-
Articles_of_he_Bishop_of_Uramiah, page : 592
prophet
from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put
141
my words in his mouth." If these words do not apply to Prophet
Muhammad, they still remain unfulfilled. Prophet Jesus
himself never claimed to be the Prophet alluded to. Even
his disciples were of the same opinion: they looked to the
second coming of Jesus for the fulfillment of the prophecy.
So far it is undisputed that the first coming of Jesus was not
the advent of the "prophet like unto thee," and his second
advent can hardly fulfill the words. Jesus, as is believed by
his Church, will appear as a Judge and not as a law-giver;
but the promised one has to come with a "fiery law" in "his
right hand."
In ascertaining the personality of the promised prophet
the other prophecy of Moses is, however, very helpful where
it speaks of the shining forth of God from Paran, the
mountain of Mecca. The words in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter
xxxiii. verse 2, run as follows: "The Lord came from Sinai,
and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount
Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints; from his
right hand went a fiery law for them."
In these words the Lord has been compared with the
sun. He comes from Sinai, he rises from Seir, but he shines
in his full glory from Paran, where he had to appear with
ten thousands of saints with a fiery law in his right hand.
None of the Israelites, including Jesus, had anything to do
with Paran. Hagar, with her son Ishmael, wandered in the
wilderness of Beersheba, who afterwards dwelt in the wilder-
ness of Paran (Gen. xxi. 21). He married an Egyptian
woman, and through his first-born, Kedar, gave descent to
the Arabs who from that time till now are the dwellers of the
wilderness of Paran. And if Prophet Muhammad admittedly on all
hands traces his descent to Ishmael through Kedar and he
appeared as a prophet in the wilderness of Paran and re-
entered Mecca with ten thousand saints and gave a fiery law
to his people, is not the prophecy above-mentioned fulfilled
to its very letter?
The words of the prophecy in Habakkuk are especially noteworthy.
His (the Holy One from Paran) glory covered the heavens and the
earth was full of his praise. The word "praise" is very significant,
as the very name Muhammad literally means "the praised one."
Besides the Arabs, the inhabitants of the wilderness of Paran had
also been promised a Revelation: "Let the wilderness and the
cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth
inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout
from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto
the Lord, and declare His praise in the islands. The Lord
shall go forth
from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put
141
my words in his mouth." If these words do not apply to Prophet
Muhammad, they still remain unfulfilled. Prophet Jesus
himself never claimed to be the Prophet alluded to. Even
his disciples were of the same opinion: they looked to the
second coming of Jesus for the fulfillment of the prophecy.
So far it is undisputed that the first coming of Jesus was not
the advent of the "prophet like unto thee," and his second
advent can hardly fulfill the words. Jesus, as is believed by
his Church, will appear as a Judge and not as a law-giver;
but the promised one has to come with a "fiery law" in "his
right hand."
In ascertaining the personality of the promised prophet
the other prophecy of Moses is, however, very helpful where
it speaks of the shining forth of God from Paran, the
mountain of Mecca. The words in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter
xxxiii. verse 2, run as follows: "The Lord came from Sinai,
and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount
Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints; from his
right hand went a fiery law for them."
In these words the Lord has been compared with the
sun. He comes from Sinai, he rises from Seir, but he shines
in his full glory from Paran, where he had to appear with
ten thousands of saints with a fiery law in his right hand.
None of the Israelites, including Jesus, had anything to do
with Paran. Hagar, with her son Ishmael, wandered in the
wilderness of Beersheba, who afterwards dwelt in the wilder-
ness of Paran (Gen. xxi. 21). He married an Egyptian
woman, and through his first-born, Kedar, gave descent to
the Arabs who from that time till now are the dwellers of the
wilderness of Paran. And if Prophet Muhammad admittedly on all
hands traces his descent to Ishmael through Kedar and he
appeared as a prophet in the wilderness of Paran and re-
entered Mecca with ten thousand saints and gave a fiery law
to his people, is not the prophecy above-mentioned fulfilled
to its very letter?
The words of the prophecy in Habakkuk are especially noteworthy.
His (the Holy One from Paran) glory covered the heavens and the
earth was full of his praise. The word "praise" is very significant,
as the very name Muhammad literally means "the praised one."
Besides the Arabs, the inhabitants of the wilderness of Paran had
also been promised a Revelation: "Let the wilderness and the
cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth
inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout
from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto
the Lord, and declare His praise in the islands. The Lord
shall go forth