CROSS OF CHRIST FAITH MINISTRY

By J. Swaggart

Revelation 17:1-2 –“And there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven Vials, andtalked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto you thejudgment of the great whore who sits upon many waters: with whom thekings of the Earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants ofthe Earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”   (The followinginformation respecting Islam was given in “THE EVANGELIST” severalyears ago; however, due to the times in which we live, I think itnecessary that it be given again.) Islam     The last great conflict to grip the world, which will bring about thedeaths of possibly several billions of people, will be that of theAntichrist. The Antichrist thinks he finally has solved the “Jewish problem.” In his evil mind, the solution to that “problem”will be the same solution that Adolf Hitler desired, namely, theannihilation of every Jew on the planet. The Antichrist’s efforts willreach their highest point at the Battle of Armageddon, and he will comeclose to completing his goal. He would succeed, were it not for theSecond Coming of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ will come back to Earthat that very time.    The way the world is being prepared for the advent of the Antichristinvolves the rise of Islam. A great part of the Muslim world issituated in the Middle East and controls some 60 percent of the world’soil reserves. Despite the fact that hundreds of billions of dollars gointo their coffers every year, the Muslim nations of the Middle Eastare notoriously poor. There are approximately three hundred millionMuslims in Middle East countries. Despite the billions of oil dollarsflowing into their economies, those countries are steadily gettingpoorer. Only a tiny few profit from the oil billions, and these few areobscenely rich.    The powers that be in the Muslim world desire that the masses ofMuslims remain poor — dirt poor, even agonizingly poor. They thenclaim, and they constantly are claiming, that it is the United Statesthat is the cause of this poverty, using these claims as recruitingtools for human bombers who are willing to give up their pitiful livesin order to kill the “infidels.”    One can hardly fail to notice that the two enemies of the Muslim worldare the United States and Israel. The Muslims hate the Jews for manyand varied reasons, but perhaps the greatest reason is their claim thatIshmael is the true son of Abraham, not Isaac. As a result, they wantevery Jew dead, and they want to possess every square inch of the tinyland of Israel.    Consider the following fact: The land area of Israel comprises about1/10 of 1 percent of the entirety of the land area of the MiddleEast. All the rest of the Middle East (99.9%) is controlled by Arabsand Muslims, but yet they still want that tiny spit of land called “Israel.”     Why?     The truth is, they don’t really know why themselves.    The following is the true reason: Israel, according to the Bible,claims to be the chosen people of God, while the Muslims, who refer totheir god as “Allah,” claim the same thing through Ishmael. Incidentally, the name “Allah”comes from one of the ancient Babylonian idols, and was selectedsomewhat at random by Muhammad. So the goal of most Muslims is toannihilate every Jew and confiscate the tiny land of Israel for theirown.    It is a blatantly false idea that the conflict between Israel and thePalestinians is caused by Israel refusing to give the Palestinianstheir own particular homeland within the borders of the State ofIsrael. The true cause of the conflict is that the Palestinians want,as stated, every Jew dead and the entirety of the Land of Israel intheir possession. The United states      The United States is the next great culprit. In fact, the Muslim world refers to the United States and Israel as “big Satan” and “little Satan,”respectively. They hate this country because of the Lord JesusChrist. They may mouth some platitudes about respecting the Lord Jesusas a great Prophet, but they actually hate Him, and with apassion! They see Him as the rival of Muhammad, which alone fuels thehatred.     The Reader absolutely must understand the following:    If the Muslims had their way, the Land of Israel and the United Statesboth would literally cease to exist. They would murder or make slavesof every Jew and every American who would not instantly convert toIslam. They do not lack the will, only the way. We should consider thatin our thinking regarding the world of Islam.    Unfortunately, President Bush has referred to the Koran as a book oflove and peace. Nothing could be further from the truth! Sadly, we areattempting to fight this war against terrorism without admitting thetrue cause of terrorism, which is the religion of Islam. It isessential to understand that the religion of Islam is not just a partof the cause, but the entirety of the cause.     It is a most ridiculous idea, to say the least, that Islam is a great religion that has only a few “fanatics.” The claim is that only about 10 percent of Muslims fall into this category of “fanaticism.” Consideringthat there are approximately one billion Muslims in the world, when youdo the math, there would be 100 million Muslim fanatics, and thatsurely constitutes a lot of fanatics — all bent on destroying thisnation and Israel.     So what am I saying?    We can hide our heads in the sand, and formulate our policy on thebasis of a lie, and the lie of which I speak is that Islam is a greatreligion, which is not really to blame at all, or we can wake up andsmell the proverbial coffee.     Let me say it again:     The religion of Islam, which includes the Koran, is the cause of all the terrorism in the world today.     Now think about that for a moment!    To think that we are going to stamp out terrorism without dealing withthe true cause of terrorism is ludicrous, to put it mildly! But yetthat seems to be our policy. It seems we are “Uncle Sap” instead of “Uncle Sam”!    I applaud President Bush’s attempts to take the initiative in trying tobring democracy to the world of Islam; however, the problems of theMuslim world, which are ignorance, poverty, and superstition, allfueled by despotic dictators, cannot be properly addressed withoutaddressing the cause of those problems, which is the religion of Islam. How do we properly address the religion of islam?     As a democratic nation, which is what we should be, we should try toencourage democracy among these particular countries; however, at thesame time, we must not deceive ourselves into thinking that the causeof the problem is something else other than the religion ofIslam. Ignorance and stupidity cannot come out to a plus.    As Christians, however, even though we know the Truth about Islam,still, Jesus died for the Muslims, just the same as He died for allothers. We as Believers should love the Muslims just as we loveeveryone else, but not forget what their religion actually is.    We should not expect the President of the United States, or any of ourleaders, to rail out against Islam. That wouldn’t be sensible, andneither would it solve anything. But at the same time, we should notexpect our leaders to praise something that vows our destruction. Werepeat: They do not lack the will, only the way.    In the final analysis, the only solution for that problem, as it is forany other problem, is the Lord Jesus Christ. At the same time, we knowthat virtually the entirety of the Muslim world, even if they had theopportunity to hear of Christ, would reject Him. How does the world of Islam fit in with bible Prophecy concerning the last days?      It fits in graphically so! In fact, other than Israel, Islam will be, at least in some ways, the principal player.     How will that be?    Babylon, as we are here addressing, according to the Bible, will berebuilt, whether as a system or a city, or both (Rev., Chpts. 17-18). Ipersonally believe it will be both. As is obvious, ancient Babylon wasin Iraq, approximately 75 miles south of modern Baghdad.    What the United States is presently doing in Iraq could very well bringabout a tremendous change in that country, with commerce becoming itsgreatest activity instead of religion. In other words, even though ourleaders realize it not at all, what they are doing could very well pavethe way for the rebuilding of Babylon as a great commercial center inthe world, which the Bible predicts for this region (Rev., Chpt. 19).    When the Antichrist comes to power, his first headquarters will beBabylon. At some point, the religion of Islam will have to give way toAntichrist worship, because he will tolerate no opposition or rivalworship. He will demand all worship and allegiance to himself, not toany religion otherwise (Dan. 11:36-39). So, what we are seeing now isthe prelude to the end. In other words, whether we realize it or not,we are seeing Bible Prophecy fulfilled before our very eyes —incidentally, Prophecy which leads directly to the Second Coming. The bible and iraq      It is little known by most Believers that “Iraq”is mentioned in the Bible more than any other place with the exceptionof Israel. However, it goes under several names: Babylon, Shinar,Mesopotamia, and the Chaldees. Of course, the name “Iraq” is not mentioned, that being of recent origin.    It is believed that the Garden of Eden was in modern Iraq, actually onthe sight of ancient Babylon. That being the case, Iraq was the placeof the creation of our first parents, Adam and Eve. It was also thesite of the first temptation, and the location of the Fall.    Furthermore, it was the site where the first Sacrificial System waspresented by the Lord to the First Family (Gen., Chpt. 4). It isbelieved that Noah lived in Iraq and built the Ark in that country. Itwas Babylon which destroyed the Southern Kingdom of Judah and took thepeople captive. It was Babylon which destroyed, under Nebuchadnezzar,Solomon’s Temple. It was in Iraq that the Book of Daniel waswritten. Iraq was also the site of the Tower of Babel, close to ancientBabylon, which was the first organized rebellion against God.    It was in Iraq (Babylon) that Nebuchadnezzar had his great dream,interpreted by Daniel, which outlined the nations and empires of theworld which would persecute Israel and play a part in Endtimeevents. The Three Wise Men came from Iraq to worship Baby Jesus.    As stated, as the Tower of Babel was the site of the first organizedrebellion against God, which was near ancient Babylon, this will alsobe the site of the last organized rebellion, namely the rebuilding ofBabylon, with it being utterly destroyed by the Lord at the veryconclusion of the Great Tribulation (Rev., Chpt. 18). The origin of islam     Even though the following information is given in another one of ourCommentaries, due to the great significance of the subject matter, itis advisable, I think, to include it here, as well.    The religion of Islam made its debut in A.D. 622. At this time, a manemerged whose message changed the face of the Middle East and affectedthe history of Judaism and Christianity in a most significantmanner. Muhammad, of the tribe of Quraysh in Mecca, claimed to havereceived a revelation that God (Allah) was “one”and that he (Muhammad) was to be Allah’s messenger of that truth. Aftergathering his first converts from among his family members and closefriends, Muhammad encountered severe opposition, so much so that he hadto flee to the town of Medina. This flight, or “Hejira” in Arabic, is now viewed as year one in the Islamic calendar (which, as stated, was A.D. 622).    In Medina, Muhammad encountered a large and influential Jewishcommunity. The influence of Judaism on his teaching must have beensignificant. For example, during this period Muhammad taught that thefaithful should pray facing Jerusalem, as Jewish prayers were alwaysdirected there. Only later, after the Jews had rejected his message,did he alter the direction for prayer to Mecca. Muhammad     Muhammad also taught his followers to fast on the tenth day of Tishri,the same day as the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur. Later, this fast wasexpanded to include the entire month of Ramadan. As well, Muhammad’sfollowers abstained from pork and circumcised their sons, standardJewish practices since Biblical days.     Muhammad also accepted the Jewish Prophets Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, as well as the “Prophet” Jesus, although he strongly rejected His Deity. Muhammad added that he himself was the “seal of Prophecy” — God’s final messenger. While accepting some of the Scriptures of Jews and Christians, Muhammad’s “revelations,” embodied in the Koran, became the authoritative “scriptures” for his faithful followers. These followers were called Muslims, from the Arabic word “Islam,” meaning “submission” to the one God.     Apparently, Muhammad thought that Jews would accept his message of a pure monotheism, but the Rabbisridiculed his illiteracy and his confusion of Biblicaltraditions. Furthermore, the Jewish people simply could not accept anon-Israelite as God’s “seal of Prophecy.”    When the Jews of Medina rejected him and his message, Muhammad turnedon them with a vengeance. Then followed the expulsion and exile of twoJewish Tribes from Medina, as well as the extermination of a third.    Finally, Muhammad and his fanatical adherents massacred most of theremaining Jews of Northern Arabia and forcibly evicted the rest. Theonly Jewish community that remained was in Yemen, which continued to1950, when nearly all the Yemenite Jews were air-lifted to Israel in “Operation Magic Carpet.” The attitude of islam toward the jewish people     There is an important contemporary lesson to be learned from this briefhistoric overview. We cannot fully comprehend the Arab-Israeli conflictunless we understand the attitude of Islam toward the Jewishpeople. The Land of Israel, or Palestine, as it was called by theRomans and Byzantines, was conquered and ruled by Muslims from theSeventh Century to the Twentieth Century.     The only interruption came when the “Christian”crusaders ruled the land for less than a hundred years. Islam finds itunacceptable that this land, originally conquered for Allah by hisfollowers, is now ruled by Jews — a people who are supposed to beinferior and subservient, according to the Koran.    The Muslims find it impossible to acknowledge the historic reality thatthe Land of Israel, according to the Bible, belongs to the Jews. Thisis the real key to understanding the impasse that exists in Israeltoday. The Arab countries, predominantly Muslim, refuse to accept aforeign, Jewish presence in a land that is supposed to be, according tothem, a part of the “world of Islam.”    The modern rise of a more fanatical Islam only heightens the tensionfor this impasse — an impasse that ultimately can be repaired only bythe coming of the Messiah, the Saviour of both Isaac’s and Ishmael’ssons. Jehovah or allah?     Respecting what has been said, the impetus behind the Arabdetermination to destroy Israel cannot be narrowly defined as a familyaffair, even though both entities are direct descendants of Abraham, orso it is believed by some (Isaac and Ishmael).    Yes, there was the matter of engendered jealousy over Ishmael beingpassed over as the recipient of the Abrahamic Covenant. That Blessingand the Promise of perpetual ownership of the Land of Israel fell toIsaac and his heirs, which are the Jews.     “AndGod said, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed; and you shallcall his name Isaac: and I will establish My Covenant with him for anEverlasting Covenant, and with his seed after him” (Gen. 17:19).     But Ishmael was also given the Promise of becoming “a great nation” (Gen. 21:18) — a nation so great “that it shall not be numbered for multitude”(Gen. 16:10). That Promise has been faithfully fulfilled by God. TinyIsrael floats in the middle of a sea of Arab nations scattered across alarge portion of the globe, but with the greatest concentration in theMiddle East.    There are basically two differences between God’s Covenant with theJews and His Covenant with the Ishmaelites. Israel was specificallygiven the land called Palestine or Israel (Gen. 13:14-17; 17:6-8,19-21; 28:3-4). The paramount difference, however, is discovered in these words, as stated:     “And I will bless them who bless you, and curse him who curses you: and in you shall all families of the Earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).     The Promise is further defined in Genesis 22:18: “And in your seed shall all the nations of the Earth be blessed.” That “Seed” of blessing delivered to the Gentile nations through the Jewish people — including Arabs — was the Messiah.     “Nowto Abraham and his Seed were the Promises made. He said not, And toseeds, as of many; but as of One, And to your Seed, which is Christ” (Gal. 3:16).    Jewry’s presence and assigned mission were, therefore, uniquely setapart in marked contrast to those described as characteristic ofIshmael’s seed and national legacy. The “Seed”component in God’s program for humanity surpasses every other aspect ofhistory. In addition to being a Saviour of men, Messiah is to be aKing. When His Kingdom finally arrives, He will establish and enforcestability. Delivery of the One Who could so bless mankind was theexclusive province of Abraham’s Seed through Isaac. The Promise isspecific. The Abrahamic Covenant provided:     1. A King for the Throne: “And kings shall come out of you” (Gen. 17:6).     2. A land for the King: “And I will give unto you, and unto your seed after you, the land wherein you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan” (Gen. 17:8).     3. A people for the King: “And I will be their God” (Gen. 17:8). The blessing      Unfortunately, it was the “Blessing”aspect of the Covenant that developed the animosity in Esau’sposterity, because the Blessing fell to Jacob rather than to Esau, whofathered their people. Had the Arabs embraced obediently the Saviourand kingly aspects of the Blessing of the Messiah, history would havetaken another course.    These residual resentments became deeply ingrained in the attitudes ofthe Arabs toward Israel, and those resentments spun off in manifold anddiscernible ways as the centuries passed. Scripture is replete withaccounts of the heirs of Ishmael who warred against Israel whilegrowling their determination to “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.     “For they consulted together with one consent” (Ps. 83:4-5). Their “one consent” was the extermination of the nation of Israel.    Since the days of the Psalmist, Arab determination has not wavered;however, the entrance of the new religion, Islam (Seventh Century A.D.)refined and sanctified the rationale. It then became incumbent tosubjugate or exterminate Jews “in God’s Name.”     A man named Sheikh As’ad Tamimi, who claims leadership of “Islamic Jihad Beit Al-Maqudis,”focused the issue in a recent statement lauding (then) Iraqi PresidentHussein’s tirade in favor of unleashing chemical weapons againstIsrael. “I hope he is as good as his word,” Tamimi said. “The killing of Jews will continue — killing, killing in God’s Name, until they vanish.”    Thus the Allah discovered by Muhammad was a very different god from theGod found in the Bible. Muhammad’s religion, which, in his view, was toreplace Judaism and Christianity, would have a new book (the Koran), anew look, and a new center of worship (Mecca). Jihad      The word “Jihad”is enshrined in the ecstatic vocabulary of the Muslim believer. To killin the name of Allah in Jihad (holy war) is a privilege. To die inJihad is to be assured a place in Heaven. Consequently, militaryconquest became a theological pursuit, and conquered people becamesubjects of Allah.    The religiously fired law of conquest swept Islamic armies into Syria,Israel, Mesopotamia, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain. The advance wasfinally stopped by Charles Martel, grandfather of Charlemagne, outsideParis in A.D. 732. Later Muslim hordes encompassed Europe, moving asfar west as Austria before being defeated in the late SeventeenthCentury.    Subsequently, many of these areas, through erosion or military options,were delivered from Muslim domination. The ultimate affront to Islamicambitions was the deliverance of Jerusalem from the Muslim OttomanTurks by the “Christian” British expeditionary force in 1917, and the return of Jewry to the land after 1948.    Symbolically, the modern State of Israel stands as a constant reminderto rabid fundamentalist Muslims of their humiliation before infidels —a condition that can only be remedied through conquests. Religious dominance     This is a fact of life often misunderstood by those restrained byWestern beliefs and standards, for the issue of land in the Middle Eastis not primarily a territorial matter. It is a question of religiousdominance — the lack of which is intolerable to the Muslim who istaught that Allah is all and is to possess all. This is precisely whythe lies of militant Muslim fundamentalists in Iran were viewed withsuch deep concern — a concern borne out more vividly with every passingday (at that time) by the sight of captive American hostages on thenightly television news broadcasts.    An abiding tenet of Islam is that all lands are to be subject toAllah. Therefore, once a territory is taken, it must remain underMuslim domination. If land is lost, Jihad becomes necessary. Anyconcessions or treaties made with enemies under conditions making itimpossible to restore dominion by force are observed only until meansare available to remedy the situation. A negotiated peace?     For this reason, as Arab spokesmen have repeatedly avowed, anynegotiated peace agreement with Israel will only provide a staging areafrom which to pursue total elimination of the Jewish presence from landclaimed to be sacred to Allah. Hence, the negotiations and peacetreaties with the Palestinians regarding the Gaza Strip, Jericho, andthe West Bank should be looked at accordingly. In such a perpetualstate of conflict, Israelis know all too well what the Western worldmust learn or live to regret — survival against the Muslim onslaughtmeans having a superior strength and the will to use it. Muslim evangelism     Make no mistake about it, Muslims are bent on possessing this planetfor Allah, either by coercion or persuasion. And while, in the firstwave, the swords of Islam were wet with the blood of vanquished “infidels,” a great second wave is now moving across the Western world in the form of Muslim missionary crusaders.     In 1974, at a meeting of the World Muslim League, an “Islamic World Missions Board”was formed. Successes have mounted, and today Islam is one of thefastest growing religions in the world. The Islamic populationworldwide now approaches one billion — not too much short of one out ofevery six people on Earth.    In France, Islam ranks second only to Catholicism. England has receiveda massive influx of Muslims, so many that the face of the landscape hasliterally changed. In 1945, there was one Mosque in England; in 1989,there were over 1,000. London is the site of the largest Mosque inWestern Europe. The story is the same in North America.    The first Mosque in the United States was built in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,in 1934. In 1989, there were approximately 700 Mosques in the UnitedStates. Presently (2005) there are over 2,000. Muslims lay claim tosome seven million adherents to Islam in North America, drawn mostlyfrom the black population. Actually, these converts to Islam in Americacall Christianity “the white man’s religion,” while Islam is called “the black man’s religion.” In1989, the Muslims boasted that they would soon surpass the Jewishpopulation in this country of seven million. They have reached theirgoal. The largest group of international students     Dr. Ishmael Faruqui, not too long ago, challenged Muslims to pursue agoal of fifty million (50,000,000) to seventy-five million (75,000,000)new American converts to Islam. “Only from massive conversion,” Faruqui said, “canwe hope to elect Muslim politicians, appoint Muslim judges, andincorporate the ‘shar’iah’ into the judicial system of America. We musttranscend our minority status to make Islam a dominant force in Americaand the West.”    In this regard, a point to ponder is the fact that students from Islamcountries now form the largest group of international students in NorthAmerican universities and colleges. For the most part, complacentChristians in North America have taken little or no interest in Islam’sadvances. Many, in fact, see the strange looking buildings that arepopping up everywhere, with their curious little crescents, as justanother religious denomination — just neighbors who take a strong standfor morality against some of the things that we too are against.     Such is not the case! Islam is not just another religion in town. Islam is not pluralistic.    (The population numbers above claimed by the Muslims regarding theUnited States do not match the census numbers, which are approximately3 million. The U.S. census is probably far closer to being correct,inasmuch as Muslim claims are greatly suspect.) Muslim fanaticism     While Christians or Jews may lament the loss of one of their own toanother religion, conversion to another religion is, for Muslims, acapital offense. Witness Solomon Rushdie, a Muslim author, who did notconvert but merely questioned Islam, and who, for years, lived under aperpetual death sentence from his brothers, so-called, in the faith. Asis being graphically demonstrated in the Middle East, when Muslimsperceive that they have sufficient strength to take control, Islamwill, in one way or another, attempt to seize it. Louis farrakhan     Louis Farrakhan, of the Nation of Islam, is a case in point. Inmeetings that sometimes draw up to 20,000 mesmerized followers,Farrakhan rails against Jews in general and Christianity in concept. Asstated, he calls Christianity “the white man’s religion.” Althoughhe is not taken seriously in many quarters, Farrakhan and his ilkshould sound a warning of potential danger, and cause people,particularly Christians, to awaken.     Time Magazine warns, “Forthem (Farrakhan’s Muslims), mainstream American values are inherentlyoppressive and racist, to be rejected at the root. That leadership hastended to be fringe. It is fringe no longer. Farrakhan’s audience andappeal are growing. This year he will, for the first time, runcandidates for Congress” (Time Magazine, July 23, 1990).     Is this the raving of a fringe lunatic?     No! It is the rationale of Jihad. The ultimate struggle     The Word of God has forewarned us of the human heart’s capabilities andSatan’s bellicose attempts to thwart the Gospel and also to destroy theJewish people. Therefore, Muslim intentions — military or missionary —should not surprise, discourage, or distract us.    The point must be made — and reconfirmed — that in the abiding conflictamong the world’s three major religions, there is only one transformingoption. The Jewish people, in concert with Biblical Judaism’s declareddirective, saw the Messiah enter the world. Sadly, Jewry missed theirMessiah, while Islam has missed completely the point of what Godaccomplished in Him.    The ultimate struggle is not territory, nor is it the satisfactionderived from destroying or subjecting people deemed weaker orinferior. It is instead the liberation that comes through Faith inJesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Alone! Muhammad sought an alternative toJudaism and Christianity. He succeeded only in leading millions deeperinto spiritual darkness. The knowledge that fresh millions are beingled along the same path should awaken Christians to the need forincreased world missions and intensified Evangelistic efforts.    If one ever chances to look at a picture of the thousands of Muslims ontheir faces around the sacred Kaba in Mecca, so-called, surely he willbe moved with a deep sense of sadness. They are kneeling in the wrongplace, before an inanimate object that can bring neither light, norlife, nor peace. Their only hope of Salvation is that they would bow atthe feet of the Lord Jesus Christ — King of kings and Lord of lords(Jn. 3:3; 14:6; Rom. 10:8-9, 13).     “And being found in fashion as a Man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross.     “Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name:     “That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth;     “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:8-11). Some particulars regarding islam     •    Jerusalem is the third holiest place in Islam, after Mecca andMedina — both in Saudi Arabia. Tradition has it that the ProphetMuhammad journeyed at night from Mecca to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque,and from there ascended to Heaven on a winged horse.    • About 90 percent of all Muslims are Sunnis — considered the OrthodoxSect. Of the dissident sects of Islam, the largest and most importantare Shiites — fundamentalists, as in Iran. A split came in A.D. 680over the dreadful manner in which Sunnis tortured and killed Shiiteleader Caliph Yazid.    • Some seventy sects and offshoots of Islam have arisen because ofdoctrinal differences, which, in some cases, are irreconcilable.    • Muslims recognize the Torah (first five Books of the Old Testament),the Psalms, and the Gospels of the New Testament; however, they believethat only the Koran preserves the truth as it was given by God. It is,therefore, the only true book.    • The Koran speaks of a line of Prophets, beginning with Adam andending with Muhammad. Both Jesus and Moses, according to the Muslims,are part of this line, although they vehemently deny the Deity ofChrist.     • Muslims vehemently reject the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity as sinful and blasphemous.    • In Islam, there is no separation between the religious and thesecular. All Islamic nations ostensibly declare their adherence to thatconcept.    • The concept of Islamic Law is all-inclusive. It embraces all aspectsof human life and endeavor, both private and public, devotional andsecular, civil and criminal.    • Jihad, meaning striving or struggle, is a term that has acquired theIslamic connotation of religious or holy war. Today, however, Jihad hasdeveloped into a broader context of striving for the common well-beingof Islam and Muslims, and not necessarily exclusively by military terms.     • The birth rate in Islam countries is 42 per 1,000, while in the Western world it is only 13 per 1,000.      (Much of the information respecting Islam was derived from articles written by Elwood McQuaid, Editor of “Israel My Glory” Magazine, who is with the organization, “Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry”, and also Will Varner, formerly Dean of the Institute of Biblical Studies, who is with “Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.”)       (The above article was derived from the Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary, “Isaiah”, Chapter 13.)