Harut and Marut: Good Angels or Really Bad?

Harut and Marut in Their Forever Well (1703)

Do you think black magic is good?  In the Quran, two angels, Hārūt and Mārūt, used to teach black magic, to people in Babylon. They would teach magic spells intended to break up peoples' marriages.  The angels learned this magic from devils:

They followed what the devils used to recite in the reign of Sulaimān (Solomon); and it was not Sulaimān who became an infidel, but the devils did become infidels, teaching people magic, and what had been sent down to the two angels, Hārūt and Mārūt, in Babylon. And these two did not teach anyone without first having said (to him), “We are but a trial, so do not go infidel.” Then, they used to learn from them that with which they could cause separation between a man and his wife. But they were not to bring harm through it to anyone without the will of Allah. They used to learn what harmed them and did no good to them; and they certainly knew that he who buys it has no share in the Hereafter. And, indeed, vile is the thing for which they sold themselves away. If only they knew!

Quran 2:102, Usmani 

According to the Quran, these beings were angels [1]. Angels in Islam are beings who act in total obedience to Allah. They have no free will:

O you who believe, save yourselves and your families from a fire, the fuel of which is human beings and stones, appointed on which are angels, stern and severe, who do not disobey Allah in what He orders them, and do whatever they are ordered to do. Quran 66:6

Of the type of magic, Tafsir al Qurtubi says that, “People learned from the angels how to separate a man and his wife”.  The teaching of black magic was apparently meant to be a "test":

… They taught not any man without them saying by way of counsel ‘We are but a temptation a trial from God for people so that He may test them when they are taught it whoever learns it is a disbeliever but whoever renounces it he is a believer; do not disbelieve’ by learning it; if this person refused and insisted on learning it they would teach him. 

Tafsif al-Jalalayn on Quran 2:102

This Quran story has serious problems with it. In Islam, sorcery is serious sin.  Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 2:102 says that learning magic is kufr (unbelief), citing this authentic hadith that Abu Bakr Al-Bazzar recorded from `Abdullah:

Whoever came to a soothsayer or a sorcerer and believed in what he said, will have disbelieved in what Allah revealed to Muhammad.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6857, Book 86, Hadith 79 classes sorcery as one of the “seven great destructive sins”.  Practicing magic was punished with death:

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sad ibn Zurara that he had heard that Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, killed one of her slave-girls who had used sorcery against her. She was a mudabbara. Hafsa gave the order, and she was killed. …

Book 43, Hadith 14 

The two angels were leading people into disbelief by tempting them into using black magic.  By learning black magic, people would become unbelievers. This is a bad look for Allah’s angels.

Ibn Kathir tries to cover for the Quran here. It claim that the angels didn't actually teach the magic.  The angels instead instructed prospective magicians to go to a separate place where the magic was being taught, by Satan.  But the Quran does not say this. 

It makes no sense for good angels to teach black magic. Is it good to teach others how to sin, how to do evil, how to disobey God? (For all sin is disobedience to God.) Is it good to teach someone how to rob a bank? No.

Hārūt and Mārūt's "test" was leading people astray. These angels were not good. They were at best "fallen angels". Another word for such creatures is demons. The Quran's angels are demons.

In the true scriptures, angels bring blessings and peace. When the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, he said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." (Luke 1:30). To Mary, this angel says:

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:31-33

The angels revealed the Son of God, the one who would reign forever, even one who would "save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

Muslim friends, come something better. In the true scriptures, it is written that "there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10). Come to a God whose angels do not lead people astray. Come to a God whose angels rejoice when sinner turn to Him. Come to Jesus.

[1] In commentary Tafsif al Jalalayn of Quran 2:102, one account claims that these were merely men, but another account say they were angels. Tafsir al Qurtubi specifically says the claim that the sorcerers refer to "two kings" is weak. 

King Solomon: A Likely Story?

King Solomon and his Djinn

Let me tell you for a moment a story about my grandfather:

My grandfather had a field of workers.  One thing that grandpa loved to do was lean on his staff and watch over his workers as they worked in the field.  Sadly, one day while grandpa was leaning on his staff, he died.  

Grandpa died in an unlikely way.  Instead of falling over, he died fixed in a standing position leaning on his staff.  Because of this unlikely pose, his workers failed to notice that he died.  Days passed.  Grandpa’s body started to decompose and smell bad.  Yet nobody noticed.  Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months.  Still, nobody noticed.

Seeing grandpa still leaning on his staff, his workers kept working in the field.  Day and night, they kept working.  Frantically so.  No one would even take a break.  It was a torment for the workers.  

One day, a termite started eating through his staff.  Finally, after a year of grandpa’s dead corpse being propped up by his staff, the staff broke and the corpse fell to the ground.  

Grandpa's workers immediately noticed that grandpa was gone.  They could finally stop working and end their painful torment.  Had only they learned of his passing earlier, they would certainly have not suffered like this.

What do you think of this story?  I have to tell you something. This is not actually a story about my grandfather. This is a story about King Solomon.  The workers aren’t ordinary workers. They are djinn (i.e. genies). Solomon had apparently enslaved them, having had forced them to do his bidding using the magical ring that he wore.  

This story is in the Quran:

Then, when We decreed (Solomon's) death, nothing showed them of his death except a little work of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing at his staff: so when he fell down, the Jinns saw plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in the humiliating Penalty (of their Task). Quran 34:14, Yusuf Ali

The Islamic commentary of Tafsir Jalalayn on Quran 34:14 supplies the details to the story:

And when We decreed for him, for Solomon, death, in other words, [when] he died — he remained supported against his staff an entire year, while the jinn continued to toil in hard labour as was customary, unaware of his death, until [finally] when a termite ate through his staff, he fell to the ground [and was seen to be] dead — nothing indicated to them that he had died except a termite (al-ard is the verbal noun from uridat al-khashaba, passive verbal form, in other words, ‘it [the piece of wood] was eaten away by a termite [al-arada]’) that gnawed away at his staff (read minsa’atahu or minsātahu, replacing the hamza with an alif, meaning a ‘staff’, so called because [when describing it one would say] yunsa’u bihā, to mean it is used to repel or drive away [creatures]’). And when he fell down, dead, the jinn realised, it became apparent to them, that (an, is softened, in other words, annahum) had they known the Unseen — comprising what was hidden from them in the way of Solomon being dead — they would not have continued in the humiliating chastisement, [in] that hard labour of theirs, [in which they continued] as they supposed him to be alive, ... Tafsir al-Jalalayn on 34:14

These details are corroborated by Islamic commentary of Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 34:14.

Could you really believe that, for about a year, no-one noticed that Solomon had died standing? None of his family members or servants or Solomon's officials? No-one in Solomon's kingdom noticed? Do you think that no one approached King Solomon to speak with him? If the Quran were the words of God, do you think it would contain such a folk tale?

This story is not in the Bible. In fact, the Bible has nothing to do with magic rings, magic staffs, armies of birds, angels who teaching black magic, or talking ants. All of these made it into the Quran, though. Please Muslim friends, come to the Bible. Come and read about what is real. The real Jesus, of whom it is said:

Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68

Noah and the Lion that Sneezed out Cats

 

One of the stories that the Bible and Quran both share is Noah’s Ark.  Compared to Biblical account of the story in Genesis 6-8, the Quran's version is much abbreviated, only 13 verses.  Noah takes a pair of each species on board the Ark to prepare for a largescale flood.  The Quran writes:

(So it was) till when Our Command came and the oven gushed forth (water like fountains from the earth). We said: "Embark therein, of each kind two (male and female), and your family - except him against whom the Word has already gone forth - and those who believe. And none believed with him, except a few." 

Quran 11:40, Hilali-Khan

In volume 1 of Muhammad Baqir Majlisi's Hayat Al-Qulub, an Islamic book devoted to the stories of the prophet, is a story about Noah’s Ark.  In the story, Allah helps out with a rat problem that developed on the Ark:

In the ship, there were a lot of rats. Allah revealed to Nuh to pat the lion. The lion sneezed and two cats, a male and a female emerged from its nasal openings. They attacked the rats and reduced their number.

(In Arabic works, Noah is called Nuh.)  In a story resembling a fairy tale, Noah pats a lion.  The lion, as it turns out, is sick and sneezes out a pair of cats.  These cats then go to clean up the Ark's rat problem. 

This story didn’t make it to the Bible, but surprisingly was embraced by major scholars in Islam.  It is affirmed by one of Islam's great commentary, Ibn Kathir.  Ibn Kathir was renown for his expertise in Quranic interpretation, the Hadith, and Islamic theology. 

The Arabic version of Ibn Kathir's commentary on Quran 11:40 retells the story.  On Noah's ark, Allah does a world first.  He creates the first ever fever or flu-like sickness.  Allah gives the lion a fever to pacify him.   This makes the cattle then feel safe around the lion.  Cattle no longer fear being eaten.  Quoting Ibn Kathir:

تَطْمَئِنّ الْمَوَاشِي وَمَعَهَا الْأَسَد ؟ فَسَلَّطَ اللَّه عَلَيْهِ الْحُمَّى فَكَانَتْ أَوَّل حُمَّى نَزَلَتْ فِي الْأَرْض ثُمَّ

Are the cattle calm and the lion with them? Then God placed a fever on him [the lion], and it was the first fever that occurred on the earth.

(The Arabic-to-English translations shown here are from Google Translate.)   Next, Ibn Kathir says that the rats in the ark were eating all the food:

شَكَوْا الْفَأْرَة فَقَالُوا الْفُوَيْسِقَة تُفْسِد عَلَيْنَا طَعَامنَا

They complained about the mouse, and they said that the foisika spoils our food. 

So Allah has the lion sneeze out the cats to go after the rodents:

وَ مَتَاعنَا فَأَوْحَى اللَّه إِلَى الْأَسَد فَعَطَسَ فَخَرَجَتْ الْهِرَّ

And our enjoyment, then God revealed to the lion, so he sneezed, and the cat went out. 

The story in Hayat Al-Qulub is obviously folktale.  Yet, Ibn Kathir affirms it.  

Back in Hayat Al-Qulub, the folktale dramatization on the Ark continues.  Noah pats an elephant.  The elephant sneezes and two pigs comes out of its nostrils:

“Then Nuh patted that elephant with his blessed hand. It sneezed and at these two pigs, a male and a female came out of the two nasal openings because of which the facial matter was eliminated.”

Is it not obvious from these examples that early Islamic scholar were not able to distinguish truth from folktale?  If you are Muslim, how you trust your so-called scholars?  Discard such Islamic fiction.  Start reading the Bible.  

In the flood, God wiped out mankind because they had become greatly wicked.  The first thing Noah did when he reached dry land was offer a sacrifice of thankfulness to the Lord.  God promised never to destroy humankind in this way again, in spite of man's tendency for evil:

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.  Genesis 8:20-21

Discover God's plan for the salvation of humanity, a plan to radically transform our evil hearts.  Read the Gospel of John.

Allah Teaches Infanticide

 

The Quran speaks of several characters that never made it to the Bible.  One of these is Al Khidr.   In the Quran Al Khidr is a respected servant of Allah and he has some lessons to teach us.  But one of his lessons is quite disconcerting. 

Al Khidr means “Mr. Green”.  Apparently, according to the stories, he is called Mr. Green, because every time he sits on dry grass, the grass becomes green.  He was said to have existed in the time of Noah, attended the funerals of Aaron and Moses, and, if you can believe it, also the funeral of Muhammad!  The same guy apparently lived over a thousand years, because he is said to have drunk from the “fountain of youth”.  In Islam, Moses thought al Khidr was the most knowledgeable person of his time.

Al Khidr was apparently a good servant who had been taught knowledge of Allah.  Though not explicitly named in the Quran, some Qurans identify him in parentheses:

"And they found a servant from among Our servants [i.e., al-Khiḍr] to whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him from Us a [certain] knowledge." Quran 18:65, Sahih Intl

Now Al Khidr did a very evil thing:

"Then they both proceeded, till they met a boy, and he (Khidr) killed him. Mûsâ (Moses) said: "Have you killed an innocent person who had killed none? Verily, you have committed a thing Nukr (a great Munkar - prohibited, evil, dreadful thing)!" " Quran 18:74, Hilali-Khan

Moses rightfully reacts. “You have killed an innocent person!”  Al Khidr responds:

(Khidr) said: "Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?" Quran 18:75

Al Khidr eventually explains.  It was a lesson for Moses.  The parents were believers, and that he feared that the boy would lead the parents into sin and disbelief:

"And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief." Quran 18:80

However, the boy had committed no sin!  He was the son of a family of believers.  By the Islamic principle of Fitrah, he would have been a Muslim too.  But al Khidr feared future sin from the boy.  He thought the boy would be a troublemaker, so he killed him.  They boy was punished for a crime before committing any crime.  Many Muslims believe in fate and that you cannot change your fated destiny.  But to the rest of us, Allah slaughtered an innocent child.

Muslims might claim otherwise.  They might try reframing it as Allah killing someone who wanted to be evil.  But in Quran 18:80, it clearly says the reason for killing the boy, which was fear.  We see this in many of the English translations:

"We feared that he would pressure them into defiance and disbelief." The Clear Quran

"We feared he would overwhelm them with transgression and denial." Soliman Bridges

"fearing he would trouble them through wickedness and disbelief,"  Abdul Hareem

"So I feared that if he grew up, he would cause them to disbelieve in Allah" Abridged Explanation of the Quran

Also, every single time the Arabic word is used in the Quran, it is rendered fear (see Corpus Quran here).  Al Khidr murdered the son out of fear.

Finishing the story, Allah plans to provide the parents a replacement son:

"So we desired that their Lord would give them in exchange (a son) better in purity (of conduct) and closer in affection. Quran 18:81, Yusuf Ali

The slaying by Al Khidr was very brutal.  From Tafsiral-Jalalayn on Q.18:74:

So they set off after leaving the ship making their way on foot until when they met a boy who had not yet reached puberty playing with other boys among whom his face was the fairest — and he al-Khidr slew him by slitting his throat with a knife while he lay down or by tearing his head off with his hand or by smashing his head against a wall all of which are different opinions the coordinating fā’ of fa-qatalahu ‘and he slew him’ is used here because it indicates that the slaying took place after the encounter; the response to idhā ‘when’ is the following statement qāla … — he Moses said to him ‘Have you slain an innocent soul that is a pure one that had not reached the age of legal responsibility a variant reading for zākiya has zakiyya one slain not in retaliation for another soul? in other words one that has not slain any soul. Verily you have committed an dreadful thing’ read nukran or nukuran that is to say an abomination.

This Tafsir here testifies that the boy was under the age of legal responsibility. 

By contrast, the Bible entrusts parents to raise their children up in righteousness:

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6, NIV

The Bible does not instruct us to "kill the child if you fear rebellion".  Instead, parents are taught to train a child and help steer the path they take in life.  Good parenting helps mold a child and can save them from a lifetime of wrong decisions.

The al Khidr story only makes sense in a fatalistic world where free will does not exist.  In this world, there is nothing the parents could have done to instruct the boy to be good, for his fate had been pre-determined by Allah.  Islam presents a depressing world view.  

The truth is, God presents us with choices.  God calls us, and those he calls he provides the choice to either follow him or turn away from him:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12, ESV

Jesus is calling you to follow him today.  Won't you open the Bible and learn more?

Is Muhammad Eternally Secure?

Muslims are commanded to pour praise and blessings on Muhammad.  The mere mention of the prophet’s name Muhammad is meant to be followed by “peace be upon him”. Blessings are promised for Muslims who pour blessings on his name.  It even says in the Hadith that, "Whoever does Salah upon me [Muhammad] once, Allah will Salah upon him ten (times)"!  But what actually is the benefit to Muhammad for doing this, when he is already in the grave?  Isn’t Muhammad going to heaven?  Why would Muslims need to bless Muhammad?  Is Muhammad’s fate not certain? 

 The truth is that Muhammad wasn't sure of his fate.  It is written:

Say (O Muhammad SAW):"I am not a new thing among the Messengers (of Allah) (i.e. I am not the first Messenger) nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am but a plain warner." Quran 46:9, Hilali-Khan

 Muhammad was to say he “didn’t know what would be done with him”.  What does this mean?

 According to Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir on Quran 46:9, this verse relates to a story regarding what would happen to Muhammad when he dies.  The verse was revealed because an Ansari woman was confident about the eternal destiny of a dying man.   She thought this man was very pious.  She was confident that he would be honored by Allah in the afterlife.  Muhammad corrected her.  Muhammad says regarding the dead man:

 “(As for him, certainly (death) has reached him from his Lord, and surely I wish well for him.  But by Allah, even though I am Allah’s Messenger, “I do not know what will happen to me (after death).)  I then said, `Never will I claim a person to be pious after this.' ”  Ibn Kathir's commentary on Quran 46:9

 This story is taught in the Hadith:

Narrated Kharija bin Zaid bin Thabit: 

Um Al-`Ala an Ansari woman who had given the Pledge of allegiance to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "`Uthman bin Maz'un came in our share when the Ansars drew lots to distribute the emigrants (to dwell) among themselves, He became sick and we looked after (nursed) him till he died. Then we shrouded him in his clothes. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to us, I (addressing the dead body) said, "May Allah's Mercy be on you, O Aba As-Sa'ib! I testify that Allah has honored you." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'How do you know that?' I replied, 'I do not know, by Allah.' He said, 'As for him, death has come to him and I wish him all good from Allah. By Allah, though I am Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), I NEITHER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME, NOR TO YOU.'" Um Al-`Ala said, "By Allah, I will never attest the righteousness of anybody after that." She added, "Later I saw in a dream, a flowing spring for `Uthman. So I went to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and mentioned that to him. He said, 'That is (the symbol of) his good deeds (the reward for) which is going on for him.' "  Sahih al-Bukhari 7018, Book 91, Hadith 35

Muhammad didn't know exactly what would happen to himself after he dies.  Muslim friends, do you really want to entrust your eternal security with the teachings of this man?  Jesus promised to provide a way you can be sure of making peace with God.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.  John 5:24, ESV

Allah Prays for Muhammad

In a debate between Muhammad Hijab and David Wood, Hijab admitted, "Allah prays for Muhammad".

Prayer is defined as the act of communication with a higher power.  We pray to God, for worship, praise, confession, and supplication.  Muslims pray to Allah for similar such things.  Question, does it make sense for God to pray?

The word for prayers in Islam in Islam is “salat”.  Prayer is important for the Muslim.  Ritual prayer is one of the five pillars of Islam.  

Apparently, Allah sends prayers upon Muhammad:

“He it is Who sends salat (His blessings) on you, and His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive you)…"  Quran 33:43a, Hilali-Khan

The “He” in this verse is Allah.  The Arabic here is not actually “sends blessings” “yuṣallī” (يُصَلِّي) but it means “he prays”. 

He does it again later in the same surah.  Allah sends his salat on Muhammad, just as Muslims do their salat on him.  Allah prays:

“Allah sends his salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad SAW) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! send your salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad SAW), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. AsSalamu 'Alaikum).” Quran 33:56, Hilali-Khan

Again, the Arabic word for the salat that Allah sends here is “yuṣallūna” (يُصَلُّونَ) means “they pray”.  The Arabic word for the “salat” that the Muslim sends, “ṣallū” (صَلُّوا) translates the same way.  So, the Muslim is asked to send salat on Muhammad, just as Allah sends salat on Muhammad.  The same root word is used for both acts.  Allah and His angels send their prayers of blessings on Muhammad.  

Even in the Sunnah does it say the same:

“The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Whoever sends salah upon me once, Allah (SWT) will send salah upon him tenfold." “  Sunan an-Nasa'i 1296, Book 13, Hadith 118

In this hadith the same word “salah” (صَلَّى) is used twice, once for us, once for Allah.  Allah sends salah in the same way as the Muslim sends salah.

If salah means "pray", then Allah prays for Muhammad.  In the Patton 2009 book chapter, the literal translation “God prays for the Prophet” is the phrase's most obvious meaning. 

The big question is who is Allah praying to?  Is it another God?  Allah is asking another being of equal or greater authority, presumably another God, to bless Muhammad.  Either Allah is then blessing Muhammad through partners.  I.e. Allah commits shirk.  

Now in Surah 33:56 the Arabic is rendered "Allah and his angels" (literally "l-laha wamalāikatahu").  If one really insists that the phrase means "send blessings", then Allah and his angels work together to send blessings.  This puts Allah and his angels on the same level.  The angels then are partners with Allah.  

In either case, Allah is seen committing shirk.  Allah should not be praying blessings on someone.  Humans do this, God doesn't.  Allah should not be working together with angels to send blessings.  Is not Allah meant to be greater than the angels?  There should be no greater authority than God: 

...For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Romans 13:1b

Allah cannot be God, and the Quran cannot be the word of God.  Come back to the Torah, Zabur (Psalms) and Injeel (gospel).  To find God, come back to the Bible.

Isaiah 9 shows us that Jesus is God

As Christians, we lavish titles on Jesus.  Jesus is Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace.  Why do we do this?  Where do these titles come from?  In Isaiah it says:

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 Isaiah 9:6 ESV 

Some may say that these names are not used in the New Testament.  How do we know that these titles apply to Jesus?

When Jews would read Isaiah 9:6, they read it as part of a greater passage, Isaiah 9:1-7.  Its last verse says:

Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

 Isaiah 9:7 ESV 

The passage is prophetic, telling of something great to occur.  A throne of justice and righteousness is to be established.  This throne is to be established forever; the passage is Messianic.  The last verse of the passage says the one to accomplish it is God (or more specifically "The Lord of Hosts").

In the book of Matthew, this passage is applied to Jesus.  Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:1-2, claiming that Jesus, who resided in Naphtali, fulfilled the prophecy in the Isaiah verses:

5 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.”

  Matthew 4:15-16 ESV

Here, Jesus is identified as this great light.  But from Isaiah 9:7, the one who is the Great Light is the same person who is identified as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.  It then follows that these titles directly apply to Jesus.

The titles Mighty God and Everlasting Father especially can apply only to the Lord of Hosts (God) himself.   Therefore Matthew says here not only that Jesus is the promised Messiah, but identifies Jesus as God.  

Have you spent time to get to know the Prince of Peace?