Last week they had the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. This is a  pilgrimage to Mecca that every good Muslim must do at least once in their lifetime. It is a 5 day event, and about 5 million people attend annually. They come from all over the world. No non-Muslims are allowed in Mecca.

Below is a list that shows the countries where it is illegal for Jews to enter. The Media and the left have made a lot of noise about President Trump’s temporary travel ban. They have accused him of baning Muslims from traveling to America, The travel ban only bans travel from countries that are steeped in terrorism, and where we cannot get the information to properly vet the people.  Here is a list of countries that do not allow Jews to enter their countries:

Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Algeria, Bangladesh, Duane, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan, The Untied Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia.

Those against the travel ban say that it is racist. Islam is not a race, it is a religious ideology. These countries that ban Jews are racist because they ban Jews, no matter what their religion, and all Jews do not follow Judaism.

Let me get back on subject. The center point of the Hajj is the Kaaba, a cube shaped building in Mecca. Muslims circumambulate the Kaaba 7 times. Muslims believe that Abraham and Ishmael built it. They refer to it as the womb of the world. The inside is adorned with red velvet, symbolizing the womb. On the south-east corner of the outside there is a black rock encased in a silver mounting designed to look like a woman’s reproductive part.

The black rock is a meteorite. Muslims believe that Adam descended  out of Heaven on this rock. They believe that this is where mankind began. They believe that if they can touch or kiss that rock, their sins will be forgiven. They go on the Hajj to get their sins forgiven, although they have no guarantee that Allah will forgive them.

With 5 million  people doing the Hajj, it is quite packed around the Kaaba. People are often crushed to death.

Once they have finished circumambulating the Kaaba, they go out into the wilderness and meditate through the night. When they come back to town in the morning, they will pick up 21 stones. There are 3 pillars which they believe represents the Devil. They will throw these stones at the Devil to stone him.

After this, they come to what is called Eid ul-Adha. This was celebrated by Muslims around the world just last week. If they didn’t go on the Hajj, they still celebrate this feast. Thousands and thousands of sheep and goats are slaughter for this feast. The idea behind this is that Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son, who the Muslims believe was Ishmael, and a ram was offered as a substitute.

You know the story of Abraham taking Sarah’s servant Hagar and having a son by her. He was Abraham’s first born son, but he was not the son of promise. This was the second most cataclysmic event in the Bible. It started a serious of catastrophic events that are still affecting us today. The reason there is no peace in the Middle East today is because of this. From the time of Abraham, to this very day, there has bee a family feud between the Ismaelites and the descendants of Issac, the Jews.

The Arabs are descendants of Ishmael, as was Muhammad. All of Muhammad’s prophecies were turned toward the benefit of Ishmael, and take away the birthright promised to Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah. I want us to understand that Muslims believe that Ishmael was the son sacrificed by Abraham.

Muslims around the world just celebrated this event. They miss the most important part of the sacrifice. They have no understanding of the substitute provided. The story of Abraham’s offering of Isaac is one of the great pictures of the Gospel in the Old Testament. It is also a great  picture of faith. The faith of Abraham was being challenged. We also see the faith of Isaac, willingly laying down his life. The faith of Abraham was that he believed that, even if he killed his son on the altar, God would still keep his promise. Be believed that both he and the lad would come back down the mountain.

And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. (Genesis 22:5)

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten [son], Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God [was] able to raise [him] up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

When Abraham raised the knife to kill his son, angel of God stopped him, and a ram was offered as a substitute. This is a  picture of Jesus Christ being the substitute offered on the cross for our sins. It is also interesting to hear Abraham’s answer to a question asked by Isaac.

And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:7-8)

You will notice the wording of the answer. He did not say “God, himself, will provide a lamb.” He said, “God will provide himself a lamb.” A lamb was not provided at this time, it was a ram. The lamb was the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.”

The only thing that can pay for the sins of mankind is a perfect blood sacrifice. It could not be the blood of bulls and goats, it had to be a perfect man’s blood.

For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (Hebrews 10:4)

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18-19)

We thank God for the harmony of the Bible. We pray that all men will see the truth and turn to God for their salvation.