(I post this just because it contains a LOT of information which many people just don't know about Islam and end-times, not that I agree with 100% of all of the author's statements about Christianity. Most Dispensational viewpoints of eschatology are Biblically literal ... )
Where Christianity and Islam Intersect
The Coming World Leader:
______________________________
Brian Dotzler
Author
Course: Western Civilization I
Professor:
Date: May 8, 2005
This study is not intended to pass a moral judgment in favor of one religion over another. The intent is to examine data provided by each religion in order to create an unbiased view of the future....
As the world continues to approach what Christianity and Islam consider the end times, a startling connection can be made between the two: both religions point to a future world leader. Christianity details the coming of the Antichrist while Islam predicts the rise of Imam Al Mahdi, the guided one. Though each religion has its own unique view of a future world leader, a strong argument can be made that these two leaders are in fact the same person.
Recently there has been a great deal of attention given to Christianitys Antichrist, the man identified in the Bible who will rise in global power during the last days. The success of movies and books, such as Tim Lahayes Left Behind series, has made this topic popular not only in religious circles but also in the secular media as well.
However, there is an aspect to this future leader that mainline Christianity often overlooks. While there seems to be little doubt that the Antichrist will come from what is considered the revived Roman Empire, it is all too often assumed that this leader will arise out of Western Europe. This common belief completely ignores many of the biblical scriptures that detail his ascension from the ancient empire of Assyria, known today as Syria and Iraq.
Be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with the rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee after the manner of Egypt (Isaiah 10:24-27).
And he will be their peace. When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. They will rule the land of the Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our land and marches into our borders (Micah 5:5-6).
In that day also he come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain (Micah 7:12).
The passage in Micah 5 makes reference to Nimrod, the first world dictator who reigned from what is now Iraq and Syria, also known as the land of Shinar. He is also the same ruler that built the Tower of Babel and founded the capital city of Nineveh.1 Is it possible that the first and the last world rulers will in fact come from the same area?
Further evidence supporting that the Antichrist will ascend in power from Assyria can be found in the book of Revelation.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his head (Revelation 12:3).
The great dragon referred to in the this passage is Satan, and the seven heads are typically considered to be the seven great empires of world history: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and a revived version of the Roman Empire still future to the time of this writing but arguably in the process of taking form. John continues in his apocalyptic vision,
And there are seven kings; five are fallen, and one is, and one is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space (Revelation 17:10).
Again, John makes reference to the seven kingdoms or rulers but adds additional information. At the time of his writing, five of the kingdoms had passed: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece; one was still in existence: Rome; and the seventh had yet to come: the revived version of the Roman Empire. Finally, John provides the last piece to this prophetic puzzle.
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and of the seventh, and goeth into perdition (Revelation 17:11).
At this point, John introduces an eighth kingdom or ruler but makes it clear that it is somehow related to the previous seven. In essence, this eighth empire or ruler will be from one of the seven empires that, for a time, no longer existed.
The only empire that fits this description is the Assyrian Empire. Though all the others had declined in their power with the exception of the Roman Empire, which still existed at the time of Johns writing, the Assyrian Empire had basically become extinct. Its capital city, Nineveh, disappeared in 612 B.C. and remained hidden until 1847. In fact, knowledge of the great Assyrian empire was almost nonexistent until excavations were undertaken during the mid-nineteenth century.2
As stated above, the ancient empire of Assyria occupied the same territory that is today called Iraq and Syria. Therefore, if a world leader were to arise from this geographic region there is little doubt he would be Muslim. Currently, the population of Syria is 70 per cent Muslim while over 90 per cent are Muslim in Iraq.3
By establishing a credible argument that the Bibles prediction of a future world leader, the Antichrist, will be a Muslim from the ancient land of Assyria, focus can be shifted to Islam in order to verify the Bibles prophetic picture.
Little reference is made of the Mahdi in the Koran. It is mostly through tradition that he is even recognized by the Muslim faith and those familiar with its teachings. Because there is little description of the Mahdi in the Koran, many sets of traditions have developed over the centuries that conflict with one another. For instance, the Sunni description differs from the Shiite, and even within the Shiite sect there are varying opinions. However, by using the biblical accounts of the Antichrist as a foundation, a credible scenario can be depicted that verifies both biblical scripture and Islamic tradition. For the purpose of this study, the author will focus specifically on the set of Islamic traditions that support the biblical description.
The prophet Muhammad founded the Muslim religion, Islam, in 7th century. Though Muhammad himself did not leave any written records, many of his revelations were recorded by his followers and placed in a book, the Koran. Upon his death, a struggle for power ensued and the religion basically split into two factions: Sunni and Shiite. At one point the division became so hostile that the opposing Sunni sect murdered 11 of the 12 early Shiite leaders. The surviving 12th eventually disappeared into the Arabian Desert in 878 AD and was never heard from again.4
According to a Shiite doctrine, The Doctrine of the Twelve, this missing leader has been supernaturally protected and is still alive today. Shiites believe that at the appointed time he will reappear as their final prophet and lead a worldwide Islamic revival. He will also be a military expert and eventually bring the world under the control of Islamic Law and justice . This man [will be] recognized in the Islamic world as the Mahdi.5
One of the many misconceptions that westerners have with Islam is the religions failure to acknowledge Jesus Christ. Although the Koran teachers that Allah begets not and is not begotten! Muslims do in fact recognize Christ as a great prophet (Koran, Sura 112). Islam teaches that Jesus Christ will return after the Mahdi is presented to the world and that he will follow the Mahdi to Jerusalem, declare Islam to be the one, true religion, and ultimately deny the biblical claim that he, Jesus, is the Son of God. Muslim tradition claims that at this point, Jesus will begin converting people to Islam while simultaneously killing the swine and removing the cross, metaphorical references to the extermination of Jews and Christians.6
Obviously, there are many discrepancies between the Jesus of Christianity and the Jesus of Islam and it can, therefore, be inferred that both religions are describing the arrival of two different people. However, there is another character in the Bible whose description is very similar to that of the Islamic Jesus: the False Prophet. Revelation 13:11-13 indicates that this man will arrive as a religious leader and assist in the establishment of a large religious following. Together, the two will make war against the saints and conquer them (Revelation 13:7).
In Perry Stones book, Unleashing the Beast, Stone includes an interview with a Muslim acquaintance regarding the time of the end.
In the last days there will be earthquakes, famines, and strange signs from Allah. There will come several men claiming to be prophets in the name of Allah, but they will be false. We are warned not to follow them. They will work in line with the Antichrist. Then, our Mahdi will rise to power. He will come, according to tradition, riding on a white horse. Jesus will appear and follow the Mahdi.
We believe the Mahdi will come to Jerusalem and liberate it from the Jews and Christians. He will convert people to Islam when Jesus tells everyone that He lied, that He is not the Son of God, because God cannot have a son. Jesus will perform miracles to prove He is Jesus. He will point people to the Mahdi, and will kill the Jews and tell the Christians to forsake the idea of the Trinity and forsake the Cross. Islamic justice will rule the earth. Those who rebel against the Mahdi will be punished, and some say with a sword.7
Anyone familiar with end times prophecy cannot help but notice the striking similarities between Islamic tradition and biblical prophecy. Both expect natural disasters, both are looking for an Antichrist, and both look forward to the return of a savoir on a white horse. But more importantly, both religions warn that a deceiver will arrive prior to their expected savior. Ironically, what one religion considers a deceiver, the other religion views as its savior, and vice versa.
Both religions make strong arguments that the arrival of these controversial leaders is imminent. Biblical scholars point to the reemergence of Israel (1948) and Jewish control of Jerusalem (1967) as events that earths final generation would witness. They also view the reunification of Europe as a revival of the Roman Empire, another end-times event.
Islam, on the other hand, postulates different reasons to believe the end is near. According to an Islamic tradition, the Golden Chain that began with Muhammad is now in its 40th and final generation. This tradition teaches that the Mahdi will be a descendent of the Islamic Prophet Sal from the 40th generation. Grandshiekh Nazim Adil Al-Haqqini, the world leader of the Naqshbandhia Order, has even stated publicly that the Mahdi is alive today and currently awaiting the call from Allah to present himself to the world.8
As recently as October 2003, over 3 million newly freed Iraqi citizens conducted a pilgrimage to Karbala, a religious act prohibited under Saddam Husseins control, in celebration of the 12th Imams birthday and the imminent expectation of his return as world savior. 9
Unfortunately, an agreed upon picture of future events is impossible to paint. Within Christianity are many different beliefs as to the timing of the end. There is also disagreement as to whether an end times leader, the Antichrist, will emerge to deceive the world. Even though Christians typically refer to one agreed upon text, the Bible, as a source of authority, many feel that the Bibles references to these specific events and people are symbolic. In essence, the reader is left to determine for himself how to interpret the scriptures.
Within Islam it is exponentially more difficult to find agreement as to the end since many of the beliefs are based on tradition. Confounding the issue even more is the fact that different sects not only have different beliefs but also share a great deal of animosity.
Because of the discrepancies that exist between the two religions and even among the various followers in each, a sound argument can be made that the most accurate picture of the end times scenario is the picture created with the aspects of each religion that agree with one another. For instance, the view that the Antichrist is merely a metaphorical representation of personified evil as opposed to a specific person can be dismissed through Islams claim that a specific, world ruler is expected. For the same reason the view that the Antichrist will rise from the western leg(1) of the revived Roman Empire as opposed to the eastern leg is refuted by Islams prediction that this leader will be a Muslim. By piecing the prophecies of each religion together, misinterpretations and false teachings can be weeded out leaving the objective eye free to see the bigger, more accurate picture.
(1) In the Book of Daniel, the prophet interprets a dream regarding four world empires. The final empire, considered by many to be the Roman Empire, is depicted as two legs on a human statue. Contemporary theologians often agree that the dream predicts a split of the Roman Empire into two distinct entities: an eastern and western leg. Refer to figure 1.1.
Notes
1 Missler, Chuck. Antichrist. CD-ROM. (2001).
2 Nineveh. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. April 2005.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineveh>
3 Syria: Location, Population, Religion, Membership, Currency. Arabic German Consulting. 1998-99.
<http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/syria.htm>
4 Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjah. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 2005.
<http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9054165>
5 Stone, Perry. Unleashing the Beast: How a Fanatical Islamic Dictator Will Form a Te-Nation Coalition And
Terrorize the World for Forty-Two Months. Cleveland: Voice of Evangelism, Inc., 2003, pp. 64-65.
6 Stone, p. 68.
7 Stone, pp. 68-69.
8 Shahabuddin, The Coming of Mystery Imam al-Mahdi The Sunday Times, November 18, 1990.
9 Prayers echo through Karbala as Shiites celebrate their faith. Jordan Times. Monday, October 13, 2003.
<http://www.aljazeerah.info/News arc...13 n/Prayers echo through Karbala as Shiites% 20celebrate%20their%20faith.htm>
Where Christianity and Islam Intersect
The Coming World Leader:
______________________________
Brian Dotzler
Author
Course: Western Civilization I
Professor:
Date: May 8, 2005
This study is not intended to pass a moral judgment in favor of one religion over another. The intent is to examine data provided by each religion in order to create an unbiased view of the future....
As the world continues to approach what Christianity and Islam consider the end times, a startling connection can be made between the two: both religions point to a future world leader. Christianity details the coming of the Antichrist while Islam predicts the rise of Imam Al Mahdi, the guided one. Though each religion has its own unique view of a future world leader, a strong argument can be made that these two leaders are in fact the same person.
Recently there has been a great deal of attention given to Christianitys Antichrist, the man identified in the Bible who will rise in global power during the last days. The success of movies and books, such as Tim Lahayes Left Behind series, has made this topic popular not only in religious circles but also in the secular media as well.
However, there is an aspect to this future leader that mainline Christianity often overlooks. While there seems to be little doubt that the Antichrist will come from what is considered the revived Roman Empire, it is all too often assumed that this leader will arise out of Western Europe. This common belief completely ignores many of the biblical scriptures that detail his ascension from the ancient empire of Assyria, known today as Syria and Iraq.
Be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with the rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee after the manner of Egypt (Isaiah 10:24-27).
And he will be their peace. When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. They will rule the land of the Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our land and marches into our borders (Micah 5:5-6).
In that day also he come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain (Micah 7:12).
The passage in Micah 5 makes reference to Nimrod, the first world dictator who reigned from what is now Iraq and Syria, also known as the land of Shinar. He is also the same ruler that built the Tower of Babel and founded the capital city of Nineveh.1 Is it possible that the first and the last world rulers will in fact come from the same area?
Further evidence supporting that the Antichrist will ascend in power from Assyria can be found in the book of Revelation.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his head (Revelation 12:3).
The great dragon referred to in the this passage is Satan, and the seven heads are typically considered to be the seven great empires of world history: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and a revived version of the Roman Empire still future to the time of this writing but arguably in the process of taking form. John continues in his apocalyptic vision,
And there are seven kings; five are fallen, and one is, and one is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space (Revelation 17:10).
Again, John makes reference to the seven kingdoms or rulers but adds additional information. At the time of his writing, five of the kingdoms had passed: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece; one was still in existence: Rome; and the seventh had yet to come: the revived version of the Roman Empire. Finally, John provides the last piece to this prophetic puzzle.
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and of the seventh, and goeth into perdition (Revelation 17:11).
At this point, John introduces an eighth kingdom or ruler but makes it clear that it is somehow related to the previous seven. In essence, this eighth empire or ruler will be from one of the seven empires that, for a time, no longer existed.
The only empire that fits this description is the Assyrian Empire. Though all the others had declined in their power with the exception of the Roman Empire, which still existed at the time of Johns writing, the Assyrian Empire had basically become extinct. Its capital city, Nineveh, disappeared in 612 B.C. and remained hidden until 1847. In fact, knowledge of the great Assyrian empire was almost nonexistent until excavations were undertaken during the mid-nineteenth century.2
As stated above, the ancient empire of Assyria occupied the same territory that is today called Iraq and Syria. Therefore, if a world leader were to arise from this geographic region there is little doubt he would be Muslim. Currently, the population of Syria is 70 per cent Muslim while over 90 per cent are Muslim in Iraq.3
By establishing a credible argument that the Bibles prediction of a future world leader, the Antichrist, will be a Muslim from the ancient land of Assyria, focus can be shifted to Islam in order to verify the Bibles prophetic picture.
Little reference is made of the Mahdi in the Koran. It is mostly through tradition that he is even recognized by the Muslim faith and those familiar with its teachings. Because there is little description of the Mahdi in the Koran, many sets of traditions have developed over the centuries that conflict with one another. For instance, the Sunni description differs from the Shiite, and even within the Shiite sect there are varying opinions. However, by using the biblical accounts of the Antichrist as a foundation, a credible scenario can be depicted that verifies both biblical scripture and Islamic tradition. For the purpose of this study, the author will focus specifically on the set of Islamic traditions that support the biblical description.
The prophet Muhammad founded the Muslim religion, Islam, in 7th century. Though Muhammad himself did not leave any written records, many of his revelations were recorded by his followers and placed in a book, the Koran. Upon his death, a struggle for power ensued and the religion basically split into two factions: Sunni and Shiite. At one point the division became so hostile that the opposing Sunni sect murdered 11 of the 12 early Shiite leaders. The surviving 12th eventually disappeared into the Arabian Desert in 878 AD and was never heard from again.4
According to a Shiite doctrine, The Doctrine of the Twelve, this missing leader has been supernaturally protected and is still alive today. Shiites believe that at the appointed time he will reappear as their final prophet and lead a worldwide Islamic revival. He will also be a military expert and eventually bring the world under the control of Islamic Law and justice . This man [will be] recognized in the Islamic world as the Mahdi.5
One of the many misconceptions that westerners have with Islam is the religions failure to acknowledge Jesus Christ. Although the Koran teachers that Allah begets not and is not begotten! Muslims do in fact recognize Christ as a great prophet (Koran, Sura 112). Islam teaches that Jesus Christ will return after the Mahdi is presented to the world and that he will follow the Mahdi to Jerusalem, declare Islam to be the one, true religion, and ultimately deny the biblical claim that he, Jesus, is the Son of God. Muslim tradition claims that at this point, Jesus will begin converting people to Islam while simultaneously killing the swine and removing the cross, metaphorical references to the extermination of Jews and Christians.6
Obviously, there are many discrepancies between the Jesus of Christianity and the Jesus of Islam and it can, therefore, be inferred that both religions are describing the arrival of two different people. However, there is another character in the Bible whose description is very similar to that of the Islamic Jesus: the False Prophet. Revelation 13:11-13 indicates that this man will arrive as a religious leader and assist in the establishment of a large religious following. Together, the two will make war against the saints and conquer them (Revelation 13:7).
In Perry Stones book, Unleashing the Beast, Stone includes an interview with a Muslim acquaintance regarding the time of the end.
In the last days there will be earthquakes, famines, and strange signs from Allah. There will come several men claiming to be prophets in the name of Allah, but they will be false. We are warned not to follow them. They will work in line with the Antichrist. Then, our Mahdi will rise to power. He will come, according to tradition, riding on a white horse. Jesus will appear and follow the Mahdi.
We believe the Mahdi will come to Jerusalem and liberate it from the Jews and Christians. He will convert people to Islam when Jesus tells everyone that He lied, that He is not the Son of God, because God cannot have a son. Jesus will perform miracles to prove He is Jesus. He will point people to the Mahdi, and will kill the Jews and tell the Christians to forsake the idea of the Trinity and forsake the Cross. Islamic justice will rule the earth. Those who rebel against the Mahdi will be punished, and some say with a sword.7
Anyone familiar with end times prophecy cannot help but notice the striking similarities between Islamic tradition and biblical prophecy. Both expect natural disasters, both are looking for an Antichrist, and both look forward to the return of a savoir on a white horse. But more importantly, both religions warn that a deceiver will arrive prior to their expected savior. Ironically, what one religion considers a deceiver, the other religion views as its savior, and vice versa.
Both religions make strong arguments that the arrival of these controversial leaders is imminent. Biblical scholars point to the reemergence of Israel (1948) and Jewish control of Jerusalem (1967) as events that earths final generation would witness. They also view the reunification of Europe as a revival of the Roman Empire, another end-times event.
Islam, on the other hand, postulates different reasons to believe the end is near. According to an Islamic tradition, the Golden Chain that began with Muhammad is now in its 40th and final generation. This tradition teaches that the Mahdi will be a descendent of the Islamic Prophet Sal from the 40th generation. Grandshiekh Nazim Adil Al-Haqqini, the world leader of the Naqshbandhia Order, has even stated publicly that the Mahdi is alive today and currently awaiting the call from Allah to present himself to the world.8
As recently as October 2003, over 3 million newly freed Iraqi citizens conducted a pilgrimage to Karbala, a religious act prohibited under Saddam Husseins control, in celebration of the 12th Imams birthday and the imminent expectation of his return as world savior. 9
Unfortunately, an agreed upon picture of future events is impossible to paint. Within Christianity are many different beliefs as to the timing of the end. There is also disagreement as to whether an end times leader, the Antichrist, will emerge to deceive the world. Even though Christians typically refer to one agreed upon text, the Bible, as a source of authority, many feel that the Bibles references to these specific events and people are symbolic. In essence, the reader is left to determine for himself how to interpret the scriptures.
Within Islam it is exponentially more difficult to find agreement as to the end since many of the beliefs are based on tradition. Confounding the issue even more is the fact that different sects not only have different beliefs but also share a great deal of animosity.
Because of the discrepancies that exist between the two religions and even among the various followers in each, a sound argument can be made that the most accurate picture of the end times scenario is the picture created with the aspects of each religion that agree with one another. For instance, the view that the Antichrist is merely a metaphorical representation of personified evil as opposed to a specific person can be dismissed through Islams claim that a specific, world ruler is expected. For the same reason the view that the Antichrist will rise from the western leg(1) of the revived Roman Empire as opposed to the eastern leg is refuted by Islams prediction that this leader will be a Muslim. By piecing the prophecies of each religion together, misinterpretations and false teachings can be weeded out leaving the objective eye free to see the bigger, more accurate picture.
(1) In the Book of Daniel, the prophet interprets a dream regarding four world empires. The final empire, considered by many to be the Roman Empire, is depicted as two legs on a human statue. Contemporary theologians often agree that the dream predicts a split of the Roman Empire into two distinct entities: an eastern and western leg. Refer to figure 1.1.
Notes
1 Missler, Chuck. Antichrist. CD-ROM. (2001).
2 Nineveh. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. April 2005.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineveh>
3 Syria: Location, Population, Religion, Membership, Currency. Arabic German Consulting. 1998-99.
<http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/syria.htm>
4 Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjah. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 2005.
<http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9054165>
5 Stone, Perry. Unleashing the Beast: How a Fanatical Islamic Dictator Will Form a Te-Nation Coalition And
Terrorize the World for Forty-Two Months. Cleveland: Voice of Evangelism, Inc., 2003, pp. 64-65.
6 Stone, p. 68.
7 Stone, pp. 68-69.
8 Shahabuddin, The Coming of Mystery Imam al-Mahdi The Sunday Times, November 18, 1990.
9 Prayers echo through Karbala as Shiites celebrate their faith. Jordan Times. Monday, October 13, 2003.
<http://www.aljazeerah.info/News arc...13 n/Prayers echo through Karbala as Shiites% 20celebrate%20their%20faith.htm>
