Has anyone ever thought about the possibility that it is a Islamic Empire and that the Anti-christ is within their ranks right now,
Whoever this anti-christ is, he will have the ability to marry politics and religion. This should be interesting given all the American/European angst over religion in government now. He will be able to command a world wide political climate while keeping a religious exterior operating for at least the first years of his power, he will of course play his hand when he demands worship for himself and desecrates the temple of the Jewish people.
Some groups say the King of the South will be an islamic leader. A friend of the family got involved with a cult that thought it was Saddam Hussein. Fortunately, she was in the cult only briefly and escaped relatively unharmed.
Daniel 2:34-36 clearly refers to the rise of Islam
2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.stone was cut out without hands, end of idols - could it be clearer?
2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Yes. Very much so. See my posts #78 and #86.