Acts 5:34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail.

Why didn't this same thing happen to Muhammad and Joseph Smith?

Martin Q. Blank said:

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Acts 5:34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail.

Why didn't this same thing happen to Muhammad and Joseph Smith?

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Great question. No idea.

Huh. Just started an Acts re-read and nearly at this point. Something to consider. Thanks.

I suspect the answer is more "When" than "If":

Both Jews referred to by Gamaliel preceded Jesus' ministry and His glorious sacrifice on the cross...meaning both were from/under the Mosaic Covenant (the unachievable Law). Muhammad and J. Smith came after our Savior and no matter whether they know it, are under the New Covenant...ALL who are, must choose their own/ultimate fate based solely on their faith and we cannot now demonstrate their relative success or end (actually saved or lost) for any others to see or confirm.

Think about it and pray.

I'll do more digging, but my initial reaction is this:

- acts is primarily a historical record than a teaching document. Recording Gamaliel's words can be inerrant without being a blanket statement.

- if you've read about the death of Joseph smith (jail break shootout while also being a "presidential candidate"), in addition to very limited growth of the faith (per capita) since his death, I don't think he's on the same level as Christianity.

- Islam is a slightly better example, despite Muhammad being poisoned by an acquaintance after their violent conquest of a Jewish city. If we look past the obvious difference in teaching and approach to nonbelievers, we can see sudden and rapid growth of Islam. But to those who say "when" rather than "if", I think they are correct. Islam spread by the sword. Once better weapons arose, Islam has become isolated as far as density goes.

Christianity accomplished something no other religion has, despite the hurdles.