ISLAM 101

Public figures and pundits across the political spectrum, from George Bush to Barack Obama and Shawn Hannity to Alan Colmes, suggest that the global war “on terror” - which actually describes a tactic rather than an enemy - is against some rogue “radicals” that have “hijacked” an otherwise peaceful religion. Islamic groups in the U.S. even rent billboard space on the side of public buses to advertise that Islam is simply another Abrahamic faith, suggesting kinship, to Judaism and Christianity. With public displays of one pope kissing the Quran and the next bowing toward Mecca from inside a Mosque, while indicating that Muslims do indeed worship the same God, it might give one pause to wonder.

Most Muslims in the U.S. seem peaceful enough, so why are so many in the middle east cradle of their religion, so violent? How is the Islamic violence in England, France and the rest of Europe to be explained? What about Africa, India, and Indonesia? How can there be so much blood spilled, all around the world, at the hand of a so-called “peaceful” religion? With some counts as high as two million killed, in the Sudan alone, why does the peaceful Islamic, presumed majority, remain so stunningly silent in regard to Muslim atrocities committed throughout the world? Where's the public outcry from their Imams and other leaders condemning the violence?

Some Muslims proof text verses out of the Old Testament and New, to try to find Mohammed in scripture, and even suggest that they follow the “law” because they don't eat pork and skip lunch for a month, but seem to miss the fact that there are 613 Mosaic laws, and that Muslims are almost universally born Gentile, not Jew. Others suggest that you have to read the Quran in Arabic in order to understand Islam, but a Christian only needs to know A SINGLE VERSE from their book, in any language, to recognize that Islam is the PERFECT OPPOSITE of the new covenant:

Surah 4.157 That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-

While blindness to the Gospel that God gave some Jews is discussed in the book of Romans, everything a Christian needs to know about Mohammed's religion is revealed through this single verse that rejects ALL of the prophets, apostles, and the WHOLE SUBJECT of the new covenant, that brought salvation unto Gentiles.

Even as ALL Muslims are required to deny Jesus' blood, many believe that the first drop of blood shed by a Muslim so-called “martyr”, may provide propitiation for the sins of seventy of his nearest and dearest friends and relatives. But Mohammed prevents them from believing that a loving God could manifest Himself in the flesh of a man, to do the very same, for all who have faith in His shed blood.

Thus they are left with a stand-alone 6th century religion, recited by a single individual, who received “revelations” from a spirit while alone in a cave that even Mohammed came away believing was a demon, because he thought it tried to squeeze the life out of him three times. Christians understand such an event:

Surah 9.30 The Jews call 'Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!

If "Allah" were the same as the Christians and Jews God "Yahweh" He would seem both schizophrenic and bi-polar! So perfectly opposite to Christianity is Islam that it should give even a devout atheist pause to wonder.

Western Muslim apologists for the Islamic violence we see all around the world, either know very little about their own religion, or are engaging in Islamic subterfuge - known as taqiyyah - or lying in the way of Allah. They certainly should know that if they lived in the cradle of their religion, and protested Islam’s fourteen hundred year lust for conquest of all the kingdoms of the world, they could be killed as apostate, or at a minimum shunned by the Muslim community. (video)

We find this verse manifest, for example, in Indonesia where three teenage girls were beheaded on their way to their Christian school and one of their heads left on the steps of a Church. The note left behind reads: "We will murder 100 more Christian teenagers and their heads will be presented as presents."

AP - December 06, 2006 MOGADISHU, Somalia - "Residents of a southern Somalia town who do not pray five times a day will be beheaded, an Islamic courts official said Wednesday, adding the edict will be implemented in three days."

If a Saudi Arabian doesn't show up for prayers in the morning the religious authorities may show up at their home to find out why. This is the same enforcement authority that killed 15 girls by sending them back into a burning school, because the girls were emerging without head coverings, in their panic to escape the flames.

At least 18% of the world’s Muslim population holds views that the vast majority of non-Muslims would consider radical. No small number with a global Muslim population of about 1.5 billion suggesting that minority is close to 300 million. A practical view is that the non-apostate 18% of the Muslim community is doing the heavy lifting of Islamic conquest, while the remaining 82% are satisfied to remain quietly on board for the ride. This would explain their silence in regard to the violence perpetrated by their brethren. While generally subdued in their cheers for Islamic victory when around non-Muslims - except perhaps on U.S. college campuses - we witnessed jubilant celebration throughout the Islamic world, in the wake of the innocents killed in the World Trade Center's destruction. (video)

Over it’s first 13 years, Mohammed’s was a reasonably peaceful religion, but he was barely able to win a hundred converts, and was frequently ridiculed. Then he picked up the sword and began “conversion” through an Islamic reign of terror that included the murder of poets asleep in their beds, who had critiqued his "revelations", as well as caravan pillage and plunder and slaughter of an entire village of Jews who didn't buy into his new religion, but preferred their 2000 year old religion.

From the conquest of nearly the whole known world of the Islamic First Jihad, to Ahmadinejad, the 1400 year goal has remained the same: “Do not doubt Allah will prevail, and Islam will conquer mountaintops of the entire world.”. The dar el salaam, or house of peace, conquest of the dar el harb, or house of war. If you are a non-Muslim you may not be at war against Islam, but Islam has been at war against you for fourteen hundred years. No surprise that they lust after the kingdoms of this world, since these kingdoms became Satan's legal possession at Adam's fall. In stark contrast, Christians are specifically called out of these earthly kingdoms, and into the kingdom of God.

Many Muslims put on a facade of being peaceful Mecca style Muslims when around non-Muslims, in areas where Islam is not in control, but become militant Mohammed-Medina style Muslims, when in the company of their own, or in countries controlled by Islam.

Is it reasonable to suggest that Muslims that preach peace will be the ones that prevail in Islam, or will it continue to be the ones that would cut the heads off of those who preach peace, believing them to be apostate? Even now we see Sunni and Shiite murder of each others innocent men, women, and children, for believing each other to be apostate. Some Muslim fathers behead their own daughters and wives as a means of preserving their “honor”.

It is obvious that violent Muslims will remain in control of Islam, but primarily because they are the ones that most closely follow Mohammed’s example, as detailed through the Quran and Hadith.

Genesis 16:11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou [art] with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

U.S. mosques become radicalized within a few week visit by clerics from their Saudi Wahabi financier/founders. Some U.S. mosques receive direct Saudi funds for each American “convert” which they verify with the mosque’s video surveillance system. Though fortunately for the U.S., about 75% of so-called converts, leave Islam within three years. However in some Islamic countries, under Islamic sharia law, the risk for leaving Islam is death, though that can be the punishment even in Western countries like Canada.

If Islam were a peaceful religion, how can the rape, pillage, plunder and sexual enslavement of the Islamic First Jihad, imperialistic conquest all the way up into France, be explained? Or the over 12,000 deadly Islamic terror attacks around the world, just since 9-11, as logged by the folks at thereligionofpeace.com?

Matthew 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Whether the Islamic First Jihad, the Islamic Mufti of Jerusalem shoulder to shoulder with Hitler in genocide of Jews, the beheading of teenage girls on their way to Christian school in Indonesia, hotel murders in India, train bombings in Spain, the two million slain in the Sudan, or those murdered in Nigeria and throughout most of the rest of Africa, it is obviously utterly absurd to suggest that this 1400 year reign of terror has anything whatsoever to do with Israel or Zionism.

Allah's Apostle said, "You (i.e. Muslims) will fight with the Jews till some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will (betray them) saying, 'O 'Abdullah (i.e. slave of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.'"

1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the son. 23 Whosoever denieth the son, the same hath not the father: [(but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also].

The most important fundamental in Islam is “shirk”, manifest specifically in denial that God has a Son. There is no greater sin in Mohammed’s religion than to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So Mohammed and those that follow him are perfectly antichrist as the single most important tenant of their 6th century religion.

Of even more importance, of course, is Mohammed’s specific denial that Jesus died on the Cross, thereby denying ALL of the New Testament prophets and apostles, and the whole subject of the new covenant, that brought salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Mohammedans reject God's record:

They reject the record God gave us even in direct contradiction to even their own book. Over 5300 partial or complete manuscripts of God’s Word were penned prior to 300AD, in virtually every known language.

Sura 4:136 - O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His messenger and the Scripture which He hath revealed unto His messenger, and the Scripture which He revealed aforetime. Whoso disbelieveth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers and the Last Day, he verily hath wandered far astray.

It is stunning to note that for 1400 years, and in the world today 1.5 billion people - 1/4 of mankind - follow a single 6th century, pillaging, plundering, murdering, sex slave capturing, child doing, stepson's wife taking, false prophet, that was, and taught, the exact opposite of Jesus Christ.

It is interesting to note that the two eschatological doctrines most popular in the 20th century church, both necessarily preclude, that Mohammed could be the false prophet mentioned in the book of Revelation. At the same time, each of these two views must recognize the other, to be virtually 100% in error as there is a 1900 year time span that divides them. One holding that virtually all of Revelation was fulfilled by 70AD and the other holding that virtually none of Revelation after chapter 3 will be fulfilled until some future 7 year period.

However, when we apply the traditional continuous-historic context, through which Christians and Jews universally understand the book of Daniel, and his successive lion, bear and leopard "beast" kingdoms, to the book of Revelation, Islam comes sharply into focus as the end-time foe of God's people, and Mohammed as the false prophet that John prophesied.

Have you ever considered the book of Revelation through the traditional continuous-historic context? Is defense of doctrine of greatest importance, even when we should heed the warning posed by the absolute conflict, in regard to interpretations of these areas of figurative language of dreams and visions in prophecy, held by much of the church presently? Jesus warned the Pharisees of the same:

It would seem that, in part because of unsound eschatology, the Western church has been blinded to the fate of 1.5 billion Muslims. Tragically, when Muslims witness the pope kissing the Quran, or the ecumenical movement of an increasingly apostate church (2Thess 2:3), the are encouraged to remain under the delusion they suffer at the hand of their false prophet Mohammed. The Pope passed up a truly historic opportunity to give a Ronald Reagan style “evil empire” speech, and instead capitulated to the Mohammedans demands for apology, it would seem, to avoid persecution. At least it's hard to imagine that the Pope could be that unadvised regarding the content of the Quran.

A completely different context through which to view New Testament prophecy must be considered entirely on it's own merit, rather than by trying to wring snippets of it through a partial-preterist or futurist doctrine that we may presently hold. For those bold enough in Jesus Christ to consider a fresh look at bible prophecy, through this traditional context, please read "The False Prophet", available absolutely free at beholdthebeast.com by clicking here. You can access a video introduction to this study on the "playlist for Christians" by clicking here. For almost thirty years the author, Ellis Skolfield, has written about the central role of Islam, as the end-time foe of God’s people in bible prophecy, through hermeneutically sound exegesis of the books of Daniel and Revelation within this traditional continuous historic context that was so well understood by those before us like Isaac Newton, Matthew Henry, Thieleman J. van Braght and many others.