Friday, November 2, 2012

Robert Spencer: Introduction to the Qur'an

15 comments:

Radical Moderate said...

I have a recording of a Muslim telling another Muslim that she needs to understand Arabic before Islam and after Islam. He gives a example from the Haddeeth.

He says in order to understand this Haddeeth you need to know Arabic. Then he gives the explanation of the Hadeeth.

I asked him if he understood Arabic?

His response "I understand very little Arabic."

He didn't understand why everyone was laughing at him. I guess in order to understand that he is the joke he needed to understand Arabic as well.

Jesus is Lord said...

How easy it is for a normal person to open a book (Qur'an), read it and understand the message in context? Not hard! An arabic book that is translated by Islamic Scholars to english Muslims, the context and meaning doesn't change when the translation is made from arabic to english.

My point is, I read and understand the Qur'an and the Hadith, I am really shocked to see that everything I heard about Islam and Muhammad are sadly true. To be honest, I don't understand how can a Muslim live a life without attacking a non-Muslim when your own Prophet tells his followers not long before he died being poison by his Jew wife, to fight those who don't believe (Jews and Christians) or pay the Jizya (high tax) and feel humiliated.

Here is another citation:
Ibn ‘Umar related that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said, “I have been ordered to kill the people until they testify that there is no god except Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and they establish prayer and pay the zakah. If they do that, their blood and wealth are protected from me save by the rights of Islam. Their reckoning will be with Allah.” (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)”

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

The end of the Antichrist

Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet... These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Rev 19:20; 20:10

The terms, "beast" and "false prophet" in this verse in Revelation are general terms for the whole of that type throughout history. They do not refer to a single person as some believe, or as depicted in books and films.

NOTE: whether a word or verse in the Bible is singular or general in meaning is determined by the commentary of the surounding scripture, e.g. Malachi 3:1 is singular in its meaning of "messenger" and "prophet," whereas the "beast" and "false prophet" in Revelation are general in meaning. E.g. the meaning of "the lie" can mean the general body of lies or a single lie depending on the surrounding scripture. Likewise, "the devil" can mean the general horde of devils or an individual devil or the chief devil, Satan. And "Satan" can refer to him as an individual or his kingdom in general.

The "beast" component of the Antichrist refers to religions and institutions that openly work at destroying Christ's kingdom on earth, that is, Christianity. For example, Islam's mandate to ultimately subjugate or destroy all other religions and political systems out-side of itself (called unbelievers, infidels or kafirs), as commmanded in the Koran.
And the open enmity and destructive intention of Nazism, Communism, evolutionary indoctrination and athiesm, towards Christianity in particular, also make them part of the beast.

The "false prophet" component of the Antichrist in the same verse refers to those institutions that diguise themselves behind the name of Christ or God and kill souls by subtly leading men astray from the truth of God's word e.g. Roman Catholicism and other Christian cults (Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Seventh-Day Adventism).

Of course underneath it all, both the beast and the false prophet also share some attributes, since they are both working for the same devil.

Anonymous said...

The sheep and the goats

The following verse refers to the adherents of those religions and ideologies which have distorted God's word and are outside of his will; also called in the scriptures the 'ungodly.'

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from his goats. And he will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. he the King will say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from me you cursed..." Mat 25:31-34, 41

Sheep and goats will mingle in a paddock and have to be separated by the shepherd.
A common occult symbol is a five pointed star or pentagram framing a goats head.

NOTE: obviously, this does not imply that goats are evil, they are just creatures that are part of the creation; the same applies to snakes who some think of as evil.
The verse in Mathew is a parable, an analogy, an allegorical or symbolic description of true and false religions, that is, those who live by God's word, and those who only pick from it (and/or add to it) that which serves their institutions and the flesh.

A sad end for the proponents of religions...

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?'
And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!'" Mat 7:21-23

...and ideologies and institutions that serve the Antichrist.

"The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be a wailing and gnashing of teeth." Mat 41, 42

Anonymous said...

The media, bearing false witness, and the 'great whore' of Revelation

"You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness." Exodus 23:1

...and whoever spreads slander is a fool. Prov 10:18

Do not be a witness against your neighbour without cause, and deceive not with your lips. Prov 24:28

Their tongue is a murderous arrow; it speaks deceitfully; one speaks peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart he lays traps and waits in ambush for him. Jer 9:8

Apart from circulating false reports, and/or withholding important truths, bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16 - the 8th Commandment) is also gossip, slander and defamation of character. If a matter is true, and is not a reportable crime, but a personal thing, then it becomes a betrayal...

A tale bearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter. Prov 11:13

...which causes damage to honour and life.

A man who bears witness against his neighbour is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow. prov 25:18

It must be said however, that while bearing false witness is commonly practiced by the media, it is a vice that is also part of human nature in general; otherwise there would be no market for much of what the media serves up in the first place.

"Here belongs particularly the detestable, shameful vice of speaking behind a person's back and slandering, to which the devil spurs us on and of which there would be much to be said. For it a common evil plague that everyone prefers hearing evil to hearing good of his neighbour; and although we ourselves are so bad that we cannot suffer that one should say anything bad about us, but everyone would much rather that all the world should speak of him in terms of gold, yet we cannot bear that the best is spoken about others...
Those, then, are called slanderers who are not content with knowing a thing, but proceed to assume jurisdiction, and when they know a slight offence of another, carry it into every corner, and are delighted and tickled that they can stir up another's displeasure... This is nothing else than meddling with the judgement and office of God, and pronouncing sentence and punishment with the most severe verdict. For no judge can punish to a higher degree nor go further than to say: He is a thief, a murderer, a traitor, etc.
Therefore, whoever presumes to say the same of his neighbour goes just as far as the emperor and all governments. For although you do not wield the sword, you employ your poisonous tongue to the shame and hurt of your neighbour."*

To do evil is like sport to a fool. Prov 10:23

*Luthers Large Catechism: the 8th Commandment

Continued next comment...

Anonymous said...

Hollywood

This institution has the devils fingerprints all over it. The general underlying themes in the entertainment that it produces are:

1. That God is an overbearing evil tyrant who we can free ourselves from by rebelling against him i.e. "I did it my way." So the devil is called good and the Creator is called evil. This is a continuation of the same lie from Satan that Adam originally wilfully swallowed.

2. As with all idolatrous institutions, savaltion is achieved by heroic human endeavour only (God's grace rarely gets a mention); this is the standard message or influence that is in much of the entertainment it produces.

3. It glorifies and promotes what scripture calls the works of the flesh:

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanliness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissentions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkeness, revels and the like. Gal 5:19-21

This and all other related institutions worldwide, including the media and much of the music industry are a part of what is called...

"...the great whore who sits on many waters."

And he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues." Rev 17:1, 15

Anonymous said...

Freemasonary: another friend of the Antichrist

Freemasonary is a religion and has many of the doctrines, philosophy's and pagan practices found in New Age teachings.
It is basically a conglomeration of many different religions or parts and/or central doctrines (salvation through works) thereof; including those of ancient Egypt, Eastern mysticism, Islam, Kabbalism (Judaic mysticism) and it also has parts of the Old and New Testaments (bits and pieces from the Law and the Gospel mixed together in confusion) and Roman Catholicism in its doctrine.

It has a 'secret doctrine' which is well documented in masonic literature. The secret doctrine denies the unique diety of Jesus Christ and contains a plan of salvation wherein each mason earns his own salvation by attaining conscious union with a spirit, and that each mason can evolve through works (working up through the degrees) to become their own saviour.
This is obviously contrary to the plan of salvation in God's word and goes against Ephesians 3:8, 9 where God's grace rather than human endeavour is the saving factor.

The masonic book Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike, states in the 32nd Degree that:

"Freemasonary may be accurately defined as the Kabbalah in active realization, or the magic of works."

The terms 'magic' and 'magical' appear about 40 times in Morals and Dogma.

Magic or Magik, and its application and purpose is defined as:
To influence, beguile and lead astray from the truth, and cause things that are true and good to be thought of as evil, and conversely, things that are false and evil to be thought of as good (and ultimately, the benevolent Creator thought of as evil and the murderous devil thought of as good), by means of deceit and seduction (as originally happened to Eve, the first victim to fall for Satan's "magic").

But as described in the ten plagues of Egypt in Exodus 7-9, magic and sorcery will not survive God's judgement.

Freemasonary is idolatry and blasphemy of the highest order. The god of freemasonary, known as the Great Architect of the universe, is Satan.

God's advice to those involved in this and other similar (e.g. the Rosicrucian's) idolatrous institutions:

"Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 2Corinthians 6:17, 18

Anonymous said...

The verses in Ephesians in the comment on Freemasonary should be verses 2:8, 9 rather than 3:8, 9

Anonymous said...

Organized crime

Another arm of the Antichrist is criminal activity; from big business and financial crime to street crime, which obviously goes against God's word and ignores Christ's command in Mathew 7:12.

Something that many criminals may not be aware of is that nothing they do goes unnoticed.

"If you steal much, depend upon it that again as much will be stolen from you; and he who robs and aquires with violence and wrong will submit to one who shall deal after the same fashion with him. For God is a master of this art, that since everyone robs and steals from the other, he punishes one thief by means of another. Else, where should we find enough gallows and ropes?*

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Gal 6:7

Some advice from the Almighty:

"But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness he has done he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord God, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live?"
"For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord God, "Therefore turn and live!" Ezekiel 18:21-23, 32

And the greater the sinner, the greater advertisement to God's grace they become...

But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. Romans 5:20

...as in the case of David, who committed murder, was forgiven and went on to write many of the Psalms. And Saul, who, before the well-known event on the road to Damascus, was a bit harsh on his neighbours...

Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples... Acts 9:1

...but, went on to become the famous St Paul.

Then saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit... Acts 13:9

*From Martin Luther's Large Catechism; the Seventh Commandment.

Anonymous said...

Corrupt authority

The basic duty of a government is to maintain administrative order and to uphold the law, and to uphold order, for the peace and wellbeing of the citizens by means of the authority and power invested in it by the Creator.

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God... Romans 13:1-7

The king of Babylon found out the hard way who was really in charge when...

...till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever he chooses. Daniel 5:21

And the higher the office the greater the responsibility. Judges and magistrates for example, are given strong warning against being corrupt...

"Woe to those judges who issue unrighteous decrees, and to magistrates who cause unjust and oppressive decisions to be recorded, to rob the needy of justice, and to take what is right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless.
What will you do in the day of punishment, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee to for help?" Isaiah 10:1-3

...and that they are under the close observation of the Highest Judge, while performing the office ordained by him, and that they judge on his behalf as his representatives.

God stands in assembly of the mighty; he judges among the gods* [judges]. How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy; deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked.
They [the judges] do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations [the principles on which rests the administration of justice] of the earth are unstable. Psalm 82

*Able to discern between good and evil.

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods?'" John 10:34

The correct context an meaning of 'god' or 'gods' being determined by the commentary of the surrounding scripture; since the word god/s is also used when referring to fallen angels/demons/evil spirits or any being originally created by God. And, it can also refer to an idol or any part of creation that is held in higher esteem than the Creator.

Anonymous said...

Satan: the mastermind behind Antichrist Ltd

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2Thess 2:9

The basic nature of Satan as described by Jesus (God was manifested in the flesh. 1Tim 3:16) in the following verse.

"He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and all that is false." john 8:44

His miserable condition...

This Diabolos [Satan] is indeed a great and mighty prince, yet both poor and beggarly.*

...originally came about because of pride and selfish ambition (Isaiah 14:13, 14).

Satan's specialty: deceitful religion

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 2cor 11:13-15

He always tries to mimic God; where God builds his church, the devil will build a chapel next door.

The Devil's victory over the first man

This is where unbelief made its first appearance in mankind ('unbelief' in this instance meaning: wilfully rejecting what was known to be true) in the form of having been convinced into rebelling against god by willingly accepting the devil's lie, that is, not accepting (Adam wilfully rejected what he knew to be true and accepted instead what he knew to be false) that what God had predicted would happen if they disobeyed his command...

"But from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat the fruit of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:17 (This death was inherited by us and is manifested as spiritual blindness. And physically; from the day we are born, we shall surely die)

...and that they could also live without God's wisdom and strength and rely on their own instead.
This was achieved by a combination of doubt and allure...

And the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows in the day you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Gen 3:4, 5

...which human reasoning and strength has no will or power to defend itself against (due to the amount of weight of force with which the devil is able to apply it), without the protection of god's commands, which are designed to be an impenetrable defence against a very cunning and powerful enemy; provided of course that these commands are obeyed, in faith, and thereby keeping them between us and the enemy, like a shield.

*From: The Holy War by John Bunyan

Continued next comment...

Anonymous said...

The Original Sin

Unbelief is the chief sin from which all other sins originate. Unbelief is called in the scriptures, the head of the serpent and the old dragon, which the Seed of the woman, Christ, must tread underfoot, as was promised to adam in Genesis 3:15.
The devil destroys us through unbelief which is the head of the serpent and all the sins that follow in its wake are the body and tail of the serpent.
The physical serpent (the physical event mirrored that of the spiritual) was simply used as a means of disguise by the devil to get close enough to his prey to be able to deceive them in the first place. The devil would not have succeeded if he had turned up as himself, as he would have been TOO obvious. They would have rejected anything he had to say to them and raised the alarm.
In God's eyes, trivial outward sins are relatively inoffensive (since he takes our sinful nature into account; but they are still sins never the less) to him in comparison with unbelief, which, because it is spiritual in nature, is the highest, and the most offensive sin. In essence, unbelief is the blasphemy of calling God a liar.
It is also the real source of all human misery due in no small part to the bad choices that follow in its wake; so it is also the most dangerous and harmful.
Pointing the finger at other people's trivial misdemeanours, while ouselves being full of the far greater sin of unbelief, is hypocricy, and only demonstrates our blindness and the devils hold over us. Wilful unbelief is the highest folly that man can attain to, and was itself at the heart of the original sin.
The pinnacle of this folly, and the thing that angers God the most, is if we reject the cure (the Son's freely given sacrifice on the cross) for our resulting condition; which is the same as a terminally ill person refusing to take a lifesaving medication and dying.

Contiued next comment...

Anonymous said...

Present ambition

The devil's chief ambition concerning mankind, is to deceive us through accusation of sin, into believing that we are CONDEMNED by God, and that there is NO mercy and redemption for us, and that God is our mortal enemy, thereby causing us instead to run to the devil, a hateful monster and tyrant for protection, where he then equips us with the following armour and weapons with which to resist and defend ourselves against God:

Stubbornness to live our own way without regard to him or 'helmet.'

A hard heart or 'breast plate' (chest armour).

A poisonous and blasphemous tongue or 'sword.'

Questioning the truth of God's word or 'shield of unbelief.'

Another piece of armour is a mindset that scorns to ask God for help and mercy.

These weapons and armour being the the devil's version of those given by God as described in Ephesians 6; they being the helmet of salvation; a heart receptive to his word and covered with the breastplate of righteousness; the swordof the spirit which is the word of God; and the shield of faith.
The devil will also try to get us to wallow in as much sin as possible, to try to alienate us totally from God, and consequently bring destruction down on us via God's judgement; all the while encouraging us to follow his golden rule, "Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" or do as you please and never mind the consequences (if it feels good do it), and thereby also giving him occasion to accuse us before God (Zech 3:1 and Rev 12:10).

The whole of the above tactic is underscored by Satan's desire to abolish JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH in Christ. The devil would rather have us running around trying to gain righteousness by our own efforts and good deeds (a means of easing the concience), which to him is a comedy.

Continued next comment...

Anonymous said...

Motivation

Satan's motivation to destroy us comes from the 'hunger'...

...your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1Peter 5:8

...which is born out of envy, hatred and revenge and sharpened by rage. A large part of this rage stems from God defeating the devil through fragile creatures like us...

"...For my strength is made perfect in weakness" 2Cor 12:9

...and which the devil finds highly offensive, that is, a mighty warrior is insulted when an unworthy, weak opponent is brought against him, as Goliath was when God brought David against him.
God catches the devil with a delicate piece of bait, which is us, and the hook hidden within us is God's strength. In this way we are in partnership with him.
The line attached to the hook starts from Genesis (the Seed [Christ] in 3:15) and runs all the way to Christ on the cross, who was the Creator within a fragile man...

God was manifested in the flesh. 1Tim 3:16

...right through to Revelation.

...of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Rev 13:8

The difference between GUILT from the devil and CONVICTION from God:

Condemnation and guilt from the devil which is experienced as oppression and hopelessness, and which he achieves by attacking and wounding our conscience, is not the same as CONVICTION...

being convicted by their conscience. John 8:9

...from God, which is experienced as restraint or like being admonished for bad behaviour, and where he brings our attention to things that we need to change with his help, for the improvement of attitude and character...

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world... John 3:17
"Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." John 8:11

A tactic against guilt and condemnation from the enemy:

When the devil tries to condemn us, usually through our thoughts and emotions, for our sins/cimes (the biggest criminal of all time accusing US of doing wrong?) just tell him:

"Go and see God's Son, all my sins are on HIS shoulders not mine...

so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. Heb 9:28

...I broke God's Laws...

against you, you only I have sinned. Psalm 51:4

...not yours."

The End