Unity and Peace: Part 1

This post will expose a potential route for deception during the end times. There are nearly limitless methods for deception. This two-part post will expose 2 rising themes, and the potential narratives that could give form to them. I am including Scriptures for comparison.

The origin of Islam: Following transcendental dreams, Muhammad took respite to meditate in a cave near Mecca. A spirit, claiming to be the angel Gabriel, appeared to Muhammad, instructing him to begin writing the Quran. The commonly accepted date of this encounter was 610 AD. Over 23 years, the Quran was dictated to Muhammad. The New Testament was coming into publication 90-100 AD, according to apologeticspress.org. So this happened well after both the Old and New Testaments were widely available.

• Galatians 1:6-9 (ESV) 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

The Quran is the Holy Book of Islam, believed to be the word of their god Allah. The Hadith are writings related to their prophet Muhammad; what he said, did, and approved. The Hadith is considered the second source for Islamic law and jurisprudence. Much of Islamic eschatology (theology of end times events), is contained in the Hadith.

Brief overview of Islamic eschatology, though views of sects of Islam may differ somewhat:

The Mahdī (meaning to guide, the guided) - Descendent of Muhammad who will fill earth with justice and equity, restore true religion, and usher in a short golden age of prosperity lasting 7-9 years before the end of the world. The Mahdī is seen as a restorer of the political power and religious purity of Islam. The Mahdi will be the last Islamic religious leader. (britannica.com) (sunnah.com/abudawud/38) He will establish rule of a global Muslim political and religious government (a caliphate) with Jerusalem as its center. (abuaminaelias.com)

• Daniel 9:27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

• Revelation 17:12-13 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.

• Revelation 13:3-4 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

• Revelation 13:15-17 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

• Revelation 13:10-11 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

• The Mahdi appears to be distortion of The Antichrist. He leads a caliphate, a one-world government and religion. He persecutes Jews and Christians. He is empowered by The Dragon (Allah).

Prophet Isa / Jesus - Will return to support The Mahdi's leadership. Isa / Jesus travels to Jerusalem to meet the Mahdi, who humbly offers him the right to lead the congregation in prayer. Isa/ Jesus refuses, deferring to the Mahdi, a symbolic submission to the superiority of the Islamic faith. (Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi's "Muhammad is the Last Prophet")

This will be during a time of great prosperity for Islam (and persecution for The People of The Book, Jews and Christians). Isa / Jesus will abolish falsehood and establish justice, breaking the cross as a declaration against the false notion that he was crucified, killing pigs, and eliminating the Jizya tax, which was imposed on non-Muslims. The tax will no longer be necessary as all people will be required to embrace Islam. The fact that no Jizya will be accepted underlines the abolishment of all religion except Islam. The People of the Book (Jews & Christians) will be required to follow the Law of Islam imposed under caliphate. The die-hards that refuse will be hunted and killed rather than allowed to continue in their outmoded faith. (islamreligion.com) (Hadith: Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

• Revelation 13:11-12 The Second Beast 11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.

• Matthew 24:23-24 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

• Revelation 1:7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

• Isa / Prophet Jesus appears to be a distortion of The False Prophet. The Isa will descend via angels, but once on earth he will marry, have children, and die a natural death as a human. He may do miracles, as the Quran recognizes miracles done by Isa/Jesus his first time on earth, though they categorize it the same as other prophets doing miracles (Moses parting the sea, etc; Allah did it through the prophet.). He will support the leadership of The Mahdi (The Antichrist).

The Dajjal (meaning to lie, deceive) - False Messiah appearing right before the Final Judgement to deceive humanity. He will have the Arabic letters k-f-r (means “unbelief”) on his forehead. The Dajjal will come during a time of great tribulation. (britannica.com) The Dajjal will have been given miracles to convince people. Some hadeeths mention that many people, especially the Jews, will take him for the real Messiah, as he will announce himself to be God’s representative. However, he will soon claim divine power himself, and eventually claim to be the Lord. He will conquer most of the world and go against The Mahdi in Damascus, and this will be the time the true Messiah, Isa / Prophet Jesus (not our Jesus), will descend. (islamreligion.com) Isa / Jesus will kill The Dajjal in Palestine. (Hadith: Sahih Muslim, 2937)

The killing of the False Messiah will traumatize the Christians and Jews who had followed him, for it will finally reveal to them that he was not what he had claimed to be. In fact, the role of Prophet Isa / Jesus in The Dajjal's defeat will convince most of the surviving Christians, at least, that the False Messiah had indeed been the Anti-Christ prophesied in their own scriptures. (islamreligion.com)

• 2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

• Revelation 19:19-21 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

• Zechariah 14:1-5 14 Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. 5 And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

• The Dajjal could be a distortion of Yeshua's Return, and possibly a distortion of The Battle of Armageddon. In the Islamic distortion, the Mahdi (antichrist) and Ida (false prophet) win. Islam does have "Al-Malhama Al-Kubra" / "Greatest Battle" where Gog and Magog resist Islam and it looks like Islam is losing but Allah intervenes and gives Islam the victory...which sounds like a changed ending to Armageddon.

The enemy kingdom deals in deception and chaos. Notice the twisting and rewriting of Scripture events. Under duress, this could be very confusing and chaotic. It could be tempting to believe Jesus did return and is calling for peace and unity; as an expression of loving God and our neighbor. In global war, there will be a desperation to obtain a semblance of peace, unity, and safety. The deceptive influence of Islam is already present and growing. So be alert to this narrative if it does end up being a part of the end times, in your lifetime.

Part 2 will include another narrative, an ancient deception that is rising in popularity as well.

Stay awake, saints. In Jesus's name!

Christy Hale