By: Shabir Ally
Bible Prophecy: The Prophet Like Moses
According to the Bible, God said to Moses, on whom be peace:
“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” (The Holy Bible, New International Version, Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18).
The Characteristics of the New Prophet
The prophet described in the above verse must have the following three characteristics:
1. He will be like Moses.
2. He will come from the brothers of the Israelites, i.e. the Ishmaelites.
3. God will put His words in the mouth of that prophet and he will declare what God commanded him.
Let us see which prophet God was speaking of.
Let’s take a look at a few passages in the Bible wherein the coming of the Prophet Muhammad is possibly prophesied. Answered by Imam Shabir Ally.
According to the Bible, God said to Moses, on Whom be Peace:
1. The prophet like Moses
Some people feel that this prophecy refers to the prophet Jesus, on whom be peace. But, although Jesus (peace be upon him) was truly a prophet of God, he is not the prophet spoken of here. He was born miraculously, and, finally, God raised him up miraculously. On the other hand, Muhammad is more like Moses (peace be upon them); both were born in a natural way and both died natural deaths. [Read more: A Prophet like unto Moses]
2. From among the Ishmaelites
Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis, chapter 21). Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation, and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation. The prophet spoken of was to come not from among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, the Ishmaelites. Muhammad (peace be upon him), a descendant of Ishmael, is indeed that prophet. [Click here to find out about Islam’s belief in Abraham.]
3. God will put His words in his mouth
“Neither the content of the revelation, nor its form, were of Mohammed’s devising. Both were given by the angel, and Mohammed’s task was only to repeat what he heard.”(World Religions from Ancient History to the Present, by Geoffrey Parrinder, p. 472)
God sent the angel Gabriel to teach Muhammad (peace be upon him) the exact words that he should repeat to the people. The words are therefore not his own; they did not come from his own thoughts, but were put into his mouth by the angel. These are written down in the Qur’an, word for word exactly as they came from God. [Read more: Angels in Islam]
Now that we know that prophet we must listen to him, for, according to the Bible, God says: “I will punish anyone who refuses to obey him” (Good News Bible, Deut. 18:19).
Note: The “peace be upon him” next to the Prophet(s) represents the invocation Muslims say as a form of respect
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