The Rise of ISIS And The Seed of Abraham-Part 2

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that God’s covenant with Abraham will be literally fulfilled on earth today, and that the descendants of Ishmael will become a mighty people who will accept Y’shuah as their Saviour, and proclaim his love and grace to this sin-cursed world.  This spiritual transformation from a religion of terror to one of peace seems as impossible as was the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who was transformed from a persecutor and murderer to becoming a saint, and a persecuted apostle of the Lamb.  But before the work of salvation is closed on this earth, the people of the Qur’an will have had the privilege of not only hearing the everlasting gospel of salvation in Y’shuah, but they too will also share in teaching it to their fellowmen as the sinner’s only door of hope to have real peace with YHWH, as did the apostle Paul to his countrymen.

Whenever the Almighty, YHWH, has a great work to do on earth, the enemy of souls steps in and seeks to thwart its accomplishment.  This has been especially true throughout the history of the Hebrew peoples in the Old Testament, and it is still true in our world today.  When Daniel was in Babylon, you will recall that the angel Gabriel was frustrated on his mission in coming to unfold things to him which are “noted in the scripture of truth” (Dan. 10: 21), but instead was intercepted by the devil, as he was engaged in a struggle, contending with “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” (Dan. 10: 13), who withstood him for three full weeks—the very measure of time during which Daniel was fasting for a divine break-thru (Dan. 10: 1-3), as he petitioned the throne of God for an answer.

The seed of Abraham are, in the last days, to receive of the covenant promises made by YHWH to Abraham and his posterity; and right now when these promises are to be realized, the enemy of righteousness is at work again, seeking to frustrate their fulfillment, and destroy a people destined for divine favor.  But as surely as he failed in the days of Daniel, Esther and Joseph, thanks to Michael our Prince, he will fail today as well.  The titanic battle between Jews and Muslims will be over, and even the desperately wicked group known as ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), also known as ISIS and IS, will study war no more, but give up their weapons of warfare for the Good Shepherd’s Rod and Staff which restores and comforts the sin-benighted soul.

The two principal groups which are responsible for the destabilizing political and military crises in our world today are the Jews, and the Muslims, both descendants from the seed of Abraham.  And as surely as Ishmael vexed Isaac in their family’s home in Canaan—the Levant, so also it is today. The old family squabble is today tipping over into the formations of the next world war!  That war will be fought in the Middle East, a war in which the great nations of the earth will be engaged, and the United States and her allies will suffer a stinging military defeat!  It is an uncontested fact that, were it not for the return of the Jews to the land of Israel in 1948, the current war on Terror would never have been, and it is equally true that 95% of the global conflicts today are initiated by agents from the Islamic faith.

Both these descendants of Abraham (the Muslim and the Jew) are in apostasy, and both will be humbled to repentance from their dead works to serving the true and living God, YHWH.  Further, the God of Abraham, YHWH, will have a seed of Abraham fitted to meeting the conditions of receiving all the promise, and they shall receive it in due season; they are the His goodly remnant, even the 144,000 saints who will one day soon, stand without fault before the throne of God. (Rev. 14: 1-5).

The rise of Zionism and the rise of the Islamic State are both instruments of the Devil, and are designed to take possession of the Promised Land on their own terms. But God will drive both of them from the Holy Land and give it to a righteous nation who will obey the truth.  He will also cause both seed of Abraham, Muslim and Jew, to receive the everlasting gospel, and they will both humble themselves to the God of Israel, YHWH.

This powerful statement is worthy of our contemplation: “God has a people upon the earth who in faith and holy hope are tracing down the roll of fast-fulfilling prophecy, and are seeking to purify their souls by obeying the truth, that they may not be found without the wedding garment when Christ shall appear.”[1]

There are “fast-fulfilling” prophecies occurring around us daily, but unless we have been receiving “meat in due season,” (Matt. 24:45), we shall be disqualified from gaining an appreciation of these vitally important truths earmarking the events which stand as waymarks for the kingdom.

The Prophecy of Ishmael

After Sarai drove Hagar from her home, she was roaming in the desert, pregnant and homeless, when she had an encounter with the God of Abraham:

“7 And the angel of the LORD found her [Hagar] by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? And whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10   And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. {Ishmael: that is, God shall hear} 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. [They will dwell in hostile tight-knit tribes].” Gen. 16: 7-12.

So even before his birth Ish-ma-el was named, and promised be to a great nation.  This was the pronouncement of blessing offered Hagar from the angel of YHWH— Y’shuah (Jesus Christ).  Further, the prophecy of Ish-ma-el is that “his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him;” meaning his posterity will be a warlike people, not being able to agree among themselves, nor will they be able to agree with their neighbors!  They will be as ruthless and savage as “wild animals!”  Let’s examine verse twelve in parallel versions:

“He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Gen. 16: 12, NIV.

This man will be like a wild donkey. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; he will live at odds with all his brothers.” Gen. 16: 12 HCSB

He will be as free and wild as an untamed donkey. He will fight with everyone, and everyone will fight with him. He will have conflicts with all his relatives.” Gen. 16: 12, GWT

Young’s Literal Translation calls Ismael “a wild-ass man,” which in our modern vernacular would literally declare him to being “a wild-ass of a man!”  How’s that for special effects! In the popular culture of today, when a male person is being described as totally lawless and vile, a phrase such a “bad-ass boy” is used to describe him, and such is the expression of the Bible regarding Ishmael.  In the fullness of time though, Ishmael’s descendants become known as the desert nomads, who today comprise the Arab peoples of the Middle East, all of whom were polytheistic idol worshippers, and who would in time, with the advent of Mohammed in the early 7^th century A.D., adopt him as Allah’s last prophet, and Islam as the only true way of obedience to their god.  Allah, was declared to be the greatest of the gods, and was intended to replace all the other gods, for he stood supreme among them, and thus began the process of religious cleansing among the descendants of Ishmael, with many converts deciding their fate at the tip of a sword.  Today, when we hear the expression “Allah Akbar,” it means that “Allah is greater!” but many people assume that it means “God is great!”  The difference is important to note, because “great” does not set up a comparative, however “greater” does.  To recognize Allah as the grater of the gods, tells us much, that among the pantheon of gods in Arabia, Allah was regarded as the “greater,” and by extension “the greatest”!  Explore the origins of Allah here: The pagan origin of the word, “Allah”.^[2]

The worship of Allah was the development of a sort of master religion with the inclusion of a master deity, and those who would not submit to his lordship would die at the tip of a sword.  In time, Ishmael, as he grew to become a man, became of all professions, an archer—one who lived by his bow and his sword. “And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.” Ge 21:20.

What’s the work of an archer?  They muster wars!  “8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.” Ps. 46: 8, 9.  So the Archer shoots his bow and plunders with the spear (or sword). “Like an archer who wounds at random, so is the one who hires a fool or hires any passer-by.” Prov. 26: 10, NET. We see here that the archer also wounds at random.  Do you know of a religion, or a group of people  today, which wounds others at random? This is the behavior of an Archer—“he wounds at random.”  This is predictably one of the behaviors to be seen in the descendants of Ishmael—wounding others at random!

The worship of Allah amongst the Arabs was practiced in ages past, before the rise of Mohammad, and he was only one of the pantheon of gods worshipped by the descendants of Ishmael.

“But history establishes beyond the shadow of doubt that even the pagan Arabs, before Muhammad’s time, knew their chief god by the name of Allah and even, in a sense, proclaimed his unity…Among the pagan Arabs this term denoted the chief god of their pantheon, the Kaaba, with its three hundred and sixty idols.”[3]

“In pre-Islamic days, called the Days of Ignorance, the religious background of the Arabs was pagan, and basically animistic. Through wells, trees, stones, caves, springs, and other natural objects man could make contact with the deity… At Mekka, Allah was the chief of the gods and the special deity of the Quraish, the prophet’s tribe. Allah had three daughters: Al Uzzah (Venus) most revered of all and pleased with human sacrifice; Manah, the goddess of destiny, and Al Lat, the goddess of vegetable life. Hubal and more than 300 others made up the pantheon. The central shrine at Mekka was the Kaaba, a cube like stone structure which still stands though many times rebuilt. Imbedded in one corner is the black stone, probably a meteorite, the kissing of which is now an essential part of the pilgrimage.”[4]

“The cult of a deity termed simply “the god” (al-ilah) was known throughout southern Syria and northern Arabia in the days before Islam—Muhammad’s father was named ‘Abd Allah (“Servant of Allah”)–and was obviously of central importance in Mecca, where the building called the Ka’bah was indisputably his house. Indeed, the Muslims shahadah attests to precisely that point: the Quraysh, the paramount tribe of Mecca, were being called on by Muhammad to repudiate the very existence of all the other gods save this one. It seems equally certain that Allah was not merely a god in Mecca but was widely regarded as the “high god,” the chief and head of the Meccan pantheon, whether this was the result, as has been argued, of a natural progression toward henotheism or of the growing influence of Jews and Christians in the Arabian Peninsula…Thus Allah was neither an unknown nor an unimportant deity to the Quraysh when Muhammad began preaching his worship at Mecca.”[5]

So the evidence is clear that Allah, the god of Islam, is not YHWH of the Torah, no more than Ishmael was the child of promise, or Islam equals peace, in the absolute sense of the word.  These statements are not generated to project disdain for the descendants of Ishmael, but to underscore the truth that the simple meaning of a word, such as peace, should not color our vision into believing that we are indeed entering into a system of divine peace when we confess homage to Allah. The story is told of an old woman and a monkey along these lines:  Once there was an old woman who delighted to buy and eat wet sugar!  While returning from one of her wet sugar shopping trips, she slid on a banana peel, ostensibly cast aside by a monkey, and she fell resulting in the spilling of her delicacy—wet sugar.  As the aged woman regained her composure and began scooping up the spilled wet sugar, she lamented “trouble, trouble, pure trouble!”  This line she repeated with each handful she scooped up.  The monkey looking on from a distance, noticed that the woman was not only scooping up her spilled merchandise, but she also licked the sweet sugar syrup dripping from her fingers, all the while whispering, “trouble, trouble, pure trouble!”  Joining the recovery process, the monkey dipped his paws in the wet sugar and tasted it.  Delighted by its sweetness, he too started licking his chops all the while muttering with delight, “trouble, trouble, pure trouble!”

After the recovery process was completed, thinking that the name of the sweet syrupy product was “trouble,” the monkey enthusiastically turned to the old woman and asked, “Where may I buy some of this trouble?”  After a fleeting thought, the woman sent the monkey to a certain farmer’s house; she instructed him to carry a stated sum of money and tell the farmer he is here to buy a bag of trouble!  The farmer told the trouble-seeking monkey to wait a while, as he went and fetched the bag of trouble. Filled with jubilation in his heart, and the anticipation of feasting on this bag of trouble all by himself, powered the monkey’s stride as he sought out a safe and cool spot where he would open his bag of trouble and eat to his delight!  As he bounded with his bag of trouble, with each stride he took, the gleeful beast shouted, “trouble, trouble, pure trouble!” Finding the shade of a thorny tree, he reasoned that this is as good a place as any, so he sat down with his bag of trouble, and smiled as he untied the knot and chuckled one more time, “trouble, trouble, pure trouble!” The bag was now fully untied and to his dismay the monkey was staring in the eyes of a flesh-shredding Rottweiler dog.  Having only the thorny tree as his escape path, he quickly bounded up its prickly trunk being tortured with pain from the piercing thorns!  He indeed found trouble!

The moral of this story is clear, wet sugar to the old woman was known as trouble to the monkey, but neither of them was settled on the actual meaning of their words.  The same is true today; the meaning of peace, to the Westerner, for example, is not the same peace defined by the Muslim.  “Islam, a name given by Allah to this religion (Quran 5:4), is an Arabic word which literally means obedience and peace. ISLAM is derived from the Arabic root ‘SALEMA’: peace, purity, submission and obedience.”[6]

The “submission” and “obedience” components of Salema, are more often than not, carried out at the tip of the sword, and this is not what many thought they were consenting to when they sought to be submitted to the will of Allah. Similarly, the word “God” to the Westerner means YHWH—the Creator of the universe, and the father of Y’shuah (‘Issa, or Jesus), His only begotten son.  Whereas the same word, “God” to the Muslim means Allah—the great god, who has no son!  Now both words are identical, but are enshrined with two diametrically opposite meanings.

Of YHWH, the Bible teaches: “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Eph. 1: 3, 4.  This passage is clear that the Great God, YHWH, is also the Father of Jesus Christ (Y’shuah Ha-Mashiach).  We also learn here that not only is YHWH the father of Y’shuah, but that Y’shuah existed “before the foundation of the world.” This is not the case with any of the prophets recognized in Islam, including ‘Issa (Y’shuah).

“4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?” Prov. 30: 4.  Similar to the questions posed to Job (see chap 38: 4-10), the Eternal challenges humanity to identify “his name” and “His son’s name,” also.  But since Allah does not  have son, he is immediately and eternally ruled out of the discussion.

From the official website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I present this belief statement which is held by all followers of the Qur’an.  “According to Islam, all prophets are human beings and none bear superhuman characteristics. Wherever some miracles are attributed to prophets, which are understood to indicate their superhuman character, the categorical and clear statements of the Quran reject such a notion. Raising of the dead is one of such miracles attributed to certain prophets. Although similar descriptions are found in many divine scriptures or religious books, according to the Quran they are not meant to be taken literally, but have a metaphorical connotation. For instance, it is attributed to Jesus (as) that he raised the dead into a new life. But the Holy Quran speaks of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) in the same terms, with the same words being applied to his miracle of spiritual revival.”[7]

The same authority on Islam informs us along the doctrine of resurrection accordingly: “No prophet is granted an exceptionally long term of life which makes him distinctly different and above the brotherhood of prophets to which he belongs. Nor is any prophet mentioned as having risen bodily to remote recesses of the universe. Wherever there is such mention, it is spiritual ascent which is meant, not bodily ascent, which the Quran categorically declares is against the character of prophets.”[8]

The above statements while acknowledging “Jesus” (Y’shuah) as a prophet, simultaneously reject His divinity, deity, and pre-historic existence from the foundations of the earth. Here in even more vivid details on the unity of God, they declare that “As briefly mentioned before, Islam’s doctrine of Unity is absolute and unsplittable; it has no room for adding to the Godhead in any form. He has neither a father nor a mother, nor has He a spouse. For Him to give birth to sons and daughters is inconceivable.”[9]

The above statement makes invalid Proverbs 30: 4, which explicitly teaches that God (YHWH) has a son, a concept considered foreign and “inconceivable” in Islam!

While on the one hand, Ishmael is represented as a “wild-ass man,” Isaac is oppositely depicted as a lamb!  It is sufficient to note that on Mount Moriah, the same mountain on which Y’shuah was crucified, when questioned about the sacrificial lamb by Isaac, Abraham responded in hopes of the Messianic Lamb, which Isaac prefigured—“God will provide himself a lamb.” (Gen. 22: 8) There is so much in the theology of this phrase, for it tells us that YHWH would Himself both provide and be the lamb.  What?  God Himself becoming the Lamb!  Let’s first read the passage:

“7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” Gen. 22; 7-10.

Observe carefully that Isaac’s question was concerning “the lamb,” and that lamb was later found in the thicket, entangled by his horns.  Behold a lamb appeared where formerly there was none! (Remember the case of Ishmael—a well appeared where formerly there was none.) Because Isaac was the recognized “lamb,” Abraham proceeded in the sacrificial ceremony in faith that the life Giver (YHWH) would restore life to his only legitimate son, his only legal child up to this point in his life.  The rest of the story is rather telling: “13  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram [male sheep] caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh [YHWH-Yireh]: as it is said to this day, in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” Gen. 22: 13, 14.

Hence in Isaac’s place was presented a literal lamb which typified Y’shuah, the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world.  And on the spot where Isaac was to have been offered on the altar of sacrifice, some two thousand years later, on Mount Moriah, the spotless Lamb of God—Y’shuah—yielded up his life blood on behalf of sinners, so that the death of one might atone for the sins of all– for the whole world.  The very manners and obedience manifested by Isaac, as Abraham bound him and placed him on the altar, is indicative of his mild-mannered character—he was not a warlike man, and also reflects the character of Y’shuah, who like a sheep resisted not, when he offered his life a ransom for the sins of the world!  The opposite is true of Hagar’s son, Ishmael.  Of Y’shuah the Bible said, “6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”  Isa. 53: 6, 7.  He, Y’shuah, “opened not his mouth” in protest and resistance of the abuses being heaped upon Him by sinners, even as the gentle Isaac, resisted not his aged father, on that memorable day on Moriah’s summit.

Further, we are told that Isaac was laid bound on a wooden altar, even as Christ was nailed by his hands and feet to a wooden cross—the antitypical wooden alter.  The magnanimity of YHWH displayed in the spotless Lamb of God is revealed more acutely through the story of Isaac’s rescue, in this phrase, “and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns.” (Gen. 22: 13).  The thicket represents the entangled branches of shrub trees— such as thorns and thistles.  Why by his horns in the thorns?  The horns of an animal are on its head, and so the Scriptures reveal of Christ: “17 They clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head.” Mark. 15: 17.  The mystery of it all is that a coronet of thorns—thistles and prickles—was made for a crown, and thus was his head caught, as it were, in the thorns.  Abraham was correct, YHWH provided Himself as Isaac’s sacrificial substitute.  Then Abraham would call the name of that place where the mystery lamb (ram) was found—YHWH my provider—the One who provided the Lamb, and the One who likewise was the Lamb!  And so “in this mount [Moriah] it [the provided Lamb] shall be seen, and it has been seen, that Y’shuah—the Lamb of YHWH, was offered up in Isaac’s place, for the sins of the world, on Moriah’s dreary ascent. Realize that the words “provide” and “provider” were used exclusively in relation to the donating or giving of the lamb, and so enriches the thought that YHWH-Yireh (Jehovah-Jireh) speaks with specificity to the truth that the Lamb was provided by YHWH. YHWH my provider then, really means YHWH my Lamb, and so in this mountain of Moriah, it shall be seen. It was seen in actuality on a somber Friday evening in 31 AD, when the marauding crowd gathered for one final time, to heap on Him their indignation for claiming to be the Son of God, making Himself equal with the Father, and he was crucified on that mount.

YHWH’S Covenant to Abraham–The “GOD” of Abraham’s Posterity

A promise is a promise, and the greatest Promise Keeper is YHWH, the creator of the universe and all that therein is.  He made an oath by Himself, and a promise to Abraham and his seed that He will give them the land of Canaan for an eternal possession, and though today it is not yet materialized, nonetheless on the authority of the divine Promise Keeper, we can rest assured that it will be done, before the consummation of the age, and prior to the Second Coming of Y’shuah in power and great glory.

“1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan {the Levant}, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” ” Gen. 17: 1-8.

This promise is summarized in the Psalms, so let’s examine it there: “8 He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. 9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; 10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: 11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance.” Ps. 105: 8-11.

Note carefully that “a thousand generations” have not yet elapsed since this oath was decreed to Abraham!  A thousand generations, by biblical standards will consume some 42,000 years (Read Matt, 1: 17). And even if we use the theory that a generation is either 40 years or 70 years, we have not yet consumed that much time since the giving of this divine oath, nor even since the fall of Adam and eve, for that matter.  In other words, there is more time available for the fulfillment of this promise, than are available years remaining for the existence of this earth. This also validates the fact that heaven and earth will more easily pass away, than for one jot or one tittle be excluded from fulfillment in the words of our God. (Matt. 5: 18).

Knowing that Israel is Abraham’s seed, and by a natural consequence would become an heir to the promise (Gal. 3: 29), YHWH decreed that Ishmael too will be blessed, and become a great nation, and receive of the blessings of Abraham’s posterity. “18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.” Gen. 17: 18-21.

The covenant being established with Isaac by no means disallow Ishmael from the blessing, just that Ishmael will have to accede to the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—YHWH.  This is true of the Gentiles who are grafted in, that they become grafted children of Abraham’s and thus earn full entitlement to the all the covenant promises made by YHWH to him.  So even before Ishmael was circumcised, YHWH made a declaration to Abraham, which teaches the truth that Abraham invested the knowledge of the Omnipotent One in the life of all his seeds, and all who dwelt within his gates.

“17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Gen. 18: 17-19.  Ishmael was a seed of Abraham, and he was obedient to the God of Abraham, for a while.  And even in their apostasy, the seed of Abraham through Ishmael did not reject, for example the weekly Sabbath, which we recognize as occurring on Saturday.  It should not surprise us that the people of Ishmael’s descendants not only kept the weekly Sabbath, but also practiced the health principles outlined in the Torah.

“O ye unto whom the Scripture hath been given! Believe in what We have revealed confirming that which ye possess, before we destroy countenances so as to confound them, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath breakers (of old time), The commandment of Allah is always executed. Lo! Allah forgiveth not that a partner should be ascribed unto Him. He forgiveth (all) save that to whom He will. Whoso ascribeth partners to Allah, he hath indeed invented a tremendous sin.” (Qur’an4:47, 48)

“And we caused the Mount to tower above them at (the taking of) their covenant: and We bade them: Enter the gate, prostrate! And we bade them: Transgress not the Sabbath! And We took from them a firm covenant.” (Qur’an 4:154)

For a comprehensive study on the Sabbath in the Qur’an, read this document.[10] The evidence is clear that at their earliest times, the people of the Islamic faith acknowledged the sanctity of the Sabbath, a signature piece, and the physical identification mark of true worship which was preserved though the lineage of Shem, from which Abraham descended.

YHWH Affirms Ishmael as Abraham’s Seed—an Heir to the Covenant Promise!

Although Ishmael was born to Abraham’s Egyptian concubine, Hagar, he was still Abraham’s seed, and thus a beneficiary to the blessings of Abraham. “12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.” Gen. 21: 12-13.

Because, and only because Ishmael is the seed of Abraham, he too is entitled to all the blessings and benefits of the covenant—to receive the land of Promise. But as with Isaac, they must all receive that covenant by “faith,” through living up to the terms and conditions of the promise—becoming righteous in Y’shuah. Remember that even Abraham was required to meet this standard:

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. {perfect: or, upright, or, sincere, righteous}” Gen. 17:1. Abraham obtained by righteousness which cometh only by faith in the Lamb, because he believed GOD and took Him at his Words. “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness…13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith…16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” Rom. 4: 3, 13, 17-22.

So Abraham became the father of all who will be saved—the righteous, and thus earned “heir of the world.” It is rather laughable today, when we see the Skinheads and other Arian Nation groups preaching hatred against the seed of Abraham, principally the Jews, but had they known their history, and the theology of the Scriptures, they’d discover, much to their chagrin that they too bear the seed of Abraham in their veins. The diaspora of Abraham’s seed was to inoculate the world with the pollen of Shemitic (Semitic) genes in every nation, kindred, tongue and people, such that all who will enter through the pearly gates, will be of the seed of Shem—the one credited for men once again calling on the name of YHWH. The righteous seed of the woman (Eve). Look at the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, and see this to be true:

“10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” Rev. 21: 10-12. Very conspicuously absent from this list of tribes, is a gate or tribe for the Gentiles. The message is clear, if we will be saved at all, we must obtain the faith of Abraham through the Lamb, Y’shuah the Holy One of Israel! This doctrine was preached by Y’shuah to the prostitute woman by the well in Samaria: “21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” John 4: 21, 22.

There are many today observing all sorts of pagan customs yet calling themselves Christians, or followers of the Way of Messiah, while they resent the religion given to the Jews! Christ who died for the sins of the world, taught that the blessing of Abraham extends to lost mankind and as such “salvation is of the Jews.” This is not teaching that to be “Jewish” means we will be automatically saved! Rather it is teaching that the doctrine of YHWH’s salvation flows like a stream from Abraham’s genealogy to the rest of the world, and thus in Abraham all the families of the earth will be blessed with the knowledge of YHWH.

Ishmael Drinks From The “Well”

As Ishmael grew up and became a young lad in Abraham’s household, he being the elder of the two, sought to be the greater, and thus became a constant thorn in Isaac’s side, much to the disgust of Sarai. And when her patience was exhausted, in rage she drove for a second time, Hagar and her son Ishmael form her home, to become desert wanderers.   But because Ishmael was a seed of Abraham’s, he was not allowed by heaven to perish, and thus earned divine favor.

“15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.” Gen. 21: 15-20

Though he was not the child of promise, yet we are told that “God was with the lad,” Ishmael, (20), He “heard his voice,” (17) and promised to make of him “a great nation” (18). This is the blessing of Abraham! And wonder of wonders, where previously there was not water, there arose a wadi, a pool or a well, in the sun-parched desert! This was a miracle, and an act of divine intervention to the saving of Ishmael’s life, and thus the succession of his posterity—the twelve princes whom would emanate from his loins. Isaac’s life was spared by divine intervention, when there appeared a ram caught in the thicket, where before there was none, and Ishmael’s fife was also spared by divine intervention, when there appeared a pool in the desert, where before there was none! Both seeds of Abraham were blessed by YHWH, and saved by Him, although their descendants would in time become the focal point of religious hate and tribal conflicts to dye the world in a sea of blood!

The Wells Of Salvation

“And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.”

This “well” is symbolic of the Scriptures—the “wells of salvation.” Ishmael drank water from this “well” and his life was spared. The Ishmaleites are to drink from the well again! This well was as miraculously provided to Hagar, as was the “ram in the thicket” to Abraham. In both instances his children’s lives were preserved through divine intervention. The lesson is clear, YHWH has a great plan for both boys, their posterity shall inherit the blessings of Abraham—they shall hear the everlasting gospel, and come in humility to worship YHWH the provider of the Lamb—Abraham’s God!

In order to have lived, Ishmael had to have drunk water from the well in the desert. This act of divine favor was granted him as an illustration to us that in order to live, we must all drink water from the wells of salvation, as Ismael did. And since Ishmael drank from the well, it became a model for his descendants that they too will in time also drink water from the wells of salvation.  Thus saith the Holy One of Israel: “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Isa 12:3.

“They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.” Isa 49:10.

“10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4: 10-14.

“3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: 4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.” Isa. 44: 3-4.

What the world needs today is not water from the broken cisterns of Babylon, but the pure life-giving water from the wells of salvation—the truth of YHWH as it is in His son, and thus shall we become Abraham’s seed and heirs to the promise!

Ish-ma-el and Isaac Were Divinely Named For Greatness

“And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. {Ishmael: that is, God shall hear}.” Gen. 16: 11.

“And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.” Gen. 17: 19.

As with Abraham, so with his two children, they all, as a family, had their names given from above. There were occasions in which both children could have died, but the divine Provider stepped in to the rescue, and preserved their posterity till this day. That preservation is for the glory and honor of His glorious Name.

Ishmael was born to an Egyptian mother, and also married an Egyptian woman, and Esau married one of his (Ishmael’s) daughters. Thus the seed of Abraham extends to the Egyptians and Edomites. In Part 3 of this series we will look deeper into the truth of Ishmael’s posterity, and their roles in our world today, but for now, I conclude with this truth:

“19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.” Isa. 19: 19-25.

The Egyptians here are the seed of Ishmael also, and as such they are Abraham’s seed. The truth of the hour teaches that the Egyptians—Muslims, or Ishmael’s offspring— will be converted to Y’shuah, and build an alter of true worship in the land of the Pahraohs, as well as in greater Arabia, and this will be a sign and a witness to the rest of Ishmael’s seed. For then shall the Almighty open their eyes to the “Saviour,” Y’shuah (‘Issa), whom He has sent, and he will be known as the redeemer to Ishmael’s descendants. That glorious day is hastening upon us. Shalom in MessiahΩ

By G.D.  Augustus, November 7, 2014

To contact the author write to: Gaugustus336@gmail.com, or visit our weekly Bible study on the conference line:

Phone: 1-805-399-1000; Pin: 121929#

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[1] EG White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 307.

[2] http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-allah-pre-islamic-origin.htm

[3] The Moslem Doctrine of God, Samuel M. Zwemer 1905, p 24-25

[4] Meet the Arab, John Van Ess, 1943, p. 29

[5]The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, ed. John L. Esposito, 1995, p 76-77

[6] https://www.alislam.org/islam/

[7] https://www.alislam.org/books/study-of-islam/prophets.html

[8] Ibid.

[9] https://www.alislam.org/books/study-of-islam/unity.html

[10] http://www.ccg.org/english/s/P274.html –“The Sabbath in the Qur’an”