Quran Error –
Were Jesus’ Disciples Muslims? Pt. 2
We continue from where we left off.
The Proclamation of Acts
When we turn to the book of Acts we find the disciples such as Peter testifying that Christ was not only crucified, but that he was also raised from the dead and ascended into heaven to rule from the Father’s right hand as the sovereign Lord of all creation:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it… Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that WE ALL ARE WITNESSES. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, HE HAS POURED OUT this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Acts 2:22-24, 29-36
What makes Peter’s proclamation rather astonishing is that, not only does he claim that Christ has been exalted to heaven to reign as Lord over all, a point which he made on another occasion:
“You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. WE ARE WITNESSES OF EVERYTHING HE DID in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—BY US WHO ATE AND DRANK WITH HIM AFTER HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed AS JUDGE OF THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:36-43
He even testifies that it is the risen and ascended Christ who had poured out the Holy Spirit upon his followers.
The reason why this happens to be a remarkable assertion is that according to the OT it is Yahweh who pours out his Spirit upon his servants.
Peter himself alludes to this fact since, earlier in this same proclamation, he referred to the prophecy from Joel concerning God pouring out his Holy Spirit in the latter days:
“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”’” Acts 2:14-21 – cf. Joel 2:28-32
Hence, Peter has Jesus doing what the prophetic writings say Yahweh will do!
The disciples also went around performing miracles in Jesus’ Almighty Name as a witness to the fact that Christ is the risen Lord and Author of Life who alone saves people from their sins:
“The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed THE AUTHOR OF LIFE, whom God raised from the dead. To this WE ARE WITNESSES. And HIS NAME—by faith IN HIS NAME—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled… God, having raised up his Servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” Acts 3:13-18, 26
“On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation IN NO ONE ELSE, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’” Acts 4:5-12
“But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. AND WE ARE WITNESSES TO THESE THINGS, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.’” Acts 5:29-32
“Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, JESUS CHRIST HEALS YOU; rise and make your bed.’ And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.” Acts 9:32-35
The disciples further preached that believers are saved because of the grace or unmerited favor of Christ!
“After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’” Acts 15:7-11
Jesus’ disciples even went as far as to worship and pray to Christ!
“And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 7:59-60
Here we have the first Christian martyr praying to his ascended Lord to not only receive his spirit, but to also forgive his persecutors.
What makes Stephen’s invocation to Christ rather astonishing is that he prayed to the risen Lord in the same exact way that the Psalmist prayed to Yahweh!
“Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.” Psalm 31:5
The Jewish followers of Christ were also known for calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, a practice which initially led to the Apostle Paul attacking the Church:
“Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to YOUR saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on YOUR name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of MINE to carry MY NAME before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of MY name.’ So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ And all who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon THIS name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?’” Acts 9:10, 13-14, 17, 20-21
However, the OT writings testify that true believers were those who would only call upon the name of Yahweh in their worship:
“Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.” Genesis 21:33
“Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the LORD, and he answered them. In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them; they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them.” Psalm 99:5-7
“I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD… I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.” Psalm 116:13, 17
And, yet, Jesus’ early followers worshiped him by calling on his name in the same way that the OT saints called upon Yahweh!
Finally, like the disciples before him, the blessed Apostle Paul went around teaching that Christ is the risen Lord whom God appointed as Savior and Judge of all creation:
“Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days HE APPEARED TO THOSE WHO HAD COME UP WITH HIM FROM GALILEE TO JERUSALEM, WHO ARE NOW HIS WITNESSES TO THE PEOPLE… For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that THROUGH THIS MAN forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and BY HIM everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:23-31, 36-39
“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31
Conclusion
We did as the Quran suggested and consulted the Gospel in order to see whether the claims of Muhammad that Jesus’ disciples were Muslims was correct. Our examination showed that he was grossly mistaken since Jesus’ earliest followers taught the very doctrines which the Muslim scripture condemns.
Contrary to the Quran’s assertions, Christ’s disciples proclaimed that Jesus is the divine Son of God who died on the cross and rose from the dead three days later. They also testified that he sits enthroned in heaven alongside the Father as the sovereign Lord of all creation, and that he will return to the earth in order to judge the living and the dead. They even went as far as to worship Christ as their risen and exalted Lord!
Since this is what the revelation given to Christians proclaims about the belief of the first disciples of Jesus, and since Muhammad himself commanded that we judge by that revelation, this means that the Quran cannot be true and that Muhammad must have therefore been a false prophet.
In fact, according to the NT witness, Muhammad happens to be one of the antichrists which the holy Scriptures warned us about:
“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour… Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:18, 22-23
There is simply no way around this fact.