THE
CROSS 
OR THE CRESCENT?
By
C. E. Wigg
Though
the cross has become to many an idolatrous symbol, yet it is through Jesus
Christ alone (who died on a cross), that salvation can be obtained. The
Crescent was an ancient symbol of idolatry also. The people of Midian,
and the people of Ishmael, used it as a symbol, or a good luck charm.
They wore these on gold chains about their camel’s necks. These people
(though descendants of Abraham), had turned back to idolatry, and thought
that it secured for them the protection of the moon god.
When Muhammad rose to power, though he rejected and destroyed most other idolatrous symbols and practices; yet he chose the crescent moon as the symbol of his religion, (Islam). Though Muhammad fiercely rejected idolatry in most of its forms, yet he clung to some things that were definitely idolatrous in origin. It needs to be said that no person has been, or ever will be saved through Muhammad or his religion. Even devout Muslims have no assurance that their prophet is at peace, hence their prayer every time his name is mentioned, Peace be upon him!
Today
we are constantly hearing about Islam, and Muslims; thus people have to
make a choice between the CROSS, and the
CRESCENT. Between Christ
and the salvation He freely offers, and Muhammad,
and his religion of works, which can never bring any one into the
experience of salvation, neither gain them an entrance into heaven.
The
Muslims claim that the Allah whom they worship, is the God of the Bible.
If this is so, (sadly it is not so), then the God of the Bible is a thrice
holy God, that is of purer eye than to behold iniquity, and He cannot
look upon sin. It is said in Psalm 113:6,that He humbles himself to look
upon the heavens; and this is repeated in Hab. 1:13.
Thus
we may be sure that before any person can enter the favour of God, the
question of their sins must be settled, and that, to God’s satisfaction,
(not merely man’s.) Regardless of what the Koran may say, or what Muslims
may promise. Their Mullahs have made promises that any person who loses
their life in the prosecution of the Jihad, (holy war), that person gains
immediate entrance to heaven. The heaven pictured in the Koran is a place
of paradise where those who enter there may indulge their lust (whether
it is for sex, eating or whatever), fully, without ever being exhausted,
and without any sense of guilt. On the strength of such false promises,
religious leaders have been able to incite young men to rush unprepared
to the battlefront, where they have died as ‘martyrs’. Thus sacrificing
on the altar of such religious leader’s political ambitions, the cream
of their nation’s manhood. The mere sacrificing of the sinner’s life,
(even for a just or righteous cause), can never atone for the sins that
that person has committed.
People
like those who sacrificed their own lives, and destroyed the lives of
thousands of others in the atrocities of September 11th, (2001),
in the U.S.A, did so in the mistaken belief that they would be rewarded
by God, with immediate entrance into the heaven earlier described. However
immediately their lives were snuffed out, they discovered to their eternal
regret, that they had only gained an early entrance to Hell.
Let
us see then what is offered by Jesus Christ to those who will repent of
their sins, and put their faith and trust in Him. Then let us compare
this with what is offered to converts to, or devotees of Islam. We will
not compare the relative virtues of Jesus Christ, and Muhammad, as there
is no real comparison.
The
Lord Jesus offers to all that will repent of their sins, turn from all
else, and put their simple faith and trust in Him.
a)
A free and a full pardon for all that person’s past sins, present sins,
or even future sins, (that may be committed through weakness or ignorance).
Not only does God forgive those sins, but removes them completely from
the Divine record. Isaiah, 44:22-23, Rev. 1:5-6. Psalm 103:12. Heb. 9:25-26.This
means that the forgiven sinner, has no longer any conscience of sins,
Heb. 10:2.
b)
Jesus Christ offers the free gift of eternal life. Rom. 6:23, John, 3:16.
ch. 5:24, ch. 10:27-29. And many other such references could be given.
c)
He offers a salvation that is both free and eternal in its nature. Acts,
16:31, Romans, 10:9.
d)
He gives the assurance to the believer now, not by feelings alone, but
an assurance based on His holy word. An assurance imparted to the believer
by the Person of the Holy Spirit. That the person receives the moment
they receive Christ. Rom. 8:16-17, 1John, 5:13.
e)
Jesus gives us the power in the Person of the Holy Spirit. To live a life
that will bring glory to God, and blessing to men. This life is enjoyable,
fulfilling, and satisfying. (The only life worth living.
f)
Jesus will forgive the sins that the believer may commit through, weakness,
ignorance, and yielding to temptation. 1John, 1: 9-10. Such sins cannot
damn the soul of the failing believer in Hell, because the Blood of Jesus
Christ His Son, cleanses, (goes on cleansing, trans.) from all, or every
sin. However the committing of sin will destroy the believer’s communion
with Christ, and thus that person may lose, The joy of Salvation. However
when the believer is truly humbled and repentant, once the sin is confessed
to Christ, its moral stain is removed, and the joy of salvation returns.
g)
Jesus Christ introduces the believer into an intimate relationship with
the Great and Holy God. When a person is born again, (John, 3:3-8), that
person becomes a member of God’s family, and God Himself becomes their
Heavenly Father. They are able to draw near to God at any time, anywhere,
through prayer.(1Thess. 5:16-17, & Heb. 4:16).
h)
Our Lord Jesus gives to His children, every grace to enable them to endure,
and to conquer in all the trials of life. He promises to be with those
who are His all the days, (Darby Trans.) Mat. 28:20. He promises never
to leave or forsake His own. Heb. 13:5-6.
i) This is not all, for at the end of life, Jesus has promised to come for those who are His. John, 14:3 Thus death holds no fear for the believer in Christ, because the moment they are absent from the body, they are present with the Lord. 2Cor. 6-8, & Phil.1:21-23.
J) When His Church is completed, then He will come into the air, with an assembling shout. He will bring with Him the spirits and souls of those who have died in Christ. Their bodies will be raised and changed, they will enter their raised and changed bodies. Those believers who are alive on the earth at that time, their bodies also will be changed, and together with those raised and changed, we shall rise to meet the Lord in the air, and be taken by Him to be with Him in the Glory of heaven.
This
is but a brief and poor attempt to describe all that the Lord Jesus offers
to those who are willing to genuinely repent of their sins, and put their
faith and trust in Him. It is all offered freely, none can work (to pay),
for it. But it is all offered on the basis of perfect righteousness. Hence
the importance of the CROSS!
God
is a righteous God, He would not go beyond the just demands of His law,
which condemns the sinner, and demands a just payment for man’s guilt.
No angel could accomplish our redemption, because it was man who sinned,
and man must pay the price.
To
meet the claims of His own law, the Lord Jesus became man. He was born
of the virgin, lived in a body like ours, but one free from sin, so that
He might die, bear the judgement due to the guilty sinner, taking their
sins upon Himself. While hanging on the cross, He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. Isaiah 53:4-6.
All
that a Holy God could demand from sinful man, the Lord Jesus fully paid
while hanging on that cross. He exhausted the righteous judgement of God,
and cried before He died, It is finished, John, 19:30. He was delivered
for our transgressions, (on the cross), but raised again for our justification.
Rom. 4:25. He was buried, but rose again the third day, and at the end
of forty days ascended visibly and bodily, (watched by 120 of His disciples),
to heaven. Now from that exalted place He offers freely to all that will
accept Him, the gift of salvation and eternal life.
This
salvation is not cheap, it cost our Lord Jesus untold suffering, but you
may have it now, if you will. Why be so foolish as to reject it? We shall
now proceed to examine the alternative and what it offers.
THE CRESCENT:
God in His wisdom gives every person a choice. He gave to Adam and Eve
the choice as to whether they would obey Him, and He warned them of the
consequences of their disobeying.
Moses
gave the people of Israel a choice; they could choose either life, or
death. Either blessing, or cursing. Deut. 30:19. Joshua gave the people
a choice, whether they would serve the idols that Abraham served before
God revealed Himself to him or Jehovah the mighty self-existent one. Josh.
24:15. You too must make a choice, and the choice you make may seal your
doom for eternity. What will your choice be Jesus Christ, or Muhammad?
Though
I can write freely about what God offers you in Christ, as I have known
Him as my Savior for more that sixty-three years. I have read the Bible
from cover to cover many times, and know much of it by heart. I have done
as invited in the Scriptures, O taste and see that the Lord is good. Thus
I know what I am recommending to you, my reader. Yet I have not read the
Koran right through, and what I have read I have found to be both difficult
and unattractive.
NO SALVATION: Muhammad
or the Koran does not offer salvation to any man, nor is there any salvation
for women in the religion of the crescent. I have traveled in twelve different
Muslim countries, as well as in countries given up to idolatry. One thing
that I do appreciate in such counties is the absence of idols. I also
admit that there is a certain material blessing on those distant descendants
of Abraham. God promised to bless Ishmael and his descendants, because
of Abraham. The sons of Keturah, whom Abraham took after the death of
Sarah, also share this blessing. However it has occurred to me that any
blessing that is to be seen in those lands, is because of Abraham, and
the God of the Bible, not because of Muhammad Allah and the Koran.
Though
the Koran speaks repeatedly about Allah, as the all forgiving, and the
all merciful, yet I have found that with his followers there is neither,
forgiveness, or mercy. One would expect that those who follow a god, to
become like that god. This is what the Bible teaches us that those who
make the dumb idols become like them. Psalm 115:8. Islam makes its devout
followers to be both unforgiving and to show no mercy.
THE MUSLIM HEAVEN:
The Koran speaks often of heaven but presents it as a reward for the faithfulness
of the believers in Islam. The heaven depicted in the Koran is nothing
like the heaven of the Bible, the place that the Lord Jesus has gone to
prepare for those who trust Him. The Biblical heaven is a place of absolute
holiness. Those who enter there do so with a deep sense of the great mercy
of God, for they realize that there is nothing that they have done, or
could do, that would gain such a place for them. It is because of God’s
mercy alone that they are there. But those who enter the Muslim heaven
have cause to boast, for it is a reward for their works while on earth.
The
heaven described in the Koran, is a place of verdant, green gardens, where
there are luxurious couches, covered with the finest cloths. There are
abundant fruits, which hang within the reach of those reclining on the
couches. There are (I presume for the benefit of the homosexuals), young
boys to wait on those who enter there, and these boys are blessed with
eternal youth. There are
high breasted maidens, virgins who have never been molested by man or
devils, (Jinn). You are left to make your own conclusion as to what they
are there for. There are rivers of wine, of which the ‘blessed’ may drink.
This wine will never cause a hangover, or nausea, no matter how much is
drunk. The ‘blessed may indulge their lust to the fullest extent, and
never grow weary or be exhausted. All this (I presume) is indulged in,
while Allah looks on. Things that were regarded as sin during their life
on earth may be indulged freely in heaven.
In
addition to the fruit mentioned previously, goblets of gold are mentioned.
When the appetite is stimulated, and the ‘blessed’ desire to eat, roasted
birds descend on plates suitable, but when the eater has had his fill,
the bird which he has eaten comes to life again, and flies away. Such
things as described would only minister to the carnal desires of the unregenerate.
However there is no guarantee of this to any. The Muslim is not even sure
that his ‘Prophet’ is enjoying these things now. They are not even sure
that he is at peace, because every time they mention his name, they add
‘may peace be upon him!
At
the end of the life of the Muslim, he must stand before the judgement
bar of Allah. Allah will then take his balances and place the sins of
the person in one side, and his good works in the other. He will then
raise the balance, and if the sins of the person are heavier than his
good works, then that person is consigned to Hell. If his good works outweigh
his sins, then he is permitted to enter heaven. Thus none may be sure
until that fateful moment.
A
LIFE OF GOOD WORKS: It
is claimed that Islam is the ‘easy religion’, but to those who are sincere
it is a life of drudgery. However it suits the pride of man to think that
he can do something to earn his salvation. The follower of Islam is required
to do several obligatory things.
He
must first pray five times each day. However the prayer is only the repetition of the formal prayer allotted
for that time of the day. How often I have been wakened by the call to
prayer that comes from the minaret. Those who follow this practice think
that they are building up merit thereby for themselves. The Koran claims
to have been sent down to confirm the words of the Bible. Solomon, (considered
by them to be a prophet) says, that if one turns away their ear from hearing
the law, (the word of God the Bible),Proverbs
28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer
shall be abomination.
He must keep the fasting month of Ramadan: This means that the Muslim must not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset,
each day during that month. I have observed that for the rich this is
no problem. Because they stay up all through the night, eating and drinking,
socializing. Then as the sun rises they go to bed and sleep all day. But
for the poor who have to work in the torrid heat of those Middle Eastern
countries it is a very different matter. They are not even permitted to
swallow their spittle. In Malaysia (a Muslim country), no Muslim is permitted
to eat during the day in a restaurant, and if they do so, they may be
arrested and thrown into prison. However it is known that where possible,
police and Government officials will take leave during this time, and
go to Singapore where they can be seen eating and drinking in many of
the food centres etc. Perhaps Allah does not see this?
He must make a pilgrimage to Mecca: (At least once in his life).This is called the ‘Haj’ and I have been at
airports where these ‘Hajis’ are preparing to board airplanes to go to
Mecca. For many poor people this is a very great sacrifice. The cost of
fares, and also new clothes, (which are obligatory), may run them into
debt, from which they will never recover. Many never return from the pilgrimage,
and I have heard many sad stories of murders and robberies that have taken
place even while at the place of pilgrimage. Of recent years, there have
been several stampedes, where hundreds have been crushed to death!
He must give alms to the poor:
This is the fourth requirement in Islam. However it is a requirement that
most Muslims prefer to overlook. I have been amazed in oil-rich countries
of the Middle East, to see how rich and opulent some Muslims are, yet
how poor others are. It seems to me that if this requirement were heeded,
there would be no poverty amongst Muslims. A modern example of the ignoring
of this requirement is that of a man called Osama Bin Laden is reputed
to be a multimillionaire. He uses his wealth to train men to murder as
terrorists, yet within Afghanistan, there are millions perishing for want
of food, while others live in deplorable conditions in camps, while seeking
to flee the bondage of Islam domination.
My
dear friend, who will you choose, the Christ of the Cross-, or the Prophet
with the sword, the Crescent? In Muslim countries, those who would receive
Christ as their Savior, do so at the threat of being murdered. They are
considered to be ‘infidels and it is the duty of a faithful Muslim to
cut the throat of the ‘infidel’. However, God in His mercy has brought
many to lands where they are free to make a choice, without the threat
of being murdered. Do not despise this opportunity that God has given
you. Fall to your knees now, confess your sin to the Lord Jesus in genuine
repentance, put your personal faith and trust in Him, and receive Him
now as your own Savior and Lord!
To
those who are free born, do not be so foolish as to reject Jesus Christ
and His salvation by the Cross-, and choose instead the Crescent and the
Prophet with the sword. You may have been born into a Christian family,
but that does not make you a true Christian. If you reject Christ, or
even neglect to receive Him and His salvation, then if you die in your
sins, you will surely go to Hell!
May
God in His mercy bring you to trust Christ, as you own Savior and to confess
Him as your Lord!
By C. E. Wigg