A Prophet like unto Moses

And God told Moses: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”  – Deuteronomy 18:18

Islam

In order for the Islamic faith to be credible, Muhammad must be a qualified and proven prophet of God. According to the Koran’s Sura 33:40, Muhammad was the final prophet sent by God, the Seal of the Prophets, “Muhammad…[he is] the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.”

With respect to Deuteronomy 18:18, the Koran teaches that Muhammad is the subject of the verse. He is the Prophet “like unto” Moses and, in many aspects, was even greater than Moses. Sura 46:9-10 states:

• “Say: I am not the first of the apostles, and I do not know what will be done with me or with you: I do not follow anything but that which is revealed to me, and I am nothing but a plain warner. Say: Have you considered if it is from Allah, and you disbelieve in it, and a witness from among the children of Israel has borne witness of one like him, so he believed, while you are big with pride; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people.”

Islam’s foundation and basis for credibility depends upon Muhammad as the substantiated final Messenger of God. This is revealed in every Muslim’s confession of faith, in the Shahadatain, which reads as follows, “…Muhammad is His messenger to all human beings till the Day of Judgment.” Since Muhammad is the final messenger and prophet, and the ultimate fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:18 according to Islam, it is a requirement that all Muslims submit and follow what he taught in the Koran. Islam, by definition, means ‘to submit.’

Christianity

Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, is the foretold prophet of Deuteronomy 18:18. This position is clearly supported and verified in the New Testament. In the book of Acts 3:20-22, regarding Jesus, it states:

• “And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: (21) Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (22) For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.”

Notice that Acts 3:22 is a direct quote from Deuteronomy 18:18 which states, “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”

Regarding Jesus’ fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:18, Acts 3:22 supports and justifies the Christian position. However, in many obvious illustrations such as this, Islam’s defenders respond that the Bible is no longer valid. They rely on the teachings of Muhammad, their ‘Seal of the Prophets.’ They believe that his message is greater and more credible than the Bible. Their contention is that the Scriptures have been altered!

The Bible’s Definition of the Prophet Like Moses

With respect to Deuteronomy 18:18, Islam and Christianity cling to two diametrically opposed positions. There can only be one truth! Based on the facts, is it more logical to conclude that the subject of this verse is Muhammad, or Jesus of Nazareth? Before answering this question, it is important that we discover what the Bible tells us about Moses’ characteristics and qualities that set him apart from most other men. By definition, this Prophet must possess these same distinct qualities.

This chapter will address seven distinct characteristics surrounding Moses’ life that are provided in the Bible which make him unique and distinguishable from the average human being. They are as follows:

1) During the time of Moses’ birth, the Scriptures reveal that the Pharaoh of Egypt made a decree that all newborn male children of Israel would be killed. Exodus 1:22 declares, “And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”

   According to the Bible, this type of decree occurred on only one other occasion.

2) In order to rescue the newborn Moses from Pharaoh’s decree, Exodus 2:2-6,10 reveals that his mother sent him into Egypt when he was three months of age. It was there where he was kept safe:

• “And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. (3) And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. (4) And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. (5) And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. (6) And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children… (10) And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.”

3) Moses was a descendent of the tribe of Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was renamed Israel. His genealogy is verified in Exodus 2:1-2:

• “And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. (2) And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.”

This passage clearly reveals that Moses was an Israelite, a Jew!

As an Israelite, unlike many other prophets who succeeded him, Moses was special in the eyes of God. In the Book of Numbers chapter 12, when the LORD rebuked Aaron and Miriam for coming against Moses, He revealed to them just how special Moses was. According to Numbers 12:6-8, He told them that Moses was permitted to see His form and similitude unlike any other prophet:

• “And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. (7) My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. (8) With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

4) As we have seen, the LORD advised Aaron and Miriam that Moses was allowed to see His appearance. The proof that Moses actually saw God can be found in Exodus 34:29-30, 35. This passage testifies that after Moses saw God on Mount Sinai, and he returned to the children of Israel with the Ten Commandments, his face glowed from being in God’s presence:

• “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. (30) And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him…(35) And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”

5) According to Deuteronomy 9:10-11, which records the words of Moses, it states that he introduced a covenant relationship between God and the children of Israel when he brought the Ten Commandments down from the mount:

• “And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. (11) And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.”

This covenant that God made with the sons and daughters of Jacob was sealed with blood. The Book of Exodus testifies to the entire world the uniqueness of this ‘blood covenant relationship’ that God entered into with the children of Israel. Exodus 24:4-8 states:

“And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. (5) And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. (6) And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. (7) And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. (8) And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.”

6) Through Moses, the LORD God performed miraculous signs and wonders such as the ten plagues that were inflicted upon Egypt as the result of Pharaoh’s stubbornness and hardness of heart when he refused to, “…let my people go.” Exodus 7:14 states, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.”

After the ten plagues, the punishment was not quite over for Pharaoh and for Egypt. Shortly after the children of Israel were permitted to leave the country, Pharaoh had a sudden change of heart and sent out his entire army to chase down God’s people and kill them. There came the time when Moses and the people became trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army that were in pursuit. At that moment, the LORD God intervened once again in defense of His people who were in fear for their lives. Exodus 14:13-14 records the words that Moses said to the children of Israel:

“… Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. (14) The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

The following passage reveals God’s plan as He commanded Moses to tell the people to move forward and toward the sea. He used Moses for another great miracle as He told him to lift up his rod and that the sea would divide. According to Exodus 14:15-16, the children of Israel would then go across the sea on dry ground:

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: (17) But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”

In the next passage, in Exodus 14:17-18, God tells Moses His plan for Pharaoh and his army:

“And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. (18) And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.”

Moses raised his rod as the LORD instructed, and the sea parted. The children of Israel ran across the dry ground to the other side. In their chariots, Pharaoh’s army pursued across the dry ground with the intentions to kill all of them. While Pharaoh’s entire army was in the midst of the sea, a great wall of water on each side of them, God ordered Moses to raise up his rod one last time. The children of Israel were about to witness the final destruction upon Pharaoh and his army. After Moses raised the rod, Exodus 14:26-28 testifies to the final judgment bestowed upon Egypt as Pharaoh’s entire army was completely annihilated when the Red Sea was restored to its original state, and they were all swallowed up in the midst of the sea:

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. (27) And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. (28) And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.”

The Bible teaches that God used Moses to perform miracles of epic proportions. The Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:18 must possess this same quality.

7) Upon his discovery that the Israelites committed a great sin by building idols made of gold, Exodus 32:31-32 states that, “…Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.”

In this passage, Moses pleaded with God to forgive his people and, if not, he offered himself in their place. Though God did not accept Moses’ offer, Exodus 33 records that this great prophet of God was successful in soothing His wrath against the people. Moses made intercession for them. God heard his words!

These are seven notable attributes of the great prophet Moses. Deuteronomy 18:18 prophesies of another Prophet that would come who would be much like him. Is it Jesus, or Muhammad?

Several verses of the Qur'an state that previous prophets and religious texts foretold the coming of the Prophet Muhammad. Verse 157 of Chapter 7 states: "Those who follow the Messenger, the unschooled one, who has been described in the Torah and Gospel with them…"

This verse clearly states that the Prophet Muhammad has been foretold even in the distorted versions of the Torah and Gospel among the Jews and Christians. It is not referring to the original Torah which was revealed to Moses or the original Gospel which was revealed to Jesus. These two do not exist any longer except with Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance). It is referring to the Bible that existed during the time of the Qur'an's revelation and that which also exists with us today.

From among all the Biblical verses that speak about the coming of the Prophet, we will discuss two verses, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.

Verse Number 1: Deuteronomy 18:18

"I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I command him."

Whom is this verse talking about? The Christians claim that this verse is speaking about Jesus. The Muslims claim that it is talking about Muhammad. We will present our arguments and the world can judge.

"Their brethren"

First, if it was talking about Jesus, it would say "I will raise them up a prophet from among themselves," not "from among their brethren." The Israelites are the children of Jacob, who is also known as Israel. He is the son of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Jacob's children are known as the Israelites. And the children of Ishmael are known as the Arabs. In this sense, the Arabs and Israelites are brethren.

Certainly, brethren can include the brothers among the Israelites; however, the verse is addressing Moses, an Israelite. And Moses is addressing his people. Therefore, why doesn't it say "from among them" or "your brethren" (i.e. the Israelites) but rather "from among their brethren"? This indicates two wholes: one whole the Israelites and another whole their brethren (i.e. the Ishmaelites).

"Like unto thee"

The next part of the verse states that this prophet is like Moses. We have to study the major similarities between Moses and Jesus and Moses and Muhammad to see who it suits more. Of course, we can mention universal similarities which all human beings have, such as eating, sleeping, becoming ill, or minor similarities. However, such a comparison will not benefit anyone and is illogical.

Moses and Jesus

1. Christians believe that Jesus is God and the Son of God. This is a fundamental principle in Trinitarian Christianity. If one does not believe in this, he is not a Christian.  But Christians do not say that Moses is God or the Son of God. Therefore, this is a major difference between Moses and Jesus. If Christians say that Jesus is not God or the Son of God, or that Moses is also God and the Son of God, then their entire belief system will be turned upside down.
2. Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of humanity. But they do not believe that about Moses. This belief is a core requirement of Christianity. If one does not believe in it, he will not be saved and is not considered a Christian. This is another major difference between Jesus and Moses. Either the Christians will have to deny what they believe about Jesus or believe the same thing for Moses, both of which puts the very foundation of their religion in question.
3. Christians believe that Jesus was miraculously born from only a human mother and Moses had a natural birth from human parents. This is another major difference. Certainly, there are many other major differences between Moses and Jesus which clearly show that Deuteronomy 18:18 is not talking about the coming of Jesus but someone else. Nevertheless, the above examples should suffice anyone who approaches this subject with an open mind.

Moses and Muhammad

1. Both Moses and Muhammad were married and had children. Jesus never married and did not have any children. Muslims, Christians, and Jews believe that Moses went into the wilderness and met Jethro (Shu'ayb) and married one of his daughters. No Christian theologian believes that Jesus ever married. There is some speculation, however, in Hollywood and other make-belief venues that Jesus married Mary Magdalene. These as just speculations or false accusations and are outside the realm of an intellectual discussion.
2. Moses and Muhammad had natural births from a human father and mother, while according to both Muslims and Christians, Jesus had a miraculous birth from only a mother. Certainly, miraculous events took place in relation to the births of both Moses and Muhammad; however, their births were not out of the ordinary. Christians only refer to the birth of Jesus as the Immaculate Conception.
3. Moses and Muhammad and their respective messages were eventually accepted by their people, while the Israelites rejected Jesus and his message. He had only a small group of people accept him. John 1:1 states: "He (Jesus) came unto his own, but his own received him not."
4. Both Moses and Muhammad brought laws for their people. But according to Christianity, Jesus did not bring any new laws. Matthew 5:17-18 states that Jesus said: "Think not that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets, but I have come to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
5. Both Moses and Muhammad died natural deaths. But Christians believe that Jesus was crucified. So in this manner, Jesus and Moses are different, and Muhammad and Moses are similar.
6. Both Moses and Muhammad established governments. Moses and Muhammad became the rulers over their people. They had executive powers over their people. But Jesus did not.
7. Both Moses and Muhammad had an exodus. Moses led his people to freedom from Egypt to Palestine, and this migration was called the Exodus. Muhammad led his away from the oppression of the people of Mecca to Medina, and this migration was called the Hijrah. Both events were major episodes in the histories of these two great prophets.

"And will put my words in his mouth…"

This prophet will speak only God's words. What is interesting is that whenever God's words were revealed to Muhammad, he told them to the people exactly as it was revealed to him. That is why we see throughout the Qur'an verses that start with the command "Say!" (Qul). He was told to say such and such, and he even included the "Say!" when relating it to the people.

Moreover, verses 53:1-4 of the Qur'an state, "By the star, when it goes down: your companion (Muhammad) does not go astray, nor is he misled: nor does he speak out of desire; it is not but revelation revealed to him." Scholars have used this verse to show that whatever Muhammad says is God's word.

Verse Number 2: John 16:13-14

"How be it when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you."

Who is the spirit of truth?

 Christians claim that it is the Holy Spirit. However, the original Greek word for it was eitherpariklytos, which means "the praised one" (Muhammad in Arabic) or parakletos, which means a comforter, an advocate, or the spirit of truth. We know that Jesus spoke of the praised one and mentioned his name. However, in order to bury this truth, the words were played with. Instead of mentioning the name that Jesus stated, its meaning was spread among people in order to hide the truth.

At any rate, when we study these verses closely, we see that they do not refer to the Holy Spirit. In reality, they cannot refer to anyone other than Prophet Muhammad. John 16:7: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."

Jesus has to go away in order for the Comforter or Spirit of truth. But the Bible clearly states that the Holy Spirit was on the earth while Jesus was there. From among the verses that testify to this are Genesis 1:2, 1 Samuel 10:10, 1 Samuel 11:16, Isaiah 63:11, Luke 1:15, 1:35, 1:41, 1: 67, 2:25-26, 3:22 and John 20:21-22. For example, Luke 3:22 states: "And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him (Jesus)…"

Furthermore, the Bible uses the word "spirit" to mean prophet. 1 John 4:1-3 states: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are from God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

In addition, the verses under discussion say that the Spirit of truth "shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak." We already demonstrated this under the explanation of Deuteronomy 18:18. It also says: "That he shall glorify me," meaning this spirit or prophet will glorify Jesus. We see that the Qur'an and sayings of Prophet Muhammad are full of praises about Jesus. In reality, no one has praised Jesus as much as Prophet Muhammad.

The summary of all that has been said shows that these verses can only be about Muhammad. As the Qur'an (39:17-18) says: "Give the good news to those of My servants who hear the different sayings and choose the best one from among them; they are the ones guided by God, and they are the possessors of intellect."