1247. Islamic Eschatology

To understand Islam’s role in the Last Days, we must compare Islamic prophecy to biblical prophecy, especially the second chapter of Daniel in which God was showing King Nebuchadnezzar what would happen in the latter days. It contains the account of the king’s dream of a colossal statue of a great man. The statue had a head of fine gold representing the kingdom of Babylon (modern-day Iraq), a chest and arms of silver representing the kingdom of Medo-Persia (modern day Iran), a belly and thighs of bronze representing the kingdom of Greece (modern-day Syria), legs of iron representing the Roman Empire (Modern-day nations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea plus much or Europe), and feet and toes of a mixture of iron and clay representing some form of a revived Roman Empire (some modern-day nations once within Rome’s control). A stone (cut out without hands) strikes the statue on its feet, crushing them, causing all the other metals to come falling down, but the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

This article focuses on the legs, feet and toes. Keep in mind that all the kingdoms of the statue represent the nations that would rule over Israel during “the times of the Gentiles,” when there would be no God-ordained Jewish king ruling over Israel. The common interpretation is that the two legs of Iron represented the two branches of the Roman Empire that once ruled the world, the western branch in Rome and the eastern branch in Constantinople (Istanbul today). When the western branch died out, the eastern branch lived on for another thousand years.

The common view is that the ten toes of iron and clay represent the revived Roman Empire that will rise at the end of days. The traditional Western view sees the ten toes representing ten European nations as represented in the Common Market operating within the nations of the European Union. This view sees Europe as geographically representing the old Roman Empire. This view also sees a secular charismatic leader emerging from this body to become the Antichrist during the Tribulation.

A serious problem with this assumption is that the number of nations in the EU is constantly fluctuating. Nations enter while other nations leave. Another problem with this view is the fact that today Muslims in Islamic nations occupy 60% of what comprised the Roman Empire in the time of Christ. If you haven’t noticed, Muslims are well established in north Africa and are steadily taking over Europe.

You’re probably not aware that there is an unprecedented Islamic revival breaking out in the world today. In the United States conversions to Islam have increased every year since 9/11. Prior to 9/11, 25,000 Americans converted to Islam every year. Since that horrible day, 100,000 Americans choose Islam every year. By 2040, Islam will surpass Christianity as the world’s largest religion. By 2055, one-half of global births will be Muslim.

Have you noticed that in the last five years, Islam has become a central player in our world’s news as never before? Ever wondered why? The caliphate has become a commonly heard term. ISIS has been weakened but appears to be re-grouping. Other militant Islamic groups like Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Hezbollah are getting bolder and bolder. What do they all want? What’s their end game? Well, we don’t have to guess. Islam’s two primary textbooks make it very clear, and while Sunnis and Shiites have their differences, basic Islamic eschatology is clearly spelled out. Between the Qur’an containing the words of Allah and the Sunna, also known as the Hadiths (books of the traditions and sayings of Mohammed), the Islamic version of what will happen in the end times is frightening to say the least.

According to Islam’s own writings, Jews an Christians are called “People of the Book”, the book being the Bible-Old and New Testaments. The book, however, according to them, has been corrupted over time and is not reliable. The only trustworthy source of revelation is the Qur’an. The end of days will be ushered in by three great signs in the form of three individuals.

The first sign is the Mahdi, meaning “the guided one”. He is the Islamic version of the Christian Messiah. Also known as the Lord of the Age, and the Twelfth Imam, he will come on the scene to establish the long-awaited Islamic Caliphate, a new civil, political, and spiritual world order. He will lead Muslims to establish Islam and Sharia Law worldwide by force. Jews and Christians will be offered a chance to convert to Islam. If they accept, they will be spared. If they refuse, they will be killed.

He will impose his will on the world through his “Army of Black Flags” through a series of holy wars. He will lead this army into Jerusalem, slaughtering all Jews living there. He will establish his rule on the Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif, meaning “Noble Sanctuary”) and erect black flags to honor his conquest. On those black flags is the word “Punishment.” If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve noticed that while ISIS and Iran aren’t exactly allies, both of their armies carry black flags.

According to Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi will make a seven-year peace agreement with the Jews and the West, whom they call Romans. Then he will appear as the conqueror he is, riding a white horse as it is written in Revelation 6:1-2. He will rule for seven years and will be loved by all on the earth. So much for the first sign.

The second sign is the appearance of Jesus. Muslims believe in Jesus and His Second Coming, but it’s a different Jesus than we know, and they have Him coming for a starkly different purpose than what is clearly stated in the Bible. Muslims call Him Isa al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah). They give Him credit for being a prophet, but they claim He was just a man, certainly not the Son of God, and his death on a cross and subsequent resurrection were myths. Someone else died on the cross, probably Judas. In fact, so they say, Jesus never died at all. He was swept up into heaven just like the prophet Elijah, and is currently standing in heaven beside Allah who will one day send Jesus back to the earth as a radical Muslim to correct all Christians who have misunderstood who he really is. He will abolish Christianity and help the Mahdi establish Shariah Law over the entire world. Together, through the shattering of crosses, they will stamp out the myth that Jesus died to atone for the sins of the world.

When he returns to earth, he will be holding the wings of two angels as he touches down not on the Mount of Olives, but on a minaret east of Damascus during the time of Muslim prayer. The Mahdi will ask Jesus to lead the prayer, but he will refuse and take a submissive position behind the Mahdi, his superior. On the Day of Judgment, Jesus will be the greatest witness against non-Muslims who believed the unthinkable-that Jesus was God. Jesus will also kill the Al-Masih ad-Dajjal, the Islamic version of the Antichrist, get married, have a family, die, and be buried next to Mohammed.

The third sign is the coming of the Al-Masih ad-Dajjal,the Muslim Antichrist just mentioned. His title means “The Messiah, the Deceiver.” If this sounds familiar, you may remember that in Sura 3:54 of the Qur’an, Allah is given the title of “The Greatest of all Deceivers.” The Dajjal will defend the Jews by confronting the Mahdi, performing false wonders and claiming to be both Jesus and God. It’s hard to miss the contrasts presented here. The Bible’s Antichrist is Islam’s Savior; the Bible’s false prophet is Islam’s Jesus Christ; and the Bible’s returning Jesus Christ is Islam’s Antichrist. Keep this in mind the next time you hear a Muslim claim that Islam and Christianity have much in common.

If this isn’t frightening enough, there’s yet another biblical prophecy that Islam appears to fulfill. In Daniel 7:25 we read that the coming world ruler, the Antichrist, will intend to change times and law during a 3-1/2-year period of unprecedented persecution. According to Islamic writings, when the Mahdi comes, he will abolish all calendars in favor of the Islamic calendar and will replace all man-made constitutions with worldwide Shariah Law.

Are these comparisons merely coincidental? Is the increasing Islamic influence in Europe and here in the U.S. irrelevant to biblical prophecy? Are you so committed to a particular view of biblical eschatology that you refuse to see Islam as a threat? May God grant us understanding.

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