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I had an epiphany the other day when hearing a hadith about one of the gifts that the inhabitants of Paradise will receive upon entering Paradise. The hadith states that Allah will uncover his face and all of the people who had earned Paradise will fall down in prostration. Then Allah will tell the worshipers that there is no longer worship. Only honor. Allah will honor them for their good deeds. This is where the epiphany comes along. Many times we question why God would put us here in the first place and every time I have asked this I don't get much of an answer and I have even had people tell me not to question things as this might put me into disbelief. Now I do agree that there are some silly questions that don't have much point behind them and to complex yourself over such things could be useless but to question why we are here is a rather cosmic question and to search for an answer within Islamic text is not something ludicrous. In fact, when I have these sort of question marks floating around in my head it is usually only because I have so much belief in what I am asking about that I want to know more. I have the type of mind that if I am not asking questions than there is a problem and as a Muslim I trust the Quran when it says that within the text of the Quran is an example (in some form or another) for everything. I studied the Quran for myself and came across a couple verses stating that we are only made to worship and that Allah put us on earth to judge which of us are best in deed. As a former Christian I read the Bible several times and what I noticed most is that the prophets emphasized humility and kindness to others. In Islam these actions are part of worship. Our daily prayers are one on one worship with Allah but our good actions toward mankind (contrary to modern belief that Muslims are taught to harm others) are also a form of worship because if we truly worship Allah in prayer from a genuine and grateful heart then our love for Allah will overflow and manifest in our treatment toward others which is indeed much of our worship and exaltation of God. This was enough of an answer for me to calm the cosmic question of why we are here until I heard the hadith that refers to Allah showing himself to us and then telling us there is no longer worship, only honor. It sounds simple but to me it sealed up all the loose ends to my questioning of why we are here. With our sentence being only to worship and for Allah to judge which of us are good in actions comes something distinct that most other creation has not been appointed. That is free choice. The angels were created to do only what they are commanded. Most other creation only does what it was made to do while humans have free choice. Free choice is often confused with free will. However, I could will myself to grow wings and fly but it would never happen. This lack of free will is what SHOULD make mankind grateful and humble to their Creator but instead we find the evil amongst mankind trying to take on the role of free will. That is to be all powerful. The difference is that God never uses His free will for evil (only justice). Some of mankind however will take as much power as they can get their hands on regardless of the price others pay. Take for example Hitler, the man took the lives of many innocent people in very gruesome ways and for what? For power and domination. He took his free CHOICE and confused it with free will forfeiting the fact that he will face the One and only being who does have free will. When I read the Quran it refers to the inhabitants of the hellfire as the like. People who relentlessly choose evil over good and refuse to humble themselves in repentance. Those who associate partners with him forgetting that He alone is the all powerful and yet most merciful. They associate sons, statues, daughters, wives, other gods, etc. with Him. There is a hadith that states that on the day of judgment people will be faced with the things that they associated with God (Jesus, trees, etc.) and Allah will ask them if these attributed 'gods' can help them more than Himself. There is even a Quranic verse that says Allah asks Jesus (peace be upon him) if he ever asked people to put him equal with Allah. "And behold! God will say [i.e. on the Day of Judgment]: 'Oh Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God?' He will say: 'Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would indeed have known it. You know what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Yours. For You know in full all that is hidden. Never did I say to them anything except what You commanded me to say: 'Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them while I lived among them. When You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a witness to all things'" (5:116-117)."
So in this I can find it plausible and even logical when Allah says we are made to worship and do good deeds. Part of those good deeds include turning to Him for forgiveness because that is admitting that you have transgressed bounds and it is also admitting that you are under God's governance not your own. "O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind... O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness as great as it."
If we use our free choice for good rather than evil Allah will reward us so much as to tell us we don't even need to worship Him anymore (of course naturally I believe we still will worship Him) and even further He will give US honor. Honor for our humility and self restraint. Honor for not using our distinct free choice and trying to compete with our Creator in making it free will. Honor for laying aside arrogance for gratefulness. Honor for using our money for charity instead of building our social credibility. (If we only obeyed Allah and all gave in charity and resisted the urge to overpower each other there would be no hunger or cruelty in the world).
Our Creator gave us something as unique and responsible as free choice so let's be careful to not turn this gift into a right and let us also be careful to use it for good rather than evil.
I testify that there is only One God and I testify that Muhommad, Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Noah, Adam, etc. were God's prophets. Peace be with you. Ameen.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Big Bang theory in the Quran?
The Big Bang theory in a nutshell states that the universe began when a quick expansion of gases occurred creating stars and planets and everything within our universe. Many Creationists refute this idea by saying that the Bible states that the earth was created in six days. What the Bible says is that God formed what is ON earth in seven days. Genesis 1:1-2 states "In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth, Now the Earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep..." It goes on to say that God then took the six days to form what is on the earth. This doesn't refer to how the "heavens and earth" came into being. When the Bible and Quran state "heavens and earth" it isn't referring to the promised paradise after this life. The term "heavens" is referring to the skies and stars, etc. Interestingly the Quran talks about how the universe became what we see today in a way that has many scientists considering the validity of the Quran. The first verse that I find in reference to this is in the Quran chapter 21 verse 30 which states "Have not the people who have disbelieved ever considered this?: The heavens and the earth were one mass, then we parted them and created every living thing from water." In this verse the Arabic term for "parted" means "expansion". Modern scientists (with the help of technology) have found that the universe continues to expand slowly but steadily and assume based on this expansion as well as other factors (materials that form the universe) that all of the matter that we see in the universe was at one point one giant mass that began to expand. Now many people assume that the big bang theory is about a sudden explosion of gases and dust, however the genuine Big Bang theory is about a steady expansion of these materials. Now the problem here is that water was necessary for life to "occur". The above verse describes that how after this expansion of materials occurred Allah CREATED every living thing from water. This would imply that after Allah willed the universal expansion He then Created living things from water. Scientists have been searching planets and even the moon for water in hopes that such a discovery would prove life could exist on these planets. Every living thing could not exist with out water and most living things are at least 98% water. Even our blood is made from water while we are in the womb. Now Muslims are also informed that we are made up of dust as well which is obvious to anybody who has seen a decayed corpse. A human body dies and upon death there are two main factors that cause decomposition which includes lack of oxygen and lack of water. After we lose oxygen our heart stops and after our heart stops all of our water retention leaves the body leaving only dust and bones. Bones will eventually become dust as well.
The next Quranic verse that refers to the formation of the universe is found in chapter 41 verse 11- "Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been as smoke; He said to it (the skies aka universe) and to the Earth "Come ye together willingly or unwillingly" They said "We do come together in willing obedience." This is referring to after the expansion of the universe. After the expansion there was "formless" smoke which was then set together in layers. In Arabic the terms have much more exact meanings which are hard to translate, however since there may not be exact words some Quranic translations have good description to detail the words more correctly. The most interesting part about this verse is the word "smoke". Smoke is made up of gases and water vapors. The particles and vapors found in smoke are also found throughout the universe. Take our sun for example; The sun (and other stars) is made up of mostly hydrogen and helium and the nebula's are also made up of these particles. These particles are more compact in the sun and less condensed throughout different nebula's which is perhaps why nebula's look so much like colorful smoke. The point is that the universe and everything in it was at some point (according to scientists) smoke which eventually "came together" forming planets and stars. AMAZING. Take also the saying "come ye together"; Science implies that some force holds the formed universal bodies together and they have called this force gravity. Of course gravity doesn't have a visual or physical form and is a theory to explain the force that is holding these bodies "together" and is also the force used to explain the expansion and movement of the universe. Take for example black holes, these are giant gravity machines which, according to theory, were former stars which had exploded from a burst of energy and the center of the star which consisted of gravity, remains leaving a black hole. If all celestial bodies have this center of gravity which holds the body together then the Quran gives a clearer explanation of the source than any scientific theory because every theory about gravity has yet to have a cut and dry explanation for the source. The so called greatest mind on earth, Stephen Hawkings, recently presented the claim that God doesn't have to exist due to the existence of gravity, yet even he can't explain this phenomenon that we label "gravity". With out this "gravity" the gases and particles could not have become planets and stars and in fact universal expansion would be impossible. In the Quran God details for us that this force was at His command which at least gives us an explanation for the source of this bonding agent that we have labeled gravity which is more of an explanation than any scientist has presented about the source of this phenomenon and hundreds of years before gravity was even a theory. The next Quranic verse which refers to universe formation is in chapter 51 verse 47 "And it is we who built the universe with creative power, and verily it is we who are steadily expanding it." (Note: The "we" in this verse is a plural of respect and it refers to God alone.) This verse is quite clear in reference to the continuing expansion of the universe (by God's will) which I previously stated. The Hubble telescope has managed to take incredible photographs of different nebula's over the past 20 years and scientists find that when comparing the pictures from 1990 to the pictures taken in 2010 there is with out a doubt universal expansion. Many scientists believe that this continuous movement defeats the monotheistic God because of the Creation story which has no description of universal expansion and that since this expansion appears "spontaneous" there is no Creative force behind it. The Quran informed us of this expansion and the forces behind it 1400 years ago. An overview of these verses indicates that there was a mass of material which expanded then particles and "smoke" came together forming planets, stars, etc. By water life was formed and the universe continues to expand. Many scientists use this "Big Bang" theory to disprove God, however here we can see God sending them clear evidence 1400 years ago about what they are just now proving this century.
"Have not the people who have disbelieved ever considered this?: The heavens and the earth were one mass, then we parted them and created every living thing from water."
The next Quranic verse that refers to the formation of the universe is found in chapter 41 verse 11- "Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been as smoke; He said to it (the skies aka universe) and to the Earth "Come ye together willingly or unwillingly" They said "We do come together in willing obedience." This is referring to after the expansion of the universe. After the expansion there was "formless" smoke which was then set together in layers. In Arabic the terms have much more exact meanings which are hard to translate, however since there may not be exact words some Quranic translations have good description to detail the words more correctly. The most interesting part about this verse is the word "smoke". Smoke is made up of gases and water vapors. The particles and vapors found in smoke are also found throughout the universe. Take our sun for example; The sun (and other stars) is made up of mostly hydrogen and helium and the nebula's are also made up of these particles. These particles are more compact in the sun and less condensed throughout different nebula's which is perhaps why nebula's look so much like colorful smoke. The point is that the universe and everything in it was at some point (according to scientists) smoke which eventually "came together" forming planets and stars. AMAZING. Take also the saying "come ye together"; Science implies that some force holds the formed universal bodies together and they have called this force gravity. Of course gravity doesn't have a visual or physical form and is a theory to explain the force that is holding these bodies "together" and is also the force used to explain the expansion and movement of the universe. Take for example black holes, these are giant gravity machines which, according to theory, were former stars which had exploded from a burst of energy and the center of the star which consisted of gravity, remains leaving a black hole. If all celestial bodies have this center of gravity which holds the body together then the Quran gives a clearer explanation of the source than any scientific theory because every theory about gravity has yet to have a cut and dry explanation for the source. The so called greatest mind on earth, Stephen Hawkings, recently presented the claim that God doesn't have to exist due to the existence of gravity, yet even he can't explain this phenomenon that we label "gravity". With out this "gravity" the gases and particles could not have become planets and stars and in fact universal expansion would be impossible. In the Quran God details for us that this force was at His command which at least gives us an explanation for the source of this bonding agent that we have labeled gravity which is more of an explanation than any scientist has presented about the source of this phenomenon and hundreds of years before gravity was even a theory. The next Quranic verse which refers to universe formation is in chapter 51 verse 47 "And it is we who built the universe with creative power, and verily it is we who are steadily expanding it." (Note: The "we" in this verse is a plural of respect and it refers to God alone.) This verse is quite clear in reference to the continuing expansion of the universe (by God's will) which I previously stated. The Hubble telescope has managed to take incredible photographs of different nebula's over the past 20 years and scientists find that when comparing the pictures from 1990 to the pictures taken in 2010 there is with out a doubt universal expansion. Many scientists believe that this continuous movement defeats the monotheistic God because of the Creation story which has no description of universal expansion and that since this expansion appears "spontaneous" there is no Creative force behind it. The Quran informed us of this expansion and the forces behind it 1400 years ago. An overview of these verses indicates that there was a mass of material which expanded then particles and "smoke" came together forming planets, stars, etc. By water life was formed and the universe continues to expand. Many scientists use this "Big Bang" theory to disprove God, however here we can see God sending them clear evidence 1400 years ago about what they are just now proving this century.
"Have not the people who have disbelieved ever considered this?: The heavens and the earth were one mass, then we parted them and created every living thing from water."
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
They Had Miracles..We Have Signs
For the next two months I plan to post a series of mini-blogs based on signs and proofs from our Creator. Many people assume that Islam is based solely on faith, however something particularly unique about Islam is an emphasis on logic and proof. Scientific proofs and foretold signs have been proven and continue to be proven as will be seen in the future blog series called "They Had Miracles...We Have Signs". I gave the series this name after a friend of mine asked me how we can be sure that Islam (or any religion for that matter) is true since Islam's final Prophet died so many years ago. I explained to my friend that the Prophets were given miracles so that the people of their time couldn't deny their assigned prophet-hood and the prophets foretold of signs and proofs so people in the future would have proof from their Creator. Any questions about Islam or the content of my blog can be sent to singlecreed@hotmail.com
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Prophet...
In the Biblical book of John (injeel إنجيل) chapter 1 verses 19-25 the Jewish scribes and Pharisees ask John the Baptist (Yahya ibn Zacharriya) if he is the former prophet Elijah come back to life, then they ask him if he is the Messiah, then they ask him if he is "the Prophet". To each he replies "no". Who is this mysterious Prophet? In English we capitalize names and often use capitalization as a form of distinction. An example could be "god" meaning a false or stone god and "God" meaning the one true God. When this verse is read in the English Bible this distinct capitalization is found in reference to the Prophet. This verse also indicates that The Messiah (Jesus) and this Prophet were two separate entities. If we look into the history of the Hebrews we will find that they had three prophetic expectations including the return of the Prophet Elijah (book of Malachi chapter 4 verses 1-5), the Messiah (Jesus) and a final prophet who would serve as the seal of God's prophets. This verse indicates dually that the Messiah and the final prophet were two separate beings expected to come. The Pharisees again finish by asking "Why then do you not baptize if you are not Elijah, nor the Christ, nor the Prophet?" If Jesus were the finalization of sin and the only way between us and God then why would there be a final prophet to come? Why would there need to be a "seal of the prophets"? This seal of the prophets was expected to speak the literal words of God and these words were expected to not be changed at the hands of man by a single letter. Could this prophet possibly be the beloved Muhommed? By taking an unbiased look into the red letters (claimed Biblical words of Jesus) Jesus himself foretells of this prophet to come.
In the book of John chapters 15-16 Jesus speaks about one to come after him. John 15: 26-27 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning." And again in chapter 16: 5-16 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."
Here we find Jesus speaking about how he will leave (not die I might add) for a while and then return and in the meantime he will ask God to send this "counselor" who will "guide you into all truth". In Aramaic and Hebrew translations of this verse the word counselor is actually the name of "Ahmed". Christian leaders have tried to claim that this "counselor" is the holy spirit however as I said the oldest Biblical transcripts contain the name "Ahmed" (which is a variant and in fact the true name of Muhommed). Since many people don't know Hebrew or Aramaic we can turn to the movie "Passion of the Christ" which took exact Aramaic wording from the Bible including this verse and makes it possible for us to hear the name of Muhommed and even the name of Allah as found in the above verse. I will attach the segment of that movie at the end of this blog. Further evidence can be found in that Jesus states that this "Counselor" will not come until Jesus goes back to God. If "the Counselor" won't come until Jesus leaves then it can not be the "Holy Spirit" since several verses in the Gospels (injeel) state that the holy spirit was with Jesus (which is also stated in the Quran) while he was on earth. This verse also states that "this counselor" will not speak on his own but will speak only what he hears and will speak of things to come. The way the Quran was "produced" was by the angel Gabriel speaking God's exact words to Muhommed. Muhommed could not read or write and only repeated what he was told. The verse doesn't say that this counselor would write down what he was told (The way Moses did) but instead says he will speak what he hears. When Muhommed told his loved ones that he had been told the first revelation he thought he was possessed. His wife told him that he was known around Mecca for being an honest and good man and that he could not possibly be possessed. Eventually so many people were accepting the message that he was saying (Quran) but they couldn't make it public out of fear of the leaders of Mecca so they would have private meetings memorizing the words given to Muhommed word for word. This miraculous memorization by so many people has made it possible for the Quran not to be changed. Many times in history when something is written it either gets lost or changed over time and often times Holy scrolls were kept only to religious and political leaders. Reversely, with the Quran many people memorized it and therefore it became impossible for anybody to change it even by a single word. Could this seal of the prophets mentioned in the first chapter of John foretold to bring an unchangeable word from God be Muhommed and the unchanged Quran?
Holy Quran Surah 21:45 "Say, "I do but warn you according to revelation": But the deaf will not hear the call, (even) when they are warned!"
In the book of John chapters 15-16 Jesus speaks about one to come after him. John 15: 26-27 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning." And again in chapter 16: 5-16 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."
Here we find Jesus speaking about how he will leave (not die I might add) for a while and then return and in the meantime he will ask God to send this "counselor" who will "guide you into all truth". In Aramaic and Hebrew translations of this verse the word counselor is actually the name of "Ahmed". Christian leaders have tried to claim that this "counselor" is the holy spirit however as I said the oldest Biblical transcripts contain the name "Ahmed" (which is a variant and in fact the true name of Muhommed). Since many people don't know Hebrew or Aramaic we can turn to the movie "Passion of the Christ" which took exact Aramaic wording from the Bible including this verse and makes it possible for us to hear the name of Muhommed and even the name of Allah as found in the above verse. I will attach the segment of that movie at the end of this blog. Further evidence can be found in that Jesus states that this "Counselor" will not come until Jesus goes back to God. If "the Counselor" won't come until Jesus leaves then it can not be the "Holy Spirit" since several verses in the Gospels (injeel) state that the holy spirit was with Jesus (which is also stated in the Quran) while he was on earth. This verse also states that "this counselor" will not speak on his own but will speak only what he hears and will speak of things to come. The way the Quran was "produced" was by the angel Gabriel speaking God's exact words to Muhommed. Muhommed could not read or write and only repeated what he was told. The verse doesn't say that this counselor would write down what he was told (The way Moses did) but instead says he will speak what he hears. When Muhommed told his loved ones that he had been told the first revelation he thought he was possessed. His wife told him that he was known around Mecca for being an honest and good man and that he could not possibly be possessed. Eventually so many people were accepting the message that he was saying (Quran) but they couldn't make it public out of fear of the leaders of Mecca so they would have private meetings memorizing the words given to Muhommed word for word. This miraculous memorization by so many people has made it possible for the Quran not to be changed. Many times in history when something is written it either gets lost or changed over time and often times Holy scrolls were kept only to religious and political leaders. Reversely, with the Quran many people memorized it and therefore it became impossible for anybody to change it even by a single word. Could this seal of the prophets mentioned in the first chapter of John foretold to bring an unchangeable word from God be Muhommed and the unchanged Quran?
Holy Quran Surah 21:45 "Say, "I do but warn you according to revelation": But the deaf will not hear the call, (even) when they are warned!"
Monday, January 11, 2010
Judgment Day
I was watching a video yesterday that inspired me to write a blog about judgment day. In the video a woman was traveling into Jerusalem and she recorded an area where Jews, Christians and Muslims believe Judgment Day will start. Over 150,000 Jews, Christians and Muslims are buried in this spot. This spot is also important to Christians and Muslims because they believe this vicinity is where Isa (Jesus) will return. Jews also believe that this is where the Messiah will return. However they rejected him the first time he was here and don't believe Jesus is that Messiah.(At the end of this blog I will write a little on what Messiah means and what he means to the Jews.) People wanted to be buried here because the Anti-Christ can't enter Mecca, Medina or Jerusalem. It is believed that the Anti-Christ will raise people from the dead and if they don't claim him as God he will torture them, so this is a reason why people prefer to be buried in those cities. (Isa will slay the Anti-Christ near the border of Israel in Syria. A place which is currently an Israeli military base.) I think I should start with the return of Isa. Muslims and Christians both believe he is in Paradise and will return to earth near the day of judgment. The Muslim perspective is that when he returns the Anti-Christ will all ready have spread mischief and the true believers will turn from him because they will see the word "kafir" written across his forehead. Kafir means disbeliever. When he approaches a believer he will tell them to worship him. To this the believer will reply "You are not my Lord." Then the Anti-Christ will cut them in half and bring them back together and request that they worship him. At this the believer will say "now I know you aren't my Lord." He will gain many followers through his "miracles". Him and his followers will persecute the true believers. This is when Isa will return to defend them. (Many of the Christians will be with the Muslims due to the fact that they also believe in the Anti-Christ and the return of Isa.) When Isa returns he will tell the Christians that they must not worship him or contribute him to God's deity. He will then slay the Anti-Christ and his followers (since they will be killing the believers). Muslims believe he will break the cross and slay the pig (because Christians have claimed that he died for their sins on the cross and have claimed that he allowed the pig to be eaten.) After this the Gog and Magog will fill the earth and ruin everything in their sight. Isa will hide with the believers and God will send a sort of worm that will kill the Gog and Magog. After this Isa will establish temporary peace on earth (the rest of his time on earth will be peaceful). Food will be in abundance so much so that the milk of a sheep will be able to feed an entire group and the peel of a pomegranate will be large enough to shade people from the sun. He will make tax forbidden and will re-establish the daily prayer that so many Christians have abandoned. He will live on earth for 40 years making him something of 73 when he passes since he was taken to Paradise when he was 33 years old. The Janazah prayer and burial will be done for him which is the custom of current Muslims and the same burial that Christians used to perform. After he passes some people will slowly turn again from the truth and at some point all of the believers will have their souls taken, leaving only disbelievers on the earth. With all believers gone corruption will spread quickly and some time after this (no exact time is set and only God knows) everybody will die and judgment day will start. It is believed by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike that the mountains and everything on earth will become flat. The skies will be rolled back like scrolls so we will be able to see paradise and the hellfire. (These skies are often referred to as the seven heavens in the Bible. Muslims believe there are 7 layers of skies the first layer of skies is everything within our realm stars, planets, etc. and that the first layer of sky is like a ring in a desert compared to the next layer of sky and so on.) These skies will be rolled back and the earth will be made flat and all people will rise from their graves even those who were cremated, eaten by animals, etc. They will be resurrected and judgment day will begin. People will be so focused on what they did in their lifetime that a father will abandon their son etc. When a person stands in front of God, their book will be opened and every action they did will be brought forth (God does forgive those who repent with a genuine heart and turn from what they were doing if they repent while they were living on earth. He is the most merciful but also the strictest in justice against those who refuse Him and cause harm and corruption.) While awaiting judgment people will stand with what they worshiped. If they worshiped Jesus and put him equal with God they will be confronted and Jesus will say "I didn't tell you to worship me, go away from me." If they worshiped nature they will be confronted by what they worshiped. Which reminds me, any injustice done against an animal or living thing (such as a tree) God will bring that thing forward on judgment day and that animal or plant will speak about what was done to it. Some people purposely harm plants with out making use of it or torture animals. If a person worships a tree or plant that plant will be given the ability to speak on judgment day. A person's own body parts will speak against or for them on the day of judgment. If you walked to help somebody in distress your feet will tell about that good deed, if your feet walked to a strip club your feet (and eyes for that matter) will speak about that bad deed. If your hands reached out to help somebody your hands will speak for you. Nothing will go unnoticed. Those who continuously chose to do evil or selfish things will rack up a lot of bad deeds while those who were courteous to others and followed the commandments of their Creator will rack up a lot of good deeds. People will also be judged by whether they believed in their creator or rejected Him or put others equal with Him. The following are some Biblical verses on judgment day.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the 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 people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at His right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” ... “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Then He will say to those at His left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” ... “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:31-36, 40-43, 45-46 NRSV)
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Rev 20:11-12)
Matthew 3:10-12:
Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ (Many scholars believe this refers to the Prophet Muhommed because the word "Ahmed" which is a form of the name Muhommed is found here. Also because the only prophet that came after Jesus was Muhommed according to Islamic belief.)
Matthew 13:40-43:
Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Luke 12:4-5,49:
‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! ... ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
John 5:28-
"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 30By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Now for the meaning of Messiah. We often hear the term Jesus the Christ. The word Christ comes from the Greek word Christos which is a translation of the word Messah (so Messiah and Christ mean the same thing). Messah in Hebrew is a word which means the action of "wiping". The way a king would be anointed was to "wipe" his forehead with oil. The Jews were foretold of a Messiah that would come (so basically a king that would come)."Matthew 15:24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." When this Messiah came he was expected to set the path straight for the Jews, however when Jesus came he was very critical of the actions of the Jews at the time and told them to repent, spread the message, turn from evil and not be hypocritical etc. It's quite evident in the red letters that Isa was critical toward the Jews telling them to change their ways and repent. Perhaps this is why they tried so hard to persecute him (the pharisees and teachers of Moses law plotted against him according to the Bible) and why they ultimately refused to accept him as the promised messiah.
May our Creator lead us all to the straightest of paths, ameen.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the 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 people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at His right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” ... “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Then He will say to those at His left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” ... “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:31-36, 40-43, 45-46 NRSV)
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Rev 20:11-12)
Matthew 3:10-12:
Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ (Many scholars believe this refers to the Prophet Muhommed because the word "Ahmed" which is a form of the name Muhommed is found here. Also because the only prophet that came after Jesus was Muhommed according to Islamic belief.)
Matthew 13:40-43:
Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Luke 12:4-5,49:
‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! ... ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
John 5:28-
"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 30By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Now for the meaning of Messiah. We often hear the term Jesus the Christ. The word Christ comes from the Greek word Christos which is a translation of the word Messah (so Messiah and Christ mean the same thing). Messah in Hebrew is a word which means the action of "wiping". The way a king would be anointed was to "wipe" his forehead with oil. The Jews were foretold of a Messiah that would come (so basically a king that would come)."Matthew 15:24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." When this Messiah came he was expected to set the path straight for the Jews, however when Jesus came he was very critical of the actions of the Jews at the time and told them to repent, spread the message, turn from evil and not be hypocritical etc. It's quite evident in the red letters that Isa was critical toward the Jews telling them to change their ways and repent. Perhaps this is why they tried so hard to persecute him (the pharisees and teachers of Moses law plotted against him according to the Bible) and why they ultimately refused to accept him as the promised messiah.
May our Creator lead us all to the straightest of paths, ameen.
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