Re: The birth and death of the universe
- From: ahmd <gteens12@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:21:08 -0800
http://www.55a.net/firas/english/i
http://www.55a.net/firas/english/index.php?page=show_det&id=235
The Promised Prophet of the Bible (1)
Munqidh Bin Mahmoud Assaqqar, PhD
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPHECIES OF THE HOLY BIBLE
The Holy Scriptures call the coming prophet by many names, such as the
king or the prophet, the Mesia, and the Messiah, which means the
"savior", all these names are titles given to the coming prophet, and
they also give a description of this great prophet. However, the title
"the Messiah" is the most famous title, and that is because of the
importance of this title among the Jews.
Some may claim that this title is exclusively meant for Jesus (PBUH).
To answer that, we say that calling him the Messiah is a title and not
a personal name. The Jews call their prophets, kings and even other
kings by that title. This title "Messiah" comes from the Semitic word
"Masaha" which means to anoint, for the Jews used to anoint the bodies
of their kings and prophets, they used to call them Messiahs even
though they were not anointed.
Cyrus, the Persian king, was called Messiah "Thus said the LORD to his
anointed, to Cyrus" (Isaiah 45:1). David also was called a messiah
"And shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed
forevermore" (Psalms 18:50)
Saul, the king, was called messiah "And David said to Abishai, Destroy
him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's
anointed, and be guiltless?" (1 Samuel 26:7-9)
In Psalms, "Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm."(Psalms
105:15), and in the Book of Kings, regarding the messiah priests, we
read: "And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a
man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and
your fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and
his fifty."(2 Kings 1:10)
It is clear that this honorable title "messiah" was not an exclusive
title for Jesus (PBUH). It was a title given to the "expected prophet"
for whom, the Jews, the children of Israel have been waiting, because
God will grant him a kingdom, success and blessings far much greater
than those that given to the anointed kings of the Jews.
The messiah is a title for the "expected prophet" for whom the Jews
were waiting and expecting, that is why they wondered when they saw
John the Baptist whether if he was the next messiah or not, "he
admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, "I am not the Messiah." So
they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah?" (John1/21-22)
When the crowd of Jews saw the miracles of Jesus (PBUH), they used the
title "messiah": "When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs
than this man has done?" (John 7/30-31)
The "expected prophet" was also called messia which gives the same
meaning of messiah, that can be found in the Book of John "We have
found the Messiah" 29 (which is translated Anointed)." (John 1/41) the
Serianic word "ma sheeh" is pronounced "messia" in languages that do
not have the letter "" which has no equal in English but it is close
to the letter "H".
Some people and they have the right of doing so, might demand that we
have to present the verse or verses which clearly and indisputably
indicate the name and description of Muhammad (PBUH). However, there
are two issues related to the Holy Bible and its translations, which
block the clarity of these prophecies. These two issues are well known
to those who are acquainted with the Holy Bible, those who know the
reason why these prophecies are lost or intentionally suppressed.
The first issue is that the Jews and the Christians have the habit of
translating names into their meanings, stating the meaning only
without the name, and they may add a commentary to the sentence and
insert it into the context. Consequently, many clear prophecies will
lose their indications. An example of these prophecies is Jesus'
prophecy about the "Parakletos", which is "the comforter" in modern
translation. Another example is the prophet Haggai's prophecy, that
indicates the coming of (Mehmaad), but the translators of the Holy
Bible changed it in order to suppress this clear and direct
indication. "and the treasures of all the nations will come
in" (Haggai 2/7).
In Psalms (84/6), (KJV 1959 and the majority of English translations),
the name of the messiah's city is mentioned. It called it "Bacah
valley" "Hebrew []. The translators of the Holy Bible translated it
into "the valley of weeping", only to misguide the reader of knowing
that "Bacah" is the town of Muhammad's (PBUH) nativity. {Verily, the
first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah
(Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for Al-'Alamîn (the mankind
and jinns) } (Al-Emran: 96).
In his celebrated work (Eth harul Haq) "The truth revealed", Rahmatu
Allah Al-Hindi, gives 13 examples of these mistranslations, he made a
comparison between different translations of the Bible, to prove how
these actions suppress the original context.
He said, "In (1811) Holy Bible's edition "Abraham called the name of
that place The LORD Will mercy its visitors" (Genesis 22/14), the
translator replaced the Hebrew name by its meaning, in Darby edition
(1889), "Called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh". By doing so,
the correct name was lost, and the intended meaning of the verse was
completely changed".
He added: "We have no doubt that these translators, who had done that,
were capable of changing the fragment (Messenger of God) to different
words, as they have changed other words".
In this regards, Al-Hindi quoted from Haydar Al-Qurashee's book
"Kholasat Sayf Al-Muslemeen" (the Essence of Muslim's sword), "that
the Armenian priest Auskan translated the Book of Isaiah into the
Armenian language in the year 1666, and it was printed in 1733 by
Anthony Portolly press. In this translation, in chapter 42 it was
written: "Sing to the Lord a new song, the mark of his authority is in
his back, and his name is Ahmad".
The second issue is that the Holy Bible is metaphoric and full of
symbols and indications specially when talking about the future.
Dr. Samaan Kahloon wrote in his book "the Precious Holy Bible seekers'
guide", "expressions in the Holy Bible are very metaphoric and
mysterious especially in the Old Testament".
He also wrote, "Expressions in the New Testament are also very
metaphoric, specially "causerie of our Savior", and because some of
the Christian teachers used literal interpretation methods, many of
the false and corrupted opinions were spread around..."2
Therefore, the reader should realize the difficulties we are facing
while we search for the original word or name that was suppressed by
the translators. The reader will also realize, using his own
intuition, the nature of the Holy Bible's use of metaphors and puzzles
to explain facts.
The people who use either the Gematriacal[1]method or the like to
prove that their books contain many prophecies, that have been
realized, such as the establishment of the Soviet Union and Israel,
and even individuals like Henry Kissinger, will not notice these
difficulties.
They also claim that there are hundreds of prophecies indicating the
arrival of Jesus (PBUH). They believe that there are one thousand
prophecies about Jesus (PBUH) in the Old Testament.
Is it possible that the Holy Bible does not contain any prophecy about
the man (Muhammad, PBUH) who changed the course of history in the name
of Allah? Should not he have a share of all these prophecies, at least
just one prophecy warning or foretelling about him or his message?
Those who claim that they are the only qualified individuals to solve
the Holy Bible's puzzles and symbols are tongue-tied when answering
this question.
The appearance of Muhammad's (PBUH) word and religion is the key that
opens the door to the prophecies of the Old and the New Testament. In
the Torah, there is a prophecy that uncovers the truth and clearly
gives the condition and description of the prophet. In the Book of
Deuteronomy "But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in
my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak
in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die...thou shall not
be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18/20-22)
Gamaleil, the Pharisee, spoke true words: "And now I say unto you,
Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or
this work be of men, it will come to naught But if it be of God, you
cannot overthrow it; lest haply you be found even to fight against
God" (Acts 5:38-39). The message of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has
not perished; instead, it ruled the world for many centuries.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was saved from murder attempts, he conquered
his enemies, and his message and religion spread all over the world,
this is evidence and proof of his honesty, sincerity and his prophet-
hood. "For the Lord knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the
ungodly shall perish" (Psalms 1/6).
"You shall destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the
bloody and deceitful man" (Psalms: 5/6).
These verses indicate the truthfulness of Muhammad's (PBUH) prophet-
hood and message, because he was saved from harm, was able to deliver
the message, and because of how his message was spread across the
world.
THE EXPECTED KING
In 63, B.C.E. Jerusalem & Palestine were under occupation of the pagan
Romans, to start a new period of torture, abuse and suffering for the
children of Israel. The people who had waited long for a great savior
to return the lost kingdom and the ruling power to them.
The children of Israel awaited the fulfillment of the prophecies given
by Jacob, Moses and David and other prophets regarding the "expected
prophet". They had no doubt in the "Victorious king and prophet"
appearance, the prophet who will lead his followers to the glory of
life and the happiness of the hereafter. Therefore, when the great
Jesus (PBUH) came, and when they saw the miracles that God allowed him
to perform, many of them followed him (PBUH), hoping that he is the
"victorious great prophet", the "savior prophet". This is a fact
clearly understood by those who are acquainted with the sayings of the
Jews who were contemporary with Jesus (PBUH).
The Holy Scriptures told us about some of those who awaited the
"victorious expected king". Simeon was one of them, described by Luke
"And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and
the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of
Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him" (Luke: 2:25), Simeon was one
of those who were awaiting salvation.
Nathaniel, who openly confessed to Jesus (PBUH) about his feelings and
his thoughts, was one of them, "Nathaniel answered and said to him,
Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.Jesus
answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the
fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than
these." (John: 1/49- 50)
When the rumors that Jesus (PBUH) was crucified spread, some of them
were very sad because the salvation they hoped for had ended. When
Jesus (PBUH) -disguised- appeared to two of the disciples after
resurrection they were surprised, "And he said unto them, What manner
of communications are these that you have one to another, as you walk,
and are sad? One of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto
him, Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem , and has not known the
things that happened there in these days? And he said unto them, What
things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which
was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned
to death, and have crucified him.But we trusted that it had been he
which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the
third day since these things were done. " (Luke: 24/17-21). They were
awaiting the salvation to come through him, as foretold in the
scriptures of the Torah about the coming of the "victorious king" that
will free his people, and lead them to victory. In the contrary, they
just heard of his crucifixion.
The disciples said to Jesus (PBUH) after the resurrection, "When they
therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, will
you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto
them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the
Father has put in his own power" (Acts: 1/6-7). He meant that it is
not the time for the "expected king".
Awad Samaan said: " those who examined the relationship between the
disciples, apostles and Jesus (PBUH), will find that they only
considered him as a man...they were waiting for the messiah, but the
messiah, according to the ideas inherited from their ancestors, was
nothing more than an excellent messenger sent by God.1
The people of Israel, who waited long for the coming of the
"victorious great prophet", thought that John the Baptist was the
expected messiah " And as the people were in expectation, and all men
mused in their hearts of John, whether he was the Christ, or not;
" (Luke: 3/15).
These crowds, who were waiting for salvation, when they saw Jesus
(PBUH), they said about him what they have said before about John the
Baptist "And said unto the woman, now we believe, not because of your
saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed
the Christ, the Savior of the world." (John: 4/42).
Andrews said to his brother Simon, "He first found his own brother
Simon, and said unto him, we have found the Messiah, which is, being
interpreted, the Christ." (John: 1/41). He, Andrews, - as the priest
Al-Khodary said:- "By this sentence, he meant nothing more than what a
pious Jew, who awaited the arrival of the messiah to save and free
Israel from the foreign slavery then refresh the spiritual life ". 1
The Samaritan woman when she saw his wonders "The woman said unto him,
I know that Messiah will come, which is called Christ: when he comes,
he will tell us all things." (John: 4/25-30).
This news had spread among the children of Israel, until the high
priests feared the revenge of the Romans if they found out that the
"victorious great expected messiah" appeared in the person of Jesus
(PBUH). Therefore, they started to plan to frame him, accusing him of
corrupting the nation, and claiming that he is the "expected savior",
"Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and
said, what do we? For this man does many miracles. If we let him thus
alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take
away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being
the high priest that same year, said unto them, You know nothing at
all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die
for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." (John:
11/47-50).
Then they said to Pilate, "And they began to accuse him, saying, we
found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding giving tribute
to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked
him, saying, Are you the King of the Jews? And he answered him and
said, you said it. Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the
people, I find no fault in this man." (Luke: 23/2-4). Pilate found out
that Jesus (PBUH) was innocent of what they accused him, as he did not
claim that he is the expected king of the Jews.
THE DISCIPLES' LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE
MESSIAH
The Bible writers were fond of the prophecies of the Torah, and they
intentionally and obviously altered many of the meanings of the
Torah's text to make it fit Jesus (PBUH). Their love for Jesus (PBUH)
or their alteration habits, resulted in making them misunderstand many
of the prophecies that mentioned the "expected messiah".
An example of this is what we find the Book of Psalms about the
"expected prophet "A psalm of David? The Lord says to my lord, "Sit at
my right-hand, while I make your enemies your footstool" (Psalms:
110/1), this particular prophecy was not meant in any way as to
indicate Jesus (PBUH) the son of Mary.
Peter, or whoever related that to Peter, was mistaken when he
interpreted it. Saying:
"For David did not go up into heaven, but he himself said: 'The Lord
said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your
footstool Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you
crucified" (Acts: 2/29-37).
The proof that Peter, and the Christians after him, were mistaken is
that Jesus (PBUH) said that he is not the "expected messiah" who was
mentioned by David. "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus
asked them, Saying, What do you think of Christ? Whose son is he? They
said unto him, The Son of David.He said unto them, how then did David
in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord; Sit in my
right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? If David then
calls him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a
word; neither dares any man from that day forth to ask him any more
questions." (Matthew: 22/41-46). The answer that Jesus (PBUH) gave was
firm, indicating that the expected prophet is not a descendant of
David because David called him his Master, and the father does not
call his son so.
Jesus (PBUH) asked the Jews about the "expected messiah" the one
prophesized by David and other prophets "what do you think of the
messiah? Whose son is he?" The Jews answered him: "he is the son of
David", Jesus (PBUH) told them that this was wrong, and he said:- "If
David called him a God, then how can he be his son!", so the next
messiah was not a descendant of David because David called him my Lord
or my master.
It is known that Jesus (PBUH) - according to Matthew and Luke is a
descendant of the prophet David - he was often called "O' son of
David" (look in Matthew: 1/1, 9/27 and Luke: 19/38).
In the Book of Mark, Jesus (PBUH) said, "David himself calls him Lord.
So how is he his son?" (Mark: 12/37). It is also mentioned in Luke
"And he said unto them, how they say that Christ is David's son? David
himself said in the book of Psalms, the LORD said unto my Lord, Sit in
my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.David
therefore called him Lord, how is he then his son?" (Luke: 20/40-44).
In spite of these statements, the Christians still insist that Jesus
(PBUH) is the prophet whom David foretold of in his prophecy, even
though they said that Jesus (PBUH) is the son of David.
In his Epistle to the Hebrews about God's good news to David, that God
will bless his son Solomon, Paul, or the unknown writer, made it a
prophecy of Jesus (PBUH), he said, "For unto which of the angels said
he at any time, you are my son, this day I have begotten you? And
again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a
Son?" (Hebrews: 1/5).
The writer of this letter quoted the phrase from the Book of Second
Samuel (7/14); he made it a prophecy about Jesus (PBUH). It says, "I
will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me". The writer
thought that this phrase was about Jesus (PBUH), so he wrote it in his
epistle. This quotation is not correct. The context of the sentence
was to David, because God ordered the prophet Nathan to tell him: "Now
therefore thus you shall say unto my servant David, .. When your days
are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will rise up your
offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will
establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will
establish the throne of his kingdom forever.I will be his father, and
he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with
the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my
steadfast love shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul,
whom I put away before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be
established forever before you: your throne shall be established
forever.According to all these words, and according to all this
vision, so did Nathan speak unto David" (Samuel (2): 7:8 -17)
The prophesized person is a son of David and not one of his
grandchildren. He will be the king of the children of Israel after
David's death. He will build the house of God, and he has been warned
of God's punishment if he drifts away from the path of God, all of the
above mentioned was fulfilled in the person of Solomon as mentioned in
the Torah.
However, none of the mentioned prophecies applied to Jesus (PBUH),
for, according to Christians, Jesus (PBUH) is God, and could not be
warned by God. He was perfect, and did not sin. Jesus (PBUH) did not
build any house for God on earth, and he was never a king to the
children of Israel. He had no kingdom on earth as he said, "Jesus
answered, my kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this
world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to
the Jews: but my kingdom is not from hence." (John: 18/36).
In the Book of First Chronicles, it reads that the name of the
prophesized is Solomon. David received these words, "Behold, a son
shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him
rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon,
and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his
days."(Chronicles (1): 22/9)
Another example of these fabrications or the misunderstandings is what
Matthew said about Jesus (PBUH) and his return from Egypt, when he was
a child. "When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by
night, and departed into Egypt:And was there until the death of Herod:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the
prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son." (Matthew:
2/14-15), he claimed that this confirms the Torah's prophecy, that
comes in the Book of Hosea (11/1-2).
The mentioned verse in the Book of Hosea has nothing to do with Jesus
(PBUH). Instead, it tells about the return of the nation of Israel
from Egypt with Moses. Originally, the context is about Jacob, and
then it moves on to talk about his sons and their return from Egypt,
their idol worshipping, and ignoring God's commandments and orders. He
said:- "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son
out of Egypt. As they called them, so they went from them: they
sacrificed unto Baal, and burned offerings to the idols." (Hosea:
11/1-2)
This verse has nothing to do with Jesus (PBUH); the worshipping of
idols mentioned, took place before Jesus (PBUH), and it cannot be
applied to the people who were contemporary with him (PBUH). The Jews
had left idol worshipping centuries before Jesus (PBUH) was born,
after their released from the captivity of Babylon, and they never
withdrew from that repentance, as the history books tell us.
The use of the form (my son) is commonly used in the Torah, as in:
"And the LORD said unto Moses, When you go to return into Egypt, ........
And you shall say unto Pharaoh, Thus said the LORD, Israel is my son,
even my firstborn: And I say unto you, Let my son go, that he may
serve me:." (Exodus: 4/21-23).
Jesus (PBUH) suffered long from his disciples' misunderstandings of
his words, and during his life, he had corrected many of their
mistakes in understanding the prophecies, and even most of his
sayings. They failed to understand the simplest of his sayings. If
such is the case, how could they understand the prophecies?
In one incident, he advised them saying: "And he cautioned them,
saying, watch out, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and the
leaven of Herod. And they began discussing with one another the fact
that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, Why
are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet
perceive or understand? are your heart hardened? Having eyes, do you
not see? and having ears, do you not hear? And do you not
remember?"(Mark: 8/15-18). How could you not understand that, I did
not mean real bread?
In another, Jesus (PBUH) talked to them and they did not understand
him, "Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said:
this is a hard saying; who can hear it?" (John: 6/60).
They used to misunderstand his simple words, and then they were afraid
to ask him to explain what they did not understand. Mark said: "For he
taught his disciples, and said to them, The Son of man is delivered to
the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is
killed, he shall rise the third day. But they did not understand that
saying, and were afraid to ask him." (Mark: 9/31-32).
These misunderstandings of the scripture's indications extended even
to the educated and the elite individuals of the children of Israel.
Nicodemus misunderstood the words of Jesus (PBUH) when he said, "Jesus
answered him, truly; truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man
be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's
womb and be born? ........... Jesus answered, "Are you a teacher of Israel,
and you do not understand these things?" (John: 3/3 -10) Nicodemus did
not understand the meaning of the spiritual re-birth; he thought that
to be born again means that the person has to go back inside his
mother's womb!
Nicodemus was the teacher of the children of Israel. If this was the
way that he understood; how about Matthew, the tax collector, and John
and Peter the fishermen? They were just two illiterate disciples
according to the Book of Acts. "Now when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men,
they astonished." (Acts: 4/13).
The disciples of Jesus (PBUH) were the illiterates of the world as
Paul reported, he said "But God chose what is foolish in the world to
shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the
strong." (Corinthians (1): 1/27).
The relationship between Jesus' (PBUH) words and deeds- during his
life on earth- and the scriptures' prophecies were unclear to the
disciples. Then after his ascent, they thought that the prophecies
were for him (PBUH). "And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it,
just as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King
is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. His disciples did not
understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, and
then they remembered that these things had been written about him, and
had been done him." (John: 12/14-16).
The children of Israel had been longing for the savior. They assumed
that he was Jesus (PBUH), "when they heard these words, some of the
people said, "This really is the prophet". Others said, "This is the
Christ". But some said, "is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not
the scripture said, that the Christ comes from the offspring of David,
and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" (John:
7/38-41).
The crowds also, in spite of their different cultures, were trying to
find salvation through the person of Jesus (PBUH). "But you, oh
Bethlehem Ephrata, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel;
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore, he shall
give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. and they shall dwell
secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.And he
shall be their peace. when the Assyrian comes into our land and treads
in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and
eight princes of men. They shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the
sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver
us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our
borders. "(Micah: 5/2-6).
In fact, Jesus (PBUH) did not fulfill this prophecy. The Jews were
looking for the one who would be their king, save them from the
Assyrians, and bestow the peace among them.
Dr. Ahmad Shalaby quoted Parry's words regarding Jesus (PBUH):-
"Because of his eloquence he was able to attract many of his followers
(the Jews who awaited the messiah), and they gave him this title."
They attribute to him what he did not say, as we will see later.
DID JESUS (PBUH) CLAIM THAT HE IS THE "EXPECTED MESSIAH"?
If many of the contemporaries of Jesus (PBUH) claimed that, he is the
expected messiah, as they claimed the same before about John the
Baptist, did Jesus himself (PBUH) claim or even tell his disciples
that he is. Did he (PBUH) fulfill the prophecies about the expected
messiah?
Once he asked his disciples about what the people say about him, then
he asked them "And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Peter answered him, "You are the Christ".And he strictly charged them
to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of
man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the
chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed." (Mark: 8/29-31). He
strongly forbade them to say that about him, and he told them that he
would be subject to conspiracy and murder.There is no doubt that, this
was not what they expected from the "victorious messiah". In other
words, he explained to them that he was not the victorious messiah who
they were waiting for; whom they were sure would bring victory,
triumph and perseverance, not to suffer pain and death.
Luke confirms, "Peter answered, "The Christ of God". And he strictly
charged and commanded them to tell this to no one". (Luke: 9/20-21).
By doing so, Jesus (PBUH) forbade the disciples to attach the title
(expected messiah) to him. It was not because he was afraid of the
Jews, since he had informed them that that conspiracy would happen.
Therefore, it was meaningless, if he was the "expected messiah", to
deny it. He forbade them because what they said was not the truth.
Peter, the head of the apostles, refused to accept that Jesus (PBUH)
was the man who was subject to pain and death and not the "expected
victorious king", he went on to blame Jesus (PBUH) for announcing such
news about himself.
Let us see what Matthew said regarding that scene:
"From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to
Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took
him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, "far be it from you, Lord:
this shall never happen to you".
Jesus answered him seriously:
"But he turned, and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan: you are a
hindrance to me. for you are not sitting your mind on the things of
God , but on the things of man." (Matthew: 16/21-23).
Peter was shocked and so were the rest of the disciples, for, they
heard him saying :- "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will
draw all people to myself". He said this to show by what kind of death
he was going to die." (John: 12/32-33). Then they expressed their
objection to this idea concerning the suffering messiah, and they
asked whether Jesus (PBUH) was talking about himself.
"So the crowd answered him, "we have heard from the law that the
Christ remains for ever. How can you say that The Son of man must be
lifted up? Who is this Son of man?" (John: 12/34), they were shocked
to hear the truth from Jesus (PBUH); the truth that destroyed their
chimera that he is the great victorious messiah.
Priest Al-Khudary agrees with us that Jesus (PBUH) was not the
"victorious messiah" awaited for by the Jews but he was the spiritual
messiah. Then he alerted to us, "to a very important fact that Jesus
(PBUH) had always tried not to show himself as the messiah to the
people, it was the reason why when he saw any gaps from which the
people would see him as a messiah, he would close them".1
Father Matta Al-Meskeen, an Egyptian scholar, says:- "the disciples
had collected evidence during the life of Jesus (PBUH) that was enough
to confirm to them that he was the messiah; however, every time they
tried to proof this implication, Jesus (PBUH) forbade them... The
scholars were exhausted that Jesus (PBUH) constantly hid his identity
as the messiah, and they had to say whatever they could about him". 2
Jesus (PBUH), from time to time, kept denying that he is the messiah.
"When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, "This is
indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.Perceiving then that
they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus
withdrew again to the mountain by himself." (John: 6/14-15). Why did
he escape? Indeed, he was not the "expected king", but they insisted
on making him so because of his miracles, and because of the hope and
longing within themselves, that he will save them from the injustice
and cruelty of the Romans.
Priest Al-Khodary said: "the enthusiast group was waiting for the
political messiah. When they saw Jesus, who was preaching the near
kingdom of God, they thought that he was truly that political messiah,
for that they wanted to make him their king and leader. Thinking that
he could gather and support them, but Jesus used to leave alone and
head to the mountains, because his kingdom is not in this world, and
he does not need this kingdom that causes people to fight and to
kill."1 Philips said to his friend Nathaniel: "we found what Moses
wrote about in the Torah and the prophets Jesus son of Josef who is
from Nazirah ..........".
Nathaniel went to Jesus (PBUH) and asked him, "Nathanael said to him,
Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel. Jesus
answered him, "Because I said to you, "I saw you under the fig tree,"
do you believe? You will see greater things than these." (John:
1/49-50). Jesus (PBUH) answered him by a question, and told him that
he will see more miracles. He did not tell him that he was the
expected king.In Pilate's palace, he denied that he could be the Jews'
expected king as they claimed and rumored. "Jesus answered, "My
kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my
servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over
to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." (John: 18/36). His
kingdom is spiritual, which is in heaven, it is not the expected
kingdom of the Jews; the material timely kingdom feared by the Romans,
"it is known from the prophecies that the messiah will be a king and a
priest". 2
His innocence from this accusation clearly proved in Pilate's palace,
who asked him saying, "And they began to accuse him, saying, "We found
this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to
Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a King." (Luke: 23/2),
it is unlikely to consider the answer given by Jesus (PBUH) as a
confession, as he said to him, "you are saying so not me", and Pilate
was convinced of his innocence and said: "...I find no guilt in
him." (John: 18/38).
In the Gospel of John, Jesus (PBUH) explained to Pilate that the
reason of his message was to bear witness for the truth, and not be a
king of human beings. He said:- "you say that I am a king. For this
purpose, I was born and for this purpose, I have come into the world,
to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth listens to
my voice." (John: 18/37).
Among those who realized that, Jesus (PBUH) was not the expected
messiah was Judas Iscariot. Who - as seen by the priest Al-Khodary -
betrayed Jesus (PBUH) because he was a member of the enthusiast group
who dreamed of the appearance of the victorious messiah. He was
disappointed, and he became suspicious as to whether or not Jesus was
the messiah. "When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the half-
shekel tax went up to Peter and said, "Dos your teacher not pay the
tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to
him first, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the
earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?" and when he
said, "from others" Jesus said to him, and then the sons are free.
however, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook
and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you
will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for
yourself." (Matthew: 17/24-27) 1
Others realized that Jesus (PBUH) was not the expected messiah.
Knowing Jesus' origin, family and tribe, while the expected messiah is
a stranger and not known to the Jews. Some of the people of Jerusalem
therefore said, "Is not this, the man whom they seek to kill? And here
he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that
the authorities really know that this is the Christ? But we know
where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will
know where he comes from." (John: 7: 25-27) that is because the
expected messiah is a stranger to the children of Israel.
Jesus (PBUH) confirmed the authenticity of the sign they mentioned
about the absent messiah, he said:
"So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "you know me, and
you know whence I come from? But I have not come of my own accord. he
who sent me is true, and him you do not know.I know him, for I come
from him, and he sent me." ....... yet many of the people believed in him.
They said, "When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this
man has done?" (John: 7: 25-31) Jesus (PBUH) mentioned that he is a
messenger sent by God, and that he is not the one they are expecting,
because they do not know that one.
Those he had spoken to believed in him, and they understood that he is
not the expected messiah. Let us look at what John said, "Yet many of
the people believed in him. They said, "When the Christ appears, will
he do more signs than this man has done?" (John: 7:30-31)
Jesus (PBUH) is a descendant of David as mentioned by Matthew and
Luke, and his people repeatedly called him by that name. "And when he
heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say,
"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." (Mark: 10/47), (see Matthew:
1/1, 20/31) and Luke: 18/28, and many other verses.
The expected messiah or the next king is not a descendant of David, as
Jesus testified: "now while the Pharisees were gathered together,
Jesus asked them a question, Saying, "What do you think about the
Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The Son of David." He
said to them, "How is then that David, in the spirit, call him Lord,
saying, "The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put
your enemies under your feet"?If then David calls him Lord, how is he
his son?" And no man was able to answer him a word, nor from that day
do any one dare to ask him any more questions." (Matthew: 22/41-46).
Jesus (PBUH) openly testified that he was not the expected messiah.
Jesus (PBUH) cannot fulfill the prophecies of the next great king, and
cannot be a king on the throne of David or anyone else. He is a
descendant of the sinful king "Jehoiakim son of Josiah", one of Jesus
(PBUH) grandfathers as mentioned in the Book of Chronicles (1). "Amon
his son, Josiah his son.The sons of Josiah: Johanan the fristborn, the
second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum." (Chronicles
(1): 3:14-15)
Jehoiakim was a grandfather to Jesus (PBUH) (as mentioned in the Holy
Bible), Matthew dropped the name Jehoiakim from Jesus' ancestry list,
between Josiah and his grandson Yeknia.
God forbade the dominion from descendants of Jehoiakim according to
the Torah, "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of
Judah; He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead
body shall be cast out in the heat by day and the frost by
night." (Jeremiah: 36/30). How can the Christians - who claimed that
Jesus (PBUH) is a descendant of Yeknia the son of the sinful Jehoiakim
- believe that the person who fulfills these prophecies is Jesus
(PBUH)?
Pondering upon the biography of Jesus (PBUH), his words and his
habits, will prove that he was not the next king or the expected king.
He was never a king of the children of Israel even for one day; his
message did not contain any secular salvation for them unlike the
awaited prophet. Instead, Jesus (PBUH) often escaped fearing the
assault of the Jews; so, how can we compare him to the victorious
king? The king who will defeat his enemies by the will of God, and
whom the planet will bow to and to his nation.
The coming prophet will smash and defeat the kings and nations of his
time as told by Jacob. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor
the ruler's stuff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples." (Genesis: 49/10).
Prophet David said about him:
"Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and
majesty. In your majesty ride out victoriously fro the cause of truth
and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome
deeds. your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the
peoples fall under you.Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. the
scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness." (Psalms:
45/1-6).
Jesus (PBUH) paid his taxes to the Romans "when they came to
Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel tax went up to peter and
said, "does your teacher not pay the tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he
came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, What do you
think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From
their sons or from others?" and when he said "from others," Jesus said
to him, Then the sons free. however, not to give offense to them, go
to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and
when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it
to them for me and for yourself." "(Matthew: 17/24-27). How could we
compare a taxpayer with a king that nations will fall under his feet
and comply with his rulings?
Jesus (PBUH) refused to be a judge between two men; so, could he then
claim authority and dominion? "Someone in the crowd said to him,
"teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But he
said to him, Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?"(Luke:
12/13-14).
Even if the Christians insist in conflicting with the Bible by saying
that Jesus (PBUH) is the promised victorious king, the one that
nations will obey, and that all this will happen on his second return,
the angel refutes this claim's prophecy mentioned to Mary. He told her
that Jesus (PBUH) would only be a king of the house of Jacob; as such,
the maximum extent of his kingdom is the nation of Israe. "And he will
reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will
be no end." (Luke: 1/33). The promised messiah "and to him shall be
the obedience of the peoples" (Genesis: 49/10), and "your arrows are
sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under
you." (Psalms: 45/5). The promised messiah's kingdom is greater than
the kingdom of the children of Israel.
I need to Mention here, that God's promise to the children of Israel
of the coming king on the throne of David, was with a condition of
their obedience to God and to their deeds according to His will. Just
like many other promises to them. For, God Almighty does not take side
with any of His creatures, giving them what they do not deserve.
The promise has been broken many times, and then God rejected them
forever "O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger
smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? Remember your congregation,
which you have purchased of old; which you have redeemed to be the
tribe of your heritage. Remember Mount Zion, where you have
dwelt." (Psalms: 74/1-2), God rejected this tough cruel nation, and
the rejection was eternal, the promised king will not be from them,
because they did not keep their covenant.
The story of the Samaritan woman may create confusion. When she went
to Jesus (PBUH), seeing his miracles and hearing his words, she told
him that she believed that the messiah will come, and he answered her
that he is the messiah, "The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah
is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us
all things.Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he." (John:
4/25-26).
I have no doubt that this phrase is a fabrication. The text
contradicts the habits of Jesus (PBUH), because none of the disciples
- including John who wrote the story - had heard the conversation.
They did not know what the subject of the conversation between them
was. "Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he. Just then, his
disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman,
but no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are you talking with
her?" (John: 4/26-27), so they never really heard there conversation
and they did not ask him about what went on between them.The clearest
evidence proving that the story is a fabrication is that the woman,
who saw his miracles and Jesus (PBUH) said to her what they claimed,
did not believe that Jesus (PBUH) is the expected messiah. She never
heard that from him. If she did hear it she would have believed;
instead, she left and started to spread the news about his coming. She
was not certain that he was the expected messiah. "So t
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