Expert: Marilyn - 4/2/2011

Question
Hi!
I was speaking with a Muslim man a few days ago,and he was telling me that Jesus was not crucified. He said it says in the Bible that he wasn't crucified. Is it true? He also mentioned that Jesus was just a Prophet,not Lord, or son of God.He showed me these verses.But I couldn't understand what these meant-
He emailed me this_
Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the plan of Jesus’ enemies to crucify him, but God saved him and raised him up to him, and the resemblance of Jesus was put over another man. Jesus’ enemies took this man and crucified him, thinking that he was Jesus.
Muslims say that Jesus was not crucified because in the Quran , it says in Chapter 4:157 that Jesus wasn’t crucified: “And their(Jews) boasting: ‘We killed Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah,’ but they(Jews) killed him not , nor crucified him…and they did not kill him,for certain- rather God raised him to Himself.”. This is in accordance with what Jesus said (Matthew 10:24): “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.”
Suffering is often exaggerated in the Bible and termed “dead” as Paul said (I Corinthians 15:31): “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ, I die daily” (i.e. I suffer daily). Here are some of the proofs:
1-On the cross he beseeched God for help (Matthew 27:46): “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And in Luke 22:42: “Saying, Father if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”(This cup is the cup of death.)
2-Jesus’ prayer not to die on the cross was accepted by God, according to Luke, Hebrews and James. Then how could he still die on the cross?(Luke 22:43): “And there appeared an angel assured unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” It means that an angel assured him that God would not leave him helpless. (Hebrew 5:7): “Who in the days of his flesh, when he (Jesus) had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.”
Jesus’ prayers were heard, which means answered in a positive way by God. (James 5:16): “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Jesus himself said (Matthew 7:7-10): “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock , and it shall be opened unto you;For everyone that asketh receiveth;and he that seeketh findeth, and to him who knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread,will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?”If all Jesus’ prayers were accepted by God, including not to die on the cross, how could he still die on the cross then?
3-If Jesus died on the cross, his blood would clot and no blood would gush out of his body when his side was pierced. But the gospel states that blood and water came out; (John 19:34): “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”
4-His legs were not broken by the Roman soldiers (John 19:32-33): “Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs.” Can you rely on these soldiers for pronouncing the death, or did they want to save Jesus as they found him innocent?
5-When the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign of his true mission he answered (Matthew 12:40): “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Disregard now the time factor, which was also not three days and three nights but one day (Saturday, daytime only) and two nights (Friday night and Saturday night). So, was Jonas alive in the belly of the whale? YES.
Then Jesus was still alive as he prophesied.
6-Jesus himself stated that he didn’t die on the cross. Early Sunday morning Mary Magdalene went to the sepulcher, which was empty. She saw somebody standing who looked like a gardener. She recognized him after conversation to be Jesus and wanted to touch him. Jesus said(John 20:17): “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father…” “Touch me not,” perhaps because the fresh wound would hurt him. “I am not yet ascended to my Father,” means that he was still alive, not dead yet, because if somebody dies, then he goes back to the Creator. This was the strongest proof admitted by Jesus himself.
7- After the alleged crucifixion the disciples thought that he was not the same Jesus in body but spiritualized, because resurrected bodies are spiritualized.---How can we be so sure that resurrected bodies are spiritualized? Because that is what Jesus himself said in the Bible: that they are equal to angels. In Luke 20:34-36: “And answering said unto them,The children of the world marry, and are given in marriage. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and then resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”
Then Jesus convinced them by letting them touch his hands and feet, that he was the same person. As they could not believe him yet, he asked for meat to show them that he still ate like any living individual. Read Luke 24:36-41: “And as they(the disciples) thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.But they were terrified and ftightened, and supposed that they had seen a sprit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me , and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken,he showed them his hands and feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?...and he took it, and did eat before them.”
8-If you still believe that he died on the cross, then he was a false Prophet and accursed of God according to these passages(Deuteronomy 13:5): “And that prophet, or that dreamer  of dreams, shall be put to death..” (Deuteronomy 21: 22-23) “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day;(for he that is hanged is accursed of God;)and thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”
To believe in his death on the cross is to discredit his prophet hood. The Jews maintained to have killed Jesus on the cross and consequently portrayed him to be false in his claim to prophethood. Christians believe in the crucifixion necessary for their redemption of sin and consequently have to accept the accursedness of Jesus, too. This Christian belief opposes the Bible’s teaching in Hosea 6:6: “For I desired mercy and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt –offerings.” It also opposes Jesus’ own teaching (Matthew 9:13): “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”
Why do some people still believe in the resurrection? It was Paul who taught the resurrection: (Acts 17:18): "... And some [Jews] said: 'What will this babbler say?' To others, He [Paul] seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods, because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection." Paul, who never saw Jesus, also admitted that the resurrection was his gospel (II Timothy 2:8): "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel." He was also the first one to declare Jesus the Son of God: Acts 9:20: "And straightway he [Paul] preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.”
SO, Christianity is not a teaching of Prophet Jesus(Peace and blessings of God be upon him), but of Paul.
But we also know that Mark(16:19) mentioned that Jesus was raised up to heaven and sat on the right hand of God: “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”As we have seen earlier, Mark 16:9-20, has been expunged in certain Bibles: The Revised Standard Version, The New American Standard Bible and The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures of the Jehovah's Witnesses Church. If you still believe that Jesus is divine because he was raised up to heaven, why don't you accept the divinity of other prophets who were raised up to heaven? Like, Elijah: II Kings 2:1 1-12: "... and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried ... And he saw him no more ..." Enoch was also taken by God to heaven: Genesis 5:24: "And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." This was also repeated in Hebrews 11:5: "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found, because God translated him, for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

THE DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINITY OF PROPHET JESUS.
You insist that Jesus is Lord?
There is a verse in the Gospel according to John (1:1): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Since we can agree upon the fact that a Holy Scripture should not contain contradictions. If there are two conflicting verses, then only one can be true; both can never be true or both be wrong.

According to John l:1 Jesus is God. Then how many Gods are there? Two at least. This
contradicts many passages in the Bible: Deuteronomy 4:39: "... that the Lord He is God in
heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else"; Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O
Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord", (Isaiah 43:10-11): "... 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. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no savior"; (Isaiah
44:6): "Thus saith the Lord ... I am the first, and I am the last, and beside Me there is no
God"; (Isaiah 45:18): "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."
From Isaiah 45:18 alone we can conclude that God alone was the Creator and no one else, not even Jesus, participated in the creation.
See further: Deuteronomy 4:35; Exodus 8:10, II Samuel 7:22, I Kings 8:23; I Chronicles; Psalms 86:8, 89:6 and 113:5; Hosea 13:4; Zechariah 14:9.

But these are all in the Old Testament…Here are the verses in New Testament.
Read Mark 12:29, where it is recorded that Jesus himself said: "And Jesus
answered him: 'The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is
one Lord."'
I Corinthians 8:4: "... we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none
other God but one"; (I Timothy 2:5): "For there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Look at the expression "the man Christ Jesus." Now
you can either say that John 1:1 is right and all these other verses are wrong, or vice versa.
But how can anybody make such a judgment?
Lets look at it from the Qur'anic point of view, which corresponds with what Jesus
himself said in the Bible. Jesus is mentioned several times in the Qur'an as a "Word from
Allah." In Surah 3:39: Then the angels called to him [Zechariah] while he was standing in
prayer in the chamber (saying): "Allah gives you glad tidings of John [the Baptist]
believing in a Word from Allah [Jesus, son of Mary], noble, keeping away from sexual
relations with women, a prophet, and one of the righteous."
In Surah 3:45: [Remember] when the angels said: "O Mary! Verily Allah gives you the glad
tidings of a Word from Him, his name will be Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in
honor in this world and the Hereafter, and of those who are near to Allah." In both verses,
Jesus is called a "Word from Allah," by which is meant a Word coming from Allah or
belonging to Allah, in correspondence with I Corinthians 3:23: "And ye are Christ's; and
Christ is God's." John 1:1 should also have been written: "... and the Word was God's."
The mistake could have been in the translation from Aramaic to Greek, deliberately or not.
In the Greek language, Theos is God, while Theou means God's (see any Greek dictionary
or Bible, or Muhammad in the Bible by Prof. Abdul Ahad Dawud, former Bishop of
Uramiah, page 16). This difference of only one letter has major consequences.

But why is Jesus called the "Word of God" in both scriptures?
The creation of Jesus in Mary's womb was without sperm, for it was the result of the
decree of Allah: "Be" as mentioned in the Surah 3:47: She [Mary] said; "O, my Lord! How
shall I have a son when no man has touched me?" He said: "So [it will be], for Allah
creates what He will. When He has decreed something, He says to it only 'Be' and it is."
Christians say Jesus is God because he is filled with the Holy Spirit.
But there are other people who have been filled with the Holy Ghost? Are they also
divine? Look at Acts 11:24: "For he [Barnabas] was a good man, and full of the Holy
Ghost and of faith; and many people were added unto the Lord" and Acts 5:32: "And we
are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to
them that obey him." You should also read Acts 6:5; II Peter 1:21; II Timothy 1:14; I
Corinthians 2:16; Luke 1:41 . You may say Jesus was filled with the Holy Ghost while he was still in his mother’s womb. But the same was true with John the Baptist(Luke 1:13, 15): “But the angels said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.”

Christians say Jesus is god because he could do miracles. He fed 5 thousand people with only five loaves and two fishes.
But the same was done by Elisha and Elijah. Elisha fed a hundred people with twenty
barley loaves and a few ears of corn, for II Kings 4:44 relates: "So he set it before them,
and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord." Elisha secured the
increase of a widow's oil and he said to her, in II Kings 4:7: "Go, sell the oil, and pay thy
debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest." See also I Kings 17:16: "And the barrel of
meal wasted not neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which
he speak by Elijah." Also I Kings 17:6: "And the ravens brought him [Elijah] bread and
flesh in the morning, bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook."

Christians claim Jesus could heal leprosy.
So could Elisha, who told Naaman the leper to wash in the Jordan river. As recounted
in II Kings 5:14: "Then went he [Naaman] down and dipped himself seven times in
Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God [Elisha]: and his flesh came again like
unto a flesh of a little child, and he was clean."

And Jesus could cause a blind man to see again.
So could Elisha: II Kings 6:17: "And Elisha prayed, and said: 'Lord, I pray thee, open
his eyes, that he may see.' And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man: and he saw
...", II Kings 6:20: "And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha
said: 'Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.' And the Lord opened their
eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria."
Elisha was also told to cause blindness: 11 Kings 6: 18: "And when they came down to
him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said: 'Smite this people, I pray thee, with
blindness.' And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha."

Jesus could also raise the dead.
Compare that with Elijah: I Kings 17:22: "And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah: and
the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived." Such a miracle was also
attributed to Elisha: II Kings 4:34: "And he [Elisha] went up, and lay upon the child, and
put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands,
and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm."
Even touching the bones of Elisha could restore a dead body to life: II Kings 13:21: "And it
came to Dass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and
they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and
touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet."

Christians say Jesus walked upon the water, thus is divine.
We know that Moses stretched out his arms over the sea: Exodus 14:22: "And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Jesus could cast out devils. Jesus himself admitted that other people could do it (Matthew 12:27 and Luke 11:19): “And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges.
Also the disciples could cast out devils, as Jesus said: Matthew 7:22: "Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out
devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?"
Even false prophets would do wonders, as prophesied by Jesus himself: Matthew 24:24:
"For there shall arise false Christ, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

Christians argue that Elijah and Elisha did wonders through praying to the Lord.
Jesus also did the miracles with the grace of God, as he himself said: John 5:30: "I can
of mine own self do nothing ..." and Luke 11:2): "But if I with the finger of God cast out
devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God is come upon you."
All miracles performed by Jesus have been done by previous prophets, disciples, and even
unbelievers. On the other hand, Jesus could do no mighty work where there was unbelief:
Mark 6:5-6: "And he could there do no mighty work save that he laid his hands upon a few
sick folk, and healed them. and he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went around
about the villages, teaching."

Christians claim Jesus was resurrected three days after he “died”.
We already know his crucifixion was a myth, because there are so many controversies about
it. For now, I'll only say that this was said by Paul, who never saw Jesus alive: II Timothy
2:8: "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according
to my gospel."
The gospel of resurrection in Mark 16:9-20 has also been removed in many Bibles. If it has
not been removed, it is printed in small print or between two brackets and with
commentary. See The Revised Standard version, The New American Standard Bible, and
The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Let me ask
you one thing: Did Jesus ever claim to be God or to say: "Here am I, your God, and
worship me?" No, but Christians insist he is God and man.

But did he ever claim that? No!
Indeed, he prophesied that people would worship him uselessly and would believe in
doctrines made not by God but by man: Matthew 15:9: "But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
All doctrines of modern Christianity are made by men: the Trinity, the divine sonship of
Jesus, the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the doctrines Original Sin and Atonement. From Jesus’ own sayings, recorded in the NT, it’s clear that he never claimed divinity or identity to God: “I do nothing of myself” (John 8:28); “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28); “the Lord our God is one Lord”(Mark 12:29); “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?(Mark 15:34); “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit”(Luke 23:46).
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither  the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). Jesus was called prophet, teacher from God, His servant, Messiah, and later was escalated to son of god, and then God Himself.

Let us now use our reason: how can a mortal woman give birth to God?
Jesus slept while God never sleeps: Psalms 121:4: "Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall
neither slumber nor sleep." God should be powerful—but how could people spit on him
and crucify him as the Bible alleges? How could Jesus be God if he worshipped God as
any other mortal: Luke 5:16: "And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed."
Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days(Luke 4:1-13), but in James 1:13 it is said: "...
for God cannot be tempted with evil ..." How can Jesus be God, then? We can rationalize
further and further.
Some Christians say they have to accept it blindly.
But doesn’t that attitude contradict the Bible itself, which says that you have to prove it: I
Thessalonians 5:21: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."
It's really confusing, I should say.
But I Corinthians 14:33 says: "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as
in all churches of the saints." Doctrines made by men create confusion.


The Doctrine of the   Divine Son-ship of Jesus

Is Jesus the Son of God?
Non-Muslims will reply in affirmative and cite these verses- Read in Matthew 3:17, when Jesus was baptized by John: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying" 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."'
But you should not accept the word "son" literally, because the Bible also refers to many
prophets and other people as sons and children of God. Read Exodus 4:22.
"And thou [Moses] shalt say unto Pharaoh: 'Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even
my firstborn."'
Here is Jacob (Israel) His firstborn son. Read II Samuel 7:13-14 or I Chronicles 22:10.
"He [Solomon] shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his
kingdom for ever. I will be his father and he shall be My son."
It will be confusing if you read Jeremiah 31:9: "I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is
my firstborn." In Exodus 4:22 just now, Israel was called also called the firstborn. Who is
the real firstborn: Israel or Ephraim? Even common people can be children of God. Read
Deuteronomy 14:1-"Ye are the children of the Lord your God."


Christians say he is the only begotten son of God.
But long before Jesus was born, God said to David (Psalms 2:7): "I will declare the decree:
the Lord hath said unto me [David]: 'Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee."' So
David is also God's begotten son. The meaning of "Son of God" is not literal but
metaphorical. It can be anyone who is beloved by God. Jesus also said that God is not only
his Father but also your Father (Matthew 5:45, 48)- "That ye may be the children of your Father" and "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
You can see in many biblical passages that the phrase "Son of God" signifies love and
affection and neamess to God, and that it is not to be applied to Jesus alone. You will see
sons and daughters of God: II Connthians 6:18: "And will be a Father unto you, and ye
shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." In view of these and other
passages in the Bible, there is no reason why Jesus should be regarded as the son of God
in a literal or unique sense.

One may argue that he has no father. That is why he is the son of God.
Then you must also consider Adam as a son of God, for he had no father or mother. In
Luke 3:38, it is said "... Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God." Read
Hebrews 7:3-"Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the son of God; abideth a priest continually."
Who is he? The answer is in Hebrews 7:1: "Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the
most high God, who met Abraham ..." He is more unique than Jesus or Adam. Why is he
not considered a son of God or God Himself?

Muslims call him Jesus, the son of Mary.
No one will deny this, it is simple and nobody can deny it. Jesus called himself the son of man and refused to be called son of God. Read Luke 4:41- "And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying: 'Thou art Christ, the Son of God. And he, rebuking them, suffered them not to speak, for they knew that he was Christ."
It is clear here that he refused to be called the son of God. He also refused such a
designation in Luke 9:20-21, and told his disciples not to refer to him that way.

Jesus who was the expected Messiah, a Prophet, was escalated from teacher to Son of God, Lord, and Finally God Himself. Read John 3:2: “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we knew that thou art a teacher come from God…”(John 6:14): "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said: 'This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world."' Jesus is also called a prophet in John 7:40; Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16 and 24:19. In Acts 9:20, we read: "And straightway he [Paul] preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the son of God." (You can conclude from here also that early Christians were still using synagogues, but later when Christianity deviated from the original teaching of Jesus, churches were established. Paul, Barnabas, and the Gentiles were expelled from the synagogues, as they were accused of blasphemy and pollution. See Acts 13:50, 17:18, and 21:28.). In Luke 2:11, it is said that: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" and in John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Can you explain these verses in detail?
Thank you!
Mary

Answer
Hello Mary;

I understand that Muslims believe that the Old Testament and the New Testament are the Word of God, but they have been superseded by the Quran because it is newer. The Quran can be divided into two parts, the part that was written before Mohammad's new version of the Old and New Testaments was rejected wherein he advocates his followers should respect other people who adhere to those other sacred texts and the newer part where he commands his followers to convert, by the sword if necessary, or kill the Jew and Christian. The newer writings of Mohammad superseded the older writings.

My studies into the character of Mohammad reveal a bandit who made up a new book and created a new religion based on what he thought the Bible should have said. He then claimed that his new book was directly from God, not inspired as the Old and New Testaments were. The Quran is not open to interpretation, it must be taken literally. Thus, the Muslim who is not killing Christians and Jews is actually an apostate. Contrast that with the teachings of Jesus who commanded we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. The Quran is not an improved version of the Old and New Testament, it is a book which is diametrically opposed to those books.

The Old Testament is filled with prophecies about Jesus the Messiah. It revealed where He would be born and how He would die. It also explains why Messiah had to suffer. Besides prophecies which have been fulfilled, the Old Testament contains prophecies which have yet to be fulfilled, many of these pertain to the triumphant Jesus who will return and fulfill them. The New Testament rests firmly upon the Old Testament, expands and explains much of what it taught and records which prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled at His first appearing. It adds new prophecies, some of which have been fulfilled, some which have not. These two books written by many different authors over many hundreds of years hold together with remarkable accuracy and amazing consistency. Compare Psalm 22 with the accounts of Jesus' crucifixion found in the four Gospels for how closely David foretold what Jesus would experience. Isaiah 53 speaks of Jesus, that he was despised and rejected; that He was "pierced" for our transgressions; that He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and that He would again see the light of life after the suffering of His soul. The Quran stands alone, contradictory and in enmity to these two sacred books, setting itself up as the real and true word of God.

Yet, the Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If this is true, then the Quran is not the Word of God because it contradicts the other two. If God is changeable, if He does not have the same personality, the same morals, the same values throughout time, then He is no different from human beings. He cannot be Truth! Allah and God are not one and the same, Allah changes, God does not. Which is the true God?

Please read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the four accounts of Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection. You should not take anybody else's word for what these books say! These accounts have been scrutinized throughout the centuries by many, many critics looking for flaws. These books were written from four different points of view focusing on some of the same events and some different events or emphasizing things differently, just as any group of four would do if they were to write such an account.

Jesus Himself proclaimed that He would be slain, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life," Matthew 17:22 & 23. In John 13 Jesus explains to the Apostles, "One of you is going to betray me," verse 21, and He identifies his betrayer. In John 16 He says, "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me," verse 16. Jesus explains, "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy...Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice and no one will take away your joy," verses 20 & 22.

I do not understand what Matthew 10:24 has to do with Jesus' crucifixion. In this passage Jesus is explaining to His disciples that the Pharisees have persecuted Him and so, they too will also be persecuted. "If the head of the house (Jesus) has been called Beelzebub (Lord of Dung), how much more the members of His household," verse 25. "So do not be afraid of them...," He goes on to say. If you read the scene for yourself, you will see that it has nothing to do with the crucifixion.

Paul's statement that "he dies daily" refers to his continuously putting aside what his flesh and his sinful desires want. This is a form of dying, to put aside what is easier, such as indulging oneself in pleasures or passing fancies, and instead mastering fleshly desires and longings of the mind and serving God. This is not an exaggeration for him because he suffered a great deal for the cause of Christ, he was twice stoned, he was held prisoner in chains and run out of town by angry mobs and suffered nakedness in shipwreck and hunger--these are what he means by "dying daily:" he put aside what would have been easier and more pleasant, such as pursuing his career as a tent maker somewhere quietly, in order to be obedient to God.

When Jesus prayed to God before His crucifixion and begged the Father to remove the cup of death from Him, this is not exaggerated suffering because Jesus knew full well what was coming! But, He said, "...not my will but your will be done." When He added that stipulation to His prayer He submitted to the Father's will and went to the cross. The angel who came to Him helped give Him strength to endure what was ahead of Him. He did not take Him out of the earth. Luke 22 & 23 tell some of what He suffered! Do you think that Jesus' cry, "Why have You forsaken Me?" is an exaggeration when He is hanging on the cross, His feet nailed together and His wrists nailed to the cross beams? Is that an exaggeration in the moment of such pain and agony after having His beard pulled from His face, after having been lashed with bits of pottery and metal to His back and a crown of three-inch thorns stabbed onto His head? It is an exaggeration? In that moment, He felt forsaken!

Independent historians recorded Jesus' existence on planet earth. Josephus wrote that Jesus was a Rabbi with a large following who was crucified and whose disciples claimed had risen from the dead. All but one of Jesus' disciples were martyred for preaching Jesus raised from the dead. They lived with Him day in and day out for at least three years, they knew Him very well.

The women who went to Jesus' tomb to anoint His body, thinking He was dead, discovered Him alive in the garden outside the tomb and clasped His feet, Matthew 28:9. He walked with two of His followers as they headed to Emmaus from Jerusalem, once they arrived, He broke bread with them. Jesus asked for food and ate fish. See Matthew 28.

Jesus showed Thomas the wound in His side and the wounds on His hands and feet. The first time Jesus showed up, Thomas was not there. John 20:25-29 says, "So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he [Thomas] 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 it." 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!" 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." Thomas said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.""

In John 21:9, Jesus built a fire and cooked fish. He was taken up into heaven, Matthew 28:51-53, Acts 1:9.

The Apostles saw all of these things happen. All but one of them was martyred for preaching Jesus crucified and raised from the dead. A man will die for something he believes is the truth, but he will not die for a lie! By their deaths the Apostles prove Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead.

In reply to the assertion that no blood or water could flow from the wound in Jesus side, I refer you to this site: http://www.apu.edu/infocus/2002/03/crucifixion/

The fact that the Roman soldiers pierced Jesus' side and did not break a bone in His body is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy which begins with the Passover. The Passover is a real event which is a portrait of a future spiritual event, a symbolic feast representing what the Lamb of God, Jesus, does when His Blood is placed on the doorposts of our hearts: He preserves us from the death angel. No bone of the Passover lamb is broken, no bone of Jesus our Passover Lamb was broken either. Psalm 22 states, "I can count all my bones," meaning, no bone will be broken.

Truly, will a man survive a stab from below up into his body cavity, up into his organs, perhaps even his heart or lungs? Really, Jesus would survive this with no modern medical help? This was no flesh wound, but a stab intended to finish Him off if He were not already dead. The Bible says Jesus was taken down from the cross and laid in a borrowed tomb, no one attended Him--there was no purpose in attending His wounds, He was dead. Further, the Roman soldiers had no motivation for preserving Jesus' life, their purpose was to kill Him and do it according to the most dreadful method for the most awful criminal. Read the account in the Gospels for yourself. Do not take anybody else's word for it.

Many people have believed that Jesus died on Friday because they assume that the only Sabbath Jews celebrate is on Saturday, but the Jews have other Sabbaths called "High Sabbaths," John 19:31. Jesus was actually slain on Thursday. He had to be taken down by dusk on Thursday because Friday was a "special sabbath" or a "High Sabbath." He was in the tomb three days and nights.

The sign of Jonah is to be buried within something and to come out again and to do so after three days. Jesus explained to His disciples that He would be slain, but they did not want to hear it: Matthew 20:17-19 and Mark 10:32-34, which is even more explicit. The "sign of Jonah" refers to Jonah's symbolic burial in the whale and symbolic rising again to life.

When Jesus said, "Don't touch me, I haven't ascended to the Father," of course He was alive! He had just come back to life in His resurrected body! Asking the women not to touch Him and saying He hadn't died are not one and the same thing!

Jesus explained that after the resurrection people will not be given in marriage any more. This does not mean that they do not have real bodies which can be touched and seen, but that they will have a different kind of body no longer able to conceive or to cause to conceive. He said "like angels" because it was the closest description which would make sense to His audience. In the Old Testament angels can and do take on material bodies. Abraham served roasted meat and bread to angels who did eat it. Jacob wrestled with an angel and suffered a dislocated hip which plagued him all his life. All Jesus is saying is that after the resurrection our bodies will be transformed into bodies which can live equally well here on planet earth or anywhere else.

Imagine your brother, I do not know whether you have one or not, but that doesn't matter...just imagine your brother or maybe your uncle or some relative you love is in jail facing the death penalty. Now, there are others awaiting execution, but they are all equally guilty of death as your beloved relative. They cannot die in his place--but you could! You could walk into the prison and say, "I am an innocent person and I will die so that my relative does not have to die." The prison warden will be shocked, but because you are innocent of crime, you could do this, if you so chose. I have never heard of anyone doing this except Jesus.

From the beginning in Genesis 2:17 God made very clear to Adam that the penalty for disobedience is death. Exodus 20:1-17 lists the Ten Commandments of God. Can you obey them perfectly? Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever coveted someone else's stuff? Have you ever been disrespectful to your parents? I cannot obey them perfectly. Nobody can. Therefore, you and I are on death row. We are condemned to death.

God taught Adam and Eve to offer animal sacrifice as a substitute death instead of theirs. This practice is observed throughout the Old Testament. But animal life is not good enough. You cannot send your dog into prison to die for your relative, it has to be a human life. Therefore, the Word of God, who one third of God, became flesh and, not only obeyed the Ten Commandments, but everything God asked Him to do, even to the point of dying on the cross to pay for our sin and get us out of death row.

This principle is taught throughout the Old Testament and is fulfilled by Jesus. "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life," Leviticus 17:11. "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin," Hebrews 9:22. Besides showing us what God is like, explaining God to us and speaking aloud the Word, which He is, Jesus came for this purpose: to die for our sins so that we might be saved from the death angel. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16. God gave His Son as the final and true sacrifice to pay for sin.

What sort of provision do Muslims make to atone for their sins? I understand they can do nothing to get into heaven except die in the cause of Jihad or hope that their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds. According to the Bible, one sin is enough to bring on the penalty of death. Animal sacrifice was instituted as a stop-gap measure until the True Sacrifice could be made, and that by an innocent Man, the Pure and Sinless Son of God, who willingly gave His life so that all who would believe might be saved, John 3:16, see also the book of Hebrews.

So, yes, in that moment when Jesus cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He was separated from God by the huge load of sin, all sin past, present and future was piled upon Him and in that moment He did indeed become accursed because He chose to be accursed, just as you would become accursed if you were to enter the prison and take your relative's death penalty. But though He was covered over and burdened down by our sin, He was still pure and sinless in His soul and because He was, death could not hold Him! He became a curse for us, so that we might be freed from the curse, Galatians 3:13.

Moses was a prophet, yet he was a murderer and he disobeyed God one time; David was a prophet, yet he was an adulterer and a murderer and as good as Daniel was, he was not sinless, yet he was a prophet. The mark of a prophet is whether or not he rightly tells something he cannot possibly know about the present, which Jesus did many times, or he rightly predicts something about the future, which Jesus also did. He predicted that the Jewish temple would be so utterly destroyed that no stone would be left standing on any of the others, Mark 13:1 & 2. This indeed happened in AD 70 when the Romans smashed Jerusalem.

Enoch and Elijah were taken into heaven while still alive. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but He did not give Lazarus a resurrection body. The resurrection body is a different sort of thing from the bodies we presently possess.

Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The Hebrew Name translated "God" is Elohim, which is a latent plural Name which means Three in One. All Three Persons of God are present in Genesis 1: the Word of God goes out and does as the Father commands, Isaiah 55:11, which is Jesus (The universe was created by God speaking it into existence, "And God said..."; Hebrews 1 tells us that through Jesus God made everything); the Spirit of God is mentioned in verse 2, the Invisible Father is implicit. Later, in Genesis, God says, "Let us make man in our image." We are also three in one: we are spirit, living in a body and interacting with the world using our minds. John 1:5 says, "God is Light." Light is one substance with three properties: light that is neither seen nor felt; light that is both seen and felt and light that is felt but not seen. Further, light is both particle and wave. Now, that Jesus has a resurrected human body, God is both Spirit and Man. The idea that God cannot be Three in One is not backed up by the Bible, it is a Muslim doctrine.

There is no contradiction. There is only One God, but He happens to be Three in One. Even your computer is three in one: You must have the hardware, you must have the software and you must have the operating system, and yet it is all one computer.

Jesus did claim to be God. "The Father and I are One," John 10:31; John 17:21. See also Matthew 28:19. http://www.answering-islam.org/Trinity/index.html

Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, Matthew 1:18.
Jesus took on human form and thus some human limitations: He needed sleep, though not much; He needed food and water.
Satan tried to tempt Jesus, but failed, Matthew 4. Since Jesus did not succumb, He proved He was God in human form. In order to fulfill the purpose for which He was sent, Jesus had to be tested. A sinner cannot pay for another sinner's sin.
Since Jesus was "begotten" that is God made Mary pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, then He is indeed God's only begotten Son. David wrote Psalm 2 as prophet repeating what God said, the words do not apply to him. I don't understand why a Muslim would be confused by this since Mohammad did this all the time.
In the sense that God created all human beings, He is our Father. When we receive Jesus as Lord, we become adopted children, and may call God, "Daddy."

Everybody, whether the person be atheist, Muslim or Christian, everybody believes what he or she believes by faith. The god of the Quran cannot be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, Jesus as God cannot be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt and the atheist cannot prove there is no God! "Without faith it is impossible to please God," Hebrews 11:6.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/08/islam_without_camouflage.html

Sincerely,

Marilyn