Prophets of the Bible
The Bible attributes such qualities to the prophets of God Almighty that are even shameful for the ordinary individual, let alone the messengers of God who are the most pious human beings sent to guide mankind towards the right path, righteousness, betterment, chastity, etc.
Prophet Jesus Christ
Q: Does Jesus Christ speak a lie?
A: No, certainly not! Prophets never speak lies. But the Gospel of John 7: 2-10 says:
“Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go unto Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himselfseeketh
to be known openly. If thou do these things,shew
thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him. Jesus said unto them Go ye unto his feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when hisbrethern
were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.” Q: Does Jesus make wine and make his disciples drink it? A: No, certainly not! Jesus does not condone something or encourage his disciples to do something that is condemned and prohibited in the Old and New Testaments.
But Jesus is accused of making wine; nevertheless, it was his first miracle to make manifest his glory! God forbid that one should say that, “ Maybe in the religion of Jesus, wine was lawful.” I seek refuge to the Almighty God from such accusation, for the Old and New Testaments prohibit wine. First let us quote the order of the prohibition of wine in the Bible and then show the false accusation on Jesus Christ peace be upon him. Hosea 4: 11 says:
“Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.” Isaiah 5: 11-13 also says:
“Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drinks; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!”
And Deuteronomy 21: 18-21 says:
“If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son,.... Then shall his father and his mother... say unto elders of his city, this our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice, he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, then he die: soshalt
thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.”
On the other hand, both the Old and the New Testaments point to the merit of not drinking wine or strong drink, and abstaining from alcohol consumption is considered a great virtue as can be seen from the quality attributed to John (the Baptist) by the angel that appeared to Zacharias, reported in Luke 1: 15 “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.”
Now we quote the accusation on Jesus Christ: John 2: 1-11 says:
“and the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesussaith
unto him, they have no wine. Jesussaith
unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mothersaith
unto the servants, whatsoever hesaith
unto you, do it. And there were set there sixwaterpots
of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus said unto them, Fill thewaterpots
with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And hesaith
unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bear it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, Andsaith
unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”
This shows obviously, according to the New Testament, drinking wine was not considered as a taboo in the religion. See how Jesus himself made wine and made others drink it!
On another occasion, Luke 22:15-18 says that Jesus “said unto them, with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not anymore eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup,... and said..... I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.”
Q: Does Jesus let his disciples in his bosom and love him? A: No! This is not appropriate for an ordinary individual to do, let alone a great prophet.
But John 13:23, 25 accuses Jesus of this act by saying: “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved He then lying on Jesus' breastsaith
unto him, Lord, who is it?”
Q: Is Jesus accursed?
A: No, certainly not! But Galatians 3:13 says:
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Curse is everyone thathangeth
on a tree.”
Q: Is Jesus the son of God? Does a man’s son become his Lord (God)? A: No, most certainly not! This does not make sense. But the Bible not only says that Jesus is a son of David but he is also his Lord!
Matthew 1: 1 says “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Matthew 22:41-45 says “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. Hesaith
unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I makethine
enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?”
Prophet David
Q: Does a prophet commit adultery?
A: No, he most certainly does not. A prophet of God can never do such a ghastly act.
Q: Does a prophet make anyone drink wine? A: No, certainly not! He would not do a prohibited act such as this. Q: Does a prophet deceive a man to be killed? A: No, certainly not! A prophet of God cannot do such an evil act. But Prophet David has been accused of all these appalling acts in the Bible.
Look at 2 Samuel 11: 2-27 and see what it says “And it come to pass in an evening tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba
, the daughter ofEliam
, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came unto him, and he lay with her, for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.
And David sentJoab
, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite..... And David said to Uriah, go down to thy house, and wash thy feet... Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah,Camest
thou not from thy journey? Why then didst thou not go down untothine
house? And Uriah said... shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife?.. And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house. And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter toJoab
,... saying, set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and die... And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.”
Have you ever heard such a story of a cunning device to kill Uriah? How David committed adultery with the wife of Uriah, and then made him drink wine so that he could lay with his wife; and then finally sent him to the battlefield to be killed and how he was killed?
Now read about the offspring of that married woman who committed adultery with David!
Matthew 1:6 says “And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah.” Also 2 Samuel 12:9 says “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children ofAmmon
.”
Now see how the Bible says that God recompensed David by making his sons commit adultery with his wives!
The book of 2 Samuel 12: 11, 12 says “Thussaith
the LORD, behold, I will raise up evil against thee out ofthine
own house, and I will take thy wives beforethine
eyes, and give them unto thyneighbour
, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.”
Then read the same book 16: 22 saying “So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.”
Prophet Lot
Q: Can a prophet commit adultery with his daughters or drink wine? A: It is impossible for a prophet to commit such ghastly acts. A descent individual would never do these deeds, let alone a prophet of God who is amongsthe
most noble and pious people! But the Bible accuses Prophet Lot of having committed adultery with his own daughters! Genesis 19:30-38 says:
“And Lot went up out ofZoar
, . and dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: Come let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the first born said unto the younger, Behold, I layyesternight
with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his nameBenammi
: the same is the father of the children ofAmmon
unto this day.”
Prophet Jacob
Q: Does a prophet kiss another woman?
A: No, certainly not! A prophet of God would not do such a thing! But Genesis 29:11 says:
“And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.” Q: Does a prophet deceive others? A: No, he certainly does not. It is a disgrace for a prophet, who has been perfected by God, to deceive.
But Genesis 27:1-35 says “And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old.... he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son.. Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons,.. and take me some venison;... that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. AndRebekah
heard when Isaacspake
to Esau his son.. AndRebekah
took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son...
And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; Who art thou, my son? And Jacob said unto his farther, I am Esau thy firstborn... And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And he said, Bring it near me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, come near now,... kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him... And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting... And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau... And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said... Thy brother came withsubtilty
[i.e. deceit], and hath taken away thy blessing.”
It is a strange accusation that a prophet should kiss a woman, or drink wine, or deceive his father in order to get the blessing by force! Is it possible for these words to be true?
You read the Bible, and see what accusations are attributed to the children of the prophets. Read how Dinah, the daughter of prophet Jacob is accused of adultery.
Genesis 34:1, 2 says:
“And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And whenShechem
the son ofHamor
theHivite
, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay her, and defiled her. “
Prophet Solomon
Q: Is it possible for a prophet to do things that are admonished by God? Or turn his heart to gods? Or build a high place for worshipping them? Or turn his heart from God?
A: No. It is simply impossible!
But 1 kings 11:1-10 says “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in the them, neither shall they come unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of theZidonians
, and afterMilcom
the abomination of theAmmonities
.
And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place forChemosh
, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and forMolech
, the abomination of the children ofAmmon
. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice. And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.”
Prophet Moses
Q: Is it possible that there could be hatred between God and His prophet such that He would seek to kill him? A: This is impossible!
But the Bible says that God wanted to kill Moses, butZipporah
saved him. Exodus 4: 14, 21, 24, 25 says:
“And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. ThenZipporah
took a sharp stone, and cut off the fore skin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.”
Q: Is it possible for a prophet to be such a tyrant that he commanded children and others to be killed and the cities to be destroyed? A: It is impossible for a prophet to do such things or to oppress people! But the Bible says that Moses did! See Numbers 31: 9-11, 13, 17, 18, 27, and 35:
“And the children of Israel took all the woman ofMidian
captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. And burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire. And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of them and of beast.... And Moses, andEleazar
the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp. And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host... And said unto them, Have ye saved all the woman alive? Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the woman children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.... And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation.... And thirty and two thousand persons in all, of woman that had not known man by lying with him.”
The number of those who have been killed is more than those who have been spared alive!!
But on another occasion no one was spared alive; see Deuteronomy 2:31- 35:
“And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to giveSihon
and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thoumayest
inherit his land. ThenSihon
came out against us, he and all his people, to fight atJahaz
. And the LORD of our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain: Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.
This is what the Bible accuses Moses; to have killed men, women and even children by the order of God!! Again Deuteronomy 20:13-17 says: “And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it intothine
hands, thoushalt
smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof,shalt
thou take unto thyself; and thoushalt
eat the spoil ofthine
enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
Thusshalt
thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thoushalt
save alive nothing thatbreatheth
: But thoushalt
utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and theAmorties
, The Canaanites, and thePerizzites
, theHivites
, and theJebusites
; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.” Is this the humanity that the Bible teaches? That nothing that breathes shall be saved alive?!
Q: Can a prophet be angry with God that he requested Him to blot him from hisprophethood
?
A: No, most certainly not! No prophet of God would do something like this.
But Exodus 32: 31, 32 says “And 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 will forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.”
Prophet Isaiah
Q: Is it possible that God should command his prophet to walk naked before people for years. Isn't it ridiculous for a prophet who is a model to the people to do such an act?
A: It is impossible for God to have commanded this, for He has forbidden man to be naked before other people! For this is an indecent and obscene act.
But Isaiah 20: 2, 3 says that the LORD spoke to “Isaiah the son ofAmoz
, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia.”
Prophet Ezekiel
Q: Does God command His prophet to eat bread baked with human dung? Why should God command such a thing?
A: No, God doesn't command such a thing! But Ezekiel 4:12,13 says “And thou [Ezekiel]shalt
eat it as barley cakes, and thoushalt
bake it with dung thatcameth
out of man, in their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.”
But Prophet Ezekiel was wise enough; how could he eat bread baked with dung that comes out of man? So he begged God to retract such a ridiculous command and God accepted his request, and instead He ordered him to use the dung that comes out of the cow!!!
Ezekiel 4:14, 15 says:
“Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that whichdieth
of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thoushalt
prepare thy bread therewith.”
Q: Does God command His prophet to shave off his hair and beard? Why? A: God does not command His prophet to do such thing, for he is a model for the people. But Prophet Ezekiel was ordered to do such odd and crazy things before. He ate cow's dung after God had pity on him, otherwise he would have eaten man's dung. Now he is commanded to shave off his hair and beard! Ezekiel 5:1, 2 says:
“And thou, son of man, takethee
sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass uponthine
head and upon thy beard then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. Thoushalt
burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thoushalt
take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thoushalt
scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.”
The aim of this order becomes obvious, when, in Ezekiel 5:12, God says “A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee; and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.” Q: Is it appropriate for God to cause the wife of the prophet to die just to be a sign while it is possible for him to explain in words? A: No, it isn't! But on two occasions the Bible shows that these have happened to prophet Ezekiel as a sign to the people.
Ezekiel 24:15-24 says:
“Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying son of man, Behold, I take away from thee the desire ofthine
eyes [i.e. wife] with a stroke: yet neithershalt
thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire ofthine
head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not bread of men.
So Ispake
unto the People in the morning: and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded. And the people said unto me, wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, speak unto the house of Israel, Thussaith
the Lord God; Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the LORD God.”
Prophet Hosea
Q: Is it appropriate that God should command His prophet to take a wife of fornication, and children of fornication? And why? Is it because the nation has committed great fornication, departing from the Lord? or was it a warning and an advice to the children of Israel by mentioning the names of the children who were born of that woman? Or was it just to mention how he committed fornication?
A: Never! God can never command any of His prophets to do such an act! But the book of Hosea 1:2-4 says:
“The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife ofwhoredoms
and children ofwhoredoms
: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD. So he went and tookGomer
the daughter ofDiblaim
; which conceived, and bare him a son. And the LORD said unto him, call his nameJezreel
; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood ofJezreel
upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.”
And Hosea 2: 2-5 says:
“Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away herwhoredoms
out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts; Lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children ofwhoredoms
. For their mother hath done shamefully......” And Hosea 3: 1-4 says:
“Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved on her friend, yet anadulteress
, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: and I said unto her, Thoushalt
abode for me many days; thoushalt
not play the harlot, and thoushalt
not be for another man: so will I also all abode be for thee. For children of Israel shall abode many days without a king...”
It is a disgrace for such a story to be written in ordinary books let alone the Holy Book! If a prophet does this, what would other people do? If the head of the house does an evil deed, then it is certain that the people of the household would indulge in such an evil deed. Nevertheless, the prophet is commanded to love anadulteress
, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel! Is it proper to attribute such words to God?
Prophet Aaron
The Bible teaches the Oneness of God; and one of the commandments of God says that, “Thoushalt
have none other gods before me.” (Deuteronomy 5:7) But according to the Bible, the prophets of God, who were chosen to teach this commandment, they themselves worshipped other gods beside their God!
Q: Is it possible that a prophet of God should make gods and misguide the people to worship them?
A: It is impossible! For such is the act of the polytheists; and God is against this.
But Exodus 32: 1-6 says:
“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, wewot
not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people break off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thy up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said,To morrow
is a feast to the LORD. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” Q: Does God argue with His prophet about His wrath, and later He repents for His evil thought?
A: No, this can never be. God does not do anything that He would repent for later!
But Exodus 32: 10-14 says “Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the Land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak and say, ‘For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.... And the LORD repented of the evil, which he thought to do unto his people.”
0%
Author: Ayatullah Seyyed Muhammad Redha Shirazi
