Christlam Part V
(a.k.a. Pilgrimage To The Shrine)
In Islam, there is a concept called “HAJJ” where every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so is expected to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime.
In seeker-sensitive and third wave Christianity, there is a concept called ‘modern last-days great revival outpouring’ where every Christian is expected to make the pilgrimage to the hometown of the revival center every time the ‘revival’ comes to earth.
It is interested that in the history of Revivals in the world, revival went outwards from city to city and spread when men really wanted to repent and go out to reach souls. This change started to take place in the early 1900’s as the Azusa Street Revival started a reverse trend where people began to travel to a centralized location to receive the ‘blessing’ in order to either bring it back to their hometowns or some shady people attempted to ’sham’ the manifestations in order to make money.
Pentecostals / Azusa Street had Los Angeles, California
Latter Rain had Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Word of Faith had Tulsa, Oklahoma (and later Dallas, Texas)
Jesus Freaks had Anaheim California
The Prophetic Movement had Kansas City, Mo.
The New Apostolic Reformation had Colorado Springs, Co.
The ’soaking renewal’ had Toronto and Pensacola, Fl.
The Messianic Christians have Jerusalem
One point in the revivals that was heavily stretched was a belief that even though your local church had a ‘glimpse of God’, the only way to fully receive the revival was to eventually make a trip to revival headquarters to see and experience the full anointing.
Where true followers of Islam performed the pilgrimage in white clothes symbolizing the idea that there is no difference between a prince and a pauper when everyone is dressed equally, it seems that the followers of modern Christian revivals love to distinguish themselves by their clothing or by big name tags showing their ‘titles’ as a overt way of ‘authority’.
However, two interesting and significant happenings really stands out in their commonality:
(1): The visiting of a tomb: In Islam, when a follower makes the pilgrimage to Mecca, he will usually (but not required to) travel to visit the city of Medina and the Mosque of the Prophet where Muhammad’s tomb is located in order to pay respect and homage to Muhammad.
In many different Christian revivals, there is always a mental journey or remembrance to revisit and re-dig up the tombs of revival history that have came and went. It was well noted and documented that in the early stages of the Toronto Blessing that the history of the Great Awakening and Johnathan Edwards was constantly discussed and emphasized (especially the signs) in an attempt to equate the signs seen in the Great Awakening to the signs seen in the Toronto Blessing to equate the Toronto Blessing to the Great Awakening as a way to establish ‘legitimacy’ and ‘anointing’
(2): The need to attack Satan During the pilgrimage, the follower of Islam gathers pebbles in one city to take to the city of Mina where they will throw the pebbles (the casting away of self) at three walls (representing Satan) and each wall must be hit seven times in succession with no miss in between. This is referred to as the “Stoning of the Devil”.
According to F.E. Peters, (A Reader on Classical Islam, Princeton University Press, 1994) the Muslim historian al-Azraqi states the purpose of this ritual:
When he [Abraham] left Mina and was brought down to (the defile called) al-Aqaba, the Devil appeared to him at Stone-Heap of the Defile. Gabriel said to him: “Pelt him!†so Abraham threw seven stones at him so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Middle Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: “Pelt him!†so he pelted him with seven stones so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Little Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: “Pelt him!†so he pelted him with seven stones like the little stones for throwing in a sling. So the Devil withdrew from him.
Islamic belief is that the first wall (and largest) represents Satan’s temptation of Abraham against sacrificing Ishmael (instead of Isaac in Genesis 22) the second represents the temptation of Abraham’s wife Hagar to induce her to stop him, and the third represents Satan’s temptation of Ishmael to avoid being sacrificed. Satan was rebuked each time, and the throwing of the stones symbolizes those rebukes.
In many different modern Christian revivals, there is an emphasis on ’stoning’ the devil with the use of Spiritual warfare. From the common spiritual warfare phrazes of ‘break the walls down’, to the mentality of frontal assault on the devil, the focus of revival went from fulfilling the Great Commission and saving souls to kicking Satan’s gluteus maximus and grab me some of God’s goodies.
When revival was about fulfilling the Great Commission and saving souls, we saw the physical effects of what happened. We saw as saloons, honky-tonks, bars, peep show theaters, and other places of ill repute closed down because the power of God convicted the hearts of the owners to where he shut down or convicted the hearts of the customers to where the owner was forced out of business. We did not see people throwing stones for victory. We instead saw people who prayed and fasted for wholeness and breaking of a stony heart in their own lives and then saw victory obtained with sin defeated.
Do you want to see victory? Do you want to see a distressing evil spirit leave from your surroundings? If you do, the only way to effectively see this come to pass is to pray, repent, and surrender your life and all the things, possessions, and junk in your own life to God and as you are in the process of doing this, God will in the beautiful mystery bring about the actions necessary to see the victory or will give you the power to consistently and successfully overcome the evil and the temptation to do the evil even though the evil is within our midst..
Look at the modern revivals. What do we see as their methodology? Throwing stones like Islam does. Stones of politics of candidates when elected will revoke the drinking permits of the bar and overtrun Roe vs. Wade. Stones of driving down stakes with Bible verses at the edges of the city limits, bars, abortion clinics, etc. Stones of not fasting and praying for our wholeness, but to pray that God will wake up and change his mind and eventually cause the demon of drunkenness to leave Fifth Street. Stones of formulated seminars with a three-step tactical approach to clean the air in our cities and a property dedication kit to sell to help find the portal to pentecost. Stones of obtaining spray-paint cans of anointing oil and spray our cities to rid the evil. Stones of prayerwalking. Stones of blowing shofars. etc.
The point of a life with Christ was never to have to make a pilgrimage to a revival shrine and relive the museum of nostalgia. The point of life in Christ was to go forward and spread the Good News of eternal life only found in Jesus Christ. We do not need to go back to some mega revival of yesterday to feel more holy. We need to pray and repent to God in order for Him to make us more holy and pure. We do not need another revival, pilgrimage, nor shrine. We need to fully accept and live out Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life and walk daily crucifying the flesh and working out salvation with fear and trembling as we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You do not have to go to a revival center to find more of Jesus, all you have to do is be his servant and you will see the work of Jesus in your life everyday.
Dear Sir,
The following issue can destroy ISLAM or ISRAEL; study it thoroughly to see if there is any truth to it.
READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGES FROM THE BIBLE AS IT HAS IMPLICATIONS ON THE WAR AGAINST TERROR/ISLAM and the claim of Israel that god gave them the land. If the child is an infant than the Judeo-Christian version becomes null and void and we are wasting our time and resources i.e. we could save trillions of dollars and create a more peaceful world rather than fighting against Islam the religion of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
The COVENANT with Abraham and his DESCENDANTS is central to JUDAISM/CHRISTIANITY/ISLAM.
Please note this is not a competition between faiths but an attempt to decipher fact from fiction.
Genesis 21:14 Contemporary English version se below link
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=GENESIS%2021;&version=46;
Early the next morning Abraham gave Hagar an animal skin full of water and some bread. Then he put the boy on her shoulder and sent them away.
GENESIS 16:16
And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ish’mael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ish’mael to Abram.
GENESIS 21:5
Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
At Genesis 22 Abraham had only 2 sons others came later. The Quran mentions that it was Ishmael that was sacrificed hence the reference in genesis 22:2 your only son can only mean someone has substituted Ishmael names for Isaac!!
BY DOING SOME KINDERGARTEN ARITHMATIC USING ARABIC NUMBERS (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)
NOT ROMAN NUMERALS (I, II, III,IV,V,VI,VII,VIII,IX,X) NB no concept of zero in roman numerals.
100 years old – 86 years old = 14 ADD 3 YEARS FOR ISSAC’S WEANING
THAT WOULD MAKE ISHMAEL 17 YEARS OLD IN GENESIS 21:14-21
BUT IT IS A DESCRIPTION OF AN INFANT.
Carefully read several times the above passage and then tell me the mental picture you get between the mother child interactions what is the age of the child. If the mental picture is that of a 17 year old child being carried on the shoulder of his mother, being physically placed in the bush, crying like a baby, mother having to give him water to drink, than the Islamic viewpoint is null and void. Why is there no verbal communications between mother and (17 YEAR OLD) child?
GENESIS: 21:14 – 21
So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the (17 YEAR OLD) child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the (17 YEAR OLD) child under one of the bushes. Then she went, and sat down over against him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Let me not look upon the death of the (17 YEAR OLD) child.†And as she sat over against him, the (17 YEAR OLD) child lifted up his voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the (17 YEAR OLD) lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not; for God has heard the voice of the (17 YEAR OLD) lad where he is. Arise, lift up the (17 YEAR OLD) lad, and hold him fast with your hand; for I will make him a great nation.†Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the (17 YEAR OLD) lad a drink. And God was with the (17 YEAR OLD) lad, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
The age of Ishmael at this stage is crucial to the Abrahamic faiths. If he is 17 than the JUDEO/CHRISTIAN point of view about the Abrahamic covenant is correct. This has devastating theological consequences of unimaginable proportions.
This makes the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac and there descendants a work of fiction. I would strongly suggest it is clear cut case of racial discrimination and nothing to do with god almighty. The scribes have deliberately tried to make Isaac the only son and legitimate heir to the throne of Abraham??
Please can you rationally explain this anomaly?
I have asked many persons including my nephews and nieces – unbiased minds with no religious backgrounds but with reasonable command of the English language about this passage and they all agree that the child in the passage is an infant.
AS THE DESCRIPTION OF ISHMAEL IN GENESIS 21:14-21 IS THAT OF AN INFANT IT CAN BE ASSUMED SOMEONE HAS MOVED THIS PASSAGE FROM AN EARLIER PART OF SCRIPTURE!!! AND HAVE GOT THERE KNICKERS IN A TWIST.
For background info on the future religion of mankind see the following websites:
http://www.islamicity.com/Mosque/Muhammad_Bible.HTM
(MUHAMMAD IN THE BIBLE)
http://bible.islamicweb.com/
http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-galloway_060806,00.html
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7828123714384920696
(ISRAELI HOLOCAUST AND WAR CRIMES)
http://ifamericansknew.com/
http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/MB_BQS/default.htm
(BIBLE, QURAN and SCIENCE)
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/ ANTI-WAR
http://www.harunyahya.com/
(EVOLUTION DECEIPT)
http://www.barnabas.net/
http://www.answering-christianity.com/ac.htm
http://www.islamicity.com/
http://www.islamonline.net/english/index.shtml
http://www.islamalways.com/
HOLY QURAN CHAPTER 37 verses 101 – 122
101. So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear.
102. Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: “O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!” (The son) said: “O my father! Do as thou art commanded: thou will find me, if Allah so wills one practising Patience and Constancy!”
103. So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah., and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice),
104. We called out to him “O Abraham!
105. “Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!” – thus indeed do We reward those who do right.
106. For this was obviously a trial-
107. And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice:
108. And We left (this blessing) for him among generations (to come) in later times:
109. “Peace and salutation to Abraham!”
110. Thus indeed do We reward those who do right.
111. For he was one of our believing Servants.
112. And We gave him the good news of Isaac – a prophet,- one of the Righteous.
113. We blessed him and Isaac: but of their progeny are (some) that do right, and (some) that obviously do wrong, to their own souls.
114. Again (of old) We bestowed Our favour on Moses and Aaron,
115. And We delivered them and their people from (their) Great Calamity;
116. And We helped them, so they overcame (their troubles);
117. And We gave them the Book which helps to make things clear;
118. And We guided them to the Straight Way.
119. And We left (this blessing) for them among generations (to come) in later times:
120. “Peace and salutation to Moses and Aaron!”
121. Thus indeed do We reward those who do right.
122. For they were two of our believing Servants.
ISHMAEL IS THE FIRST BORN AND GOOD NEWS OF ISSAC DOES NOT APPEAR UNTIL AFTER THE SACRIFICE?????
Therefore the claim that god gave the land to Israel is destroyed without the need of any WMD’s.
HADITH
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 583:
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
The first lady to use a girdle was the mother of Ishmael. She used a girdle so that she might hide her tracks from Sarah. Abraham brought her and her son Ishmael while she was suckling him, to a place near the Ka’ba under a tree on the spot of Zam-zam, at the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody in Mecca, nor was there any water So he made them sit over there and placed near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. Ishmael’s mother followed him saying, “O Abraham! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?” She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her Then she asked him, “Has Allah ordered you to do so?” He said, “Yes.” She said, “Then He will not neglect us,” and returned while Abraham proceeded onwards, and on reaching the Thaniya where they could not see him, he faced the Ka’ba, and raising both hands, invoked Allah saying the following prayers:
‘O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred House (Kaba at Mecca) in order, O our Lord, that they may offer prayer perfectly. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allah) provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks.’ (14.37) Ishmael’s mother went on suckling Ishmael and drinking from the water (she had).
When the water in the water-skin had all been used up, she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started looking at him (i.e. Ishmael) tossing in agony; She left him, for she could not endure looking at him, and found that the mountain of Safa was the nearest mountain to her on that land. She stood on it and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. Then she descended from Safa and when she reached the valley, she tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble, till she crossed the valley and reached the Marwa mountain where she stood and started looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that (running between Safa and Marwa) seven times.”
The Prophet said, “This is the source of the tradition of the walking of people between them (i.e. Safa and Marwa). When she reached the Marwa (for the last time) she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said, ‘O, (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?” And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zam-zam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing), till water flowed from that place. She started to make something like a basin around it, using her hand in this way, and started filling her water-skin with water with her hands, and the water was flowing out after she had scooped some of it.”
The Prophet added, “May Allah bestow Mercy on Ishmael’s mother! Had she let the Zam-zam (flow without trying to control it) (or had she not scooped from that water) (to fill her water-skin), Zam-zam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth.” The Prophet further added, “Then she drank (water) and suckled her child. The angel said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allah which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah never neglects His people.’ The House (i.e. Kaba) at that time was on a high place resembling a hillock, and when torrents came, they flowed to its right and left. She lived in that way till some people from the tribe of Jurhum or a family from Jurhum passed by her and her child, as they (i.e. the Jurhum people) were coming through the way of Kada’. They landed in the lower part of Mecca where they saw a bird that had the habit of flying around water and not leaving it. They said, ‘This bird must be flying around water, though we know that there is no water in this valley.’ They sent one or two messengers who discovered the source of water, and returned to inform them of the water. So, they all came (towards the water).” The Prophet added, “Ishmael’s mother was sitting near the water. They asked her, ‘Do you allow us to stay with you?” She replied, ‘Yes, but you will have no right to possess the water.’ They agreed to that.” The Prophet further said, “Ishmael’s mother was pleased with the whole situation as she used to love to enjoy the company of the people. So, they settled there, and later on they sent for their families who came and settled with them so that some families became permanent residents there. The child (i.e. Ishmael) grew up and learnt Arabic from them and (his virtues) caused them to love and admire him as he grew up, and when he reached the age of puberty they made him marry a woman from amongst them.
You forgot one …
The pilgrimage to the local zoo, to get more noises for worship
25 minutes from where I live is where the Azusa Street Revival occurred. Last year, on the revival’s 100th anniversary celebration, the Los Angeles Times reported that one of the buildings used for the revival is still there and they hold tours. Several visitors to this “shrine” were interviewed by the Times and they said they came for any “anointing” that was left over. I am not kidding. They really said that.,
Diane:
I believe you. I remember on the 100th anniversary of the Welsh Revival that one of the Elijah List’s ‘prophets’ went over there and claimed to feel the anointing come off of the desk that Evan Roberts used to write out his sermons on.
Wasn’t it Benny Hinn that claimed at one time he had the keys to Kathryn Kuhlman’s grave and he felt the ‘anointing’ ooze from the tomb even though she had been dead for many years?
I am afraid that after Billy Graham dies that people will flock to Charlotte or Montreat/Ridgecrest believing that they will feel a mega-blessing if they hang around his gravesite.
And these are the same type of Christians who denounce Catholic pilgrimages to sites associated with saints…
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