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BASIC CHRISTIANITY Q&A
This lesson is written to teach basic concepts of Christianity. RIO Revolution Church desires that members and visitors begin studying the basics of Christian faith. Please study each lesson, as we learn together what we Christians should know and believe. Lessons are numbered. If you miss lessons, we have replacement lessons available for you. Please share copies of any lessons you find useful with relatives, friends, neighbors, or co-workers. Send the lesson link, www. riorevolution.net/basic-christianity-qa/, to others. Help us spread the Good News (the Gospel), which is: Jesus the Messiah
died for our sins and is resurrected to live eternally with those who believe in and follow Him!
History may seem boring at times. To know about the present and the future, though, we need to understand how Islam came into being and how it will dominate the world's events until Jesus returns. If you study with us for the next several weeks, you should better understand present and future wars involving Jews-Christians and Muslims. The seeds for these wars were planted thousands of years ago. We must condense much Scripture and history into a single sheet of paper each week, and many details and interpretations may be missing or incomplete. Statements could be controversial, but even Muslims do not agree with each other. The Shiites and Sunnis, major branches of Islam, call each other “apostates” (unfaithful to the worship of Allah). Delve deeper into this important topic. Become a “worker that needs not to be ashamed” (read 2 Timothy 2:15).
INTRODUCTION.
Daily news reports are filled with fighting between Jews-Christians and Muslims. These reports follow scenarios prophesied by Bible prophets, including Jesus, many centuries ago. We plan to devote a few lessons to provide you with the background of present and future wars between the sons and daughters of Abraham
– Jews and Christians (through Abraham's son, Isaac) and
Muslims (through Abraham's son, Ishmael). In teaching this background, we may seem to meander through many centuries of history and theology. You need to know this background, though, to understand the present and the future. This conflict is prophesied for the very last days; it will take peace from the world; and it may usher in the return of Messiah Jesus. You are living in a most important time. To better understand the times in which you live, you need to possess a basic knowledge of Islam. Such knowledge will permit you to better understand current news and Bible prophecy. Current news was foretold to God's prophets many centuries ago. You can read your Bible and a newspaper at the same sitting, easily forgetting which you are reading. The Bible is that relevant to our lives today!
ISLAM 101. The Arabic word Islam is translated as “submission” in English. To a Muslim, a person may submit to Allah by conversion to
Islam or by death. Islam is a religious faith with more than 1.6-billi on adherents, called “Muslims.” By comparison, there are more than
2.2-billion Christians and approximately 14-million Jews in the world. Islam is more than a religion, though. Islam dominates every facet of a Muslim's life – social order, family relationships, politics, customs, diet, and laws. The majority of Muslims live in the “10-40 window,” a swath of land through northern Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, extending from latitudes 10
º N to 40º N. Muslims are rapidly infiltrating
(even dominating or overtaking) other nations, though. The replacement of a nation's native culture and religion by Islam is called
“Islamization.” Islamization, well under way in Europe and other countries, is gaining fast traction in America.
Sample of topics to be covered: In following lessons, we will present a brief overview of Islam. To conserve space, the topics may seem fragmented and hurriedly presented, but they are building-block facts you should know to understand Islam. Islam, when followed according to Islam's holy books , is the enemy of Judaism and Christianity. Islamic fundamentalism is no accident. This extreme belief system is an essential step to fulfill end-time prophecies. We hope to show that these fundamentalist views are preparing the way for the soon return of Jesus the Christ. We will attempt to answer several questions in these lessons (as time permits), including:
●-How does the Shiites' belief in Imam Mahdi cause Iran's fanatical, obsessive– even suicidal– drive for nuclear weapons and missiles?
●-Do Muslim fundamentalists want peace, or do they want– that is, must they have– war? What rewards do they receive by waging war?
●-What is the significance of the Ottoman Empire's past control of Israel and the doctrine of
Dar al-Islam in today's war against Israel?
●-What are the differences between the Shiites and the Sunnis? How did these and other Islamic sects develop?
●-How do Islamic peoples fulfill prophecies of end-time wars, including terrorism, “the Psalm 83 War,” and the War of Gog and Magog?
●-Have we entered the last wars, which will not end until Jesus returns at Armageddon? What is Islam's role in these wars?
●-Is America's foreign policy in the Middle East (regarding Israel and Islamic nations) completely contrary to teachings of the Bible?
●-Does God sternly warn horrendous punishment for nations (such as America) which try to divide Israel and Jerusalem in the last days?
●-How does hudna, as taught by Mohammad, prevent trustworthy (truthful) negotiations with Islamic nations, including Iran?
●-Is there a difference between the “Jesus” of Islam (
Isa ) and the Jesus of Christianity?
●-Is Chrislam a damnable heresy, or an enlightened evangelical strategy to reach Muslims?
●-What is
Sharia ( Sharia law)? Can we tolerate
– should we accept–
Sharia law in America?
●-What is the significance of the meeting between Abram (Abraham) and Melchizedek?
●-What important covenants did God make with Abraham for the benefit of Jews and, later, Christians?
●-Are Jews the rightful owners of Israel and Jerusalem, and will they– can they– ever lose ownership of this gift from God?
●-What is responsible fellowship between a Christian and a Muslim? What relationship should a Christian have with a Muslim?
●-Is Islam truly a “religion of peace and love,” as portrayed by politicians and the media?
●-Who follows Islam's holy books more literally– fundamentalists (extremists, terrorists) or moderates? Why is this important?
●-Have terrorists “hijacked the peaceful religion of Islam,” or are they faithfully following that religion's teachings?
●-What rewards are promised to a s hahid (Islamic martyr)? How do these rewards drive fanatical (suicidal) terrorist attacks?
●-And so forth. Study and learn with us each Sunday . If you find lessons useful, please save them to better understand future lessons.
AN ANCIENT FAMILY WAR, NOW A WORLD WAR.
There are three important monotheistic religions
– Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
(“Monotheistic” = “belief in one god.”) The God of Christianity is God in three Persons– Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit. The God of
Judaism is Jehovah. The god of Islam is Allah. All three faiths claim a common religious father – Abraham. Muslims and many non-

Muslims refer to Allah as “God.” We do not believe Allah is God, and we will refer to the Islamic god only by his Arabic name (Allah).
●-
Abraham and Sarah: The Holy Bible's Book of Genesis tells of Abraham. He was initially named Abram, and was married to Sarai
(pronunciation of Sarai is not easy for English speakers, but is approximately pronounced sah-RYE). Sarai was later renamed Sarah.
Abram and Sarai lived in Ur of the Chaldees (ancient Babylonia, present-day Iraq). God told Abram to move to a place He would reveal.
This place (then in Canaan, now in present-day Israel) was to the west of Ur. Abram obeyed God and moved his household to Canaan.
But, Abram disobeyed God by also taking his nephew, Lot, and Lot's family with him. (God had told Abram to take no one with him except for his immediate family.) God promised Abraham he would have so many descendants they could not be counted, and through him the world would be blessed. Christian scholars teach that Jesus, the Son of Man portion coming through Abraham, fulfilled this promise of a blessing for all nations. There seemed to be one problem with God's promise. Sarah had never been able to conceive a child, and, when she became postmenopausal, she realized she could never bear the son-- the covenant son – promised to Abraham. She owned an
Egyptian servant, Hagar, who was young enough to bear a child. She suggested that Abraham impregnate Hagar to have the son promised by God. Abraham agreed. Later, Sarah bore a son, the covenant son intended by God, and named him Isaac . From Isaac came the Jews and Christians.
●Abraham and Hagar: Abraham impregnated Sarah's servant Hagar, and she bore a son, Ishmael . Ishmael was born before Isaac.
Sarah became intensely jealous of Hagar and drove her from her household. As Hagar fled, the Angel of the LORD found her weeping beside a spring in the wilderness. She was given a message from God that He would honor Abraham's son, Ishmael, even though
Ishmael was not the covenant son. Ishmael's descendants would be too numerous to count (mighty nations would follow). An important prophecy was made about Ishmael and his descendants
– he would be a wild man, whose hand would be against every man. Read this prophecy in Genesis 16:4-12 and 21:9-20. From Ishmael came the Ishmaelites, Israel's enemies in the Arabian Peninsula, now Muslims.
●-
Abraham and Keturah: After Sarah's death, Abraham married Keturah, through whom came six sons
–
Zimran , Jokshan , Medan ,
Midian , Ishbak , and Shuah . These sons joined Ishmael and their descendants and are now Muslims.
●Lot and his daughters: Lot and Abram parted company before the Promised Land was reached. Living in the wilderness, Lot's two daughters feared they would never marry. They caused Lot to become drunk and had sexual intercourse with him. The results of these incestuous unions were two sons, Moab and Ben-ammi . From these sons came Israel's enemies to the east (present-day Jordan), who are now Muslims.
●-
Isaac and Rebekah: Isaac, Abraham's son, married Rebekah, and they had twin sons
–
Jacob (who would be renamed Israel ) and
Esau . Through Jacob's deceit and trickery, the two brothers became bitter enemies. From Jacob came the Jews (and, later, Christians) and from Esau came Israel's enemies to the east of Israel who are present-day Muslims.
●-
Jacob's offspring: Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons. These sons are the patriarchs of the tribes of
Israel. (“Patriarch” = “male head of a family or tribe”) The sons of Jacob were: by Bilhah – Dan and Naphtali || by Leah – Reuben , Simeon , Levi , Judah , Issachar , and
Zebulun || by Zilpah
–
Gad and Asher || by Rachel
–
Joseph and Benjamin . Joseph had two sons
–
Manasseh and Ephraim . From the twelve tribes of Israel came the Jews and, later, the Christians.
●The genealogy of Jesus: Jacob fathered Judah, a patriarch of Israel. Generations later, David was born from the tribe of Judah.
Through David came the Son of Man portion of Jesus the Christ . Through Jesus came His followers, the Christians.
Summary: Although this genealogy may seem tedious, it is important to learn how the world's monotheistic religions began. All three religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam– correctly honor “Father Abraham” for the beginning of their faiths. As we will see in future lessons, the only similarity between Judeo-Christianity and Islam is Abraham. Nothing else is similar about Jews and Christians on the one hand and Muslims on the other, although some “Christian ministers” try to blend the two into a common faith– Chrislam. We will comment in the future about the heresy of Chrislam and the promotion of the Muslim “Jesus” (
Isa ) and the Christian Jesus as the same.
The wars of the sons of Abraham: From the very beginning, these Middle East cousins have been fighting each other. Remember
God's prophecy about Ishmael, presented above, that he would be a wild man, and his hand would be against every man (read Genesis
16:7-14). We see this conflict today in the Middle East, as Muslims regularly attack Israel and long for the day when they can completely eliminate Israel (see Psalm 83 prophecy). With Iran on the brink of developing multiple nuclear warheads atop ballistic missiles, Islamic fanatics have the capability of obliterating Israel and Israeli Jews from the map. We need to understand God's promised protection for
Israel (to be taught in a future lesson). ISIS and other fundamentalist Muslims slaughter Christians in the Middle East in daily genocide.
REVIEW.
The families at war with each other and now at war with the world have this pedigree:
●-Lot + his two daughters ► Moab and Ben-ammi– descendants now Muslims .
●-Abraham + Sarah ► Isaac-- descendants now Jews and Christians .
●-Abraham + Hagar ► Ishmael, descendants now Muslims .
●-Abraham + Keturah ► six sons, descendants now Muslims .
●-Isaac + Rebekah ► twins– Jacob (Israel)
, descendants now Jews and Christians
–
&
– Esau, descendants now Muslims .
●-Jacob ► Judah ► David ► the Son of Man portion of Jesus, followers now Christians.
NEXT WEEK.
Mohammad said he received a divine message from a jinn (Arabic jinn
= “spirit”). This message from the jinn , whom he later identified as the angel Gabriel, told him to create a “true” religion. This religion would become Islam; Islam's god would be Allah;
Mohammad would be the greatest of Islam's prophets; Allah's words would be written in the Koran (Qu'ran); and Allah's biography would be written in the Hadith. Mohammad's life, deeds, and words are sacred to Muslims. To know Islam and the heart of Muslims, you need to know something about Mohammad. We will discuss Mohammad and the origin of Islam in next week's lesson.
All Scriptures are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV), © Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. Holy Scriptures are reproduced in boldface font .
●-If you have questions about salvation or re-dedication of your life to serve God or if you wish to be counseled, call the RIO Revolution Church office at
(865) 984.9200, email the pastoral staff at www.riorevolution.net/contact-us/ , or come to the altar during any worship service.
●-If you have questions, comments, or suggestions concerning this lesson series, contact the author, Raymond Finney, at
(865) 984.1424
or raymondfinney@charter.net
. The author assumes full responsibility for any error or misstatement. qa-64