Posted on 05/30/2010 5:36:00 PM PDT by Jim W N
With Europe on the verge of economic collapse, what about all those popular predictions that the European Union would become the world's political powerhouse, giving rise to the endtimes prophecies of a world dictator known to Bible students as the Antichrist? Joel Richardson, author of a bestselling book on Bible prophecy, says atheists will have a field day mocking Christians for the incorrect interpretations about the last days. When ""The Islamic Antichrist" was released last fall, it immediately zoomed to the top of the religious charts at Amazon and the No. 1 spot among all books at Scribd – an online e-booker retailer. Yet Richardson, a student of Islam and the Middle east, found few churches in America welcoming him as a guest speaker. He was not invited to address many prophecy conferences. He found himself as a "political incorrect" outsider in most evangelical circles. His book makes the case that the biblical Antichrist is one and the same as the Quran's Muslim Mahdi. "The Bible abounds with proofs that the Antichrist's empire will consist only of nations that are, today, Islamic," says Richardson. "Despite the numerous prevailing arguments for the emergence of a revived European Roman empire as the Antichrist's power base, the specific nations the Bible identifies as comprising his empire are today all Muslim."
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
A strong and fascinating case is made by well-known author and teacher Chuck Messler that the antichrist will be of the lost nation of Assyria. His argument is that he antichrist will be an Assyrian which means he also almost certainly will be a Muslim, at least outwardly. I don't know if Assyria is what Richardson calls the "Islamic Empire."
I have been saying this for years as well. Although I became a Christin in the 1970s and initially bought into the European idea, later in life I changed my views and I still believe it will be a Muslim. My thinking is primarily that so many Westerners who really Christian-in-name-only would very easily embrace a charismatic figure that would promise world peace; so many of them already have adopted a cafeteria-style form of Christianity anyway - you know, a little Christianity, a little Zen, a little Karma, and on and on. They just mix and match the parts they like of each but then say they are Christians. The Muslims are never going to do this, nor the orthodox and religious Jews or Christians. So, we will end up with the remnant who will “know” and the rest of the world. Voila. I think it’s pretty simple.
The majority of Muslim’s around the world consider the concept of an end-time Mahdi to be a Shiite heresy.
Wasn’t Kenya a European colony and isn’t the Lau tribe Muslim? Well, there you go!!
It sure looks like we are living in interesting times. The Antichrist being Islamic is not far fetch knowing how peaceful this religion is. Europe on the other hand is falling apart as a Euro Nation.
The beast in the Book of Revelation has many heads, not just one. Will not be just one man.
And as the Apostle John said, the spirit of antichrist was already in the world, even way back then in his lifetime.
Islam is certainly a likely candidate for the Antichrist, IMHO.
One curious fact is that Obama is named after the Twelfth Imam (I believe that’s the number, I’m working from memory here). His name means something like Holy Hussein returned, in Arabic.
And there were a bunch of Iranian clerics back before the election who said that Obama was the prophesied forerunner of the Mahdi. A black warrior who would come from the West.
In other words, you might say that Obama is the Anti-John-the-Baptist.
A european anti christ? They got the wrong continent. It is our continent that is stuck with the anti christ.
Sounds like mudhamhead to me.
Love one another, Vs. murder/enslave one another. About as anti as can be.
Revelation is not a sort of ink blot test for what this or that reader perceives about trends in current events.
I mean, Hal Lindsey, if memory serves, thought that the locust in one passage were Soviet helicopters! Sheesh. Who could possibly take anything he or any of his followers say seriously after that sort of patent nonsense.
It really is all sophistry, and very dangerous sophistry at that, as it sullies the vitally real message in the book.
Many of us Orthodox had already dubbed George Soros, “The Forerunner of Antichrist” (we call St. John the Baptist “The Forerunner of Christ”).
One of the most ancient Christian nations in the world consists of the Assyrians of Iraq. Since we “liberated” Iraq, establishing an Islamic state, more than half of these Christians have fled the lands they have occupied for nearly 4,000 years. I can’t understand why “prophecy” teachers are so obsessed with a Christ-hating secular nation in the mid-east, and so blind to the plight of fellow Christians.
The Devil has a decoy? Who’dathunkit?
This line of thought could be true,but presupposes the apocalyptic wars to be "one thing". That is not necessarily true or probable.
The defeat of Islam in the war of Magog sets up for the rise of the European power which "rules the world," and winds up in the face-off in the Valley of Megiddo, IMO.
Secondly, the OP assumes that the "Assyrian" must rise up out of the land of Assyria, as it was before it's demise (assuming present day Syria). That is not necessarily true either.
It is important to understand that there is, or will be, a great deception, which fools almost everyone.
When the wall came down, the damnable fortune tellers did not have the integrity to fall before God and confess their error. Instead, with their addiction to sucking up to Satan, they immediately began seeking another antichrist candidate to cower/grovel before. My fear? God might be so annoyed by the contempt the fortune tellers have demonstrated regarding His mercies that He will deal with secular humanism, next, instead of Islam.
That's an interesting view. I tend to think that Revelation in conjunction with Daniel show the seven heads of the beast to be symbolic of the kings of secular nations throughout the ages. Daniel 11 and 12 indicate a specific ruler who will make the "abomination that makes desolate (astonishes).” Daniel 11:31.
Jesus in Matthew speaks of the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. Matt 24:15. Paul later goes on to explain that this is, “that man of sin...revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.
I believe this is the guy who’s going to be thrown alive into lake of fire even before Satan himself (Rev. 19:20), and is the rider on the white horse who will fool a lot of people into thinking he’s the Messiah (Rev. 6:2). (Notice, however, unlike the Christ, he’s holding a bow not a sword.)
It's an interesting discussion but the nature and character of the beast is certainly nothing to start a new denomination over or anything - the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and unity as we surrender to Him.
I’m never able to trust any Christian who claims to KNOW the plan. Being Christian as a transitive matter often requires conceding to the Unknowability of much of it.
I guess some “Americans” consider themselves more European Americans. Especially the globe-trotting metrosexual who will not clearly prove where he was born.
>I mean, Hal Lindsey, if memory serves, thought that the
>locust in one passage were Soviet helicopters!
When reading revelation, it is critical to distinguish between what is scripture and what is speculation. It’s also important to know the context of what is occurring (in the case of Revelation, a vision of future events).
It’s completely plausible that a man 2000 years ago would describe this:
or
this:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1415/1389502959_eea53063d3.jpg
with these words...
“The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle” (Revelations 9:7) and “They had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle” (Revelations 9:9). “...their faces were as the faces of men” (Revelation 9:7).” “...they had tails like unto scorpions” (Revelation 9:10). “...their teeth were as the teeth of lions” (Revelation 9:8).
This is a man who had seen nothing but birds, insects, and bats fly. He had likely never even seen a shark.
I think that's a very good insight. But Revelation 1:19 also states that it is a book of history, of current events, and of things to come: "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter..."
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