Some are preaching that some coming flesh-born Islamic caliphate is going to be the final Antichrist of The Bible.
That idea is just as much baloney as those who mis-assign the final Antichrist as being the pope, or some U.S. President, or any other flesh born man of today.
All those ideas are by 'design'. They're designed to mislead you away from the prophetic parameters God's Word gives about the final Antichrist that's coming to Jerusalem on earth, which Orthodox Judaism will accept as Messiah.
Orthodox Jews, are not... going to accept an Islamic caliphate as The Messiah of God's Word. It's a crazy idea, since Islamic nations are involved in attacking Israel at the end of this world per Ezek.38 & 39. One of the MAJOR prophetic parameters required to fulfill the prophecy about the final Antichrist is Judah accepting him as a Jewish priest-king to sit in their future temple in Jerusalem, not an Islamic king, for they would easily recognize the difference.
So WHY are those doctrines of men about an Islamic caliphate making the rounds today? It's because of what's getting ready to occur in Jerusalem with the coming Antichrist-false messiah which is being specifically prepared for unbelieving Jews, and all the deceived world.
Hi! 'Veteran'
There is a Scripture which must be remembered when seeking to identity the anti-Christ: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places", (Eph 6:12).
Since the arch-enemies of our Gospel are not flesh and blood, it's not Muslims nor any other race of people which can be identified as 'evil incarnate' ... the anti-Christ.
The problem of course is that false teachings have misconstrued the book of Revelation for countless Christians. They wrongly believe that the battle of Armageddon is an earthly battle against an earthly foe ... against flesh and blood.
The battle of Armageddon is a celestial battle against spiritual enemies and powers.
Yeah, I suspect that a lot of people reading this will sigh to themselves and suspect me of being some kinna' heretic 'er whatever. Nevertheless, none of them comprehend what it means to have a heavenly citizenship, (Phil 3:20). Nor do they fully appreciate what it truly means when the Bible says, "Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love"; neither about "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus", (Col 1:13, Eph 2:6).
Consequently, no one should be surprised that those people who are blind to their position and authority in the heavenly places would necessarily invent teachings saying that the enemies of both God and man are flesh and blood.
In the Spirit, we are already seated with Christ in the heavenly places, and like Him we simultaneously have dominion over the earth and the “prince of power of the air”, (Eph. 2:2).
Regardless, I would suggest that you remind yourself of the following Scriptures:
1John 2:18,19, (actually, verses18-27)
2John 7
Then look at 1John 2:12-14. Sometimes it becomes necessary to explain the identity of the anti-Christ in a manner which even a child (new convert) can understand because they are severely blind to their godly inheritance and heavenly position of authority.
The Scripture verses above has the Apostle pointing out the corruption process which is developing in the church; both through the anti-Christian and then, in the endtimes, by the Antichrist himself. The man of sin, 'Antichrist', are people who possess the spirit of the anti-Christ, the spirit of the beast from the abyss. This spirit is the counterfeit of the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Covenant, there were people who were anti-God. The Messiah was not there yet.
The works of the Anti-Christ are specifically aimed at preventing the Christian from obtaining their spiritual inheritance and attaining their heavenly position as kings and priests, (Rev 1:6, Rev 5:10).
Christ is the Anointed with the Holy Spirit. Through this anointing, Jesus became King and Priest. If we are anointed/baptized with the Holy Spirit, we too can have a position of heavenly kingship and priesthood.
John said that there were already many anti-Christs which had arisen.
Even in John's day. thoughts had already began to creep into the mind of God's people which caused them to confess that the throne of God was unattainable for the Christian.
It's not for nothing that the Scriptures warn, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen", (Rev 2:5).
There are countless Christians today who have "fallen" from their position of authority in the heavens ... who hardly have a clue about their functioning as kings and priests in the Kingdom of Heaven. They have fallen from the high road of their calling.
They neglected to heed multiple Scriptures such as:
Rom 13:12, "The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light".
Jer 46:3-4, "Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle! Harness the horses, mount the steeds! Take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears, put on your armour!"
1 Cor 14:8, "For if a trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who will get himself ready for war?
Because of this, they necessarily must falsely identify the anti-Christ as an early power and believe that he can be defeated by earthly vigilance.
They remain utterly ignorant of the Scripture saying, ""Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God", (Eph 6:10-17).
Judas did the same thing as the devil. Both of them knowingly and willingly abandoned the light.
A darkness had formed in them and this matured to such a horrible degree that they came to hate the light and love the darkness.
So it is with the anti-Christian too.
The identity of the spirit of the anti-Christ in people develops as a process of deterioration and gradually envelopes them completely.
The letter 'V' principle comes into force. The intersection of the two points become further and further apart; finally to never meet each other.
At some point, something spiritually negative begins to work in these people. Until, just like Judas, they become known as a son of perdition.
It's the devil and Antichrist which inspire falsehood and lies against the anointed Jesus Christ and against the followers of Christ; against those who are anointed with the Holy Spirit as Jesus was, His main attack is against those on the path of the kings and the priesthood; against those who are reaching upwards to the throne of God.
Sons of God are people of the earth who have taken up their rightful position in the heavenly places. Because they have been transferred in the Kingdom of the Son of God's love for his sons, they fight and and obtain their victories over the kingdom of darkness from that attitude.
Therefore, the Antichrist does not strike against the earthly natural-oriented Christian, but against those Christians who are heavenly minded; those who have their "mind on the things above", (Col 3:2). The Antichrist does not first oppose the carnal Christians, but the spiritual man.
The spirit of anti-Christ is de-mobilizing Christians by inspiring them with a thought world and false teachings which steal their heavenly inheritance.
It is the anti-Christian spirit which keeps countless sincere Christians focused on the earth. In this way, he makes them spiritually powerless.
Isaiah said that we shall mount up with wings like eagles. Wings are an image of the power of the Holy Spirit.
The battle of the antichrist is against the armies of Jesus Christ in heaven. It is a spiritual struggle.
Revelation 19:11 says, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse: and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and he doth judge and make war in righteousness", (the same white horse is mentioned in Rev 6:2.).
Revelation 19:14 says, "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen white and clean"..
The rider on the white horse is called the Word of God: Jesus Christ.
The white horse is an image of the Holy Spirit. It is the force which carries Him; or to put it another way: Jesus Christ carried the mind of God.
To be able to be suitably prepared for this battle, it is absolutely imperative that the individual be be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is in contrast to the situation where the Antichrist is filled with the spirit of anti-Christ, the spirit of the beast from the abyss.
Review the Scriptures below:
Rev 13: 1 - And I saw from the sea (gulf) a beast rise ....
Rev 11:7 - The beast that rises from the abyss ....
Rev 13:2 - And the dragon gave him (the beast) his power and his throne and great authority.
The Antichrist is the false prophet while the beast is the gruesome power that this man is;
The beast from the abyss, Apollyon, the destroyer.
The occult powers from the realm of Death arrive when abyss is opened.
The people themselves call upon these powers and usher them on to the earth. This occurs similar to a seance. The spirit of lawlessness will become fully revealed in this occult manner.
It's not for nothing that John says that some had gone out from the church; people who were aware of the heavenlies and the spiritual world. As such, they had knowledge of the powers and forces of the coming age, We are reminded of the verse in Acts where it says, "Speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them".
The Assembly of the Antichrist is thoroughly occult. The anti-Christian power is preparing to connect to the world powers: (the world rulers of this darkness). They are the forces which govern the peoples.
The princes of darkness, now in conflict with each other, are bundled together and voluntarily subject themselves to the Antichrist.
So, to make a long story short:
The Antichrist is not a Muslim nor any other race or particular religious denomination or culture.
The Antichrist is not flesh and blood; he is a spiritual power and can only be defeated spiritually; in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Antichrist is the Devil himself, incarnate.
What we are seeing in these end times is the Spirit of God producing the Sons of God and the spirit of the anti-Christ is developing sons of perdition. At the time of the battle of Armageddon, it will be these two armies which set themselves against one another in the Kingdom of Heaven. Armageddon is a battle that occurs in the spiritual dimension; spirit against spirit ...those baptized in the Holy Spirit against those immersed in the spirit of the Antichrist.