Kaaba Stone

Dr. Couch, what is the Kaaba stone in Mecca?

ANSWER: The word Kaaba means "a cube." It is a huge black box that has been rebuilt ten times. According to Muslims it was handed down at the dawn of history by angels from heaven, to Adam, Seth, Abraham, and to Ishmael, Hagar's son. The "black box" is over a rectangular stone which is forty feet long by thirty-five feet wide, by fifty feet. This is a black stone of dark red material, oval in shape, which is kissed by the faithful.

Within the Kaaba, in pre-Muslim days, it contained several gods, one of which was called Allah, who was probably a tribal god, but also included three others who were the daughters of Allah: Uzza, al-Lar, and Manah. The historian Herodotus says al-Lar was a major Arabian deity. Allah was pushed forward and worshiped as a chief god.

No unbeliever shall ever put his foot in Mecca. In 629 Muslims from Medina came to Mecca and circled the Kaaba seven times shouting "There is no god but Allah alone!"


Thanks for asking,
-- Dr. Mal Couch (5/11)

Islam or Rome?

Dr. Couch, I have heard some say that Daniel's fourth empire is Islam not Rome. They quoted Justin Martyr and Iranaeus to prove their point. What do you say?

ANSWER: Some rabbinical scholars say the same thing. They say the fourth empire in Daniel 7:7 is not Rome but the powers of present Islam. They actually say it is Edom which represents the Arabs of present day Jordan, and thus pictures the Islamic peoples. This is not an uncommon view for some Jewish interpreters.

However, the more common view is that Rome is represented here and not Islam. The reason is that this is a united "beast" and not a conglomeration of Arabic peoples gathered under the umbrella of Islam. Verse 23 says "The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom (not a collection of peoples) on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it." This beast is also made up of "ten horns and ten kings" (v. 24).

The description of this kingdom is spelled out in 2:40-43. This does not seem to be a religious movement such as Islam but a distinct nation. While the word "Rome" is not in any of the passages, all evidence leads to the great power that follows Greece, the Roman Empire. I believe the most common view follows history, and that would make this great power Rome not simply the forces of Arabic nations driven by the Islamic religion.

There is no doubt that Muslims will play a key role in the tribulation but so will other forces and powers and nations that are not mentioned in Scripture. The best view still remains Rome!

Thanks for asking.
—Dr. Mal Couch (4/11)

Mosque by Trade Towers

Dr. Couch, what do you think of the issue of building the mosque near the fallen trade towers? ANSWER:  While I don't like it, there are far greater issues that we all seem to be afraid of addressing. How did millions of Muslims get into America when we were all not looking? Why did generations of Americans in the past realize that this would not happen to our population? What did they know that we do not understand?    For generations we had immigration quotas in place. The doors were open to northern and western European immigrants but limits were placed on those coming from other nations. You may ask, but is that not prejudicial? No, it was wise because they realized that you cannot mix peoples from extremely different cultures and religions. You will water down our heritage and destroy our cultural base.    Liberals do not get it! They believe that all religions are equal but those who read their Bibles know better. You do not swing open wide the doors and flood your social structure with those who hold extreme views. The country will be destroyed. And of course that is what is happening right now!    The liberals do not calculate religions in the cultural mix. They think it does not matter who comes in to the country because to them there is no difference between one group and another group. But there is and those of the past knew so.    Before President John F. Kennedy there were quotas on those coming from other nations, except for those arriving from northern and western Europe. And there was what I call "Peace in the Valley!" Are not other religions pagan religions? If you are a Christian you know that they are pagan! And if so, then we cannot look upon them as the same as Judeo-Christianity. Because the Jews are God's blessed earthly people we should always make sure they are welcome. And so with those peoples coming from Europe. Now I am not saying that just because they come from Europe they are Christians. But their culture is similar to ours as well as their thought forms and belief systems. This creates a unity in our thinking processes, and that is important when you are building and sustaining a nation!    Concerning the religion of the Egyptians, God warned that the people from Egypt should not come into the Holy Land. God said, in reference to the Egyptians, "You shall purge the evil from among you" (Deut. 13:5). And for the one who thinks the gods of other peoples were okay, the Lord said "You shall not yield to him or listen to him" (v. 8). You shall not even take in the booty from pagan peoples! Thus, "When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them, ... beware that you are not snared to follow them after they are destroyed before you" (12:29-30).    A Christian American Indian was asked if he does the dances that his people were doing. He answered, "Oh, heavens no! Those are pagan dances to their gods and we have put those from us." He was also asked "Should Christian Indians have totem poles in their yards?" And he answered again, "No, those are worshipped because they represented our pagan gods."     Unfortunately, it is too late. We will not turn this issue around. The liberals will continue to push their agenda on us. And even the conservative talk show hosts fail to get this issue. We are doomed to be able to change the patterns and the direction the country is going. The majority of our population just does not "get it."    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (9/10)

America's Collapse

Dr. Couch, why have things collapsed so quickly in our country, on every level—political, social, theological, cultural, etc.? ANSWER:  Things were building up more quickly than we could imagine—we just didn't notice the changes coming. Theologically, I believe this is a judgment from God upon an apostate nation, and world. We are moving rapidly toward the end times. America for some time now has walked away from the Lord. But on the human level, there are some things we can observe that I believe are part of God's judgment.    (1) We have for some time now departed morally. Drugs, abortion, homosexuality, etc. has been destroying us from within for decades. (2) The mixing of cultures that did not have the Judeo-Christian morality behind them. And, those who have Christianity as a heritage have apostatized into immorality anyway. The founding of the nation, and our Reformation European heritage has been long ago lost to this culture. (3) Our secular state universities have moved toward liberalism and socialism, and these views have been fed to our young people now for decades. (4) And, our young people have been so brainwashed from grade school to buy into the lies of Satan. And as well, the repudiation in our schools of any form of recognition of Christianity.    In many schools, they have discarded Christianity but have honored Muslim and Hindu holidays in place of Christian traditions. Now I know having a holiday does not make our nation "Christian" but there is still a principle being trashed. And we will pay a price for that.    I know for a fact that many of my school friends came to Christ because Bibles were passed out at school and there were plays and musicals given over to Resurrection Sunday and Christmas. Everyone knew that America's morality had its origins from the Word of God, even though they may not have been born again or went to church on Sunday. Without doubt, we have departed on one level or another, and we are going to pay the price.    Someone recently sent me an article about a paper written by a chaplain in the Army saying that the real enemy in this country is premillennialism. Premillennialists, he said, see things black and white, and this is causing problems with those who are conciliatory on issues. We knew that this argument would be coming—blaming the facts of Scripture for how we are perceived in the world. Pray that this will not bring more havoc on those who are proclaiming the truth in our culture.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Dec., 09)

A Thank You For Emphasizing the Trinity

Dr. Couch, thank you for emphasizing the doctrine of the Trinity. I've noticed in the past that you explain the doctrine clearly. You need to write a book on the subject! ANSWER: Thank you for your comments. In graduate school I had an advanced course on the subject. The professor, Dr. John Witmer, did an outstanding job with all the verses in Scripture that explained the nature of our Lord!    There are several ways to confirm and explain the doctrine of the Trinity. One has to do with the fact that the persons in the Godhead do the same thing. For example, in Isaiah 51:12, God the Father says He is the One who comforts. Christ told His disciples He would send them "another" Comforter (or Helper) (John 14:16 ) who would be the Holy Spirit (v. 17). Christ is saying that He is a Comforter but would send another Comforter, the Spirit. So each person in the Godhead comforts believers! They are doing the same work!    John 3:6 speaks of being born of the Spirit, but 5:4 speaks of being born of God. Paul says that Christ performs signs and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:19 ) but Psalm 136:1-4 says that God the Father also performs great wonders. Thus, all three persons of the Godhead are performing such work!    Satan can fill the heart to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3) but also God the Father can be lied to (v. 4). It is possible to try (or tempt) the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:9) but also the Lord God can be tried (or tempted) (Matt. 4:7). The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, all three separate persons, are abiding within the believer (John 14:16 -23). Those who are anti-Trinitarian say, "Well, yes, God dwells within, but this idea is not supporting the doctrine of the Trinity!" But it is, because the indwelling is done distinctly be the three persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit!    In creating us, all three persons were involved specifically. The Father "has made us" (Psa. 100:3), Christ the Word created all things, including us! ( Col. 1:16) and the Spirit of God made us (Job 33:4). God stills the waves (Psa. 107:29) and so does the Son (Matt. 8:26 ). God the Father can send His Spirit (Isa. 48:16) and so the Son (John 16:7). We are to serve God the Father (Deut. 10:20 ) and also the Son (Col. 3:24).    We could go on and refer to hundreds of additional verses but the passages above make clear what the Bible is saying about the persons in the Trinity.    Early in American history, on the East coast, there was a revolt against the doctrine of the Trinity in many of the congregations. They denied the Trinity and turned to the cult of Universalism. This brought down many of the churches, and even some of the colleges, in the eastern states. Spiritually, many of the churches in that part of the country never fully recovered. That is why the East coast remained so spiritually dead even up until the present time. Transcendentalism filled the gap in many congregations. Spiritual deadness followed.    To fully understand the nature and attributes of our God is extremely important. This becomes a bulwark against a belief in other religions! One cannot say Islam, or Hinduism, are equal to Christianity, if one is fully aware of the biblical revelation of who our God is! If you have not heard recently a full doctrinal teaching on the Trinity, you must see that this happens in your Sunday schools or from the pulpit by your pastor! This issue is extremely important!    Thanks for your comments.    Dr. Mal Couch

Does the Reformed Doctrine of Predestination Differ from the Islamic View of Predestination?

Dr. Couch, does the Reformed doctrine of predestination differ from the Islamic view of predestination? And what about Islamic fatalism? 

 

    The doctrine of predestination did not begin with the Reformed movement. It may have been further explained and fleshed out, but it was a doctrine of the church well before Augustine. Augustine taught it along with the sovereignty of God. Many Catholic divines of the Middle Ages, who I believe could have been born again, also expounded on it.

    Muslims get their views of the absolute sovereignty of God from both the Old and New Testaments. (Is it not strange that the Muslims believe this but many Evangelical Christians do not!) 

    Remember that the Koran is a blender full of truths and half-truths from our Bible. Islamic fatalism is different from the sovereignty of God in the Bible, in that our Scriptures speak of a plan that has distinct purposes in it. Salvation to the Muslim is very capricious and uncertain. It is based on works and an uncertain hope that Allah will be capriciously gracious—though they will never know they will get to heaven until passing through the judgment for their works. Our Bible gives absolute certainty of salvation by faith in Christ. This would be foreign to the Muslim. While some Muslim sects have animal sacrifices they are not as an expatiation for taking care of the sin issue that separates man from God. only Christianity really addresses the issue of human sin and the love of God for the sinner. 

    Our Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit "intercedes for the [Christian] saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:27) and that God "causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (v. 28). This kind of language is foreign to the Muslim. 

    By the way, some years ago I asked an Iranian engineer to tell me of any prophecies that were in the Koran. He looked puzzled and could not answer. I told him that this was one of the big differences between Islam and Christianity. Our Bible has thousands of prophecies with about half that have already come to pass. He could not name one from the Koran! 

    Thanks for asking.

    Dr. Mal Couch