Islam Claims Judas, Not Jesus Was Crucified

جامعة الدول العربية
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One of the more unusual teachings of some associated with Islam is the idea that Jesus was not crucified but that Judas was.

Notice the following related to an Iranian movie Jesus, the Spirit of God:

Nader Talebzadeh sees his movie, “Jesus, the Spirit of God,” as an Islamic answer to Western productions like Mel Gibson’s 2004 blockbuster “The Passion of the Christ,” which he praised as admirable but quite simply “wrong”…

“It is frankly said in the Koran that the person who was crucified was not Jesus” but Judas, one of the 12 Apostles and the one the Bible holds betrayed Jesus to the Romans, he said. In his film, it is Judas who is crucified.

Islam sees Jesus as one of five great prophets — others being Noah, Moses and Abraham — sent to earth to announce the coming of Mohammed, the final prophet who spread the religion of Islam. It respects Jesus’ followers as “people of the book” (‘Islamic Jesus’ hits Iranian movie screens AFP – Jan 13, 2008 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080113231632.1q3rt654&show_article=1 ).

Although they claim to respect “the people of the book”, the truth is that Muslims believe that the Old and New Testament writings were changed and now are defective, so that only the Koran can be trusted.

However, the fact is that Jesus was crucified and there are more early documents of the New Testament than any other ancient document–and those documents do clearly teach that it was Jesus, not Judas who was crucified.

Perhaps I should mention that we in the Living Church of God believe that a basically Arab-Muslim confederation will form to become the future King of the South. LCG also recently reported the following:

Middle-Eastern Common Market. Six wealthy Persian Gulf nations are working to create a “Common Market” where each will recognize the others as economic equals. Although some forecast this common market will strain the economies of some of the nations, the overall prognosis is positive. Workers and citizens from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will also be able “to work, buy houses and companies, trade shares, go to school and receive medical treatment in all six states” (BBC.com, January 2, 2007). This new group will work together for the benefit of the entire group. God prophesied of a future league of Middle East nations known as the King of the South. This powerful group of nations will be primarily located “south” of Jerusalem and will eventually push hard against the King of the North, or Beast power, in order to rid the Holy City and region from the power and influence of the “infidel.” Eventually, the King of the South will be overrun by this Beast power (see Daniel 11). The creation of this “Gulf State Common Market” could facilitate the development of the prophesied King of the South.

Just like the European Union began as a group of a few nations interested in economic cooperation, it appears that it is possible that the foundations of the King of the South will happen the same way. And properly many from the Arab League will become part of it.

More information on the King of the South can be found in the articles Is There A Future King of the South? and The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy.