Inasmuch as Islam is the biggest and fastest growing religion on earth and has as its objective to prevail over the entire world, it behooves us to continue to learn more about it, especially as it relates to Christianity which is presently the majority religion in America and provides the principles on which this great nation was founded.
Both Christianity and Islam teach that physical death will be followed by the resurrection of the body and the resurrected body will then live forever in either eternal joy or eternal damnation. Eternal joy for the Christian is to spend eternity with the God that created him/her and who also planned and provided for this so great a future.
The Christian description of the place of eternal joy is described in the following:
“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” Revelation 21:2-3
Then also according to the Bible those that reject God’s plan and provision will spend eternity apart from the presence of the Godhead.
“And everyone (else) was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15
Islam’s teachings once again begin with these same scriptural precepts but were then added to and altered by their prophet Mohammad for obscure reasons. Their place for eternal joy is called paradise while the place of eternal damnation is called hell. The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that paradise and hell constitute the intermediate stage between physical death and the resurrection of the body based on the following:
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” Luke 23:43
At the resurrection the penitent thief will be given a glorified body and reside forever in God’s presence in New Jerusalem, or heaven.
“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Revelation 20:14
Those that go immediately to hell at the time of death will also be resurrected after the millennial reign of Christ to stand the great White Throne Judgment. At that time they are consigned to their everlasting place apart from God, i.e. the lake of fire.
Islam’s Koran teaches that paradise for departed Muslims will appeal to the senses. The primary reward for the faithful is the gift of 72 “damsels of paradise” to be taken as wives along with any earthly wives that one wishes to retain. The anticipation of such a reward is a very appealing incentive to jihad martyrs.
The major question that arises is how does a person attain eternal bliss according to the teachings of Islam?
Islam teaches that at the resurrection all of the deeds of a man will be placed on a scale and weighed to see if their good deeds outweigh the bad. Islam teaches that even Muslims who did not fare well in the deed “weigh-in” exercise will only spend a limited time in hell and then be released and taken up to paradise.
Muslims further teach that professing Christians are not subject to the “weigh-in” but are automatically consigned to a predetermined level in hell because Christians are classified as infidels and there is absolutely no place for infidels in the Muslim paradise. There is in fact no place for anyone in the Muslim paradise other than those that have embraced Islam.
On the other hand, according to the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew that mortal man could never live up to the requirements of a holy God. To overcome this dilemma God presented Himself as the God-Man Jesus to live a sinless life and then offer His life as a substitute for all of the rest of us. To prove that the sacrificial death of Jesus was accepted by God the Father, Jesus was resurrected from the grave to return to Heaven. The Bible then states that all that accept the free gift of eternal life through the vicarious death of Jesus will be resurrected just as He was to live forever.
It is both interesting and ironic that Christianity has been vilified because of its’ alleged exclusivity when claiming the words of Jesus:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
In Christianity when someone rejects the teachings of the Bible, he does so with no recourse from other Christians. Islam teaches that one who rejects the teachings of the Koran is deemed worthy of death by the rest of the Islamic community.
Jesus issued numerous prophecies and performed countless miracles during his time on earth. Islam’s prophet did neither according to the Koran.
Jesus was resurrected from the grave and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father awaiting the command to return to earth. Islam’s prophet remains in the grave.
Eternal joy for the Muslim is based on man’s ability to perform. Eternal joy for the Christian is based solely on God’s grace.
Once again each person can determine the “truth” as they perceive it based on the assessment of the evidence and history.
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