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Sunday, September 27, 2009
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Why Shariah Must Be Opposed
Why Shariah Must Be Opposed
by Daniel Pipes
National Post
August 5, 2009
http://www.danielpipes.org/7493/why-shariah-must-be-opposed
Those of us who argue against Shariah are sometimes asked why Islamic law poses a problem when modern Western societies long ago accommodated Halakha, or Jewish law. In fact, this was one of the main talking points of those who argued that Shariah should become an accepted part of dispute resolution in Ontario in 2005.
The answer is easy: a fundamental difference separates the two. Islam is a missionizing religion, Judaism is not. Islamists aspire to apply Islamic law to everyone, while observant Jews seek only to live by Jewish law themselves.
Two very recent examples from the United Kingdom demonstrate the innate imperialism of Islamic law.
The first concerns Queens Care Centre, an old-age home and day-care provider for the elderly in the coal town of Maltby, 40 miles east of Manchester. At present, according to the Daily Telegraph, not one of its 37 staff or 40 residents is Muslim. Although the home's management asserts a respect for its residents' "religious and cultural beliefs," QCC's owner since 1994, Zulfikar Ali Khan, on his own decided this year to switch the home's meat purchases to a halal butcher.
His stealthy decision meant pensioners at QCC could no longer eat their bacon and eggs, bangers and mash, ham sandwiches, bacon sandwiches, pork pies, bacon butties, or sausage rolls. The switch prompted widespread anger. The relative of one resident called it "a disgrace. The old people who are in the home and in their final years deserve better. … [I]t's shocking that they should be deprived of the food they like on the whim of this man." A staff member opined that it's "quite wrong that someone should impose their religious and cultural beliefs on others like this."
Queried about his decision, Khan, lamely replied he ordered halal meat for the sake of (nonexistent) Muslim staff. Then he backtracked: "We will be ordering all types of meat" and went so far as to agree that religious beliefs should not be imposed on others. His retreat did not convince one former QCC staffer, who suspected that Khan "intended to serve only halal meat at the home but has had to think again because of the row."
A second example of imposing Shariah on non-Muslims comes from southwest England. The Avon and Somerset police force patrols the cities of Bristol and Bath as well as surrounding areas has just issued hijabs to female officers. The hijabs, distributed at the initiative of two Muslim groups and costing £13 apiece, come complete with the constabulary's emblem.
Now, issuing hijabs as part of uniforms in Great Britain is nothing new – the London police led the way in 2001, followed by other police forces, at least one fire brigade, and even the furniture chain Ikea. What sets the Avon and Somerset hijabs apart from these others is their being intended not just for pious Muslim female staff but also for non-Muslim staff, in particular for their use upon entering mosques.
[Rashad Azami of the Bath Islamic Society finds it "highly pleasing" that the constabulary took this step. One of the seven non-Muslim officers to receive a hijab of her very own, Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Roberts, calls it "a very positive addition to the uniform and one which I'm sure will be a welcome item for many of our officers."
[Dhimmitude is the term Bat Ye'or coined to describe subservience to Shariah by non-Muslims. Assistant Chief Constable Roberts' enthusiasm for the hijab might be called "advanced dhimmitude."]
"Hijab bullies" (as David J. Rusin of Islamist Watch calls them) who coerce non-Muslim females to cover up are just one stripe of Islamist imposing Shar'i ways on the West. Other Islamists focus on impeding the uncensored discussion of such topics as Muhammad and the Koran or Islamist institutions or terrorist financing; still others exert to bring taxpayer-funded schools, hospitals, and jails into conformity with Islamic law, not to speak of taxi cabs and municipal swimming pools. Their efforts don't always succeed but in the aggregate, they are rapidly shifting the premises of Western, and especially British, life.
Returning to pork: both Islam and Judaism abominate the flesh of pigs, so this prohibition offers a direct and revealing comparison of the two religions. Simply put, Jews accept that non-Jews eat pork but Muslims take offense and try to impede pork consumption. That, in brief, explains why Western accommodations to Halakha have no relevance for dealing with Shariah. And why Shariah as public policy must be opposed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aug. 5, 2009 update: Yesterday's Daily Mail offers a coda to the hijabs for non-Muslim British policewomen; how about niqabs for non-Muslim British policewomen?
Three female police officers were ordered to dress up as Muslim women for the day just to see what it felt like. They wore traditional burkhas [DP: sic] as part of a scheme designed to help police interact better with the Islamic community. … The officers, Sergeant Deb Leonard, Sergeant Deb Pickering and Police Community Support Officer Helen Turner, all from Sheffield, were accompanied by four Muslim women to help them learn more about the Islamic faith on a tour of the city. …
A spokesman for the force said the exercise, called "In Your Shoes Day," was designed to help officers interact better with the Muslim community across Sheffield. "This exercise is just one of many activities South Yorkshire Police have planned with communities and ethnic minority leaders to secure strong relationships, celebrate diversity and encourage integration, working towards a safer, closer society," she added. But she said there were no plans to extend the scheme for officers to dress up as members of other minority communities. …
Sergeant Leonard said the experience had given her a greater appreciation of how Muslim women feel when they walk out in public in "clothing appropriate to their beliefs."
by Daniel Pipes
National Post
August 5, 2009
http://www.danielpipes.org/7493/why-shariah-must-be-opposed
Those of us who argue against Shariah are sometimes asked why Islamic law poses a problem when modern Western societies long ago accommodated Halakha, or Jewish law. In fact, this was one of the main talking points of those who argued that Shariah should become an accepted part of dispute resolution in Ontario in 2005.
The answer is easy: a fundamental difference separates the two. Islam is a missionizing religion, Judaism is not. Islamists aspire to apply Islamic law to everyone, while observant Jews seek only to live by Jewish law themselves.
Two very recent examples from the United Kingdom demonstrate the innate imperialism of Islamic law.
The first concerns Queens Care Centre, an old-age home and day-care provider for the elderly in the coal town of Maltby, 40 miles east of Manchester. At present, according to the Daily Telegraph, not one of its 37 staff or 40 residents is Muslim. Although the home's management asserts a respect for its residents' "religious and cultural beliefs," QCC's owner since 1994, Zulfikar Ali Khan, on his own decided this year to switch the home's meat purchases to a halal butcher.
His stealthy decision meant pensioners at QCC could no longer eat their bacon and eggs, bangers and mash, ham sandwiches, bacon sandwiches, pork pies, bacon butties, or sausage rolls. The switch prompted widespread anger. The relative of one resident called it "a disgrace. The old people who are in the home and in their final years deserve better. … [I]t's shocking that they should be deprived of the food they like on the whim of this man." A staff member opined that it's "quite wrong that someone should impose their religious and cultural beliefs on others like this."
Queried about his decision, Khan, lamely replied he ordered halal meat for the sake of (nonexistent) Muslim staff. Then he backtracked: "We will be ordering all types of meat" and went so far as to agree that religious beliefs should not be imposed on others. His retreat did not convince one former QCC staffer, who suspected that Khan "intended to serve only halal meat at the home but has had to think again because of the row."
A second example of imposing Shariah on non-Muslims comes from southwest England. The Avon and Somerset police force patrols the cities of Bristol and Bath as well as surrounding areas has just issued hijabs to female officers. The hijabs, distributed at the initiative of two Muslim groups and costing £13 apiece, come complete with the constabulary's emblem.
Now, issuing hijabs as part of uniforms in Great Britain is nothing new – the London police led the way in 2001, followed by other police forces, at least one fire brigade, and even the furniture chain Ikea. What sets the Avon and Somerset hijabs apart from these others is their being intended not just for pious Muslim female staff but also for non-Muslim staff, in particular for their use upon entering mosques.
[Rashad Azami of the Bath Islamic Society finds it "highly pleasing" that the constabulary took this step. One of the seven non-Muslim officers to receive a hijab of her very own, Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Roberts, calls it "a very positive addition to the uniform and one which I'm sure will be a welcome item for many of our officers."
[Dhimmitude is the term Bat Ye'or coined to describe subservience to Shariah by non-Muslims. Assistant Chief Constable Roberts' enthusiasm for the hijab might be called "advanced dhimmitude."]
"Hijab bullies" (as David J. Rusin of Islamist Watch calls them) who coerce non-Muslim females to cover up are just one stripe of Islamist imposing Shar'i ways on the West. Other Islamists focus on impeding the uncensored discussion of such topics as Muhammad and the Koran or Islamist institutions or terrorist financing; still others exert to bring taxpayer-funded schools, hospitals, and jails into conformity with Islamic law, not to speak of taxi cabs and municipal swimming pools. Their efforts don't always succeed but in the aggregate, they are rapidly shifting the premises of Western, and especially British, life.
Returning to pork: both Islam and Judaism abominate the flesh of pigs, so this prohibition offers a direct and revealing comparison of the two religions. Simply put, Jews accept that non-Jews eat pork but Muslims take offense and try to impede pork consumption. That, in brief, explains why Western accommodations to Halakha have no relevance for dealing with Shariah. And why Shariah as public policy must be opposed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aug. 5, 2009 update: Yesterday's Daily Mail offers a coda to the hijabs for non-Muslim British policewomen; how about niqabs for non-Muslim British policewomen?
Three female police officers were ordered to dress up as Muslim women for the day just to see what it felt like. They wore traditional burkhas [DP: sic] as part of a scheme designed to help police interact better with the Islamic community. … The officers, Sergeant Deb Leonard, Sergeant Deb Pickering and Police Community Support Officer Helen Turner, all from Sheffield, were accompanied by four Muslim women to help them learn more about the Islamic faith on a tour of the city. …
A spokesman for the force said the exercise, called "In Your Shoes Day," was designed to help officers interact better with the Muslim community across Sheffield. "This exercise is just one of many activities South Yorkshire Police have planned with communities and ethnic minority leaders to secure strong relationships, celebrate diversity and encourage integration, working towards a safer, closer society," she added. But she said there were no plans to extend the scheme for officers to dress up as members of other minority communities. …
Sergeant Leonard said the experience had given her a greater appreciation of how Muslim women feel when they walk out in public in "clothing appropriate to their beliefs."
Christianity's Jesus, AntiChrist, False Prophet ~ vs.~ Islam's Dajjal, Mahdi, Isa
This link is the online version of what I find is the best book I've
read on the subject comparing Islam & Christianity. It's the Same as
the book I read: "AntiChrist: Islam's Awaited Messiah" by Joel
Richardson. They just changed the name for the online version. Do with
it what you may. Here's MY personal summary of it:
"Christianity's Jesus, AntiChrist, False Prophet ~vs.~ Islam's Dajjal,
Mahdi, Isa
Muslims too await the apocalyptic time of the end as do Christians.
It must be noted that the times expected in Islam are in direct
opposition to that of Christianity. Whereas Christians recognize the
rise of an Antichrist, Muslims recognize the rise of their Mahdi.
Christians expect the Antichrist to war with Israel & the nations.
Muslims expect their Mahdi to war with Israel & the nations.
Christians expect the Antichrist to have a partner; the False Prophet.
Muslims expect The Mahdi also to have a partner, the Muslim Jesus,
Isa. Do you see the similarities?
Muslims also expect a third entity: The Dajjal. The expectation of
the Dajjal,on the part of the Muslims, is to be a deceiver, or one who
defends Israel. In other words, the expectation of the Dajjal, will
actually be the REAL Jesus. This is all spelled out in scripture, and
mirrored in a twisted way in the Qur'an. Research it yourself if you
have any doubts.
Islam IS the religion of the Antichrist!"
Here's the link: http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/index.htm
Here's another detailed summary:
Will Islam be our Future? I was blown away when I started reading
this online book over at Answering Islam. I am only trying to
summarize it here for you. It's difficult because there is a lot of
good information there, but I also encourage you to go read the whole
thing. I think you will find it interesting. For those who are not
believers you might want to read it anyway. It will help you to
understand Islam and the end times regardless of your religious
affiliation. I have said before that I believe our struggle is a
religious war. So why not look at the religious aspect, especially as
it relates to the end times. Yes it has military and political
objectives, strategies etc. The one thing you can't deny is that those
we are fighting believe this to be a religious war and if we don't
wake up we will be the proverbial frog in a pot of boiling water. Some
in our country deny this war is going on, that it exists at all. They
are wrong and I will try to explain why from an end times point of
view.
“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all
who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is
close at hand - a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and
blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty
army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to
come.” Joel 2:1,2
Islamic Revival
1. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and at the
present rate we will see it surpass Christianity in the next 20 years.
This includes converts, but the birth rate among Muslims is the
largest reason for the present rate of growth.
2. Many westerners see Islam as an alternative monotheistic faith.
Joel lists other reasons for this revival but comes to this
conclusion:
"So maybe you now agree that it is important to become informed
regarding Islam, but you may be wondering why it is important to
understand Islamic eschatology specifically. It’s a good question.
Please think through some of these points carefully: The Bible makes
it clear that the Devil’s primary plan for the last-days has been for
the past few thousand years, to raise up two men, the Antichrist and
the False Prophet, as his primary instruments to deceive the
inhabitants of the earth."
Islam believes in the Last Days
Priority Of The Last-Days In Islamic Belief
The Quran mentions five things that a Muslim must believe in order to
be a Muslim. These five things have, as a result, become a creed of
sorts within Islam. From the Quran we read:
It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the
West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and
the angels and the Scripture and the prophets…-Surah 2:177 (Pickthall)
Notice the order of the five tenets of belief:
1. Belief in Allah.
2. Belief in the Last Day.
3. Belief in angels.
4. Belief in the Scripture.
5. Belief in the prophets.
Islam believes in a coming Messiah: the Mahdi
The Mahdi or guided one is a universal Muslim belief, that is whether
Sunni or Shia the Mahdi is a general belief among both sects.
In the simplest of terms, the Mahdi is Islam’s Messiah, or Savior.
While the actual terms “Messiah” and “Messianism” have very clearly
Judeo-Christian roots, University of Virginia Professor Abdulaziz
Abdulhussein Sachedina agrees that these terms are appropriately used
in an Islamic context when referring to the Mahdi. In his scholarly
work on the subject, Islamic Messianism, Sachedina elaborates thusly:
The term “messianism” in the Islamic context is frequently used to
translate the important concept of an eschatological figure, the
Mahdi, who as the foreordained leader “will rise” to launch a great
social transformation in order to restore and adjust all things under
divine guidance. The Islamic messiah, thus, embodies the aspirations
of his followers in the restoration of the purity of the Faith which
will bring true and uncorrupted guidance to all mankind, creating a
just social order and a world free from oppression in which the
Islamic revelation will be the norm for all nations.
Thus it is fair to say that the “rising” of the Mahdi is to the
majority of Muslims what the return of Jesus is to Christians. While
Christians await the return of Jesus the Messiah to fulfill all of
God’s prophetic promises to the people of God, Muslims await the
appearance of the Mahdi, to fulfill these purposes. Sheikh Kabbani
likewise identifies the Mahdi as Islam’s primary messiah figure:
Among the things the Mahdi will do is:
The Mahdi is Islam’s primary messiah figure.
He will be a descendant of Muhammad and will bear Muhammad’s name
(Muhammad bin Abdullah).
He will be a very devout Muslim.
He will be an unparalleled spiritual, political and military world
leader.
He will emerge after a period of great turmoil and suffering upon the
earth.
He will establish justice and righteousness throughout the world and
eradicate tyranny and oppression.
He will be the Caliph and Imam (vice-regent and leader) of Muslims
worldwide
He will lead a world revolution and establish a new world order.
He will lead military action against all those who oppose him.
He will invade many countries.
He will make a seven year peace treaty with a Jew of priestly lineage.
He will conquer Israel for Islam and lead the “faithful Muslims” in a
final slaughter/battle against Jews.
He will establish the new Islamic world headquarters from Jerusalem.
He will rule for seven years (possibly as much as eight or nine).
He will cause Islam to be the only religion practiced on the earth.
He will appear riding a white horse (possibly symbolic).
He will discover some previously undiscovered biblical manuscripts
that he will use to argue with the Jews and cause some Jews to convert
to Islam.
He will also re-discover the Ark of the Covenant from the Sea of
Galilee, which he will bring to Jerusalem.
He will have supernatural power from Allah over the wind and the rain
and crops.
He will posses and distribute enormous amounts of wealth.
He will be loved by all the people of the earth.
The Biblical Anti-Christ and the Mahdi
Who is the Anti-Christ? (for more Biblical and Koranic references
please refer to Chapter 5.)
Most people who haven’t even read the Bible have heard of the man
known popularly as “The Antichrist.” Simply put, according to the
Bible, the Antichrist will be Satan’s primary human agent on the earth
in the last-days. Interestingly, in the Bible, the Antichrist is
actually only referred to once by that specific name (1 John 2:18).
Using other names however, there are numerous references to the
Antichrist found throughout the Bible. Some of the various names that
Scripture assigns to the Antichrist are “the Beast” (Revelation 13:4),
“the abomination that causes desolation” (Matthew 24:15), “the
desolator” (Daniel 9:27), “the man of sin,” “the man of lawlessness,”
“the son of destruction” (2 Thessalonians 2) “the little horn” (Daniel
7:8), “the Assyrian” (Micah 5:5, Isaiah 10:5,14:25), “the oppressor’,
“the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 14) and even the mysterious
“Gog” (Ezekiel 38:1, Revelation 20:7). There are several other names
that Scripture uses to refer to the Antichrist as well.
The Biblical Anti-Christ will:
1. Be a powerful political, military and spiritual world ruler
2. The Anti-Christ will target Christians and Jews
3. He will attack Israel and establish the Temple Mount as the seat of
authority
4. He will establish a seven year peace treaty with Israel
5. He will change the laws and times (this could be changing from the
Gregorian Calendar to the Muslim calendar)
6. He is described as a rider on a white horse. (when the rider
appears on the scene, the world essentially freefalls into the chaos
that defines the Last Hour)
The Muslim Jesus (Chapter 6)
After the emergence or the “rising” of the Mahdi, the second most
important event among the Major Signs, is the return of Jesus Christ.
Christians who love Jesus understandably get quite excited by the
prospect that even Muslims are looking for and longing for His
return. Unfortunately, the Islamic belief of just who this Jesus is
that is coming, and what he does once he has arrived, is drastically
different than what Christians believe about Jesus.
1. Jesus is said to return to the earth in the last-days near a
mosque in Damascus.
2. He will arrive at a time when the Mahdi and his army will be
preparing to pray.
3. He will be offered to lead the prayer by the Mahdi, but will
decline in direct deference to the Mahdi who Jesus declares to be the
leader of the Muslims.
4. He will then pray behind the Mahdi as a subordinate.
5. He will be a faithful Muslim
6. He will make pilgrimage to Mecca.
7. He will visit Muhammad’s grave, and salute Muhammad, whereby
Muhammad will return the salute from the grave.
8. He will destroy Christianity.
9. He will repeal the jizyah tax thus causing the only option for
Jews and Christians to convert to Islam or die.
10. He will establish Islamic Shari’ah (Law) throughout the entire
earth.
11. He will kill the Antichrist and his followers made up largely of
Jews and women.
12. He will remain on the earth for roughly forty years, during which
time he will marry, have children and then die.
The Muslim Jesus and the False Prophet of the Bible (Chapter Seven)
Amazingly, the similarities between the biblical narratives of the end-
times and the Islamic narratives do not end with the Antichrist and
the Mahdi. If it were so, then it might be easier to dismiss the many
similarities as mere coincidence. The parallels however, do not stop
with the Antichrist and the Mahdi, but extend again quite clearly,
into the person of the man biblically known as the False Prophet and
the man known in Islam as Isa al-Masih – Jesus the Messiah.
The specific plan of Satan down through the ages is articulated
clearly in the Bible. The Bible teaches that Satan will raise up not
one, but two men as his agents in the earth to lure men away from the
worship of The One True God. The first man that Satan will use is the
Antichrist. We have already examined his role in chapter five. The
second man is known biblically as the False Prophet
The Anti-Christ and the False Prophet are partners. He is called a
beast - he is, like the Antichrist, a man possessed by Satan. He is
another human pawn of the Dragon, exercising the will of the Dragon on
the earth. But instead of ten horns, he only has two. The horns
speak of authority. The power and authority of the False Prophet is
clear, but it is not nearly equal to that of the Antichrist who is
said to have ten horns. We also see that the False Prophet is a
miracle worker. Among the many miracles he is said to work, one is
mentioned specifically: He is said to cause fire to come down from the
sky. The False Prophet’s primary reason for performing miraculous
signs is to cause the inhabitants of the earth to follow and even to
worship the Antichrist. The two are pictured as a team, a partnership
with one common goal - deception, seduction and a luring away of
anyone who worships Yahweh, the God of the Bible.
Likewise in the Islamic narrative of the last-days, we do not find a
lone character who is coming to rescue the world, but instead we find
a team. We find both the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus. And as in the
case of the Antichrist and the False Prophet, we find that one is
clearly filling a supporting role while the other is the leader.
While the Mahdi is clearly described as being, “the Viceregent
(Caliph) of Allah,” Jesus is described as being one who will “espouse
the cause of the Mahdi” and “follow him
Muslim Jesus Biblical False Prophet
Mahdi's Chief Enforcer Anti-Christ's Chief Enforcer
Mahdi's Executioner Anti-Christ's Executioner
The Dajjal - Islam's Anti-Christ (Chapter 8)
The third primary character that dominates Islamic eschatology is a
man whose full title is Al-Maseeh (The Messiah) Ad-Dajjal, (The Liar/
Deceiver). Usually just referred to as the Dajjal, he is a bizarre
character whose description and story seem far more fantastic than
either the Mahdi or the Muslim Jesus.
1. He will be the Great Deceiver
2. He will be blind in one eye
3. He will be an infidel (Kaffir will be written on his forehead)
4. He will be a false miracle worker
5. He will claim to be Jesus Christ and will claim to be divine
6. This is weird but he will travel by giant mule.
7. He will not be able to enter Medina, Mecca or Damascus
8. He will be followed by Jews and Women
9. He will be slain by the Muslim Jesus
The Biblical Jesus (Chapter 9)
The third amazing parallel between biblical eschatology and Islamic
eschatology is the person of the Dajjal, the Islamic Antichrist
figure. Despite all of the wild and fantastic descriptions of the
Dajjal, if we boil down the Muslim belief regarding the Dajjal to its
simplest and most important terms, we basically have a man who will
claim to be divine and will claim to be Jesus Christ the Jewish
Messiah. He will defend Israel against the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus
and he will deceive many people into leaving Islam.
Of course, based on the Islamic traditions, Muslims are expecting Jews
to acknowledge the Dajjal as the divine Jewish Messiah, thus in the
Islamic mind, the Jesus of biblical tradition will fulfill the three
most primary Islamic expectations of the Dajjal. Clearly, these
traditions will be used by Satan, not only to pre-empt the Muslims of
the earth from receiving the real Jesus when He comes, but literally
to empower them to attack Him. The plot never seems to stop
thickening.
The Revival of the Islamic Empire (Chapter Ten)
The Bible says that Israel will be set upon by an Empire made up of
Muslim nations, sort of a reborn Ottoman empire. Joel goes into how he
came to this conclusion and I recommend you read it. In the end it
will be the restoration of a Muslim Caliphate.
(Chapter 11 deals with Mohammed directly)
The Spirit of Anti-Christ (Chapter Twelve)
While we have already discussed the actual person of the Antichrist,
the Bible also talks of an antichrist spirit. Apart from the one
direct reference in the Bible to The Antichrist, there are four other
times that the word is used in a more general sense by the Apostle
John. Each time it is in reference to a particular spirit. This
spirit is defined by its denial of some very specific aspects of
Jesus’ nature and His relationship to God the Father. Following are
the verses that describe this “antichrist” spirit:
Just before Jesus was taken away to be crucified, he had a discussion
with his disciples about the last-days. His very first exhortation
was that they be careful not to be deceived.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what
will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus
answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you." Matthew 24:3,4
Jesus goes on to warn of the power of this deception:
"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and
hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many
people.... For false Christs and false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that
were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." Matthew
24:10-11, 24-25 (emphasis mine)
Likewise the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians warns the
Church of the need to be cautious of being deceived:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered
to him... Don't let anyone deceive you in any way... 2 Thessolonians
2:1-3
Paul refers to the future deception as “a powerful delusion.”
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 (emphasis mine)
Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.
Such a man is the antichrist–he denies the Father and the Son. No one
who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has
the Father also. 1 John 2:22,23
Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the
flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver
and the antichrist. 2 John 1:7
From these verses, we learn that the antichrist is a spirit that is
identified as a “liar” and a “deceiver” which specifically denies the
following:
That Jesus is the Christ/Messiah (The savior/deliverer of Israel and
the World)
The Father and the Son (The Trinity or that Jesus is The Son of
God).
That Jesus has come in the flesh. (The incarnation - that God became
man)
Islam denies all these Biblical tenets.
Satan has a hatred for the Jews as do the Muslims (Chapter Thirteen)
While Islam envisions the day when Christians and Jews will convert to
Islam en masse, there is a distinction within Islam’s end time
narrative between the final destiny of Christians and that of the
Jews. In Islam’s version of the last-days, we see that all Christians
will either accept Islam or be killed. Certainly, when we look at
this final picture, it is impossible to say that Islam has any real
affinity for Christians or Christianity. But when analyzing Islamic
teaching and traditions about the Jews, one gets a very cold feeling
that the only destiny that Islam has marked out for the Jews is that
of an absolute and total slaughter.
When we compare the spirit that we see in Islam with the spirit that
we see manifest under the rule of the Antichrist and the False
Prophet, it is the same ancient hatred against the Jewish people in
both. It is an ancient hatred that originates with Satan himself.
From the day that God Himself showed His favor to the Jewish people,
Satan has likewise raged against them. Satan’s primary vehicles that
he has used to do this have been several great world empires. These
are the “beast” empires that we discussed in chapter ten. Throughout
history, we can observe Satan’s attempts to exterminate or persecute
the Jewish people.
End Time Martyrdom (Chapter Fourteen)
The Bible says that in the last-days, beheading will specifically be
the primary method by which people will be martyred. They will be
killed specifically for their “testimony of Jesus and because of the
word of God.” It is a strange picture to try to imagine. Is the
Bible implying a worldwide resurrection of guillotines in every town
square? What exactly is the Bible inferring will occur that will
result in a worldwide standard of using beheading specifically, as a
means of executing Christians?
Beheading in Islam is not a new phenomenon by any means. Due to the
utter disgust of many throughout the West with regard to this practice
of late by radical Muslims in Iraq and elsewhere, many moderate
Muslims and Muslim apologists have repeatedly been making the claim
that beheading is not an officially sanctioned Islamic practice. They
claim it defies the basic tenants of Islam. These claims are made to
create a better image of Islam in the western eye. Unfortunately,
these claims are either made out of ignorance of Islam’s history or
are made with an active intent to deceive. Beheading is the very
heritage of Islam. Beheading is not only commanded as a specific
method of killing ones enemies in the Quran, but as we will see, it
was also a favored method of killing by Muhammad and many of his
followers.
World Domination - Satan's Goal - Islam's Goal (Chapter Fifteen)
The dragon (Satan) gave the beast (The Antichrist) his power and his
throne and great authority… And he was given authority over every
tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will
worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book
of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the
world. Revelation 13:2,4-8 (emphasis and parenthesis mine)
Muslim apologists and propagandists will be quick to argue here, that
jihad is not about fighting for world domination. Some will make such
misleading remarks as “jihad is merely about overcoming adversity.”
Or they will point out that the “greater jihad” is a struggle against
one’s self. While this inner struggle is a legitimate aspect of
jihad, do not be deceived: The jihad that is obligatory for all
Muslims to fight against ones inner weaknesses in no way lessens the
centrality of the demand of Islam upon all Muslims to wage jihad
against the unbelieving world until Islam is supreme. This may
include other forms of warfare such as in the intellectual or the
political arenas, but wherever a Muslim engages in this fight, it is
viewed as just that, a fight for the eventual global domination and
universal supremacy of Islam.
The word Jihad stems from the Arabic root word J-H-D, which means
"strive." There are five types of jihad:
· Jihad al-nafs (striving against one’s inner self)
· Jihad al-Shaitan (striving against Satan)
· Jihad al-kuffaar (striving against the disbelievers)
· Jihad al-munafiqeen (striving against the hypocrites)
· Jihad al-faasiqeen (striving against corrupt Muslims)
As already stated, all five forms of jihad are obligatory for all
Muslims.
Born in 1905, Mawlana Sayid Abul Ala Mawdudi was an Islamic scholar
from the Indian subcontinent. His sermons (khutbat) and writings are
world-renowned. He is viewed throughout the Islamic world as one of
Islam’s greatest scholars. Here is what he had to say about Islam and
global domination:
Islam is not a normal religion like the other religions in the world,
and Muslim nations are not like normal nations. Muslim nations are
very special because they have a command from Allah to rule the entire
world and to be over every nation in the world.
Aduallah al-Araby in his book The Islamization of America cites a very
frightening letter from one Catholic Archbishop to the Pope. In this
open letter to the Pope, the Archbishop of Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey, the
Reverend Guiseppe Germano Barnardini, spoke of a recent gathering of
Christians and Muslims for the purpose of interfaith dialogue. An
excerpt from his letter recounts that during the meeting, an
authoritative Muslim stood up and spoke very calmly and assuredly:
Thanks to your democratic laws, we will invade you, Thanks to our
religious laws, we will dominate you
Deceit is a Basic Tenet of Islam (Chapter Sixteen)
Taqiyya and Kithman are two ways. But for what purpose and what does
it have to do with the last days?
1. To gain wealth
2. to justify the murder of enemies
3. To attain goals and prosperity
So what, you say?
The deception includes lying to make Islam more attractive to Western
converts. In the last days deception will rule the day.
Just before Jesus was taken away to be crucified, he had a discussion
with his disciples about the last-days. His very first exhortation
was that they be careful not to be deceived.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what
will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus
answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you." Matthew 24:3,4
Jesus goes on to warn of the power of this deception:
"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and
hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many
people.... For false Christs and false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that
were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." Matthew
24:10-11, 24-25 (emphasis mine)
Likewise the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians warns the
Church of the need to be cautious of being deceived:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered
to him... Don't let anyone deceive you in any way... 2 Thessolonians
2:1-3
Paul refers to the future deception as “a powerful delusion.”
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 (emphasis mine)
How does Islam grow in the Last Days? The Great Apostasy that's how.
(Chapter Seventeen)
There will be a if you can't beat 'em join 'em kind of mentality. Joel
describes it as a global Stockholm Syndrome.
This brings us to another very important psychological factor that
will likely come into play during the last-days: Terror. But even
more specifically, it is what psychologists have labeled as “the
Stockholm Syndrome”. Allow me to explain. Perhaps the oddest quality
to the Antichrist Empire is that it is a both religious worship
movement as well as a demonically inspired military machine hell-bent
on crushing, devouring and trampling “the whole earth.” These two
elements together seem at first like a completely incompatible
combination. We in the West with our religious freedom view worship
as a voluntary act of reverence and love directed toward the one whom
we deem worthy of such worship.
Even the leftists Jews are tired of trying to maintain the fight.
After 50 years of unending conflict, most Israeli Jews seem to have
concluded that the burden of maintaining their nation is just too
difficult to bear. The country's secular leftist elites--who control
education, culture, the news media, and the government--blame the Jews
for the Arabs' desire to destroy Israel, and the majority seems to be
afflicted with the "Stockholm syndrome": though the victims of Arab
hate, they identify with their oppressors.
read on the subject comparing Islam & Christianity. It's the Same as
the book I read: "AntiChrist: Islam's Awaited Messiah" by Joel
Richardson. They just changed the name for the online version. Do with
it what you may. Here's MY personal summary of it:
"Christianity's Jesus, AntiChrist, False Prophet ~vs.~ Islam's Dajjal,
Mahdi, Isa
Muslims too await the apocalyptic time of the end as do Christians.
It must be noted that the times expected in Islam are in direct
opposition to that of Christianity. Whereas Christians recognize the
rise of an Antichrist, Muslims recognize the rise of their Mahdi.
Christians expect the Antichrist to war with Israel & the nations.
Muslims expect their Mahdi to war with Israel & the nations.
Christians expect the Antichrist to have a partner; the False Prophet.
Muslims expect The Mahdi also to have a partner, the Muslim Jesus,
Isa. Do you see the similarities?
Muslims also expect a third entity: The Dajjal. The expectation of
the Dajjal,on the part of the Muslims, is to be a deceiver, or one who
defends Israel. In other words, the expectation of the Dajjal, will
actually be the REAL Jesus. This is all spelled out in scripture, and
mirrored in a twisted way in the Qur'an. Research it yourself if you
have any doubts.
Islam IS the religion of the Antichrist!"
Here's the link: http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/index.htm
Here's another detailed summary:
Will Islam be our Future? I was blown away when I started reading
this online book over at Answering Islam. I am only trying to
summarize it here for you. It's difficult because there is a lot of
good information there, but I also encourage you to go read the whole
thing. I think you will find it interesting. For those who are not
believers you might want to read it anyway. It will help you to
understand Islam and the end times regardless of your religious
affiliation. I have said before that I believe our struggle is a
religious war. So why not look at the religious aspect, especially as
it relates to the end times. Yes it has military and political
objectives, strategies etc. The one thing you can't deny is that those
we are fighting believe this to be a religious war and if we don't
wake up we will be the proverbial frog in a pot of boiling water. Some
in our country deny this war is going on, that it exists at all. They
are wrong and I will try to explain why from an end times point of
view.
“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all
who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is
close at hand - a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and
blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty
army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to
come.” Joel 2:1,2
Islamic Revival
1. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and at the
present rate we will see it surpass Christianity in the next 20 years.
This includes converts, but the birth rate among Muslims is the
largest reason for the present rate of growth.
2. Many westerners see Islam as an alternative monotheistic faith.
Joel lists other reasons for this revival but comes to this
conclusion:
"So maybe you now agree that it is important to become informed
regarding Islam, but you may be wondering why it is important to
understand Islamic eschatology specifically. It’s a good question.
Please think through some of these points carefully: The Bible makes
it clear that the Devil’s primary plan for the last-days has been for
the past few thousand years, to raise up two men, the Antichrist and
the False Prophet, as his primary instruments to deceive the
inhabitants of the earth."
Islam believes in the Last Days
Priority Of The Last-Days In Islamic Belief
The Quran mentions five things that a Muslim must believe in order to
be a Muslim. These five things have, as a result, become a creed of
sorts within Islam. From the Quran we read:
It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the
West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and
the angels and the Scripture and the prophets…-Surah 2:177 (Pickthall)
Notice the order of the five tenets of belief:
1. Belief in Allah.
2. Belief in the Last Day.
3. Belief in angels.
4. Belief in the Scripture.
5. Belief in the prophets.
Islam believes in a coming Messiah: the Mahdi
The Mahdi or guided one is a universal Muslim belief, that is whether
Sunni or Shia the Mahdi is a general belief among both sects.
In the simplest of terms, the Mahdi is Islam’s Messiah, or Savior.
While the actual terms “Messiah” and “Messianism” have very clearly
Judeo-Christian roots, University of Virginia Professor Abdulaziz
Abdulhussein Sachedina agrees that these terms are appropriately used
in an Islamic context when referring to the Mahdi. In his scholarly
work on the subject, Islamic Messianism, Sachedina elaborates thusly:
The term “messianism” in the Islamic context is frequently used to
translate the important concept of an eschatological figure, the
Mahdi, who as the foreordained leader “will rise” to launch a great
social transformation in order to restore and adjust all things under
divine guidance. The Islamic messiah, thus, embodies the aspirations
of his followers in the restoration of the purity of the Faith which
will bring true and uncorrupted guidance to all mankind, creating a
just social order and a world free from oppression in which the
Islamic revelation will be the norm for all nations.
Thus it is fair to say that the “rising” of the Mahdi is to the
majority of Muslims what the return of Jesus is to Christians. While
Christians await the return of Jesus the Messiah to fulfill all of
God’s prophetic promises to the people of God, Muslims await the
appearance of the Mahdi, to fulfill these purposes. Sheikh Kabbani
likewise identifies the Mahdi as Islam’s primary messiah figure:
Among the things the Mahdi will do is:
The Mahdi is Islam’s primary messiah figure.
He will be a descendant of Muhammad and will bear Muhammad’s name
(Muhammad bin Abdullah).
He will be a very devout Muslim.
He will be an unparalleled spiritual, political and military world
leader.
He will emerge after a period of great turmoil and suffering upon the
earth.
He will establish justice and righteousness throughout the world and
eradicate tyranny and oppression.
He will be the Caliph and Imam (vice-regent and leader) of Muslims
worldwide
He will lead a world revolution and establish a new world order.
He will lead military action against all those who oppose him.
He will invade many countries.
He will make a seven year peace treaty with a Jew of priestly lineage.
He will conquer Israel for Islam and lead the “faithful Muslims” in a
final slaughter/battle against Jews.
He will establish the new Islamic world headquarters from Jerusalem.
He will rule for seven years (possibly as much as eight or nine).
He will cause Islam to be the only religion practiced on the earth.
He will appear riding a white horse (possibly symbolic).
He will discover some previously undiscovered biblical manuscripts
that he will use to argue with the Jews and cause some Jews to convert
to Islam.
He will also re-discover the Ark of the Covenant from the Sea of
Galilee, which he will bring to Jerusalem.
He will have supernatural power from Allah over the wind and the rain
and crops.
He will posses and distribute enormous amounts of wealth.
He will be loved by all the people of the earth.
The Biblical Anti-Christ and the Mahdi
Who is the Anti-Christ? (for more Biblical and Koranic references
please refer to Chapter 5.)
Most people who haven’t even read the Bible have heard of the man
known popularly as “The Antichrist.” Simply put, according to the
Bible, the Antichrist will be Satan’s primary human agent on the earth
in the last-days. Interestingly, in the Bible, the Antichrist is
actually only referred to once by that specific name (1 John 2:18).
Using other names however, there are numerous references to the
Antichrist found throughout the Bible. Some of the various names that
Scripture assigns to the Antichrist are “the Beast” (Revelation 13:4),
“the abomination that causes desolation” (Matthew 24:15), “the
desolator” (Daniel 9:27), “the man of sin,” “the man of lawlessness,”
“the son of destruction” (2 Thessalonians 2) “the little horn” (Daniel
7:8), “the Assyrian” (Micah 5:5, Isaiah 10:5,14:25), “the oppressor’,
“the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 14) and even the mysterious
“Gog” (Ezekiel 38:1, Revelation 20:7). There are several other names
that Scripture uses to refer to the Antichrist as well.
The Biblical Anti-Christ will:
1. Be a powerful political, military and spiritual world ruler
2. The Anti-Christ will target Christians and Jews
3. He will attack Israel and establish the Temple Mount as the seat of
authority
4. He will establish a seven year peace treaty with Israel
5. He will change the laws and times (this could be changing from the
Gregorian Calendar to the Muslim calendar)
6. He is described as a rider on a white horse. (when the rider
appears on the scene, the world essentially freefalls into the chaos
that defines the Last Hour)
The Muslim Jesus (Chapter 6)
After the emergence or the “rising” of the Mahdi, the second most
important event among the Major Signs, is the return of Jesus Christ.
Christians who love Jesus understandably get quite excited by the
prospect that even Muslims are looking for and longing for His
return. Unfortunately, the Islamic belief of just who this Jesus is
that is coming, and what he does once he has arrived, is drastically
different than what Christians believe about Jesus.
1. Jesus is said to return to the earth in the last-days near a
mosque in Damascus.
2. He will arrive at a time when the Mahdi and his army will be
preparing to pray.
3. He will be offered to lead the prayer by the Mahdi, but will
decline in direct deference to the Mahdi who Jesus declares to be the
leader of the Muslims.
4. He will then pray behind the Mahdi as a subordinate.
5. He will be a faithful Muslim
6. He will make pilgrimage to Mecca.
7. He will visit Muhammad’s grave, and salute Muhammad, whereby
Muhammad will return the salute from the grave.
8. He will destroy Christianity.
9. He will repeal the jizyah tax thus causing the only option for
Jews and Christians to convert to Islam or die.
10. He will establish Islamic Shari’ah (Law) throughout the entire
earth.
11. He will kill the Antichrist and his followers made up largely of
Jews and women.
12. He will remain on the earth for roughly forty years, during which
time he will marry, have children and then die.
The Muslim Jesus and the False Prophet of the Bible (Chapter Seven)
Amazingly, the similarities between the biblical narratives of the end-
times and the Islamic narratives do not end with the Antichrist and
the Mahdi. If it were so, then it might be easier to dismiss the many
similarities as mere coincidence. The parallels however, do not stop
with the Antichrist and the Mahdi, but extend again quite clearly,
into the person of the man biblically known as the False Prophet and
the man known in Islam as Isa al-Masih – Jesus the Messiah.
The specific plan of Satan down through the ages is articulated
clearly in the Bible. The Bible teaches that Satan will raise up not
one, but two men as his agents in the earth to lure men away from the
worship of The One True God. The first man that Satan will use is the
Antichrist. We have already examined his role in chapter five. The
second man is known biblically as the False Prophet
The Anti-Christ and the False Prophet are partners. He is called a
beast - he is, like the Antichrist, a man possessed by Satan. He is
another human pawn of the Dragon, exercising the will of the Dragon on
the earth. But instead of ten horns, he only has two. The horns
speak of authority. The power and authority of the False Prophet is
clear, but it is not nearly equal to that of the Antichrist who is
said to have ten horns. We also see that the False Prophet is a
miracle worker. Among the many miracles he is said to work, one is
mentioned specifically: He is said to cause fire to come down from the
sky. The False Prophet’s primary reason for performing miraculous
signs is to cause the inhabitants of the earth to follow and even to
worship the Antichrist. The two are pictured as a team, a partnership
with one common goal - deception, seduction and a luring away of
anyone who worships Yahweh, the God of the Bible.
Likewise in the Islamic narrative of the last-days, we do not find a
lone character who is coming to rescue the world, but instead we find
a team. We find both the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus. And as in the
case of the Antichrist and the False Prophet, we find that one is
clearly filling a supporting role while the other is the leader.
While the Mahdi is clearly described as being, “the Viceregent
(Caliph) of Allah,” Jesus is described as being one who will “espouse
the cause of the Mahdi” and “follow him
Muslim Jesus Biblical False Prophet
Mahdi's Chief Enforcer Anti-Christ's Chief Enforcer
Mahdi's Executioner Anti-Christ's Executioner
The Dajjal - Islam's Anti-Christ (Chapter 8)
The third primary character that dominates Islamic eschatology is a
man whose full title is Al-Maseeh (The Messiah) Ad-Dajjal, (The Liar/
Deceiver). Usually just referred to as the Dajjal, he is a bizarre
character whose description and story seem far more fantastic than
either the Mahdi or the Muslim Jesus.
1. He will be the Great Deceiver
2. He will be blind in one eye
3. He will be an infidel (Kaffir will be written on his forehead)
4. He will be a false miracle worker
5. He will claim to be Jesus Christ and will claim to be divine
6. This is weird but he will travel by giant mule.
7. He will not be able to enter Medina, Mecca or Damascus
8. He will be followed by Jews and Women
9. He will be slain by the Muslim Jesus
The Biblical Jesus (Chapter 9)
The third amazing parallel between biblical eschatology and Islamic
eschatology is the person of the Dajjal, the Islamic Antichrist
figure. Despite all of the wild and fantastic descriptions of the
Dajjal, if we boil down the Muslim belief regarding the Dajjal to its
simplest and most important terms, we basically have a man who will
claim to be divine and will claim to be Jesus Christ the Jewish
Messiah. He will defend Israel against the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus
and he will deceive many people into leaving Islam.
Of course, based on the Islamic traditions, Muslims are expecting Jews
to acknowledge the Dajjal as the divine Jewish Messiah, thus in the
Islamic mind, the Jesus of biblical tradition will fulfill the three
most primary Islamic expectations of the Dajjal. Clearly, these
traditions will be used by Satan, not only to pre-empt the Muslims of
the earth from receiving the real Jesus when He comes, but literally
to empower them to attack Him. The plot never seems to stop
thickening.
The Revival of the Islamic Empire (Chapter Ten)
The Bible says that Israel will be set upon by an Empire made up of
Muslim nations, sort of a reborn Ottoman empire. Joel goes into how he
came to this conclusion and I recommend you read it. In the end it
will be the restoration of a Muslim Caliphate.
(Chapter 11 deals with Mohammed directly)
The Spirit of Anti-Christ (Chapter Twelve)
While we have already discussed the actual person of the Antichrist,
the Bible also talks of an antichrist spirit. Apart from the one
direct reference in the Bible to The Antichrist, there are four other
times that the word is used in a more general sense by the Apostle
John. Each time it is in reference to a particular spirit. This
spirit is defined by its denial of some very specific aspects of
Jesus’ nature and His relationship to God the Father. Following are
the verses that describe this “antichrist” spirit:
Just before Jesus was taken away to be crucified, he had a discussion
with his disciples about the last-days. His very first exhortation
was that they be careful not to be deceived.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what
will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus
answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you." Matthew 24:3,4
Jesus goes on to warn of the power of this deception:
"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and
hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many
people.... For false Christs and false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that
were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." Matthew
24:10-11, 24-25 (emphasis mine)
Likewise the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians warns the
Church of the need to be cautious of being deceived:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered
to him... Don't let anyone deceive you in any way... 2 Thessolonians
2:1-3
Paul refers to the future deception as “a powerful delusion.”
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 (emphasis mine)
Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.
Such a man is the antichrist–he denies the Father and the Son. No one
who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has
the Father also. 1 John 2:22,23
Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the
flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver
and the antichrist. 2 John 1:7
From these verses, we learn that the antichrist is a spirit that is
identified as a “liar” and a “deceiver” which specifically denies the
following:
That Jesus is the Christ/Messiah (The savior/deliverer of Israel and
the World)
The Father and the Son (The Trinity or that Jesus is The Son of
God).
That Jesus has come in the flesh. (The incarnation - that God became
man)
Islam denies all these Biblical tenets.
Satan has a hatred for the Jews as do the Muslims (Chapter Thirteen)
While Islam envisions the day when Christians and Jews will convert to
Islam en masse, there is a distinction within Islam’s end time
narrative between the final destiny of Christians and that of the
Jews. In Islam’s version of the last-days, we see that all Christians
will either accept Islam or be killed. Certainly, when we look at
this final picture, it is impossible to say that Islam has any real
affinity for Christians or Christianity. But when analyzing Islamic
teaching and traditions about the Jews, one gets a very cold feeling
that the only destiny that Islam has marked out for the Jews is that
of an absolute and total slaughter.
When we compare the spirit that we see in Islam with the spirit that
we see manifest under the rule of the Antichrist and the False
Prophet, it is the same ancient hatred against the Jewish people in
both. It is an ancient hatred that originates with Satan himself.
From the day that God Himself showed His favor to the Jewish people,
Satan has likewise raged against them. Satan’s primary vehicles that
he has used to do this have been several great world empires. These
are the “beast” empires that we discussed in chapter ten. Throughout
history, we can observe Satan’s attempts to exterminate or persecute
the Jewish people.
End Time Martyrdom (Chapter Fourteen)
The Bible says that in the last-days, beheading will specifically be
the primary method by which people will be martyred. They will be
killed specifically for their “testimony of Jesus and because of the
word of God.” It is a strange picture to try to imagine. Is the
Bible implying a worldwide resurrection of guillotines in every town
square? What exactly is the Bible inferring will occur that will
result in a worldwide standard of using beheading specifically, as a
means of executing Christians?
Beheading in Islam is not a new phenomenon by any means. Due to the
utter disgust of many throughout the West with regard to this practice
of late by radical Muslims in Iraq and elsewhere, many moderate
Muslims and Muslim apologists have repeatedly been making the claim
that beheading is not an officially sanctioned Islamic practice. They
claim it defies the basic tenants of Islam. These claims are made to
create a better image of Islam in the western eye. Unfortunately,
these claims are either made out of ignorance of Islam’s history or
are made with an active intent to deceive. Beheading is the very
heritage of Islam. Beheading is not only commanded as a specific
method of killing ones enemies in the Quran, but as we will see, it
was also a favored method of killing by Muhammad and many of his
followers.
World Domination - Satan's Goal - Islam's Goal (Chapter Fifteen)
The dragon (Satan) gave the beast (The Antichrist) his power and his
throne and great authority… And he was given authority over every
tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will
worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book
of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the
world. Revelation 13:2,4-8 (emphasis and parenthesis mine)
Muslim apologists and propagandists will be quick to argue here, that
jihad is not about fighting for world domination. Some will make such
misleading remarks as “jihad is merely about overcoming adversity.”
Or they will point out that the “greater jihad” is a struggle against
one’s self. While this inner struggle is a legitimate aspect of
jihad, do not be deceived: The jihad that is obligatory for all
Muslims to fight against ones inner weaknesses in no way lessens the
centrality of the demand of Islam upon all Muslims to wage jihad
against the unbelieving world until Islam is supreme. This may
include other forms of warfare such as in the intellectual or the
political arenas, but wherever a Muslim engages in this fight, it is
viewed as just that, a fight for the eventual global domination and
universal supremacy of Islam.
The word Jihad stems from the Arabic root word J-H-D, which means
"strive." There are five types of jihad:
· Jihad al-nafs (striving against one’s inner self)
· Jihad al-Shaitan (striving against Satan)
· Jihad al-kuffaar (striving against the disbelievers)
· Jihad al-munafiqeen (striving against the hypocrites)
· Jihad al-faasiqeen (striving against corrupt Muslims)
As already stated, all five forms of jihad are obligatory for all
Muslims.
Born in 1905, Mawlana Sayid Abul Ala Mawdudi was an Islamic scholar
from the Indian subcontinent. His sermons (khutbat) and writings are
world-renowned. He is viewed throughout the Islamic world as one of
Islam’s greatest scholars. Here is what he had to say about Islam and
global domination:
Islam is not a normal religion like the other religions in the world,
and Muslim nations are not like normal nations. Muslim nations are
very special because they have a command from Allah to rule the entire
world and to be over every nation in the world.
Aduallah al-Araby in his book The Islamization of America cites a very
frightening letter from one Catholic Archbishop to the Pope. In this
open letter to the Pope, the Archbishop of Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey, the
Reverend Guiseppe Germano Barnardini, spoke of a recent gathering of
Christians and Muslims for the purpose of interfaith dialogue. An
excerpt from his letter recounts that during the meeting, an
authoritative Muslim stood up and spoke very calmly and assuredly:
Thanks to your democratic laws, we will invade you, Thanks to our
religious laws, we will dominate you
Deceit is a Basic Tenet of Islam (Chapter Sixteen)
Taqiyya and Kithman are two ways. But for what purpose and what does
it have to do with the last days?
1. To gain wealth
2. to justify the murder of enemies
3. To attain goals and prosperity
So what, you say?
The deception includes lying to make Islam more attractive to Western
converts. In the last days deception will rule the day.
Just before Jesus was taken away to be crucified, he had a discussion
with his disciples about the last-days. His very first exhortation
was that they be careful not to be deceived.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him
privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what
will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus
answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you." Matthew 24:3,4
Jesus goes on to warn of the power of this deception:
"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and
hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many
people.... For false Christs and false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that
were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." Matthew
24:10-11, 24-25 (emphasis mine)
Likewise the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians warns the
Church of the need to be cautious of being deceived:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered
to him... Don't let anyone deceive you in any way... 2 Thessolonians
2:1-3
Paul refers to the future deception as “a powerful delusion.”
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 (emphasis mine)
How does Islam grow in the Last Days? The Great Apostasy that's how.
(Chapter Seventeen)
There will be a if you can't beat 'em join 'em kind of mentality. Joel
describes it as a global Stockholm Syndrome.
This brings us to another very important psychological factor that
will likely come into play during the last-days: Terror. But even
more specifically, it is what psychologists have labeled as “the
Stockholm Syndrome”. Allow me to explain. Perhaps the oddest quality
to the Antichrist Empire is that it is a both religious worship
movement as well as a demonically inspired military machine hell-bent
on crushing, devouring and trampling “the whole earth.” These two
elements together seem at first like a completely incompatible
combination. We in the West with our religious freedom view worship
as a voluntary act of reverence and love directed toward the one whom
we deem worthy of such worship.
Even the leftists Jews are tired of trying to maintain the fight.
After 50 years of unending conflict, most Israeli Jews seem to have
concluded that the burden of maintaining their nation is just too
difficult to bear. The country's secular leftist elites--who control
education, culture, the news media, and the government--blame the Jews
for the Arabs' desire to destroy Israel, and the majority seems to be
afflicted with the "Stockholm syndrome": though the victims of Arab
hate, they identify with their oppressors.
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