Was Mohammed a Prophet?

“How do I answer the Muslims when they say that Christ was just one of the prophets, and that the last prophet was Mohammed?”

The answer — in two words — is: “evidence” and “logic.” Let me explain.

If it is the case that there is sufficient evidence to establish the proposition that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, the very Son of God; and if it is further true that what he taught is the absolute truth; and if it also is a fact that he affirmed that he is the exclusive way to God, and that none would succeed him in that role; then it logically follows that Mohammed, by the process of elimination, is excluded as the “prophet” he claimed to be.

Each of these elements, therefore, must be carefully examined. Let us briefly summarize the matter.

The Identity of Jesus

There is a vast array of evidence establishing the identity of Jesus of Nazareth as the “Messiah” foretold in the Old Testament.

1. Hundreds of prophecies specifically identify the traits of the coming Messiah. Jesus — in his nature, life, and teaching — completely fulfilled them — every last one (cf. Lk. 24:44). A miniature sampling can be seen in the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah. These one dozen verses are packed with messianic detail.
2. His birth to the virgin Mary established his divine nature.
3. His miracles authenticated his claim of being the Christ.
4. His resurrection from the dead declared him to be the Son of God (Rom. 1:4). For a more detailed presentation of these facts, see our article ""Flesh and Blood Did not Reveal It"," in our “Archives” section.

These matters are not speculation, they are solid, historically-based facts.

Christ’s Credibility

The evidence relative to the nature of Jesus establishes his credibility as a “teller of fact.” Christ was the very embodiment of “truth” (Jn. 14:6). There was “no deceit” in his mouth (Isa. 53:9). His witness concerning himself was true (Jn. 8:14). He was God’s instrument of truth to a rebellious world (Jn. 1:17; 5:33).

The fact is, even the Qur’an, Islam’s “holy” book, calls Jesus “Messiah” (11 times), “the Word of God,” the “Spirit of God” (4:169-171), and “the Speech of Truth” (19:34-35) — although Muslims interpret these phrases in a sense contrary to what the language would signify ordinarily.

The Messiah’s Claim

Jesus claimed that it was his role to teach the world about God — that he was sent on this very mission from the Father (Jn. 1:14,18). He was to be the “the light of men” (Jn. 1:4; 14:6), and the exclusive “way” to the Father (Jn. 14:6). Note the definite article (suggesting exclusiveness) in the expressions “the light” and “the way.”

In the parable of the wicked husbandmen, Jesus depicts himself as the “last” divine offer to man (Mk. 12:6; cf. Heb. 10:26). The suggestion is that no prophet, heralding a new religious system, would succeed Christ. Jesus’ inspired apostles clearly taught that their master was Heaven’s final offer to man; in “none other” was salvation to be found (Acts 4:11-12). In the New Testament, which is the covenant of Jesus Christ, Christianity is referred to as “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,24), and “the faith” (Gal. 1:23; 1 Tim. 5:8; Jude 3; cf. Eph. 4:5). None other has divine endorsement.

Jude contended that “the faith” (Christianity) was “once for all [hapax] delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). The Greek verb pertains to an occurrence that is “decisively unique, once and for all time” (Danker, Greek-English Lexicon, Chicago: University, 2000, p. 97). J.H. Thayer noted that the term is “used of what is so done as to be of perpetual validity and never need repetition” (Greek-English Lexicon, Edinburgh: T.&T. Clark, 1958, p. 54). Note the dual usage of hapax (once) in Hebrews 9:26-27. No religious system, authorized and approved by God, was to follow Christianity.

Thus, by default, the Muslim system logically is eliminated.

When one adds to these propositions the fact that the Qur’an, when critically examined, falls under its own weight, only the case for Christianity remains — standing alone as the religious system of Heaven’s approval.

This view, of course, does not appeal to that modern mind that has been bombarded with the notion that “tolerance” demands that all religions be viewed as equally valid. One might as well argue that in the equation, 2 + 2, any answer will serve as well as 4. Truth is truth, and that reality cannot be nullified.