Table of Contents
- Composition of the Old Testament Books
- Synoptic Gospels (New Testament)
- Historical Reliability of the Gospels
- Textual Variants in the New Testament
- Internal Inconsistencies
- The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture
- The Bible is Corrupted
- Translation Issues
- The Bible and Science
- Is the Bible the Word of God?
- The Dead Sea Scrolls Mystery Solved
- Who Were the Real Authors of the Bible?
- Bible Corruptions & Contradictions
- Vodoo Practices in the Bible (???)
- Lying is Propagated and Promoted in Both the Old and the New Testament
- Timline of How the Bible Came to be one Book
- Distinguishing Truth from Falsehood
- The Trinity
- The Trinity Debunked by the Bible and Jesus
- Trinity Wars
- The Son of God
- The Holy Spirit
- Is Jesus God?
- Jesus is Not God
- The Works of Satan
- Jesus Will Deny Christians
- The Original Sin
- Jesus Came To Die For Our Sins
- The Cross in Christianity
- Did Jesus Really Say that he is going to Die for Our Sins?
- How Do We Know That Jesus Had Died and Risen?
- The Crucifixion Story
- Jesus Death
- The Burial of Jesus
- The Resurrection of Jesus
- The Ending of the Gospels
- Evidence of Really What Happend to Jesus
- Salvation in Jesus' Death and His Resurrection
- The Problem with Paul in the Bible
- Luke and Paul. Friends or strangers?
- Predictions of the Coming of the Prophet Muhammad in the Old Testament
- The Prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad in the New Testament
- Only One Religion
- Do Christians Really Follow Jesus Christ?
The Origins of Judaism and Christianity
The Origin of the word “Judaism”
The origin of the term Jew is from the Hebrew Yehudi (יהודי), being the people of Yehudah (יהודה), where Yehudah is translated by the English translators of the Bible as Judah.
In Arabic and Indonesian, the term Jews is pronounced as “Yahudi” or “Yahudiah”. In German, it is “Juden”.
After the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel broke into two kingdoms: the kingdom of Israel (which had about 10 tribes) and the Kingdom of Judah, which had about 2 tribes (Judah and Benjamin, with Judah being substantially larger). The kingdom of Israel was lost and exiled. What remained were the people of the kingdom of Judah who were known by that collective name “Judah-ites” (Yehudim in Hebrew — cf the scroll of Esther, chapter 2 in which Mordechai is listed as an “Ish yehudi” a man of Judah who was from the tribe of Benjamin).
Yehudi was appropriated by other languages and became Jude or the like (Juden etc). Juda-ism developed as the term for the belief system of those from this kingdom. Hence the teachings of Moses became known as Judiasm. According to historians, Moses never described himself or said he was part of “Judaism”. Historians also add that the word Judaism came from the enemies of Jews. They said that this “religion” is the religion of Juda’s son. Nowhere in the Torah is the religion “Judaiams” Mentioned.
The Origin of the word “Christianity”
The Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianos), meaning “follower of Christ”, comes from Χριστός (Christos), meaning “anointed one”, with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership.
The word Christianity cannot be found in the Bible, not even in a Bible dictionary. Specifically, we did not find it anywhere in the Bible where Jesus (pbuh) called his followers Christians.
The word Christian was first mentioned by a pagan to describe those who followed Jesus (pbuh). It was mentioned one of three times in the New Testament by a pagan and Jews in Antioch about 43 A.D., (Acts 11 :26, Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16) long after Jesus (pbuh) had left this earth.
Acts 11:26
“…and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
CHRISTIANITY
Christian teaching and beliefs are taught from the bible which is made up of the Old Testament, essentially the Torah teachings of the Jews and the New Testament taught by Jesus (pbuh) and his followers were eventually called Christians.
ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION
The purpose of this website is to reveal the truth and to expose the deceptions of satan upon mankind. Furthermore, this book will expose the lies told about Jesus (pbuh), one of the most beloved messengers of God and to protect his good name and the good work that he has done. Many lies and false teachings were introduced into Christianity about Jesus (pbuh) by the church leading people to false worship.
Satan has successfully misled more than two-thirds of the world who now follow his lies. The true belief in God amongst these people is lost and Satan has successfully indoctrinated belief in his teaching for more than 1500 years.
And Satan had already confirmed through them his assumption, so they followed him, except for a party of believers. (Quran 34:20)
The Bible tells us how Satan has deceived people;
Genesis 3:1-5 New International Version (NIV)
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 New International Version (NIV)
3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:4 New International Version (NIV)
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Christians think that they follow Jesus but they really follow Satan and the teachings of their rulers who is the church that deceives them into false belief.
Ephesians 6:12 New International Version (NIV)
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
And God says that he has sent numerous prophets over time but yet the people do not listen
Jeremiah 29:19 New International Version (NIV)
19 For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 13:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless!
Isaiah 42:20 New International Version (NIV)
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen.”
2 Timothy 4:4 New International Version (NIV)
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Jeremiah 32:33 New International Version (NIV)
33 They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.
And even Jesus (pbuh) has said that the people do not listen to him but they listen to your father Satan.
John 8:42-47 New International Version (NIV)
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
The Quran clearly tells us how Satan has vowed to deceive mankind;
Iblees (Satan)) said: “O my Lord! Because you misled me, I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them (mankind) on the earth, and I shall mislead them all. “Except Your chosen, (guided) slaves among them” (Quran 39 – 40).
“(Iblees) said: ‘Because You have sent me astray, surely, I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)’” (Quran 16,17).
Satan tells us that Allah has revealed the truth and that he has misguided you and he had no authority over you except that he has invited you to his evil and deceitful ways, leading you away from the truth. Satan tells you that you cannot blame him, nor can you call on his help and he will deny that he knows you and you will indeed suffer a painful punishment for following him.
And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, “Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with Allah] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment.” (Quran 14:22)
The deception of Satan is undeniable. We find today that Christians believe in a Trinity where God is 3 but is still one; Christians are taught that Jesus (pbuh) is the son of God and that Jesus (pbuh) is God and Christians are taught that Jesus (pbuh) has died for their sins. We will now undertake to prove the deception of satan within Christianity.
Christian Background and Beliefs
Christianity, a major religion stemming from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus (pbuh) of Nazareth (the Christ, or Mesia) in the 1st century ce. It is believed by Christians that Christianity is a monotheistic religion, i.e., they believe there’s only one God through the Trinity. Christians believe this divine Godhead consists of three parts: the father (God himself), the son (Jesus Christ (pbuh)) and the Holy Ghost. Though Christians believe Christianity is a monotheistic religion, it is in fact not. Their catechism states that the father is a person, the son is a person and the Holy Ghost is a person. The Father is devine, the son is devine and the Holy Ghost is Devine, three separate persons but who is one. All three are equal in every way.
Christian beliefs center on the life of Jesus (pbuh) of Nazareth, a teacher and healer who lived in first century Palestine. The primary source of information about the life of Jesus (pbuh) are the Gospels, which were written sometime between 50 and 110 years after his death and became the first four books of the New Testament. The Gospels describe aproximately three-year teaching and healing ministry during which Jesus (pbuh) attracted 12 close disciples and other followers who believed him to be the Messiah (Christos).
The 12 disciples are:
- Peter
- James
- John
- Andrew
- Bartholomew or Nathanael
- James, the Lesser or Younger
- Judas
- Jude or Thaddeus
- Matthew or Levi
- Philip
- Simon the Zealot
- Thomas
Jesus’ (pbuh) teachings focused on the themes of the kingdom of God, love of God and love of neighbor. Along with some of his teachings, his growing popularity with the masses was seen as dangerous by Jewish religious leaders and the Roman government, leading to his execution by crucifixion.
The essence of Christianity revolves around the life, death and Christian beliefs on the resurrection of Jesus (pbuh). Christians believe God sent his son Jesus Christ (pbuh), the messiah, to save the world. They believe Jesus (pbuh) was crucified on a cross to offer the forgiveness of sins and was resurrected three days after his death before ascending to heaven.
Christians contend that Jesus (pbuh) will return to earth again in what’s known as the Second Coming.
The Bible includes important scriptures that outline Jesus’ (pbuh) teachings, the lives and teachings of Major Prophets and disciples, and offer instructions for how Christians should live.
The sacred text of Christianity is the Christian Bible, which consists of the Old Testament (the Jewish Bible) consisting of either 39, 46 or 49 books depending on the branch of Christianity. The New Testament contains 27 books four gospels (narratives of Jesus’ (pbuh) life), one account of the apostles’ ministry after Jesus’ (pbuh) death, letters from church leaders (the earliest of which predate the Gospels), and an apocalyptic book.
Nearly all Christians regard the Bible as divinely inspired and authoritative, but views differ as to the nature and extent of its authority. Some hold it to be completely without error in all matters it addresses, while others stress its accuracy only in religious matters and allow for errors or limitations in other areas due to its human authorship.
Christianity has divided into three major branches. Roman Catholicism represents the continuation of the historically organized church as it developed over the centuries, and is headed by the Pope. Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism separated in 1054, when the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope excommunicated each other.
Eastern Orthodoxy (which includes the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches and several others) differs from Catholicism in its refusal of allegiance to the Pope, its emphasis on the use of icons in worship, and the date it celebrates Easter. Other cultural, political, and religious differences exist as well.
Protestantism arose in the 16th century. Protestants do not acknowledge the authority of the Pope, reject many traditions and beliefs of the Catholic Church, and emphasize the importance of reading the Bible and the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Protestantism encompasses numerous denominational groups, including Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Pentecostals and Evangelicals.
Christian practices vary by denomination, but common elements include a Sunday worship service, private and corporate prayer, study and reading of the Scriptures, and participation in the rites of baptism and communion. Distinctive Catholic practices include recognition of seven sacraments, devotion to Mary and the saints, and veneration of relics and sacred sites associated with holy figures. Eastern Orthodoxy holds many practices in common with Catholicism, but is especially distinguished by the central role of icons.
The most important Christian holiday is Easter, a spring holiday that celebrates the belief of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Easter is immediately preceded by Holy Week, which includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. The 40 days prior to Easter from the Lenten season, a time of fasting and repentance. Another holiday that has become important is Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus on December 25 (January 6 in Orthodox Churches). Saints’ days are also important. Some of these, such as St. Patrick’s Day and St. Valentine’s Day, have come to play a prominent role in popular American culture.
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/history-of-christianity
The main differences between Catholics and Protestants
They worship the same God, but the principles of their faith are different. Five hundred years after the Reformation, there are still painful divisions between Protestants and Catholics.
In Germany, the country of the Reformation, a deep animosity divided Catholic and Protestant Christians up until a few decades ago. This division had deepened over the centuries through religious conflicts and wars.
It all started when Reformation took place, 500 years ago, as Martin Luther (1483-1546) tried to reform the Catholic Church. His attempt to do so instead led to a schism in the church.
On October 31, 1517, the publication of his Ninety-Five Theses, which outlined various abusive practices of the church, is considered the founding event that led to this division in Germany and the creation of the Evangelical Church.
Read more:Martin Luther’s daring revolution: The Reformation 500 years on
- The Bible and Understanding of the Bible
Many Christians are surprised to learn that the Catholic Bible is different from the Bible used by Protestants. … The Catholic Bible contains a total of 73 books, 46 in the Old Testament (Protestant Bibles have 39) and 27 in the New Testament (the same as Protestant Bibles).
Catholicism and Protestantism have distinct views on the meaning and the authority of the Bible. For Protestant Christians, Luther made clear that the Bible is the “Sola Skriptura,” God’s only book, in which He provided His revelations to the people and which allows them to enter in communion with Him.
Catholics, on the other hand, do not base their beliefs on the Bible alone. Along with the Holy Scripture, they are additionally bound by the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Understanding the church
Catholics and Protestants have a different view on the nature of the church. The word “catholic” means “all-embracing,” and the Catholic Church sees itself as the only true church worldwide, under the leadership of the pope.
In contrast, the Protestant Churches which have emerged from Reformation, also called “Evangelical,” which means “according to the Gospel,” do not make up one united Church. There are rather several tens of thousands of different denominations around the world. Officially, all of these many churches are considered equal.
- The pope
Protestants are not open at all to papal primacy. According to the Evangelical view, this dogma contradicts statements in the Bible.
Catholics see in the pope the successor of the Apostle Peter, the first head of their Church, who was appointed by Jesus. The papal office is justified by an allegedly unbroken chain of consecrations, ranging from the first century to the present.
- Understanding of the office
This continuous chain, known as the apostolic succession, is overall significant for different spiritual offices in the Catholic Church. With the Sacrament of Holy Orders, bishops, priests and deacons receive a lifelong seal of God giving them sacramental authority over Catholic laypeople. This consecration can only be given to men.
Protestants do not consecrate specific persons into office, but rather accept the principle that priesthood can be transferred to every believer — even to women.
- Eucharist or Lord’s Supper
The Catholics’ views on the spiritual office are reflected in the Eucharist, or Holy Communion, a rite commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples before his crucifixion. Once consecrated by a priest in the name of Jesus, bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. Non-Catholics may not participate in Communion.
In the Protest Church, every baptized person is invited to share and is allowed to lead the Lord’s Supper. This approach is not accepted by Catholics.
Additionally, Eucharist has a different meaning for Catholics and Protestants. The bread, known as the Host, embodies Jesus and can therefore be prayed to. For Protestants, the ritual only serves to commemorate Jesus’ death and resurrection.
- Sacraments
In the Roman Catholic Church, there are seven solemn rites, called sacraments: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, matrimony, penance, holy orders and extreme function. The church believes these sacraments were instituted by Jesus and that they confer God’s grace.
Most Protestant churches only practice two of these sacraments: baptism and the Eucharist (called Lord’s Supper). They are perceived as symbolic rituals through which God delivers the Gospel. They are accepted through faith.
Read more: How Martin Luther became the first Christian pop star
- Marian dogmas and the worship of Saints
The Roman Catholic Church reveres Mary, the mother of Jesus, as “Queen of Heaven.” However, there are a few biblical references to support the Catholic Marian dogmas — which include the Immaculate Conception, her perpetual virginity and her Assumption into heaven. This is why they are rejected by Protestants. The Catholic Church also practices the veneration of saints. Dead models of faith, recognized as “saint” by the church through canonization, can be prayed to for help in maintaining faith in God. There are over 4,000 saints. Their remains are considered holy relics which are venerated.
This veneration is also categorically considered by the Protestant Church to be unbiblical. According to Reformation views, every person may and should pray directly to God.
- Celibacy
All the main world religions integrate in some way the concept of celibacy, the vow of abstaining from marriage and sexual relations, and the Catholic and Protestant churches are no exception. In the Catholic Church, celibacy is obligatory for priests. It is seen as a symbol of the undivided succession of Christ.
The Protestant Church rejects this obligation for priests. Martin Luther had already demanded its abolition as early as 1520. He made a decisive personal contribution to this end in 1525: The former monk married the former nun Katharina von Bora. Initially unsure of whether he should marry, Luther finally determined that “his marriage would please his father, rile the pope, cause the angels to laugh, and the devils to weep.”
https://www.dw.com/en/the-main-differences-between-catholics-and-protestants/a-37888597
The Plain Truth about the Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church claims to have started in Matthew 16:18 when Christ supposedly appointed Peter as the first Pope. However, the honest and objective student of the Scriptures and history soon discovers that the foundation of the Roman church is none other than the pagan mystery religion of ancient Babylon.
While enduring the early persecution of the Roman government (65-300 A.D.), most professing Christianity went through a gradual departure from the New Testament doctrine concerning church government, worship and practice. Local churches ceased to be autonomous by giving way to the control of “bishops” ruling over hierarchies. The simple form of worship from the heart was replaced with the rituals and splendor of paganism. Ministers became “priests,” and pagans became “Christians” by simply being sprinkled with water. This tolerance of an unregenerated membership only made things worse. SPRINKLED PAGANISM is about the best definition for Roman Catholicism.
The Roman Emperor Constantine established himself as the head of the church around 313 A.D., which made this new “Christianity” the official religion of the Roman Empire. The first actual Pope in Rome was probably Leo I (440-461 A.D.), although some claim that Gregory I was the first (590-604 A.D.). This ungodly system eventually ushered in the darkest period in history known to man, properly known as the “Dark Ages” (500-1500 A.D.). Through popes, bishops, and priests, Satan ruled Europe, and Biblical Christianity became illegal.
Throughout all of this, however, there remained individual groups of true Christians, such as the Waldensens and the Anabaptists who would not conform to the Roman system.
The Papacy and Priesthood
In the Bible there are no popes or priests to rule over the church. Jesus Christ is our High Priest (Heb. 3:1; 4:14-15; 5:5; 8:1; 9:11), and all true Christians make up a spiritual priesthood (I Pet. 2:5). Jesus Christ sanctified all Christians who believe in Him (Heb. 10:10-11), so all priests today are unnecessary and unscriptural. Furthermore, the practice of calling a priest “father” is forbidden by Jesus Christ in Matthew 23:9. There is only ONE mediator between God and men (I Tim. 2:5).
The Catholic church teaches that Peter was the first Pope and the earthly head of the church, but the Bible never says this once. In fact, it was Peter himself who spoke against “being lord over God’s heritage” in I Peter 5:3. Popes do not marry, although Peter did (Mat. 8:14; I Cor. 9:5). The Bible never speaks of Peter being in Rome, and it was Paul, not Peter, who wrote the epistle to the Romans. In the New Testament, Paul wrote 100 chapters with 2,325 verses, while Peter wrote only 8 chapters with 166 verses. In Peter’s first epistle he stated that he was simply “an apostle of Jesus Christ,” not a Pope (I Pet. 1:1). The Roman papacy and priesthood is just a huge fraud to keep members in bondage to a corrupt pagan church.
The Worship of Mary
Roman Catholics believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus and was sinless all of her life. She is worshiped in the Catholic Church as the “Mother of God” and the “Queen of Heaven.” St. Bernard stated that she was crowned “Queen of Heaven” by God the Father, and that she currently sits upon a throne in Heaven making intercession for Christians.
The Bible teaches otherwise. In the Bible, Mary was a sinner just like the rest of us. She said to herself that she needed a “Saviour” (Lk. 1:47), and she even had to offer sacrifices for her sins in Luke 2:24. Jesus was her only “firstborn” son, according to Matthew, 1:25, because she later had other children as well (Mt. 13:55; Gal. 1:19; Psa. 69:8). There’s only ONE mediator between God and men, and it isn’t Mary (I Tim. 2:5). The last time we heard from Mary in the Bible she was praying WITH the disciples, not being prayed BY the disciples (Acts 1:14). The Bible never exalts Mary above anyone else. Neither should we.
Purgatory
The Catholic Church teaches that a Christian’s soul must burn in purgatory after death until all of their sins have been purged. To speed up the purging process, money may be paid to a priest so he can pray and have special masses for an earlier release.
This heresy began creeping into the Roman Church during the reign of Pope Gregory around the end of the sixth century, and it has no scriptural support. In fact, Jesus warned us about this pagan practice in Matthew 23:14 when He spoke of those who devoured widow’s houses and made long prayers for a pretence. Psalm 49:6-7 tells us that a person couldn’t redeem a loved one, even if such a place did exist: “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:”
Peter addresses this issue in Acts 8:20 when he says, “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.” God’s word is clearly against the doctrine of purgatory.
The Mass
By perverting the Christian practice of the Lord’s Supper (Mat. 26:26-28; I Cor. 11:23-27), the Catholic Church created the Mass, which they believe to be a continual sacrifice of Jesus Christ:
“Christ…commanded that his bloody sacrifice on the Cross should be daily renewed by an unbloody sacrifice of his body and blood in the Mass under the simple elements of bread and wine.” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 10, Pg. 13, Article: “Mass, Sacrifice of”)
Jesus never made such a command. If you check the above references in Matthew 26 and I Corinthians 11, you’ll see for yourself that the Lord’s Supper is MEMORIAL and a SHOWING of Christ’s death until He comes again. It is not a sacrifice. The Catholic Encyclopedia states the following:
“In the celebration of the Holy Mass, the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. It is called transubstantiation, for in the Sacrament of the Eucharist the substance of bread and wine do not remain, but the entire substance of bread is changed into the body of Christ, and the entire substance of wine is changed into his blood, the species or outward semblence of bread and wine alone remaining.” (Vol. 4, pg. 277, Article: “Consecration”)
The Catholic Church teaches that the “Holy Mass” is a LITERAL EATING AND DRINKING OF THE LITERAL FLESH AND BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST. The priest supposedly has the power to change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.
Now, what does God’s word say about such practices? If you read Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:11-12, and Acts 15:29, you will find that God absolutely FORBIDS the drinking of blood all through the Bible.
Rome teaches that the Mass is a continual “sacrifice” of Jesus Christ, but God’s word states that Jesus made the FINAL sacrifice on Calvary! This was made perfectly clear in Hebrews 10:10-12:
“By the which will we be sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
The mass is unnecessary and unscriptural.
Image Worship
The Catholic religion is filled with all sorts of symbols, images, and relics. The Catechism of the Council of Trent states these words:
“It is lawful to have images in the Church, and to give honor and worship unto them…”
Is it lawful to honor and worship images? Not according to God’s word. Exodus 20:4-5 says, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” Image worship is unscriptural and will end with the eternal damnation of those who practice it (Rev. 14:11).
Secret History of the Papal Rome
The majority of people today, including Roman Catholics, do not know about the true bloody history of the Papal Church of Rome. The true history of the Roman Catholic Church has been hidden away from the eyes of the masses, through the re-writing of the history books, so that they cannot see the truth about the antichrist church, otherwise known as Babylon, the Mother of Harlots. But on this page we will give you a glimpse into the history of Papal Rome, with a timeline of events that took place during the past 1000 years.
“Under the guise of Christianity, the Papal Church committed more enormities than ever disgraced the annals of paganism. Disregarding the maxims and the spirit of the Gospel, the papal Church, arming herself with the power of the sword, vexed the Church of God and wasted it for several centuries, a period most appropriately termed in history, the ‘dark ages’. “The kings of the earth, gave their power to the Beast.” (Fox’s Book of Martyrs, Ch. IV)
“Roman Catholicism was born in blood, has wallowed in blood, and has quenched its thirst in blood, and it is in letters of blood that its true history is written.” (Baron DePonnat, 1940)
“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” (Revelation 17:6)
“I learned much from the Order of the Jesuits, said Hitler … Until now, there has never been anything more grandiose, on the earth, than the hierarchical organization of the Catholic Church. I transferred much of this organization into my own party.” (Hermann Rauschning, former national-socialist chief of the government of Dantzig: ‘Hitler m’a dit’, (Ed. Co-operation, Paris 1939, pp.266, 267, 273 ss).
During her full reign of terror, the Papacy had caused the cruel death of at least 50 MILLION people. The following are quotes from the few available history books concerning Papal persecutions.
“Bertrand, the Papal Legate, wrote a letter to Pope Honorius, desiring to be recalled from the croisade against the primitive witnesses and contenders for the faith. In that authentic document, he stated, that within fifteen years, 300,000 of those cross-soldiers had become victims to their own fanatical and blind fury. Their unrelenting and insatiable thirst for Christian and human blood spared none within the reach of their impetuous despotism and unrestricted usurpations. On the river Garonne, a conflict occurred between the croisaders, with their ecclesiastical leaders, the Prelates of Thoulouse and Comminges; who solemnly promised to all their vassals the full pardon of sin, and the possession of heaven immediately, if they were slain in the battle. The Spanish monarch and his confederates acknowledged that they must have lost 400,000 men, in that tremendous conflict, and immediately after it-but the Papists boasted, that including the women and children, they had massacred more than two millions of the human family, in that solitary croisade against the southwest part of France.” (Bourne, George, The American Textbook of Popery, Griffith & Simon, Philadelphia, 1846, pp. 402-403)
“The Catholic crusade against the Albigenses in Southern France (from 1209-1229), under Popes Innocent III., Honorius III. and Gregory IX., was one of the bloodiest tragedies in human history … The number of Albigenses that perished in the twenty years war is estimated at from one to two million.” (Cushing B. Hassell, History of the Church of God, Chapter XIV)
“Need I speak to you of the thirty years war in Germany, which was mainly instigated by the Jesuits, in order to deprive the Protestants of the right of free religious worship, secured to them by the treaty of Augsburg? Or of the Irish rebellion, of the inhuman butchery of about fifteen million Indians in South America, Mexico and Cuba, by the Spanish papists? In short, it is calculated by authentic historians, that papal Rome has shed the blood of sixty-eight million of the human race in order to establish her unfounded claims to religious dominion.” (The Glorious Reformation by S. S. SCHMUCKER, 1838 — citing Dr. Brownlee’s ‘Popery an enemy to civil liberty’, p. 105)
“This was the century of the last religious wars in Christendom, the Thirty Years War in Germany, fomented by the Jesuits, reducing the people to cannibalism, and the population of Bohemia from 4,000,000 to 780,000, and of Germany from 20,000,000 to 7,000,000, and making Southern Germany almost a desert.” (Cushing B. Hassell, History of the Church of God, Chapter XVII)
“In one word, the church of Rome has spent immense treasures and shed, in murder, the blood of sixty eight million and five hundred thousand of the human race, to establish before the astonished and disgusted world, her fixed determination to annihilate every claim set up by the human family to liberty, and the right of unbounded freedom of conscience.” (W C Brownlee, Popery an enemy to civil liberty, 1836, pp. 104-105)
“They perished under pope Julian 200,000 Christians: and by the French massacre, on a moderate calculation, in 3 months, 100,000. Of the Waldenses there perished 150,000; of the Albigenses, 150,000. There perished by the Jesuits in 30 years only 900,000. The Duke of Alva destroyed by a common hangman alone, 36,000 persons; the amount murdered by him was set down by Grotius at 100,000! There perished by the fire, and tortures of the Inquisition in Spain, Italy, and France 150,000 … In the Irish massacres there perished 150,000 Protestants! To sum up the whole, the Roman Catholic church has caused the ruin, and destruction of a million and a half the Moors in Spain; nearly two million Jews South America in Europe. In Mexico, and , including the islands of Cuba and St. Domingo, fifteen million Indians, in 40 years, fell victim to popery. And in Europe, and the East Indies, and in America, 50 million Protestants, at least, have been murdered by it! Thus the church of Rome stands before the world, ‘the woman in scarlet, on the scarlet colored Beast.’ A church claiming to be Christian, drenched in the blood of sixty-eight million, and five hundred thousand human beings!” (W. C. Brownlee, Letters in the Roman Catholic controversy, 1834, pp. 347-348)
“Alexander Campbell, well known religions leader of the nineteenth century, stated in debate with John B. Purcell, Bishop of Cincinnati, in 1837 that the records of historians and martyrologists show that it may be reasonable to estimate that from fifty to sixty-eight millions of human beings died, suffered torture, lost their possessions, or were otherwise devoured by the Roman Catholic Church during the awful years of the Inquisition. Bishop Purcell made little effort to refute these figures.” (Citing A Debate on the Roman Catholic Religion, Christian Publishing Co., 1837, p. 327.) … (The Shadow of Rome, by John B. Wilder; Zondervan Publishing Co., 1960, page 87)
“Let us keep a sense of proportion. The record of ‘Christianity’ [Roman Catholic] from the days when it first obtained the power to persecute, is one of the most ghastly in history. The total number of Manichaeans, Arians, Priscillianists, Paulicians, Bogomiles, Cathari, Waldensians, Albigensians, witches, Lollards, Hussites, Jews and Protestants killed because of their rebellion against Rome clearly runs to many millions; and beyond these actual executions or massacres is the enormously larger number of those who were tortured, imprisoned, or beggared. I am concerned rather with the positive historical aspect of this. In almost every century a large part of the race has endeavored to reject the Christian religion, and, if in those centuries there had been the same freedom as we enjoy, Roman Catholicism would, in spite of the universal ignorance, have shrunk long ago into a sect. The religious history of Europe has never yet been written.” (The Story Of Religious Controversy Chapter XXIII by Joseph McCabe (an atheist) who lived from 1867 to 1955)
“Mede has calculated from good authorities ‘that in the war with the Albigenses and Waldenses there perished of these people, in France alone, 1,000,000.'” (Christ and Antichrist, by Samuel J. Cassels, 1846, page 257)
“Who have their dungeon cells under their cathedrals, in which they claim, as inquisitors of their own diocese, to imprison free men in our republic? Foreign popish bishops! And the facts respecting a man being so confined and scourged, in the cells at Baltimore [AMERICA], until he recanted, have been published, and not to this day contradicted! … Who is in the habit of uttering ferocious threats to assassinate and burn up those Protestants who successfully oppose Romanism? The foreign papists! I have in my possession the evidence of no less than six such inhuman threats against myself.” (W. C. Brownlee, Poperty of the Enemy of Civil and Religious Liberty, J. S. Taylor, New York, 1836, p.210-211)
“It is reckoned that during the reign of Justinian, Africa lost five millions of inhabitants; thus Arianism was extinguished in that region, not by any enforcement of conformity, but by the extermination of the race which had introduced and professed it. – History of the Christian Church, J.C. Robertson, Vol. 1, p. 521.” (Bunch, Taylor, The Book of Daniel, p. 101)
[footnote, speaking of Pope Innocent VIII] “Yet on the papal throne he played the zealot against the Germans, whom he accused of magic, in his bull Summis desiderantes affectibus, etc., and also against the Hussites, whom he well night exterminated.” (Williams, Henry Smith, The Historian’s History of the World, vol. 8, p. 643)
“The inquisitor Reinerius, who died in 1259, has left it on record: ‘Concerning the sects of ancient heretics, observe, that there have been more than seventy: all of which, except the sects of the Manichaeans and the Arians and the Runcarians and the Leonists which have infected Germany, through the favour of God, been destroyed.” (Broadbent, E.H., The Pilgrim Church, Gospel Folio Press, 2002, p. 90 (originally published in 1931)
“An edict was issued under the regency of Theodora, which decreed that the Paulicians should be exterminated by fire and sword, or brought back to the Greek church … It is affirmed by civil and ecclesiastical historians, that, in a short reign, one hundred thousand Paulicians were put to death.” (Andrew Miller, Short Papers on Church, London, Chapter 16)
“The whole number of victims who have been offered up in Europe since the beginning of the Reformation? Partly by war, partly by the Inquisition, and a thousand other methods of Romish cruelty? No less within forty years, if the computation of an eminent writer be just, than five and forty millions!” (John Wesley, ‘Doctrine of Original Sin’, Part I, section II.8, 1757, Wesley’s Works, edited by Thomas Jackson, vol. 9, pp. 217-19)
“The inquisition, which was established in the twelfth century against the Waldenses … was now more effectively set to work. Terrible persecutions were carried out in various parts of Germany, and even in Bohemia, which continued for about thirty years, and the blood of the saints was said to flow like rivers of water. The countries of Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary, were in a similar manner deluged with Protestant blood.” (Buck, Charles, A Theological Dictionary, containing Definitions of All Religious Terms; …, Philadelphia, Thomas Cowperthwait & Co., 1838, article ‘Persecution’)
“Those who were not put to death suffered imprisonment, had their houses pulled down, their lands laid waste, their property stolen, and their wives and daughters, after being ravished, sent into convents … If any fled from these cruelties, they were pursued through the woods, hunted and shot like wild beasts…At the head of the dragoons, in all the provinces of France, marched the bishops, priests, friars, &c. the clergy being ordered to keep up the cruel spirit of the military. An order was published for demolishing all protestant churches.” (Southwell, Henry, The new book of martyrs; or complete Christian martyrology. Containing an authentic and genuine historical account of the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ, in all parts of the world, … Imprint London : printed for J. Cooke, [1765?] page 108-109)
“In Bohemia, by 1600, in a population of 4,000,000, 80 per cent were Protestant. When the Hapsburgs and Jesuits had done their work, 800,000 were left, all Catholics … In Austria and Hungary half the population Protestant, but under the Hapsburgs and Jesuits they were slaughtered … In Poland, by the end of the 16th century, it seemed as if Romanism was about to be entirely swept away, but here too, the Jesuits, by persecution, killed Reform. In Italy, the Pope’s own country, the Reformation was getting a real hold; but the Inquisition got busy, and hardly a trace of Protestantism was left.” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p.798)
“The Horrors of the Inquisition, ordered and maintained by the Popes, over a period of 500 years, in which unnumbered millions were Tortured and Burned, constitute the MOST BRUTAL, BEASTLY, and DEVILISH PICTURE in all history.” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p.732)
http://www.end-times-prophecy.org/secret-history-catholic-church.html
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era. In northern and central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice. They argued for the religious and political redistribution of power into the hands of Bible- and pamphlet-reading pastors and princes. The disruption triggered wars, persecution and the so-called Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church’s delayed but forceful response to the Protestants.
Dating the Reformation
Historians usually date the start of the Protestant Reformation to the 1517 publication of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses.” Its ending can be placed anywhere from the 1555 Peace of Augsburg, which allowed for the coexistence of Catholicism and Lutheranism in Germany, to the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years War. The key ideas of the Reformation—a call to purify the church and a belief that the Bible, not tradition, should be the sole source of spiritual authority—were not themselves novel. However, Luther and the other reformers became the first to skillfully use the power of the printing press to give their ideas to a wide audience.
Did you know? No reformer was more adept than Martin Luther at using the power of the press to spread his ideas. Between 1518 and 1525, Luther published more works than the next 17 most prolific reformers combined.
The Reformation: Germany and Lutheranism
Martin Luther (1483-1546) was an Augustinian monk and university lecturer in Wittenberg. Although he had hoped to spur renewal from within the church, in 1521 he was summoned before the Diet of Worms and excommunicated. Sheltered by Friedrich, elector of Saxony, Luther translated the Bible into German and continued his output of vernacular pamphlets.
When German peasants, inspired in part by Luther’s empowering “priesthood of all believers,” revolted in 1524, Luther sided with Germany’s princes. By the Reformation’s end, Lutheranism had become the state religion throughout much of Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltics.
The Reformation: Switzerland and Calvinism
The Swiss Reformation began in 1519 with the sermons of Ulrich Zwingli, whose teachings largely paralleled Luther’s. In 1541 John Calvin, a French Protestant who had spent the previous decade in exile writing his “Institutes of the Christian Religion,” was invited to settle in Geneva and put his Reformed doctrine—which stressed God’s power and humanity’s predestined fate—into practice. The result was a theocratic regime of enforced, austere morality.
Calvin’s Geneva became a hotbed for Protestant exiles, and his doctrines quickly spread to Scotland, France, Transylvania and the Low Countries, where Dutch Calvinism became a religious and economic force for the next 400 years.
The Reformation: England and the “Middle Way”
In England, the Reformation began with Henry VIII’s quest for a male heir. When Pope Clement VII refused to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could remarry, the English king declared in 1534 that he alone should be the final authority in matters relating to the English church. Henry dissolved England’s monasteries to confiscate their wealth and worked to place the Bible in the hands of the people. Beginning in 1536, every parish was required to have a copy.
After Henry’s death, England tilted toward Calvinist-infused Protestantism during Edward VI’s six-year reign and then endured five years of reactionary Catholicism under Mary I. In 1559 Elizabeth I took the throne and, during her 44-year reign, cast the Church of England as a “middle way” between Calvinism and Catholicism, with vernacular worship and a revised Book of Common Prayer.
The Counter-Reformation
The Catholic Church was slow to respond systematically to the theological and publicity innovations of Luther and the other reformers. The Council of Trent, which met off and on from 1545 through 1563, articulated the Church’s answer to the problems that triggered the Reformation and to the reformers themselves.
The Catholic Church of the Counter-Reformation era grew more spiritual, more literate and more educated. New religious orders, notably the Jesuits, combined rigorous spirituality with a globally minded intellectualism, while mystics such as Teresa of Avila injected new passion into the older orders. Inquisitions, both in Spain and in Rome, were reorganized to fight the threat of Protestant heresy.
The Life of Jesus (pbuh)
Most historians believe that Jesus (pbuh) was a real person who was born between 2 B.C. and 7 B.C. Much of what scholars know about Jesus (pbuh) comes from the New Testament of the Christian Bible.
In Aramaic, the language Jesus (peace be upon him) spoke, his name would have been pronounced “Eshoa” (ܝܫܘܥ in Syriac script). This is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew name Yeshua, meaning “salvation.”
Aramaic and Hebrew are closely related Semitic languages, so the names are similar but have slight pronunciation differences due to the linguistic nuances of Aramaic.
In Arabic, Jesus (peace be upon him) is called “ʿĪsā” (عيسى). The name is pronounced as Ee-saa, with a soft “s” sound.
When the name was translated into Greek his name became Iesous. In the Latin translation, the I of Iesous was replaced with a J but still pronounced it the same way. It was only around the year 1518 when the English pronunciation of Jesus was introduced. It was common practice in different cultures to translate names to suit the culture in different writings. The problem is, when Jesus (pbuh) returns and people call him Jesus, he will not know who they are referring to as this is not his name. The question is? Who gives anyone the right to simply change or translate someone’s name to what they think is the meaning? If the person being addressed with the translated name does not know who you are referring to then how can you call him by that name when he does not know it as his name? Example: if a person’s name is Mr. Swart (means black in English) and he is an Afrikaner, do we refer to him as Mr Black in English? Does anyone have the right to just change a person’s name? Of course not, he will tell you that is not his name. In English his name will still be Mr Black. A person’s name is his identity and if we change their identity it no longer refers to the person.
In Islam all names are kept the same as revealed in the Quran when translating the Arabic text to English.
In order to avoid confusion we will still refer to Yehoshua as Jesus (pbuh).
According to the text, Jesus (pbuh) was born to a young Jewish virgin named Mary in the town of Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem in modern-day Palestine. Christians believe the concept was a supernatural event, with God impregnating Mary via the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 1:18-25 King James Version (KJV)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.
The translation of Mary:1:18 suggested that:
- Mary was carrying a child of the Holy Ghost “she was found with child of the Holy Ghost” Christians believe in the Trinity which states that the Son is God, The Holy Ghost is God and the Father is God and that the three are one. The beliefe in the Trinity now creates a very sinister and perverse problem, not to mention blasphemy against God. The statement that Mary was found with a child of the Holy Ghost implies that the Holy Ghost has impregnated Mary. But, Jesus the Son, God the Father and the Holy Ghost are one which means that Jesus as part of the Trinity impregnated his own mother to give birth to himself.
- An unmarried Jewish couple was traveling a long distance unaccompanied by other family members. And the woman—still only pledged in marriage—was in an advanced stage of pregnancy. If such a situation is still scandalous in the Middle East, how much more so in first-century Judea!
- Matthew’s Gospel seems to be clearer. In the genealogy, Joseph is called the “husband of Mary,” who gave birth to Jesus (Matthew 1:16). Describing the background of their relationship, Matthew 1:18 reads, “His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph.” Here Matthew uses the same Greek verb as Luke. However, after Joseph decides to divorce Mary because of her unexpected pregnancy, an angel warns him in a dream not to do so. The angel advises him to “take Mary as his wife” (Matthew 1:20). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel commanded him: He took Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24).
If Joseph was seen with Mary who presented a newborn child then who would believe that Jesus (pbuh) birth was miraculous? There is simply no proof of it as Mary was seen with Joseph and the scripture would not be believable.
Many Christians say that much of the Quran was copied from the bible. Below we can see the story of Mary whom Christians say is one of many stories that was copied from the Bible but infact Allah has dedicated an entire chapter to Mary and the Quran also points out and clarifies the Mistakes of the Bible and provides a more accurate account of Jesus (pbuh) birth. When reading the verses of the Quran you will quickly see that these verses makes more sense than that presented in the bible.
This is the story of Mary ((Maryam) (Surah Maryam)) from the Quran 19:16-34;
- Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.
- She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.
- She said: “I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah.”
- He said: “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.
- She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?”
- He said: “So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, ‘that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us’:It is a matter (so) decreed.”
- So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.
- And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish): “Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!”
- But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): “Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;
- “And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.
- “So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to ((Allah)) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being'”
- At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: “O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!
- “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!”
- But she pointed to the babe. They said: “How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?”
- He said: “I am indeed a servant of Allah. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;
- “And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;
- “(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;
- “So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)”!
- Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.
The verses in the Quran clearly show Mary to have retreated alone to a remote place. If Joseph was with Mary as suggested by Mathew then it would bring shame upon Mary that she was with a man who was not her husband and to make things worse, Mary was now pregnant and people would think she has engaged in sexual intercourse with a man not yet her husband. It will also make it difficult to prove to anyone that Jesus (pbuh) was miraculously conceived by the decree of the Lord.
Mary retreeted alone and she came back alone with her new born son to show her people. It is believed in Islam that Mary remained a virgin until her death and has never married.
Ask yourself an honest question as a Christian, if your young child asks you about how Jesus was conceived, would you tell your child the story of the Bible where the Holy Ghost impregnated Mary or the story of Mary in the Quran?
Background and early life of Jesus (pbuh)
Most of Jesus’s (pbuh) life is told through the four Gospels of the New Testament Bible, known as the Canonical gospels, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Christians believe that these Gospels are not biographies in the modern sense but accounts with allegorical intent. They are written to engender faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the incarnation of God, who came to teach, suffer and die for people’s sins.
Jesus (pbuh) was born circa 6 B.C. in Bethlehem. His mother, Mary, was a virgin who was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter. Christians believe Jesus was born through Immaculate Conception. His lineage can be traced back to the house of David. According to the Gospel of Matthew (2:1), Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, who upon hearing of his birth felt threatened and tried to kill Jesus (pbuh) by ordering all of Bethlehem’s male children under age two to be killed. But Joseph was warned by an angel and took Mary and the child to Egypt until Herod’s death, where upon he brought the family back and settled in the town of Nazareth, in Galilee.
There is very little written about Jesus’s (pbuh) early life. The Gospel of Luke (2:41-52) recounts that a 12-year-old Jesus had accompanied his parents on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and became separated. He was found several days later in a temple, discussing affairs with some of Jerusalem’s elders. Throughout the New Testament, there are trace references of Jesus working as a carpenter while a young adult. It is believed that he began his ministry at age 30 when he was baptized by John the Baptist.
After baptism, Jesus (pbuh) went into the Judean desert to fast and meditate for 40 days and nights. The Temptation of Christ is chronicled in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (known as the Synoptic Gospels). The Devil appeared and tempted Jesus three times, once to turn stone to bread, once to cast himself off a mountain where angels would save him, and once to offer him all the kingdoms of the world. All three times, Jesus (pbuh) rejected the Devil’s temptation and sent him off.
Jesus’s (pbuh) Ministry
The Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:23) states that Jesus (pbuh) was “about 30 years of age” at the start of his ministry. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ (pbuh) ministry lasted only 3 years. The Gospel of John mentions three Passovers (with other festivals in between). This suggests a three-year ministry. Jesus (pbuh) returned to Galilee and made trips to neighboring villages. During this time, several people became his disciples. One of them was Mary Magdalene, who was first mentioned in the Gospel of Luke (16:9) and later in all four gospels at the crucifixion. Though not mentioned in the context of the “12 disciples,” she is believed to have been involved in Jesus’s (pbuh) ministry from the beginning to his death and after. According to the gospels of Mark and John, Jesus (pbuh) appeared to Magdalene first after his resurrection.
According to the Gospel of John (2:1-11), as Jesus (pbuh) was beginning his ministry, he and his disciples traveled with his mother, Mary, to a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The wedding host had run out of wine and Jesus’s (pbuh) mother came to him for help. At first, Jesus refused to intervene, but then he relented and asked a servant to bring him large jars filled with water. It is believed by Christians that Jesus (pbuh) turned the water into a wine of higher quality than any served during the wedding. John’s gospel depicts the event as the first sign of Jesus’s (pbuh) glory and his disciples’ belief in him.
After the wedding, Jesus (pbuh), his mother Mary and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem for Passover. At the temple, they saw moneychangers and merchants selling wares. In a rare display of anger, Jesus overturned the tables and, with a whip made of cords, drove them out, declaring that his Father’s house is not a house for merchants.
The Synoptic Gospels chronicle Jesus as he traveled through Judea and Galilee, using parables and miracles to explain how the prophecies were being fulfilled and that the kingdom of God was near. As word spread of Jesus’s teaching and healing of the sick and diseased, more people began to follow him. At one point, Jesus came to a level area and was joined by a great number of people. There, at the Sermon on the Mount, he presented several discourses, known as the Beatitudes, which encapsulate many of the spiritual teachings of love, humility and compassion.
As Jesus (pbuh) continued preaching about the kingdom of God, the crowds grew larger and began to proclaim him as the son of David and as the Messiah. The Pharisees heard of this and publicly challenged Jesu (pbuh) s, accusing him of having the power of Satan. He defended his actions with a parable, then questioned their logic and told them such thinking denied the power of God, which only further hardened their resolve to work against him.
Near the city of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus talked with his disciples. According to the gospels of Matthew (16:13), Mark (8:27) and Luke (9:18), he asked, “Who do you say that I am?” The question confused them, and only Peter responded, saying, “God’s Messiah.” Jesus (pbuh) blessed Peter and declared the proclamation a divine revelation from God. Jesus then proclaimed Peter to be the leader of the church. Jesus (pbuh) then warned his disciples of the Pharisees’ conspiracy against him and of his fate to suffer and be killed, only to rise from the dead on the third day.
Less than a week later, Jesus took three of his disciples to a high mountain where they could pray alone. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ (pbuh) face began shining like the sun and his entire body glowed with a white light. Then, the prophets Elijah and Moses appeared, and Jesus talked to them. A bright cloud emerged around them, and a voice said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” This event, known as the Transfiguration, is a pivotal moment in Christian theology. It supports the identity of Jesus as the Messiah.
Jesus (pbuh) arrived in Jerusalem the week before the holiday of Passover, riding on a donkey. Great numbers of people took palm branches and greeted him at the city’s entry. They praised him as the Son of David. The priests and Pharisees, fearful of the growing public adulation, felt he must be stopped.
All four Gospels describe Jesus’ (pbuh) final week in Jerusalem. During this time, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, confronted moneychangers and merchants in the temple, and debated with the high priests who questioned Jesus’ (pbuh) authority. He told his disciples about the coming days and that Jerusalem’s temple would be destroyed. Meanwhile, the chief priests and elders met with high priest Caiaphas, and set plans in motion to arrest Jesus (pbuh). One of the disciples, Judas, met with the chief priests and told them how he would deliver Jesus (pbuh) to them. They agreed to pay him 30 pieces of silver.
The Last Supper
Jesus (pbuh) and his 12 disciples met for the Passover meal, and he gave them his final words of faith. He was also foretold of his betrayal by one of the disciples and privately let Judas know it was him. Jesus told Peter that before a rooster crowed the next morning, he would have denied knowing Jesus (pbuh) three times. At the end of the meal, Jesus (pbuh) instituted the Eucharist, which in the Christian religion, signifies the covenant between God and humans.
After the Last Supper, Jesus (pbuh) and his disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus (pbuh) asked God if this cup (His suffering and death) might pass by him. He implored a group of his disciples to pray with him, but they kept falling asleep. Then the time came. Soldiers and officials appeared, and Judas was with them. He gave Jesus (pbuh) a kiss on the cheek to identify him and the soldiers arrested Jesus (pbuh). One disciple tried to resist the arrest, brandished his sword and cut the ear off one of the soldiers. But Jesus (pbuh) admonished him and healed the soldier’s wound.
After his arrest, many of the disciples went into hiding. Jesus (pbuh) was taken to the high priest and interrogated. He was hit and spat upon for not responding. Meanwhile, Peter had followed Jesus to the high priests’ court. As he hid in the shadows, three house servants asked if he was one of Jesus’ disciples and each time he denied it. After each denial, a rooster crowed. Then Jesus (pbuh) was led out of the house and looked directly at Peter. Peter remembered how Jesus (pbuh) had told him he would deny him and he wept bitterly. Judas, who was watching from a distance, became distraught by his betrayal of Jesus (pbuh) and attempted to return the 30 pieces of silver. The priests told him his guilt was his own. He threw the coins into the temple and later hanged himself.
The Crucifixion Accroding to Christian Belief
The next day, Jesus was taken to the high court where he was mocked, beaten and condemned for claiming to be the Messiah of God. He was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. The priests accused Jesus (pbuh) of claiming to be the king of the Jews and asked that he be condemned to death. At first Pilate tried to pass Jesus off to King Herod, but he was brought back, and Pilate told the Jewish priests he could find no fault with Jesus (pbuh). The priests reminded him that anyone who claimed to be a king speaks against Caesar. Pilate publicly washed his hands of responsibility, yet ordered the crucifixion in response to the demands of the crowd. The Roman soldiers whipped and beat Jesus (pbuh), placed a crown of thorns on his head and then led him off to Mount Calvary.
Jesus was crucified with two thieves, one at his left and the other at his right. Above his head was the charge against him, “King of the Jews.” At his feet were his mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. The Gospels describe various events that occurred during the last three hours of his life, including the taunting by the soldiers and the crowd, Jesus’ (pbuh) agony and outbursts, and his final words. While Jesus was on the cross, the sky darkened, and immediately upon his death, an earthquake erupted, tearing the temple’s curtain from top to bottom. A soldier confirmed his death by sticking a spear into his side, which produced only water. He was taken down from the cross and buried in a nearby tomb.
Risen from the Dead According to Christian Belief
Three days after his death, Jesus’ (pbuh) tomb was found empty. He had risen from the dead and appeared first to Mary Magdalene and then to his mother Mary. They both informed the disciples, who were in hiding, and later, Jesus (pbuh) appeared to them and told them not to be afraid. During this brief time, he beseeched his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to all humanity. After 40 days, Jesus led his disciples to Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem. Jesus (pbuh) spoke his final words to them, saying that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit, before he was taken upward on a cloud and ascended into heaven.
This is the biography of Jesus’s life, as told by Historians in biography.com
Taking a broad look at what Christians believe, what the churches teach and what the Bible teaches are not always the same thing.
- The Churche teaches the Trinity, that God is made up of the Father, the son and the Holy Ghost, three distinct person but One God. The Bible and Jesus himself teaches that God is One and no ware in the bible can the word trinity be found. You will not find a single verse that says the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are one. The closest verse that was previously found was 1Johon 5:7 which read: For there are three that bear records in heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” The verse word Son was found to be fabrication and is not found in the original scripture. The verse was subsequently changed to: For there are three that bear records in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
- The Church teaches that Jesus (pbuh) is the begotten Son of God and that Jesus (pbuh) is God. No ware in the bible does Jesus (pbuh) claim that he is God and that he himself says that “I am God or that he says worship me” Neither does Jesus (pbuh) state anyware in the bible that he is the “begotten” son of God. The word begotten was also found to be fabrication and was removed. The verses now show “the only son” and not begotten Son.
- The Church teaches that good works does not make us acceptable to God. In other words, a person can live to a high moral standard, give money to feed the poor, go to church, and serve their neighbors, and yet not be a follower of Christ or “Christian.” Jesus (pbuh) has never made such an acquisition.
- The Church teaches that God has sent his only begotten son to die for our sins. Jesus (pbuh) does not claim this at all. There is not a single bible verse that says that Jesus himself says that he came to die for peoples sins.
- What we find in many cases is that the church and Christians mis-quote scripture to suit their own agenda. Christians often give their own explanations to prove their point but provide no evidence or they mis-quote verses. This will be proven as we proceed.
- The Church also teaches that the bible is the word of God breathed which Christians believe to be true with all their heart but yet much of the Bible cannot be proven to be the word of God.
Christian Claims
These claims are contested by both Islam and Judaism and we will be investigating these claims in detail to see if they are true or false. We will only be looking into certain major claims which are as follows:
- The Trinity –
- Jesus (pbuh) the Son of God
- Jesus (Phuh) is claimed to be God
- The Holy Spirit
- The Original Sin
- Jesus died for our Sins – the crucifixion
- The Bible is the word of God
- Contridictions in the Bible
- Errors found in the Bible
- Was the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) prophesized in the Bible?
For any of the above to be true we must go directly to the source of information found in the Bible namely the messengers/prophets of God who were appointed by God and who spoke God’s words. They were (Old Testament) David (pbuh), Moses (pbuh) and (New Testament) Jesus (pbuh). Like we did with the Quran we need to establish the following:
- Was all the information found in the Bible spoken directly by messengers and or prophets of God?
- Did they authenticate these writings?
- Was it written in their lifetime?
- Who were the scribes, were their names given?
- Did the messenger’s closest companions/disciples confirm it?
- Where these followers’ eyewitnesses and if other eyewitnesses were used as a source of information were their names given?
The Bible
Were the Manuscripts we have today written at the time of the prophets?
Hebrew Bible (or Tanakh) manuscripts
The Aleppo Codex (c. 920 CE) and Leningrad Codex (c. 1008 CE) were once the oldest known manuscripts of the Tanakh in Hebrew. In 1947, the finding of the Dead Sea scrolls at Qumran pushed the manuscript history of the Tanakh back a millennium from such codices. Before this discovery, the earliest extant manuscripts of the Old Testament were in Greek, in manuscripts such as the Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus. Out of the roughly 800 manuscripts found at Qumran, 220 are from the Tanakh. Every book of the Tanakh is represented except for the Book of Esther; however, most are fragmentary. Notably, there are two scrolls of the Book of Isaiah, one complete (1QIsa), and one around 75% complete (1QIsb). These manuscripts generally date between 150 BCE to 70 CE.[1]
Extant Tanakh manuscripts
Could Moses Write Hebrew & What Language Could Moses Speak?
What is our earliest evidence for Hebrew as a written language? I’ve been to apologetic seminars where they say it’s long been said by atheists that the Hebrew Bible can’t be trusted because the Hebrews didn’t have a written language until well after the stories in the OT would’ve taken place. The evidence that the Hebrews had a written language in close proximity to the Biblical stories is based on pottery evidence and things of that nature. I’m sure these are topics you are very familiar with and I’d appreciate your take.
It’s actually amazing how many topics I’m not familiar with at all! So, not knowing the answer, I asked a colleague of mine who is an expert in Hebrew philology, Joseph Lam (he teaches courses in my department in Hebrew and other Semitic languages, and on the religion, culture, and literature of the Ancient Near East, and in Hebrew Bible; his office is across the hall from mine). I simplified the question to get the heart of it. This is what I said in an email to him.
Could Moses Write Hebrew?
Joseph,
Someone has asked me the question below. Damn if I knew! I don’t need a long exposition, just a basic answer will do (some kind of inscription?)
What is our earliest evidence for Hebrew as a written language?
Here is his very helpful response.
It depends on what you define as Hebrew. We have a number of inscriptions from Palestine in the late 2nd millennium/early 1st millennium BCE (which is when Hebrew mostly likely branched off as a distinct language from the broader “Canaanite” family of languages), but early Hebrew and Canaanite are difficult to distinguish from one another, especially in short inscriptions (sometimes a single word). For a long time, the standard answer was the Gezer Calendar from the late 10th century (900’s) BCE, but I now think that text is better described as Phoenician or common Canaanite. Others would say the more recently discovered Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon (11th/10th century), but there are various oddities to that text that make it difficult to classify. There are also a number of short inscriptions from Tel Rehov that have been dated archaeologically to the 10th/9th centuries. The upshot is, there are a number of candidates from the 10th/9th centuries, but certainly, by the 8th century, we have many more unambiguously “Hebrew” inscriptions.
For more details, I would recommend to you read the following online article (and the article to which it responds): https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/what%E2%80%99s-the-oldest-hebrew-inscription/
As a follow-up, I said/asked the following:
Fantastic. Just what I needed. The questioner was not a scholar, but an interested lay person, who was especially interested in the question of whether, if there was a Moses living in say the 13th c BCE, he would have been able to write. Do you have an opinion? (I myself don’t think there *was* a Moses, but still, assuming there was…)
Here is Joseph’s short and very interesting response about Moses.
If there was a Moses, raised in the Egyptian court, he probably would have learned to write in Egyptian! The texts of the Pentateuch, whoever wrote them, are NOT in the 13th-century language; they are in classical 1st millennium Hebrew. Whatever a hypothetical 13th century Moses wrote, whether in Egyptian or Canaanite or something else, that’s NOT what we have preserved in the Pentateuch.
The New Testament
Language of Jesus
There exists a consensus among scholars that the language of Jesus and his disciples was Aramaic.[1][2] Aramaic was the common language of Judea in the first century AD. The villages of Nazareth and Capernaum in Galilee, where Jesus spent most of his time, were Aramaic-speaking communities.[3] Jesus probably spoke a Galilean variant of the language, distinguishable from that of Jerusalem.[4]
According to Dead Sea Scrolls archaeologist Yigael Yadin, Aramaic was the language of Hebrews until Simon Bar Kokhba’s revolt (132 AD to 135 AD). Yadin noticed the shift from Aramaic to Hebrew in the documents he studied, which had been written during the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt. In his book, Bar Kokhba: The rediscovery of the legendary hero of the last Jewish Revolt Against Imperial Rome, Yigael Yadin notes, “It is interesting that the earlier documents are written in Aramaic while the later ones are in Hebrew. Possibly the change was made by a special decree of Bar Kokhba who wanted to restore Hebrew as the official language of the state”.[12]
In another book by Sigalit Ben-Zion, Yadin said: “it seems that this change came as a result of the order that was given by Bar Kokhba, who wanted to revive the Hebrew language and make it the official language of the state.”[13] Yadin points out that Aramaic was the regional lingua franca at the time.[14]
As a result, we can see that the Bibles we have today in the English Language are copies of copies of copies of copies…
Dating of the Manuscripts
The original manuscripts of the New Testament books are not known to have survived. The autographs are believed to have been lost or destroyed a long time ago. What survives are copies of the original. Generally speaking, these copies were made centuries after the originals from other copies rather than from the autograph. Paleography, a science of dating manuscripts by typological analysis of their scripts, is the most precise and objective means known for determining the age of a manuscript. Script groups belong typologically to their generation; and changes can be noted with great accuracy over relatively short periods of time. Dating of manuscript material by a radiocarbon dating test requires that a small part of the material be destroyed in the process.[15] Both radiocarbon and paleographical dating only give a range of possible dates, and it is still debated just how narrow this range might be. Dates established by radiocarbon dating can present a range of 10 to over 100 years. Similarly, dates established by paleography can present a range of 25 to over 125 years.[16]
Earliest Extant Manuscripts
Textual Criticism
None of the original documents of the New Testament are known to scholars to be extant; and the existing manuscripts differ from one another. The textual critic seeks to ascertain from the divergent copies which form of the text should be regarded as most conforming to the original.[17] The New Testament has been preserved in three major manuscript traditions: the 4th-century-CE Alexandrian text-type, the Western text-type, and the Byzantine text-type, which includes over 80% of all manuscripts, the majority comparatively very late in the tradition.
Textual scholar Bart D. Ehrman writes: “It is true, of course, that the New Testament is abundantly attested in the manuscripts produced through the ages, but most of these manuscripts are many centuries removed from the originals, and none of them perfectly accurate. They all contain mistakes – altogether many thousands of mistakes. It is not an easy task to reconstruct the original words of the New Testament….”[18] in reference to the textual evidence for the New Testament, Bruce M. Metzger wrote,
In evaluating the significance of these statistics…one should consider, by way of contrast, the number of manuscripts which preserve the text of the ancient classics. Homer’s Iliad…is preserved by 457 papyri, 2 uncial manuscripts, and 188 minuscule manuscripts. Among the tragedians, the witnesses to Euripides are the most abundant; his extant works are preserved in 54 papyri and 276 parchment manuscripts, almost all of the later dating from the Byzantine period…the time between the composition of the books of the New Testament and the earliest extant copies is relatively brief. Instead of the lapse of a millennium or more, as is the case of not a few classical authors, several papyrus manuscripts of portions of the New Testament are extant which were copies within a century or so after the composition of the original documents.[19][b]
Biblical scholar Gary Habermas adds,
What is usually meant is that the New Testament has far more manuscript evidence from a far earlier period than other classical works. There are just under 6000 NT manuscripts, with copies of most of the NT dating from just 100 years or so after its writing. Classical sources almost always have fewer than 20 copies each and usually date from 700-1400 years after the composition of the work. In this regard, the classics are not as well attested. While this doesn’t guarantee truthfulness, it means that it is much easier to reconstruct the New Testament text. Regarding genre, the Gospels are usually taken today to be examples of Roman biographies.[20]
From the above we can clearly see that none of the manuscripts from the Old and New Testament date back to the time of any of the prophets and messengers who delivered the word of God. What we have today are manuscripts that are dated more than a century after the prophets. The Old Testament manuscripts were written in Hebrew but from Bart’s article we can see that Moses would have most likely have written in Egyptian having been brought up in the Egyptian court. This also applies to Soloman and David, who lived before Moses would have written in the semetic language they spoke. There is no real evidence that shows us exactly what language they spoke. What we have are only assumptions made by scholars. There is no way they would have spoken Hebrew as we find in the manuscripts. The same applies to Jesus who Spoke Aramaic. The text of the manuscripts we have today is definitely not original as they were translations of translations translations of translations, copies of copies or copies or copies. Evidence shows that translations can vary quite a bit from one translator to the next not to mention additional text that could have been added by the translators and writers.
Composition of the Old Testament Books
The first five books – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, book of Numbers and Deuteronomy – reached their present form in the Persian period (538–332 BC), and their authors were the elite of exilic returnees who controlled the Temple at that time.[21] The books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings follow, forming a history of Israel from the Conquest of Canaan to the Siege of Jerusalem c. 587 BC. There is a broad consensus among scholars that these originated as a single work (the so-called “Deuteronomistic history”) during the Babylonian exile of the 6th century BC.[22]
The two Books of Chronicles cover much the same material as the Pentateuch and Deuteronomistic history and probably date from the 4th century BC.[23] Chronicles, and Ezra–Nehemiah, were probably finished during the 3rd century BC.[24] Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments contain two (Catholic Old Testament) to four (Orthodox) Books of Maccabees, written in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
These history books make up around half the total content of the Old Testament. Of the remainder, the books of the various prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve “minor prophets” – were written between the 8th and 6th centuries BC, with the exceptions of Jonah and Daniel, which were written much later.[25] The “wisdom” books – Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Song of Solomon – have various dates: Proverbs possibly was completed by the Hellenistic time (332–198 BC), though containing much older material as well; Job completed by the 6th century BC; Ecclesiastes by the 3rd century BC.[26]
The majority of Biblical scholars believe that the written books were a product of the Babylonian captivity (c. 6th century BCE), based on earlier written sources and oral traditions, and that it was completed with final revisions during the post-Exilic period (c. 5th century BCE).
The Below table will show the variances in the number of books in the different Bibles. The disputed books, included in one canon but not in others, are often called the Apocrypha, a term that is sometimes used specifically to describe the books in the Catholic and Orthodox canons that are absent from the Jewish Masoretic Text and most modern Protestant Bibles. Catholics, following the Canon of Trent (1546), describe these books as deuterocanonical, while Greek Orthodox Christians, following the Synod of Jerusalem (1672), use the traditional name of anagignoskomena, meaning “that which is to be read.” They are present in a few historic Protestant versions; the German Luther Bible included such books, as did the English 1611 King James Version.
Christians most often say that the Bible writters was inspired or moved by the Holy Spirit when writing and compiling the Bible and hence it is the word of God breathed but yet we find different Bilbles having different amount of books. Therefore, we find that scholars refute the claim as the Holy Spirit will not inspire the composing of a different number of books in each case
SYNOPTIC GOSPELS (NEW TESTAMENT)
Scholars believe that the four books were probably written between AD 66 and 110 and that all for the writers where anonymous. They confirmed that the four writers were not eyewitnesses. There is zero proof that any of the disciples has written down anything. Most of the disciples were poor fishermen. The fact that they were poor also tells us that they were not educated and could most probably not read or write. In ancient times, papyrus paper was relatively expensive and was primarily used by the wealthy and for official documents.
Professor Bart Ehrman writes: “To begin with, the New Testament itself indicates that the apostle John was a fisherman by trade. How well educated were fishermen in rural Galilee? We actually have a reliable answer to that. They were not educated at *all*. The vast majority of people in Galilee had zero education. There were not day schools; the only people who got education were urban elites – the wealthy upper crust who lived in major urban areas”
The other problem we face is that the disciples who were in no way educated and would never be able to memorise word for word what Jesus said. It is impossible. Not even in today’s times can the most educated scholars remember word for word what is spoken in a lecture and scholars today have been studying most of their lives.
Even if we accept that there is the slightest possibility that Mathew, Mark, Luke and John were the writers and where eyewitnesses, why did they wait 66-70 AD to 110 years to write their books? Matthew died 60 AD, Mark died around 68 AD, Luke died around the age of 100 AD and John died around 99 AD. At the time the books were written most of them were dead. How did dead disciples write the books? Even if they were alive there would be quite old, how could they have remembered word for word what Jesus said?
The simple facts are that the books we have today are merely stories told over and over and only finally written down centuries later. You can read below for yourself what scholars have written about the Gospels.
The four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John comprise the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible and were probably written between AD 66 and 110.[27][28][29] All four were anonymous (the modern names were added in the 2nd century), almost certainly none were eyewitnesses, and all were the end-products of long oral and written transmission.[30] They are a subset of the genre of ancient biography, but ancient biographies should not be confused with modern ones,[31] and often included propaganda and kerygma (preaching);[32] yet while there is no guarantee that the events which they describe are historically accurate, in the quest for the historical Jesus (pbuh), scholars believe that it is possible to differentiate Jesus’ (pbuh) own views from those of his later followers.[33][34]
Many non-canonical gospels were also written, all later than the four canonical gospels, and like them advocating the particular theological views of their various authors.[35][36]
The Gospel of Mark probably dates from c. AD 66–70,[37] Matthew and Luke around AD 85–90,[38] and John AD 90–110.[39] Despite the traditional ascriptions, all four are anonymous, and most scholars agree that none were written by eyewitnesses;[40] a few conservative scholars defend the traditional authorship, but for a variety of reasons the majority of scholars have abandoned this view or hold it only tenuously.[41] Like the rest of the New Testament, they were written in Greek.[42]
Historical Reliability of the Gospels
The historical reliability of the Gospels refers to the reliability and historic character of the four New Testament gospels as historical documents. While all four canonical gospels contain some sayings and events which may meet one or more of the five criteria for historical reliability used in biblical studies,[Notes 1] the assessment and evaluation of these elements is a matter of ongoing debate.[Notes 2][17][18][19][20] Almost all scholars of antiquity agree that a human Jesus existed,[21][22][23][24] but scholars differ on the historicity of specific episodes described in the Biblical accounts of Jesus,[25] and the only two events subject to “almost universal assent” are that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate.[26][27][28] Elements whose historical authenticity is disputed include the two accounts of the Nativity of Jesus, the miraculous events including the resurrection, and certain details about the crucifixion.[29][30][31][32][33][34]
According to the majority viewpoint, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, collectively referred to as the Synoptic Gospels, are the primary sources of historical information about Jesus and of the religious movement he founded.[35][36][37] The fourth gospel, the Gospel of John, differs greatly from the first three gospels. Historians often study the historical reliability of the Acts of the Apostles when studying the reliability of the gospels, as Acts was seemingly written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke.
Among scholars, a growing majority considers the Gospels to be in the genre of Ancient Greco-Roman biographies,[38][39] the same genre as Plutarch’s Life of Alexander and Life of Caesar. Typically, ancient biographies written shortly after the death of the subject include substantial history.[38] Some biblical scholars view Luke’s Gospel as ancient history rather than ancient biography.[39]
Historians subject the gospels to critical analysis, attempting to differentiate, rather than authenticate, reliable information from possible inventions, exaggerations, and alterations.[35] Since there are more than 15,000 New Testament manuscripts which present hundreds of thousands of textual variants,[40] scholars use textual criticism to determine which gospel variants could theoretically be taken as ‘original’. To answer this question, scholars have to ask who wrote the gospels, when they wrote them, what was their objective in writing them,[41] what sources the authors used, how reliable these sources were, and how far removed in time the sources were from the stories they narrate, or if they were altered later. Scholars can also look into the internal evidence of the documents, to see if, for example, the document is misquoting texts from the Hebrew Tanakh, is making claims about geography that were incorrect or if the author appears to be hiding information. Finally, scholars turn to external sources, including the testimony of early church leaders and writers outside the church (mainly Jewish and Greco-Roman historians) who would have been more likely to have criticized the early churches, and to archaeological evidence.
Matthew and Luke depend on three shared written Greek sources: the gospel of Mark; a “sayings of Jesus” collection called Q; and the Jewish scriptures in a Greek translation called the Septuagint.[42] They also contain some material unique to each: this is called the “M” material for Matthew and “L” for Luke.[43]
What I find strange is the fact that Mark was not a disciple of Jesus, yet Mathew was a disciple and Luke may have been one of the 70 appointed disciples by Jesus, yet they copied from Marks gospel when they were supposed to be disciples and eyewitnesses.
Scope and Genre
In evaluating the historical reliability of the Gospels, scholars consider authorship and date of composition,[44] intention and genre,[41] gospel sources and oral tradition,[45][46] textual criticism,[31] and historical authenticity of specific sayings and narrative events.[44]
“Gospel” or “gospels” is the standard term for the four New Testament books carrying the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, each telling of the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth (including his dealings with John the Baptist, his trial and execution, the discovery of his empty tomb, and, at least for three of them, his appearances to his disciples following his death.[48]
The genre of the gospels is essential in understanding the intentions of the authors regarding the historical value of the texts. New Testament scholar Graham Stanton states that “the gospels are now widely considered to be a sub-set of the broad ancient literary genre of biographies.”[49] Charles H. Talbert agrees that the gospels should be grouped with the Graeco-Roman biographies, but adds that such biographies included an element of mythology, and that the synoptic gospels also included elements of mythology.[18] E.P. Sanders states that “these Gospels were written with the intention of glorifying Jesus and are not strictly biographical in nature.”[35] Ingrid Maisch and Anton Vögtle writing for Karl Rahner in his encyclopedia of theological terms indicate that the gospels were written primarily as theological, not historical items.[50] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis notes that “we must conclude, then, that the genre of the Gospel is not that of pure ‘history’; but neither is it that of myth, fairy tale, or legend. In fact, ‘gospel’ constitutes a genre all its own, a surprising novelty in the literature of the ancient world.”[19]
Scholars tend to consider Luke’s works (Luke-Acts) to be closer in genre to “pure” history,[20][20][51] although they also note that “This is not to say that he [Luke] was always reliably informed, or that – any more than modern historians – he always presented a severely factual account of events.”[20] New Testament scholar James D.G. Dunn believes that “the earliest tradents within the Christian churches [were] preservers more than innovators…seeking to transmit, retell, explain, interpret, elaborate, but not create de novo…Through the main body of the Synoptic tradition, I believe, we have in most cases direct access to the teaching and ministry of Jesus as it was remembered from the beginning of the transmission process (which often predates Easter) and so fairly direct access to the ministry and teaching of Jesus through the eyes and ears of those who went about with him.”[52] Nevertheless, David Jenkins, a former Anglican Bishop of Durham and university professor, has stated that “Certainly not! There is absolutely no certainty in the New Testament about anything of importance.”[53]
From oral traditions to written gospels
In the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ death his followers expected him to return at any moment, certainly within their own lifetimes, and in consequence there was little motivation to write anything down for future generations; but as eyewitnesses began to die, and as the missionary needs of the church grew, there was an increasing demand and need for written versions of the founder’s life and teachings.[55] The stages of this process can be summarised as follows:[56]
- Oral traditions – stories and sayings passed on largely as separate self-contained units, not in any order;
- Written collections of miracle stories, parables, sayings, etc., with oral tradition continuing alongside these;
- Written proto-gospels preceding and serving as sources for the gospels;
- Canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Lukeand John composed from these sources.
The New Testament preserves signs of these oral traditions and early documents:[57] for example, parallel passages between Matthew, Mark and Luke on one hand and the Pauline epistles and the Epistle to the Hebrews on the other are typically explained by assuming that all were relying on a shared oral tradition,[58] and the dedicatory preface of Luke refers to previous written accounts of the life of Jesus.[59] The early traditions were fluid and subject to alteration, sometimes transmitted by those who had known Jesus personally, but more often by wandering prophets and teachers like the Apostle Paul, who knew him through visionary experiences.[60] The early prophets and leaders of local Christian communities and their followers were more focused on the Kingdom of God than on the life of Jesus: Paul for example, says very little about him beyond that he was “born of a woman” (meaning that he was a man and not a phantom), that he was a Jew, and that he suffered, died, and was resurrected: what mattered for Paul was not Jesus’s teachings or the details of his death and resurrection, but the kingdom.[61]
The four canonical gospels were first mentioned between 120 and 150 by Justin Martyr, who lived c.100-185.[62] Justin had no titles for them and simply called them the “memoirs of the Apostles”, but around 185 Iraneus, a bishop of Lyon who lived c.130–c.202, attributed them to: 1) Matthew, an apostle who followed Jesus in his earthly career; 2) Mark, who while himself not a disciple was the companion of Peter, was a disciple. 3) Luke, the companion of Paul, the author of the Pauline epistles; and 4) John, who like Matthew was an apostle who had known Jesus.[62] Christian apologists and most lay Christians assume on the basis of 4th century Church teaching that the gospels were written by the Evangelists c.50-65 AD, but the scholarly consensus is that they are the work of unknown Christians and were composed c.68-110 AD.[63][62]
Role of eyewitnesses
The majority of New Testament scholars agree that the Gospels do not contain eyewitness accounts;[64] instead, the four were written in and for various Christian communities for the purpose of proclamation, and as a result they present the theologies of their communities rather than the testimony of eyewitnesses.[57] This view has been challenged in recent years, Richard Bauckham, for example, arguing that each gospel is the work of a single author writing from personal knowledge of the career of Jesus, with the differences between them arising from the gospel-writers’ attempts to interpret Jesus and his mission.[65] This differs markedly from the majority view, in which the traditions behind each gospel were formed by communities (and therefore fluid), and also from that of another scholar, James Dunn, who allowed eyewitnesses an important role in formulating the traditions while still keeping the various Christian communities.[67] At stake was (or is) the scholarly process called form criticism, which looks at the social situation (the sitz im leben, place in life) in which texts and traditions arise and are formed: for Bauckham and others, community is irrelevant, because the tradition is derived from the eyewitnesses and carefully guarded.[67]
Bauckham’s thesis has clear implications for the reliability of the gospels: they can be trusted because they are based on eyewitness testimony.[68] Nevertheless, evangelical scholar Craig Blomberg says that the main finding of source criticism, namely an initial period of oral tradition, is well founded.[69] Luke in the prologue to his gospel (Luke 1:1–4) seems to bear out the findings of critical scholarship regarding the formation of the gospels: sources consisting of “things…handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses” (oral tradition), written sources by the “many [who] have undertaken to draw up an account” (for Luke, including at least Mark and possibly Matthew), and those like Luke himself who wished to write his own account, corresponding to the redaction of theologically-motivated gospels.[69]
Where the Writers of the New Testament Eyewitnesses?
Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the synoptic gospels because they share many stories (the technical term is pericopes), sometimes even identical wording; finding an explanation for their similarities, and also their differences, is known as the synoptic problem,[70] and most scholars believe that the best solution to the problem is that Mark was the first gospel to be written and served as the source for the other two[71] – alternative theories exist, but create more problems than they solve.[43]
Matthew and Luke also share a large amount of material which is not found in Mark; this appears in the same order in each, although not always in the same contexts, leading scholars to the conclusion that in addition to Mark they also shared a lost source called the Q document (from “Quelle”, the German word for “source);[43] its existence and use alongside Mark by the authors of Matthew and Luke seems the most convincing solution to the synoptic problem.[72]
Matthew and Luke contain some material unique to each, called the M source (or Special Matthew) for Matthew and the L source (Special Luke) for Luke.[43] The pericopes from M and L include some of the best-known stories in the gospels, such as the stories of the birth of Christ and the parables of the good Samaritan and the “pearl of great price”.[73]
The Hebrew scriptures were also an important source for all three, and for John.[74] Direct quotations number 27 in Mark, 54 in Matthew, 24 in Luke, and 14 in John, and the influence of the scriptures is vastly increased when allusions and echoes are included.[75] Half of Mark’s gospel, for example, is made up of allusions to and citations of the scriptures, which he uses to structure his narrative and to present his understanding of the ministry, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus (for example, the final cry from the cross, “My Lord, my Lord, why have you you forsaken me?” is a quotation from psalm 22:2: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”[76] Matthew contains all Mark’s quotations and introduces around 30 more, sometimes in the mouth of Jesus, sometimes as his own commentary on the narrative,[77] and Luke makes allusions to all but three of the Old Testament books.[78]
Mark
Tradition holds that the gospel was written by Mark the Evangelist, St. Peter’s interpreter, but its reliance on several underlying sources, varying in form and in theology, makes this unlikely.[79] Most scholars believe it was written shortly before or after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70,[80] and internal evidence suggests that it probably originated in Syria or Palestine among a Christian community consisting at least partly of non-Jews who spoke Greek rather than Aramaic and did not understand Jewish culture.[81]
Scholars since the 19th century have regarded Mark as the first of the gospels (called the theory of Markan priority).[Notes 3] Markan priority led to the belief that Mark must be the most reliable of the gospels, but today there is a large consensus that the author of Mark was not intending to write history.[82] Mark preserves memories of real people (including the disciples), places and circumstances, but it is based on previously existing traditions which have been selected and arranged by the author to express his understanding of the significance of Jesus.[81]
Mark is a counter-narrative to the myth of Imperial rule crafted by Vespasian.[83] In 1901 William Wrede demonstrated that Mark was not a simple historical account of the life of Jesus but a work of theology compiled by an author who was a creative artist.[84] There has been little interest in his sources until recently, but candidates include the Elijah-Elisha narrative in the Book of Kings and the Pauline letters, notably 1 Corinthians, and even Homer.[85]
Maurice Casey believes that Mark’s gospel contains traces of literal translations of Aramaic sources, and that this implies, in some cases, a sitz im leben in the lifetime of Jesus and a very early date for the gospel.[86]
Matthew and Luke
The consensus of scholars dates Matthew and Luke to 80-90 AD.[79][Notes 4] The scholarly consensus is that Matthew originated in a “Matthean community” in Antioch (a city in Syria);[80] Luke was written in a large city west of Palestine,[81] for an educated Greek-speaking audience.[82] Scholars doubt that the authors were the evangelists Matthew and Luke: it seems unlikely, for example, that Matthew would rely so heavily on Mark if its author had been an eyewitness to Jesus’s ministry,[83] or that the Acts of Apostles (by the same author as the gospel of Luke) would so frequently contradict the Pauline letters if its author had been Paul’s companion.[81][84] Instead, the two took for their sources the gospel of Mark (606 of Matthew’s verses are taken from Mark, 320 of Luke’s),[85] the Q source, and the “special” material of M and L.
The consensus of scholars dates Matthew and Luke to 80-90 AD.[87][Notes 4] The scholarly consensus is that Matthew originated in a “Matthean community” in Antioch (a city in Syria);[88] Luke was written in a large city west of Palestine,[89] for an educated Greek-speaking audience.[90] Scholars doubt that the authors were the evangelists Matthew and Luke: it seems unlikely, for example, that Matthew would rely so heavily on Mark if its author had been an eyewitness to Jesus’s ministry,[91] or that the Acts of Apostles (by the same author as the gospel of Luke) would so frequently contradict the Pauline letters if its author had been Paul’s companion.[89][92] Instead, the two took for their sources the gospel of Mark (606 of Matthew’s verses are taken from Mark, 320 of Luke’s),[93] the Q source, and the “special” material of M and L.
Q (Quelle)
Mark has 661 verses, 637 of which are reproduced in Matthew and/or Luke.[93] Matthew and Luke share a further 200 verses (roughly) which are not taken from Mark: this is called the Q source.[93][Notes 5] Q is usually dated about a decade earlier than Mark;[94] some scholars argue that it was a single written document, others for multiple documents, and others that there was a core written Q accompanied by an oral tradition.[95] Despite ongoing debate over its exact content – some Q materials in Matthew and Luke are identical word for word, but others are substantially different – there is general consensus about the passages that belong to it.[96] It has no passion story and no resurrection, but the Aramaic form of some sayings suggests that its nucleus reaches back to the earliest Palestinian community and even the lifetime of Jesus.[97]
Identifying the community of Q and the circumstances in which it was created and used is difficult, but it probably originated in Galilee, in a movement in opposition to the leadership in Jerusalem, as a set of short speeches relating to specific occasions such as covenant-renewal, the commissioning of missionaries, prayers for the Kingdom of God, and calling down divine judgement on their enemies the Pharisees.[98] A large majority of scholars consider it to be among the oldest and most reliable material in the gospels.[99]
M and L (Special Matthew and Special Luke)
The premise that Matthew and Luke used sources in addition to Mark and Q is fairly widely accepted, although many details are disputed, including whether they were written or oral, or the invention of the gospel authors, or Q material that happened to be used by only one gospel, or a combination of these.[100]
John
The Gospel of John speaks of an unnamed “disciple whom Jesus loved” as the source of its traditions, but does not say specifically that he is its author;[101] Christian tradition identifies him as the John the Apostle, but the majority of modern scholars have abandoned this or hold it only tenuously.[102][Notes 6] Most scholars believe it was written c. 90–110 AD,[103] at Ephesus in Anatolia (although other possibilities are Antioch, Northern Syria, Palestine and Alexandria)[104] and went through two or three “editions” before reaching its final form, although a minority continue to support unitary composition.[105][103]
The fact that the format of John follows that set by Mark need not imply that the author knew Mark, for there are no identical or almost-identical passages; rather, this was most probably the accepted shape for a gospel by the time John was written.[106] Nevertheless, John’s discourses are full of synoptic-like material: some scholars think this indicates that the author knew the synoptics, although others believe it points instead to a shared base in the oral tradition.[107] John nevertheless differs radically from them:[108][109]
Synoptics | John |
Begin with the virgin conception (virgin birth – Matthew and Luke only) | Begin with incarnation of the preexistent Logos/Word |
Jesus visits Jerusalem only in the last week of his life; only one Passover | Jesus active in Judea for much of his mission; three Passovers |
Jesus speaks little of himself | Jesus speaks much of himself, notably in the “I am” statements |
Jesus calls for faith in God | Jesus calls for faith in himself |
Jesus’s central theme is the Kingdom of God | Jesus rarely mentions the Kingdom of God |
Jesus preaches repentance and forgiveness | Jesus never mentions repentance and forgiveness only once (John 20:23) |
Jesus speaks in aphorisms and parables | Jesus speaks in lengthy dialogues |
Jesus rarely mentions eternal life | Jesus regularly mentions eternal life |
Jesus shows strong concern for the poor and sinners | Jesus shows little concern for the poor and sinners |
Jesus frequently exorcises demons | Jesus never exorcises demons |
Are the Gospels Historically Reliable?
Textual Variants in the New Testament
Textual criticism deals with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts. Ancient scribes made errors or alterations (such as including non-authentic additions).[110] In attempting to determine the original text of the New Testament books, some modern textual critics have identified sections as additions to material, centuries after the gospel was written. These are called interpolations. In modern translations of the Bible, the results of textual criticism have led to certain verses, words and phrases being left out or marked as not original.
For example, there are a number of Bible verses in the New Testament that are present in the King James Version (KJV) but are absent from most modern Bible translations. Most modern textual scholars consider these verses interpolations (exceptions include advocates of the Byzantine or Majority text). The verse numbers have been reserved, but without any text, so as to preserve the traditional numbering of the remaining verses. The Biblical scholar Bart D. Ehrman notes that many current verses were not part of the original text of the New Testament. “These scribal additions are often found in late medieval manuscripts of the New Testament, but not in the manuscripts of the earlier centuries,” he adds. “And because the King James Bible is based on later manuscripts, such verses “became part of the Bible tradition in English-speaking lands.”[111] He notes, however, that modern English translations, such as the New International Version, were written by using a more appropriate textual method.[112]
Most modern Bibles have footnotes to indicate passages that have disputed source documents. Bible Commentaries also discuss these, sometimes in great detail. While many variations have been discovered between early copies of biblical texts, most of these are variations in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Also, many of these variants are so particular to the Greek language that they would not appear in translations into other languages.[113]
Three of the most important interpolations are the last verses of the Gospel of Mark[106][107][108] the story of the adulterous woman in the Gospel of John,[114][115][116] and the explicit reference to the Trinity in 1 John to have been a later addition.[120][121]
The New Testament has been preserved in more than 5,800 fragmentary Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin manuscripts and 9,300 manuscripts in various other ancient languages including Syriac, Slavic, Ethiopic and Armenian. Not all biblical manuscripts come from orthodox Christian writers. For example, the Gnostic writings of Valentinus come from the 2nd century AD, and these Christians were regarded as heretics by the mainstream church.[122] The sheer number of witnesses presents unique difficulties, although it gives scholars a better idea of how close modern bibles are to the original versions.[122] Bruce Metzger says “The more often you have copies that agree with each other, especially if they emerge from different geographical areas, the more you can cross-check them to figure out what the original document was like. The only way they’d agree would be where they went back genealogically in a family tree that represents the descent of the manuscripts.[113]
In “The Text Of The New Testament“, Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland compare the total number of variant-free verses, and the number of variants per page (excluding orthographic errors), among the seven major editions of the Greek NT (Tischendorf, Westcott-Hort, von Soden, Vogels, Merk, Bover and Nestle-Aland), concluding that 62.9%, or 4,999/7,947, are in agreement.[123] They concluded, “Thus in nearly two-thirds of the New Testament text, the seven editions of the Greek New Testament which we have reviewed are in complete accord, with no differences other than in orthographical details (e.g., the spelling of names). Verses in which any one of the seven editions differs by a single word are not counted. … In the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation the agreement is less, while in the letters it is much greater”[123] Per Aland and Aland, the total consistency achieved in the Gospel of Matthew was 60% (642 verses out of 1,071), the total consistency achieved in the Gospel of Mark was 45% (306 verses out of 678), the total consistency achieved in the Gospel of Luke was 57% (658 verses out of 1,151), and the total consistency achieved in the Gospel of John was 52% (450 verses out of 869).[123] Almost all of these variants are minor, and most of them are spelling or grammatical errors. Almost all can be explained by some type of unintentional scribal mistake, such as poor eyesight. Very few variants are contested among scholars, and few or none of the contested variants carry any theological significance. Modern biblical translations reflect this scholarly consensus where the variants exist, while the disputed variants are typically noted as such in the translations.[124]
A quantitative study on the stability of the New Testament compared early manuscripts to later manuscripts, up to the Middle Ages, with the Byzantine manuscripts, and concluded that the text had more than 90% stability over this time period.[125] It has been estimated that only 0.1% to 0.2% of the New Testament variants impact the meaning of the texts in any significant fashion.[125]
The parable of the Good Samaritan appears to be an invention by the author of Luke.[126]
Other Varients
Authors such as Raymond Brown point out that the Gospels contradict each other in various important respects and in various important details.[127] W. D. Davies and E. P. Sanders state that: “on many points, especially about Jesus’ early life, the evangelists were ignorant … they simply did not know and, guided by rumour, hope or supposition, did the best they could”.[128]
Preexistence of Jesus
The gospel of John begins with a statement that the Logos existed from the beginning, and was God. There is however no reference to Jesus being with God in he Beginning in the other Gospels. The creation story seems mostly likely to be copied from Genesis and the writer included Jesus in the beginning and then claiming Jesus to be God.
Genealogy, nativity and childhood of Jesus
The genealogy, birth and childhood of Jesus appear only in Matthew and Luke, and are ascribed to Special Matthew and Special Luke. Only Luke and Matthew have nativity narratives. Modern critical scholars consider both to be non-historical.[129][130][131] Many biblical scholars view the discussion of historicity as secondary, given that gospels were primarily written as theological documents rather than historical accounts.[132][133][134][135] The nativity narratives found in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:1–17) and the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:23–38) give a genealogy of Jesus, but the names, and even the number of generations, differ between the two. Some authors have suggested that the differences are the result of two different lineages, Matthew’s from King David’s son, Solomon, to Jacob, father of Joseph, and Luke’s from King David’s other son, Nathan, to Heli, father of Mary and father-in-law of Joseph.[136] However, Geza Vermes argues that Luke makes no mention of Mary, and questions what purpose a maternal genealogy would serve in a Jewish setting.[137]
Dating the birth of Jesus
Both Luke and Matthew date Jesus’ birth to within the rule of King Herod the Great, who died in 4BC.[138][139] However the Gospel of Luke also dates the birth ten years after Herod’s death, during the census of Quirinius in 6 AD described by the historian Josephus.[138] Raymond E. Brown notes that “most critical scholars acknowledge a confusion and misdating on Luke’s part.”[140]
Teachings of Jesus
Only a few of the parables can be attributed with confidence to the historical Jesus.[141] Most of them come from the M and L sources (rather than Mark or Q), but marked by the special language and theology of each of those gospels; this leads to the conclusion that they are not the original words of Jesus, but have been reworked by the gospel-authors.[142]
Passion Narrative
The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem recalls the entry of Judas Maccabeus; the Last Supper is mentioned only in the synoptics.[143]
Death of Judas
There is a contradiction regarding the death of Judas Iscariot with the account of his death in Acts differing from the one given in Matthew.[144] In Matthew 27:3–8, Judas returns the bribe he has been given for handing over Jesus, throwing the money into the temple before he hangs himself. The temple priests, unwilling to return the defiled money to the treasury,[145] use it instead to buy a field known as the Potter’s Field, as a plot in which to bury strangers. In Acts 1:18 Peter says that Judas used the bribe money to buy the field himself, and his death is attributed to injuries from having fallen in this field. Other scholars state that contradictory stories can be reconciled.[146][147]
Internal Inconsistencies
There are many places in the Bible in with inconsistencies—such as different numbers and names for the same feature, and different sequences for the same events—have been alleged and presented by critics as difficulties.[46] Responses to these criticisms include the modern documentary hypothesis, the two-source hypothesis, and theories that the pastoral epistles are pseudonymous.[47]: p.47
However, authors such as Raymond Brown have presented arguments that the Gospels contradict each other in various important respects and on various important details.[48] W. D. Davies and E. P. Sanders state that: “on many points, especially about Jesus’ early life, the evangelists were ignorant … they simply did not know, and, guided by rumour, hope or supposition, did the best they could”.[49] Yet, E.P. Sanders has also opined, “The dominant view today seems to be that we can know pretty well what Jesus was out to accomplish, that we can know a lot about what he said, and that those two things make sense within the world of first-century Judaism.”[50] More critical scholars see the nativity stories either as completely fictional accounts,[51] or at least constructed from traditions that predate the Gospels.[52][53]
For example, many versions of the Bible specifically point out that the most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses did not include Mark 16:9–20, i.e., the Gospel of Mark originally ended at Mark 16:8, and additional verses were added a few hundred years later. This is known as the “Markan Appendix”.[54][55][56]
Regarding the errors in between the Gospels, many scholars and bible critics abnegate the Christian belief that the Bible is inspired by God or the literal word of God, taken from the exegesis of 2 Timothy 3:16. To argue the claim, scholars have found many errors, contradictions, and forgeries, which are supposed to disprove the claim.
With regards to the Old Testament, there is an error in 2 Kings 8:26 where it says Ahaziah of Judah was 22 when he became king, but in 2 Chronicles 22:2 it says he was 42 when he began to reign. According to some Christian apologists[57] the explanation to this would be saying he first reigned at 22 like it says in 2 kings 8:26, and then he got kidnapped by the Arabians and Philistines for 20 years and then came back to the throne at 42, just like what it says in 2 Chronicles 2:22. One of the main issues with that is when you look at earlier manuscripts of 2 Chronicles, like the Septuagint, it says 20 years, not 42.[58] Not only is this proof the Bible has been changed, it is also a mathematical error. Nobody can become king at 22, captured by an invading army, and 20 years later, when he is free and is king again, he is 2 years younger than the original age he became king.
The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture
Bart Ehrman presents a challenge to Christians. His challenge is in the area of textual criticism. His main point is this: We do not have the original pieces of paper on which Mark wrote his Gospel. We do not have a copy of that document. We do not have a copy of the copy of the copy of that document. What we have are copies of copies of copies. How then can we be sure what the original document said?
Most Christians will respond that the documents were carefully copied. Ehrman counters that the earliest copies we have, the papyri, are the ones that contain the most mistakes and display the least careful methods of copying. Ehrman will grant that the texts were carefully and meticulously copied in the fifth and sixth centuries but in his view that doesn’t matter because by that time the mistakes had already crept in.
Ehrman has high credentials as a text critic. He received his PhD from Princeton under Bruce Metzger. He is also very good at presenting his views to a popular audience. In the following paragraphs I will summarize his book, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, and then offer a few apologetic responses, drawn from a collection of essays edited by Dan Wallace, Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament.
Ehrman’s main point in Orthodox Corruption is that the church in the second and third centuries was embroiled in Christological controversies. Ehrman says that the orthodox scribes altered the text of Scripture so that certain passages could not be used by their heretical opponents.
For example, the Adoptionists said that Jesus was a regular man and nothing more. The Adoptionists said that Jesus was a very righteous man and so was adopted by God to be his son. This adoption was usually said to have taken place at his baptism.
Ehrman says that this Christological controversy caused scribes to change the text of the account of Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3. In most manuscripts, Luke 3:22 says, “And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” But Codex D, some Old Latin manuscripts, and some church fathers have a different reading: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” Ehrman argues that orthodox scribes saw the word “today,” realized that it could be used by Adoptionists, and took out the line, “today I have begotten you.” (73-79).
Another of Ehrman’s examples comes from Matthew 24:36. Jesus in his great eschatological discourse says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Some manuscripts do not have “nor the Son.” Ehrman says that the orthodox scribes took it out because it compromises Jesus’ divinity. (107-108)
Ehrman has many other examples, but the most explosive part of his book actually comes in the “Afterward,” written some years after his book was first published in 1993. In the “Afterward” he makes the argument, repeated many times in live debates with Dan Wallace, that there is no way of knowing how much the texts changed from the time they were first written until the time of our first manuscripts 50 to 100 years later. This is the most serious challenge that demands our attention.
Bart D. Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar, currently the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a leading scholar in his field, having written and edited over 25 books, including three college textbooks, and has also achieved acclaim at the popular level, authoring five New York Times bestsellers. Ehrman’s work focuses on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the development of early Christianity.
Daniel Wallace is professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also the founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, the purpose of which is digitizing all known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament via digital photographs.
The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, by Bart Ehrman. Oxford: University Press, 2011. 401 pages.
Your Bible is CORRUPTED | Prof. Bart D. Ehrman
Translation Issues
Translation of scripture into the vernacular (such as English and hundreds of other languages), though a common phenomenon, is also a subject of debate and criticism.[59] For readability, clarity, or other reasons, translators may choose different wording or sentence structure, and some translations may choose to paraphrase passages. Because many of the words in the original language have ambiguous or difficult to translate meanings, debates over correct interpretation occur. For instance, at creation (Gen 1:2), is רוח אלהים (ruach ‘elohiym) the “wind of god”, “spirit of god”(i.e., the Holy Spirit in Christianity), or a “mighty wind” over the primordial deep? In Hebrew, רוח (ruach) can mean “wind”, “breath” or “spirit”. Both ancient and modern translators are divided over this and many other such ambiguities.[60][61][62][63] Another example is the word used in the Masoretic Text[64] to indicate the woman who would bear Immanuel is alleged to mean a young, unmarried woman in Hebrew, while Matthew 1:23 follows the Septuagint version of the passage that uses the Greek word parthenos, translated virgin, and is used to support the Christian idea of virgin birth. Those who view the Masoretic Text, which forms the basis of most English translations of the Old Testament, as being more accurate than the Septuagint, and trust its usual translation, may see this as an inconsistency, whereas those who take the Septuagint to be accurate may not.
More recently, several discoveries of ancient manuscripts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Codex Sinaiticus, have led to modern translations like the New International Version differing somewhat from the older ones such as the 17th century King James Version, removing verses not present in the earliest manuscripts (see List of omitted Bible verses), some of which are acknowledged as interpolations, such as the Comma Johanneum, others having several highly variant versions in very important places, such as the resurrection scene in Mark 16. The King-James-Only Movement rejects these changes and upholds the King James Version as the most accurate.[65]
In a 1973 Journal of Biblical Literature article, Philip B. Harner, Professor Emeritus of Religion at Heidelberg College, claimed that the traditional translation of John 1:1c (“and the Word was God” and one of the most frequently cited verses to support the doctrine of the Trinity) is incorrect. He endorses the New English Bible translation of John 1:1c, “and what God was, the Word was.”[66]
The Bible and Science
Common points of criticism against the Bible are targeted at the Genesis creation narrative, Genesis flood myth, and the Tower of Babel. According to young Earth creationism, flat earth theory, and geocentrism, which all take a literal view of the book of Genesis, the universe, and all forms of life on Earth were created directly by God roughly 6,000 years ago, a global flood killed almost all life on Earth, and the diversity of languages originated from God confusing his people, who were in the process of constructing a large tower. These assertions, however, are contradicted by contemporary research in disciplines, such as archaeology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, geoscience, and physics.[67] For instance, cosmological evidence suggests that the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old.[68] Analyses of the geological time scale date the Earth to be 4.5 billion years old. Developments in astronomy show the Solar System formed in a protoplanetary disk roughly 4.6 billion years ago. Physics and cosmology show that the Universe expanded, at a rapid rate, from quantum fluctuations in a process known as the Big Bang. Research within biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and geology has provided sufficient evidence to show life originated over 4 billion years ago through chemical processes. Countless fossils present throughout the fossil record, as well as research in molecular biology, genetics, anatomy, physiology, zoology, and other life sciences show all living organisms evolved over billions of years and share a common ancestry. Archaeological excavations have expanded human history, with material evidence of ancient cultures older than 6,000 years old. Moreover, 6,000 years is not enough time to account for the current amount of genetic variation in humans. If all humans were descended from two individuals that lived less than 10,000 years ago, it would require an impossibly high rate of mutation to reach humanity’s current level of genetic diversity.[69]
The argument that the literal story of Genesis can qualify as science collapses on three major grounds: the creationists’ need to invoke miracles in order to compress the events of the earth’s history into the biblical span of a few thousand years; their unwillingness to abandon claims clearly disproved, including the assertion that all fossils are products of Noah’s flood; and their reliance upon distortion, misquote, half-quote, and citation out of context to characterize the ideas of their opponents.
— Bully for Brontosaurus by Stephen Jay Gould
Evolutionary creation, the religious belief that God created the world through the processes of evolution, seeks to reconcile some of these scientific challenges with the Christian faith.
According to one of the world’s leading biblical archaeologists, William G. Dever,
Archaeology certainly doesn’t prove literal readings of the Bible…It calls them into question, and that’s what bothers some people. Most people really think that archaeology is out there to prove the Bible. No archaeologist thinks so. … From the beginnings of what we call biblical archeology, perhaps 150 years ago, scholars, mostly western scholars, have attempted to use archeological data to prove the Bible. And for a long time it was thought to work. William Albright, the great father of our discipline, often spoke of the “archeological revolution.” Well, the revolution has come but not in the way that Albright thought. The truth of the matter today is that archeology raises more questions about the historicity of the Hebrew Bible and even the New Testament than it provides answers, and that’s very disturbing to some people.[70]
Dever also wrote:
Archaeology, as it is practiced today, must be able to challenge, as well as confirm, the Bible stories. Some things described there really did happen, but others did not. The biblical narratives about Abraham, Moses, Joshua and Solomon probably reflect some historical memories of people and places, but the ‘larger than life’ portraits of the Bible are unrealistic and contradicted by the archaeological evidence….[71]
I am not reading the Bible as Scripture… I am in fact not even a theist. My view all along—and especially in the recent books—is first that the biblical narratives are indeed ‘stories’, often fictional and almost always propagandistic, but that here and there they contain some valid historical information…[72]
According to Dever, the scholarly consensus is that the figure of Moses is legendary, and not historical.[73] However, he states that a “Moses-like figure” may have existed somewhere in the southern Transjordan in the mid-13th century BC.[74]
Tel Aviv University archaeologist Ze’ev Herzog wrote in the Haaretz newspaper:
This is what archaeologists have learned from their excavations in the Land of Israel: the Israelites were never in Egypt, did not wander in the desert, did not conquer the land in a military campaign and did not pass it on to the 12 tribes of Israel. Perhaps even harder to swallow is that the united monarchy of David and Solomon, which is described by the Bible as a regional power, was at most a small tribal kingdom. And it will come as an unpleasant shock to many that the God of Israel, YHWH, had a female consort and that the early Israelite religion adopted monotheism only in the waning period of the monarchy and not at Mount Sinai.[75][76]
Israel Finkelstein told The Jerusalem Post that Jewish archaeologists have found no historical or archaeological evidence to back the biblical narrative of the Exodus, the Jews’ wandering in Sinai or Joshua’s conquest of Canaan. On the alleged Temple of Solomon, Finkelstein said that there is no archaeological evidence to prove it really existed.[77] Professor Yoni Mizrahi, an independent archaeologist who has worked with the International Atomic Energy Agency, agreed with Finkelstein.[77]
Regarding the Exodus of Israelites from Egypt, Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass said:
Really, it’s a myth … This is my career as an archaeologist. I should tell them the truth. If the people are upset, that is not my problem.[78]
Scientific Inaccuracies
1 Revelations 12:1-9, the dragon will enter heaven and wage war with the angels!
It is a classic fairy tale from a magical world.
2. Matthew 27:51-53– The resurrection of the dead at crucifixion is not mentioned by the three other gospels and is considered a fairy tale, according to the Bible’s commentaries.
3. Judges 9:7-16, trees voted for their own King. Judges 9:8 “The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them.”
4. Leviticus 11:20-23, “All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you.”
No insect with four legs exists. Insects have six legs and six feet.
5. Leviticus 11:6 “The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.”
Rabbits are lagomorphs, not ruminants; they do not chew the cud.
6. The earth is flat (1 Samuel 2:8, Job 9:6, Job 38:4, Isaiah 11:12, Revelation 7:1, Job 38:13, Jeremiah 16:19, Daniel 4:11, Psalm 93:1-3, Psalm 96:10, Psalm 104:5, 1 Chronicles 16:30, Matthew 4:8)
7. Daniel 4:10-11 declares the earth is flat: “10 These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. 11 the tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth”
8. Matthew 13:31-32 “He (Jesus) told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds,”
The mustard seed is not the smallest of all seeds. Others, such as the orchid seed, are smaller.
9. Mark 16:18 “they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Christians are so bothered by the falsehood of this verse due to the many fatalities they suffered because of it, that the Bible theologia insist on denying these verses by saying: “The most reliable early manuscript and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.”.
10. John 12:24 “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
That is scientifically false. The dead seed does not produce new seeds.
11. James 5:3 gold and silver do rust.
Gold and silver cannot rust.
12. Leviticus 12:2-5, a female causes double the pollution when she’s born than that of a boy. The mother remains unclean for 66 days after the birth of a female instead of 33 days if she gives birth to a male.
13. Corinthians 2:15, The spiritual leader is above the law; he is the supreme Law! He “The spiritual man makes judgment about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment.”
The problem with this verse is that it is absurd at best because the Christian spiritual leaders of all denominations are historically notorious for getting exposed for many scandals and corruption, stealing, misusing donations for themselves, prostitution, homosexuality, too much pedophilia, and even war mongering and persecution. So how can any man of any faith, who as a human who can go astray at any time, be above and beyond the Law be treated as the Supreme Law when he himself may be impure?”
14. 1 Kings 11:4: As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
An obvious lie. Solomon was a messenger of God, a prophet and no prophet of God has ever turned to other Gods. This would imply that God gave Solomon all his gifts, being the wisest person to ever live who could control the elements and speak to animals etc, chose badly and God did not know Solomon would turn away from God. How ridiculous and insulting to God Almightly.
15. In the Christian Bible Jesus insists that the only sign we should verify is him being in the grave for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:38-40). So we are checking: He was crucified on Friday afternoon, the day before the Sabbath (Mark 15:42) and then he was resurrected on Sunday morning (Mark 16:9). Between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning there are 36 hours. Can anyone fit within those 36 hours of three days and three nights?
16. Proverbs 6:6-8
- Go to the ant, you sluggard;consider its ways and be wise! 7It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Ants have no commander, no ruler and no overseer!
This is absurdly false, because ants live in colonies and ranks of rulership and authority and they have a queen.
On the other hand the Quran gives a perfectly accurate description of the ants.
Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said (for females قالت), “O ants, enter your homes so that you do not be crushed by Solomon and his soldiers while they do not feel it (Quran 27.18)
The Quran proves that ants speak to each other, they are intelligent, that male ants have wings and females do not that they can interpret the type of danger and when there is a threat or not. That they live and work as a colony.
- An ant said: “An ant is telling female ants who do not have wings to enter their homes or be crushed.
- It shows the ants are communicating with each other.
- Kalat : means femail. Kala is for males. The Quran used Kalat (female). Males have wings so they would fly away and no need for the warning.
- So that you do not get crushed by Solomon: here it shows that ants are intelligent and can detect danger to the extent of what will happen should they not react to the advise.
- While they do not feel it: here it shows the ants are aware that Solomon and his people are not aware of the ants and that they will crush the ants and the ants do not sound the alarm to attack Solomon and his soldiers as they do not see them as enemies to the ants. Rather, they give the command to enter their homes.
- Crushed: the ants new the consequence of people stepping onto them that they would be crushed. This shows their level of intelligence in such a small insect.
- Solomon: here the ants could identify a human being and specifically Solomon as mentioned by name. Solomon had the power to speak to animals and insects and the ants could detect that it was Solomon.
How could the prophet Mohammed have known all of this 1439 years ago? Science has only recently proven the abilities and lifestyles of ants. The bible’s account about the ants is totally incorrect.
God says in the Quran:
“We will show them Our signs in the Universe and inside their selves, until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your Lord that He is a witness over all things?” (Quran, 41:53)
Is the Bible The Word of God?
Christian belief is that the Bible is the literal word of God breathed. It is believed that God has inspired the authors to write the Bible. If this is believed to be the case then the Christian is faced with the dilemma that the collection of books in the Bible was decided upon by the early church. Jason Combs, an assistant professor at Brigham Young University specializing in ancient Christianity, says from the first through the fourth century and beyond, different church leaders and theologians made arguments about which books belonged in the canon, often casting their opponents as heretics.
The books that make up the Bible were written by various people over a period of more than 1,000 years, between 1200 B.C.E. and the first century C.E. The Bible contains a variety of literary genres, including poetry, history, songs, stories, letters and prophetic writings. These were originally written on scrolls of parchment, as opposed to being encapsulated in “books” as we think of them today. (Remember, the printing press wasn’t invented until 1440.)
Over time, the books that were deemed authentic and authoritative by the communities who used them were included in the canon and the rest were discarded. Although the bulk of that editing work ended in the late 300s, the debate over which books were theologically legit continued until at least the 16th century when church reformer Martin Luther published his German translation of the Bible.
Disputed, Spurious and Downright Heretical
Luther had issues with the book of James, which emphasized the role of “works” alongside faith, so he stuck James and Hebrews in the back of the Bible alongside Jude and Revelation, which he also thought were questionable. Combs says that in Luther’s original Bible, those four books don’t even appear in the table of contents.
Eusebius was a Christian historian writing in the early 300s who provided one of the early lists of which books were considered legit and which were borderline bogus.
Eusebius broke his list down into different categories: recognized, disputed, spurious and heretical. Among the “recognized” were the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), Acts and Paul’s epistles. Under “disputed,” Eusebius included James and Jude — the same books Luther didn’t like — plus a few others that are now considered canon, like 2 Peter, 2 John and 3 John.
When Eusebius turns to the “spurious” and “heretical” categories, we get a glimpse into just how many other texts were in circulation in the second and third century C.E. Have you ever heard of the Apocalypse of Peter, the Epistle of Barnabas or the Gospel of Thomas? Combs says that there were hundreds of texts similar to those found in the New Testament and Old Testament that didn’t make it into the canon.
Making the Cut
Why did some books make the cut and not others? Combs cites three criteria used by early church leaders. The first was authorship, whether it was believed to have been written by an apostle, by Paul or by someone close to them. Mark, for example, wasn’t an apostle, but was an interpreter for Peter. The second criterium was antiquity, with older texts taking priority over newer ones. And the third was orthodoxy, or how well the text conformed with current Christian teaching.
“That last reason is so interesting, of course, because ‘current Christian teaching’ has changed over hundreds of years,” says Combs.
While it’s not true to say that a single church council ruled on which books to include in the canon, it’s fair to say that over those first few centuries of theological debate, the winners got to decide which books would stay and which had to go.
It’s important to mention that not all Christian denominations consider the same books to be canon. Most Protestant Bibles have 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Roman Catholic Bible has 73 books including the seven known as the Apocrypha. And the Ethiopian Orthodox Church includes 81 total books in its Bible, including pseudepigraphs like 1 Enoch and Jubilee.
What are the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha?
The word “apocrypha” comes from the Greek for “hidden” or “secret.” It’s a little confusing, because the word apocrypha is used in a couple of different ways when talking about books outside of the standard biblical canon.
First, there’s the category of “New Testament Apocrypha” which includes a long list of non-canonical texts written mostly in the second century C.E. and beyond that pertains to Jesus and his apostles. As Combs says, there are hundreds of these texts and we don’t have written specimens for all of them.
Then there’s a subset of Old Testament books that are included in the Roman Catholic Bible. These seven books, including Tobit, Judith, and 1 & 2 Maccabees, are published between the Old and New Testaments in the Catholic Bible and called “the Apocrypha” or sometimes the “Deuterocanon” which means “second canon.”
And then there’s a third category called “pseudepigrapha” from the Greek for “false author.” This list includes more than 50 texts written between 200 B.C.E. and 200 C.E. by both Jewish and Christian writers expanding on stories and characters from the Old Testament. Notable Old Testament pseudepigrapha include 1 Enoch, Jubilee and the Treatise of Shem.
Stories You Didn’t Learn in Sunday School
Many of the New Testament texts familiar to Christians today were already being used authoritatively already in the second century, but different congregations preferred some texts over others and included some texts that don’t appear in the New Testament. Here are a few:
The Gospel of Peter: Only a fragment of this text was recovered in 1886 in Egypt, but it includes the only narrative account of the resurrected Jesus leaving his tomb. According to Peter’s version, two giant angels descended to the tomb and escorted the resurrected Jesus out, who was also suddenly gigantic. But the oddest note was that the three figures were followed by a floating cross that could talk.
“And they heard a voice from the heavens, saying, ‘Thou hast preached to them that sleep.’ And a response was heard from the cross: ‘Yea.'”
The Gospel of Mary: Combs says that some apocryphal texts reflected theological and doctrinal debates going on within the early church, such as the role of women. In the Gospel of Mary (discovered in the late 19th century), Mary Magdalene is not only referred to as one of Jesus’s disciples, but perhaps his favorite one. In this text, after Jesus is resurrected, he relays esoteric teachings to Mary, who then tells the other disciples. Peter asks why they should listen to a woman, to which another disciple Levi [Matthew] responds:
“If the Savior made her worthy, who are you then, for your part, to cast her aside? Surely the Savior knows her full well. That is why he has loved her more than us.”
1 Enoch: Purportedly written by the ancient prophet Enoch before the time of Noah, this text was well-known to early Christians like third-century theologian Tertullian and quoted as authoritative scripture. The text is famous for its description of the “Watchers,” fallen angels mentioned briefly in the Old Testament book of Genesis. These angels lusted after human women and came down to Earth to be with them, creating giant offspring. In 1 Enoch, these angels also introduce evil into the world in the form of weapons, magic and sexy makeup.
From the summation of Jasen Combs we can see that the letters and scrolls that made up the Bible we know today was chosen by the church out of thousands of manuscripts. For each of the denominations we see a different list of books that were chosen. Are we to assume that all those manuscripts are inspired by God or God breathed? What if the church chose the manuscripts that were now not part of the bible instead of the current books? That would then also be considered God breathed or inspired. Clearly, from what we see the claim of God inspired or God breathed are merely words used by the church to give authority to the Bible in the same way that we have seen the that almost all of the letters and manuscripts have not names or even siged by the authors and it was once again the church who assigned names to them to give them authority. Referring back to the start of the chapter of Christianity, you have already read about the historical Bible and we can see that it can in no way be considered God breathed or God inspired for the simple reason that there are just too many disparities, too many fabrications and too many errors as we have seen and as more errors and contradictions will arise as we proceed.
There are many articles that can be found on scholars that doubt the authenticity of the traditional gospel authors. There is an interesting paper published by Matthew Wade Furgison with the title: Why Scholar Doubt the Traditional Authors of the Gopels (2017). The paper can be found here:
https://infidels.org/library/modern/matthew_ferguson/gospel-authors.html
His paper explains the doubtful nature of the traditional authors.
The Dead Sea Scrolls Mystery Solved
Recent finds may help reveal who wrote the seminal scrolls. For starters, they may hail from the purported home of the Ark of the Covenant.
By: Ker Than – Published July 27, 2010
The recent decoding of a cryptic cup, the excavation of ancient Jerusalem tunnels, and other archaeological detective work may help solve one of the great biblical mysteries: Who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?
The new clues hint that the scrolls, which include some of the oldest known biblical documents, may have been the textual treasures of several groups, hidden away during wartime—and may even be “the great treasure from the Jerusalem Temple,” which held the Ark of the Covenant, according to the Bible.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered more than 60 years ago in seaside caves near an ancient settlement called Qumran. The conventional wisdom is that a breakaway Jewish sect called the Essenes—thought to have occupied Qumran during the first centuries B.C. and A.D.—wrote all the parchment and papyrus scrolls.
But new research suggests many of the Dead Sea Scrolls originated elsewhere and were written by multiple Jewish groups, some fleeing the circa-A.D. 70 Roman siege that destroyed the legendary temple in Jerusalem.
“Jews wrote the Scrolls, but it may not have been just one specific group. It could have been groups of different Jews,” said Robert Cargill, an archaeologist who appears in the documentary Writing the Dead Sea Scrolls, which airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel. (The National Geographic Channel is part-owned by the National Geographic Society, which owns National Geographic News.)
The new view is by no means the consensus, however, among Dead Sea Scrolls scholars.
“I have a feeling it’s going to be very disputed,” said Lawrence Schiffman, a professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University (NYU).
Dead Sea Scrolls Written by Ritual Bathers?
In 1953, a French archaeologist and Catholic priest named Roland de Vaux led an international team to study the mostly Hebrew scrolls, which a Bedouin shepherd had discovered in 1947.
De Vaux concluded that the scrolls’ authors had lived in Qumran, because the 11 scroll caves are close to the site.
Ancient Jewish historians had noted the presence of Essenes in the Dead Sea region, and de Vaux argued Qumran was one of their communities after his team uncovered numerous remains of pools that he believed to be Jewish ritual baths.
His theory appeared to be supported by the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves, some of which contained guidelines for communal living that matched ancient descriptions of Essene customs.
“The scrolls describe communal dining and ritual bathing instructions consistent with Qumran’s archaeology,” explained Cargill, of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Dead Sea Scrolls: “Great Treasure From the Temple”?
Recent findings by Yuval Peleg, an archaeologist who has excavated Qumran for 16 years, are challenging long-held notions of who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Artifacts discovered by Peleg’s team during their excavations suggest Qumran once served as an ancient pottery factory. The supposed baths may have actually been pools to capture and separate clay.
And on Jerusalem’s Mount Zion, archaeologists recently discovered and deciphered a two-thousand-year-old cup with the phrase “Lord, I have returned” inscribed on its sides in a cryptic code similar to one used in some of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
To some experts, the code suggests that religious leaders from Jerusalem authored at least some of the scrolls.
“Priests may have used cryptic texts to encode certain texts from nonpriestly readers,” Cargill told National Geographic News.
According to an emerging theory, the Essenes may have actually been Jerusalem Temple priests who went into self-imposed exile in the second century B.C., after kings unlawfully assumed the role of high priest.
This group of rebel priests may have escaped to Qumran to worship God in their own way. While there, they may have written some of the texts that would come to be known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Essenes may not have abandoned all of their old ways at Qumran, however, and writing in code may have been one of the practices they preserved.
It’s also possible that some of the scrolls weren’t written at Qumran but were instead spirited away from the Temple for safekeeping, Cargill said.
“I think it dramatically changes our understanding of the Dead Sea Scrolls if we see them as documents produced by priests,” he says in the new documentary.
“Gone is the Ark of the Covenant. We’re never going to find Noah’s Ark, the Holy Grail. These things, we’re never going to see,” he added. “But we just may very well have documents from the Temple in Jerusalem. It would be the great treasure from the Jerusalem Temple.”
(Also see “King Herod’s Tomb Unearthed Near Jerusalem, Expert Says.”)
Dead Sea Scrolls From Far and Wide?
Many modern archaeologists such as Cargill believe the Essenes authored some, but not all, of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Recent archeological evidence suggests disparate Jewish groups may have passed by Qumran around A.D. 70, during the Roman siege of Jerusalem, which destroyed the Temple and much of the rest of the city.
A team led by Israeli archaeologist Ronnie Reich recently discovered ancient sewers beneath Jerusalem. In those sewers they found artifacts—including pottery and coins—that they dated to the time of the siege. (Related: “Underground Tunnels Found in Israel Used In Ancient Jewish Revolt.”)
The finds suggest that the sewers may have been used as escape routes by Jews, some of whom may have been smuggling out cherished religious scrolls, according to Writing the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Importantly, the sewers lead to the Valley of Kidron. From there it’s only a short distance to the Dead Sea—and Qumran.
The jars in which the scrolls were found may provide additional evidence that the Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of disparate sects’ texts.
Jan Gunneweg of Hebrew University in Jerusalem performed chemical analysis on vessel fragments from the Qumran-area caves.
“We take a piece of ceramic, we grind it, we send it to a nuclear reactor, where it’s bombarded with neutrons, then we can measure the chemical fingerprint of the clay of which the pottery was made,” Gunneweg says in the documentary.
“Since there is no clay on Earth with the exact chemical composition—it is like DNA—you can point to a specific area and say this pottery was made here, that pottery was made over here.”
Gunneweg’s conclusion: Only half of the pottery that held the Dead Sea Scrolls is local to Qumran.
Scroll Theory “Rejected by Everyone”
Not everyone agrees with the idea that Dead Sea Scrolls may hail from beyond Qumran.
“I don’t buy it,” said NYU’s Schiffman, who added that the idea of the scrolls being written by multiple Jewish groups from Jerusalem has been around since the 1950s.
“The Jerusalem theory has been rejected by virtually everyone in the field,” he said.
“The notion that someone brought a bunch of scrolls together from some other location and deposited them in a cave is very, very unlikely,” Schiffman added.
“The reason is that most of the [the scrolls] fit a coherent theme and hang together.
“If the scrolls were brought from some other place, presumably by some other groups of Jews, you would expect to find items that fit the ideologies of groups that are in disagreement with [the Essenes]. And it’s not there,” said Schiffman, who dismisses interpretations that link some Dead Sea Scroll writings to groups such as the Zealots.
UCLA’s Cargill agrees with Schiffman that the Dead Sea Scrolls show “a tremendous amount of congruence of ideology, messianic expectation, interpretation of scripture, [Jewish law] interpretation, and calendrical dates.”
“At the same time,” Cargill said, “it is difficult to explain some of the ideological diversity present within some of the scrolls if one argues that all of the scrolls were composed by a single sectarian group at Qumran.”
Caves Were for Temporary Scroll Storage?
If Cargill and others are correct, it would mean that what modern scholars call the Dead Sea Scrolls are not wholly the work of isolated scribes.
Instead they may be the unrecovered treasures of terrified Jews who did not—or could not—return to reclaim what they entrusted to the desert for safekeeping.
“Whoever wrote them, the scrolls were considered scripture by their owners, and much care was taken to ensure their survival,” Cargill said.
“Essenes or not, the Dead Sea Scrolls give us a rare glimpse into the vast diversity of Judaism—or Judaisms—in the first century.”
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/7/100727-who-wrote-dead-sea-scrolls-bible-science-tv/
Who Were the Real Authors of the Bible?
The Bible as we know it today has been corrupted and a large part of it has been forged over the course of time. Many of the “authors” of the books of the Bible are COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS and DOUBTFUL!
Genesis : Author. One of the “five books of Moses”
Exodus : Author. Generally credited to Moses.
Leviticus : Author. Generally credited to Moses.
Numbers : Author. Generally credited to Moses.
Deuteronomy : Author. Generally credited to Moses.
A Dead Moses writes about his own death. Can Dead people write about their own obituaries ? “And Moses the servant of the Lord, died there in Moad, as the Lord had said. He was buried in the land of Moad, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were neither weak nor his strength gone.” (Deuteronomy 34:5-7 )
Could Moses have written that? The answer is obviously NO. So, who wrote it?
Who Wrote the Torah: The First Five Books of the Bible?
Early traditions that reject Moses as the author of the Torah are found in the Bible
“Did Moses write the Torah in the Bible?” The radical school of Jewish prophecy did not think so. Christ as portrayed in the gospel of Mark did not think so, and Paul also did not think that Moses was the author of the first five books of the Bible, and neither did many of the earliest churches believe that Moses was the author of the Levitical laws found in the Pentateuch. Rather they called these Levite regulations human commandments, and even went so far as to call some of the laws found in books like Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, ‘the doctrines of demons’.”
Joshua: Author. Major part is credited to Joshua.
Judges:Author. Possibly Samuel.
Ruth: Author. Not definitely known, perhaps Samuel.
First Samuel: Author. Unknown.
Second Samuel: Author. Unknown.
First Kings: Author. Unknown.
Second Kings: Author. Unknown.
First Chronicles: Author. Unknown, probably collected and edited by Ezra.
Second Chronicles: Author. Likely collected and edited by Ezra.
Esther: Author. Unknown.
Job: Author. Unknown.
Psalms: Author. Principally David thought there are other writers.
Ecclesiastes: Author. Doubtful, but commonly assigned to Solomon.
Isaiah: Author. Mainly credited to Isaiah. Parts may have been written by others.
Jonah: Author. Unknown.
Habakkuk: Author. Nothing known of the place or time of his birth.
Source : Collins’ Revised Standard Version. 1971. Pages 12-17.
Who Wrote the Book of Hebrews?
The current Crop of Christian Apologists like Dr. James White, Jay Smith and Professor David Wood have publicly admitted that they do not know the author of the Book of Hebrews. Therefore proving that the claim of the alleged Divine Nature of the Bible is a ‘Fallacious One’
And so the story goes. The authors of these anonymous books are either “UNKNOWN” or are”PROBABLY” or “LIKELY” or are of “DOUBTFUL” origin. Why blame God for this Fraud ? Surely the Word of God could not have been written by Unknown Authors.
Who Wrote Nehmiah & the Book of Jobe?
The same kind of difference is present regarding the author and the period of the book of Nehemiah. The most popular opinion is that it was written by Nehemiah. Athanasius, Epiphanius and Chrysostome believe it to have been written by Ezre.
According to popular opinion, it cannot be accepted as a revealed book. The first 26 verses of chapter 12 are different from the rest of the book of Nehemiah since in the first eleven chapters Nehemiah is referred to in the first person, while in this chapter the third person is used for no apparent reason.
Furthermore, we find Darius, the King of Persia being mentioned in verse 22 of the same chapter, when in fact he lived one hundred years after the death of Nehemiah. The Christian commentators have to declare this anomaly as a later addition.
The Arabic translator of the Bible has omitted it altogether.
The history of the Book of Job is even more obscure and uncertain than the other books.
There are about twenty-four contradictory opinions regarding its name and period. The book has been attributed to various names on the basis of conjecture. However if we assume that the book was written by Elihu or by a certain unknown person who was a contemporary of Manasse, it is not acceptable as a prophetic and revealed text.
Thus, believing in the complete Bible, that we have at hand, to be of a Divine origin, needs a lot of faith. Blind faith – for there exists no other ground for believing so.
What do Christian Scholars have to say regarding the authorship of the Bible ?
F. Evans writes in “The Cambridge History of the Bible”, Vol. I, “The New Testament:
The New Testament in the Making”, 1970:
With the exception of the Pauline letters the New Testament’s writings were relatively slow in appearing and a high proportion of them are anonymous. (p. 233)
He writes further:
… such external evidence on matters of origin, authorship, sources and date as has come down from the second and succeeding centuries is very meagre, and, when itself subjected to critical examination, turns out to be of dubious value, if not worthless. (C. F. Evans, The Cambridge History of the Bible, Vol. I.
“The New Testament: The New Testament in the Making”, 1970, p. 235)
About the Pauline letters, the author writes:
Further elucidations of the Pauline letters as documents in the Church is faced by three not unconnected problems, their formation into a corpus, their unity and authenticity, and their chronology; and in each case the data are insufficient for a solution. (C. F. Evans, The Cambridge History of the Bible, Vol. I, “The New Testament: The New Testament in the Making”, 1970, p. 239)
Bible Corruptions & Contradictions
Old Testament
The Bible Tells us that there were false prophets who prophesized lies in God’s Name
How can we say that the Bible is not corrupted when Gold tells us about the lies being told in his name?
Isaiah 9:15
15 the elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
Jeremiah 5:31
31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?
Jeremiah 14:14
14 Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.
Jeremiah 23:10
10 The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land lies parched and the pastures in the desert are withered. The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly.
Jeremiah 23:14
14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
Jeremiah 28:15
15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.
Jeremiah 23:24-26
24 Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.
25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’
26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusion of their own minds?
Textual and Historical Contradictions:
2 Samuel 10:18 – David slew 700 and 40,000 horsemen and Shobach the commander.
1 Chronicles 19:18 – David slew 7000 chariots and 40,000 footmen.
2 Chronicles 9:25 – Solomon had 4000 stalls for horses and chariots.
1 Kings 4:26 – Solomon had 40,000 stalls for horses.
Ezra 2:5 – Arah had 775 sons.
Nehemiah 7:10 – Arah had 652 sons.
2 Samuel 24:13 – SEVEN YEARS OF FAMINE.
1 Chronicles 21:11-12 – THREE YEARS OF FAMINE.
Acts 1:18 – And falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all of his bowels gushed out.
2 Samuel 6:23 – MICHAL never had a child until she died.
2 Samuel 21:8 – MICHAL had 5 sons.
2 Kings 24:8 – Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he began to reign.
2 Chronicles 36:9 – Jehoiachin was 8 years old when he began to reign.
1 Kings 16:6-8 – 26th year of the reign of Asa, Baasha reigned over Israel.
2 Chronicles 16:1 – 36th year of the reign of Asa, Baasha reigned over Israel.
How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign?
22 in 2 Kings 8:26
42 in 2 Chronicle 22:2
How did Judas die?
Matthew 27:5 – Hanged himself.
Acts 1:18 – And falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all of his bowels gushed out.
New Testament Contradictions and Errors
Many Christians are convinced that God dictated the New Testament, that it has no errors and no contradiction, and that it contains the true facts concerning Jesus and the beginning of Christianity. In contrast, many scholars in America and Europe for at least several hundred years are certain that the New Testament is the work of humans. They examine the New Testament from a historical critical method. The historian Bart D. Ehrman, the author of “Jesus, Interrupted,” who knows ancient Greek the language in the earliest known New Testament texts, tells us that one of the reasons he abandoned the prior view, which he passionately held for decades, was that when he compared various ancient Greek volumes of the same New Testament book, he found that no two were identical.
Bart D. Ehrman is a very knowledgeable historian and a very readable and informative writer. He has written many bestselling books. “Jesus Interrupted” is another of his excellent books for people interested in knowing about the early years of Christianity. He has shown in his books that Jesus, who he believes actually existed but performed no miracles, was convinced that the world was filled with evil forces and that God would destroy these forces in a short time, during the lifetime of his followers.
Ehrman, like other scholars, also recognized that the books about Jesus and his followers were composed decades after the death of Jesus by people who did not know him and for the most part did not speak Aramaic as Jesus did, had agendas that they wanted or needed to emphasize, and knew little about Judaism, Jesus’ religion. He tells readers that information about Jesus and his followers were not written down during these early decades but were passed from one person and group to another, always with changes that met the needs of the speakers and listeners. These changes included adding imagined legends that magnified the importance of people and events and invented conversations and sayings that reflected the new ideas that Christians had after Jesus’ death, ideas he did not have. These alterations by people who did not know Jesus created the many contradictions recorded in the gospels and the many differences between the stories in the four gospels in the New Testament. The following is a brief example of some of the contradictions mentioned by Dr. Ehrman who explains these and dozens more in detail.
- The Gospels of Mark and John, the first and last Gospels, say nothing about the fundamental teachings of Christianity about a virgin birth of Jesus, the trinity, Jesus being God, and he being born in Bethlehem.
- The stories of Jesus birth are only in Matthew and Luke and the two stories are totally different.
- Luke is the only source that states that Joseph and Mary’s hometown was Nazareth. In Matthew, wise men visit the family in their house, their Bethlehem residence, not a visit to a manger, apparently saying Bethlehem was where Joseph and Mary lived, not Nazareth.
- There is a genealogy of Jesus in only Matthew and Luke but the ancestors of Jesus in the two documents is different.
- The voice from heaven that speaks after Jesus’ baptism says different things in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It does not speak in John.
- After the baptism in the three sources, Jesus says different things.
- The four accounts in the four Gospels give different reasons why Judas betrayed Jesus.
- Who went to Jesus tomb after his death is different in the four Gospels.
- There are also differences what the women saw at his tomb: Mark a man, Luke two men, Matthew an angel.
- Matthew states that Judas’ betrayal of Jesus fulfils a prophecy in Jeremiah that the writer of Matthew quotes, but it is not in Jeremiah, it is in Zechariah.
- According to Mark, Jesus “cleansed the temple” during the last week of his life, but in John, it was at the beginning of his ministry.
- Mark reports that Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him three times “before the cock crows twice,” however Matthew writes it is before the cock crows even once.
- In John, Peter asks Jesus where he was going. Then Thomas asks the same question. But then Jesus remarks, “None of you asked me, ‘where are you going?’”
- According to Mark, Jesus dies on the day of Passover after the group ate the Passover meal together on Passover Eve. In John, the disciples do not eat the Passover meal with Jesus so Jesus says nothing about the bread being his body and the wine being his blood, and Jesus dies before Passover.
- Mark states that Jesus is nailed to a cross at 9 AM. John says, it is in the afternoon.
By: Dr. Israel Drazin
Vodoo Practices in the Bible (???)
- Leviticus 14:49-53, -“49 To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. 50 He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot. 51 Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. 53 Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”
- Leviticus 14:14, – 14 The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.
15 The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand,
16 dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the Lord seven times.
17 The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.
18 The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed and make atonement for them before the.
Lying is Propagated and Promoted in Both the Old and the New Testament
- Telling Half Truth and Tricking: 1 Samuel 16:1-13, GOD Almighty supposedly detailed for Samuel how to trick & tell HALF TRUTH to Saul.
- Romans 3:1-8, Paul admitted that he lied and that he resorted to lying for the sake of spreading GOD Almighty’s Truth: “but if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?” Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—”Let.
- Philippians 1:15-18, Paul said that the end justifies the means even through false motives and lies:
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,
Timeline of How the Bible Came to be One Book
AD | The New Testament books are written. |
140 | Marcion, a businessman in Rome, taught that there were two Gods: Yahweh, the cruel God of the Old Testament, and Abba, the kind father of the New Testament. Marcion eliminated the Old Testament as scriptures and, since he was anti-Semitic, kept from the New Testament only 10 letters of Paul and 2/3 of Luke’s gospel (he deleted references to Jesus’ Jewishness). Marcion’s “New Testament”, the first to be compiled, forced the mainstream Church to decide on a core canon: the four Gospels and Letters of Paul. |
200 | The periphery of the canon is not yet determined. According to one list, compiled at Rome c. AD 200 (the Muratorian Canon), the NT consists of the 4 gospels; Acts; 13 letters of Paul (Hebrews is not included); 3 of the 7 General Epistles (1-2 John and Jude); and also the Apocalypse of Peter. Each “city-church” (region) has its own Canon, which is a list of books approved for reading at Mass (Liturgy) |
367 | The earliest extant list of the books of the NT, in exactly the number and order in which we presently have them, is written by Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, in his Festal letter # 39 of 367 A.D. (Arianism starts introducing spurious books) |
382 | Council of Rome (whereby Pope Damasus started the ball rolling for the defining of a universal canon for all city-churches). Listed the New Testament books in their present number and order. |
393 | The Council of Hippo, which began “arguing it out.” Canon proposed by Bishop Athanasius. |
397 | The Council of Carthage, which refined the canon for the Western Church, sending it back to Pope Innocent for ratification. In the East, the canonical process was hampered by a number of schisms (esp. within the Church of Antioch). However, this changed by … |
AD 405 | Innocent sends a response to Exsuperius, bishop of Toulouse Qui vero libri recipiantur in canone sanctarum scripturarum brevis annexus ostendit. Haec sunt ergo quae desiderata moneri voluisti: Moysi libri quinque, id est Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numeri, Deuteronomium, necnon et Jesu Nave, et Judicum, et Regnorum libri quatuor simul et Ruth, prophetarum libri sexdecim, Salomonis libri quinque, Psalterium. Item historiarum Job liber unus, Tobiae unus, Hester unus, Judith unus, Machabeorum duo, Esdrae duo, Paralipomenon duo. Item Novi Testamenti: Evangeliorum libri iiii, Pauli Apostoli Epistolae xiiii: Epistolae Iohannis tres: Epistolae Petri duae: Epistola Judae: Epistola Jacobi: Actus Apostolorum: Apocalypsis Johannis. Caetera autem quae vel sub nomine Matthiae, sive Jacobi minoris, vel sub nomine Petri et Johannis, quae a quodam Leucio scripta sunt, vel sub nomine Andreae, quae a Nexocharide, et Leonida philosophis, vel sub nomine Thomae, et si qua sunt talia, non solum repudianda verum etiam noveris esse damnanda. Which books really are received in the canon, this brief addition shows. These therefore are the things of which you desired to be informed. Five books of Moses, that is, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and Joshua the son of Nun, and Judges, and the four books of Kings 2 together with Ruth, sixteen books of the Prophets, five books of Solomon, 3 and the Psalms. Also of the historical books, one book of Job, one of Tobit, one of Esther, one of Judith, two of Maccabees, two of Ezra, 4 two of Chronicles. And of the New Testament: of the Gospels four. Epistles of the apostle Paul fourteen. 5 Epistles of John three. Epistles of Peter two. Epistle of Jude. Epistle of James. Acts of the Apostles. John’s Apocalypse. But the rest of the books, which appear under the name of Matthias or of James the Less, or under the name of Peter and John (which were written by a certain Leucius), or under the name of Andrew (which were written by the philosophers Xenocharides and Leonidas), or under the name of Thomas, and whatever others there may be, you should know they are not only to be rejected but also condemned.
http://www.bible-researcher.com/innocent.html |
AD787 | The Ecumenical Council of Nicaea II, which adopted the canon of Carthage. At this point, both the Latin West and the Greek / Byzantine East had the same canon. However, … The non-Greek, Monophysite and Nestorian Churches of the East (the Copts, the Ethiopians, the Syrians, the Armenians, the Syro-Malankars, the Chaldeans, and the Malabars) were still left out. But these Churches came together in agreement, in 1442A.D., in Florence. |
1442 | AD : At the Council of Florence, the entire Church recognized the 27 books. This council confirmed the Roman Catholic Canon of the Bible which Pope Damasus I had published a thousand years earlier. So, by 1439, all orthodox branches of the Church were legally bound to the same canon. This is 100 years before the Reformation. |
1536 | In his translation of the Bible from Greek into German, Luther removed 4 N.T. books (Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation) and placed them in an appendix saying they were less than canonical. |
1546 | At the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church reaffirmed once and for all the full list of 27 books. The council also confirmed the inclusion of the Deuterocanonical books which had been a part of the Bible canon since the early Church and was confirmed at the councils of 393 AD, 373, 787 and 1442 AD. At Trent Rome actually dogmatized the canon, making it more than a matter of canon law, which had been the case up to that point, closing it for good. |
Islamic View on Bible Corruptions
The Qur’an mentions in chapter 2 verse 79:
“Woe to those who write the “scripture” with their own hands, then say “This is from God” in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their own hands have written and Woe to them for what they earn.”
Commenting on this verse, Ibn Kathir, the Qur’anic exegete cites Az-Zuhri who said that `Ubadydullah bin `Abdullah narrated that Ibn `Abbas said, “O Muslims! How could you ask the People of the Book about anything, while the Book of Allah (Qur’an) that He revealed to His Prophet is the most recent Book from Him and you still read it fresh and young, Allah told you that the People of the Book altered the Book of Allah, changed it and wrote another book with their own hands.”
Based on our examination of the Bible corruptions above we find that the Qur’an’s claim is true.
The Bible itself attests to the fact that it has been corrupted. So the Bible agrees with the Quran.
Jeremiah 8:8 “How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?
Conclusion
- From the above study we find that most of books in the Bible have been written by Unknown Authors.
- The books of the Bible are copies, of copies of copies of copies and translations of translations of translations of translations. The original word God has been changed and corrupted.
- It was the early church who decided what letters and manuscripts would form part of the Bible out of almost 24 000 manuscripts. None of the messengers of God had chosen books in the Bible but rather it was chosen by men who set their own standards and who were not prophets or messengers neither where they companions of the messengers of God.
- The early church finally only came to agreement of the Canon some 400 years after Jesus (pbuh).
- The first completed bible was only published in 1535.
- Almost half of the New Testament books are attributed to Paul, a man who persecuted Christians and who has never met Jesus.
- Christian Scholars have not been able to reconcile contradictions in the Bible
- Many Christian Scholars and Christian Encyclopedias have themselves admitted that the Bible has been heavily Corrupted
- Many Christian Scholars have themselves admitted that the Bible has been Forged by many Unknown Authors.
- A book which has been corrupted by Unknown, Anonymous and Doubtful authors can never be referred to as the “Word of God”
- The Encyclopedia Britannica and many well-known Christian Scholars maintain that even the 4 Gospels are heavily Corrupted and concocted. Thus demolishing the very pillars on which the Christian belief supposedly stands upon.
- Qur’an attests to the fact that the scriptures (Bible) have been corrupted and written by Unknown and Anonymous authors.
More over we’ve seen that the Christian Scholars and their sources themselves debunk the Bible and attest to the Islamic position which says that the Bible is corrupt and written by UNKNOWN AUTHORS.
Muslim however acknowledge that some parts of the Bible still contain some truth. We recognize the truth when verses in the Old and New correspond with the teachings of the Quran and hadiths.
We also find that the first complete Bibles had 80 books and years later it was reduced to 73 books in the Catholic Bible and 66 books in the Protestant Bible.
1535: Myles Coverdale’s Bible: The first complete Bible to be printed in the English Language (80 Books: Old Testament and New Testament including the Apocryphal books which are non-canonical).
1537: Matthews Bible; The second complete Bible to be printed in English. Done by John “Thomas Matthew” Rogers (80 Books).
1539: The “Great Bible” or “Cramner’s Bible” printed; The first English language Bible to be authorized for public use (80 Books).
1560: The Geneva Bible Printed: The First English Language Bible to add numbered verses to each chapter (80 Books).
1568: The Bishop’s Bible Printed: The Bible of which the King James was a revision (80 Books, as well as a 20% cut and paste from the Geneva Bible).
1609: The Douay Old Testament is added to the Rheimes New Testament of 1582 (Catholic translation) making the first complete English Catholic Bible; It was translated from the Latin Vulgate (80 Books).
1609: The first printing of the King James Bible; originally with All 80 Books.
1611: The King James Bible revised and printed; all 80 Books. The Apocrypha was Officially Removed in 1885 Leaving Only 66 Books.
1782: Robert Aitken’s Bible; The first English language Bible (a King James Version without Apocrypha) to be Printed in America.
1791: Isaac Collins and Isaiah Thomas respectively produced the first Family Bible and First Illustrated Bible printed in America. Both were King James Versions, with All 80 Books.
1808: Jane Aitken’s Bible (Daughter of Robert Aitken); The First Bible to be printed by a Woman.
1833: Noah Webster’s Bible; After Producing his Famous Dictionary, Webster Printed his Own Revision of the King James Bible.
1846: The Illuminated Bible; The most lavishly illustrated Bible printed in America. A King James Version with All 80 Books.
Currently we have the Protestant Bible with 66 books and the Catholic Bible with 73 books.
It is said that the Holy Spirit moved these people to write the bible. Did the Holy Spirit make a mistake and he again moved them to take out 7 books and make the books 73 and then he again moved Luther to take out another 7 books and make it 66 books.
Distinguishing Truth from Falsehood
In order to distinguish truth from falsehood we will need to test the theory and Bible verses against certain laws just as the 5 guidelines were established in the Canan to distinguish which books belong in the Bible. We will establish a baseline of absolutes that everyone agrees on so that we may judge the truth from falswood. Let’s call them “Absolute Laws” for the purpose of this study.
In Islam Muslims have the Quran and the Sunnah (teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)). God says in the Quran.
“Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much contradiction”. (Quran 4:82)
If there were any contradictions in the Quran then it cannot be from God. The Sunnah cannot also contradict the Quran.
In the same standard, if the Bible is to be considered from God or God’s word then there cannot be any errors or contradictions. So if any of the verses the Church and Christians use to prove their claims, then those proofs cannot contradict any other verses in the Bible or even the Quran.
In Christianity and Judaism, we only have the Tanakh / Torah (Old Testament) and the certain unambiguous and absolute statements made by Jesus (pbuh).
In the Tanakh we have the 10 Commandments which are the laws of God and we have God’s spoken word in certain verses. In the New Testament any absolute statement made by Jesus (pbuh) in his own words can be considered the word of God as Jesus (pbuh) himself said that he only speaks that which God has commanded him to speak John 12:49 & John 7:16. No Jew or Christian will deny the 10 Commandments and the word of God and no Christian will deny Jesus’ (pbuh) words about himself as his law.
The Laws of God
The 10 Commandments
- I am the Lord thy God! Thou shalt have no other Gods but me!
- Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain!
- Thou shalt keep the Sabbath Day holy!
- Thou shalt honor father and mother!
- Thou shalt not kill!
- Thou shalt not commit adultery!
- Thou shalt not steal!
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor!
- Do not let thyself lust after thy neighbor’s wife!
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, nor his farm, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his!
1. Isaiah 45:21-22
21 Declare what is to be, present it – let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.
22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
2. 2 Kings 17:35-38
35 When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.” 36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arms, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods
3. Isaiah 43:10
10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
Jesus Words (His Law)
- Mark 12:28-30
The Greatest Commandment
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
2. John 8:42
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me
3. John 10:29
“My Father is greater than all.”
4. Matthew 23:9
9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
5. Matthew 5:17
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
6. John 5:30
30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
7. John 7:16
“Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”
8. John 12:49
“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”
10. Matthew 19:17
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
10. Mark 10:18 New International Version (NIV)
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
Furthermore, we have proven the Quran to be the word of God and the Quran was revealed to a Prophet of God and was verified in his presence. If the Bible is considered to be from God then there can be no contradiction between the Quran and the Bible as both books are from God.
We will therefore use a few laws from the Quran to distinguish between truth and falsehood as well.
Laws of God in Islam
1. Quran 112:4
Say, “He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.”
2. Quran 3:64
Say, “O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you – that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah .” But if they turn away, then say, “Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].”
Now that we have established the Laws we can proceed baring in mind that if any verses of the Bible conflicts with the Laws then it can in no way be from God or Jesus (pbuh) as neither tells lies or contridicts themselvs.
The Trinity
Many people assume that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit form what is commonly known as the Trinity. The doctrine of the trinity is usually summed up as a belief in one God existing in three distinct but equal persons. But did you realize that even though it is a common assumption among many sincere Christian people, the word trinity does not appear anywhere in the Bible?
In fact, the word trinity did not come into common use as a religious term until centuries after the last books of the Bible were completed and long after the apostles of Christ were gone from the scene! Could the trinity doctrine have pagan origins?
Notice this admission in the New Bible Dictionary, “The term trinity is not itself found in the Bible. It was first used by Tertullian at the close of the 2nd century, but received wide currency [common use in intellectual discussion] and formal elucidation [clarification] only in the 4th and 5th centuries.” — (1996, “Trinity”)
Is the Trinity Doctrine in the Bible?
The New Bible Dictionary goes on to explain that “the formal doctrine of the Trinity was the result of several inadequate attempts to explain who and what the Christian God really is … To deal with these problems the Church Fathers met in [A.D.] 325 at the Council of Nicaea to set out an orthodox biblical definition concerning the divine identity.” However, it wasn’t until 381, “at the Council of Constantinople, [that] the divinity of the Spirit was affirmed.”
While Tertullian introduced the term “trinity,” what he taught and believed is different to what the trinity doctrine is today. And since he introduced this term, then that means the trinity doctrine as taught today did not exist in the time of Tertullian. And if it did not exist in his time, then it could never have existed in the time of Christ and the apostles.
Tertullian however did introduce pagan ideas into the worship service. He taught oblations for the dead and made the sign of the cross on the forehead of worshipers. He also dipped people three times to baptize them. Tertullian freely admitted that he had adopted these ideas from pagan teachings and could not support them from Scripture, but he thought that if Christians adopted some heathen rituals of the pagans that they would find it easier to join Christianity.
Wikipedia states what Tertullian believed in the Godhead:
Tertullian was just a forerunner of the Nicene doctrine and did not state the immanent trinity. His use of trinitas (Latin: ‘Threeness’) emphasised the manifold character of God. In his treatise against Praxeas he used the words, “Trinity and economy, persons and substance.” The Son is distinct from the Father, and the Spirit from both the Father and the Son. “These three are one substance, not one person; and it is said, ‘I and my Father are one’ in respect not of the singularity of number but the unity of the substance.” In his book Tertullian against Praxeas, he also states that the Son was not co-eternal with the Father and did have a beginning as the begotten Son of God. He also did not teach that the Holy Spirit was a literal being. So the trinity doctrine, as we know it today, did not even come from the man who introduced the word Trinity.
So the doctrine of the trinity wasn’t formalized until long after the Bible was completed and the apostles were long dead in their graves, and long after the man who introduced the word Trinity was dead and in his grave. It took later theologians centuries to sort out what they believed and to formulate the belief in the trinity!
By no means are theologians’ explanations of the trinity doctrine clear. Religious writer A.W. Tozer in his book The Knowledge of the Holy states that the trinity is an “incomprehensible mystery” and that attempts to understand it “must remain forever futile.” He admits that Churches, “without pretending to understand,” have nevertheless continued to teach this doctrine (1961, pp. 17, 18) He then remarkably concludes, “The fact that it cannot be satisfactorily explained, instead of being against it, is in its favor.” — (p. 23)
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary in its article on the trinity concedes that the Trinitarian concept is humanly incomprehensible, “It is admitted by all who thoughtfully deal with this subject that the Scripture revelation here leads us into the presence of a deep mystery; and that all human attempts at expression are of necessity imperfect.” — (1988, p. 1308)
Cyril Richardson, professor of Church history at New York’s Union Theological Seminary, though a dedicated Trinitarian himself said this in his book The Doctrine of The Trinity, “My conclusion, then, about the doctrine of the Trinity is that it is an artificial construct … It produces confusion rather than clarification; and while the problems with which it deals are real ones, the solutions it offers are not illuminating. It has posed for many Christians with dark and mysterious statements, which are ultimately meaningless, because it does not sufficiently discriminate in its use of terms.” — (1958, pp. 148-149)
He also admitted, “Much of the defense of the Trinity as a ‘revealed’ doctrine, is really an evasion of the objections that can be brought against it.” — (p. 16)
A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge states regarding the trinity, “Precisely what that doctrine is, or rather precisely how it is to be explained, trinitarians are not agreed among themselves.” — (Lyman Abbott, editor, 1885, “Trinitarians”)
Why do even those who believe in the trinity doctrine find it so difficult to explain?
The answer is simple yet shocking. It is because the Bible does not teach it! One cannot prove or explain something from the Bible that is not in the Biblical. The Bible is considered by Christians to be the only reliable source of divine revelation. And the truth, as we will see, is that the trinity concept simply is not part of God’s revelation to mankind.
These following admissions from a number of reputable sources and authors who, while themselves affirming the Trinity, acknowledge that the word Trinity and the doctrine is not found in the Bible.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia acknowledges that “‘trinity’ is a second-century term found nowhere in the Bible, and the Scriptures present no finished trinitarian statement.” — (1988, Vol. 4, “Trinity,” p. 914). It further states that “church fathers crystallized the doctrine in succeeding centuries”—long after the apostles had passed from the scene.
Martin Luther who was the German priest who initiated the Protestant Reformation said, “It is indeed true that the name ‘Trinity’ is nowhere to be found in the Holy Scriptures, but has been conceived and invented by man.” — (reproduced in The Sermons of Martin Luther, John Lenker, editor, Vol. 3, 1988, p. 406)
Historian and science fiction writer H.G. Wells in his noted work The Outline of History stated, “There is no evidence that the apostles of Jesus (pbuh) ever heard of the trinity—at any rate from him.” — (1920, Vol. 2, p. 499)
The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism says, “Today, however, scholars generally agree that there is no doctrine of the Trinity as such in either the OT or the NT … It would go far beyond the intention and thought-forms of the OT to suppose that a late-fourth-century or thirteenth-century Christian doctrine could be found there … Likewise, the NT does not contain an explicit doctrine of the Trinity.” — (Richard McBrien, general editor, 1995, “God,” pp. 564, 565)
And the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary states, “The formal doctrine of the Trinity as it was defined by the great church councils of the fourth and fifth centuries is not to be found in the NT.” — (Paul Achtemeier, editor, 1996, “Trinity”)
Professor Charles Ryrie wrote, “Many doctrines are accepted by evangelicals as being clearly taught in the Scripture for which there are no proof texts. The doctrine of the Trinity furnishes the best example of this. It is fair to say that the Bible does not clearly teach the doctrine of the Trinity . . . In fact, there is not even one proof text, if by proof text we mean a verse or passage that ‘clearly’ states that there is one God who exists in three persons.” — (Basic Theology, p. 89)
He goes on to say, “The above illustrations prove the fallacy of concluding that if something is not proof texted in the Bible we cannot clearly teach the results . . . If that were so, I could never teach the doctrine of the Trinity.” — (lbid, p. 90)
Shirley Guthrie, professor of theology at Columbia Theological Seminary wrote, “The Bible does not teach the doctrine of the Trinity. Neither the word ‘trinity’ itself nor such language as ‘one-in-three,’ ‘three-in-one,’ one ‘essence’ (or ‘substance’), and three ‘persons,’ is biblical language. The language of the doctrine is the language of the ancient church taken from classical Greek philosophy.” — (Christian Doctrine, 1994, pp. 76, 77)
Millard Erickson who is a research professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes that the Trinity “is not clearly or explicitly taught anywhere in Scripture, yet it is widely regarded as a central doctrine, indispensable to the Christian faith. In this regard, it goes contrary to what is virtually an axiom of biblical doctrine, namely, that there is a direct correlation between the scriptural clarity of a doctrine and its cruciality to the faith and life of the church.
In view of the difficulty of the subject and the great amount of effort expended to maintain this doctrine, we may well ask ourselves what might justify all this trouble.” — (God in Three Persons: A Contemporary Interpretation of the Trinity, p. 12)
He further states that the Trinity teaching “is not present in biblical thought, but arose when biblical thought was pressed into this foreign mold [of Greek concepts]. Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity goes beyond and even distorts what the Bible says about God.” — (lbid, p. 20)
He also stated, “It is claimed that the doctrine of the Trinity is a very important, crucial, and even basic doctrine. If that is indeed the case, should it not be somewhere more clear, direct, and explicitly stated in the Bible? If this is a doctrine that specifically constitutes Christianity’s uniqueness … how can it be only implied in the biblical revelation? … For this is a seemingly crucial matter where the Scriptures do not speak loudly and clearly.
Little direct response can be made to this charge. It is unlikely that any text of Scripture can be shown to teach the doctrine of the Trinity in a clear, direct, and unmistakable fashion.” — (lbid, pp. 108, 109)
Since the trinity is not found in the Bible as so many scholars and theologians admit, then how did it come to be viewed as such an important teaching? Theology professors Roger Olson and Christopher Hall explain part of the puzzle in their book The Trinity, “It is understandable that the importance placed on this doctrine is perplexing to many lay Christians and students. Nowhere is it clearly and unequivocally stated in Scripture … How can it be so important if it is not explicitly stated in Scripture? …
The doctrine of the Trinity developed gradually after the completion of the New Testament in the heat of controversy, but the church fathers who developed it believed they were simply exegeting [explaining] divine revelation and not at all speculating or inventing new ideas. The full-blown doctrine of the Trinity was spelled out in the fourth century at two great ecumenical (universal) councils: Nicea (325 A.D.) and Constantinople (381 A.D.).” — (2002, pp. 1, 2)
We see from this and other sources quoted above that the idea of a trinity was foreign to Biblical writers. Instead, as many of these sources openly acknowledge, the doctrine of the trinity developed considerably later and over a span of several centuries. To understand the factors that led to the introduction of this belief, we must first go way back to Babel.
The Pagan Origins of the Trinity Doctrine
It would surprise many to know that the absolute beginnings of the three in one trinity doctrine go right back to the Tower of Babel on the plain of Shinar by the River Euphrates many generations after the flood. At the time of the construction of Babylon at the Tower of Babel, mankind had multiplied and spoken one language. (Genesis 11:1-4) Cush who was the son of Ham and grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:1, 6), helped to plan with his son Nimrod a way to rule the world through a wicked counterfeit religion. Nimrod was the originator of sun worship and founder of Babylon. The Targum says, “Nimrod became a mighty man of sin, a murderer of innocent men, and a rebel before the Lord.”
So the beginning of Nimrod’s plan had its origin at Babel which was later known as Babylon. This city of Babylon with a tower “whose top may reach unto heaven” was built by Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-10; 11:4).
They called the tower “Babel, the gate to heaven,” but God called it “Babel, confusion,” and there God confused the language of the people which forced them to scatter. These people wanted one government to rule the world and one religion to sway the hearts of man. This was satan’s attempt to defy God and His authority, but God came down and stopped this rebellion in defiance of His command for mankind to replenish the earth (Genesis 9:1) by confusing their language. So they stopped building and were scattered to different parts of the world (Genesis 11:8-9).
Nimrod had a plan to strengthen his evil religious system and so he married his own mother Semiramis. She was the first deified queen of Babylon and Nimrod was the first deified king.
Nimrod’s and Semiramis’ followers plunged so deeply into the occult that they even sacrificed babies to satan in their worship of him. This became a common practice until Shem who was one of Noah’s three sons and the great uncle of Nimrod, in his anger and wrath killed Nimrod and cut him up into small pieces as an example to others to not commit such abominable sins.
Alexander Hislop in his book The Two Babylons said, “the Tower of Babel was actually the worship of Satan in the form of fire, the sun and the serpent. However, Satan worship could not be done openly because of the many who still believed in the true God of Noah. So a mystery religion began at Babel where Satan could be worshipped in secret.” — (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, 2nd American ed.(Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1959) 5, 24)
Because of Nimrod’s death, his followers and Semiramis were afraid to continue in their worship of Satan for fear that what happened to Nimrod would also happen to them, so a mystery religion developed at Babel where Satan could be worshipped in secret. The same thing is happening in these last days. Satan is using mysteries and deceptions to deceive people into thinking that they are worshipping the true God when they are actually worshipping Satan.
This counterfeit religion ceased for a short time but Semiramis had a brilliant idea of how she could successfully revive her and Nimrod’s pagan religion with a new form. It was not long after the death of her husband that Semiramis became pregnant. She claimed that when Nimrod died he went up to the sun, and so the sun then became a symbol of Nimrod. She told the people that a ray of the sun had come to her and impregnated her with a child and that it was actually Nimrod coming back in a reincarnation of the sun god. The child was called Tammuz and these three were worshipped as the personification of the sun god, and this is where we find the first three came into existence. But this mysterious religion was nothing more than Satan worship.
“The trinity got its start in Ancient Babylon with Nimrod – Tammuz – and Semiramis. Semiramis demanded worship for both her husband and her son as well as herself. She claimed that her son was both the father and the son. Yes, he was “god the father” and “god the son” – The first divine incomprehensible trinity.” — (The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop, p. 51)
Semiramis and her priests of Satan were deep into the occult and were masters of lies and deception. Everywhere there were statues or idols of this mother/child cult. Semiramis was soon hailed as “The Queen of Heaven” (Ashtarte). Her symbol became the moon and her husband Nimrod, was called Baal the sun god and hence his symbol became the sun.
So we find that the trinity has its origins all the way back in Babylon. If God had not interfered and confused the languages then we would have had no hope of any truth that we have today. We also find that this worship of three was carried to all the different cultures that we have today but they took on different names since God had confused the languages as we find in Genesis 11.
So in Egypt, their trinity became Osiris, Horus and Isis (top left). In Greece it was Zeus, Apollo and Athena (top right). And in India there was Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (bottom left). Notice also the yellow halo around their heads which represents the sun god. The system of Rome adopted the same symbol where you see saints with a halo around their head. Most tend to think that this means they are holy but it actually represents the sun god. And speaking of Rome, they had Jupiter, Mars and Venus (bottom right).
These few are by no means a comprehensive list but in all the many cultures and pagan systems of worship, we find the ultimate worship of their gods always ends up in three. The common denominator is that they all started at the very same place. But now that they had different languages, they all had different names. As far back into the ancient world as we can go, we find that all known cultures had a three in one triune god.
There is a lot more that could be covered on this topic but what we have is adequate for this study. The parts that have not been examined can be briefly covered by the following summary of the heathen trinity.
- There are always three beings in this triune god.
- One is the father, one is the mother and one is the son.
- The son is also the husband of the mother.
- The son is the father incarnate.
- All three have been deified as gods.
- Often these three are said to be one god. That is, one in three forms, or three in one.
- The father is often not mentioned and instead the mother and son are worshipped by themselves.
- At times the heathen trinity is seen as one god playing three roles, and is pictured with three heads.
- At other times this one god is seen with three faces on one head.
- In several branches of heathenism, the third person of this trinity is regarded as evil and a destroyer.
In this last version, the 1st person is the creator, the 2nd person is the maintainer, and the 3rd person is the destroyer. None of these heathen concepts should ever be found in Christianity!
Alexander Hislop summed up the trinity with the following, “All these have existed from ancient times. While overlaid with idolatry, the recognition of a trinity was universal in all the ancient nations of the world.” — (The Two Babylons, pp. 17, 18)
Remember that the trinity doctrine, and why it is called as such, is as follows. The Father is God, Jesus (pbuh) is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three gods but one God, and that’s the trinity! In other words, 1+1+1=One! This of course makes no sense at all and is not found in the Bible, so where did it really come from?
The very first three-in-one trinity was the worship of the three stages of the sun!
(1. New born at dawn. (2. Mature and full grown at 12 noon. (3. Old and dying at the end of the day. (Jordan Maxwell. BBC of America Quoted in Exposure Vol. 5, No. 6 1999). All three of course were one divinity being the sun. And so the main medium through which Satan was worshipped in Babylon was the sun. They noticed that the sun had three distinct stages and this fitted well with their belief as they were already worshipping three. Thus the sun was worshiped as three gods. The rising and new born sun as it came to life, the mature and full grown sun at noon, and the dying sun as it set at the end of the day. Yet while they worshipped the sun as three gods, they were not three gods but one god!
So the rising sun was god, the midday sun was god, the setting sun was god, and yet there were not three gods but one god! In other words, 1+1+1=One! So here is the true absolute origin of the trinity doctrine. And this became incorporated into this mystery religion and the worship of Satan.
“Three became the most universal number of deity. Sun worship is one of the most primitive forms of religion, and early man sometimes distinguished between rising, midday, and setting sun. The Egyptians, for example, divided the sun god into three deities: Horus, rising sun, Ra or Re, midday sun, and Osiris, old setting sun.” — (Egyptian Deities, New International Encyclopedia. NY: Dodd, 1917. Volume 7, p. 529)
Below we see three interlocking circles or sections. This is known as a triquetra and they found that these three interlocking sections can be substituted for the whole so that part of each circle can be used rather than the whole. This symbol that still represents the three in one sun god is found throughout different cultures and different pagan institutes of belief, and this system is still alive and well to this very day. You will often see the triquetra drawn in many different ways and you will find them in temples, shrines, paintings, etches and carvings
“The triquetra is a satanic symbol that has its origins in the occult. It has always been associated with pagan beliefs, satanic practises and witchcraft. The triquetra is composed of three 6’s overlaid. This logo is the ancient symbol for the pagan trinity. The symbol was popularised again by Satanist Aleister Crowley for the Royal Arch (Lucifer) or the 3rd Degree of the Year Order of Masonry.” — New King James Omissions A.V. Publications.) In other words, this symbol is also used today by various secret societies. And we can see from history how this has progressed throughout time. This information helps us see and unmask the deception Satan is using to deceive the whole world. For example, you can find this symbol in some of the most interesting places. Here are a few of them.
To the right we have wiccan chalices or goblets if you like, which are used by witches in their practices. And what is the symbol on it? 666, Satan, the triquetra. And why would that be? Because witches communicate with satan. So we should not be at all surprised to find this symbol there.
The next one to the left is from a TV series about three witches, not four witches but three witches interestingly enough. And likewise the symbol they use is the symbol of the sun god or the three in one god. It seems that the world is being trained to accept something and so we need to be very selective in what we watch and expose ourselves to.
And here are another three. The Aquarian Conspiracy with the three interlocking 6’s, The Craft, which if you look carefully has a small triquetra in the middle of the cover. And last is the witches Book of Shadows. And what is the symbol there enlarged? Once again we have the symbol of the sun god, the three in one god, and the symbol for Satan. So this is the witches book of shadows and they make their intentions very plain and do not hide who their loyalties belong to.
As shocking as this may be, you will also find this symbol on some editions of the New King James Bible and the New International Version of the Bible. So this symbol has even found its way onto the Bible where it does not belong. This is not a symbol of the God of the Bible but the sun god. When you read inside the cover of the Bible, if it has the triquetra on it, the description there will tell you it is the ancient symbol of the trinity. Yet these symbols belong to Satan and the three in one sun god. A symbol of the worship of the devil.
Compare the top and bottom row of pictures in the image to the right. The bottom row are Christian book covers and the bottom middle picture is a book on the trinity. This is the ultimate deception when the author is teaching the unbiblical and pagan three-in-one trinity doctrine. But then also uses the pagan imagery that represents the true satanic origin of this doctrine by using things such as sun haloes around the heads of what are supposed to represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Did you notice the same sun haloes on both rows?
You will also note the triangles around the heads on the left with one having three circles representing the sun and the other with one circle representing the sun and the rays of light within. The pagan imagery is blatantly obvious and appears many times in each image so coincidence is an impossibility. Much of the pagan imagery used in ancient times was often carved or engraved in stone and something that God abhors and ordered it to be destroyed. “Then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:” Numbers 33:52.
Trinitarians, such as those who write these books, will deny or change the truth in support of their belief and say that the trinity does not have its roots in paganism, but the weight of evidence is overwhelming and cannot be avoided. As all the experts say, the three in one god is not found explicitly in scripture but it is in paganism from the worship of the sun god. The bishops that formulated the trinity doctrine were the beginnings of the Papal Church that outlawed Sabbath keeping in favour of Sunday worship that came from sun worship, as well as purgatory and dozens of other unbiblical teachings that have their roots in paganism. These bishops who formulated the doctrine of the trinity were steeped in Greek and Platonic philosophy, and there can be no doubt this influenced their religious views and teaching.
The pagan Babylonian priests had a chief priest who held the title Pontifex Maximus (translated to Latin meant that he was head pagan priest or literally the Greatest Pontiff)
So who is Pontifex Maximus and head priest of Babylon now? The Pope! So he has the number 666! So guess where else we find this satanic symbol called the triquetra?
“Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” Revelation 13:18. God gave us this information and so many have missed it because they are too busy worshipping the gods of Babylon.
By the second century, faithful members of the true Church had largely been scattered by waves of deadly persecution and were mostly underground. They held firmly to the biblical truth about Jesus Christ (pbuh) and God the Father, though they were persecuted by the Roman authorities as well as those who professed Christianity. The Church that was above ground grew in power and influence, and within a few short centuries came to dominate even the mighty Roman Empire!
Now satan desired to be worshipped like the most High (Isaiah 14:12-14) and wanted his own day of worship. So sun worship gave rise to Sunday worship in the Church instead of the true day of worship being the Seventh day that we call Saturday, as well as the pagan three in one trinity doctrine. Paganism eventually became mingled with Christianity and was officially adopted by the Papal Church. Many Catholics deny this ever happened but their own Church admits that it is true.
“The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holydays and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields; sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure, the ring in marriage, turning to the East, images at a later date, perhaps the ecclesiastical chant, and the Kyrie Eleison are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.” — (An Essay on The Development of the Christian Doctrine John Henry “Cardinal Newman” p.373)
“It has often been charged… that Catholicism is overlaid with many pagan incrustations. Catholicism is ready to accept that accusation and even to make it her boast… the great god Pan is not really dead, he is baptized.” — (The Story of Catholicism, p. 37)
“It is interesting to note how often our Church has availed herself of practices which were in common use among pagans … Thus it is true, in a certain sense, that some Catholic rites and ceremonies are a reproduction of those of pagan creeds…” — (The Externals of the Catholic Church, Her Government, Ceremonies, Festivals, Sacramentals and Devotions, by John F. Sullivan, p. 156, published by P.J. Kennedy, NY, 1942)
So it is not surprising that the two things the Roman Catholic Church mock Protestants for are the two things they brought into the Church that are pagan, and both originated from sun worship, which was Satan worship from Babylon. If only more Christians had a desire to learn the real truth instead of defending what Satan has brought into the Church.
“Most Christians assume that Sunday is the biblically approved day of worship. The Catholic Church protests that it transferred Christian worship from the biblical Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday, and that to try to argue that the change was made in the Bible is both dishonest and a denial of Catholic authority. If Protestantism wants to base its teachings only on the Bible, it should worship on Saturday.” — (Rome’s Challenge, www.immaculateheart.com/maryonline, Dec 2003)
“Our opponents sometimes claim that no belief should be held dogmatically which is not explicitly stated in scripture … But the Protestant Churches have themselves accepted such dogmas, as the Trinity, for which there is no such precise authority in the Gospels,” — (Assumption of Mary, Life magazine, Oct 30, 1950, p. 51)
The question was asked in the Catholic Catechism
It is a day dedicated by the Apostles to the honour of the most holy Trinity, and in memory that Christ our Lord arose from the dead upon Sunday, sent down the holy Ghost on a Sunday, &. and therefore is called the Lord’s Day. It is also called Sunday from the old Roman denomination of Dies Solis, the day of the sun, to which it was sacred.” — (The Douay Catechism of 1649, p. 143)
An interesting statement considering “Sunday worship” and the “Trinity doctrine” both came from sun and satan worship in Babylon, and they were both brought into Christendom by the Catholic Church whom God calls Babylon!
Some of the above information has been taken from the video “The gods of Babylon” and is only a small portion of the information available. I highly recommend watching the entire video for the rest of the story that I have not covered above. You will find it at the bottom of this page or by selecting the link above.
The Origins of the Trinity Doctrine into the Church
So now we know the absolute origins of the trinity doctrine but very few understand how it came to be accepted by the Church several centuries after the Bible was completed. And as you have just seen, its roots go back much farther in history. By late in the first century as we see from 3 John 9-10, conditions had grown so dire that false ministers openly refused to receive representatives of the apostle John and were excommunicating true Christians from the Church!
Of this troubling period Edward Gibbon, the famed historian, wrote in his classic work The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire of a “dark cloud that hangs over the first age of the church.” — (1821, Vol. 2, p. 111)
It was not long before true servants of God became a marginalized and scattered minority among those calling themselves Christian. A very different religion, now compromised with many concepts and practices rooted in ancient paganism (such mixing of religious beliefs being known as syncretism, common in the Roman Empire at the time), took hold and transformed the faith founded by Jesus Christ (pbuh).
Historian Jesse Hurlbut says of this time of transformation, “We name the last generation of the first century, from 68 to 100 A.D., ‘The Age of Shadows,’ partly because the gloom of persecution was over the church, but more especially because of all the periods in the [church’s] history, it is the one about which we know the least. We have no longer the clear light of the Book of Acts to guide us; and no author of that age has filled the blank in the history …
For fifty years after St. Paul’s life a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look; and when at last it rises, about 120 A.D. with the writings of the earliest church fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul.” — (The Story of the Christian Church, 1970, p. 33)
This “very different” Church would grow in power and influence, and within a few short centuries would come to dominate even the mighty Roman Empire! By the second century, faithful members of the Church, Christ’s “little flock” (Luke:12:32) had largely been scattered by waves of deadly persecution. They held firmly to the biblical truth about Jesus Christ (pbuh) and God the Father, though they were persecuted by the Roman authorities as well as those who professed Christianity but were in reality teaching “another Jesus” (pbuh) and a “different gospel.”
Different Ideas about the Godhead Lead to Conflict
Ignatius of Antioch was a student and disciple of the Apostle John whom God trusted the book of Revelation. Note below from John’s disciple some of the different errors that were creeping into the early Church. Would John have corrected Ignatius if he was in error? And most significantly, note that Ignatius did not believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one god or that Jesus (pbuh) was co-eternal with the Father. And since Ignatius was John’s disciple, what did he teach his student?
“They introduce God as a Being unknown; they suppose Christ to be unbegotten; … Some of them say that the Son is a mere man,and that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are but the same person, and that the creation is the work of God, not by Christ, but by some other strange power. Be on your guard, therefore, against such persons.” — (The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians, Chapter VI – Abstain from the Poison of Heretics)
Notice the name of this chapter is called “Abstain from the Poison of Heretics.” Oh how things have changed. Those who reject the pagan three in one god principle are typically called heretics today, and yet in John’s time it was the other way around. Never underestimate satan to turn truth into error and error into truth.
These four verses from John are the only Scriptures in the entire Bible that use the word antichrist. You will note that John says that these people he called antichrist used to be part of the early Church but apostatized and went out on their own (see green highlighted text) and were in the world in his lifetime (see blue highlighted text). Thus these people John is calling antichrist used to be with them and were professed Christians, but they began teaching something that was wrong. So what error did they teach that caused John to call them antichrist? (see yellow highlighted text) We can see that John says they were denying the Father and the Son and that Jesus (pbuh) came in the flesh. But how does a Christian deny the Father and the Son? Read on and find out as this is clearly a salvation issue.
1 John 2:18-19 “Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
1 John 2:22-23 “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus (pbuh) is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same has not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son has the Father also.”
1 John 4:3 “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ (pbuh) is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ (pbuh) is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
In the video further below you will learn that the beloved Apostle John had two students that he taught. Under the guidance and direction of John’s teachings, they taught that Jesus (pbuh) was the literal Son of God. One of these students (Ignatius of Antioch as just seen above) stated that some were wrongly teaching that all three are one god just as the trinity doctrine teaches today, and also states that this was antichrist. So who was John calling antichrist? Those who were teaching that all three are the one same god! Why is this antichrist? Because teaching all three are the same one god denies there is a literal Father and Son and so it denies both the Father and Son. The trinity doctrine claims it was the one God playing the role of the Son who died on the cross and hence denies that Jesus (pbuh) came in the flesh as the Son of God! Denying that Jesus (pbuh) is the Son of God also denies God is the Father and so also denies the Father and Son. Note carefully 1 John 2:22-23.
The trinity doctrine claims it was the one God who died on the cross and not the literal Son of God, and hence denies that Jesus (pbuh) came in the flesh as the Son of God! This is a startling revelation that reveals the truth and the seriousness of this matter.
This is the main reason the Bible teaches that the Papal Church is antichrist. Antichrist is not one man such as the pope as wrongly taught today. It is the entire Catholic system. They say, “The mystery of the trinity is the central doctrine of the Catholic faith. Upon it are based all the other teachings of the church.” — (Handbook for Today’s Catholic, p. 11). It is antichrist because it denies Jesus (pbuh) because it denies He is truly the literal Son of God who came in the flesh.
For Adventists: Note that Ellen White also confirms the above information, so if you choose to believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one as the trinity doctrine teaches, then John would actually call you antichrist. This is very serious if you value your salvation!
“And Peter, describing the dangers to which the church was to be exposed in the last days, says that as there were false prophets who led Israel into sin, so there will be false teachers, “who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them…. And many shall follow their pernicious ways.” 2 Peter 2:1, 2. Here the apostle has pointed out one of the marked characteristics of spiritualist teachers. They refuse to acknowledge Christ as the Son of God. Concerning such teachers the beloved John declares: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus (pbuh) is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father.” 1 John 2:22, 23. Spiritualism, by denying Christ, denies both the Father and the Son, and the Bible pronounces it the manifestation of antichrist.” — (E.G. White, PP, p. 686)
So consistent with what the Apostle John said, these spiritualist teachers are Christians that are denying the Father and Son which in turn denies Jesus (pbuh) is the Son of God.
Ellen White also said, “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus (pbuh) is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. (Par. 17) … He who denies the personality of God and of his Son Jesus Christ (pbuh), is denying God and Christ. “If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.” — (E.G. White, RH, March 8, 1906, p. 9)
So what wrong belief denies the personality of God and His Son which is denying God and Christ? Her husband explains, “Here we might mention the Trinity, which does away [with] the personality of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ (pbuh),” — (James White, RH, December 11, 1855, p. 85). While Ellen White did not use the word trinity, her husband did.
So if you believe in the trinity doctrine then you deny the personality of God and His Son which Ellen White says denies God and Christ, which also denies Jesus (pbuh) is the Son of God, which the Apostle John and Ellen White both said is antichrist.
Please watch and listen carefully to this short video that discusses what Tertullian believed as well as two students of the Apostle John that give light to what was just discussed.
Does History Reveal Who Taught Biblical Truth?
It is interesting that the history of the Arian controversy has been so well hidden that it is hard to determine just what Arius believed. Yet it seems doubtful that all the accusations brought against Arius and those of like persuasion are accurate. It had become the general rule to brand all those who did not subscribe to the trinity doctrine as Arians. Since it is commonly thought that Arians believe that Christ is a created being, and thus not divine, it has been the continual accusation that if you deny the trinity doctrine, you believe that Christ is a created being, and deny the divinity of Christ. This accusation, when applied to those who dissented from the accepted teachings of the Catholic Church on this subject, has seldom been accurate. I have very reluctantly quoted mainstream history elsewhere in this document but I think other historical evidence reveals the real truth. Looking at the background of Athanasius and Arius for example sheds a lot of light.
Since the trinity doctrine belongs to satan, then we can expect him to do all he can to protect his counterfeit. That would mean hiding any false teaching from Athanasius but doing all he can to condemn Arius by having history altered, false rumours spread and destroying what Arius did believe, which we know was actually done. The Catholic Church are known experts at this. Since satan has this base covered, what one can do instead is look at the people Athanasius and Arius received their education from and see what they taught and then the truth becomes very clear.
Athanasius (296-373) who came up with the Catholic Trinitarian view was very strongly influenced by the writings of Origen (184-254) who was a Greek philosopher and theologian who reinterpreted Christian doctrine through the philosophy of neo-platonism. When he taught, he wore the pagan robes of the pagan philosopher. He castrated himself in a lecture in front of his students based on his Gnostic views of the evil of the flesh among other strange practices. Origen also wrote that the creation account in Genesis is a fictitious story. His work was later condemned as unorthodox. Arius (250-336) on the other hand was a student of Lucian of Antioch (240-312). Lucian was responsible for producing what is known as the Textus Receptus that was later restored by Erasmus, and is what gave us the trusted New Testament of the KJV Bible.
This excerpt speaks volumes. “Unlike Origen, Athanasius’s reputation is unsullied in all major branches of Christendom. Although some of his opinions turned out to be heretical by later standards of orthodoxy, he was never condemned or even harshly criticized.” — (Roger Olson, The Story of Christian Theology, p. 162)
So what was satan’s goal? Make sure the truth is discredited and that those teaching his counterfeit can do no wrong.
The following author states that the influence of Origen on the writings of Athanasius is seen throughout his work. “That being said, Athanasius is applying these standard arguments to a more highly developed neo-Platonist philosophy and a more cultural diverse society than any previous theologian had faced. Still, the influence of Origen is felt throughout the work, particularly in Athanasius’ opening statements about the existence (or rather, non-existence) of evil and the refutation of various dualistic cosmologies.” — (Critique of Athanasius Two Books against the Heathens, Jonathan Shelley)
There can be no doubt that Athanasius incorporated neo-platonism into his works and was greatly influenced by Plato, Origen and Greek philosophy rather than following the true meaning of Scripture. Origen was a student of the humanistic philosophies of Plato, Aristotle and Ammonius and he altered the Bible to make God’s Word say what he wanted it to say. Origen was also a student of Clement of Alexandria who sought to combine Greek philosophy with Christianity as many religions do today corrupting Christianity by combining it with pagan ideas. (See George E. Karamanolis, Plato and Aristotle in Agreement, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 208)
As previously seen, the trinity doctrine is not found in Scripture but it is found in Greek philosophy and paganism. So the trinity was not derived from scripture but was conceived in philosophy. Note the definition of neo-platonism. “1. A philosophical system developed at Alexandria in the third century a.d. by Plotinus and his successors. It is based on Platonism with elements of mysticism and some Judaic and Christian concepts and posits a single source from which all existence emanates and with which an individual soul can be mystically united.” — (TheFreeDictionary)
James Strong who wrote the famous Strong’s Concordance stated, “Towards the end of the 1st century, and during the 2nd, many learned men came over both from Judaism and paganism to Christianity. These brought with them into the Christian schools of theology their Platonic ideas and phraseology.” — (Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, 1891, Vol. 10, “Trinity,” p. 553)
Almost two thousand years ago Origen wrote, “Could any man of sound judgment suppose that the first, second, and third days (of creation) had an evening and a morning, when there were as yet no sun or moon or stars? Could anyone be so unintelligent as to think that God made a paradise somewhere in the east and planted it with trees, like a farmer, or that in that paradise he put a tree of life, a tree you could see and know with your senses, a tree you could derive life from by eating its fruit with the teeth in your head? When the Bible says that God used to walk in paradise in the evening or that Adam hid behind a tree, no one, I think, will question that these are only fictitious stories of things that never actually happened, and that figuratively they refer to certain mysteries.” — (Tadros Y. Malaty, Before Origen, p. 134)
Origen also “believed the Holy Spirit was a feminine force that Jesus (pbuh) was only a created being and Gnosticism taught that Jesus (pbuh) became Christ at his baptism but that he was never God. He was a just a good man with very high morals. He believed in the doctrine of Purgatory, transubstantiation, transmigration of the soul and reincarnation of the soul. He doubted the temptations of Jesus (pbuh) in Scripture and claimed they could have never happened. The Scriptures were not literal. Genesis 1-3 was a myth, not historical or literal, as there was no actual person named “Adam.” Based upon Matthew 19, a true man of God should be castrated, which he did to himself. He taught eternal life was not a gift, instead one must grab hold of it and retain it. Christ enters no man until they mentally grasp the understanding of the consummation of the ages. He taught there would be no physical resurrection of the believers.” — (See Dr. Ken Matto, Origen’s Gnostic Belief System)
Origen’s belief system clearly indicates that he was a Gnostic Greek Philosopher and not a true child of God.
Now let’s look at how much influence Lucian had on the teachings of Arius and if he was grounded in the Word. “The leaders in the Arian movement (Arius himself, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Maris and Theognis) received their training under Lucian and always venerated him as their master and the founder of their system.” — (New World Encyclopedia, Lucian of Antioch)
It was Antioch where Lucian was taught to love and obey God’s Word as a child and is also where the disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 11:26) As a young man he became aware of disturbing news from the Roman Churches in the West. Two movements were forming within the early Christian Church. The Churches in Rome looked to the famous college at Alexandria for spiritual guidance, while the Syrian’s trusted their leaders in Antioch to guide them. Lucian taught that the Church must choose obedience to the Bible rather than allowing manmade traditions to creep into worship.
“Lucian quickly discerned that there were two movements taking shape in Christendom, one loose in doctrine and affiliating itself with heathenism, the other based on the deep foundations of the Christian faith.” — (Benjamin G. Wilkinson, Truth Triumphant, p. 46). It was Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Athanasius who were affiliating themselves with heathenism and hence came the doctrine of the trinity. Lucian on the other hand was the other based on the deep foundations of the Christian faith that produced the Textus Receptus which gave us the trusted New Testament of the KJV Bible.
“The Alexandria catechetical school, which revered Clement of Alexandria and Origen, the greatest theologian of the Greek Church, as its heads, applied the allegorical method to the explanation of Scripture. Its thought was influenced by Plato: its strong point was [pagan] theological speculations. Athanasius and the three Cappadocians [the men whose Trinitarian views were adopted by the Catholic Church at the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople] had been included among its members.” — (Hubert Jedin, Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church: an Historical Outline, 1960, p. 28)
When Babylon was conquered in 538 B.C, the Babylonian pagan priests went to Rome and Alexandria and took their pagan teachings with them. It was about 200 B.C. when the Jews began sending their best scholars to Alexandria, but they were introduced to many pagan teachings. Hebrew students were taught to accept manmade traditions and to look for mystical meanings in Scripture rather than accept the plain teachings of the Bible. Lucian was aware that the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus (pbuh) as their Messiah because of their faulty teaching in Alexandra.
“Lucian believed in the literal sense of the biblical text and emphasized the need for textual accuracy. Lucian undertook to revise the Septuagint based on the original Hebrew. By comparing the Greek text with Hebrew grammatical styles, and giving priority to the literal sense, Lucian sought to limit the symbolical interpretation characteristic of the Alexandrian (Egyptian) allegorical tradition which incorporated pagan philosophy into Christianity. Lucian’s influence permanently oriented Christian theology towards historical realism in its debate with classical non-Christian thought.” — (New World Encyclopedia, Lucian of Antioch)
Satan had success in changing the Jewish Church and now plotted to use the school at Alexandria to destroy the Christian Church. Two well known teachers at Alexandria, Clement of Alexandria and his famous pupil Origen taught students how to allegorize the Bible. For example, they made people, cities or stories in the Bible represent something else. Lucian knew that accepting Clement’s and Origen’s way of interpreting Scripture would change the meaning of Scripture and would result in the truths of the Bible being changed by human reasoning and tradition.
“The Alexandrines incorporated Greek Pagan philosophical beliefs from Plato’s teachings into Christianity (Neoplatonism), and interpreted much of the Bible allegorically, … Lucian rejected this system entirely and propounded a system of literal interpretation that dominated the Eastern Church for a long period.” — (New World Encyclopedia, Lucian of Antioch)
Lucian would not compromise with the manmade changes Alexandria and Rome were bringing into Christianity. Knowing that Christians must have nothing to do with these pagan practices, Lucian began a college in Antioch which would give young people a true Biblical foundation. Now early Christianity had two rival cities; Alexandria being a powerful center for satan’s errors, and Antioch being the protector of true Christianity.
So unlike Origen and Athanasius, Lucian followed Scripture only and was well aware of the problems with Greek philosophy and paganism. Being strongly opposed, Lucian tried to counteract what was happening. Because Antioch was on the border between Rome and Persia, news and culture steadily streamed in. Lucian saw that “the churches of Rome and Alexandria had entered into an alliance. Alexandria had, for more than two centuries before Christ, been the real capital of the Jews who were compromising with paganism.” — (Benjamin G. Wilkinson, Truth Triumphant, p. 47)
From the history of the Jewish nation Lucian could see the effect of accepting the Greek education taught in Alexandria. It was because of their acceptance of Greek culture that the Jews were unprepared to accept Christ. “The church at Alexandria was in this atmosphere. The city of Rome had been for seven hundred years, and was still to be for some time, the world capital of paganism. This environment greatly influenced the church at Rome. Lucian grew up in the churches of Syria and of the Near East, which were modeled after the churches of Judea. Lucian founded a college at Antioch which strove to counteract the dangerous ecclesiastical alliance between Rome and Alexandria.” — (lbid)
The graduates from Lucian’s school were solid Bible students. Their goal was to share with others the peace and joy they had received from accepting Jesus (pbuh) into their heart. Pagan superstitions were swept away as faith in God produced transformed followers of Christ. We owe a lot to Lucian who resulted in the true gospel spreading through the world.
Students at Lucian’s college also received training in trades and occupations including foreign languages, the sciences and medicine. Antioch became world famous for its medical school and students were skilled in all branches of natural healing. Because of their excellent education, students were hired for important jobs with government officials and even royalty. God blessed them with remarkable occupational success.
But Lucian’s greatest gift to Protestant history was his editing of the Textus Receptus. Lucian took all the manuscripts that were known to the early Christians and compiled them together into the New Testament. Dr B. G. Wilkinson states that “The Protestant denominations are built upon that manuscript of the Greek New Testament, sometimes called the Textus Receptus, or Received Text. It is that Greek New Testament from which the writings of the apostles have been translated into the various languages. During the Dark Ages, the Received Text was practically unknown… It was restored to Christendom by the labors of that great scholar, Erasmus. However, neither Lucian nor Erasmus, but rather the apostles wrote the Greek New Testament.” — (Benjamin G. Wilkinson, Truth Triumphant, p. 50)
“Lucian had an enduring influence on Biblical textual study and is known for his critical revision of the text of the Septuagint and the Greek New Testament. Basing his revision on the original Hebrew, Lucian emphasized the need for textual accuracy and sought to limit the allegorical interpretation of the Alexandrian Christian tradition, which incorporated pagan philosophy. Lucian’s edition contributed significantly to the Syrian recension, that was used by Chrysostom and the later Greek fathers, and became the basis of the textus receptus from which most of the Reformation era New Testament translations were made. Lucian’s rationalist approach permanently oriented Christian theology towards historical realism.” — (New World Encyclopedia, Lucian of Antioch)
The Textus Receptus from Lucian is also called the Majority Text because it was based on the majority (90%) of the 5000 plus Greek manuscripts in existence. It did not have material added, removed or modified as did the Minority Text.
Origen also made translations and commentaries of the Bible. But these were written in a way that allowed many errors to be introduced into Christianity. “Origen… denied the deity of Christ, teaching that Jesus (pbuh) was a lesser, created god. He and other false teachers who did not confess the Lord Jesus Christ (pbuh) set to mutilating the Alexandrian group of manuscripts, ‘editing,’ omitting, and changing passages of Scripture. The Alexandrian texts underlying the modern Bible versions are based on these corrupted manuscripts.” — (Matthew Brill, Evangelism Expounded, WinePress Publishing, 2011, pp. 113, 114)
“Origen, being the textual critic, is supposed to have corrected numerous portions of the sacred manuscripts. Evidence to the contrary shows that he changed them to agree with his human philosophy of mystical and allegorical ideas. Thus, through deceptive scholarship of this kind, certain manuscripts became corrupt.” — (Les Garrett, Which Bible Can We Trust, Prophecy Club, 1998)
There is an explosion of new Bibles today. However, very few use the Textus Receptus as the basis for their translations as the King James Version has. These modern translations come from the Greek text produced by Wescott and Hort who used the Codex Sinaiticus, which has 14800 edits which is more than any other manuscript in Biblical history. The other is the Codex Vaticanus which comes from the Vatican and is claimed to be older than what was used by the reformers. However, it is said that most of it has been overwritten by a fifteenth century scribe, and we know what that means when it comes from the Papacy! Satan is doing everything he can to lead people away from God and has found a very clever way to give us something that looks like Scripture but actually contains some of his lies in place of God’s truths.
History is very clear and leaves no doubt that God used Lucian of Antioch for many very important works and that he played a major role in keeping God’s true Church alive, though it was eventually driven underground. But Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Athanasius are major figures in the origins of the Apostate Church that persecuted the Christian saints through the dark ages. God calls this Apostate Church Babylon with very good reason. What are two of the biggest errors they introduced in opposition to the Word of God? Sunday worship and the trinity doctrine that both originated from sun and satan worship in Babylon. It is clear that Lucian was part of God’s true Church and those who studied under him and called him master were no doubt also. This as you have seen includes Arius.
So Arius who studied under the Biblical teachings of Lucian of Antioch who was opposed to Greek philosophy is almost certainly the one who had Biblical truth and was deliberately discredited just as Trinitarians do to non-Trinitarians today. Origen on the other hand who Athanasius learned from was definitely influenced by Greek and Platonic philosophy and reinterpreted Christian doctrine through the philosophy of Neoplatonism. So these facts also verify that the trinity doctrine came from paganism and Greek philosophy. The weight of evidence is overwhelming.
Those who understand Bible prophecy also know from history and the following verse that God’s true Church was hiding in the wilderness from Papal persecution for 1260 years called the dark ages. “And the woman [God’s true Church] fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days [1260 years on the day for a year rule].” Revelation 12:6. Parentheses are added. The Papal Church ruling instituted and enforced the trinity doctrine, but the true Church hiding in the wilderness was non-Trinitarian. So Scripture and history reveal the non-Trinitarian view is correct. You cannot be the true Church if you are teaching serious error on the Godhead!
“No wonder that the Celtic, the Gothic, the Waldensian, the Armenian Churches, and the great Church of the East, as well as other bodies, differed profoundly from the papacy in its metaphysical conceptions of the Trinity and consequently in the importance of the Ten Commandments.” — (Truth Triumphant, Church in the Wilderness, B.G. Wilkinson, Ch. 7, pp. 87, 88)
Debate Not Ended by the Nicene Council
The Council of Nicea did not end the controversy. Karen Armstrong explains, “Athanasius managed to impose his theology on the delegates … with the emperor breathing down their necks …
“The show of agreement pleased Constantine, who had no understanding of the theological issues, but in fact there was no unanimity at Nicaea. After the council, the bishops went on teaching as they had before, and the Arian crisis continued for another sixty years. Arius and his followers fought back and managed to regain imperial favor. Athanasius was exiled no fewer than five times. It was very difficult to make his creed stick.” — (pp. 110, 111)
So after Constantine’s death in 337 A.D. disputes continued. Constantine’s son Constantius II who had become Emperor of the eastern part of the Empire encouraged the Arians and set out to reverse the Nicene creed. His advisor in these affairs was Eusebius of Nicomedia who had already at the Council of Nicea been the head of the Arian party and who was also made bishop of Constantinople. Constantius used his power to exile bishops that followed the Nicene creed and especially Athanasius who fled to Rome. In 355 A.D. Constantius became the sole Emperor and extended his pro-Arian policy toward the western provinces. The continuing debates resulted in numerous synods. Among them was the Council of Sardica in 343 A.D, the Council of Sirmium in 358 A.D. and the double Council of Rimini and Seleucia in 359 A.D. There were no fewer than fourteen further creed formulas between 340 and 360 A.D.
So the fires of this Godhead quarrel burned brightly for over fifty years. From 351 to 360 A.D, Emperor Constantius (son of Constantine) convened no fewer than nine councils of bishops for the sole purpose of trying to settle them to no avail.
After the death of Constantius in 361 A.D, his successor Julian who was a devotee of Rome’s pagan gods declared that he would no longer favor one church faction over another and allowed all exiled bishops to return. This resulted in further increasing dissension among Christians. The Emperor Valens however revived Constantius’ policy and supported the “Homoian” party exiling bishops. During this persecution many bishops were exiled to the other ends of the Empire.
The ongoing disagreements were at times violent and bloody. Of the aftermath of the Council of Nicea, noted historian Will Durant writes, “Probably more Christians were slaughtered by Christians in these two years (342-3) than by all the persecutions of Christians by pagans in the history of Rome.” — (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 4: The Age of Faith, 1950, p. 8). Ramsay MacMullen in his book Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries wrote, “…more Christians died for their faith at the hands of fellow Christians than had died before in all the persecutions.” While claiming to be Christian many believers fought and slaughtered one another over their differing views of God!
Of the following decades, Professor Harold Brown writes, “During the middle decades of this century, from 340 to 380, the history of doctrine looks more like the history of court and church intrigues and social unrest … The central doctrines hammered out in this period often appear to have been put through by intrigue or mob violence rather than by the common consent of Christendom led by the Holy Spirit.” (Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church, 2003, p. 119)
Ongoing Disputes Lead to the Council of Constantinople
It was not until the co-reigns of Gratian and Theodosius that Arianism lost control among the ruling class and elite of the Eastern Empire. Theodosius’ wife St Flacilla was also instrumental in his campaign to stop Arianism. Valens died in the Battle of Adrianople in 378 A.D. and was succeeded by Theodosius I who followed the Nicene creed.
On 24 November 380 A.D, two days after Theodosius arrived in Constantinople, he expelled the Homoiousian bishop Demophilus of Constantinople and surrendered the Churches of that city to Gregory of Nazianzus who was the leader of a small Nicene community there. This act provoked rioting. Bishop Acholius of Thessalonica had just baptized Theodosius during a severe illness as was common in the early Christian world. In February he and Gratian had published an edict that all their subjects should profess the faith of the bishops of Rome and Alexandria (i.e., the Nicene faith), or be handed over for punishment for not doing so. [Above information sourced from Sozomen’s Church History VII.4]
So what was the significance of Rome and Alexandria? They were the only places in the world where many Christians kept only Sunday and not the true Sabbath. Why? Because this is where the pagan practices of Babylon landed after it was conquered. And what was the dominant pagan practice that the Babylonian priests brought with them? Sun worship which was done on Sun-day! Throughout the entire history of the change of Sabbath to Sunday, Rome and Alexandria had worked together. Alexandria provided the philosophical reasons for the changes and Rome provided the decrees and anathemas.
Church historian Socrates Scholasticus (5th century) wrote: “For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries [of the Lord’s Supper] on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this.” — (Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, Book 5, Ch. 22)
So the trinity doctrine and Sunday worship both came from sun and satan worship that grew in power from the Catholic Church that came from the bishops of Rome and Alexandria. Two pagan practices with the same origin!
In the year May 381 A.D. being 44 years after Constantine’s death, Emperor Theodosius convened the Council of Constantinople (today Istanbul, Turkey) to put an end to the disputes. Gregory of Nazianzus who was recently appointed as archbishop of Constantinople was to preside over the council to urge the adoption of his view on the Holy Spirit.
Historian Charles Freeman states, “Virtually nothing is known of the theological debates of the council of 381, but Gregory was certainly hoping to get some acceptance of his belief that the Spirit was consubstantial with the Father [meaning that the persons are of the same being, as substance in this context denotes individual quality].
Whether he dealt with the matter clumsily or whether there was simply no chance of consensus, the ‘Macedonians,’ bishops who refused to accept the full divinity of the Holy Spirit, left the council … Typically, Gregory berated the bishops for preferring to have a majority rather than simply accepting ‘the Divine Word’ of the Trinity on his authority.” — (A.D. 381: Heretics, Pagans and the Dawn of the Monotheistic State, 2008, p. 96)
However, Gregory soon became ill and had to withdraw from the council. Who would preside now? “So it was that one Nectarius, an elderly city senator who had been a popular prefect in the city as a result of his patronage of the games, but who was still not a baptized Christian, was selected … Nectarius appeared to know no theology, and he had to be initiated into the required faith before being baptized and consecrated.” — (Freeman, pp. 97, 98)
It is absolutely bizarre that a man who up to this point wasn’t a Christian was appointed to preside over a major Church council tasked with determining what it would teach regarding the nature of God!
The Trinity Becomes Official Doctrine
The teaching of the three Cappadocians “made it possible for the Council of Constantinople (381) to affirm the divinity of the Holy Spirit, which up to that point had nowhere been clearly stated, not even in Scripture.” — (Harper-Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, p. 568)
Trinitarian Baptist professor Millard J. Erickson states, “What Athanasius did was to extend his teaching about the Word to the Spirit, so that God exists eternally as a Triad sharing one identical and indivisible substance. The Cappadocians – Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa – developed the doctrine of the Spirit, and thus of the Trinity, further.” — (God In Three Persons, p. 90)
Note that “Although Athanasius prepared the ground, constructive agreement on the central doctrine of the Trinity was not reached in his lifetime (297-373 A.D.)” — (Macropaedia, Vol. 16, p. 319)
Nineteenth century historian Adolph Harnack wrote, “The Cappadocians were still relatively independent theologians, worthy disciples and admirers of Origen, using new forms to make the faith of Athanasius intelligible to contemporary thought, and thus establishing them, though with modifications.” — (History of Dogma, Vol. 3, p. 151)
“Gregory (of Nyssa) was able to demonstrate the application of the incarnation more definitely than Athanasius could… But he does so by the aid of a thoroughly Platonic idea which is only slightly suggested in Athanasius, and is not really covered by Biblical reference.” — (Vol. 3, p. 297)
The council adopted a statement that translates into English as, in part, “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ (pbuh), the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages … And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets …” The statement also affirmed belief “in one holy, catholic [meaning in this context universal, whole or complete] and apostolic Church …”
Although much of the Church hierarchy in the East had opposed the Nicene Creed in the decades leading up to Theodosius’ accession, he eventually succeeded in achieving unity with the Nicene Creed. With this declaration in 381 A.D. which would become known as the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the trinity as generally understood today became the official belief and teaching concerning the nature of God. Thus for the first time in history, Christianity had a doctrine of the trinity. The Platonic beliefs of “the three Cappadocians” had prevailed.
So was Theodosius a Christ-like individual looking for Biblical truth? Or was he a ruthless Emperor who enforced his view and opinion by physical force and persecution? Was he influenced by Scripture or by the bishops of Rome and Alexandria who were steeped in Greek philosophy? So had Biblical truth prevailed? Not a chance!
Theology professor Richard Hanson observes that a result of the council’s decision “was to reduce the meanings of the word ‘God’ from a very large selection of alternatives to one only,” such that “when Western man today says ‘God’ he means the one, sole exclusive [Trinitarian] God and nothing else.” — (Studies in Christian Antiquity, 1985, pp. 243, 244)
Thus, Emperor Theodosius who himself had been baptized only a year before convening the council was, like Constantine nearly six decades earlier, instrumental in establishing major Church doctrine. As historian Charles Freeman notes, “It is important to remember that Theodosius had no theological background of his own and that he put in place as dogma a formula containing intractable philosophical problems of which he would have been unaware. In effect, the emperor’s laws had silenced the debate when it was still unresolved.” — (p. 103)
It is bad enough that the three-in-one part of the trinity doctrine that came from sun and satan worship becoming an accepted doctrine by the Church. But now it was decided that the Holy Spirit was a literal being co-equal with the Father and Son by people with little or no knowledge of theology, and three men steeped in Platonic and Greek philosophy! Why should we follow something that could never have been taught by the Apostles or the early Church since this was not decided until 400 hundred years after the cross? How could this be correct when it was never taught before this time? Personally, I would rather establish what the Bible teaches than follow what was decided in some council under such bizarre circumstances. Clearly this has serious issues that no true Christian should ever consider.
There is no Scripture that says the Holy Spirit is God or that the Holy Spirit is a literal being as decided by this council in 381 A.D. And to later justify what was decided by saying that the Holy Spirit can be grieved, so therefore the Spirit of God must be a person is not theology! That is red fire engine logic. That is, fire engines are red, my car is red, therefore my car is a fire engine. What Paul said on the other hand is Biblical, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:11 NIV. Here Paul likens the spirit of man to the Spirit of God. Just as a man has a spirit, God also has a Spirit in the same manner, and His Spirit is the part of Him associated with the mind, will, and emotions the same as a man. My spirit can also be grieved but that does not make my spirit another person any more than it does God’s according to Paul. The only difference as Paul points out is that a man’s spirit is within him but the Spirit of God can go anywhere.
Quoting Acts 5:3-4 is also red fire engine logic. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and thus is from God. This is why Peter showed that to lie to the Spirit of God that revealed the deception, is to lie to the Almighty God Himself as it is His Spirit.
For Adventists: Does Acts 5:3-4 say the Holy Spirit is god or that they lied to the “almighty God” as it is His Spirit? “Peter asked, “Was it not thine own?” thus showing that no undue influence had been brought to bear upon Ananias and Sapphira to compel them to sacrifice their possessions to the general good. They had acted from choice. But in pretending to be wrought upon by the Holy Ghost, and attempting to deceive the apostles, they had lied to the Almighty.” — (E.G. White, 3SP 285.1.
“In giving us His Spirit, God gives us Himself,” — (E.G. White, 7T 273.1, 1902)
A true Christian studies and follows the Word of God. Not put their trust in man let alone men with little or no theological knowledge and then later search the Scriptures to see what can be found to match their chosen belief.
Other Beliefs About the Nature of God Banned
Now that a decision had been reached, Theodosius would tolerate no dissenting views. He issued his own edict that read, “We now order that all churches are to be handed over to the bishops who profess Father, Son and Holy Spirit of a single majesty, of the same glory, of one splendor, who establish no difference by sacrilegious separation, but (who affirm) the order of the Trinity by recognizing the Persons and uniting the Godhead.” — (Richard Rubenstein, When Jesus (pbuh) Became God, 1999, p. 223)
Another edict from Theodosius went further in demanding adherence to the new teaching, “Let us believe the one deity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, in equal majesty and in a holy Trinity. We authorize the followers of this law to assume the title of Catholic Christians; but as for the others, since, in our judgement, they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics, and shall not presume to give their conventicles [assemblies] the name of churches.
They will suffer in the first place the chastisement of the divine condemnation, and the second the punishment which our authority, in accordance with the will of Heaven, shall decide to inflict.” — (Documents of the Christian Church, Henry Bettenson, editor, 1967, p. 22)
Thus we see a teaching forced onto the Church that was foreign to Christ, never taught by the apostles and unknown to the other Biblical writers, was locked into place and the true Biblical revelation about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit was permanently locked out. Those who agreed with the decision of Emperor Theodosius were considered Catholics. But anyone who disagreed was in accordance with the edicts of the emperor and Church authorities branded a heretic and dealt with accordingly. If this was done today in this manner, would you accept it?
Trinity Doctrine Decided by Trial and Error
This unusual chain of events is why theology professors Anthony and Richard Hanson would summarize the story in their book Reasonable Belief: A Survey of the Christian Faith by noting that the adoption of the trinity doctrine came as a result of “a process of theological exploration which lasted at least three hundred years … In fact it was a process of trial and error (almost of hit and miss), in which the error was by no means all confined to the unorthodox … It would be foolish to represent the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as having been achieved by any other way.” — (1980, p. 172)
They then conclude, “This was a long, confused, process whereby different schools of thought in the Church worked out for themselves, and then tried to impose on others, their answer to the question, ‘How divine is Jesus Christ (pbuh)?’ … If ever there was a controversy decided by the method of trial and error, it was this one.” — (p. 175)
Anglican churchman and Oxford University lecturer K. E. Kirk writes on the adoption of the trinity doctrine, “The theological and philosophical vindication of the divinity of the Spirit begins in the fourth century; we naturally turn to the writers of that period to discover what grounds they have for their belief. To our surprise, we are forced to admit that they have none …
This failure of Christian theology … to produce logical justification of the cardinal point in its trinitarian doctrine is of the greatest possible significance. We are forced, even before turning to the question of the vindication of the doctrine by experience, to ask ourselves whether theology or philosophy has ever produced any reasons why its belief should be Trinitarian.” — (The Evolution of the Doctrine of the Trinity, published in Essays on the Trinity and the Incarnation, A.E.J. Rawlinson, editor, 1928, pp. 221, 222)
This in brief is the amazing story of how the doctrine of the trinity came to be introduced and how those who refused to accept it came to be branded as heretics or unbelievers.
So should we base our view of God on a doctrine that is not spelled out in the Bible, that was not formalized until three centuries after the time of Jesus (pbuh) and the apostles, that was debated and argued for decades (not to mention for centuries since), that was imposed by religious councils presided over by novices or nonbelievers and that was “decided by the method of trial and error” and a lot of bloodshed? I pray that the answer is obvious to all.
Here is a brief summary of the pagan origin of the trinity doctrine.
- The three in one trinity doctrine originated from paganism with the worship of the sun and satan at Babel.
- Paganism entered the Church at Rome during the early centuries, including the heathen teachings about God. As a result, the heathen trinity was brought into the Catholic Church. Over the years it took on many forms.
- The Catholic Church officially condemned the heathen trinity of Modalistic Monarchianism and Sabbellianism in 264 A.D. at Antioch. Many Catholics have continued to teach this form of heathenism down through the years. (Some Protestant Christians still teach this form of the heathen trinity)
- The Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. deliberately condemned the Arians for believing that Jesus (pbuh) had a beginning, without regard as to whether He was created or begotten. The decision of the council was that Christ was eternally begotten, without beginning. Arius said this made Christ the “unbegotten begotten One,” which was a contradiction of terms.
- Emperor Theodosius the Great convened the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. to affirm the divinity of the Holy Spirit, which up to that point had nowhere been clearly stated, not even in Scripture. It was decided by people with little or no knowledge of theology and “the three Cappadocians” that the Holy Spirit was a literal being, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and Son. Those disagreeing were branded as foolish madmen and heretics and were dealt with accordingly. It was in this year (381 A.D.) that the doctrine of the trinity was fully established.
- After the passing of the Nicene Creed, the Arians were proscribed. The uprooting of the three horns on the head of the fourth beast of Daniel 7 eradicated the Arians by force. In 538 A.D. the last of the three horns was uprooted, giving the Papacy full dominion over the Churches.
- The debate over the trinity doctrine continued on until the 6th century until it was firmly established as Papal dogma.
Seventh day Adventists and quite a few other denominations who understand the identity of antichrist also know that the Papacy has continually cast the truth to the ground. (Daniel 8:12) So the pagan doctrine of the trinity as well as Sunday keeping was passed on to all the new Protestant Churches that began from the Protestant Reformation, and remains with the majority today. Arius probably did not teach that Christ was created, but taught Biblical truth and so what he taught was truth cast to the ground by the Papal Church as Scripture states.
More than 15 years after Ellen White had “supposedly” become a Trinitarian, she states that Jesus (pbuh) was the “divine” Son of God before He was born in Bethlehem. Woodrow Whidden on the other hand who is one of the authors of the book “The Trinity” believes that words such as “Father”, “Son”, “Son of God”, “first born”, “only begotten”, “the only true God”, “one God the Father” etc. in Scripture are all just figurative and metaphorical. That makes a mockery of several hundred verses in the Bible! If you cannot take these words as being literal then you cannot take anything in the Bible as being literal, and so you may as well discard the entire Bible as a bad joke! If you cannot see the deception in this example of the implications of the trinity doctrine and how it denies the Father and Son then you will never see it.
Who Receives the Worship?
When Christians are asked if they believe in the trinity, they often say yes without even knowing exactly what it is. And most also say that it does not really matter anyway as it is not a salvation issue. But that could not be further from the truth and if we truly love the Lord then we should want to know anyway. As seen earlier, John called those teaching that all three are one were antichrist. Are those John calls antichrist saved? Not likely! Many serious problems arise from not knowing as we have seen already, but the following is one of the worst. Seventh day Adventists are most easily misled here because when informed of the truth, they typically turn to the internet where they eventually find a handful of easily misunderstood quotes by Ellen White, which were compiled by LeRoy Froom with the deliberate intent to deceive. Without even checking what the Bible says, they put their trust in these misunderstood quotes and never look deeper, or examine her other writings to see what she really meant. Some have the mentality that their Church could never be wrong. What a tragic mistake.
Reading Revelation chapters 13 and 14 we find that the mark of the beast is about who we worship. Isaiah 14:12-14 says that satan desires to be worshipped as God. But if satan asked you to worship him, would you do it? Of course not. And satan of course knows this. So satan gets himself a front man and props him up so when they are worshipped, he receives worship by proxy. This is called worship by representation. There are two ways satan does this with Christians and both come from sun worship, which as you have already seen is really the worship of satan.
The first way is through Sunday worship. For those who are unaware, Scripture informs us that the Lord’s Sabbath is a sign that it is God whom we worship and God who sanctifies us when we keep His Seventh day Holy. Revelation 13:2 says satan gave his power, throne and great authority to the first beast which is the Papal Church system. So when this beast power is being worshipped, who is really being worshipped? satan himself! So where does worship come into this? By satan through the Catholic Church implementing his own day of worship being Sunday. That is, Sunday worship that evolved from sun worship.
The second way is by worship of the Holy Spirit as a non-existent literal being, and so satan steps in to receive this worship by representation once again. This was something he put in place a long time ago in 381 A.D. as we have just seen. The Bible never teaches that the Holy Spirit is God or that the Holy Spirit should be prayed to or worshipped, and yet the Catholic Church does this. Today there are more and more from other denominations now doing the same. Just recentlysome Adventists are now teaching we should pray to the Holy Spirit. Yet we are only supposed to worship God through His Son. Jerry Moon from the Seventh day Adventist theological seminary, who is one of the authors of the book The Trinity, first says in this book, “In the spirit of the pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist church, the authors of this book firmly hold the following conviction: if we cannot support any teaching biblically, we do not want it.” — (The Trinity, p. 10) “We will be very candid with our readers–if it is not biblical we do not want it, even if the vast majority of authorities in the religious world endorse it (including Adventist pioneers and the theologians of ‘Babylon’).” — (The Trinity, p.11)
Considering the last bracketed statement, why is there a triquetra on the front cover and even worse, with three fiery rings? What do they represent? The theologians of Babylon of course are the pagan sun worshippers, where astrology originated from!
Next we have an interesting confession that we have already seen many times from other writers and historians, “The only way for the pioneers in their context to effectively separate Scripture from tradition was to abandon every doctrine not clearly supported from the Bible alone. Thus they initially rejected the traditional doctrine of the Trinity, which clearly contained elements not evident in Scripture.” — (The Trinity, p. 202)
So the authors say that “if it is not Biblical we do not want it” as they clearly state more than once. And yet below they say that even if there is no Biblical support for it, as long as it seems logical it is okay! Reading on, “But what about direct prayer to the Holy Spirit? While we have no clear example of or direct command to pray to the Spirit in Scripture, doing so does have, in principle, some implicit biblical support. … it only seems logical that God’s people can pray directly to and worship the Holy Spirit.” — (The Trinity, pp. 272, 273, Emphasis). Is this one reason that the trinity doctrine is now accepted by so many Churches? Even if it is not evident in Scripture, as long as it seems logical then it is okay. Though I am not sure what is logical about 1+1+1=One!
And if you think that satan is not leading Adventists to start praying to the Holy Spirit then watch this 35 second clip
Did you notice that he says “God the Spirit” which is a Catholic Trinitarian phrase and hence is never found in the Bible which uses the term “Spirit of God” which has a totally different meaning.
Some Adventists have suggested that I read material from Jerry Moon, and while I have done so to get a balanced view in my research to be sure I am teaching truth, I cannot agree with what he says. If it is not in the Bible, we should not teach it. And especially when we know where the trinity doctrine comes from! Should one trust these authors at all after such major contradictions and unbiblical statements? John W. Reeve being one of the authors is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Notre Dame which is Catholic. And he also teaches at the Seventh day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University. Catholic and Adventist? Does this explain the above problems and why they have a triquetra on the front cover? The black pope did say to bring the Adventist Church over to Rome.
Here is one statement from Jerry Moon that I do agree with and especially the highlighted part.
“That most of the leading SDA pioneers were non-Trinitarian in their theology has become accepted Adventist history, surprising as it sounded to most Adventists 40 years ago when Erwin R. Gane wrote an M.A. thesis on the topic.” “More recently, a further question has arisen with increasing urgency: was the pioneers’ belief about the Godhead right or wrong? “As one line of reasoning goes, either the pioneers were wrong and the present church is right, or the pioneers were right and the present Seventh-day Adventist Church has apostatized from biblical truth.” — (Jerry Moon, The Trinity, Chapter, Trinity and antitrinitarianism in Seventh-day Adventist history, p. 190)
Seventh day Adventists were once non-Trinitarians but one man managed to slowly get this counterfeit doctrine into their Church. Adventists are aware of the Sabbath deception but most are totally ignorant of the trinity deception. Some Adventists who have discovered this deception have formed their own ministries such as the people responsible for the videos on this page. The Adventist Church before they accepted the trinity doctrine was as close to Biblical truth as one can ever be and one can learn a lot from them and especially on Bible prophecy. I strongly suggest taking advantage of their knowledge in this area. See the next page for how the trinity doctrine crept into the Adventist Church. Earlier we saw that in several branches of heathenism, the third person of this trinity is regarded as evil and a destroyer. If the Holy Spirit is not a literal being and was instigated by satan who steps up to receive worship as this third person, is he evil and a destroyer? This is something we need to consider very seriously.
Greek Philosophy’s Influence on the Trinity Doctrine
Greek philosophers were greatly influenced by Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 BC) who was considered the greatest of all philosophers. Plato thought he could define God and most Greek philosophy was based on his theories. Since the triad deities were among all ancient religions, and Plato was ingrained in trinitarian thought, he wanted to come up with a better definition to define God above all deities of Greek mythology. Plato’s definition of God was, (1) The “first God,” who was the Supreme Being in the universe; (2) the “second God,” whom Plato described as the “soul of the universe”; and (3) the “third God,” defined as the “spirit.”
The Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria (15 BC-AD 50) who was a follower of Greek philosophy, and was influenced by Plato’s version saw God as, (1) Father, who created all things (Philo named him “the Demiurge”), (2) Mother, who was Knowledge the Maker possessed and (3) the Beloved Son was the world. Supposedly the union of “Demiurge” and “Knowledge” produced man’s world. This esoteric type of thinking led to the birth of the development of the trinity.
Many historians and religious scholars attest to the influence of Greek or Platonic philosophy in the development and acceptance of the trinity doctrine in the fourth century. But what did such philosophy entail and how did it come to affect the doctrine of the trinity?
Charles Bigg stated that the famous Greek philosopher Plato believed in a divine triad of “God, the ideas, [and] the World-Spirit,” though he “nowhere explained or harmonized this triad.” — (Charles Bigg, Christian Platonists of Alexandria, 1886, p. 249)
Later Greek thinkers refined Plato’s concepts into what they referred to as three “substances,” the supreme God or “the One,” from which came “mind” or “thought” and a “spirit” or “soul.” In their thinking, all were different divine “substances” or aspects of the same God. Another way of expressing this was as “good,” the personification of that good, and the agent by which that good is carried out. Again, these were different divine aspects of that same supreme good, distinct and yet unified as one.
Such metaphysical thinking was common among the intelligentsia of the Greek world and carried over into the thinking of the Roman world of the New Testament period and succeeding centuries. As the last of the apostles died off, some of this metaphysical thinking began to affect and infiltrate the early Church, primarily through those who had already begun to compromise with paganism.
As Bible scholars John McClintock and James Strong explain, “Towards the end of the 1st century, and during the 2d, many learned men came over both from Judaism and paganism to Christianity. These brought with them into the Christian schools of theology their Platonic ideas and phraseology.” — (Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, 1891, Vol. 10, “Trinity,” p. 553)
The true Church largely resisted such infiltration and held firm to the teaching of the apostles, drawing their doctrine from the writings of the apostles and “the Holy Scriptures [the books of the Old Testament] which are able to make you wise for salvation.” (2 Timothy:3:15)
Two distinct threads of Christianity split and developed separately. One remained true to the plain and simple teachings of the Bible and the other became increasingly compromised with pagan thought and practices adopted from the Greco-Roman world.
Thus, as debate swelled over the nature of God in the fourth century leading to the Councils of Nicea and Constantinople, it was no longer a debate between biblical truth and error. Many sides in the debate had been seriously compromised by their acceptance of unbiblical philosophical ideas.
Many of the Church leaders who formulated the doctrine of the trinity were steeped in Greek and Platonic philosophy, and this influenced their religious views and teaching. The language they used in describing and defining the trinity is, in fact, taken directly from Platonic and Greek philosophy. The word trinity itself is neither biblical nor Christian. Rather, the Platonic term trias, from the word for three, was Latinized as trinitas, the latter giving us the English word trinity.
“The Alexandria catechetical school, which revered Clement of Alexandria and Origen, the greatest theologian of the Greek Church, as its heads, applied the allegorical method to the explanation of Scripture. Its thought was influenced by Plato: its strong point was [pagan] theological speculations. Athanasius and the three Cappadocians [the men whose Trinitarian views were adopted by the Catholic Church at the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople] had been included among its members.” — (Hubert Jedin, Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church: an Historical Outline, 1960, p. 28)
“The doctrines of the Logos [i.e., the “Word,” a designation for Christ in John 1] and the Trinity received their shape from Greek Fathers, who … were much influenced, directly or indirectly, by the Platonic philosophy … That errors and corruptions crept into the Church from this source cannot be denied.” — (The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Samuel Macauley Jackson, editor, 1911, Vol. 9, p. 91)
The preface to historian Edward Gibbons’ History of Christianity sums up the Greek influence on the adoption of the trinity doctrine by stating, “If Paganism was conquered by Christianity, it is equally true that Christianity was corrupted by Paganism. The pure Deism [basic religion, in this context] of the first Christians … was changed, by the Church of Rome, into the incomprehensible dogma of the trinity. Many of the pagan tenets, invented by the Egyptians and idealized by Plato, were retained as being worthy of belief.” — (1883, p. xvi)
The link between Plato’s teachings and the trinity as adopted by the Catholic Church centuries later is so strong that Edward Gibbon, in his masterwork The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, referred to Plato as “the Athenian sage, who had thus marvelously anticipated one of the most surprising discoveries of the Christian revelation.” — (The Trinity 1890, Vol. 1, p. 574)
Thus we see that the doctrine of the trinity owes far less to the Bible than it does to the metaphysical speculations of Plato and other pagan Greek philosophers. No wonder the apostle Paul warns us in Colossians:2:8 NIV to beware of “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
How Ancient Trinitarian Gods Influenced Adoption of the Trinity
Many who believe in the trinity are surprised to learn that the idea of divine beings existing as trinities or triads long predated Christianity. Yet the evidence is abundantly documented.
Marie Sinclair, Countess of Caithness, in her 1876 book Old Truths in a New Light, states, “It is generally, although erroneously, supposed that the doctrine of the Trinity is of Christian origin. Nearly every nation of antiquity possessed a similar doctrine. [The early Catholic theologian] St. Jerome testifies unequivocally, ‘All the ancient nations believed in the Trinity’.” — (p. 382)
Notice how the following quotes document belief in a divine trinity in many regions and religions of the ancient world.
Sumeria
“The universe was divided into three regions each of which became the domain of a god. Anu’s share was the sky. The earth was given to Enlil. Ea became the ruler of the waters. Together they constituted the triad of the Great Gods.” — (The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, 1994, pp. 54, 55)
Babylonia
“The ancient Babylonians recognised the doctrine of a trinity, or three persons in one god— as appears from a composite god with three heads forming part of their mythology, and the use of the equilateral triangle, also, as an emblem of such trinity in unity.” — (Thomas Dennis Rock, The Mystical Woman and the Cities of the Nations, 1867, pp. 22, 23)
India
“The Puranas, one of the Hindoo Bibles of more than 3,000 years ago, contain the following passage: ‘O ye three Lords! know that I recognize only one God. Inform me, therefore, which of you is the true divinity, that I may address to him alone my adorations.’ The three gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva [or Shiva], becoming manifest to him, replied, ‘Learn, O devotee, that there is no real distinction between us. What to you appears such is only the semblance. The single being appears under three forms by the acts of creation, preservation, and destruction, but he is one.’
Hence the triangle was adopted by all the ancient nations as a symbol of the Deity … Three was considered among all the pagan nations as the chief of the mystical numbers, because, as Aristotle remarks, it contains within itself a beginning, a middle, and an end. Hence we find it designating some of the attributes of almost all the pagan gods.” (Sinclair, pp. 382, 383)
Greece
“In the Fourth Century B.C. Aristotle wrote: ‘All things are three, and thrice is all: and let us use this number in the worship of the gods; for, as the Pythagoreans say, everything and all things are bounded by threes, for the end, the middle and the beginning have this number in everything, and these compose the number of the Trinity’.” — (Arthur Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, 1928, pp. 197, 198)
Egypt
“The Hymn to Amun decreed that ‘No god came into being before him (Amun)’ and that ‘All gods are three: Amun, Re and Ptah, and there is no second to them. Hidden is his name as Amon, he is Re in face, and his body is Ptah.’ … This is a statement of trinity, the three chief gods of Egypt subsumed into one of them, Amon. Clearly, the concept of organic unity within plurality got an extraordinary boost with this formulation. Theologically, in a crude form it came strikingly close to the later Christian form of plural Trinitarian monotheism.” — (Simson Najovits, Egypt, Trunk of the Tree, Vol. 2, 2004, pp. 83, 84)
Other areas
Many other areas had their own divine trinities. In Greece they were Zeus, Poseidon and Adonis. The Phoenicians worshipped Ulomus, Ulosuros and Eliun. Rome worshipped Jupiter, Mars and Venus. In Germanic nations they were called Wodan, Thor and Fricco. Regarding the Celts, one source states, “The ancient heathen deities of the pagan Irish, Criosan, Biosena, and Seeva, or Sheeva, are doubtless the Creeshna [Krishna], Veeshnu [Vishnu], [or the all-inclusive] Brahma, and Seeva [Shiva], of the Hindoos.” — (Thomas Maurice, The History of Hindostan, Vol. 2, 1798, p. 171)
The deception is beautifully seen by the astonishing admission of Arthur Weigall who himself is a Trinitarian. Egyptologist Arthur Weigall summed up the influence of ancient beliefs on the adoption of the trinity doctrine by the Catholic Church in the following excerpt from his book:
“It must not be forgotten that Jesus (pbuh) never mentioned such a phenomenon [the Trinity], and nowhere in the New Testament does the word ‘Trinity’ appear. The idea was only adopted by the Church three hundred years after the death of our Lord; and the origin of the conception is entirely pagan …
The ancient Egyptians, whose influence on early religious thought was profound, usually arranged their gods or goddesses in trinities: there was the trinity of Osiris, Isis, and Horus, the trinity of Amen, Mut, and Khonsu, the trinity of Khnum, Satis, and Anukis, and so forth …
The early Christians, however, did not at first think of applying the idea to their own faith. They paid their devotions to God the Father and to Jesus (pbuh), the Son of God, and they recognized the mysterious and undefined existence of the Holy Spirit; but there was no thought of these three being an actual Trinity, co-equal and united in One …
The application of this old pagan conception of a Trinity to Christian theology was made possible by the recognition of the Holy Spirit as the required third ‘Person,’ co-equal with the other ‘Persons’ …
The idea of the Spirit being co-equal with God was not generally recognised until the second half of the Fourth Century A.D… . In the year 381 the Council of Constantinople added to the earlier Nicene Creed a description of the Holy Spirit as ‘the Lord, and giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and Son together is worshipped and glorified.’ …
Thus, the Athanasian creed, which is a later composition but reflects the general conceptions of Athanasius [the 4th-century Trinitarian whose view eventually became official doctrine] and his school, formulated the conception of a co-equal Trinity wherein the Holy Spirit was the third ‘Person’; and so it was made a dogma of the faith, and belief in the Three in One and One in Three became a paramount doctrine of Christianity, though not without terrible riots and bloodshed …
Today a Christian thinker … has no wish to be precise about it, more especially since the definition is obviously pagan in origin and was not adopted by the Church until nearly three hundred years after Christ.” — (Arthur Weigall, Paganism in Our Christianity, 1928, pp. 197-203)
James Bonwick summarized the story well on page 396 of his 1878 work Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, “It is an undoubted fact that more or less all over the world the deities are in triads. This rule applies to eastern and western hemispheres, to north and south.Further, it is observed that, in some mystical way, the triad of three persons is one. The first is as the second or third, the second as first or third, the third as first or second; in fact, they are each other, one and the same individual being. The definition of Athanasius, who lived in Egypt, applies to the trinities of all heathen religions.”
The gods of Babylon
The following video will shock you and reveals how Sunday worship and the trinity doctrine both have their origins in the beginning of Babylon and sun worship. It really is a must watch.
Nontrinitarianism
Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the mainstream Christian theology of the Trinity—the belief that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essence (from the Ancient Greek ousia). Certain religious groups that emerged during the Protestant Reformation have historically been known as antitrinitarian.
According to churches that consider the decisions of ecumenical councils final, trinitarianism was definitively declared to be Christian doctrine at the 4th-century ecumenical councils, that of the First Council of Nicaea (325), which declared the full divinity of the Son and the First Council of Constantinople (381), which declared the divinity of the Holy Spirit.
In terms of number of adherents, nontrinitarian denominations comprise a small minority of modern Christians. After the denominations in the Oneness Pentecostal movement, the largest nontrinitarian Christian denominations are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, La Luz del Mundo, and Iglesia ni Cristo. There are a number of other smaller groups, including Christadelphians, Church of the Blessed Hope, Christian Scientists, Dawn Bible Students, Living Church of God, Assemblies of Yahweh, Members Church of God International, Unitarian Christians, Unitarian Universalist Christians, The Way International, the Philadelphia Church of God, The Church of God International, the United Church of God, Church of God General Conference, Restored Church of God, Christian Disciples Church, and Church of God of the Faith of Abraham.
Nontrinitarian views differ widely on the nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Various nontrinitarian philosophies, such as adoptionism and monarchianism, existed prior to the codification of the Trinity doctrine in AD 325, 381, and 431, at the Councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus. Nontrinitarianism was later renewed by Cathars in the 11th through 13th centuries, in the Unitarian movement during the Protestant Reformation, in the Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century, and in some groups arising during the Second Great Awakening of the 19th century.
The doctrine of the Trinity, as held in mainstream Christianity, is not present in the other major monotheistic Abrahamic religions.
The Trinity Debunked by the Bible and Jesus (pbuh)
If any logical sane person reads the Trinity doctrine below they will think that this is the writing of an insane person. For this reason, the church teaches that the Trinity is mysterious and one must have faith in order to understand the Trinity. God gave us all a brain, he gave us intelligence and he gave us a sense of right and wrong. Why then do Christians not use their intelligence? Christians claim to believe in the Bible and they claim to follow Jesus (pbuh) but yet we see that Christians do not follow the Bible or Jesus. If Christians did follow the Bible and Jesus then they would not believe in the Trinity which is proven a man-made doctrine. Let us do a quick analysis of the Trinity definitions and at the end of it if you still believe the Trinity is from God then you have denied the Bible and Jesus which means that you follow satan and not God.
The dogma of the Holy Trinity (CCC 253-266)
The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the “consubstantial Trinity”. The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire: “The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God.” In the words of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), “Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature.”
The above states the following:
- The Trinity is One
- They confess one God in 3 persons
- The divine person does not share one divinity but each person is God in its entirety
- They are all co-equal.
Now, let us test the Trinity theory:
One God
- The Trinity states that God is one but exists as 3 persons. God can only be one if all three persons exist in one body. This is what Christians claim. Jesus is God being the son, the Father and the Holy Spirit in one body. Let’s see if the Bible confirms the Trinity. From the baptism account in Mattew 3:16, we can see that Jesus was in the water, the Holy Spirit descended on him and the voice spoke from heaven which we know is God’s voice. We can see Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God as three separate entities that clearly prove they do not exist in one body. The Bible just proved that the Trinity god is not one but three separate entities. Three separate entities can never be one and it does not matter how you explain it.
Matthew 3:16
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one
3 Persons
- The Trinity confesses in one god in 3 persons. The Bible again disclaim this theory in Numbers 23:19 below. God is not a man. Person is only used for human beings.
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Each Person is God
- The Trinity states that each person is God in its entirety. The same verse 23:19 in Numbers tells us that God is not a son of man. Jesus is referred to as the son of man 81 times in the Bible.
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Each Person is God in its Entirety
- The Trinity claims that each person is God in its entirety. Again, the Bible disproves this theory in Mark 10:18 when Jesus denies being God.
Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
Co-Equal
- The Trinity claims that each of the person God in its entirety which means they are co-equal in every way. Again the Bible disproves this claim when Jesus states that he can do nothing by himself and he stated that he did not know the day and the hour.
John 5:30:30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Mattew 24:36: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
As you can see, every aspect of the Trinity is denied by the Bible and Jesus himself. Hence, the Trinity can only be from satan.
Trinity Wars
In their classic 11-volume history of the world called The Story of Civilization, historians Will and Ariel Durant devoted one book, called The Age of Faith, to the medieval period between 325-1300 AD. In the book, the Durants explain that more Christians were killed by their fellow Christians during the dispute over the meaning of the Trinity than were slain during all the Christian martyrdoms of Pagan Rome.
Most histories leave this period of intense religious internecine warfare out of their descriptions.
These intra-Christian wars over the Trinity came about primarily because of pronouncements from official “councils” convened by clergy and government leaders, who got involved because Christianity had grown substantially, becoming the official religion of some governments. A significant prelude to the imperially-sanctioned Second Ecumenical Council was a small council assembled by Athanasius (Father of Orthodoxy) in the seat of his bishopric in Alexandria in 362 AD. There he forced an agreement that the orthodox Christians must speak of three persons (hypostases) of God — provided it was understood that the persons were not of “different substance.” This was to avoid having three different Gods. He also clarified that those who held that God was one “person,” were, in fact, using the wrong term and that what they really meant was that God was one “substance” (homoousia).
The Second Ecumenical Council, convened by the emperor in Constantinople in 381 AD, produced what is often called the “Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed” or more simple the Nicene Creed. It reaffirmed a belief “in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;” proclaimed that Jesus was “of one substance [homoousia] with the Father” and that the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost) was “the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets.” It also
reaffirmed that the Son “came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.”
This made dogma official, and made the interpretation of powerful men equal to the words of Jesus, and as always, became a prelude to the corruption and downfall of religion.
Conclusion
- When we apply the test of the Trinity to the Absolute laws of God and that of Jesus (pbuh) and the Quran, the concept of the Trinity fails on every level.
- The Trinity is nothing more than false beliefs and is designed by satan to distract people from the true belief in God.
- Nowhere in the Bible is the word Trinity found and neither is the word truin God found.
- Nowhere in the Bible do we find that Jesus says he is part of a Trinity or that the Father, son and Holey Spirit is one God.
- None of the disciples believed in the Trinity and neither did they speak of a Trinity.
- For 325 years after Jesus, there was no Trinity. The church fathers met at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD to set out an orthodox biblical definition concerning the divine identity. The word Trinity still did not exist at that time.
- No theologian in the first three Christian centuries was a trinitarian in the sense of a believing that the one God is tripersonal, containing equally divine “persons”, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- It took the church fathers 56 years and in 381, “at the Council of Constantinople, [that] the divinity of the Spirit was affirmed.” This is clear proof that the Trinity was an invention by the early church.
- The Trinity was not widely accepted. The Trinity doctrine was made law and Christians were forced to accept the Trinity. This led to many Christians being killed by other Christians.
Here are some verses from the Quran about the Trinity:
O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not “Trinity” : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah: Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. (Quran: Surah An-Nisa,171)
We will now look at the claims of Son of God, Jesus is God and the Holy Ghost separately to further disprove these claims.
The Great Commission
The Son of God
The concept of the Trinity has already been proven a satanic belief distracting people from the true belief in God as One with no equal. Jesus (pbuh) being the Son of God in Christianity is the eternal being who created and preserves all things. We will now discuss the theory of Jesus (pbuh) being the Son of God to see if there is any truth in this claim. If Jesus is proven not to be a paternal son of God then the Trinity theory collapses.
It is not appropriate for anyone to speak on behalf of Jesus (pbuh) in saying he is the literal paternal Son of God. The only way that Christians can prove this claim is if Jesus (pbuh) himself says that he is the paternal Son of God in the original scripture and not the translation as translations are open to interpretation and corruption. We have already proven that no scripture was written down in Jesus’ (pbuh) lifetime and neither he or his disciples has approved or written anything, so it will be very difficult for Christians to prove their claim.
We have proven the Quran to be the most authentic between the two books so we will also be using the Quran as a second proof. We intend to use the Bible and Jesus’ (pbuh) own words as the main proof.
In Islam, the meaning of ‘Eesa (Jesus) being the Word of God is that he came into existence by the Word of Allah “Be”. Imaam Ahmad said, “It [i.e. the creation of ‘Eesa] was with the word that Allah sent down to Mary (Maryam) when He said to him: (Be) and ‘Eesa was (i.e. came to existence) with the word ‘Be’; Allah says (what means): {Indeed, the example of ‘Eesa to Allah is like that of Aadam (Adam). He created Him from dust; then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.}” (Quran 3:59)
The meaning of ‘Eesa being ‘the Spirit of God’ is what Al-Baghawi said in his Tafseer:
“And he is a soul like all other souls, but Allah added it (attributed it) to Himself as an honor (for ‘Eesa). It was also said, ‘The Spirit was the blowing which Jibreel (Gabrial), may Allah exalt his mention, blew to the garment of Maryam (Mary) and she became pregnant by Allah’s Will. The blowing was called spirit because it is a wind that comes out of a spirit, and Allah attributed it to Himself because it was with His Order.’
It was also said, ‘The Spirit of God means His mercy, so ‘Eesa, may Allah exalt his mention, was a mercy to those who followed him and believed in him.’
It was also said: Spirit means revelation; glad tidings were revealed to Maryam, and the command to blow was revealed to Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, and the command to ‘Be’ was revealed to ‘Eesa and so he was. Allah says (what means): {He sends down the angels, with the inspiration (rooh) of His command}; meaning with revelation. And it was said: what is meant by spirit is Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention; so the meaning is: and His Word which He delivered to Maryam, and He also delivered a spirit to her with His Command, who was Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention; as Allah says (what means): {The angels and the Spirit descend therein} (Quran 97:4), meaning Jibreel descends therein, and Allah also says (what means): {Then We sent to her Our Spirit} (Quran 19:17) meaning: Jibreel.”
Ibn Hajar (RA) said:
“Allah described him (‘Eesa) as being from Him; the meaning is that he existed (as a favor and kindness) from Him, as Allah says: {And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth – all (as a favor and kindness) from Him.} (Quran 45:13); that is to say that Allah subjected these things which existed (as a favor and kindness) from Allah: He is the One Who made them and Who brought them into existence, with His Power and Wisdom.
It is not mentioned in the Quran that ‘Eesa was created from dust; rather, the Quran mentioned that our father Aadam, may Allah exalt his mention, was created from dust (clay), or that Allah created the human being or the people in general from clay with the fact that their father Aadam was created from clay, as in the verse in which Allah says (what means): {It is He Who created you from clay and then decreed a term and a specified time [known] to Him; then [still] you are in dispute.} (Quran 6:2)
Allah also says (what means): {And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay.} (Quran 23:12)
Allah further says (what means): {Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay.} (Quran 32:7)
As regards the saying of Allah in resembling ‘Eesa with Aadam: {Indeed, the example of ‘Eesa to Allah is like that of Aadam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, “Be,” and he was.} (Quran 3:59); what is meant by the resemblance here is that He created him without a father, as Aadam was created without a father or mother.
Al-Qurtubi (RA) said, “The resemblance is that ‘Eesa was created without a father like Aadam, and not that ‘Eesa was created from dust. Indeed, something may be likened to something else even though there is a big difference between them if they have one same characteristic; Aadam was created from dust while ‘Eesa was not created from dust, so they are different in this regard, but Allah likened them because He created both of them without a father.”
Allah knows best.
Let us examine the birth of Jesus (pbuh) in the Quran and what Jesus (pbuh) himself said:
And mention, [O Muhammad], in the Book [the story of] Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place toward the east.
And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel, and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man.
She said, “Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, [so leave me], if you should be fearing of Allah .”
He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy.”
She said, “How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?”
He said, “Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.’ “
So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place.
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, “Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.”
But he called her from below her, “Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream.
And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates.
So eat and drink and be contented. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say, ‘Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to [any] man.’ “
Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented.
O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste.”
So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?”
[Jesus] said, “Indeed, I am the servant of Allah . He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. (Quran 9: 16-30)
As you can see, Jesus (pbuh) himself said he is a servant of Allah and was given the scripture and was made a prophet. Anything other notion will be conflicting with every law of the Bible, the law of Jesus (pbuh) and the Quran.
Son’s in the Bible
Establishing who Jesus (pbuh) really is, is the key to understanding the Bible and unlocking the truth that is so hidden by those who translate the scripture. The common perception by Christians today is that Jesus (pbuh) is the paternal Son of God, the begotten Son and the one and only Son of God. This is what the early church wanted us to believe but we will uncover the truth of this claim. As much as satan tries to hide the truth about God, God always shows us the truth but it is for us to look carefully and at the same time we must be very weary of satan’s followers who will try and mislead us.
Jesus (pbuh) can only be a son of God under three circumstances.
- Sexual Intercourse – If he was conceived through sexual intercourse (sperm has to pass from the male organ to the female organ for a child to be conceived) by his parents. In this case, Jesus (pbuh) did not have a pertainal father. He only had a mother. Since Mary remained a virgin even after Jesus (pbuh) was born, tells us that there was no sexual intercourse. Nowhere in the bible do we see that God came as a human being and had sexual intercourse with Mary. The Bible states the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. The original Greek word used in the original text is ἐπί σκιά According to Bible Hub, these are the meanings:
- epi: on, upon
- Original Word: ἐπί
Part of Speech: Preposition
Transliteration: epi
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee’)
Definition: on, upon
Usage: on, to, against, on the basis of, at.
- skia: shadow
- Original Word: σκιά, ᾶς, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: skia
Phonetic Spelling: (skee’-ah)
Definition: shadow
Usage: a shadow, shade, thick darkness, an outline.
As you can see, neither the word epi nor skia which means upon and shadow can or does imply sexual intercourse. Christians twist the words to give their own interpretation of the meanings.
- Adoption – We know that God did not adopt Jesus (pbuh)
- Metapher– son is used as a metapher.
A metaphor is the only rational use of the word son. The word “son” is used to denote the love God has for those he raised in honour and gave special status. Hence, will see that several prophets in the bible like Ephram, Israel, Adam, Solomon and many others were called “son of God” We all understand this usage as a metaphor so why would Christians think son in Jesus’ case is used paternally?
One very important point we must understand is that God sent many prophets from the beginning of time. According to Islam, God sent 124 000 prophets:
It was narrated that Abu Dharr said: “I said: O Messenger of Allah, how many Prophets were there? He said: “One hundred and twenty-four thousand.” I said: O Messenger of Allah, how many of them were Messengers?” He said: “Three hundred and thirteen, a good number.” I said: O Messenger of Allah, who was the first of them?” He said: “Adam.” …
Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan, 361
So as we can see Adam (pbuh) was the first messenger who brought God’s word to his people and 123 998 followed until Jesus (pbuh) and then the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) was the last and final messenger of God.
God also sent 5 books of revelation through various messengers the last being David (pbuh), then Moses (pbuh), Jesus (pbuh) and finally the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). If God sends these books and revelations then surely all of them should teach exactly the same message. Surely if any one of the books teaches anything in contrast to the others then that book cannot be from God. Our current topic of discussion is Jesus (pbuh) being called the Son of God. Let us see how true this really is.
Another way of recognising a prophet or messenger of God is to compare the previous prophets and messengers with Jesus (pbuh). When God first spoke to Abraham (pbuh) he was approximately 25 or slightly older and this is when he became aware that he was a messenger of God and a prophet. God spoke to Moses (pbuh) from the burning bush when he was about 80 years old. God gave Muhammad (pbuh) his revelation of the Quran at the age of 40. We also see that Jesus (pbuh) only started his ministry at the age of 30. Looking back at all the prophets and messengers with the exception of Adam, they all only received God’s words at a certain time in their lives.
Unlike Muslims who read the original text in the Quran as it was revealed, Christians are at a huge disadvantage as they cannot read the original scripture and so they are totally and utterly reliant on the translators that they are honest enough to translate the truth. One has to wonder why the Church did not put the original text into the bible as it was written in the scripture and Christians should learn how to read and understand the original text as Jews and Muslims do. The only answer to this is that then they cannot manipulate the meanings and translations.
When both Jews and Muslims read their respective books, they read it in the original text as it was revealed as the word of God. As soon as you translate the text then it is that translator’s understanding and opinion and not God’s word. If you have a look at all the different Bibles, you will find that everyone has a slightly different translation and in certain cases, the translations vary quite a lot. Those are all interpretations of the meanings according to the translator. We also find the same in the Torah and the Quran translations but in these books, the meanings are not very different from each translator and there is no room for deception as Jews and Muslims can quickly identify any deception in translations but this is not the case with the Bible.
We will now show you why there is so much controversy about who Jesus (pbuh) is. This is all due to the fact that Christians cannot read the original text.
We will start off with two verses from the Quran which tell us about Jesus (pbuh) and the Gospel God sent him with.
Verily, We did send down the Torah [to Musa (Moses)], therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allah’s Will, judged the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests [too judged the Jews by the Torah after those Prophets] for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah’s Book, and they were witnesses thereto. Therefore fear not men but fear Me (O Jews) and sell not My Verses for a miserable price. And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the Kafirun (i.e. disbelievers – of a lesser degree as they do not act on Allah’s Laws). (Quran 5:44)
And in their footsteps, We sent Jesus, son of Mary, confirming the Torah that had come before him, and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Torah that had come before it, a guidance and an admonition for Al-Muttaqun (the pious). (Quran 5:46)
Take special note of the highlighted text of the above Quran verses and I will prove that Jesus (pbuh) confirms exactly what the Quran states when we get to the section of who Jesus (pbuh) was, and to whom he came.
The Quran states:
- God sent him
- He was a guidance and a light
- He was a Prophet and messenger of God
- He submitted himself to God’s Will.
- He judged the Jews
- Jesus confirmed the Torah
- God gave him the Gospel
The word “son” appears many times throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. However, there are a number of different words in the Bible that have been translated into other languages and then finally into English as the word son. Some of them include the Hebrew words “bar” and “ben”. When the term “son” is used in Scripture language it can imply almost any kind of descent or succession, as Ben Shanah, “son of a year,” i.e. a year old; Ben Kesheth, “son of a bow,” i.e. an arrow. The word bar is often found in the New Testament in composition, as Bar-timaeus. The word son is used to describe humans and angels.
In the New Testament of the Bible, “the Son” refers to the Messiah as the love God had for him. – the Ultimate Messenger to the Jews. Son also means Servant or Messenger of God which is the meaning of Messiah and the Bible tells us about the meaning of sons. Similarly, Father in the Bible does not mean a paternal father but, in the Bible, it means The Creator, the Father of all creation.
The New Testament and Old Testament in Greek use the words Teknon τέκνον and Huios υἱός which is translated to son in English. These are the words used in the original scripture in reference to son of God. Though the church tries to teach that Jesus (pbuh) is God, the actual original Greek words do not state that at all and the church cannot manipulate the original Greek word meanings. You will notice that Greek ancient text does not have any capital letters so why then do the Bible translators spell Son with a capital S when there are no capital letters in the original?
HUIOS υἱός
Definition according to biblestudytools.com |
1. used to describe those who are born again (Lk. 20:
0. of those whom God esteems as sons, whom he loves, protects and benefits above others
0. those who revere God as their father, the pious worshippers of God, those who in character and life resemble God, those who are governed by the Spirit of God, repose the same calm and joyful trust in God which children do in their parents (Rom. 8:14, Gal. 3:26 ), and hereafter in the blessedness and glory of the life eternal will openly wear this dignity of the sons of God. Term used preeminently of Jesus Christ, as enjoying the supreme love of God, united to him in affectionate intimacy, privy to his saving councils, obedient to the Father’s will in all his acts |
NAS Verse Count: Matthew82, Mark33, Luke72, John50, Acts22, Romans12, 1 Corinthians22 Corinthians4, Galatians9, Ephesians4, Colossians2, 1 Thessalonians2, 2 Thessalonians1, Hebrews21, James1, 1 Peter1, 2 Peter1, 1 John18, 2 John2, Revelation8
Total 347
Take special note of the last highlighted sentence which pertains to Jesus (pbuh). Term used preeminently of Jesus Christ, as enjoying the supreme love of God, united to him in affectionate intimacy, privy to his saving councils, obedient to the Father’s will in all his acts. Nothing in the meaning suggests a paternal son.
TEKNON τέκνον
Definition according to biblestudytools.com |
|
NAS Verse Count: Matthew12, Mark7, Luke14, John3, Acts5, Romans5, 1 Corinthians3, 2 Corinthians2, Galatians5, Ephesians5, Philippians2, Colossians2, 1 Thessalonians2, 1 Timothy5, 2Timothy2, Titus2, Philemon1, 1 Peter2, 2 Peter1, 1 John4, 2 John3, 3 John1, Revelation3
Total 91
As you can see from both meanings, neither of the two meanings denotes the literal paternal son of God.
The Bible refers to Jesus (pubh) as the Christ (pbuh) and it also refers to Jesus (pbuh) as the Messiah. Christians often refer to John 10:24 saying that Christ and Messiah means God and that is why the Jews was stoning him because Jesus admitted to be God by saying he was the Christ, the Messiah. Let us see what is the meaning of Christ and Messiah from the Bible dictionary.
CHRIST
Dictionaries – Easton’s Bible Dictionary – Christ
Anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered “Messiah” (q.v.), the official title of our Lord, occurs five hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ ( Acts 17:3 ; 18:5 ; Matthew 22:42 ), the Anointed One. He is thus spoken of by ( Isaiah 61:1 ), and by ( Daniel 9:24-26 ), who styles him “Messiah the Prince.”
The Messiah is the same person as “the seed of the woman” ( Genesis 3:15 ), “the seed of Abraham” ( Genesis 22:18 ), the “Prophet like unto Moses” ( Deuteronomy 18:15 ), “the priest after the order of Melchizedek” ( Psalms 110:4 ), “the rod out of the stem of Jesse” ( Isaiah 11:1 Isaiah 11:10 ), the “Immanuel,” the virgin’s son ( Isaiah 7:14 ), “the branch of Jehovah” ( Isaiah 4:2 ), and “the messenger of the covenant” ( Malachi 3:1 ). This is he “of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write.” The Old Testament Scripture is full of prophetic declarations regarding the Great Deliverer and the work he was to accomplish. Jesus the Christ is Jesus the Great Deliverer, the Anointed One, the Saviour of men. This name denotes that Jesus was divinely appointed, commissioned, and accredited as the Saviour of men ( Hebrews 5:4 ; Isaiah 11:2-4 ; 49:6 ; John 5:37 ; Acts 2:22 ).
To believe that “Jesus is the Christ” is to believe that he is the Anointed, the Messiah of the prophets, the Saviour sent of God, that he was, in a word, what he claimed to be. This is to believe the gospel, by the faith of which alone men can be brought unto God. That Jesus is the Christ is the testimony of God, and the faith of this constitutes a Christian ( 1 Corinthians 12:3 ; 1 John 5:1 ).
Note the bible dictionary state “It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ” It also says that he is a messenger of God.
Nothing in the meaning of Christ means Son of God or meaning he is God.
From the meaning highlighted, you can clearly see that the very meaning of Messiah is someone who is designated, appointed and given authority for a specific task the same as the meaning of Christ. This shows that Jesus (pbuh) was a messenger, a prophet of God and not God as God is not appointed and does not take authorisation from anyone. Both the Bible dictionary and the Quran state that Christ/Messiah is a messenger, a prophet of God.
Jesus (pbuh) was sent by God as the Messiah, the messenger of God and God anointed him and gave him authority and honour Luke, Mark, Matthew and John confirm this fact below that Jesus (pbuh) was the Messiah, not the Son, nor God himself;
Luke 9:18-20 NIV
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”
We also find Jesus confirming that he is the Christ in John 4:25-26 NIV
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
Then yet again Jesus (pbuh) confirms he is the Messiah in Mark 14:60-62
60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer?” What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
In these verses you can also see the context of the son is the same as the Messiah. This is the same as saying “Are you the Messenger, the servant of the Blessed One?” If you interpret “son” as a paternal son then the words will conflict with Messiah which means an anointed prophet or messenger derived from the meanings above. Now look at how deceitful these translators are by making the “S” in Son a capital letter to try and prove another meaning when there is no capital in Ancient Greek text. These types of deceitful methods are prevalent throughout the bible.
Now, the below verse will also prove that Jesus (pbuh) being the Christ does not mean he is the paternal son of God.
Matthew 1:1
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
This verse tells you two things:1. Jesus is the Messiah which we know is a messenger of God and 2. Jesus’ genealogy is from David and from Abraham. If Jesus was the paternal son of God then he should not have a genealogy as we see. He should only come from God and not descend from other prophets. The fact that he descended from other prophets also tells you that he is also a prophet. John also confirms the same genealogy.
John 7:42
Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
Jesus also did not want people to know he was the Christ.
Matthew 16:20
Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.
There are many more verses in the bible that speaks of the Christ;
Luke 23:2
And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”
John 1:41
He *found first his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).
Luke 2:25-30
And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
The above verses tell us three things:
- Jesus (pbuh) was the Lord’s Christ. From the meaning of Christ, we have seen that it means prophet, a messenger.
- It also confirms that Jesus (pbuh) is the Lord’s bond-servant, a servant of God as previously stated.
- Jesus (pbuh) would carry out God’s word.
- Jesus (bpuh) was their salvation, the saviour to the Jews who were lost. He was sent to the Jews as you will later see to whom he was sent.
I know what you are thinking, you want to now say, “You see, Jesus is the salvation to the word” he came to die to save us” You would be dead wrong in this regard. The Salvation is God’s word, the Gospel he gave to Jesus (pbuh) so that the Jews may be saved through Jesus (pbuh) meaning what he taught them from God. To bring them back onto the straight path. Therein is the salvation for us and not what Christians think that he came to die for them. Take away God’s word, the Gospel and see if there is still salvation. Just think about it, If Jesus never taught the Gospel then what would they have learned? How would he have brought the Jews who had lost their way back to the straight path? If Jesus (pbuh) just told the Jews to believe in me, I am the life and the way, your salvation and the only way to the Father without teaching them anything would they have received his salvation or would they still be lost even though they believe that he is their salvation? So this proves that it is God’s word, his Gospel that only Jesus (pbuh) taught them. So he was the only way and life back then. No one else could offer them the salvation they needed.
Jesus (pbuh) is confirmed as the Messiah, the Christ in the Quran as well, he is confirmed to be the light to his people. Remember the Quran verse, God sent him as a light. What is a light in the darkness? It is salvation to those who are in darkness, those who have lost their way, it is the truth, the path to God through Jesus Christ, God’s anointed servant and Messenger.
What else could “God’s Messiah” mean other than God’s servant, messenger and prophet? The very meaning of Messiah according to the bible dictionary above show that Messiah is a messenger or servant and Jesus (pbuh) said he was sent by God and came to serve God.
Anything contrary to this will be in conflict and will contradict the fact that Jesus (pbuh) is the Christ, the Messiah.
Jesus (pbuh) himself confirms in the Bible that he was a servant of God when he says he was sent by God as servants and messengers/ prophets are sent by God. Jesus (pbuh) confirms that he has come to serve and not be served.
Mark 10:26-28 – 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Notice that in verse 28 Jesus (pbuh) refers to himself as “son of man” and that he came to serve. What are people called that serve others? A servant. What does Jesus (pbuh) mean when he says “Give his life for ransom for many”? It means he has sacrificed his life in the deliverance of God’s message to the people of Israel to whom he was sent. Jesus (pbuh) did nothing else but spread God’s word and do good works in God’s name. For this, he was ridiculed, stoned and insulted but he endured and never gave up his message up to the point when they wanted to kill him. This is the sacrifice that he refers to. His sacrifice also means that he gave his life in the deliverance of God’s word so that people can believe in God in the correct manner even it means they would try and kill him for carrying out his duty to God. This is the ultimate sacrifice anyone can do for God. A messenger who is so dedicated to God that he would not give up even if it means they will kill him.
It does not in any way refer to Jesus dying for people’s sins and Christians would want to believe. All messengers of God sacrifice their lives in the service of God. Even the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was stoned and ridiculed and they tried to kill him on many occasions, they tried to bribe him and give him power and authority in the land but he was not interested. His only mission was his duty to God, the same as Jesus (pbuh), Moses (pbuh) Abraham (pbuh) The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also gave his life for a ransom and so did many other messengers. The fact that the Jews tried to crucify Jesus (pbuh) does not in any way mean that was the reason God sent him. The circumstance that resulted from the deliverance of God’s message and the denial of Jesus (pbuh) by his people was what led to the Jews wanting to kill him. As much as I want to continue explaining the crucifixion and if Jesus (pbuh) did die on the cross, this is not the time nor the topic. We will be addressing this as we proceed later on.
Matthew 5:9 (ESV) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Peacemakers are messengers of God who were sent to bring peace with God’s message. Jesus (pbuh) was also a peacemaker as he brought the message of peace and as you have seen, the son is the servant of God. So this verse will read as follows:
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called servants or messengers of God.
In the below verses, you can see clear evidence that Jesus (pbuh) was a peacemaker and a servant of God:
Luke 4:18-19 NIV
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
This is also confirmed in the Quran. So is he not the light to his people as the Quran states? Look at what Jesus (pbuh) is saying. God has anointed me, Messiah means anointed as you have seen. According to the meaning, an anointed person is one who is raised to honour and who is given authority. So God has raised Jesus (pbuh) to honour him and God has given him the Good News which is the Gospel, God’s word. Given authority means God has given Jesus (pbuh) the power to perform miracles like he did with Moses (pbuh) and other messengers and God has given him the authority to forgive sins. This means that if the Jews accepted Jesus as the Christ he had the authority by God to forgive their sins. Jesus (pbuh) tells them their sins are forgiven as God will forgive them for whatever they have done in the past if they decide to come into the light. Messengers and Prophets serve God. God cannot serve himself. Surely if Jesus (pbuh) was really the literal son of God or as you say God himself then this verse will read that Jesus (pbuh) came to be served and not the other way around?
Allah Almighty also explains servants of God the Glorious Quran: “…..servants raised to honor. (Quran 21:26)
Here you can see God in the Quran also giving honor to Jesus (pbuh) same as the bible.
When Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favour unto thee and unto thy mother; how I strengthened thee with the holy Spirit, so that thou spakest unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scripture and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and didst blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission; and how thou didst raise the dead by My permission; and how I restrained the Children of Israel from (harming) thee when thou camest unto them with clear proofs, and those of them who disbelieved exclaimed: This is naught else than mere magic; (Quran 5:110)
Let us show you why Christians are so deceived by the dishonest Bible translators who have many times purposefully used incorrect words in their translations to push their agenda and later the translation is changed when they can no longer justify it.
Acts:3:26
King James Bible
Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Have a look at the above verse. See how they use the word “Son” and they make the “S” capital when there are no capitals in the original text. Note they also say God’s Son by trying to prove God has a Son when he has none. Now see the same verse in the New King James Bible;
New King James Version
To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
The Quran confirms Jesus (pbuh) as a servant, and messenger of God as well.
All other translations of this verse now state “Servant” and not “Son”. The funny thing is that they have not changed all the other places in the Bible that refer to Jesus (pbuh) as “Son” and thus contradict each other. We now find that Jesus is the son of God, son of man and servant of God. Two of these are true, Jesus (pbuh) is the son of man as he is human and his mother is human and Jesus (pbuh) is a servant of God as he also confirms, the very words Christ and Messiah prove this. So the only way to interpret the son of God is that it is not meant in the literal sense but refers to Messiah in which case all three scenarios are correct. This means that Jesus (pbuh) cannot be a son of man and the son of God in the literal sense as that would mean that Mary and God shared a son together. Do you realise what that means? Therefore, the myth or rather the satanic beliefs of Father and Son in the Trinity is proven false. Jesus (pbuh) himself proves that he is only a servant of God.
The Fabrication of the Begotten Son
To say that God begot a son is attributing God to humans and animals who reproduce. Reproduction is a sexual act involving the lower sexual organs of humans and animals whereby the male sexual organ is inserted into the female sexual organ and semen is released by the male organ into the female organ. This vile and unclean act is being attributed to God in the bible. This is what the word “begotten” means in the
English dictionary:
begotten
/bɪˈɡɒt(ə)n/
past participle of beget.
beget
/bɪˈɡɛt/
verb
literally
past participle: begotten
(especially of a man) bring (a child) into existence by the process of reproduction.
“they hoped that the King might beget an heir by his new queen”
The word “begotten” has since been removed from the Revised Standard Version Bible by the same bible scholars as fabrication after they realized that this word does not exist in the most ancient scripture. This was a decision taken by 50 Christian scholars of the highest order backed by 30 denominations. This is stated on the inside cover of the new RSV Bible.
John 3:16 A-V: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (This word does not exist anymore in all Gospels in the RSV.
New International Version
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
“one and only son” refers to his one and only Messiah. Notice that the translator does not use a capital leter for “his” referring to God but he uses a capital letter for Son when there are no capital letters.
International Standard Version
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his unique Son so that everyone who believes in him might not be lost but have eternal life.
Now notice in the above how they replace Only with Unique. Unique does not also appear in the original text. As we have seen from Acts 3:26 Son is servant so the verse has to read as follows:
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his servant so that everyone who believes in him might not be lost but have eternal life.
So Jesus (pbuh) is not any more begotten by God where we find others still alleged to be begotten sons of God according to the bible. Examples:
- David was a begotten son of God long before Jesus (according to the bible). Psalms 2:7 A-V: I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
- Israel was a begotten son of God long before Jesus (pbuh) (according to the bible). Exodus 4:22 A-V: And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel [is] my son, [even] my firstborn:
So the term Son of God in the language of the Jews means godly person not actual son of God and does not mean divinity at all, examples:
- All Jews are sons of God (according to the bible). Psalms 82:6 A-V: I have said, Ye [are] gods; and all of you [are] children of the most High.
- All those who follow the spirit of God are sons of God (according to the bible). Romans 8:14 A-V: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
If you refer to a number of different scholarly works for findings of the words “son” and “sons” and “children” and the intended meanings considering their position and usage in the context of the way the words appear. One such reference is the Strong’s Concordance of the Bible and another is The Companion Bible. Here in particular, the appendix number 23 is used for some explanation as to the usage and intention behind these words.
Looking in to the 23rd Appendix of the Companion Bible, we find an attempt to explain away these words: These where angels are called “sons of God” in every other place where the expression is used in the Old Testament. Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. Psalms 29:1; 89:6. Daniel 3:25. (no article). 2 We have no authority or right to take the expression in Genesis 6:2,4 in any other sense. Moreover, in Genesis 6:2 the Septuagint renders it “angels”.
The word “offspring” in Acts 17:28 is quite different. It is (genos), which means merely kin or kind, our genus as being originated by God.
In Hosea 1:10, it is not beni-ha-Elohim, as here, but beni-el-chai.
Now let’s take a look at the Bible to help us determine how these terms should be understood. On the left side of the table is the Old Testament references and on the right side the New Testament references.
Old Testament | New Testament |
Genesis 6: 1-4 4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.
Job 2:1 Psalms 29:1
Psalms 89:6
| Luke 3:38
John 1:12-13
“sons of God” (John 1:13. Romans 8:14,15. 1John 3:1).1
It is only by the Divine specific act of creation that any created being can be called “sons of God“. For that which is “born of the flesh is flesh”. God is spirit, and that which is “born of the Spirit is spirit” John 3:6
|
As can be seen from the above tables both the Old and New Testament refer to
“sons of God but in no way does anyone understand these phrases to mean paternal sons like which is referred to with Jesus (pbuh).
Some of the justification of Christians is that Jesus (pbuh) is the Lord is drawn from Acts 9 where Paul presumably states that a blinding light surrounded him from heaven and Jesus (pbuh) spoke to him (this will be proven false later on this page).
Son of God is thus a figure of speech by which many other prophets were labelled with who were in fact servants of God.
In Psalms 2:7 David is the begotten Son of God. “I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”
Jacob is God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22) “Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,)
Solomon is God’s son (2 Samuel 7:14) “I will be his father, and he will be my son.”
Ephraim is God’s firstborn son (Jeremiah 31:9) “I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.” [How many firstborns?]
Adam is the son of God (Luke 3:38) “Kenan was the son of Enosh. Enosh was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam. Adam was the son of God.”
There are many other begotten sons mentioned in the Bible.
If we had to treat any of the terms ‘sons of god’ or ‘begotten son’ as a paternal “son”, then God would have contradicted himself over and over as there are more than one first born and there are several begotten sons. In many cases, in the New Testament, the term “the one only Son or the only begotten is used. If Jesus (pbuh) was the only Son or the only begotten Son then surely there should be no other sons right? The only conclusion to the one and only son in that regard and the only plausible explanation is that those verses stating the one and only son, is a fabrication in the same way begotten son was removed as a fabrication. The only proper translation would be Messiah or that son is used to denote a loved one as Jesus (pbuh) was loved by God. If you insist that it is not a fabrication then you have a big problem as your bible contradicts itself many times and God does not contradict himself which again tells us that this is a man-made book and not from God. So you have to decide which is correct and justify it. I also invite you to present me with proof from the original scripture in Greek showing me where you find the words “one and only” and the “only son”? You will never find it as it is not there. Also, show me where the “S” for Son in the ancient Greek text is a capital letter? I am not referring to the Greek written from English letters, it must be the original text of the manuscripts and the actual letters.
What we can conclude is that the Bible is full of sons and begotten sons so this can only mean that the term does not apply in the literal sense by rather it refers to God’s chosen prophets whom he loves. We should also take note that the term son is applied to Adam (pbuh), David (pbuh), Solomon (pbuh), Ephraim (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh) who are all messengers and prophets of God, servants of God. God is perfect and does not make mistakes and God does not make contradictory statements. Therefore, if the Christians insist that Jesus (pbuh) is the actual son of God then the Christian commits blasphemy against God and wants to pursue Satan’s quest to mislead people. I do not think this to be the case so the understanding then that sons in the bible refers to God’s servants or messengers.
The title which Jesus (pbuh) used most often throughout His ministry was “Son of Man.” The expression “the Son of man” occurs 81 times in the Greek text of the four Canonical gospels, and is used only in the sayings of Jesus. The expression “the Son of man” appears in the Koine Greek of the four Gospels: 30 times in Matthew, 14 times in Mark, 25 times in Luke and 12 times in John The Hebrew expression “son of man” (בן–אדם i.e. ben-‘adam) also appears in the Torah over a hundred times. The use of the definite article in “the Son of man” in the Koine Greek of the Christian gospel is original, and before its use there are no records of its use in any of the surviving Greek documents of antiquity that exist.
In Christian scriptures, Jesus refers to himself as son of man more than the Son of God. The attributes given to “the Son of man” in the Christian scriptures seem to correspond with those found in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew scriptures – Daniel 7:13-14
Notwithstanding the above, if we apply Jesus (pbuh) as a paternal Son of God as claimed by Christians to the Laws of God in the Bible and the Quran and what Jesus (pbuh) himself refers to himself then the Christian claim fails in every aspect.
There is not one unambiguous statement by Jesus (pbuh) where he claims to be the paternal Son of God. Since God is divine, he is One, and he is unique, there can be none like him. If Jesus (pbuh) was like God then God is no longer unique and no longer one. It also renders the commandments false. Furthermore, Jesus (pbuh) in no way demonstrates that he is anything more than a mere man who was given authority by God and raised to honour by God.
You cannot simply look at Jesus through your spiritual eyes, you have to also apply logic and reason. You can in no way tell me that there is no logic and reason in religion and when it comes to God. If you leave out reason and logic then you are definitely opening the door to satan to infect your mind as nothing he does is logical. You have the Quran telling you Jesus (pbuh) is the Christ, a messenger of God whom God sent, you have Jesus (pbuh) telling you the same thing and you have the church telling you that he is more than a man, he is God’s one and only Son and he is also God. When you use your reason and logic and you look carefully at what Jesus (pbuh) tells you from the original scripture and its proper meanings and context of the words used, you will see that the Quran is correct and agrees with Jesus (pbuh).
Have you ever asked yourself why does God need a son? Is it befitting of God to have a son? John tries to state that Jesus (pubh) was with God from the beginning in John 1: 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
If this was the case then why did Adam not see Jesus (pbuh) when God brought him to life? Why did God not introduce Jesus (pbuh) who was supposed to be there and tell Adam that He made Adam through his son Jesus (pubh) and that Jesus (pbuh) is also God himself? Adam would probably think God lost his marbles as God is saying that this man who is standing there next to God is also God himself but yet Adam sees 2, 1. A man like himself and 2. God who is light and something unexplainable.
We also find that Genesis says very little about the creation of Adam and Eve so I wonder where did the anonymous writer of John get his information from since Jesus (pbuh) never ever taught this? Why don’t Matthew, Mark and Luke not have this very very important information and if they knew it why would they leave it out of their letters? Remember, it is proven that it was not John the disciple speaking. Why did Moses (pbuh) and all other prophets of God not teach the same thing? If it was true then the Quran would have it as well. So either 124 000 prophets of God are all wrong and John is the only one telling the truth. You now have a duty to prove this to yourself.
Genesis 2:18-19
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” I will make a helper suitable for him.”
19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
Let us see what the Quran says about the creation of Adam and Eve and if Jesus was there from the beginning with God.
And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.” They said, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?” Allah said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know.” (Quran 2:30)
“And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am going to create a human (Adam) from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud. So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him (his) soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him.” (Quran 38:71-72)
And He taught Adam the names – all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said, “Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful.”
They said, “Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise.”
He said, “O Adam, inform them of their names.” And when he had informed them of their names, He said, “Did I not tell you that I know the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth? And I know what you reveal and what you have concealed.”
And [mention] when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Adam”; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He refused and was arrogant and became of the disbelievers. (Quran 2:31-234)
As you can see from both the Moses (pbuh) account of the creation of Adam and the Quran that Jesus (pbuh) was not there. God ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam as God taught Adam things that the Angels did not know. When Adam was put down on earth he had all the knowledge that God taught him and he in turn taught all his offspring. Surely if Jesus (pubh) was the son of God as you believe and if he was God then Adam and Eve would know about that very important fact.
We also find no evidence that Jesus (pbuh) taught John or any other disciples a new creation story which Jesus (pbuh) was supposed to be part of according to the book of John. We can clearly see that writer of John copied the creation story from Genesis and inserted Jesus (pbuh) there. If Jesus (pbuh) did in fact teach this new creation story with himself in it, then Jesus (pbuh) would become a liar as he clearly told us that he did not come to abolish the law or the prophets but to fulfil them. Mathew 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Why is it that Mark, Matthew and Luke did not have this very important information that said Jesus (pbuh) was with God from the beginning?
So, Christians have a choice, believe Jesus (pbuh), Moses (pbuh) and the Quran or believe in the anonymous writer of John.
What the Quran Says About God Having a Son
O FOLLOWERS of the Gospel! Do not overstep the bounds [of truth] in your religious beliefs, and do not say of God anything but the truth. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was but God’s Apostle – [the fulfilment of] His promise which He had conveyed unto Mary – and a soul created by Him. Believe, then, in God and His apostles, and do not say, “[God is] a trinity”. Desist [from this assertion] for your own good. God is but One God; utterly remote is He, in His glory, from having a son: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and none is as worthy of trust as God. (Quran 4:171)
˹He is˺ the Originator of the heavens and earth. How could He have children when He has no mate? He created all things and has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of everything. (Quran 6:101)
And the Jews say, “Ezra is God’s son,” while the Christians say, “The Christ is God’s son.” Such are the sayings which they utter with their mouths, following in spirit assertions made in earlier times by people who denied the truth! [They deserve the imprecation:] “May God destroy them!” How perverted are their minds! (Quran 9:30)
[And yet] they assert, “God has taken unto Himself a son!” Limitless is He in His glory! Self-sufficient is He: unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth! No evidence whatever have you for this [assertion]! Would you ascribe unto God something which you cannot know? – (Quran 10:68)
and say: “All praise is due to God, who begets no offspring, and has no partner in His dominion, and has no weakness, and therefore no need of any aid” -and [thus] extol His limitless greatness. (Quran 17:111)
Furthermore, [this divine writ is meant] to warn all those who assert, “God has taken unto Himself a son.” (Quran 18:4)
Now that we have established and proven that Jesus (pbuh) is not the Son of God but rather a servent, a messenger of God, it changes how every verse in the Bible that referes to Son, can only be understood as servant or messenger of God. This also expels the existence of a Trinity, as there is no Son. The first commandment is now upheld where God is One with no partners.
JESUS WAS SENT BY GOD
One of the most debated topics today is why Jesus (pbuh) was sent to us? This view differs greatly among Christians showing the total misunderstanding of Jesus (pubh) true mission through the deceptive teachings of the Church who’s only aim is to push their deceitful agenda of the Trinity where Jesus (pbuh) portrayed as the Son of God and he came to die for our sins.
Nothing is further from the truth. All you need to do is look at what Jesus (pbuh) is saying and you will see the truth.
Christians are indoctrinated from a young age and taught the fabrications in the Bible and wrongly translated verses. Now you will see that the Bible tells us about the false pen which records things falsily. This did not only apply to scribes at the time but we have seen this in the New Testament and more fabrications will be revealed.
Jesus (pbuh) tells us that he was sent by God, that his words are not his but the words of God who sent him. Jesus (pbuh) tells us that he only does as he is commanded by God and does not do anything by himself. In the below verses you will see clearly what Jesus (pbuh) himself tells us which is consistent with being the Christ who is anointed by God and a prophet, a messenger and a servant of God.
John 8:42
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me
John 7:16
“Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”
John 12:49
“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”
John 4:34. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
John 8:26. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
John 7:28. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
Luke 10:16. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
Matthew 10:40: “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
Mark 9:37: “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”
John 8:16: But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.
John 9:4: We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
John 12:45 : He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.
John 15:21: But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
John 16:5: “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
John 7:33 : Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me.
John 7:18: He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Christians please read John 7:18 carefully and with open eyes and an open mind. Jesus (pbuh) tells you that the one who seeks the glory of God who sent Jesus (pbuh) is true. In other words, the one who seeks God’s glory and not Jesus (pbuh) is true. If Jesus (pbuh) was the literal son of God or even God as you claim, then why does Jesus (pbuh) say you must only seek God’s glory, showing that he is not God and God is totally different and separate from Jesus (pbuh). The fact that God sends Jesus (pbuh) shows you that God has all the authority as he commands and Jesus (pbuh) followers his command.
If God came in the flesh as Christians say then he is still God, right? So the question is, how can God be sent and be commanded by another God who is not himself? Even if you Say God is still in heaven while he is also in flesh on earth then God should simply come without any commands since he is God and it is his decision to do what he pleases. How can God say he was commanded, how can he say his words and his teachings are not his own? If it is not his own, then who is it? Remember that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost is one according to Christian beliefs. So even if you claim that Jesus (pbuh) was the Son and God commanded his Son you still have a problem as they are one and the same according to the Trinity.
John 7:16: So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
John 8:18: I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”
John 5:24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Please take special note of John 5:24 above. He that heareth my word, and believe on him that sent me, hast everlasting life. This clarifies that it is not Jesus (pbuh) who gives everlasting life but if you believe in Jesus’ (pbuh) words which he received from God and those who believe in God who sent Jesus (pbuh) will have everlasting life.
Looking at all these verses from Jesus (pbuh) you will not see one indication from Jesus (pbuh) that he is God’s son in the literal sense. From Jesus (pbuh) own words it is clear that Jesus is only a messenger of God, sent by God. These are important messages in which Jesus (pbuh) speaks clearly in plain language that everyone can understand. There is no ambiguity in his words or misunderstanding.
Note also that Jesus (pbuh) more often refers to God in other places in the Bible as “the Father” meaning the Father of all creation and not “his Father” in the literal sense. Jesus (pbuh) also refers to God as; HIS, HIM, HE. When Jesus (pbuh) refers to God as “my Father” he means my creator in the same way that we are all children of God the creator. Hence, when you pray, you say Our Father who art in heaven. When we say our Father, does it imply that God is our perternal father? Ofcours not, so how can we say that God is Jesus (pbuh) perternal tather?
Does it sound like Jesus (pbuh) is God here? Jesus (pbuh) speaks of God as a separate entity to himself and you can see that God is the authority, Jesus (pbuh) words are God’s words and not his own but the one who sent him and the one who has commanded Jesus (pbuh). It seems that Christians are trying to make Jesus (pbuh) a liar and who seem to think they know better than the one they worship.
WHO WAS JESUS SENT TO?
We have already established that Jesus (pbuh) mission was to bring the Good News, the Gospel, which is God’s words and which God sent Jesus (pbuh) as his messenger to give his Good News to the people, to bring the people out of the darkness and into the light. Now let us see to whom God sent his messenger.
Matthew 15:21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
24 He answered, “I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel.”
25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
The main messages we take from these verses are:
- He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.
- Jesus (pbuh) tells the woman that it is not right to help her being a gentile when he was sent only to the people of Israel.
- Jesus (pbuh) also demonstrate his compassion because the woman had faith, but he made it clear that helping getiles is not his mission.
From the below verses we can see that Jesus (pbuh) only went from one synagogue to another or places where the Jews frequented in the Jewish cities he visited in accordance with the command of God.
What is also important to note is that Jesus (pbuh) never turned away people who needed his help. We can see that he has helped many of the Gentiles and Samaritans though his mission was to seek and save the Jews and not save the world.
Luke 4:42-44
Jesus Goes on a Preaching Tour
42 At daybreak he left and went to a deserted place, while the crowds kept looking for him. When they came to him, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he told them, “I have to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God in other cities, because I was sent to do that also.” 44 So he continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.
We again see below that Jesus (pbuh) on every occasion he only went to the Jews.
Luke 19:5-11
5 When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down! I must stay at your house today.” 6 Zacchaeus came down quickly and was glad to welcome him into his home.
7 But all the people who saw this began to complain: “Jesus is going to be the guest of a notorious sinner!”
8 Later, Zacchaeus stood up and announced to the Lord, “Look! I’m giving half of my possessions to the destitute, and if I have accused anyone falsely, I’m repaying four times as much as I owe.”
9 Then Jesus told him, “Today salvation has come to this home, because this man is also a descendant of Abraham, 10 and the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
In the above verse, you can see Jesus (pbuh) again saying he is the son of man who has come to seek and save the lost, referring to the Jews as Zacchaeus was a Jew as well, a son of Abraham as Jesus (pbuh) mentions. So his mission was to come and seek and to save the Jews who were descendants of Abraham.
The verses below again reinforce the fact that Jesus (pbuh) was only sent to the people of Israel when he instructed the 12 disciples to avoid Gentiles and Samaritans and only visit the Jews.
Matthew 10:5-8
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give
If Jesus (pbuh) was sent to die for our sins then he would surely tell his disciples to also convey that message but they were instructed to only tell people of the kingdom of heaven which is near and to and to preach his Gospel which God has given him.
Jesus (pbuh) instructions were clear: the disciples must only go to the lost sheep of Israel and not to the Gentiles and the Samaritans.
Now the Christians will jump up and refer me to Mark 16:15 where Jesus supposedly said: ” 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
So, my question to Christians is how could Jesus have said that when the original Gospel of Mark ends at vers 8. See for yourself below from the online NIV Bible. Verses 9 to 20 were added in by the early Church, hence it is a fabrication. The Bible is supposed to be the word of God and if the original scriptures did not have those verses and the Church added them in then how can it be the word of God?
Although the vast majority of later Greek manuscripts contain Mark 16:9-20, the Gospel of Mark ends at verse 8 in two of the oldest and most respected manuscripts, the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. The oldest manuscripts are known to be the most accurate because there were fewer generations of copies from the original autographs (i.e., they are much closer in time to the originals), and the oldest manuscripts do not contain vv. 9-20, we can conclude that these verses were added later by scribes. The King James Version of the Bible, as well as the New King James, contains vv. 9-20 because the King James used medieval manuscripts as the basis of its translation. Since 1611, however, older and more accurate manuscripts have been discovered and they affirm that vv. 9-20 were not in the original Gospel of Mark.
In addition, the fourth-century church fathers Eusebius and Jerome noted that almost all Greek manuscripts available to them lacked vv. 9–20.
Christions also refer to Mattew 29 :19 and Luke 24:49 saying even if verses Mark 9-20 are fabrications Mattew and Luke confirm that Jesus (pubh) did tell his disciples to go to all the world. No, they do not say that. Let us analyse the verses;
Mattew 29:19
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Luke 24:45
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
As you can see, Jesus (pbuh) says “all nations” not al lthe world. All nations refers to the Jewish tribes as there were twelve Jewish tribes. If you want to argue that Jesus (pbuh) meant the disciples must go to the Gentiles and Samaritians as well then Jesus (pbuh) you are claiming that Jesus (pbuh) was either a lier and a sinner or your Bible is corrupt. Jesus (pbuh) said he was only sent to lost sheep of Israel and if he did not obey God then he is a sinner. How does Jesus (pbuh) tell his diciples not to go the Gentiles and Samaritans and then tells them to go to everyone? Would the disciples not have questioned him for clarity on this? So the only logical answer is that they understood that they were supposed to go to all the Jewish nations which aligns perfectly.
Getting back to point of Jesus Jesus (pbuh) who said he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel, we find that the Quran confirms Jesus (pbuh) was sent as a messenger to the children of Israel:
And [make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [who will say], ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay [that which is] like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by permission of Allah . And I cure the blind and the leper, and I give life to the dead – by permission of Allah, And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers. (Quran: Surah Al-Imran, 39)
Why Was Jesus Sent and What Was His Mission?
We can see above that Jesus (pbuh) was sent by God only to the lost sheep of Israel because they had lost their way in the true belief in God. God says in the Quran that they have hidden some of the scripture.
The angel Gabriel came to Mary before Jesus (pbuh) was conceived to tell her that God is sending his servant Jesus Christ to save the people of Israel from their sins.
Matthew 1:21
She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
From the two verses, I have highlighted the words “save” to show you that Jesus (pbuh) was sent by God to save his people (the Jews) from their sins. Both the angel and Jesus (pbuh) use the same word, “to save”. We have already seen that God sent Jesus (pbuh) with the Gospel, God’s words. If his people accept the Gospel then they will be saved as their time is limited. Jesus (pbuh) tells them that the Kingdom of God is at hand meaning that their time is limited before they die and God’s mercy for them is there now so they can be saved before they die.
Luke 19:9
9 Then Jesus told him, “Today salvation has come to this home, because this man is also a descendant of Abraham, 10 and the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Mark 1:14-15
Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Luke 4:43
But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”
Matthew 12:28
But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Luke 15:1-10
Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He told them this parable, saying. “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
In the above verses Jesus (pbuh) uses a parable to tell the sinners, Pharisees and the scribes that those that he has spoken to are like the lost sheep, meaning those who lost their way and that Jesus (pbuh) has found his lost sheep and if they accept him and his teachings then they can rejoice as they will be saved.
One thing that must be understood is that Jesus (pbuh) did not bring anything new. The Gospel he preached was the Law given by God to Moses, the Tohrah but the Jews had hidden some of the scriptures and started to deny those teachings leading them to sin. Jesus (pbuh) came to bring back that which they denied. Below you will see that Jesus (pbuh) did not come to change anything but to fulfill what was already sent.
Matthew 5:17-20 King James Version (KJV)
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
To understand what Jesus (pbuh) full mission is one has to look at the 10 commandments and what Moses taught his people. This is the law that Jesus (pbuh) came to fulfill.
Luke 4:17-21
17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
We also see the Quran confirms Jesus’ (pbuh) mission.
And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah (Quran 5:46)
In the below verse we see that though he came to his own creation and yet they did not receive him and as we know they tried to crucify him.
John 1:11
11 He came to his own creation, yet his own people did not receive him.
From the above, you can see clear evidence that Jesus (pbuh) was sent by God only to the Jews. If Christians say that Jesus (pbuh) was the son of God and Jesus (pbuh) is God that means God is Jewish as Jesus (pbuh) was Jewish. Then God sent his only son to the Jews and the fact that you say Jesus (pbuh) is God himself means that God came himself to the Jews only being a Jew himself.
FABRICATIONS
Christians are indoctrinated from a young age and taught the fabrications in the Bible and wrongly translated verses. Now you will see that the Bible tells us about the false pen which records things falsely. This did only apply to scribes at the time but we have seen this in the New Testament as we have seen prior above and more fabrications will be revealed.
Jeremiah 8:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? 9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?
Jesus (pbuh) again also speaks of the scribes who will not enter heaven:
Matthew: 5:20 King James Version (KJV)
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Now we will show you more corruption and deception from the scribes;
John 3:17 New International Version (NIV)
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
This is supposedly Jesus (pbuh) speaking. The question we now ask is: Is Jesus (pbuh) telling lies by contradicting himself when he just said that he was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel or did the scribes handle this verse falsely? We also see that John says Jesus (pbuh) came to save the world through him Jesus (pbuh) said we are saved through God’s word and by believing in God. Jesus (pbuh) states in the Bible that he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel and God states in the Quran that he sent Jesus (pbuh) to the children of Israel. If both Jesus (pbuh) and God state the same thing then how can John be telling the truth?
Should this verse not read: 17 For God did not send his servant into the world to condemn them, but to save them through him.
By just adding one word you can change the whole meaning of a sentence and the scribes are very good at doing this.
Here is yet another verse from John contradicting both Jesus (pbuh) and God. This is one of the famous verses used by Christians who they say proves that Jesus (pbuh) is the Son of God.
John 3:16 King James Version (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 is one of the most widely quoted verses by Christians to prove that Jesus (pbuh) is the only begotten son of God. What most Christians do not know is that the word begotten was sited as a fabrication and an interpolation by the bible scholars and we can find this on the inside cover of the Revised Standard Version bible. Since then, most bibles no longer contain the word “begotten”.
Revised Standard Version
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
New International Version
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
English Standard Version
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
If God did not beget (an act of sexual intercourse) a son then Jesus (pbuh) is not a paternal son of God. The word son as previously explained refers to Messiah who can be called the only Messiah of the time but if we see the only Son in any sense other than Messiah then it contradicts several other verses of the bible as there are many sons of God in the bible. The word son could have also be used to denote a loved one. As the Bible dictionary explains. The Greek word for son used here is Huios and the translation states “Term used preeminently of Jesus Christ, as enjoying the supreme love of God, united to him in affectionate intimacy, privy to his saving councils, obedient to the Father’s will in all his acts”
So we can clearly see that the word son is not a paternal son hence the fabrication. Take special note to the last words that are highlighted. “Obedient to the Father’s will in all acts is a messenger, a servant and prophet of God.
Below you can find more verses contradicting Jesus’ (pbuh) own testimony.
John 1:29
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Take note that John the Baptist calls Jesus (pbuh) the Lamb of God and not son of God. John the Babtist unlike John the disciple was a prophet of God according to the Quran and the Bible and prophets will identify other prophets and messengers as such. John calls Jesus (bpuh) the gentle messenger of God, of God means he came from God as a messenger. But, we also find how false words was sneaked in.
1 John 4:14
14 We have seen for ourselves and can testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
Yet another fabrication and contradictory to what Jesus (pbuh) himself said. This is also not Jesus (pbuh) speaking but this unknown John.
Again the Greek word used for son is also Huios meaning a loved one who is obedient to God, a messenger of God. As we have previous seen from Jesus’ (pbuh) own testimony that he was ONLY sent to the lost sheep of Israel and not to the world. Hence, Jesus (pbuh) himself proves the words “Saviour to the world” to be false. Also, take note how the crooket translators make the word “S” capital when yet it is not capital in the orginal text.
Misquoting Jesus in the Bible – Professor Bart D. Ehrman
Summary – Son of God
- From the bible dictionary we have seen that the original Greek words for son Teknon and Huios denotes that son is offspring of a human person, son of man and it in no way shows that Jesus (pbuh) was a paternal son of God.
- We have seen from the Bible dictionary that the meaning of Christ means Messiah which is a prophet of God. One that is anointed, given authority and sent by God.
- There are many sons, many one and only sons and many begotten sons in the Bible and none of them are taken to be a literal son of God. In the same way, there is no evidence of Jesus (pbuh) being any different and all the evidence shows that he was not a literal son but a messenger of God.
- Jesus calls himself the son of man 81 times.
- On several occasions he has been referred to as the Christ.
- His own disciples thought of him as Christ when he asked who they thought he was.
- Jesus (pbuh) himself said on numerous occasions that he was sent by God, that God gave him authority, God gave him the Gospel, that what he spoke was not his words but God’s words, that he could do nothing by himself, that he cast out devils by the finger of God and all the miracles he performed by the power of God and not his own. None of these shows any attributes of being the son of God but instead it shows he was a messenger, sent by God to do God’s work like all other prophets and messengers that was sent by God.
- If Jesus (pbuh) was a paternal son of God then he would have all the attributes of God like immortality, total power, and authority and demand to be worshipped. Point 7 shows the complete opposite.
- The trinity shows that the Father and son are two separate persons, that they are co-equal but they are one. We already find that Jesus (pbuh) was not equal to God, God is not a person but something our brains cannot possibly imagine and we find that Jesus (pbuh) is distinctly different to that of God and was certainly not a God or God himself. The trinity is proven a false pagan and satanic belief and we have just proved that Jesus (pbuh) is not a literal son of God so yet again the trinity is disproved.
- Jesus (pbuh) was born of a human mother Mary and she gave birth to a human son. The conception of Jesus (pbuh) was miraculous, which shows us God’s power in creation and being able to create in whichever way He wills in the same way God created Adam and Eve with no father and no mother.
- To say that God has a son is blasphemy and an insult to God. Offspring is attributed to humans, animals and insects. To conceive a child a male and female needs to copulate (have sex) and sperm needs to be passed from the male organ to the female ovary. To say that God has a son means that God himself came to Mary and had sex with Mary and God’s sperm passed from His male organ to Mary. A totally ridiculous notion for God yet that is the process of conceptions for humans and animals only. If God sent his Angel Gabriel to inform Mary of a son and he blew into the whom of Marry and by God’s command Mary instantly became pregnant then Jesus (pbuh) was created by God. We are also created in the same way, God commands our existence and miraculously the male sperm faces with the female egg and life comes into existence. This is clearly mentioned in the Quran. The Bible’s version of Jesus (pbuh) conception no longer proves a literal son. Son in the Bible means servant or messenger of God as all other sons were servants and messengers of God.
The Holy Spirit
For the majority of Christian denominations, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person (hypostasis) of the Trinity: the Triune God manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; each person itself being God.
What Christians must understand is that stating the Holy Spirit is part of a Trinity has serious implications which affect many things, the most important being the conception of Jesus (pbuh). Let’s entertain the notion of the Trinity for a moment. In the Trinity where the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are each separate persons, all three are co-equal and all three are co-eternal but all three are one as stated in the catechism. Christians also state that Jesus (pbuh) is himself God and is the creator of all things. Now in this scenario, we find that in the conception of Jesus (pbuh), the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit as stated in the Bible.
Considering that The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one means that the Holy Spirit who is also Jesus (pbuh) as they are one, overshadowed his own mother who became pregnant with himself! How absurd is that!
Secondly, if Jesus (pbuh) is God and the Holy Spirit, then how does God overshadow God’s Mother so that she becomes pregnant with God? The notion of a God that is born from a human mother is even more absurd not to mention the fact that God has a mother!
What is even more disturbing is that if Jesus (pbuh) was God then God came out of a 12-year-old girl’s private parts and God suckled a 12-year-old girl.
Thirdly, if the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one, then how did the Trinity exist when Jesus (pbuh) did not yet exist? Jesus’ (pbuh) existence was written by God from the beginning like all other prophets’ existence was pre-written before they existed but that does not mean that God had already created him. Jesus (pbuh) certainly cannot create himself.
In the chapters, The Trinity, we saw that the teaching of the Trinity originated well after the New Testament was written rather than with the Bible writers themselves. If the Trinity was real then Jesus (pbuh) himself would have taught it as well as his disciples and the Holy Spirit would have been referred to more appropriately as being part of the Trinity but we see no evidence of this in the Bible as we will see.
The Holy Spirit is referred to as the third person in the Trinity, but the Bible in no way describes the Holy Spirit as a person. In John we see the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus (pbuh) when he is baptized. This is yet another reason that the Holy Spirit is not part of a Trinity as the Holy Spirit cannot descend upon Jesus (pbuh) if the Holy Spirit is also Jesus (pubh). Why must God be baptized? Is God not pure that he needs to be purified?
How, then, do we define the Holy Spirit if it is not a person?
To understand the Holy Spirit in the Bible, one must also understand the language used. The word “ruach” comes from the Hebrew meaning “spirit”, “wind”, “breath”, or “air”. The Greek equivalent is “pneuma” and the Latin is “spiritus”. Some examples of its usage in relation to God:
- “Ruach Ha-Kodesh” means Holy Spirit.
- “Ruach Elohim” means Spirit of God.
A Spirit is defined as a wind, breath of God, the power of God, the life essence of a person, the soul of person, God creates through the spirit, The spirit is also God’s guidance, it can be an angel which is sent to give a message to a chosen person by God and is unseen by others. In most cases this type of spirit is the Angel Gabriel.
Here are some examples in the Bible:
God breathed into Adam the breath of life.
Gen. 2:7 NIV – the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being
God creates when he sends his Spirit.
Psalms 104:30 – When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18-20 – This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit is the Counselor.
John 14:26 – But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
An Angel Appears to Mary
Luke 1:26-56 – 26 During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.”
29 But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean.
30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. 31 Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
Is the Holy Spirit God (the third person in the Trinity)?
The trinity defines the Holy Spirit as the third “person”. We have seen that the teaching of the trinity originated well after the New Testament was written rather than with the Bible writers themselves. How, then, do we define the Holy Spirit if it is not a person?
Rather than describing the Holy Spirit as a distinct person or entity, the Bible most often refers to it as and connects it with God’s divine power Zechariah 4:6 – Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, said the LORD of hosts. 6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel ‘No by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. Micah 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin. Jewish scholars, examining the references to it in the Old Testament Scriptures, have never defined the Holy Spirit as anything but the power of God.
In the New Testament, Paul referred to it as the spirit of power, love and a sound mind 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 7 ForGod has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.. Informing Mary that Jesus (pbuh) would be supernaturally conceived in her womb, an angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you …,” and he defined this as “the power of the Highest,” which “will overshadow you” Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Jesus (pbuh) began His ministry “in the power of the Spirit” Luke 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. . He told His followers, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” Acts 1:8 – 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come on you: and you shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.American King James Version× Peter relates that “God anointed Jesus (pbuh) of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” Acts 10:38 – 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. This was the same power that enabled Christ to perform many mighty miracles during His ministry.
The Holy Spirit is the very nature, presence and expression of God’s power actively working in His servants 2 Peter 1:4 – 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
American King James Version× and Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 20 I have been (crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Indeed, it is through His Spirit that God is able to be present everywhere at once throughout the universe and affect it at will Psalms 139:7-10 – Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 7 Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Again and again the Scriptures depict the Holy Spirit as the power of God.
Divine inspiration and life through the Spirit
Repeatedly, the Scriptures reveal that God imparted divine inspiration to His prophets and servants through the Holy Spirit. Peter noted that “prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21- 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit). For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
All messengers of God received the revelation from the Holy Spirit who brought the message to them from God. This is angel Gabriel, also known as the spirit of truth.
Jesus (pbuh) told His followers that the Holy Spirit, which the Father would send, “will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26 – 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you). But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.
Impersonal attributes of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is spoken of in many ways that demonstrate that it is not a divine person. For example, it is referred to as a gift (Acts 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also) and (1 Timothy 4:14 – 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership). Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. We are told that the Holy Spirit can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19 – 19 Do not quench the Spirit Quench not the Spirit. That it can be poured out) (Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, said God, I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, hat I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams) and (Acts 2:33 – 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this, which you now see and hear. And that we are baptized with it) (Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire). 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire).
People can drink of it (John 7:37-39 – 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified 37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink. 38 He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.), partake of it);(Hebrews 6:4 – 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have taste the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and be filled with it) and (Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the – 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance).
It is also called “the Holy Spirit of promise,” “the guarantee of our inheritance” and “the spirit of wisdom and revelation” (Ephesians 1:13-14 – 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory) 13 In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory. And (Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,…)
Me, as the Scripture has said, (out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him In contrast to God the Father and Jesus Christ, who are consistently compared to human beings in Their form and shape, the Holy Spirit is consistently represented, by various symbols and manifestations, in a completely different manner—such as wind (Acts 2:2 – 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. fire (Acts 2:3 – 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And there appeared to them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat on each of them. water (John 4:14 – 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”) But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. and (John 7:37-39 – 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.), oil You love righteousness, and hate wickedness: therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
(Matthew 25:1-10 – 25“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. a dove (Matthew 3:16 – 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, see, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting on him: and an “earnest,” or down payment, on eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22 – 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. Who has also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
These depictions are difficult to understand, to say the least, if the Holy Spirit is a person. In (Matthew 1:20 – 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take to you Mary your wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
We find further evidence that the Holy Spirit is not a distinct entity, but God’s divine power. Here we read that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2 – The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord) However, Jesus (pbuh) continually prayed to and addressed God the Father and not the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2 – The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord) (Matthew 10:32-33 – 32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. 32 Whoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 11:25-27 – 25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him) 25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes. 26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in your sight. 27 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knows the Son, but the Father; neither knows any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. (Matthew 12:50 – 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” For whoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. He never represented the Holy Spirit as His Father. Clearly, the Holy Spirit was the agency or power through which Jesus (pbuh) was conceived (Isaiah 11:2).
From the above we can see that the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the power of God and is not a separate person as described in the trinity.
The Holy Spirit in the Quran
Many Christians has raised questions about the identity of the Holy Spirit in the Quran who wonder if the Holy Spirit in the Quran is the third person in their Trinity beliefs.
The Quran denounces the Trinity and in most cases the Holy Spirit mentioned is the Angel Gabriel who brings revelation or glad tidings. Other instances indicate the Holy Spirit to be the power of God and in other instances the Spirit of Guidance that is sent to people. The fact is that no one knows concerning the Holy Spirit besides God and God clarifies this in the Quran.
The Quran clarifies that the Spirit comes only by the command of the Lord. What we know about the spirit is very limited and we know only the little that is communicated to us. It is only God who has knowledge of all things.
“They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: “The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O men!)” (Quran, 17:85)
The fact that Christians say that God is part of a Trinity is also clarified in the Quran.
“They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them”. (Quran, 5:73)
In reference to Gabriel, the Arabic Quran calls him; “Ruhhil-Qudus” (Holy Spirit), “Ruuhanaa” (Our Spirit), “Ruuhul-‘Amiin” (The Honest Spirit) and “Al-Ruh’ ” (The Spirit).
When reading the Quran we see that Gabriel is the Holy and Honest Bearer of Revelations who is mentioned several times in reference to bringing the books and scriptures from God.
Say, “Anyone who opposes Gabriel should know that he has brought down this (Quran) into your heart, in accordance with God’s will, confirming previous scriptures, and providing guidance and good news for the believers.” (Quran 2:97)
When reading more of the verses related to Gabriel we can see that God refers to him as the Holy Spirit.
Say, “The Holy Spirit has brought it (Quran) down from your Lord, truthfully, to assure those who believe, and to provide a beacon and good news for the submitters.” (Quran 16:102)
This (Quran) is a revelation from the Lord of the universe. The Honest Spirit (Gabriel) came down with it. (Quran 26:192-193)
“Say: ‘The Holy Spirit has brought it down (unto you) from your Lord with the truth, in order to confirm those who believe, and to be a guidance and good news for the Muslims’.” (Quran 14:103)
The Spirit of Allah assumed the form of a human man and came to Mary with a message. This was the Angel Gabriel.
And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East, And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man. She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art Allah-fearing. He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son. She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste? He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained. And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place. (Quran 19:16-22)
Other References to the Holy Spirit in the Quran.
He sendeth down the angels with the Spirit of His command unto whom He will of His bondmen, (saying): Warn mankind that there is no Allah save Me, so keep your duty unto Me.(Quran 16:02)
Say: The holy Spirit hath delivered it from thy Lord with truth, that it may confirm (the faith of) those who believe, and as guidance and good tidings for those who have surrendered (to Allah). (Quran 16:102)
And lo! it is a revelation of the Lord of the Worlds, Which the True Spirit hath brought down Upon thy heart, that thou mayst be (one) of the warners, In plain Arabic speech (Quran 26:192-195)
The Exalter of Ranks, the Lord of the Throne. He causeth the Spirit of His command upon whom He will of His slaves, that He may warn of the Day of Meeting,(Quran 4:15)
And it was not (vouchsafed) to any mortal that Allah should speak to him unless (it be) by revelation or from behind a veil, or (that) He sendeth a messenger to reveal what He will by His leave. Lo! He is Exalted, Wise. And thus have We inspired in thee (Muhammad) a Spirit of Our command. Thou knewest not what the Scripture was, nor what the Faith. But We have made it a light whereby We guide whom We will of Our bondmen. And lo! thou verily dost guide unto a right path, (Quran 42:51-52)
Thou wilt not find folk who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His messenger, even though they be their fathers or their sons or their brethren or their clan. As for such, He hath written faith upon their hearts and hath strengthened them with a Spirit from Him, and He will bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide. Allah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him. They are Allah’s party. Lo! is it not Allah’s party who are the successful? (Quran 58:22)
A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall upon the disbelievers, which none can repel, from Allah, Lord of the Ascending Stairway (whereby) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years. (Quran 70:1-4)
On the day when the angels and the Spirit stand arrayed, they speak not, saving him whom the Beneficent alloweth and who speaketh right. That is the True Day. So whoso will should seek recourse unto his Lord. (Quran 78: 38-39)
The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees. (Quran 97:4)
We gave Moses the scripture, and subsequent to him we sent other messengers, and we gave Jesus, son of Mary, profound miracles and supported him with the Holy Spirit. Is it not a fact that every time a messenger went to you with anything you disliked, your ego caused you to be arrogant? Some of them you rejected, and some of them you killed. (Quran 2:87)
These messengers; we blessed some of them more than others. For example, God spoke to one, and we raised some of them to higher ranks. And we gave Jesus, son of Mary, profound miracles and supported him with the Holy Spirit. (Quran 2:253)
God will say, “O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessings upon you and your mother. I supported you with the Holy Spirit, to enable you to speak to the people from the crib, as well as an adult. I taught you the scripture, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel. (Quran 5:110)
While a barrier separated her from them, we sent to her our Spirit. He went to her in the form of a human being. She said, “I seek refuge in the Most Gracious, that you may be righteous.” He said, “I am the messenger of your Lord, to grant you a pure son.” (Quran 19:17-19)
The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by their Lord’s leave, to carry out every command. (Quran 97:4)
And We did certainly give Moses the Torah and followed up after him with messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the Pure Spirit (Quran 2:87)
The “Holy Spirit” (Rooh al-Qudus) is Jibreel (peace be upon him). Shaykh al-Shanqeeti said: “The words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning), ‘and [We] supported him with Rooh al-Qudus’ [al-Baqarah 2:87] refer to Jibreel according to the most sound view. This is indicated by the words (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Which the trustworthy Rooh has brought down’ [al-Shu’ara’ 26:193] and ‘then We sent to her our Rooh’ (Quran 19:17).”
Ibn Abi Haatim narrated from Ahmad ibn Sinaan… Abu’l-Za’raa’ told us: ‘Abd-Allaah said: Rooh al-Qudus (“the Holy Spirit”) is Jibreel, then he said: something similar was narrated from Muhammad ibn Ka’b al-Qurazi, Qutaadah, ‘Atiyah al-‘Awfi, al-Saddi and al-Rabee’ ibn Anas.
This view is supported by the above and by the report narrated by the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhaari and Muslim] with their isnaads from Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, that he heard Hassaan ibn Thaabit al-Ansaari asking Abu Hurayrah to bear witness, “I ask you by Allaah, did you hear the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘O Hassaan, respond on behalf of the Messenger of Allaah. O Allaah, support him with Rooh al-Qudus’?” Abu Hurayrah said, “Yes.”
(al-Tafseer al-Masboor by Dr. Hikmat Basheer, 1/192-193)
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: the majority of scholars said that this refers to Jibreel (peace be upon him), and that Allaah called him al-Rooh al-Ameen, Rooh al-Qudus and Jibreel.”
(Daqaa’iq al-Tafseer, part 1, p. 310)
He wrote an entire chapter on that and said:
Chapter on the meaning of Rooh al-Qudus:
Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
“O ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Remember My Favour to you and to your mother when I supported you with Rooh ul Qudus [Jibreel (Gabriel)]…”
[al-Maa’idah 5:110]
Allaah supported the Messiah (peace be upon him) with Rooh al-Qudus as He mentions in this aayah. In al-Baqarah Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We gave ‘Eesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), clear signs and supported him with Rooh-ul-Qudus [Jibreel (Gabriel)]
[al-Baqarah 2:87]
“Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allâh spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honour); and to ‘Eesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Rooh ul Qudus [Jibreel (Gabriel)]”
[al-Baqarah 2:253]
This is not limited only to the Messiah; others were also supported in this way. (The scholars) mentioned that Dawood said, “Do not stop supporting me with Rooh al-Qudus.” And our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Hassaan ibn Thaabit, “O Allaah, support him with Rooh al-Qudus.” According to another report: “Rooh al-Qudus will be with you so long as you are defending His Prophet.” Both versions are narrated in al-Saheeh.
According to the Christians, the “Holy Spirit” dwelt in the Disciples, and according to them the “Holy Spirit” is something experienced by all of the Prophets. But Allaah says in al-Nahl (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad) Rooh ul Qudus [Jibreel (Gabriel)] has brought it (the Qur’aan) down from your Lord with truth, that it may make firm and strengthen (the Faith of) those who believe, and as a guidance and glad tidings to those who have submitted (to Allaah as Muslims)”
[al-Nahl 16:102]
“Which the trustworthy Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel)] has brought down Upon your heart (O Muhammad)” (Quran 26:193)
“Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel (Gabriel) (let him die in his fury), for indeed he has brought it (this Qur’aan) down to your heart”
[al-Baqarah 2:97]
So it is clear that Rooh al-Qudus here refers to Jibreel… No one suggests that Rooh al-Qudus means the life of Allaah; nor is this indicated by the wording and this phrase is never used in that sense.
Daqaa’iq al-Tafseer, part 2, p. 92 (source: Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid)
As can be seen from the above in the Bible and the Quran, in no instance is the Holy Spirit referred to as a person or in any way part of a Trinity.
The worst sin a person can commit is to ascribe partners to Allah (God), associating others as divine in partnership with Allah. Allah says that he may forgive any sin except those who persist on ascribing partners to Allah until his death. For them there will be no forgiveness unless they repent before death comes to them.
Is Jesus God?
The majority of Christians see Jesus (pbuh) as a living God. The Christian cannot understand the Majesty of God and so for them, it is easy to state that Jesus (pbuh) is God simply because of the miracles he has performed, listening to the Church’s misguided translations of certain verses and his alleged resurrection and ascension. Miracles alone do not make Jesus (pbuh) God, ambiguous Bible verses quoted out of context do not make Jesus (pbuh) God and neither does a resurrection make Jesus (pbuh) God.
Before we discuss the claim of Jesus (pbuh) being God, let us first establish God’s Majesty so we can understand more about God. If we cannot understand the Majesty of God then we cannot say Jesus (pbuh) is God if he does not have any of God’s attributes or possess the Majesty of God.
We will discuss two points relating to God’s Majesty.
No One Has Seen God
The first one is that no one can see God and live.
Exodus 33:18-23
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Now here is the same incident in the Quran which also shows that no one is able to see God and live:
And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, “My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You.” [ Allah ] said, “You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me.” But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, “Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers.” (Quran 7:143)0
Jesus (pbuh) himself also said that no one has seen God or heard his voice;
John 5:37 – 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
Matthew 6:5-6 – 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Quran also says that no vision can encompass God:
“Such is Allah, your Lord, none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Creator of all things. So worship Him alone, and He is the Guardian over all things. No vision can encompass Him, but His Grasp is overall vision. He is the Most Subtle and Courteous, Well-Acquainted with all things.” (Qur’aan 6:102-103)
As you can see from both the Bible and the Quran that Moses (pbuh) could not see God and still live. In the Quran tafseer (more detailed account) of this verse it shows that God only showed a very minute portion of his shadow to the mountain and Moses (pbuh) fainted and the Mountain crumbled into dust. Just imagine if we had to see God in his complete Majesty. Everything would turn to dust.
Furthermore, we see Jesus’ (pbuh) own testimony that no one has seen God nor heard his voice.
Now consider this; if Jesus (pbuh) was God then why did Jesus (pbuh) not just show himself to Moses (pbuh) in his current form as he was going to live amongst the people of Israel in any case? Why does Jesus (pbuh) say no one has seen God or heard his voice when yet you say he is God? The fact is that Jesus (pbuh) has at no time ever claimed to be God not withstanding the fact that he tells us that no one has seen God or heard his voice. Just these two facts alone is undeniable proof that Jesus (pbuh) cannot be God.
From what we understand from the Bible and the Quran is that God is Power, a blinding light that will render anyone dust. God is something unimaginable and indescribable. Our minds are not equipped to know God or see God at all.
God’s Size
The Bible speak of God’s thrown that is over the water, but do Christians know how big Gods thrown really is? First we have seven heavens above which we find a sea of water. Over the water we find God’s thrown and God is over the thrown.
Now we will take you on a journey to help you understand the size of God’s thrown and the Majesty of God.
The Milky Way
Stars are not scattered randomly through space, they are gathered together into vast groups known as galaxies. The Sun belongs to a galaxy called the Milky Way. Astronomers estimate there are about 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way alone.
Now Consider this, the Sun alone is 106 times larger than Earth. There are other stars like Betelgeuse – about 900 times the size of our sun. Antares – about 530 times the size of our sun. Deneb – about 145 times the size of our sun and millions and millions more stars in our Galaxy many which are much larger than the sun.
The size of the Milky Way
In order to calculate the distance from one end of the Milky Way to the other end, we need to understand the concept of time. Thanks to Albert Einstein’s Theories of Relativity, we know that our universe has a speed limit. This limit is set by the speed of light, which travels a staggering 186,282 miles per second (299,792 km/sec). If we are looking at hours, that translates to 670.6 million mph (1.1 billion kmh). For a little context, if you were traveling at the speed of light, you would be able to whip about the Earth 7.5 times each second.
The Voyager spacecraft is traveling away from the Sun at a rate of 17.3 km/s. If Voyager were to travel to the centre of our Galaxy, it would take more than 450,000,000 years to travel the 8 kpc. If it could travel at the speed of light, an impossibility due to Special Relativity, it would still take over 26,000 years to arrive!
At 17.3 km/s, it would take Voyager over 1,700,000,000 years to traverse the entire length of the Milky Way. Even traveling at the speed of light, it would take nearly a hundred thousand years! Can one even comprehend the enormity of our Milky Way? Now, consider the University, there are trillions of other Galaxies. It is almost impossible to calculate the size of the entire Universe. Did you know that all of these Galaxies in our vast universe are only the first heaven? There are seven heavens as we know from the Bible and the Quran.
Just to remind you again.
There are seven Heavens.
Above the Seven Heavens we find a sea of water and
Above the water we find God’s thrown and
Above the thrown is God.
Now, remember the enormity of the first heaven and consider six more heavens of this vast size one above the other. Now to find out the size of God’s thrown the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gives more details about this.
Narrated Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, “He then asked, “Do you know what is between you and it?” On their replying that Allah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم knew best, he said, “Between you and it are five hundred years.” He then asked, “Do you know what is above that?” On their replying that Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) best he said, “Two heavens with a distance of five hundred years between them. He went on speaking like that till he counted seven heavens, the distance between each pair being like between Heaven and Earth. He then asked, “Do you know what is above that?” On their replying that Allah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم knew best, he said, “Above that is the Throne, and the distance between it and the (seventh) heaven is the same as that between each pair of heavens… and nothing is hidden from Allah of your deeds. [Al-Tirmidhi]
Narrated Al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib رضي الله عنه, “The heaven which is above it is at a similar distance (going on till he counted seven heavens). Above the seventh heaven there is a sea, the distance between whose surface and bottom is like that between one heaven and the next… [Abu Dawud]
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “The seven heavens are in relation to the Kursi like a ring thrown into a waterless desert.” And the superiority of the ‘Arsh (Allah’s Throne) over the Kursi is like the superiority of the desert over that ring.” The Messenger of Allah SAW mentioned regarding the great throne of Allah Almighty, “…The ‘Arsh is over the water, and Allah is over the ‘Arsh, and He knows what you do.”
To give you a clear understanding, we know that it will take over 1,700,000,000 years to traverse from one end to the other of our Milky Way and there are trillions of Galaxies in the Universe which all constitute only the first heaven. The distance from the first heaven to the second heave is 500 years of travel. This is then multiplied 6 more times for all the seven heavens. Now, the Hadith states that all these 7 heavens is the equivalent to a ring on your finger in the largest desert in the world, namely the Sahara desert. Just imagine your ring compare the size of the Sahara desert. The Kursi of Allah is the Sahara desert and your ring is all the seven heavens combined.
Then the hadith says that similarly, the Kursi is like a ring in the Sahara desert compared to the Arsh (Allah’s Throne) which is like the size of the Sahara desert. Above the throne is Allah who is significantly larger than the thrown.
It is further narrated that several Angles carry the Arsh (Allah’s Throne) and the Hadith gives us an understanding of just the distance between the ear lobe of one of the angles and his shoulder.
It was narrated that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم told us about one of the angels who carries the ‘Arsh. He said that the distance between that angel’s ear lobe and his shoulder is equivalent to a seven hundred year journey. [Abu Dawood]
Can you imagine how large one Angel is considering there are many angles that carry the Arsh.
The ‘Arsh is the greatest of all things that Allah has created, over which our Lord rose in a manner that befits His Majesty. We then use Allah’s name like it is nothing and the Christian then translates Allah’s name into God which then associates many things like unto it like God son, God like, God’s etc.
Christians most often say that the Bible says that Jesus (pbuh) will be seated at the right side of God.
Colossians 3:1
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
The speaker in this verse is the controversial Paul. If this was the case and from the above we have seen the size of God, would anyone be able to see Jesus (pbuh) seated on his tiny chair next to God’s throne? Does it sound logical?
Let us see what Jesus (pbuh) himself says:
Matthew 26:64
Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Jesus (pbuh) does not say he is seated next to God. He is using a metaphor implying that he is on the right side of truth. The right hand always signifies the side of truth.
Matthew 25:32-34
All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
As you can see, those on the right are those who are on the right path, the side of truth and if you are on the right hand side then you are blessed.
Acts 5:31
He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
God has Unique Qualities
God has no beginning and no end and is not affected by time. Jesus (pbuh) was born, he grew up like any other child and he aged like any other human being.
God must not have been created but he alone is the creator. Jesus (pubh) was created by God.
God must be unique and there must be nothing like unto him. Jesus (pbuh) is not unique at all. He is the same as any other prophet and messenger of God. As a human being, he does everything other human beings do like eat, sleep, relieve himself and age etc.
God must be able to create from nothing. Jesus (pbuh) was not the creator of anything in the universe.
God must be all-knowing and all-powerful. Jesus (pbuh) was not all-knowing as he did not know about that hour.. Jesus (pbuh) was also not all-powerful as he could only perform miracles by the power of God.
God cannot be sent or commanded by anyone but rather he is the one who sends and commands mankind.
God does not receive instructions from anyone as he alone gives instructions to his creation. Jesus received all his instructions from God.
God does not tire and needs no rest. Jesus slept and rested.
God is not flesh as flesh ages, it dies and it rots. Flesh is created by God and flesh is of the earth. Hence God cannot bleed. Jesus (pbuh) was flesh and bone like any other human being, he bled and felt pain like any other human being.
God cannot die. Jesus (pubh) died according to the Bible died.
Does Jesus (pbuh) pass the test of being God?
Jesus (pbuh) has a beginning and an end.
Jesus (pbuh) was created
Jesus (pbuh) did not create anything
Jesus (pbuh) says was sent by God
Jesus (pbuh) said: “ By myself, I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Jesus (pbuh) does only what God commands him to do.
Jesus (pbuh) is not unique in any way. Adam was created with no mother or father and many other prophets performed great miracles including raising the dead.
Jesus (pbuh) was not all knowing as he said, “I speak only what the Father had given me to speak”. He also said that he did not know about the last day and the hour.
Matthew 24:36
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
The Christians will now say that God took on a human nature and came as flesh. For a short period of time God the Son limited himself to a body in order to save all of humankind. Because he became like one of us, He is able to personally identify with the suffering and pain that we ourselves experience. The problem with this claim is that it is unsupported by Jesus (pbuh) himself. Did Jesus (pbuh) ever say in the Bible that he is God and that he came in the flesh to to experience human suffering? You will not find a single verse spoken by Jesus (pbuh) to this effect. This ideology was taught by Paul and the church and not Jesus (pbuh).
The Church teaches that Jesus (pbuh) is GOD using very ambiguous verses from the Bible which are taken out of context to prove their point. They use the Trinity to justify their false beliefs. We have already proven the Trinity to be false and satanic belief so this argument no longer works. Many Christian denominations do not believe in the Trinity like; The Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Christadelphians, Christian Scientists, Dawn Bible Students, Living Church of God, Oneness Pentecostals, Members Church of God International, Unitarian Universalist Christians, The Way International, The Church of God International, the United Church of God, and Armstrongism do not believe in trinitarinanism because they do not share history with the post-apostolic process that concocted the doctrine. Also, Unitarians believe that the Father is the sole deity and the Savior is not Jesus (pbuh).
If a search is done on which verses prove that Jesus (pbuh) is God, one finds that every Christian who makes this claim quotes different verses which in their opinion proves that Jesus (pbuh) is God. Every Christian even pastors use different verses to prove their theory. This tells us one thing? If everyone quotes different verses to support their theory then all it proves is that it is a theory or myth taught by the church and nothing more. If Jesus (pbuh) was really God then there should be zero doubt by any Christian but yet we find only a few Christian denominations stating that Jesus (pbuh) is God and others believing that he is only the son of God. If Jesus (pbuh) was God then surely Jews and Muslims would have believed that he is God. The Quran also tells us that if Jesus (pbuh) was God that Muhammad (pbuh) would have been the first to worship him.
In fact, nowhere in the Bible does Jesus (pbuh) himself, in his own words say “I am God” or where he says “worship me” Not even his disciples thought that Jesus (pbuh) was God otherwise this would have been made abundantly clear in all the books. Besides the book of John, no other book in the New Testament alludes to Jesus (pbuh) being God. This is quite strange considering they were all supposed to be witnesses to Jesus’ (pbuh) talks.
We will discuss some of the most used Bible verses where Christians claim that there is Bible proof that Jesus (pbuh) is God. It will be proven that these verses are all taken out of context and that they prove nothing of Jesus (pbuh) being God.
So, before we start, I will quote your just one verse from Jesus (pbuh) himself in his own words. This verse undoubtedly proves that he is not God and anything quoted to the contrary can in no way be true as it will render to be liar who contradicts himself and Jesus (pbuh) is no liar.
John 17:3 – 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Let us now see if what Christians quote contradicts Jesus (pbuh) own words.
Christian claims that John 1:18 is undeniable proof that Jesus (pubh) is God and a quick read of the verse will make you think the Christian are correct.
The One and only Son, who is himself God
John 1:18 New International Version
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
But, has the Christian looked at the other Bible translations of the same verse? Let us have a look at how deceitful the bible translators really are:
The Deceit of the Bible Translators
As we have described at the beginning satan will deceive us and surely we see the deception even with the dishonest Bible translators. Below you can see how the Bible translators aim to deceive people by putting in false statements. Each one of these translations means vastly different things but at the same time, some of these translations make no sense. How on earth can this be inspired by God? How can any of the bible verses be trusted when such deceit is in play?
John 1:18
New International Version
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Above only the son has seen God but the son is also God who is the only one who has seen himself and is closest relationship with himself????? We have already established that son refers to servant of God, the Messiah and does not refer to a paternal son. Neither can the Son or servant be God as neither has the qualities of being God. So it seems that “who is himself God” is a fabrication. As mentioned before, God is not illogical and he does not say illogical things. When satan tries to introduce his lies we will always find conflict and irrational and illogical statements. This is one of them Below you will see satans lies at work among all the bible translators who all say different things.
If God had a son which we have proven false, then a father and a son can never in any way be the same person then he is no longer a son. If Jesus (pbuh) is God then he is God alone or he is the son alone but he cannot be both.
If we read the verse as “No one has ever seen God, but the servant of God is closest in relationship with the Father, has made him known” then it makes absolute sense. Jesus (pubh) as the servant of God has the closest relationship with God and has made God known. This is exactly what Jesus (pbuh) has done and what he was saying all along. He has made God known to everyone. One thing you must remember is that this is not Jesus (pbuh) speaking, nor is it John the disciple speaking. This person was not an eye witness and neither did he know Jesus (pbuh) as the book of John is considered to be written by an unknown scholar between 90AD and 110 Ad. Both Jesus (pbuh) and the decsiple John were long gone by then.
Let us now show you how even the translators follow through with the lie and each one tries to increase the lie even more causing the statements to become even more illogical.
New Living Translation
No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
We know that only God is unique. How is Jesus (pbuh) unique over that of God???? So this verse states “But the God, who is himself God” it also says that God is near the Father. So this implies that there is the unique one who is God and then theire is he Father. Who then is the Father if the unique one is God??? An illogical statement.
English Standard Version
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
If only God is at the Father’s side then that means the Father is not God. Who is the Father then and why is God at his side??? An illogical statement.
Berean Study Bible
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
We have already shown that Jesus was not the one and only son or servant as there are many sons and servants. This shows that “one and only son” is a total fabrication
Berean Literal Bible
No one has ever yet seen God. The only begotten God, the One being in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known.
The only begotten God? The word begotten was removed from the Bible as a fabrication but yet we still see some translators using it. The word “begotton” denotes a child born from infadility according to the dictionary. Did God have sex with himself to give birth to himself? And then God is in the bosom of the Father????? An illogical statement.
New American Standard Bible
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
The above translations refer to a begotten God. This now implies that there is more than one God which goes against the first commandment. As we have previously discussed, to beget according to the Bible dictionary refers to sexual intercourse between a mail and a female. Is there a Male God and an Female God who conceived a little baby God? How many more illogical translations do you need to convince you?
New King James Version
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
King James Bible
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Christian Standard Bible
No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side —he has revealed him.
Now the son is no longer begotten but the Son is himself God and is at the Fathers side. If the son is God then who is the Father. Is he the father of God? If the son is at the father’s side then how can he be God the Father as well when yet the statement describes two distinct separate identities?
Contemporary English Version
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.
Good News Translation
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Now the son who is no longer begotten and is no longer God but now he is the same as God and at the Fathers side. Are there now two God’s? the “same” as means they are not one but two separate entities. Same as is a simile comparing one with another.
Holman Christian Standard Bible
No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son– the One who is at the Father’s side— He has revealed Him.
The son is no longer begotten and no longer God???
International Standard Version
No one has ever seen God. The unique God, who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.
Again we find that the Father is not God.
NET Bible
No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.
New Heart English Bible
No one has seen God at any time. The only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
This translation is the closest to the truth if we understand son is not a paternal son.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
No man has seen God at any time; The Only Begotten God Who is in the bosom of The Father, he has declared him.”
As can be seen from the above, each translator has a different view and translates the verse with vastly different meanings. Each of these translations offer totally different meanings.
We find that God who is the Father, the one with all the power, the one who has given Jesus (pbuh) authority and the ability to perform miracles, the one who has commanded Jesus (pbuh) and the one who has sent Jesus (pbuh) to do his work is made nothing in an instant by this fake John. Jesus (pbuh) is now portraid as a son, a one and only son, a God, a begotten God who are all at the Fathers side, a Father who is a nothing in this whole scenario according to this fake John.
Each one of these translations contradicts each other, it contradicts Jesus (pbuh) own words and it contradicts God himself in the Old Testament so how can it be true?
The Word Becomes Flesh
This is another major claim by Christians who say these verses prove completely that Jesus (pbuh) is God. In order to use this verse as proof then Jesus (pbuh) had to utter these words but instead we find that this is supposedly John speaking and not Jesus (pbuh). None of the other Gospels have this verse which means it is most likely a fabrication which you will see for yourself.
Once again we will show you how deceitful the Bible translators really are. The New International Version of John 1 is used by Christians to prove their theory that Jesus (pbuh) is God. Notice from verse 2 we find “He was with God in the Begging. “He” the Christian says refers to Jesus (pbuh) who was with God in the begining and “through him (meaning Jesus) all things were made and without him nothing was made” He and him denote another entity.
John 1 New International Version
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The first thing you need to take note of is that Jesus (pbuh) is not the speaker here.
The Christian is facing some challengers while making this claim:
1. “He was with God in the Beginning”
He could be anyone and does not necessarily refer to Jesus (pbuh). He could be the Holy Spirit or an Angel. Now the Christian will say that the word became flesh and this refers to Jesus (pbuh). Yes, this is true but by the word of God every human being came into existence and so did every other messenger of God including Jesus (pubh) God commands and he came into existence. By this command of God Mary became pregnant with Jesus (pbuh).
2. If Jesus (pbuh) was with God then the statement means two separate entities. So Jesus (pbuh) cannot be God as God is One and there is no other as stated by God himself in the first commandment and Isaiah 45:22:
22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. Jesus himself said in John 1:18 that there is only one true God who sent him.
3. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made” This is where the deceit of the Bible Translators are exposed even more. Here they are trying to imply that through Jesus (pbuh) all things were made and without him nothing was made. When we look at the King James Version of the same verse, we see that verse 2 actually states that “The same was with God” and Not “He was with God”. The same refers to the “word” which is what verse 1 was speaking about, “the word” was with God in the beginning. This changes everything. Now verse 3 makes absolute sense that all things was made through God and nothing was made without God’s command.
Now let us see what the King James Version states about John 1;
John 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Amazingly, we see that “He was with God” is actually “The same was in the beginning with God” This gives a totally different meaning.
If we interpret the verse 1: “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”
In the beginning was the word meaning God’s Knowledge of all creation. This is God’s decree, His words and His instruction of all of creation and God’s plan.
In Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) explains this more clearly:
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: The first thing which Allah created was the Pen. He commanded it to write. It asked: What should I write? He said: Write the Decree (al-Qadr, the fate of all things). So it wrote what had happened and what was going to happen up to eternity. (Tirmidhi)
The Prophet (pbuh) said “The first thing that Allah created was the Intellect,”
[Tirmidhi]. He also said, “The first thing that Allah created was the Pen,” and “The first thing Allah created was my Light.”
The scholars said these all amount to the same thing by simile, the Pen is an Intellect created from Light it can be understood as a light similar to the light of our own intellect which we see in our mind and that light in our mind imagines the sum total of our knowledge, the Pen was a light which imagined the sum total of the knowledge Allah gave it.
Now let us read verse 4 and 5 of John 1 and you will see the same is true;
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
So here we see the light that corresponds to what the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was saying.
The above if read from verse 1 all refers to the “the word” through God’s word, his instruction, all things are made and everything comes into existence as God commands. We can clearly see this in the Quran as well.
“The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be’, and it is.” (Qur’an 2:117)
“He created him from dust, then said to him: ‘Be’ And he was!” (Qur’an 3: 59)
“For anything which We have willed, We but say the word, ‘Be’ and it is!” (Qur’an 16:40)
“It is He Who gives Life and Death: when He desires a matter, He says to it: ‘Be’ and it is!” (Qur’an 40:68)
We have also seen previously that God is the light of the world as he created light and his truth is a light that cannot be extinguished.
If we now look at verse 14 of John 1 we can better understand the meaning of verse 14;
King James Version
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Before we explain this verse we would like to further show you more corruptions of the Bible translators. This is what the New International Version of the same verse states:
New International Version
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
We have already proven that begotten son is a fabrication and was removed from the Bible but interestingly we see the translation of the New International Version states Son. They intentionally use a capital “S” to show a literal son but this is also a deception as we know son in the original scripture is messenger. We also see that the translators has put in “one and only” which is false on both accounts. The Bible as proven is full of Sons of God so Jesus is not the only one and secondly, Jesus (pbuh) is not the one and only messenger of God.
Getting back to the meaning. So, God’s instruction of the creation of Jesus (pbuh) came to be and Jesus (pbuh) was born a person of flesh and bone as a messenger of God.
Going back to the Quran we can see a more comprehensive explanation by God to “The Word Became Flesh”
And remember when the angels said, “O Mary, God sends you the good news of a Command of His: his name shall be Messiah, Jesus son of Mary. He will be highly honored in this world and in the Next World and he will be among those favored by God. He will speak to the people alike when in the cradle and when grown up, and he will be among the righteous.” Hearing this, Mary said, “How, O Lord, shall I have a son, when no man has ever touched me?” “Thus shall it be,”44 was the answer. God creates whatever He wills. When He decrees a thing, He only says, “Be” and it is. (Continuing their message, the angels added,) “And God will teach him the Book and wisdom, and give him the knowledge of the Torah and the Gospel, and appoint him as His Messenger to the children of Israel.” (Quran 3:45-49)
Another thing we need to consider is If Jesus (pbuh) was with God from the beginning then why did Adam not see Jesus (pbuh) when God brought him to life? Why did God not introduce Jesus (pbuh) who was supposed to be there and tell Adam that He made Adam through his son Jesus (pubh) and that Jesus (pbuh) is also God himself? Adam would probably think God lost his marbles as God is saying that this man who is standing there next to God is also God himself but yet Adam sees 2, 1. A man like himself and 2. God who is light and something unexplainable. If you read the story of creation in Genesis you find no evidence of Jesus (pbuh) ever being there.
If Jesus (pbuh) was with God from the beginning then surely Jesus (pbuh) would have made this fact abundantly clear to all his disciples. Why would Mark, Matthew and Luke leave out such an important fact? It seems more likely that the writer of John has copied the story of creation and himself inserted Jesus (pbuh) to be with God from the beginning. If Jesus (pbuh) himself did not say that then how can we trust the word of this unknown author?
The most likely explanation is that the translators have inserted the word begotten which is not present in the original scriptures as we have seen with the difference between the New International Version and the King James Version. NIV uses the word “He” and KJV uses the words “the same”. This is a huge difference and carries a completely different meaning. The more accurate translations would be the KJV which makes more logical sense.
In Summary of the above
- If we read John 1 we can see that the speaker is not Jesus (pbuh) so Jesus (pbuh) himself did not speak these words. They are in fact the words of a supposed John the disciple. We say this as the letters was anonymous and the church assigned the letters to the disciple John to give it authority. You will see evidence of this towards the end of this book in Who Actually Wrote the Bible”. John21:24 24 This is the disciplewho is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. You can clearly see If John wrote this book he would not refer to himself in the third person. “We know” tells you that the writer is talking in the first person and the writer is telling us that John is bearing witness and John has written these things but yet John is not the writer in this case.
- John the Baptist himself did not think Jesus (pbuh) was God in John 1 verse 29: 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
If John the Baptist thought Jesus (pbuh) was God then he would say “Behold the Lord our God”
The Lamb of God clearly means the mild messenger of God and in no way could be seen as Jesus (pbuh) is God. John the Baptist confirm that Jesus (pubh) was a messenger verse 34: 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. Again, Son of God in the scripture is messenger of God as proven.
- If these verses are interpreted as Jesus (pbuh) is God then this causes a contradiction the Absolute Laws.
- It is quite ironic that the Christian seems to think John is God when in the same book of John Jesus (pbuh) makes direct profound statements about himself that are undeniable;
- John 6:38. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
- John 8:16. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
- Jesus also prayed to God where he said his disciples understood who he was in Joh 17: 6 “I have revealed youto those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
So, If Jesus (pbuh) said that his disciples understood that God sent him then how could John say that Jesus is God? Christians can either believe the church or this unknown writer of John or they can believe Jesus (pbuh).
Jesus (pbuh) was stoned for claiming to be God says the Christians
John 10:33
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
According to the church and Christians who claim this verse is clear proof that Jesus (pbuh) is God as the Jews stoned him because he claimed to be God. Christians claim that the Jews would not stone Jesus if he did not say he was God. It is very deceitful to isolate this verse alone without stating the context and without also quoting the verses before and after to get the full picture.
John 10:22-37
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,
Jesus (pbuh) tells them that the miracles he performed in his Father’s name testify about him that he is the Messiah but they do not believe Jesus (pbuh) as they are not of his followers
26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish
Jesus (pbuh) tells the Jews that because his followers listen and follow him and his example his message will give them eternal life with God meaning in the hereafter and there they will never perish.
;no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me,
Jesus (pbuh) says that it is God who changes hearts so that they will follow him and once God changes a person’s heart no one can take them away and God is greater than all is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
This is another verse that Christians misunderstand and claim that this shows Jesus (pbuh) is God. To understand this verse one has to understand the context. Jesus (pbuh) is giving the context in purpose and in nature by saying that if you follow me (Jesus) that you will get eternal life by God. Jesus (pbuh) is also saying that he and his Father is one in purpose,meaning that through the Gospel, God’s words, Jesus and God was one. The mission was the same for God and Jesus. The Jews did not want to understand as they were looking for trouble.
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
Jesus (pbuh) again tells the Jews that he has shown them many miracles from his father but still they do not believe him. Note that several times Jesus (pbuh) says the good works, meaning the miracles he has performed are from his father and not from him.
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
Clearly from the verses we can see that Jesus (pbuh) never claimed to be God. He constantly told them that the miracles he did were from his Father but they were there to look for trouble with Jesus (pbuh) and not to hear the truth
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”?
Jesus (pbuh) says that they are also gods, meaning they are also servants of God. Notice the small g which means servant of god in Hebrew and not God Literally.
35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came
This proves that gods means servant of God as the word of God came to the prophets, his savants
—and Scripture cannot be set aside—36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?
Here Jesus (pbuh) tells them what about the one (Jesus (pbuh)) whom God as sent as his very own servant (prophet) to the world. God also gave Jesus of his spirit meaning, he gave Jesus his words to speak.
Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
Jesus (pbuh) asked them why they are then accusing him of blasphemy when he (Jesus (pbuh)) is Gods servant / prophet)
37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
Jesus (pbuh) says they must not believe him but they should believe the miracles Jesus (pbuh) performed in God’s name and understand that God is in Jesus (pbuh) meaning that God has given Jesus (pbuh) his knowledge (the Gospel) and power to perform miracles and that the Jesus (pbuh) knowledge (the Gospel) and the miracles Jesus (pbuh) performed is from God as Jesus (pbuh) stated over and over). Here Jesus (pbuh) had the perfect opportunity to plainly tell the Jews that he is God and that they should worship him but Jesus (pbuh) never claimed to be God. He constantly told the Jews he performed miracles through the power of God.
Not once does Jesus (pbuh) declare himself to be God and he tells the Jews that they do not listen to him because they do not believe in him. This is important to understand. God sent Jesus (pbuh) to the Jews as they had lost their way. The Torah speaks of the coming of the Messiah but the Jews were under the impression that the Messiah would come to support them and not tell them that they have lost their way. They did not want to hear that they were lost. The Jews were and still are a very arrogant nation. They were looking for trouble with Jesus (pbuh) as they rejected him as the Messiah. They told Jesus (pbuh) to tell them plainly if he was the Messiah and Jesus said he did tell them but they did not listen as they did not want to follow him. They wanted Jesus (pbuh) to support them and only then would they follow him. Because Jesus (pbuh) did not agree with their teachings they rejected him and made accusations against him stating that he claimed to be God. You will see that they continue with these claims as part of their plan as they will eventually charge him with blasphemy and have him crucified. Their plan was never to listen to Jesus (pbuh), this was their plot against Jesus (pbuh). For Christians to use this argument as proof of Divinity proves total ignorance and misunderstanding of the plot against Jesus (pbuh).
Jesus (pbuh) said “I AM”
John 8:58. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am
The fact that Jesus (pbuh) said I am before Abraham is something insignificant, which Christians have not grasped. We have to again understand the context in which Jesus (pbuh) is speaking to see what this verse really means. If Jesus (pbuh) was God he could have told them very plainly that he is God and that we must worship him. Jesus (pbuh) uses the words “I am” in many cases and none of them means that he is God. When the lady spoke about the Messiah who was commming, Jesus (pbuh) said in John 4:26 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
As always, the Christian is good at quoting single verse out of context. We encourage you to read the whole of John 8 so you can see the full story but we will quote you the following which plainly shows the context of Jesus (pbuh) conversation with the Jews.
John 8:27-58
27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.
Do these verses not tell you that Jesus (pbuh) does not speak on his own and only speaks what the Father has taught him? Jesus (pbuh) says he always does what pleases the Father. Now if Jesus (pbuh) was God, would Jesus (pbuh) speak what he taught himself and would he do what pleases himself
Dispute Over Whose Children the Jews Are
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”
39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.
“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.
This verse needs no explanation and by now if the Christian is still not convinced that Jesus is not God or the perternal Son of God then this very verse in Jesus’s (pbuh) own words should clear things up, if not then surely you are not followers of Jesus (pbuh) but rather you are followers of satan as Jesus (pbuh) states below that the Jews who never listened to him also were followers of their father satan and so we see the Christions of today also do not follow Jesus (pbuh) but they follow the church.
43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
So, if the Christian cannot still see Jesus (pbuh) own words then how can you call yourself a Christain (meaning followers of Christ).
Jesus’ Claims About Himself
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
Now we can see that Jesus (pbuh) says that he honours his Father as glorifying himself means nothing. Jesus says he only glorifies his Father whom the Jews claim as their God. Verse 56 then means that Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing Jesus day had come as a prophet same as Abraham was a prophet in his day.
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
And, finally, Jesus is telling the Jews that God had written his (Jesus (pbuh)) prophethood before Abraham was born. The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also said he was a prophet when Adam was still between water and clay. It does not mean either one of them existed as yet only that God has written of their existence to come before Abraham was born. Even Abrhams existence was written before he was born. All things to come and all of God’s prophets and messengers are written into existence before creation and hence and all creation is written until the last day. John 1 says in the beginning was the word, the decree of God of all things to come.
This Messiah would be born a human son, but have a higher nature
Isaiah 9:6
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Christian claims this verse also speaks of the coming of Jesus (pbuh) and his divine authority. Note the use of capital letters to highlight the message they want to send when there are no capital letters in the original Hebrew text. First we should understand that Isaiah is from the Torah and that the Christian Bible translators as seen before have an agenda and they will translate the verses to further their agenda. Below you can see the correct translation from the original Hebrew text from Chabad.org.
Misquoting Jesus in the Bible – Professor Bart D. Ehrman
5For a child has been born to us, a son given to us, and the authority is upon his shoulder, and the wondrous adviser, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, called his name, “the prince of peace.” (chabad.org)
הכִּי־יֶ֣לֶד יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ בֵּן נִתַּן־לָ֔נוּ וַתְּהִ֥י הַמִּשְׂרָ֖ה עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמ֜וֹ פֶּ֠לֶא יוֹעֵץ֙ אֵ֣ל גִּבּ֔וֹר אֲבִי־עַ֖ד שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם:
You can clearly see how the deceitful Christian translator moves words around to imply that Jesus (pbuh) is God when the verse clearly states: ‘the everlasting Father, called his name “the prince of peace”’
And the deceit continues in yet another verse the Christian uses to show Jesus’ (pbuh) divinity;
Isaiah 7:14 New International Version (NIV)
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
The Bible translation states: “the virgin will conceive.” Let us see what the original Hebrew translation states:
As you can see, there is no mention of “virgin”, just a woman. It also does not mention which woman. The name Mary does not appear in any verse.
Now let’s read on to see who this son will be?
Isaiah 7:15-17
15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17 The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.”
The Assyrians are people who have lived in the Middle East since ancient times and today can be found all over the world. In ancient times their civilization was centered at the city of Assur (also called Ashur), the ruins of which are located in what is now northern Iraq. So when was Jesus (pbuh) the King of Iraq.
A couple hundred years later, but still more than half a millennium before Jesus walked the earth, more was predicted about the Messiah’s divine nature the Christians say!
This is how the Christian uses the verses in his favour to prove a point:
Daniel 7:13-14: “There before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven . . . He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
But, when you read the full verse one sees that Daniel only had a dream.
Daniel 7:13-14
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Now we can see that this was just a vision Daniel had and secondly, Daniel said “was one like a son of man” Which son of man is he referring too as it cannot be Jesus (pbuh) as this son of man approached the Ancient of Days so it could not have been in Jesus (pbuh) time. There is no proof that this verse relates to Jesus (pbuh) or that he is God.
I and the Father Are One
John 10:30-33: “‘I and the Father are one.’ Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?’ ‘We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’”
For Christians to prove their point they always quote a single verse out of context. In order to understand what Jesus (pbuh) was saying we need to ask ‘In what context is Jesus (pbuh) speaking?’ No Christian seems to be able to answer this question. Jesus (pbuh) is saying he and the Father are one in purpose. Jesus (pbuh) was one with God in purpose of the Gospel which God has sent him with. So Jesus (pbuh) and God are one in purpose of his mission and his Gospel. Let us look at all the verses pertaining to this story:
John 10:22-39
Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
Now from the above you can see that the Jews asked if Jesus (pbuh) was the Messiah and that he should tell them plainly. Jesus (pbuh) confirms that he did tell them but they do not believe him. If Jesus (pbuh) tells the Jews that he is he Messiah then how can he be God? Jesus (pbuh) said that the “works I do in my Father’s name testify about me” So now we can see the context. Jesus (pbuh) does the works meaning the miracles and preaching of the Gospel God has given him in God’s name. So they are one in purpose and Jesus (pbuh) said: “I and the Father are one” meaning in purpose.”
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
You can once more see by the verses above how Jesus (pbuh) clears up the matter with the Jews but they are not there to hear the truth that Jesus (pbuh) speaks, they were there only to cause trouble. Jesus (pbuh) tells them that they are also gods to whom God sent the scripture through Moses (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh) says: “What about himself the Father set aside as his own servant (son of God) into the world”. Nothing in these verses proves that Jesus (pbuh) is God.
If we look at Jesus (pbuh) prayer in John 17 to God then the matter becomes even more clear.
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one,Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Here we can clearly see, once again, that the context is the message of God that unites Jesus (pbuh) and God. Jesus (pbuh) is one with God in purpose, just as the disciples and the people who receive the message can be one in unity with God’s message. Despite this, we find Christians quoting John 10:30 out of context, saying that this is proof that Jesus (pbuh) is God. Christians tend to block out that which does not support their argument and only focus on that which suits them.
I am the Apha and Omega, the Begging and the End
These are famous verses that Christians say Jesus (pbuh) spoke and claiming to be God. What they do not realise is that in all these verses Jesus (pbuh) is not the speaker. We will quote each one and show you who the speaker is.
Revelation 22:13
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 21:6-7
Then He said to me, “It is done I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
Isaiah 44:6
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.
Let us see who the speaker is in Revelations.
The Book of Revelation was written sometime around 96 CE in Asia Minor. The author was probably a Christian from Ephesus known as “John the Elder.” According to the Book, this John was on the island of Patmos, not far from the coast of Asia Minor. The author says, “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet” (Rev. 1.11) and this voice tells him to write what he is about to see. This tells us that it was a dream and not reality. For Jesus (pbuh) to be God he has to himself say he is God while he was still on earth which he has never done. Hense, in Revelations the speaker is John and not Jesus. We will come to see further on in Revelations that it was in dead the Angel Gabriel who was speaking to John that he thought was a figure that looked like Jesus (pbuh) but it was not. The entire book of Revelations is about John the Elder having visions and hearing voices. Have a look for yourself from chapter 4 to 22 and they all start with “I saw” or “ I herd”. Jesus (pbuh) never met his John the elder who lived some 63 years after Jesus (pbuh). Revelations is nothing but a book of fables where you find dragons with ten horns and seven heads.
John Saw and Herd
Revelation 4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.
Revelation 5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.
Revelation 6 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”
Revelation 7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
Revelation 8 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Revelation 9 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.
Revelation 10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robbed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.
Revelation 12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
Revelation 13 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
Revelation 14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
Revelation 15 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.
Revelation 16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”
Revelation 17 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters.”
Revelation 18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
Revelation 19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
Revelation 20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
Revelation 21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
Revelation 22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb – …. I am the Alpha and the Omega…
In Isiah 44:6 we can clearly see that the speaker is God as Jesus (pbuh) did not exist at that time.
Jesus said I am the way and the truth
Every prophet is indeed the way and the truth. Who is going to say they are not? Moses (pbuh) was the way and the truth for his people, Abraham was the way and the truth for his people and so was Jacob (pbuh) and Isaac (pbuh) and every prophet who was the way and truth for their people. In Jesus (pbuh) time, he was the way and the truth. Today the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the way and the truth. All the prophets only speak the words of God which is the way and truth for everyone. This does not prove anything about Jesus (pbuh) being God.
Jesus is the only name by which men can go to heaven
At the time this statement would be true as Jesus (pbuh) was sent as a salvation to the Children of Israel and the Jews refused to believe in his message. They refused to accept him as the Messiah, the Christ sent by God to them. Jesus (pbuh) was sent to show them the errors of their ways and they refused to believe in him so naturally if they disbelieved they would not enter heaven. Whoever believed In Jesus (pbuh) and his Gospel right up until the time that Prophet Muhammad came, Jesus (pbuh) was the only way to heaven for the people.
Before Jesus (pbuh) Moses (pbuh) was sent to save the children of Israel from pharaoh. The Jews then had to believe in Moses (pbuh) and his message in order to enter the land of paradise and to be granted heaven. The Torah, the Bible and the Quran recount the previous prophets sent by God and it is compulsory to believe in all the prophets sent by God. A believer cannot choose to follow some of the prophets or just one and deny the other prophets.
Today however the statement that Jesus (pbuh) is your salvation and the only name by which you can go to heaven does not hold true any longer as Jesus (pbuh) himself said that he would send the comforter from the Lord and He will guide you into all truth. Similarly Christians and Jews today refuse to believe in the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) who was also sent by God as a salvation and mercy to all of Mankind.
Christians criticize the Jews for not accepting Jesus but how is the Christian any better than the Jew when the Christians do not accept the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) even though his prophethood and the Quran are undeniable?
John 12
44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
Jesus says:49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.
John 5:30-32
30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
John 20:17
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
John 20:17 is undenial proof that Jesus (pbuh) can never be God. Jesus (pbuh) tells us clearly that his Father is also our Father. So this shows us that Jesus is not a paternal son of God as the Father is also our Father. Jesus (pbuh) also tells us that his God is also our God. We know that God cannot have a God.
The above verses by Jesus (pbuh) clear up all the misconceptions that the Church teaches. Jesus tells us the Father has sent him and the message (the Gospel) is from the Father and he has not spoken on his own and done no miracles on his own but has only spoken what the Father has given him to speak and do miracles through the power of the Father.
Conclusion
From everything that was presented above we find no conclusive proof that Jesus (pbuh) is God. If Jesus (pbuh) is God, then Jesus (pbuh) has to declare that “I am God, the one and only” or “worship me as I am God” Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus (pbuh) say clearly and in an unambiguous manner that he is God or where he says, “worship me”.
If we look at the Old Testament, we can see that God does not shy away from telling everyone who he is. God does not use ambiguous language in this regard. He tells people plainly, so there is no confusion and the first evidence of this we can find in the Ten Commandments. In the first Commandment God says:
“I am the Lord your God! Thou shalt have no other God’s but me!”
God also declares numerous times in the Bible that he is God:
Isaiah 45:21-22
21 Declare what is to be, present it – let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.
22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other
2 Kings 17:35-38
35 When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. 36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods
Isaiah 43:10
10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
From the above verses, you can see very clearly that God declares that he is God and that there are no other Gods but HE and NONE other must be worshipped except HE. Then in Isaiah 43:10 God makes a very profound and important statement: “Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.”
From these words, we know that if any other god should be declared that he could not be God. If by what you say that Jesus (pbuh) is God, then would Jesus (pubh) not be contradicting God when God said: “nor will there be one after me”? That would also mean the Old Testament and the New Testament, which make up the Bible, are in conflict with each other!
In Deuteronomy Moses confirms that God is one so there can be no other gods;
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and 6:15 – 15
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
15 (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
The above verse is yet another profound statement by Moses in verse 14 above telling us that we shall not go after other gods, which are round about you. Was Jesus (pbuh) not with the people of Israel?
Deuteronomy 4:39
1)”Know therefore this day, and consider [it] in thine heart, that the LORD he [is] God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: [there is] none else.”
Here we have clear proof from God himself that he is the only God in heaven and on earth and there is none else. This means God has no partners and no offspring.
Exodus 34:14
3)”For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name [is] Jealous, [is] a jealous God:”
God tells us “thou shalt worship no other god” Below we will see several more verses where God declares who he is and that he is the only God.
Isaiah 43:9-13
9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.
12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.
13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?
Isaiah 44:6
5)”Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I [am] the first, and I [am] the last; and beside me [there is] no God.”
Isaiah 45:6
6)”That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that [there is] none beside me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else.”
Isaiah 45:18
7)”For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I [am] the LORD; and [there is] none else.”.
Isaiah 45:22
8) “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else.”
Now let us see what Jesus (pbuh) says:
Mark 12:28-30
The Greatest Commandment
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
So here you can see that even Jesus (pbuh) confirms that “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” One important fact to note is that Jesus (pbuh) says “The Lord OUR God”. Here Jesus (pbuh) says that God is also his God.
The below verses from Jesus (pbuh) directly further prove from his own words that he is not God notwithstanding the fact that Jesus (pbuh) already declares God to be his God as well in the above verse;
Mark 10:18
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
Matthew 19:17
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
These two verses prove that Jesus (pbuh) by his own admission is not God. Jesus (pbuh) denies being good, and what is important to note is that Jesus (pbuh) excludes everyone from being good, including himself and he says “ONLY God is good”. This shows God is someone other than Jesus (pbuh) The commandments that Jesus (pbuh) tells them to keep are from the Old Testament, the Jewish scripture that teaches that there is only one God as believed by all prophets as well as Jesus (pbuh). Nothing else anyone says can prove otherwise without making Jesus (pbuh) a liar. I do not even need to quote anything else in support of my argument.
Again, Jesus (pbuh) makes it even more clear to us that he is not God:
John 10:29
“My Father is greater than all.”
Now if Jesus (pbuh) was God would he not be greater than all? Here Jesus (pbuh) could have very easily told you that he was greater than all but again, he did not say that.
Here is even more proof by Jesus (pbuh) that he is not God as God is in heaven when Jesus (pbuh) was on earth.
Matthew 23:9
9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
So let us understand this verse properly. Jesus (pbuh) says “do not call anyone on earth Father” If Jesus (pbuh) was God then he is also the Father as the Father is God, is that not so? So how can Jesus (pbuh) be God when he was on earth as Jesus himself said that God is in heaven?
Christians often say that God has two natures and that is why he can be God and the Son at the same time. In that case we find not one verse in the bible where Jesus (pbuh) tells us that he has two natures. He certainly did not teach his disciples that he has two natures. Christians also say that God can be in heaven and on earth at the same time. Yes, that is true, God is everywhere at once but not in human form.
Christians also say that Jesus (pbuh) is a shy God. Again we find no evidence of this claim as God pronounces himself in every book very clearly and without hiding his identity. We also find that Jesus himself (pbuh) never hid anything. In order for him to convey God’s revelation he had to be clear and not shy away. God sent 124 000 prophets and messengers to declare that he is God and people should worship him so God is definitely not shy? Another claim by Christians is that one cannot understand the Bible unless you have the Holy Spirit. We have seen that the Holy Spirit only comes by the command of God, so how can anyone have the Holy Spirit by themselves? No one can just summon the Holy Spirit and say I want to read the Bible. What the church teaches Christians is that they must not question but rather they must have faith and the Holy Spirit will come unto them. In other words, believe everything the church tells you, then only you have faith.
Prior to the counsel of Nicea, no one believed that Jesus was God. It was the early church who came up with this satanic belief as already proven. The early church forced people to believe in the trinity or were ostrasized and branded a heratic or killed.
In the year 381 C.E., another council met in Constantinople and declared that the holy spirit should be worshiped and glorified just as the Father and Son were. A year later, in 382 C.E., another synod met in Constantinople and affirmed the full divinity of the holy spirit. That same year, before a council in Rome, Pope Damasus presented a collection of teachings to be condemned by the church. The document, called the Tome of Damasus, included the following statements:
“If anyone denies that the Father is eternal, that the Son is eternal, and that the Holy Spirit is eternal: he is a heretic.”
“If anyone denies that the Son of God is true God, just as the Father is true God, having all power, knowing all things, and equal to the Father: he is a heretic.”
“If anyone denies that the Holy Spirit, . . is true God . . . has all the power and knows all things, . . . he is a heretic.”
“If anyone denies that the three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are true persons, equal, eternal, containing all things visible and invisible, then they are omnipotent, . . . he is a heretic.”
“If anyone says that [the Son who was] made flesh was not in heaven with the Father while he was on earth, he is a heretic.”
“If anyone, while saying that the Father is God and the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God, . . . do not say that they are one God, . . . he is a heretic.”
The Jesuit scholars who translated the foregoing from Latin added the comment: “Pope St. Celestine I (422-32) apparently considered these canons law; they may be considered definitions of faith.” And scholar Edmund J. Fortman asserts that the tome represents “sound and solid trinitarian doctrine.”
What Many Scholars Say
Many scholars, including Trinitarians, admit that the Bible does not contain an actual doctrine of a Trinity. For example, The Encyclopedia of Religion states:
“Exegetes and theologians today are in agreement that the Hebrew Bible does not contain a doctrine of the Trinity . . . Although the Hebrew Bible depicts God as the father of Israel and employs personifications of God such as Word (davar), Spirit (ruah), Wisdom (hokhmah), and Presence (shekhinah), it would go beyond the intention and spirit of the Old Testament to correlate these notions with later trinitarian doctrine.
“Further, exegetes and theologians agree that the New Testament also does not contain an explicit doctrine of the Trinity. God the Father is the source of all that is (Pantokrator) and also the father of Jesus Christ; ‘Father’ is not a title for the first person of the Trinity but a synonym for God. . . .
“In the New Testament, there is no reflective consciousness of the metaphysical nature of God (‘immanent trinity’), nor does the New Testament contain the technical language of later doctrine (hupostasis, ousia, substantia, subsistentia, prosōpon, persona). . . . It is incontestable that the doctrine cannot be established on scriptural evidence alone.”
Regarding the historical facts on this matter, The New Encyclopædia Britannica states:
“Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament.” . .
“The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. . . .
“It was not until the 4th century that the distinctness of the three and their unity were brought together in a single orthodox doctrine of one essence and three persons.”
The New Catholic Encyclopedia makes a similar statement regarding the origin of the Trinity:
“There is the recognition on the part of exegetes and Biblical theologians, including a constantly growing number of Roman Catholics, that one should not speak of Trinitarianism in the New Testament without serious qualification. There is also the closely parallel recognition on the part of historians of dogma and systematic theologians that when one does speak of an unqualified Trinitarianism, one has moved from the period of Christian origins to, say, the last quadrant of the 4th century. It was only then that what might be called the definitive Trinitarian dogma . “One God in three Persons’ became thoroughly assimilated into Christian life and thought. . . .
“The formula itself does not reflect the immediate consciousness of the period of origins; it was the product of 3 centuries of doctrinal development.”
Was it not for the early church who deviated the teachings of Jesus (pbuh) to their own evil teachings, people would have still followed the pure way that Jesus taught us. With a the advent of the evil trinity beliefs, we find a direct contrast of what the Old Testament teaches to what the church wants us to believe about God.
Jesus (pbuh) is not God
All you have to do is just look at the Old Testament and see how many times God declares himself. In the first commandment God declares himself the one and only God with no reference to Jesus (pbuh) or a son or a three-in-one concept.
We have already covered the below verses but let us look at them from a different angle. Let us assume that if Jesus (pbuh) is God then there should be Bible verses that clearly state that Jesus (pbuh) is God in no uncertain terms but yet we see Jesus (pbuh) declaring all the time that his doctrine is not his own, his words are not his, he was sent by God, He was commanded by God but nowhere does he declare himself God. You will see that if we look at Jesus (bpuh) as being God then his own words contradict the claim of him being God.
John 7:16
“Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”
God does not have his own doctrine and he is sent by another God!
John 12:49
“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”
Can God be sent by another God who gave God a command?
Luke 10:21
21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
God prays to his Father. Here God has a Father.
John 10:29
“My Father is greater than all.”
God’s Father is greater than God himself!
John 5:30
30 By myself I can do nothing, I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Here God cannot do anything by himself, God only Judge as he hears and God only seeks the pleasure of the one who sent him!
John 4:34
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
God was sent by another God and he came to finish that God’s work!
Matthew 24:36
The Day and Hour Unknown
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Not even Jesus (pbuh) knows about the day and the hour so how can he be God that does not know the day and hour of the most important thing like the day of Judgement?
Jesus (pbuh) commands us to believe in God that sent him. So you claim that Jesus (pbuh) is God but Jesus (pbuh) does not agree with you.
Mathhew 27:46
About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
If Jesus (pbuh) is God then why on earth is God crying out to another God? There are now two God’s but the one God needs the other God’s help? If they were one God then why does God cry out for help? Do you really not see the truth?
Let us briefly go back to the Trinity. The trinity says:
- The Father, the son and the Holy Ghost are one
- There are three separate pearsons but still one
- Each one is co-equal to the other
- They are equally Devine
So, from the above, we can see that Jesus (pbuh) is definitely not equal to God in any way as:
- Jesus (bpuh) was sent by God which means he is not equal.
- Jesus (bpuh) said he can do nothing by himself which means he has no power.
- Jesus (bpuh) said his words were not his which means he cannot speak of his own.
- Jesus (bpuh) said he was commanded which means he was inferior as he took orders.
- Jesus (bpuh) said he was not all-knowing as he did not know about the last day and only God knows which shows he did not possess all the same knowledge as God.
- Jesus (pbuh) prays to God but God does not pray to anyone
- Jesus (pbuh) cannot defend himself but no one can get to God or harm God.
- Jesus (bpuh) bled and God did not bleed.
- Jesus (bpuh) needs nourishment but God does not.
- Jesus (bpuh) needs to relieve himself but God does not.
- Jesus (pbuh) needs sleep but God does not sleep.
- Jesus asks for help and God does not need anyone’s help as he alone is the helper of all.
- For Jesus to be Devine he has to have the same power and authority as God but he does not.
We also find that the Holy Ghost is not equal to God in any way
- The Holy Ghost is sent by God so the Holy Ghost is also not equal.
- The Holy Ghost is not shown as a person in the Bible at all.
- The Holy Ghost does not act on its own authority.
- For the Holy Ghost to be Devine he must also have the same power and authority as God but he does not.
If they are not equal in every way then there is no way they can be one as not one of the three are equal in any way and they are all not Devine. The Bible shows that God is the all-powerful, He is the only authority, He is the only one who commands, He alone is the all-knowing. All that the Bible shows us is that Jesus (pbuh) and The Holy Ghost come only by the command of God and they only act on His authority. Based on this alone, how can you say that Jesus (pbuh) is God?
Anglican Bishop Declares That Jesus is Not God
London Daily Mail, page 12, 15/July/1984
Muslims are not the only ones who believe that Jesus (pbuh) is mortal and not a god. The Jews also believe this, in addition to the very first groups of Christianity such as the Ebonites, the Cerinthians, the Basilidians, the Capocratians, and the Hypisistarians. The Arians, Paulicians and Goths also accepted Jesus (pbuh) as a prophet of God. Even in the modern age there are churches in Asia, in Africa, the Unitarian church, the Jehovah’s witnesses, and even the majority of today’s Anglican Bishops do not worship Jesus (pbuh) as God.
In the British newspaper the “Daily News” 25/6/84 under the heading “Shock survey of Anglican Bishops” We read:
“More than half of England’s Anglican Bishops say that Christians are not obliged to believe that Jesus Christ was God, according to a survey published today. The pole of 31 of England’s 39 bishops shows that many of them think that Christ’s miracles, the virgin birth and the resurrection might not have happened exactly as described in the Bible. Only 11 of the bishops insisted that Christians must regard Christ as both God and man, while 19 said it was sufficient to regard Jesus as ‘God’s supreme agent'”
But what is a messenger of God? Is he not “God’s supreme agent”?. This is indeed what God Himself has already told us in the noble Qur’an 1400 years ago, and exactly what Jesus (pbuh) himself testified to in the Bible:
John 17:3
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Astounding, isn’t it? With every passing day, the most learned among the Christian community are slowly recognizing the truth and drawing closer and closer to Islam. These are not Muslims who issued this statement. These are not “liberal” Christians. These are the most learned and most highly esteemed men of the Anglican Church. These men have dedicated their whole lives to the study of the religion of Jesus, and their study has driven them to the truth which God had already revealed to them in the Qur’an 1400 years ago: That Jesus was not God. That God is not a Trinity. And that the stories of the ministry of Jesus in the Bible have been extensively tampered with by the hands of mankind.
Rev. Professor David Jenkins, the fourth highest-ranking Bishop in the Church of England and the Bishop of Durham had the following admission to make:
“[some of the events in the early mission of Jesus] were not strictly true but were added to the story of Jesus by the early Christians to express their faith in him as a Messiah”
London Daily Mail, page 12, 15/July/1984
The Work of Satan
What people do not understand is that satan has vowed to deceive people from the truth. This is his only goal to lure people to false belief. Satan has already turned more than most of the world to his false beliefs. We can see this with the Hindus and Buddhists who worship Idols but we can also see this with the Catholics and all the statues they worship that are present in their churches. In many churches, you find a cross in the front of the church and people pray to the cross. Christians also wear these crosses around their necks and kiss the cross when they pray. This is all idol worshipping.
What is most disturbing is that everywhere we find pictures of Jesus (pbuh). Where did they get a picture of Jesus (pbuh) from? How do they know what he looks like? They even pray to these fake pictures of Jesus (pbuh). Who is that fake man in the picture that you all pray to? How do you justify all this false worship? Exodus 20:4 forbids such practices but yet Christians still do them; “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
The biggest sin of all is that Christians say Jesus (pbuh) is God who is in fact a servant, a messenger as we have seen by his own admission, being sent by God. God the Father and creator is no longer important to Christians as people pray to Jesus (pbuh) as the saviour when Jesus (pbuh) himself said he can do nothing on his own. Why is it that Christians do not see Jesus (pbuh) words mentioned repeatedly? His words are undeniable and spoken in plain language and not in any ambiguous language that is hard to understand.
Below you can see that the Bible warns us about the deception of Satan.
2 Corinthians 11:3
3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Christians think that they follow Jesus (pbuh) but they really follow satan and teachings of their rulers who are the church who deceive them into false beliefs.
Ephesians 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
And God says that he has sent numerous prophets over time but yet the people do not listen
Jeremiah 29:19
19 For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 13:10
10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless!
Isaiah 42:20
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen.”
2 Timothy 4:4
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Jeremiah 32:33
33 They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.
The Quran gives us a more detailed explanation of satan.
“….Prostrate to Adam and they prostrated except Iblees (Satan)….” (Quran 7:11)
Immediately the Angels fell prostrate to the command of God but not (Iblees). When Satan refused to obey God’s commands, God asked him for the reasons of his disobedience. God says in the Quran:
- (God) said: “O Iblees (Satan)! What is your reason for not being among the prostrators?”
- (Iblees (Satan)) said: “I am not the one to prostrate myself to a human being, whom You created from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud” (Quran, Surah al-Hijr:32 – 33).
Iblees (Satan) became arrogant and jealous of Adam and deemed himself a superior creation over Adam.
- (God) said: “Then, get out from here, for verily, you are Rajeem (an outcast or a cursed one).” (Tafseer At-Tabaree).
- “And verily, the curse shall be upon you till the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)” (Quran, Surah Surah al-Hijr: 34 – 35).
When Iblees was certain that he was doomed, he pledged to mislead whomever he could from God’s slaves (those obedient to God), so that they would be with him in Hell. Allah says:
- Iblees (Satan)) said: “O my Lord! Because you misled me, I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them (mankind) on the earth, and I shall mislead them all.
- “Except Your chosen, (guided) slaves among them” (Quran, Surah al-Hijr: 39 – 40).
After God gave him the reprieve until the Day of Judgment, he made misleading man his primary goal. God mentions in the Quran,
“satan (Iblees) said: ‘Because You have sent me astray, surely, I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your straight path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)’” (Quran, Al-1Aaraf: 16,17).
He has such confidence in ensnaring his victims that he openly declares his strategy of approaching them from all sides and making them succumb to his temptations. But Ibless (satan) is not alone. Christians do not have access to the story of who satan was before he disobeyed God. Even Satan has a family. Iblees’ Wife’s name is Tartaba and she is with him since the beginning. He had five sons who are Tabar, Aawar, Masaout, Waasim and Zakanbar and many other offspring. Tabar puts disorder, confusion, intricacy and distraction of mind in the minds of people. Aawar tempts people to do evil things. Masaout tempts people to lie and deceive. Waasim puts fights between relationships & families and puts fitna (Gossip and Back Biting) in society. Zakanbar makes fights in people in markets and tempts people to do bad.
“Satan” is a common noun that denotes any creature that is mischievous, misleading, doers of evil and delinquent, whether it be human or Jinn. So Ibleess has many Shaitaans (Satans) that follow him amongst mankind and Jinn.
It should be clearly understood that when God ordered the angels including Iblees (Satan) to prostrate to Adam, the Angels immediately obeyed God’s command and Iblees (Satan) disobeyed. God very clearly shows mankind and Jinn that when God commends something, those who obey his command are obedient and those who continually disobey without repenting become followers of Iblees (Satan). Iblees showed arrogance thinking he was better and superior than Adam and did not repent for his disobedience.
The true believers are those that when they realise they have done wrong they regret their actions and they turn to God in repentance.
”But excepted shall be they that afterwards repent and put themselves to rights: for, behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace”. Quran (Al-Imran (The Family of Imran) – 3:89
You read the chapter on the Trinity started with pagan and satanic rituals. Since the inception of the trinity satan has been misleading people from the truth. Jesus (pbuh) has said that the Jews who tried to kill him that they do not listen to him but they listened to their father satan. If Christians still do not believe who Jesus (pbuh) was then how are you any different from the Jews who also never listened to Jesus(pbuh) own words? Let us see what Jesus (pbuh) says about people who do not listen to his words.
John 8:42-47
“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Jesus (pbuh) Will Deny Christians
Jesus (pbuh) will be Against them on the Day of Resurrection.
Matthew 7:21-23
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
In Matthew 7 above you can see Jesus (pbuh) telling you that “only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” will enter heaven. So unless you do not submit yourself to God in heaven, you will not enter heaven, says Jesus (pbuh). When Jesus (pbuh) uttered these words whe was on earth so by telling us that “the Father who is in heaven” shows us that Jesus (pbuh) that Jesus (pbuh) is not the Father and he was not in heaven so he can in know way be God. So Christians who think by calling Jesus (bpuh) Lord, thinking that he is God and that he died for their sins is sadly mistaken.
The Quran infact tells us the same thing that Jesus (pbuh) said in Matthew 7;
And there are none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in [Jesus] [as “Lord”] before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them – (Quran 4:159)
When the people are gathered [on the Day of Judgement], those [who were worshiped other than God] will be enemies to them, and they will be deniers of their worship. (Quran 46:6)
[Thus] if you invoke them, they do not hear your supplication; and if they heard, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will deny your association. And none can inform you like [One] Aware [of all matters]. (Quran 35:14)
Luke 13: 26-27
But [Jesus] will say, “I tell you, I do not know from where you are, depart from me, workers of iniquity.”
Psalms 53:4, Torah
[So] do the workers of iniquity have no knowledge? Who eats up my people [as] they eat bread, they have not called upon God.
Isaiah 45:5, Torah
[For] I [am] the Lord, and [there are] none else, [there is] no god beside Me, I girded you, though you have not known Me.
[So] the Day We will gather them all together – then We will say to those who associated others with God, “[Remain in] your place, you and your ‘partners.'” Then We will separate them, and their “partners” will say, “You did not used to worship us, and God is sufficient as a witness between us and you that we were unaware of your worship.” (Quran 10:28-29)
And [so] We will present Hell that Day to the disbelievers, its width – those whose eyes had been within a cover [removed] from My remembrance, and they were not able to hear. Then do those who disbelieve think that they can take My servants instead of Me as protectors? Indeed, We have prepared Hell for the disbelievers as a lodging. (Quran 18:100-102)
Deuteronomy 32:37-39
And He will say, “Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, which ate the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me, I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal, neither are there any that can deliver out of My hand.”
[And thus,] on the Day of Resurrection He will disgrace them and say, “Where are My ‘partners’ for whom you used to oppose [the believers]?” Those who were given knowledge will say, “Indeed disgrace and evil are upon the disbelievers this Day.” (Quran 16:27)
[Wisdom of Solomon 12:27]
[So] look, for what things they grudged, when they were punished, that is, for those whom they thought to be gods; now being punished in them, when they saw it, they acknowledged Him to be the true God, whom before they denied to know; and therefore extreme damnation came upon them.
The Original Sin
Original sin, also described as ancestral sin, is a Christians view of the nature of sin in which humanity has existed since the fall of man. Original sin arose from Adam and Eve’s transgression in Eden, the sin of disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Original sin explained by Christians is “that sin and its guilt that we all possess in God’s eyes as a direct result of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden.”
This is what Encyclopaedia Britannica says on the topic of Original Sin:
The doctrine has its basis in the Bible. Although the human condition (suffering, death, and a universal tendency toward sin) is accounted for by the story of the Fall of Adam in the early chapters of the book of Genesis, the Hebrew Scriptures say nothing about the transmission of hereditary sin to the entire human race. In the Gospels also there are no more than allusions to the notion of the Fall of Man and universal sin. The main scriptural affirmation of the doctrine is found in the writings of Paul and particularly in Romans 5:12–19, a difficult passage in which Paul establishes a parallelism between Adam and Jesus (pbuh), stating that whereas sin and death entered the world through Adam, grace and eternal life have come in greater abundance through Christ.
The doctrine is the prerequisite for the Christian understanding of the meaning of Jesus’ (pbuh) crucifixion and atonement. Despite its importance for understanding Jesus’ sacrifice, the doctrine of original sin has been minimized since the European Enlightenment.
Let us also examine the plausibility of Paul’s claims in Romans 5:12-19.
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
In the above verse, Paul makes the claim that “sin entered the world through one man” where does Paul get this information from? Genesis makes no mention of this claim by Paul and neither did Jesus make such claims. Remember, Jesus supposedly only appeared to Paul once on the road to Damascus.
Acts 9:4 “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Paul further says that “and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” which means that people only die because they have sinned. Could this statement be further from the truth? According to Paul, if people do not sin they won’t die!
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.
Paul now states in verse 13 that “sin was in the world before the law was given” Did God not tell Adam and Eve not to eat from the forbidden tree Is this not a law given by God? Did Adam and Eve commit any sin prior to this law? Definitely not.
14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
In verse 14 Paul states that “death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses” was there no more death after Moses? Now Paul changes his statement from people dying because of sin to “even those did not sin”.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
In verse 15 we find some problems with what Paul is saying. He states “For if the many died by the trespass…” Is Paul making assumptions by saying IF” immediately afterwards Paul then states “how much more DID God’s grace and the gift that came…” In the same sentence, Paul makes an assumption of “IF” then he states “how much more DID God’s grace and the gift THAT came.” The second part states that the gift did come. A total contradiction of two scenarios within one statement.
The second problem Paul faces is that he states “the trespass of the ONE man” This is a clear error by Paul as both Adam and Eve ate of the apple but it was Eve who ate first and fed it to Adam so the first sin committed was by a woman.
The Christian will say that this verse shows that if people accept Jesus (pbuh) as their saviour then they will be free from the original sin and they will enter heaven. The verse does not state this at all. It state that “how much more God’s grace AND the gift that came by the grace of the ONE MAN, Jesus Christ (pbuh). The verse clearly states God’s grace. Only God gives grace. The gift by the one man, Jesus Christ (pbuh) is the gift of saving people who followed his teaching. They would then be saved by the Grace of God as Jesus (pbuh) said that he does nothing by himself, all that he does is by the Grace of God.
16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
Anyone reading this next verse can see that Paul is saying GOD’s Gift. So the gift he says is from God and it cannot be compared to one man’s sin. So one man’s sin is of no consequence of God’s gift.
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Verse 17 is a false statement by Paul. He says that because of Adam’s trespass, death reigned through him. We know that Adam repented to God and God had forgiven him. Once God forgives a sin it is as if that sin had never happened. No where in history do we find that Adam sinned again after that. Paul is trying to tell us that the gift of the righteousness reign in the life through Jesus (pbuh) only. For the Jews and the people of that time this was true but not for the people prior to Jesus (pbuh) and after him.
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
In verse 18 Paul then goes and contradicts all the other verses. Now he states that the trespass of one man falls on all people. How did Paul come to that conclusion? Then he goes onto saying that one righteous act will result in the justification of all people to live. So one man’s disobedience condemns all people and one man’s righteous act saves all people. Do these statements show that Paul was in his right state of mind? His statement also means that even Jesus (pbuh) was born a sinner!. What happened to all the people from Adam to Moses (pbuh) and all prophets before Jesus (pbuh)? Did they all die in sin?
The claim that we are all born with sin as a result of the actions of Adam is not clearly proven. As the Encyclopaedia Britannica states, the Gospels are no more than delusions. There was no such thing as original sin. Jesus (pbuh) himself never spoke of an original sin.
The True Message Was the Deception and Temptation of Satan
God instructed Adam and Even that they are free do dwell and eat of the fruits but they should not go near or eat of the fruits of the forbidden tree.
Satan in his quest to deceive Adam and Eve whispered in their ears:
“…surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left…” (Quran 7:16-17)
Satan said to them: “…Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save that you should become Angels or become of the immortals.” (Quran 7:20)
Their minds became filled with thoughts of the tree, and one day they decided to eat from it. Adam and Eve behaved as all human beings do; they became preoccupied with their own thoughts and the whisperings of Satan and they forgot the warning from God.
According to the Old Testament (Genesis 3), Eve was tempted by the serpent to eat of the forbidden tree. She ate because of the words of the serpent and fed Adam some of it and yet Paul states the sins of the one man. By using “the” Paul imply’s a certain person and this case Adam. If he said by “man” that could imply a human being and it could mean he was referring to Even but this was not the case.
“Then the Shaitan (Satan) made them slip there from (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: “Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time” (Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah: 36).
God ordered Adam, Eve and Iblis to descend to the Earth and said;
“Therein you will live, and therein you will die, and from it you will be brought forth.” (Qur’an 7:24-25)
And at the same time, God the most Merciful, issued a promise which softened His judgment and made it more bearable,
“And when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance – there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve”. (Qur’an 2:38)
This statement of mercy was followed by a stern warning,
“And those who disbelieve and deny Our signs – those will be companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally”. (Qur’an 2:39)
The message and lesson is that mankind is not perfect and they will sin as Satan will temp them as he has vowed to do. God is showing us to be aware of Satan as he deceived Adam and Eve and so shall he deceive all of us but those who sin and ask for forgiveness, God is most merciful.
Jesus Came to Die for Our Sins
Christians quote the following verses which they state why Jesus (pbuh) died for their sins.
Romans 5:6-10
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
This is what Christians understand from the above vers:
“We are told that we could not help ourselves. We are ungodly. We are not good people. We are sinners and enemies of God. Consequently, we are going to hell and cannot help ourselves. Therefore, God sent Christ to die in our place so that we can have our sins forgiven and escape hell. Notice that at the end of Romans 5:10, we are told that “we shall be saved by His life.” The important word is “saved.” It means men and women can be saved from the consequences of their sins.”
This is clear proof that Christians follow Paul and the church and not Jesus (pbuh). Jesus (pbuh) never ever said that he was going to die for peoples sins but what he did say in Matthew 4:17 is From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” John the Baptist also said
“repent” for your sins in Mathew 3:2.
We also see in Luke 23:33-34 Jesus (pbuh) asking God to forgive those crucifying him. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. If Jesus (pbuh) was about to die for people’s sins then why should he ask God to forgive them? Those crucifying Jesus (pbuh) obviously did not believe in Jesus (pbuh) so Jesus (pbuh) asked God to forgive them but on the other hand, he is going to die for the people who believe in him! Does that even make any sense? Instead of dying for his own followers’ sins why not also ask God to forgive everyone?
We know from the Bible that Pauls vission’s was very short and the writers never made mention of any of Paul’s stories which covers almost 70% of the New Testament. It is indeed strange that Jesus (pbuh) would keep this information from his very own disciples but yet give it to a man who persecuted his followers. Is Paul then a true follower of Jesus (pbuh) or is he trying to de-rail Jesus’s (pbuh) teachings in a very cunning manner that Christians cannot see?
For now, let us see what Paul is saying in Romans 6 -10.
Romans 6-10: 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
The verses have to be read with all the other verses that Jesus (pbuh) has already told us about himself and his mission as everything is connected. It is very important to understand verse 6 correctly. The highlighted words are very important. Paul says “at just the right time” meaning that it was at the end of Jesus (pbuh) missionary after he had given the Jews to whom he was sent the Gospel and who rejected the Gospel.
Paul states that Christ died for the ungodly. The ungodly refer to the Jews who rejected him as those who accepted his Gospel were the ones saved so the ungodly does not refer to everyone. In this case, it only refers to the Jews as Jesus (pbuh) was only sent to the Jews and they rejected him. They were the ones who eventually condemned him to death and had him crucified. The definition of ungodly is: (a) : denying or disobeying God : IMPIOUS, IRRELIGIOUS; (b) : contrary to moral law : SINFUL, WICKED.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul says in verse 7 that rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though someone might possibly dare die for a good person. Is a righteous person not also a good person? In verse 6 he said that Christ died for ungodly but in verse 7 he says someone might die for a good person. Paul directly contradicts himself. Why would anyone want to die for a good person? Then Paul goes on to say that God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
From what Paul is saying while he and the other Jews were still sinners Christ died for the US (meaning the Jews). So, Christ did not die for the sins of the world but only for Jews.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Notice Paul says “we” again meaning the Jews as he was also a Jew. Paul is telling us that our sins have been justified by Jesus’ (pbuh) blood otherwise we would have encouraged God’s wrath. This statement obviously contradicts what God has taught us about his forgiveness.
10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son,…
According to Paul, before Jesus (pbuh) died, they were all God’s enemies. From what we know God does not have enemies therefore Paul means that they were disobedient and they will be reconciled by God sacrificing his son for them. Paul implies that the Jews were God’s enemies and the only way to reconcile them, God had to sacrifice his son. This is a totally absurd statement. God is upset with the Jews and instead of telling them to repent God decides to sacrifice his son so that he can accept them again as being sinless. Why did God just not tell the Jews to repent and then forgive them? Why does God need the blood of his own son in order to cleanse the Jews? This sounds more like a satanic practice as it totally contradicts what God and Jesus (pbuh) taught us.
God also tested Abraham with his son but God showed mercy and gave a lamb instead of spilling a human’s blood as sacrifice. Not once in history did God ever order that a child be sacrificed so that God can forgive others. The bible in fact teaches us the total opposite.
Nothing in these verses proves that Jesus (pbuh) came to die for the sins of the world or even for the Jews. The crucifixion of Jesus was only a consequence of the Jews’ rejection of his Gospel and their refusal of Jesus (pbuh) as their Messiah, no more.
We have heard of thousands of Christian priests who have accepted Jesus (pbuh) as their saviour but have molested and raped young children, are we supposed to believe these priests are all free of sin as they have accepted Jesus (pbuh) as their saviour? How many Innocent Christians have the Crusaders killed in the name of the Catholic Church? Are they all saved because Jesus (pbuh) died for their sins?
Below is another verse in which they allege that Jesus (pbuh) died for their sins because he loves us:
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
When reading this verse we do not find the same understanding as the Christian. The inaccuracy of John 3:16 is that Jesus (pbuh) was not the one and only son or messenger or servant of God as already proven and son is merely a metaphor used for the messenger of God or a person loved by God…that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Muslims will agree with this verse as it states that if you believe in Jesus (pbuh) and his teaching you will have eternal life in heaven. Obviously, there is no eternal life on earth. So where does the Christian get the notion of God saying he sent his one and only son to die for our sins?
Is God Fair With Everyone?
The concept of God sending his one and only son to die for all our sins tells us that we can do whatever we want as God sent his son to pay for our sins. One person must pay for the sins of others. If Jesus (pbuh) died for our sins as Christians say then everyone who believes in Jesus (pbuh) is sinless even if they commit sin. Since the courts base their justice on the Bible, that means every Christian should be set free as Jesus (pbuh) already paid for their sins. Double jeopardy applies would it not. One cannot be tried a second time for something when the sin was already paid for.
One has to then ask, Is God unfair? What happens to all the people from the time of Adam to Moses? Who paid for their sins as Jesus (pbuh) did not exist and they did not know about Jesus (pbuh)? Why did God not tell Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to also believe in Jesus death for our sins? Surely it is that simple. We then don’t need to pray, we can drink, fornicate, murder and commit sin as we wish and there is no judgement for those who accept Christ as their saviour! Why does God treat Muslims differently to Christians? Muslims also believe that Jesus (pbuh) is the Christ and they believe in the Gospel. So why are Muslims also not saved by Jesus (pbuh) grace? Is God unfair? If Muslims believe in everything that Jesus (pbuh) taught us and accept him as the Christ but do not believe that he paid for our sins then do Muslims go hell? If Muslims believe that God is the only saviour and we must turn to him and offer repentance as Jesus (bpuh) us then why is their no salvation to what Jesus (pbuh) himself said we must do? Was Jesus (pbuh) wrong and did he then contact Paul to tell people a different story or is Paul simply a liar?
The Christian might say the fact that God sent his son to die for us shows his mercy and love for us. To that one might ask; is it not easier then for God to just forgive sins than sacrificing a life for other peoples sins? Where is the mercy in God if he must first kill his own son in order to save others? How can that be a logical choice? On the other hand if we take the view of Christians who say that the son is co-equal to the Father and who is God then in that sens God actuall died for his own creations sins and not the son as the son is God. Even if we argue that the son did die for our sins and we consider that the son is equal to the father in every way then it means that the son is immortal and cannot die as God cannot die. The fact that Christians think Jesus (pbuh) rose from the dead implies that he is immortal. So where then was the sacrifice if the son could not die? Then God is trying to trick us by giving us a false sacrifice when yet there was no sacrifice.
We are told that Jesus (pbuh) gave up his life willingly to pay for our sins. This will mean that Jesus (pbuh) committed suicide which is against the law of God. God also said that he does not require blood sacrifice.
The church tells us that Jesus (pbuh) died for our sins but yet Jesus (pbuh) himself says that every soul will be resurrected and will answer for its deeds.
Matthew 12:35 -37 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Quran also says that every soul will answer for its deeds;
Do the people think that they will be left to say, “We believe” and they will not be tried? But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars. Or do those who do evil deeds think they can outrun Us? Evil is what they judge. (Quran 29:1-3)
The Old Testament also tells us that every person that does wrong will pay for his sins and no person will pay for the sins of another.
Ezekiel 18: 10
10 “But suppose this person has a son who robs and murders. The son does all the things 11 that his father never did. He eats at the illegal mountain worship sites. He dishonors his neighbor’s wife. 12 He oppresses the poor and needy. He robs. He doesn’t return the security for a loan. He looks to idols for help. He does disgusting things. 13 He lends money for interest and makes excessive profits. Will this person live? He will not live. He has done all these disgusting things. So he must die, and he will be responsible for his own death.
14 “But suppose this person has a son. The son sees all the sins that his father does. He is afraid, so he doesn’t do such things.[a] 15 He doesn’t eat at the illegal mountain worship sites or look for help from the idols of the nation of Israel. He doesn’t dishonor his neighbor’s wife. 16 He doesn’t oppress anyone. He doesn’t keep the security for a loan. He doesn’t rob anyone. He gives food to people who are hungry, and he gives clothes to those who are naked. 17 He refuses to hurt the poor. He doesn’t charge interest or make excessive profits. He obeys my rules and lives by my laws. He won’t die for his father’s sins. He will certainly live. 18 But his father has oppressed others, robbed his relatives, and done what is wrong among his people. So the father will die because of his sin.
19 “But you ask, ‘Why isn’t the son punished for his father’s sin?’ It is because the son has done what is fair and right. He obeyed my rules and followed them. He will certainly live. 20 The person who sins will die. A son will not be punished for his father’s sins, and a father will not be punished for his son’s sins. The righteousness of the righteous person will be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be his own.
It seems like the Old Testament is contradicting the New Testament. Paul says the son has died for the sins of others and God himself says that no person will pay for the sins of others and everyone will pay for his own sins. Who do you want to believe, God or Paul? You will also not find a single verse in the Bible where Jesus (pbuh) himself says that he has come to die for people’s sins or that he has paid for people’s sins, so where does Paul get this concept from? It seems the church takes the word of Paul over God’s word and Jesus (pbuh).
The events only show that the Jews tried to have Jesus (pbuh) killed because he claimed to be the Messiah and the Jews did not accept Jesus (pbuh) as their Messiah. Hence, his death was only a consequence of his ministry.
Below you will see countless Bible verses about repentance and God’s mercy which proves that God is merciful and forgiving, hence no sacrifice is required in order for sins to be forgiven. Jesus (pbuh) himself teaches forvieness of sin.
Matthew 18:21-
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Luke 17:3-4
So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Luke 6:37
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Mark 11:25
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
James 5:14-15
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Matthew 9:10-13
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
2 Chronicles
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Psalm 86:5
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Psalm 32:5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
2 Chronicles 30:9b
For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.
Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
Isaiah 55:7
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon
Hebrews 10:1-18
I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
Psalm 40:6
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
We have proven that Jesus (pbuh) was a servant and messenger of God and therefore his death would not save us in the least as he was a mere man like all other messengers of God. What Jesus (pbuh) does teach us is that through the Gospel God sent him with, those who follow him and obey God’s commandments and those who turn to God will be saved. The Bible will itself show us that Jesus (pbuh) did in fact not die and was not crucified.
The concept of original sin and Jesus (pbuh) dying for our sins is nothing but false beliefs introduced by the early church. What Christians do not seem to understand is that this is the work of satan trying to lure us away from the true path. If people believe that God sent his only son to die for us then people will see their salvation in Jesus (pbuh) and not God. If Jesus (pbuh) forgives sin then people will no longer worship God but they will turn to Jesus (pbuh) and this is what satan wants, to deceive us from worshipping God and no one else. It seems that satan has indeed succeeded in deceiving Christians.
The Cross is Christianity
The symbol for Christians, in general, is the cross which signifies Jesus’s (pbuh) death on the cross having died for their sins. The scriptures however in no way describe the instrument of Jesus’ alleged death and there is certainly no evidence describing a cross that was used in the crucifixion.
The Bible generally uses the Greek word stau·rosʹ when referring to the instrument of Jesus’ execution. Although translations often render this word “cross,” many scholars agree that its basic meaning is actually “upright stake.” According to A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, stau·rosʹ “never means two pieces of wood joining each other at any angle.” This shows how the Bible translators deceitfully use the incorrect translation to push their agenda of a cross.
Matthew 27:40 New International Version
40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”
The Bible also uses the Greek word xyʹlon as a synonym for stau·rosʹ. This word means “wood,” “timber,” “stake,” or “tree.” * The Companion Bible thus concludes: “There is nothing in the Greek of the New Testament even to imply two pieces of timber.”
We will now show you even more deceit in Acts 5:30 how the Bible translators translate words into words that do not imply the actual meaning to push their agenda.
New International Version
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead–whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.
English Standard Version
The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
Regardless of the shape of the instrument on which Jesus (pbuh) supposedly died, the following facts and Bible verses indicate that we should not use the cross in worship.
God rejects worship that uses images or symbols, including the cross. God commanded the Israelites not to use “the form of any symbol” in their worship, and Christians are likewise told to “flee from idolatry.”
Deuteronomy 4:15-19;
Idolatory Forbidden
15 You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, 16 so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, 17 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, 18 or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. 19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
1 Corinthians 10:14
So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.
We find that first-century Christians did not use the cross in worship. The teachings and examples of the apostles set a pattern that all Christians should adhere to.
2 Thesalonians 2:15.
15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
We also find that the use of the cross in worship has a pagan origin. Hundreds of years after the death of Jesus (pbuh), when the churches had deviated from Jesus (pbuh) teachings, new church members “were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols,” including the cross. (The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) However, the Bible does not condone adopting pagan symbols to help make new converts.
2 Corinthians 6:17
16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
17 Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
18 And, “I will be a Father to you,
From the above facts we can see that the cross that Christians idolise and where around the necks, that is present in the churches and people’s homes are nothing more than a myth and a pagan symbol of false belief where the church and the Bible falsely claim to be cross.
Below is an article published by the Telegraph:
Jesus did not die on cross, says scholar
Jesus may not have died nailed to the cross because there is no evidence that the Romans crucified prisoners two thousand years ago, a scholar has claimed. According to the Telegraph 11:47AM BST 23 Jun 2010
The legend of his execution is based on the traditions of the Christian church and artistic illustrations rather than antique texts, according to theologian Gunnar Samuelsson.
He claims the Bible has been misinterpreted as there are no explicit references the use of nails or to crucifixion – only that Jesus bore a “staurus” towards Calvary which is not necessarily a cross but can also mean a “pole”.
Mr Samuelsson, who has written a 400-page thesis after studying the original texts, said: “The problem is descriptions of crucifixions are remarkably absent in the antique literature.
“The sources where you would expect to find support for the established understanding of the event really don’t say anything.”
The ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew literature from Homer to the first century AD describe an arsenal of suspension punishments but none mention “crosses” or “crucifixion.”
Mr Samuelsson, of Gothenburg University, said: “Consequently, the contemporary understanding of crucifixion as a punishment is severely challenged.
“And what’s even more challenging is the same can be concluded about the accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus. The New Testament doesn’t say as much as we’d like to believe.”
Any evidence that Jesus was left to die after being nailed to a cross is strikingly sparse – both in the ancient pre-Christian and extra-Biblical literature as well as The Bible.
Mr Samuelsson, a committed Christian himself, admitted his claims are so close to the heart of his faith that it is easy to react emotionally instead of logically.
Mr Samuelsson said the actual execution texts do not describe how Christ was attached to the execution device.
He said: “This is the heart of the problem. The text of the passion narratives is not that exact and information loaded, as we Christians sometimes want it to be.”
Mr Samuelsson said: “If you are looking for texts that depict the act of nailing persons to a cross you will not find any beside the Gospels.”
A lot of contemporary literature all use the same vague terminology – including the Latin accounts.
Nor does the Latin word crux automatically refer to a cross while patibulum refer to the cross-beam. Both words are used in a wider sense that that.
Mr Samuelsson said: “That a man named Jesus existed in that part of the world and in that time is well-documented. He left a rather good foot-print in the literature of the time.
“I do believe that the mentioned man is the son of God. My suggestion is not that Christians should reject or doubt the biblical text.
“My suggestion is that we should read the text as it is, not as we think it is. We should read on the lines, not between the lines. The text of the Bible is sufficient. We do not need to add anything.”
The Scholar clearly states that Christians should reject or doubt the biblical text. It is clear that bible translators have put in words like crucifixion that were not in the original text. Similarly they added other words like begotten son that was not in the oringinal text and they also added the word Son instead of servant or messenger of God. How much more of the original text did these evil translators add and change to push their own agendas and detour people from the truth?
Did Jesus (pbuh) Really Say That He Is Going To Die for Our Sins?
Jesus (pbuh) predicted the death of the son of man three times and not once did he mention that he has to die for our sins so that we may be saved. You will notice that in all of Jesus’ (pbuh) predictions, he does not speak of himself directly. He never says “I must suffer” or “I must be killed”, he never says “I” not once. All his predictions are about the son of man and not himself. Jesus (pbuh) Jesus did refer to himself as the son of man many times before but not this time. The context here is that he is describing a person like him which will become abundantly clear.
You will see that Jesus (pbuh) describes these events that have to be fulfilled but Jesus (pbuh) cannot reveal the real truth as yet. Here Jesus (pbuh) is telling his disciples of events to come but they cannot understand what he is saying. Take note of the highlighted text to see the reference to the son of man which Jesus (pbuh) speaks of as someone other than himself.
Mark 8:31
Jesus Predicts His Death
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
Mark 8:31
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
Mark 10:33
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
Below you will see Mattew’s account.
Mattew 16:21
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Notice in Mattew 16:21 that it is not Jesus (pbuh) speaking but Matthew who is speaking but yet the heading says “Jesus Predicts His Death”.
Matthew 17:22
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
Matthew 20:17-19
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
Below is Luke’s account.
Luke 9:21-22
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Luke 9:44-45
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Luke18:31
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
In John 12 below you will see that now Jesus (pbuh) speaks of himself when he says “I” and “me”.
And, lastly, John’s account
John 12: 25-28
Jesus Predicts His Death
25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Verse 33 will prove that this is not John the disciple as Jesus (pbuh) had explained to his disciples when he met with them after the crucifixion that he did not die. This once more proves to us that John the disciple did not write the book of John.
Verse 29 is especially important as the voice which is God speaking, telling us that he has glorified Jesus (pbuh) Jesus (pbuh) and he will glorify him again. This means that God gave Jesus (pbuh) honour as the Messiah and he will do so again. So from this, we can understand that if God was sacrificing Jesus (pbuh) this would not be an honour or God glorifying Jesus (pbuh). How could it be? If Jesus (pbuh) was to be mocked, spat on, flogged and then crucified in the most painful manner it would not mean honour or glory but punishment. So what is the honour and glory that God is speaking of? Jesus (pbuh) tells us himself in verse 32 when he says;”I , when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself”
We need to understand that if Jesus (pbuh) was killed then that means he had no honour with God as God had always saved his prophets from death as he did with Noha (pbuh) and the big fish and he saved Abraham (pbuh) from the fire and he saved Moses (pbuh) from Pheroe and he saved the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) many times from being killed. If God gave all these prophets such honour why would God not have given Jesus (pbuh) the same honour by saving him? The fact is, as Jesus (pbuh) said, the son of man will be killed and the miracle here is that is what the Jews will come to believe while God saves Jesus (pbuh) and places another like Jesus (pbuh) in his place.
We will soon come to see how God honours Jesus (pbuh) and that Jesus (pbuh) never dies while Jesus’ (pbuh) prediction of the son of man that must be killed is still fulfilled. Christians need to open their eyes and take off their blinkers.
How Do We Know That Jesus (pbuh) Had Died and Had Risen?
The common mistake Christians make is that they take selected verses from the four Gospels and quote them to support their theory. These writings are stories told by the writers from what they have heard about Jesus (pbuh) death on the cross. Take note that they were not personal witnesses as they fled when Jesus (pbuh) was arrested and only heard afterward what had happened. They all feared that they too would be arrested with Jesus (pbuh) so they could not be seen as the Jews who charged Jesus (pbuh) with death would do the same to them.
Remember that Peter denied Jesus (pbuh) three times to save himself. Jesus (pbuh) also told us himself that they will scatter at the time of his arrest and leave him alone when that hour comes.
John 16:31
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
Mattew 26:56 – 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. They heard that he was crucified and was put in the tomb and was reserected from the dead.
We will find that what is written about the arrest and the crucifixion are only stories told by these writers as we will find many variances in what they write as the stories do not line up with each other.
Let us now see how the events unfold.
Jesus Gave Them A Sign
The Pharisees to whom Jesus (pbuh) was preaching wanted a sign from him to show that he was sent by God and that what he spoke was from God.
Mattew 12:35-40
35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus (pbuh) is making a similitude of himself to Jonah (for AS Jonah was) So the son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus (pbuh) is referring to his crucifixion where after he was put into the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights according to the Bible. This according to Jesus (pbuh) is the only sign that Jesus (pbuh) will give.
Here is the account of Jonah;
Jonah 1 & 2
15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
Jonah was alive when he was thrown overboard and did not drown in the raging sea (a miracle)
17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah was alive in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights. (another miracle)
2 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.
Jonah was alive in the belly of the fish where any other person would have died from suffocation and the enzymes in the fish’s stomach.
10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah was alive when the fish vomited him out (a miracle)
In all three instances, we see that Jonah was alive and never died. Therefore, for Jesus (pbuh) sign to be true he cannot die. Jesus (pbuh) first predicted that the son of man would be handed over and will be killed. By this, he meant someone like him. Now Jesus (pbuh) is giving us another sign showing us that like Johah, he too will not die and will be alive.
Let us now assess the crucifixion story according to the four Gospels and see how it compares with Jesus’ (pbuh) sign that they gave.
The Crucifixion Story
The story of the crucifixion was told by four different people from their own perspective which means the facts are disputed and can in no way be taken as 100% accurate. These are merely the views of these four writers. We will show you how the views differ in certain things as we proceed through the story. Some of the accounts seem to have been fabricated. If these four writers of the Gospels were actual witnesses to the crucifixion then they would have all recorded the same mojor incedents as it might have happened but we find that this was not the case.
We will mention each of the four Gospels as it is stated in the Bible and highlight the major differences so that we can see for ourselves how the Gospels do not agree with each other.
The Crucifixion according to Mark 15:21- 30
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Crucifixion according to Mattew 27:32-44
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Crucifixion according to Luke 23:26-43
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The Crucifixion according to John19:17-27
17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
“They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”[So this is what the soldiers did.
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
Let us assess some of the differences in the above verses;
- The first difference we see is that Mark, Mattew Luke all say that a man called Simon carried the Cross for Jesus (pbuh) but John says he carried his own cross. This is totally different from the three other accounts. Jesus (pbuh) was wiped prior to their walking to the site of the crucifixion and he was flogged continuously while he walked so he would have been far too weak to be able to carry his cross. We also know that it was not a cross that was carried but only the cross member. The upright stake would have been planted in its place and used for all crucifixions. The Romans were not going to dig a deep hole every time someone was going to be crucified in order to plant the stake. The crucified person would only be raised at the stake after they tied his arms to the cross beam. We see that John’s account is incorrect. Neither are the other accounts correct with regard to the cross that was carried. The upright stake plus the cross member as one unit would be far too heavy for one person to carry so it was only the cross member that Simon carried and not the complete cross. Remember, Acts 5:30 of the English Standard Version states The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. Refer also to Scholar who wrote a 400 page thesis that proves that Jesus (pbuh) was not hung on cross.
- Luke has an account of people mourning and following Jesus (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh) speaking to them whereas Mark, Matthew and John do not have these accounts.
- According to Luke and Mark’s story, the people refer to Jesus (pbuh) as the Messiah but in Mattew they refer to Jesus as the son of God. This again proves that the son refers to the Messiah or prophet of God. John has no account of what the people said in this regard.
- In Mark and Mattew the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus (pbuh) hurld insults on him but in Luke only one criminal hurled insults at him and the other criminal rebuked him. Totally contradictory to Mark and Mattew’s accounts. In John, there is no account of the criminals speaking.
- Only John mentions Jesus’ (pbuh) mother and the other Mary standing near the cross and Jesus (bpuh) speaking to his mother.
- The story of the crucifixion is very vague with very little detail provided. An eyewitness would have given a lot more detail. Not at any stage do any of the four writers mention how they crucified Jesus (pbuh) all those details from the time of carrying the cross up to the point of them being on the cross are missing. One cannot assume details that are not present as facts. Not one of the four writers mentions that an actual cross was planted in a hole. The cross depicted in the pictures shows us that this cross would have been at least 4 meters high. Jesus (pbuh) would have been at least 1.7 meters tall with another 600 mm of the upright post extending above his head and below his feet would be at least another 1.5 m to to 2 meters. For this size of cross, the portion that goes into the ground would have had to be at least 3 meters deep to keep this size of cross from falling over. This would make the height of the post of the cross at least 6 meters long. How would Simon or Jesus (pbuh) carry such a huge cross? We also have to consider how long it would take to dig a hole for these huge crosses every time as the timber in the pictures looks like it was cut into perfect squares or rectangular lengths. They did not have machinery in those days to cut timber and plane it as we have today. From what we know, many crucifixions took place. From Mr Samuelsson’s 400-page theses we have seen that people were raised on a single stake and not a cross. These stakes were permanent fixtures on the ground and the crucified person would only have raised up on it. Then we need to consider that it would have taken at least 3 to 4 hours digging each of the three holes. It would have taken at least 1 hour each to plant each cross and secure it and compact the ground around each cross. It would take another hour to get each person on the cross.
After reading all four the Gospels we find not one instance of any of the 3 crucified people being nailed to the cross during the crucifixion. Any surgeon will tell you that if a person is nailed to a cross member and raised up, his body weight will inevitably tear through the flesh of his hand as we only have approximately 1 centimeter of flesh holding up the entire body. This small piece of flesh is not sufficient to hold up a body. In John 20:25 Thomas states he wanted to see the holes in Jesus’ (pbuh) hands from which we gather that Thomas heard that he was nailed to the cross. Remember that the disciples were not there, they all fled fearing that they would be arrested with Jesus (pbuh) Mattew 26:56. We can also see from John that the disciples kept themselves indoors in fear of arrest. John 20:19 –19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders
Nailing the person through the wrist is worse as it would cut the veins on both wrists and the person would bleed out in a matter of minutes thus defeating the purpose of torture. Crucifixion was used as a drawn out way of prolonging the torture of the person and nailing the person would defeat the purpose. The crucified person would have been tied to the cross member by his arms and legs and not nailed. If the persons feet were nailed to the post then it would have been very difficult to remove that huge nail from the post as they did not have a crowbar in those days not to mention the fact that post would have been full of nail holes and would not have been able to use the post many times over. If Jesus (pbuh) feet were nailed to the post, then how was he able to walk with holes through his ankles or feet? Hence the fact that John, the only one who states that Thomas wanted to see the holes in Jesus (pbuh) hands and his side can definitely not be true.
Jesus (pbuh) Death
The Death of Jesus According to Mark 15: 33-41
33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”
36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.
37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
The Death of Jesus According to Mattew 27: 45-51
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
The Death of Jesus According to Luke 23: 44-49
44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
The Death of Jesus According to John 19: 28-37
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
Differences
- Both Mark and Mattew report the same cries of Jesus (pbuh) , “Eli, Eli,lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
- Luke reports: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
- John reports: “It is finished.”
- Mark, Mattew and Luke reported that: At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. But only Mattew reports: “The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” John has no account of this very significant happening and neither does Mark and Luke.
- Both Mark and Mattew report that the centurion guarding Jesus (pbuh) and those around him exclaimed: “Surely he was the Son of God!” But Luke reports the centurion saying:“Surely this was a righteous man.”John makes no such reports.
- Mark, Mattew and Luke make mention of the woman who stood watch from a distance, one of the women was Mary Magdalene. They make no mention of Jesus’ (pbuh) mother being present but John states that Mary the mother of Jesus (pbuh) including other women and a disciple stood near the cross of Jesus (pbuh) and could hear him speak. Mark and Mattew also mention that Mary Magdalene was watching from a distance but John says she was standing at Jesus (pbuh) cross. This is the complete opposite of the other writers. Do we then take the word of one man or the word of three?
In verse 34 John says that the soldier pierced Jesus’ (pbuh) side with a spear after they found him to be dead and a sudden flow of blood and water came out. This is also something significant and we find no mention of this occurrence from the other three writers. John refers to the prophecy that must be fulfilled in Psalms 34:17 – 22: 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
John states that Jesus was crucified, these happened so that the scripture may be fulfilled but the scripture he refers to states that God saved him. I will give more evidence about this as we proceed.
The Burial of Jesus (pbuh)
The Burial of Jesus according to Mark 15:42-47
42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
The Burial of Jesus according to Matthew 27:57-61
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The Burial of Jesus according to Luke 23:50-56
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
The Burial of Jesus according to John 19:38-42
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Differences:
- With the burial of Jesus (pbuh) we find that John states that Joseph was accompanied by Nicodemus who brought 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes and wrapped Jesus in the spices in strips of linen. Why did the other 3 writers not know that Joseph was not alone? How could they get that wrong or did John get it wrong considering he only wrote his Gospel many years later?
- Mark and Luke state that Joseph took down Jesus (pbuh) from the cross. How can one man take down Jesus (pbuh) from the cross? Jesus (pbuh) was on a cross so Joseph would have to use a ladder. How did he hold Jesus (pbuh) and take our huge nails from each of his hands while holding him on a ladder alone?
- Only Mark mentions that the tomb belonged to Joseph.
The Resurrection of Jesus (pbuh)
The Resurrection according to Mark 16:1-8
16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
The Resurrection according to Matthew 28:1- 10
28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
The Resurrection according to Luke 24:1-12
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
The Resurrection according to John 20:1-10
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Summary of Differences:
- Which women went to the tomb?
Mark– Mary the mother of James, and Salome – they took spices to anoint him.
Matthew – Mary Magdalene and the other Mary – no spices
Luke – It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them – they took spices to anoint him.
John – only Mary Magdalene went to the tomb – no spices
- When did they go to the tomb?
Mark – just after sunrise
Mattew– at dawn
Luke – very early in the morning
John– while it was still dark
- Who rolled the stone away?
Mark– they found the stone rolled away
Matthew -There was a violent earthquake, an angel of the Lord appeared and rolled back the stone
Luke – they found the stone rolled away
John – the stone was removed
Matthew states that there was a violent earthquake. If this was the case then the tomb could have collapsed and a violent earthquake would have levelled many houses including the tomb. How come, Mark, Luke and John do not know about this earthquake? Surely everyone there would have experienced it!
- How many angles appeared to the women?
Mark – One angel appeared sitting on the right of where Jesus where Jesus (pbuh) had lay. The angel tells them to inform the disciples that Jesus (pbuh) will meet them in Galilee.
Matthew – One angel appeared, he sat on the stone after rolling it away. The angel tells them to inform the disciples that Jesus (pbuh) will meet them in Galilee.
Luke – two angels appeared and stood beside them. The two angels say nothing about Jesus (pbuh) meeting the disciples in Galilee
John – Mary Magdalene saw two angels seated where Jesus’ (pbuh) body had been. The two angels say nothing about Jesus (pbuh) meeting the disciples in Galilee
- Why did the women bring spices to anoint Jesus (pbuh) body on the third day?
Women in Jewish custom do not prepare a dead body for burial, this is the function of males and we have seen that Joseph was the one to bury Jesus (pbuh) and there were no women present at the burial. It is furthermore forbidden for women, let alone a strange woman who is not their person’s husband, to rub spices on the dead body.
What would be the purpose of rubbing a dead body with more spices on the third day and why would a strange woman and not even Jesus’ (pbuh) own mother want to rub a 3-day-old body with even more spices? It is not Jewish custom at all to again anoint a dead body a second time.
According to Dr. Arpad A. Vass, a Senior Staff Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee in Forensic Anthropology, human decomposition begins around four minutes after a person dies and follows four stages: autolysis, bloat, active decay, and skeletonization.
24-72 hours after death — the internal organs decompose.
3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose. (https://www.aftermath.com/content/human-decomposition/)
As you can see, a body that is 3 days old will already be at an advanced stage of decomposition and will assuredly be smelling very badly. This begs the question as to why Mary Magdalene would want to come and rub a rotting corpse.
In John Mary asks Jesus (pbuh) not recognising him, where they have taken him. Mary does not ask “where have they taken his body, but she refers to a living person by stating “him” and not his body. A dead person is no longer referred to in the living sense. Mary wants to know where they have taken him and she wants to go and fetch him. This raises more questions. How will Mary carry a dead body and why will Mary want to fetch a dead and rotting corpse?
- What did the women do after returning from the tomb?
Mark– The women were told to tell the disciples that Jesus (pbuh) would meet them in Galilee but they said nothing as they were too afraid.
Matthew – the women hurried away from the tomb to tell the disciples and suddenly Jesus (pbuh) met them and told them to tell his disciples that he would meet them at Galilee.
Luke – The woman goes back and tells the eleven and Peter who hurries back to the tomb to check for himself.
John – Mary Magdalene inform the disciples that she has seen Jesus (pbuh). Jesus tells her to tell the disciples that he is ascending Your Father and my Father, your God and My God.
In Mark, the women are too afraid and do not tell anyone about what had happened but in Mattew, Luke and John they are not afraid and tell the disciples what they see. The angels do not tell the women in Luke and John that Jesus (pbuh) would meet them in Galilee.
- We find that Peter and Simon Peter who went to inspect the tomb found strips of linen and the cloth that Jesus (pbuh) was wrapped in lying on the ground. Now if Jesus (pbuh) was pieced in his side as John alleges then surely the cloth that Jesus (pbuh) was wrapped in would have been drenched in blood but there is no mention of a bloody cloth or bloody strips of linen.
- There is not one single person who has witnessed Jesus (pbuh) resurrection. The angle or two angles just said that he has risen and not that he was resurrected. Risen has many meanings but we will soon see in what context it is said. Mark says it was Mary the mother of James and Salome; Mattew says it was Mary Magdalene and another Mary and we do not know who is other Mary; Luke says It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others, who are the others; John says it was only Mary Magdalene. From these disputes, it is reasonable to conclude that none of these accounts are real and neither was the account of the angles real. God only sends Angels to his prophets and messengers and very special people like Mary, the mother of Jesus (pbuh).
The Ending of the Gospels
The Ending of the Gospel of Mark
The Gospel of Mark has an abrupt ending at verse 8 and it is clearly stated in the Bible footnote that the earliest manuscripts do not have verses 9 -20. These verses were added on much later by the early church. This is a very deceitful thing to do by adding verses to the Bible and then claiming it to be the word of God. This shows how deceitful the early church was. The churches today know this, yet they preach these fabricated verses written by their own hands. Below is taken directly from Biblegateway.com.
Mark: 16:9-20
[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]
9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.
12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them.
19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
John 21:14 – 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Footnotes
- Mark 16:8 Some manuscripts have the following ending between verses 8 and 9, and one manuscript has it after verse 8 (omitting verses 9-20).
Verse 15 above seems to be a direct contradiction to what Jesus (pbuh) said that he has only come to the lost sheep of Israel. He also told his disciples to rather only go to the people of Israel. We can see that the Church is fabricating words in Jesus’ (pbuh) name and making it seem like Jesus (pbuh) has said these things.
In verse 19 we see the church stating that Jesus (pbuh) was taken up to heaven. This means that he did not raise himself but that God took him up. This we can agree on, but how does the church not know that Jesus went to sit on the right-hand side of God? Did Jesus (pbuh) send them a message from heaven stating he is sitting on the right-hand side of heaven? We have seen the size of Gods thrown so that is certainly not possible.
When Jesus (pbuh) made reference to him being on the right-hand side of God, it was not meant literally. The right-hand side of God means that he was on the side of truth.
The Ending of the Gospel of Matthew verse 28: 11-20
The Guards’ Report
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The Ending of Gospel of Luke verse 24: 36-53
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
The Ascension of Jesus
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Towards The Ending of the Gospel of John verse 20: 19-53
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Fast-forward to the end…..
John 21:24-25 – 24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Summary
- Mark does not show that Jesus (pbuh) had ever gone to Galilee to meet his disciples.
- Matthew states that Jesus did go to Galilee and spoke with the disciplines telling them to go out to all nations and baptizing them in the name of the Father, son and holy spirit. Why would Jesus (pbuh) again contradict himself when he told them to only go to the lost sheep of Israel? Matthew 10:5-8 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. It seems that these statements in Mark and Matthew are fabrications as Jesus (pbuh) will not contradict himself and neither will he tell a lie. Jesus (pbuh) will also never tell his disciples to baptize people in his name and the Holy Spirit. He was baptized in the name of the Father only so why would he tell his disciples to baptize people in his name when he is not God?
- Luke also does not mention Jesus (pbuh) meeting his disciples in Galilee but instead, he meets them in Jerusalem when he appears to them while they were still talking. They were shocked to see him and thought he was a ghost as he HEARD he was dead. Jesus (pbuh) shows them his hands and feet and says that ghost do not have flesh as they see him have. Luke tells us that resurrected bodies are God’s children and are like angels. This means they are like ghosts and do not have flesh and bone as we have. Luke 20:36 – 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like angels. They are God’s children since they are children of the resurrection. In no way does Jesus (pbuh) refer to holes in his hands and side. We also found that Jesus was hungry and asked for something to eat which is another sign that he was flesh and bone as a resurrected body does not die and neither does it need food and get hungry. Luke is the only Gospel which speaks of the ascension. Luke says that Jesus (pbuh) led the disciples to Bethani where he blessed them and Was Taken up. Again, we see that Jesus (pbuh) was taken up and did not ascend himself. In Mark, the church added that Jesus was taken up after speaking to the disciplines in Jerusalem and not Bethani.
- In John, Jesus (pbuh) also does not go to Galilee but he meets the 11 disciplines in Jerusalem and Thomas was not present at the time.. John unlike Luke states that Thomas refused to believe that Jesus (pbuh) was alive unless he had seen the holes in his hands and his side. None of the other writers are in agreement with John. Why is it that none of the 11 disciples asked to see the holes in Jesus’ (pbuh) hands and side)? Why would Thomas not just believe that it was Jesus (pbuh) just by seeing him when Thomas was not a witness to the crucifixion? The only conclusion is that this account of Thomas wanting to see the holes in Jesus’ (pbuh) hands and side is simply not true and this conclusion is affirmed by the fact that none of the other three writers speaks of this account. You will soon see that this was a lie.
- John 21:24-25 being the last two verses of the book of John, again shows us that John the disciple definitely did not write this book as we have already shown you previously “This is the disciple who testifies and wrote these things” and “ we know his testimony is true” You can see the writer referring the disciple and not himself and also when he says “we know” Would John have written of himself in the second person? Would he not say “ I am the disciple who testifies” and “I know” instead of “we know”? This is followed by a totally illogical statement: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written”. According the John, Jesus’ (pbuh) ministry was only 3 years so even if one wrote down everything he did it would result in only one book only but this writer states the whole world would not be enough. It is highly unlikely that John the disciple would write such things which raises the question as to the trustworthiness of the book of John.
Evidence of What Really Happened to Jesus (pbuh) is in the Bible but Christians Are Blind To the Truth
Both the Bible and the Quran tell us what really happened to Jesus (pbuh) not to mention the fact that in Jesus’s (pbuh) predictions he speaks of a son of man that must be killed and never mentions himself. A son of man can be anyone as we are all sons of men.
Secondly, Jesus (pbuh) gave us the sign of Jonah which shows us that like Jonah, he too will be alive and will not die. Let us now look at the last hours before Jesus (pbuh) was supposed to be handed over.
The Quran tells us that the Jews did not kill Jesus (pbuh), and that God saved him and placed another in his place to resemble him.
And [for] their saying, “Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah .” And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. (Quran 4:157)
And thus, when My servants ask you, concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me so that they may be led aright. (Quran2:186)
With this in mind, we will see for ourselves that the Bible also tells us that it was not Jesus (pbuh) who died and that Jesus was alive all the time. The evening before Jesus’ (pbuh) arrest we see that Jesus (pbuh) took Peter, James and John to Gethsemane where he prayed for God for 3 hours to take the cup from him as he was deeply distressed and troubled as to what was going to transpire. God has indeed answered Jesus’ (pbuh) prayer as we have seen from the Quran that God saved him from the beatings, the crucifixion and from death.
Mark 14:32-42
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Mattew 26:42
[Then] he went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
Mattew 26:44
And he left them, and went away again, and he prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Luke 22:42-44
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
We can see that Jesus (pbuh) did not want to die and thus he prayed to God to save him. What is very important to understand is that if Jesus (pbuh) had such honour with God, why would God not answer his prayers and have his honoured servant humiliated and killed? Then the opposite would apply that Jesus (pbuh) had no honour with God and he was certainly not loved by God. The fact is that Jesus (pbuh) told us about the honour he had with God so let us see if God saves Jesus (pbuh) or lets him die. Below we will see that God did hear his prayer and has saved his Christ and that the Quran is correct that God saved him.
God tells us in the Bible and the Quran to call on him in the time of need and he will answer our prayers.
Psalms 50:15
So call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.
1 Chronicles 16:22
For God said, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.”
Hebrews 5:7
And likewise remember Jesus, who, in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him who was able to save him from death, and was heard in that which he feared.
John refers to the prophecy that must be fulfilled in Psalms 34:17 – 22: 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Psalms 20:6
So now I know that the Lord God saves His Christ; He will hear him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.
Psalms 28:8
The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. –
Just as God had saved David and hidden him from his enemies, so has God hidden Jesus (pbuh) from his enemies by placing another in his place.
Pslams 27:5-6
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
Psalms 50:15
[So] call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.
Psalms 22:24
For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has He hidden His Face from him; but when he cried to Him, He heard.
The above verses from Psalms are the prophecies that God will save his beloved Christ, the anointed one. John also made reference to the prophecies that must be fulfilled.
Remember the sign that Jesus (pbuh) gave us from Jonah who lived when he was supposed to die, so did Jesus (pbuh) live as he told us.
The fact that Jonah’s ordeal was a miracle when he fell overboard into the raging sea and did not drown when the fish swallowed him and he lived in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights and the fact that he was alive when the fish spat him out. If Jesus (pbuh) did die then the similitude of Jesus (pbuh) to Jonah was no miracle. Jesus (pbuh) was telling them indirectly that he would be alive just as Jonah was alive.
We can see from God’s greatness that all along the Jews thought that they were persecuting Jesus (pbuh) but they were not and we can see the utter confusion between the four writers of the Gospels all reporting vastly different accounts from start to finish. This shows us that it is only God who knows the truth. These writings are nothing but stories of what they thought had happened.
The Christian is faced with a difficult choice. They can either accept the Quran and the Bible where God heard Jesus’ (pbuh) prayer and saved his beloved Christ from humiliation, torture and death or the Christian can believe the church that Jesus (pbuh) did die and hence make Jesus (pbuh) and God a liar. Jesus’ (pbuh) sign he gave to the Pharisees would also then be a lie.
When Jesus (pubh) met with his disciples after the crucifixion he revealed to them what they did not understand when he gave them the predictions of the death of the son of man.
Luke 24:44
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
Do the verses above not tell us clearly what Jesus was referring to in Luke 24:44?
Christians hang desperately on the notion that Jesus (pbuh) came to die for their sins yet Jesus (pbuh) has never attested to dying for anyone’s sins. The fact that Jesus (pbuh) shows us that he would be alive, the fact that Jesus (pbuh) said in John 5 that “all who are in their grave” will rise and answer for their sins. If all are going to answer for their sins then how could Jesus (pbuh) have died for sins? If Christians insist that Jesus (pbuh) did die then all the prophecies above are wrong rendering the Bible a false book. Are Christians also saying that Jesus (pbuh) is a liar in the sign he gave in John 5 is not true?
John 5:28-32 – 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
John 5:29– And come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment
Christians say there were hundreds of eyewitnesses to Jesus’s (pbuh) crucifixion but yet the Bible only mentions very few names like Mary, mother of Jesus (pbuh) his mother’s sister though no name is given, Mary wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene and a few others – John 19: 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
Even though there were witnesses to the crucifixion do Christians say that God does not have the power to take Jesus (pbuh) away and place another that resembles him in his place? The fact that God saved Jesus (pbuh) tells us;
- Jesus (pbuh) truly had great honour with God
- God answers the prayers of his beloved Christ and messenger
- God loved his servant and he protected him from humiliation and death
- The fact that no one knew that it was not Jesus (pbuh) being crucified is a great miracle
The fact that God does not answer the cries of Jesus on the cross tells us that it was not Jesus Christ (pbuh) for God would never forsake him as the scriptures clearly tell us.
Matthew 27:46 – 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
Just imagine if Jesus (pbuh) was the one on the cross crying out to God for help after he obeyed God’s commands and sacrificed his life in the deliverance of God’s message and who did God’s work and God just ignored him? If that was the case then Christians cannot say that God loved his son as God did not even answer his prayer.
From the resurrection story, we have seen that Jesus (pbuh) was not found in the tomb and only strips of linen were found and the cloth that they wrapped him in. This is because Jesus (pbuh) was never in the tomb in the first place. The person whose body was put there was gone as it was only an illusion which proves what the Quran and Psalms were saying is true. God had hidden and protected Jesus (pbuh) and thus fulfilled the prophecies in the scriptures. Not one person had witnessed the resurrection and the four writers report different events of the angle or two angles that one was sitting next to where Jesus (pbuh) had laid, the other reports two angles sitting in the tomb and the other reports one angle who came down with a violent earthquake that no one experienced and who rolled away the stone and sat on it. Not one of the angels said that Jesus (pbuh) was resurrected but all of them said that he had risen. None of them said he has risen from death but only stated that he has risen confirming what the Quran states. He has risen means that God has taken him up to heaven. Remember the angel also said “Why seeketh though the living among the dead”
We can simply not assume that the angles meant that he was resurrected from death when they did not say that. These are the words of the church which want us to believe the lies they teach. At that moment when Jesus (pbuh) was about to be arrested God took Jesus (pbuh) up to him and hid him, hence the angles saying he has risen and God returns Jesus (pbuh) after the danger was over. We have seen from both accounts of Mark and Mattew that Jesus (pbuh) was TAKEN up to heaven, he did not go up to heaven by himself so he can also not rise from death by himself and hence the statement by the angles “he has risen” can in no way imply he has resurrected himself from death. It simply means that God has taken him up. If the Christian argues that God has resurrected Jesus (pbuh) then where was the sacrifice? It was then just a trick played on the Christians. Sacrifice does not mean you die and then you live again. For a genuine sacrifice to apply the person must stay dead then only is it a real sacrifice otherwise he gave up nothing.
If Christians imply that Jesus (pbuh) did sacrifice himself for their sins then Jesus (pubh) committed suicide which is against the law. The sixth commandment states that “you shall not commit murder” Killing oneself if also murder.
We have seen that Mary Magdalene did not recognize Jesus (pbuh) and thought he was the gardener. We have also seen that the disciples did not also recognize Jesus (pbuh) when he walked with them until Jesus (pbuh) revealed himself to them and we have seen yet again at Galilee at the shore that they did not also recognize him so why is it so difficult to believe that it was not Jesus (pbuh) on the cross? God has the power to do anything he pleases.
God does not require sacrifice or offering. These are pagan ritual beliefs and not those commanded by God.
Psalms 40:6
For You did not desire sacrifice and offering; You have opened my ears, You have not required sin offering and burnt offering.
We will further see what is written in the scriptures that God always saves the righteous and he never abandons his prophets.
For these are the Words which were Written in the Prophets that Must be Fulfilled – “I will Not Die but Live, for in the Time of Trouble, God will Hide me, for You have Given Commandment to Save me, for You have Not Required Sin Offering”
Luke 1:70 – 71
God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us –
Psalms 37:39 – 40
For the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord God, He is] their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord God will help them, and deliver them, He will deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.
Psalms 118:17 – 25
It reads, I will not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord God. The Lord God has chastened me sore, but He has not given me over to death. Open the gates of righteousness to me, I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord God. This gate of the Lord God], into which the righteous will enter. I will praise You [O God, for You have heard me, and have become my salvation. The stone [which] the builders refused has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord [God’s] doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day [which] the Lord God has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. So save now, I beseech You, O Lord God, O Lord God, I beseech You, send prosperity now –
Psalms 71:2 – 4
Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape, incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong habitation, whereto I may continually resort, You have given commandment to save me; for You are my Rock and my Fortress. So deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
Psalms 27:5 – 6
For in the time of trouble He will hide me in His pavilion, He will hide me in the secret of His tent; He will set me up upon a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tent; I will sing, indeed, I will sing praises to the Lord God.
From the above verses, you can see how it agrees with the Quran that God will Hide him and though they think they are crucifying him they are not.
Psalms 41:1 – 2
Thus blessed [is] he who considers the poor, the Lord [God] will deliver him in a time of trouble. The Lord [God] will preserve him, and keep him alive; [and] he will be blessed upon the earth, and You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
Luke 24:44
So Jesus said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you, while I was with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me.”
Book of Enoch 89:52
And thus one of them was saved, and was not killed, and it sprang away and cried out against the sheep. And they wished to kill it but the Lord of the sheep saved it from the hands of the sheep, brought it up to me, and made it stay.
Throughout time we have seen how God always saved his prophets so why would it be any different in the case of Jesus (pbuh) whom God honoured and loved?
Salvation in Jesus’ Death and His Resurrection
Christians should be asking themselves if Jesus (pbuh) did not die on the cross for their sins, who will save them now? Below Paul raises the same question and states that if Christ was not risen then there is no Christianity.
1 Corinthians 13-17: 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
We have just read that Jesus (pbuh) said in John that every soul will taste death and will rise again to answer for their deeds. So Paul is correct in saying that they are false witnesses. Paul implies that he was one of the witnesses when he says “We are then found to be false witnesses”, but Paul does not write of the resurrection story and there is no evidence of him being there. In fact, when the crucifixion took place Paul was still a non-believer.
We have just proved that Paul is apotheosising in the above verse. If he was 100% sure that Jesus (pbuh) died for our sins then why use the “If” hypothesis? Everything that Paul mentions in Corinthians about Jesus (pbuh) dying for people’s sins are all hypothetical theories it seems. When people talk about facts they do not hypothesize.
As we have seen, all Jesus (pbuh) disciples had fled when he was arrested. So how could they give an accurate account of the crucifixion when they were not there? They may have heard stories from those who were there but who exactly did they hear the stories from? There is no account of not one interview with an eyewitness for any of the four writers. Are these people reliable sources of information? Secondly, the gospels were only written more than 50 -110 years after Jesus (pbuh) had gone. How could these unknown authors quote word-for-word details more than 50 – 110 years after Jesus (pbuh) was gone, especially when they were not present at the crucifixion? Many of the so-called witnesses could have died when these stories were written. We have seen from Islamic history how detailed accounts are recorded and every name of witnesses is recorded. This is not the case with the Bible as there is simply no proof.
The Gospels are thus nothing but fables, stories told from one person to another and were eventually written down. These can in no way be considered factual and accurate. If we had to take this case to court with the Christians arguing that Jesus (pbuh) was crucified and died for our sins we would most assuredly find that the case would be thrown out of court for lack of evidence and no witnesses names given.
Lastly, even if there were many witnesses and their names were given, it would still be meaningless since it was a miracle from God where Jesus (pbuh) was replaced with another to resemble him as the Quran also states. Again we find that the Church wants to deceive people by leading them from the true belief in God and making Jesus (pbuh) seem divine when he is not. This only serves satan.
In closing,
Paul mentioned, If Jesus (pbuh) did not die and was not resurrected then their preaching is useless and so is your faith.
The Trinity was proven a false satanic doctrine. Neither Jesus (pbuh) nor the Holy Spirit are equal to God and do not have the qualities of God and neither are they one entity.
Jesus as Christ is the messenger of the God and not the Son of God
It was proven that Jesus (pbuh) is not God.
At the end of it all Jesus (pbuh) in his own right was special and was granted special favour by God.
Jesus worshipped and prayed to God like all other prophets.
To be a true follower of Christ like all Muslims, Christians must believe that Jesus (pbuh) was a prophet and messenger of God. He was sent to his people, the lost sheep of Israel and not to the world. His mission was to save the Jews. Though he fulfilled his mission by delivering the message that God gave him, the Gospel, the Jews did not accept him as their Messiah as he opposed and they rejected Jesus (pbuh) as the Messia. This led to them trying to have Jesus (pbuh) executed but God saved him just as how God saved, Noah from the belly of the fish, Abraham from the fire, Moses from Pharaoh and the Prophet Mohammad from being killed by the idolators, peach and blessings on all of them.
This one verse destroys every claim of Christians that we have disproved; John 20:17-18: Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.
Jesus will deny those who do not hear his words. Do you want to be of those whom Jesus (pbuh) denies?
Matthew 7:21-23
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The Problem with Paul in the Bible
The Problem of Paul in the Bible
Paul, also known as Saul’s works are some of the earliest Christian documents in which we have – 13 of the 27 (70% of the Bible) books of the bible are believed to have been written by him.
Here is a chronological list of letters that Paul is believed to have written in the New Testament:
Galatians (A.D. 47–49)
1 and 2 Thessalonians (A.D. 50–51)
1 and 2 Corinthians (A.D. 55)
Romans (A.D. 55–57)
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians (A.D. 60–62)
Philemon (A.D. 60)
1 and 2 Timothy (A.D. 62–64)
Titus (A.D. 64)
Paul claimed to have a different gospel than what Peter and the other apostles preached. Paul said that he had the gospel of the uncircumcision while Peter had the gospel of the circumcision. There was constant friction between the followers of Paul and the followers of the church in Jerusalem, during the New Testament narrative. Paul did not teach what Jesus (pbuh) taught, but taught a different gospel which he claimed to have received by revelation from Jesus (pbuh) himself. Did Jesus (pbuh) contradict himself and why would Jesus (pbuh) give different information to Paul than what he himself taught his disciples? Did he change the original gospel to a new one given only to Paul? or was Paul lying about the entire matter? The contemporaries of Paul in the New Testament were the writers of Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. All of these books are in agreement with one another. They were all written in approximately the same time frame as the epistles written by Paul. Yet the epistles written by Paul are in opposition to these books. This subject is possibly the most important subject to be considered by modern Christians. The modern church has rejected the teachings and commands of Jesus (pbuh) and is founded upon the Pauline Epistles. If Paul is indeed a liar, then the entire modern church is like the Church of Sardis in Revelation chapter three, “You have a name that you live, but you are dead.” Be like the Bereans and study the scripture to see if these things are so. Study it all for yourself and do not trust your eternal salvation to what other people say.
In today’s court of law any information given by a person that is contradictory, and illogical will be thrown out of court and the speaker who gave the information is discredited and cannot be taken as a reliable person at all. We find this precisely to be the case with Paul, when Paul talks about his supposed meeting with Jesus (pbuh), he contradicts himself and he is illogical. So we shall quote the passages that bring into question the credibility of Paul supposedly meeting Jesus (pbuh), and once we see the contradictory statements it will be safe to say that whole episode cannot be taken seriously, neither can the entire book of Acts and neither can Paul. We can now proceed with the verses:
The first mention of Paul meeting Jesus (pbuh) on the road to Damascus is mentioned in Acts 9: 1-7:
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man
So few things to note, Paul is on a journey, he then sees a light and hears a voice, this voice is supposedly Jesus (pbuh). Paul then asks Jesus (pbuh) what do you want me to do? The response by Jesus (pbuh) is for Paul to go to the city and it will be made known to him over there. Now lets read whats Acts 26: 12-18:
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. 14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me
So note the difference, in the first account all Jesus tells him is to go to the city to find out what you must do, in this account in Acts 22 we see Jesus already telling Paul what he meant to do! So which one is it? Will Paul know what his purpose is in the city? Or did he already know?
In fact in the account version of Acts 22: 5-10, there is no mention of Jesus (pbuh) telling Paul all this information:
5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. 6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 10 And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do
This account agrees with the version of Acts 9, Acts 26 is the only different one in this case, Acts 26 contradicts Acts 9 and 22.
It is very easy to notice the contradiction, in Acts 9 and 22, Jesus (pbuh) tells Paul that he will know what to do in the city, in Acts 26 Jesus (pbuh) already tells Paul what he will do and mentions nothing about going to a city to find out. So which one is it? We already have enough proof to discredit the entire account of Paul meeting Jesus (pbuh), however, so there is more.
Acts 9: 1-7:
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man
So as we can see, Acts verse 7 says that the men who accompanied Paul heard a voice, but saw no man, they saw nobody. Now let’s compare this with Acts 22 5-9:
5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. 6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
So now, as you can see, in Acts 22 Paul says the man saw a light, but heard no voice! In Acts 9 Paul says the men saw no man, but heard a voice!!!! The obvious contradiction is there for all to see, there is no denying it. So this piece of information also throws doubt into the entire episode, it shows that this story is not credible at all. We already have 2 contradictions, it is safe to say that if we were in court this information would be thrown out and Paul would be exposed as a liar for all to see.
So based on this information we can also say that the entire book of Acts is now in doubt, and is also unreliable, we can also say the entire character of Paul is in doubt and is unreliable, as we clearly see he cannot stay consistent at all. It does not end there, there is still another contradiction left and a logical fallacy, first the contradiction:
Acts 26: 12-14:
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. 14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
So as you can see, the verse says that Paul and the men with him all fell down, easy to see and understand. Let us read what Acts 9 and 22 have to say.
Acts 9: 5-7:
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
Acts 9 shows the men did not fall to the ground, but stood speechless, they were shocked that they stood still. No one fell down, hence we have another contradiction. So which one was it? Did the men with Paul all fall down? Or did they stay standing? It seems Paul cannot give a straight answer! It doesn’t end there, let’s read Acts 22.
Acts 22:5-7:
5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. 6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
So we now see Paul saying that he fell! Not everyone, but him alone, so now Paul again contradicts himself. So which one is it? Acts 22 and 9 agree that only Paul fell, Acts 26 says that they all fell, which one is it? The answer is none of them are correct, it is all a big lie, a hoax made up by Paul. He most likely paid those men with him to act like he saw something, you want proof? Sure, I will show you the proof.
You see, when a liar has a plan, he always fails, they always forget something small, and Paul forgot something small here, this leads to the logical fallacy, this logical fallacy does show that it could be said that Paul made the whole thing up and paid those men with him to lie about it and act like it did happen, anyway, here is the proof:
Acts 9: 1-9:
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
The supposed light that Paul saw blinded him for three days, this is supposedly to show how strong this light was and how great and glorious it was that Paul went blind.
Here is the logical fallacy:
Acts 22: 5-11:
5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. 6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 10 And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. 11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus
The logical fallacy is for all to see, Paul looks at the light and gets blind, yet the men with him also saw the light and did not get blind! Why is that? Why was Paul the only one who got blind? Why not everyone else, they saw the same light, so hence if Paul got blind so should have the men with him. This is Paul’s blunder, he forgot it wouldn’t make sense that he gets blind by looking at the light, while the other men don’t get blind. This is all a hoax, Paul faked it all with the help of the men with him, Paul wanted to make it seem like he met Jesus, he made a blunder when he said he got blind because other men DIDNT get blind and they also saw the light. Paul couldn’t even remember the story he fabricated which is why he kept on contradicting himself. So three contradictions and a logical fallacy, Paul lied, which brings all 13 books written into question.
The plain and simple fact is that Jesus (pbuh) did not even know that Paul existed, he has never heard of Paul or met him. Even if Jesus (pbuh) did hear about Paul by chance, it was when Paul was persecuting Jesus (pbuh) followers. We know that Jesus (pbuh) loved his followers and he taught them what they needed them to know before sending them out. They were fully equipped with the knowledge they needed and Jesus (bpuh) prayed to God for their protection before he was supposed to be taken. The question is then, why must Jesus (pbuh) appear to his peoples persecutors and give them different teachings to what he gave his beloved disciples? From History we can see that Peter was the head of the disciples, why would Jesus (pbuh) abandon his own disciples whom he taught only to give a persecutor a different message? Would that not be insulting to his own disciplines?
Here are the main problems regarding Paul, mostly from Jesus (pbuh):
- Paul claims a physical appearance of Jesus (pbuh) on a wilderness road on the way to Damascus, when Jesus (pbuh) says you are not to believe someone saying they are “Jesus” in the wilderness is truly Jesus after His ascension. See Matt 24:24-27. This tells you either Paul is a liar which is more likely or Paul saw a fake Jesus (pbuh) which is not plausible.
- To detect false prophets, Jesus (pbuh) said to examine their fruits. Jesus (pbuh) says those who do miracles in Jesus’ (pbuh) name were “never known” by Jesus (pbuh) if they work ANOMIA. (Matt 7:15.) This Greek word means “lawless” or “negator of the Law (of Moses).” Paul numerous times says he is ANOMOS — not under the Law, and in numerous verses abolishes the Law, including the Sabbath. See JWO Chapter four (“Did Jesus Warn of False Prophets Who Negate the Law?”)
- Paul’s Jewish name was Saul. As a Roman citizen from birth, Paul had to have a Roman name from birth. Paul or Paulos in Greek is the Roman name Paulus. It is a short-form of Pauxillulus. This name means “least” in Latin. Jesus (pbuh) in Matt 5:17-19 identifies that the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who teach and obey the Law (given Moses – in context). Jesus (pbuh) goes on to say those in the kingdom will call “least” the man who teaches you to loosen obedience to the Law. See “Who Did Jesus (pbuh) Identify As the Least?” There is no more specific prophecy aimed at Paul than this one! Jesus (pbuh) does not intend to be flattering at all toward Paul by this prophecy. The next verse… verse 20 … excludes from entering heaven the least who so teaches.
- Jesus (pbuh) told us to beware the “ravening wolves” who are false prophets in sheep’s clothing. There are only two other passages in all of the Bible that use the term “ravening wolves.” One in Ezekiel prophesies of “ravening wolves” — leaders of the people — whose priests teach based on visions that did not come from God that all food laws and Sabbath are abrogated. The second is a prophecy of Jacob about each of his twelve sons that became a tribe. Judah’s tribe is prophesied to have a Shiloh, a prince of peace, with the “blood” of grapes splattered on his garments. Clearly, this is a prophecy about Jesus. But next is a prophecy about Benjamin. His tribe will be a “ravening wolf” who will kill in the morning and then in the evening “divide the spoil.” Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin. He killed Christians in the morning of his career. Then in the evening Paul divided up the church so he was authorized supposedly to exclusively recruit Gentiles. Paul taught “all food is clean” and Paul taught the “Sabbath” is a “shadow of things to come,” and “let no man judge you about keeping Sabbath,” and every day is alike, etc. The post-conversion Paul fulfilled Ezekiel’s warning of “ravening wolves.” Likewise, Jesus’ (pbuh) point in identifying the “ravening wolf” as in sheep’s clothing meant to warn about one professing to believe in Christ / to be a “sheep” of Christ. Jesus (pbuh) thus clearly gave this as a warning about the post-conversion Paul. Equally, the prophecies of Jacob in Genesis about Benjamin “dividing the spoils” (which Paul’s taking of the Gentiles represents) line up to be warnings about the post-conversion Paul, and not solely the pre-conversion Paul.
- Jesus (pbuh) commends the Ephesians in Revelation 2:2 for identifying those who falsely claim to be apostles and not accepting a ‘prophet’ who claims it is permissible to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Paul wrote in the Epistle to the Ephesians that he was an “apostle of Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:1) and three times Paul says it is permissible to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Then Jesus (pbuh) calls this person a New Testament Balaam. (Rev. 2:14.) Balaam was a soothsayer who God commandeered to give a true prophecy of Jesus’ (pbuh) birth being signaled by a star rising over Judah, but who later apostasized by teaching it was permissible to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Paul falls into an identical pattern: proclaiming the true Christ with a true message that Jesus (pbuh) was the Messiah, but then injecting ANOMIA — negation of the law, and this freedom to disregard the Bible’s idol-meat prohibition in particular.
- Paul’s message garbles Jesus’ (pbuh) message of salvation. Jesus (pbuh) taught people are saved by faith, repentance, and works worthy of repentance. By contrast, Paul teaches a conflicted message that most read today to (a) require faith alone; (b) that any effort to comply with the Law to remain just (after repentance) is a works heresy that “severs” you from Christ; and (c) no repentance from sin is ever necessary for salvation, just as God saved Abraham supposedly based upon faith alone while yet “ungodly.” (Romans 4:3-5.) For this, Paul relied upon the Septuagint 257 BC mistranslation of Gen. 15:6. He also thereby contradicted Jesus’ message that each person has a stark choice on salvation: you can go to heaven maimed (by repenting of sin) or hell whole (unrepentant). (Mark 9:42-47; Matt 5:29-30; 18:6-9.) To Jesus, repentance from sin and toward obedience to the Law was essential. It was how the Prodigal became “alive again” – synonymous with the term “born again.”
- Paul also brought Trophimus to Jerusalem in 58 AD after a Prophet Agabus (per Luke) and other “believers” who had prophetic messages from the Holy Spirit told Paul that God did not want him to go to Jerusalem. Paul went anyway. On that trip, Trophimus defiled the Temple. One of the key lessons of this is that if Paul were truly in prophetic connection with Jesus, then why does Luke record that God had to try to reach Paul through believers and Prophet Agabus to have him stop? The answer is obvious: because Paul was not in prophetic communication with Jesus.The so called Jesus Paul spoke with did not confirm the message of the prophet Agabus and the prophetic message of other believers, and hence Paul went anyway, leading to the defilement by Trophimus of the Temple.
- Paul also gave commands or made statements contradictory of the Law. For example, Paul told Christians not to support widows under 60 in 1 Timothy 5:9-12. Paul also expressly abolished Sabbath – one of the Ten Commandments – Deuteronomy 5:12-15
https://www.jesuswordsonly.com/books/103-chapter-fourt-jwo.html
Luke and Paul. Friends or strangers?
Many Christians, especially the evangelicals believe that Luke who is supposed to be the author of both the Gospel According to Luke and Acts met Paul and travelled together with him as his companion. So for example, A.T. Robertson says that Luke was a “constant companion of Paul from Philippi on the return to Jerusalem on the 3rd tour till the 2 years in Rome at the close of the Acts”. One of the most common proof texts used in support of this idea is Colossians 4:14. It mentions a certain “beloved physician”. Our first question would be who is this beloved physician mentioned? The passage itself does not divulge the identity of this mysterious individual. Secondly, was there only one physician in the entire geography? Their argument would carry some weight if Luke was the only physician in his time. But was he? Surely there must have been other physicians (that is if Luke was indeed a physician in the first place as per Church tradition) as well. As a matter of fact, the traditional notion that Luke was a physician is actually rejected today in Biblical scholarship as Emeritus Professor of Religion at Gettysburg College Edwin D. Freed notes, ” The traditional view that Luke was a physician and that his works contain a special medical vocabulary has been abandoned.” (see Freed E. D. (1990). The New Testament, A Critical Introduction. Balmont, California: Wordsworth Publishing Company. p. 140)
Furthermore, scholars today do not only question the attribution of Colossians to Paul but ultimately conclude that he is not the author. The scholars who reject the epistle’s attribution to Paul postulate several strong points for their contention. One of the points contended is that in Colossians the author writes in long and extended complex Greek sentences (e.g.Colossians 1:3-8) which is in stark contrast to how Paul would normally write in his undisputed letters. (Ehrman B. D. (2009). Jesus Interrupted. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 126-129)
Nevertheless, the real origin of the epistle continues to be hotly debated in academic circles. Some scholars argue that it was written by Paul, but alongside other hands. Some say that it is the product of the Pauline school tradition (and not from Paul). Which is it? The reason for all these divergent views is because there is no solid evidence to substantiate its true origin. In other words it is highly doubtful. Like so many things in Christianity conjecture seems to reign supreme. Most scholars in critical scholarship however, are fairly certain that Paul did not write Colossians. What about the alleged association between Luke and Paul? Let us carefully consider the following from Edwin D. Freed on whether Luke was Paul’s companion,
“The tradition of Luke’s association with Paul became embellished so that Eusebius (3:4:6), for example writes that Luke was a native of Antioch, a physician, and a long-time companion of Paul’s, and that he spoke carefully with other apostles and left us two volumes of medicine for souls. But there is no clue in either the gospel or in Acts that a person named Luke is the author, so Luke, like the other gospels, was originally anonymous.
The traditional view that Luke was a physician and that his works contain a special medical vocabulary has been abandoned (see W.K. Hobart 1954; H.J. Cadbury 1920; and A. Harnack 1907), but the tradition that the author of Luke-Acts was a companion of Paul’s is still frequently discussed. Support for this tradition comes primarily from the “we passages” in Acts (which imply that the writer sometimes traveled with Paul), the statements in Phlm 24 and Col 4:14, and the similarities between the ideas attributed to Paul and in his speeches in Acts and those in his letters. On the other hand, scholars have argued that Luke was not familiar with any of Paul’s letters, that Paul as a prisoner would hardly refer to a fellow worker, and the Colossians may not be a genuine letter of Paul…” (Edwin D. Freed. Op. Cit.) (emphasis added)
Another text that is often cited is 2 Timothy 4:11. This verse explicitly mentions the name Luke, but, how do we know that this Luke is the same as the Luke who supposedly wrote the 3rd gospel and Acts? Nowhere in 2 Timothy 4 does it mention Luke as being the author of a gospel or the Acts. Could it not have been another Luke? If only we knew his full name, lineage or background? Alas, like so many things in Christianity it’s all pure conjecture! In fact, even the attribution of Luke (or rather the anonymous person) as the sole author of both the gospel according to Luke and Acts is questioned and even rejected by some scholars. However, what we do know for sure is that the third gospel is totally anonymous as we have seen from Freed. Refer to the Four Anonymous Gospels for more details.
Consider the following from Toward Understanding the New Testament,
“It has been claimed that Luke was a traveling companion of Paul. However, the case against this claim is compelling.”
The following is an elaboration for the above quotation given as a footnote in the book:
“Irenaeus (ca. 140-202 CE), the Muratorian Canon (ca. 200 CE), Clement of Alexandria (150-215 CE), Tertullian (150-220 CE), Origen (184-254 CE), and Jerome (347-420 CE) all assume that Luke was the companion and colleague of Paul and the author of both Luke and Acts. However, it is difficult to reconcile the inconsistencies between Paul’s letters and Luke’s account of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. It would appear that the author of Luke/Acts did not actually know Paul firsthand, but in Acts he placed him centrally in the development of early Christianity. Paul’s letters are not mentioned in Acts. This problem and others are discussed in Leander E. Keck and J. Louis Martyn, eds., Studies in Luke-Acts (Philadelphia, 1980). For a detailed analysis of Luke’s theology, see Hans Conzelmann, The Theology of St. Luke, trans. G. Buswell (New York, 1961).” (see Tanner O. C., Rogers L. M. & McMurrin S. M. (1990). Toward Understanding the New Testament. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. pp. 44-45)
In conclusion, Paul seems to be a liar contradicting the other books and the Law. There is hardly any reliable evidence at all to indicate that Luke was Paul’s companion. In fact, the question of Luke-Paul’s relationship is totally moot when there was not even a Luke to begin with as we discussed.
https://unveiling-christianity.net/2009/04/15/did-luke-meet-paul/
Predictions of the Coming of the Prophet Muhammad in the Old & New Testament
The prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is foretold in the Torah / Old Testament as well as the New Testament. The Torah in the Hebrew scripture also mentions the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by name.
IN THE TORAH
The coming of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was first mentioned by God to Moses.
Deuteronomy 18:18 (RSV) – 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.
The first reaction of the Christian to this verse is that it refers to Jesus and not the prophet Muhammad. Christians will also state that there are similarities between Moses and Jesus. For instance: Moses and Jesus are both descendants of Abraham (yes true but so is the Prophet Muhammad); Moses and Jesus both performed miracles (Muhammad also performed miracles but not to prove that he was a prophet sent by God); Moses and Jesus were both sent to the Israelites and Moses (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh) were both Jews. Yes, these are similarities but they do not pertain to this prophecy.
The first part of the prophecy foretold that God said: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers.” Jesus was also sent to the people of Israel like Moses, this they have in common but, God says “from among their brothers” and not from among your brothers (meaning they are both Jews). Moses and Jesus are both descendants of Abraham but from Sarah and not from Hagar like the prophet Muhammad. Moses and Jesus come from the Jewish line of descendants so they are more closely related. “from among their brothers” immediately tells you that God is referring to a different people and not the Israelites. Let us compare who is between Jesus and the prophet Muhammad who is more like Moses.
Moses | Prophet Muhammad | Jesus |
Conceived by his mother and father | Conceived by his mother and father | Miraculous conception |
Had a mother and father | Had a mother and father | Only had a mother |
Had a wife and children | Had a wife and Children | Had no wife and no children |
Prophet of God | Prophet of God | Believed to be the son of God and is God – Trinity. Muslims believe him to be a prophet. |
Received verbal revelation | Received verbal Revelation | Was born with the Gospel |
Died and went to heaven | Died and went to heaven | Was raised up to heaven alive and will return |
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was raised up from his own people. God said “I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I commend him). God sent the angel Gabriel who gave the Prophet Gods words as the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) could not read or write. “I will put my words in his mouth” means verbally. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) only spoke that which god gave him to speak.
[And thus,] your companion has not strayed, nor has he erred, nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed, taught to him by one intense in strength. (Quran 53: 2-5)
Clearly from what we see above, Jesus (pbuh) was definitely not the person like Moses (pbuh) and the Prophet God were referring to.
Below we can see further evidence that God is referring to the Prophet Mohammad in Habakkuk 3:3.
HABAKKUK 3:3
3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
The wilderness of Paran is where Abraham’s wife Hagar and his eldest son Ishmael, the father of the Arabs, settled (Genesis 21:21) in the Arabian desert. Specifically, Makkah. Makkah is, of course, the capital of Islam in Arabia and the birthplace of Muhammad (pbuh). Indeed, it was Hagar and Ishmael themselves who transformed a barren patch of desert into what is now the capital of Islam, “Makkah.” Mount Paran is the chain of mountains in that same region which the Arabs call the “Sarawat mountains.”
The meaning of Paran from Wikipedia: The name ‘Paran‘ or ‘Faran’ has often been used to refer specifically to the wilderness and mountains near where Mecca is situated. Al-Hamdani in his book Geography of the Arab Peninsula says that the Paran mountains around Mecca were named after Paran son of Amalek
According to J. Hastings’s Dictionary of the Bible, Teman is an Oasis just north of Madinah. Muhammad (pbuh) did indeed come from Paran. About 622 AD, he and his followers were forced to migrate from Makkah (Paran) to Madinah (Teman) where he spent the rest of his prophetic life teaching its people the guidance of God (the Qur’an).
Many of the Jews at the time anticipated the coming of the prophet as described in their scripture who would migrate to Teman and they left their lush lands in Israel to come to Teman to meet the prohet fortold.
Ibn Isḥāq wrote about a pious elderly Jew named Ibn al-Hayyabān who had moved to Medina from Syria and was known for his ability to bring rain through his devoted prayers. When Ibn al-Hayyabān was about to die he said, “O Jews, what do you think caused me to leave a land of wine and bread to a land of suffering and hunger?….I came to this country expecting the appearance of a prophet whose time had come!” Ibn Isḥāq also referred to a Medinan Jew from the Banū’l-Ashhal who preached to the local polytheists about “al-qiyāmah wa’l-baʿth wa’l-ḥisāb wa’l-mizān wa’l-jannah wa’l-nār (the Resurrection, the Reckoning, the Scales of Judgment, Paradise, and Hell).” When asked by the locals for a sign to confirm his views, he said, “A prophet will be sent from the direction of this land,” and he pointed with his hand toward Mecca and the Yemen. (Al-Sīrah al-nabawiyyah, 1:112)
Ibn Saʿd records similar reports. When Yathrib/Medina was about to be attacked by Tubbaʿ, the king of Yemen, Sāmūl, the most learned Jew in the town, informed the king that the city was the place of Hijrah, the future prophet from the children of Ishmael, by the name of Aḥmad.12 In another tradition cited by Ibn Saʿd, the most learned of Medinan Jews was a man named Al-Zabīr b. Bāṭā. He knew from a book owned by his father that Muhammad (in the book the name is Aḥmad), was described as the awaited prophet who would be raised up in Mecca. But when he learned about the actual Muhammad, the flesh-and-blood Muhammad, he blotted out the prophecy about him that was in the book.13 That the Jews did not accept the prophethood of Muhammad was due, one would surmise from these stories, simply to their willful stubbornness and obstinate selfishness.
When we move to Jewish sources we also find some interesting material. Certain biblical texts were understood by some Jews to suggest the geographical direction from which a future redeemer or messianic figure would come. The most suggestive for our purposes are from the prophets Isaiah and Habakkuk, who hint at a future redemptive figure coming from Teman, Paran, and Edom. These three locations are associated with Arabian geography in pre-Islamic Jewish texts from both the Bible and Talmud. That association was very enticing to later Muslims. The great geographer Yāqūt b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Rūmī, for example, wrote the following regarding Paran (Fārān in Arabic): “Fārān… An Arabized Hebrew word. It is one of the names of Mecca mentioned in the Torah (Tawrāt). It is said that it is a name for the mountains of Mecca…”14
12 Muḥammad Ibn Saʿd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā (9 vols.; Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1418/1997), 1:126.
13 Ibid.
14 Shihāb al-Dīn Yāqūt, Muʿjam al-buldān, ed. Farīd ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Janūdī (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1410/1990), 4:255.
“God came from Teman” refers to the reverlation of God to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Came from – refers to someone who was born there. The only Prophet who came from Makah and received revelation there was the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
“the Holy One from mount Paran” there is only one Holey person that is from Paran / Madina and that is the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). He was the only Prophet who received revelation from God in Makah and migrated to Madinah. Jesus (pbuh) never set foot in Makah or Madina.
Further evidence to support this is given in Isailah 21:13-17
Isaiah 21:13-17 King James Version (KJV)
13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
Let us first examine what is the meaning of the “burden upon Arabia” The Scofield Study Bible states: “…which also means an oracle is a word sometimes used in the prophetical writings to indicate a divine message of judgment” Was there any other divine message brought up in Arabaia other than the Quran? Not at all. So, the burden upon Arabia refers to the revelation of the Quran upon Arabia, a heavy burden to bear. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions migrated from Makah (Paran) to Madina (Tema) and are the traveling companies.
14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
The people of Madina were awaiting the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad (pubh) and they presented him with water and bread when he arrived.
15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
The Prophet Mohammad (pubh) and his companions fled from the swords and bows of his tribes of Makkah who wanted him dead.
16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
The tribes of Makah attacked the Muslims at the battle of Badr shortly after the migration and the tribes of Makah lost the battle.
17 And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.
70 people of the tribes of Makkah lost their lives in the battle of Badr, which decreased their number.
Then, in Isailah 29:12 undisputed proof of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is given.
Isaiah 29:12 King James Version (KJV)
12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
The Quran gives the account of the Prophet Muhammad (phuh) when the Angel Gabriel came to him in the cave.
The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, “I do not know how to read.” The Prophet added, “The angel caught me and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more.” He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied: I do not know how to read; thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time until I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but I replied: I do not know how to read; thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said: Read in the name of your Lord, who has created everything, who has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who taught by the pen, taught man which he knew not.” Quran (96:1-5)
Do the verses of the Quran 96:1-5 not line up perfectly with Isaiah 29:12? Which other prophet that was unlearned was given a book and he could not read or write? Only the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) fits the description unless the Christian wants to say it was Jesus (pbuh). So was a book delivered to Jesus (pbuh)? and was Jesus (pbuh) unlettered?
Moreover, it was prophesied that there would come a time when the prophet would be passed from Judah and the Children of Israel to another community.
Another explicit validation that foreshadows the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pubh) is found in Genesis 49:10. It states, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the rulers staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” Although the verse is very clear, let us provide some perspective. Before his death, Jacob gathered his twelve sons and told them what each one would face in the coming days. In this verse, Jacob addresses Judah who is the lawgiver which is confirmed in the statement “and Judah is my scepter or lawgiver” (Psalms 60:7). As such, in Genesis 49:10, Jacob informs Judah that in the future the scepter will pass from him to Shiloh. The question is: who is Shiloh?
Christians believe that Shiloh refers to Jesus Christ (pbuh). However, this verse cannot be in reference to Christ because the scepter was to depart from Judah and go to Shiloh. Jesus (pbuh) is a direct descendant of Judah (Matthew 1), and therefore he cannot be Shiloh. In other words, Shiloh will possess the scepter and will be the lawgiver, and he will not be from Judah. Additionally, the notion that Jesus (pbuh) was Shiloh and the lawgiver can be refuted when we consider that according to Christian doctrine Jesus (pbuh) did not produce any new law and nor did he claim to be the lawgiver. If we believe the testimony of both Apostles Peter and Paul, they were inspired to revoke the erstwhile Jewish law and taught that Christians no longer needed to abide by such doctrines. However, 49:10 makes complete sense when we consider Prophet Muhammad as Shiloh since he brought forth a new law in the Quran and the Shariah (law of Islam). This is consistent with Isaiah 3:1-2, whereby God will remove from Judah the judge and the prophet. Here, the judge and the prophet refer to the scepter or lawgiver.
These three passages – John 1:21, Genesis 49:10, and Isaiah 3:1 – validate the truthfulness of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a prophet and messenger of God.
There is another passage that is quite comprehensive and it is found in Isaiah 46:10-1:
“Declaring the end from the beginning, from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying ‘My purpose will be established and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” (Isaiah 46:10-11).
Some Old Testament commentaries, such as Wesley’s Notes and Geneva Study Bible, refer to “the man of my purpose” as being Cyrus the Great. But this is erroneous because Cyrus is nowhere identified as a prophet or a man of God. Instead, it is believed he was an idol worshipper and an unbeliever. If God since the beginning had chosen him for a purpose, he would have needed to demonstrate that he was a faithful and obedient servant. Yet his primary contribution was to give the Jews permission to rebuild the Temple. King Solomon built the Temple in 957 BC and King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it in 587 BC. Again, it was rebuilt by revered prophets such as Zachariah and Ezra in 515 BC with Cyrus’ permission and, later in 40 BC; Herod the Great expanded the Temple.
The Prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad in the New Testament
John 14:16
[For] I will pray the [Creator], and He will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.
Jesus (pubh) confirms that he will pray to God to send another Comforter that will abide with you forever. None other than the revelation of God revealed by Muhammad (pubh) upon the world has stood the test of time, unchanged from the time it was revealed and it will be with everyone forever as the only truth. Jesus (pubh) was a Comforter (messenger of God brining glad tidings) and the Prophet Muhammad (pubh) was the other Comforter (also a messenger of God). The Holy Spirit is not the Comforter as the comforter referred to here is a man like Jesus (pubh).
John 15:26
[And] when the Comforter has come, whom I will send to you from the [Creator], [even] the Spirit of Truth, which proceeds from the [Creator], he will testify of me.
This verse of the Bible clears up quite nicely that Comforter is not the Holy Spirit. When did a Holy Spirit come to mankind after Jesus (pubh) and has testified about Jesus (pubh)?
John 16:7
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you.
Jesus (pubh) again tells his disciples that he has to go away and if he does not go Comforter (Prophet Muhammad (pubh)) will not come. The Christian asumes the Comforter to be the Holy Spirit but it cannot be as the Holy Spirit was already there. The Holy Spirit had first come when Jesus (pubh) was baptised and has was always there. You can see from the Bible how many times it refers to the Holy Spirit which was proven not a man as the comforter was.
God confirms that he has heard the call of the Comforter (Jesus) calling to faith, Believe in your Lord. So, if God confirmed Jesus (pubh) as a Comforter (Jesus (pubh) said he will ask God to send ANOTHER Comforter) then the Prophet Muhammad is the only one that is like Jesus (pbuh), a prophet and a messenger. Other than the Prophet Muhammad, there were no other prophets or messengers sent by God.
[So say,] “Our Lord, indeed we have heard a Caller [Comforter] calling to faith, [saying], ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and let us die with the righteous.” (Quran) 3:193
John 16:12-14 King James Version (KJV)
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Jesus (pbuh) p