Hi John and Doves, I’d like to offer a reply to the two posts below....
Deborah – Could the Antichrist be a Muslim
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/june2009/deborah629-1.htm
Dee – The Identity of the False
Prophet...
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/june2009/dee629-2.htm
DEBORAH -
After writing on this subject since October 2005, and following nearly
four years of research, for a forthcoming Book, I am convinced that the Beast
(Anti-Christ) and the False Prophet are Muslims.
Three years ago when I attended one of his meetings, I gave Chuck
Missler copies of my booklets written on this subject, and I would like to
think that they helped him to consider his question - “Anti-Christ from the
Middle East?” now posted on his web-site.
However, he is still clinging to the view that perhaps the Anti-Christ
comes out of the Eastern leg of the Roman Empire,
whereas I believe The Beast and the False Prophet come out of a revived 7th
Empire (Ottoman Islamic Empire). This is
portrayed in Revelation 13, (where all the descriptions fit the 7th
Empire based in Asia) and Revelation 17:10-13.,
which shows that the Anti-Christ’s domain appears after the 7th
Empire as a revived 8th God-opposing “religious” entity. (Today there are 1.3 billion Muslims)
The Ottoman Empire came to an abrupt end at the conclusion of World War
I, and its territories were divided into Mandated areas by France and Britain until they achieved independent
nationhood mid 20th Century.
At the present time an Islamic Empire doesn’t exist – all that is left
of it is the wounded “head” Turkey. Today, there are renewed calls from Islamist
factions and the Muslim ummah (community) all over the World for the
resurrection of the Caliphate and the enforcement of Sharia law. Probably the “Organisation of the Islamic
Conference” is the nearest thing to what they are wanting at present. Countries suffering from this reviving concept are Somalia, Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan (among
others) where Islamist insurgents are determined to enforce their particular
brand of Islam on the populace.
In Revelation 13 the “first” beast
(composite Beast Empire) which rises out of the sea is described as a
“Leopard” with the mouth of a lion and the feet of a bear. This speaks of Alexander a Macedonian who
conquered the Greek provinces and took over the areas previously controlled by
the Lion (Babylon)
and Bear (Media/Persian) Empires. Today
the areas covered by those three old empires, contain 10 “horn” independent
nations – Turkey, Syria, Iraq,
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt
and Libya. This is the territory of the reviving “Beast
Empire” of Rev. 13:1-10
DEE -
The description of the False Prophet as a Religious man is absolutely
correct – but he is not a Christian – he
is instead a “son of Abraham” – who does not worship the God of his fathers
i.e., Abraham/Ishmael/Esau – therefore he is a Muslim, and he gets to the point
where he thinks he is God.
The symbolism that John the Revelator uses of the man that has “two horns like a lamb” is a symbol that
was first applied to Alexander the Great, who thought he was the son of
Zeus. (John would have known that
history.) In the Muslim Quran,
Alexander the Great was called “Dhul Quarnein” – the “two-horned one”. He is shown on coins from that era wearing
the “Horns of Ammon” on his head. Ammon
was the supreme divinity of the Egyptian Pantheon and in Egyptian means “the
hidden one”. Ammon was also known as
Khnum “the creator of all things – man and god” and was represented in that
form by the head of a ram with horns. (See underlining below)
Google this on the web if you are interested. Also at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01430d.htm
Paul says that this wicked “man of sin” will be revealed prior to
the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, so there was obviously an
understanding that he is hidden until near that time. The symbolism pointing to Alexander the
Great may in fact also indicate the speed with which this “hidden – two-horned
– satanically empowered person” comes onto the World stage and enforces the
worship of the revived Islamic Empire led by the Caliph over his period of
power (42 months).
I believe this “False Prophet” (Rev. 16:13, 19:20 and 20:10 - subtle
reference to Muhammad – “The Prophet” - who founded Islam) will (signified
by the 2 horns on his head) unite two power bases or factions within the
Islamic World – i.e. Shiites and Sunnis which are presently at one another’s
throats! Consistent with the way the
apocalyptic visions in scripture use the word “horns” as “power bases” or
“divisions” within empires, or as a leader “horn” of such an empire, so I
believe that this reference could show a forced amalgamation of Sunni and
Shiite by this one man – their hidden 12th Imam or Mahdi, who brings
them all into line behind their Caliph.
He is a Religious figure as the “lamb with two horns” suggests, but his
chief role appears to be to ENDORSE the “figure-head/ Caliph” person who heads
up the revived Islamic Empire, who by the way, has to be given a mouth by which
to speak the blasphemies against God etc.
This “mouth” in Islamic terms was called “The Grand Vizier” the CEO who mediated/negotiated
between Caliph and ummah.
NOTE THIS - There is a situation in Iran at the moment, where this
scenario is literally being acted out – i.e.
The religious Ayatollah has come out of his normal isolation and
neutrality, and is threatening his people with the “consequences” unless they
recognise/worship “his man” - Ahmadinejad - the man with the big mouth - as the true
leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This might just be an illustration of how the scenario in Rev. 13 is to
work out. Another illustration is that
of Osama bin Laden and his endorsement of Mullah Omar Muhammad, Leader
of the Taliban, who considers himself “Commander of the faithful” Caliph - and
the true leader of Afghanistan.
The Revelation 13 scenario shows that the 2nd Beast (a man of
the land) “two horned one” is actually the “power behind the throne” and is the
person who “does everything” denoted by the use of a particular greek word “poieo”
which is used 7
times in 5 verses (Rev. 13:12-16)
meaning “to do..” However, it is all done “on behalf of” the revived Beast
Empire.
IT IS VERY INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT IN DANIEL 8:3-7 AND VERSE 20 IT IS MEDIA/PERSIA THAT IS DESCRIBED AS THE RAM WITH TWO HORNS. (Dan 8 describes the fall of Persia to
Alexander the Great back in 300 B.C.)
However, connect that reference with Rev.13:11-16 regarding the man with two horns like a lamb
who makes “fire come down from the
heaven in the sight of men” and you might
just come up with a reference to Iran’s
(Persia)
nuclear bomb ambitions.
When Turkey led the Ottoman Empire it aspired to be a World Power –
however Turkey (the nation) was founded on secular principles and is trying to
“go West” at present. In his book “The
Clash of Civilizations and the remaking of World Order” (1996) by Samuel P.
Huntingdon, he considered that Turkey
was the only powerful “core” nation capable of leading the Islamic World. However, in the last decade and recently, we
have seen Iran
grow to be a “regional power” and it obviously has greater ambitions than that as
far as the World is concerned, as it aspires to join the “nuclear club”.
There is a whole lot more to the imagery used in Revelation than one
gets from a superficial reading.
My original basic material can be found on 5 doves, but there has been
much more added for my book.
BOOK ONE - The Beast and the False Prophet - press control and click on the links at -
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/nov2006/ear119.htm
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/nov2006/ear1110.htm
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/nov2006/ear1111-1.htm
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/nov2006/ear1111-2.htm
Article – Revived Roman Empire? – Not so according to scripture
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/mar2007/ear37.htm
God bless you in your search for the truth.
EAR