"..THY WORD IS TRUTH.."

WHO IS THE LAST PROPHET?

by: Dario D. Belviz

The Qur'an of Islam said "…No Prophet will come after him. Allah the exalted says: Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah, the last of the Prophets. And Allah is Ever All_Aware of everything". ( Qur'an 33:40) – (The Foundation – Islamic Studies, call and guidance of the Philippines – Page: 37).
For the Muslim believers they believed that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, the LAST (emphasized mine: D.D.B.) of the Prophets. But Friends, if we will only be honest to search the scriptures (John 5:39; 2Tim. 3:15-17) we could find the true Saviour & Prophet and not be deceived by so many false Prophets (Matthew 24:24).
God promised to raise up a prophet "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in his mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him, And It shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him" (Deut. 18:18-19). This passage was speaking only of Christ not to any person pretending to be the last Prophet. Peter quoted it in Acts 3:22-23 and applied it to Jesus Christ. Stephen also quoted this same passage in the sermon which cost him his life (Acts 7:37).
The New Testament always speaks of Jesus Christ as "The Prophet". It was in the Galilee that Jesus Christ Fed the 5,000.00 people with "five barley loaves and two small fish" (John 6:1-14). When the people had been fed and there was still bread to spare, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, who is come into the world" (John 6:14).
Jesus is God's final Spokesman – the final - The last Prophet - The Hebrew writer reminds us of how "God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time, past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoke to us by His son …" (Heb. 1:1-2).
God said "whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him" (Deut. 18:19).

The Hebrew writer mentions the consequences of neglecting the message of Christ – the final Prophet. (Hebrew 2:1-4).

"..THY WORD IS TRUTH.."

WHO IS THE LAST PROPHET?

by: Dario D. Belviz

The Qur'an of Islam said "…No Prophet will come after him. Allah the exalted says: Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah, the last of the Prophets. And Allah is Ever All_Aware of everything". ( Qur'an 33:40) – (The Foundation – Islamic Studies, call and guidance of the Philippines – Page: 37).
For the Muslim believers they believed that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, the LAST (emphasized mine: D.D.B.) of the Prophets. But Friends, if we will only be honest to search the scriptures (John 5:39; 2Tim. 3:15-17) we could find the true Saviour & Prophet and not be deceived by so many false Prophets (Matthew 24:24).
God promised to raise up a prophet "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in his mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him, And It shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him" (Deut. 18:18-19). This passage was speaking only of Christ not to any person pretending to be the last Prophet. Peter quoted it in Acts 3:22-23 and applied it to Jesus Christ. Stephen also quoted this same passage in the sermon which cost him his life (Acts 7:37).
The New Testament always speaks of Jesus Christ as "The Prophet". It was in the Galilee that Jesus Christ Fed the 5,000.00 people with "five barley loaves and two small fish" (John 6:1-14). When the people had been fed and there was still bread to spare, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, who is come into the world" (John 6:14).
Jesus is God's final Spokesman – the final - The last Prophet - The Hebrew writer reminds us of how "God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time, past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoke to us by His son …" (Heb. 1:1-2).
God said "whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him" (Deut. 18:19).

The Hebrew writer mentions the consequences of neglecting the message of Christ – the final Prophet. (Hebrew 2:1-4).

Parliament of the World's Religions

Whilst stuck on a long drive today, I was lucky to come across an interview with Rev Dirk Ficca, Executive Director of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. The Parliament is meeting here in Melbourne in December this year and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.

Dirk spoke intelligently and articulately about purpose of the Parliament, making two important points about what they are trying to achieve:

Firstly, they are aiming for harmony rather than unity. The point is not to pretend that all religions are the same or to blend them into a universal, homogenous belief system. Rather, acknowledging and accepting our differences, we learn to live together peacefully and in harmony with one another.

Secondly, trust is more important than agreement. There are people that agree with me on many things that I still may not trust, just as there are those with whom I might have significant disagreement but feel that I could trust with my life.

You can find out more about the Parliament at http://www.parliamentofreligions.org

Taking the Bible Seriously

I’ve written on this subject before, but this time I’ll let someone else speak for me. Enjoy…

April 6, 2009 8:06 pm

The Importance of the Prophet

I heard something this evening that started me thinking about the important role of the prophet in Christianity. Before I explore this a bit, let me clarify that I’m not talking about the Nostradamus kind of prophet whose main role is to try and predict future events. I’m talking about the kind of prophets that are known in the Hebrew Scriptures, who have at least 2 distinct roles:

Firstly, they call the people to repentance. The prophets are the self-critical flank of religion. They refuse to get so caught up in authority, tradition and dogma that they lose any perspective on what we might have done wrong or where we may be going astray. Repentance is important to both individuals and communities. All too often we can be reluctant to admit or acknowledge our mistakes and we must do so if we are to be serious about living in a better world.

Secondly, prophets speak truth to power. The prophet is the voice of justice that is unafraid of negative repercussions. Of course, this often ends badly for the prophets (including Jesus) but it is not a fate that they pursue unwittingly. Prophets are not self-righteous, but rather are carried forward by a cause much larger than themselves.

It seems to me that there’s also something important about the actions of a prophet. Prophets don’t have to lead perfect lives (many of them have had obvious human flaws) but they do need to reflect something more than strong words.