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    Comparison of End Times Figures in Christianity and Islam,Part I

    BothIslamand Christianity have very specific things to say aboutEnd Times, the period of great

    significance and events just before the world comes to an end. This period of time has also been called bymany other names, including the Last Days, the Last Hour, the Apocalypse, the Great Tribulation, etc. Both

    religions have specific expectations of what will happen, and there are many similarities between the twobeliefs. Some similarities include the expected appearance of natural disasters and calamities, anAntichrist,thecoming of Jesus, etc. The striking similarities provide a parallelism between the two religions on this

    topic.

    However, closer examination also reveals striking significant differences. The result is what is known

    asanti-parallelism, whereby many significant parallel points are actually opposite in nature. The

    diametrically opposed viewpoint from which aMuslimand a Christian view the same event contributes to

    this anti-parallelism. Readers may easily confuse the Antichrist in Islam with the Antichrist described in theBible, but since the meaning of Christ is not the same in the two beliefs, so is the meaning of the Antichrist.

    Similarly, the descriptions of Jesus (Muslims call HimIsa) in Islamic End Times expectations are not the

    same as the coming Jesus described in the Bible.

    Failure to distinguish between the two viewpoints can lead to much confusion. Any careful study of this

    topic in Islam and Christianity will show that many similarities are anti-parallels of each other. Instead ofgoing into long explanations, we try to present in this article some summary observations on the anti-

    parallels. We present it point-by-point, comparing the beliefs in Christianity and Islam. Each point, of course,

    can go into long citations and discussion, but we try to keep it as easy to read as possible so that you can seethe anti-parallels easily. For more details of the comparisions of each prominent character, please consult the

    following articles:

    Islam's Much Awaited World Leader Al-Mahdi. The Coming of Isa the Messiah (Muslim Jesus). The Antichrist in Islam (ad-Dajjal).

    In essence, Islam expects that there will be three major figures in the End Times: ad-Dajjal(Islamic version of

    Antichrist),al-Mahdi(Islamic version of worldwide leader) andIsa(the Muslim Jesus, who will return to

    this world). Thehadithscontain many references to these three persons. The hadiths are the second mostimportant source of Islamic doctrines and jurisprudence after the Qur'an. Belief in theQiyamahis one of the

    articles of faith in Islam.

    In Christianity, the major End Times personalities mentioned are theTwo Witnesses, theAntichristand

    theFalse Prophet. While different titles were also given in the Bible for the Antichrist personality, in addition

    to the title of Antichrist: The Beast, the Son of Perdition, the Lawless One, The Little Horn, etc, we will justuse the generic "Antichrist" to refer to this person. Also, there is also another person called The Second

    Beast, who is also known as the False Prophet. In Biblical eschatology, all these events culminate in

    theSecond Coming of Jesus Christ, where the eternal rule of Jesus commences. In Jewish expectations, thereis the coming of the long awaitedMessiah. In contrast, Islam expects that after Isa comes, he is expected to

    help al-Mahdi establish his Caliphate and live and rule for a period of time and then die, and then judgment

    will ensue some time later.

    In this article, we compare the above major figures in Islam and in Christianity. Much of the interpretations

    of End Times in the Bible are quite mainstream, even though there exist a wide range of opinions amongBible scholars. The reader will quickly see many similar expectations in the two religions, but many of the

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    similarities are actually anti-parallels. Below, each item is marked by "*" for Islam (green box) and "+" forChristianity (blue box). The "" denotes some comments. Some characteristics are omitted because there are

    no corresponding characterstic on the other side. In order to get a good sense of the parallelism and anti-

    parallelism in these expectations, you will need to read down the list.

    In order to avoid confusion, we have used the following mechanism to refer to the different characters:

    Antichrist. We use this to refer to the Antichrist character that is described in the Bible. We do notmean the Antichrist in Islam. If we need to refer to the Antichrist in Islam, we will use the title"Antichrist in Islam" or ad-Dajjal (see below).

    ad-Dajjal. This is the Antichrist character referred to in Islam. By this title, we do not mean theAntichrist in the Bible.

    Jesus. We use this to refer to the Jesus that is described in the Bible and not the Jesus described inIslam, because the descriptions of Jesus in both religions are very different in some aspects. If we

    need to to refer to Jesus in Islam, we will use "Isa", "Isa in Islam", "Muslim Jesus" or "Jesus in

    Islam". Otherwise, we may end up being hopelessly mired in confusion.

    Isa. This Arabic name is used to refer to the Jesus that is described in Islam. We used this name todistinguish from the Jesus of the Bible.

    Our Approach

    Many people who are into interpreting prophecies have taken to using prophetic scriptural passages and then

    correlating them to past and current events, trying to make the connection and then projecting into the future.

    We want to say that this is not necessarily a wrong approach and can provide significant insights. However,we need to be careful not to project our ideas and theories into scriptures and make scriptures say what it didnot, and end up with obscure and esoteric interpretations that we believe are out of place in the interpretation

    of scriptures.

    Our approach to this topic is to compare the prophecies contained in both Christian scriptures and Muslimhadiths. Some of them match very well, while others are somewhat peripheral. Since we are dealing with two

    different religions, we should not expect them to line up perfectly ... since only at most one can be true. Insome characteristics, only one religion makes an explicit statement, but if it is also apparent in the other

    religion, then we also put that down as a correlating point. In any case, it is the core comparisons that are

    important.

    The prophecies contained in Islam and Christianity are contained in the respective source books, namely theQur'an andhadithsfor Islam, and the Bible for Christianity. The source texts themselves are constant. Only

    the interpretations of the source texts may change as better understandings become available. Therefore, our

    comparison is on the source texts, with some interpretations when necessary.

    Comparisons

    THE FIRST MAJOR FIGURE: Introducing the Antichrist in the Bible and Al-Mahdi

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    + The first major personality we will deal with is the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible, also called

    "The Beast". This Beast is symbolic of the personality behind it and is not interpreted literally as an

    animal. This person will be an unparalleled political, military and religious leader in the Last Days

    (Rev 13:1-9).

    * Muslims expect that at the End Times, there will arise a Muslim leader called al-Mahdi, meaning"The Guided One". He will be the leader of all the Muslims and will wage jihadagainst the rest of the

    world and bring the entire world under Islam. This means his kingdom will be world-wide and his

    accomplishment will surpass all the great Empires in history. Thus, he will be an unparalleled rulerover the whole world.

    Mahdism, as some call it, is a very important expectation among Muslims. Several Muslims,including Osama bin Laden, President Ahmadinejad of Iran, etc, have in recent history made

    speeches concerning this. More aspects of the al-Mahdi will be reviewed as we go down this list.

    Some Muslims think thatad-Dajjalcorresponds to the BiblicalAntichrist. Islamichadithssay that the

    followers of ad-Dajjal are mostly the Jews (numbering 70,000) and women. This hardly indicates a

    prominent Israeli leader, let alone a world leader. Hence, it is safe to say that ad-Dajjal is not a worldleader. However, the hadiths do credit him with the ability to wreck havoc around the world. We shall

    see that there are other End Times personalities in the Bible that also have this ability. Also, the

    hadiths say that Muslims will be able to recognize ad-Dajjal and therefore will not follow him, soonly that leaves a large segment of the world population who will resist him. Again, this indicates thatad-Dajjal is not the global leader that the Bible describes.

    Now, turning the question around, how about the Antichrist and the "Christian" nations? The problem

    is of course one will be hard-pressed to find any "Christian" nation in the world. Europe is in the post-

    Christian era, and America is really not much far behind. There is no nation in this world that has its

    constitution grounded in the Bible (influenced, yes, but not grounded). After-all, with separation ofchurch and state in these traditional "Christian" countries, many have abandoned Christianity as state

    religion to be more inclusive of everyone, including Muslims. So, for the whole world to follow the

    al-Mahdi (the Beast) is a real possibility, since another reason as we shall soon see, is that any

    Biblical Christians around will be persecuted during the End Times. Another reason is that Europe isfast becoming Islamicized, and as such, Europe might even become "Eurabia" soon. Thus Europe is

    or will be ready to accept, either willingly or not, the domination of Islam soon.

    WORLD'S REACTION TO HIM

    + The Bible says that the people of this world will be amazed and will follow the Beast (Rev 13:3,7).

    Many Christians believe that this is most probably after certain miracles have been performed andcertain victories have been attained. The Bible describes him to have suffered a fatal wound, but was

    healed, thereby causing many people to marvel and follow him. Another reason is the Antichrist'smilitary genius in conducting warfare.

    * Regarding al-Mahdi, the hadiths say that "The inhabitants of Heaven and Earth will be pleased with

    him." and "Allah will sow love of him in the chests of the people". This means al-Mahdi will be a

    leader much loved and followed by the world, either through voluntary allegiance or because of beingsubdued through jihad. Thus, it is al-Mahdi will be a charismatic and attractive person that can

    command the love of the world.

    It is significant that the Bible describes the Antichrist as being one that the world will follow, while

    the hadiths describe that al-Mahdi will also be loved and followed. Once again, this clearly shows

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    that the Antichrist does not correspond to ad-Dajjal since his followers numbers about 70,000 only. A

    significant portion of the world, the Muslims (forming about 1/4 of the world at this moment), will

    not follow ad-Dajjal. Hence, we should equate al-Mahdi with the biblical Antichrist.

    HIS EMPIRE

    + The Bible describes the Antichrist Empire as a resurrection of one or more of the seven Empires

    that preceeded it (Rev 17:9-11). When the Apostle John recorded the Book of Revelations, the

    Empire at the time was the Roman Empire, the 6th Empire ("one is"), and one more was yet to come,which will stay for a considerable period of time. (Rev 17:10). The eighth and final Empire before the

    End of the World is from the seven, but it is not the Roman Empire (Rev 17:11). For an explanation

    of why it is not the Roman Empire,see this article.

    * The large world Empire that came after the Romans is of course the Islamic Empire, beginning at

    the time of Muhammad in the 7th century. Within a few decades, it has captured the entire Northern

    Africa, Persia and has reached Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), the capital of the EasternRoman Empire. The Muslims fought many wars with the Romans until the latter fell in 1453. While

    the Islamic Empire could actually be divided into the Ummayyad, Abbassid and Ottoman Empire,

    they were essentially still Islamic empires. With the end of theOttoman Caliphatein 1923, theIslamic Caliphate came to an end.

    However, near the end of the world, Muslims are expecting al-Mahdi to appear to restore

    theCaliphateof the Muslims. While this revived Caliphate may have nothing to do with the Ottoman

    Caliphate, it is significant that it will definitely be an Islamic Caliphate.

    The Empires described inRev 17:9-11were great kingdoms that have to do with the Middle East.

    Bible teachers have identified the first five empires to be:

    1. the Egyptian Empire,2. the Assyrian Empire,3. the Babylonian Empire,4. the Persian Empire, and5. the Greek Empire.

    The 6th is the Roman Empire, the Empire during the time that the Apostle John was recording downthe book of Revelations. Historically, we know that the Islamic Empire is the seventh. It conquered

    the Eastern Roman Empire with the fall of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).

    No real large Empire has emerged in the Middle East after the Ottomans. As Muslims are eagerlyexpecting and working to revive the Islamic Caliphate and if it indeed comes true sometime soon,

    then this new Caliphate will be a revival of the previous Islamic Empire that ended the Roman

    Empire. Not only that, such a revived Islamic Caliphate of al-Mahdi will also include the geographicregions of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th empire. And if our observation about Europe turning into

    Eurabia is correct, then this Islamic Caliphate will also cover the previous Roman Empire, meaning

    that the revived Islamic Caliphate will then be a revival of all seven previous empires. It willindeed be "from the seven", however you slice it!

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    SOME LISTED NATIONS UNDER HIS RULE

    + The Bible describes that ten nations will come under the rule of the Antichrist, and he "will subdue

    three nations" (Dan 7:24). Here, "nations" may not necessarily be the countries we know today. Theseten "nations" will form the basis of his Empire, from which he will then seek to subdue the rest of the

    world.

    The Bible also describes some of the lands the Beast will lead (Dan 11:42, Ezek 38):

    o Egypt, which he will attack and subdue (Dan 11:42).o Meschek and Tubal (most likely parts of Turkey, parts of Southern Russia, parts of Iran),o Magog (a region convering parts of either Syria and/or former Soviet Republics of

    Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan,Chechnya, Turkey, Iran, Dagestan),

    o Persia (modern Iran and Iraq. Ancient Persia also includes Iraq. The Euphrates River in Iraq isalso mentioned together with the two Beasts inRev 16:12-13),

    o Cush (African Cush covers parts of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia. Asian Cush covers Arabiathrough Euphrates),

    o Put (Libya),o Gomer (Cappadocia, Turkey),o Togarmah (southeastern part of Turkey near Syria)

    Basically, this is the region spanning N. Africa, Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and

    Central Asian Islamic Republics (the various -stans). This region are all Muslim dominated nations.

    The Bible says that these nations will then come together and attack the land of Israel.

    * Muslims expect al-Mahdi (together with Isa) to unify and rule over all the Muslims, and thus the

    Islamic nations. Anyone who looks at the world map that shows the various religions can easily seethat the region described above are all Muslim countries. Even though Muhammad said in the hadiths

    that Muslims are to pledge their allegiance to al-Mahdi when he is revealed, it is conceivable that

    some Muslims leaders do not or do not want to recognize him. This may cause him to want to attackand subdue those Muslim nations that do not recognize him. However, it is very likely that the people

    of those nations will give their allegiance to al-Mahdi.

    Once he has united the Muslims, Al-Mahdi is said to then lead the Muslims and wage jihad against

    other (non-Muslim) nations and bring the entire world under Islam.

    It is significant that the list of areas and countries given inDan 11:42 andEzek 38 (written

    hundreds of years before Christ), and who will attack Israel, are today Muslim dominated nations.

    Many Muslims have expressed their desire to destroy the nation of Israel, from the Palestinians to theIranian President Ahmadinejad. Thus, if al-Mahdi corresponds to the Biblical Antichrist, then he will

    already have a ready set of states to start his rule, whose people are united in religion and also in their

    desire to destroy Israel. In fact, various hadiths also say that the Muslims will attack and destroyIsrael once and for all.

    Dan 11:42also prophesied that this world leader will attack and subdue Egypt (this could be one the

    three nations that was subdued by the Antichrist). This might seem strange as Egypt is also a Muslim

    country and one which has strong anti-Israel sentiments. However, it should also be noted that Egypt

    is a nation that currently has a peace treaty with Israel. Could it be that Egypt was attacked when itfailed to respond to the call to war by al-Mahdi to attack Israel? Moreover, when Ezekiel prophesied

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    about the nations coming to attack Israel (Ezek 38), Egypt was conspicuously absent.

    Jordan is another country that currently has a peace treaty with Israel. And again, in Ezek 38, Jordanis also missing from the list of nations attacking Israel.

    Is it just plain coincidence that two of Israel's surrounding nations that were not mentioned in the listof nations attacking Israel, and they so happen to be nations that currently have a peace treaty with

    Israel (namely Egypt and Jordan)?

    Another interesting point is also the protest (albeit a very feeble one) against this attack by Saudi

    Arabia:

    Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, "Have you come

    to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock

    and goods and to seize much plunder?" (Ezek 38:13)

    Interestingly, these three countries were also singled out by al-Qaida in their message on the 5thanniversary of the 9/11 incident:

    "The collusion of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan is very clear."It is interesting that current events are lining up in the exact same fashion as the Bible had prophesied

    thousands of years ago.

    + The Beast's Empire will combine characteristics of three previous Empires (Rev 13:2). The three

    empires described symbolically are:

    9. Babylonian(symbolized by lion),10.Medo-Persian(symbolized by bear) and11.Greek(symbolized by leopard).

    If we combine the three Empires, we again get almost the same areas above.

    * al-Mahdi, of course, will rule over the Islamic states, and then some more. The core regions of his

    Empire coincides with the Bible's description.

    With the exception of the Macedonian portion (modern Greece) of the Greek Empire, the rest of the

    Greek Empire are all Islamic today. The areas covered by the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empiresare also all Islamic today. Greece used to be part of the Ottoman Caliphate. Will al-Mahdi try to

    reclaim Greece as part of the Islamic Caliphate soon after his rise to power? Once again, we see thatthe Empire of the beast is of the seven previous Empires.

    LENGTH OF HIS RULE

    + The Bible describes the Antichrist to rule for seven years (Dan 9:27).

    * al-Mahdi will rule for seven years (some hadiths say 8 or 9, but the majority says seven). Some

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    Muslims say that the seven years is the amount of time it takes for thejihadagainst the rest of the

    world.

    There are some disagreements if the "sevens" (or "weeks") in the book of Daniel are years or not,

    although many do believe it to be years. When compared againstDan 11:12andRev 11:2-3, it

    appears that a "seven" equaling seven years is a very reasonable interpretation.

    WHERE HE WILL COME FROM

    + The Beast will appear from the region occupied by theSeleucid Empire, one of the four that the

    Greek Empire founded by Alexander the Great was broken up into after his death (Dan 8:8-9). This

    region spans from the Aegean Sea to Afghanistan.

    * The hadiths indicate that a Muslim leader will appear with an army fromKhorasan(Greater

    Khorasan includes north eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Central Asian IslamicRepublics), so it could be one of these regions or countries. This army will come to aid al-Mahdi.

    "The world will not come to an end," said Muhammad, "until a man from my family (Ahlulbayt) and

    of my name shall be master of the world, When you see a green ensign coming from the direction of

    Khorasan, then join them, for the Imam of God will be with the standards who will be called Al-

    Mahdi."

    Other hadiths say that he will come with black flags.

    The region mentioned in the hadiths are part of the regions of the Seleucid Empire. The Seleucid

    Empire is the part that "grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the

    Glorious Land (another name for Promised Land)".

    HIS LOOKS

    + He has a stern look(Dan 8:23) - probably means intimidating. He will be a master of intrigue - that

    means highly intelligent. Some say that he will look like an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) - probably

    means that he behaves religiously and/or have good looks and/or that there is light or glow on his

    face.

    * The hadiths describe al-Mahdi as having a handsome look with broad forehead and a prominent

    nose, with an Arab complexion, but looks like a Jew (Children of Israel), "imposing and hardy". Hisface will be like a glittering star.

    HIS ASCENSION TO RULE

    + The ten nations are such that "They have one purpose, and they will give their power and authority

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    to the beast." (Rev 17:13). This means that except for the subduing of the three nations, the rest of the

    league of ten nations will willingly give their right to govern their countries to the Antichrist. Also

    they will rule with the Beast for a moment (Rev 17:12).

    * Muslims are commanded by Muhammad to give allegiance to al-Mahdi when he appears, "even if

    [they were to] crawl over ice". This means that some Muslim leaders, if they are good Muslims, willwillingly give their allegiance and governance to al-Mahdi.

    Again, it is significant that both the biblical Antichrist and al-Mahdi are described as leaders that

    were given authority to rule, that people voluntarily come under his rule. The manner in which thisperson ascends to power is again uncannily similar.

    + "he was given a crown." (Rev 6:2), indicating that he was not of royalty, nor one that attempts to

    gain power at first. Instead, he was somehow persuaded to take up his rule.

    * The hadiths say that al-Mahdi originally denied that he is the one Muslims are waiting for, and will

    try to escape but the knowledgeable people will search for him and finally people will pledge

    allegiance to him. Once his identity is revealed, all Muslims are to pledge allegiance to him.

    Once again, the similarity in people asking, persuading, even "forcing" him to lead is uncannilysimilar.

    HIS OTHER DISTINGUISHING TRAITS

    + He will come riding on a white horse and conquering (Rev 6:2).* Ironically, some Muslims also think that al-Mahdi will be coming on a white horse and conquering,

    using the same passage (Rev 6:2) to justify it.

    Note that this description is not really in the hadiths. However, some Muslim scholars and writers,after studying the Bible, concludes thatRev 6:2refers to al-Mahdi. It is indeed ironic that Christians

    view this passage to describe the Antichrist!

    HIS WEALTH

    + The Antichrist will have treasures of Egypt, Libya, Nubians (Northern Sudan, Southern Egypt) to

    give to his followers (Dan 11:43).

    * These countries are all Muslim countries. The previous discussions already made clear that al-Mahdi will rule over them.

    Given that al-Mahdi rules over the areas listed above, it is no surprise that he has the treasures of

    those nations to give out.

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    + He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers (Dan 11:24). He will distribute land(Dan 11:39).

    * The hadiths says that during al-Mahdi's reign, "wealth will be in such abundance that no one will

    care about it" and that "At the end of Time, a Caliph will come who distributes wealth without

    counting." Thus, the hadiths say that there will be plenty of wealth during al-Mahdi's reign and so he

    will give to his followers. Since al-Mahdi rules over the nations mentioned above, he has the abilityto give those treasures, as well as booty captured through jihad.

    - It is interesting that Daniel 11:24,39 mentions the distribution of loot as part of the wealth available

    to him to distribute. This indicates that it was wealth that came through conquering other people and

    lands. When Muhammad began fighting the non-Muslims, he also distributed booty to his followers,a precedent followed by his successor Caliphs. Moreover, we are told that al-Mahdi will engage in

    jihad against the non-Muslims and thus, when he conquers them, he will have much booty to

    distribute.

    Besides, al-Mahdi will sit over three-quarters of the world's oil reserves (also counting African and

    Asian countries that have Muslim majority). Oil is a commodity that is becoming more and more

    important in this modern world. Without oil imports, the economy of this world will grind to a halt.Fast and large developing economies like China and India (that is 40-50% of the world population)

    are today eagerly forging long term contracts with the Middle East (eg. Iran). Much of the world will

    be beholden, and likely even more so, to the Middle East for the foreseeable future before the oil runsout.

    Not only that, the continued rising revenues from oil, will of course cause much wealth to flow intothe Middle East. OPEC in September 2006 told the world to prepare for an age of new oil prices

    (signaling that the days of "cheap" oil is gone forever). The oil in much of the rest of the world will

    run out first, long (as in decades) before the Middle East, creating a very big dependency. The only

    other large oil reserves outside the Muslim dominated areas is in Canada, but this is in the form of

    tar-sands, which takes a lot of energy and money to extract. For the rest of the world, suchdependency means that al-Mahdi will be able to bring about his rule much quicker. The conditions

    are simply too ripe for the global leader to emerge.

    + The Bible says that the Antichrist will enter peaceably the "richest province" (Dan 11:24). Note that

    in Hebrew, "richest" comes from the word "shiman" meaning fat, oil, grease. The Hebrew word for

    "province" is "Medinah".

    * al-Mahdi will rule over the oil of the Middle East, which much of the whole world is beholden to.

    Islamic hadiths say that the ad-Dajjal (Muslim version of Antichrist) cannot enter Medinah inArabia (the second most holiest place in Islam). So, if this verse coincides with Islamic apocalyptic

    expectations, then this passage should be referring to al-Mahdi and not the ad-Dajjal. This also means

    the ad-Dajjal is not the Antichrist the Bible is talking about.

    HIS FOREIGN POLICIES

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    + He will make a treaty with many (likely Israel and possibly the West) for 7 years (Dan 9:27).

    * The hadiths say that there will be a treaty with the Romans for seven years (the last of 4 suchtreaties). This appears to coincide with the reign of al-Mahdi. Muslims say this treaty is through a

    "Son of Aaron" (a Levite).

    The word "Romans" is often used in Muslim literature to refer to the Christians, although it is not

    clear if Christians were meant in the hadiths. In any case, many Muslims equate the West withChristianity. The treaty could also be made with a world body (eg. United Nations). Actually, theBible does not mention Israel concerning this treaty, so it may or not be with an Israeli leader.

    However, it mentions the Temple sacrifice, so the content of this treaty is likely concerning Israel.

    There are some disagreements over the interpretation of "sevens" or "weeks". However, many Bible

    scholars do believe that it refers to seven years.

    + He will break the treaty when the time is ripe; he is said to terminate the sacrifice in the middle of

    the seven years (Dan 9:27).

    * Remember the 10 year Treaty of Hudaibiya that Muhammad was forced to sign with the Meccans?

    Two years later, when the Muslims had become a much stronger force, Muhammad broke the treaty

    on a minor infraction.

    Muslim scholars have said that there is no such thing as a permanent peace treaty with non-Muslims; there is only a truce treaty (hudna). This was exactly what happen with the Treaty of

    Hudaibiya. Will al-Mahdi do the same thing? Possibly. In fact, the late Palestinian leader Yasser

    Arafat alluded to the Treaty of Hudaibiya when he signed the Oslo Peace Treaty with Israel. And

    since al-Mahdi will lead the Muslims in jihad against the non-Muslim nations, whatever treaty thatmay have existed before will have to be broken in order to bring about a world-wide Islam. In

    particular, theJizya taxwhereby Christians were "protected" under Muslim rule but in the status

    ofdhimmitudewill be abolished. Hence all other treaties appear to be able to be broken at that period.

    + The Antichrist will "by peace shall destroy many" (Dan 8:25), indicating an empty promise of

    global peace.

    * al-Mahdi and Isa are supposed to usher an era of peace as the whole world follow Islam. However,this also involves killing all those who refuse to accept Islam (Isa will "kill the swine, break theCross, and abolish the Jizya tax" ... so Isa will accept nothing except Islam from the Christians). This

    means those who refuse to follow al-Mahdi and Isa will be faced with death.

    Dan 8:25provides a clue as to how the Antichrist actually destroyed (as in deceived by Satan and

    ultimately destroyed in hell) many people. While he will engage in warfare and win, the majority

    were destroyed through peaceful means. The word for "peace" in the verse above has also beentranslated as "secure" (NIV), "at ease" (NASB) or "in prosperity" (NKJV). This means that the

    "peace" promised is in reality an empty one.

    Many Muslims tout Islam as areligion of "peace". When Muhammad wrote to neighboring rulers

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    inviting them to Islam, he always ended his letters with "Aslem Taslam", meaning "Surrender and

    you will be safe". After the invitation to Islam is passed, then warfare is conducted to bring them into

    submission. Since al-Mahdi is supposed to follow theSunnahof Muhammad, it is very likely that he

    will do the same. In fact, Osama bin Laden and Iranian President Ahmadinejad have extendedinvitations to Islam to President Bush of USA. Of course, when President Bush ignores these

    invitations, then war is the logical next step according to the Sunnah. Islam, as a "religion of peace",

    will wage wars against infidel nations and also kill Jews, Christians, and all apostates (as it has donesince Muhammad's days) in the days of al-Mahdi and Isa, in order to institute the "religion of peace"

    globally.

    Islam has been plagued by violence from within since its early days, with Caliphs Umar, Uthman, Ali

    (Muhammad's son-in-law), Imam Hussein (Ali's son) violently assassinated. Imam Hasan (also Ali's

    son) was allegedly poisoned. Even Muhammad himself was poisoned, and for two years sufferedgreatly its effects until he died, despite the "Angel Gabriel" telling him that he will be healed.

    Muslim scholars divide the world in Darul Salam (House of Peace), the abode of all Muslims, andDarul Harb (House of War), the abode of all infidels (non-Muslims), where Muslims are to wage

    jihad against the non-believers. It is very likely that in the early stages of al-Mahdi, there will be

    much unity and peace within the Muslim world, especially while waging jihad against the rest of the

    infidel world.

    HIS RULE

    + He will desecrate the Jewish Temple (Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). Jesus also alluded to this prophecy

    (Matthew 24:15) in His famous discourse on the End-Times in (Matthew 24).

    * Although the hadiths say nothing about this, al-Mahdi and Isa will certainly do away with Judaismand Christianity. Once the Jews (and Christians) are out of the way, the conversion of the Temple toan Islamic mosque/shrine is a definite possibility after the abolition of Judaism and Christianity. In

    fact, a number of archaeologists and historians believed that the Dome of Rock, the al-Aqsa mosque,

    on the temple was originally a Byzantine church building which the Muslims converted into amosque.

    Any Islamic artifact, eg. Islamic inscriptions like those on the al-Aqsa Mosque (Dome of the Rock)is clearly a desecration of the Jewish Temple (from the Biblical point of view), even though in the

    eyes of al-Mahdi, he will be cleansing the temple and dedicating it to Allah, the one who gives him

    the authority and power to rule over the world.

    However, there is currently no Jewish Temple on the site. While there is no consensus amongChristians, many believe that it will be rebuilt in the future, and that there are some orthodox Jewswho are preparing for the resumption of the Temple sacrifice. In fact, it is not impossible to see the

    Temple rebuilt under the treaty mentioned above, but in the middle of the treaty, it will be taken over

    by the Antichrist who then goes on the set up the "abomination that causes desolation".

    Some Christian teachers have taught that this prophecy has already been completely fulfilled in the

    person of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (who reigned 175-163 BC), a Seleucid ruler who severelysuppressed the Jewish people. He also desecrated the Jewish Temple by sacrificing a pig on its altar,

    leading to the Maccabean revolt. However, it is also clear from Jesus' allusions that the prophecy in

    Daniel refers to events in the future since Jesus was speaking some 200 years after Antiochus

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    Epiphanes' death. Thus, most Christian teachers are of the opinion that Antiochus Epiphanes was only

    a prototype of the Antichrist that is to come. Indeed, as we have seen above, the Antichrist will also

    arise from the remains of the Seleucid Empire.

    HIS PLACE OF RULE

    + The Beast will set himself up in the Jewish temple and exalts himself there (2 Thess 2:4).

    * Muslims believe that Jerusalem will be "the center and headquarter of the future Islamic Caliphate"

    For example, the head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement Sheikh Raed Salah addressedan audience of 50,000 in September 2006 that "soon Jerusalem will be the capital of the new Muslim

    caliphate, and the caliph's seat will be there." (Ynet News article)

    Imam Ahmad, Al-Hakim and Abu Dawud quoted 'Abdullah Ibn Zughb Al- Ibadi who heard from

    'Abdullah Ibn Hawwala Al- Azdi that: "The Prophet put his hand on my head, and then said: 'IbnHawwala, if you see that the Caliphate has taken its abode in the holy land, then the earthquake, the

    tribulations and great events are at hand, and the Last Hour on that day will be closer to people thanmy hand is to your head." (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad. also Abu Dawud).

    Ibn Sa'd quoted 'Abd Al-Rahman Ibn Abi 'Umayra al-Mazni, "There will be an oath of allegiance

    according to guidance in Jerusalem." (ibn Hanbal, Musnad)

    The Temple is of course in Jerusalem. The general area therefore agrees. However, since the

    "abomination" is probably set up about midway through his rule, it is most likely that it is only the

    second part where the exaltation in the temple happens. As for the first part of his rule, it could besome area in Jerusalem or it may not even need to be so.

    Again, the hadiths do not necessary mean that the headquarters of the al-Mahdi will be in Jerusalemall the time. However, the fact that both the Antichrist and al-Mahdi will choose Jerusalem as their

    seat of authority sometime in their career is again no mere coincidence!

    But wait, there are even more shocking antiparallels. Please continue toPart II, which compares Isa & The

    False Prophet, ad-Dajjal & The Two Witnesses.

    Comparison of End Times Figures in Christianity and Islam,Part II

    We have examined the first major figure in the previous section, namely the Antichrist of the Bible and al-

    Mahdi in Islam. We next compare his assisant and their exploits together.

    THE SECOND MAJOR FIGURE: ASSISTANT TO THE FIRST MAJOR FIGURE

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    + The Bible says that the Antichrist will have a prominent assistant who will help him (Rev 13:11-

    17). The Bible calls this assistant the Second Beast (symbolic of a person, not interpreted as literally

    an animal) or the False Prophet.

    * Muslims expect the coming of Isa (the Muslim version of Jesus). The Hadiths say that Isa will help

    slay the ad-Dajjal (Muslim version of Antichrist) and then help al-Mahdi to set up the global IslamicCaliphate.

    This is where the ad-Dajjal and Antichrist correlation that most Muslims seem to see breaks down.

    The hadiths do not describe the ad-Dajjal having a prominent but secondary assistant. Yet, the hadithsclearly indicate that al-Mahdi will have Isa's help. Similarly, the Bible clearly shows that the First

    Beast has the Second Beast/False Prophet to help him.

    The hadiths also speak of another person called Al-Harith ibn Hirath, and whose army will be led aman called Mansur. They are supposed to come from Transoxania (Khorasan) and help pave the way

    for the al-Mahdi to establish his government. However, other than this reference, this man was no

    longer mentioned after al-Mahdi is revealed. Moreover, we shall see below that the Second Beast is a

    religious figure that is alongside al-Mahdi as al-Mahdi establishes his caliphate, so the parallel cannotbe with al-Harith.

    + The Second Beast is a religious figure to bring in a global religion (Rev 13).

    * The hadiths say that Isa will "make the religion of Allah prevail in the world."

    It is significant that both the Bible and the hadiths agree that the role of the assistant as religious in

    nature. In fact, it is here that we see the clear correlation of the First Beast and Second Beast ofRevelations with al-Mahdi and Isa respectively.

    SUBORDINATION OF ASSISTANT TO THE RULER

    + The deputy is subordinate to the First Beast and will support him and deceive people to follow the

    First Beast (Rev 13:21).

    * The hadiths say that Isa will submit himself to the authority of the al-Mahdi (eg. he asks al-Mahdi

    to lead in prayer), etc. He will assist al-Mahdi to set up Islamic religion over the whole world.

    Amazingly, not only does the Bible and the hadiths agree that there will be a second prominentfigure appearing, but both also agree that the second one is a religious figure, who will submit to the

    authority of the first prominent figure, and will assist the first one to set up the world wide religion.

    CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASSISTANT

    + The 2nd Beast will have horns that look like a lamb's but speak like a dragon (Rev 13:11). Lamb in

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    the Bible obviously refers to Jesus who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 1:35-36). Horns in

    Biblical symbolism often represent power and authority. Thus, we see that the second Beast will

    claim to be the real Jesus and exercise power (eg. miracles) and authority in his name, but is in reality

    not the Biblical Jesus. The dragon is the father of lies (John 8:44). That means the second Beast willemploy lies to help the 1st Beast and bring about the new Empire. Lying will be allowed to bring

    about the desired results.

    * Isa is the Muslim version of the biblical Jesus. Muslims believe that Isa is a human prophet, but not

    Son of God, and that he did not die on the cross. Muslims believe that Isa is now in heaven and willreturn to help the al-Mahdi to set up the Islamic Caliphate. It is said that he will "correct the falsities

    introduced into Christianity" -- perhaps by claiming that he is not God and that he was in heaven all

    along and has now returned to turn the world to Islam.

    Islam allows the use of lying to achieve some of its goals. The hadiths say that lying is allowed under

    certain circumstances, one of which is when in a state of war. Muhammad also allowed his followersto lie in order to get his enemies killed. If Isa were to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then lying is

    an acceptable means to deal with the enemies in order to establish the Caliphate.

    Thus, when al-Mahdi and Isa were engaged in Jihad with the rest of the non-Muslim world, lying is

    allowed and probably be used.

    + Jesus alluded that an imposter will be accepted as the biblical Jesus (John 5:43).

    * Isa will be accepted as Jesus. This is of course in the context of Islam.

    Muslim Isa is not the same as the Jesus described in the Bible. Read on for more differences.

    THEIR ARMY

    + The two beasts will have a powerful army to dominate the world and create a new world order (Rev

    13:7).

    * al-Mahdi will lead the Muslims to wage jihad against the rest of the world to bring about the golden

    era of Islam.

    Given that there are 1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today, and given that when al-Mahdi

    appears, many Muslims will join him to wage jihad against the rest of the world, the number of ablefighting Muslims will be considerable (see below). New converts often formed one of the most

    zealous fighters. Such a large number of fighters is unmatched by any nation in this world.

    Early Muslim history also tells us how the Muslims were zealous in fighting and expanding the

    Islamic Empire for Allah. Within a few decades, the entire Northern Africa came under the Crescent.

    Later, Muslim armies conquered Spain, central Asian, India, etc. The Eastern Roman Empire also fellto the Ottoman Turks.

    Given the huge army al-Mahdi can muster to wage jihad against the rest of the world, it is clear that

    many nations will fall very quickly. Very few nations can stand against this onslaught, especially that

    there are already many Muslims in every country.

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    + Together, they will institute a global religion over the whole world (Rev 13:8,15). The second beast

    is the religious leader that will help the first beast institute and enforce this new religion.

    * indeed, see above.

    + There will arise from the Euphrates (modern Iraq) an army of 200 million (Rev 9:14-16). This does

    not mean that they are all from that region, but could be a gathering of people, and it also does notmean that that is the size of the army of the first Beast.

    * The number of Muslims today is somewhere between 1.3 to 1.5 billion. al-Mahdi will wage jihadagainst the rest of the world. 200 million is less than 20% of all Muslims.

    That number is kind of hard to imagine before the last century, but the world population has grown

    six times in the last two centuries (it was 1 billion in 1802). We once heard that Muslims say that

    about 10% of the Muslims are militant. That gives us a number of 120 to 150 million. Factoring in

    growth in the next few years or decades, the number of available Muslims to fight in jihad is easily200 million. Actually, it appears more likely that the number mentioned in Rev 9:16forms only a

    portion of the Antichrist's army. That number is also imaginable if the entire Muslim world engages

    in jihad against the rest of the world.

    Given such a huge army, it is clear that the rest of the world stands little chance of resisting him

    militarily. Coupled with the dependence of the world on oil, much of the world will have to fall to thedomination of Islam fairly quickly (probably in less than seven years). Hence, it is easily seen that the

    world will fall to his rule. However, there will definitely be some who will resist, and the Bible says

    that one third of mankind will perish in this global conflict (Rev 9:15).

    WORSHIP OF THEIR MASTERS

    + The Bible says that people will worship the person behind the Beast because power was given to

    the Beast (Rev 13:14). People will say, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"

    (Rev 13:14).* Al-Mahdi and Isa will direct people to worship Allah. Al-Mahdi and Isa will be very successful in

    their jihad against the world ... so that all the world will be under Islam.

    Rev 13:14talks about the dragon behind the first beast, which according to the Bible issymbolically Satan.

    FromRev 13:14, we know that the Antichrist will be very successful in his military campaigns.People will be amazed at his military genius. Similarly, al-Mahdi will be very successful in his jihad.

    A similar exclamation is indeed very possible.

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    HIS LAWS

    + They will change existing laws (Dan 7:25).

    * The hadiths clearly say that al-Mahdi will instituteShar'iaover the world. Shar'ia is Islamic law.

    Islam is the only religion that has a set of codified laws governing every aspect of a Muslim's life ...

    from religious, to political, to social, to personal hygeine. This set of laws is called the Shar'ia Law.The Sunnis have four main schools (mahdb) of jurisprudence (fiqh), and while its implementation is

    not necessarily uniform across the different schools, Muslims say that more than 70% of the rules are

    the same.

    Notice the implementation of the Shar'ia in Muslims countries, and the clamor for the Shar'ia in many

    Muslim dominated countries (eg. Nigeria, Sudan, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc) despite the presence ofsignificant number of non-Muslims. Muslim leaders in Britain and America make no pretense that

    they want the Shar'ia to be the only law of their nations.

    When the number of believers become the majority and/or when it has enough political power, Islam

    is the only religion where its believers will change the law of the land into the Shar'ia Law. This lawis extended even to the non-Muslims, bringing about a state ofdhimmitude to the non-Muslims.

    HIS CALENDAR

    + They will change the calendar system (Dan 7:25).

    * Clearly, al-Mahdi will use theIslamic calendaras he implements the Shar'ia.

    All Muslim countries use the Islamic calendar. Islamic calendar, unlike the Gregorian calendar usedin the West, is completely lunar and has no intercalation to synchronize with the solar calendar. The

    Islamic calendar dates from the Hijra, Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina. So instead of A.D.,

    the calendar is dated in A.H. (after Hijra).

    Again, while many religions have their own calendar system, only Islam consistently uses this over

    the entire land when it is the dominant religious force. If the world comes under Islamic rule, then theuse of the Islamic calendar is a given.

    PERSECUTION OF JEWS AND CHRISTIANS

    + The Beasts will persecute the Jews and Christians, and will be allowed to win over them (Dan 7:2,

    8:24; Rev 13:7,10).

    * Since the Jizya tax will be abolished under Isa and al-Mahdi, the "protection" of Christianity under

    Islamic rule is longer allowed. "Isa will accept nothing except Islam from the Jews and Christians."That means the only acceptable response from a Christian is either to become a Muslim or be killed.

    See also this article,What is an "Invitation to Islam"?.

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    Christians today already face many persecutions in Islamic countries, ranging from Indonesia,

    Pakistan, Afghanistan, Middle East. Apostates from Islam are regularly killed, either through the state

    or through "honor killings". When al-Mahdi comes, invitations to Islam will go out to non-Muslims

    and non-Muslim nations. If a non-Muslim does not accept the invitation, then it is clear that there willbe war and they will be killed when they lose.

    RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL AND THE JEWS

    + The Bible says that the Antichrist will attack Israel (Dan 11:41).

    * The hadiths say that al-Mahdi and his followers will attack the Jews. The first group will of course

    be ad-Dajjal and his Jewish followers.

    (Muhammad said:) The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and

    the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a

    stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and killhim; (Sahih Muslim Book 041, Number 6985).

    Based on the above alone, we can rule out all religious and political systems that have little to do

    with Israel or the Jews as being the Antichrist global system.

    Above, we read a famous hadith that the Jews will be massacred such that even those hiding behind

    stones will be killed.

    Before 1948, it is difficult to imagine many nations gathering to attack the Nation of Israel. There

    wasn't even such a nation, and so many prophecies concerning the attack on Israel hung in limbo. Butafter the establishment of the modern Nation of Israel in 1948, the scenario suddenly become a real

    possibility. Even at the birth of Israel, the neighboring Muslim nations immediately attacked Israel,but lost even more land to Israel. Such memories of defeat and humiliation is one that Muslims

    continue to want to eradicate today. The existence of Israel is a "poke in the eye" concerning thepower of Allah. Hence, many Muslims support various groups fighting Israel, even if the groups have

    been labelled as "terrorist organizations". The 2006 war in Lebanon between Israel and Hizbollah has

    also probably removed some of the myth about the power of Israel's army. Muslim groups areprobably more emboldened, realizing that the Israeli army is not as "invincible" as previously

    believed.

    And with the unification of all Muslims under al-Mahdi, Israel will be completely surrounded by

    Muslims. The eradication of Israel is a goal of many Muslims. For example, the President of Iran

    continued to extol about the annihilation of Israel, and in the Hamas office hangs a map of Palestinewithout Israel.

    + The world will attack Israel. "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the

    surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem." (Zechariah 12:2.AlsoEzekiel 38).

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    Qur'an says:

    When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks, then, when you have made wide slaughter amongthem, tie fast the bonds; then set them free, either by grace or ransom, till the war lays down its loads.

    So it shall be; and if God had willed, He would have avenged Himself upon them; but that He may try

    some of you by means of others. And those who are slain in the way of God, He will not send their

    works astray. (Surah 47:4, 8:12)

    It is significant that Islam is the only global entity that continues to use beheading for execution

    today. This does not mean that everyone will be beheaded, but will be a distinguishing trait of the

    global religion at the End Times.

    THE MARK OF THE BEAST

    + The False Prophet will require a mark on people's head or hand so that they can buy or sell (Rev

    13:17). As the False Prophet is the religious leader of the new world order, his system of markingobviously distinguishes between those who are submitted to the world religion and order, and against

    those who are not.

    * Some Muslims claim that there will be a beast that will make this mark on every person, to

    distinguish between a Muslim and a non-Muslim. The Muslim's face will then shine while that of anon-Muslim will become black. Others claim that it is the mark of performing salat, as a sign of piety.

    In the Bible this mark is for commerce, i.e. you cannot buy or sell without this mark. Today in

    many countries where there are significant number of Muslims, businesses need certification from the

    Islamic authorities to show that their food or practices arehalal(eg. food, banking, investments, etc).

    In places like Malaysia, Singapore, western businesses like McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken

    display the halal certification for their food sold. Halal food has begun showing up in regularAmerican grocery stores.

    A lot of people speculate that the mark will be some kind of computer chip, code, etc, that will track a

    person's location and also contain a lot of personal history, including financial history. That may

    indeed be possible, given the technology that we have today. And in a global government andreligion, it definitely makes conformance a lot easier. However, neither the Bible nor the hadiths

    make such a claim concerning the Mark of the Beast. In the Bible, it only says it is a mark (and is a

    number of the name of the Beast), so that you need to have this mark to buy and sell. The hadiths say

    that it is a mark to distinguish the Muslims from the non-Muslims. Hence, it does not require that themark be some sort of technological device, although no one can know for sure until it happens.

    It is interesting that the"mark of the beast"is a negative one in the Bible, as it is given to those whofollows the Antichrist. On the other hand, in Islam, it is a positive one received by the Muslims to

    distinguish between Muslims and non-Muslims. Once again, it reminds us that the definition of

    Antichrist, Jesus, etc often have diametrically opposite meanings.

    THEIR MIRACLES

    http://www.quranbrowser.com/cgi/bin/get.cgi?searchstring=47:4,8:12http://www.quranbrowser.com/cgi/bin/get.cgi?searchstring=47:4,8:12http://www.quranbrowser.com/cgi/bin/get.cgi?searchstring=47:4,8:12http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:17&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:17&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:17&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:17&version=31http://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#salathttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#salathttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#salathttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#halalhttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#halalhttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#halalhttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#mark_of_the_beasthttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#mark_of_the_beasthttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#mark_of_the_beasthttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#mark_of_the_beasthttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#halalhttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/glossary.html#salathttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:17&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:17&version=31http://www.quranbrowser.com/cgi/bin/get.cgi?searchstring=47:4,8:12
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    + The Second Beast will be able to perform miracles (Rev 13:13).

    * A hadith says, "At the end of the time of my Ummah, the Mahdi will appear. Allah will grant him

    rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits, he will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the

    Muslim Ummah will become great."

    Also, Jesus performed many miracles the first time He was on earth, so when Isa arrives, it is likely

    that Isa will perform miracles in order that people will believe him.

    Notice that it really doesn't say that al-Mahdi will perform miracles, although some believe that he

    will. What is interesting is that the Bible in Rev 13 describes him as a man of military might, whoreceived a fatal wound but was somehow healed. However, the second beast was the one able to

    perform great miracles. This matches Muslims description of al-Mahdi and Isa because

    o Muslims believe that prophets are authenticated through miracles.o Muslims believe that al-Mahdi is not a prophet, and therefore not necessarily have the ability

    to perform miracles, although many believe that he has the ability.

    o Muslims believe that Isa was a prophet, and have performed miracles. Hence, his ability toperform miracles will be a sign of his prophethood. This allows Muslims to "authenticate" that

    the Second Beast is Isa.

    THE GREAT APOSTASY OF CHRISTIANS

    + The Bible prophesies that many Christians will turn away from the biblical faith (2 Thess 2:3,

    Matthew 24:10-13, 1 Tim 4:1-2, 2 Tim 4:3-4). InLuke 18:8, Jesus asked poignantly, "when the Sonof Man comes, will he find faith on earth?".

    * Under al-Mahdi, the Jizya tax will be abolished and the Cross broken. Given that the Jizya tax willbe abolished, the fate of Christians can only be one of the two: become a Muslim, or be executed. It is

    easily conceivable that a number of Christians will become Muslims in such a scenario.

    This has been poignantly illustrated in the kidnapping of Fox News journalists Steve Centarini and

    Olaf Wiig in August 2006, who were forced to convert to Islam under gun-point. See this article.

    Under the threat of death, and also the "fulfillment" of Islamic apocalyptic prophecies, many

    Christians will be persuaded to abandon the Christian faith and turn to Islam. This has alreadyhappened, as many nominal Christians have become Muslims in Europe and elsewhere. Islam is the

    fastest growing religion in the Americas.

    Muslims also believe that al-Mahdi will be able to go to Syria and bring out some artifacts and

    archaeological finds, one of which is a version of the Torah, and will use it to argue against the Jews.

    As a result, a number of them are said to become Muslims. Similarly, it is likely that many Christians

    will follow suit when the integrity of the Bible appears to have been compromised.

    LIES AND DECEPTION

    http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:13&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:13&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:13&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Thess%202:3;Matt%2024:10-13;1%20Tim%204:1-2;2%20Tim%204:3-4;&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Thess%202:3;Matt%2024:10-13;1%20Tim%204:1-2;2%20Tim%204:3-4;&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Thess%202:3;Matt%2024:10-13;1%20Tim%204:1-2;2%20Tim%204:3-4;&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Thess%202:3;Matt%2024:10-13;1%20Tim%204:1-2;2%20Tim%204:3-4;&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:8&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:8&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:8&version=31http://al-mahdi.atspace.com/forcedconversions.htmlhttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/forcedconversions.htmlhttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/forcedconversions.htmlhttp://al-mahdi.atspace.com/forcedconversions.htmlhttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:8&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Thess%202:3;Matt%2024:10-13;1%20Tim%204:1-2;2%20Tim%204:3-4;&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Thess%202:3;Matt%2024:10-13;1%20Tim%204:1-2;2%20Tim%204:3-4;&version=31http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rev%2013:13&version=31
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