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In Israel, a resurgence in the number of Jews who believe in Jesus is getting a lot of attention. Many leaders say it’s the strongest growth since the time of Jesus and that the Messianic movement could be on the brink of a great revival.
“This is the first time where we’ve seen Israeli society in general being so open to consider who Yeshua is,” said Messianic leader Asher Intrater. “This is a real miracle, and there’s beginning to be grace and favor with us in the land.”
Although Jesus and the early disciples were Jewish, for nearly 2,000 the gospel has been viewed as a religion mainly for Gentiles. Even the name Jesus or Yeshua has been a forbidden word among many Jews. But in the last few years, Messianic leaders in Israel say something important is happening.
“I believe with all my heart, after we have come back to the land, we are seeing the Lord, the Holy Spirit, is removing the veil from the eyes of the Jews and more and more Jews are realizing,” Tel Aviv pastor Avi Mizrachi said.
Although nobody knows for sure how many Messianic Jews live in Israel, it’s believed there are about 120 congregations now and 10,000-15,000 Jewish believers in Jesus.
That may not sound like many, given Israel’s nearly six million Jews, but it’s a far cry from 10 years ago, when there were only about 3,500 Jewish believers and 80 congregations.
A good example is Shemen Sasson in Jerusalem, where attendance has nearly tripled over the past four years. Today, close to 300 people attend the meetings, most of them Jewish or people married to Jews, and salvations are increasing.
Meet the Ronens. Daniel, Ayelet and their 5 children are Israeli believers. Ayelet is an Israeli Jew and Daniel is a Finnish Gentile. But his family has been here since before Israel became a nation. They believe Jesus is the Jewish Messiah.
“When Jesus came, when Yeshua came, he came to talk to our people,” Ayelet Ronen said. “He walked on our land, He spoke our language, He spoke in our synagogues. Really He came for us!
Yad-Hashmona is a beautiful little village about 10 miles outside Jerusalem, and the only one home to just Messianic Jewish believers like the Ronens.
For this family, being Israeli and believing in Jesus is a natural fit. They keep the Jewish feasts, circumcise their sons, keep the Sabbath and serve in the army. And even though they live in a Messianic village, they don’t feel secluded from the rest of Israeli society.
“Our kids go with everybody else to school… I go to work outside…Our principle is to go out and be part of society,” Daniel Ronen explained.
Their children sometimes face challenges, but have used those occasions to witness.
“My friends started to know I’m a believer and they ask me if I’m a believer…I tell them I’m a believer in Yeshua and it’s really good to believe in Him and that maybe you can one day believe in him too,” little third grader Adan said.
The Ronens are sometimes accused of being missionaries, a very bad word in Israel, but they insist they are not.
“My point is to share my faith with anyone who wants to hear me and I will gladly share the Good News of my faith,” Ayelet said. “I never speak of you should do, and you should change..”
In addition to Israeli-born believers, many are from other countries. American Jews Eddie and Jackie Santoro became believers during the 70s Jesus movement.
They made Aliyah to Israel 11 years ago, learned Hebrew and now lead a growing congregation in Jerusalem.
“Our current congregation, we started almost 2 years ago with about 20 people, today we have over 100,” Eddie Santoro explained. “We see salvations here and there, but we feel like there’s something yet to come, it’s definitely growing.”
But being a Jewish believer in Israel isn’t easy.
“I think probably the greatest challenge is that you always feel that the rest of society isn’t accepting you and so when you meet somebody and you want to talk to them and you want to tell them who you are, there’s always that challenge of, ‘should I say something,”; Jackie Santoro said.
For the first time, the secular media are saying something, even mentioning Messianic Jews in a more favorable light. A recent wave of persecution, including the bombing of a young Jewish believer, have put Messianic Jews on the front page.
“At least we see that believers are being asked to explain who they are, what they believe in, why they are here…how they can be Israeli and believe in Jesus and be given an opportunity to tell their story and share their testimony,” Knut Hoyland of the Caspari Center said.
And what does this movement mean for the Body of Christ?
“If it wasn’t for Yeshua, we would be lost,” Ayelet said.
I had the following letter from a friend in the U S, and if there is anyone who can help me with the TRUE dates, numbers and facts I am sure it will be you…first I thought why would I want to bother with someone like that? but then I thought these are the types who are poisoning the American mind. I know you have much more important things to follow on than this, but if you can give me some facts about the points that he mentions I would really appreciate it.
God bless you and keep your “voice of truth and wisdom” roaring in this deaf world.
An ardent reader of your articles and books
Sincerely
Ibrahim
The following is the letter, I am sure some points are going to make you just as mad as they made me….thanks again….Ibrahim
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM
1. **ISRAEL** BECAME A STATE IN 1312 B.C., TWO MILLENNIA BEFORE ISLAM;
Wrong. A princedom called Israel came to existence 500 years later, and it had no relation to the ‘Jews’ who appeared a millennium later. ‘Jews’ are not even mentioned in the Torah of Moses, only in the very late books of Esther and Ezra. Islam, or belief in One God, was established by Abraham/Ibrahim a millennium earlier, while Muhammad just returned to its roots.
2. ARAB REFUGEES FROM **ISRAEL** BEGAN CALLING THEMSELVES
“PALESTINIANS” IN 1967, TWO DECADES AFTER (MODERN) ISRAELI STATEHOOD;
Wrong. The native dwellers of Palestine were called “Palestinians” by Herodotes in 5th century BC, 2500 years before (modern) Israeli statehood; but Herodotes never heard of Jews, though he walked across the whole land. Jews appeared three hundred years later.
3. AFTER CONQUERING THE LAND IN 1272 B.C., JEWS RULED IT FOR A THOUSAND YEARS AND MAINTAINED A CONTINUOUS PRESENCE THERE FOR 3,300 YEARS;
Wrong. The Jews conquered the land in 168 BC and ruled it for 100 years until Palestine was liberated by the Roman general Pompey the Great for they killed and pillaged the natives overmuch. Another 100 years later, there was not a single Jew in Jerusalem.
4. THE ONLY ARAB RULE FOLLOWING CONQUEST IN 633 B.C. LASTED JUST 22 YEARS;
Wrong. King Herod (1st century BC) was as full-blooded Arab as Omar ibn Hattab (7th century AD) and as the Mayor of united Jerusalem, Ragheb Nashashibi in 20th century.
5. FOR OVER 3,300 YEARS, **JERUSALEM** WAS THE JEWISH CAPITAL. IT WAS NEVER THE CAPITAL OF ANY ARAB OR MUSLIM ENTITY. EVEN UNDER JORDANIAN RULE,
Wrong. Jerusalem was the capital of Jews for 100 years (2nd – 1st century BC), and it was the capital of Christian Kingdom for 100 years, and a capital of a Muslim and Christian province for 1900 years, while it was the holy place of pilgrimage for all its history.
(EAST) **JERUSALEM** WAS NOT MADE THE CAPITAL, AND NO ARAB LEADER CAME TO VISIT IT;
Jerusalem was the centre of pilgrimage, and Arab, Muslim and Christian leaders came to venerate there, until being forbidden to enter by the Jews, while [first PM] David Ben Gurion went to New York before he came to visit Jerusalem, and [first President] Haim Weitzman hated the city.
6. **JERUSALEM** IS MENTIONED OVER 700 TIMES IN THE BIBLE, BUT NOT ONCE IS IT MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN;
Wrong. Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Torah of Moses even once, while there are thousands of Muslim stories about Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is the place of Crucifixion and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
7. KING DAVID FOUNDED **JERUSALEM**; MOHAMMED NEVER SET FOOT IN IT;
Wrong. Jerusalem was founded six hundred years before King David, who was a Muslim prophet and ancestor of Christ anyway, and the Prophet Muhammad prayed there in his praying place, while one of the most important events in life of Muhammad (al-Miraj) took place in Jerusalem as described in Koran. Jewish connection to King David? They bombed this hotel!
8. JEWS PRAY FACING **JERUSALEM**; MUSLIMS FACE **MECCA**. IF THEY ARE BETWEEN THE TWO CITIES, MUSLIMS PRAY FACING **MECCA**, WITH THEIR BACKS TO **JERUSALEM**;
Christians and Muslims venerate God in Jerusalem, Jews crucified Him there.
9. IN 1948, ARAB LEADERS URGED THEIR PEOPLE TO LEAVE, PROMISING TO CLEANSE THE LAND OF JEWISH PRESENCE. 68% OF THEM FLED WITHOUT EVER SETTING EYES ON AN ISRAELI SOLDIER;
In 2006, Jewish leaders did not ask their people to leave, but 70% of them ran away from the North in fear of Hizbollah missiles without ever setting eyes on a Lebanese guerrilla.
10. VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE JEWISH POPULATION OF MUSLIM COUNTRIES HAD TO FLEE AS THE RESULT OF VIOLENCE AND POGROMS;
Virtually entire Christian and Muslim population of Jerusalem was forcefully expelled from the Jewish occupation zone in 1948, while the Jews of Iraq, Morocco and Egypt enjoyed peace and prestige.
11. SOME 630,000 ARABS LEFT ISRAEL IN 1948, WHILE CLOSE TO A MILLION JEWS WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THE MUSLIM COUNTRIES;
Arab Jews were seduced or forced by Zionists to leave their homes, while the Palestinians were expelled by the same Zionists.
12. IN SPITE OF THE VAST TERRITORIES AT THEIR DISPOSAL, ARAB REFUGEES WERE DELIBERATELY PREVENTED FROM ASSIMILATING INTO THEIR HOST COUNTRIES. OF 100 MILLION REFUGEES FOLLOWING WORLD WAR 2, THEY ARE THE ONLY GROUP TO HAVE NEVER INTEGRATED WITH THEIR CORELIGIONISTS. MOST OF THE JEWISH REFUGEES FROM **EUROPE** AND **ARAB LANDS** WERE SETTLED IN **ISRAEL**, A COUNTRY NO LARGER THAN NEW **JERSEY**;
The Palestinians are forever faithful to Palestine, while Jews do not mind to change countries and allegiances.
13. THERE ARE 22 MUSLIM COUNTRIES, NOT COUNTING **PALESTINE**. THERE IS ONLY ONE JEWISH STATE. ARABS STARTED ALL FIVE WARS AGAINST **ISRAEL**, AND LOST EVERY ONE OF THEM;
Jews live in 160 states, and sit in parliaments of 10 countries; there are or were Jewish premier ministers in France, Russia, Austria etc. In the Jewish state, there are no goy ministers, and goyim – whether Christian or Muslim have no full rights, even if they were born there.
Arabs started only one war, in 1973, and were victorious then, and in 2006 as well. The Jews won only one war, in 1967, because they perfidiously attacked without declaring the war.
14. FATAH AND HAMAS CONSTITUTIONS STILL CALL FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF **ISRAEL**. **ISRAEL** CEDED MOST OF THE WEST BANK AND ALL OF **GAZA** TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, AND EVEN PROVIDED IT WITH ARMS;
“Destruction of Israel” means elimination of its racist character, like destruction of the Aryan Third Reich eliminated its racism, but preserved Germany. “Destruction” of Dixie, or of Rhodesia was also blessing for all concerned.
Israel ceded nothing to the PNA but the right to clean streets. Israeli army and police may, and does enter anyplace in the West Bank and Gaza which remain surrounded by the Jewish forces.
15. DURING THE JORDANIAN OCCUPATION, JEWISH HOLY SITES WERE VANDALIZED AND WERE OFF LIMITS TO JEWS. UNDER ISRAELI RULE, ALL MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN HOLY SITES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL FAITHS;
The Jews do not allow any Muslim below age of 45 to pray in the Mosque of al Aqsa, they do not allow Christians of Bethlehem to celebrate Easter in Jerusalem and do not allow Christians of Jerusalem to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem.
16. OUT OF 175 UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS UP TO 1990, 97 WERE AGAINST **ISRAEL**; OUT OF 690 GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS, 429 WERE AGAINST **ISRAEL**;
And Israel accepted and fulfilled only one of them which equated Zionism with racism.
18. THE U.N. WAS SILENT WHEN THE JORDANIANS DESTROYED 58 SYNAGOGUES IN THE **OLD CITY** OF **JERUSALEM**. IT REMAINED SILENT WHILE **JORDAN** SYSTEMATICALLY DESECRATED THE ANCIENT JEWISH CEMETERY ON THE **MOUNT OF OLIVES**, AND IT REMAINED SILENT WHEN **JORDAN** ENFORCED APARTHEID LAWS PREVENTING JEWS FROM ACCESSING THE **TEMPLE MOUNT** AND WESTERN WALL.
The Jews destroyed one thousand mosques and churches in 1948; they besieged the Church of Nativity in 2002, they. Jews also desecrated hundreds of Christian and Muslim cemeteries, turned the mosque of Caesarea into a bar, and demolished the 5th century Church of St Barbara. Jews also enforced apartheid laws preventing goyim from coming back to the places they were born.
THESE ARE TRYING TIMES. WE MUST ASK OURSELVES WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING, AND WHAT WE WILL TELL OUR GRANDCHILDREN ABOUT OUR ACTIONS DURING THIS CRISIS, WHEN WE HAD THE CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
START NOW! SEND THIS MESSAGE TO 20 FRIENDS, AND ASK EACH OF THEM TO SEND IT TO 20 MORE. JEWISH OR NOT, IT DOES NOT MATTER.
That’s right! Do it!
TRUTH AND PEACE ARE VALUES COMMON TO ALL OF US. EVERYONE MUST KNOW!
Let them!
Oct 17, 2008 - 10:10:47
akhter said:
Sabbath according to Islam
Introduction
Jewish and Muslim Sabbath, the similarities, the differences and why.
Intention of the Sabbath (Hebrew; Day of Rest)
Is the Sabbath for Remembering God ? Yes, even more so than resting.
The Bible editors humanize God in relation to the Sabbath by saying;
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:2).
Bible editors took the idea that God rested farther still when they wrote as follows: “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31: 17).
Is God a human that gets tired and needs to rest and refresh ? Of course not;
“GOD IS NOT A MAN, that he should lie ; NEITHER THE SON OF MAN that he should repent…. (Numbers 19:23)
God in the Quran clarified the matter in His own words when He declared:
“And verily we created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six periods, and naught of weariness touched us” (Quran 50:38 see also v. 15).
Dispelling any human weaknesses attributed to God and showing the intention of the Sabbath is not to rest, but to remember the beautiful Creation God made.
Even Prophet Jesus emphasizes the misinterpretation of the Sabbath;
Mark 3:1-5: Jesus observed the Sabbath, but criticized the Pharisees’ overly strict rules and regulations concerning the day of rest. He emphasized throughout his ministry a different purpose for the Sabbath: a day to be enjoyed by the believer, and a time when many normal activities were quite permissible.
The idea that God rests like humans and gets refreshed like humans was also criticized by Jesus. According to John, he declared that God never stops working, even on the Sabbath day (see John 5:16).
According to the Holy Quran, the Final Testament, God does not get tired “Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him” (Quran 2:255), verifying the focus of the Sabbath is not rest, but remembrance.
What day was the Sabbath ?
Today we know that the creation process can be measured in billions of years.
The Bible editors could not have known this. In their eagerness to enjoin Sabbath observance on others they wrote that God rested on the very first Sabbath day after finishing up his work of creating the heavens and the earth.
The six days of creation in the book of Genesis was believed to be like six days of any seven-day week. They believed that the reason the Sabbath day became holy is that God Himself had rested on that day.
The scientific discovery regarding the actual time period of the creation of earth causes concern as to which day the Sabbath actually is. The Sabbath can not be associated with the earth creation because that would mean we would have a Sabbath once every 6 billion years.
The Holy Quran simply designates the “Day of Assembly” in addition to clarifying God does not rest, Hence completely dispelling the incompatible association between the Sabbath and Day of Creation as made in the Bible.
Was the Sabbath on Friday or Saturday ? Another tension in the Bible Corrected by God through the Holy Quran is knowing the exact day to practice the Sabbath.
When the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in 1582 CE, ten days were deleted in order to bring the calendar in synchronism with the seasons. Thus, 1582-OCT-4 (a Thursday) was followed by 1582-OCT-15 (a Friday), indicating the Sabbath was originally Friday, rather than Saturday.
There is no record in the Bible showing who did this or when he did it. So, the present Jewish Sabbath observance can be traced back, through the discontinuity of 1582 CE into ancient times to an arbitrary choice of day by person or persons unknown.
There is thus no reason to believe that there was a seventh day of creation or that there was any continuous celebration of the Sabbath until the 10th century BCE. It is probable that some Jewish official made an arbitrary selection of the day for the first Sabbath about 3 millennia ago. As history shows the intended day for the Sabbath is Friday as in Islam.
What time was the Sabbath to take place ? The Bible demonstrates that the intended time is for the afternoon, also as in the Islamic teachings;
The Bible makes the strong distinction between day and night, the word “Night” is mentioned in the Jewish Bible ((233)) times yet it is never mentioned in conjunction with the weekly Sabbath,
The Sabbath is always referred to as “The Sabbath Day”. In fact, a distinction is made between the Weekly Daytime Sabbath and a monthly 24 Hour Sabbath.
“It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves; on the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your sabbath.” Leviticus 23:32
Hence clarifying there are different types of Sabbaths for different time periods and that the weekly Day Sabath was not intended for 24 hours, but rather for the Daytime as the clear distinction is made in Leviticus 23:32
Who was to follow the Sabbath ?
Israelites ask Muslims “If Abraham’s way was the right way, why don’t Muslims follow the Saturday Sabbath ?” The Sabbath has nothing to do with Abraham, it was instituted with the Law of Moses.
There is no evidence that Adam and Eve ever celebrated the Sabbath.
The first instruction from God to the Hebrew people to observe the Sabbath appears in Exodus 16:27, when the Hebrew people were wandering in the desert after having escaped from Egyptian captivity and starting to doubt and be disobedient to God. Therefore Hebrews have been worshipping God for centuries without observing the Sabbath.
The second command from God is seen in Exodus 23:12. Both passages were written by Moses circa 1491 BCE. No evidence the Sabbath was observed before then by previous Prophets.
Furthermore, there are 613 laws obligatory for Israelites, yet according to Judaism, not all Israelites have to follow these laws, for example, of those 613 Laws, only certain ones apply to certain tribes of Israelites, the Levi tribe only follows certain parts of the 613 Laws, as well as the Cohen tribe following different sets of the Commandments.
Different laws apply to different types and tribes of Jews. Similarly, Jewish Muslims follow the Quranic Commandments, identical to the Ten commandments of Moses, without the false associations made by Bible editors.
Sabbath in the Bible
Similar to the Muslim form of the Sabbath, the Bible lists a Function of the Sabbath is to have a Religious Assembly. Congregating on the Sabbath is commanded by God in Leviticus:
# Leviticus 23:1-3 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, The appointed feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, my appointed feasts, are these. 3 Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.
The Hebrew word for convocations is migra, meaning a calling (together), according to Young’s Analytical Concordance. Migra is the Hebrew word used in Leviticus 23:4-44 for all the holy convocations commanded for the High Sabbaths also.
Another similarity is Leviticus 23:32, the Day of Atonement is defined as a Sabbath. Islam also believes that Friday is a day for attaining atonement more than any other day of the week:
The Holy Prophet Muhammad said : “The day of Friday has been exalted and conferred many rights. Therefore do not be negligent of your duty. Do not be tardy in your worship this day. Try to attain nearness to Allah by performing pure deeds and refraining from the prohibited things, because this day Allah increases the reward for good deeds and obliterates the sins. Allah raises the position of the believer in the world and the Hereafter.”
Yet the Israelites considered the Sabbath a curse as pointed out in Amos 8:4-6 4
“Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?”
Israelites disobeying the Sabbath was also documented in Nehemiah 13:16
“Men of Tyre also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of wares and sold them on the sabbath to the people of Judah, and in Jerusalem.”
The Sabbath that was issued to the rebellious Hebrews with Moses became an unbearable restraint towards the Bounties of God to the Israelites, then they were forgiven.
Sabbath in the Quran
“O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic): That is best for you if ye but knew! ” 62:09
The curse of financial confinement is forgivingly removed upon embracing Islam while the substance and content of the Sabbath is in place, the merciful removal of the restriction from God’s bounty is specified in the following verse:
“And when the Prayer is finished, then may ye disperse through the land, and seek of the Bounty of Allah: and celebrate the Praises of Allah often (and without stint): that ye may prosper. ” 62:10
An example in the Bible of God no longer desiring Israelis to follow the Sabbath is:
Isaiah 1:10-15
” Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of assemblies–I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.”
Here we see how God depending on the Actions of the Jews, changes His relationship with the Jews, similar to being exiled from Israel and being returned to Israel.
With this in mind, the Quran Sabbath is understood as a Merciful Sabbath. Though there is still a Punishment for Breaking the Sabbath.
“The punishment for profaning the Sabbath was imposed only on those who had differed about it and thy Lord will surely judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differed.” Quran 16:124
The words penalty and punishment at the beginning of the verse are supplied by the translators, because they are implied in the word ju’ila. The meaning of the verse is that there is a punishment for Sabbath-breaking, but it is to be carried out on upon those who dispute the obligation to keep the Sabbath. Furthermore, it is concluded from this text, that no punishment for Sabbath-breaking is to be carried out before the Day of Judgment.
This is another excellent illustration of how the Quran complements and completes the Bible. In the Bible we are faced with two complications regarding Sabbath breaking. The first is that the punishment for Sabbath-breaking is death. In practice, this is not carried out in the current age. Christ showed by his example how the legislation of the Torah was to be interpreted. He did not as Christianity claims abrogate it.
The second Friction is that there is no provision for delaying the Sabbath. If there is something to prevent Sabbath observance on the seventh day, there is no provision in the Torah or any other Scripture for putting it off to the following day, as there is for the Passover, for example, which under certain conditions may be observed in the following month. This means that there are occasions when the intention to observe the Sabbath cannot always be carried out perfectly. If something arises which was unforeseen and unintended, the Sabbath cannot be delayed to the following day.
It has to remain as it is, whether or not its observance turned out to be as was intended. Therefore, the punishment is meted out upon those who dispute the obligation. Those who made the proper intention to observe the Sabbath, but whose observance for unforeseen reasons did not match their intention, are not punished for Sabbath-breaking.
Conclusion
Prior to scientific knowledge of earth formation, or scholarly Bible criticism, the Holy Quran in 632 AD, has purged the man made editing in the Bible and in swift concise Words, Bestowing upon us the proper date, time, and intention of the Sabbath as well as conscientious judgement for Sabbath breakers.
References
1. Revised Standard Bible
2. Holy Quran (Yusif Ali translation, Al Azhar translation, Malik Farid translation)
3. The Bible Sabbath Association at: http://www.biblesabbath.org
4. Extensive background material on the Saturday Sabbath is at the “Present Truth” home page: http://www.present-truth.org
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3 People have left comments on this post
Oct 17, 2008 - 10:10:47A reader wrote:
Dear Mr. Shamir,
I had the following letter from a friend in the U S, and if there is anyone who can help me with the TRUE dates, numbers and facts I am sure it will be you…first I thought why would I want to bother with someone like that? but then I thought these are the types who are poisoning the American mind. I know you have much more important things to follow on than this, but if you can give me some facts about the points that he mentions I would really appreciate it.
God bless you and keep your “voice of truth and wisdom” roaring in this deaf world.
An ardent reader of your articles and books
Sincerely
Ibrahim
The following is the letter, I am sure some points are going to make you just as mad as they made me….thanks again….Ibrahim
SUBJECT: JERUSALEM
1. **ISRAEL** BECAME A STATE IN 1312 B.C., TWO MILLENNIA BEFORE ISLAM;
Wrong. A princedom called Israel came to existence 500 years later, and it had no relation to the ‘Jews’ who appeared a millennium later. ‘Jews’ are not even mentioned in the Torah of Moses, only in the very late books of Esther and Ezra. Islam, or belief in One God, was established by Abraham/Ibrahim a millennium earlier, while Muhammad just returned to its roots.
2. ARAB REFUGEES FROM **ISRAEL** BEGAN CALLING THEMSELVES
“PALESTINIANS” IN 1967, TWO DECADES AFTER (MODERN) ISRAELI STATEHOOD;
Wrong. The native dwellers of Palestine were called “Palestinians” by Herodotes in 5th century BC, 2500 years before (modern) Israeli statehood; but Herodotes never heard of Jews, though he walked across the whole land. Jews appeared three hundred years later.
3. AFTER CONQUERING THE LAND IN 1272 B.C., JEWS RULED IT FOR A THOUSAND YEARS AND MAINTAINED A CONTINUOUS PRESENCE THERE FOR 3,300 YEARS;
Wrong. The Jews conquered the land in 168 BC and ruled it for 100 years until Palestine was liberated by the Roman general Pompey the Great for they killed and pillaged the natives overmuch. Another 100 years later, there was not a single Jew in Jerusalem.
4. THE ONLY ARAB RULE FOLLOWING CONQUEST IN 633 B.C. LASTED JUST 22 YEARS;
Wrong. King Herod (1st century BC) was as full-blooded Arab as Omar ibn Hattab (7th century AD) and as the Mayor of united Jerusalem, Ragheb Nashashibi in 20th century.
5. FOR OVER 3,300 YEARS, **JERUSALEM** WAS THE JEWISH CAPITAL. IT WAS NEVER THE CAPITAL OF ANY ARAB OR MUSLIM ENTITY. EVEN UNDER JORDANIAN RULE,
Wrong. Jerusalem was the capital of Jews for 100 years (2nd – 1st century BC), and it was the capital of Christian Kingdom for 100 years, and a capital of a Muslim and Christian province for 1900 years, while it was the holy place of pilgrimage for all its history.
(EAST) **JERUSALEM** WAS NOT MADE THE CAPITAL, AND NO ARAB LEADER CAME TO VISIT IT;
Jerusalem was the centre of pilgrimage, and Arab, Muslim and Christian leaders came to venerate there, until being forbidden to enter by the Jews, while [first PM] David Ben Gurion went to New York before he came to visit Jerusalem, and [first President] Haim Weitzman hated the city.
6. **JERUSALEM** IS MENTIONED OVER 700 TIMES IN THE BIBLE, BUT NOT ONCE IS IT MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN;
Wrong. Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Torah of Moses even once, while there are thousands of Muslim stories about Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is the place of Crucifixion and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
7. KING DAVID FOUNDED **JERUSALEM**; MOHAMMED NEVER SET FOOT IN IT;
Wrong. Jerusalem was founded six hundred years before King David, who was a Muslim prophet and ancestor of Christ anyway, and the Prophet Muhammad prayed there in his praying place, while one of the most important events in life of Muhammad (al-Miraj) took place in Jerusalem as described in Koran. Jewish connection to King David? They bombed this hotel!
8. JEWS PRAY FACING **JERUSALEM**; MUSLIMS FACE **MECCA**. IF THEY ARE BETWEEN THE TWO CITIES, MUSLIMS PRAY FACING **MECCA**, WITH THEIR BACKS TO **JERUSALEM**;
Christians and Muslims venerate God in Jerusalem, Jews crucified Him there.
9. IN 1948, ARAB LEADERS URGED THEIR PEOPLE TO LEAVE, PROMISING TO CLEANSE THE LAND OF JEWISH PRESENCE. 68% OF THEM FLED WITHOUT EVER SETTING EYES ON AN ISRAELI SOLDIER;
In 2006, Jewish leaders did not ask their people to leave, but 70% of them ran away from the North in fear of Hizbollah missiles without ever setting eyes on a Lebanese guerrilla.
10. VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE JEWISH POPULATION OF MUSLIM COUNTRIES HAD TO FLEE AS THE RESULT OF VIOLENCE AND POGROMS;
Virtually entire Christian and Muslim population of Jerusalem was forcefully expelled from the Jewish occupation zone in 1948, while the Jews of Iraq, Morocco and Egypt enjoyed peace and prestige.
11. SOME 630,000 ARABS LEFT ISRAEL IN 1948, WHILE CLOSE TO A MILLION JEWS WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THE MUSLIM COUNTRIES;
Arab Jews were seduced or forced by Zionists to leave their homes, while the Palestinians were expelled by the same Zionists.
12. IN SPITE OF THE VAST TERRITORIES AT THEIR DISPOSAL, ARAB REFUGEES WERE DELIBERATELY PREVENTED FROM ASSIMILATING INTO THEIR HOST COUNTRIES. OF 100 MILLION REFUGEES FOLLOWING WORLD WAR 2, THEY ARE THE ONLY GROUP TO HAVE NEVER INTEGRATED WITH THEIR CORELIGIONISTS. MOST OF THE JEWISH REFUGEES FROM **EUROPE** AND **ARAB LANDS** WERE SETTLED IN **ISRAEL**, A COUNTRY NO LARGER THAN NEW **JERSEY**;
The Palestinians are forever faithful to Palestine, while Jews do not mind to change countries and allegiances.
13. THERE ARE 22 MUSLIM COUNTRIES, NOT COUNTING **PALESTINE**. THERE IS ONLY ONE JEWISH STATE. ARABS STARTED ALL FIVE WARS AGAINST **ISRAEL**, AND LOST EVERY ONE OF THEM;
Jews live in 160 states, and sit in parliaments of 10 countries; there are or were Jewish premier ministers in France, Russia, Austria etc. In the Jewish state, there are no goy ministers, and goyim – whether Christian or Muslim have no full rights, even if they were born there.
Arabs started only one war, in 1973, and were victorious then, and in 2006 as well. The Jews won only one war, in 1967, because they perfidiously attacked without declaring the war.
14. FATAH AND HAMAS CONSTITUTIONS STILL CALL FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF **ISRAEL**. **ISRAEL** CEDED MOST OF THE WEST BANK AND ALL OF **GAZA** TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, AND EVEN PROVIDED IT WITH ARMS;
“Destruction of Israel” means elimination of its racist character, like destruction of the Aryan Third Reich eliminated its racism, but preserved Germany. “Destruction” of Dixie, or of Rhodesia was also blessing for all concerned.
Israel ceded nothing to the PNA but the right to clean streets. Israeli army and police may, and does enter anyplace in the West Bank and Gaza which remain surrounded by the Jewish forces.
15. DURING THE JORDANIAN OCCUPATION, JEWISH HOLY SITES WERE VANDALIZED AND WERE OFF LIMITS TO JEWS. UNDER ISRAELI RULE, ALL MUSLIM AND CHRISTIAN HOLY SITES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL FAITHS;
The Jews do not allow any Muslim below age of 45 to pray in the Mosque of al Aqsa, they do not allow Christians of Bethlehem to celebrate Easter in Jerusalem and do not allow Christians of Jerusalem to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem.
16. OUT OF 175 UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS UP TO 1990, 97 WERE AGAINST **ISRAEL**; OUT OF 690 GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS, 429 WERE AGAINST **ISRAEL**;
And Israel accepted and fulfilled only one of them which equated Zionism with racism.
18. THE U.N. WAS SILENT WHEN THE JORDANIANS DESTROYED 58 SYNAGOGUES IN THE **OLD CITY** OF **JERUSALEM**. IT REMAINED SILENT WHILE **JORDAN** SYSTEMATICALLY DESECRATED THE ANCIENT JEWISH CEMETERY ON THE **MOUNT OF OLIVES**, AND IT REMAINED SILENT WHEN **JORDAN** ENFORCED APARTHEID LAWS PREVENTING JEWS FROM ACCESSING THE **TEMPLE MOUNT** AND WESTERN WALL.
The Jews destroyed one thousand mosques and churches in 1948; they besieged the Church of Nativity in 2002, they. Jews also desecrated hundreds of Christian and Muslim cemeteries, turned the mosque of Caesarea into a bar, and demolished the 5th century Church of St Barbara. Jews also enforced apartheid laws preventing goyim from coming back to the places they were born.
THESE ARE TRYING TIMES. WE MUST ASK OURSELVES WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING, AND WHAT WE WILL TELL OUR GRANDCHILDREN ABOUT OUR ACTIONS DURING THIS CRISIS, WHEN WE HAD THE CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
START NOW! SEND THIS MESSAGE TO 20 FRIENDS, AND ASK EACH OF THEM TO SEND IT TO 20 MORE. JEWISH OR NOT, IT DOES NOT MATTER.
That’s right! Do it!
TRUTH AND PEACE ARE VALUES COMMON TO ALL OF US. EVERYONE MUST KNOW!
Let them!
Sabbath according to Islam
Introduction
Jewish and Muslim Sabbath, the similarities, the differences and why.
Intention of the Sabbath (Hebrew; Day of Rest)
Is the Sabbath for Remembering God ? Yes, even more so than resting.
The Bible editors humanize God in relation to the Sabbath by saying;
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:2).
Bible editors took the idea that God rested farther still when they wrote as follows: “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31: 17).
Is God a human that gets tired and needs to rest and refresh ? Of course not;
“GOD IS NOT A MAN, that he should lie ; NEITHER THE SON OF MAN that he should repent…. (Numbers 19:23)
God in the Quran clarified the matter in His own words when He declared:
“And verily we created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six periods, and naught of weariness touched us” (Quran 50:38 see also v. 15).
Dispelling any human weaknesses attributed to God and showing the intention of the Sabbath is not to rest, but to remember the beautiful Creation God made.
Even Prophet Jesus emphasizes the misinterpretation of the Sabbath;
Mark 3:1-5: Jesus observed the Sabbath, but criticized the Pharisees’ overly strict rules and regulations concerning the day of rest. He emphasized throughout his ministry a different purpose for the Sabbath: a day to be enjoyed by the believer, and a time when many normal activities were quite permissible.
The idea that God rests like humans and gets refreshed like humans was also criticized by Jesus. According to John, he declared that God never stops working, even on the Sabbath day (see John 5:16).
According to the Holy Quran, the Final Testament, God does not get tired “Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him” (Quran 2:255), verifying the focus of the Sabbath is not rest, but remembrance.
What day was the Sabbath ?
Today we know that the creation process can be measured in billions of years.
The Bible editors could not have known this. In their eagerness to enjoin Sabbath observance on others they wrote that God rested on the very first Sabbath day after finishing up his work of creating the heavens and the earth.
The six days of creation in the book of Genesis was believed to be like six days of any seven-day week. They believed that the reason the Sabbath day became holy is that God Himself had rested on that day.
The scientific discovery regarding the actual time period of the creation of earth causes concern as to which day the Sabbath actually is. The Sabbath can not be associated with the earth creation because that would mean we would have a Sabbath once every 6 billion years.
The Holy Quran simply designates the “Day of Assembly” in addition to clarifying God does not rest, Hence completely dispelling the incompatible association between the Sabbath and Day of Creation as made in the Bible.
Was the Sabbath on Friday or Saturday ? Another tension in the Bible Corrected by God through the Holy Quran is knowing the exact day to practice the Sabbath.
When the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in 1582 CE, ten days were deleted in order to bring the calendar in synchronism with the seasons. Thus, 1582-OCT-4 (a Thursday) was followed by 1582-OCT-15 (a Friday), indicating the Sabbath was originally Friday, rather than Saturday.
There is no record in the Bible showing who did this or when he did it. So, the present Jewish Sabbath observance can be traced back, through the discontinuity of 1582 CE into ancient times to an arbitrary choice of day by person or persons unknown.
There is thus no reason to believe that there was a seventh day of creation or that there was any continuous celebration of the Sabbath until the 10th century BCE. It is probable that some Jewish official made an arbitrary selection of the day for the first Sabbath about 3 millennia ago. As history shows the intended day for the Sabbath is Friday as in Islam.
What time was the Sabbath to take place ? The Bible demonstrates that the intended time is for the afternoon, also as in the Islamic teachings;
The Bible makes the strong distinction between day and night, the word “Night” is mentioned in the Jewish Bible ((233)) times yet it is never mentioned in conjunction with the weekly Sabbath,
The Sabbath is always referred to as “The Sabbath Day”. In fact, a distinction is made between the Weekly Daytime Sabbath and a monthly 24 Hour Sabbath.
“It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves; on the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your sabbath.” Leviticus 23:32
Hence clarifying there are different types of Sabbaths for different time periods and that the weekly Day Sabath was not intended for 24 hours, but rather for the Daytime as the clear distinction is made in Leviticus 23:32
Who was to follow the Sabbath ?
Israelites ask Muslims “If Abraham’s way was the right way, why don’t Muslims follow the Saturday Sabbath ?” The Sabbath has nothing to do with Abraham, it was instituted with the Law of Moses.
There is no evidence that Adam and Eve ever celebrated the Sabbath.
The first instruction from God to the Hebrew people to observe the Sabbath appears in Exodus 16:27, when the Hebrew people were wandering in the desert after having escaped from Egyptian captivity and starting to doubt and be disobedient to God. Therefore Hebrews have been worshipping God for centuries without observing the Sabbath.
The second command from God is seen in Exodus 23:12. Both passages were written by Moses circa 1491 BCE. No evidence the Sabbath was observed before then by previous Prophets.
Furthermore, there are 613 laws obligatory for Israelites, yet according to Judaism, not all Israelites have to follow these laws, for example, of those 613 Laws, only certain ones apply to certain tribes of Israelites, the Levi tribe only follows certain parts of the 613 Laws, as well as the Cohen tribe following different sets of the Commandments.
Different laws apply to different types and tribes of Jews. Similarly, Jewish Muslims follow the Quranic Commandments, identical to the Ten commandments of Moses, without the false associations made by Bible editors.
Sabbath in the Bible
Similar to the Muslim form of the Sabbath, the Bible lists a Function of the Sabbath is to have a Religious Assembly. Congregating on the Sabbath is commanded by God in Leviticus:
# Leviticus 23:1-3 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, The appointed feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, my appointed feasts, are these. 3 Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.
The Hebrew word for convocations is migra, meaning a calling (together), according to Young’s Analytical Concordance. Migra is the Hebrew word used in Leviticus 23:4-44 for all the holy convocations commanded for the High Sabbaths also.
Another similarity is Leviticus 23:32, the Day of Atonement is defined as a Sabbath. Islam also believes that Friday is a day for attaining atonement more than any other day of the week:
The Holy Prophet Muhammad said : “The day of Friday has been exalted and conferred many rights. Therefore do not be negligent of your duty. Do not be tardy in your worship this day. Try to attain nearness to Allah by performing pure deeds and refraining from the prohibited things, because this day Allah increases the reward for good deeds and obliterates the sins. Allah raises the position of the believer in the world and the Hereafter.”
Yet the Israelites considered the Sabbath a curse as pointed out in Amos 8:4-6 4
“Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?”
Israelites disobeying the Sabbath was also documented in Nehemiah 13:16
“Men of Tyre also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of wares and sold them on the sabbath to the people of Judah, and in Jerusalem.”
The Sabbath that was issued to the rebellious Hebrews with Moses became an unbearable restraint towards the Bounties of God to the Israelites, then they were forgiven.
Sabbath in the Quran
“O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic): That is best for you if ye but knew! ” 62:09
The curse of financial confinement is forgivingly removed upon embracing Islam while the substance and content of the Sabbath is in place, the merciful removal of the restriction from God’s bounty is specified in the following verse:
“And when the Prayer is finished, then may ye disperse through the land, and seek of the Bounty of Allah: and celebrate the Praises of Allah often (and without stint): that ye may prosper. ” 62:10
An example in the Bible of God no longer desiring Israelis to follow the Sabbath is:
Isaiah 1:10-15
” Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of assemblies–I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.”
Here we see how God depending on the Actions of the Jews, changes His relationship with the Jews, similar to being exiled from Israel and being returned to Israel.
With this in mind, the Quran Sabbath is understood as a Merciful Sabbath. Though there is still a Punishment for Breaking the Sabbath.
“The punishment for profaning the Sabbath was imposed only on those who had differed about it and thy Lord will surely judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differed.” Quran 16:124
The words penalty and punishment at the beginning of the verse are supplied by the translators, because they are implied in the word ju’ila. The meaning of the verse is that there is a punishment for Sabbath-breaking, but it is to be carried out on upon those who dispute the obligation to keep the Sabbath. Furthermore, it is concluded from this text, that no punishment for Sabbath-breaking is to be carried out before the Day of Judgment.
This is another excellent illustration of how the Quran complements and completes the Bible. In the Bible we are faced with two complications regarding Sabbath breaking. The first is that the punishment for Sabbath-breaking is death. In practice, this is not carried out in the current age. Christ showed by his example how the legislation of the Torah was to be interpreted. He did not as Christianity claims abrogate it.
The second Friction is that there is no provision for delaying the Sabbath. If there is something to prevent Sabbath observance on the seventh day, there is no provision in the Torah or any other Scripture for putting it off to the following day, as there is for the Passover, for example, which under certain conditions may be observed in the following month. This means that there are occasions when the intention to observe the Sabbath cannot always be carried out perfectly. If something arises which was unforeseen and unintended, the Sabbath cannot be delayed to the following day.
It has to remain as it is, whether or not its observance turned out to be as was intended. Therefore, the punishment is meted out upon those who dispute the obligation. Those who made the proper intention to observe the Sabbath, but whose observance for unforeseen reasons did not match their intention, are not punished for Sabbath-breaking.
Conclusion
Prior to scientific knowledge of earth formation, or scholarly Bible criticism, the Holy Quran in 632 AD, has purged the man made editing in the Bible and in swift concise Words, Bestowing upon us the proper date, time, and intention of the Sabbath as well as conscientious judgement for Sabbath breakers.
References
1. Revised Standard Bible
2. Holy Quran (Yusif Ali translation, Al Azhar translation, Malik Farid translation)
3. The Bible Sabbath Association at: http://www.biblesabbath.org
4. Extensive background material on the Saturday Sabbath is at the “Present Truth” home page: http://www.present-truth.org
Akther, once again my reply will be in the form of the following links: (Among many others…)
http://www.prophetofdoom.net/
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
http://www.islam-watch.org/
http://vikingdaughter.com/blog/
http://www.teawithterrorists.com/
They all speak for themselves.