Muslims and Jews Are Both Lost by Dr Stephen Yulish

Friday, 12 October 2007 14:10 |

Muslims and Jews

both lost without Christ

Stephen Yulish PhD

Much has been said and written of late concerning the fate of the Jewish people in Israel with all the violent jihadist talk of the Muslims that surround them and are in the midst of them. Hamas has apparently obtained control of the Palestinian authority and refuses to lay down their arms or recognize the state of Israel. The leader of Iran calls for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people in the name of Allah. While it is easy for us as followers of Jesus Christ to empathize with the fate of God’s first born chosen people (even though God says He will bless them that bless them and curse them that curse them, Genesis 12:3), it is also important for us all to remember that both the Muslims as well as the Jews need Jesus Christ or they will continue to fight each other forever eternally separated from the one and only true God..

I have a Lebanese Muslim friend who now teaches at a local college. He is a brilliant young man who likes American Jews who he has studied with and shares research assignments with, but he hates Israel. We argue for hours but there is never a resolution. When I tell him that God gave that land to the Jewish people, he scoffs. He says that Abraham made his covenant with Ishmael. He says that that land is holy to Islam and it is affront to have a Jewish presence in the third holist site in Islam. When I state that Jerusalem is not even mentioned in the Koran he says that it is. When I say that Allah is not Jehovah but a pagan moon god he gets riled. When I say that the Koran says that Allah has no son, he agrees, but he still thinks we have the same god. We go in circles.

One day I told him that in spite of my support for the Jewish people in Israel and his support for Hamas and Islam, both of our peoples were going to hell without Jesus. I told him that hell was going to be him locked in a closet with an Israeli (Jew) for eternity. That comment touched him more than any rational or biblical argument that I had tried to muster over the years. He looked at me with his mouth open and a wild eyed look on his face.

We all have to remember that only Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will be able to bring peace to that region. Both Judaism as well as Islam are works oriented religions that believe that a person’s good deeds must outweigh their bad deeds, but ironically in both cases, only God or Allah ultimately decides who enters heaven or goes to hell. There is no blessed assurance of salvation as there is to all who believe in Jesus Christ like there is in Christianity.

According to the Talmud (B'rakhot 28b), even Rabbi Yochanan Ben-Zakkai, one of the greatest rabbis in Jewish history, who after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, convened the Yavneh Council to determine the future of Judasim,did not know where he was going when he died. He prayed, was kosher, and was pious more than anyone else and still he did not know.

"Now I am being led before the supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He who lives and endures forever. If He is angry with me, He is angry forever. If He imprisons me, He imprisons me forever. If He puts me to death, he puts me to death forever. I can't persuade Him with words or bribe Him with money. Moreover, there are two ways ahead of me-one leads to Gan-Eden (Paradise-Heaven) and one leads to Gay-Hinnom (Hell) and I do not know which one will take me. How can I do anything but weep?"

Thus while Jews are mandated to do good works, even the most righteous of rabbis, did not know on his deathbed if he would go to heaven or hell. It was all up to God. This is very similar to Islam which is not surprising because Muhammad was very influenced by the Jew’s Torah, the Prophets, the Talmud, the Midrash and even some apocryphal works.

The Quran states:

“Allah forgives whom he pleases and punishes whom he pleases for Allah has power over all things” surah 2:284

“Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy, they will be successful. But those whose balance is light will be those who have lost their souls; in hell they will abide” surah 23:102-103

Muhammad departed from Judaism in many ways which led the Jews to reject his teachings. In particular, he departed from Judaism in calling for a violent propagation of Islam. In fact he called for the death of the unbelieving Jews.

“Fight against them until there is no dissension and the religion is for Allah.” surah 2:193

One sure way to get into heaven was to die a martyr. In Christianity, Jesus came to be our sin bearer and to die for us (Romans 3:24). He shed His blood so we did not have to. In Islam, Muhammad commanded his followers to shed their blood and the blood of others to get into heaven.

“And if you are slain or die in the way of Allah, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all they could amass.” surah 3:157

When a Christian lies on his deathbed, he does not have to weep not knowing if Jesus will take him to heaven or send him to hell. He does not have to kill others or die a martyr to have assurance of heaven. All he has to have done is call upon the name of Jesus to save him from his rightful destiny in hell and bear his sins and make him righteous in Him.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13

We are saved by God’s grace not our works.

“For by grace you are saved through faith and that is not of yourselves, it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

And we know that this is not to be forced upon anybody no matter what the Crusaders or Grand Inquisitors or New World Explorers thought.

“Come unto me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest…” Matthew 11:28-30

And we know that this peace and this salvation only comes through the name of Jesus Christ-not Moses nor Muhammad nor Mary.

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

We as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have that blessed assurance of eternal life with Him (John 5:24, 1John 5:13). We don’t have to earn it or kill for it. All we have to do is to believe. It is so easy yet it is foolishness for those who are perishing (1Corinthians 1:18).

We all need to pray that both the Muslims as well as the Jews have their eyes opened to the truth of Jesus Christ for this is the only way that they will ever be at peace with one another or with God.