The Islamic Antichrist: The Shocking Truth about the Real Nature of the Beast

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Yea, to speak it in plain words; lest that we submit ourselves to Satan, thinking that we submit ourselves to Jesus Christ, for, as for your Roman kirk, as it is now corrupted, and the authority thereof, whereon stands the hope of your victory, I no more doubt but that it is the synagogue of Satan, and the head thereof, called the pope, to be that man of sin, of whom the apostle speaks." [83] Whereof it followeth Rome to be the seat of Antichrist, and the pope to be very antichrist himself. I could prove the same by many other scriptures, old writers, and strong reasons." [84] Sahih Muslim 169e". sunnah.com . Retrieved 17 June 2021. ; In-book reference: Book 54 (Tribulations and Portents of the Last Hour), Hadith 123; Reference: Sahih Muslim 169e

Glassé, Cyril; Smith, Huston (2003). The New Encyclopedia of Islam. Altamira Press. p.33. ISBN 0-7591-0190-6. Emmerson, Richard Kenneth (1981). "The Life and Deeds of Antichrist". Antichrist in the Middle Ages. Seattle: U of Washington P. pp.74–107. The Mahdi ( lit. 'the rightly guided one') is the redeemer according to Islam. [23] Just like the Dajjal, [1] the Mahdi is never mentioned in the Quran but his description can be found in the ḥadīth literature; [23] according to the Islamic eschatological narrative, he will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment. [1] [16] [24] [25] At the time of the Second Coming of Christ, [26] the prophet ʿĪsā shall return to defeat and kill al-Masih ad-Dajjal. [1] [16] [27] Muslims believe that both ʿĪsā and the Mahdi will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice, and tyranny, ensuring peace and tranquility. [28] Eventually, the Dajjal will be killed by the Mahdi and ʿĪsā at the gate of Lud, who upon seeing Dajjal will cause him to slowly dissolve (like salt in water). [3] Lietaert Peerbolte, Bert Jan (2013). "How Antichrist Defeated Death: The Development of Christian Apocalyptic Eschatology in the Early Church". In Krans, Jan; Lietaert Peerbolte, L. J.; Smit, Peter-Ben; Zwiep, Arie W. (eds.). Paul, John, and Apocalyptic Eschatology: Studies in Honour of Martinus C. de Boer. Novum Testamentum: Supplements. Vol.149. Leiden: Brill Publishers. pp.238–255. doi: 10.1163/9789004250369_016. ISBN 978-90-04-25026-0. ISSN 0167-9732. S2CID 191738355. Russell, William R. (1994-12-01). "Martin Luther's Understanding of the Pope as the Antichrist". Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte (in German). 85 (jg): 32–44. doi: 10.14315/arg-1994-jg02. ISSN 2198-0489. S2CID 194015213.

References

Bernard McGinn described multiple traditions detailing the relationship between the Antichrist and Satan. In the dualist approach, Satan will become incarnate in the Antichrist, just as God became incarnate in Jesus. However, in orthodox Christian thought, this view was problematic because it was too similar to Christ's incarnation and suggested dualism. Instead, the "indwelling" view became more accepted. It stipulates that the Antichrist is a human figure inhabited by Satan, since the latter's power is not to be seen as equivalent to God's. [16] Luca Signorelli's fresco, The Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist (see above), depicts the indwelling view. Satan whispers in the ear of this Christlike figure and his left arm is slipped through the Antichrist's garment as if he is manipulating him. a b "Doctrinal Statements: Antichrist". Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. 2018 . Retrieved August 17, 2018. We reject the idea that the teaching that the Papacy is the Antichrist rests on a merely human interpretation of history or is an open question. We hold rather that this teaching rests on the revelation of God in Scripture which finds its fulfillment in history. The Holy Spirit reveals this fulfillment to the eyes of faith (cf. The Abiding Word, Vol. 2, p. 764). Since Scripture teaches that the Antichrist would be revealed and gives the marks by which the Antichrist is to be recognized (2 Th 2:6, 8), and since this prophecy has been clearly fulfilled in the history and development of the Roman Papacy, it is Scripture which reveals that the Papacy is the Antichrist. Harris, J. Rendel (2015). The Odes and Psalms of Solomon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-49773-3. Richard Montagu proposed the Turk rather than the Pope as Antichrist. This thesis may have been given fresh currency by a Balliol [College] man, Christopher Angelos, a Greek who had suffered at the hands of the Turks and had it revealed to him in a vision that Mahomet was Antichrist. ((Christopher Hill, Antichrist in Seventeenth-Century England (London, Oxford University Press, 1971), 181–182.))

It should not surprise us, therefore, that when Christians wrote on the subject of Bible prophecy, they would take current events into account. For the historicist interpreter, the Islamic advances could not be ignored. “[D]uring the oppressive conquests of the Saracens ((Saracens was the name Christians had given to Moslems during the time of the Crusades. Moslems who had invaded Spain from Morocco were called Moors. Saracen might be based on a word meaning “easterners.”)) the prophecies concerning Antichrist were searched anew by the monks and priests—in the hope they would yield perhaps an indication that Mohammed or his fierce followers could be meant by the passages referring to Antichrist.” ((LeRoy Froom, Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers: The Historical Development of Prophetic Interpretation, 4 vols. (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1950), 1:530.)) Like today, many of the Reformers saw prophecy being fulfilled in their day:Cyril of Jerusalem, in the mid-4th century, delivered his 15th catechetical lecture about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, in which he also lectures about the Antichrist, who will reign as the ruler of the world for three and a half years, before he is killed by Jesus Christ right at the end of his three-and-a-half-year reign, shortly after which the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will happen. The identification of the Pope with the Antichrist was so ingrained in the Reformation Era, that Luther himself stated it repeatedly: Tyndale's Doctrine of Antichrist and His Translation of 2 Thessalonians 2", R. Davis, New Matthew Bible Project; a shorter version of this article was also published in the Tyndale Society Journal No. 36, Spring 2009, under the title Tyndale, the Church, and the Doctrine of Antichrist).

Within the Shiite branch of Islam, there have been twelve imams, or spiritual leaders appointed by Allah. These began with Imam Ali, cousin to Muhammad, who claimed prophetic succession after Muhammad’s death. Around AD 868, the Twelfth Imam, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad (or Muhammad al Mahdi), was born to the Eleventh Imam. Because his father was under intense persecution, the Mahdi was sent into hiding. About the age of 6, when his father was killed, he briefly came out of hiding but then disappeared again. It is said that the Mahdi has been hiding in caves ever since and will supernaturally return just before the day of judgment to eradicate all tyranny and oppression, bringing harmony and peace to the earth. He is the savior of the world in Shiite theology. According to one writer, Imam Mahdi will combine the dignity of Moses, the grace of Jesus, and the patience of Job in one perfect person. Will the Antichrist be a Muslim? Only God knows. Are there connections between Islamic eschatology and Christian eschatology? There certainly seem to be direct correlations, though they are like reading the descriptions of a great battle, first from the perspective of the loser trying to save face, and then from the perspective of the victor. Of course, prophecies of the Twelfth Imam should not be considered equal to biblical prophecies. Only the Bible is the inspired Word of God; it’s possible to interpret some elements of Islamic eschatology in a way that agrees with Daniel and Revelation, but that does not lend any credence to the rest of Shiite theology. a b c Gallagher, Eugene (28 February 2020). "Millennialism". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.125. ISBN 9780199340378 . Retrieved 17 January 2022. a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cook, David (2021) [2002]. Studies in Muslim Apocalyptic. Berlin and London: Gerlach Press. pp.93–104. ISBN 9783959941211. OCLC 238821310. a b Joseph A. Burgess; Jeffrey Gros, eds. (1989). Building Unity. New York: Paulist Press. p.140. ISBN 0-8091-3040-8.

There are a few other parallels between the Bible and Shiite theology that we should note. First, the Bible says that the tribulation will last for seven years, and Islam claims that the Twelfth Imam will rule the world for the same amount of time. Second, Muslims anticipate three years of chaos before the revealing of the Twelfth Imam, and the Bible speaks of three and a half years of tribulation before the Antichrist reveals his true nature by desecrating the Jewish temple. Third, the Bible describes the Antichrist as a deceiver who claims to bring peace but who actually brings widespread war; the expectation of the Twelfth Imam is that he will bring peace through massive war with the rest of the world. While I have not read everything Richardson has written, I haven’t seen him mention the fact that Islam, like the papacy, has been an antichrist candidate. Seventh-day Adventists teach that the "Little Horn Power", which (as predicted in the Book of Daniel) rose after the break-up of the Roman Empire, is the Papacy. The Western Roman Empire collapsed in the late 5th century. In 533, Justinian I, the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (which historians have labelled the Byzantine Empire), legally recognized the bishop (pope) of Rome as the head of all the Christian churches. [122] Currently, many Protestant and Restorationist denominations still officially maintain that the Papacy is the Antichrist, such as the conservative Lutheran Churches [92] [94] [95] and the Seventh-day Adventists. [96] [97] [98] [99] [100] Counter Reformation [ edit ] Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Babawayh al-Qummi. "Chapter 47: Narration regarding Dajjal (anti-Christ)". Kamal al-din wa tamam al-ni'mah. Vol.2. Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya.

Peter Toon offers a helpful historical perspective on the way commentators understood the place of Islam and the Papacy in relation to Bible prophecy: Strong, James (1890). "G5580 – pseudochristos". Strong's Concordance. Blue Letter Bible . Retrieved 27 December 2021. ψευδόχριστος pseudóchristos, psyoo-dokh'-ris-tos; [...] a spurious Messiah:—false Christ. ψευδόχριστος, ψευδοχριστου, ὁ ( ψευδής and χριστός), a false Christ (or Messiah) (one who falsely lays claim to the name and office of the Messiah): Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22.

Understanding The Antichrist Concept

Hadith also report on the “ Greater Signs” of the end, which include the appearance of the Antichrist (Dajjal) and the reappearance of the prophet Jesus to join in battle with him at Dabbiq in Syria, as well as the arrival of the Mahdī, the “guided one.” As another hadith attributed to Alī ibn Abī Talib puts it, “Most of the Dajjal’s followers are Jews and children of fornication; God will kill him in Syria, at a pass called the Pass of Afiq, after three hours are gone from the day, at the hand of Jesus". [16] Imam Mahdi ( Arabic: ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, romanized: al-Mahdī, meaning "the rightly guided one") is the redeemer according to Islam. [139] Just like the Dajjal, [135] the Mahdi is never mentioned in the Quran but his description can be found in the ḥadīth literature; [139] according to the Islamic eschatological narrative, he will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment. [135] [138] [140] [141] At the time of the Second Coming of Christ, [142] the prophet ʿĪsā shall return to defeat and kill al-Masih ad-Dajjal. [135] [138] [143] Muslims believe that both ʿĪsā and the Mahdi will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice, and tyranny, ensuring peace and tranquility. [144] Eventually, the Dajjal will be killed by theʿĪsā at the gate of Lud, who upon seeing Dajjal will cause him to slowly dissolve (like salt in water). [137] Ahmadiyya [ edit ] Part of a series on Tertullian (c. 160 – c. 220 AD) held that the Roman Empire was the restraining force written about by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:7–8. The fall of the Western Roman Empire and the disintegration of the ten provinces of the Roman Empire into ten kingdoms were to make way for the Antichrist. Rowland, Christopher (2010) [2007]. "Part I: Historical Eschatology – The Eschatology of the New Testament Church". In Walls, Jerry L. (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp.56–73. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195170498.001.0001. ISBN 978-0195170498. LCCN 2006032576. S2CID 171574084. Valentine, Simon (2008). Islam and the Ahmadiyya jamaʻat: history, belief, practice. Columbia University Press. pp.148–9. ISBN 978-0-231-70094-8.