JEHOVAH AND ALLAH ARE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THE SAME GOD?

There are many groups forming throughout the world that join together as ecumenical organizations demonstrating unity and “peace”.  But, is this really true?

When imams and Christian ministers join together to pray and “get along” are they really addressing the same “God”?

The best way to analyze this is to study what the Bible says about G-d and compare it to the beliefs of Muslims who read the Koran.

There are so many aspects and scriptures we can choose to use to compare “Gods”.

Since “who owns the land?” is such a “hot “topic, let’s check out some scriptures from the Bible about what G-d says about the land and compare them to Allah.

 

The first book of the Bible is called Genesis.

In Genesis chapter 12, verse 7, The Lord appeared to Abram and said,”To your offspring, I will give this land.”

Again, in Genesis chapter 13, verse 14-15, the Lord says to Abram, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.”

A third time the Lord tells Abram in Genesis chapter 17, verses 7-8 that, I will establish my covenant as an everlasting convenant between me and you,  and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your G-d and the G-d of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be there G-d.

Now, this could refer to Ishmael or Isaac since both are Abram’s offspring. In fact, in verse 18, Abraham says to G-d, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing.”

The G-d of the Bible responds by saying – “yes (He will bless Ishmael), but verse 19 says, “but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And, as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him: I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of 12 rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year."

So, this is not a case of one offspring not being blessed, but the G-d of the Bible clearly establishes a covenant with Isaac and his offspring involving the land of Canaan.

The G-d of the Bible has a right to decide who he gives the land to, because he owns it according to Leviticus chapter 25, verse 23. G-d says, “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is Mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.”

There is no mention of this land or of Jerusalem by Allah in the Koran.

Now many people think that because the people of Israel disobeyed their
G-d, he cancelled His covenant and the promises that are included with it. Is that what the Bible says?

The G-d of the Bible says in numerous places that He will not forsake His covenant with the people of Israel.

In Leviticus chapter 26, verses 43-45, G-d says, “For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them.  They will pay for their sins because they rejected  my laws and abhorred my decrees.  Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their G-d. But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of nations to be their G-d. I am the Lord."

In Deuteronomy chapter 30, verses 4-5 G-d again says something similar, “Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your G-d will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers."
 

Perhaps the strongest words from G-d that express his heart and epitomize His character, are in Psalm 89, verses 30-34 in which G-d says,
If His sons (David’s sons) forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,
If they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands
I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;
But I will not take my love away from him.
Nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.

The G-d of the Bible even goes a step further. Not only does he promise to honor His words and His covenant with Israel, but he promises restoration to them!

Perhaps the strongest example of this is in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 36, verses 2-12:

This is what the Sovereign Lord says:  The enemy said of you, “Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession.”  Therefore prophesy and say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because they ravaged and hounded you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander, therefore O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord……In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of nations, and against all of Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they may plunder their pastureland.
 

Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of nations. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn.

But you , O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
 

I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.

It’s important to notice in Ezekiel’s prophetic word, speaking the voice of the Lord, that G-d refers to the land as “Israel”. In fact no where in the Bible is the word, “Palestine” found. The reason for this is obvious. The name “Palestine” was given to the land by Emperor Hadrian in 135 AD way after the Bible was written. The Emperor changed the name to humiliate G-d’s people. However, it did not stick for very long and the land was normally referred to as “The Holy land”, “Judea”, “The Promised Land”, “Israel”. The name “Palestine” began to be used again in modern times in 1920 when negotiators at the San Remo Conference established the land as the National Jewish Home. Before WW1, it was just an indistinct area in the Ottoman Empire. Of course, the name “Palestine” was not just an “Arab” area. There were “Palestinian Jews and Palestinian Arabs”. Both lived in the land.

Now there are some who say that this “return” is referring to Israel’s return from exile during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. However, in the book of Amos in chapter 9, verses 14-15 the G-d of Israel says:

"I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
They will make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the Lord your
G-d."

So the G-d of the Bible clearly establishes in His word that he owns the land and has given this small piece to Israel’s descendants as an everlasting covenant regardless of their behavior.

He does not withhold blessing from the descendants of Ishmael. He simply designates this small piece of property for Israel.

 

This definitely draws distinctions between the G-d of the Bible and Allah. If Allah agrees with the G-d of the Bible, or if he is the “same God”, then what is all the conflict about?

Of course, there are many other differences, but this should be enough to prove clearly they are not the same G-d!