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The Divine Scheme whereby Prophets were raised up for the regeneration of the world may be briefly summed up thus. Prophets were raised up in every nation, but their message was limited to that particular nation and in some cases to one or a few generations. All these Prophets were, so to say, national Prophets, and their work was limited to the moral uplift and spiritual regeneration of one nation only. But while national growth was a necessity of the first condition of the human race, when each nation lived almost an exclusive life and the means of communication between different races were wanting, the grand aim which the Divine Scheme had in view was the uplift and unification of the whole human race. Humanity could not for ever remain divided into watertight compartments of nationality, formed on the basis of blood or geographical limitations. The final step, therefore, in the institution of Prophethood was the raising up of one Prophet for all the nations, so that the conciousness of being one whole might be brought to the human race.
When mentioning the earlier Prophets, the Holy Qur'an says:
"he sent Noah to his people (with the command): 'Do then warn thy people before their comes to them a grievous penalty." - 71:1
"To the AD people (we sent) Hud, one of their own brethren." _7:65
"To the THAMUD people (we sent) Salih, one of their own brethren." - 7:73
"We sent Moses with our signs (and the command): 'Bring out thy people from the depths of darkness into light and teach them to remember the Days of God'."
Referring to Prophet Jesus, the Holy Qur'an says:
"And God will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel, and (appoint him) an apostle to the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL." -3:48, 49
Jesus was the last of these national Prophets, and though the message of Christianity has now been conveyed to all the nations of the world, yet that was never Jesus's own idea. Jesus was perfectly sure about his mission when he said:
"I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel." (Mattew - 15:24)
None of the earlier Prophets claimed to be a World Prophet. The Scriptures do not reveal or indicate any of them to be God's messenger for the whole human race. As we have Just noted, Jesus,. who was the last of the Biblical Prophets, was only sent by God for 'the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel'.
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