Posted on 02/12/2013 8:13:24 AM PST by Alex Murphy
Every age needs an Antichrist.
Protestant Reformers picked the papacy as their embodiment of evil. American colonists chose King George III and some Cold War Christians suspected the Soviet Union was satanically led.
Now, amid threats of Islamic terrorism, a nuclear-armed Iran and tumult across the Middle East, a growing group of American evangelicals say the Antichrist will be Muslim.
"I understand that I'm going to be viewed as a fringe, apocalyptic Christian," said Joel Richardson, author of several books predicting an Islamic Antichrist. "But I fully own the idea that the Antichrist will be a Muslim and will come out of the Muslim world."
These days, even the fringe has a faithful following. On websites, television programs, conferences and books, conservative Christians like Richardson warn that a Muslim Antichrist will lead army to arise and attack Israel, in fulfillment of the biblical prophets and the Book of Revelation.
From there, they say, it's a short road to Armageddon.
"Today, we're seeing the beginning signs of that exact prophecy coming to pass," warns Richardson.
Scholars say the arrival of Islamic Antichrist prophecies was, well, predictable.
"I think the shift to Islam was just waiting to happen," said Glenn Shuck, an assistant professor of religion at Williams College who has studied evangelicals' views on the apocalypse.
A certain kind of Christian, sometimes dubbed "armchair apocalyptists" or "newspaper exegetes," seems especially inclined to cast their foes as agents of the Archenemy. The Antichrist they identify, scholars say, often reflects the era's deepest anxieties.
For many modern Christian apocalyptists, fears of big government are embodied in an Antichrist who will unite nation-states in a totalitarian One World Order.
Since 9/11, though, Islamist terrorism has ascended as a new threat, and lept from the front pages to apocalyptic thrillers like the "Left Behind" series and nonfiction books such as Richardson's "Mideast Beast" and "Islamic Antichrist."
Richardson, a 40-year-old decorative painter from Missouri who jokingly refers to his writings as "an expensive hobby," presents his prophecies as straightforward interpretations of the Bible, including the Book of Revelation.
Revelation, which never actually uses the word "Antichrist," is one of the first Christian texts to cast its rivals as Satan's spawn. Many scholars say phrases like "the mark of the beast" and "666" are coded references to the Emperor Nero, who persecuted Christians.
For many early Christians, however, the Antichrist was not a particular person. It was spiritual figure who lurked in the hearts of all believers, luring them toward sin and heresy, said Shuck.
By the 12th century, the Antichrist – often seen as a human inhabited by Satan – had become a tool for identifying an enemy, fomenting fear and assembling an army.
"The Antichrist moves a long way from Augustine's view of something that we all face inside us," Shuck said, "to being very much an external battle with concrete figures."
Popes used the Antichrist to rally Crusaders. Reformers used the Antichrist to battle popes. Northerners saw the Antichrist in the slave-holding South, and Southerners saw the same specter in the abolitionists.
In the modern era, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, U.S. presidents, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, England's Prince Charles, and even megachurch pastor Rick Warren have all made the Antichrist list.
Apocalyptic Christianity always needs an enemy, scholars say, and the Antichrist is nothing if not adaptable.
"The Antichrist idea is very responsive to changes in current events," said Robert Fuller, a professor of religious studies at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. "It's a symbol for what is most unsettling or troubling."
Antichrist prophecies raise fears by warning of an imminent battle between good and evil, Fuller said, and settle those fears by assuring Christians that the "good guys" will win in the end.
If bad theology, the Antichrist often makes for good reading, as attested by the more than 60 million copies of "Left Behind" books sold.
Prophecy may not be the best career option, however. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University closed its Tim LaHaye School of Prophecy just one year after it opened in 2002.
"It never did attract hardly any students, so we shut it down," said Ronald Godwin, Liberty's provost. "The students were looking for a major that would land them a career."
A press release for Richardson's book "The Islamic Antichrist" begins by noting a threat on the author's life, then asserts that "90 percent of the current world fighting involves Islamic terror movements."
"Theories presented in'The Islamic Anti-Christ' continue to grow in popularity as the world watches the injustices of Muslim law spread across the globe and infiltrate many sectors of U.S. society," the release says.
Not all apocalyptic Christians agree with Richardson, however.
Richardson's own press release asserts that Hal Lindsay, perhaps the most famous modern-day doomsayer, is one his staunchest critics.
Tim LaHaye, co-author of the bestselling series "Left Behind" and one of conservative Christianity's most respected apocalyptists, doesn't buy Richardson's theories, either.
"His book is interesting and informative," LaHaye said in a recent interview, "but his argument on the Antichrist is ridiculous." LaHaye and his ilk say the Antichrist must come from Roman stock, and point to modern-day Romania as his likely birthplace.
Muslim leaders and progressive groups are even more critical of Richardson.
Eric Boehlert, a senior fellow at the group Media Matters, said Richardson popped onto his radar after a 2011 appearance on Glenn Beck's now-defunct Fox News show.
"If Richardson was saying these things about Christianity or Judaism he wouldn't be able to get a pamphlet published," Boehlert said, "but unfortunately, there's a market in right-wing America that's decided Islam is pure evil."
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said calling Islam or any other religion evil often leads to violence. Earlier this month, for example, a Muslim family in Oklahoma reported that their home had been attacked by a sniper after an individual asked about their religion, according to CAIR.
"There's a question we should ask of all hatemongers who attack Islam," Hooper said. "What is your end game here?" —RNS .
I agree with you. If you look in Scripture, you see that Daniel was told to seal the book, that the events would be recognized at the time of their unfolding, which is what I see happening today. If you look at the beast empires, which all surrounded Israel then, and still do, and look at their Biblical names, looking at who they were them and now, you see that all 10 nations are alive and well. They all have one purpose, to drive Israel into the Med. and to kill off every singe Jew worldwide, to include those grafted into God’s family, the Christians. Most people are totally unprepared. They read books about the Bible, and NOT the Bible. To all these, I say you’d better get back into The Word and prepare. You have been deceived by well-meaning, but still basically wrong teachers, who are leading millions into a rude awakening that will destroy their faith, not enforce it. Go to youtube and listen to Walid Shoebat. We lived in Turkey for 6 years, so I trust what he has to say. Having lived there and visited Israel 4 times, I feel that we have an American view of the Bible that is way off and needs grounding in the Biblical lands so that we understand the stories of the Bible and God’s purposes for including them in canon. Our American Bibles, with their commentaries tend to bring up children of those commentators, and they have a bias against anything that doesn’t go along with the notes their Bible uses. This is destructive, and why I agree totally with Kay Arthur. We don’t need anybody else’s notes to understand Scripture. All we need is to study and ask God for His wisdom in understanding it.
Think of the Christians enduring persecution in muslim lands now. They are nearing extinction! Think of the fact that 3 horns will be taken down of the 10, and you see that possibly unfolding in the ME today. All the 10 countries are in the ME. None in the EU, except Turkey, whom I expect to leave at any time now. Turkey is making its way to become the Caliphate again. They are quite successful, I would say..
I think you're right on with this assessment. I've always believed we Americans were a hearty breed, but with abundance has come a certain apathy. And then, when our abundance is threatened, instead of fighting for what's right, we turn to someone to save us. Need proof? Just look at the economic downturn of late 2008. Americans, who just a few short years before would've never considered a socialist for President, willingly ran into Obama's arms and ate up his "hope and change" mantra. Americans were so terrified of losing their 401k's, they bought into the first huckster that came along.
When the anti-Christ does finally rise, times will be much worse. And once again, the sheeple will look to a "savior" to take care of them. And as you stated, they'll willingly and enthusiastically take the mark.
Two things:
1. little of your post would have made sense in 1947, and I think you know what I’m driving at.
2. The “Americaninzation” of Christianity frustrates me as well. It is not about Americans. It is about Christians. And, not to sound too nutty, I don’t think American flags belong in churches. They are not secular organizations. I’m seeing little in the NT about patriotism. The bible is about two things, the second of which is a subset of the first: Man’s relationship with his Creator and man’s relationship with his fellow man.
Actually I wrote it myself. Since when is there something wrong with that. Its my material concerning a book review I did. But then again just to be clear, my material, my writing from what I learned.
I have 62 book reviews on Catholic books up on Amazon.
I heard an anti-christ theory on one of the local religious radio stations the other day. I thought I’d heard them all but this was a new one to me.
According to this guy, The Anti-Christ is actually Nimrod. He died 5,000 years ago and his tomb, somewhere in Egypt, has been guarded faithfully by a secret cult as the body of the god Osiris up until this day. This body will be given life and arise to become the Anti-Christ.
It’s probably a compliment to you that some other Freeper questioned it, i.e. remembered reading it elsewhere. LOL
and I have posted it here in another thread before!
The unclean spirits, armageddon, and the drying of the Euphrates are all mentioned in the same context of the sixth seal. The drying up of the Euphrates was and is widely viewed by Historicist as referring to the drying up of the Turkish Muslim power, centered at the source of the Euphrates. In fact a seqence of maps showing the extent of the Ottoman Empire flipped through would look like a movie of the drying up of the Euphrates.
This drying up was completed in WWI. Note that the key battle which freed Jerusalem in WWI was actually fought at Armageddon. There was considerable public discussion at the time as to whether WWI was Armageddon. Much more to say but no time and space.
One of the most convincing arguments that it was, that I have ever seen, was actually a minister at the time arguing that it wasn't. He argued before the actual battle at Armageddon. Once that happened it killed most of his points against it being so.
There is a great battle discussed in Rev 19:19, but there is nothing clear at all to make the connection between that and Rev. 16:16s Armageddon.
How the Antichrist reflects the era’s anxieties...
So true. It’s tough playing god when you know you’re not God.
The prince that would destroy the city was Titus and fuliflled in 70 A.D.. It has nothing to do with the other passages. The "he" in verse 27 which confirms the covenant and ends sacrifice etc. is refferring to the main subject of the passage Christ.
Consider that prophetic Israel might not be the Old Israel, just like prophetic sodom is not the old sodom, prophetic bablyon is not the old babylon, prophetic Egypt is not the old egypt.
Prophetic Jerusalem is a land of unwalled villages. In fact there are many marks of prophetic Israel which cannot fit old Jerusalem. Also, Jesus very clearly indicated the kingdom was taken from them, and the would NEVER produce fruit again.
Back when Clinton was President and the Paula Jones scandal first broke and everyone was talking about "What was the odd characteristic of the President that Paula Jones saw when Slick dropped his trousers?", I was joking that she saw the number 666 tattooed on his schwanz.
I am curious do you see anything in the NT about the kingdom? I hope you don’t believe that the kingdom, which the parable of the tares says has children of the wicked on in it, is only spiritual, or only future. That is hermenuetical suicide.
I don’t understand your question or comment. Sorry.
Patriotism is defined as devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty.
Scripture says seek first the kingdom of God. It becomes very important what the kingdom is. If you define the kingdom as something which is only spiritual (not a biblical idea) then it is entirely different than if you believe Rev. 11:15 that the kingdoms of this world are become the kindom of Christ. Dan 7 says the same.
Further you use church as a building. Common, but not biblical or correct for your argument. Churches are secular. THE church is not secular.
Think about this in terms of the OT. God established a kingdom at Mt. Sinai. There were judges, military leaders, elders, there was the rule of law, with one nation under God. The people all agreed three times to their form of government, with God as head. That agreement is a constitution of sorts. That reigns under God and his laws. Was it secular? Yes. Was it Christian? Yes, in a forward looking sense.
You mention mans relationship to God and man, while rejecting the idea of secular. Kingdoms are in essence mans relationship to man, and their king. It IS secular and if it is Christian it is simultaneously spiritual.
The earth is Satan’s kingdom. We are behind enemy lines, so to speak.
That sounds like a script for a B-grade movie.
I give it a B for originality. B+ for weaving ancient Egyption religion into the fabric.
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