Chance (12 Nov 2023)
"Will the Antichrist Be the Islamic Mahdi?"


 
Hello John and Doves,
 
This question comes up every now and then:  "Will the Antichrist be the Islamic Mahdi?"
 
In this letter I have a video of an interview of Joel Richardson and his thoughts about the Antichrist and Mahdi.  Then I have a video of Walid Shoebat and his comments on '666' being Islamic symbols, along with an article along the same lines.
 
Joel Richardson Interview:
 
Here is an interesting youtube interview on the Vlad Scvchuk channel:  Joel Richardson is the guest.  Joel has written books about an Islamic Antichrist and presents some interesting information.
Is the Islamic Messiah the Antichrist? with @JoelRichardson - YouTube
run time 1:30:34
 
It's a long interview, and I was primarily interested in his info on the Antichrist being a Muslim.  (From what I gather, Joel does not believe in a pre-Trib Rapture - but that doesn't affect the information he presented on the Antichrist.)
 
Here are my 'short' notes on what Joel has written about - much more info in the video.  This videos is nicely labeled in the timeline with the various topics discussed.
 
Notes:
 
The Antichrist will come from a more radical Middle East country like Syria, Turkey or Iraq.  Turkey is a branch of Hamas.  Muslim Brotherhood is strong in Turkey.  The Antichrist will grab the more radical Muslim countries - not the western friendly Muslim countries.  And he'll use Turkish nationalism.
 
Erdogan, President of Turkey, is Muslim Brotherhood - he helped Morsi of Egypt (this was about the time Obama helped get Morsi elected President of Egypt - then the people rose up and demanded he step down - which Morsi did - and then Egypt declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.)
 
Ezekiel's Gog and Magog War is about a 'Turkish led Middle Eastern North African coalition of nations that will invade Israel under the leadership of the Antichrist.'.
 
Daniel's interpretation of The Statue involves a fourth kingdom.  Daniel 2.  The fourth kingdom crushed the previous three kingdoms (Mediopersia, Greece and Babylon).  The Roman Empire did not crush these kingdoms.  The Roman Empire does not meet those requirements in Daniel - as only parts of those empires were replaced.
 
The Fourth Kingdom that crushed the three previous kingdoms was the Islamic Kingdom.
 
In Daniel 9:26, we are told about 'the people of the prince who is to come' - if this is about the destruction of Jerusalem around 70 AD, then the people were under Titus.  Roman soldiers were recruited from all the nations conquered by Rome.  This Titus army that moved against Jerusalem to destroy the second Temple was made up of soldiers recruited from Syria.  Josephus wrote about this 'roman' army being made up of Syrians and Arabs.  So the people of the prince were Middle Eastern people. (I remember reading a few years ago that this army was made up of Syrians.) Joel believes Daniel 9:26 could be about the future Antichrist. 
 
Islamic End Time Theology involves the Five Tenets of Islam - one is to believe in the last days and a day of judgement.  Also, Jesus returns in the End Times.  Islamic End Time Theology mirrors Christianities' End Time Theology in terms of importance.  These two religions have conflicting yet very similar views for the Last Days.  Maybe the Lord ordained that these would 'dove tail'.
 
'Satan has set the Muslims up through their own prophecies to accept the Antichrist as if he was their long awaited messiah.  Joel said, "this is quite terrifying when you study it".
 
Joel has come up with 21 correlations between the Muslim messiah and the Antichrist (in his books).  Example:  The Mahdi (very similar for Shia in Iran and Sunnis)  There is the universal believe that the Mahdi will emerge in the Last Days - he will cause global revival and cause Islam to be supreme throughout the Earth.  He will cause Islam to be exalted worldwide.  He will revive the Islamic caliphate empire.  The Mahdi will rule from Jerusalem.  And he will rule for seven years.
 
Many parallels to Christian eschatology.
 
The Muslim eschatology involves a prophecy of genocide against the Jews in the Last Days.  It is the Muslims' divine destiny to attack Israel.  The Day of Judgment won't come until Islam attacks and kills most of the Jewish people.  And they will kill by beheading.  Joel points out that not all Muslims believe this.
 
Jesus will come back to help convert Christians to Islam.  Jesus is a Muslim.  He will tell the world that the Bible is corrupted.  That he is not the Son of God.  That he was a prophet that taught about the one god, Allah.  And he will tell people to follow the Mahdi.  He is "dressed/speaks like a lamb, but he's a dragon".  Jesus tells the People of The Book - Jews and Christians - to convert to Islam.  Now, today, Christians/Jews have to pay a tax to Muslims in certain countries.  Jesus will abolish the tax - as you must convert or die.
 
Putin is not Gog.  Russia is not Magog.
 
The Antichrist won't rule the world.  Remember the King of the North and the King of the East fight against him.  The Antichrist has ten nations under his control.
 
For the U.S. - the U.S. isn't necessarily wiped out - Israel is the center of the story.  Not the U.S.
 
If you take the mark of the beast you are going to hell.  This is a decision to worship the beast...and reject Jesus as the true Messiah.  The Covid-19 vax is not the mark.
 
Muslims make a pledge of allegiance, called the Bay'ah.  During the Last Days, people will have to make a pledge of allegiance to the caliph.  The Islamic creed of no other gods but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet...
 
Joel said the Muslim Mahdi aligns with the Antichrist story in the Bible.
 
The Antichrist is Gog and is also the King of the North.  They are all the same leader.  Gog is the Antichrist and he will gather a coalition of nations and come against Israel..and Jesus will kill him.  (I see Gog and Antichrist as two separate individuals...for now.)
 
The players of the Gog War do not include Russia.  One needs to look at the 'historical grammatical method' not the 'geographical migration method' for identifying these countries.  That is, how did Ezekiel understand these names (Gog, Magog, Put, Cush, etc.)  We need to see these names as Ezekiel and how people during Ezekiel's day understood these names.
 
To Ezekiel, Turkey was Meshek, Tubal and Gog.  Russia is not Magog/Putin is not Gog.
 
(end notes)
 
Just some interesting side notes: 
 
Natan said Gog is Obama. (Fay is our expert on Natan/NDE.  Thank you, Fay.  She may have more to add.) Joel believes that Gog is just another name for the Antichrist. 
 
And John Tng is our expert on Obama/Antichrist.  Thank you, John!  I believe Obama is a Muslim - I recall news articles, when he was President, about the Muslim Brotherhood having a 'revolving door' access to him in the White House.  So Obama would know about the Mahdi and Islamic Last Days.  Obama definitely has some interesting connections...and it seems he never really left the White House!  Biden/Austin/Blinken are pushing Israel for a two-state solution.  And Biden is waffling on Israeli support now.  Some believe Biden is Obama's puppet.
Biden Walks a Tightrope With His Support for Israel as His Party's Left Urges Restraint
 
And Biden et al want Netanyahu gone - because Bibi will not sign off on a 'two state solution' - national suicide for Israel.  And he's not doing a ceasefire.  This angers Biden et al.  They want an Israeli leader who will cave in and sign Israel's death notice.
Biden's Warning to Netanyahu: His Days Are Numbered, Israeli Media Reports
 
In a letter last week to Doves, I asked about Turkey being Magog..because Erdogan is getting so vocal about what's going on between Israel/Hamas.  And Turkey had a HUGE pro-Palestinian/Hamas rally in Isranbul last Saturday where Erdogan really slammed Israel - calling Israel a terrorist ORGANIZATION (not even a country) and calling Hamas 'freedom fighters' or some such.  Israel recalled her ambassador to Turkey and told all Israelis to get out of Turkey immediately.  Now Israel is calling Turkey their greatest threat.
 
The world is continuing to turn against Israel and the Jewish people:
 
"The recall this week of ambassadors from Israel by Bahrain and Jordan has put pressure on the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Turkey to cut diplomatic ties."  Bolivia, Chile and Columbia and Turkey have also recalled their ambassadors.
Israel-Gaza war threatens to jeopardise Turkish-Western relations – The Irish Times
 
The Algerian Parliament voted to authorize Algerian President Tebbun to go to war with Israel.  
Algerian parliament authorizes President Tebboune to support Gaza amid Israeli assaults
 
Would Ezekiel consider Algeria part of Put or Cush??  What other North African countries will follow Algeria?  Libya?  Sudan?
 
And the US is threatening Turkey and Qatar - Hamas' backers if 'the hair on an american's head is touched, they will all feel the ramifications, not just Hamas leadership themselves."
Qatar Embassy USA on X: "We are surprised that @houseintel is promoting misinformation on their official account, knowing that the Hamas political office in Qatar was opened following a request by the US to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas." / X
injured.  (per the Qatar Embassy USA)
 
Public opinion against Israel is spreading across the U.S., Europe, etc:
 
I heard today on FOX News that it's social media - like tiktok, instagram etc - where most people in the US get their news - and as far as supporting Palestinian vs Israel, it is 90% pro-Palestinian/Hamas social media posts!!!  This is really bad.  People all over the world are turning against Israel and Jews because of the manipulated social media and Hezbollah etc have infiltrated our universities and colleges.  They are creating hate against the Jewish people.
 
Walid Shoebat on 666:
 
Then add what Joel has talked about to this from Walid Shoebat - I remember Walid presenting this years ago.  Just recently saw it again: 
(291) Walid Shoebat - Islam & the Mark of the Beast - YouTube
run time 6:54
 
Walid (ex-Palestinian terrorist - he's a Christian now) talked about seeing the 'symbols' for 666 in Revelation 13:18 in the original text.  He noted that the symbols were different script than the rest of the text.  He said he recognized the text as Arabic.  The first symbols mean "in the name of Allah", the third symbol is the symbol of Islam - the two swords.  He also talked about the 'mark' in the forehead and hand.  He said the word isn't 'just hand' it can mean arm.  In Islam, followers often wear a 'badge' on their forehead or arm.  It is the pledge in Islam:  There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger.  This badge enters Muslims into heaven.
 
And here's an interesting article on "The Mark of the Beast".
 
"The word "mark" is translated from the Greek charagma  (Strong's Greek concordance reference #5480)  G5480 - charagma - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv)
as "a scratch or etching, ie stamp (as a badge of servitude, or sculptured figure (statue):  graven image....In the Roman context charagma was the imperial stamp that was placed on official documents.  It was also a "badge of servitude" etched, inscribed or branded on slaves to designate ownership."
 
"Interestingly, Islamic jihadists and devotees of Islam often wear headbands on their foreheads and patches on their right arms with a mark of submission (the bismillah - the Islamic creed of "in the name of Allah") followed by two crossed swords (just like Walid talked about above) etched or inscribed on the material."  The author quotes Walid Shoebat in this article - "the badge is in fact an Islamic commandment from the prophet himself"...concerning believers in Islam on judgement day:  A badge is brought forth for the believer. "Scrolled across it are the words:  'No God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger'.  Then he (the believer) is asked to bring forth his deeds.  He asks, 'O Lord, what is this badge that is with these registers?'  He is told, "you will receive no condemnation'  The deeds are put on one hand and the badge in the other."  Tirmuthi 2639.30
 
Joel really seems to be leaning towards the Antichrist coming out of Turkey - and Turkey being Magog.  Erdogan has had his eyes on Jerusalem for years. Erogan said, "Turkey will suddenly come one night" - to attack Israel - "a phrase Turkey said before invading Cyprus in 1974."  (reminded me of the unexpected attack by Gog et al on Israel)
Erdogan Announced His Dreams Of Conquering Gaza, Thessaloniki And Elsewhere – Greek City Times
 
I'm not seeing the Gog and Magog War as involving the Antichrist, I still believe Gog and the Antichrist are two different leaders.  ??     However, one thing about the Gog and Magog War - Ezekiel doesn't tell us what comes after God destroys the armies of Gog.  Is this the End?  What comes after this?  I think some believe this sets up a vacuum in Israel for the Antichrist to set up his kingdom...as the Jewish people will have fled for their 42 months.  With this the Tribulation begins.....
 
And, some big news:  the USMC cancelled their annual Marine Corp Ball that was scheduled for November 16, "due to unforeseen circumstances".
USMC Command Cancels Annual Marine Ball Citing 'Unforeseen' Circumstances
 
Major deployments coming?
 
Erdogan described the coming war perfectly:  A Crusade - Christians against Muslims.  That certainly fits in with the topic of this Doves' letter. 
 
The Antichrist would certainly know this.
 
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
 
Maranatha!
 
Chance