- Mar 18, 2008
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Antichrist’s Hijacking of Islam
First, a word about the Koran (or Q’uran or however you wish to spell it): Please understand that I do not place for one instant any sort of authority in the Koran’s pronouncements such as I would give to the Bible. It is not the Word of God or anything close to it. However, most Christians would agree that Islam is a creation of Satan’s, so perhaps the Koran might offer some insights into the Satanic mindset. In fact, Mohammed’s personal account of how he was given the contents of the Koran is quite remarkable in this regard. History tells us that Mohammed was at least somewhat acquainted with the contents of the Old Testament and at least part of the New Testament, so he knew of Biblical stories of encounters with angels among other things. Invariably whenever an angel appears in the Bible, the first thing they do is to reassure the person they are visiting and to calm any fears they might have. (“Fear not.”) They do not want the person to be alarmed and to consequently miss the message. However, Mohammed’s account describes sleeping in a cave and being violently startled and grabbed harshly by an angelic creature who actually strangled him almost to the point of blacking out. Not surprisingly, Mohammed said he was terrified. This creature introduced himself as “Gabriel”. (Does this sound like the Gabriel who appeared to Daniel and later to Mary?) Rather than attempting to calm Mohammed down, “Gabriel” spoke to him in a very condescending, insulting manner and ordered him to share the contents of what Mohammed was told in this encounter. Mohammed was threatened with dire consequences if he failed to do so. He claimed that words appeared in his mind that he was compelled to pass on. These words supposedly make up a substantial portion of the Koran. For a time afterwards, Mohammed was convinced that he was “demon-possessed”. This hardly seems like the story that a person acquainted with the Old Testament would manufacture. It is so different from the Biblical accounts that it would seem to make Mohammed’s account unlikely if he were simply trying to give added credibility to his teachings. In addition, Muslims try their best to keep this account of Mohammed’s out of public knowledge. Salmon Rushdie’s infamous book, The Satanic Verses, actually discusses this account of Mohammed’s and this is precisely why the ayatollahs sentenced Rushdie to death. The reason that book is called “The Satanic Verses” is because it discusses the possibility of at least part of the Koran coming directly from Satan himself. Why do the Muslims feel so threatened by this story if they don’t believe there is any truth to it? Wouldn’t they simply dismiss it out of hand as being the imagination of “infidels”? If there is any truth to Mohammed’s account, it could be easily argued that he had a direct encounter with a demon, if not with Satan himself. So with this information, it is possible that the Koran could be viewed, to a certain extent, as being demonically inspired. That is why the Koran could offer some insight into the Satanic mindset. (More details, including information from actual Islamic teachings regarding this incident, can be found at [url="http://answering-islam.org/Silas/demons.htm]http://answering-islam.org/Silas/demons.htm[/url].) So going on from there, I’ll tell you what I have learned about Islamic “prophecy”. (Please remember my earlier statement that I do not consider Islamic “prophecy” to be genuine. It is not to taken as any kind of divine revelation. For those who understand the Bible to be the only true Word of God, Islamic “prophecy’s” only use is to get insider information about Satan and his mindset.) The whole purpose behind Iran’s efforts to cause so much trouble around the world is to hasten the appearance of a person from Islamic theology called the “Mahdi” (pronounced “mah-dee´”). (Their president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has specifically said so publicly many times, including during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2007.) The Mahdi is essentially Islam’s Messiah, to borrow the Jewish term. (In fact, if you were speaking to a Muslim and referred to the Mahdi as Islam’s “Messiah” they would usually agree with you that the usage is appropriate and would have no problem with it.) There are a number of prophecies about the Mahdi in the Koran and in another set of Islamic teachings called the “Hadiths”. The Hadiths are a set of oral teachings from Mohammed that were not recorded as early as the writings in the Koran. Therefore, they are not considered to be word-for-word inviolate such as the Koran’s writings, but their substance is considered to be just as “holy” and sacred. The Hadiths have become standardized over the years and for all intents and purposes are studied by faithful Muslims just as diligently as the Koran itself. Between these two different sources we get a fairly detailed set of prophecies about the Mahdi including these highlights: (Please remember, these are not what I say, but rather are what Islamic theology says.) 1. The Mahdi has (supposedly) already been alive once a number of centuries ago, but died prematurely when he “fell down a well”. His appearance would constitute a supposed return from the dead.2. The Mahdi will appear in a time of great stress in the world (hence Iran’s efforts to deliberately cause great stress in the world – this is why Iran appears to be unresponsive to reason – in their way of thinking, they are behaving entirely logically).3. The Mahdi will be the “wisest” person who has ever lived.4. He will be a direct descendant of Mohammed. (There are direct descendants of Mohammed known to be living at this moment, including the King of Jordan among others.)5. The Mahdi will take over many different nations in the Middle Eastern area.6. The world will be amazed at the Mahdi’s wisdom, skills at problem solving, and diplomacy.7. The entire world will give themselves up to the Mahdi.8. His career will last for somewhere between 7 - 9 years.9. The Mahdi will make a treaty with the west that will be for exactly seven years and this treaty will be moderated by a Jew of the priestly line of Aaron. (Remember, this is what Islamic theology says. Does this remind you of Daniel 9:27? It is indeed possible today to identify the Aaronic priestly line. There are Jews throughout the world with the surname “Cohen” and other names very similar. This name has been used since the Roman dispersion of 70 AD to identify the priestly line for future use.)10. Muslims believe the Mahdi is represented in the book of Revelation in a passage that has not been a victim of the rampant corruption and distortions that Muslims say pollute much of the rest of the Bible. This passage is Revelation 6:2 – “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.” (Apparently, it doesn’t seem to bother Muslims that this passage is claimed by Christians to refer to the Antichrist. It is very interesting that the author of the Koran/Hadiths would choose to represent the Mahdi with this passage.)11. The Mahdi will establish his world capital in Kufa, Iraq (which is about fifty miles north of Babylon and about fifty miles south of Baghdad).12. He will later move his seat of power to Jerusalem after he conquers the Jews.13. He will be very successful at convincing Jews and Christians to convert to Islam (not necessarily voluntarily). (Again, remember, this is what Islam teaches, not me.) Curiously, the Islamic prophecies only mention these two particular religions, Christianity and Judaism. Buddhism, Hinduism and other belief systems are completely ignored. This would only make sense in a system that was designed for the express purpose of opposing the true God of Judaism and Christianity, since the other religions would not be considered a threat by Satan.14. At the end of the seven year treaty, he will defeat the “Dajjal”, Islam’s equivalent of the Antichrist. (Remember this person, he’ll be important in a few minutes.)15. The Mahdi’s reign will be a time of unparalleled peace, tranquility, and prosperity throughout the world. Wait, there’s more. There’s another personality in this scenario I need to tell you about. His name is “Isa”. A Muslim speaking to an English-speaking Christian of this person would call him “Jesus”. Muslims are convinced that this person, “Isa”, is the true Jesus that is written about in our New Testament, except that our New Testament is supposedly full of distortions and fantasies that have been added over the years. The prophecies about “Isa” are just as astounding as the ones about the Mahdi. 1. Isa will appear on the world scene shortly after the Mahdi and will recognize the Mahdi as having authority superior to his own.2. He will (supposedly) be an actual Jew claiming to be the real, actual Jesus, returned from Heaven. (Notice in Revelation 13:11 that the second beast called the False Prophet is seen to rise up out of the “land” as opposed to the first beast who comes from the sea. The sea is representative of the Gentile world and this reference to the second beast coming out of the “land” is usually taken to mean that this beast is Jewish. This would fit perfectly.)3. He will “refute” the centuries-old belief that he died on a cross for people’s sins. He will claim that, in fact, he didn’t even really die on the cross at all, rather that he was lifted up off the cross, still alive, into heaven where he has been waiting all this time to return to assist the Mahdi and to finish out his normal lifespan.4. He will insist that everyone in the entire world either follow the Mahdi’s teachings or be killed and will abolish Christianity altogether. He will also be especially vicious in his determination to kill the “infidel” Jews who do not convert. (Nice way to treat the relatives, huh?) Wait, there’s one last person I need to introduce you to in this Islamic scenario. I mentioned him in the list about the Mahdi: he’s called the “Dajjal” and he is Islam’s equivalent of the Antichrist. See if you can figure out who this is….. The Dajjal will appear at the end of the seven year treaty in the sky over Israel. He will be sent by “Satan” to oppose the “righteous” Mahdi and Isa. He will be accompanied by myriads of “demons” who will be determined to defeat the forces of the “one true god” (Allah), but he will be immediately defeated by the Mahdi through the power of Allah. Hmm, I wonder who that could be? Now, I ask you: What are the chances of an uneducated Bedouin like Mohammed coming up with stuff like that on his own without any help? Up until his “encounter”, Mohammed had simply been like all the other Arabs of his day, worshiping a polytheistic system in the Arabian peninsula that was centered around a “magic rock” located in the city of Mecca. (Today, this “magic rock” is Islam’s holiest shrine.) People who knew Mohammed described him as being a successful business person and rather charismatic, but certainly nothing of historical importance or any great religious fervor. His family was moderately wealthy, and he was pretty much just running the family business. Then suddenly, he comes up with all this. And how could he possibly have come up with such a perfect opposite of the prophecies in Revelation? Even Christians of that day (ca. 600 AD) were having so much trouble understanding Revelation that it was subsequently doomed to centuries of being misinterpreted as mostly an “allegorical” work that nobody could understand. It seems very plausible that he had help, just as he said in his account of how he came up with the Koran. So based on this information, here are some general conclusions that seem reasonable – 1. Islam is not going to “go away”, in fact it’s going to (briefly) rule the world.2. The “West” will either fall or will go along willingly, including the United States.3. We won’t have to wait for the antichrist to come along to see people being beheaded – Muslims have already been doing it for centuries, and the beheadings of Revelation will simply be a continuation of an old practice, but far more widespread. (And Muslims don’t use guillotines to make it quick and painless either.)4. The Antichrist’s changing of the “set times and the laws” mentioned at Daniel 7:25 will be the “Mahdi” imposing Sharia Law on the world along with Islam’s lunar calendar as opposed to our more traditional solar calendar. Islam is the only religion in the world that has the stated goal (among others) of imposing its calendar on conquered peoples. Buddhists and Hindus and all other religious systems have no interest in changing their subjects’ calendars. Islam is unique in this regard. This is further evidence that the true Biblical Antichrist will have an Islamic origin, because it is the only belief system in existence today that explains this prophecy of Daniel’s.5. The teaching of the Antichrist being “Roman” (based on Daniel 9:26) is no problem for this scenario. The Roman Empire, at its greatest extent, went all the way to today’s eastern boundary of Iraq. In addition, there were three Roman legions that destroyed the temple in 70 AD. The largest legion was the 5th Legion, the “Legio V Macedonica”. This was a conscript army, meaning the soldiers were drawn from a particular region. The legion usually bore the name of the region from which the soldiers were drawn. The Legio V Macedonica had soldiers from all over Syria, Jordan, Arabia, Modern Iraq and Iran, and other parts of the Middle East. The actual people (to use the same word as Daniel 9:26) who destroyed the “city and the sanctuary” (as predicted by Daniel) were indeed working for Rome, but they were from areas that are currently Islamic. There are a few more things I should explain to answer some inevitable questions that would very appropriately come up. The first is about Mystery Babylon. How is there a connection between Revelation 17’s “Mystery Babylon” and Islam? They seem quite different in our traditional understanding of the two. The old pagan polytheistic system of the tower of Babel would seem, at first, to be quite different from monotheistic Islam and this actually threw me off for quite some time until I did a little reading up. Here are some things I learned: The chief deity in the old Babylonian system was the moon god. The moon was considered to be at its holiest when it was in the crescent stage. (Sound familiar?) One of the most common names given to this moon god was “Al-lah”. So there is indeed a direct connection between today’s Islam and Mystery Babylon. When Mohammed received his “revelation” from “Gabriel”, he concluded that he had received information from the “one true god” and that there could be no other god. So he took the name of the most prominent among the gods he had been familiar with for all of his life, “Al-lah”, and simply crossed the other “gods” off the list. Islam was not at all a totally new religion based on some new wisdom that Mohammed came up with as is often believed, but rather is simply a redressing and refinement of the old polytheism that had been around since before the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The next question that needs answering is what about Revelation 17:16, where the beast and the ten kings destroy Mystery Babylon? How could Islam’s most powerful leader of all time destroy his own religion? This has to do with the nature of Allah, as taught to Muslims. You might already be aware that any good Muslim would consider it to be the worst form of blasphemy to suggest that Allah has any sort of physical form. In fact, this is their biggest problem with Christianity, because we claim that a man (Jesus) is God in the flesh. This is anathema to Muslims. Here is the explanation: Anybody who has studied history knows that any human who rises to a position of incredible power lets it go to his head. (“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”) Hitler, Stalin, and Napoleon are only three examples of this. The Antichrist/Mahdi will be no exception. Halfway through the Tribulation, he will present himself to the world and proclaim that “Oh, by the way, I’m Allah in the flesh.” The first questions a lot of people (including me) would have are “But how could he get away with that? Wouldn’t every Muslim in the world turn on him?” The first point that needs to be remembered is that while the Antichrist accomplishes much in the first half of the seven years of his rule, he does not actually demand to be worshiped until after the middle point of the seven years. It will not be until after the Antichrist has achieved several significant victories and gained a great measure of allegiance that he will establish his position of authority in the Jerusalem temple. It is at this time that Paul explains how Antichrist will “set himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4) This is also the time that Paul said, “the man of lawlessness is revealed.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) While many Christians with discernment will already have recognized the Antichrist by this point, it will not be until the middle of the seven years that the Bible says he will be fully “revealed.” We need to understand that the Antichrist will not demand worship until well after he has been universally acknowledged and accepted by the Islamic world as the “Mahdi”. The Imams, mullahs, sheikhs, and the Ayatollahs, indeed all of the world’s Islamic leadership will have given their allegiance to him. To deny him at this point would be the ultimate shame for Islam. It would come at a time when Islam will universally be experiencing its greatest rush of vindication and fulfillment. In the midst of all of this incredible elation, to suddenly declare and acknowledge that an absolutely evil charlatan has deceived the entire Islamic world would be unthinkable. Once the deception has taken place it will be impossible to undo. The hook will have been set. There will be other very important factors at play here as well. Throughout this time period, the False Prophet, whom the Islamic world will believe to be Jesus, will be working as the Antichrist’s miracle-working “campaign manager” as it were. As Paul the apostle says: “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 The followers of the Mahdi/Antichrist will be already in a deep spiritual state of deception. Add on some miracles that the Bible says will accompany the Antichrist’s career and most people will buy it hook, line, and sinker. When he asks the Islamic community to accept him as Allah in the flesh, most of the world’s people will be happy to accept it based on what will appear to them to be incontrovertible evidence. So this is the fulfillment of Revelation 17:16, because the antichrist will no longer be satisfied with the political power of being Allah’s chief representative on Earth. He will decide that he wants to be acknowledged AS Allah. Anybody who opposes him in this will no doubt be destroyed, even if they had previously been a faithful follower. (I should pause briefly to clarify something about this statement that I made a few paragraphs ago: “While many Christians with discernment will already have recognized the Antichrist by this point, it will not be until the middle of the seven years that the Bible says he will be fully ‘revealed.’” There could be some confusion concerning when the Antichrist is “revealed”. When I say that the Antichrist is fully revealed at the middle of the seven years, that does not mean that he is not partially revealed prior to that point. In fact, people who are familiar with Biblical prophecy could possibly even be able to recognize the Antichrist as soon as he appears on the scene, perhaps even prior to the Tribulation. Certainly, with the commencement of the seven year covenant of Daniel 9:27 (which would seem to be parallel with the seven-year treaty predicted for the Mahdi in Islamic theology), anybody familiar with the prophecies of the Tribulation should be able to recognize this individual as the Antichrist at that point. However, many who are not familiar with the Biblical prophecies might not recognize him for who he is until he seats himself in the temple in Jerusalem and proclaims himself as “god” (or as “Allah” in the flesh). It will be at this point that the revealing of who he really is will be completed and he will be fully revealed, even to those who had not already figured it out. It will be at that point that the entire world will have to choose sides and accept or reject his “Mark of the Beast”. It should also be clarified that the prophecy about the Mahdi being successful at converting Christians and Jews is not what I say, it’s what the Islamic prophecies say. It would seem likely that “Christians” who actually convert to Islam will be those who claimed to be Christian but never had an actual saving experience with the real Jesus. This would be part of Revelation’s exhortations to “patient endurance”.) This Mahdi-as-Antichrist scenario also explains a passage that most modern prophecy teachers have never been able to really deal with – Daniel 11:37-38. “And unto the god of his fathers he doth not attend, nor to the desire of women, yea, to any god he doth not attend, for against all he magnifieth himself. And to the god of strongholds, on his station, he giveth honour; yea, to a god whom his fathers knew not he giveth honour, with gold, and with silver, and with precious stone, and with desirable things.” In the Mahdi-as-Antichrist scenario this otherwise-confusing passage makes perfect sense: He will reject the traditional worship of Allah that his ancestors have practiced and will instead put himself in Allah’s place. He will in essence “hijack” Islam for his own purposes. The religion that has been most associated with hijacking over the years will, in the end, become the biggest hijacking victim of all time. It will be Antichrist’s Hijacking of Islam. In addition, it is well known that Muslims’ treatment of women under Sharia Law is inhumanly cruel and barbaric, including the practice of polygamy, hence his ignoring the “desire of women”. As the ruler of the Middle East, he will be in control of the world’s oil supply which will give him a limitless supply of cash and his obsession with power as the world’s leader will lead him to amass incredible military strength to be at his beck and call. So now you know how Islam and the Mahdi fit into the big picture of Biblical prophecy. If you would like further information about Islamic prophecies concerning the Mahdi, Isa, and the Dajjal, there is an excellent online book that goes into much greater detail at this web address: [url="http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/index.htm]http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/index.htm[/url]