There is only One God, my Muslim friend

The Qur'an teaches that only God can be in heaven and on earth at the same time, saying: "He is God of heaven and the earth." (Cattle 3) 

No creature can have that exclusive attribute of God except the Almighty God. Therefore, it is true that no one can be in the heavens and earth, at the same time, but God. However, the Lord Jesus Christ came to make great wonders and miracles to prove His deity and support His claim that He is the omnipotent and omnipresent God is who is in heaven and on earth at the same time.

The Gospel tells us that the Christ came down from heaven to earth through a divine virgin birth. Also, the Qur'an points out that Christ's birth were unique distinguishing Him from all other men and prophets without exception. If Christ was a mere human being, it would become necessary that His birth be a congenital, sexual birth, from a human father, like the rest of all the humans. But Christ, who made the world, did not need the agent of the human father be born into the world (Mary 16-34).

Also, all the Muslim scholars unanimously agreed that Christ alone is infallible. Al-Bukhari said quoting the prophet of Islam: 

"Satan pokes with his finger the side of every human, at his birth; except Jesus the son of Mary when he went to poke Him, he poked the curtain, instead."

Of all humans, why was only Jesus singled out and given this unique exception in Islam? Had He not been the Almighty God, who came down voluntarily to our world, without the congenital birth, He would not have been given that sole exception. It is evident that it was not befitting God to be born in the natural human way, after the manner of men, which is summed up by David the prophet, saying:

"Behold I was sharpened iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."

This is another reason for Muslims to inquire as to why He could forbid Satan from poking Him. No matter how you study this subject, you will find that Jesus is the Most High God who came down from heaven to earth, at the very time He was in heaven.

John 3:1-13 

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”  Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?”  Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

YouTube video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmWFu5U3UEg

Is Christmas fake?

 Obejection: 

In Matthew 1:16 we read: "And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ." The term Christ or "anointed one" is used of every ruler of the Jews, be he good or bad. This term is used often in reference to David and Saul, and found in Psalm 18:50; 132:10; 1 Samuel 24:6,10; 1 Samuel 26:9 and 2 Samuel 1:14. We even find an example of this term being used in reference to a heathen king: "Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right I have held..."

Response:

The term Christ in passive form, meaning "the one who is anointed." The nation of Israel used to pour oil on their prophets as a sign of consecration for a special task-namely, calling a people to the truth (1 Kings 19:16). Those consecrated in this way would be called "anointed ones" (1 Chronicles 16:22, Psalm 105:15).

Initially, the Jews used to anoint priests, such as Aaron and his children (Exodus 40:15, Numbers 3:3). Later, they anointed only chief priests (Exodus 29:29, Leviticus 16:32).

Objects were anointed to indicate their consecration to God's service. Jacob anointed the pillar at Bethel (Genesis 31:13). The tabernacle and its sacred utensils were also anointed (Exodus 30:26-28).

It is understandable that the term "The Christ of the Lord" can be applied to a king, for the Bible teaches us that it is the duty of every person to submit to rulers, because no ruler exists except by God's ordination. He who opposes a king rejects God's ordination, and such will bring judgement on himself (Romans 13:1-8).

As for Jesus, He was also called "Christ" because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18, John 1:32-33, Acts 4:27, 10:38). Thus, he was different from anyone else. He is also called "Messiah," and no created being shares this title with him.

Greatness, justice and wisdom are rightly attributed to God, but it is also permissible to attribute them to people who possess the qualities. Yet, when applied to God these terms take a superior meaning. The same is true of the term Christ. It was permissible to use it in reference to prophets, priests and judges, because these men were anointed with oil signify their consecration to service. But when applied to Christ, the word takes on another meaning-one which signifies that He is the eternal Word who took on bodily form, was anointed by the Holy Spirit, performed marvelous miracles, suffered, was crucified and buried, rose again, and ascended to heaven. One cannot refer to any other as "Christ" in that sense. It has become a proper name, applied to Him exclusively. When the term is used today, our minds are directed immediately to Jesus."

Link: https://www.answering-islam.org

The Ancestors of Muhammad (Part One)

 Abd  al-Muttalib,Muhammad's Grandfather

As Abd al-Muttalib Hashim was sleeping one day, he was commanded in a dream to dig up the well of Zamzam. The Jurhumites had buried it when they migrated from Mecca.

This was the same well from which Allah had allowed the young Ishmael to drink when he was thirsty. His mother had searched for water but found none.  She stood on hill al-Marwa, she prayed a second time for water.  Then Allah sent the angel Gabriel, * who pressed one of Ishmael's heels into the earth; suddenly water appeared.  His mother heard the cries of wild animals.  She became worried about her son so she ran to him and found him lying on his face, drawing water with his hand and drinking.  Then she purified the well of sand.

*Compare Genesis 21:9-21 (the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael). Long before Muhammad, Allah was considered to be one of many gods of Mecca, but his name is built on the Semitic name of the god El, which means "power". Elohim, Eloah and many derivatives, like Elijah, Beth-El, and so on, are built on the same root. Muhammad adopted the name of the angel Gabriel from the Jewish people and used it as the name for Allah's messenger to his chosen servants.

{The Zamzam Well is a well located within the Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabia 20 m (66 ft) east of the Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam. According to Islam, it is a miraculously generated source of water from God, which sprang spontaneously thousands of years ago when Ibrahim's (Abraham's) son Isma'll(Ishmael) was left with his mother Hajar(Hagar) in the desert, thirsty and crying. Millions of pilgrims visit the well each year while performing the Haji or Umrah  pilgrimages in order to drink its water.}

More Information: https://www.answering-islam.org

Do you believe this, Muslims?

This is dedicated to Muslims. In Surah 2:285 and Surah 4:136 notice that "His Books" is plural. This means not just the Qur'an but all the Holy Books. In Surah 2:136 please discern the important phrase "We make no difference between one and another of them. This is a clear command that Muslims should regard all Holy Books as equal.

Some Muslims may object saying: "How can the Messiah of God make wine and offer it to the people to drink? God has prohibited wine in the Torah, and the Qur'an repeated that prohibition in The Table 90 and The Cow 216, saying: "O believers, wine and arrowing-shuffling, idols and divining-arrows are an abomination, some of Satan's work; so avoid it; haply so you will prosper."

In the meantime, you find that the Qur'an is promising the believers not just one river but rivers of wine as a delight to the drinkers. The Qur'an says: "This is the similitude of Paradise which the God-fearing have been promised; therein are rivers of water unsealing, rivers of milk unchanging in flavor and rivers of wine - a delight to the drinkers. (Mohammed 15; Man ; The Stinters 25). 

Here we see curiosity peaks and many questions are being raised: "how did the Qur'an prohibit the wine here on earth but make it available to Paradise inhabitants in enormous quantities, flowing as rivers to drink without end? Does the Qur'an mean that God prohibits wine here on earth but He allows it to the Paradise inhabitants so that they can get drunk in heaven?" 

The answer is very clear. The Holy God who prohibits wine and drunkenness on earth, does not allow, in His pure heaven, drunkenness or any agent that causes drunkenness. If wine were found in heaven, it will be that good wine that by nature has nothing to do with drunkenness.

In this chapter, not performing a divine miracle to offer the people the wine that can cause them to lose their memory, their balance, their faculties and their self-respect...but rather He made that other kind of wine that was a delight unto the drinkers who, once they sipped it, the influence of the earthly wine evaporated and their minds were made alert; consequently, they rose up asking about good wine that was a delight to the drinkers.

Read John 2:1-11

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." "Woman, why do you involve me?"Jesus replied. "My hour has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."  Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.  Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."  What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

GIF Link: https://giphy.com/gifs/islam-W3UOXv1JsFs22qdP4m

Do you know!

 Objection: In Matthew 1:13 we read that Abihud is the son Zerubbalel. This is wrong because Zerubbabel had five sons, according to 1 Chronicles 3:19-20, and none of them is named Abihud.

Response: It was a Jewish custom for a person to be called by a variety of names. This custom is also practiced among the Arabs. This custom spread among the Jews in a special way during the time of the Captivity. A proof of this is what is mentioned in Daniel 1:6-7. 

In any case, we can say Matthew copied the genealogy from Zerubbabel to Christ from the records kept by the Jews. These records were kept in Jerusalem and were guarded with utmost care. After every battle, the priests would revise their genealogies to determine which of the priests' wives had been taken captive and which were not fit to be priests' wives any longer.

Josephus wrote that genealogies of the Jews existed for a period of 2,000 years and that they were preserved until the destruction of Jerusalem. Some of the princes in the captivity mentioned that their ancestry went back to David. Others demonstrated that their line went back to the prophet Samuel.

The Jews' zeal in preserving their ancestry was important to them, for they could thereby boast of their origins and preserve their rights in land claims and positions of service.

Josephus claimed that he himself had found his ancestry in public records kept by the Jews. This being the case, how much more then would the Jews have preserved the public records of their kings' genealogies. Had Matthew deviated from the Jewish records of their records of their kings, they would have opposed him. But none objected to his record, because he had recorded facts accepted by all. 

More about Islam click here: https://www.answering-islam.org/

Marriage

This is dedicated to Muslims. In Surah 2:285 and Surah 4:136 notice that "His Books" is plural. This means not just the Qur'an but all the Holy Books. In Surah 2:136 please discern the important phrase "We make no difference between one and another of them. This is a clear command that Muslims should regard all Holy Books as equal.

I will now talk about John 2:1-2. These verses say, "And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage."

The Lord Jesus Christ honored the marriage by his presence at the wedding ceremonies at Cana. In this sense, marriage in the real Christian circles is taken more seriously than in other religions. First of all, the Christian marriage is not a mere contract that can be annulled or rescinded whenever the husband or the wife wants. In real Christianity, the marriage is a lifelong commitment and union, where the two become one before God, for life... "for better or for worst, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part." Such marriage is based upon trust, love and faithfulness, by both parts, the husband and the wife. In Christian marriages, the husband is expected to love his wife as Christ loved the church and died for it, and the wife is expected to honor her husband and follow his lead as the spiritual leader of their household. The husband is not considered better nor the wife inferior, but rather, both are equal in Christ. Of course there can be tense moments, misunderstandings, and friction, but a Christian couple would work seriously in order to iron out their difference, keep their vows and make sure that their marriages work. Unfortunately, wherever you see divorces among so-called Christians, you know then that they are not living the real Christian life, and they will surely give an account before the Judgement Seat of Christ.

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Rp9iDyC2E

Objection to the Bible

Ojection:

In Matthew 1:12 we find that Zerubbabel is the son of Shealtiel. This is wrong! He is the son of Pedaiah, the nephew of Shealtiel, as documented in 1 Chronicles 3:17-19.

Response:

In Erza 3:2, 5:2, Nehemaiah 12:1 and Haggai 1:1, we find that Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel. Josephus the historian also documents that Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtie! If 1Chronicles 3:19 states that Zerubvabel was the son of Pedaiah, this is owing to the fact that the Jews relate a grandson to his grandfather, calling him his son. Genesis 29:5 calls Laban the son of Nabor, when in fact he was the son of Bethuel, son of Nahor (Genesis 24:47). However, if we are to understand that Shealtiel and Pedaiah were brothers, then it follows that Zerubbabel was the natural son of one of them and the legal son of the other, by the constraints of Levitical law. In any case, if Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel, as documented by Matthew, it is correct from every angle. This agrees with the rest of the sacred books as well as history.

GIF LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/answers-hugcAZGVApqhxRLglC

Error in the Bible?

I hope that you, my Muslim  friend, will understand that the Bible is from God.
Surah 2:136 says,

Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."

I do not believe in the Koran but you do. Surah 10:64 says,

For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah . That is what is the great attainment.

Know also this Surah. Surah 5:47 says,

And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Objection: The generations in the second part of the three divisions mentioned by Matthew consist of 18 men, not 14, as is clear from 1 Chronicles 3:10-16. Also, Matthew 1:8 says that Joram begat Uzziah. This is wrong because Uzziah is the son of Ahaziah, son of Joash, son of Amaziah. These three are among the famous princes described in 2 Kings 8, 12, 14 and 2 Chronicles 22, 24 and 25. This a blatant error.

Response: Matthew omitted Uzziah, Joash and Amaziah, because Jehoram was of Ahaziah's line through Ahab, the pagan, whose wife was the notorious Jezebel. Thus, the deletion of those names was a punishment for Jehoram's guilty house to the fourth generation. God has said: "..I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those THAT HATE ME..." (Exodus 20:5)

We can assume that Matthew abbreviated the genealogy to make it easier to remember. Ezra dis thew same when he set out to prove that he was of Aaron's line; he dropped six generations from his list (compare Ezra 7:1-5 and 1 Chronicles 6:3-15). Ezra's purpose was brevity. Similarly, Muslims say that Muhammad was the son of Hashem, whereas he was the son of Abdullah son of Abd al-Muttalib b. Hashem. In the Hadith, Muhammad is recorded as having said, "I am the son of the two slain"-that is, of Abdullah and Ismael b. Ibrahim.

Matthew may also have ignored these names because one of them -Joash- was not buried in the Tombs of the Kings (2 Chronicles 24:25) and the other two murder were murdered. Also, their grandfather Jehoram was descended from Ahab the pagan.

It is our duty as intelligent beings to investigate those things of which we are ignorant, but our inquiry should be carried out in humility and awareness of our fallibility and weakness. We must not proudly make grandiose claims, deny inspiration and close our ears to the truth. God in His superior wisdom and holiness saw fit to delete these three kings from the list.

Link for more information: https://www.answering-islam.org/

Who is Jesus?

SURAH 43:63 When Jesus came with Clear Signs, he said: "Now have I come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the (points) on which ye dispute: therefore fear Allah and obey me."

Are you an Muslim or do you know Muslims? I will bring you some information.
People that have accepted Jesus do not have to believe in the Qur'an but if the Muslim has to believe in the Bible.

It's far from it that the Christians believe that God married a woman from whom He begot a son in a sexual, congenital birth, after the manner of men. But the Sonship of Christ to God is a spiritual, sublime Sonship wherein the Son emanated from the Father in the beginning; i.e., in eternity before time. El-Ghazzali, one of the most famous and greatest Muslim scholars, excelled as he described the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, in his book THE BEAUTIFUL REPY, saying: "The Christians believe that the Self of the Creator, the Most High, is one in essence, but it has considerations.
When the existence is considered not contingent on anything else, then it is the absolute existence, and that is what they call the Person of the Father. But if it was considered contingent on another existence, as science is contingent on the existence of the world, such is the definite existence and that is what they call the Person of the Son, or the Word. And when it is considered contingent on the power of His reasoning, emanating from Him, then, that also is a definite existence, and they call it the Person of the Holy Spirit, because the Self of the Creator is reasoned through Him."

In a word, El-Ghazzali, the well-known Muslim scholar, proved his in-depth and genuine understanding of the Holy Trinity and he expressed it grandiloquently and genuinely, proving that the son emanated from the Father and that He was equal to Him. All those attributes that are distinctive of Christ in the Bible and the Qur'an are but the solid proof and clear evidence of Christ's deity.

John 1:49

Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVh_GlM2tro

I hope that you, my Muslim  friend, will understand that the Bible is from God.
Surah 2:136 says,

Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."

I do not believe in the Koran but you do. Surah 10:64 says,

For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah . That is what is the great attainment.

Know also this Surah. Surah 5:47 says,

And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Objection: The time from Judah to Salmon was nearly 300 years, and from Salmon to David, 400 years. Matthew wrote that in the first period there were seven generations and in the second, five generations. This is obviously a mistake, because during the period people lived longer than the second.

Response: There is an example from history that negates this allegation. The period of the four caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, spanned 29 years. The age of the succeeding Umayyad dynasty included fourteen caliphs, beginning with Muawiyah and ending with Maewan. This dynasty spanned 89 years, approximately 1,068 months and it exceeded the reign of the Rashidi caliphs. According to the rule above, the later ones should have lived shorter lives not vice versa. If we go further along in history, the Fatimids ruled longer than the others, spanning 205 years and the number of their caliphs was fourteen. Thus, their duration was nearly double that of the Umayyads, even though their time in history is nearer ours than the Rashidis and the Umayyads.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRhLt5R0P9Y

Isa the Masih

SURAH 43:63 When Jesus came with Clear Signs, he said: "Now have I come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the (points) on which ye dispute: therefore fear Allah and obey me."

Are you an Muslim or do you know Muslims? I will bring you some information.
People that have accepted Jesus do not have to believe in the Qur'an but if the Muslim has to believe in the Bible.

Jesus was uniquely singled out of the Qur'an as the "Christ" or the "Messiah." According to the Prophets and the Torah, the bearer of that prophetical title was anointed by God to occupy a very high position, near-stationed to God, that no human is worthy of occupying. And Jesus as the Messiah was confirmed to the world as the Messiah who is the Savior of the World, and to fulfill the prophecies: "To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believers in Him shall receive remission of sins." (Acts 10:43). Thus, Christ was distinguished from all the prophets, was exalted above every name and will be judge of the world.

John 1:41 says, "He first finders his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted, the Christ."

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErzgxWrykVk

Who is Jesus?

My Muslim friend, the topic of Jesus is an interesting one. You say that he was an prophet. I agree with you that he was an prophet. I will add that he is God.

I do not believe in the Qur'an but you do so I will talk about the Qur'an with you.

I will start with John 1:33. The verse says, "And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’"

In this verse, God told John the Baptist about His Son and the Holy Spirit, giving a perfect picture of the Holy Trinity. In the same way, the same picture is reflected not once but twice in the Qur'an when God was quoted as saying: "And We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear signs, and confirmed him the Holy Spirit." (The Cow 87). Also, the verse in the Surah of Women 171 describes Jesus saying: "His Word that He committed to Mary, and a spirit from Him."

If we study those two Qur'an verses, we find that the Speaker was God addressing His Word and supporting Him with His Holy Spirit-no prophet ever was giving that privilege.

This is great assurance that the Qur'an did not deviate from reiterating the Gospel's teaching, confirming the reality of the Holy Trinity, ie., God the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit. 

YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSEGCgUv-Q4&list=PLOcgbRsBMiGrCWEwotBvZFRJt5StQ-f4D&index=6&t=0s

All in the family

I hope that you, my Muslim,  friend will understand that the Bible is from God.
Surah 2:136 says,

Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."

I do not believe in the Koran but you do. Surah 10:64 says,

For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah . That is what is the great attainment.

Know also this Surah. Surah 5:47 says,

And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Objection: We read in Matthew 1:11 that Josiah begat Jeconiah and his brothers during the Babylonian Captivity. There are three problems with the verse: Josiah was not Jeconiah's father, but rather his grander (1 Chronicles 3:15-16), for it is written that Josiah's sons were Johanan, Jehokiakim, Zedekiah and Shallum; Josiah died twenty years before the Babylonian Captivity, so we cannot say that he and his brothers were born during this time.

Response: The problems presented here vanish when we examine what is written in one of the handwritten copies. In the Greek we read: "Josiah was the father of Jehoiakim (or Joakim) and Jehoakim were the father of Jeconiah" (see the Kreisbach readings). Thus, Josiah was Jehoiakim's father (also known as Eliakim and Jochim), and his brothers were Johanan, Zedekiah, and Shallum (1 Chronicles 3:15). Joakim was Jekiniah's father during the Babylon Captivity, but we must remember that the children of Israel were taken to  Babylon three times. The first exile was in 598 B.C., the fourth year of Joakim, son of Josiah. In that year, Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and removed a large number of captives to Babylon. The second exile occured during the reign of Jeconiah, son of Joakim, who reigned three months and then taken into captivity in 597, along with many notables and aristocrats of Isreal. The third exile happened in 586 B.C., during the reign of Zedekiah.

Kalmet said that it is necessary to read Matthew 1:11 in this way, "Josiah was the father of Joakim and his brothers. Joakim was the father of Jeconiah during the first Babylonian exile." What confirms the correctness of reading verse 11 in this way is what Matthew writes: "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations"; thus, 42 in all:

The line of Abraham: Issac, Jacob, Judah, Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse and David.

The line of Solomon: Rehoboam, Abidjah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah and Jeconiah.

The line of Jeconiah: Shealtiel, Zerubbababel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Akim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joesph and Jesus.

Thus, the problem the objector raised can be explained in terms of taqdeem and taakheer which, in Arabic, respectively mean to place subsequent things first or to place initial later along (such as placing Solomon before David).

Although one could do without an interpretation of Matthew's expression, saying that Joakim was omitted because he was a ploy in the hands of the king of Egypt (2 Chronicles 36:4) and that he, like Joash, was not buried in the Tombs of the Kings, but cast out on the walls  of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 22:19, 36:30), the statement would nonetheless be correct. We can say that Josiah begot Jeconiah, because he was his grandfather.

Matthew 1:11,and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

Click on this YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOKboSCNA3A

Who is older?

There are many people that deny Jesus is God. Muslims do not believe. If you are Muslim, you need to believe that the Bible is God's Word. Surah 5:46, ""And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah."

Another good Surah is Surah 10:64. It says, "For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present and in the Hereafter; no change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity." 

John knew that he was born before Christ. That means he was physically older than Christ, and his ministry started before Christ's; yet John testified that Christ was in existence before him. But there was no way for Jesus to be before John unless Jesus existed in eternity before time. Thus, John confirmed the fact of Christ's deity.

John 1:30
"This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me."


click on this link: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGrUslfXCnU

There are doubts concerning Jesus' ancestry

Question: There are doubts concerning Jesus ancestry.

Response:

Before discussing the objections concerning Jesus' ancestry, we would mention the following:

1) A Jewish family was very proud of its family tree, for it was proof that the family members stemmed from God's chosen people and it substantiated their claims to the inheritance of the land. Levites, for example, could only perform their duties if they could prove their membership to the Levitic  tribe. The Jews kept accurate records of their ancestry; they refuse to acknowledge any person as a Jew whose name was not included in these lists Ezra 2:62). Thus, had there been any error in Jesus' ancestry, as recorded by Matthew or Luke during the first century, the Jews would have detected it and objected.

Christians have attributed much more to Christ than priesthood or land. They believed that He was the prophesied Messiah, the Savior of the world.

2) There is a fact that would perplex the modern reader, yet it is one with which the Jewish readers of old were quite familiar: one person could belong to two tribes-to one by birth and to the other by marriage; he could also have two fathers-his own and his wife's. Such cases are found in the Old Testament. After the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity, the following priestly clans could not find no record to prove their ancestry: Habaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (Ezra 2:61-62). The ancestor of the priestly clans of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and had taken the name of his father-in-law's clan. But since they were unable to prove who ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests. The same was written by Nehemiah 7:63-64. In 1 Chronicles 2:21-22, we read that when Hezron was sixty years old, he married Machir's daughter, the sister of Gilead. They had a son named Jair who ruled 23 cities in the territory of Gilead. Because Machir was the chef of the tribe of Manasseh, Jair was called the son of Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:14-16 and Numbers 32:40-41).

3) Matthew traced the ancestry of Christ to Joseph, son of Jacob and divided it into three groups comprising the patriarchs, kings and their descendants. David was considered to be one of the patriarchs as well as one of the kings. Matthew traced the ancestors of Jesus to Abraham, because he wrote with a Jewish readership in mind.

Luke linked Jesus' ancestry to the Virgin Mary and pointed out that Joseph was the son of Heli, Mary's father (Luke 3:23); therefore he gave Joseph the name of his father-in-law. He traced His ancestry to Adam and God, stating that Jesus was "thought to have been" the son of Joseph (Luke 3:23).

4) It was no problem for a Jewish historian to delete some names from a family tree; this did not detract from the reliability of the record. Matthew left out the names of three kings from Jesus' ancestry; Ahaziah, Joash, and Amariah who reigned between Jehoram and Uzziah.

5) The ancestry reveals that which Matthew and Luke wrote serves the objective of the Gospel, showing us that Jesus was "the Seed of the Woman" predicted in Genesis 3:15. The names of Tamar the Palestinian, Rahab the Amorite, Ruth the Moabite, and the Jewish Virgin Mary indicates that Jesus is the Son of Man who belongs to all mankind and desires all to be saved. He is the Savior for all. Some of His grandfathers were kings, while others were shepherds living in tents (Luke 3:23-28).


Message for the Muslims

I have many friends that are Muslims and they refuse to believe that Jesus is God. I hope the Muslims understand this Surah.

Surah 5:68: "Say: O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, The Gospel and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord."

Great link for more knowledge on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWRi5vsatQk

The Perfect Man, my Muslim Friend

I have an important message for my Muslim friends. If you are Muslim then please hear me out.

The doctrine of Incarnation was limited to Christianity only but we see that Islam supported that doctrine very clearly, confirming that the Spirit of God had become flesh, saying: "Then We sent to her Our Spirit that presented Himself to her as a man without fault (a perfect man)" (Mary 17).

The Qur'an stresses that the Spirit of God became in fashion as a "perfect man," teaching that act of becoming a man on the part of God's Spirit was something easy. Is God's Spirit different from God? 

When Muslim scholars failed to understand the person of the Holy Spirit, they insisted that the Spirit of God is the angel of God. But the Qur'an itself clearly proves the existence of clear distinction in the identities between angels and the Spirit of God, saying: "In it the angels and the Spirit descend." (Power 5). 

If the Spirit was an angel, the verse would not have clearly distinguished between them; in making that clear distinction, the Qur'an confirms what the Bible teaches, that the angels are God's creatures and not God's Spirit, who is of the very Self of God. 

We should not take lightly the Person of God's Spirit by making Him equal to created beings such as the angels of whom the Bible says that they are not the Spirit of God but servants; on the other hand, God's Spirit is the creating Spirit. Therefore, an angel is an angel, but the spirit of God is the Spirit of God, who is of the essence of God. 

If the Almighty God is able to do anything, what can prevent Him from becoming flesh to save the human race that He so loved? The Qur'an teaches that Christ is of the spirit of God, who in order to preserve His purity and holiness, used a miraculous virgin birth, befitting His becoming a perfect man and the Qur'an testifies exclusively of Christ's perfection.

How clearer could it be? Here the Qur'an is given us a positive and a well knitted answer, with no doubt in it, confirming the doctrine of the Becoming; ie., God became flesh in the person of Christ.

How could people deny such a divine truth, which is very clearly revealed to men?

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Link from an great YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0D8Uz4oQck

Some say that Matthew Chapter One and Two were not originally part of the book?

Objection: Norton said that Matthew 1 and 2 were not originally part of the book.

Response:

Those who find fault with the first two chapters of Matthew's Gospel account obviously do so because they doubt the virgin birth of Christ, for this subject is found therein. If you are an Muslim that uses this claim against the Bible then hear the next statement. The Koran also witnesses to Christ's conception through the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary, without human agency. Thus, any Muslim that denies the first two chapters of Matthew's Gospel account denies the Koran as well.

Consider the proofs which supports the authenticity of chapters one and two of Matthew's account"

1) Chapter three begins with the words, "In those days..." This indicates that it is dependent upon something described previously-namely, the contents of the preceding chapter. And since Matthew wrote his account of the Gospel with a Jewish readership in mind, it was of utmost importance for him to include a genealogy and this is what we find in chapter one.

2) The first two chapters are mentioned in all the old manuscripts such as the Codex Vaticanus, the Cambridge edition, the Codex manuscript at Trinity College, Dublin, as well as in the old Italian and Coptic manuscripts. These manuscripts were all written before the fifth century.

3) Ancient scholars and religious authorities mention chapters one and two. Clement (AD 194) mentions the genealogy of Christ listed in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Also, Eusebius mentions a statement of Hegesippus who wrote that Emperor Domitian summoned two scholars to research the ancestry of David. Hegesippus makes reference to Matthew 2 where we read about Herod feeling threatened by the birth of Christ. Justin Martyr (AD 140) mentions all the incidents that are described in these two chapters. Iganatius (AD 107), in his letter to the Ephesians, writes that Christ was born miraculously of the Virgin Mary and that a star pronounced his birth.  Ignautius died six years after the death of the Apostle John, so his testimony occupies a prominent position among scholars. As for the writings of Irenaeus and the later Church fathers, there is no need to mention them, for all these men accepted the authenticity of Matthew 1 and 2. Regarding the attacks of the enemies of Christianity, Christian authorities mentioned their objections when refuting them; all of them refer to the birth of Christ as describe in chapters one and two of the Gospel according to Matthew.

Click on this link for YouTube video about the topic "Is Jesus God"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bKhCxcBo_U