THE TIME WHEN HE WAS TO APPEAR
Proof 23: God’s promise to make Ishmael (peace be upon him) a great nation
It is well-known that from the descendants of Ishmael (peace be upon him) came the last great prophet of monotheism, Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him), whose followers constitute a great nation, nearly one-fifth of the total world population in all corners of the earth.
“I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” (Genesis 21:13) Genesis 21:18 says about Ishmael (peace be upon him), “I will make him into a great nation.”
In Matthew 21:19-21, Jesus (peace be upon him) spoke of the fruitless fig tree (a biblical symbol of the prophets’ heritage) to be cleared after being given a last chance of three years (the duration of Jesus’ ministry) to give fruit. In a later verse in the same chapter, Jesus (peace be upon him) said, “Therefore, say I unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof.” (Matthew 21:43) That nation is Ishmael’s descendants (the rejected stone in Matthew 21:42) which was victorious against all superpowers of its time, as prophesied by Jesus (peace be upon him), “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” (Matthew 21:44)
Moreover, in the Old Testament, Genesis 12:1-3, it can be found that God Almighty promised to create “Great Nations” from Ishmael (peace be upon him), Abraham’s first son and the forefather of the Muslims:
The LORD had said to Abraham: Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:1-3)
The quote “go to the land I will show you” is referring to the city of Paran (Makkah). The quote “I will make you into a great nation” is quite interesting; it describes perfectly the followers of Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him), namely Muslims.
As you probably know, Muslims worship Allah Almighty by prostrating to Him. Every time they pray and prostrate, they end their prayer by sitting on their knees and say the following exact quote [translated], “…and bless Prophet Muhammad and the family of Prophet Muhammad, as You have blessed Prophet Abraham and the family of Prophet Abraham…”
As can be clearly seen, Muslims bless Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) every single day of their lives when praying to Allah Almighty. They also say “peace be upon him” or “peace and blessings be upon him” when they refer to his name or any other prophet’s name.
Yes, the Muslims are the “great nation” that Allah Almighty has talked about; they are blessed by Him because they worship none but Him, and they bless Abraham (peace be upon him) everyday (not less than nine times) in their prayers.
Proof 24: According to the Gospel of John, the Jews were
waiting for the fulfilment of three distinct prophecies.
The first was the coming of Christ. The second was thecoming of Elijah. The third was the coming of the prophet.This is obvious from the three questions that were posed to Johnthe Baptist:
Now this was John’s testimony, when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely: I am not the Christ. They asked him: Then who are you? Are you Elijah? He said: I am not. Are you the Prophet? He answered: No. (John 1:19-21)
If one looks in a Bible with cross-references,23 he will find in the marginal notes where the words “the Prophet” occur in John 1:21 that these words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:18. It can be concluded from this that Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him) is the prophet mentioned there, because he is the only prophet who came after Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), and because he is the one who is ‘like unto him’. Furthermore, it is obvious that the Jews and John knew that the ‘Prophet’ and the Christ were two different persons, as each was referred to by a separate question.
Proof 25: John 16:7
In John 16:7, Jesus (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”
The term ‘Counsellor’ cannot refer to the Holy Spirit here, because – according to the Gospels – the Holy Spirit was already present in the world prior to Jesus’ birth as well as during his ministry. Luke 3:22 has mentioned that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus (peace be upon him) in the shape of a dove. However, this verse (John 16:7) implies that the “Counsellor” is yet to come.
Source: (Majed S. Al-Rassi)
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