lifeisgood
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Excerpt Footnote 1: http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_sabbath_lord.htm#notes
It is vital that we address Zaatari’s assertion that I never met his challenge during the debate. The truth is that Zaatari ran from the debate before I ever got the chance to answer him. In fact, he was suppose to debate a second topic right after we had finished the first one, but he conveniently made excuses to leave the Paltalk room since it became apparent that he was in way over his head and couldn’t refute the material which was being leveled against him. Zaatari apparently realized that he was losing and so needed to find a reason to run and save face.
Here is the passage which I was prepared to present during the debate in answer to his challenge:
"And I heard a loud voice saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God (tou theou - the God) is with men, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people and God (ho theos - the God) himself will dwell with them and be their God.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be HIS GOD and he will be my son.’" Revelation 21:3-7
The evidence strongly supports the view that Jesus is speaking in these references. For instance, Christ is said to be the God who comes to dwell with mankind:
"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’- which means, ‘God (ho theos - the God) with us.’" Matthew 1:22-23
"teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I AM with you ALWAYS, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20
The Lord Jesus promises to be with all believers till the end of the age, which is a claim of omnipresence! Since God alone is omnipresent this provides additional evidence that Christ claimed to be God.
Furthermore, Jesus in Revelation identifies himself as the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End:
"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I WAS DEAD, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.’" Revelation 1:17-18
"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again." Revelation 2:8
The First and the Last is just another way of saying that Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Interestingly, both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Quran agree that the First and the Last is a title of God:
"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.’" Isaiah 44:6
"Hearken to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am He, I am the first, and I am the last." Isaiah 48:12
He is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward; He has knowledge of everything. S. 57:3 Arberry
This in itself sufficiently proves that Jesus claimed to be God since only God can call himself by this title.
