Islam's Vision 2
(Continuation of Islam's Vision)
I took the following information from the book, Will Islam Be our Future? A Study of Biblical and Islamic Eschatology. I'm only posting the summary, but I encourage you to check out the entire book for specific supporting references and elaboration on this study.
Author Joel Richardson studies Islamic Eschatology, consulting Islamic sacred texts and traditions, Islamic spokespersons and scholars, as well as regular Muslim aquaintances.
Islam teaches that in the Last Day, a leader will arise to complete the work of jihad throughout the entire world. All men will be expected to embrace Islam, under the threat of death if they don't. This looked-for leader will be called The Mahdi.
Islam also teaches that Jesus will return. But the Islamic vision of Jesus is a bit different than the Christian understanding: he is not the son of Allah, but is merely one of many prophets. His job will be to assist The Mahdi in carrying out the spread and enforcement of Islamic belief and practice throughout the entire earth.
Islam also has a Last-day villian: The Dajjal. The Dajjal will gain a great Jewish following and claim to be Jesus Christ and fight against the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus.
Now consider this point-by-point comparison of the eschatological teachings of the Bible vs. the teachings of Islam:
*Again, all supporting references and further elaboration are contained in the book I linked to above.
Bible: The Antichrist is an unparalleled political, military and religious leader that will that emerge in the last-days.
Islam: The Mahdi is an unparalleled political, military and religious leader that will emerge in the last-days.
Bible: the False Prophet is a secondary prominent figure that will emerge in the last-days who will support the Antichrist.
Islam: the Muslim Jesus is a secondary prominent figure that will emerge in the last-days to support the Mahdi.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet together will have a powerful army that will do great damage to the earth in an effort to subdue every nation and dominate the World.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will have a powerful army that will attempt to control every nation of the earth and dominate the World.
Bible: The False Prophet is described essentially as a dragon in lamb’s clothing. Islam: The Muslim Jesus literally comes bearing the name of the one that the world knows as “The Lamb of God: Jesus Christ.” Yet the Muslim Jesus comes to murder all those who do not submit to Islam.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet establish a New World Order. Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus establish a New World Order.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet institute new laws for the whole earth.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus institute Islamic law all over the earth.
Bible: The Antichrist is said to “change the times.”
Islam: It is quite certain that if the Mahdi established Islam all over the earth, he would discontinue the use of Saturday and Sunday as the weekend or days of rest but rather Friday, the holy day of Islam. Also, he would most certainly eliminate the Gregorian calendar (A.D.), and replace it with the Islamic calendar (A. H.) as is used in every Islamic country.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will both be powerful religious leaders who will attempt to institute a universal world religion.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will institute Islam as the only religion in the earth.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will execute anyone who does not submit to their world religion.
Islam: Likewise, the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will execute anyone who does not submit to Islam.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will specifically use beheading as the primary means of execution for non-conformists.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will use the Islamic practice of beheading for executions.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will have a specific agenda to kill as many Jews as possible.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will kill as many Jews as is possible until only a few are left hiding behind rocks and trees.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will attack to conquer and seize Jerusalem.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will attack to re-conquer and seize Jerusalem for Islam.
Bible: The Antichrist will set himself up in the Jewish temple as his seat of authority.
Islam: The Mahdi will establish the Islamic Caliphate from Jerusalem.
Bible: The False Prophet is said to do many miracles to deceive as many as possible into supporting the Antichrist.
Islam: The Mahdi himself is said to control the weather and the crops. His face is said to glow. We can also assume that since Jesus is viewed as having been empowered by Allah to work miracles when he was here on earth the first time, he will most likely be expected to continue to do so when he returns.
Bible: The Antichrist is described as riding on a white horse in the Book of Revelation
Islam: The Mahdi is described as riding on a white horse (ironically from the same verse).
Bible: The Antichrist is said to make a peace treaty with Israel for seven years. Islam: The Mahdi is said to make a peace treaty through a Jew (specifically a Levite) for exactly seven years.
Bible: Jesus the Jewish Messiah will return to defend the Jews in Israel from a military attack from a vast coalition of nations led by the Antichrist and the False Prophet.
Islam: The Dajjal, the Islamic Antichrist will gain a great Jewish following and claim to be Jesus Christ and fight against the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus.
Bible: The antichrist spirit specifically denies the most unique and central doctrines of Christianity, namely the trinity, the incarnation and the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross.
Islam: Islam doctrinally and spiritually specifically denies the most unique and central doctrines of Christianity, namely the trinity, the incarnation and the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross.
Bible: The primary warning of Jesus and the Apostle Paul was to warn Christians of the abundance of deceit and deception in the last-days.
Islam: Islam is perhaps the only religion in the earth that practices deceit as one of its tools to assist its own ascendancy. It actually has a specific doctrine which allows and even calls for deception to be used to achieve its desired end.
Bible: The specific nations pictured in the Bible as being part of the final empire of the Antichrist are all Islamic nations.
Islam: All Muslims are commanded to give their allegiance to The Mahdi as the final Caliph and Imam (leader) of Islam.
Bible: From the Bible and History we learn that the final Antichrist empire will be a revived version of the Empire that succeeds the Roman Empire
Islam: The Empire that succeeded the Roman/Byzantine Empire was the Islamic Ottoman Empire
Bible: When Antichrist emerges, there will already be some form of system in place that will be poised to receive him as a Savior and to give allegiance to him.
Islam: Islam is already the second largest religion and will at present growth rates become the largest religion within a few decades. Islam is awaiting the coming of the Mahdi with a universal anticipation.
I tend to think that the way these belief systems overlap may not be mere coincidence. I have felt for a while now that, yes, Islam will be a MAJOR future player. I don't know when it will happen, but I think it will happen.
Muslims are charged right now with the responsibility of reaching for the goals that they believe the Mahdi will eventually come to fulfull completely. The study of Islam reveals this: Jihad and world domination are not just a mutation of Islam. They are the goal of Islam. Muslims who aren't reaching for these goals aren't really living out what their faith teaches.
I'm really not trying to be depressing here or to incite fear! In a way, my faith is strengthened when I learn these things. If Islam is the vehicle used to fulfill biblical prophecy, then that is just one more proof that God knows what he's talking about. If I can trust Him for a future that sometimes looks scary, I can certainly trust Him for the little things as well.
Let's be watchful. Speak out when we need to stand up for truth, and PRAY. Oh...and let's not forget who eventually wins this battle!
I took the following information from the book, Will Islam Be our Future? A Study of Biblical and Islamic Eschatology. I'm only posting the summary, but I encourage you to check out the entire book for specific supporting references and elaboration on this study.
Author Joel Richardson studies Islamic Eschatology, consulting Islamic sacred texts and traditions, Islamic spokespersons and scholars, as well as regular Muslim aquaintances.
Islam teaches that in the Last Day, a leader will arise to complete the work of jihad throughout the entire world. All men will be expected to embrace Islam, under the threat of death if they don't. This looked-for leader will be called The Mahdi.
Islam also teaches that Jesus will return. But the Islamic vision of Jesus is a bit different than the Christian understanding: he is not the son of Allah, but is merely one of many prophets. His job will be to assist The Mahdi in carrying out the spread and enforcement of Islamic belief and practice throughout the entire earth.
Islam also has a Last-day villian: The Dajjal. The Dajjal will gain a great Jewish following and claim to be Jesus Christ and fight against the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus.
Now consider this point-by-point comparison of the eschatological teachings of the Bible vs. the teachings of Islam:
*Again, all supporting references and further elaboration are contained in the book I linked to above.
Bible: The Antichrist is an unparalleled political, military and religious leader that will that emerge in the last-days.
Islam: The Mahdi is an unparalleled political, military and religious leader that will emerge in the last-days.
Bible: the False Prophet is a secondary prominent figure that will emerge in the last-days who will support the Antichrist.
Islam: the Muslim Jesus is a secondary prominent figure that will emerge in the last-days to support the Mahdi.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet together will have a powerful army that will do great damage to the earth in an effort to subdue every nation and dominate the World.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will have a powerful army that will attempt to control every nation of the earth and dominate the World.
Bible: The False Prophet is described essentially as a dragon in lamb’s clothing. Islam: The Muslim Jesus literally comes bearing the name of the one that the world knows as “The Lamb of God: Jesus Christ.” Yet the Muslim Jesus comes to murder all those who do not submit to Islam.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet establish a New World Order. Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus establish a New World Order.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet institute new laws for the whole earth.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus institute Islamic law all over the earth.
Bible: The Antichrist is said to “change the times.”
Islam: It is quite certain that if the Mahdi established Islam all over the earth, he would discontinue the use of Saturday and Sunday as the weekend or days of rest but rather Friday, the holy day of Islam. Also, he would most certainly eliminate the Gregorian calendar (A.D.), and replace it with the Islamic calendar (A. H.) as is used in every Islamic country.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will both be powerful religious leaders who will attempt to institute a universal world religion.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will institute Islam as the only religion in the earth.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will execute anyone who does not submit to their world religion.
Islam: Likewise, the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will execute anyone who does not submit to Islam.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will specifically use beheading as the primary means of execution for non-conformists.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will use the Islamic practice of beheading for executions.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will have a specific agenda to kill as many Jews as possible.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will kill as many Jews as is possible until only a few are left hiding behind rocks and trees.
Bible: The Antichrist and the False Prophet will attack to conquer and seize Jerusalem.
Islam: The Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus will attack to re-conquer and seize Jerusalem for Islam.
Bible: The Antichrist will set himself up in the Jewish temple as his seat of authority.
Islam: The Mahdi will establish the Islamic Caliphate from Jerusalem.
Bible: The False Prophet is said to do many miracles to deceive as many as possible into supporting the Antichrist.
Islam: The Mahdi himself is said to control the weather and the crops. His face is said to glow. We can also assume that since Jesus is viewed as having been empowered by Allah to work miracles when he was here on earth the first time, he will most likely be expected to continue to do so when he returns.
Bible: The Antichrist is described as riding on a white horse in the Book of Revelation
Islam: The Mahdi is described as riding on a white horse (ironically from the same verse).
Bible: The Antichrist is said to make a peace treaty with Israel for seven years. Islam: The Mahdi is said to make a peace treaty through a Jew (specifically a Levite) for exactly seven years.
Bible: Jesus the Jewish Messiah will return to defend the Jews in Israel from a military attack from a vast coalition of nations led by the Antichrist and the False Prophet.
Islam: The Dajjal, the Islamic Antichrist will gain a great Jewish following and claim to be Jesus Christ and fight against the Mahdi and the Muslim Jesus.
Bible: The antichrist spirit specifically denies the most unique and central doctrines of Christianity, namely the trinity, the incarnation and the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross.
Islam: Islam doctrinally and spiritually specifically denies the most unique and central doctrines of Christianity, namely the trinity, the incarnation and the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross.
Bible: The primary warning of Jesus and the Apostle Paul was to warn Christians of the abundance of deceit and deception in the last-days.
Islam: Islam is perhaps the only religion in the earth that practices deceit as one of its tools to assist its own ascendancy. It actually has a specific doctrine which allows and even calls for deception to be used to achieve its desired end.
Bible: The specific nations pictured in the Bible as being part of the final empire of the Antichrist are all Islamic nations.
Islam: All Muslims are commanded to give their allegiance to The Mahdi as the final Caliph and Imam (leader) of Islam.
Bible: From the Bible and History we learn that the final Antichrist empire will be a revived version of the Empire that succeeds the Roman Empire
Islam: The Empire that succeeded the Roman/Byzantine Empire was the Islamic Ottoman Empire
Bible: When Antichrist emerges, there will already be some form of system in place that will be poised to receive him as a Savior and to give allegiance to him.
Islam: Islam is already the second largest religion and will at present growth rates become the largest religion within a few decades. Islam is awaiting the coming of the Mahdi with a universal anticipation.
I tend to think that the way these belief systems overlap may not be mere coincidence. I have felt for a while now that, yes, Islam will be a MAJOR future player. I don't know when it will happen, but I think it will happen.
Muslims are charged right now with the responsibility of reaching for the goals that they believe the Mahdi will eventually come to fulfull completely. The study of Islam reveals this: Jihad and world domination are not just a mutation of Islam. They are the goal of Islam. Muslims who aren't reaching for these goals aren't really living out what their faith teaches.
I'm really not trying to be depressing here or to incite fear! In a way, my faith is strengthened when I learn these things. If Islam is the vehicle used to fulfill biblical prophecy, then that is just one more proof that God knows what he's talking about. If I can trust Him for a future that sometimes looks scary, I can certainly trust Him for the little things as well.
Let's be watchful. Speak out when we need to stand up for truth, and PRAY. Oh...and let's not forget who eventually wins this battle!
posted by Erin | 3:06 PM
3 Comments:
That was really interesting. I've never read anything about Islam, and I had no idea that Islam and Christianity overlap so much. That book sounds very educational.
That was very interesting, and a bit scary! I would like to believe that I won't have to deal with any of this in my lifetime... But at the rate Islam is growing, I'm not so sure that's true anymore. Thank you for sharing!
The Biblical/Islamic overlap was completely new to me too...I was quite surprised when I read about this that it isn't talked about more! I guess it's only been within the last five years or so that any of us have had the need to really understand Islam. Before 9-11, I barely knew it existed:o{
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