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TEST EVERY SPIRIT (Updated August 2026) - (Original Study Below)

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🔥 Test Every Spirit | All underscored titles have expanded studies 1-30​

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The Cave of Hira, Gabriel, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

A Biblical Examination of the First Revelation of Islam

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“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
— 1 John 4:1, KJV

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Jesus Christ commanded His followers to beware of deception. The apostles repeatedly warned that not every spiritual manifestation, prophet, vision, or heavenly messenger is necessarily from God.

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Paul gave Christians an especially serious warning:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
— Galatians 1:8

That warning is extraordinarily relevant when examining the origins of Islam.

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This study is not written to insult Muslims or mock Muhammad. Muslims deserve to be treated with dignity, and individual Muslims should never be judged by stereotypes.

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But Christianity makes a truth claim about Jesus Christ, His death, His resurrection, His identity, and the Gospel.

Therefore, if a later revelation claims to come from heaven while contradicting those things, Christians are commanded to test it.

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The question is not:

“Was Muhammad sincere?”

The question is:

“Was the spiritual messenger who initiated Muhammad's revelation truly from God?”

And ultimately:

“Does the message agree with the Gospel God had already revealed?”

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1. THE FIRST TEST: GOD DOES NOT CONTRADICT HIMSELF

Scripture reveals God as faithful and unchanging.

“For I am the LORD, I change not.”
— Malachi 3:6

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
— Hebrews 13:8

God may reveal His purposes progressively throughout history, but He does not contradict Himself.

The Old Testament therefore gives Israel a test for alleged revelation:

“If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder… And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God.”
— Deuteronomy 13:1–5

The principle is clear:

A supernatural claim does not automatically prove a divine source.

The message itself must be tested.

That principle becomes even more important when the alleged messenger is an angel.

Paul says:

“Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
— Galatians 1:8

Therefore, even an alleged angel must be tested against the Gospel.

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2. WHO IS GABRIEL IN THE BIBLE?

The biblical Gabriel does not appear anonymously.

When Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, he identified himself:

“I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.”
— Luke 1:19

This tells us something important about Gabriel.

Gabriel:

• identifies himself;

• identifies where he stands;

• identifies the One who sent him;

• delivers God's message;

• does not contradict God's previous revelation.

And when Gabriel comes to Mary, his message is unmistakable.

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest.”
— Luke 1:32

And:

“Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
— Luke 1:35

Gabriel therefore stands in Scripture as a messenger who announces Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

This gives us a crucial test.

If a later spirit claims to be Gabriel, but the revelation attributed to that spirit denies what Gabriel previously proclaimed about Jesus, Christians have a biblical reason to reject that identification.

God is not confused.

Gabriel does not contradict God.

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3. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN THE CAVE OF HIRA?

We should begin with the Islamic sources themselves.

Sahih al-Bukhari 3 records that Muhammad regularly withdrew into the Cave of Hira.

Then:

“The angel came to him and asked him to read.”

Muhammad replied that he did not know how to read.

The account then says the angel seized and pressed him three times, after which Muhammad received the words of Qur'an 96:1–3.

The account continues:

“Then Allah's Messenger returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely.”

He went to Khadijah and said:

“Cover me! Cover me!”

He was covered until his fear subsided.

Then Muhammad told Khadijah what had happened and said:

“I fear that something may happen to me.”

Khadijah reassured him and then took him to her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal.

This account is preserved in Sahih al-Bukhari.

This matters because these details are not Christian accusations.

They come from the traditional Islamic account itself.

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4. DID THE BEING IN HIRA IDENTIFY ITSELF AS GABRIEL?

Here we need to be extremely precise.

The first-revelation account in Sahih al-Bukhari does not record the being saying, “I am Gabriel.”

The narrative calls him “the angel.”

The identification as Gabriel comes afterward.

Muhammad tells Khadijah what happened.

Khadijah takes Muhammad to Waraqa.

Muhammad describes the encounter.

Then Waraqa says:

“This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses.”

— Sahih al-Bukhari 3.

This distinction should not be overlooked.

The sequence is:

• Muhammad encounters an unnamed “angel.”

• The being does not, in the cited account, identify himself as Gabriel.

• Muhammad leaves frightened.

• Muhammad tells Khadijah.

• Khadijah takes him to Waraqa.

• Muhammad describes what happened.

• Waraqa identifies the being as the messenger associated with Moses.

• Waraqa was not present in the cave.

That does not mathematically prove that the being was not Gabriel.

But it creates an important question:

Why does the biblical Gabriel identify himself when he appears to God's servants, while the being in the first Hira account does not identify himself as Gabriel?

That question deserves to be asked.

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5. WHO IDENTIFIED THE BEING AS GABRIEL?

Not Muhammad's cave companion.

Not an eyewitness.

Waraqa did.

The Islamic account describes Waraqa as a Christian who wrote in Hebrew and wrote from the Gospel. It also describes him as an old man who had lost his eyesight.

We do not need to attack Waraqa personally.

He may have been completely sincere.

But sincerity is not the same thing as divine confirmation.

Waraqa was not in Hira.

He did not see the being.

He did not hear the command.

He did not personally examine the messenger.

He heard Muhammad's account and interpreted it.

Therefore:

Waraqa's identification is part of the Islamic narrative, but it is not independent eyewitness verification of the being's identity.

And Scripture gives us a higher standard than another person's interpretation.

Test the spirit.

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6. WHAT DID MUHAMMAD THINK HAD HAPPENED?

The traditional account itself gives us an extraordinary detail.

Muhammad did not immediately respond:

“I have met Gabriel.”

Instead, according to Bukhari, he returned with his heart beating severely, went to Khadijah and repeatedly said:

“Cover me! Cover me!”

Then he said:

“I fear that something may happen to me.”

Again, fear alone does not prove an encounter was demonic.

Daniel was terrified by supernatural encounters.

The disciples were frightened.

John fell as one dead.

So Christians should not make the simplistic argument:

“Muhammad was afraid; therefore it was Satan.”

That is too weak.

The stronger argument is cumulative:

The identity was not established by the being itself; Muhammad was frightened and uncertain; Waraqa interpreted the encounter afterward; and most importantly, the revelation that followed contradicts the Gospel concerning Jesus Christ.

That is the biblical test.

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7. WHAT ABOUT MUHAMMAD'S LATER DESPAIR?

This must also be stated accurately.

We should not place the mountain incident inside the first encounter at Hira.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6982 records a later period after Waraqa's death when revelation had paused.

The account says Muhammad became so distressed that he repeatedly intended to throw himself from the tops of high mountains.

According to that report, Gabriel then appeared and reassured him that Muhammad was indeed Allah's messenger.

Therefore our wording should be:

“Sahih al-Bukhari records that during a later pause in revelation, Muhammad became so distressed that he contemplated throwing himself from a mountain.”

That is accurate.

We should not falsely claim that this happened immediately after the first encounter.

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8. WHERE WAS SATAN?

This is where we must distinguish biblical fact from theological inference.

The Bible does not tell us:

“Satan was physically inside the Cave of Hira in AD 610.”

We cannot claim that Scripture gives us Satan's precise geographical location at that moment.

But Scripture does tell us about Satan's activity.

In Job, Satan says he has been:

“going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

— Job 1:7

And Peter warns:

“Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

— 1 Peter 5:8

Revelation describes Satan as:

“that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.”

— Revelation 12:9

And Revelation says that Satan and his angels were cast down to the earth. — Revelation 12:4, 7–9.

Therefore, Scripture establishes that Satan:

• is an adversary;

• deceives;

• operates in the world;

• is associated with the earth after his casting down;

• has angels associated with him;

• seeks to deceive humanity.

But the Bible does not tell us:

“Satan lived in the Cave of Hira.”

Therefore we should not claim that as established biblical fact.

Instead:

“We cannot prove from Scripture that Satan physically resided in Hira. But Scripture clearly teaches that Satan is a deceiver active in the world and capable of disguising himself as an angel of light. If the being in Hira was not Gabriel, then a deceptive spiritual messenger fits a biblical category that Scripture explicitly warns Christians to expect.”

That is a defensible Christian conclusion.

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9. SATAN CAN DISGUISE HIMSELF AS AN ANGEL OF LIGHT

This is perhaps the most important passage in the entire study.

Paul writes:

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

— 2 Corinthians 11:14

Notice what Paul does not say.

He does not say Satan always appears as a monster.

He does not say deception always looks evil.

He says Satan can masquerade as an angel of light.

Therefore:

The claim that a spiritual messenger came from heaven cannot be accepted merely because the messenger appeared supernatural.

The messenger must be tested.

That is exactly what John commanded:

“Try the spirits whether they are of God.”

— 1 John 4:1

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10. THE DECISIVE TEST: WHAT DID THE REVELATION SAY ABOUT JESUS?

This is where the argument moves from speculation to doctrine.

The Qur'an explicitly denies the crucifixion as Christianity understands it.

Qur'an 4:157 says:

“They neither killed nor crucified him—it was only made to appear so.”

 

The Christian Gospel proclaims the opposite.

Jesus was crucified.

Jesus died.

Jesus was buried.

Jesus rose bodily from the dead.

Paul declares:

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day.”

— 1 Corinthians 15:3–4

This is not a minor disagreement.

The cross is at the center of Christianity.

Paul says:

“But we preach Christ crucified.”

— 1 Corinthians 1:23

And:

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

— Galatians 6:14

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11. THE QUR'AN ALSO REJECTS THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST

The Bible says Gabriel announced:

“the Son of God.”

— Luke 1:35

The Father Himself declares:

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

— Matthew 3:17

Jesus says:

“I and my Father are one.”

— John 10:30

But the Qur'anic revelation rejects the Christian doctrine of divine Sonship.

Qur'an 112:3 says:

“He neither begets nor is born.”

The Qur'an therefore presents a fundamentally different understanding of God and Jesus.

The question is unavoidable:

Could the Gabriel who announced to Mary that Jesus would be called the Son of God later deliver a revelation denying the very truth he had proclaimed?

From the biblical standard:

No.

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12. THE GOSPEL TEST IS EVEN MORE DIRECT

Paul anticipated precisely this kind of problem.

He did not say:

“Believe an angel if the angel looks heavenly.”

He said:

“Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

— Galatians 1:8

Think about the force of Paul's warning.

Even an angel from heaven must be rejected if he brings another gospel.

Therefore, if a claimed angel brings a message that contradicts the Gospel of Christ, the Christian is not permitted to accept it merely because it claims heavenly authority.

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13. WHAT ABOUT SALVATION?

The difference extends beyond the identity of Jesus.

The Qur'an speaks of scales of deeds:

“And those whose scales are heavy [with good deeds]—it is they who are the successful. But those whose scales are light—those are the ones who have lost their souls…”

— Qur'an 23:102–103.

Christian salvation is fundamentally different.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

— Ephesians 2:8–9

This does not mean Christianity teaches that good works are unimportant.

It means good works are the fruit of salvation, not the purchase price of salvation.

Our standing before God rests upon Christ.

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

— Romans 3:24

The Gospel is not:

“Do enough good and hope your scale is heavy enough.”

The Gospel is:

Christ died for sinners, Christ rose again, and salvation is God's gift received through faith in Him.

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14. WHAT DID JESUS SAY ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT?

This is another fundamental difference.

Jesus promised:

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.”

— John 14:16

And:

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost… he shall testify of me.”

— John 15:26

The Holy Spirit's ministry is inseparable from Christ.

The Spirit testifies about Jesus.

The Spirit glorifies Jesus.

The Spirit brings believers into relationship with God.

Therefore Christianity cannot simply redefine the Holy Spirit as an angelic messenger without changing the biblical doctrine of God.

 

15. JESUS' RETURN: LET THE SOURCES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

This is another place where the previous version of the article went too far.

We should not say:

“Muslims will return with Jesus and behead everyone.”

That formulation overstates what the cited sources establish.

Instead, let the Islamic sources speak.

Sahih al-Bukhari 3448 reports Muhammad saying that Jesus, the son of Mary, will descend and “judge mankind justly.”

Other Islamic traditions describe Jesus' return in connection with the Dajjal, the destruction of the cross, the killing of pigs and the abolition of jizya.

That is a legitimate subject for comparison.

The important question is:

Which Jesus is returning?

 

16. THE JESUS OF THE ISLAMIC TRADITION

According to the Islamic tradition, Jesus:

• returns from heaven;

• judges mankind;

• defeats the Dajjal;

• breaks the cross;

• kills pigs;

• abolishes jizya.

These claims should not be hidden or mocked.

They should be examined.

Because they raise a profound question:

Is this the same Jesus revealed in the New Testament?

 

17. THE JESUS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

The New Testament teaches that Jesus:

• is the Son of God;

• was crucified;

• physically rose from the dead;

• ascended into heaven;

• is Lord;

• will return in glory;

• will judge the living and the dead;

• will reign as King.

Revelation 19 depicts Christ returning in righteousness:

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”

— Revelation 19:11

And John sees:

“the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses.”

— Revelation 19:14

The Christian hope is therefore not based upon Muhammad's prophecy about Jesus.

It is based upon the testimony of the apostles concerning the risen Christ.

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18. THE MARTYRS OF CHRIST DO NOT CONQUER BY BECOMING PERSECUTORS

Revelation gives another remarkable picture.

John sees:

“the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.”

— Revelation 6:9

And Revelation 20:4 speaks of those:

“beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God.”

These believers did not conquer by forcing others to confess Christ.

They remained faithful to Christ even when faithfulness cost them their lives.

This is one of the defining patterns of New Testament Christianity:

The Christian witness conquers by faithfulness to Christ—even unto death.

 

19. JESUS' OWN TEACHING ABOUT HIS KINGDOM

Jesus told His followers:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.”

— Matthew 5:44

When one of His disciples used a sword during Jesus' arrest, Jesus told him:

“Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”

— Matthew 26:52

The Christian Gospel therefore cannot be separated from the crucified Christ.

The Lamb who was slain is also the returning King.

 

20. THE ISSUE IS NOT WHETHER MUSLIMS ARE SINCERE

Many Muslims are deeply sincere.

Many are compassionate.

Many pray, fast, give to the poor, love their families and genuinely seek to honor God.

Christians should acknowledge that.

But sincerity does not determine truth.

Paul himself was once sincerely convinced that persecuting Christians was the right thing to do.

He later discovered that he had been wrong.

Therefore the Christian question is not:

“Are Muslims sincere?”

It is:

“Is the message true?”

 

21. THE TEST OF 1 JOHN 4

John gives Christians a specific test:

“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.”

— 1 John 4:2

And:

“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.”

— 1 John 4:3

The issue is Christ.

Not Muhammad.

Not Arabia.

Not Hira.

Not emotion.

Christ.

Who is Jesus?

Did He come in the flesh?

Was He crucified?

Did He rise?

Is He the Son of God?

Is He Lord?

Does the spiritual message testify truthfully concerning Him?

That is the biblical test.

 

22. THE MOST IMPORTANT CONTRAST

The Christian claim is not merely:

“Our revelation is older.”

Nor:

“Our prophet was more peaceful.”

Nor:

“Our book has more witnesses.”

The fundamental Christian claim is:

God has revealed Himself decisively in Jesus Christ.

John writes:

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”

— John 1:14

The Gospel does not ultimately point us toward a cave.

It points us toward Christ.

 

23. COULD THE BEING IN HIRA HAVE BEEN GABRIEL?

Let us now apply the evidence carefully.

What the Bible says about Gabriel:

• Gabriel identifies himself.

• Gabriel says he stands in God's presence.

• Gabriel is sent by God.

• Gabriel announces the coming of Christ.

• Gabriel identifies Jesus as the Son of God.

• Gabriel's message agrees with God's revelation.

What the first Islamic account says about Hira:

• An angel appears.

• The angel commands Muhammad to read.

• The angel presses Muhammad three times.

• Muhammad becomes terrified.

• Muhammad returns to Khadijah.

• Muhammad says, “Cover me! Cover me!”

• Muhammad says he fears something may happen to him.

• The being is not recorded in this account as saying, “I am Gabriel.”

• Waraqa later identifies the being as the heavenly messenger associated with Moses.

• Waraqa was not present at the encounter.

Then consider the later revelation:

• It denies the crucifixion as Christianity understands it.

• It rejects the Christian understanding of Jesus as the divine Son.

• It presents a fundamentally different doctrine of salvation.

• It presents a different understanding of God and the Holy Spirit.

Now apply Galatians 1:8.

The conclusion from the biblical perspective is unavoidable:

A messenger who delivers another gospel cannot be accepted as God's messenger merely because someone identifies him as an angel.

 

24. DOES THAT PROVE SATAN WAS IN THE CAVE?

We should answer honestly.

Scripture does not give us a verse saying, “Satan was in the Cave of Hira.”

Therefore we should not pretend that it does.

But Scripture does tell us:

• Satan deceives the world — Revelation 12:9.

• Satan walks about seeking whom he may devour — 1 Peter 5:8.

• Satan masquerades as an angel of light — 2 Corinthians 11:14.

• Satan has angels associated with him — Revelation 12:7–9.

• Christians are commanded to test spiritual claims — 1 John 4:1.

• Christians are commanded to reject even an angel bringing another gospel — Galatians 1:8.

Therefore, from the biblical framework:

If the being in Hira was not Gabriel, then the claim of divine revelation must be evaluated as possible spiritual deception.

And because Scripture specifically identifies Satan as the great deceiver who can masquerade as an angel of light, we believe the most coherent biblical explanation is that the messenger was a deceptive spirit rather than the Gabriel of Scripture.

We should present that as a biblical conclusion/inference, not as though the Bible records the Cave of Hira by name.

 

25. THE QUESTION WARAQA COULD NOT ANSWER

Waraqa could identify what he believed Muhammad had encountered.

But Waraqa could not answer the question Christians must ultimately ask:

Does this revelation agree with God's revelation of Jesus Christ?

That question belongs to Scripture.

And Scripture's answer is clear.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

— Hebrews 13:8

If Jesus was the Son of God when Gabriel announced Him to Mary, He did not cease to be the Son of God six centuries later.

If Jesus died on the cross and rose again, a later revelation cannot simply erase those events.

If salvation is through Christ, a later revelation cannot replace Christ with another way of salvation and still claim to be the Gospel revealed by the same God.

 

26. THE ANGEL TEST

This is perhaps the simplest way to remember the entire study.

Do not ask first:

“Did an angel appear?”

Ask:

“What did the angel teach?”

Do not ask first:

“Was the experience supernatural?”

Ask:

“Does the message agree with God's revealed truth?”

Do not ask:

“How many people believe it?”

Ask:

“Does it confess the true Jesus Christ?”

Do not ask:

“Was the messenger impressive?”

Ask:

“Does the messenger bring another gospel?”

Because Paul already answered that question:

“Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel… let him be accursed.”

— Galatians 1:8

 

27. WHAT THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL PROCLAIMS

The Christian Gospel is simple.

We are sinners.

We cannot save ourselves.

Our good works cannot erase our guilt.

God loved us.

Christ died for our sins.

Christ was buried.

Christ rose again.

Christ conquered death.

Christ offers forgiveness and eternal life.

Paul says:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

— Romans 5:8

And:

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

— Romans 6:23

And:

“Neither is there salvation in any other.”

— Acts 4:12

 

28. THIS IS WHY THE CROSS MATTERS

If Christ was not crucified, Christianity collapses.

Paul says:

“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”

— 1 Corinthians 15:14

And:

“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”

— 1 Corinthians 15:17

The cross and resurrection are not optional Christian doctrines.

They are the heart of the Gospel.

Therefore a revelation that denies them is not a correction to Christianity.

It is another gospel.

And Paul told Christians what to do with another gospel.

Reject it.

 

29. A LOVING WORD TO OUR MUSLIM NEIGHBORS

To our Muslim friends, neighbors and readers:

This study is not saying that you are stupid.

It is not saying that you are evil.

It is not saying that you do not sincerely love God.

And it is not an invitation to hatred.

We are asking you to do something Christians are also commanded to do:

Test the claim.

Read the Qur'an.

Read the Gospel.

Read the Islamic accounts of Muhammad's first revelation.

Read what the Bible says about Gabriel.

Read what both traditions say about Jesus.

Then ask:

Who is Jesus?

Not:

“What have I been told about Jesus?”

But:

“Who does Jesus Himself claim to be?”

Jesus said:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

— John 14:6

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30. THE FINAL TEST

We can summarize the investigation in seven questions.

 

1. Did the being in Hira identify himself as Gabriel?

The first Bukhari account does not record him doing so. The identification came afterward through Waraqa.

 

2. Was Waraqa present in the cave?

No. He heard Muhammad's account afterward.

 

3. Did Muhammad initially respond as though he clearly knew he had encountered Gabriel?

The Bukhari account instead records fear, trembling and uncertainty, followed by Khadijah taking him to Waraqa.

 

4. Does the revelation attributed to Hira agree with Gabriel's biblical message concerning Jesus?

No. The biblical Gabriel announces Jesus as the Son of God; the Qur'anic revelation rejects the Christian doctrine of divine Sonship.

 

5. Does the revelation agree concerning the cross?

No. The Qur'an denies that Jesus was killed or crucified, while the New Testament places Christ's crucifixion and resurrection at the center of the Gospel.

 

6. Does Scripture permit Christians to accept an angel who brings a different gospel?

No.

“Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel… let him be accursed.”

— Galatians 1:8

 

7. What does Scripture say about deceptive spiritual messengers?

“Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

— 2 Corinthians 11:14

 

CONCLUSION: TEST THE SPIRIT

We do not claim that Scripture gives us a physical description of Satan standing inside the Cave of Hira.

We do not claim to know the precise location of Satan in Arabia in AD 610.

We do not need those claims.

 

The Bible gives us something more important:

A test.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.”

— 1 John 4:1

The first Islamic account tells us that an unnamed angel appeared to Muhammad.

The being did not identify itself as Gabriel in the cited first-revelation account.

Muhammad returned frightened.

He told Khadijah what happened.

Khadijah took him to Waraqa.

Waraqa, who had not witnessed the encounter, identified the being as the heavenly messenger associated with Moses.

But Christians are not commanded to accept Waraqa's identification without testing it.

We are commanded to test the spirit.

 

And when we test the message against the Gospel, we encounter fundamental contradictions:

• Gabriel announced Jesus as the Son of God.

• The Qur'an rejects the Christian understanding of God's Son.

• The Gospel proclaims the crucifixion.

• The Qur'an denies the crucifixion.

• The Gospel proclaims the bodily resurrection.

• The Islamic revelation rejects the Christian account.

• The Gospel proclaims salvation through Christ.

• The Qur'anic system presents judgment in terms including the weighing of deeds.

• The New Testament identifies the Holy Spirit as the divine Spirit who testifies of Christ.

• The two revelations present fundamentally different understandings of God, Christ, salvation and final judgment.

​

These are not small differences.

They are eternal differences.

Therefore, from the biblical Christian perspective, the messenger who initiated the revelation of Islam cannot be accepted as the Gabriel who stands in the presence of God and announced Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

If it was not Gabriel, then what was it?

Scripture warns us that there are deceptive spirits and that Satan himself can masquerade as an angel of light.

Therefore:

We believe the most coherent biblical explanation is that the messenger in Hira was not God's Gabriel, but a deceptive spiritual messenger masquerading as a messenger of God.

That conclusion is not based upon hatred of Muslims.

It is based upon the biblical command:

“Test every spirit.”

 

THE QUESTION EVERY READER MUST ANSWER

The ultimate question is not:

“Do you believe Muhammad?”

It is not even:

“Do you believe the being in Hira was Gabriel?”

The ultimate question is:

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

Was He merely a prophet?

Or is He the Son of God?

Was He merely a messenger?

Or is He Lord?

Was He merely a teacher who escaped death?

Or did He die for our sins and rise bodily from the grave?

Is salvation found through our works?

Or is salvation the gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ?

Jesus Himself gives the answer:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

— John 14:6

And the apostle Peter declares:

“Neither is there salvation in any other.”

— Acts 4:12

Therefore, test the spirit.

Test the messenger.

Test the revelation.

Test the gospel.

And above all, test everything by the truth of Jesus Christ.

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:21

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 3:11

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
— Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ has not changed.

The Gospel has not changed.

God has not changed.

And an angel does not have authority to change what God has already revealed.

Soli Deo Gloria — To God Alone Be the Glory.

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