THE FOUNDATIONS
OF MANY
GENERATIONS
Isa 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste
places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations;
and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer
of paths to dwell in.
The character of Jesus lies shattered on the highways of this
planet, trampled in the dust by every wind of doctrine. Satan has
succeeded in divesting Christ of every vestige of His nobility and
dignity. He has either turned Christ’s humility, gentleness and
forgiving spirit into a symbol of weakness which makes little
distinction between right and wrong or he has turned him into a
monster of obliteration. At all costs he must divest Jesus of His
divinity and bring him down to the level (or preferably lower)
than that of the founders of all other religious systems. The wine
of Babylon is calculated to reduce Jesus to insignificance an
efface the character of God.
Today we are living in a climate of ecumenism where religious
divides are breaking down and tolerance supersedes sound
doctrine. We are told that God is the God of all religions manifested
in different ways and that we should concentrate on what we have
in common rather than on that which divides us. We are told that
Rome has changed since the days of the Reformation and that the
God of Islam is the same as the God of the Bible. As Seventh Day
Adventists we are even told that we are uniquely positioned to
bring together the religious systems of the world, a sort of bridge
builder between the Christian world and other world religions,
particularly Islam and Judaism.
After all, with Judaism we share the Law and our reverence for the
Torah and with Islam we share reverence for Jesus, an interest in
last day events, faith in creation, a health message and we do not
share the prophetic Israel vision that most Christian denominations
have. Moreover, the Quran even mentions the Sabbath.
Our message is one of separation and not one of unification:
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I
will receive you,
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of
her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed
rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
The Quran (Sura 5:46) confirms the veracity of the Scriptures (the
Torah and the Gospels) as given by Allah, but there are numerous
inconsistencies which contradict both Scripture and History.
Sura 5:46 And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary,
confirming the Torah that had come before him: We sent him the
Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the
Torah that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to
those who fear Allah.
Some of the changes:
The Quran changes the account of the creation of intelligent
beings, the story of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael undergoes
many reversals, the exodus account and confrontation with
pharaoh is changed, the story of Joseph is altered dramatically,
Moses is raised by pharaoh’s wife, Hamman is placed in the
time of pharaoh, crucifixion is used in pharaoh's time, many
people and historic events are historically displaced, Mary and
Miriam are confused making Mary the sister of Moses, Gideon
and Saul are confused, Alexander the Great was a Muslim and
died an old man, the story of the birth of Jesus is drastically
changed as well as the doctrine of salvation.
Earth wind fire: Quranic elements of creation
Sura 7:11. It is We Who created you and gave you shape; then We bade
the angels bow down to Adam, and they bowed down; not so Iblis; He
refused to be of those who bow down.
12. ((Allah)) said: "What prevented thee from bowing down when I
commanded thee?" He said: "I am better than he: Thou didst create me
from fire, and him from clay."
13. ((Allah)) said: "Get thee down from this: it is not for thee to be arrogant
here: get out, for thou art of the meanest (of creatures)."
14. He said: "Give me respite till the day they are raised up."
15. ((Allah)) said: "Be thou among those who have respite."
16. He said: "Because thou hast thrown me out of the way, lo! I will lie in
wait for them on thy straight way:
17. "Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their
right and their left: Nor wilt thou find, in most of them, gratitude (for thy
mercies)."
Sura 15:33. (Iblis) said: "I am not one to prostrate myself to man,
whom Thou didst create from sounding clay, from mud moulded
into shape."
34. ((Allah)) said: "Then get thee out from here; for thou art
rejected, accursed.
35. "And the curse shall be on thee till the day of Judgment."
36. (Iblis) said: "O my Lord! give me then respite till the Day the
(dead) are raised."
37. ((Allah)) said: "Respite is granted thee
38. "Till the Day of the Time appointed."
39. (Iblis) said: "O my Lord! because Thou hast put me in the wrong,
I will make (wrong) fair-seeming to them on the earth, and I will put
them all in the wrong,-
40. "Except Thy servants among them, sincere and purified (by
Thy Grace)."
41. ((Allah)) said: "This (way of My sincere servants) is indeed a
way that leads straight to Me.
42. "For over My servants no authority shalt thou have, except
such as put themselves in the wrong and follow thee."
43. And verily, Hell is the promised abode for them all!
44. To it are seven gates: for each of those gates is a (special)
class (of sinners) assigned.
45. The righteous (will be) amid gardens and fountains (of
clear-flowing water).
Jinns helped to build the temple:
Sura 34:12. And to Solomon (We made) the Wind (obedient): Its
early morning (stride) was a month's (journey), and its evening
(stride) was a month's (journey); and We made a Font of molten
brass to flow for him; and there were Jinns that worked in front of
him, by the leave of his Lord, and if any of them turned aside from
our command, We made him taste of the Penalty of the Blazing Fire.
13. They worked for him as he desired, (making) arches, images,
basons as large as reservoirs, and (cooking) cauldrons fixed (in their
places): "Work ye, sons of David, with thanks! but few of My
servants are grateful!"
14. Then, when We decreed (Solomon's) death, nothing showed
them his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly)
gnawing away at his staff: so when he fell down, the Jinns saw
plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have
tarried in the humiliating Penalty (of their Task).
Joh 3:16 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.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is
given unto us.
Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet
peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we
shall be saved by his life.
Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Catholicism reduces Jesus to a
helpless babe or a perpetual corpse
on a cross or even worse a Corpus
Christi – a morsel of bread. If He is
alive at all then he is the wrathful
deity requiring a Wrath-subduer, Mary,
who supplants Him. The doctrine of
the Immaculate Conception denies
that Jesus came in the flesh just as we
are in the flesh. Anyone who denies
this is antichrist. Man becomes his
own redeemer as Mary through her
obedience negates the fall of Eve and
as such becomes the mediator
between man and God.
The most standard devotional works of Rome are pervaded by this
principle, exalting the compassion and gentleness of the mother at
the expense of the loving character of the Son. Thus St. Alphonsus
Liguori tell his readers that the sinner that ventures to come directly
to Christ may come with dread and apprehension of His wrath; but
let him only employ the mediation of the Virgin with her Son, and
she has only to “show” that Son “the breasts that gave Him suck”
and His wrath will immediately be appeased. But where in the Word
of God could such an idea have been found? Not surely in the
answer of the Lord Jesus to the woman who exclaimed, “Blessed is
the womb that bare thee, and the paps that thou hast sucked!’ Jesus
answered and said unto her, “ Yea, blessed are they that hear the
Word of God and keep it” (luke 11:27,28). There cannot be a doubt
that this answer was given by the prescient Saviour, to check in the
very bud every idea akin to that of Ligouri. (Alexander Hislop, The
Two Babylons,. P. 300)
The doctrine of the immortality of the soul
Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die.
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not
surely die:
Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. …
1Ti 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only
wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1Ti 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot,
unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed
and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light
which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen,
nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting.
Amen. KJV
1Ti 6:16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in
unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to
whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. NKJV
Rom 2:6 who "WILL RENDER TO EACH ONE ACCORDING TO
HIS DEEDS":
Rom 2:7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in
doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
1Co 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed—
1Co 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and
this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written: "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY."
1Co 15:55 "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS
YOUR VICTORY?"
366 The Church teaches that every
spiritual soul … is immortal: it does not
perish when it separates from the body
at death…
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt1art1p6.htm
"The soul in the OT means not a part of man,
but the whole man as a living being.
Similarly in the NT, it signifies human life:
the life of an individual conscious object.
Recent exegetes... have maintained that the
NT does not teach the immortality of the
soul in the Hellenistic sense of survival of an
immortal principle after death"
(The New Catholic Encyclopedia art. Soul,
Human, Immortality of, In The Bible)
Christian conditionalism
In Christian theology, conditionalism or conditional immortality is a concept of
special salvation in which the gift of immortality is attached to (conditional
upon) belief in Jesus Christ. This doctrine is based in part upon another
theological argument, that if the human soul is naturally mortal, immortality
("eternal life") is therefore granted by God as a gift. This viewpoint stands in
contrast to the more popular doctrine of the "natural immortality" of the soul.
It is usually paired with mortalism and annihilationism, the belief that the
unsaved will be ultimately destroyed and cease to exist, rather than suffer
unending torment in hell. The view is also connected with the idea of soul
sleep, in which the dead sleep unconscious until the Resurrection of the Dead
to stand for a Last Judgment before the World to Come.
During the Reformation the German reformer Martin Luther was
among notable advocates of conditional immortality, which
prompted the French reformer John Calvin to criticize him for
embracing the doctrine of "soul sleep."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_conditionalism
Pope Leo X who on Monday, December 19th, 1513 issued a Bull
(Apostoloici regimis) declaring:
"We do condemn and reprobate all who assert that the
intelligent soul is mortal."
"Damnamus et reprobamus omnes assertentes animam
intellectivam mortalem ess."
This bull was directed against the growing "heresy" of those who
denied the natural immortality of the soul, and avowed the
conditional immortality of man.
Dr. Martin Luther posted his Theses on October 31, 1517 in
Wittenberg. In his 1520 published Defence of 41 of his
propositions, Luther cited the pope's immortality declaration, as
among "those monstrous opinions to be found in the Roman
dunghill of decretals."
Martin Luther, Assertio Omnium Articulorum M. Lutheri per
Bullam Leonis X. Novissimam Damnatorum (Assertion of all the
articles of M. Luther condemned by the latest Bull of Leo X.),
article 27, Weimar edition of Luther's Works, Vol. 7, pp. 131,132.
http://www.specialtyinterests.net/champions_
of_conditional_immortality.html#afbl
Archbishop Francis Blackburne states:
"Luther espoused the doctrine of the sleep of the soul, upon a
Scripture foundation, and then he made use of it as a
confutation of purgatory, and saint worship, and continued in
that belief to the last moment of his life." Francis Blackbourne,
Short Historical View of the Controversy Concerning an
Intermediate State, 1765, p. 14.
http://www.specialtyinterests.net/champions_of_conditional_immortality.html#afbl
MARTIN LUTHER (1493-1546) "We should learn to view our death
in the right light, so that we need not become alarmed on account
of it, as unbelief does; because in Christ it is indeed not death, but a
fine, sweet and brief sleep, which brings us release from this vale of
tears, from sin and from the fear and extremity of real death and
from all the misfortunes of this life, and we shall be secure and
without care, rest sweetly and gently for a brief moment, as on a
sofa, until the time when He shall awaken us together with all His
dear children to His eternal glory and joy..."
"For since we call it a sleep, we know that we shall not remain in it,
but be again awakened and live, and that the time during which we
sleep, shall seem no longer than if we had just fallen asleep. ….
Hence we shall censure ourselves that we were surprised or
alarmed at such a sleep in the hour of death, and suddenly come
alive out of the grave and from decomposition, and entirely well,
fresh, with a pure, clear, glorified life, meet our Lord and savior
Jesus Christ in the clouds..." "Scripture everywhere affords such
consolation, which speaks of the death of the saints, as if they fell
asleep and were gathered to their fathers, that is had overcome
death through this faith and comfort in Christ, and awaited the
resurrection, together with the saints who preceeded them in
death." [ A Compend of Luther's Theology, edited by Hugh Thomson
Ker, Jr., page 242 ]
William Tyndale (1484-1536), British Bible
translator, came to the defense of the revived
teaching of conditional immortality. This, as
well as other teachings brought him in direct
conflict with the papal champion, Thomas
More, who strongly objected against Tyndale
and Luther who, in the words of More, said,
"all souls lie and sleep till doomsday". In 1530
Tyndale responded vigorously saying,
"And ye, in putting them (the departed souls) in heaven, hell, and
purgatory, destroy the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul prove
the resurrection ... And again, if the souls be in heaven, tell me why
they be not in as good case as the angels be? And then what cause
is there of the resurrection?" Tyndale pressed his contention even
further showing that the papal teaching on the subject is in conflict
with St. Paul:
Pilgrims Rest
The council of Trent decided:
“In purgatory the souls can themselves wipe out their
debt only by suffering.”
“Catholic Religion,” Martin, p. 290.
"`Nay, Paul, thou art unlearned; go to Master More, and learn a
new way. We be not most miserable, though we rise not again;
for our souls go to heaven as soon as we be dead, and are there
in as great joy as Christ that is risen again.' And I marvel that
Paul had not comforted the Thessalonians with that doctrine, if
he had wist it, that the souls of their dead should rise again. If
the souls be in heaven, in as great glory as the angels, after your
doctrine, shew me what cause should be of the resurrection?"
William Tyndale, An Answer to Sir Thomas More's dialogue,
Parker's 1850 reprint, Bk. 4, ch. 4, pp. 180,181. - The Sadducees,
denying the resurrection, were corrected by Jesus who taught that
there will be a resurrection at the end of the age, at the end of the
reign of sin. Jesus taught that when he also taught that in heaven
the redeemed of all ages will not live in a marriage relationship to
wives, just like the angels in that respect. Next Jesus shows that
after the resurrection when even Abraham, Isaac and Jacob live
again, the Almighty God who raised them, will be the God of all in
Heaven, where they will be called by a new title, "the children of
the resurrection." Meanwhile, all of God's saints sleep peacefully
in their graves awaiting resurrection day. Mt. 22; Mk. 12; Lk. 20.
John Milton (1608-1674), was a well
known or even the greatest of the sacred
poets. Milton taught the totally
unconscious sleep of man in death until
the coming of Christ and resurrection,
and wrote:
"Inasmuch as the whole man uniformly said to consist of body, and
soul (whatever may be the distinct provinces of these divisions), I
will show, that in death, first, the whole man, and secondly, each
component part, suffers privation of life. ... The grave is the
common guardian of all till the day of judgment."
John Milton, Treatise of Christian Doctrine, Vol.
1, ch. 13.; John 5:25-28; John 10:16.
The doctrine of hell
“The smoke of their torment shall ascend up forever in the
sight of the blessed … before their eyes … this display of divine
character and glory will be in favor of the redeemed, and most
entertaining, and give the highest pleasure to those who love
God … Should the eternal torment and fires be extinguished, it
would in a great measure … put an end to the happiness and
glory of the blessed. Works of Samuel Hopkins pp. 457, 458.
Ezekiel 33:11 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in
the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way
and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye
die, O house of Israel?
Ezekiel 18:32 I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth …
Isaiah 55:7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous
man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will
have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The teaching of the
Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately
after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin
descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell,
‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation
from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness
for which he was created and for which he longs" (CCC 1035).
In his 1994 book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Pope John Paul II
wrote that too often "preachers, catechists, teachers . . . no longer
have the courage to preach the threat of hell" (p. 183).
Concerning the reality of hell, the pope says, "In point of fact, the
ancient councils rejected the theory . . . according to which the
world would be regenerated after destruction, and every creature
would be saved; a theory which abolished hell. . . . [T]he words of
Christ are unequivocal. In Matthew’s Gospel he speaks clearly of
those who will go to eternal punishment (cf. Matt. 25:46). [But]
who will these be? The Church has never made any
pronouncement in this regard" (pp. 185–6).
Exercises of Loyola: FIFTH EXERCISE - A MEDITATION ON HELL
First Prelude. The first Prelude is the composition, which is here to see with
the sight of the imagination the length, breadth and depth of Hell.
Second Prelude. The second, to ask for what I want: it will be here to ask for
interior sense of the pain which the damned suffer, in order that, if, through
my faults, I should forget the love of the Eternal Lord, at least the fear of the
pains may help me not to come into sin.
First Point. The first Point will be to see with the sight of the imagination the
great fires, and the souls as in bodies of fire.
Second Point. The second, to hear with the ears wailings, howlings, cries,
blasphemies against Christ our Lord and against all His Saints.
Third Point. The third, to smell with the smell smoke, sulphur, dregs and putrid
things.
Fourth Point. The fourth, to taste with the taste bitter things, like tears,
sadness and the worm of conscience.
Fifth Point. The fifth, to touch with the touch; that is to say, how the fires touch
and burn the souls.
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-hell-there-is
The Hell There Is!
The doctrine of hell is so frightening that numerous heretical sects end
up denying the reality of an eternal hell. The Unitarian-Universalists, the
Seventh-Day Adventists, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the
Christadelphians, the Christian Scientists, the Religious Scientists, the
New Agers, and the Mormons—all have rejected or modified the
doctrine of hell so radically that it is no longer a serious threat. In recent
decades, this decay has even invaded mainstream Evangelicalism, and
a number of major Evangelical figures have advocated the view that
there is no eternal hell—the wicked will simply be annihilated.
NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004
Cyril of Jerusalem
"We shall be raised therefore, all with our bodies eternal, but not all with
bodies alike: for if a man is righteous, he will receive a heavenly body, that he
may be able worthily to hold converse with angels; but if a man is a sinner, he
shall receive an eternal body, fitted to endure the penalties of sins, that he
may burn eternally in fire, nor ever be consumed. And righteously will God
assign this portion to either company; for we do nothing without the body.
We blaspheme with the mouth, and with the mouth we pray. With the body
we commit fornication, and with the body we keep chastity. With the hand
we rob, and by the hand we bestow alms; and the rest in like manner. Since
then the body has been our minister in all things, it shall also share with us in
the future the fruits of the past" (Catechetical Lectures 18:19 [A.D. 350]).
IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-hell-there-is
The History of the Immortal-Soul Teaching
Despite widespread use of the phrase immortal soul, this terminology is found
nowhere in the Bible. Where did the idea of an immortal soul originate?
Ancient Pagan Belief in Heaven
The idea that souls go to heaven at death originated in pagan religion, not the
Bible.
Do Some Bible Verses Teach That We Have an Immortal Soul?
Some believe that various scriptures support belief in an immortal soul. Let's
consider some of these passages and understand what they really say.
Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Is Jesus teaching in this verse that the soul lives on after death and is immortal?
Not at all. If you look at this scripture closely, you see that Jesus is actually saying
that the soul can be destroyed. Jesus is here warning about the judgment of God.
He says not to fear those who can destroy only the physical human body ( soma in
the Greek), but fear Him (God) who is also able to destroy the soul ( psuche )—
here denoting the person's physical being with its consciousness.
What is the "hell" spoken of in this verse? The Greek word used here is gehenna,
which comes from the combination of two Hebrew words, gai and hinnom,
meaning "Valley of Hinnom." The term originally referred to a valley on the south
side of Jerusalem in which pagan deities were worshipped.
Because of its reputation as an abominable place, it later became a garbage
dump where refuse was burned. Gehenna became synonymous with "a place of
burning"—a site used to dispose of useless things.
Only God can utterly destroy human existence and eliminate any hope of a
resurrection. The Scriptures teach that God will in the future burn up the
incorrigibly wicked in an all-consuming fire, turning them to ashes (Malachi 4:3
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of
your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Spirit, soul and body? 1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you
wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Many are confused by an expression the apostle Paul uses in one of his letters to the
Thessalonians:
What does Paul mean by the phrase "spirit, soul, and body"?
By "spirit" ( pneuma ), Paul means the non-material component that is joined to the
physical human brain to form the human mind. This spirit is not conscious of itself.
Rather, it gives the brain the ability to reason, create and analyze our existence (see
also Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth
them understanding.
1 Corinthians 2:11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man
which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
By "soul" ( psuche ), Paul means the person's physical being with its consciousness.
By "body" ( soma ), Paul means a physical body of flesh. In short, Paul wished for the
whole person, including the mind, vitality of conscious life and physical body, to be
sanctified and blameless.
http://www.ucg.org/booklet/what-happens-after-death/mysterydeath/do-some-bible-verses-teach-we-have-immortal-soul/
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not
able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is
the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire.
2Pe 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes
condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample
unto those that after should live ungodly;
Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them
in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going
after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire.
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the
LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume;
into smoke shall they consume away. Psalm 37:20
… and fire came down from God out of heaven, and
devoured them. Revelation 20:9
they shall be as though they had not been. Obadiah 16
And you shall trample the wicked, for they shall be
ashes under the soles of your feet in the day which I
am preparing, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 4:3
While life is the inheritance of the righteous, death is the portion
of the wicked. {FLB 177.2}
The soul that sinneth it shall die an everlasting death--a death
that will last forever, from which there will be no hope of a
resurrection; and then the wrath of God will be appeased. {FLB
177.3}
It was a marvel to me that Satan could succeed so well in
making men believe that the words of God, "The soul that sinneth,
it shall die," mean that the soul that sinneth it shall not die, but
live eternally in misery. Said the angel, "Life is life, whether it is in
pain or happiness. Death is without pain, without joy, without
hatred. {FLB 177.4}
Definitions in the Catholic Catechism
Hell (infernus) in theological usage is a place of punishment after
death. Theologians distinguish four meanings of the term hell:
hell in the strict sense, or the place of punishment for the
damned, be they demons or men;
the limbo of infants (limbus parvulorum), where those who die in
original sin alone, and without personal mortal sin, are confined
and undergo some kind of punishment;
the limbo of the Fathers (limbus patrum), in which the souls of
the just who died before Christ awaited their admission to
heaven; for in the meantime heaven was closed against them in
punishment for the sin of Adam;
purgatory, where the just, who die in venial sin or who still owe a
debt of temporal punishment for sin, are cleansed by suffering
before their admission to heaven.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm
But, as the limbo of the Fathers ended at the time of Christ's Ascension, hades
(Vulgate infernus) in the New Testament always designates the hell of the damned.
Since Christ's Ascension the just no longer go down to the lower world, but they dwell
in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1).
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/4
6166-pope-abolishes-state-oflimbo
The 800-year-old concept of limbo, in which unbaptised babies who die are said
to be stuck between Heaven and Hell, has been abolished by the Pope.
Benedict XVI said there were 'serious grounds' to believe that children who died
without being baptised could go to heaven after all.
His decision followed a three-year study by a theological commission.
The problem has been the Catholic belief that baptism is the only way to remove
the stain of original sin that they think all children are born with.
In the fifth century, St Augustine said babies who died without being baptised
went to Hell.
In the 13th century, theologians came up with the concept of limbo as a place
where dead babies were denied the vision of God but did not suffer.
The latest report said: 'There is greater theological awareness today that God is
merciful and wants all human beings to be saved.
'Grace has priority over sin and the exclusion of innocent babies from Heaven
does not seem to reflect Christ's special love for the little ones.'
The report added that baptism was the only way to remove original sin and
urged all parents to baptise their babies.
British priest Father Paul McPartlan, who helped compile the report, added: 'We
cannot say we know with certainty what will happen to unbaptised children. But
we have good grounds to hope that God in his mercy and love looks after these
children, and brings them to salvation.’
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/4
6166-pope-abolishes-state-oflimbo
A Goodness in God's Justice - And fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell. Matt. 10:28. How repugnant to
every emotion of love and mercy, and even to our sense of justice,
is the doctrine that the wicked dead are tormented with fire and
brimstone in an eternally burning hell; that for the sins of a brief
earthly life they are to suffer torture as long as God shall live. . . .
{FLB 176.2}
Where, in the pages of God's Word, is such teaching to be
found? Will the redeemed in heaven be lost to all emotions of pity
and compassion, and even to feelings of common humanity? Are
these to be exchanged for the indifference of the stoic, or the
cruelty of the savage? No, no; such is not the teaching of the Book
of God. . . . {FLB 176.3}
How repugnant to every emotion of love and mercy, and even to
our sense of justice, is the doctrine that the wicked dead are
tormented with fire and brimstone in an eternally burning
hell; that for the sins of a brief earthly life they are to suffer
torture as long as God shall live. . . . {FLB 176.2}
The theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that
constitute the wine of the abominations of Babylon. {FLB
176.4}
When we consider in what false colors Satan has painted the
character of God, can we wonder that our merciful Creator is
feared,. . . even hated? {FLB 176.5}
The principles of kindness, mercy, and love, taught and
exemplified by our Saviour, are a transcript of the will and
character of God. . . . God executes justice upon the wicked,
for the good of the universe, and even for the good of those
upon whom His judgments are visited. . . . {FLB 176.6}
Those who have chosen Satan as their leader, and have been
controlled by his power, are not prepared to enter the
presence of God. . . . {FLB 176.7}
All have drunk of the doctrine of hell. This doctrine makes Christ a
monster worse than Stalin or Hitler who only tortured their
victims for a season but Christ subjects them to torture for
eternity. Not even sinful earthly parents would stoop that low.
EGW - A Goodness in God's Justice - And fear not them which
kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matt. 10:28.
How repugnant to every emotion of love and mercy, and even to
our sense of justice, is the doctrine that the wicked dead are
tormented with fire and brimstone in an eternally burning hell;
that for the sins of a brief earthly life they are to suffer torture as
long as God shall live. . . . {FLB 176.2}
Death and Hell in the Koran
Sura 3:169. Think not of those who are slain in Allah.s way as dead.
Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their
Lord;
170. They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah. And with regard
to those left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss),
the (Martyrs) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they
(cause to) grieve.
Dying in the cause of Allah
4:74. Let those fight in the cause of Allah Who sell the life of this world
for the hereafter. To him who fighteth in the cause of Allah,- whether
he is slain or gets victory - Soon shall We give him a reward of great
(value).
Sura 2:81. Indeed, those who earn sins and become surrounded by
their evil work will be the dwellers of Hell; they abide in it forever.
Sura 2:82. As for those who believe, and lead a righteous life, they
will be the dwellers of Paradise; they abide in it forever.
Sura 2:126. And remember Abraham said: "My Lord, make this a
City of Peace, and feed its people with fruits,- such of them as
believe in Allah and the Last Day." He said: "(Yea), and such as reject
Faith,-for a while will I grant them their pleasure, but will soon drive
them to the torment of Fire,- an evil destination (indeed)!"
4:14. But those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and
transgress His limits will be admitted to a Fire, to abide
therein: And they shall have a humiliating punishment.
Sahih International
Sura 4:56 Indeed, those who disbelieve in Our verses - We will
drive them into a Fire. Every time their skins are roasted
through We will replace them with other skins so they may
taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted in Might
and Wise.
Sura18:29. Say, "The truth is from your Lord": Let him who will
believe, and let him who will, reject (it): for the wrong-doers We
have prepared a Fire whose (smoke and flames), like the walls
and roof of a tent, will hem them in: if they implore relief they
will be granted water like melted brass, that will scald their
faces, how dreadful the drink! How uncomfortable a couch to
recline on!
Sura 14:49. And thou wilt see the sinners that day bound
together in fetters;50. Their garments of liquid pitch, and their faces covered with
Fire;
Sura 22:19. These two antagonists dispute with each other about
their Lord: But those who deny (their Lord),- for them will be cut out
a garment of Fire: over their heads will be poured out boiling water.
20. With it will be scalded what is within their bodies, as well as
(their) skins.
21. In addition there will be maces of iron (to punish) them.
22. Every time they wish to get away therefrom, from anguish, they
will be forced back therein, and (it will be said), "Taste ye the Penalty
of Burning!"
Sura 20:124. "But whosoever turns away from My Message,
verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him
up blind on the Day of Judgment."
125. He will say: "O my Lord! why hast Thou raised me up blind,
while I had sight (before)?"
126. ((Allah)) will say: "Thus didst Thou, when Our Signs came
unto thee, disregard them: so wilt thou, this day, be
disregarded."
127. And thus do We recompense him who transgresses
beyond bounds and believes not in the Signs of his Lord: and
the Penalty of the Hereafter is far more grievous and more
enduring.
The Quran and unbelievers
3:28. Let not the believers Take for friends or helpers Unbelievers
rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help
from Allah. except by way of precaution, that ye may Guard
yourselves from them. But Allah cautions you (To remember)
Himself; for the final goal is to Allah.
5:51. O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for
your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors
to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for
friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.
5:33. The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and
His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief
through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of
hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is
their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in
the Hereafter;
8:50. If thou couldst see, when the angels take the souls of the
Unbelievers (at death), (How) they smite their faces and their
backs, (saying): "Taste the penalty of the blazing FireSura 8:39. And fight them on until there is no more tumult or
oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether
and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allah doth see all that
they do.
9:29. Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor
hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His
Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they
are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing
submission, and feel themselves subdued.
9:31. They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords
in derogation of Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son
of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One Allah.
there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (Far is He) from
having the partners they associate (with Him).
Sura 9:113. It is not fitting, for the Prophet and those who believe,
that they should pray for forgiveness for Pagans, even though they
be of kin, after it is clear to them that they are companions of the
Fire.
114. And Abraham prayed for his father's forgiveness only because
of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to
him that he was an enemy to Allah, he dissociated himself from
him: for Abraham was most tender-hearted, forbearing.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
From Times Online
February 8, 2008
Full text of Archbishop's Lecture - Civil and Religious Law in England: a
religious perspective
Full text of the lecture by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan
Williams, that sparked controversy for advocating the adoption of parts of
Sharia, or Islamic Law, in Britain
“This lecture will not attempt a detailed discussion of the nature of
sharia, which would be far beyond my competence; my aim is only,
as I have said, to tease out some of the broader issues around the
rights of religious groups within a secular state, with a few thoughts
about what might be entailed in crafting a just and constructive
relationship between Islamic law and the statutory law of the
United Kingdom. “
Women, marriage and heaven in the Quran
Sura 4:34. Men are the protectors and maintainers of women,
because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other,
and because they support them from their means. Therefore the
righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the
husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to
those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct,
admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And
last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not
against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great
(above you all).
Sura 4:34. The men are made responsible for the women,** and
GOD has endowed them with certain qualities, and made them
the bread earners. The righteous women will cheerfully accept
this arrangement, since it is GOD's commandment, and honor
their husbands during their absence. If you experience rebellion
from the women, you shall first talk to them, then (you may use
negative incentives like) deserting them in bed, then you may (as
a last alternative) beat them. If they obey you, you are not
permitted to transgress against them. GOD is Most High,
Supreme.
2:282. O ye who believe! When ye deal with each other, in
transactions involving future obligations …… get two witnesses, out
of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and
two women, such as ye choose, for witnesses, so that if one of
them errs, the other can remind her.
Sura 4:11. Allah (thus) directs you as regards your Children's
(Inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females:
…..
The Qur’an allows a man to marry up to four wives (Surah 4:3);
however, Muhammad received a special revelation from Allah that
he may have more (Surah 33:50).
4:3. If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, Marry
women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be
able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right
hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.
33:50. O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast
paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the
prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy
paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts,
who migrated (from Makka) with thee; and any believing woman who
dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her;- this only
for thee, and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We have
appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands
possess;- in order that there should be no difficulty for thee. And Allah is OftForgiving, Most Merciful.
A Biblical perspective
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one
wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt
to teach;
1Ti 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their
children and their own houses well.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ
is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the
wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved
the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love
his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her
husband.
1Co 13:4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love
does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
1Co 13:5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not
provoked, thinks no evil;
1Co 13:6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
1Co 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things. (NKJV)
Heaven and marriages in heaven
Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are
given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Marriages in heaven: The Sadducees reasoned that if the body is
to be composed of the same particles of matter in its
immortal as in its mortal state, then when raised from the
dead it must have flesh and blood, and must resume in the
eternal world the life interrupted on earth. In that case they
concluded that earthly relationships would be resumed,
husband and wife would be reunited, marriages
consummated, and all things go on the same as before death,
the frailties and passions of this life being perpetuated in the
life beyond. {DA 605.3}
In answer to their questions, Jesus lifted the veil from the
future life. "In the resurrection," He said, "they neither
marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of
God in heaven." He showed that the Sadducees were wrong
in their belief. Their premises were false. "Ye do err," He
added, "not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God."
He did not charge them, as He had charged the Pharisees,
with hypocrisy, but with error of belief. {DA 605.4}
The words of Christ are too plain to be misunderstood. They
should forever settle the question of marriages and births in the
new earth. Neither those who shall be raised from the dead, nor
those who shall be translated without seeing death, will marry or
be given in marriage. They will be as the angels of God, members
of the royal family. {FLB 366.2}
A catholic view of marriages in heaven
http://www.catholic.org/feat
ured/headline.php?ID=3793
11/11/2006 - 6:00 AM PST
Father Cantalamessa on Marriage in Heaven
Pontifical Household Preacher on Sunday's Gospel ROME, NOV. 11, 2006 (Zenit) Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher,
Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday's liturgy.
…. Does the death of a husband or wife, which brings about the legal end of a
marriage, also bring with it the total end of communion between the two
persons? …..
One day, some Sadducees presented Jesus with the unlikely case of a woman
who was successively the wife of seven brothers, asking him whose wife she
would be after the resurrection. Jesus answered: "When they rise from the dead
they will neither marry nor be given in marriage but will be like angels in heaven"
(Mark 12:25).
Interpreting this saying of Jesus wrongly, some have claimed that marriage will
have no follow-up in heaven.
But with his reply Jesus is rejecting the caricature the Sadducees
presented of heaven, as if it were going to be a simple
continuation of the earthly relationship of the spouses. Jesus does
not exclude the possibility that they might rediscover in God the
bond that united them on earth. According to this vision,
marriage does not come to a complete end at death but is
transfigured, spiritualized, freed from the limits that mark life on
earth, as also the ties between parents and children or between
friends will not be forgotten. In a preface for the dead the liturgy
proclaims: "Life is transformed, not taken away." Even marriage,
which is part of life, will be transfigured, not nullified. But what
about those who have had a negative experience of earthly
marriage, an experience of misunderstanding and suffering?
Should not this idea that the marital bond will not break at death
be for them, rather than a consolation, a reason for fear? No, for
in the passage from time to eternity the good remains and evil
falls away.
http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=3793
The love that united them, perhaps for only a brief time, remains;
defects, misunderstandings, suffering that they inflicted on each
other, will fall away. Indeed, this very suffering, accepted with faith,
will be transformed into glory. Many spouses will experience true
love for each other only when they will be reunited "in God," and
with this love there will be the joy and fullness of the union that
they did not know on earth. In God all will be understood, all will be
excused, all will be forgiven. Some will ask of course about those
who have been legitimately married to different people, widowers
and widows who have remarried. (This was the case presented to
Jesus of the seven brothers who successively had the same woman
as their wife.) Even for them we must repeat the same thing: That
which was truly love and self-surrender between each of the
husbands or wives, being objectively a good coming from God, will
not be dissolved. In heaven there will not be rivalry in love or
jealousy. These things do not belong to true love but to the intrinsic
limits of the creature. http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=3793
Heaven and marriage in the Qu raan
Sahih International
Sura 2:25 And give good tidings to those who believe and do
righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise]
beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with
a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, "This is what we
were provided with before." And it is given to them in
likeness. And they will have therein purified spouses, and
they will abide therein eternally.
Sahih International
4:57 But those who believe and do righteous deeds - We will admit
them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide
forever. For them therein are purified spouses, and We will admit
them to deepening shade.
4:168. Those who reject Faith and do wrong,- Allah will not forgive
them nor guide them to any way4:169. Except the way of Hell, to dwell therein for ever. And this to
Allah is easy.
Women and youthful servants in heaven
Sura 52:17. As to the Righteous, they will be in Gardens, and in
Happiness,18. Enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord hath bestowed on them,
and their Lord shall deliver them from the Penalty of the Fire.
19. (To them will be said:) "Eat and drink ye, with profit and health,
because of your (good) deeds."
20. They will recline (with ease) on Thrones (of dignity) arranged in
ranks; and We shall join them to Companions, with beautiful big
and lustrous eyes.
21. And those who believe and whose families follow them in
Faith,- to them shall We join their families: Nor shall We deprive
them (of the fruit) of aught of their works: (Yet) is each individual
in pledge for his deeds.
22. And We shall bestow on them, of fruit and meat, anything they
shall desire.
23. They shall there exchange, one with another, a (loving) cup
free of frivolity, free of all taint of ill.
24. Round about them will serve, (devoted) to them. Youths
(handsome) as Pearls well-guarded.
Sura 55:51. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye
deny?52. In them will be Fruits of every kind, two and two.
53. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
54. They will recline on Carpets, whose inner linings will be of
rich brocade: the Fruit of the Gardens will be near (and easy of
reach).
55. Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
56. In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their
glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched;-
Sura 18:30. As to those who believe and work righteousness,
verily We shall not suffer to perish the reward of any who do a
(single) righteous deed.
31. For them will be Gardens of Eternity; beneath them rivers will
flow; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and
they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade:
They will recline therein on raised thrones. How good the
recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on!
Isa 65:21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and
they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
There Will Be Activity in Heaven.--The angels are workers; they
are ministers of God to the children of men. Those slothful
servants who look forward to a heaven of inaction have false
ideas of what constitutes heaven. The Creator has prepared
no place for the gratification of sinful indolence. Heaven is a
place of interested activity; yet to the weary and heavy laden,
to those who have fought the good fight of faith, it will be a
glorious rest; for the youth and vigor of immortality will be
theirs, and against sin and Satan they will no longer have to
contend. To these energetic workers a state of eternal
indolence would be irksome. It would be no heaven to them.
The path of toil appointed to the Christian on earth may be
hard and wearisome, but it is honored by the footprints of the
Redeemer, and he is safe who follows in that sacred way. {CG
353.2}
Council of Trent: Faith and works
"CANON XII.-If any one saith, that
justifying faith is nothing else but
confidence in the divine mercy which
remits sins for Christ's sake; or, that
this confidence alone is that
whereby we are justified; let him be
anathema.”
If anyone says that the good works of the justified man are
gifts of God in such a way that they are not also the good
merits of the justified himself, or that the justified person, by
the good works he performs through the grace of God and
the merit of Jesus Christ (whose living member he is), does
not truly merit an increase in grace, eternal life, the
attainment of eternal life itself (if he dies in grace), and even
an increase in glory, let him be anathema. (Trent, VI, canon
32)
http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/justification-sola-fide
Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it
no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began,
Salvation in the Quran
Works:
Sura 9:20 Those who believe, and emigrate and strive with
might and main, in Allah’s cause, with their goods and their
persons have the highest rank in the sight of Allah: they are
the people who will achieve (salvation).
Sura 2:277. Those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness,
and establish regular prayers and regular charity, will have their
reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they
grieve.
Sura 4:95. Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and
receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of
Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a
grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and
persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Hath
Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He
distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special
reward,-
Arbitrary forgiveness:
4:116. Allah forgiveth not (The sin of) joining other gods with Him;
but He forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this: one who
joins other gods with Allah, Hath strayed far, far away (from the
right).
117. (The Pagans), leaving Him, call but upon female deities: They
call but upon satan the persistent rebel!
118. Allah did curse him, but he said: "I will take of Thy servants a
portion Marked off;
119. "I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I
will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair)
nature created by Allah." Whoever, forsaking Allah, takes satan for
a friend, hath of a surety suffered a loss that is manifest.
120. Satan makes them promises, and creates in them false
desires; but satan's promises are nothing but deception.
Sura 5:40. Knowest thou not that to Allah (alone) belongeth the
dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punisheth whom He
pleaseth, and He forgiveth whom He pleaseth: and Allah hath power
over all things.
Sura 6:39. Those who reject our signs are deaf and dumb,- in the
midst of darkness profound: whom Allah willeth, He leaveth to
wander: whom He willeth, He placeth on the way that is straight.
Sura 16:93. If Allah so willed, He could make you all one people:
But He leaves straying whom He pleases, and He guides whom
He pleases: but ye shall certainly be called to account for all your
actions.
54. It is your Lord that knoweth you best: If He please, He granteth
you mercy, or if He please, punishment: We have not sent thee to
be a disposer of their affairs for them.
Repetitive prayer
Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use
not vain repetitions, as the
heathen do: for they think that
they shall be heard for their
much speaking.
Sura2: 238. Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the
Middle Prayer; and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of
mind).
Sura 17:78. Establish regular prayers - at the sun's decline till the
darkness of the night, and the morning prayer and reading: for the
prayer and reading in the morning carry their testimony.
79. And pray in the small watches of the morning: (it would be) an
additional prayer (or spiritual profit) for thee: soon will thy Lord raise
thee to a Station of Praise and Glory!
The Sabbath
Sura 16:124. The Sabbath was only made (strict) for those
who disagreed (as to its observance); But Allah will judge
between them on the Day of Judgment, as to their differences.
Sura 2:65. And well ye knew those amongst you who
transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: "Be
ye apes, despised and rejected."
66. So We made it an example to their own time and to their
posterity, and a lesson to those who fear Allah.
Clean and unclean
Sura 4:160. For the iniquity of the Jews We made unlawful for them
certain (foods) good and wholesome which had been lawful for
them;- in that they hindered many from Allah.s Way;Sura 5:3. Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood,
the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the
name of other than Allah. that which hath been killed by
strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by
being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by
a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form);
that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is
the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety.
This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your
religion: yet fear them not but fear Me.
This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My
favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to
transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
5:4. They ask thee what is lawful to them (as food). Say:
lawful unto you are (all) things good and pure: and what ye
have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the
manner directed to you by Allah. eat what they catch for you,
but pronounce the name of Allah over it: and fear Allah. for
Allah is swift in taking account.
Sura 6:145. Say: "I find not in the message received by me by
inspiration any (meat) forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes
to eat it, unless it be dead meat, or blood poured forth, or the
flesh of swine,- for it is an abomination - or, what is impious,
(meat) on which a name has been invoked, other than Allah.s".
But (even so), if a person is forced by necessity, without wilful
disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- thy Lord is Oftforgiving, Most Merciful.
146. For those who followed the Jewish Law, We forbade every
(animal) with undivided hoof, and We forbade them that fat of
the ox and the sheep, except what adheres to their backs or
their entrails, or is mixed up with a bone: this in recompense for
their willful disobedience: for We are true (in Our ordinances).
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Written by Patrick Zukeran
http://www.probe.org/
The lives of Muhammad and Jesus
Written by Patrick Zukeran
Patrick Zukeran is a Hawaii-based research associate with Probe
Ministries. He has a B.A. in Religion from Point Loma Nazarene
University, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a
D.Min. from Southern Evangelical Seminary. He is an author,
radio talk show host, and a national and international speaker on
apologetics, cults, world religions, Bible, theology, and current
issues.
Concerning Muhammad
Sura 33:21. Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful
pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the
Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.
4:80. He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah. But if any turn
away, We have not sent thee to watch over their (evil deeds).
Concerning Jesus
1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to
walk, even as he walked.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them,
he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my
Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Muhammad’s wives
After the death of Kadhija, Muhammad chose a young girl
named Aisha, who was Muhammad’s favorite wife. He married
her when she was seven and consummated the marriage when
she was nine. At the time, Muhammad was in his fifties. Aisha
was the daughter of Abu Bakr, one of Muhammad’s first and
loyal followers who eventually became the first Caliph (spiritual
leader) after the death of Muhammad. In his final moments,
Muhammad died in the arms of Aisha. (Bukhari, vol. 5, bk. 58,
no. 234, and vol. 7, bk. 62, no. 65)
http://www.probe.org/
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoand
gta/2010/03/11/13201531.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8493402.stm
One of his most controversial marriages was to Zaynab bint Jahsh,
the wife of his adopted son Zayd bin Haritha. Zayd was unhappy in
the marriage and knowing of Muhammad’s interest in his wife,
sought to divorce her. Initially Muhammad discouraged Zayd
(Surah 33:37). However, the marriage worsened, and they
divorced. Soon after Muhammad married Zaynab. Arabs
considered this marriage equal to incest and criticized
Muhammad. However, he received a revelation justifying his
action (Surah 33:37).
http://www.probe.org/
Sura 33:37. Behold! Thou didst say to one who had received the
grace of Allah and thy favour: "Retain thou (in wedlock) thy wife,
and fear Allah." But thou didst hide in thy heart that which Allah
was about to make manifest: thou didst fear the people, but it is
more fitting that thou shouldst fear Allah. Then when Zaid had
dissolved (his marriage) with her, with the necessary (formality),
We joined her in marriage to thee: in order that (in future) there
may be no difficulty to the Believers in (the matter of) marriage
with the wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have
dissolved with the necessary (formality) (their marriage) with
them. And Allah.s command must be fulfilled.
http://www.probe.org/
According to Bukhari, Muhammad’s final moments were
spent in the arms of his youngest wife Aisha. His final words
were, “May Allah curse the Jews and Christians, for they built
the places of worship at the graves of the prophets.”{33}
Islamic eschatology teaches that Jesus will return, break
crosses, slaughter the Christians and the Jews, and establish
Islam as the true religion.{34}
33. Bukhari, vol. 1, bk. 8, no. 427.
34. F. E. Peters, A Reader on Classical Islam (Princeton, NJ.:
Princeton University Press, 1994), 390.
http://www.probe.org/
What was the relationship of Christ to the Jews? The apostle
John writes of Jesus that “He came to His own, and his own
people did not receive him” (Jn. 1:11). Jesus came to save His
people but was rejected by them. However, He never
stopped reaching out to them in love and, in the end, cried
over the city of Jerusalem, knowing the judgment that was
coming upon them (Mt. 23:37). Paul reflects the heart of
Christ saying, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed
and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my
kinsmen according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3). Jesus and His
disciples gave their lives for the lost, including the Jewish
nation that rejected their message.
http://www.probe.org/
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the
disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when
shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy
coming, and of the end of the world?
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take
heed that no man deceive you.
1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that
doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.