God's War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible

by Walid Shoebat

  The skeptics argue that it was the Balfour Declaration that created the state of Israel. Well, who was behind this declaration? It was Chaim Weizmann, a Jew. Were the Jews self-fulfilling prophecy? Chaim Weizmann and the first Zionists were far from religious. Were they making efforts to fulfill Bible prophecy? No one can provide any evidence of this. God will use the non-religious, the Muslims, and even Satan himself to fulfill His plans. None can stop Him. Simply because Christians believe the Bible, it does not logically follow that they are self-fulfilling prophecy.

  Yet every time I speak at a Jewish event, I will hear the claim that we Christians are trying to usher in Armageddon. If true collaboration between Christians and Jews is desired, then why are such accusations being leveled? If Christians do not stand with Israel, we will be accused of being anti-Semitic, but if we stand with Israel, we are accused of ushering in Armageddon? I’m not following the logic here.

  Back to the skeptics, if religious Jews were secretly behind the establishment of Israel, then why was Israel settled without East Jerusalem, the heart of every Jew? They accepted the fact that Jordan annexed East Jerusalem and Judea. Yet despite the fact that the Jews settled without East Jerusalem, the Arabs still continued their threats to destroy Israel. This eventually led to war in 1967.

  Who ushered in this war? Israel? Did Israel force the Arabs to call for the destruction of the Jews? Yet what was the result of this Arab aggression? Israel won the 1967 Six Day War and East Jerusalem was given to Israel. Did Israel gain its original homeland by force? Yes—a force from Above. God finally declared a war on terror. After two thousand years, East Jerusalem was back in the hands of the Jewish people, just like the Bible said it would be (Zechariah 12:6). The Bible also predicts Jerusalem’s soon-coming division. If anything, this proved Jehovah to me. People search for evidence for God, yet such proof is everywhere; just seek with all your heart, soul and might. In other words, no matter how you examine it, the ones who curse the Jews and the Bible, are the ones who will usher in all the nasty parts of the prophetic predictions. The ones who curse the Jews get the curses, and the Jews get the blessings. It’s a proven law with much historical evidence that no logical man can deny. Nothing could be less non-self-fulfilling. Example: Hitler cursed them—he was cursed.

  What was promised to Abraham, “I will curse those who curse you and bless those who bless you” still stands. It has no expiration date. If you hate Israel, hate obeying the Bible, you have chosen the chalice of death and you will be the one to usher in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. You have chosen poorly and unless you repent, your destiny will be the same as Hitler’s. But as you live out your part, may I ask one favor of you? What you do—you must do quickly (John 13:27). So if you are a leftist, you will claim that I am a religious freak who is ushering in the Apocalypse while you defend the terrorists who truly want to ignite Armageddon, even with the trees and the stones crying out to find a Jew and kill him.

  Are you these stones and these trees? You too cry out to go after the Jews in Israel, driving them from their homes in Gaza and Hebron. You might just be the very stones and trees in this evil Muslim parable. Or perhaps you are the tree that Jesus warned about that bears no good fruit (Matthew 7:19). Don’t worry, I won’t cut you down, but He will.

  So who are really self-fulfilling their prophecies? Using jihad to expand Islam and control the world is part of Islamic prophecy. Muslims are self-fulfilling these prophecies with all of their might. Yet few are trying to understand Islamic prophecy. What is so ironic is that Muslims do not see the human-origin of their actions. If someone warns they’ll do you harm, and then does it, is that self-fulfilled prophecy?

  What about the sudden explosion of devotion to Islam’s so-called Messiah figure, “the Mahdi” that we are now seeing throughout the Muslim world? Did Christians also conspire to create this phenomenon? Did we force Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to come to New York City and pray about the soon emergence of the Mahdi before the United Nations General Assembly in September of 2005? Ahmadinejad actually prayed, “O mighty Lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace.” The Mahdi, who is referred to as: “the perfect human being who is heir to all prophets and pious men.” The Mahdi is heir to all prophets? According to Islam, Mohammed is the final prophet and the perfect man. What Ahmadinejad was saying is that the Mahdi of Islam is essentially the reincarnation of Mohammed. According to Islamic prophecy, the Mahdi is the first of the major signs heralding the “Last-Days.” This is confirmed by Ibn Katheer, the renowned Muslim scholar from the eighth century who stated that, “After the lesser signs of the Hour appear and increase, mankind will have reached a stage of great suffering. Then the awaited Mahdi will appear; He is the first of the greater clear, signs of the Hour.”2

  In 1976, the Muslim World League (Rabitah al-‘Alam Al-Islami) issued a fatwa which declared that belief in a coming Mahdi is universal for all Muslims: “The Memorizers and scholars of Hadith have verified that there are reliable and acceptable reports among the Hadiths on the Mahdi; the majority of them are narrated through numerous authorities. There is no doubt that their status is unbroken and sound reports. And the belief in the appearance of the Mahdi is obligatory…none denies it except those who are ignorant of the Sunnah and innovators in doctrine.”3

  While tradition varies between Sunni and Shi’a regarding Mahdi’s appearance onto the world stage, the core belief in his coming is not a sectarian issue, but is accepted by the majority of Muslims worldwide. Even in the United States, prominent and so-called “moderate” Muslim leader Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America has stated that, “The coming of the Mahdi is an established doctrine for both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, and indeed for all humanity.”

  The renowned Harun Yahya also concurs: “Belief in the Mahdi has always been of great importance in the Islamic world. That applies to both Sunni and Shi’a faiths. Although there are some differences in the beliefs of these two major sects, the essence of the belief in the Mahdi is the same.”4

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  Mahdi

  You can’t imagine how I felt when I read the Bible and found so much that describes the Mahdi who I had learned so much about growing up. The shock to me was that, while a character identical to my Mahdi was seen throughout the pages of the Bible, this character was not called “the Mahdi”, but rather “the Antichrist.” Were the prophets of the Bible Islamophobes? After all, the Mahdi to us Sunni Muslims was “The rightly-guided and awaited One.”1 Shi’a Muslims refer to him as Sahib Al-Zaman “The Lord of the Age.” This is exactly what the Bible calls Satan: “The lord of the age” (II Corinthians 4:4).

  You might think that this is simply a coincidence. Once I am done demonstrating the dozens of similarities between Islam’s system and that of the Antichrist, you will not be able to claim mere coincidence. You may want to create a chart, and using the laws of probability try to figure out what the real odds are. My guess is the odds would be one in trillions. Would you bet fifty cents on such odds? If not, why then gamble with your own soul? But what should really frighten everyone is that this Antichrist story is not simply a nightmare story that one reads about in some ancient sacred texts, but it is rapidly becoming a reality right before our eyes.

  KHILAFA

  According to Islamic tradition, the Mahdi doesn’t merely emerge as some vague great religious leader, he will return to reinstate the office of the Caliphate. Islam directs its followers: “If you see him, go and give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Vice-regent (Khalifa) of Allah, the Mahdi.”5 “For he will pave the way for, and establish the government of, the family [or community] of Mohammed…Every believer will be obligated to support him.”6

  HADITH

  Briefly, the Hadith, or Sunna are the records of both the words and the deeds of the
“prophet” Mohammed. In other words, the Qur’an is “thus says Allah” and the hadiths are “thus says Mohammed.” The hadiths are crucial to understand when one debates with Muslim apologists. Whenever a non-Muslim brings up the issue of Islamic terrorism, the standard Muslim apologist will almost inevitably say something like, “show me a single verse in the Qur’an that teaches violence?” This has been a common technique to throw off Westerners, because whatever verse is given, it will then be explained away as speaking of self-defense or as commandments that were only given on one particular occasion. In other words, all of the commandments in the Qur’an which call Muslims to jihad are obsolete and not applicable today.

  But this is sheer trickery. Public-image-jihad, remember? The first response to such a question should always be this question: Do you consider Mohammed to be the best authority to interpret the Qur’an? In other words, are the Hadith authoritative to all Muslims? This results in a Jesus style “checkmate,” because if a Muslim denies the authority of the Hadith, then he is denying Mohammed’s authority as prophet. Most often, the wiggly Muslim will claim that he does not believe in many of the Hadith (particularly the ones that you cite in the course of the discussion). But this argument will always end when a powerful Qur’anic verse is given that states “O you who believe, obey God and obey His Messenger and those in authority among you. If you fall into dispute about a matter, refer it back to God and His Messenger if you believe in God and the Last Day…” (Qur’an 4:59) After this, in accordance to this commandment from Allah, any Muslim who denies the Hadith is not only denying Allah’s commandment, but Allah himself. This is comparable to a Christian denying the New Testament. In reality most wiggly Muslims do not deny the Hadith at all—they simply deny it in front of you.

  Few Westerners realize that Muslims are allowed to conceal the truth regarding this issue when speaking to non-Muslims. The Sunnah is as important to a Muslim as the New Testament is to a Christian, “The Sunnah is everything besides the Qur’an that came from God’s Messenger. It explains and provides details for the laws found in the Qur’an.”7 There are no serious scholars today who would deny the 200 or so commandments found in the Hadith, which promote nothing short of jihad by the sword—including unprovoked invasions for the sole purpose of advancing the worship of Allah.

  Always keep in mind, the difference between Islam and Christianity can be summed up in one statement—Christianity is Calvary, Islam is Cavalry. The goal of Mohammed, the Khalifa, the Mahdi, and all obedient Muslims, is to achieve one goal and one goal alone—to advance only Allah’s glory as the supreme god by jihad; invitation first, then war until there are none left who will not say “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is His messenger.” Allah commands all of his followers to engage in jihad until there is literally no one left on the earth who does not worship Allah: “Allah’s Apostle said, ‘I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.’”8

  CALIPH

  Historically the Caliph is the supreme political, military, and administrative leader of all Muslims worldwide. Try to understand it this way; the Caliph is essentially the Vicar of Mohammed as the Pope is the Vicar of Christ to Catholics worldwide. The office and government of the Caliph is known as the Caliphate (Khilafat). It is the only form of government that is fully sanctioned by Islamic jurisprudence.

  But since 1924, after nearly fourteen centuries of “divine rule,” the office of the Caliph was finally abolished. Today, the movement throughout the Muslim world to reinstate the Caliphate is exploding with a force that is volcanic. With the mandate to have both seats of the Mahdi and Caliph in one, Mohammed said “There would be a caliph in the last period of my Ummah…He would be Imam Mahdi.”9 In other words, this last Khalifa, when he is installed, would be the Mahdi of the End-Times.

  THE MUSLIM JESUS

  The second most important Muslim end-time character is Isa-Almaseeh, the Muslim Jesus. The Islamic narrative regarding Jesus is drastically different from the historical and Biblical Jesus. The Jesus of Islam is in no way a “savior” or redeemer. He is merely one more prophet out of a long line of prophets sent by Allah. The special title of Messiah, although retained in the Islamic tradition, actually is void of any truly Biblical Messianic qualities. According to Islam, Jesus will not restore the nation of Israel to the Jewish people. Nor will Jesus’ purpose be to save and deliver his faithful followers from the ongoing persecution of the Antichrist. In Islam, Jesus comes back as a radical Muslim to lead the Muslim armies, to abolish Christianity and to slaughter the Jews. As ironic and as perverted as that may sound, that is exactly what fundamental Muslims throughout the world believe and are awaiting. Are apocalyptic Christians behind this doctrine as well?

  Section II

  The Madhi vs. Antichrist

  Why Are They So Similar?

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  Both Deny The Trinity And The Cross

  Out of the hundreds of parallels that exist between the Biblical Antichrist and the Islamic Mahdi, I have compiled the 43 most important ones. Get ready for a wild ride.

  Most Western Christians understand Antichrist to only be an imposter—one who claims to be Jesus Christ, though he is not. This view lacks the deeper nuance that the Bible ascribes to the Antichrist. On the one hand, the Antichrist attributes to himself titles that belong to Jesus alone, but on the other hand he also bears several titles that exhibit his clear opposition to Christ and all that He stands for.

  The “Anti” in Antichrist refers to the fact that he will be both against Christ and all that Christ stands for, while at the same time, he will also attempt to be a replacement for Christ. Antichrist will be Anti-Trinity, Anti-Son, Anti-Crucifixion, and Anti-God-in-the-flesh. Islam’s theology fulfills these denials perfectly; every Muslim in the world denies all of these doctrines. Better than any other world religion, Islam is a perfectly tailored polemical response which stands firmly against the most crucial aspects of the nature of God as described in the Bible.

  While Satan is not only called by the various titles that we would expect, such as “the evil one” or “the prince of darkness,” often he also ascribes to himself various titles that belong only to God. The same can be said for the Antichrist—Satan’s “son of perdition” who like his father, also displays a classic split-personality that claims attributes belonging to the true Messiah in order to demand obedience and worship. The Qur’an clearly denies the Trinity: “They blaspheme who say that Allah is the third of three.” (Qur’an 5:73)

  Yet the Bible affirms the Trinity, even in the Old Testament: “Come near to Me, hear this; I have not spoken in secret, from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there, And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me.” (Isaiah 48:16) Amazingly, in one verse we see it: “From the time that it was (from the beginning was The Word), I was there, and now the Lord God (The Father) and His Spirit (The Holy Spirit) have sent Me (The Son).” Yet the Qur’an calls this blasphemy. What is more amazing is that the context of Isaiah 48 is a confrontation between God and the Harlot of Babylon (Lady of Kingdoms). This Harlot is definitely anti-Trinity.

  ISLAM EXALTS MOHAMMED

  This self-exaltation of Satan and his son of perdition is evident whenever Muslims, in their most important and significant declaration of faith, The Shahadatan declare that “There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger.’”

  Nowhere in the Bible do we see an attempt to so elevate a prophet by placing him side by side with God in creedal form. It is unimaginable to think of a creed that demands, let’s say, “There is no god but Jehovah and Ezekiel is His messenger.”

  Why so much emphasis on one particular prophet? Why would the Muslim creed not insist that Mohammed is one of Allah’s messengers? But, the messenger! That makes him more important than Jesus Christ Himself! Why would Mohammed allow himself to be so elevated—even above Jesus himself?

  Biblically speaking, the Antichrist will never say that he was the o
ne who died on the cross; and he will deny that Jesus ever went to the cross. Nor will the Antichrist say that he is the Son of God or a member of the Trinity—he will deny all of these ideas. Throughout the Bible, the attributes of the Antichrist are always described as being entirely opposite the characteristics of Christ. While Jesus is called The Truth, the Antichrist is called the Father of Lies (John 8:44). Christ is called The Holy One; the Antichrist is called the Lawless One (II Thessalonians 2:8). Christ is The Son of God, while the Antichrist is the Son of Perdition (II Thessalonians 2:3). Christ is called The Mystery of Godliness; the Antichrist is called the Mystery of Iniquity (Revelation 17:5). He will not have the same name as Christ, yet he will claim just enough messiah-like attributes to form an effective camouflage to deceive the nations of the earth.

  As we examine the attributes of Allah and his messiah figure, “The Mahdi,” we will see that they perfectly match what the Bible has warned us of. In the many comparisons made, take special note, not only of the quantity of the similarities, but also of their incredible specificity.

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  Both Deny The Father And The Son

  Doctrinally, Islam and the Antichrist spirit are in perfect agreement because both deny the Trinity and the Divine Sonship of Christ, as the Bible describes: “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist, he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:22-23)