Prophet of Doom - from
chapter 13 later in part 3"Bukhari:V5B59N377
"A man came to the Prophet and said, 'Can you tell me where I will go if I get martyred.' The Prophet replied, 'To Paradise.' The man fought till he was martyred."(Pete note. The Islamic understanding of martyrdom, like everything else about Muhammad's 7th century invention, is exactly the opposite of that of the God of the bible
http://islamchristianforum.com/index.php?topic=1899.45 )
There are no such bargains in the Gospels. Killing is not an express ticket to heaven. Yahshua never asked his followers to "slay" anyone. Yahshua mentions killing only once. He tells a parable about a ruler in the final days of the Tribulation to encourage Christians to be productive, not destructive.
In the Torah, Yahweh asked the Israelites to kill once, as well. He told Moses and Joshua to remove those poisoned by the Canaanite religion from the land. They were like Muhammad’s Muslims: immoral, terrorizing, plundering, enslaving, and murdering. Their religion was as corrupt as Islam - equally demonic. Yahweh recognized it was more compassionate to exterminate some Canaanites than it was to allow them to seduce millions. He made the right call, but the Jews failed to execute his order.
Let's consider Yahweh's moral justification for fighting. Imagine that you were God and knew the thousand people most responsible for the September 11th suicide bombings. You know that they have been poisoned to believe that mass murder is a service to you. Left alone, they will corrupt and murder thousands. Would you kill them before they perpetrated these crimes or would you let them go ahead?
Now move back in time to the dawn of the 20th century. As usual, the world is full of bad people and bad ideas, but two doctrines are especially lethal - Communism and Nazism. Because you've read their maifestos and have maneuvered in time, you know what is going to happen. Within their first three decades, these dictatorial, intolerant, and violent dogmas will lead directly to the annihilation of over fifty million people and to the indoctrination of a billion more. Given the opportunity, would you exterminate a few thousand aspiring Communists and Nazis to save the lives of the fifty million their regimes butchered? Would you do it to save a billion people from being forced into submission - forced to live in civil, religious, intellectual, and economic poverty? Would you do it to keep them from growing strong enough to kill you, your neighbors, and your children? What is the most moral, just, and compassionate choice?
Perhaps now you know why Yahweh ordered his people to slay the practitioners of a doctrine virtually identical to Islam. But don't get carried away. His last command to kill was 3,200 years ago. His command wasn't open ended. It was directed at a specific group of people, in a specific time and specific place. Apart from self defense, that's the end of the story.
So, when you hear Muslims defend their violent doctrine, saying that the Bible is equally warlike, you'll know the truth. Yahweh asked once. He identified the reason and the people. The order wasn't open ended, either. And, even if it were, there are no Canaanites to kick around. What's more, the Jews were expressly forbidden from taking a spoil. When the walls of Jericho fell, its storehouses remained filled. Children were not sent off into slavery; women were not raped as if they were booty. The Judeo-Christian scriptures have to be corrupted to inspire such horrible acts.
Allah, by contrast, gave Muslims hundreds of commands to kill. His orders were open-ended - surviving throughout time. And his intended victims were many: those who worshiped the one true God, many gods, or no gods at all. Allah especially hated Christians and Jews, ordering Muslims to fight them until they were "wiped out to the last." This is fundamental Islam - the very core of Muhammad’s message.
That said, there is one Bible verse that appears to be both open ended and to encourage violence. As such, Psalm 149 became the rallying cry for the Crusades. In actuality it is prophetic, speaking of what's called the "Tribulation," and of the return of the Messiah. In the fashion of Hebrew poetry, the Psalm presents a series of nine couplets - pairs of phrases that say the same thing in different words.
Let's review them. The first couplet speaks prophetically of the new millennium, of the church and saints: "Praise Yahweh. Sing unto Yahweh a fresh song, and sing his praise in the congregation of saints." The second celebrates the end of the Tribulation, and the Messiah's return: "Let Israel rejoice in Yahweh who made them, let the Children of Israel be joyful in their King." Then, "Let them praise Yahweh's character in dance, let them sing praises unto Yahweh with the tambourine and harp." Speaking of the Messiah's gift of salvation, the next reports: "For Yahweh is pleased with his people; He will glorify the meek with salvation." The fifth couplet reveals: "Let the saints be joyful in this glorious honor; let them shout from their resting place." At Christ's return the souls of the saints will be raised from their graves.
A Catholic Pope misinterpreted the sixth verse to advance his personal agenda: "Let the exaltation of the Almighty be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword be in their open hand." A two-edged sword is the Bible's metaphor for divine judgment or rendering a godly verdict. That's why it's in an "open hand," which could not wield an instrument of violence. Its pair in the couplet references the exalted words of the Almighty, suggesting an oral verdict, not a slashing weapon. The seventh pair proclaims: "To advance vengeance upon the nations and punishment upon the people." This speaks to the final judgment of Yahweh on those who attack Israel during World War III, midway through the Tribulation. Interesting, in that the predicted Magog war against Israel is perpetrated entirely by Islamic states.
This is followed by: "To yoke kings together, bringing them forth, and those who are severe will be tied with iron twine." In other words, following God’s verdict, the purveyors of false doctrines, those who are severe, will be restrained. The final couplet reveals: "To advance the verdict upon them, prescribed by the splendor of his saints. Praise Yahweh." The entire Psalm is prophetic, speaking of the final judgment of nations following the Messiah's return in power and glory. There is no command to fight or kill anyone.
Since Islam’s principle defense is to claim that Christians have performed no better, especially during the Crusades, I want to bring your attention to two incredibly important historical facts. First, Pope Benedict IV: he reigned in 1033 A.D., precisely 1,000 years after Yahshua's resurrection. Benedict became like Muhammad, demonic, fixated on the occult, demented, delirious, and lascivious. The Church became corrupt, fixated on rituals, suppression, and money. With power-hungry men at the helm, it splintered, ultimately causing cleric and king to send men off on fool-hearty crusades.
The second historical fact is that the Crusaders weren't Christians. They couldn't have been. Four centuries had passed since the last sermon was given in a language common to the people of Europe. The first Bible to be printed in the vulgar tongue, John Wycliffe's, wouldn't find quill for another four centuries. To be a "Christian" one must know the Messiah. He could not have been known to the men who fought. They carried his symbols, nothing more."
