The Eleventh Hour

Here is a mild rebuke for those of us who, like myself, can be a bit proud of our Christian pedigree.  What a sight it will be one day in God's Kingdom when those who have been Christians for generations, who have recited the creeds and catechisms from memory, who can articulate the finer points of theology, will find themselves taken aback by the rewards of Life that Jesus will bestow upon Muslims who have just now at the eleventh hour come into the Kingdom through faith in Christ and know NOTHING of church history, the creeds and catechisms, or theology.  All they know is Christ and him crucified!  Let us not be among those who are surprised, pharisaic or bitter.  Let us rather stand by and applaud the mercy of our Lord in saving them...

Jesus said:

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

(Matthew 20:1–16 ESV)

Mohammed as the Only Mediator

I like to present Jesus to my Muslim friends as the only mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5-6).  But the response I usually hear is, “Mohammed is our mediator.”  This idea is not found in the Qur’an but in the Hadith, which are seen by many Muslims to be just as authoritative as the Qur’an.

The Qur’an states that no one may mediate unless God permits him: “Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission?”  (2:254-5).  This question is answered by the Bukhari collection of the Hadith 6:60:3:

Narrated Anas:

The Prophet said, "On the Day of Resurrection the Believers will assemble and say, 'Let us ask somebody to intercede for us with our Lord.'

So they will go to Adam and say, 'You are the father of all the people, and Allah created you with His Own Hands, and ordered the angels to prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all things; so please intercede for us with your Lord, so that He may relieve us from this place of ours.'

Adam will say, 'I am not fit for this (i.e. intercession for you).' Then Adam will remember his sin and feel ashamed thereof. He will say, 'Go to Noah, for he was the first Apostle, Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth.'

They will go to him and Noah will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking.' He will remember his appeal to his Lord to do what he had no knowledge of, then he will feel ashamed thereof and will say, 'Go to the Khalil--r-Rahman (i.e. Abraham).'

They will go to him [Abraham] and he will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Moses, the slave to whom Allah spoke (directly) and gave him the Torah .'

So they will go to him [Moses] and he will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking.' and he will mention (his) killing a person who was not a killer, and so he will feel ashamed thereof before his Lord, and he will say, 'Go to Jesus, Allah's Slave, His Apostle and Allah's Word and a Spirit coming from Him.

Jesus will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking, go to Muhammad the Slave of Allah whose past and future sins were forgiven by Allah.'

So they will come to me [Muhammad] and I will proceed till I will ask my Lord's Permission and I will be given permission. When I see my Lord, I will fall down in Prostration and He will let me remain in that state as long as He wishes and then I will be addressed.' (Muhammad!) Raise your head. Ask, and your request will be granted; say, and your saying will be listened to; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.' I will raise my head and praise Allah with a saying (i.e. invocation) He will teach me, and then I will intercede. He will fix a limit for me (to intercede for) whom I will admit into Paradise. Then I will come back again to Allah, and when I see my Lord, the same thing will happen to me. And then I will intercede and Allah will fix a limit for me to intercede whom I will let into Paradise, then I will come back for the third time; and then I will come back for the fourth time, and will say, 'None remains in Hell but those whom the Quran has imprisoned (in Hell) and who have been destined to an eternal stay in Hell.' " (The compiler) Abu 'Abdullah said: 'But those whom the Qur'an has imprisoned in Hell,' refers to the Statement of Allah: "They will dwell therein forever." (16.29).

Bases on this hadith, I believe many of my Muslim friends actually place their faith and trust in Mohammed.  They hope Mohammed will find them to be a good Muslim on Judgment day.

HT: Abdul Musloob

Salvation sans Jesus?

Lots of stuff going on in the blogosphere about hell.  This is a really difficult issue on many levels, but important nevertheless for those who labor to see Muslims, most of whom have never heard the gospel, embrace the Messiah for all he is.

I think this quote from J.I. Packer quickly gets to the heart of the matter:

It has been urged that if non-Christian devotees come to know themselves as guilty, defiled, and unworthy, and to confess and renounce their sins, asking mercy from whatever gods there may be, they will receive the forgiveness they seek because of the Jesus they do not yet know, but will know hereafter. God forbid we should dispute this. But have we reason to think there are such people? The New Testament only speaks of penitents being saved through knowing about, and coming to trust, the crucified and risen Lord.

Will we worship in heaven?

As I was hanging out with some friends the other day, one guy was getting a hard time from his friends for still being single. I couldn't understand exactly what was being said, but he said something like, "On the day of Resurrection (the Last Day in Islam) I will experience marriage" with a sly grin on his face. He explained more to me about the "virgins" that are available to men in Paradise (Heaven). He also talked about the wine that doesn't make you drunk and the food that doesn't make you fat, all so that man can "take his rest" after he dies. He also mentioned that, in Paradise, "there is no more worship."

I wondered if I heard him right at first, so I asked, "When we stand before Allah in Paradise, the Almighty, the Holy One, and there is no sin anywhere, how can we not worship? Isn't our duty in life to worship and enjoy Allah now and forever?" He quickly agreed with me and then changed the subject.

I should have been gentler, but sometimes part of me is pleased that I could so easily shame someone for an incredibly low view of God. I guess it is pride that makes me feel that way.

However, it should deeply sadden us that there are so many trapped in a prison of works-based righteousness all for an eternal "rest" of nothing but self-centeredness and self-indulgence. God is greater.