Have you been Touched by an Angel?

The topic of angels is one that inexorably incites curiosity and keen interest from both Christian and non-Christians. It is a subject that is frequently explored in literature, music, art, film, cyberculture, television and religious circles.

A TV series that fuelled much of the angel hysteria in the 1990s was Touched by an Angel (featuring Della Reese and Roma Downey). This series became such a cultural phenomenon that it was nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards between 1997 and 2000.

It might interest you to know that it’s not only Christianity that believes in angels. Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, even Wicca, Hermetic Qabalah and New Age spirituality also believe in angels, but their angelogy contradicts Christianity and the Bible.

This is why a fine line should be drawn. In the age of deception which we live in, a biblical view of angels is vital, so that we do not veer out of the original faith handed to the saints in a bid to get “touched by an angel.”

What you need to know

The Bible defines angels as “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). In plain words, angels are sent forth to minister for God or to serve us, God’s people.

The use of the present participle in that verse emphasizes the continuance of angelic ministry even in our day. The word translated angels from the original Greek language is angelos which carries the same meaning as “messenger.”

Angels are also called “ministers” (Greek: leitourgous) of God, that is, servants of God. Though they are spirits, they can manifest themselves physically (cf. Gen. 18:2). They are living beings that possess personality (intellect, emotion and will).

They are variously called the sons of God, morning stars (Job 38:7), sons of the mighty (Ps. 29:1 NASB), watchers (Dan. 4:13-15), holy ones (Matt. 25:31), princes (Dan. 10:13), thrones and dominions (Col. 1:16).

The angels of God were created long before the earth. God said “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth … when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38: 4, 7).

This indicates that at Creation, angels were shouting for joy when they saw what God was doing. 

We also learn that there are innumerable angels with God. At one place Jesus said, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53).

In the ancient Roman army, a legion consists of 3,000 – 6,000 soldiers. So when Jesus speaks of 12 legions of angels, it’s clear that He refers to tens of thousands of warrior angels. These are possibly the “armies of heaven” that will come with Him at the Second Advent (Rev. 19:14).

In another place, the Bible speaks of “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” where there are “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly” (Heb. 12:22).

It’s also worthy to note that these angels are organized into ranks (Col. 2:18) and are sent for various assignments:

They guard gates (Rev. 21:12); wage war in actual bodily contact (2Th. 2:10); execute judgements (Gen. 19; 2Kgs. 19:35 etc.); lead sinners to gospel workers (Acts 10:3); witness confessions (Lk. 15:8-9); impart God’s will (Acts 5:19-20); take the saints at their death to God’s presence (Lk. 16:22); strengthen them in trial (Mt. 4:11); protect the saints (Ps. 34:7); give revelations (Lk. 15:8-9) and bring answers to prayers (Dan. 9:31-23) etc.

Five Popular Myths about Angels

#1 All angels have wings

In arts and popular culture, angels are always depicted having wings on their backs. Renaissance European arts even added a twist to it: they portrayed angels as winged chubby infants holding bows and arrows (obviously borrowed from depictions of the Roman god, Cupid).

Many Christians today still adhere to this hallowed myth, that all angels have wings. But with the exception of cherubims and seraphims described in the Old Testament, there is no description in the Bible of angels with wings.

Every time an angel made an appearance to someone in Scripture, the person always thought the angel was human. Humans did not observe that angels had wings or could fly.

Cherubims are a special group of angels attached to the throne of God whose task is to guard the Holiness of God.

For instance, a cherub was placed at the gate to Eden so that people might not enter after Adam and Eve were cast out. The two likenesses of angels that were placed on the Ark of the Covenant were were cherubs (Ex. 25:18-22).

The Bible also speaks of seraphims (from the word “burners”) who had six wings. These are angels who are concerned with the holiness of God. They cry out continually: “Holy, holy, holy” (Isa. 6:3).

So technically, angels don’t have wings, but cherubims and seraphims – which are higher order of angels – do.

God’s angels are powerful beings; they are not the sweet-faced chubby infants found in Catholic art.

#2. Female angels

This was one of the misleading concepts popularized by the Touched by an Angel series.

Many statues and artwork also depict angels as female. In Choo Thomas’s Heaven is so Real, she also claimed to encounter a female angel.

But going to the Bible, we see that the word angel is always used in the masculine gender both in Hebrew and Greek. Sex, in a human sense, is not ascribed to them.

#3. Everyone has a Guardian Angel

This myth is a very popular one. It pervades both religious and secular circles, for obvious reasons.

In the Touched by an Angel series, the angel usually appears to a person who is a derelict or has some moral problems and helps them solve their problems with the credit going to the angels. This sort of teaching is loved by the world.

Plenty of people (even if non-religious), are fascinated with the idea of having a personal spiritual protector working out their life’s hassles without really submitting to God. So, they seek a spirituality that gives comfort to such warm, fuzzy sentiments. 

Some Christians actually believe every child born on earth has a personal guardian angel assigned to him/her by God. He follows, helps and protects them until the point where they start to sin. Though they appeal to Matt. 18:10, the doctrine doesn’t appear to be based on sound exegesis.

Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. The unsaved have no angel. “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them” (Psa. 34:7). 

The unsaved are excluded from angelic protection and deliverance. (Though it doesn’t mean God, in His grace, cannot sovereignly protect them). Children having angels who see God’s face (cf. Matthew 18:10) most likely refers to those that have come to know the Lord or are born to Believing parents. 

Of course, there have been many accounts of personal supernatural angelic experiences in books, documentaries and daytime talk shows. But two things are common to many of such “angel” narratives:

One, these individuals are not Christians. Two, the angel frequently occupies a central figure in their lives. He – not God – becomes their personal saviour/guru, which makes their experiences highly suspect.

How can a non-Christian who is not in the light nor has yielded to the authority of Scripture be able to discern between what is coming from God or what may be of the devil? Answer: They don’t! Everything is accepted as true because it resonates with their emotions.

#4. We need to locate our guardian angels and listen to them

This myth is circumscribed on #3. In recent times, the Internet has become cluttered with “angel reading” ads aimed at luring people into seeking out messages purportedly coming from their “guardian angels” in heaven.

These online readings are said to guide inquirers on their life purposes, relationships, weekly plans and their future.

Though the terms have changed a bit, it’s the same old stuff that many people have sought at seances, palmists, star gazers, crystal ball readers and other brand of diviners for centuries.

When you read these “message from your angel” ads carefully, you will realize that the so-called angels being contacted for information are spirits imitating the departed. The old spirit guides have been rebranded as “angels” and sold in the market place.

Some Charismatic churches also teach that we need to communicate with our angels and “put them to work” – to bring us money, healing, peace and helpers. These are more based on Frank Peretti’s school of the spirit world than a historic, biblical thought.

Talking about Frank Peretti. His Christian fiction novel, This Present Darkness, has sadly been used as the manual of spiritual knowledge for many believers. That was one of the books which popularised the idea of localised angels contacting humans.

But in every instance of an angel physically appearing to individuals like Abraham, Lot and his family, Gideon, Moses, Manoah etc., it’s clear that the angels had the physical appearances that matched the people to whom they appeared; they dressed like them and spoke their languages.

There were no “European” angels contacting Asians or “American” angels, “Chinese” angels or “African” angels doing the same.

Aside that, the angels that appeared to God’s people and gave them revelations did so only at God’s sovereign arrangements.

Daniel wasn’t trying to contact angel Gabriel for visions. Zechariah wasn’t in the temple, trying to locate an angel. Mary the mother of Jesus didn’t seek an angel. Apostle Peter or John wasn’t seeking an angel for a revelation. Neither should we.

#5. We need to pray to and invoke angels for help

This is often a consequence of myth #4. When folks have been seduced to believe that angels have a corner in the market where they can be contacted for knowledge, the next best thing would be to learn their names, call on them and make them intermediaries.

In African syncretic/ “spiritual” churches (as well as Roman Catholicism), the special invocation of and prayer to angels is inextricably linked with their rituals.

They invoke and pray to angels Michael and Gabriel, as well as names of “angels” found in post-exilic rabbinical traditions and ceremonial magick, like Raphael and Uriel. These are all fallen angels.

In the Bible, only three angels’ names are recorded: Lucifer, Michael and Gabriel. Lucifer fell, and with him a host of angels known as fallen angels.

The Bible distinguishes between these unrighteous angels (or  unclean spirits) who followed Satan and “the elect angels” who follow God (1 Tim. 5:21).

These fallen angels are the force behind the “angel craze” in pseudo-Christian religions, New Age spirituality and the secular world, leading many down the path of a false god.

They give their followers false miracles and supernatural experiences that deepen their delusion and strengthen them in their iniquities.

An ex-satanist who worked with such evil spirits said:

“The sylphs [elemental spirits] do shout and make noise when they are in full control of the medium. Besides this, they teach series of rituals that are unscriptural. They are fond of doing rituals with eggs, sugar, ginger nuts, earthenware, coins and cereals …

“The sylphs [also] make their congregation abstain from meats, especially pork, rabbit, crab, snail, mudfish, duck meat, grass cutter and other forest animals … The spiritual churches erect altars by burying alive ram, crucifix, doves and Bible’s as a ritual. That serves as a point of contact to the spirits of the air or fallen angels. The powers in the church depend on the number of days fasted for the rituals, some fast 21 days while others for 14 days.

“Those who have learnt advanced magick, as I did, buried the general seal of the spirits called ShemHamephorash in Hebrew or Seal of Solomon according to magick. This higher seal of magick attracts fallen angels and Olympian spirits to execute their duties in the church” (Romanus Monday Ekeocha, Christian Alive, vol. 2. No. 14, 2006, p. 2).

The angels being invoked in these syncretic churches are Olympian spirits also invoked in occultism. Angels of God do not accept worship, prayer or veneration from anyone (cf. Rev. 22:8-9).

Nevertheless, true Christians enjoy angelic intervention just as God’s Word says. I have personally experienced this, and I will be sharing them in my next post.

Enya: The Occult Connection

“From day to day, my journey,

The long pilgrimage before me.

From night to night, my journey,

The stories that will never be again”

The above lyric is the English translation of the part of Enya’s Book of Days sung in Irish Gaelic.

The first time I heard this song on TV in 2004, even though I was a Christian, it resonated deeply with my sense of aesthetics. Four years later when a Christian friend introduced me to his Enya collection, I dived into them like an excited dolphin. I couldn’t get enough of her music.

Sometimes when I listened to Orinoco Flow, I felt a strange sensation in my spirit, like I was immersed in a body of water.

From experience, I knew what that implied, and I began to check out her lyrics. Right from the first one I read, I could figure out the deep witchcraft codes embedded in them and I made a clean break.

Enya Patricia Brennan is more than just an Irish singer and songwriter born into a musical family. To unwary Christians, Enya’s music is a potpourri of classical, church and folk music with poetic, nostalgic and calming sensations.

To the uninformed, Enya is simply a liberal Irish Catholic who, at most, beautifies her faith with mysticism. But to the discerning, she is on a journey; a long pilgrimage on the Old Ways: witchcraft.

In this article, which is a sequel to the one I wrote four years ago, I will be unraveling more occult connections in Enya’s music, showing that those who identify her as a New Age/occult singer, are not mistaken by any means.

According to a reference work, New Age music emerged in the midst of “the advent of all manner of self-awareness and higher-consciousness trends and fads floating about in the 1970s, and the increasing popularity of non-traditional ideas regarding health and well being.” [1]

New Age stores not only also sell occult books, ‘healing crystals’ and pagan artifacts, but also New Age music – relaxing music that serve as aural companions for whatever occult technique the customer is seeking. It all fits together.

In occult circles, guided meditation is often practiced, in which the practitioner connects with the spirit realm and the spirits therein through the aid of mantra, occult music or drugs.

This occult meditation is aimed at different purposes: relaxation, for pagan breathing exercises, inducing trances, healing and preparation for spell work and witchcraft.

The relaxing music is aimed at fostering mental passivity and mind control which are necessary conditions to get yoked to the demonic realm.

During a spell work, a witch/magick practitioner must be able to use his/her mind to visualize and direct his/her psychic powers to its destination. Thus, they need pagan/occult-themed music to stimulate their minds.

Such music genre could be classical, jazz, or ethnic (such as Celtic), but they are music composed by the initiated and for the initiated. One occult organization even described them as “music of the spheres.” Indeed, the spheres of darkness.

A few examples of such music are Ave Maria by Origen, Mystic Spirit Voices by Lesiem, A Place Without Noise by Wayne Gratz, a number of Yanni’s music and of course, Enya.

Many of Enya’s song weren’t relayed in English language. She also employed back masking so folks who don’t know about the occult wouldn’t notice that she was onto something sinister.

1. Afer Ventus (English translation: African wind) says:

Sea of the Clouds, Umbriel

(Each to their own. Each to it’s own)

Sea of the Rain. Ariel

(Me, myself. Each to their own is dear)

And we go to the stars …

Sea of the Tides. Io. Vela…

African wind. Zephyrus

(Each to their own. Each to its own)

Volturnus. Africus…

Estesiarum. Eurus.

(Me, myself. Each to their own is dear).

Umbriel and Ariel, though names for moons of Uranus, actually refer to specific demons. Umbriel is an earth demon often depicted with black wings, while Ariel is a demon of the air.

In Satanism, Ariel is a fallen angel called the “archon of wings” and is said to connect the adept to other elemental spirits.

Io is the name of a female water spirit worshipped in ancient Rome [2]. It’s no accident that Enya says that she moves with the tides of the sea.

Vela is the name of a constellation. It also means “sails (of a ship)” in Latin. Vela represents the sails of the Argo Navis ship which was constructed by the goddess Athena and consecrated to the Roman sea god, Poseidon. [3]

Zephyrus is the Greek deity of the west wind. He has strong ties to Zepar, another deadly demon that is invoked in Satanism, especially by men who seek to bring women under the slave of lust.

Volturnus is the Roman god of the Tibre and is probably regarded as the god of all rivers. He also belongs to the class of Anemoi and is equivalent to the southeast wind. [4]

Africus is the Greek deity of the southwest wind. Estesiarum is a term describing the north winds of the Aegean Sea and Eurus is the Greek deity of the East wind.

So, in this music alone, Enya invokes several “big guns” to take over the listener.

2. Exile (chorus)

I’ll wait the signs to come.

I will find a way

I will wait the time to come.

I’ll find a way home

My light shall be the moon

And my path – the ocean.

My guide the morning star

As I said home to you

Who then can warm my soul?

Who can quell my passion?

Out of these dreams – a boat

I will sail home to you.

You will notice that Enya keeps singing about being on a “path” or “journey.” Modern Witches believe their religion is the old path; and right from their initiation, each step taken upon this path leads towards a greater understanding of the natural world and the divinity that purportedly lives within them.

In witchcraft, the moon, through its phases and faces, is said to guide witches through the mysteries of life. It regulates nature and magick, and when they draw down the moon at their esbats, they are tapping into the pure white mystical light of the moon.

The “morning star” or “torch bearer” epithet is used for their goddess Hecate, Diana/Artemis, and in the Bible, it refers to Lucifer/Satan (Is. 14:12). So, the message Enya was conveying there is loud and clear.

3. Angeles

Angels answer me, are you near if rain should fall? Am I to believe, you will rise to calm the storm?

For so great a treasure words will never do. Surely, if this is, promises are mine to give you

Mine to give you …

Angeles, all could be

Should you move both earth and sea

Angeles, I could feel all those dark clouds disappearing … Even as I breathe comes an angel to their keep…

This lyrical content appears to be a conversation that is carried on with one seeking a guardian angel and promises (pacts) to cement the relationship.

In Wicca and the New Age, they regularly contact their “guardian angels” using altars, candles, oils, incense, crystals, beautiful fabric and statues. Of course, these are demons pretending to be angels.

A former satanist had this to say:

“These spirits of the air known as sylphs are the higher class of elemental forces that take the form of angels and deceive those that are in spiritual [occult] churches. When properly invoked by occult prayer, they could easily compel the lesser demon to evacuate the victim’s body for them to occupy. But as time goes on the victim continues to develop series of problems.

“These sylphs are in categories; some of them are attracted by white candles while others are attracted by coloured candles … These spirits … easily send visions to the mediums concerning governments, nations and people. They disguise themselves like angels of truth, often quote scriptures from the Bible, when the medium is possessed and using the name of Christ as well. Their mode of communication is by whispering in the medium’s ear or meeting them in their realm.” [5]

Occult meditation is the key to contacting these fallen angels and Enya’s reference to an angel visiting the listener as he/she “breathes” in sync with the calming sensation of her music is quite understandable.

4. Smaointe… (Thoughts…)

Listen to me, so sad forever

I am lost without you and your wife

The great love in your life

She guided me. Both of you, be with me always, day and night.

I cry at the great loneliness, tears so sad, and you sleeping in the quiet, green grave. In deep peace. There was happiness but it went away

You followed your husband, the great love in your life. He guided me. Both of you, be with me always, day and night.

From the lyrics, it’s clear that the song is directed to the “Lord and Lady” of witchcraft.

Many Wiccans are duotheists – believing in an eternal mother Goddess who rules over the earth, moon, sky and the sea and her consort, a Byronic Horned God who presides over the sun, hunting, sexuality and vegetation.

In Pagan myths, the horned god dies and is reborn each year, while the goddess descends to the underworld to mate with the Dark Lord. These themes are observed in Wiccan feasts and sabbaths:

“In mainstream Wicca mythology, the Autumn Equinox marks the time of the descent of the Goddess into the Underworld. With her departure we see the decline of Nature and the coming of winter. This is classic ancient mythos also reflected in the Sumerian myth of Inanna and the ancient Greek and Roman legends of Demeter and Persephone.

“In modern Celtic Wicca/Witchcraft, the Autumn Equinox also bids farewell to the Harvest Lord who in the mythos of some traditions was slain at the time of Lughnasadh (a festival marking the beginning of the Celtic harvest season).” [6]

Thus, non-initiates might not grasp the full meaning of what Enya was singing (and it’s not even in English language). Her lyrics also sound a lot like a chant seen on a popular Wiccan website:

“Goddess my shield, my encircler,

Each day, each night, each dark, each light … In my lying, in my standing, in my watching, in my sleeping. Goddess be my strength everlasting.”

5. China Roses

Who can tell me if we have heaven,

Who can say the way it should be;

Moonlight holly, the Sappho Comet,

Angel’s tears below a tree.

You talk of the break of morning

As you view the new aurora,

Cloud in crimson, the key of heaven,

One love carved in acajou.

One told me of China Roses,

One a thousand nights and one night,

Earth’s last picture, the end of evening

Hue of indigo and blue.

A new moon leads me to

Woods of dreams and I follow.

A new world waits for me;

My dream, my way.

This appears to be poetic, but even at that, she brings in some codes which her Pagan or Wiccan listeners can fully decipher.

The two archetypal forms of the horned god of witchcraft is: the Holly king and king Oak. In some traditions, the Holly king represents the bright form of the horned god.

“A thousand nights and one night” is an expression based on a Tarot emblem which typifies death.

Witches believe colour blue stands for devotion, harmony or love while indigo stands for wisdom, insight or spirituality.

Also, they believe the new moon signals new openings or beginnings. So, when Wiccans sight the new (crescent) moon, they begin their spells geared towards new pursuits.

6. May it Be

May it be an evening star

Shines down upon you

May it be when darkness falls

Your heart will be true

You walk a lonely road

Oh, how far you are from home

The evening star is a code for their goddess. She is also symbolized by the five pointed star or pentagram. A New Age and occult researcher, Deanna Conway, wrote:

“Pentacle, pentagram: five pointed star with one point up; symbol of the Goddess in all Her forms. In ancient Egypt, it was the star of Isis and Nephthys; in the Middle East, that of Ishtar. To the Celts it was the sign of the Morrigan. A sign of the Earth Element in Tarot … Repulsion of evil; protection.” [7]

7. La Sonadora

I; the autumn

I; the evening star

I have been an echo

I shall be a wave

I shall be the moon

I have been everything, I am myself

I; the summer

I; the ebony

I am the dreamer

Even though this was sung in Spanish, when you compare its English translation to a track titled “Deity” sung by Wendy Rule – who openly admits to being a witch – you can see the similarities.

It’s here

I’ve followed

A voice

To follow

I am the maiden

I am the mother

I’m the crone

I am the sea

I am the sky

I am the blood

I am the moon

This is not a coincidence. Both women drink from the same poisonous fountain of witchcraft.

8. Epona

Though this music is entirely instrumental, its title indicates who it was dedicated to.

Epona is the name of one of the dark forms of their goddess. Witches praise her as “the white mare, spirit of the wild” whose “hoofs beat on the sand.” A Wiccan scholar notes that:

“Among the Irish, a red horse signified death. Horse deities such as Epona, Medb (the goddess mare) of Tara, and Macha of Ulster (protector of horses) are chthonic divinities of the dead.” [8]

Many Christian fans of Enya – I expect – would argue that since they do not subscribe to pagan beliefs and their use of New Age music is only for the benign purpose of relaxation, these occultic influences can’t affect them. After all, Enya also has a song in which she made references to “God the Father”.

This line of argument may sound fine in theory, but practically, it is false and misplaced. Even in the light of the above evidence, such thinking is muddled and in denial.

The Bible expressly forbids the practice of enchantments (keshaphim) and trafficking in spirits in Deuteronomy 18:10-13.

The rendering of the Hebrew keshaphim is “muttered spells” or “incantations,” rendered “sorceries” in Isaiah 47:9 Isaiah 47:12 , i.e., the using of certain formulae under the belief that men could thus be bound.

God’s Word also forbids sorcery (Greek: pharmakeia) which includes physical objects or magick that impacts the human senses. Enya’s music (and the others like hers) are geared towards controlling people’s minds and bringing them in touch with the demonic.

Notes

[1] “New Age Music” https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/new-age-music

[2] Rachel Alexander, Myths, Symbols and Legends of Solar System Bodies, Springer: 2014, p. 190.

[3] https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/vela-constellation/

[4] Brian Campbell, Rivers and the Power of Ancient Rome, University of North Carolina Press 2012, p. 141.

[5] “I Refused Hell” transcript of Monday Romanus Ekeocha’s testimony. Christian Alive vol. 2 no. 14, (2006), p. 2.

[6] Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft, Raven Grimassi, Llewellyn, 2000, p. 37.

[7] Deena J. Conway, Maiden, Mother and Crone, St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2003, p. 179.

[8] Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft, p. 225

Examining the Qur’an’s claims of Bible Corruption

Below is a question I received from a member of this blog’s Facebook page. This question is germane to all Christian-Muslim discussions, therefore, I’ve expanded my response to Thomas for the purpose of this article.

Please is it true that the Quran explicitly says the Bible is corrupt as alleged by the Muslims?

The charge of Bible corruption is one that Muslims of all stripes perennially levy against Christians and Jews (some of them believe Romans were the culprits), but so far, not one Muslim has been able to specifically identify the people who altered the Bible, where it happened, how it happened and provide any evidence to back up their loud assertions.

The fact is, there is no place in the Quran where it explicitly states that the Bible has been textually altered, though it makes references to people (Jews and Christians) hiding, mistranslating and twisting the interpretation of the Bible.

I will proceed to quote ten of these passages and give a summary under each category.

Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes are taken from Mohammed Habib Shakir’s English translation of the Quran.

Sura 2:59 “But those who were unjust changed it for a saying other than that which had been spoken to them, so We sent upon those who were unjust a pestilence from heaven, because they transgressed.”

Sura 2:75 “Do you then hope that they would believe in you, and a party from among them indeed used to hear the Word of Allah, then altered it after they had understood it, and they know (this).

Sura 3:78 “There is among them, a section who distort the Book with their tongues as (they read), you would think it is part of the Book, but it is not part of the Book”

Sura 4:46 “Of those who are Jews (there are those who) alter words from their places and say: We have heard and we disobey and: Hear, may you not be made to hear! and: Raina, distorting (the word) with their tongues and taunting about religion; and if they had said (instead): We have heard and we obey, and hearken, and unzurna it would have been better for them and more upright; but Allah has cursed them on account of their unbelief, so they do not believe but a little.”

Sura 5:41 “O Messenger! let not those grieve you who strive together in hastening to unbelief from among those who say with their mouths: We believe, and their hearts do not believe, and from among those who are Jews; they are listeners for the sake of a lie, listeners for another people who have not come to you; they alter the words from their places, saying: If you are given this, take it, and if you are not given this, be cautious...”

You can see from all these passages that the allegation was that the “people of the Book” were twisting the Bible with their tongues, that is, misinterpreting it.

Not one of these passages ever accuses them of altering the text of the Book. The scenarios described were of people listening to the words flowing out of Muhammad’s mouth and reciting divergent accounts.

This shows that even the Quran affirmed the authenticity and inspiration of the Bible, since it indicated that those altering the Bible with their tongues were cursed and deluded people.

Thus, the Bible is given its proper place in the Quran as God’s Word – a stance that damages the Quran itself.

Other passages accuse Jews and Christians of hiding their Scriptures (which is the truth) from Muhammad:

Sura 3:71 “Ye people of the Book! Why do you clothe truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you have knowledge” (Ali)

Sura 2:140 “Nay! do you say that Ibrahim and Ismail and Yaqoub and the tribes were Jews or Christians? Say: Are you better knowing or Allah? And who is more unjust than he who conceals a testimony that he has from Allah? And Allah is not at all heedless of what you do.”

Sura 3:187 “And when Allah made a covenant with those who were given the Book: You shall certainly make it known to men and you shall not hide it; but they cast it behind their backs and took a small price for it; so evil is that which they buy”

Sura 5:13-15 “… We cursed them [the Jews] and made their hearts hard; they altered the words from their places and neglected a portion of what they were reminded of… And with those who say, ‘We are Christians’, we made a covenant but they neglected a portion of what they were reminded of … O followers of the Book! indeed Our Messenger has come to you making clear to you much of what you concealed of the Book and passing over much; indeed, there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah”

From all these verses, it’s clear that while the Quran accuses Jews and Christians of hiding, forgetting or neglecting a portion of the Bible, it never accuses them or anyone else of altering its texts.

This allegation was a convenient excuse Muhammad obviously rehashed to satisfy his narcissism, because he realized that the Jews and Christians rejected his fictionalized, redacted and spurious accounts of bible characters, so rather than admit his ignorance and lies, he blamed them for forgetting or hiding the portions of the Bible which he came to reveal.

Indeed, this was an utterly illogical and self-defeating charge. How could Muhammad who was illiterate know exactly which part of the Bible had been expunged, hidden or forgotten?

Again, why would followers of a faith alter their own sacred book? Can Muslims alter their own book? It doesn’t add up.

The only way out for Muhammad’s followers today is to admit that their guru lied: the Bible was not tampered with. And once a Muslim agrees with this, his faith in Islam must wane.

Finally, there is one passage that comes close to the Muslim’s charge, but it still doesn’t support their claims, if read carefully:

Sura 2:78-79 “And there are among them illiterates who know not the Book but only lies, and they do but conjecture. Woe then, to those who write the Book with their hands and then say: ‘This is from Allah’, so that they may take it a small price; therefore woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn”

First, this verse is too vague for any definitive conclusion. It makes a reference to a group of illiterates who don’t know the Bible. This couldn’t be Jews and Christians, since the same Quran says they knew their Scriptures and were literate (e.g. Sura 2:113).

Second, the passage is denouncing those who make a merchandise out of selling the scriptures. The Bible also denounces the same. Even today, there are Muslims who also alter and twist the meanings of Bible passages for pecuniary benefits.

Third, the verse is condemning this group of people, not what they had written. So by any means, the Quran still upholds the integrity and authenticity of the Bible, even while pronouncing woe on those who trade on it or alter it. So, this passage fails to support the Muslim claim.

It’s on this leverage that the Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne, Abdullah Saeed, wrote:

“If the texts (of the Bible) have remained more or less as they were in the 7th century, the reverence the Quran has shown them at that time should be retained even today. Many interpreters of the Quran from Tabari to Razi to Ibn Taymiyya, and even Qutb appear to share this view” (The Charge of Distortion of Jewish and Christian Scriptures in the Muslim World, Volume 92, 2002, 434).

The idea that Christians or Jews physically altered the Bible wasn’t known in the days of Muhammed until about 400 years after his time. The charge of Bible corruption (tahrif) was made up by Ibn Hazm (Khazm) in the 11th century A.D. in a bid to explain the startling differences between the content of the Bible and their Quran.

It’s still the same deluded mindset from Muhammad at work: the Bible which the Quran desperately appeals to for legitimacy must be “wrong” for their Quran to be “right.”