WERE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL EXCLUSIVELY THE CHOSEN?
The Bible talks with clear contradiction about salvation. According to John, Jesus (PBUH) told the Samaritan woman in his talk about the messiah: "for salvation is from the Jews." (John: 4/22).
However, this issue has been refuted by many other biblical texts, which throw suspicion as to whether or not this statement was actually uttered by Jesus, especially, that it is clear it was inserted into the text.
It is important to mention, at this point, the Holy Bible's texts that indicate the possibility of transferring the prophet-hood from the Children of Israel to another nation like the Arabs.
God had sent many prophets to the Children of Israel, and they denied and killed them. Let us ponder upon what the prophets said about this rebellious nation, to see if they were worthy of keeping the blessing. Moses said about them: "For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them.” (Deuteronomy: 32/28).
He said, “They are a crooked and twisted generation. Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people?” (Deuteronomy: 32/5-6).
The prophet Elijah said: "He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." (1Kings: 19/10).
God's description of them in the prophet Ezekiel's Book is the same:
"And he said to me, "Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me.
They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn:
I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.' whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel: 2/3-8)
Similarly, the Prophet Isaiah said, " Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, “children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its owner, and the donkey his master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.
Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly, they have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be struck down?
Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil." (Isaiah: 1/1-6).
God's anger with them continued, until he lifted the blessing from them, and exchanged it with his curses and revenge "And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send a curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offspring, and you shall be taken away with it." (Malachi: 2/1-3).
When Jesus (PBUH) came he called Jerusalem: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets” (Matthew: 23/37)
because of the number of God's honorable prophets whom they had killed on its soil.
Jesus (PBUH) said, while addressing the crowds:- "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees! Hypocrites!..... Woe to you, ye blind guides, …. You blind fools ….. you serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues, ……..O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you," (Matthew: 23/13-37).
For that, God deprived them from being the nation who the next promised prophet will come from, because they broke the promise and covenant of God. The next prophet will not be from the offspring of David (PBUH), meaning that he will not be Jesus (PBUH).
The main reason that the Jews hated Jesus (PBUH) was that he confronted them with the truth. He told them that God's kingdom and His choice will be taken away from them, and given to another nation. In order to prove that, we have to go back to the first time they tried to kill him. That is when he told them about the prophet Elijah, leaving the children of Israel's widows for a Sidon widow, and that the prophet Joshua cleansed Neman the Assyrian without cleansing the rest of the leprous that were among the children of Israel. (See Luke: 4/25-27)
The result was that “When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff." (Luke: 4/28-29), and that was the beginning of the hate between the Jews and Jesus (PBUH).
Now I ask the respected reader, did the nation that was threatened by prophets deserve that the blessing and prophet-hood remain with it? If the answer is no then which nation is the selected and chosen one? Who else could be, except the nation that was promised the blessing many times, from the offspring of Ishmael (PBUH)? None of the nations claimed to be this chosen nation.
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW KINGDOM’S NATION
When the children of Israel had altered and changed, God took away the prophet-hood and the message from them and gave it to another nation. What the prophets warned the children of Israel had happened, and that is transferring the goodness to another nation.
Who is the new nation, and what are their descriptions?
To answer this important question we will ponder on the scriptures of the Holy Bible.
Isaiah said, quoting the revelation, "I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “her am I, here am I,” to a nation that was not called by my name.. I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that was not good, following their own devices; A people who provoke me to my face continually; …." (Isaiah: 65/1-3).
The text mentioned transferring the prophet-hood and the command from the cruel disobedient nation to a nation that had not asked God before, and did not possess the name of God. It is the illiterate nation, to whom no book was ever revealed.
Ezekiel confirms the withdrawal of kingdom and statute from the children of Israel, giving it to a low and neglected nation. saying:- "And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD; I bring the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it." (Ezekiel: 17/24).
John the Baptist said, as he was warning the children of Israel of the following anger that God will instigate upon them: “even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy spirit, and with fire:" (Matthew: 3/10-11), (check the example about the fig tree that is not fruitful in Luke: 13/6-9).
Jesus was the last chance of keeping the choice and selection, he said that any tree, which does not bring forth good fruit, will be hewn down, and when the Jews denied him and tried to kill him, the green tree was cut and dried. It was thrown into the flame, the flame of God's anger and misguidance, and another tree bloomed.
Indeed, God dried the children of Israel's tree and burned it, sprouted another tree that was dry and never had prophets from the offspring of Ishmael (PBUH). It is the nation that, God instigated upon the children of Israel.
Those who are well acquainted and have examined the life of Muhammad (PBUH), have complete knowledge of this issue; and how he dealt with the Jewish sects. Bane nadeer, Bane Qaynoqaa and Bane Quoraydah were Jewish tribes who were cast out of the Arab peninsula by Muslims.
The prophet Ezekiel also said: "And you, O profane wicked one, prince of Israel, whose day has come, the time of your final punishment, Thus says the Lord GOD: Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are.
The Holy Bible's dictionary (370)
Narrated by: Al Bukharai in his saheeh (4).