Thursday, December 18, 2014

The most common question Muslims ask Christians: Where did Jesus say, "I am God ! Worship me!"?



If you any Muslim friend who is apologetically inclined, then the question he would have asked you 

is this. 'Where did Jesus say, " I am God! Worship me!"?'


Now it is an interestingly and intelligently worded question to take unaware any ill-equipped 


Christian. It assumes that there is a certain way Jesus must express himself "I am God" and if he has 


not said that then he is not God. The Muslim thinks that Jesus should express his divinity in 


accordance with his understanding or wish as to how he should express it. Secondly, assumes that 


Jesus has not said that. Thirdly he assumes that when Christians say Jesus is God, they mean to say 


that Jesus is the same Old Testament God Jehovah, or the New Testament Father God or in their case 


Allah.


Jesus has expressed his divinity in multiple ways


1. Jesus claim to be deity.


a)"For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24).

b) 8Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."9Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father '?10"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works"

c) 23"He who hates Me hates My Father also.  John 15

d)15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16) (Mark 8:29) (Luke 9:20)

2. Jesus accepts Worship

a) “those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matthew 14:33)


b) When they realized it was He, they “came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him” (Matthew 28:9).


3. Jesus exercising Divine Authority in his own name.

"I say unto you...." pattern of delivering message instead of the prophetic "Thus says the LORD...."



4. Jesus asking his Disciples to exercise Divine authority in his name -

a)Casting Demons


Acts 16:18, "And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour."
38John said to Him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us."39But Jesus said, "Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. (Mark 9:38)

b)Forgiveness of Sins

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

5. Jesus asking Disciples and his followers to pray in his name -

a) John 14:13-14 - And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  

b) John 16:24 - Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.


c) John 14:14 - If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].


d) John 20:31 - But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.


e) John 14:13 - And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.



6. Jesus expressing Divine names to himself given only to God -

a) John 8:24--"I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins."Note: In the Greek, "He" is not there.

b) John 8:58--"Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.'


c)John 10:30-33--"I and the Father are one."  31 The Jews took up stones again to stone Him.



7. Jesus expressing Divine attributes - Holiness, Perfect Love, sinless perfection,  Sins forgiven in his name.

a) Son of God

b) Messiah


c) Holy one of God


d) Demons declare him to be 'Son of the Most High God'


e) God declares publicly that Jesus is His Son.


f) Miracles - Raising the dead, healing the sick, calming the storm, feeding the thousands (creating food), casting out demons


There were a few prophets who did a few miracles that Jesus did. But there is no prophet who claimed to be Son of God or exercised authority over demons or forgave sins or called himself Son of God on a daily basis. 


Indeed Christ claimed to be divine and accepted worshiped and warned that those who do not believe in him will die in their sins.


So the most common question which the Muslim raises is answered sufficiently.
 







Saturday, November 1, 2014

The Cross and the Falsification of Islam

Sura 4:156-159 states: “Allah set a seal upon them
 owing to their unbelief, so they shall not believe 
except a few. And for their unbelief and for their 
having uttered against Marium a grievous calumny. 
And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa 
son of Marium, the apostle of Allah; and they did not 
kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to 
them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ 
therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no 
knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, 
and  they killed him not for sure. Nay! Allah took him 
up to Himself; and Allah is Mighty, Wise. And there is 
not one of the followers of the Book but most certainly 
believes in this before his death, and on the day of 
resurrection he (Isa) shall be a witness against them.” 
The Quran claims Jesus was not killed. It denies the 
death of Jesus on the Cross.

The Crucifixion of Jesus attested by both biblical and 
extra-biblical evidences.
Biblical Evidence:
Eye-witnesses record a. Sleepless night of trial in 
three places – High Priest to Pilate to Herod and Back to Pilate.
After being ordered to be executed Jesus was 
‘whipped’ by Romans and exhausted by being sent to
 various places.
Carries the Cross to Golgatha – Unable - helped by 
Simon of Cyrene.
Crucified between two criminals  - Crucifixion
 – Difficulty to breathing – Break legs – Cannot breath
Submits his Spirit to God – Breathes his last
Centurion finds he is dead –No respiration - 
so does not break his bones –Spear thrust into the sides
 – Water and blood gush out
Pilate asks to check if he is dead before handing over 
to Joseph of Arimathea. Ref:Mark 15:45

Death doubly confirmed in eye witness testimony in 
the Gospel narratives
Earliest Traditions in the New Testament contained in 1 Corinthians 15, date back to early part of the 
third decade of the first century.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; (1 Corinthians 15: 3- 7)

Sceptical Scholar John Dominic Crossan says that the death of Jesus
“is as sure as anything historical can ever be.”


Scientific Proof : 
Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish and Roman trials, was flogged, and was sentenced to death

by crucifixion. The scourging produced deep stripelike lacerations and appreciable blood loss,

and it probably set the stage for hypovolemic shock, as evidenced by the fact that Jesus was too

weakened to carry the crossbar (patibulum) to Golgotha. At the site of crucifixion, his wrists

were nailed to the patibulum and, after the patibulum was lifted onto the upright post (stipes), his 

feet were nailed to the stipes. The major pathophysiologic effect of crucifixion was an 

interference with normal respirations. Accordingly, death resulted primarily from hypovolemic 

shock and exhaustion asphyxia. Jesus' death was ensured by the thrust of a soldier's spear into his 

side. Modern medical interpretation of the historical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead when 

taken down from the cross.
---  Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA 1986;255:1455-1463)

Extra - biblical Evidence:
     •
“All human efforts . . . of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the

sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the

report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their

abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin,

suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators,

Pontius Pilatus , and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke

out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and

shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular.” – Tacitus
     •

“after him whom they still worship—the man who was crucified in Palestine for  introducing this 

new cult into the world” - Lucian of Samosata
     •

“In the third book of his Histories, Thallus calls this darkness a solar eclipse. In my opinion,

this is nonsense because Jesus died at the time of a full moon, which necessitates a “wonderful

sign,” or miracle, instead.” – Julius Africanus . 


  • “What advantage did the Jews gain by executing their wise King? It was just after that that 

  • their kingdom was abolished” -  Mara bar Serapon

  • “And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the 

  • cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him;”  -  Josephus, Jewish Historian

“On (Sabbath eve and) the eve of Passover Jesus the Nazarene was hanged. And a herald went forth

 before him 40 days (heralding): Jesus the Nazarene is going forth to be stoned because he practiced 

sorcery and instigated and seduced Israel (to idolatry). Whoever knows anything in his defense, may 

come and state it. But since they did not find anything in his defense, they hanged him on (Sabbath 

eve and) the eve of Passover.” – Babylonian Talmud
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