The Bible tells us that Abraham was first neither a Jew, Muslim nor a Christian, but came from a pagan family and land. He became a monotheist as God called him away from his family, and he started the Hebrew people according to the ancient revelation found in the Old Testament written by the prophet Moses.

It is written in Gen. 14:13. “Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew.”

God speaking to Abraham in Gen. 17:5-7 says, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.” I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.” And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.”

V:9 “And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants.” This became the Hebrew people, a nomadic tribe that turned into 12 tribes through Jacob, the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham.

God had promised a Son to Abraham who would inherit the land which was part of the covenant he promised him in Gen.12. After Abraham had his first son Ishmael we see Abraham in Gen. 17:18-21 “And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.” And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” Gen. 21:12-13 “..for in Isaac your seed shall be called.” Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.” So God was gracious and gave his blessing to Ishmael who was Sarah’s plan.

The problem begins here as Muslims do not believe the Bibles testimony that was given by God over 2,000 years before their religion began with Mohammad. Sura 2:125 “and We covenanted with Abraham and Isma'il,” 2:140 “Or do ye say that Abraham, Isma'il Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes were Jews or Christians? Say: Do ye know better than God?” Almost each time Isaac is mention Ishmael is given equal prominence as well, and they challenge the Bibles revelation.

“Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!” - thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial (Sura 37:105-106)

This God of Scripture becomes known as the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, Ishmael is not included in this because he was not part of the promise, although God did bless him as part of the family. The Bible records that Isaac was Abraham’s “only son” three times (Gen. 22:2, 12, 16).Gen. 32:9 “Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you”

Islam claim’s that Abraham traveled with Ishmael to Mecca. Alfred Guillame who is a Professor of Arabic and Islamic studies states that: “ there is no historical evidence for the assertion that Abraham or Ishmael was ever in Mecca, and if there had been such a tradition it would have to be explained how all memory of the Old Semitic name Ishmael (which was not in its true Arabian form in Arabian inscriptions and written correctly with an initial consonant Y) came to be lost. The form in the Quran is taken either from Greek or Syriac sources.” (From Islam, by Alfred Guillame, Penguin Books Inc., 1956, pp. 61-62.) Dr. Guillame points out that many words in the Qur'an do not yield a meaning unless they are traced back to their Hebrew or Syriac sources, which is significant because the Qur'an claims to have been written in only Arabic and no other language.

The Qur'an does not recognize Israel and removes her as being a chosen people and nation. In its place are the Arab people, descendants of Ishmael. One of the major annual feasts celebrated in Islam, is called Ishmael. A commemoration of of Abraham's willingness to offer Ishmael instead of Isaac on the mount. Ishmael (and his seed, the Arabs) replaces Isaac (and his seed, the Jews) as the Promised Seed. This becomes a more serious challenge to Scripture as Jesus Christ who is the seed of promise is brought into the picture.

God said of Ishmael in the Bible, “A wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand against him, and he will dwell (settle, encamp) in the presence (“in the face”) of his brothers.” (Genesis 16:1-12; 17:2-21; 21:8-21; 25:9,12-18)

Gen 50:24 “And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” This land they were in was Egypt of which the Hebrews became slaves centuries later, they would be lead by Moses into the land that is known as Israel.

In Exod. 2:24-25 “So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.”

When Moses fled Egypt it is 40 years later he meets the Lord in a burning bush that was not consumed. When the time came God met Moses and said, in Exod. 3:6 “Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father-- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exod 3:14 “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” In the Hebrew- eyeh asher eyeh, that He is in himself the self existing self sufficient one, he is the cause of all things to exist, and He will be to you whatever you need (Ex.3:14-15). Surely the Qua'ran agrees with this.

God further identified himself to Moses in Exod. 3:15, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.' Nowhere does the Lord ever include Ishmael, not once do we find this in the Bible. Is there is a conspiracy to remove him, no, the Bible is what God has spoken, this is the way He has it.

Exod. 6:8 'And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.”

Deut 1:8 “See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers-- to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-- to give to them and their descendants after them.”

In Isa. 60:16 we find that God calls Himself after the patriarch he made covenant with for the people of Israel. You shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” He never calls himself the God of Ishmael along with Abraham or Isaac. Let's look at the land of Israel, specifically Jerusalem. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Jewish Tanach, it is not mentioned once in the Qur'an. It was King David who founded the city of Jerusalem, the Jews lived there. Mohammed never came traveled to Jerusalem. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim nation or group, and up until recent times Arab leaders did not come to visit. So this territory becomes part of the equation today. In the Abrahamic Covenant there are 3 provisions to Abraham; to the Seed, Israel; and to the Gentiles. It includes the entire Jewish nation: the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In the genealogical record provided by Luke the historian, he traces Christ back to be “the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, (Luke 3:34) This clearly has Jesus as a Jew and he is traced to Abraham.

The “original Jews” are the physical descendents of Abraham, his son Isaac, and his son Jacob through Jacob's sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel. The name “Jew” is primarily tribal (from Judah). the Hebrew yehudhi, originally meaning a member of the Hebrew tribe of Judah. It is first found in 2 Kings 16:6, as distinct from Israel, of the northern kingdom. After the Captivity it was chiefly used to distinguish the race from Gentiles, e.g., John 2:6; Acts 14:1; Gal. 2:15, where it denotes Christians of “Jewish” race; it distinguishes Jews from Samaritans. By New Testament times, the terms “Hebrew,” “Israelite,” and “Jew” had become synonymous.

In the Scripture we have the statement that all men are either Jews or Gentiles (Rom. 2:9; 1 Cor. 10:32; Gal 3:28; Eph 2:11-18.)

Mary in her magnificat to the Lord because she has been found pregnant with the Messiah says, “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.” (Luke 1:54-55) Jesus is the fulfillment of the blessing to all nations first spoken by Abraham in Gen.12

The prophets after Abraham were Jewish prophets called to the Hebrew people. The apostle Peter spoke saying, “But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, “and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, “whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. “For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 'And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' “Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. “You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' “To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities” (Acts 3:18-26)

In this portion of Peters speech we find several things, that Jesus is the prophet that is to be sent, one that is like Moses. He is sent to his brethren the Jews, but whoever does not hear what Jesus says and believes (Whether Jew or Gentile) will be condemned. He points to the Jews as sons of the prophets and keepers of the covenant. That Jesus is the fulfillment promised to Abraham in Gen.12 where all people of the earth will be blessed. We would have to reject everything in the bible to come to a different conclusion than what Peter has summed up inspired by the Holy Spirit.

All people will be blessed. It is a fact then whether one is a Muslim or a Jew, whatever ethnicity or religion, when they become a believer in Christ they receive peace with God their creator that Jesus promised. They become one in Christ and with God with no division at all. Because the Abrahamic covenant has not been completed there will be a national salvation of Israel.

Jesus was specifically called the “King of the Jews” because he affirmed this. The Scripture explains this was written over his head at His crucifixion.

Rom. 1:1-5 “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name”

Gal 3:8-9 “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”

This Gospel is the the good news in the New Testament delivered to us by the apostles. It tells us our sins are forgiven because of Jesus' death on the cross and that we have eternal life because he rose from the dead.