Volume 44 Number 4 December 2001
Americans are now in the midst of a great conflict as a result of the
horrible events of September 11th. At the heart of this conflict are the
followers of Islam. For those who do not know what they believe, it is
hard to understand why they celebrated the destruction in New York and in
our nation’s capital. Those of us who follow the Lord Jesus Christ are
taught to love our enemies (not blow them up), and a part of loving our
enemies is understanding them.
Jesus told His own apostles that the time would come when men would kill
them, thinking that would please God (John 16:2). But He went on to
explain in verse 3 that the reason they would do such things is because
they do not know the Father, or Jesus, His beloved Son. These words are
fulfilled yet again in the followers of Muhammad today, who do not really
know the Father, or the Son. Not only did they commit acts of terror on
September 11th in the Name of their god, but they persist in their
persecution of fellow saints in various countries overseas wherever they
have control of the government. Yet Muslims claim that they serve the
same God we read about in the Bible, and are His staunchest followers.
We can easily see how anyone who judges America by our movies,
television programs, and music, could come to the conclusion that our
country is “The Great Satan”. But does the God of the Bible teach His
followers to use carnal weapons to fight evil? No, Almighty God teaches
us through His Beloved Son that, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my
kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight ...” (John
18:36). And again, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds..”(2 Cor.10:3,4). On the
other hand, the kingdom of Muhammad has been very physical and violent
from its inception over 1300 years ago. It remains a “kingdom” of this
world, while Jesus says the Kingdom of God is “not of this world”.
Though there are many Muslims who do not condone violence in the name of
religion, if you read their primary holy book, the Qur'an (or Koran), you
will find the passages that Osama Bin Laden and others rely upon to
justify their actions. Incidentally, the contrast between the Bible and
the Quran is startling. The Bible was written over a period of about
1,500 years and its message is harmonious from the beginning of creation
all the way to the end of time. The Quran, on the other hand, came from
the lifetime of one man, yet has neither a beginning nor an end and is a
jumbled, confused, disorderly collection of “revelations” called
“surahs”. His sayings were written down on leaves, flat stones, boards,
leather, and animal bones. There was also disagreement among the
faithful as to what Muhammad actually said.
Consider the following passages from the Quran; and judge for yourselves
whether or not Osama Bin Laden is practicing his religion: what do you
think?
Contrast the spirit of Christ when His disciples thought that calling
down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village would be pleasing to God:
“The Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
(Luke 9:56) You do not have to look very long to see the great gulf that
exists between our Father in heaven and “Allah” of the Quran.
No, we are not serving the same God. “The God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob has not changed His Name to be “The God of
Abraham, the God of ISHMAEL ..” as some Muslims would have us believe by
their teachings. And God has never revealed Himself in the Hebrew or the
Greek as “Allah”. This term was instead the name of the moon god who was
known in pre-Islamic Arabia, thus the use of the Crescent Moon symbol
which enabled Islam to convert Pagans to their cause. This pagan
connection is especially ironic, since God used the Muslims in times past
to punish the idolatry of the apostate church (Rev. 9:20,21).
We must not return evil for evil by hating Muslims. We must overcome
evil with good by praying for their salvation. They need to do more than
just say that Jesus was a good prophet, they need to believe on Him so
that they may truly have eternal life. They need to forsake the deity of
the Quran and come to the Savior Who Forgives: “If any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins
of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2).
As we pray for the salvation of Muslims, let us also pray for the
salvation of our fellow-Americans who are living for worldly pleasure,
blinded by the god of this world. And let us pray for ourselves, that we
will be practicing what we preach, not drifting along with the rest of
the world. We all need Jesus!