Muhammad in the Bible — Page 48
48 The verses mean that Jesus is going to depart from his people and his people will not be able to see him again, until they declare: “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. ” There is a prophecy here of two advents. One after the departure of Jesus; this was to be like the advent of God. The other was the second advent of Jesus himself. It is made clear that until the one who “cometh in the name of the Lord” has come, the second coming of Jesus will not take place. We have proved above that one who comes in the name of the Lord is the one resembling Moses. The prophecy of Jesus and the certain fact of the advent of Islam and its Holy Prophet leave no doubt that in the divine scheme the advent of Jesus was not to mark the last great stage in spiritual advance. The last stage was to be marked by the advent of one coming “in the name of the Lord. ” It cannot be said that after him Jesus is to come again, so the last stage in spiritual advance will still be marked by Jesus. The point is made clear by Jesus himself. Did he not say: Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord (Matthew 23:39). Only they will see, receive and acknowledge Jesus on his second coming who will first have accepted and acknowledged “the like of Moses”. A denier of “the like of Moses” will not be able to recognize Jesus when he comes a second time. And why not? Because Jesus when he comes again will be found among the followers of “the like of Moses”. Only they will be able to believe in the second coming of Jesus who will first have believed in “the like of Moses”. Jesus, therefore, when he comes a second time, will be no independent Teacher. He will be a strict follower and an image of “the like of Moses”. The last stage of spiritual advance, therefore, will be marked by this “like of Moses”, and by no one else. (c) We read in John (1:20-21) that people went to John the Baptist, and asked him if he were the Christ of the prophecy and he said, No. Then they asked him, what then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not (1:21). Then they asked him: Art thou that prophet ? And he answered, No (1:21).