Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 74
74. Similarly, John was filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb and was perfect, without a blemish. Now when John, Zacharias and his wife could be free from sin, by the same rule, why the other people could not be similarly free from sin? When practically there have been before the. Messiah and before his vicarious atonement took place, such people as were virtuous, pious and flawless and observant of the ordinances, the inference is clear that the righteous existed in the world even without atonement. And when righteousness could be sustained in the world without atonement once, it could continue to abide in a future period of time as well, and there remained therefore no necessity for any redemption. . PROPHECIES RELATING TO ISHMAEL. The question, how some of the preceding generations were saved, and how it was that there had been pious people in the past, is sometime met by the Christian clergy with the answer that they had become righteous and worthy of salvation through faith in the vicarious atonement offered by the. Messiah. This answer is on the very face of it a clear stunt. . They base their argument on the premises that the advent of the Messiah (peace be on him) had been foretold by Abram,. David and some other prophets (peace be on them), but there is no trace of a reference to Messiah in the prophecies made by Abram (peace be on him). This stand is totally fictitious. All that Abram (peace be on him) said was that his progeny will be blessed and that through them God the. Almighty would manifest His holiness. Evidently this prophecy relates to Abram's (peace be on him) progeny and is not specifically related to one person. The prohphecy holds true in the case of Ishmael (peace be on him), an