The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-28
IS The Bible INsPIRED2
Prophetic Declarations Made Of lsh-
mael and HIS Posterlty
Fulfilled.
Under Mohanedan Rule Ills Dee-
cendants Occupied an Hun
dred Thrones.
Were These Marked Events Pint ON Record
Hundreds u Years Before They
TrAnspired?

T~rAnspired?
''Ihe angel Of the Lord said INTO her,'
HacAr, you shall bear q son. lGsn. 16:11);
You shall call his name 1shmael, tGen.
16;l1); he shall be a wild-ass man, Gen.
16:12); / will multiply thy seed exceedingly,
{den. 1910; ! will make him \ great ma
tion, (Gen. 17:20l; his hand shall be against
every man and every mans hand shall be
against him, (Gsn. 16:11); he shall dwell in
tents in tho presence Of all his brethren,
(Gsn. 1919. Here are ssvsn distinct pre-
dictions made Of 1shmasl and his postsrity
by the angel Of the Lord. Tive Of them had
been fulfilled before Noses tims, and may
have tssn known to him before he wrote
Genesis; but the other i've, il il claimed.
ARE matters of subsequent history
which could not have been known
10 Moses or to any human being
who may, rs some think, have written
Genesis of his times. II, therefore, these
hns, unique predictions have boon fulfilled.
tho proof is clear that thsy came a. claimed
from God by tho angel, his messenger. or
in some other way; ~ HI alone could have
known they we're TO b. fulfilled in the sub
sequent history Of the last three thousand
years. List ~ examine the subsequsnt his
tory thea and sse il thess predictions have
boen realizsdin the ~dsscendents u Ishmael.
These predictions ere unique and have not
bssn fulfilled in the pesterity Of any other
historical character or tribes. II these
wonderful prophssies have bsen realized
by the!descendxnta Of Ishmael, there should
he no difficulty in making ths fact appear.
50 different ara they from the oharactsriatics
Of all other peoples.
The frst predictions are omitted in this
argument, since Ill admit they were full
filed and known to b. fulfilled before the
days Of Moses, and therefore cannot be
used as proof Of the divine origin Of these
~prophssies, recorded after the birth and
name Of Ishmaal became matters Of his
tory.
Il is understood that the other five
rrophesies relate to the descendants OF Ish-
mael rather than to Ishnasl himself.
though in his name as the representative Of
often used by Moaes and other writer's, as
in the predictions Of Noah respecting the
rosterity of his three sons (Gen. 9:25-27),
and those of JACOB in reference to the do
Ecendants OF his twelve sous Gen. 49:3.27).
And besides some of these predictions
could not be made Of Ishnaael. as one man
could not be made - great nation'' and he
multiplied exceedingly save through his
postsrity. Bat to the predictions.
He shall 30 q wild as mar" tGen. IS:
12), Tho evident meaning Of this proph-
CAV is that the descendants Of lab anna
shall be among men what wild ASS were
among the beasts OF this earth. What the
wild asses we're in the days Of Abraham We
aso told in Job, 39:5-8: who hath sent
cut the wild ass free! Or who h a.. loosenaa
1 have made the wilderness, and the bar
rem land his dwelling. He scorpeth tho
multitude Of the city, neither regardsth
tla crying OF the driver. The range Of
tho mountains Is his pasture, n no
search%th every gseen thing Such was
tho wild ass in tho deserts OF Arabia thirty
five centuries ago, and suoh he il to-day in
tho deserts Of Arabia and in the barren
highlands of Tibet.
How perfect q picture is this OF the wild
Bedouin Arabs, whose house has over bson
the tent IN the Wilderness and whose home
has ever bssn the desert. Who have ever
avoided city life and saorned the multitude.
and who have never obeyed this voice OF q
master. They havs lived in the mountains
md sought every green plaee in the deserts.
Tho wild ass is untamable, and the Bsdouin
has ever lol nomadic, predatory lives. Ihs
wild ASS is the swiftest of wild creatures,
and the Bedouin on his Arabian horss ont
rides the hofsemcn of nil nations. Inc
Arab. like the wild ASS. when pursusd seeks
safety in tho desert. and like tho ass he
easily distanceg all pursuers. Like the
wild ass, the Arab il q free, nomadic, law
less n1arAuder.
Such are the Arabs now md such thsv
have been through all the centuries from
from Ishmael, whose blood Iowa as pure in
their veins as does the blood of Nejaee in
the veins Of their noble stceds. They have
sought no alliances and HAYS permitted no
contamination of this Iahmaelits 0took. No
ono has sought them but Mohamed; and he
captured them BY the promise OF plundel
and beautiful slavos. They still 1.-Two where
the sons Of Ishmael settled; they have tht
same habits, the same customs; and thell
religion has changed but little. They otlll
In all these facts "the wild-ass Arab
elbows The purity of his descent from thu
.wild-ass lehmael;" and thus proves thu
divine origin Of tho prophecy spoken BY
the angel of the Lord to Hsgar.
I will multiply, Thy seed sIoeedlngly,'
hnts OF Ishmaol kept themselves from al
other peoples, there 10 no difficulty il
tracing them dow through the nges undo;
the various nnmea of lshmaelites. Arabs
Bedonins and saraceus. They hold Arabit
from tho first, md spread thence over cen
trail and western Asia, Africa and portions
of Europe. Ishmaalites have boon for
1nidabIe in numbers and noted for preda
toty habits in NIL the east for twenty-five
centuries.
| will make him Il great nation, (Gen
17:20). The Ishmaelites started as twely'
tribes under the twelve patriarchs. Sons o
Ishmael. They pitched their tents in Ara.
hia, which tho, have had ever since, rathe
rs predatory tribes than NJ u great nation
But wien Mnhomed promised his soldier
The plumber Of tho intdel nations, and tn,
tho Arabs hocked to the prophet
standard in such numbers. they domi
mated his armies. furnished its leaders AMI
caliphs. They conquered all Western Asia
Persia, Mesopotomia, India and tbs trans
Caspian nations. Eastern and northst.
Africa were subjected TO their arms.
The armor-clnd kings and knights c
Europe led six vast armies OF crusaders In
TO Palestine to snatch tho holy sepulche
from the infdel Snraoens. But these stee
clad warriora melted ava before the hard
rhipa of untriad couhttiea. And the steel
clad knights on the heavy horses of EuioT
we're but q poor match for tho Damasou
blades and light Arabian steeds of th
6arncen warriors.
Under Mohamedan rule. the descendant
NJ Tahuaal occupiea n hundred thrOneI