A PROPHET LIKE UNTO MOSES
One such prophecy is in the book of Deuteronomy, wherein Prophet Moses was quoted as saying:
And the Lord said unto me, they have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. (Deut. 18: 17-18).
Three important elements are included in this prophecy:
i) A prophet will come from among the ‘brethren’ of the Israelites
ii) This prophet will be ‘like unto Moses’
iii) God will put his words in the mouth of this prophet.
Let us look closely at each of these elements:
1. A PROPHET FROM AMONG THE BRETHERN OF THE ISRAELITES
These words were spoken addressed to the Israelites. The most notable ‘brethren’ of Israelites (descendants of Abraham through his second son Isaac), are the Ishmaelites (descendants of Abraham through his first son Ishmael). Obviously, the ‘brethren’ of a nation cannot be a tribe or a family of the nation itself’ but another nation related to it racially. The Bible also refers to the Israelites as the brethren of the Ishmaelites (e.g. Genesis 25:18).
2. A PROPHET LIKE UNTO MOSES
It is sometimes contended that the ‘prophet like unto Moses’ was Jesus. After all both were Israelites and spiritual teachers. Was this prophecy really about Jesus?
To start off, Jesus himself was an Israelite, not of the ‘brethren’ of the Israelites, which shows that this particular prophecy is not about the coming of Jesus but about another prophet ‘like unto Moses’ that prophet could have been none but prophet Mohammed.
Following is a comparison between a few crucial characteristics of Moses, Mohammed and Jesus – which may clarify the identity of ‘that prophet” who was to come after Moses:
Area of comparison
Moses Mohammed Jesus
Birth :
Usual
Usual
Unusual
Death :
Usual
Usual
Unusual
Family life:
Married, children
Married, children
No marriage
Career :
Prophet & statesman
Prophet & statesman
Prophet only
Forced Emigration :
To Medina
To Medina
None involving his followers
Encounter with enemies (military) :
Hot pursuit
Hot pursuit
No similar encounter
Results of encounter:
Moral, physical victory
Moral, physical victory
Moral victory
Writing down of revelation:
In his life time
In his life time
After him
Nature of teaching:
Spiritual, legal
Spiritual, legal
Mainly spiritual
Acceptance of leadership (by his people) Rejected, then accepted
Rejected, then accepted
Rejected by most Israelites
The table shows that not only were Moses and Mohammed very much alike in many respects, but also that Jesus dose not fit this particular prophecy.
