### Understanding the Muslim:

>>>>>/This is the story of Isaac and Ishmael And the resentment that bred between them.

>>/The resentment is similar to the resentment born between Cain and Abel that led to the first slaying in human history, but this is one is much, much more drawn out.

>>/We are not talking about the end of one life but the end of countless lives over the course of history.

>>/To understand the Muslim the Christian must first understand the Jew. Both Jews and Muslims deny Christ. Often Christians are encouraged to engage with the Quran but never the Talmud. Why haven’t we as Christians encouraged the same of our Muslim and Jewish brothers to understand the New Testament in its complete form?

>>/Clearly there is a lack of understanding of our faith among those peoples. Why do they deny Christ but encourage and expect us to accept Mohammed as a prophet?

>>/Perhaps he was, but first we should examine why Jews embrace us with open arms but then turn around and use us in their quarrel with the Muslims, who too deny Christ.

>>/Perhaps this could be attributed to their lack of knowledge or the ultimate failure of the life led by Paul with whom it was entrusted to lead the Jews(his own people) into conversion. When put before the same Roman Court Paul makes his famous argument – that he is a Roman by birth. And so has the right to appeal to Caesar.

>>/Whether Paul actually ultimately forged his documents or paid for his Roman citizenship through currency, this creative legal argument is what proffers his escape from almost certain death. The Jews had sworn an oath to kill him, yet under Roman Law he was given the opportunity to appeal from the local Court to Caesar on account of this claim.

>>/Jesus on the other hand never makes such a claim, and perhaps that is why there are some Christians who rightly call him a fool. But this – was not so much a foolish act as it was a demonstration of his submission to the will of the Father – which, as it turned out, the act that made him destined for crucifixion – the act that ultimately lead to the total and absolute spiritual defeat of the adversary.

>/This acceptance of fate is why the spiritual world understands that Jesus is King. Forever.

>/Paul was but an attorney. Jesus had no choice in his life and was so a lamb. This kind of life could have happened only once throughout history and that is why Christians venerate Jesus as the embodiment of creation.

>/Was Jesus’s silence before Pilate foolish in the context of his human life? Yes!

>/But that is not what Christ was when he walked this Earth. Sadly, the Muslim denies this. Apparently as a result of a lack of our own ability as Christians to explain these matters factually and perhaps too out of a lack of their own personal investment in reading the Gospel and the stories of the Apostles that follow.

>/Most of what is written about the lives of the Apostles in the most widely circulated versions of the Bible, is centrally attributed to the work of Paul.

>/Christians do not perceive Muslims as infidels in the same way that Jews might perceive Christians as goyem or unenlightened, but the Muslims do as well and we only have ourselves to blame for that. It comes down to a matter of educating the Muslim about our faith here in the United States and the development of a common understanding for why Christ is in fact King on this plane forever. They will have to listen.

### Isaac & Ishmael:

>>>>>/Muslims as they are referred to semantically, are actually the sons and daughters of Ishmael – The Jews are the sons and daughters of Isaac – for millennia before Christ and for the millennia that followed his appearance here on Earth they have been in a twisted struggle.

>>/Yet somehow we Christians always end up stepping in as a sacrificial lamb to fight the battles between these brethren. No more! This has to stop!

>>/We have to come to a common understanding of each other that is not totally secular. To come to that point we have to first examine what God actually promises Abraham! Based on Genesis 12, 15, 17, and 22:

>/1. Land: God promised to give Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession (Genesis 12:7, 15:18-21, 17:8). This is often referred to as the “Promised Land,” corresponding roughly to modern-day Israel and parts of surrounding regions.

>/2. Numerous Descendants: God promised that Abraham would become the father of a great nation, with descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky or the dust of the earth (Genesis 12:2, 15:5, 17:4-6). This included the assurance of a son through his wife Sarah, despite their old age (Genesis 17:16-19).

>/3. Blessing: God promised to bless Abraham, make his name great, and make him a blessing to others. Through Abraham, all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:2-3, 22:18). This is often interpreted as a reference to the spiritual blessings through Abraham’s lineage, particularly through the coming of the Messiah in Christian theology or the spread of monotheism in other traditions.

>/4. Protection and Favor: God promised to bless those who bless Abraham and curse those who curse him (Genesis 12:3), indicating divine protection and favor over Abraham and his descendants.

>/5. Kings and Nations: God promised that kings and nations would come from Abraham’s line (Genesis 17:6, 16). This was fulfilled through the nation of Israel, the Edomites, Ishmaelites, and other groups descended from Abraham.

>>/It should be clear that Isaac and Ishmael were both the sons of Abraham, yet each born to different mothers.

>/Isaac was the son of Abraham and his wife Sarah. He was born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, fulfilling God’s promise to give them a child despite their old age (Genesis 17:17, 21:1-5). Isaac is considered the “child of promise” in the Abrahamic covenant, through whom God’s promises of land, numerous descendants, and blessings would primarily be fulfilled (Genesis 17:19, 21:12). Isaac later married Rebekah and became the father of Jacob and Esau, continuing the lineage of the Israelites.

>/Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant. He was born when Abraham was 86, after Sarah, believing she was barren, gave Hagar to Abraham to bear a child (Genesis 16:1-4, 16:15-16). Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn, but apparently not the child of the covenant. Yet, God still promised to bless Ishmael by making him the father of a great nation with twelve princes among his descendants (Genesis 17:20, 25:12-18).

>/Ishmael is traditionally considered to be the ancestor of many Arab tribes in Islamic tradition.

>>/Sarah was Abraham’s half-sister (they shared the same father, Terah; Genesis 20:12) and his wife. She was described as beautiful (Genesis 12:11) but was barren for much of her life, unable to bear children until old age (Genesis 11:30).

>>/According to the Abrahamic text, God promised Abraham and Sarah a son through whom the covenant blessings—land, numerous descendants, and universal blessing—would be fulfilled (Genesis 17:15-19). Despite her initial disbelief due to her advanced age (she was 90), Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the “child of promise” (Genesis 18:10-14, 21:1-3). God changed her name from Sarai to Sarah, meaning “princess,” signifying her role as the mother of nations and kings (Genesis 17:15-16). • Key Events: • Hagar and Ishmael: Due to her infertility, Sarah gave her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abraham to bear a child, resulting in the birth of Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-4). Later, tensions arose, and Sarah requested that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away, which God permitted, affirming Isaac’s role in the covenant (Genesis 21:8-21).

>>/Encounters with Kings: Sarah’s beauty led to two incidents where Abraham presented her as his sister to protect himself: with Pharaoh in Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20) and with King Abimelech of Gerar (Genesis 20). In both cases, God protected Sarah. • Legacy: Sarah died at age 127 and was buried in the cave of Machpelah in Hebron, which Abraham purchased as a family burial site (Genesis 23). In Judaism, she is one of the four matriarchs; in Christianity, she is a model of faith (Hebrews 11:11); and in Islam, she is revered as Abraham’s wife and Isaac’s mother, though less prominent than Hagar in some traditions.

>>/In the New Testament, Paul uses Hagar and Sarah allegorically to contrast the old covenant (law) and new covenant through Christ’s grace in Galatians 4:21-31.

>>/Clearly Ishmael is perceived as an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad through his descendant Adnan. Ishmael and Isaac are later mentioned together at Abraham’s death, where they jointly bury their father in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 25:9), suggesting some reconciliation or cooperation.

>>/Ishmael’s twelve sons (Genesis 25:12-16) mirror the twelve tribes of Israel through Isaac’s son Jacob, showing God’s fulfillment of promises to both. Yet, nobody in the context of the Christian mission, it seems was charged with passing on the Gospel to the Ishmaelites. Recent memory reveals that instead of receiving the actual teachings of Christ the Ishmaelite received Christ in the form of the closed fist of the American Military.

>>/Allahu Akbar is a cry of defiance in the face of that grizzly reality.

### Draco – Bringer Of The Law:

>>>/As Christians we have to heed Jesus instruction in Matthew to be “wise as serpents, innocent as doves” as it is written in Matthew 10:16. How might we interpret this in the context of his appearance before Pilate? It seems to be a contradiction for the path of his own life. Yet, in the literal sense we can see his silence as an ultimate submission before his Father, in heaven – because this is where he submits absolutely to the will of the almighty – and this is where Christ’s victory lies. He understood that he was totally powerless when standing beaten and bruised as he was before the Roman Governor.

>>>/He was the only martyr that the world has ever needed. There is no need, in the purely Christian worldview to martyr oneself for the sake of God. The deed is already done. His death, his sacrifice, is what gives you the freedom to live in the joy and happiness that comes with fellowshiping in the spirit.

>>>/In the Christian view, there is no need to re-enact His ultimate sacrifice. Yet, the Muslim on the other hand views all of this within the lens of his age-long struggle with Ishmael. Based on the available record, no one in the at-the-time Christian faith it seems was charged with passing this gospel on to the brother Ishmaelites. The Jew and the gentile were the focus of the early Church. The history of Abraham’s Egyptian seed was left out entirely until the coming of Mohammed and his followers some centuries in the future.

>>>/Isaacites, the sons of Jacob wrote their own laws following Christ’s death and never accepted Christ as King. How come? Did Christ somehow shake the foundations of their world view in such a way that they were theretofore unable to accept him, despite being “God’s Chosen”?

>>>/Do they so deny Ishmael and his lineage their own birthright in the same way the Almighty unfailingly bestowed the land of Kanaan on to them? Are they not of the same seed but for the inherent differences between Sarah and Hagar?

>>/Christs divine wisdom wasn’t only taught it was demonstrated. He performed miracles of nourishment and sustenance and supernatural healing. What is meant by those who passed his teaching down can now only be interpreted without actually coming face to face with the actual man. It can’t be that the words “wise as serpents, innocent as doves” are attributed to a man who somehow lacked the power to save himself. Of course he could have – but the life he lived was intended as a demonstration of something greater happening in another realm.

>>/Christ achieves a spiritual victory over death. Over the adversary himself. It was more than carnal. Of course there was much more that was passed down than what actually remains in the written record. And these teaching have to be seen in the eastern mystical context. Certainly it is documented that through their nearness with him that his disciples too performed the same kinds of miracles. How this is kept in a veil from the hearts and the minds of the Muslim is what I struggle understanding the most.

>>/A *Muslim* or a *Muselman*, while accepting Christ as a prophet seems to lack this most fundamental understanding that Christ too was one who submitted to the will of creation and He is King exactly and only because of his willingness to demonstrate this.

### The Isaiah 53 Prophecy:

>>>/Why would an Ishmaelite heed a prophecy of Isaiah? He wouldn’t.

>>/He is not from the lineage of Isaac and Jacob. So in the Islamic faith Christ is venerated as a prophet. Isa. Yet, the very word Muslim means to be one who submits to God’s will. Christ is not only King in our world, He is and He must be recognized as *King* among our Muslim brethren. There is no denying this.

>>/It is his submission that makes him King for us – is it such a heresy for the Muslim to admit the same?

>>/If there is a counter argument I would love to hear one.

>>/How do we go about seeking to understand a Man from Heaven when we are two thousand years disconnected from his Earthly life? We are left with the same context of Judeo secularism without Him. Without a full embrace of *Christ as King* how are we to understand the work of the adversary in our lives?

>>/The Muslim indeed is forced to submit without this kind of faith. He is led astray. He is left with the promises made to Hagar and her son. He is left to struggle with Isaac. He must reconcile but without Christ he cannot. As Christians indeed we are led as sheep among wolves.

>>/The Isaiah 53 account is damning. Christ’s final proclamation – why have you forsaken me? That some 600 years later the Prophet Muhammad would unite the Arab people, being a leader amongst the descendent of Ishmael. That is the connection.

>>/He was a wild donkey of a man – referring to Ishmael. It is said that Ishmael and Abraham built the Kaaba. But where is the record for this? It isn’t in the Bible.

>>/Clearly, the Quran isn’t the Bible. The Quran consists of 114 surahs (chapters), ranging from a few verses to hundreds, totaling approximately 6,236 ayahs (verses). It is written in classical Arabic and arranged roughly in descending order of length, not chronologically. Surah Yusuf \[12] about Joseph, Surah Maryam \[19] about Mary and Jesus illustrate their struggles to uphold monotheism against disbelief.

>>/ Mohamed was not himself a Christian. Though he had clearly heard of Christ and what is remarkable is that Mohamed recognizes Christs divine birth through Mary. The central narrative in the Quran focuses on Maryam, who is chosen by God for her purity. She miraculously conceives Prophet Isa (Jesus) through divine command without a human father. The Quran describes her retreat, the birth of Jesus, and her return to her people, who question her chastity. Jesus speaks from the cradle to defend her and affirm his prophethood.

>>/Yet the Surah Yusuf still denies Christ’s divinity – what a bizarre juxtaposition!

>>/“It is not \[befitting] for Allah to take a son; exalted is He! When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” Let’s revisit Christs final proclamation Father why have you forsaken me? Well. He did, and it was. Quran 3:59: “Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.”.

>>/Let’s look at this from the perspective of addressing sin and the fall from Eden. Does the Quran make mention of an adversary? The purpose of Christ’s life, it seems based on his proclamation on the cross was to submit absolutely to the will of his divine father – as it is accepted in Islam.

>>/Christ’s life is a model for Christians to live by – a demonstration of submission. As we have discussed earlier Christ had nothing to atone for within the Abrahamic cosmology. His life was perfect. It was the state of the world that sealed his fate. He was in the world but apart from it spiritually. And his life serves as a reminder for what all Christians aspire to do in theirs.

>>/He was not forgetful, as the Muslim theology suggests as it relates to mortal humans. Yet indeed he could have offered at least some defense during his trial. While foolish in human eyes, it was this act of silent obedience that cemented God’s plan for him in this world. It wasn’t worldly but divine.

>>/It was a divine wisdom that shut his lips at the same moment that Paul offered his famous “I am a Roman at birth defense”. Mohammed seems to believe, and what he passes down to the followers of his newly found monotheism is that it was not God’s will for him to be King. Otherwise he would have been!

>>/Who then between the two, when examining both their lives was the greater Muslim? If what is meant by the word itself is to be a servant of the almighty! A well-known Hadith in Sahih Muslim (Book 41, Hadith 6931) states: “By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people as a just ruler and will break the cross, kill the swine, and abolish the jizya (tax on non-Muslims).” Why say this?

### Muhammad’s Spiritual Awakening:

>>>/Did Muhammad have a spiritual awakening that hasn’t been fully documented? What was it that the Angel Gabriel revealed to him? Here are some highlights:

>>/Mohammad was revealed, that after fulfilling his mission, Jesus would live a natural life, marry, have children, and eventually die, as per some Hadith (e.g., Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 38, Hadith 4324). This aligns with the Islamic belief that Jesus did not die on the cross but was raised by God (Quran 4:157-158) and will complete his earthly life upon his return.

>>/Mohammad was revealed, “the breaking of the cross” — Jesus in Muslim eschatology, is considered to be alive.

>>/Accordingly, in Islamic belief, Jesus was not crucified nor killed but was instead raised up to heaven by Allah (God) before his enemies could harm him. This is based on the Quranic verse revealed to Mohammad in Surah An-Nisa (4:157-158), which states that Jesus was neither killed nor crucified, but it was made to appear so, and that Allah raised him to Himself. So, it follows that Muslims believe that Jesus remains alive in heaven and will return to Earth as a sign of the Day of Judgment.

>>/Upon his return, he is expected to play a significant role in defeating the false messiah (Al-Masih ad-Dajjal) and establishing justice before his eventual natural death. This belief is supported by various hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) in collections such as Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari, which describe Jesus’ second coming.

### Apostles Spreading the Gospel in the Days of the Early Church:

>>/Which of the apostles was charged with going to Mecca or Medina during their lives? None.

>>/They were Jews. Descendants of Isaac and Jacob.

>>/Why would they concern themselves with converting the Ishmaelites who never held covenant until Muhammad established monotheism? The apostles’ mission, as outlined in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), was to “make disciples of all nations.”

>>/However, their immediate focus was on Jewish communities and Gentile populations within the Greco-Roman world, where infrastructure (roads, trade routes) and cultural familiarity (Hellenized cities, synagogues) facilitated outreach. Mecca and Medina, in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula, were remote, pre-Islamic polytheistic trading hubs with limited Jewish or Christian presence, making them unlikely destinations for the apostles.

>>/If Ishmael was described as a donkey of a man, why would they? So early Christianity didn’t distinguish the “Ishmaelites” as a special group requiring conversion.

>>/The apostles’ mission was universal but prioritized accessible regions. Arabia’s isolation and polytheistic culture made it a low priority until Christianity spread there later (e.g., via trade routes or Nestorian Christians by the 4th-5th centuries).

### God Creating Adam from Dust – Trininty – After the Fall

>>/Muslim Eschatology fails to acknowledge that Adam is a fallen being – which inherently leads to an incomplete understanding of original sin. Jesus descends from Heaven – and this is where the trinity concept is born – Jesus is born sinless – he is literally from Heaven – He is God the Son who carries the Holy Spirit down to Earth.

>>/He is reunited with the Father, while Adam on the other hand dies a worldly death – he is banished from the Garden, not sent in to a fallen world as a messenger.

>>/So let’s address the issue of the triune God and the Muslim argument that God created Adam in the same way he does Jesus. Jesus and Adam are not the same – Jesus is born sinless as a result of a virgin birth – he carries the Holy Spirit with him into this realm. Adam on the other hand commits original sin with Eve and is therefore banished into this realm and dies a worldly death.

>>/Jesus on the other hand as the Muslims acknowledge, is still alive – it’s a lack of understanding of original sin on the part of the Muslim that is explained away as forgetfulness. This is Error.