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In light of the recent controversy surrounding the proposed construction of a Muslim center and mosque in the heart of New York City, only a few city blocks away from the site of the horrific September 11, 2001 attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center, which left almost three thousand Americans dead, I felt that it was time to revisit this old article from 1998, and to update it as may be required.

At this current time, there is a lot of banter being traded in many parts of the world as a result of the plans to build the Muslim center. From politicians, to distraught Christian conservatives, to members of American-Muslim organizations, to ordinary people on the street, it appears that everyone has an opinion concerning this hotly-debated issue. It seems that many people want to know: Is Islam -- the religion of Muhammad -- a threat to us? Will the construction of the NYC Islamic center and mosque serve as a magnet to draw more Muslim radicals to the United States, and to New York City?

While many people have opinions concerning the Islamic mosque and center, we must honestly ask ourselves how many of these people really have an informed opinion regarding this issue? Do we really know whereof we speak, or are we just following the herd and parroting what we hear other people say because it happens to be fashionable? Sadly, it was a recent NYT news article which I read that motivated me to update this series. It seems that there is an evangelical pastor by the name of Terry Jones who heads a small church in the state of Florida. According to the news article, this year, Mr. Jones plans to commemorate the September 11, 2001 attacks by holding a book burning bonfire. But the issue at hand -- which has made him some quick friends, as well as some enemies -- is that Pastor Jones has intentions to use copies of the Qur'an as fuel on the so-called "International Burn A Koran Day".

While I can easily offer my opinion regarding the actions of Pastor Jones, what really caught my attention is the simple fact that according to the article, when Mr. Jones was asked about his knowledge of the Qur'an, he reportedly stated "I have no experience with it whatsoever. I only know what the Bible says." This struck me as being very odd. Here is a man who is prepared to make a very public, and very controversial statement regarding his opinion concerning Islam, and yet, he has never even read the book. In other words, Terry Jones is not just ill-informed, he is not informed at all. I think it is great that he knows what the Bible says -- although going by the news article, we really have no idea how complete of an understanding Terry Jones has of the Bible -- but it seems to me that if he is prepared to make such a public protest against Islam, he should at least know what he is protesting against. Otherwise, his actions lack any real meaning, and are just showmanship.

September 25, 2010 Update: As a result of serious social and political pressure -- including from American President Barack Obama -- Pastor Terry Jones chose not to go through with his plans to burn copies of the Qur'an on September 11, 2010.

But what about you? If you're a Christian, are you protesting against the proposed Muslim center and mosque in NYC just to protest, or do you have solid grounds for your disapproval? More specifically, do you personally know what Muslims truly believe regarding the nature of Jesus Christ? Can you point to any clear proof in the Qur'an which demonstrates that the religion of Muhammad -- Islam -- is the violent religion that is promoted by some Muslim extremists, as well as by certain people who work within the mass media infrastructure? If you answered in the negative to either of these two questions, I believe that this series will be of benefit to you; because it is not based on hearsay alone, and neither does it simply offer answers that are politically-correct. It in fact delves into the Qur'an itself, as well as into the Bible, and offers a contrast between what the founders of Christianity and Islam really teach.

However, before delving into the meat of the matter, I feel that it is important to reiterate a particular point that I have been making since the very week that the 9-11 attacks occurred, and that is this: Not long after the 9-11 attacks happened, certain people within conspiracy circles began to cast blame for the attacks in a variety of directions. This included blaming -- among other people -- Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network, the Bush Administration, the International Bankers, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, New York investor and developer Larry Silverstein, the CIA, Saudi Arabia, and I don't know who else. Everyone had, and still has, their own pet theories regarding the 9-11 attacks on the twin towers at the World Trade Center complex, as well as the attack on the Pentagon.

As any educated person can determine, there were all kinds of holes in the "official" story that was being promoted by the White House and the US mass media. It seems to me that to this day, there still remain many unanswered questions, and too many contradictions in the official story. Because of this fact, personally, I continue to reject the belief that the attackers -- whoever they were -- could have acted alone from outside the country. They must have had inside help of some kind. In my view, it defies logic to accept that the attackers were capable of bypassing all American security systems, and then simultaneously commandeering four airplanes, which ultimately resulted in the "success" of three of their four attacks, which has changed our lives, and the world, forever.

If there is one thing which I have stressed over the years, it is that modern governments and political figures are so corrupt, and so prone to deceive, and so adept when it comes to manipulating information, that I seriously doubt that we know the truth about much of anything. We may think that we do, particularly if we buy into the government line -- as a lot of people apparently have done in regards to 9-11 -- but do we really? The powers-that-be will deeply bury the truth under layers of deception, as they always do; and if anyone dares to talk, they will be humiliated, discredited and made to look like a total nut case. The government uses character assassination all the time when people get too close to some embarrassing truth; and sometimes, if they get too close to the truth, and even begin to vocalize it, they may even end up dead.

So the main point that I wish to emphasize from my previous comments, is that if we are truly honest with ourselves, then we must be willing to admit that none of us -- perhaps other than certain politicians in very high places -- really knows with any degree of certainty, who is actually responsible for the 9-11 attacks; and quite frankly, I very seriously doubt that we ever will know all of the facts regarding the events of 9-11. Furthermore, given the gullibility of the American public, the Bush Administration could have painted anyone on those planes as dangerous terrorists, and they would have gotten away with carrying out such a deception; particularly if the persons they identified were of Arab descent.

The primary reason why I feel that this point is so important to our current discussion regarding the New York City mosque controversy, is because if we don't know who really destroyed the World Trade Center twin towers on September 11, 2001, then in all fairness, we cannot -- and should not -- use 9-11 as an excuse in our efforts to try to legitimize our protest against the construction of the Muslim center and mosque. Lamentably, the damage has already been done. As you may already realize, the US Government skillfully deployed its propaganda machine; and despite whatever the true facts may be regarding the 9-11 attacks, convinced many American citizens that nineteen Muslim terrorists were responsible for those attacks, regardless of whether or not they truly were the perpetrators of said acts. One of the inevitable results of this propaganda war is that today, any attempt to build the Muslim center and mosque just a few blocks from the World Trade Center and the former site of the twin towers, is viewed by many Americans as a callous and insensitive act.

Nevertheless, as Christians, I believe that if we are going to object to the construction of this Muslim mosque in NYC, then we require a more solid reason in order to validate our position. That's what I hope to accomplish with this series. By examining the actual contents of the Qur'an, my intention is to show you why Islam is both spiritually and physically harmful to America, and to the rest of the Christian world as well. It's my hope that after pondering the evidence that I will be presenting here, you will become convinced that, as a fellow believer in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we must not allow the poisonous roots of the Islamic faith to further infiltrate American society, as they have already done in Europe, and elsewhere. So let us begin.

In a number of my articles which deal with the subject of Endtime prophecy -- such as "The Seven Heads" series, "The Beast And The Three Broken Horns", "The Kings Of The North And The South" and "The Great Tribulation And The Rapture" -- I explain that unlike quite a few Christian theologians and Bible students who anticipate the rise of the kingdom of the Beast -- and the Ten Horns who temporarily support him -- in Europe and Russia, over the years I have pondered the possibility that these Endtime events may actually revolve around the country of Israel, and ten Arab/Muslim nations who will temporarily give their power and allegiance to the devilish global leader who the Bible refers to as the Beast. These events are described for us in verses such as the following:

"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns . . . And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows . . . And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings."


"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads."


"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy."


"So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns . . . And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns . . . And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast . . . And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."


The fact that I currently embrace this theological position does not mean that I have totally rejected possible Russian involvement; after all, even now the Arab states are divided in their loyalties between Russia and the United States Of America. Both nations -- the USA and Russia -- have long-term interests in the affairs of the nations of the Middle East, as is clearly evidenced by American involvement in Iraq, and Russia's current involvement with Iran. In my articles, I've also posited that the False Prophet -- who is mentioned in Revelation chapter thirteen and elsewhere -- may possibly be a religious leader who will stir up the masses in support of the Beast. If -- as I speculate -- the rise of the Beast and the Ten Horns is indeed a more localized event which centers around the nation of Israel, then it seems only natural to assume that Islam may be the religion of the False Prophet, and not Roman Catholicism as some theologians have proposed.

If you pay close attention to the news, particularly to news which details events that involve Israel, the Arab nations of the Middle East, and Iran -- Iran is not Arab, it is Persian -- then you may realize that the volatile political situation in that area of the world may possibly reach a boiling point in the not-too-distant future. Consider the following facts:

The Palestinians have been fighting for their own state for decades now; and yet, they don't seem to be that much closer to their dream of achieving it. The Jews keep stalling with more words, military incursions and settlements expansion, while the Palestinians occasionally lob rockets into Israel out of frustration, and Hamas and Fatah each continue to try to win the hearts of the Palestinian people. At least the suicide bombers have been at bay for a while now.

Turning to the nation of Iraq, despite more than seven years of occupation by the United States, that nation still hasn't overcome its internal problems. At this current time, despite the fact that parliamentary elections were held in March of 2010, the Iraqi leadership remains both divided and corrupt, and a new government has yet to be formed. Lethal violence is likewise still very much the norm, even in the capital city of Baghdad. Utility services such as electricity and water still remain at substandard levels -- even in Baghdad -- and one must wonder what the USA has been doing there all these years. It simply doesn't take that long to restore everything that was destroyed during the illegal American invasions more than seven years ago.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring country of Iran, assisted by Russia, the Iranians are finally initiating the process to fire up their first nuclear reactor; a reactor which the USA adamantly claims may ultimately be used to produce nuclear weapons grade fuel. Israeli and American political figures -- and the mass media -- have been continuously filling our ears with anti-Iranian banter, and rumors of an impending Israeli military strike has been on the lips of many for months now. The latest word from those who are supposedly "in-the-know", is that Iran will supposedly have its first nuclear weapon within about a year, and UN sanctions have proven to be an ineffective tool of persuasion.

But we must ask ourselves: Is this simply more psychological manipulation of the masses by the powers-that-be? I am again reminded of the constant campaign of fear and intimidation that was strongly promoted during the eight long years of the Bush administration. Let's not forget George W. Bush's misguided "mushroom cloud" remark, which ultimately led to the illegal invasion and war to supposedly find and destroy WMD in Iraq. If you want a perfect example of government deception and manipulation, which clearly demonstrates how easily the American public can be hoodwinked, just consider the years 2000 to 2008. Bush promised to get Osama bin Laden dead or alive. He also promised to find those elusive WMD in Iraq. Bush is no longer in office. The WMD were never found. Osama bin Laden is now dead, but this did not occur during George W. Bush's watch. The American public has for the most part forgotten about it all, even though the USA -- and the world -- continue to pay for Bush's deception and mistakes.

Of course, the previous paragraphs describe just a few of the more volatile situations in the Middle East which have been highlighted by the news media. There are other problems that don't make the news as often, such as the constant squabbles over water rights, which will only continue to grow worse as the region of the Middle East slowly dries up. As I point out in other articles, the Book of Revelation informs us that one of these days, the Euphrates River -- which is an important water source for Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran -- will dry up, as we see here:

"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates . . . And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared."


So the point is, there are a number of hot issues and hot spots in the Middle East which could explode at a moment's notice; and ultimately, some of them will; and in my view, they may very well be catalysts for the final events of the Endtime, as they are described for us in the pages of the Bible -- events which may center around Islam -- the faith originated by and promoted by Muhammad.

Considering the relative closeness of these Endtime events, and the Great Tribulation in particular, which will involve the slaughter of possibly millions of people who believe in the Holy Scriptures, I feel that it is important for us to try to understand what will motivate these Arab and Muslim nations to commit such atrocities in the name of their god Allah. Of course, I say this based on a Futurist -- and not a Preterist -- point of view; meaning that I believe that the Great Tribulation isn't a historical event that occurred during the First Century; rather, it is a future event that will transpire after the Holy Covenant -- which is possibly the coming peace agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis -- is broken. Furthermore, as I point out in the series "The Great Tribulation And The Rapture", I embrace a Post-Tribulation Rapture point of view. Finally, as I noted earlier, this series is based on the belief that the Beast and the False Prophet will embrace the Muslim religion.

Regarding the manner in which Christian Believers are going to be slaughtered once these events begin to occur, we will be discussing it later on in this series. What I find tragic about this future scenario, is that according to the Bible, thousands of years ago, Abraham's second wife -- Hagar the Egyptian -- and her son Ishmael, appear to have worshipped the same God as Abraham and Sarah. Consider the following incident that occurred after Hagar had fled from Sarai, or Sarah, her mistress:

"And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction."


As I note in the article "The Children Of God And Politics", Ishmael -- who was Abraham's first son by Hagar -- became the progenitor of the Twelve Princes of the Arab nations. However, it would be Isaac -- who was the seed of faith who was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age -- who would receive the inheritance of the Lord, as we can determine by the following verses:

"And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year."


"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham: And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations."


Based on the previous Scriptural evidence of Hagar's apparent devotion to the God of Abraham, her husband, God's blessings upon her and her son Ishmael, and upon Ishmael's descendants, and my personal study of the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an, I can only conclude that when Muhammad arrived on the historical scene approximately six hundred years after the time of Jesus, and began to promote a new religion that, while having certain similarities to both the Jewish and the Christian faiths, yet at the same time, is quite contrary to both of them, he wasn't listening to the voice of the One True God, who his ancestors apparently still worshipped to some degree. In short, while my words will obviously be offensive to Muslims, is it possible then that Muhammad was actually one of the many false prophets of whom even Jesus warned us in His discourse concerning the Endtime and the time of His own Second Coming? Consider the following verse:

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."


To my personal dismay, I learned some time ago that the holy book of the Muslims -- the Qur'an -- contains a surah called As-Saff -- or The Ranks, Battle Array -- in which there is a verse where Jesus supposedly prophesies concerning the coming of Muhammad, in order to follow in His footsteps as the next great prophet of God. Consider this verse as it is found in three different translations of the Qur'an:

Yusufali Translation:

"And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad." But when he came to them with Clear Signs, they said, "this is evident sorcery!"
As-Saff (The Ranks, Battle Array) 61:6

Pickthal Translation:

"And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic."
As-Saff (The Ranks, Battle Array) 61:6

Shakir Translation:

"And when Isa son of Marium said: O children of Israel! surely I am the messenger of Allah to you, verifying that which is before me of the Taurat and giving the good news of an Messenger who will come after me, his name being Ahmad, but when he came to them with clear arguments they said: This is clear magic."
As-Saff (The Ranks, Battle Array) 61:6

In my view, the above verse is nothing short of an outright demonic deception; obviously because Jesus would not claim to be the Son of God and Saviour of the world, and then turn around and prophesy of an even greater prophet in the future who would deny Jesus's very Divinity and Messiahship, which is exactly what Muhammad does. To say the least, the idea of Jesus prophesying in positive terms about a future prophet who will deny Him is ludicrous.

What makes this particular Muslim deception so subtle, is the fact that this verse is concealed between thirteen other verses in this surah, which Jews and Christians will readily identify with, due to the fact that the surah embraces some Biblical themes, such as the importance of putting obedience behind our faith -- much like James chapter two -- Moses and the rebellious Israelites, and Jesus and His Disciples. The truth is, if you read the Qur'an, you will find many things with which you are familiar as a Christian or a Jew. Some of the names will obviously be different, but you'll recognize the accounts of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the Ark, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses, Aaron and Pharaoh, the parting of the Red Sea, Gideon (Talut), King David, Solomon, Job, Jonah, etc. You will also read about Joseph and Mary, and discover that Mary's Immaculate Conception is accepted within Islam, even though I personally view this as a false doctrine. The birth of John the Baptist to Elizabeth and Zacharias is likewise discussed.

You may even begin to think, "Wow! This Qur'an isn't so bad after all! Maybe I have been wrong about the Muslim faith." But if that is your experience, then reader beware! As you will discover later in this series, while Christ's Divine Mission as a holy Messenger from God is accepted, as well as His many miracles, that is as far as it goes. He is totally stripped of any status greater than that; and I will provide many verses from the Qur'an to prove this particular point beyond a shadow of a doubt!

In addition to the above topics, you will also discover that the Qur'an discusses Heaven and Hell, Satan -- who is known as "Shaitan" in the Islamic religion -- the Last Days, Gog and Magog, the Day Of Resurrection, the Final Judgment, a New Creation and other familiar themes. So, on the surface, the Qur'an appears to be a rather innocent book; but is it really, or does Islam teach certain things that some people don't know about?

The truth is, if you are a Spirit-led Christian and begin to read the Qur'an more closely as I have done, you will begin to recognize the blatant inconsistencies and the lies. As a long-time Christian, I am firmly convinced that this is so. Furthermore, I am convinced that it will be because of this strong delusion and rebellion on their part, that the Muslim nations may soon -- within a few short years -- ravage the country of Israel, and kill many people, all motivated by a misguided belief that they are doing so in the name of the "One True God" -- Allah. It is interesting to note that the Lord prophesied the following concerning the coming fate of His First Century followers:

"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."


It's important to realize that life is like a boomerang, and that we each reap what we sow. Just as the pharisaical Jews -- such as the former Pharisee Saul -- persecuted and killed some of the First Century Christians, in the sincere belief that they were performing God's service, in the years ahead, it seems probable that the Jews may likewise be visited by their own sins when Muslim radicals, filled with pride and honor for their Islamic faith, and motivated by the devilish rantings of their Islamic False Prophet, may begin to kill the Jews, and destroy their synagogues, to a greater degree than what we have already witnessed with Palestinian suicide bombers. If and when this happens, tragically, the situation will have come full circle.

To fully understand this situation, and to help you to grasp why these events may happen at some point in the future, we will now begin to examine actual excerpts taken from Islam's holy book -- the Qur'an -- or Koran, according to the Western spelling of the word. Through this examination, you will come to recognize what is really felt and believed within the Arab and Muslim mind and heart. Be forewarned that this knowledge can be dangerous. It is ideas like these which put the life of author Salman Rushdie in danger; and to be quite honest, I too have considered the personal risk that I am taking by publishing controversial -- and to some people -- offensive information such as this. Nevertheless, I am motivated to be faithful to Him who has called me to this writing ministry. Furthermore, I still have much work to do for the Lord, and I trust that He will continue to protect me, until such time when I have completed my task.

As I stated at the beginning of this series, it would be a mistake on any of our parts to simply believe in government propaganda, or to accept mass media hearsay, regarding Muslim beliefs. So let us now go straight to the source; that is, to the actual writings of the "prophet" Muhammad -- or Mohammed if you prefer -- so that you can plainly see exactly what he taught and advocated almost fourteen hundred years ago. As I said, you will see that Islam is by no means the non-violent and peaceful religion that some people have proposed.

Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

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