Responses to Jamal Badawi's "Radio Al-Islam Channel RA 200"

Trinity, Atonement & Blood Sacrifice XIII : Crucifixion 5


Introduction

In this segment, Dr. Badawi attempts to convince us that the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus actually apply to Muhammad! This is an old Islamic argument which has been refuted in several papers on this site and on other sites. Let us examine Dr. Badaiw's claims.

Host: You mentioned in the last program that many of the Old Testament prophecies are about Muhammad, do you have any evidence to back this up?

Jamal Badawi: Deuteronomy 18:18:

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

It is interesting that Acts 3:22 interprets the coming of Jesus as the fulfillment of this, but this applies to Muhammad. Moses said from among your brethren and the closest brothers to the Israelites are the Ishmaelites. Second, he says a Prophet like unto me, to say that Jesus is this is very erroneous because Moses was never called the Son of God, Moses was a Prophet only like Muhammad. Moses and Muhammad both received the law and Jesus did not claim to bring the law. God puts words in the mouth of the Prophet and this could not apply to a divine Prophet.

Issue 1 : Was Muhammad one of the "Brethren"?

No. There were 12 tribes of Israel and the Israelites are called one another's brethren in Deuteronomy (3:18; 15:7; 17:15; 24:14). At no time in history did the Israelites appoint a foreigner (non-Israelite) as king - never. For this passage to fit Badawi's explanation the Israelites should have gone to the Ishmaelites to select their kings!

Issue 2 : Is Muhammad a Prophet like Moses?

The Israelites expected the Prophet to resemble Moses in two very specific ways:

1. He was to have a personal knowledge of God

2. He would perform mighty works

When did Muhammad claim to have a personal knowledge of God? In fact, Muhammad claimed that Gabriel, not God spoke to him! Second, Muhammad did not perform any mighty works. In fact the Qur'an says that Muhammad was not given the power of performing miracles (Sura 17:61)!

A second example is Matthew 12:17-21:

This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope."

It refers to Isaiah 42 and any examination of this shows that Matthew was incorrect.

How so?

Host: What do you mean by out of context?

Jamal Badawi: Isaiah 42 refers to the person to come as the servant of God, if Matthew calls him the servant of God, then he can not be divine because God cannot be a servant to himself.

It amazes me how Dr. Badawi defines the infinite and immortal God and then rejects any aspect of God's nature which does not fit neatly into his definition! The imagery of Jesus as the servant of God, who suffered and died for all of us, is beautiful and shows God infinite love for His fallen creation.

So people say that God in human form is the servant of God the Father, but this contradicts the theology of the Trinity.

How does this contradict the Trinity? God reached out to save His creation through His Son Jesus Christ. I am not about to place definitions on God or explain why He saved me.

In verse 4 it says that the person will establish justice on earth, that means that someone who has secular power which Jesus did not have.

Jesus will establish an earthly kingdom when He returns.

It says that the coast lands will wait for his law, and Jesus did not bring a law.

Jesus was the Law, and manifestation of God's Word and God' Love. Jesus lived that Law of love.

In verse 11, it connects the coming of that person with the joy of the villages in Kedar, according to Genesis 25:13, Kedar was the second son of Ishmael and Muhammad descended from him.

No, the Kedarenians (Isa 21:16 Ge 25:13) were a nomadic people, so Kedar is the general term for that class of humanity. Sela (or Petra) on the other hand, was the metropolis of Idumea and the Nabathoean Ishmaelites, and represented those peoples who were "settled". This passage mentions the people of Kedar, but it also mentions the people of Sela. All of the peoples from the ends of the earth are connected and will praise God when he brings his chosen Servant.

A third example is Isaiah 11:1 which speaks of some coming from the stem of Jesse, Paul said that this is talking about Jesus. If you read it in context, it does not talk about the coming of a teacher, but in verse 4 it talks about a temporal leader who will kill the wicked. To say that David came from Jesse, Jesse is an abbreviation of Ishmael.

What? Jesse was the name of the father of David (Ruth 4:17). The Bible clearly says that the Prophets were to come from the children of Isaac "My covenant I will establish with Isaac" (Genesis 17:21) and "In Isaac your seed shall be called" (Genesis 21:12). Jesus came from the lineage of Isaac through Jesse and David (Matthew 1:5-16). The Old Testament, the Bible does not pay much attention to the descendants of Ishmael.

Host: Does this line of analysis mean that the coming of Jesus was not prophesied in the Old Testament?

Jamal Badawi: No. That is stretching beyond what I am saying. For a Muslim, there is no reason to show that the coming of Jesus was not prophesied. According to the Qur'an, Jesus was a respected Prophet. I am dealing with the errors.

I believe that Dr. Badawi respects his definition of Jesus more that the definition which the Prophets and Jesus gave to Jesus!

Host: Some would argue that some prophecies say that the coming of the everlasting Father, this cannot apply to any other Prophet so it must be Jesus, could you comment?

Jamal Badawi: Isaiah 9:6:

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.

Some people say that the other Prophets were never claimed to be these things. Jesus never claimed to be God.

Yes He did and we discussed this issue in several earlier segments.

In the Biblical language, god has been used to refer to humans, like Moses, human beings. If we interpret this verse literally, we know that it is contrary to the Trinity, it is heresy to say that Jesus is the Father, He is the second person. This cannot apply to Jesus.

A word can have more than one meaning depending on the context in which the word is used. In the case of Jesus, His title as God DOES INDICATE that He is divine. We need to read the Words of Jesus as well as what the Prophets said about Him.

If we take everlasting Father as the fatherhood of nations, then it applies to Muhammad. If the verse is taken in context, it says in verse 6 that this person will be a ruler and the government will be on his shoulders, that applies to Muhammad, not Jesus. Verse 5 speaks about his victory in wars and Jesus never fought a war, Muhammad did. In verse 7, there will be no end to his peace, but this could means that his message will be final and no Prophet has come after Muhammad.

I am not aware of Muhammad being the father of any particular nation. Also, victory can be against a moral battle and the kingdom of Christ will be established on earth after His second coming.

Host: Are you familiar with any New Testament prophecies which did not come to pass?

Jamal Badawi: If Jesus prophecied anything, it could never be wrong. If there is an inaccurate prophecy, these words were not from Jesus but were put in his mouth. Matthew 19:23-end:

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

One of the 12 was Judas. The makes me believe that Jesus never said this. This was directed at the disciples, none sat in judgement and neither did their descendants, Luke did not copy the same error.

Jesus said that Judas would betray Him (Matthew 26:48). Later, according to Acts (1:24-26), Matthias became the 12th Apostle.

Host: Could we have some more?

Jamal Badawi: Rahman refers to Matthew 12:39-40:

He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 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.

The analogy with Jonah is inaccurate, Jonah was alive through his ordeal, not Jesus. Some say that the time factor is important but Jesus was killed on Friday, buried after sunset on Friday and on Sunday morning he was not there. He was in the earth Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday, this is not three days and nights.

Here is an in-depth discussion of the meaning of the "sign of Jonah"

Host: Were there expectations of early Christians about the return of Jesus?

Jamal Badawi:

Matthew 19:23

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 24:29

"Immediately after the distress of those days "`the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

All of this says that this will happen in the life of the generation of Jesus and we know that it did not happen then.

I am not sure of the point that Dr. Badawi is attempting to make, he misquotes several Bible passages. Many did expect the return of Jesus is their lifetime, yet His spiritual Kingdom (the Church) was established and continues to flourish.


Andrew Vargo

Responses to Jamal Badawi's "Radio Al-Islam Channel RA 200"
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