A Favourite Defense.

One favourite defense of many Muslims is this one. The Bible is full of errors because of translations and it is not the word of God. The Qur'an is the word of God because it is without error due to the fact that it was written in Arabic and is not a translation.

It is true that the Bible has some errors because of translations. It is also true that there are many examples in the Bible where people were not required to know the whole Bible to receive salvation and other deliverances. A notable example is about one thief on a cross next to Jesus at the time of His crucifixion. There are so many examples screaming at us that it is very unfair to cast off the Bible as an evil work because of a few errors. The Bible is in sufficient good condition to give the truth about God and eternal life, etc. It is a proven book of excellent spiritual knowledge. You really have to taste it for yourself.

The other point, about the Qur'an being without error, is based on ignorance. It is also based on a bias to accept most things their leaders say and not checking out things on their own.

The day came when I had to deal with this defense made by one of my wife's relative. He took the stand that the Bible contain errors and the Qur'an was perfect. So I asked him, the words are not exact here but as best as I can remember, "When you bury your dead, why do you leave a space and do not put the earth on top the coffin?" They make the grave wider at a certain distance above the coffin. The way they fashion it creates a ledge all around the grave. On this ledge they place boards to prevent the earth from touching the coffin when they fill the grave. The reason for this is based on their belief that the dead person will be visited by an angel as soon as everyone leaves the grave site. The answer he gave me was, "So the person can breathe." I asked him, "Can a dead person breathe?" He answered, "No. The person's spirit needs to breathe." I told him that spirits do not need air. The conversation took a turn from this point.

What he could not see and explain caused him to make this conclusion: "All religions have errors." He had to admit that his religion is not perfect.

The point I was trying to give him was this. If a dead person is buried with the belief that an angel would come to visit that person, and a space is left for the person to sit up, it means that the person will be resurrected by an angel. It means Muslims believe in a resurrection before the final judgment resurrection. This much and some other things I had in my mind to talk about then.

The following came to me recently. By the way, I think they leave the coffin cover off to facilitate this resurrection. The problem with this practice is that it gives the false teaching that resurrection by angels is normal. It also accomplishes many resurrections inside the grave, without the dead ever leaving the grave. Apparently, when the interview by the angel concludes, the person goes back to being dead and awaits the final judgment. This teaching makes the acceptance of Jesus as a prophet of God, by my Muslim friends, a pretense. Acceptance of Jesus must go along with acceptance of His teachings. To say one thing and do another is far from pleasing to God. Jesus is the resurrection. That is the real Jesus' teaching. Change that and you are accepting a false Jesus. The claim could be made that God is the one who raises the dead person and not the angel. In that case the first resurrection that Jesus talked about becomes Nancy story (fable), because all the individual resurrections precedes it (even though in their resurrection they do not receive immortal bodies). It makes Jesus a liar. However, Jesus cannot lie. He was sinless.

The hopelessness of such ongoing resurrections does not seem to make my Muslim friends sit up now, before they are dead, and seek for that first and true resurrection which only the Lord Jesus has power to do. In that resurrection the dead in Christ will leave the graves with immortal bodies. The glory of the resurrection to immortality belongs to Jesus and His Father. No angel can take that glory away from Jesus. Neither can angels perform raising of the dead. There will be one occasion when Satan will give life to an image. This act is not a resurrection of a dead person. See the book of Revelation, chapter 13 and verse 15. The act is after the workings of Satan (with intent to deceive). Satan is the greatest deceiver. He will work this act through a false prophet. Satan cannot do this often. In that one case he will be permitted by God to do so or else he cannot. Even Satan knows that he is not allowed to do as he pleases.

The resurrection of the dead in the final judgment also belongs to the Lord Jesus. Believers after the first resurrection will be raised to be judged. He will also raise all those who never received Him as their saviour, to be judged, based on faith in Him and on their good works.

Patience, A Key of the Kingdom of God.

Life with God involves growth. Growing up into spiritual maturity takes time. You cannot speed up the process beyond what is reasonable. Patience cannot be cast off in this process. Growing in patience is part of spiritual growth. Frustrations and discouragement can result when we become impatient. The impatient can miss the mark that God has set for success. The growth in faith is made prosperous with patience. Patience allows the child of God to accomplish what the proud cannot. The proud wants instant growth or speedy growth. Pride is not a mark of Godliness. Refusing to believe in Jesus is pride. The proud is making a statement when he refuse to submit to Jesus. He is saying, "I know better than you Jesus." Choose Godliness, refuse pride, and have a prosperous life with God.

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