The Muhammed Drawings in the light of Bible prophecy
By Mikkel Stjernholm Kragh
The publication of the Muhammed Drawings in September 2005 and Denmark’s steadfastness in the Muhammed Crisis which followed were completely in line with the characteristics of the Israelite tribe of Dan.
Dan: a serpent that bites the horse’s heels
When the patriarch Israel blessed his 12 sons, he said of Dan:
”Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.” (Genesis 49:16-18)
This prophecy was fulfilled in the Muhammed Drawings in that the result of the following Muhammed Crisis was that it has now become commonly acceptable in Denmark to critisize Islam. Before the Muhammed Drawings there was in Denmark a wide-spread fear and reluctance to critisize Islam.
Expanding Islam has thus gotten more resistance, both in Denmark and in the rest of the Christian West, after Jyllands-Posten published the Muhammed Drawings. Jyllands-Posten bit the horse of Islam in its heels, and the radical Islamist rider fell backwards, and then it was finally possible for the Danes to speak freely about Islam.
Samson of the tribe of Dan
There is also a parallel between the Muhammed Crisis and Samson of the tribe of Dan.
After the Israelites had conquered the land of Canaan, the 12 tribes of Israel were united in a loose federation which was lead by a judge. The Hebrew name Dan, by the way, literally means judge! One of the most famous judges was Samson, who was of the tribe of Dan and lived in the beginning of the 11th century BC. The story about Samson can be read in the book of Judges chap. 13-16.
Above: Woodcut of Samson in Roskilde Cathedral, Denmark
When Samson was born, the Philistines dominated a large part of Israel. God made Samson judge in Israel so that he could begin to liberate Israel from the Philistine domination, as God’s angel said about Samson to Samson’s mother:
”For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” (Judges 13:5)
Samson loved several Philistine women, and sometimes he was the Philistines’ friend, and at other times he was fighting with the Philistines. Finally, however, the Philistines succeeded in capturing Samson, and while the Philistines were enjoying themselves while looking at the captured Samson in a big hall, Samson pushed the pillars which supported the hall, so that the hall fell down upon himself and several thousands of Philistines (cf. Gen. 49:17).
In a spiritual sense, the Philistines can be compared to Islam of today, while Israel can be compared to the Christian world.
Like Samson loved several Philistine women, so did Denmark once have one of the most liberal immigration policies in Europe. Like Samson later fought the Philistines, so does Denmark now have one of the most restrictive immigration policies in Europe!
The motives for Samson’s fighting with the Philistines are very different from Denmark and the Muslim world in the Muhammed Crisis. But the two situations do have common characteristics. In Samson’s case Dan started a fight with the Philistines, and in the case of the Muhammed Drawings, Denmark started a large conflict between Denmark and most of the Western world on the one hand, and the Muslim world on the other hand.
In this connection it is important to remember that Samson’s struggles with the Philistines paved the way for the liberation of Israel.
October 2009
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