Political Crossfire Forums

[Richard Owl Mirror]

Walid's Home Page

Walid's Testimony
Quote:
My name is Walid. I was born in Bethlehem, Israel. On the day that I was born it was one of the holiest days to Islam, the birthday of the Muslim prophet Mohammad (Al-Mauled Al-Nabawi). This was an honor to my father. For that, he named me Walid which relates to the Arabic word (Mauled) and in English (The Birth) to always remember the birthday of the Muslim prophet.

My father was a Palestinian Muslim who taught English and Islamic studies in the Holy Land. My mother was an American who married my father during his studies in the United States in the year of 1956.

Fearing the impact of the American way of life for their two children and while my mother was pregnant with me, my parents left to live in Israel in 1960 which was called Jordan at that time. When they arrived to Bethlehem I was born. As my father changed jobs, we moved to Saudi Arabia, then back to the Holy Land -- this time, to the lowest place on earth, Jericho.

I can not forget the first song I learned in school just before the Six Day War titled "Arabs Our Beloved and Jews Our Dogs." I used to wonder at that time who the Jews were but with the rest of the kids, I repeated the words without any knowledge of their meaning.

As I grew up in the Holy Land, I lived through several battles between the Arabs and the Jews. The first battle (while we lived in Jericho) was the Six Day War when the Jews captured old Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine. This was a great disappointment to Arabs and Muslims worldwide.

The American Council in Jerusalem came just before the war to evacuate all the Americans in the area. Since my mother was an American, they offered us assistance but my father refused and turned them down because he loved his country. I still remember many things during the war -- the noise of the bombing and shelling that went on day and night for six days, the looting of stores and houses by the Arabs in Jericho and people running to cross the Jordan River from fear of the Israelis.

The war was called the Six Day War because it was won in six days and on the seventh day a Rabbi by the name of Goren blew the ram's horn on the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem declaring the victory. Many Jews claim that this was a parallel to Joshua when he went around the walls of Jericho six times, then on the seventh day seven times, and on that day the priests blew the trumpets and everyone shouted with one voice and took the city. To my father in Jericho, it seemed that the walls had crumbled on him. During the war he was always listening to the Jordanian radio station. He used to say that the Arabs were winning the war, but he was listening to the wrong station. The Israeli station was announcing the truth of their soon coming victory. Instead my father chose to believe the Arabs who claimed that the Israelis were promoting propaganda.

Later on, we moved back to Bethlehem and my father enrolled us in an Anglican-Lutheran school as they had a better English course. My brother, sister and I were the only Muslims in the school. Being half Americans, teachers would beat us and students would laugh at us. When the Bible class started, I would leave the class and remained outside waiting. One day, I walked in the Bible class and the class 'bully' stood up to fight. He shouted, "We don't want this half American and Muslim to be here!" I refused to get out and the lady who was teaching the class asked me to sit down. Since then, I changed the school's policy and for the first time, the school allowed a Muslim to study the Bible. For the next three years, I studied it despite all the mocking.

Later, my father transferred me to the Government school where I grew in the faith of Islam. I was fed the idea that one day, a fulfillment of an ancient prophecy by the Muslim prophet Mohammed would come to pass. This prophecy foretold a battle in which the Holy Land would be recaptured and the elimination of the Jews would take place in a massive slaughter.

This prophecy in fact is documented in Mohammed's Book of Traditions which states the following:

"The day of judgment shall not come to pass until a tribe of Muslims defeat a tribe of Jews." (Narrated by Abu Hurairah, Sahih Muslim, Hadith #6985; Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, #177)

When Mohammed was asked of the place this would take place, he said:

"In Jerusalem and the surrounding nations."

During my youth, like my father, I was always tuned to Islam and what our Muslim teachers taught. Believing in Muhammad's prophecy, I offered my life to 'Jihad' or 'Holy War' as the only means to obtain either victory or martyrdom. In Islam martyrdom is the only way you can ensure salvation and enter into heaven -- especially since Allah and his prophet Mohammed promised it. As the Quran states it:

"Do not think of whom are killed for the cause of Allah (in a Holy War), to be dead but living with their Lord receiving his blessing". -- Sura: The Family of 'Imran ('Al-'Imran, verse 169)

During school riots against what we called the Israeli occupation, I would prepare speeches, slogans, and write anti-Israeli graffiti in an effort to provoke students to throw rocks at the armed Israeli soldiers. We shouted, "No peace or negotiations with the enemy! Our blood and our souls we sacrifice to Arafat! Our blood and our souls we sacrifice to Palestine!" and "Death to the Zionists!"

I vowed to fight my Jewish enemy believing that I was doing God's will on earth. I remained true to my word as I participated in many riots against the Israeli army, always trying to inflict harm to them by all means and methods I could devise. I would start and participate in any riot I could initiate: in schools, streets, and even on the holiest place (the Temple mount site) in Jerusalem called by Arabs (Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa). All through high school I would always be one of the first to provoke a riot.

Many others got involved in terror tactics against the Jews using bombs and armed assaults on Jews in an attempt to force them to leave Israel. But they never could pluck them out.

Nothing could change my heart, I could only die or a miracle needed to happen. The simplest way to describe myself is that I was one of those one would view on CNN throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails in the days of the Intifada or 'The Uprising'. I was one of these who Jews would call a terrorist. The interesting thing is that I was not only terrorizing but I was terrorized by my beliefs which required me to gain enough merit and good deeds to go to heaven. But I never was sure if my good deeds would outweigh my bad deeds in the scale when I would be judged by God. Of course to die fighting the Jews would ease Allah's anger towards my sin and I would then be secured a good spot in heaven with beautiful wide-eyed women to fulfill my most intimate desires. Either way, I won and terror was the only way.

I remember one time in Bethlehem all viewers clapped their hands with joy in a jam packed theater watching the movie, "21 Days in Munich". The moment we saw the Palestinians throwing grenades into the helicopter killing the Israeli athletes, hundreds of viewers yelled, "Allahu akbar!" (Allah is the greatest). This is the slogan of joy used by Muslims for victorious events.

I remember students used to ask the teacher during our Islamic studies in Bethlehem High School if it was permitted for Muslims to rape the Jewish women after we defeated them. His response was, "The women captured in battle have no choice in this matter, they are concubines and they need to obey their masters, having sex with slave captives is not a ‘matter of choice for slaves’". This in fact was written in the Koran, for it says:

"Forbidden to you also are married women, except those who are in your hand as slaves, this is the law of Allah for you." -- Sura: The Women (al-Nisa, verse 24)

And in a different verse the Koran says:

"O prophet; we allowed thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowries, and the slaves whom thy right hand possesseth out of the booty which Allah hath granted thee, and the daughters of thy uncle, and of thy maternal aunt, who fled with thee to Medina, and any believing woman who hath given herself up to the prophet, if the prophet desired to wed her, a privilege to thee above the rest of the faithful". -- Sura: Confederates (al-Ahzab, verse 50)

We had no problem with Mohammed taking advantage of this privilege as he married 14 wives for himself and several slave girls from the booty he collected as a result of his victorious battles. We really never knew how many wives he had and that question was always a debatable issue to us. One of these wives was taken from his own adopted son Zaid, as Allah declared that she was given to the prophet while others were Jewish captives forced into slavery after Mohammed beheaded their husbands and families.

In an attempt to change the hearts of Palestinians, the Israeli TV station would show Holocaust documentaries. I would sit and watch cheering the Germans while I chewed on food. It was impossible for me to change my mind or heart concerning Jews, only a "heart transplant" would do that job.

They once took our school for a week to a Jewish camp on the coast of Eshdod to mingle us with other Jewish schools. That didn't work. On the contrary, every teacher who spoke to a Jew was mocked.

My mother on the other hand tried to teach me a different idea at home that she called God's plan. She spoke to me about Bible prophecy; she said that the return of the Jews was pre-planned by God and had been fulfilled. This, to her, was Gods miracle in our generation for the world to see that "His will shall be done."

She also told me about many future events to be fulfilled in our generation which is surfacing every day now. She told me of false Messiahs and counterfeits; but all that had little effect for my heart was set on fighting against the Jews.

My mother was influenced by an American Missionary couple who she asked secretly to baptize her. When she refused to be baptized in a pond full of green algae, the missionary priest had to plead to the YMCA in Jerusalem to clear the pool of men, and my mother was then baptized. No one from our family knew.

Many times my mother would take me on trips to several museums in Israel and I fell in love with archeology. I was fascinated with it. In my many arguments with her, I would bluntly tell her that the Jews and Christians had corrupted the Bible. She responded by taking me to the Scroll Museum in Jerusalem and showed me the scroll of Isaiah, still intact. There was no one taking pictures of any Biblical errors to prove of any corruption and I could not respond to my mother.

I remember when I still tormented my mother by calling her an "infidel" and a damned American Imperialist who claimed that Jesus was the Son of God. I'd show her the pictures in the newspaper of all the teenagers supposedly martyred as a result of violence demanding that she answer. I hated her and always asked my father to divorce her and remarry a good Muslim woman.

I would even pose with a grim and sad face for the school picture as if I knew that my turn to be in the paper as a martyr would be next. Many times I risked being killed during youth protests and clashes with the Israeli Army.

I lived in Israel during the Six Day War, the PLO resistance, the Jordanian Black September civil war, the bloody wars in Lebanon, and the war of Yom Kippur. With no hope to destroy Israel and all these losses, we still hoped for that one victory since that is all it would take to destroy them.

My parents worried a lot about me as I got thrown in prison by the Israeli Army. My mother went to the American Council in Jerusalem to try to get me out. She was so stressed her hair started to fall out. In jail, I learned more about the art of terrorism and when I got out, I was more fanatical than before.

When I graduated from high school, my parents sent me to the United States to seek a higher education. Of course I got involved with many anti-Israeli social and political events. I still remember my favorite sick joke I used to like to tell my friends, that I hated Hitler very much because he never got the job done, that is: he never finished the Jewish problem "once and for all".

With Hitler being my idol, and Mohammed my prophet, I went on with my life with little regard for Jews, Christians, or anyone who was not a Muslim. I believed that one day the whole world would submit to Islam and that the whole world owed the Palestinians for their losses in all the battles with Israel. I also believed that Jews were prophet-killers and that they had corrupted the Scriptures to serve their evil desires. This is what Muslims teach. They also teach that Mohammed is our only redeemer and God's favored prophet.

As I lived in America, I could not forget the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who died just in the last 20 years in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Afghanistan and in every single Muslim nation. I had to get revenge for them and someone had to pay the price. Of course there was no question in my mind that the Jews had to pay the penalty, somehow we always managed to twist things together and make it their fault.

One day I fought with a man and struck his eye blind, I was so happy to learn that the man was a Jew.

I was fascinated with Islamic history and I learned that the Islamic prophet Mohammed extradited a Jewish tribe from Saudi Arabia and ordered the beheading of all the men from another tribe. The women were taken as concubines. I used to believe, as Islam taught, that only a Caliph (Islamic ruler) could rule the world. Islam is not a religion for one's personal and moral life, but a system of law and government to the whole world. If not achieved through peaceful means, it would have to wage war against all who did not submit to Islam. With one billion Muslims living today, I believed that it could happen.

I'll be honest, all my life, I was terrified every time I read the Koran, as, after every other verse, there was always threats of hell fire for this sin and that. All I wanted was to reach out to my Maker to say I am sorry, forgive me, give me another chance. But I failed to keep count of all my sins and my good deeds and I was sure that at the end, my sins would outweigh my good deeds. So, I lived my sinful life depending on the love and mercy of my Maker. I always wondered about my destiny. Lost in my fears and doubts, I really hated the idea of killing for my salvation and, in reality; I never had the heart to kill a rat! How then could I kill a Jew!

Sometime in 1992, I was fascinated when I read a book titled "Armageddon, Appointment with Destiny", by Grant Jeffrey. Some of the things explained in this book had many detailed prophecies about Jesus: his birth, life, death and resurrection and the re-creation of the state of Israel. Many of these prophecies came to pass just as God put them down in the Bible! What also amazed me was to find out that the chances for a man to predict hundreds of historic events written hundreds and thousands of years before their occurrences are one in zillions. What is more fascinating is that the margin of error had to be zero, especially when the fulfillment of many of these prophecies was happening in my generation. This kind of evidence had to come from a divine origin that origin had to be God Almighty.

The struggle began. I was puzzled. How could the Bible be a fake and corrupted by the Jews if the land I grew up in, spoke and cried out as thousands of pieces of archeological evidence surfaced from the land of Israel confirming the Bible? The book of Isaiah, discovered in the Qumran caves, was found by a Muslim from the town next to Bethlehem by the name of Muhammad Deib while looking for a lost sheep. From that discovery, they found the rest of the Old Testament which matched the Old Testament Bible in our hands today. It contained hundreds of verses predicting the coming of Jesus Christ.

I had to read the Bible to know who Jesus really was, to find out for myself. God finally led me to get to the bottom line as I started reading what Jesus said:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, who was and is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

Christ also said to the Jews:

"Truly, truly I say to you; before Abraham was born I AM (God)." John 8:58

It amazed me to find similar claims between Jesus and Mohammed. These claims were serious, as Mohammed said:

"I am the beginning of all creation and the last prophet."

He also said:

"I was a prophet of Allah while Adam was still being molded in clay."

Moreover, he claimed to be the intercessor for Muslims in the Day of Judgment, by all of these, claiming to be the world's last and final prophet and savior.

These things always puzzled me. If Mohammed claimed all that he claimed, than who was Jesus who claimed to be our Redeemer and Savior? That question troubled me a great deal. One of the two claims had to be a lie, if there were two redeemers; this would be association with God since God is the only Redeemer.

Christ or Mohammed had to be the Redeemer and Intercessor for mankind. The Bible or the Koran had to be correct. One of them was pure gold and the other had to be a fake, but which one...?

Vowing to make a decision for "The Truth", I stayed up late many nights comparing many details between the Koran and the Bible. At some point during my study, I prayed saying: "GOD, you are the Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jacob, you are the beginning and the end, you are 'The Truth', 'the only Truth', the Maker of the true Scripture, the one and only word of God. I suffer to find your truth, I want to do your will in my life, I long for your love and in the name of 'The Truth' I ask. AMEN!!!"

I wanted real gold and would not settle for an imitation. I had to scratch very hard to look beyond the surface of the world's plastic religions.

I believed in the Koran as the word of God because it had modern scientific laws and only a book with a divine origin could have scientific facts written a thousand years before their discovery. I spent a month using a computer program searching for scientific clues in the Bible. Every verse in the Koran that was a scientific miracle that led me and millions of Muslims to believe in the Koran was already in the Bible. Many stories in the Koran had serious errors and with my knowledge of history and archeology, I knew that the Koran had serious faults.

With many of these discoveries, my claim that the Koran was a miracle was in question. The Bible had all of its miracles hundreds and thousands of years before. My foundation shook and I felt the sinking sand under me. Even the nations mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel in chapter 38, whom God would destroy -- most of them were Muslim nations growing towards Islamic Fundamentalism today.

What also helped me was that God led me to discover, through my study of the Bible, hundreds of detailed and unique verses concerning prophecies fulfilled to the letter. No man has ever presented such detailed predictions of future events without having more errors than truth. God is the only one that holds the key to future events and only the Bible has the key, not the Koran which lacks those most important elements of "Salvation and Redemption". I knew at that moment I would have to be a fool knowing all of this and continuing worshipping a different God than the God of the Bible. I really thought with my prayer, that God will lead me to the Koran, but that was not the case with me. In fact it was the other way around, I had to give up my pride and be open-minded to truth.

God said in the Bible:

"For I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things are not yet done, saying: My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure." Isaiah 46:9-10

God not only foretold future events, but declared them and brought them to pass, unlike the Koran which simply used terror tactics to conform Muslims to believe. Since I did not believe that the Bible was corrupted, I spent many days searching the Bible for Mohammad, as he claimed to be in it, but never found him. If the Bible had been corrupted it had to have happened after the prophet Mohammed since the Koran always addressed the Bible that was 'between his hands' at his time. From that time until now Muslims have failed to provide one single Bible from the face of the earth to prove the corruption, and not one historical or archeological evidence has been discovered to disprove the Bible.

Even the death of that Muslim prophet was different than the death of Jesus, as Mohammed died on the lap of his favorite wife, Aisha, while Jesus died on the cross in order to redeem man's sins.

I felt sad that hundreds of millions of Muslims today live without ever hearing or being challenged with this kind of evidence.

It was astonishing to me to find that Muslims and the rest of the world recognized three main religions that worship God even though God said that He is One and his Word is One.

I was blind, but with the Bible only, I began to see -- I mean really SEE!!! With so much Biblical prophecy fulfilled showing the return of Israel from the grave and the attitudes of Muslims and the world towards Jews, the end time is near.

Man has never changed. He still kills his brother as Cain killed his brother Abel. The only difference is that we don't behead and stab each other in battles as much as we used to. We simply wage chemical warfare to exterminate each other like bugs as human life is becoming less and less valuable. I began to see that sin was the source of all man's problems and that the Devil was man's worst enemy, not the Jews, of whom Hitler exterminated 6 million less than 50 years ago. Ironically today, there is tons of literature being sold denying the incident even occurred. I wondered what would happen if a Hitler or a Mehdi or an Islamic Khalifa (Caliph) came to power and has what we have today: all these nuclear bombs capable of destroying earth seven times over. God led me to look at the world that I live in and ask myself if the world today so foolishly denies the Jewish Holocaust despite all the evidence we have, why should I still wonder why most of the world today denies the Messianic claim of Christ and the accuracy of the Bible -- especially when the evidence is all around.

God opened my heart and mind and led me to see how people today deny all the proofs He has provided for us in His Word, adapting themselves to false forms of worship.

The Lord began to show me the satanic influences which affected my way of thinking. Regardless of my Islamic background, I used to think these influences were from God.

I was led to a new view of the world and the meaning of life and saw the need for salvation. Today, we all can see man's goal for a world government waiting for the Devil to be the king!

"Babylon" is being revived from the grave to unite the world one more time; we have only changed its name to "The New World Order" when it should be called "The New Babylon". I started reading the Bible and began to wonder why Zechariah prophesied:

"For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem, the city shall be rifled, and the women ravished." -- Zechariah 14:2

In Islam I was taught that the second coming of the Messiah was in Islamic prophecy. He was portrayed as the one to break the cross and kill the pig, another setup for Muslims to follow the "false" messiah, the Mehdi, the coming Antiochos Epiphinias.

Contrary to Mohammed's prophecy, the Bible prepares its readers that the outcome of the siege in the time of Jacob's trouble will not be the total annihilation of the Jews but that Christ himself will descend on the Mount of Olives for judgment as He fights the enemies of Israel. Unfortunately, it will be too late for repentance and redemption for non-believers.

The saddest part is that hatred towards Jews is not an old out-moded idea from the far past. Millions of Muslims today have the same sick idea that one day they will do the same to all Jews in the Holy Land as Mohammed did to the Jews in Saudi Arabia.

In fact, the permission to kill Jews and Christians and to take their wives as concubines was engraved in the Islamic "Holy Koran" and is the main cause for the hatred of Jews by Muslims to this very day.

The word "Truth" was stuck in my heart day and night, pounding on my soul as I continued to compare the two books and to finally conclude that the Bible could be proven beyond any shadow of a doubt to be true gold. Not only by hundreds of ancient prophecies that came to pass, but by one ancient word created by God from the time of Jacob until our generation. For all who doubt, that word was and still is 'Israel'.

Israel's existence today, and the re-gathering of the Jews from ALL parts of the world is an irrefutable proof that the Holy Bible is the true Word of God. God scattered them throughout the whole world and then re-gathered them again from ALL nations back to their original land in fulfillment of His promises in the far past, until our present, for He said:

"I will gather you from ALL the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive." -- Jeremiah 29:14

The true God has never changed, He is still the same. I also learned that my enemy, the Jews, were chosen by God to write God's Word and God's plan for salvation through Jesus the Messiah, the only Messiah and Redeemer for man. I also learned that Jesus, the man from my hometown, was a Jew and that even my hometown was Jewish 'Beth-Lechem', which means 'Home of the Bread', as He said:

"I am the Bread of Life, he who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." -- John 6:35.

Beth-Lechem was given its name before Jesus came to this world. Jesus was from the people of my enemy, the Jews. Yet, He died for my sin. I had never heard of an enemy who died for another enemy and loved him so much that he allowed Himself to be beaten, spat on, mocked and finally crucified. Would your enemy die for you? Yet He said:

"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." -- Matthew 5:44.

The Truth was in front of my very eyes, knocking constantly on my heart, and wanting to come in. I called on The Truth and He answered, I was blind and sought the truth, and now I see. He knocked on my door and I opened, and now had set me free! Christ said:

"I am The Way, The Truth and The Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me." -- John 14:6

My way of thinking, my feelings, and my goals in life began to change. I began to feel for the Jewish people. All the hatred left me. The desire to see them hurt was no more a thing in my life. Now, I hurt for them and pray peace for Jerusalem continually. Instead of laughing at images of the Holocaust on TV, I weep for them. I am even ready to give my own life for them, as did my Lord. I say it despite the outpouring of hate that could come from my own fellow Arabs and Muslims.

Yes, I say it to the whole world, I love Jews. I love them because of their Messiah. I love them because they brought Light to the world and through them came the Light and the Truth and for that I love Jews. I no longer despise them and I know from the Bible that the Jews are God's chosen people to give light to Arabs and to the whole world if we only allow them. For God made them a blessing to the world and we need to love and support them as God said to Abraham:

"I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." -- Genesis 12:2

Knowing the truth transferred my way of thinking from believing in Hitler to believing in Christ, from believing lies to knowing the truth, from being spiritually sick to being healed, from living in darkness to seeing the light, from being damned to being saved, from doubt to faith, from hate to love, and from evil works to God's grace through Christ. This transformation taught me that without the (true) word of God, things could look good on the surface but in the core lies deception. I accepted Jesus the Messiah who died for all of our sins as my Lord and Savior; to Him I submit.

Jesus said:

"Come to me all you labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." -- Matthew 11:28

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for fulfilling your promise.

If you would like to contact me, you can send me an email.

Dear Muslim, Let Me Tell You Why I Believed by Walid

Note: Considering readers with English as their second language, this book is written using simple and basic English. For Muslim readers many names have been translated into Arabic.
Quote:


Introduction
Today over half the population of the world claims to be either Muslim or Christian, with two separate religious books and two separate faiths which teach that someday everyone will stand before God and be judged. Each claim to believe they alone have the true message from God. Muslims claim that the Bible we have today is a corrupted version from the original, while the Christians claim that God never will allow his word "the Bible" to be corrupted. Yet God's judgment which will decide our eternal destiny --heaven or hell, depends on whether we accepted His truth. Islam claims that the way to heaven is to declare Allah as the one and only God and Muhammad as His last and final messenger for mankind. Christianity claims that faith in Christ's redemption by dying on the cross alone as the final act from God, and is the only way to heaven. The bottom line is that one of the choices has to be correct and the other is wrong. The right choice leads to eternal heaven, and the other leads to eternal hell. I will share with you why I believe that the Christian choice is the only way to heaven.

To understand the differences one must spend ample time searching through the evidence for each claim. As the Quran declares; "Produce your evidence if you are really truthful." (Al-Baqarah[2]:112). The Bible on the other hand declares; "Produce your cause saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons saith the King of Jacob." (Isaiah 41:21). And In respect to both requests and as commanded by both, I will ponder these issues, and weigh each claim on the scientific scale.

I dedicated several years studying this very issue, comparing both the Bible and the Quran, and share my experience as I pondered into the Bible attempting to find the alleged corruptions its charged with. The results of this comparison are astonishing. Readers will increase their knowledge with the evidence I gathered in the areas of Prophecy, History, and Science.

The issues will include a comparison between the Bible and the Quran on subjects, events and persons like; Peace and War in Islam, Science in the Bible and the Quran. Israel and the Muslim nations in prophecy. Prophecy in the Quran. The Historical, Manuscript, Prophetic and Archaeological evidence of the Bible.

My aim is to show the problems of how Muslims view the Christian faith and to provide hundreds of facts and evidences to prove to Muslims why Christianity is the only way.

With 18 years living in the Holy Land, growing up as a Muslim, I lived, breathed, and walked in the Islamic path, studying the Quran and practicing the faith. I hope the reader keeps an open mind and heart as he reads this. Praying that God will open our hearts and minds to better understand His truth. May God be with you as you ponder into this. To Him we give glory, and to Him we submit.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Take the Bible Challenge
Several years ago, I passed by a stand with a sign that read "Take the Pepsi Challenge". I thought to myself, why not, I have been drinking Coke all my life, I wonder if I can find out if I still prefer it. Since the two cups laying on the table had no labels, I could not know which is which, I tasted each and made my decision. Its a simple choice of course, and it probably would not make a bit of difference to my life if I choose Pepsi or Coke. On the other hand, I would have never found out weather I prefer Pepsi or Coke, without tasting both.

I realize that this comparison is by no means the best, but there is no way to know which is better, the Bible or the Quran, unless we taste the words. We do not have to swallow them, just taste and decide whether we want to swallow or reject. One day a great desire in my heart caused me to open the Bible and compare it with the Quran, I set them side by side and started to study. The study lasted many months, as God overwhelmed me with His truth.

I vowed not to stop until a found out if they are really equal when weighed side by side on the scientific scale. It was the only way... to take the Bible Challenge. I have documented all I learned from this experience, which I am forwarding to you. I urge you to take the Bible Challenge.

Note: Try to respond to the questions presented here, they all end with "?" in bold. These are questions directed to you. If you are able to answer them, then indeed you have faith based on facts. Please send the answers back to me. I will be waiting patiently for your response.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What's Faith?
Regardless to what we believe in, all of us have faith in someone or in something which dictates the way we live. In our case here, since both Muslims and Christians believe in eternal destiny (hell or heaven), the choice one needs to make becomes the most important struggle for truth and life. If you are afraid to read this, it is perhaps you do not have a strong knowledge in your faith. You should have no fear if you know what you believe to be true is true indeed.

On the other hand, one could choose for some reason to ignore this issue altogether, thinking that it does not matter what one believes, since we will find out at the end which is true. That is your choice, and no one including God will force you, but if you were wrong, and end up in eternal torment, do not blame me. I did my job, I offered you the challenge.

The "Quran" Challenge to the Judeo-Christian Faith: In Islam as the Quran states it clearly; "And they say: `None shall enter paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.' Those are their desires. Say: `produce your (Evidence) if you are really truthful'." (Al-Baqarah[2]:112).

The "Bible" Challenge: "Present your case, says the Lord. Bring forth your strong reasons, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show us the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us the things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination." (Isaiah 41:21-24).

So, for that challenge which was ordered by both books, and since both encourage us to produce "proof", or evidence to each claim, I will respond to answer each challenge. As Christians need to be in obedience to God, they are required to respond, and fulfill the commission, to defend the faith, to fight the battle, the real war for souls, not by the Sword but by the Word.

We are ordered by God to produce evidence, and witness to those lost in darkness, to the world that we seek for Christ. As the Bible said: "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15).

In the Old Testament, God encourages debate and challenge; "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord." (Isaiah 1:18a).

Both challenges assure us, that there is no need to pick up stones and fight, no need for anger or fits of rage. Just let us reason together, and prove with evidence each his claim.

The Bible claims that the true Christian faith is the only way to God, while Islam's Quran says its the other way around. I have seen many debates concerning this issue, and the problem with these debates is that no side was able to fully express their opinion. The time element was always a factor, and the heated arguments would always upset Muslims as they were too quick to throw shouts of "Allahu Akbar' (God is greater). We need to see how God is great and not just shouting it. We need patience by avoiding quick judgments.

The bottom line is that one of the two (Muslims or Christians) is deceived, to understand deception one must understand the nature of Satan. The Bible gives the best explanation about him, and in general he is the most intelligent, smart, beautiful being God ever made. He deceived 1/3 of the angels. He deceived Adam and Eve. He can even deceive the very elect. You stand no chance to his tricks without God and his spirit being in you. He is the best con artist. He appears as an "Angel of Light". He created all false theology, as he claims to be God. The Bible describes him to be the false God of this world, the one who wants to rule the world.

The Quran on the other hand gives some different descriptions about Satan. The Quran calls him "Iblees" which is a fiery creature "jin", which the English derived the word "genie" from. Muslims deny the Biblical claim that the Devil is an angel, one cannot ignore the Quranic verse; "And as we told the Angels to bow down to Adam, All did except Iblees (Satan), refused. He was one of the jinn" (Al-Kahf[18][18]:50). One could ask, why would God order the Angels only to bow then expect Satan who as the Quran declares as being from the jinn (jenie)? That would logically refer to jinn (jenie) as fallen angels and not another creature made from fire as the Quran claims in other verses.

In the Quran devils are found doing the work of Solomon by Allah's command. Allah is also found protecting them as declared in the Quran: "And sundry satans who should dive for him and perform other work beside: and it was We who guarded them." (Alanbya[21]:82). These devils are also found in the Quran to be Solomon's messengers: "He said (Solomon),: "Ye Chiefs! which of you can bring me her throne[Queen Sheba's] before they come to me in submission? Said an `Ifrit, of the Jinn (devils): "I will bring it to thee before thou rise from thy council: indeed I have full strength for the purpose, and may be trusted." (Al-Naml[27]:38-39). Such claims are rejected by Christianity, no where in the Bible devils are used to do any physical work, especially building God's temple, which God used Solomon and his people, (God's chosen people). The most interesting part in the Quran's description of devils is in Surah Saba[34]:14, were Allah declares: "Then we decreed Solomon's death, nothing showed them (the devils) that he was dead as the termites gnawed the staff which supported his corpse. And when it fell, the devils perceived that if they had known ..." Muslim interpreters say that Solomon died suddenly while he was leaning on his staff. A full year had passed while his corps was still leaning on his staff. Finally when the termites ate part of his staff, it broke and Solomon fell to the ground. It wasn't until then, the devils realized that Solomon was dead. And we ask: What did Solomon's servants, wives, and army do while Solomon was dead leaning on his staff for a year? Muslim scholars concluded that demons are stupid beings who's main job is only to whisper in peoples ears to sin, a description unlike the Bible's which warn us that demons are fallen angels, able to mix a bunch of truth with a tiny amount of lies just enough to kill.

Jamal Badawi, a well known Muslim apologist debating Christians always accuses the Christian Trinity with evolving from ancient pagan beliefs such as mithraism.[1] What Mr. Badawi ignores to mention is that the idea of pagan trinities did not evolve from Persian, Roman or any ancient empire, but all the way back from the story of the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. Satan defied God and deceived Adam and Eve. He then formed a false trinity -- Satan , The future coming Antichrist (Al-Maseeh Al-Dajal), and the False Prophet. The first prophecy in the Bible was concerning this very issue. In Genesis 3:15, God's judgment was declared: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." In this prophecy we find the promise of the virgin birth of Christ from the seed of the woman (her seed). The woman representing Eve and her seed representing Christ since Christ was not the seed of Adam as He did not have a human father. This was the first prophecy in the Bible of the coming Christ. This prophecy foresaw the crucifixion of Christ when Satan was able to "bruise His heel" who was pierced in His hands and feet (heels). The verse also reveals the Antichrist as the seed of Satan. Just as Christ the son of Mary, was uniquely the "seed" of the woman", the Antichrist in some mysterious way will be the "seed" of Satan. Christ will ultimately bruise Satan's head who will manifest himself in the body of the Antichrist. The Antichrist will be Satan's seed. False trinities and false gods were introduced throughout the centuries by Satan as an attempt to cover the truth. He is the crafty deceiver who will ultimately introduce his son, the Antichrist to take on the most deceptive mission -- to make man worship Satan and declare himself as the God of man.

While all false religions believe that Satan and his devils are simple beings who promote sin and discord, the Bible reveals them as intelligent beings who never ceased to introduce Satan's agenda in the real battle between Satan and God, a battle that is not mentioned in many false religions. Though we are unaware of this battle, God in the Bible warns: "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). The Bible describes Satan as "The ruler of darkness", "The father of lies", and "The prince of this world". He imitates to be the real God. Eventually he will manifest himself in the body of the Antichrist to rule earth for a while. He will be represented by a false prophet. This false trinity (Satan, Antichrist, False Prophet), is the false set up by Satan to imitate the True God and seduce man to worship him, thinking they are following God.

This imitation started from the beginning when Satan exalted himself to be better than God: "I will ascend above the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like The Most High." (Isaiah 14:14). The Bible clearly shows that Satan is a counterfeit, he claims to be God The Most High. If he is doing that today, through which religious system and to who do you think he is lying to?

The Bible gives the opposing names to the true God, and attributes them to the Antichrist. Christ is called "The Truth", while Antichrist is called "The lie". Christ is called the "Holy One", while Antichrist is called "The lawless one". Christ is called "The Son of God", while Antichrist is called "The Son of Perdition". Christ is called "The Mystery of Godliness", while Antichrist is called "The Mystery of Iniquity". God allows Satan to continue although He could destroy him. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ will finally destroy Satan's Son of Perdition (The Antichrist) "by the brightness of His coming". Satan's main tactic to destroy God's plan is to counterfeit the biblical prophecies concerning the coming Christ. Over the centuries, Satan tried to destroy God's plan by burning, banning, and attacking the Bible and persecuting Christians and Jews. He introduced false doctrines, false books, and false prophets. Covering God's Truth with lies has been the major mission for Satan and his demons. Consequently Satan has always failed in his missions to destroy and conquer since God's plan is indestructible.

God gave many warnings in the Bible concerning Satan and his works:

"Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done" (Daniel 11:36). The Antichrist's will is his fathers will (The Father of lies or the Devil), while Christ's will is His Father's will (The God of Truth). The mystery of God's nature is presented in the Bible as One God in a Holy Trinity: "Behold O Israel, the Lord your God is One". The unity of God is supported in both the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament.

When Elijah (Elias), encountered the prophets of Baal (false prophets), Elijah stood before the people and cried out "How long halt you between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." (I Kings 18:21). Elijah won the battle, as he was on the side of God, the false prophets standing with Satan lost their lives and their souls forever. God even send fire from heaven, cooked the beef and consumed it. Elijah prayed like I did "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." God reveals to us the truth, just ask him and say "O Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, reveal to me your truth", he is faithful and just.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Summary On World Religions

Where's the Beef?
Despite what most people of all the world religions believe, if one thinks that he fully used his heart and mind, believing a lie, does not make what he believes in to be the truth from God, in fact the Bible declares them as satanic, a plan by Satan to rule the world through confusion by using his false theologies.

To summarize the supposed miracles of today's world religions, we shall give a few examples; A Mormon has a strong feeling in his heart that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God, the feeling by itself was the first response I got from every Mormon I encountered. A Hindu uses meditation, concentration and contemplation, likewise a New Age teacher (A modern version of Hinduism), use meditation, and focuses on concentrating on the inner self, the New Age religion teaches which is not new matches it's ancient origin (Hinduism) which seduces followers by offering the ability to communicate with the forces out in the cosmos, that we can travel beyond what the eye can see. Using a technique called Yoga, man can perform incredible powers to control his body, and produce mystical experience and spiritual insight.

Similar to Yoga, a Muslim sect called Darweesh or Dervish. A member of this sect has the ability to control his body to the point that when the skin is pierced, there is no pain or bleeding.

In the west, Millions of Catholics believe in the apparition of Mary as thousands of Catholics go to a mountain place and watch the virgin Mary appear in the sky, they are praying to her, waiting on her instructions.

A Muslim can demonstrate fantastic classical Arabic language in the Quran, and some scientific evidences that the prophet of Islam could not have known, he meditates concentrates and contemplates while he recites the Quran and during prayer, he is filled with unexplainable joy "Khoshu'a", he believes that the Quran is a miracle from God to man that was given to change the World.

Today many people believe in prophets like Nostradamus, Jean Dickson, Edgar Cayce, and others who predicted several things like the death of J. F. Kennedy, the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler etc. ...many today believe these predictions as a definite miracle. We will cover some answers to these so called modern prophets later.

The Bible on the other hand warns us not to believe in these man made religions, we must follow carefully the plan set by God from the beginning, the Bible warns us even if one can let fire come down from heaven, and claim he is Christ, we should not believe him. We should follow God's unchangeable Word which was already set, the Bible tells us how we can tell when the true Christ comes back, how we can tell true prophets from false ones, how we can tell wolves from lambs.

The Bible is the compass for a lost world, the very map, lamp, and guide for man to see and know which path to take in this dark world.

The Bible makes it clear for man. Man has two choices only in the issue of destiny. Two places man will go; eternal hell with Satan, or eternal paradise with God. Two sides to choose from "God" or "Satan".

Some falsely think they are going to paradise because they have convinced themselves of that. Some think they are following the true God because their prophet or book said so, not knowing that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. One could stand on top of a building, come close to the edge, and believe 100% that if he takes a leap of faith and jumps, that he will fly, this believe does not make "suicide" to be safe or the way to "fly". It is eternally dangerous to think you are going to heaven, just because you believe or feel it. Thank God my eternal destiny does not depend on what I feel, as some days I feel I am going to Hell, and some days I feel I am going to heaven. My eternal destiny should depend on what real "evidence" my theology can provide.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is Protected Transmission Sufficient Evidence?
Both Muslims and Christians claim that protected transmission is sufficient evidence to prove a divine revelation. That alone is a problem, since we still teach and memorize many of the pagan poetry in all of the Arabic countries, yet none of these writings, are considered to be divine by neither Muslims or Christians. In the East there still exists most of the pre-Islamic pagan poetry, and in the West pre-Christian pagan philosophy is still intact. However, we must also keep in mind that divine revelation must "always" be protected by God regardless of the time it was inspired. To claim that man can get away with corrupting God's word is against what God said he will do from the beginning; "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." (Matthew 5:18). In another verse, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35). "For I am the Lord I change not" (Malachi 3:6). Even the Quran in Surah 6:115 "The words of the Lord are perfect in truth and justice; there is none who can change His words". Both religions agree that God never changed and will never change, even so his Words, they never were or ever will be lost, it is just impossible. For any religion or prophet to claim a single change in his Words would be in contradiction to God's nature, and must be dismissed as false. It is as simple as that, without apology or fear. God knew that man can protect historical writings, for that God chose a different method of challenge, and that challenge is Bible prophecy, which is still holding, since all fulfilled prophecy proves that God keeps his promises to the smallest detail, as we shall cover.

Most world religions claim to have the necessary divine miracles, yet when these miracles are studied carefully they will not be able to stand as we shall clearly see in Islam. When the Pharaoh's magicians cast their staves and turned them to snakes, Moses cast his and destroyed all. They presented there evil tricks, God responded with his evidence, which was much more powerful.

Having some scientific information in a holy book, or excellent language is also not enough proof. Satan knows more science than any man, and could perform signs and wonders and deceive even the very elect. Although if areas of scientific matter is included in a religious book, it needs to be proven as the evidence is weighed in the scientific scale, which we shall examine in the final chapter.

God in the Bible warns us of false prophets; "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?" (Matthew 7:15-16).



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Does Believing There Is a God Take You to Heaven?
Some might think they are worshipping the true God, but one must know who the true God is. To claim that believing there is a One True God will take you to heaven is a dangerous fallacy, since Satan "An Angel of Light", his demons, and all the religions of the world believe that God created everything, the only difference is the means that qualify us to reach to God, as some religions use fire as a medium between man and God, others like Islam claims that works like praying five times daily, fasting, and giving alms can take them to heaven. It is what or who you trust in as the means to reach to God for forgiveness and reconcilement to God is what matters in all the main religions.

In the Bible it calls for man to know, believe and trust God and His work. To believe His attributes, His nature, and His plan for salvation, and to accept and trust Him and His plan only. When Noah started to build a ship, and when he presented God's plan to his people, to save them from the coming flood that will destroy everyone, the people responded by laughing. They laughed at God's salvation (rescue mission), but at the end, when it started raining, no one was laughing anymore.

To the people the idea of raining was crazy, since it has never rained before the flood. Christ, in a similar way, was the plan of man's salvation, his cross is the bridge between the sinful man and the Holy God. Many on the other hand still reject this plan as being absurd, they consider it ridiculous, since they believe that each has to carry his own burdens and sins. What Muslims do not understand is that our sins, no matter how small we think they are, are great in God's eyes, we are so drowned by our sins that the flood of sins covers every man. The only way to escape that flood is to first trust in God's plan and jump on the wooden bridge which is the cross, and accept what God did for man, and not what man can do for himself. No man was able to escape the flood, unless he jumped on the wooden ship. No sword, might, or science was able to rescue the ones that are perishing, only the wooden boat, which was God's way, so it is with Christ's cross.

The Bible presented hundreds of these parallels in the Bible for His plan for man's salvation, the exodus, Israel, the temple sacrifices, the biblical customs, all have been directed to focus on one issue -- the salvation for man through Christ.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Quran's Challenge to Non-Muslims
The well known challenge in the Quran has been and still is to write something like it. Muslims till today could not produce anything like the Bible, which they accuse of being corrupt and man made. Nevertheless one could argue this point by simply challenging the world to produce similar poetry like Shakespeare, Ahmad Shawqi, Gubran Khalil Gubran, Al-Mutanabi and others. The Ability to produce beautiful classical Arabic or poetry does not entitle the poets the gift of prophecy. Even some of the greatest scholars in the Arabic language did not see any miracle in the eloquence of Quran's Arabic language; Abul-Ala Al- Ma'arri, Ibrahim Al-Nazzam, Ibin Hazm, Al-Khayat and many other modern scholars like Taha Hussein, who was the pressured and his material was banned concerning this issue.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Evidence from Bible Prophecy
Sometime in 1992 I was fascinated when I read a book titled Armageddon, Appointment With Destiny, by Grant Jeffrey.

Some of the things explained in This book had many detailed prophecies about Jesus: his birth, life, death and resurrection; and the re-creation of the state of Israel. Many of these prophecies came to pass as God put down in the Bible! What also amazed me, is to find out that the chances for a man to predict hundreds of historic events written hundreds and thousands of years before their occurrences are one in zillions... what is more fascinating is that the margin of error had to be zero, especially when the fulfillment of many of these prophecies are happening in my generation. This kind of evidence had to come from a divine origin, that origin had to be God Almighty.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the Beef
I understood Islam, and believed in the teachings of the Quran, yet after examining these evidences, I knew that the Quran in the balances was found to be wanting. It does not match the required evidence demanded by the Bible to be warranted as divine. The Quran does not compare when it comes to Biblical evidence. Since God is 100% Truth, he sent the Bible with four different elements, that no other book in the world has. These elements are: Manuscript evidence, Archeological evidence, Prophetic evidence, and the evidence of science in the Bible (MAPS). Muslims claim the Quran has the last (Science), which I challenge later in this writing.

I would like to address the prophetic evidence for now, and ask the reader to examine it as Islam encourages.

The Bible is the only religious book in existence that dared to detail thousands of prophecies. These prophecies varied, some concerning the rise and fall of world empires. many prophecies of the Bible have already been fulfilled.

In no other religious literature will you find hundreds of detailed predictions that have been fulfilled precisely as they were predicted. No human has ever presented such detailed predictions of future events. Those who point to the occasional lucky guess of Nostradamus, Jean Dickson, and other false prophets ignore the hundreds of totally incorrect predictions they also made. Henry C. Roberts, the editor of The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus, (Jericho NY: Nostradamus, Inc. 1976) and one of the strongest supporters of Nostradamus admitted in his introduction that these prophetic writings are "unintelligible and garbled to the uninitiated. The strange, broken, and often incoherent nature of the quatrains, both in French and English, is the hallmark of prophetic media." Edgar Cayce, the so-called American sleeping prophet, who made many false claims on locating oil wells or mineral deposits.

Even today forecasting the near future markets is an unpredictable gamble. All man made prophecy and attempt to predict future has been fruitless, the best man have made can be obtained at your local Chinese restaurant when you get a bill with Chinese fortune cookies.

God claims that the ability to predict and fulfill prophecy is a unique attribute of His nature, as He said: "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, `My council shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure'" (Isaiah 46:9-10).

In this passage, the prophet Isaiah declares that only God foreknew future events, He also declares them and then brings them to pass. Also God said: "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." (Matthew 5:18).

The idea of Bible Prophecy is that God have drawn out his plan prior to it's execution (from the beginning), as to prove when they happen, that God is in control, and that's real evidence.

In another verse God challenges you from the Bible: "Present your case, says the Lord. Bring forth your strong reasons, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show us the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us the things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination." (Isaiah 41:21-24).

So, the God of the Bible challenges you, will you accept the challenge? And he continues in chapter 42 verse 9: "Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them." God sees all of history; past present and future. He does not guess what the future holds, he knows!

God said that the only way to know his true message is predictive prophecy, and if that very element is missing then do NOT believe that prophet. These prophecies have to be very unique, not just a general guess as you see all false prophets do. For God to manifest His love and will for mankind, he must make Himself known personally in such a way that a finite man would realize beyond a shadow of doubt that the infinite God was revealing Himself. This irrefutable verification is reserved to only the Judeo-Christian Scriptures alone. No honest person can remain an unbeliever after even a brief study of prophecy, and prophecy is the missing element in ALL other sacred scriptures of the world's religions. Although they are claimed to be in the Quran, an honest research and comparison with the Bible will surely prove this point.

Not even the Hindu Vedas, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Book of Mormon, the sayings of Buddha, the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, can match Biblical prophecy. By contrast, prophecy comprises about 25% of the Bible (8,352 verses). No other religious book can produce the same, or in simple terms, where's the beef?

Read the following samples in your Bible to understand some of these prophecies:



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the Coming and Death of Christ
It is astonishing when we examine only the following 8 prophecies concerning Jesus Christ.

The First Prediction: (Birth in Bethlehem)

_Old Testament Prophecy: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose going forth have been from of old from everlasting." (Micah 5:2).

_New Testament Fulfillment: "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men from the east came to Jerusalem" (Matthew 2:1).

The Second Prediction: (preceded by a messenger)

_Old Testament Prediction: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: `Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God;'" (Isaiah 40:3).

_The New Testament Fulfillment: "In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!;" (Matthew 3:1,2).

The Third Prediction: (He would enter Jerusalem on a colt)

_The Old Testament Prediction: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behol