There are many evidences that demand a verdict that come to mind when we discuss the deity of Jesus Christ and declare that He is God’s Last Messenger.

Here are the evidences:

1. The conversion of Saul.

How could we explain the conversion of Saul, the fanatic Jew who became the apostle Paul, the great advocate of Christianity?

The only explanation of his conversion is his personal encounter with the risen and ascended Christ on the Damascus road.

When he was presented to King Agrippa to examine his case, Paul said to King Agrippa:

I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision (Acts 26:9-19).

Paul wrote to Timothy:

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief (I Timothy 1:12-15 - NKJ).

2. The miracles performed by the apostles in the name of the ascended Christ.

How could we explain the number of miracles performed by the apostles in the name of Jesus Christ, recorded in the book of Acts after His ascension, unless we admit and believe that Jesus Christ is the living Son of God?

In the third chapter of the book of Acts we read about a lame man healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter, seeing the man who was lame from his mother’s womb, said to him,

Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk... and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked (Acts 3:6-8) (Read also Acts 8:32-35).

Another miracle was performed in the name of Jesus Christ:

Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda. There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed." Then he arose immediately. So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord (Acts 9:32-35 - NKJ).

3. Accepting martyrdom for the sake of the crucified Christ.

The book of Acts tells us of the martyrdom of Stephen, one of the seven chosen deacons (Acts 7:54-60) and of James, one of the apostles (Acts 12:1,2).

History tells us that Paul and Peter were martyred upon the command of the emperor Nero.

The Christians of the early centuries lived in the catacombs in Rome and suffered torture and death by fierce lions at the Coliseum.

During the reign of emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (AD 162-180) Polycarp was martyred.

Polycarp, who was a student of the apostle John and the overseer of the church in Smyrna, heard that soldiers were looking for him and tried to escape but was discovered by a child. After feeding the guards who captured him, he asked for an hour in prayer, which they gave him. He prayed with such fervency, that his guards said they were sorry that they were the ones who captured him. Nevertheless, he was taken before the governor and condemned to be burned in the market place.

After his sentence was given, the governor said to him, "Reproach Christ and I will release you."

Polycarp answered, "Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never once wronged me. How then shall I blaspheme my King who has saved me?"

In the market place, he was tied to the stake rather than nailed, as was the usual custom, because he assured them he would stand immovable in the flames and not fight them. As the dry sticks placed around him were lit, the flames rose up and circled his body without touching him. The executioner was then ordered to pierce him with a sword. When he did, a great quantity of blood gushed out and put out the fire. Although his Christian friends asked to be given his body as it was so they could bury him, the enemies of the Gospel insisted that it be burned in the fire, which was done (The New Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, page 16,17).

All those were martyred for their belief in the crucified and risen Christ.

No one will die for what he believes to be a lie.

4. The singing Churches.

Jesus promised, "I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

In spite of persecution and restraints, the Church of Jesus Christ flourished throughout the centuries in all continents.

Christians did not use the sword to force people to embrace Christianity. People were converted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God.

There is another important factor I want to call your attention to, which is that wherever Christians gather for worship they sing with joy.

Why do we hear Christians singing with joy in their churches, while there is no singing in the Muslim’s mosques? The answer is that, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christianity became the religion of victory and joy.

The songs Christians sing in their worship services at churches are about what Christ did on the cross, about His glory, about His resurrection.

They sing:

When I survey the wondrous cross,

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

They sing:

Jesus, Name above all names,

Beautiful Savior, Glorious Lord.

Emmanuel, God is with us,

Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.

They sing:

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

They sing:

I serve a risen Savior,

He’s in the world today;

I know that He is living,

Whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy

I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him

He’s always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way,

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives: He lives within my heart.

The singing churches are evidences that demand a verdict.

The resurrected and living Christ is the only logical answer for all these evidences.

5. The confessions of Jesus’ disciples.

There is another fact to which I want to call your attention. When the Son of God left His glory in heaven and took the form of a servant, He did not say that He was God explicitly because He came to die, not to be glorified. He said to His disciples:

For even the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

His Deity was hidden in His humanity, but He caused those who were with Him to declare His Deity. All of them were Jews who believed in monotheism.

• Nathaniel shouted, "You are the Son of God" (John 1:49).
• Peter by a special revelation from the Father cried out, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16:16).

"Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’" (Matthew 16:17).

• Thomas, seeing Christ after His resurrection, and seeing the wounds in His hands and side, was completely certain that Jesus was the crucified and resurrected Christ; overcome with joy, he cried out,

My Lord and my God (John 20:28).

That was not an exclamation, it was a confession.

All these confessions clearly indicate that Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of God.

6. The divine attributes of Jesus Christ.

We all agree that God has three personal attributes.

He is omnipresent - that means he is everywhere present.

He is omniscient - that means He is absolutely perfect in knowledge.

He is omnipotent - that means that He can bring to pass everything which He wills.

Jesus Christ claimed all these attributes.

He claimed that He was omnipresent when He said,

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is the son of man who is in heaven (John 3:13).

While he was on earth He was also in heaven.

He also said,

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20 - NKJ).

He claimed that He was omniscient when He said,

... No one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and to whom the Son wills to reveal (Matthew 11:27 - NKJ).

That is a knowledge above our comprehension, a knowledge no one can claim.

Jesus knew that He would be crucified. From the time of Peter’s confession to Jesus, saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God... from that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day" (Matthew 16:21 - NKJ).

The gospels are full of incidents that show that Jesus Christ is omniscient.

He claimed that he was omnipotent when He said:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one (John 10:27-30 - NKJ).

This oneness of the Father and the Son is not in purpose but in power and essence.

Jesus as the Son of Man was given all power in heaven and on earth. He said,

All power is given unto Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

When Jesus said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you," (Mark 2:5) the scribes who were sitting there reasoned in their hearts:

Why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone? And immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" - He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go your way to your house." And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" (Mark 2:6-12 - NKJ).

It is of great interest to acknowledge that after His resurrection and ascension to heaven, Jesus declared explicitly that He is God.

He said to John:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (Revelation 1:11).

The Quran declares in Surat Al-Hadid 57:3 that only God is the First and the Last. It says:

He is the First and the Last.

If Jesus says that He is the First and the Last, then He is God the Son.

In the same book of Revelation, that most profound prophetic book, Jesus declared that He is the judge of mankind:

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Revelation 22:12).

Again He declared in the gospel of John:

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him (John 5:22,23 - NKJ).

The Quran declares in Surat Al-Fatihah 1:1,4, that God is the ruler of the day of judgment. It says:

In the name of Allah,... owner of the day of judgment.

The Quran also declares:

And [Jesus] shall be a sign [for the coming of] the hour of judgment" (Surat Al-Zukhruf 43:61).

7. The declarations of Jesus Christ and His apostles.

When the chief priests and the Jewish elders questioned the authority of Jesus Christ, He said to them:

Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, "They will respect my son." But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance." And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him (Matthew 21:33-39 - NKJ).

The important verse in this parable is, "Then last of all he sent his son."

The Son of God was the last messenger to come and to be crucified. No one is to come after him to establish a new religion.

We have to realize that Judaism by its offerings, prophecies, types and symbols was the foundation for Christianity. In Christ all the offerings, prophecies, types and symbols were fulfilled. There is no room for any other religion after Christ.

Moreover, God sent Moses who was a true great prophet. By him God gave His law to the Jewish people. Then in due time God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who was much greater than Moses:

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus; who was faithful to Him who appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honour than the house (Hebrews 3:1-3).

It is unlikely that God would send a lesser person after He sent His only Son.

At the last Passover supper, before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples to wait for His coming. He never told them to wait or expect any other prophet after Him, for He was the last messenger of God to mankind. It is useless to search the Bible for prophecies concerning the coming of Muhammad, for there are no such prophecies at all.

Jesus said to his disciples before His crucifixion:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:1-3)

These are clear words that Jesus will come to take His own at His second coming. His own should not look for the coming of anyone else, they should wait only for His coming.

The apostle Peter spoke to the men of Israel, after he healed the man born lame in the name of Jesus Christ, saying:

The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I know that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you (Acts 3:13-20).

The one who will come again is Jesus Christ. There is no need for another one.

The apostle John wrote:

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure (I John 3:2,3).

The only hope for true believers in Jesus Christ is His second coming. It is called the blessed hope.

The apostle Paul recorded:

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:11-14).

The true Christians are commanded to look for "that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ."

There is no place for another prophet to come and establish a new religion. The blessed hope is the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The writer of the book of Hebrews says:

God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:1-3 - NKJ).

Here we have to notice some facts.

First: That Jesus Christ is God’s Last Messenger. God spoke to us by Him in these last days.

Second: That Jesus Christ is more than the prophets. He is the Eternal Son of God.God has in these last days spoken to us by His son.

Third: That Jesus is the heir of all things. The Quran declares that God alone is the heir of all things.

It is We who inherit the earth, and all beings thereon: to Us will they all be returned (Surat Maryam 19:40).

And if Jesus Christ is the heir of all things, then He is God the Son.

Fourth: That Jesus is the Creator and the Upholder of all things.

Through whom also He made the worlds; who being... the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power.

Fifth: That Jesus is the Redeemer of mankind.

He had by Himself purged our sins.

This is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and the Son of God as revealed in the Bible, on the basis of His everlasting existence, His sinless life, the Biblical revelation of the Triune God, the redemption of mankind, and His claims. We Christians believe, and rightly so, that Jesus Christ is God’s son manifested in the flesh, and God’s Last Messenger to the world..

He is coming again, and He is coming soon, and every eye shall see that He has on his robe a name written: "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" (Revelation 19:16).

In that day, the words of the apostle Paul will be fulfilled:

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10,11).

8. Jesus Christ’s warning of false prophets.

Jesus Christ gave His disciples a clear warning of false prophets:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (Matthew 7:15,16).

The apostle John also said:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world (I John 4:1 - NKJ).

To identify the false prophet, we have to identify the true prophet.

Here, I would like to call your attention to the fact that there are three kinds of prophets:

• The prophet called by God to be the founder of a divine religion.

• The prophet sent by God to warn people and bring them back to God when they drift away from God’s ways.

• The false prophet who speaks from his own motivation and not by the inspiration of God and claims that he is speaking in the name of God.

I will only discuss the qualifications of the true prophet who is called by God to be the founder of a divine religion.

1. The true prophet must receive a direct call from God Himself.

Moses, the founder of Judaism, is the best example in that matter. God appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush and told him,

Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10 NKJ).

That was a direct call from God. After Moses received that call, God never ceased to speak to him. Again and again, we read in the Torah: "And the LORD spoke to Moses" (Leviticus 11:1).

The Quran says, "And to Moses Allah spoke direct"

(Surat Al-Nisa 4:164 - King Fahd Holy Quran).

A call through an angel, a spirit, a vision, or any third party, is not sufficient to qualify a person to be the founder of a new divine religion.

2. The true prophet must perform divine miracles to authenticate his call.

Moses was a miracle worker. God authenticated his call by the miracles he performed. He brought ten plagues on the land of Egypt (Exodus 7:19-12:1-39). He divided the water of the Red Sea, and by that miracle the children of Israel escaped from the bondage of Egypt and the tyranny of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:12-29). He performed many more miracles.

Jesus Christ, who is the founder and foundation of Christianity, performed many miracles, which are recorded in the gospels. Jesus said, "... the works which the Father has given me to finish - the very works that I do - bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me" (John 5:3 - NKJ).

A prophet without miracles is not fit to be the founder of a divine religion and is not a credible messenger of an almighty, eternal God.

3. The true prophet must utter true and accurate prophecies.

Moses, the founder of Judaism, uttered accurate prophecies which were fulfilled to the letter during his life. Moreover, he told the children of Israel that they would be scattered among the nations and a sword would be drawn out after them (Leviticus 26:33). That prophecy was fulfilled to the letter throughout their history, especially through the holocaust of the Jews by Hitler during the Second World War. Furthermore, Moses told them that God would not cast them away, but would fulfil His covenant with their fathers (Leviticus 26:44,45). The return of the Jews to their land and the existence of Israel as a nation is a fulfilment of that prophecy.

Moses also prophesied about the coming of a prophet like him: "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren, Him you shall hear" (Deuteronomy 18:15). That prophecy was fulfilled to the letter in Jesus Christ, as we mentioned in a previous chapter.

Christ uttered many prophecies: He told His disciples that he would be crucified (Matthew 16:21); He told them about the destruction of the temple:

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down (Matthew 24:1,2).

That prophecy was fulfilled to the letter.

In the Olivet discourse Christ told His disciples about the signs of the end time.

He told them about the signs of the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:5-8).

He told them about the coming great tribulation (Matthew 24:15-21).

He told them that He shall come in glory and all the holy angels with him (Matthew 24:29,30).

All these prophecies will be fulfilled to the letter before His second coming.

The prophet who does not utter true and accurate prophecies is not a true prophet.

4. The true prophet must be in agreement with the former revelations given by the true prophets of God.

When Jesus Christ came He was in complete agreement with the Old Testament, which contains the former revelations given to the true prophets of God.

After His resurrection, he met two disciples in the road to Emmaus and:

Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:27).

In His Olivet discourse, He said to His disciples:

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy place (Matthew 24:15 - NKJ).

That means that Jesus Christ was in total agreement with the Book of Daniel and the Old Testament prophecies and prophets.

The Quran recorded that Jesus said:

And [I come - referring to Jesus Christ] confirming that which was before me of the Torah (Surat Al-Imran 3:50)

Agreement with the former divine revelations is a sign of the true prophet.

Was Muhammad in total agreement with the Old and the New Testaments?

Let us examine this point.

In the Old Testament we read:

When a man takes a wife, and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man's wife, if the latter husband detests her, and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).

Does the Quran agree with this clear commandment?

Here is what the Quran says:

So if a husband divorces his wife [irrevocably], he cannot, after that, remarry her until after she has married another husband and he has divorced her. In that case there is no blame on either of them if they re-unite, provided they feel that they can keep the limits ordained by Allah. Such are the limits ordained by Allah, which He makes plain to those who know (Surat Al-Baqarah 2:230 - King Fahd Holy Quran)

What the God of the Bible calls "abomination" that brings sin on the land, the Quran calls the limits of Allah.

Who would believe that these two revelations are from the same source?

Again the Word of God says in the four gospels and with many witnesses that Jesus Christ was crucified and killed:

So he (Pilate, the governor) delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center (John 19:16-18).

The prophecies in the Old Testament clearly declare that Jesus Christ must suffer and that He would be crucified and killed as the Lamb of God to pay the penalty for man’s sins, and reconcile the justice of God with His mercy (Isaiah 53:1-12, Psalm 22:16). All the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the suffering, the crucifixion, the burial and the resurrection of the Messiah, which were written centuries before His birth, were fulfilled to the letter in the person of Jesus Christ as mentioned before.

Then, after six hundred years, Muhammad, who never lived in the land of Israel, who was not yet born at the time of the crucifixion of Christ, came and declared in the Quran:

That they said "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah" - but they killed him not, nor crucified him. Only a likeness of that was shown to them. And those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no [certain] knowledge. But only conjecture to follow, for a surety they killed him not (Surat Al-Nisa 4:157).

That means that God, blessed be His holy name, performed a great deception when He placed someone else other than Jesus Christ on the cross, according to Muslim scholars’ interpretations, and for six centuries left the world to believe that Jesus Christ was truly crucified. This is something no one would imagine that a Holy and truthful God would do.

Would we accept the declaration of the Quran that Jesus Christ was not crucified and ignore what was recorded in the four Gospels, the book of Acts, the letters of the apostles, and the book of Revelation concerning the crucifixion of Christ, knowing that some of the writers were eye witnesses of that crucifixion?

The revelations of the Quran do not agree with what is recorded in the New Testament.

Moreover, Jesus told his followers, "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). He also said to Peter, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52), but we read in the Quran, "O Prophet [Muhammad] rouse the believers [Muslims] to the fight (Surat Al-Anfal 8:65). A prophet who incites his followers to fight, torture, and kill their enemies is not in agreement with the former divine revelations.

Any prophet whose stories or teachings contradict the former revelations of God is not a true prophet, for God does not contradict Himself.

These are the four qualifications of a true prophet who is called by God to be the founder of a true religion. Apply them to any prophet or any person who is introduced to you as a prophet sent from God. You will reject at once the false prophets, and will not be trapped by their deception. Remember that Christ said, "Beware of false prophets" (Matthew 7:15).

9. Why is Israel preferred above all creatures.

God said concerning Israel:

But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish (Isaiah 41:8-11)

The Quran mentions that Allah favored Israel and preferred them to all creatures and gave them things which He did not give to any other of His creatures:

O children of Israel! Remember My favour wherewith I favoured you and how I preferred you to [all] creatures

(Surat Al-Baqarah 2:47 - M. Pickthall Translation)

O children of Israel! Remember my favour wherewith I favoured you and how I preferred you to [all] creatures (Surat Al-Baqarah 2:122)

And verily We gave the children of Israel the Scripture and the command and the prophethood, and provided them with good things and favoured them above [all] peoples (Surat Al-Jathiyah 45:16)

And [remember] when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Remember Allah’s favour unto you, how He placed among you prophets, and He made you kings, and gave you that [which] He gave not to any [other] of [His] creatures (Surat Al-Maidah 5:20).

Why did God favor the children of Israel above all people?

Why did He give them the Scripture and the prophethood?

The answers are clear in the Bible:

First, because God committed His Word to them.

What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles [the word] of God (Romans 3:1,2 - NKJ).

Second, and more importantly, because Jesus Christ had to be from them.

The apostle Peter says:

For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God (Romans 9:3-5 - NKJ).

God preferred Israel above all creatures, because His Son, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind, had to be from them,

for salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22).

10. What does Islam offer, and what is new in Islam?

This is an evidence that demands a verdict

It is of great importance to know that true religion must give answers to the basic spiritual needs of mankind.

There are four basic spiritual needs of the human heart:

1. The need to be loved and to love.
2. Assurance of total forgiveness of sin and relief from the sense of guilt.
3. A way of life designed by God, the Supreme Authority, to show man how to please God and deal with his fellow man.
4. Complete assurance of eternal life with the Holy God in a holy, heavenly bliss.

Are these needs met in Islam? I would leave the answer to the sincere researcher.

Most importantly, what is new in Islam? Monotheism is clear through the Bible. The True God was known centuries before Muhammad.

The only new doctrines that Islam brought is legalizing polygamy and the beating of wives:

Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly [with them], then only one, or that which your right hand possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice (Surat Al-Nisa 4:3).

If we know that Muhammad, the excellent example of the Muslim, married fourteen women, we must not expect that any Muslim will do better than Muhammad.

There is no real love between a man and his four wives, it is only a physical relationship.

Moreover, Islam allows husbands to beat their wives in case they fear their disloyalty:

As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them, refuse to share their beds, beat them (Surat Al-Nisa 4:34).

What woman would like to exchange the biblical commandments to their husbands, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25 - NKJ), with what the Quran says?

Something of great interest should be mentioned here before the conclusion of this chapter, namely that there came a time when Muhammad doubted the revelations he received, and was commanded to ask those who read the Bible before him.

These are the words of the Quran:

If thou [Muhammad] wert in doubt as to what we have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book [the Bible] before thee (Surat Yunus 10:94).

If Muhammad doubted the revelations he received, then we have the right to doubt these revelations.

Islam has many more things contrary to Judaism and Christianity. Space will not permit elaboration.

These are evidences that demand a verdict, and the verdict is that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of the living God, the only Savior of mankind, the judge of all the earth, and God’s LastMessenger, and whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life:

He that believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).