forgotten. Beginning in Exodus 16, God clearly pointed out the day only for the observance of the Hebrews. Does this make sense?



Ans: It is a possible explanation.



136. A third possible interpretation of Mark 2:27 is that “the man” refers neither to mankind in general, nor to the Hebrews under the Law, but to Jesus Himself! When the Greek article “the” and “man” are combined in a word search, 13 of 21 times in Mark it refers to Jesus Christ as “the Son of THE man.” There is an article in front of anthropos! Jesus was THE Second Adam (which means man), THE Messiah, and THE Representative Man. He was the One who first rested on the first Sabbath and all things were created by Him and FOR Him (Col. 1:16). This would make Mark 2:27 say “The Sabbath came into existence for THE MAN [Jesus Christ] and [Jesus Christ] THE MAN did not come into existence [as a man] for the Sabbath.” Does this make sense?



Ans: It is a logical possible explanation.



137. Perhaps Jesus' concluding statement, recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke holds the key to the correct understanding of Mark 2:27. Matthew 12:8 concludes, “For the Son of man is Lord {even} of the sabbath day.” Mark 2:28 and Luke 6:5 conclude, “Therefore, the Son of man is Lord ALSO of the Sabbath” with the additional Greek word for “also.”



The Greek word for “made,” is egeneto, the passive form of “to be” and is better translated as “was being” or “came into being.” Keeping this in mind, we compare the four possible interpretations:

“Because the Sabbath was made for all mankind....

“Because the Sabbath was made for THE Hebrew man who is under the law...

Because the Sabbath was made for THE MAN, Jesus Christ...

...THEREFORE, the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath!”

Does this make sense?



Ans: It is a possible explanation.





QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SABBATH IN ACTS



138. Acts 13:5 CYPRUS: And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister. Also 13:14-15 ANTIOCH; 14:1 ICONIUM; 16:13 PHILIPPI; 17:1-2, 10 THESSALONICA; 18:4 CORINTH,18:19 EPHESUS.



As a Jewish man Paul had an open pulpit in any Jewish synagogue. Is not this the primary reason he began his initial work in new cities in the synagogues on the Sabbath?



Ans: It is very logical.



139. Acts 13:39 And through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.



What did Paul mean here? Why did he say it?



Ans: He was teaching that the Law of Moses was no longer in effect.



140. Acts 13:42 As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath.



SDAs argue that Paul still honored the seventh-day Sabbath because he did not tell the people to meet him on Sunday. Could it be that the Gentile God-fearers and Paul wanted to keep using the open pulpit as long as possible?



Ans: Yes. Paul did not consider any day holy (Rom 14:5-6; 1 Cor 9:19-23). He would keep using the open pulpit in the Jewish synagogue as long as possible.



141. SDAs argue from the false assumption that most churches worship on Sunday as a replacement for Saturday. In fact many churches who worship on Sunday do not teach that Sunday has replaced Saturday but that the wording of the Old Covenant law was only for national Israel. Is that true?



Ans: Yes. The SDA argument is meaningless to most churches today.



142. 1 Cor 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

1 Cor 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.



Rom 14:5 One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Rom 14:6 He that regards the day, regards it unto the Lord; and he that regards not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he that eats not, to the Lord he eats not, and gives God thanks.



Is it clear that Paul was no convicted about any holy day?



Ans: Yes. Paul understood the Law as an indivisible whole.



143. Acts 13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

Acts 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.



Is it clear that the synagogue was still available to Paul for public meetings at this time?



Ans: Yes. He would have been foolish not to use it.



144. Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas became bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing you put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.



Is this the turning point in Antioch of Psidia? Did Jews organize after this to try and keep Paul from using the synagogues?



Ans: This is a pattern-setting turning point. Afterwards Paul would repeat this sequence many times: first to the Jews in their synagogues on the Jewish Sabbath; finally to the Gentiles wherever and whenever he could find them.



145. Acts 15:1 And certain men which came down from Judea [TO ANTIOCH IN SYRIA] taught the brethren, and said, Except you become circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.



Did the Christian Pharisees emphasize circumcision, tithing and Sabbath-keeping as necessary for salvation?



Ans: Yes.



146. Acts 15:10 [Peter said] “Now therefore why do you tempt God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?”



Is not the entire Law being discussed here and not merely the Ten Commandments?



Ans: Yes. SDAs ignore this.



147. Was Peter against forcing Gentile Christians to be circumcised and to observe the Sabbath?



Ans: Yes. He had witnessed them being saved and having spiritual gifts without keeping the Old Covenant Law with its circumcision, unclean foods, tithing and Sabbath keeping.



148. Acts 15:19 [James the leader said] Wherefore my sentence is, that we do not trouble them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

Acts 15:20 But that we write to them that they abstain from pollutions of idols and from fornication and from things strangled and from blood.



Did not James and the entire church in Jerusalem agree not to place Gentiles under the entire Law of Moses, including Sabbath-keeping?



Ans: Obviously, yes.



149. Acts 16:4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered the decrees to keep that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.



Did Paul reveal the letters from the Jerusalem church to all churches and ask Gentiles NOT to be circumcised or keep the Sabbath?



Ans: Obviously, yes.



150. Acts 16:5 DERBE, LYSTRA, ICONIUM: And so were the churches established in the faith and increased in number DAILY.



When Paul was not preaching in the synagogues what day of the week did he preach on?



Ans: Daily.



151. Acts 16:17‑18 PHILIPPI: The same [possessed woman] followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show to us the way of salvation. And she did this many days......



Does the "many days" imply that Paul preached every day of the week?



Ans: Yes.



152. Acts 17:11 BEREA: These ... searched the scriptures DAILY, whether those things were so.



Does this suggest Paul worshipped and preached every day of the week?



Ans: Yes.



153. Acts 17:17 ATHENS: Therefore he disputed in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons and in the market DAILY with them that met with him.



Being consistent with his convictions as stated in First Corinthians 9:20-22, Paul worshiped with the Jews in the synagogue on the Sabbath and worshiped with the Gentiles in the marketplace every other day of the week. Is this not evident?



Ans: Yes.



154. Acts 18:4 CORINTH: And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.



Afterwards (verse 7) Paul left the synagogue and preached in the house of Crispus where many believed and were baptized (verse 8). Paul stayed in Corinth for eighteen months (verse 11). Is not Paul's pattern clear?



Ans: Yes.



155. Acts 19:8 EPHESUS: And he [Paul] went into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for three months disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Acts 19:9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing DAILY in the school of one Tyrannus.



Is not the pattern still clear: first to the Jews in the synagogue until being rejected and second to the Gentiles daily?



Ans: Yes.



156. Acts 21:20 And when they [the Jerusalem church leaders] heard it, they glorified the Lord and said to him [Paul], You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe and they are all zealous of the law:

Acts 21:21 And they are informed about you that you teach all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.



Is there any indication that Gentile converts were being told to observe all 613 commandments of the Law?



Ans: No, but the Jewish converts were still observing all of the Law zealously.



157. Acts 21:25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, except that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood and from strangled and from fornication.



Is it clear that 30 years after Calvary Gentile Christians were still not being told to observe the law including circumcision and Sabbath-keeping?



Ans: Yes.



THE NEW EARTH AND ETERNITY



158. Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Rev 21:11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.



Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.



Rev 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.



Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign forever and ever.



Does the picture of eternity seen in Revelation 21-22 indicate any weekly rotation of night and day?



Ans: No. There will be no difference between day and night there.



159. Is the Sabbath day found in Revelation 21-22?



Ans: Not at all.



160. How do SDAs define "law"?

Note: Most of the biblical occurrences of "law" either mean "the entire law of 613 commandments" or "God's revelation of Himself to mankind." Extremely seldom in God's Word does "law" mean only the Ten Commandments.



Ans: Most of the time they use it as a reference to the Ten Commandments. This is wrong.

Shalom

 

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

KAABA IS FAKE


 The Arabs worshipped 360 idols? 🤔


The Muslims understand Islam to be the religion of Abraham. The biblical figure of Abraham is mentioned by name in the Qur’an 69 times—more than any other person except for Moses (137 times)


The Qur'an is familiar with some of the biblical stories about Abraham, including his journey to the promised land ( Qur’an 21:71-73 )


Also, In the Qur’an, Allah calls upon people to "follow the religion of Ibrahim" ( Qur’an 3:95).


And According to the Qur'an, Ibrahim was made an imam, a "faithful leader" for the whole human race ~ Surah 2.124


And Ibrahim is the "model" of obedience to Allah ( Qur’an 16:120 ) and the "friend of God," and no one can be "better in religion" ( Qur’an 4:125 ) than those who follow him. .


Few Questions


If the Meccan Arabs were the true descendants of Abraham...


Why were they MISGUIDED for many years until Muhammad in the 6th and 7th Centuries?


Why did the Arabs worshipped 360 idols in the Kaaba Shrine for decades?


Final Question


The word Kabah simply means cube and can refer to any cube structure which was used by the pagans in their worship of their idols. 


Therefore, According to Muslim historians there were SEVERAL KABAHS IN EXISTENCE IN ARABIA:


Sahih Muslim, Book 031, Number 6052

Jabir reported that there was in pre-Islamic days a temple called Dhu'l-Khalasah and it was called the YAMANITE KA'BA or THE NORTHERN KA'BA. Allah's Messenger said unto me: Will you rid me of Dhu'l-Khalasah and so I went forth at the head of 350 horsemen of the tribe of Ahmas and WE DESTROYED IT AND KILLED WHOMSOEVER WE FOUND THERE. Then we came back to him (to the Holy Prophet) and informed him and he blessed us and the tribe of Ahmas.


Sahih Muslim, Book 031, Number 6053

Jarir b. 'Abdullah al-Bajali said: Allah's Messenger said to me: Can't one rid me of Dhu'l- Khalasah, the idol-house of Khath'am, and THIS IDOL-HOUSE WAS CALLED THE YAMANITE KA'BA. So I went along with 150 horsemen and I could not sit with steadfastness upon the horse. I made the mention of it to Allah's Messenger and he struck his hand on my chest and said: O Allah, grant him steadfastness and make him the guide of righteousness and the rightly- guided one. So he went away and HE SET FIRE TO IT. Then Jarir sent some person to Allah's Messenger whose Kunya was Abu Arta to give him the happy news about that. He came to Allah's Messenger and said: I have not come to you (but with the news) that we have left Dhu'l-Khalasah as a scabed camel. Thereupon Allah's Messenger blessed the horses of Ahmas and the men of their tribe five times.


My Question is


How can you prove from the Torah that Abraham built the Kaaba in Arabia?

Why didn't Allah accept his Supplication? Q. 14:35


Since Many Kaaba (idols) existed in Arabia

How can we trust ANYTHING coming from these IDOL WORSHIPPERS?

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

WHY IS ALLAH INFERIOR TO JEHOVAH?


Muslims claim to worship the same god as Abraham did. They claim that Allah is a continuity of the God of the Bible. Is their claim true? There are many irrefutable evidences to prove why Allah is not the God of the Holy Bible. He is certainly not Jehovah. However, in this article we will focus on one vital piece of evidence that conclusively proves why Allah is not Jehovah. While Jehovah is Almighty, Allah is an inferior god. The Qur’an itself provides sufficient evidences to substantiate this inferior position of Allah. It clearly teaches that Allah is vastly inferior to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Unlike Muslim apologists, we do not use deception nor do we distort the Word of God to validate our claim:


2 Corinthians 4:2: We have renounced the shameful, underhanded things by not walking with cunning or adulterating the word of God. But we make the truth manifest by recommending ourselves to every human conscience in the sight of God.


When men swear, they do so to establish an oath. They swear to give their oath the power of a greater source. Thus, the act of swearing involves the invoking of something greater than the one swearing. The Holy Bible substantiates this universally recognized truth:


Hebrews 6:16: “For men verily swear by the greater, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation”


The swearing of a divine oath is an invocation to God to witness the genuineness of the sworn statement. The underlying principle of an oath is to invoke God to witness the truthfulness of the one swearing the oath. That is why it is universal for the one swearing an oath to raise his or her hand towards the heavens in recognition of God’s heavenly position.


Well, what about God? How does God swear? Since God is the Supreme Being, there is no one above or greater than him. Neither is anyone equal to him. Therefore, each time God swears in the Bible, he swears by himself since there is none greater for him to swear by. For example, when Jehovah promised Abraham to bless the nations of the earth through his offspring, he guaranteed it with an oath. Since there is no one higher or greater than Jehovah, he swore by himself:


Genesis 22:16-18: “‘By myself I swear,’ declares Jehovah …And by means of your offspring all nations of the earth will obtain a blessing for themselves because you have listened to my voice.’”


Centuries later, when recounting the above account in the Christian Greek Scriptures, Jehovah maintained this same divine standard. Proving that he does not change his divine principles with the passing of time, the Holy Bible states:


Hebrews 6:13: “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself.”


An oath is basically an appeal to a Supreme Being to act as a witness to the truth of the sworn statement. In view of the fact that Jehovah is Almighty God, he cannot swear by another. Doing so would nullify the very basis for swearing an oath since everything else is inferior to him. When we understand this fundamental truth, we can see why it is logically consistent for Jehovah to swear only by himself:


Isaiah 45:23: “By myself I have sworn. The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness.”


Jeremiah 22:5: “By myself I do swear,” declares Jehovah.


It is unthinkable for the Almighty to swear by anyone or anything. The fact that Jehovah swears by himself proves he is above all others. This makes perfect sense since it will be blasphemous for the Creator to appeal to his creation to certify the validity of his promises. Having established this basic truth, let us now compare Allah with Jehovah. We will begin by considering an important teaching in Islam that is vital to our discussion.


THE SIN OF SHIRK


According to the Qur’an, the worst sin that a Muslim can ever commit is the sin of “shirk.” In Islamic terminology, “shirk” means associating partners with Allah. Associating partners with Allah is viewed as idolatry and polytheism in the teachings of Islam. It is an unpardonable sin:


Surah 4:48: Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgives anything else, to whom He pleases; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed. (Yusuf Ali)


There are a number of ways a Muslim can commit shirk. It does not mean that only when a Muslim worships other gods besides Allah he has committed the sin of shirk. Islam teaches that even swearing by something other than Allah is shirk. Therefore, if a Muslim were to swear by something other than Allah, he has committed the unpardonable sin of shirk. Numerous Islamic sources verify this teaching in Islam. In fact, Muhammad himself repeatedly taught this to his early followers.


Jami` At-Tirmidhi, Book 18, Hadith 1535:


Narrated Sa’d bin ‘Ubaidah: Ibn ‘Umar heard a man saying: “No by the Ka’bah” so Ibn ‘Umar said: “Nothing is sworn by other than Allah, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) say: ‘Whoever swears by other than Allah, he has committed disbelief or shirk.’”


In fact, any Muslim who swears by something other than Allah is judged as a polytheist by Muhammad.


Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 21, Number 3245:


Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: Sa’id ibn Ubaydah said: Ibn Umar heard a man swearing: No, I swear by the Ka’bah. Ibn Umar said to him: I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) say: He who swears by anyone but Allah is polytheist.


As we can clearly see, Islam teaches that a Muslim must swear only by Allah and no one else. He cannot swear by anything which is of lesser value than Allah. Authoritative Islamic sources repeatedly warn Muslims about the seriousness as well as the importance of observing this teaching of Allah and Muhammad. Provided below are some of the most recognized Islamic sources in the Muslim world.


Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 177:


Narrated ‘Umar: The Prophet said, “If anybody has to take an oath, he should swear only by Allah.”


Sahih Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Hadith 129:


Allah’s Apostle called them saying: “Verily! Allah forbids you to swear by your fathers. If one has to take an oath, he should swear by Allah or otherwise keep quiet.”


Sahih Muslim, Book 015, Hadith Number 4040:


Muhammad said: He who has to take an oath, he must not take oath but by Allah.


Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 21, Number 3242:


Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Do not swear by your fathers, or by your mothers, or by rivals to Allah; and swear by Allah only, and swear by Allah only when you are speaking the truth.


Ibn Qayyim al-Jauziyyah, Zad-ul Ma’ad fi Hadyi Khairi-l ‘Ibad, Volume 4, p. 320:


An exclusive right for Allah, such as vowing, for example, should not be given to anyone or thing, except Allah alone. The Messenger of Allah said: “He who intends to swear, let him swear by Allah or keep silent.” He also said: “He who swears by other than Allah, will have committed Shirk.”


As can be noted, to swear by anything or anyone other than Allah is strictly forbidden in Islam. For a Muslim to do so means he is associating partners with Allah. Therefore, swearing by something other than Allah is shirk – the unpardonable sin in Islam. Having clarified what shirk means in Islam, let us turn our attention to Allah.


ALLAH COMMITS SHIRK


Since Allah is supposed to be the Greatest, the Qur’an accordingly teaches the following:


Do not swear by anything other than Allah.

Swear only by Allah.

Ironically, Allah does not seem to understand the underlying principle behind this fundamental law. In total violation against his own teachings in the Qur’an, Allah foolishly swears by a host of things. He swears by anything and everything. Throughout the Qur’an, he swears by both animate and inanimate things. Let us look at a few examples:


Surah 15:72: (I swear) upon your life, (O Muhammad) they were intoxicated and rampaging out of control. (Munir Munshey)


Surah 36:2: “I swear by the Qur’an full of wisdom” (Shakir)


Surah 51:1: “I swear by the wind that scatters far and wide.” (Ibid)


Surah 52:1-4: I swear by the Mountain, And the Book written in an outstretched fine parchment, And the House (Kaaba) that is visited, And the elevated canopy, And the swollen sea. (Ibid)


Surah 53:1: “I swear by the star when it goes down.” (Ibid)


Surah 68:1: “Noon. I swear by the pen and what the angels write.” (Ibid)


Surah 69:38-39: I swear by that which you see, And that which you do not see. (Ibid)


Surah 79:1: “I swear by the angels who violently pull out the souls of the wicked.” (Ibid)


Surah 84:16-18: I swear by the sunset redness, And the night and that which it drives on, And the moon when it grows full. (Ibid)


Surah 89:1-4: I swear by the daybreak, And the ten nights, And the even and the odd, And the night when it departs. (Ibid)


Surah 95:1-3: “I swear by the fig and the olive, And Mount Sinai, And this city made secure. (Ibid)


Surah 100:1: I swear by the runners breathing pantingly. (Ibid)


The above is only a partial list. These references are quite damaging for Islam. Let us analyze them carefully. Allah swears by the very things he is supposed to have created. Both the Qur’an and Muhammad clearly taught that when you swear by something other than Allah, you make that something a partner with Allah. Therefore, Allah has made himself partner to a host of things. For example, when Allah swears by the angels, the angels become Allah’s divine partners. Thus, Allah himself is guilty of committing shirk. As such, he is categorically a polytheist. We are not the ones saying this but Islam. How can you trust Allah when he does not honor his own teachings?


An oath is meant to increase the weight of a sworn statement. When Allah swears by something that is lesser in value than himself, he is actually weakening the value of his sworn statement. Therefore, he is actually decreasing the value of his oath. For instance, when Allah swears by the fig (Surah 95:1), he is either elevating the fig to the position of a deity or he is decreasing the value of his oath to the value of the fig. Either way it is wrong. When Allah’s promises are accompanied by oaths which are sworn to such trivial things, it leaves little to be trusted.


The absolute blasphemous nature of Allah can also be seen by the things he swears by in the Qur’an. In Surah 52:1-4, Allah swears by the Ka’ba. This Surah is an early Meccan Surah. At the time when Allah swore by the Ka’ba in these Qur’anic verses, it was still a pagan shrine housing 360 pagan idols. It defies logic as to why Allah would swear by a pagan shrine. Can you imagine the true God swearing by a pagan shrine? Also, in the following Qur’anic verses, Allah states:


Surah 69:38-39: I swear by that which you see, And that which you do not see.


Allah swears by everything that is seen and everything that is unseen. That means everything. And if Allah swears by absolutely everything, then everything becomes partner with Allah. Think about the implication of these Qur’anic verses. Allah swears by what we can see. This means idols, pigs, dogs, alcohol, garbage etc. Allah swears by all these things. We can add many more to this list but we are trying to be as polite as we can. Well, what about the things unseen? This would be things that are invisible to the human eye such as Satan, Jinn, Demons, Germs etc. What is damaging for Muslims is the fact that when Allah swears by these things, he is ascribing partners to himself. He is committing the unpardonable sin of shirk.


All these swearing by the creation has its origin in pagan nature worship. It is related to animism. In fact, it was customary for the pre-Islamic Arab polytheists who engage in nature worship to swear by the various elements of nature. And Allah was no different. This proves who Allah really is. The fact that Allah randomly swears by countless objects seriously undermines the claim that Islam originates from a monotheistic God. According to Muhammad’s own definition, Allah is a polytheist. While Jehovah swears by himself, Allah swears by anything and everything.


Islam itself recognizes that swearing by things other than the Creator is idolatrous. It is potentially an act of veneration. When God swears by his creation, it either elevates his creation to the level of God or even greater. Jehovah knows the damaging implication of such an act. It is for this very reason why Jehovah swears only by himself. It is simply impossible for him to act otherwise. He is the supreme Creator. In contrast, Allah fails to understand the damaging consequences of his action. When Allah swears by his creations, he actually becomes guilty of turning finite creatures into fellow gods who are comparable to him in greatness. The creations are made his equivalent. It is polytheism to the core. This highlights the difference between Allah and Jehovah. This proves that Allah and Jehovah cannot be the one and the same. Allah is an impostor. He simply cannot be the Almighty Creator.


Muslims must come to terms with the fact that Allah is inconsistent with his own teachings. If swearing by anything other than Allah is shirk, then why does Allah himself carry out the very act that he condemns? Would not his actions lead to confusion? The inconsistency of Allah proves that he cannot be the true God:


1 Corinthians 14:33: For the true God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.


When Jehovah swears by himself, his action is consistent with the undeniable truth that he is the supreme Creator. When comparing two currency notes to determine which one of the two is genuine, we should not focus on the similarities but on their differences. The true and the fake note may appear to be identical since the counterfeit is meant to be passed off as the real one. But when the notes are examined closely, it is the small differences that will aid us to distinguish the genuine from the counterfeit. It is the same with Jehovah and Allah. We need to focus on the differences between Jehovah and Allah. One of them is clearly a counterfeit. Ironically, the Qur’an itself helps us to identify who it is.

Shalom

Thursday, April 8, 2021

JE, KUNA SABATO KATIKA AGANO JIPYA?

 *SABATO KATIKA AGANO JIPYA*

Na Askofu Mkuu Zakaria Kakobe.

Biblia inasema kwamba, siku hizi za mwisho, kutakuwako nyakati za hatari.


Wengine watajitenga na imani, wakisikiliza roho zidanganyazo na mafundisho yaliyo kinyume na kweli [2 TIMOTHEO 3:1; 1 TIMOTHEO 4:1]. Siku hizi tulizo nazo tunazungukwa na “WANAFUNZI WA MUSA” [YOHANA 8:28-29], ambao kwa kutaka kuwawekea watu msisitizo mkubwa wa kuabudu Jumamosi na kushika Sabato; wanafundisha kwamba watu wote wanaoabudu Jumapili wamepotea, na tena wana alama ya mnyama “666”.

Wanafundisha kwamba kuiacha Sabato na kuabudu Jumapili kulianzishwa na Costantine pamoja na Kanisa Katoliki. 

Ni muhimu basi kama wanafunzi wa Yesu, kujifunza yote kuhusu jambo hili, ili tuweze kuishindania imani tuliyokabidhiwa watakatifu MARA MOJA TU [YUDA 1:3].


Tutaligawa somo hili katika vipengele vitano:-


 ( 1 ).  UTANGULIZI KUHUSU SABATO.

 ( 2 ).  KUKOMESHWA KWA SABATO.

 ( 3 ).  SABATO, KIVULI CHA YESU KRISTO

 ( 4 ).  SABABU ZA WAKRISTO KUABUDU JUMAPILI

  ( 5 ).  KUSHIKA SIKU, SIYO NJIA YA KUOKOKA.


*1) UTANGULIZI KUHUSU SABATO*

*1. MAANA YA NENO SABATO.*

Neno “Sabato”, linatokana na neno la Kiebrania, “SHABBATH” ambalo maana yake ni PUMZIKO au KUSTAREHE NA KUACHA KAZI.

Pumziko hili siyo lazima liwe siku ya saba. Katika mazingira fulani watu waliagizwa kuwa na Sabato siku ya Kwanza na siku ya nane [MAMBO YA WALAWI 23:39], na pia walikuwa na Sabato siku ya saba kila wiki [KUTOKA 20:8-11].

Kulikuwa pia na Sabato ya mwaka mzima wa saba kwa ajili ya nchi. Haikuruhusiwa kulima nchi mwaka huo, ilitakiwa nchi istarehe au ipumzike [MAMBO YA WALAWI 25:2-5]. Awaye yote ambaye anadai leo kwamba anazingatia sheria kwa kushika sabato, imempasa kutokulima au kuvuna kila mwaka wa saba , au sivyo amekosa juu ya yote [YAKOBO 2:10]

*2. MWANZO MWA AGIZO LA KUSHIKA SABATO NA MAKUSUDI YAKE*

Agizo la kwanza kwa watu kuishika Sabato, lilitolewa na Mungu kwa Wanaisraeli, kwa mkono wa Musa,katika AGANO LA KALE. Agizo hili halikutolewa kwa Adam, Nuhu, Ibrahim, Isaka, Yakobo na Wengine kabla ya Musa [KUMBUKUMBU 5:1-3,12-14]. 

*Agizo hili pia, lilikuwa kwa TAIFA la Wanaisraeli tu!* Siyo mataifa mengine ambayo hayakupewa sheria [WARUMI 2:14; KUMBUKUMBU 4:7-10]. WANAISRAELI waliagizwa kushika sabato kwa makusudi yafuatayo:-  

( a ). Ili wapate kukumbuka jinsi walivyokuwa watumwa katika nchi ya Misri na ya kuwa BWANA Mungu aliwatoa utumwani na kuwapa PUMZIKO kutoka katika kazi hizo za utumwa [KUMBUKUMBU 5:15].

( b ). Ili ipate kuwa ISHARA ya Agano lao na Mungu, Agano la kale [KUTOKA 31:12-13,16-17; EZEKIELI 20:20]. *Agano hili linatajwa kuwa ni la “MILELE” siyo kwa maana kwamba lisilo na mwisho*. Siyo kila mahali katika Biblia “MILELE” ilipotumika, ina maana isiyo na mwisho. 

AGANO LA MILELE hapa lina maana Agano la muda mrefu sana ujao.[mifano: Nyumba ya kukaa itakayothibitishwa “milele” [WALAWI 25:29-30]; Mtu, kuwa mtumishi wa mtu “milele” [KUMBUKUMBU 15:12-17]; Ukoma wa “milele” [2WAFALME5:25-27].

*3. HUDUMA YA MAUTI ILIYOAMBATANANA       KUTOKUISHIKA SABATO.*

Agizo la kushika sabato,lilikuwa ni KONGWA zito. Mtu ambaye hakuishika sabato, alipewa huduma ya mauti, ALIUAWA {KUTOKA31:14-15, 35:2-3}. Hata mama aliyejaribu kukusanya kuni ili kuwapikia chakula wanawe siku ya sabato, alipigwa kwa mawe hata akafa [HESABU 15:32-36]. 

Mtu hakuruhusiwa kutembea kwa mwendo wa maili moja siku ya sabato. “Mwendo wa sabato” ulioruhusiwa ili mtu asihesabike amefanya kazi, ilikuwa chini kidogo ya maili MOJA kama mwendo wa kutoka Yerusaremu kwenda Mlima Mizeituni [MATENDO1:12]. 

Hata kujitwika godoro ilikuwa ni kuvunja sheria ya kushika Sabato [YOHANA 5:8-10]. 

Hata kuponya siku ya sabato ilikuwa ni kuivunja sheria ya kushika Sabato [LUKA 13:14]. 

Ilikuwa ni huduma ya adhabu, huduma ya mauti! [2WAKORINTHO 3:7-9]. 

*Wanafunzi wa Musa leo,* wanaojidai kwamba wanashika sabato, haiwapasi kwenda hospitali siku ya sabato, wala kutafuta kuponywa kwa njia yoyote siku ya sabato, tena miongoni mwao, asiyeishika sabato, wanatakiwa wamwue! Mbona hawayafanyi haya?

*( 2 ).  KUKOMESHWA KWA SABATO.*

Mwanadamu hakuumbwa kwa ajili ya sabato, bali kwa ajili ya Mungu aliye BWANA wa Sabato au mwanzilishi wa Sabato. Mungu ambaye ndiye aliyeleta agizo la kuishika Sabato, ana haki pia ya kuikomesha au kuiondoa agizo hilo na hakuna mwenye haki ya kumlaumu [MARKO 2:27-28]. 

Mapema katika unabii, kabla ya kuja Yesu Kristo, ilitabiriwa kwamba Mungu ataikomesha Sabato [HOSEA 2:11]. Yesu Kristo , alikuja kuitimiliza torati kwa kuikomesha Sabato.

Kiongozi wetu mkuu wa wokovu Yesu kristo, kwa wazi kabisa, alishindana na kila wazo la Wayahudi la kushika sabato. Alikuja kuikomesha Sabato kwa kuivunja. 

Ikiwa Yesu ni Bwana wetu ,sisi nasi tutakuwa mstari wa mbele kwa kumfuata yeye kama kielelezo na kuivunja Sabato [MARKO 2:23-28; LUKA 6:6-11; 13:10-16; 14:1-6; YOHANA 5:8,18; 9:13-16]. Yesu Kristo, aliigongomelea msalabani hati yakutushtaki kwa kutokuishika sabato, akaiondoa, isiwepo tena! [WAKOLOSAI 2:13-14]. 

*Kushika siku na miezi na nyakati na miaka, ni kuyarejea MAFUNDISHO YALIYO MANYONGE YENYE UPUNGUFU [WAGALATIA 4:9-11].*

Hatupaswi tena kuhukumiwa na mtu YEYOTE kwa sababu ya SABATO! [WAKOLOSAI 2:13-16]. Ili kupata tafsiri nzuri ya neno “Sabato” katika andiko hilo, soma Biblia ya Kiingereza, ya tafsiri ya King James Version inataja neon “SIKU ZA SABATO” au “SABBATH DAYS”. Nanukuu (COLOSIANS 2:16 ) “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days”. Kwa hiyo, mtu awayeyote asituhukumu sisi kwa habari ya sabato za siku au siku ya sabato. 

Amri ya nne ya sabato katika zile Amri kumi, haipo katika Agano Jipya, Yesu wala mitume hawakutuagiza kushika Sabato [MATHAYO 19:16-19; MATENDO 15:1-29]. Kama wakati uliokuwapo kabla ya Musa, sisi nasi kama uzao wa Ibrahimu kwa imani, hatukuagizwa kushika sabato kama jinsi ambavyo hakuagizwa Ibrahimu!

Agizo Jipya, limekuwa badala ya Agano la Kale lenye upungufu, lililokuwa na huduma ya adhabu au ya mauti. *Huduma hiyo IMEBATILIWA [2WAKORINTHO 3:6-11; WAEBRANIA 8:6-9,13].*

*(3) SABATO , KIVULI CHA YESU KRISTO.*

Sabato, ilikuwa ni kivuli cha mambo yajayo [WAKOLOSAI 2:16-17].

Sabato, ilikuwa ni kivuli tu cha PUMZIKO ambalo wanadamu wasumbukao na kulemewa na mizigo wangelilipata kwa kumwendea, Yesu kristo [MATHAYO 11:28]. Baada ya kuja mwenyewe aliye PUMZIKO, Yesu kristo; hatuna haja tena ya kushika kivuli. Tukimshika Yesu kristo , YEYE Pia, atatupa SABATO ya milele huko mbinguni [WAEBRANIA 4:8-11]. Sabato hii siyo ya Jumamosi maana ni wale watakaofanya bidii kuingia raha hiyo na kuwa mbali na kumwasi Yesu watakaoingia [WAEBRANIA 4:1-11; UFUNUO 14:13]

*( 4 ). SABABU ZA WAKRISTO KUABUDU      JUMAPILI*

Hakuna andiko lolote katika agano jipya linalotupa kumbukumbu ya kusanyiko la Wakristo siku ya Sabato kwa ajili ya kumuabudu Mungu. 

Neno “Sabato” linaonekana mara 60 katika Agano Jipya. Mara 50 katika hizo, linatumika KABLA ya Agano Jipya lenyewe kufanywa kwa damu ya Yesu.Katika mara kumi zilizosalia, mara sita (6) linazungumzia Paulo akiwawahubiri WAYAHUDI kwenye makusanyiko YASIYO YA KIKRISTO kwenye sabato zao za kiyahudi [MATENDO 13:14, 42, 44; 17:1 ,2;18:4]. Mara mbili, neno hilo linaelezea juu ya sheria ya Musa isomwapo na Wayahudi katika masinagogi [MATENDO 13:27; 15:21]; Mara moja inaeleza jinsi tusivyopaswa kuhukumiwa katika Sabato [WAKOLOSAI 2:16]; Mara moja iliyosalia inataja juu ya mwendo wa sabato [MATENDO 1:12]. 

Siku ya JUMAPILI , ambayo ndiyo siku ya kwanza ya juma ,SIKU YA BWANA aliyoshinda mauti na kufufuka [UFUNUO 1:10], Tunaitenga maalum kumwabudu Bwana kwa sababu:-

( a ). Ni sikukuu ya malimbuko ya mavuno ambayo ilifanywa katika Agano la Kale, SIKU YA PILI baada ya Sabato; Ikiwa ni utabiri wa Kristo ambao ni LIMBUKO lao waliolala [WALAWI 23:9-14; 1WAKORINTHO 15:20].

( b ). Ni siku ya ushindi ya Bwana wetu Yesu aliyofufuka, na kujidhihirisha kwa wanafunzi wake baada ya kufufuka kwa Yesu [YOHANA 20:1,19,26 WARUMI 10:9].

( c ). Siku ya kuja Roho mtakatifu, Mwangalizi mkuu wa kazi yote ya Mungu katika kanisa, ilikuwa siku ya pentekoste ambayo ni Jumapili, siku ya pili baada ya sabato [MATENDO 2:1]

( d ) Siku ya Pentekoste Jumapili ndiyo siku ya kwanza ambayo kanisa la kwanza lilianza mahubiri na watu 3,000 wakaokoka na kuanza kusanyiko la kwanza la Ibada kanisani [MATENDO 2].

( e ). Wakristo wa kanisa la kwanza walikusanyika Jumapili [MATENDO 20:6-12;1WAKORINTHO 16:1-2].

*Sababu hizi zinadhihirisha pia wazi wazi kwamba kuabudu Jumapili hakukuanzishwa na mfalme CONSTANTINE wala kanisa Katoliki.*

Hakuna andiko lolote linalosema mtu yeyote anayeabudu Jumapili ana alama ya 666 ya mnyama. Huo ni uzushi. Biblia inatupa uhuru wote katika kuchagua siku ya kumwadhimisha Bwana [WARUMI14:5-6]. Vilevile ni muhimu kufahamu kuwa siku zote ni siku za kujifunza Neno [MATENDO 17:11;2:46].

*( 5 ). KUSHIKA SIKU, SIYO NJIA YA KUOKOKA*

Kushika siku yoyote hata iwe Jumapili, sio njia ya kuokoka.Tunaokolewa kwa kumuamini Yesu kuwa ni BWANA na MWOKOZI na sio kwa kushika siku yoyote [WARUMI 10:9-10,13].

Zipo Baraka nyingi kwa yeyote atakaye “share “ ujumbe huu katika Facebook , Twitter n.k, kwa ndugu, jamaaa na marifiki ili nao wapate nafasi ya kusoma ujumbe huu na kubarikiwa kama wewe ulivyo barikiwa.  Baraka za Mungu zitakuwa nawe.

Shalom

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

The seventh-day Adventist "prophet" Ellen G. White actually taught that the Sabbath is the most important of the 10 commandments above all others!

 Click to ViewThe seventh-day Adventist "prophet" Ellen G. White actually taught that the Sabbath is the most important of the 10 commandments above all others!

This is an example of how false doctrine gives birth to some wild ideas!

This is one of the original arguments used by the Adventist's inspired prophet Ellen G. White! She falsely taught that the Sabbath is God's special law above all laws:

  1. "I beheld the tables of stone on which the Ten Commandments were written. I was amazed as I saw the fourth commandment in the very center of the ten precepts with a soft halo of light encircling it. Said the angel, 'It is the only one of the ten which defines the living God who created the heavens and the earth and all things that are there­in."' (Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, Pages 95-96, Official Adventist publication)
  2. "Jesus opened them, and I saw the Ten Commandments written on them with the finger of God. On one table were Four and on the other six. The four on the first table shone brighter than the other six. But the fourth, the Sabbath commandment, shone above them all; for the Sabbath was set apart to be kept in honor of God's holy name. The holy Sabbath looked glorious­ a halo of glory was all around it. I saw that the Sabbath commandment was not nailed to the cross." (Early Writings of Ellen G. White, page 33, Official Adventist publication)

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Proof that the Sabbath law was not special above all other laws:

A Do Sabbatarians really believe that God would make any law including the ceremonial Sabbath law above and more important than the very first commandment to "have no other God's before me"?

  1. Do Adventists really think God would make the 4th commandment GLOW brighter than the 1st commandment to have no other God's than Jehovah???
  2. Jesus identified the two FOREMOST commands and the Sabbath isn't one of them! He said that the ten commandments do not contain the two greatest moral commandments in Matthew 22:36-40 Too bad for Sabbatarians: This would have been a great place for Jesus to quote the Sabbath law or at least one of the 10 commandments! "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40)
  3. Jesus taught that the Sabbath should be broken, if it conflicted with a higher law of God like human compassion!
  4. Adventists need look closely at what Paul said about Sabbath keepers Gal 4:10 "You observe DAYS and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain"
  5. Such a suggestion is deluded blasphemy!!! Think about it!
  6. Remember Ellen White was a plagiarist who has been proven to even copy what she claimed were visions from books in the public library!
  7. Ellen G. White was a false prophet: Colossians 2:18 "Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by... taking his (her) stand on visions he (she) has seen, inflated without cause by his (Ellen White's) fleshly mind" (NASB)

B The Sabbath day is not elevated in any way above other holy days in the Old testament:

Look carefully at the language that describes the holy days below. They are all described equally "holy or high". We can't see where the Sabbath is elevated above other ceremonial feast days, CAN YOU???

  1. Lev 23:1-7 "The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'The Lord's appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations-My appointed times are these:
  2. WEEKLY SABBATH: "'For six days work may be done; but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings. Lev 23:1-7
  3. PASSOVER: 'These are the appointed times of the Lord, holy convocationswhich you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. 'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the Lord's Passover. Lev 23:1-7
  4. FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD: 'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 'But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the seventh day is a holyconvocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'" Lev 23:1-7

 

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Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Muhammad's False Prophecies

 

Muhammad's False Prophecies

Sam Shamoun


The Holy Bible gives us a test to determine a true prophet from a false one:

"But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, 'How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?' If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." Deuteronomy 18:20-22

In light of what God says in the preceding passage, we will examine several predictions made by Muhammad in the Quran and Islamic traditions to see if whether he passes God's test.

On the Roman Conquest of Persia

S. 30:2-4:

"The Roman Empire has been defeated - in a land close by: But they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious - within a few years."

As the prophecy stated the Byzantines did become victorious over the Persians who had at first defeated them. Yet there are fundamental problems with this alleged prophecy:

  • According to Yusuf Ali the Arabic word for "a few years," Bidh'un, signifies a period of three to nine years; yet according to the historical records the victory did not come until nearly fourteen years later. The Persians defeated the Byzantines and captured Jerusalem at about A.D. 614 or 615. The Byzantine counter-offensive did not begin until A.D. 622 and the victory was not complete until A.D. 628, making it a period between thirteen to fourteen years, not "a few years" alluded to in the Quran.

Renowned historian and Muslim commentator, al-Tabari, places the Roman victory in 628 A.D. (6 A.H.), right after the signing of Hudaiybiya:

According to Ibn Humayd- Salamah- Muhammad b. Ishaq- Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri- 'Ubaydallah b. 'Abdullah b. 'Utbah b. Mas'ud- 'Abdullah b. 'Abbas- Abu Sufyan b. Harb, who said: We were merchant folk. The warfare between us and the Messenger of God had prevented us from journeying, so that our wealth became depleted. After the truce between us and the Messenger of God, we feared that we might not encounter security. I set out for Syria with a group of merchants of Quraysh. Our specific destination was Gaza, and we arrived at the time of Heraclius' VICTORY over the Persians who were in his land - he expelled them and regained from them his Great Cross, which they had carried off. Having accomplished this against them and having received word that his cross had been rescued from them (he was staying at Hims), he set out from there on foot in thanksgiving to God for restoring it to him, to pray in Jerusalem. Carpets were spread out for him, and fragrant herbs were strewn on them. When he reached Jerusalem and performed his worship - with him were his military commanders and the nobles of the Romans - he arose troubled one morning, turning his gaze to the sky ... (The History of Al-Tabari: The Victory of Islam, translated by Michael Fishbein [State University of New York Press, Albany 1997], Volume VIII, pp. 100-101; bold and capital emphasis ours)

The translator's footnote reads:

436. "In 627 Heraclius invaded the Persian empire, and in December of that year won an important victory near ancient Ninevah, but had to retreat shortly afterwards. In February 628, however, the Persian emperor was assassinated, and the son who succeeded him desired peace. By about March 628 Heraclius could regard himself as victorious, but the negotiations for the evacuation of the Byzantine empire by the Persians were not completed until June 629. In September 629 Heraclius entered Constantinople AS VICTOR, and in March 630 restored the Holy Rood to Jerusalem." (Watt, Muhammad at Medina, 113-114). See also Ostrgorsky, History of the Byzantine State, 103-4. (Ibid., capital emphasis ours)

The hadith collection of al-Bukhari provides further corroboration that Abu Sufyan's visit with Heraclius occurred after the signing of Hudaiybiya:

Narrated ' Abdullah bin 'Abbas:
That Abu Sufyan bin Harb Informed him that Heraclius called him and the members of a caravan from Quraish who had gone to Sham as traders,during the truce which Allah's Apostle had concluded with Abu Sufyan and the Quraish infidels. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 53,Number 399)

Watt places Rome's complete victory at 630 A.D., fifteen to sixteen years after the so-called prophecy was given!

  • The original Quranic text had no vowel marks. Thus, the Arabic word Sayaghlibuna, "they shall defeat," could easily have been rendered, with the change of two vowels, Sayughlabuna, "they (i.e. Romans) shall be defeated." Since vowel points were not added until some time after this event, it could have been quite possible for a scribe to deliberately tamper with the text, forcing it to become a prophetic statement.

This fact is solidified by Muslim commentator al-Baidawi. C.G. Pfander mentions Baidawi's comments on the variant readings surrounding this passage:

"But Al Baizawi shatters the whole argument of the Muslims by informing us of certain varied readings in these verses of Suratu'r Rum. He tells us that some read غَلَبَتِ instead of the usualغُلِبَتِ, and سَيُغْلَبُونَ instead of سَيَغْلُبُونَ. The rendering will then be: 'The Byzantines have conquered in the nearest part of the land, and they shall be defeated in a small number of years'. If this be the correct reading, the whole story about Abu Bakr's bet with Ubai must be a fable, since Ubai was dead long before the Muslims began to defeat the Byzantines, and even long before the victories which Heraclius won over the Persians. This shows how unreliable such Traditions are. The explanation which Al Baizawi gives is, that the Byzantines became conquerors of 'the well-watered land of Syria' (على ريف آلْشام), and that the passage predicted that the Muslims would soon overcome them. If this is the meaning, the Tradition which records the 'descent' of the verses about six years before the Hijrah must be wrong, and the passage must belong to A.H. 6 at earliest. It is clear that, as the vowel points were not used when the Qur-an was first written down in Cufic letters, no one can be certain which of the two readings is right. We have seen that there is so much uncertainty about (1) the date at which the verses were 'sent down', (2) the correct reading, and (3) the meaningthat it is quite impossible to show that the passage contains a prophecy which was fulfilled. Hence, it cannot be considered to be a proof of Muhammad's prophetic office." (C. G. Pfander, Mizan-ul-Haqq - The Balance of Truth, revised and enlarged by W. St. Clair Tisdall [Light of Life P.O. Box 18, A-9503, Villach Austria], pp. 279-280; emphasis ours)

This being the case, a Muslim cannot confidently tell us what the true reading of the text is and hence cannot insure us that this verse originally predicted the Byzantine victory over the Persians. Yet either rendering leaves us with a false prophecy within the Quran.

  • It amazes us that a prophecy from God would not specify the exact time of the victory, seeing that God is all-knowing and all-wise, declaring the end from the beginning. When God specifies a time frame as an important part of a prophecy we would expect that it be precise, not a mere guess. For God to guess that the Byzantines would win at some time within "a few years" as opposed to specifying the exact year, is inconsistent with the belief in an Omniscient, Omnipotent Being. Hence, it is unlikely that the true God would actually make such a prophecy.

Interestingly, the phrase "a few years" serves to further discredit this alleged prophecy. Abu Bakr believed the term "a few years" meant that the Byzantines were going to win in three years:

"This passage refers to the defeat of the Byzantines in Syria by the Persians under Khusran Parvis. (A.D. 615 - 6 years before the Hegira). However, the defeat of the Persians should take place soon 'in a small number of years'. In the light of this prediction, Abu-Bakr undertook a bet with Ubai-ibn-Khalaf that this prediction would be fulfilled within three years, but he was corrected by Mohammed who stated that the 'small number' is between three and nine years (Al-Baizawi). Muslims tell us that the Byzantines overcame their enemies within seven years. The fact, however, is that the Byzantines defeated Persia in A.D. 628 (Al-Baizawi commentary).That was twelve years after the prediction of Mohammed. Consequently this passage does not qualify as a prophecy, particularly as the time between prophecy and fulfilment was far too short, and in addition the event was easily predictable." (Gerhard Nehls, Christians Ask Muslims [Life Challenge, SIM International; Africa, 1992], pp. 70-71)

On Entering Mecca

Sura 48:27 makes the following promise:

"Truly did Allah fulfill the vision for His Messenger. Ye shall enter the Sacred Mosque, IF ALLAH WILLS, with minds secure, heads shaved, hair cut short, and without fear. For He knew what ye knew not, and He granted, besides this, a speedy victory."

This verse was revealed in conjunction with the Muslims' failed attempt of entering Mecca to perform Tawaf (the ritual during Hajj of running between two mountains that was supposed to commemorate Hagar's fetching of water for Ishmael).

On their way to the Ka'bah, they were met with a Meccan deputation headed by Suhail b. Amr who forbade the Muslims from completing their journey. This meeting then led to the signing of the treaty of Hudaibiya.

Several problems arise from this whole incident. First, at the signing of the Hudaibiya treaty Muhammad agreed with the pagan Meccans to return to them those who had converted to Islam. At the same time Muhammad also bowed to their demands of replacing his signature of 'Muhammad, Messenger of God' with 'Muhammad, son of Abdullah' so that he might be allowed to make pilgrimage to Mecca the following year. The following is taken from Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 50, Number 891:

"When Suhail bin Amr came, the Prophet said, ‘Now the matter has become easy.' Suhail said to the Prophet 'Please conclude a peace treaty with us.' So, the Prophet called the clerk and said to him, 'Write: By the Name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful." Suhail said, 'As for "Beneficent," by Allah, I do not know what it means. So write: By Your Name O Allah, as you used to write previously.' The Muslims said, 'By Allah, we will not write except: By the Name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful.' The Prophet said, 'Write: By Your Name O Allah.' Then he dictated, 'This is the peace treaty which Muhammad, Allah's Apostle has concluded.' Suhail said, 'By Allah, if we knew that you are Allah's Apostle we would not prevent you from visiting the Kaba, and would not fight with you. So, write: 'Muhammad bin Abdullah.' The Prophet said, 'By Allah! I am Apostle of Allah even if you people do not believe me. Write: Muhammad bin Abdullah.' (Az-Zuhri said, 'The Prophet accepted all those things, as he had already said that he would accept everything they would demand if it respects the ordinance of Allah, (i.e. by letting him and his companions perform 'Umra.)') The Prophet said to Suhail, 'On the condition that you allow us to visit the House (i.e. Ka'ba) so that we may perform Tawaf around it.' Suhail said, 'By Allah, we will not (allow you this year) so as not to give chance to the Arabs to say that we have yielded to you, but we will allow you next year.' SO, THE PROPHET GOT THAT WRITTEN.

"Then Suhail said, 'We also stipulate that you should return to us whoever comes to you from us, even if he embraced your religion.' The Muslims said, 'Glorified be Allah! How will such a person be returned to the pagans after he has become a Muslim?'" (bold emphasis ours)

One of those forced to return to Mecca with the pagans was Abu Jandal. In Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasulullah (The Life of Muhammad, trans. Alfred Guillaume, Oxford University Press), p. 505 we are told:

'When Suhayl (the Meccan representative and the treaty's compiler) saw Abu Jandal he got up and hit him in the face and took hold of his collar, saying, 'Muhammad, the agreement between us was concluded before this man came to you.' He replied, 'you are right.' He began to pull him roughly by his collar and to drag him away to return him to Quraysh, while Abu Jandal shrieked at the top of his voice, 'Am I to be returned to the polytheists that they may entice me from my religion O Muslims?and that increased the people's dejection'" (bold and italic emphasis ours)

And:

'While they were in this state Abu- Jandal bin Suhail bin 'Amr came from the valley of Mecca staggering with his fetters and fell down amongst the Muslims. Suhail said, 'O Muhammad! This is the very first term with which we make peace with you, i.e. you shall return Abu Jandal to me.' The Prophet said, 'The peace treaty has not been written yet.' Suhail said, 'I will never allow you to keep him.' The Prophet said, 'Yes, do.' He said, 'I won't do: Mikraz said, 'We allow you (to keep him).' Abu Jandal said, 'O Muslims! Will I be returned to the pagans though I have come as a Muslim? Don't you see how much I have suffered?'

Abu Jandal had been [previously] tortured severely for the cause of Allah' (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 50, Number 891)

We need to ask did Moses ever return a convert (especially one who was an Egyptian) back to the pagan Pharaoh in order to please the latter in obtaining what he wanted? Did Jesus ever compromise the truth of God by agreeing with the Pharisees in turning back all gentile seekers in order to be accepted by the Jewish ruling council? Would either Moses or Jesus go so far as to deny their apostleship in order to please the demands of pagans? Would these men refuse to glorify the true God in the manner commanded by the Creator and acquiesce to the request of addressing God in a manner pleasing to the unbelievers, much like Muhammad did?

As one would expect the Muslims were enraged, especially Umar b. al-Khattab who rebuked Muhammad:

'Umar bin al-Khattab said, 'I went to the Prophet and said, "Aren't you truly the messenger of Allah?" The Prophet said, "Yes, indeed." I said, "Isn't our cause just and the cause of the enemy unjust?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Then why should we be humble in our religion?" He said, "I am Allah's messenger and I do not disobey Him, and He will make me victorious"' (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 50, Number 891)

The anger of the Muslims is justifiable when we realize that Muhammad promised that his followers would have access to Mecca that very same year. When that did not occur, Muhammad attempted to justify his statement by stating, "Yes, did I tell you that we would go to Ka'ba this year?" (Ibid)

In other words, since he did not specify when they would enter Mecca this cannot be considered a false prophecy! This is simply erroneous since the Muslim contingent was on their way to Mecca when a deputation from the pagan Arabs stopped them. In fact, one of Muhammad's demands in signing the treaty was that the pagans permit the Muslims to complete their journey to Mecca in order to perform Tawaf. Suhail denied Muhammad's request and instead made an agreement that the Muslims could enter Mecca the following year. Ibn Kathir further supports this in his commentary on S. 48:27:

"In a dream, the Messenger of Allah saw himself entering Makkah and performing Tawaf around the House. He told his Companions about this dream when he was still in Al-Madinah. When they went to Makkah in the year of Al-Hudaybiyyah, none of them doubted that the Prophet's vision WOULD COME TRUE THAT YEAR. When the treaty of peace was conducted and they had to return to Al-Madinah that year, being allowed to return to Makkah the next year, SOME OF THE COMPANIONS DISLIKED WHAT HAPPENED. 'Umar bin Al-Khattab asked about THIS, saying, 'Haven't you told us that we will go to the House and perform Tawafaround it?'" (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 9, Surat Al-Jathiyah to the end of Surat Al-Munafiqun, Abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, Riyadh, Houston, New York, London, Lahore; first edition, September 2000], p. 171; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Al-Tabari writes:

"While the Messenger of God was writing the document - he and Suhaly b. 'Amr - suddenly Abu Jandal, the son of Suhaly b. 'Amr, came walking with short steps in shackles. He had escaped to the Messenger of God. The companions of the Messenger of God had set out NOT DOUBTING that they would conquer, because of a vision the Messenger of God had seen. Therefore, when they saw what they saw - the peace, the retreat, and the obligations the Messenger of God had taken upon himself - the people felt so grieved about it that they were close to despair. When Suhayl saw Abu Jandal, he went up to him, struck him on the face, and grabbed him by the front of his garment. "Muhammad," he said, "the pact was ratified between me and you before this fellow came to you." "You are right," he replied. Suhayl began pulling and dragging [his son Abu Jandal] by the front of his garment to return him to Quraysh. Abu Jandal began screaming at the top of his voice, "People of the Muslims, shall I be returned to the polytheists for them to torment me for my religion?" This made the people feel even worse. The Messenger of God said: "Abu Jandal, count on a reward, for God will give you and those who are oppressed with you relief and a way out. We have made a treaty and peace between ourselves and these people; we have given them and they have given us a promise, and we will not act treacherously toward them." (The History of Al-Tabari: The Victory of Islam, Volume VIII, pp. 86-87; bold and capital emphasis ours)

This proves that Muhammad actually believed he was going to enter into Mecca, a plan that never materialized. In order to save face he had to deny admitting that he actually implied that the Muslims would enter Mecca that same year.

Second, to make matters worse Muhammad broke the treaty with the Meccans by refusing to return a Muslim convert from the Quraysh. This refusal was in clear violation of things expressly stipulated in the very document that Muhammad had agreed to sign:

"Umm Kulthum Uqba b. Mu'ayt migrated to the apostle during this period. Her two brothers 'Umara and Walid sons of 'Uqba came and asked the apostle to return her to them in accordance with the agreement between him and Quraysh at Hudaybiyya, but he would not. God forbade it." (Sirat Rasulullah, p. 509; italic emphasis ours)

Hence, Muhammad justified the breaking of his oath by claiming that it was God's will to do so. Unfortunately for Muslims, this would prove that Muhammad's God is not the God of the Holy Bible since breaking one's oath is strictly forbidden. (Cf. Numbers 30:1-2)

In light of all these considerations we are again compelled to ask the following questions. Did Moses ever bow down to Pharaoh's requests in order to bring Israel out of bondage from Egypt? Did Jesus ever deny his Messiahship to gain access to the Temple? Did any true prophet of God ever compromise with the unbelievers in order to fulfill the will of God? Did these men proceed to break their oaths and promises in order to gain an unfair advantage over the unbelievers?

One final problem with all this is that Muslims claim that every single word in the Quran was revealed directly by God to Muhammad through Gabriel. Based on this assumption Muslims further reason that one will not find Muhammad's words intermingled with the words of God. This being the case, how do Muslims explain the fact that S. 48:27 has Allah saying insha' Allah, i.e. "If Allah wills"? Does God not know what his will is? If so, is he uncertain whether his purpose shall come to pass necessitating him to then qualify his statement with the phrase, insha' Allah?

One can understand how fallible humans who are unaware of God's purpose can qualify their statements with the expression "If God wills" (Cf. James 4:13-15). But for God to make such a qualification is beyond reasoning.

Furthermore, if God is in fact speaking then whom is he referring to when he says "If Allah wills"? Is he addressing himself or someone else? If he is addressing someone else, than how many Gods are there? Or perhaps Allah is also a multi-personal Being seeing that there is more than one Person that make up the unity of Allah?

This leads us to conclude that Muhammad's prediction not only failed to materialize, but that his motives in concocting revelation were power, money and fame. This verse also proves that God cannot be the author of the Quran.

On the Appearance of the Antichrist and the End of the World

Muhammad allegedly claimed that the Antichrist (called the Dajjal) was to appear shortly after the Muslim conquest of Constantinople. The following traditions are taken from the Sunan Abu Dawud:

Book 37, Number 4281:

Narrated Mu'adh ibn Jabal:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The flourishing state of Jerusalem will be when Yathrib is in ruins, the ruined state of Yathrib will be when the great war comes, the outbreak of the great war will be at the conquest of Constantinople and the conquest of Constantinople when the Dajjal (Antichrist) comes forth. He (the Prophet) struck his thigh or his shoulder with his hand and said: This is as true as you are here or as you are sitting (meaning Mu'adh ibn Jabal).

Book 37, Number 4282:

Narrated Mu'adh ibn Jabal:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The greatest war, the conquest of Constantinople and the coming forth of the Dajjal (Antichrist) will take place within a period of seven months.

Book 37, Number 4283:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Busr:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The time between the great war and the conquest of the city (Constantinople) will be six years, and the Dajjal (Antichrist) will come forth in the seventh.

Accordingly, Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 636 AD. Constantinople was taken over by Muslims in May 1453 AD. Yet the prophecy regarding Yathrib (Medina) being in ruins and Antichrist's advent to take place seven months after the conquest of Constantinople did not materialize. Based on the preceding traditions Antichrist was to appear in November 1453.

Some may wish to argue that these events refer to future conquests. For instance some may wish to say that Constantinople is used as a synonym for the Roman Christian Empire. This would therefore be predicting that Muslims are to takeover Rome before Antichrist appears.

The problem with this is that if Muhammad was speaking of Rome he could have simply used the word Romans (Arabic: Ar-Rum). In fact, Romans/Ar-Rumis the name given to chapter 30 of the Quran. To call Rome either Constantinople or even Byzantium would be rather anachronistic. See above.

Hence, in light of the preceding factors we are forced to conclude that Muhammad's predictions failed to materialize, thus disqualifying him regarding his claim to prophethood.

Muhammad also believed in a young earth and that the world was about to end shortly after his advent. The following citations are taken from The History of al-Tabari, Volume 1 - General Introduction and from the Creation to the Flood (trans. Franz Rosenthal, State University of New York Press, Albany 1989), with all bold emphasis being ours:

"According to Ibn Humayd- Yahya b. Wadih- Yahya b. Ya'qub- Hammad- Sa'id b. Jubayr- Ibn Abbas: This world is one of the weeks of the other world - seven thousand years. Six thousand two hundred years have already passed. (The world) will surely experience hundreds of years, during which there will be no believer in the oneness of God there. Others said that the total extent of time is six thousand years." (Tabari, pp. 172-173; emphasis ours)

"According to Abu Hisham- Mu'awiyah b. Hisham- Sufyan- al-A'mash- Abu Salih- Ka'b: This world is six thousand years." (Ibid.)

"According to Muhammad b. Sahl b. 'Askar- Isma'il b. 'Abd al-Karim- 'Abd al-Samad b. Ma'qil I- Wahb: Five thousand six hundred years of this world have elapsed. I do not know which kings and prophets lived in every period (zaman) of those years. I aksed Wahb b. Munabbih: How long is (the total duration of) this world? He replied: Six thousand years." (Tabari, pp. 173-174; emphasis ours)

According to at-Tabari Muhammad believed that the end of the world was to occur 500 years after his coming:

"According to Hannad b. al-Sari and Abu Hisham al-Rifa'i- Abu Bakr b. 'Ayyash- Abu Hasin- Abu Salih- Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of God said: When I was sent (to transmit the divine message), I and the Hour were like these two, pointing at his index and middle fingers." (Tabari, p. 176; emphasis ours, see also pp. 175-181)

Similar traditions are found in Sahih Muslim:

Book 41, Number 7044:

This hadith has been reported by Sahl b. Sa'd that he heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: I and the Last Hour are (close to each other) like this (and he, in order to explain it) pointed (by joining his) forefinger, (one) next to the thumb and the middle finger (together).

Book 41, Number 7046:

Shu'ba reported: I heard Qatada and Abu Tayyab narrating that both of them heard Anas as narrating that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: I and the Last Hour have been sent like this, and Shu'ba drew his forefinger and middle finger near each other while narrating it.

Book 41, Number 7049:

Anas reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: I and the Last Hour have been sent like this and (he while doing it) joined the forefinger with the middle finger.

At-Tabari comments on the meaning of the Hour being as close as Muhammad's index and middle fingers:

"Thus, (the evidence permitting) a conclusion is as follows: The beginning of the day is the rise of the dawn, and its end is the setting of the sun. Further, the reported tradition on the authority of the Prophet is sound.As we have mentioned earlier, he said after having prayed the afternoon prayer: What remains of this world as compared to what has passed of it is just like what remains of this day as compared to what has passed of it. He also said: When I was sent, I and the Hour were like these two- holding index finger and middle finger together; I preceded it to the same extent as this one- meaning the middle finger- preceded that one- meaning the index finger. Further, the extent (of time) between the mean time of the afternoon prayer- that is, when the shadow of everything is twice its size, according to the best assumption ('ala al-taharri)- (to sunset) is the extent of time of one-half of one-seventh of the day, give or take a little. Likewise, the excess of the length of the middle finger over the index finger is something about that or close to it. There is also a sound tradition on the authority of the Messenger of God, as I was told by Ahmad b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Wahb- his paternal uncle 'Abd-allah b. Wahb- Mu'awiyah b. Salih- 'Abd al-Rahman b. Jubayr b. Nufayr- his father Jubayr b. Nufayr- the companion of the ProphetAbu Tha'labah al-Khushani: The Messenger of God said: Indeed, God will not make this nation incapable of (lasting) half a day- referring to the day of a thousand years.

"All these facts taken together make it clear that of the two statements I have mentioned concerning the total extent of time, the one from Ibn Abbas, and the other from Ka'b, the one more likely to be correct in accordance with the information coming from the Messenger of God is that of Ibn 'Abbas transmitted here by us on his authority: The world is one of the weeks of the other world - seven thousand years.

"Consequently, because this is so and the report on the authority of the Messenger of God is soundnamely, that he reported that what remained of the time of this world during his lifetime was half a day, or five hundred years, since five hundred years are half a day of the days, of which one is a thousand years- the conclusion is that the time of this world that had elapsed to the moment of the Prophet's statement corresponds to what we have transmitted on the authority of Abu Tha'labah al-Khushani from the Prophet, and is 6,500 years or approximately 6,500 years. God knows best!" (Tabari, pp. 182-183, bold emphasis ours)

Hence, according to these traditions Muhammad believed that not only was the world less than 7,000 years old but it was to end on the seventh day, or seven thousand years from the time it was created.

Accordingly, the world should have ended sometime between 1070-1132 AD, approximately 500 years after the birth and death of Muhammad. This is based on the fact that according to at-Tabari and others, the advent of Muhammad took place approximately 6,500 years from the time of creation. This is clearly a false prophecy.

Yet this date contradicts the one approximated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan. There, we saw that Antichrist was to appear seven months after the conquest of Constantinople, an event that took place in 1453 AD. This being the case, how could Muhammad have claimed elsewhere that the world was to end 500 years after his own birth and death? To make matters worse, the Islamic traditions claim that Antichrist was actually present during Muhammad's lifetime. In fact, according to the traditions Antichrist was a man named Ibn Saiyad:

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 437:

Narrated Ibn 'Umar:

'Umar set out along with the Prophet (p.b.u.h) with a group of people to Ibn Saiyad till they saw him playing with the boys near the hillocks of Bani Mughala. Ibn Saiyad at that time was nearing his puberty and did not notice (us) until the Prophet stroked him with his hand and said to him, "Do you testify that I am Allah's Apostle?" Ibn Saiyad looked at him and said, "I testify that you are the Messenger of illiterates." Then Ibn Saiyad asked the Prophet (p.b.u.h), "Do you testify that I am Allah's Apostle?" The Prophet (p.b.u.h) refuted it and said, "I believe in Allah and His Apostles." Then he said (to Ibn Saiyad), "What do you think?" Ibn Saiyad answered, "True people and liars visit me." The Prophet said, "You have been confused as to this matter." Then the Prophet said to him, "I have kept something (in my mind) for you, (can you tell me that?)" Ibn Saiyad said, "It is Al-Dukh (the smoke)." (2) The Prophet said, "Let you be in ignominy. You cannot cross your limits." On that 'Umar, said, "O Allah's Apostle! Allow me to chop his head off." The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "If he is he (i.e. Dajjal), then you cannot over-power him, and if he is not, then there is no use of murdering him." (Ibn 'Umar added): Later on Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) once again went along with Ubai bin Ka'b to the date-palm trees (garden) where Ibn Saiyad was staying. The Prophet (p.b.u.h) wanted to hear something from Ibn Saiyad before Ibn Saiyad could see him, and the Prophet (p.b.u.h) saw him lying covered with a sheet and from where his murmurs were heard. Ibn Saiyad's mother saw Allah's Apostle while he was hiding himself behind the trunks of the date-palm trees. She addressed Ibn Saiyad, "O Saf! (and this was the name of Ibn Saiyad) Here is Muhammad." And with that Ibn Saiyad got up. The Prophet said, "Had this woman left him (Had she not disturbed him), then Ibn Saiyad would have revealed the reality of his case."

The traditions go on to positively identify Ibn Saiyad as Antichrist:

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 92, Number 453:

Narrated Muhammad bin Al-Munkadir:

I saw Jabir bin 'Abdullah swearing by Allah that Ibn Sayyad was the Dajjal. I said to Jabir, "How can you swear by Allah?" Jabir said, "I have heard 'Umar swearing by Allah regarding this matter in the presence of the Prophet and the Prophet did not disapprove of it."

Sunan Abu Dawood, Book 37, Number 4317:

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:

Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir told that he saw Jabir ibn Abdullah swearing by Allah that Ibn as-Sa'id was the Dajjal (Antichrist). I expressed my surprise by saying: You swear by Allah! He said: I heard Umar swearing to that in the presence of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him), but the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) did not make any objection to it.

Yet these traditions contradict the following traditions where Antichrist is described as being one eyed and as being locked up in chains:

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 553:

Narrated Ibn Umar:

Once Allah's Apostle stood amongst the people, glorified and praised Allah as He deserved and then mentioned the Dajjal saying, "I warn you against him (i.e. the Dajjal) and there was no prophet but warned his nation against him. No doubt, Noah warned his nation against him but I tell you about him something of which no prophet told his nation before me. You should know that he is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed."

Sunan Abu Dawood, Book 37, Number 4306:

Narrated Ubadah ibn as-Samit: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: I have told you so much about the Dajjal (Antichrist) that I am afraid you may not understand. The Antichrist is short, hen-toed, woolly-haired, one-eyed, an eye-sightless, and neither protruding nor deep-seated. If you are confused about him, know that your Lord is not one-eyed.

Sunan Abu Dawood, Book 37, Number 4311:

Narrated Fatimah, daughter of Qays:

The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) once delayed the congregational night prayer.

He came out and said: The talk of Tamim ad-Dari detained me. He transmitted it to me from a man who was of the islands of the sea. All of a sudden he found a woman who was trailing her hair. He asked: Who are you?

She said: I am the Jassasah. Go to that castle. So I came to it and found a man who was trailing his hair, chained in iron collars, and leaping between Heaven and Earth.

I asked: Who are you? He replied: I am the Dajjal (Antichrist). Has the Prophet of the unlettered people come forth now? I replied: Yes. He said: Have they obeyed him or disobeyed him? I said: No, they have obeyed him. He said: That is better for them.

Someone might interject here and claim that the traditions make mention of 30 Antichrists to come into the world:

Sunan Abu Dawood, Book 37, Number 4319:

Narrated Abu Hurayrah:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Last Hour will not come before there come forth thirty Dajjals (fraudulents), everyone presuming himself that he is an apostle of Allah. (see also Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 88, Number 237)

This implies that Ibn Saiyad was just one of the thirty antichrists, and not THE Antichrist that was to come right before the end of the world.

There are several problems with this assertion. First, none of the traditions claim that Ibn Saiyad is one of the thirty antichrists that were to appear. Rather, the traditions imply that he is THE Dajjal or Antichrist. Second, if we take either of the dates proposed by at-Tabari or Abu Dawood all thirty Dajjals needed to have appeared before either 1070-1132 or 1453 AD. Finally, according to the New Testament Muhammad is actually one of these Antichrists:

"Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour… Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist-he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." 1 John 2:18, 22-23

Since Muhammad denied that Jesus is God's Son he is therefore one of the many antichrists that was to come according to the apostle John.

As if the preceding weren't bad enough, other traditions have Muhammad predicting that the end was to come within the lifetime of his followers:

Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Number 7050:

'A'isha reported that when the desert Arabs came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) they asked about the Last Hour as to when that would come. And he looked towards the youngest amongst them and said: If he lives he would not grow very old that he would find your Last Hour coming to you he would see you dying.

Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Number 7051:

Anas reported that a person asked Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as to when the Last Hour would come. He had in his presence a young boy of the Ansar who was called Mahammad. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: If this young boy lives, he may not grow very old till (he would see) the Last Hour coming to you.

Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Number 7052:

Anas b. Malik reported that a person asked Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him): When would the Last Hour come? Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) kept quiet for a while, then looked at a young boy in his presence belonging to the tribe of Azd Shanilwa and he said: If this boy lives he would not grow very old till the Last Hour would come to you. Anas said that this young boy was of our age during those days.

Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Number 7053:

Anas reported: A young boy of Mughira b. Shu'ba happened to pass by (the Holy Prophet) and he was of my age. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be apon him) said: If he lives long he would not grow very old till the Last Hour would come (to the old People of this generation).

Muhammad clearly said that the young boy wouldn't have grown very old before the Last Hour came upon the people. Now let us be generous and suppose that the young boy was ten and lived to be hundred and ten years old, implying that the Last Hour was to take place a hundred years after Muhammad made these statements. Yet, centuries have passed and the Last Hour still hasn't come upon us.

But wait, there is more! According to the narratives of al-Bukhari, Muhammad announced that everyone would be dead within a hundred years:

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 3, Number 116:

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:
Once the Prophet led us in the 'Isha' prayer during the last days of his life and after finishing it (the prayer) (with Taslim) he said: "Do you realize (the importance of) this night? Nobody present on the surface of the earth tonight will be living after the completion of one hundred years from this night."

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 10, Number 539:

Narrated Abdullah:
"One night Allah's Apostle led us in the 'Isha' prayer and that is the one called Al-'Atma by the people. After the completion of the prayer, he faced us and said, ‘Do you know the importance of this night? Nobody present on the surface of the earth tonight will be living after one hundred years from this night.’" (See Hadith No. 575).

Nearly fourteen centuries have gone by and there continue to be human beings alive all around the earth! This particular hadith was so troubling that another narration tries to explain it away by arguing that Muhammad really meant that none of his generation would be alive in a hundred years:

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 10, Number 575:

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

The Prophet prayed one of the 'lsha' prayer in his last days and after finishing it with Taslim, he stood up and said, "Do you realize (the importance of) this night? Nobody present on the surface of the earth tonight would be living after the completion of one hundred years from this night."

The people made a mistake in grasping the meaning of this statement of Allah's Apostle and they indulged in those things which are said about these narrators (i.e. some said that the Day of Resurrection will be established after 100 years etc.) But the Prophet said, "Nobody present on the surface of earth tonight would be living after the completion of 100 years from this night"; he meant, "When that century (people of that century) would pass away."

There are several points to note from this specific report. First, note the candid admission of the narrator that Muslims understood from Muhammad’s words that the world was going to end in a hundred years. This provides corroborating evidence that the plain meaning of Muhammad’s so-called prophecy was that the last day would occur within a hundred years.

Second, notice just how irrational this ad hoc explanation is. The hadith compiler really expects his readers to believe that what Muhammad meant was that no one of his generation would be alive within a hundred years when there is nothing amazing about such a claim. To say that one’s generation would all be dead within a hundred years doesn’t require supernatural knowledge. The only thing required to make such a claim is common sense since life expectancy was low in those days. Hardly anyone lived beyond the age of a hundred years. If it was supposed to be a statement ("prophecy") about the life expectancy of the people living around him, then it was trivial. What is the point?

Even though trivial, it would almost certainly be wrong. Muhammad said "on the surface of the earth" – that is a large place. Although centenarians are rare, they probably existed at all times. Even in the life of Muhammad there was at least one such person. Abu Afak is reported to have lived to the age of 120:

SARIYYAH OF SALIM IBN ‘UMAYR

Then occurred the sariyyah of Salim Ibn ‘Umayr al-‘Amri against Abu ‘Afak, the Jew, in Shawwal in the beginning of the twentieth month from the hijrah of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him. Abu ‘Afak, was from Banu ‘Amr Ibn ‘Awf, and was an old man who had attained the age of one hundred and twenty years. He was a Jew, and used to instigate the people against the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, and composed (satirical) verses. Salim Ibn ‘Umayr who was one of the great weepers and who had participated in Badr, said: I take a vow that I shall either kill Abu ‘Afak or die before him. He waited for an opportunity until a hot night came, and Abu ‘Afak slept in an open place. Salim Ibn ‘Umayr knew it, so he placed the sword on his liver and pressed it till it reached his bed. The enemy of Allah screamed and the people, who were his followers rushed to him, took him to his house and interred him. (Ibn Sa'ad's Kitab Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir, English translation by S. Moinul Haq, M.A., PH.D assisted by H.K. Ghazanfar M.A. [Kitab Bhavan Exporters & Importers, 1784 Kalan Mahal, Daryaganj, New Delhi - 110 002 India), Volume II, p. 31; bold and underline emphasis ours)

Did Muhammad really want to say: in a hundred years from now, there will be no more people who are older than a hundred years? Again: what would be the point of such an announcement? What has that to do with the message of Islam?

Moreover, Muhammad introduced his announcement with these words: "Do you know the importance of this night?" For that main reason, the alternative interpretation supplied by the narrator makes little sense. After all, in what sense would the observation that a time will come when nobody will be older than a hundred years be important for Muslims or Islam? It is simply irrelevant, and irrelevant is the opposite of important.

On the other hand, the proclamation of the Day of Resurrection and Allah’s judgment of all people is an essential part of Islam. If it had been revealed to Muhammad in his prayer that the world would end in exactly one hundred years, such a revelation would mark this night without question as being very important.

Only this interpretation really makes sense of the statement. The problem is, however, that the only meaningful interpretation of it has the consequence that Muhammad made a false prophecy. Muslims have tried to avert this by putting instead an utterly trivial, irrelevant – and most probably still incorrect – statement into Muhammad’s mouth.

Finally, it must be kept in mind that imam al-Bukhari collected these traditions roughly 250 years after Muhammad’s migration to Medina (c. 622/623 AD), long after the time that Muhammad said the world was going to end. In light of this, it is not surprising that he or someone else would provide an explanation in order to avoid having to admit that Muhammad was a false prophet for falsely claiming that the Day of Resurrection would take place a hundred years after his time.

Therefore, no matter from what angle one looks at it we are still left with irreconcilable contradictions and false predictions.

CONCLUSION

We have examined both the Quran and the Islamic traditions and found that both sources contain false predictions. In light of the prophetic criteria given by God in Deuteronomy 18 we discover that Muhammad fails this test. This means that Muhammad is neither a true prophet nor is he the prophet like Moses.

In the service of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. We love you always.


Several Muslims have reacted to this paper in different ways. These responses are linked from within Sam Shamoun's answers to Hesham AzmyMoiz Amjad, and Osama Abdallah.

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