We are the time when there is no more time!
The Dark Ages
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Spiritual Heritage of Islam
Although not mentioned directly in the Bible, there is recorded in the Bible an outline of the Arabic people as the Children of Abraham who inhabited the “eastern country”. The history of the Muslim peoples, therefore, begins with the prophet Abraham and his descendants through Ishmael, his firstborn son. Abraham’s first born son by Hagar the Egyptian was Ishmael. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 16:15, RSV. “And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.”
Abraham was given a special promise that the descendants of Ishmael would become a great nation. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis17:20, RSV. “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” His name (Ishmael) was given by God through the angel, and stands as a perpetual reminder of God’s mercy. Ishmael means “God hears”—and thus understands, and will respond in your times of need. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 16:7–11, RSV. “The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, ‘Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?’ She said, ‘I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.’ The angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Return to your mistress, and submit to her.’ The angel of the Lord also said to her, ‘I will so greatly multiply your descendants that they cannot be numbered for multitude.’ And the angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his name Ishmael; because the Lord has given heed to your affliction’.”
Again when Hagar and Ishmael were moving to Arabia the angel appeared to her. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 21:17–21, RSV. “And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not; for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast with your hand; for I will make him a great nation.’ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.
And God was with the lad, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; [northern Arabia] and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”
The descendants of Ishmael and the other sons of Abraham through Keturah were given the eastern country and are referred to as the children or people of the east. They are the progenitors of the Arabs. Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, traces his lineage back to Ishmael through his firstborn son, Nabaioth. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 25:6, 12–18, RSV. “But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.…These are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’smaid, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named inthe order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel,Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, andKedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by theirvillages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes.(These are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty-seven years; hebreathed his last and died, and was gathered to his kindred.) They dwelt fromHavilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria; he settledover against all his people.” The areas noted here in verse 18 are located inCentral and Northern Arabia.
There is evidence of a spiritual partnership between the sons of Abraham through Isaac (the Jews) and the sons of Abraham through Ishmael (the Arabs and the prophet of Islam, Muhammad).
■ Ishmael and Isaac together buried their father Abraham. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 25:7–10, RSV. “These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, a hundred and seventy-five years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field which Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife.”
■ Ishmaelites (the descendants of Ishmael had become traders in spices) rescue Joseph (a son of Jacob, son of Isaac). It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 37:25, 28, RSV. “Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.… and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites of twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.”
■ This rescuing of Joseph by the Ishmaelites and taking him to Egypt was part of God’s plan. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 45:5–7, RSV. “So Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come near to me, I pray you.’ And they came near. And he said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.”
■ Jethro (a Midianite, Arab, one of the “eastern” children of Abraham), provides refuge for Moses who is escaping for his life from Egypt. Jethro has kept alive the worship of the One true God and therefore teaches Moses, since the knowledge of God among the Hebrew people in Egypt was nearly lost, and Moses had received most of his training in the pagan religions of Egypt in the court of Pharaoh. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Exodus 2:15,16, 21; 3:1, RSV. “But Moses fled from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock” “And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah.… Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”
■ Job, an eastern man—an Arab—endures suffering, provides an example of patient submission to God and gives a picture of the Great Controversy between God and Satan. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Job 1:1–2:10, NEB. There lived in the land of Uz a man of blameless and upright life named Job, who feared God and set his face against wrongdoing. He had seven sons and three daughters; and he owned seven thousand sheep and three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred asses, with a large number of slaves. Thus Job was the greatest man in all of the East. Now his sons used to foregather and give, each in turn, a feast in his own house; and they used to send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. Then, when a round of feasts was finished, Job sent for his children and sanctified them, rising early in the morning and sacrificing a whole-offering for each of them; for he thought that they might somehow have sinned against God and committed blasphemy in their hearts. This he always did.
The day came when the members of the court of heaven took their places in the presence of the Lord, and Satan was there among them. The Lord asked him where he had been. “Ranging over the earth,” he said, “from end to end.” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? You will find no one like him on earth, a man of blameless and upright life, who fears, God and sets his face against wrongdoing.” Satan answered the Lord, “Has not Job good reason to be God-fearing? Have you not hedged him round on every side with your protection, him and his family and all his possessions? Whatever he does you have blessed, and his herds have increased beyond measure. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and then he will curse you to your face.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “So be it. All that he has is in your hands; only Job himself you must not touch.” And Satan left the Lord’s presence.
When the day came that Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the eldest brother’s house, a messenger came running to Job and said, “The oxen were ploughing and the asses were grazing near them, when the Sabaeans swooped down and carried them off, after putting the herdsmen to the sword; and I am the only one to escape and tell the tale.” While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived and said, “God’s fire flashed from heaven. It struck the sheep and the shepherds and burnt them up; and I am the only one to escape and tell the tale.” While he was still speaking, another arrived and said, “The Chaldaeans, three bands of them, have made a raid on the camels and carried them off, after putting the drivers to the sword; and I am the only one to escape and tell the tale.” While this man was speaking, yet another arrived and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the eldest brother’s house, when suddenly a whirlwind swept across from the desert and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and killed them; and I am the only one to escape and tell the tale.” At this Job stood up and rent his cloak; then he shaved his head and fell prostrate on the ground, saying: “Naked I came from the womb, naked I shall return whence I came. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Throughout all this Job did not sin; he did not charge God with unreason. Once again the day came when the members of the court of heaven took their places in the presence of the Lord, and Satan was there among them. The Lord asked him where he had been. “Ranging over the earth,” he said, “from end to end.” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job.” You will find no one like him on earth, a man of blameless and upright life, who fears God and sets his face against wrongdoing. You incited me to ruin him without a cause, but his integrity is still unshaken.” Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! There is nothing the manJFIF;CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 95 C C 22" So be it. He is in your hands; but spare his life.” And Satan left the Lord’s presence and he smote Job with running sores from head to foot, so that he took a piece of a broken pot to scratch himself as he sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Are you still unshaken in your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he answered, “You talk as any wicked fool of a woman might talk. If we accept good from God, shall we not accept evil?” Through out all this, Job did not utter one sinful word.
■ Caleb, an Arab, gives an example of courage and partners with Joshua in leading the Hebrews into the promised land. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Numbers 13:30,31; 14:6–10, RSV. “But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it.’ Then the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger then we.’ …And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, rent their clothes, and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, ‘The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only, do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.’ But all the congregation said to stone them with stones.”
■ Rechabites, eastern people, of the same lineage as Caleb, are commended as an example of steadfast faith by the prophet Jeremiah at a time when there was little evidence of faith among the Hebrew people. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Jeremiah 35:14,18,19, RSV. “The command which Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons to drink no wine has been kept; and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me. …But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me’.”
■ Wise men, from the east (from Persia), brought gifts to the infant Jesus. It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Matthew 2:1, 2, 9–12, RSV. “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.’ …When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.”
Descendants of Abraham through Ishmael are predicted to bring their praise into the temple of God. This is interpreted by most scholars to refer to the gathering of the peoples in the New Earth, heaven, paradise. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Isaiah 60:6, 7, RSV. “A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house.” These are all sons of Abraham, children of the East, Arabs, forefathers of the Muslim people.
The last book in scripture in the Injil, is called Revelation. It is the revelation specifically given to Jesus. It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 1:1–3, RSV. “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.”
■ Many scholars identify the power depicted in Revelation 9:1–12 as referring to Islam and its prophet, Muhammad. It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 9:1–3, RSV. “And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth”…
■ It is a power which is instructed to hurt only those who have NOT received the “seal of God.” It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 9:4, RSV. “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads.” Islam did, in fact, respect those Christians maintaining a pure monotheistic faith, but did “hurt” those whose faith had become corrupted with idolatry and polytheism.
■ Its leader is called “the angel of the bottomless pit.” The Greek work “angelos” for angel, means “messenger.” Bottomless pit here can beunderstood as a desolate place, the desert. If, in fact, we take this to refer to Islam, it would be logical for this to be identified as Arabia. Their leader then is known as “the Messenger of Arabia.” It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 9:11, RSV. “They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.” To the Hebrews and Greeks, whose religion had not remained pure, he is known as “destroyer.”
■ The purpose of this power was to lead people to the worship of the one true God and away from their idolatry and evil. But most of mankind did not repent of their evil. It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 9:20, 21, RSV. “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot either see or hear or walk; nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their immorality or their thefts.”
Global Center for Adventist Muslim Relations.
Abraham was given a special promise that the descendants of Ishmael would become a great nation. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis17:20, RSV. “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” His name (Ishmael) was given by God through the angel, and stands as a perpetual reminder of God’s mercy. Ishmael means “God hears”—and thus understands, and will respond in your times of need. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 16:7–11, RSV. “The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, ‘Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?’ She said, ‘I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.’ The angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Return to your mistress, and submit to her.’ The angel of the Lord also said to her, ‘I will so greatly multiply your descendants that they cannot be numbered for multitude.’ And the angel of the Lord said to her, ‘Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his name Ishmael; because the Lord has given heed to your affliction’.”
Again when Hagar and Ishmael were moving to Arabia the angel appeared to her. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 21:17–21, RSV. “And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not; for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast with your hand; for I will make him a great nation.’ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.
And God was with the lad, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; [northern Arabia] and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”
The descendants of Ishmael and the other sons of Abraham through Keturah were given the eastern country and are referred to as the children or people of the east. They are the progenitors of the Arabs. Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, traces his lineage back to Ishmael through his firstborn son, Nabaioth. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 25:6, 12–18, RSV. “But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.…These are the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’smaid, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named inthe order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel,Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, andKedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by theirvillages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes.(These are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty-seven years; hebreathed his last and died, and was gathered to his kindred.) They dwelt fromHavilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria; he settledover against all his people.” The areas noted here in verse 18 are located inCentral and Northern Arabia.
There is evidence of a spiritual partnership between the sons of Abraham through Isaac (the Jews) and the sons of Abraham through Ishmael (the Arabs and the prophet of Islam, Muhammad).
■ Ishmael and Isaac together buried their father Abraham. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 25:7–10, RSV. “These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, a hundred and seventy-five years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field which Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife.”
■ Ishmaelites (the descendants of Ishmael had become traders in spices) rescue Joseph (a son of Jacob, son of Isaac). It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 37:25, 28, RSV. “Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.… and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites of twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.”
■ This rescuing of Joseph by the Ishmaelites and taking him to Egypt was part of God’s plan. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Genesis 45:5–7, RSV. “So Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come near to me, I pray you.’ And they came near. And he said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.”
■ Jethro (a Midianite, Arab, one of the “eastern” children of Abraham), provides refuge for Moses who is escaping for his life from Egypt. Jethro has kept alive the worship of the One true God and therefore teaches Moses, since the knowledge of God among the Hebrew people in Egypt was nearly lost, and Moses had received most of his training in the pagan religions of Egypt in the court of Pharaoh. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Exodus 2:15,16, 21; 3:1, RSV. “But Moses fled from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock” “And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah.… Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”
■ Job, an eastern man—an Arab—endures suffering, provides an example of patient submission to God and gives a picture of the Great Controversy between God and Satan. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Job 1:1–2:10, NEB. There lived in the land of Uz a man of blameless and upright life named Job, who feared God and set his face against wrongdoing. He had seven sons and three daughters; and he owned seven thousand sheep and three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred asses, with a large number of slaves. Thus Job was the greatest man in all of the East. Now his sons used to foregather and give, each in turn, a feast in his own house; and they used to send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. Then, when a round of feasts was finished, Job sent for his children and sanctified them, rising early in the morning and sacrificing a whole-offering for each of them; for he thought that they might somehow have sinned against God and committed blasphemy in their hearts. This he always did.
The day came when the members of the court of heaven took their places in the presence of the Lord, and Satan was there among them. The Lord asked him where he had been. “Ranging over the earth,” he said, “from end to end.” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? You will find no one like him on earth, a man of blameless and upright life, who fears, God and sets his face against wrongdoing.” Satan answered the Lord, “Has not Job good reason to be God-fearing? Have you not hedged him round on every side with your protection, him and his family and all his possessions? Whatever he does you have blessed, and his herds have increased beyond measure. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and then he will curse you to your face.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “So be it. All that he has is in your hands; only Job himself you must not touch.” And Satan left the Lord’s presence.
When the day came that Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the eldest brother’s house, a messenger came running to Job and said, “The oxen were ploughing and the asses were grazing near them, when the Sabaeans swooped down and carried them off, after putting the herdsmen to the sword; and I am the only one to escape and tell the tale.” While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived and said, “God’s fire flashed from heaven. It struck the sheep and the shepherds and burnt them up; and I am the only one to escape and tell the tale.” While he was still speaking, another arrived and said, “The Chaldaeans, three bands of them, have made a raid on the camels and carried them off, after putting the drivers to the sword; and I am the only one to escape and tell the tale.” While this man was speaking, yet another arrived and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the eldest brother’s house, when suddenly a whirlwind swept across from the desert and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and killed them; and I am the only one to escape and tell the tale.” At this Job stood up and rent his cloak; then he shaved his head and fell prostrate on the ground, saying: “Naked I came from the womb, naked I shall return whence I came. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Throughout all this Job did not sin; he did not charge God with unreason. Once again the day came when the members of the court of heaven took their places in the presence of the Lord, and Satan was there among them. The Lord asked him where he had been. “Ranging over the earth,” he said, “from end to end.” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job.” You will find no one like him on earth, a man of blameless and upright life, who fears God and sets his face against wrongdoing. You incited me to ruin him without a cause, but his integrity is still unshaken.” Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! There is nothing the manJFIF;CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 95 C C 22" So be it. He is in your hands; but spare his life.” And Satan left the Lord’s presence and he smote Job with running sores from head to foot, so that he took a piece of a broken pot to scratch himself as he sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, “Are you still unshaken in your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he answered, “You talk as any wicked fool of a woman might talk. If we accept good from God, shall we not accept evil?” Through out all this, Job did not utter one sinful word.
■ Caleb, an Arab, gives an example of courage and partners with Joshua in leading the Hebrews into the promised land. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Numbers 13:30,31; 14:6–10, RSV. “But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it.’ Then the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger then we.’ …And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, rent their clothes, and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, ‘The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only, do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.’ But all the congregation said to stone them with stones.”
■ Rechabites, eastern people, of the same lineage as Caleb, are commended as an example of steadfast faith by the prophet Jeremiah at a time when there was little evidence of faith among the Hebrew people. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Jeremiah 35:14,18,19, RSV. “The command which Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons to drink no wine has been kept; and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me. …But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me’.”
■ Wise men, from the east (from Persia), brought gifts to the infant Jesus. It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Matthew 2:1, 2, 9–12, RSV. “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.’ …When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.”
Descendants of Abraham through Ishmael are predicted to bring their praise into the temple of God. This is interpreted by most scholars to refer to the gathering of the peoples in the New Earth, heaven, paradise. It’s in the Bible, the Torah, Isaiah 60:6, 7, RSV. “A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house.” These are all sons of Abraham, children of the East, Arabs, forefathers of the Muslim people.
The last book in scripture in the Injil, is called Revelation. It is the revelation specifically given to Jesus. It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 1:1–3, RSV. “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.”
■ Many scholars identify the power depicted in Revelation 9:1–12 as referring to Islam and its prophet, Muhammad. It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 9:1–3, RSV. “And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth”…
■ It is a power which is instructed to hurt only those who have NOT received the “seal of God.” It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 9:4, RSV. “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads.” Islam did, in fact, respect those Christians maintaining a pure monotheistic faith, but did “hurt” those whose faith had become corrupted with idolatry and polytheism.
■ Its leader is called “the angel of the bottomless pit.” The Greek work “angelos” for angel, means “messenger.” Bottomless pit here can beunderstood as a desolate place, the desert. If, in fact, we take this to refer to Islam, it would be logical for this to be identified as Arabia. Their leader then is known as “the Messenger of Arabia.” It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 9:11, RSV. “They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.” To the Hebrews and Greeks, whose religion had not remained pure, he is known as “destroyer.”
■ The purpose of this power was to lead people to the worship of the one true God and away from their idolatry and evil. But most of mankind did not repent of their evil. It’s in the Bible, the Injil, Revelation 9:20, 21, RSV. “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot either see or hear or walk; nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their immorality or their thefts.”
Global Center for Adventist Muslim Relations.
