Does Deuteronomy 18:15-18 predict the coming of Muhammad?

Muhammad Claims About Deuteronomy 18 and the Need for Context

It is amazing to hear some of the claims of Muslims that the Bible actually predicts the coming of the Prophet Muhammad. These Muslims believe that the Bible teaches this based on such passages in the Quran as Surah 7, verse 157.

However, the passages from the Bible that these Muslims appeal to in order to support their case are always taken out of context. One of these popular passages is Deuteronomy chapter 18, verses 15 to 18.

Why the “Brethren” in Deuteronomy Refers to Israel

This text reads,. That's from the New King James Version. In spite of the claims of these Muslims, there are many reasons why this passage does not in fact refer to the Prophet Muhammad. First, the brethren reference in these verses, given the context of Deuteronomy 18, the term brethren is actually referring to Israelites or Jews.

Deuteronomy 18, verse 2 says,. So, the reference again is to Jews. Also, elsewhere in the book of Deuteronomy, the term brethren refers to fellow Israelites. For example, Deuteronomy 17, verse 15. Since the term brethren refers to Israelites, why would God raise up a prophet from among the enemies of Israel, which would be the Arabs?

Why the Prophecy Cannot Be Muhammad

Second, Muhammad came from Ishmael, as Muslims admit, but heirs to the Jewish throne came from Isaac. The Torah states, My covenant I will establish with Isaac, in Genesis 17, verse 21. Later, God repeats the same message,.

Third, the prophetic line was actually through Isaac. The Quran teaches that a prophetic line came through Isaac, not Ishmael, so it even agrees with the Bible. This is what it says,. That's in Surah 29, verse 27.

However, Yusuf Ali adds the word Abraham in the translation to make it read, By adding Abraham, it is possible to include Muhammad in the prophetic line. However, Abraham is not found in the Arabic text of the Quran, which Muslims consider to be perfectly correct.

How Jesus Fulfills Deuteronomy 18

So, the fourth reason is that Jesus fulfilled Deuteronomy 18 perfectly. First, he came from his Jewish brethren, that's found in Galatians 4, verse 4. Deuteronomy 18, verse 18 says,. He says that in John 8, verse 28.

You can also look at John 12, verse 49. Thirdly, Jesus called himself a prophet. Look at Luke, chapter 13, verse 33. And the people considered him to be a prophet. You can look at Matthew 21, verse 11, Luke 7, verse 16, and other references.

Therefore, given above evidence, it is Jesus, not Muhammad, who fulfills the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18.