Islam versus Christianity. 11 things Muslims believe differently than Christians. Whether you're watching this and you are a Muslim, this will give you a contrast between what Christians believe and what you believe. Or maybe you're a Christian and you want to know what your Muslim friends or neighbors or just people in generally who are in Muslim faith, what they believe. This will give you a good contrast between these two faiths. Now the key statistics on Islam. There's over 2 billion Muslims in the world, as of 2024. Islam began in 610 AD, when Prophet Muhammad is said to have received his first revelation from Angel Gabriel. By 714 AD, 104 years later after Islam began, Islamic empire covered roughly 5.79 million square miles, from Spain to India. So it rapidly started to expand. Indonesia currently is the world's largest Muslim country with 242 million Muslims. There are roughly 50 Muslim majority countries in the world. In America there's about 3.4 million Muslims and Islam is the second largest religion in the world, behind Christianity. Now I'm not going to dive in today into the rise of Muhammad and all of that stuff. What we're going to talk about is the core belief systems that are different from Muslims and Christians. Number one is the holy books. Islam says that the holy book is Quran. Muslims believe that Quran was dictated word for word to one man, the Prophet Muhammad, in the Arabic language by angel Gabriel in Arabia over the period of 22 years. And it takes precedent over the Bible according to Muslims because the Bible has been corrupted by Jews and Christians. Now what Christianity believes is the Bible is the Word of God. It was not dictated, but it was given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It was combined with the personalities of the human recipients of that revelation, to over 40 authors writing in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek in Israel and Mesopotamia, over the period of 1,400 years from mid-1,400 years BC to roughly 100 AD. And for Christians, it's the final rule of faith and practice. Interestingly that the hero of Christian faith, Jesus Christ, did not physically write any books. Even though all the books point to him. The Old Testament is Christ concealed. The New Testament is Jesus revealed. The second difference is God and Oneness. Islam says Allah God is absolutely one. There is no Trinity. He has no son. According to Christians, God is three, yet He is One. It's an unexplainable Trinity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This is one of the biggest contrasts and if you ever get into any conversations with known Muslims, this is the biggest tripping point for a lot of Muslims. How do you believe as Christians in One God, yet it seems like you have three Gods? Christians don't believe in three Gods. They believe in one God, yet in three persons. Illustration that I like to use, it's completely not a perfect illustration but I live in a city that's called Tri-Cities. So it's three cities but it's one Tri-Cities. so I live in Kenwick. there's Pasco and then there is Richland. If you go to Kenwick where I live, it's Tri Cities. If you go to Pasco, it's Tri Cities. If you go to Richland, it's Tri Cities. But Richland is not Pasco, Pasco is not Richland and Kenwick is not Pasco. So they're different. There's different personality. The Bible says that we have the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Yet they are One. So one God in three Persons. For me as a Christian, though I cannot fully comprehend that but that's not the only thing I don't comprehend. I also don't comprehend how brown cow, can eat green grass and produce white milk, but I still drink milk. But what I enjoy and appreciate the fact that my God is not lonely. My God, there's a relationship within Him, and He actually teaches us as humans, you know like the family unit. Father, mother and a child. That's three and that becomes a family unit, and He teaches us as humans how to relate to each other, why? Because the three Persons within the Trinity, they love each other, they honor each other, and they're a perfect example how for us as Christians also to relate to each other and to be as one as He is One. The doctrine of Trinity is one of those things Christians couldn't come up with even if they tried. It makes God, God and us humans. The third difference between Islam and Christianity is God and love. Islam does not have a God who loves sinners. Christianity has God who loves sinners. In the Christian faith, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. In Islam faith, Allah didn't send his son to die and he doesn't love sinners. He punishes them. Fourth difference is God as a "Father." In Islam, Allah is not father. He's unknowable. You can't know him intimately. In Christianity, God is the Father. Not of all humans but of all humans who are redeemed through Jesus, the Messiah. The fifth difference is revelation of God. In Islam, Allah has not revealed himself to humanity. In Christianity, God has revealed Himself to humanity through Jesus, Messiah. God has come down to us. We couldn't reach Him, He reached us. He took on the human nature. He didn't stop being God. He didn't forsake His divinity but He embraced humanity, lived among us, showed us the way and died for our sins. Sixth difference is destiny and decrees. In Islam, Allah decrees all that happens. In Christianity, especially in Armenian version of the Christianity that I'm a part of, not necessarily maybe reformed Christianity of course. God doesn't decree all that happens. Humans and Satan do exercise their free will and influence the course of world events. God didn't make us robots and this brainless, aimless human beings that are controlled. God gave us a free will and we can exercise that, and a lot of things that we see happen in the world today is not because God wills it so. But because there is evil, there is Satan and he still has a choice and a will that he exercises, though God puts restraints and restrictions, and God has control and sovereignty over this earth but God does not make robots. Number seven difference and that is Jesus or according to Islam is Isa. In Islam, Isa Jesus is not God's son. He's not divine, he doesn't go to the cross, because how could a prophet of Allah die so disgracefully? In Islam, he is viewed as a prophet but not divine, not God's son and he didn't die on the cross. In Christianity, Jesus is God's Son, fully God and fully human, and He did die on the cross and He was raised bodily from the dead after three days. And we have assurance of our resurrection because He rose from the dead. He was the only one who didn't have sin, death couldn't hold Him. He rose from the dead. You can go to Israel today and find empty tombs. In fact you can find more than one empty tomb of Jesus. They're all empty because He's no longer there. It's the only faith whose founder has an empty tomb. The eighth difference is Jesus's return. In Islam, Isa Jesus will return to earth as a Muslim at the Second Coming. He will get married, he will have children, he will convert all Christians to Islam. Some traditions say he will destroy the Jews, break all the crosses and rule as the king of the Muslims. He will kill all swine, die and be buried alongside Muhammad in Medina. In Christianity, Jesus will return to earth in a physical but immortal, never dying body and will rule the planet from Jerusalem for a thousand years and then forever. The nineth difference is the Holy Spirit. In Islam the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel. In Christianity the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. Many times He is mentioned. Even Jesus said, I will send another, one of the same kind. We baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We see constant reference to the Person of the Holy Spirit throughout the Old, the New Testaments. The 10th difference is creation of Adam and Eve. In Islam, Adam was created weak, that is imperfect. In Christianity, Adam was created perfect but then he fell because of sin, and last difference is going to heaven. In Islam no one is guaranteed entrance into heaven, not even the prophet Muhammad. People must do works and then hope for the best. In Christianity, heaven is guaranteed through faith in Jesus Christ. Human works do not help you enter heaven, and why is that? Because according to the Bible all of us have fallen short of the glory of God, meaning we don't measure up. It's kind of like trying to swim from Seattle to Hawaii. Even if you are the most professional swimmer in the world and you have Olympic gold medals, you are going to drown trying to swim to Hawaii. But if you take the airplane, you can arrive in Hawaii. And so we ourselves because of our fallen nature and because of the sin that we've committed in Adam and continuously commit of our own volition, we do not measure up for God's standards. Therefore God provided an airplane, meaning He provided us a way to have a relationship with Him and that is He took our sin and He let someone else pay for those sins. You may say, why would God not just put them under the carpet? Because He would stop being God. If Islam God is true then he has to judge sin and if he judges everyone's sin, then no muslim and no human being will ever enter paradise. And if this God Allah doesn't judge sin, then he's corrupt. He's not just. You know we have court systems and judges that take bribes. Judges that do not execute justice are called corrupt judges. So then this God is corrupt. So the only way that God can stay just is if He punishes sin. But God found a way and that is His Son Jesus that took our sin upon Himself so God can forgive an offender like me and you. A rebel, a sinner and we know we're sinners. We even say that nobody's perfect because we know that inside of us our own conscience judges us that we are wrong. So God knows that as well and He will judge us for that sin but He chose Jesus to take that place, on the cross, so that we can have the gift from God, the gift of salvation. It's not of works, lest any man should boast. One of the writers of the New Testament says, and therefore there's many ways to hell. There's only one way to heaven. It's kind of like to Hawaii. You know there's many ways you can drown on the way there but there's only one way you arrive there, and that is you know through the airplane or through the ship. And that airplane, that ship is Jesus. You may say, why is it Jesus? Because He's the only one that was perfect. He said He was perfect. He said He had no sin. Nobody ever said that, and even His accuser, Judas who betrayed Him said, I betrayed innocent blood. Pilate, the guy that signed his death warrant said, I wash my hands of this Man's blood. He hasn't done anything wrong. Jesus took my sin and your sin upon Himself and He died because of our sin, so that you can be forgiven of that sin. You cannot go to heaven without your sin being dealt with. If there is a God, He must be just and if He is just you're screwed. It's over for you. It's over for me. Unless somebody else pays the bill and Somebody else did pay the bill. His name is Jesus, and that's why I'm a Christian, because to me this is the only faith that makes sense. If there is a God, He must be just. If He is just, my sin will be paid for, but my God is not just just, He's also loving, very merciful, and He gave His Son so that I can have a chance at redemption. I'm a rebel. I opposed God's will. I ran against Him. Everything in me fought against Him, but God reached me through His Son, gave me the forgiveness. And now when I repent and place my trust in Jesus, it's like me getting on the airplane, and now I can reach Hawaii or I can reach heaven. And His Holy Spirit now lives in me, helps me to be more like Jesus and live for God. If you're watching this video today and maybe you're a Muslim, and this is the first time that you heard somebody explain why Christians believe what they believe and what is the difference and you would like to become a Christian, let me know, send me an email. Go to pastorvlad.org/testimony. You can pray this prayer out loud right there where you are, and I believe that if you mean it from the bottom of your heart, Jesus will come to live in your heart, He will forgive you of your sin and you will have peace with God. Not because you're trying harder but because you're trusting in Jesus for what He did on the cross for you. Every religion in the world says do. Jesus said it is finished. It's done. We receive that. We don't strive, we receive the gift of salvation and then we live for the Lord. We live to please Him because we become His family. So right there where you are, pray this prayer with me, say Lord Jesus Christ, I believe You are the Son of God. You died on that cross according to the Scriptures from my sin. You were buried and You rose again. I believe You're coming back. I repent of my sin. I put my full trust, not in myself but in what you did on that cross. Forgive me Jesus, wash me with Your precious blood, give me the gift of eternal life and fill me with the Holy Spirit, amen. The Bible says if we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart, God forgives us, we become saved. Find a Bible, begin to read God's Word, and let me know if you prayed that prayer and you were a Muslim. I would love to celebrate with you. Welcome to the family of God. For those of you watching and maybe you got to the end of this video and you are a Muslim. Let me know in the comments below, did I represent your faith accurately? If I miss something. I try to be as accurate as possible. My goal is not to disrespect your religion. My goal is to show the differences between what we believe and why we believe that, and to give you the opportunity to place your trust in Jesus Christ. God bless you, until next time.