WEBVTT 00:00.540 --> 00:05.040 Years ago, I noticed that Muslims around the world were asking the exact same 00:05.040 --> 00:07.200 question in exactly the same words. 00:07.400 --> 00:11.000 I would go to California, and a Muslim would ask me, Where did Jesus say, 00:11.200 --> 00:12.280 I am God, worship me? 00:12.400 --> 00:16.900 I'd go to London, and a Muslim would ask me, Where did Jesus say, I am God, 00:17.040 --> 00:17.560 worship me? 00:17.780 --> 00:22.780 I'd get messages from Muslims in Pakistan and Indonesia saying, Where did Jesus say, 00:22.920 --> 00:24.280 I am God, worship me? 00:24.920 --> 00:30.320 So it was clear that Muslims were being trained to ask Christians, Where did Jesus 00:30.320 --> 00:31.680 say, I am God, worship me? 00:31.920 --> 00:36.360 And if you watch some lectures by Muslim apologists, you can see them telling 00:36.360 --> 00:38.200 Muslims to ask this question. 00:38.720 --> 00:44.520 Now, before we continue, let me ask you, Where did Jesus say, I am God, 00:44.960 --> 00:45.500 worship me? 00:47.280 --> 00:51.360 If some of the classic proof texts for the deity of Christ are popping into your 00:51.360 --> 00:53.520 head, you're going to run into a problem. 00:53.820 --> 00:58.080 Because if a Muslim asks, Where did Jesus say, I am God, worship me? 00:58.220 --> 01:02.520 and you reply by showing that Jesus claimed to be the I Am of the Exodus, 01:02.840 --> 01:07.700 that same Muslim has also been trained to say, No, I asked you where he said, 01:08.000 --> 01:10.500 I am God, worship me, in those words. 01:11.120 --> 01:14.660 You see, Muslims aren't being trained simply to ask the question. 01:14.920 --> 01:17.860 They're being trained to demand exact words. 01:18.340 --> 01:22.080 You Christians say that Jesus is God, and that we're supposed to worship him. 01:22.080 --> 01:27.300 If you can't show us where Jesus said, I am God, worship me, in those exact 01:27.300 --> 01:29.720 words, you're clearly wrong about Jesus. 01:30.520 --> 01:34.800 So, before you offer a case for the deity of Christ, you might need to deal with the 01:34.800 --> 01:37.840 exact words criterion, which is a silly criterion. 01:38.420 --> 01:43.240 In fact, the easiest way to get past the exact words criterion is to flip it back 01:43.240 --> 01:44.320 on whoever's using it. 01:44.720 --> 01:49.580 For instance, you can say, I'd be happy to show you where Jesus said, I am God, 01:49.720 --> 01:54.520 worship me, as soon as you show me where he said, I'm only a prophet, don't worship 01:54.520 --> 01:56.160 me, in those exact words. 01:56.260 --> 01:56.980 No other words. 01:57.080 --> 02:00.320 I want just the words, I'm only a prophet, don't worship me. 02:00.440 --> 02:02.680 That's what Muslims believe about Jesus, right? 02:03.000 --> 02:08.100 Well, if you can't show me those exact words, the Islamic view of Jesus must be 02:08.100 --> 02:08.400 false. 02:08.720 --> 02:13.080 Or you can say, show me where Jesus said, I am the virgin-born son of Mary, 02:13.220 --> 02:14.500 in those exact words. 02:14.600 --> 02:18.720 You can use the Bible or the Quran, but I want those exact words, or Islam is 02:18.720 --> 02:18.980 false. 02:19.660 --> 02:23.700 This will help show that demanding specific words is absurd. 02:24.080 --> 02:28.180 The fact that so many Muslims use this approach—an approach that, if applied 02:28.180 --> 02:32.680 consistently, could be used against Islam—strongly suggests that Islamic 02:32.680 --> 02:35.200 apologetics isn't meant to get people to the truth. 02:35.380 --> 02:36.640 It's meant to confuse. 02:37.420 --> 02:41.540 Once we get past the exact words criterion, we can ask a much more 02:41.540 --> 02:42.640 reasonable question. 02:43.020 --> 02:45.580 Where and how did Jesus claim to be God? 02:46.140 --> 02:49.160 And here we can look at all kinds of interesting passages. 02:49.880 --> 02:53.720 But when you start going through these passages with your Muslim friends, 02:53.940 --> 02:56.100 you're going to run into a second problem. 02:57.820 --> 02:58.380 Reinterpretation. 02:59.140 --> 03:03.360 If someone believes that Jesus never claimed to be God, and you show him a 03:03.360 --> 03:07.720 passage where Jesus claimed to be God, there's a tendency for him to reinterpret 03:07.720 --> 03:11.680 any claims that conflict with what he already believes about Jesus. 03:12.460 --> 03:16.120 Fortunately, there's a way to block reinterpretations of some of these 03:16.120 --> 03:20.920 passages, because, according to both the Bible and the Quran, there are certain 03:20.920 --> 03:23.420 claims that only God can truly make. 03:23.900 --> 03:28.060 For instance, God alone can correctly state that he created the universe. 03:28.520 --> 03:32.360 A mere human being can say the words, I created the universe, but the statement 03:32.360 --> 03:35.240 would be false, coming from anyone other than God. 03:35.720 --> 03:40.620 So, if Jesus said things that can only truly be said by God, we have to conclude 03:40.620 --> 03:42.500 that Jesus claimed to be God. 03:43.280 --> 03:47.340 Interestingly, Jews, Christians, and Muslims agree on many of the claims 03:47.340 --> 03:49.160 that can only truly be made by God. 03:49.580 --> 03:50.480 Let's look at a few. 03:55.930 --> 04:01.270 Surah 57, verse 3 of the Quran, refers to Allah as the first and the last. 04:01.470 --> 04:04.450 The first and the last are two of Allah's ninety-nine names. 04:04.970 --> 04:10.030 The Old Testament agrees that God is the first and the last, as we read in the book 04:10.030 --> 04:13.150 of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 44, verse 6. 04:13.830 --> 04:18.190 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, 04:18.650 --> 04:22.930 I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me. 04:23.630 --> 04:28.910 When LORD is written in all caps in the Old Testament, the term refers to Yahweh, 04:29.010 --> 04:30.170 the creator of the universe. 04:30.970 --> 04:35.470 So, both the Bible and the Quran refer to God as the first and the last, 04:35.470 --> 04:40.330 since the first and the last is one of God's titles, should a mere prophet be 04:40.330 --> 04:42.090 calling himself the first and the last? 04:42.490 --> 04:47.630 That's exactly what Jesus does in Revelation chapter 1, verses 17 to 18, 04:47.710 --> 04:51.990 where he says, Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last, and the 04:51.990 --> 04:52.470 living one. 04:52.610 --> 04:57.570 And I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death 04:57.570 --> 04:58.290 and of Hades. 04:59.310 --> 05:01.090 Reinterpret that one, Muslims. 05:01.650 --> 05:05.670 Tell me what Jesus really meant when he took a title, which can only be applied to 05:05.670 --> 05:07.790 God, and applied it to himself. 05:12.810 --> 05:17.890 Human beings sin against one another, but there's a sense in which all sin is 05:17.890 --> 05:18.950 rebellion against God. 05:19.530 --> 05:23.150 Similarly, even though you and I may forgive one another for the wrongs we 05:23.150 --> 05:25.810 commit, only God can offer ultimate forgiveness. 05:26.290 --> 05:30.970 So, the prophet David could say to God, in Psalm 51, verse 4, Against you, 05:31.250 --> 05:34.230 you only, I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight. 05:34.750 --> 05:38.290 The Qur'an agrees that ultimate forgiveness belongs to God alone, 05:38.410 --> 05:43.990 for it asks, in Surah 3, verse 135, And who can forgive sins except Allah? 05:44.670 --> 05:48.890 Now, if Allah, according to the Qur'an, is the only one who can offer true 05:48.890 --> 05:52.890 forgiveness, should a mere prophet claim to be able to forgive sins? 05:53.550 --> 05:57.390 In Mark 2, a paralyzed man is brought to Jesus in order to be healed. 05:58.070 --> 06:02.170 Jesus' response causes the religious leaders to accuse him of blasphemy. 06:02.170 --> 06:07.210 We read, in verses 5 through 12, And Jesus, seeing their faith, 06:07.310 --> 06:10.070 said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven. 06:10.550 --> 06:13.570 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 06:13.770 --> 06:15.530 Why does this man speak that way? 06:15.710 --> 06:16.870 He is blaspheming. 06:17.070 --> 06:19.010 Who can forgive sins but God alone? 06:19.510 --> 06:23.350 Immediately Jesus, aware in his spirit that they were reasoning that way within 06:23.350 --> 06:27.090 themselves, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your 06:27.090 --> 06:27.430 hearts? 06:27.750 --> 06:32.230 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, 06:32.510 --> 06:34.510 Get up and pick up your pallet and walk? 06:35.270 --> 06:39.410 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive 06:39.410 --> 06:44.190 sins, he said to the paralytic, I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet 06:44.190 --> 06:44.870 and go home. 06:45.030 --> 06:48.870 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of 06:48.870 --> 06:53.990 everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, We have never 06:53.990 --> 06:55.410 seen anything like this. 06:56.370 --> 07:00.970 The scribes correctly recognized that only God can forgive sins. 07:01.270 --> 07:05.390 Yet Jesus, who referred to himself as the Son of Man, knowing their thoughts, 07:05.770 --> 07:09.490 replied that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. 07:09.770 --> 07:14.050 He then healed the paralytic, proving that he has authority to forgive our sins— 07:14.050 --> 07:18.090 something the Qur'an says only Allah has authority to do. 07:23.270 --> 07:28.430 In chapter 3 of the book of the prophet Joel, God declares that the nations will 07:28.430 --> 07:32.450 be gathered, and that he will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 07:33.110 --> 07:37.630 According to the prophet David, in Psalm 9, verses 7 to 8, the Lord abides 07:37.630 --> 07:38.050 forever. 07:38.490 --> 07:42.450 He has established his throne for judgment, and he will judge the world in 07:42.450 --> 07:42.830 righteousness. 07:43.830 --> 07:50.130 The Qur'an, in Surah 22, verses 56 to 57, maintains that Allah will judge the world, 07:50.470 --> 07:52.750 rewarding believers and punishing unbelievers. 07:52.750 --> 07:55.410 The kingdom on that day shall be Allah's. 07:55.690 --> 07:56.910 He will judge between them. 07:57.230 --> 08:00.550 So those who believe and do good will be in gardens of bliss. 08:00.930 --> 08:05.170 And as for those who disbelieve in and reject our communications, these it is who 08:05.170 --> 08:07.210 shall have a disgraceful chastisement. 08:07.990 --> 08:12.290 Since God is the final judge, according to both the Bible and the Qur'an, 08:12.610 --> 08:16.330 would a mere prophet ever claim to be the final judge of all people? 08:16.930 --> 08:17.810 Certainly not. 08:17.890 --> 08:22.770 But that's what Jesus claims in Matthew 25, where he says, in verses 31 to 32, 08:23.550 --> 08:28.090 But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, 08:28.450 --> 08:30.690 then he will sit on his glorious throne. 08:31.130 --> 08:34.930 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one 08:34.930 --> 08:38.590 another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 08:39.710 --> 08:44.530 Jesus goes on to say that he will admit certain people to heaven and cast others 08:44.530 --> 08:45.110 into hell. 08:45.670 --> 08:48.090 Isn't this something only God can do? 08:48.870 --> 08:52.510 Why would a mere prophet say something like that? 08:57.560 --> 09:03.500 In Psalm 31, verse 5, the prophet David refers to God as the God of truth. 09:03.960 --> 09:08.060 According to Surah 22, verse 6 of the Qur 'an, Allah is the truth. 09:08.380 --> 09:13.040 The truth—al-Haqq, like the first and the last—is one of Allah's ninety-nine names. 09:13.800 --> 09:19.060 Knowing that God refers to himself as the truth, would a prophet ever call himself 09:19.060 --> 09:19.780 the truth? 09:20.500 --> 09:25.700 Jesus does, in John 14, verse 6, where he says, I am the way and the truth 09:25.700 --> 09:26.420 and the life. 09:26.760 --> 09:29.100 No one comes to the Father but through me. 09:30.100 --> 09:34.840 Don't you Muslims find it strange that Jesus keeps applying the names of God to 09:34.840 --> 09:35.320 himself? 09:40.650 --> 09:44.810 The Bible and the Qur'an agree that God is the one who will raise the dead. 09:45.350 --> 09:50.270 According to 1 Samuel 2, verse 6, the Lord kills and makes alive. 09:50.510 --> 09:53.190 He brings down to Sheol and raises up. 09:54.010 --> 09:59.670 Similarly, in Surah 22, verse 7, the Qur'an says that Allah shall raise up 09:59.670 --> 10:01.290 those who are in the graves. 10:01.990 --> 10:06.970 Since God is the one who raises the dead at the resurrection, would we ever expect 10:06.970 --> 10:10.970 a mere prophet to tell his followers that he will resurrect the dead? 10:11.570 --> 10:17.410 In John 5, verses 25 through 29, Jesus says, Truly, truly, I say to you, 10:17.470 --> 10:21.350 an hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the 10:21.350 --> 10:23.870 Son of God, and those who hear will live. 10:24.150 --> 10:28.470 For just as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also 10:28.470 --> 10:29.770 to have life in himself. 10:30.030 --> 10:34.410 And he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 10:34.790 --> 10:38.550 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs 10:38.550 --> 10:42.910 will hear his voice, and will come forth—those who did the good deeds to a 10:42.910 --> 10:47.530 resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of 10:47.530 --> 10:47.950 judgment. 10:48.670 --> 10:53.830 In John 11, verse 25, Jesus even calls himself the Resurrection. 10:54.250 --> 10:56.890 He declares, I am the resurrection and the life. 10:57.090 --> 11:00.250 He who believes in me will live, even if he dies. 11:01.010 --> 11:04.990 If Jesus is only a prophet, wouldn't this be blasphemy? 11:10.420 --> 11:16.000 The Qur'an tells us, in Surah 57, verse 1, that whatever is in the heavens 11:16.000 --> 11:18.640 and the earth declares the glory of Allah. 11:19.360 --> 11:24.380 In the Old Testament, we find that God will not share his glory with anyone. 11:24.580 --> 11:29.440 God says, in Isaiah 42, verse 8, I am the Lord, that is my name. 11:29.660 --> 11:32.040 I will not give my glory to another. 11:32.980 --> 11:37.040 Clearly, no prophet is going to say that he will be glorified with God, 11:37.220 --> 11:40.980 let alone that he had glory with God before the world was created. 11:41.380 --> 11:47.480 But in John 17, verse 5, Jesus says, Now, Father, glorify me together with 11:47.480 --> 11:51.760 yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was. 11:52.740 --> 11:55.340 Is this the sort of thing prophets say? 12:00.730 --> 12:04.890 In Mark 2, 28, Jesus calls himself the Lord of the Sabbath. 12:05.190 --> 12:09.650 In Matthew 22, 41 to 45, he proves that he is the Lord of the prophet David. 12:09.970 --> 12:14.390 In John 8, 39 to 58, Jesus says that he has seen the prophet Abraham. 12:14.670 --> 12:18.810 In Matthew 12, 6, Jesus claims to be greater than God's temple. 12:19.570 --> 12:24.030 Jesus tells us that he has an absolutely unique relationship with the Father, 12:24.230 --> 12:28.630 that he can answer prayers, that he is present wherever his followers are 12:28.630 --> 12:33.170 gathered, that he has all authority in heaven and on earth, and that he is with 12:33.170 --> 12:34.330 his followers forever. 12:34.810 --> 12:39.530 He even makes the startling declaration that all things that the Father has are 12:39.530 --> 12:39.950 mine. 12:40.830 --> 12:45.310 According to Jesus, all people must honor him just as we honor the Father. 12:45.530 --> 12:51.410 He says in John 5, verses 21 to 23, For just as the Father raises the dead and 12:51.410 --> 12:55.210 gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he wishes. 12:55.530 --> 12:59.770 For not even the Father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, 13:00.110 --> 13:03.590 so that all will honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. 13:03.870 --> 13:07.530 He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 13:08.810 --> 13:14.430 Since one of the ways we honor the Father is by worshiping him, and since Jesus says 13:14.430 --> 13:19.250 that we have to honor the Son the same way we honor the Father, Jesus was demanding 13:19.250 --> 13:19.690 worship. 13:20.190 --> 13:24.330 It should come as no surprise that Jesus' followers worshiped him on numerous 13:24.330 --> 13:24.890 occasions. 13:25.290 --> 13:28.870 The Gospel tells us that Jesus was worshiped shortly after his birth, 13:29.090 --> 13:32.690 during his ministry, after his resurrection but before his ascension to 13:32.690 --> 13:35.190 heaven, and after his ascension to heaven. 13:35.790 --> 13:41.810 Jesus' disciple Thomas even addressed him, in John 20, verse 28, as, my Lord and my 13:41.810 --> 13:42.250 God. 13:43.690 --> 13:46.890 So, where did Jesus say, I am God, worship me? 13:47.190 --> 13:52.090 As we've seen, Jesus claimed to be the first and the last, the forgiver of sins, 13:52.350 --> 13:55.170 the final judge, the truth, and the resurrection. 13:55.690 --> 13:59.330 Jesus proclaimed that he had glory with the Father before the world was created, 13:59.330 --> 14:03.610 that he is the Lord of the Sabbath and of King David, that he had seen Abraham, 14:04.050 --> 14:06.310 and that he is greater than God's temple. 14:06.870 --> 14:09.470 Jesus has a unique relationship with the Father. 14:09.730 --> 14:10.670 He can answer prayers. 14:10.950 --> 14:13.070 He is with his followers, no matter where they are. 14:13.330 --> 14:15.790 He has total authority on earth and in heaven. 14:16.070 --> 14:19.030 He is with his followers forever, and he owns everything. 14:19.510 --> 14:22.890 Jesus even demanded that he be honored just as the Father is honored, 14:23.090 --> 14:24.570 and this includes worship. 14:25.510 --> 14:28.230 These are not the claims of a mere human being. 14:28.910 --> 14:31.530 They're not even the claims of a mighty prophet. 14:32.490 --> 14:35.370 These are claims only God can truly make. 14:36.570 --> 14:39.910 And this is why Christians believe that Jesus is God. 14:41.030 --> 14:45.130 Since there's just too much to reinterpret here, if you want to claim that Jesus was 14:45.130 --> 14:50.350 only a prophet, our Muslim friends will now have to insist that the Bible's been 14:50.350 --> 14:50.750 corrupted. 14:51.530 --> 14:56.770 Unfortunately for our Muslim friends, I made this video, proving that the Qur'an 14:56.770 --> 15:00.130 affirms the inspiration, preservation, and authority of our Scriptures. 15:00.790 --> 15:04.830 Click the video to see Allah commanding Christians to judge by the Scriptures we 15:04.830 --> 15:09.190 have, and you'll understand that, because the Scriptures we have proclaim 15:09.190 --> 15:14.930 the deity of Christ in numerous ways, we can't obey the Qur'an without rejecting 15:14.930 --> 15:15.550 the Qur'an.