Posted by Illuminati on 5/26/2009, 7:58 pm, in reply to "The Koran and the Messiah 1"
75.173.21.14
Mohammad’s primary attack seems to be against Jesus. He accuses those who recognize Jesus’ divinity of blasphemy. Mohammad doesn’t reject the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, but he appears to reject the claim that the Messiah is divine. This is exactly the charge the high priest brought against Jesus at His trial.
Matt 26:63-66
The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
64 "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?"
"He is worthy of death," they answered.
NIV
Because the Biblical evidence regarding Jesus’ position as “Messiah” is so robust, there is no way to reduce Jesus to just a regular prophet without rejecting the entire Bible. Anyone who wishes to understand the Messiah will need to understand some of the Old Testament Prophecies. There are some unambiguous Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. One of the first is in Genesis.
Gen 49:10
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his.
NIV
Isaiah describes the exalted God gives to the Messiah. It is impossible to reduce the Messiah to ordinary prophet. Isaiah even prophesied that the Messiah would be called “Mighty God.”
Isa 9:6-7
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.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
NIV
Isaiah 53 demonstrates that the Messiah will be the means for our salvation. He will bear our sins for us and He will provide salvation. Because I have already discussed Isaiah 53 in a separate post, I will present just a few verses. While the Messiah is called “Mighty God” in Isaiah 9, He is presented as a suffering servant in Isaiah 53.
Isa 53:10-12
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
NIV
To those Muslims who wish to exalt Mohammad above the Messiah, I ask you. Did Mohammad die for your sins? Is he the one who has made intercession for you so that you can live eternally?
Christians did not invent the doctrine that God can manifest Himself in human form. The fact that God has already appeared on this earth to in human form is well established in the following passage from the Bible. Therefore it is no blasphemy for Christians to consider the possibility that Jesus is also God manifested in human form.
Gen 18:1-2;10-14; 16-21
18:1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground...10 Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"
13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." ...16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."
20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know...."
NIV
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