ANTICHRIST: WHERE DOES HE COME FROM?

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The Revived Roman Empire is commonly associated with the fourth beast of Daniel chapter 7. This beast is described as “terrifying and frightening and very powerful” (Daniel 7:7). This ten-horned beast is a prophetic picture of the Roman Empire (Daniel 7:19–24), but, as Daniel watches, a little horn rises from the beast, with “eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully” (Daniel 7:20). This final horn is the Antichrist, who will somehow be connected with the Roman Empire.

The former Roman Empire was an area that stretched from West North Africa to parts of the Middle East. Therefore, he could be from North Africa, Turkey, or from the Middle East. A commonly-held view by many Christians is that “the Assyrian” is a designation, by the ancient prophets, of the Antichrist.

As such, they believe that this future man of lawlessness or sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3), necessarily must emerge from somewhere in the region in or around present-day Syria.

Almost all pre-millennial students of prophecy agree that the “King” of (Isaiah 30:33) is the Antichrist, and yet in the two verses that precede, this “King” is identified with “the Assyrian.”

Considering that Muslims are expecting their Messiah, Mahdi., could he be the Assyrian, the Antichrist? What do Muslims expect of their Mahdi?

The Mahdi will be a messianic figure, he will be a descendant of Muhammad, he will be an unparalleled, unequaled leader, he will come out of a crisis of turmoil, he will take control of the world, he will establish a new world order, he will destroy all who resist him, he will invade many nations, he will make a seven-year peace treaty with the Jews he will conquer Israel and Massacre the Jews. He will establish Islamic world headquarters in Jerusalem. He will rule for seven years establishing Islam as the only religion. He will come on a white horse with supernatural power. He will be loved by all people on earth. If that sounds familiar that is a precise description of the biblical Antichrist absolutely step by step by step by step. The Bible’s Antichrist is Islam’s Mahdi.

ISLAMIC CLERIC SLAMS ‘HYPOCRITE’ AUSTRALIANS FOR CALLING HAMAS TERRORISTS

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A Sydney Islamic preacher has called on Muslims to wage “jihad” and declared Australia “hypocrites” for labelling as terrorism the Hamas massacre of innocent Israels but “forgetting its dark past”, in a radical and incendiary sermon. And yet he is untouched by police or government authorities and still inciting Muslims to Jihad/terrorism.

In late October, ‘Imam Ismail’ gave a khutbah – a traditional Islamic sermon at Al Madina Dawah Centre, southwest Sydney – that took aim at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the federal government and intelligence service, and Islamic leaders who had criticised Jihad fighters abroad, as well as calling Jihad the “solution”.

Imam Ismail said those Hamas terrorists who committed the October 7 attack on Israel were not terrorists, but “freedom fighters” and “warriors”.

“That hypocrite Albanese when he came and stepped and dirtied one of the mosques saying and claiming and putting the mouth of hypocrisy and lies to the Muslims, that we love Muslims and respect them. Not long after Allah exposed his lies when he (Albanese) said Israel has the right to defend itself, when he labelled Hamas as terrorists,” he said.

“We say to every individual who said Hamas were terrorists, did you (Australia) really forget your dark history,” he said.

“Did you really forget what your ancestors did to the native people in this country, how they killed them, how they chained them like dogs… did you forget that you celebrate every year a massacre you did to the native people. “You want to come and teach us about morals?”

Imam Ismail dared the government to deport him for his comments. “If the Australian government or ASIO like it or not, if they want to deport me or not, the Jihad is the solution for the Ummah (the Islamic community)…,” he also said.

“There is no other way but fighting for the sake of Allah.” Ismail told the audience at the Bankstown-based religious centre that “they (Australians) don’t care about us”. Ismail also took aim at other Islamic leaders who had criticised terrorist groups, like ISIS, in the past. “You all have seen those sheikhs, when they spoke about what happened in Syria, they started labelling (fighters as) Kharijites (an extreme Islamic sect),” Ismail said. “Now they (the sheikhs) will come back again for another role, to describe another sect fighting in Palestine as Kharijites. This is their role – to scare the Muslims, making them think that Jihad is terrorism, as their enemy says.” Ismail also referenced the Al-Qaeda and Islamic State flags, and symbols used within them, telling the audience it was “the flag of Muslims”. “The national Australian flag is not our flag,” he said.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Antichrist will be the Muslim Mahdi. The Muslim’s long-awaited Messiah and now expected by the majority of Muslims as this chart shows.

The Bible tells us what is yet to unfold: Turkey will seek to re-establish an Ottoman Empire but the U.N/One World Government breaks it up into four and out of those four Muslim nations arises the Antichrist (Little Horn).

“Then the goat (Turkey – revived Ottoman Empire) became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken (U.N./One World Government), and instead of it, there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven.” Daniel 8:8-10

Can you imagine how Muslims the world over will react when this man appears particularly Islamic preachers like Ismail?

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL PUSH BACK ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

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Meeting in Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council has received a report recommending member states push back on freedom of religion, as a basis of objection to demands from LGBT+ and abortion activists. Presenting his latest report to the Council, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, said violence, discrimination, and exclusion can have severe and negative consequences for the personhood, dignity, and spirituality of LGBT+ persons. “They are often marginalised, stigmatised, and excluded from religious communities simply because of who they are,” he told the meeting.

In his report to the Council, the UN expert criticised “traditional values,” “public morals” and “national values” when cited to deny what he said were “the human rights of women, LGBT+ persons and religious and belief minorities”, especially when linked with “patriotism and patriarchal gender and family norms”.

In a series of conclusions matched by recommendations, he cited United Nations treaty monitoring bodies who have emphasised that “States cannot permit conscience-based refusals of healthcare” as a basis to infringe on abortion demands. The paper also urges States to look at punitive measures for those who hold to orthodox views, saying they must “encourage religious institutions to consider the ways in which representatives will be held responsible in cases in which they promote discrimination against LGBT+ and other gender diverse persons”

The United Nations in conjunction with the World Economic Forum (WEF) is playing its part in bringing about the Biblical prophesied end times, one world government and its leader, the Antichrist. This charismatic leader will arise out of the Middle East. The Muslim world will see him as their prophesied Messiah, the Mahdi and he may well be appointed head of the UN, bearing in mind that 56 of the 163 member nations are Muslim nations.

Note in this chart the high % of Muslims that expect the Mahdi to return in their lifetime.

Iran is not shown on this list but considering the content of the video above the % will be high similar to Turkey and Iraq.

The next major prophesied event on God’s end times calendar will be Turkey (Sunni) finally putting down Iran (Shia) and exerting its previous dominance over the Muslim world by attempting to re-establish a revived Ottoman Empire.

The UN will not allow this to happen and it is broken up into four kingdoms out of which the Little Horn, the Antichrist arises. Note Scripture tells us that his power is not his own. He is empowered by Satan.

ANTICHRIST ARISES OUT OF ONE OF THE FOUR KINGDOMS RESULTING FROM THE BREAK UP OF A REVIVED OTTOMAN EMPIRE

“Then the goat (revived Ottoman Empire) became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.” Daniel 8:8-9

“As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great—but not by his own power, and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning, he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind, he shall become great. Without warning, he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.” Daniel 8:22-25

TURKEY – THE ORIGIN OF THE ANTICHRIST

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The following quote is from a nationalist poem used by Recip Tayyip Erdoğan in a famous speech that he gave when he was mayor of Istanbul. The speech landed him in jail for four months in 1999 and banned him from political life in Turkey under the charge of “inciting hatred based on religious differences.” It gives us a peek into the man’s heart and aspirations.

“Our minarets are our bayonets, our domes are our helmets, our mosques are our barracks. We will put a final end to ethnic segregation. No one can ever intimidate us. If the skies and the ground were to open against us. If floods and volcanoes were to burst, we will not turn from our mission. My reference is Islam. If I am not able to speak of this, what is the use of living?

Erdogan is the type of person the Antichrist would have to be, the type of leader that most prophetic experts predict – slick, persuasive, able to bridge the Eastern and Western worlds in dress, manner, and understanding, and being well-spoken and fluent in English. It is not a great leap to imagine a Turkish man. Perhaps a good candidate would be Sinan Ogan of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party.

Sinan Ogan is out of the recent presidential race but he has played a pivotal role in the second round as he came out in favor of Erdogan and is now seen as the “kingmaker”. In the aftermath of Turkey’s dramatic elections, a new name is on the lips of political commentators: third-placed presidential contender Sinan Ogan.

In the US, Gog and Magog in biblical prophecy were Russia, reflecting the Cold War lenses that were used at the time to interpret Scripture. However, now many end times Bible scholars believe Gog and Magog represent Turkey.

Turkey is identified by multiple ancient place names/locations that existed within that country’s current borders (i.e., Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, Togarmah). This coalition of nations, and the Bible implies many more nations with them, will make an all-out assault on Israel, intending to destroy her. God told Ezekiel that this event would occur in the ‘latter years’ (Ezekiel 38:8). At the last moment it will look like Israel will be wiped out, but God will intervene and … the other nations, including Iran, will suffer a 7-fold judgment from God – a great earthquake, pestilence, bloodshed, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:19-22). Finally, if the nations of the Middle East mentioned in Ezekiel 38 (i.e., Libya, Iran, Turkey, etc.) are right now coming into alignment with each other before our very eyes, and assuming that the incredible event described above occurs sometime during the Great Tribulation period as most Biblical scholars believe, how much closer are we then to the soon coming return of Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 38, one of the primary End Times passages in God’s Word, “confirms Turkey’s leadership role” due to five of the eight “nations” mentioned are located in Turkey.

Revelation 17 reaffirms Turkey as the host of the Antichrist, with Istanbul as the empire that suffered a fatal wound but will return to stun the world. That blow, many would say, was the AD 1453 capture of the glorious city of Constantinople, a true wonder of the world that was taken over by the Turks.

Another interesting note is Istanbul has long been known as the “city on seven hills,” which has a strange ring when you read this verse in Revelation 17: The seven heads [of the woman on the Beast] are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction (vv. 9-11).

Daniel 9 says the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed by the people of the prince to come (v. 26). The unit of the Roman legion that leveled the Temple in AD 70 was based in Antioch in modern Turkey.

Daniel 11 tells us of a “king of the North” who will be much like the Antichrist (an archetype of him). Most prophecy scholars agree that this was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the ruler of the Seleucid Division of the Greek Empire. Much of that king’s reign was over modern-day Turkey.

Isaiah’s and Micah’s frequent mentions of Assyria’s opposition to Messiah Jesus further underscore the geographical proof of Turkey’s role. The ancient kingdom of Assyria comprised much of modern Turkey.

Zechariah 9 reaffirms Turkey’s role as it says the sons of Zion will be roused against the sons of another kingdom. Verse 13 has often been translated as “sons of Greece,” leading to many interpretations of the End Times centered around a revival of the Greek Empire, or the Western world as exemplified in Greek thought. But more careful, literal translations interpret this verse as “sons of Yavan.” Who was Yavan? A grandson of Noah, whose descendants settled in western Turkey, many in the city of Izmir, a longtime biblical site. Another son of Yavan (or Javan) was Tarshish, now modern-day Tarsus, also in Turkey.

The “throne of Satan” mentioned in Revelation 2 was constructed in Pergamum, a city whose spectacular ruins you can see in Turkey today, along with a reconstruction of that throne. In addition to these seven “biblical proofs,” Walid Shoebat* makes a powerful case for a Turkish Antichrist by noting that any Beast who would be able to dupe the nation of Israel into a peace treaty for three-and-a-half years would have to “have the reputation for being moderate and must possess the trust of the Israelis and the world.” I agree. There will need to be some repair in the Turk-Israeli alliance before this can happen, but these two nations have shown a remarkable willingness to partner in hopes of keeping the rest of the Middle East calm, up until very recently. And despite the political tension between the two, the economic relationship remains strong, with a nearly 40 percent jump in trade reported in 2013.[274] Turkey and Israel have a history of cooperation, unlike Israel with other Middle

Turkey is one of the few Middle Eastern countries that recognized Israel’s right to exist immediately, on March 28, 1949. Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the U.A.E., and Yemen still do not accept Israeli passports, and I don’t see another country of consequence in the region that would be able to lure Israel into a peace treaty.

Shoebat affirms the common scriptural narrative that “the Antichrist will initially appear to be moderate and trustworthy, but he will also eventually show his true colors. And, his success will come through deceit and shrewdness.” He added, “When searching for the Antichrist, one must never look to Ahmadinejads or Usamas of the world, but instead to someone with a moderate mask – at least in the beginning. His sinister, rabid hatred for Jews and Christians will not be revealed until he lures the sheep into his den.”

Anyone able to pull off a peace treaty with Israel and then negotiate his way to global domination will look great, speak well in English, and be comfortable around all sorts of people from the West and East. I don’t think he will wear an Arab dress or be monolingual. I think he will look like a handsome politician and wear a variety of clothing to fit the context; he will be familiar with Western ways of thought, and he will probably have been educated at some point in Europe or the U.S. This fits the profile of many leaders in Turkey who have studied abroad and speak at least passable English. They present themselves and their country as moderate, tolerant, and inclusive, but they are not shy about their faith, either.

The fact is the Turks have either killed or driven out all minority peoples and faiths. The Armenian Genocide in 1914-18 is increasingly recognized, even among Turks, as having occurred. One-and-a-half million Christians were expelled in 1923, and another 150,000 left after anti-Christian riots in Istanbul in 1955, helping to cut the Christian population from two million to a mere four thousand today.[

The author Ralph Stice tells a story that is classical Turkish “tolerance.” At the University he was teaching, he tried to book the room that was designated for religious minorities to meet. On the surface, it looks as if religious minorities will be welcomed to practice their faith as they see fit. In reality, however, Christians were not allowed to meet in the room designated for them in a religious complex. The promise was, in fact, a lie. Perhaps this is why the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Christian Church, Bartholomew, told 60 Minutes, “I feel crucified” living under a Turkish government that “would like to see his nearly 2,000-year-old Patriarchate die out,” as the church’s seminary was shut down and part of its property seized, like a python slowly squeezing a victim to death.[

As the idea that Turkey could be the home of the Antichrist has gained circulation, Turkish imams are fighting back even as they agree to be interviewed by American authors such as Joel Richardson. Adnan Oktar is a renowned Islamic teacher who oversees a popular website bursting with information on al-Mahdi. When challenged; in a soft, calm, reasoning voice, Oktar says that labeling Turkey as the Antichrist “makes the slaying of the Muslim world lawful,” and then says, “It is wrong and illogical to portray Turkey as the Antichrist. It is cruelty … You fail to think the best … You must trust people … You are sowing the seeds of hatred in all Christians’ hearts … You should be demanding warmth and brotherhood … We believe in the same Allah, don’t we?

Summary by Ralph Stice: For the many reasons I’ve stated – from Turkey as the site of the largest Muslim empire in the world and the only country seeking to revive such an empire, to possible scriptural evidence for the “Lost Land of the Bible” being a key country in the End Times – I believe Turkey merits our most careful attention in the years to come. As I lived in Turkey, I found a brand of Islam that I think would play very well in the modern world as a deceptive lure into the religion of Muhammad. There is just enough charm, Sufi-inspired emotion, and emphasis on “love,” “understanding,” and “tolerance” to make a Turk a prime candidate for the Antichrist, someone who appears quite palatable with politically correct people, yet who has a burning desire to spread Islam across the globe. Let me add Sinan Ogan is a good example of such a Turk.

*Walid Shoebat. He used to be a radicalized Muslim willing to die for the cause of Jihad until he converted to Christianity in 1994.
A significant portion of this post was taken from the book by Ralph Stice, Arab Spring, Christian Winter: Islam Unleashed on the Church and the World. ANEKO Press.

WHAT IS THE STRONG DELUSION GOD SENDS?

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“The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

The strong delusion that God sends (allows) is the supernatural power that the Antichrist works on earth to back up his claim to be God. The Biblical Antichrist is a false Messiah and it is not a coincidence that the Islamic Messiah called the Mahdi lines up with the Biblical Antichrist. Nelson compares the two in his video, The Great Delusion.

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The Satanically inspired Islamic Messiah called the Mahdi is eagerly awaited by various sects of Muslims around the world, but most notably ISIS and Iranian leaders.

Last week the prestigious and non-partisan Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a new study on beliefs and attitudes in the Islamic world, entitled “The World’s Muslims: Unity and Diversity.

Looking at specific countries, the highest percentage of the population expecting the Mahdi’s near-term appearance is found in Afghanistan (83 percent), followed by Iraq (72 percent), Turkey (68 percent), and Tunisia (67 percent). Sixty percent of Pakistanis, 51 percent of Moroccans, 46 percent of Palestinians, and 40 percent of Egyptians are looking for the Mahdi in their lifetimes.

While there are differences about the details of who he is and what he will do, both Sunni and Shia Muslims share the belief in the establishment of a global Islamic state under his rule and in the annihilation of non-Muslim nations. And both are actively working towards the fulfillment of the prophecies that would see the Mahdi rule the world.

BOTH ISLAM AND ORTHODOX JEWISH LEADERS BELIEVE THEIR MESSIAHS COMING IS IMMINENT

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These two recent articles, one on Islam’s Messiah and the other on the Orthodox Jewish Messiah is further evidence the end times Antichrist figure spoken about in the Bible is soon to appear on the scene. 

1. THE MAHDI ISLAM’S MESSIAH FIGURE

Shia’s (15%) Mahdi vs. Sunni’s (85%) Al-Mahdi (pop. %)

Mahdi is the title of the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine, or nineteen years (according to differing interpretations) before the Day of Judgement literally, the Day of Resurrection and rid the world of evil. According to Islamic traditions, the Mahdi’s tenure will coincide with the Second Coming of Jesus (Isa), who will assist the Mahdi against the Masih ad-Dajjal (literally, the “false Messiah” or Antichrist).

Differences exist in the concept of the Mahdi between Sunni Muslims and adherents of the Shia tradition; for Sunnis, the Mahdi is Muhammad’s successor who is yet to come, while for most Shia Muslims, the Mahdi was born but disappeared and will remain hidden from humanity until he reappears to bring justice to the world.

The belief by Muslims in the Mahdi as the end -time redeemer and the one to usher in an age of global peace makes him a strong candidate for the Biblical Antichrist.

There are Shia Muslim leaders in Iran today who claim to have met the Mahdi numerous times.  Writing in the Jerusalem Post on January 20, Brian Schrauger explained: “Crazy to Western ears, this messianic creed of the Mahdi is the raison d’être for the Islamic Republic of Iran according to its founders and leaders. It is also the basis of Tehran’s foreign and military policies; and it is impossible to overemphasise the Iran regime’s visceral commitment to it. The Imam Mahdi is invoked in every public gathering, both civil and military; he is the singular inspiration for every policy, every tactic, every mission; indeed, he is nothing less than the regime’s reason for its existence and, as such, its singular and unwavering motivation for the future.” And Schrauger can provide documentation for every single claim he has made.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Is One Despot Trump Might Not ...

In the words of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamanei, “The Iranian nation, enjoys a great privilege today: the atmosphere of the country is an atmosphere of Imam Mahdi. . . .”  And, Khamanei states, “many of our great scholars have personally met with this beloved [Imam] of hearts of the admirers during his occultation; many have made a pledge to him in person; many have heard from him some heartwarming words; many have been caressed by him and many others have received his kindness, care, and love.”

So, the Islamic Mahdi is here according Ayatollah Khamanei, he is known to many insiders, and he is about to be revealed. And remember: this article was written before Iran was smitten with COVID-19. What are the leaders thinking today?

2. THE ORTHODOX JEWISH MESSIAH

A February 20 headline in Israel Today stated that, “Israeli Rabbi says he’s already holding meetings with Messiah.” And, “Israel’s biggest rabbis are all afraid to leave the country lest they miss Messiah’s coming.”

The article, by Ryan Jones, cited a three-hour radio interview in which Rabbi Yaakov Zisholtz “told religious broadcaster Radio 2000 that Kanievsky recently told him that he (Kanievsky) is already in direct contact with the Messiah.”

Rabbi Kanievsky, now in his early 90s, is considered to be the leading authority in the ultra-Orthodox (haredi) community in Israel, and he has often spoken of the nearness of the Messiah’s coming. But it seems he is saying even more today.

According to Rabbi Zisholtz, “…the process of redemption is about to start happening very quickly and at a fast pace. It is important that people remain calm and steady to act properly in the right time. “Getting the word out now that the Messiah is closer than ever is a matter of life and death. Haven’t you heard of Gog and Magog? That is what is going to happen very soon. Right now, the situation is explosive more than you can possibly imagine. Everyone needs to know whether they are on the inside or if they are going to be left out.”

Yes, these are the words of an ultra-Orthodox rabbi in Israel, not those of an evangelical Christian, Bible in hand, with end-time prophecies heavily underlined.

While Rabbi Zisholtz was careful to say he couldn’t promise anything, he was certainly raising the bar with specific predictions and events. And again, he claimed that certain religious Jews knew exactly who the Messiah was and have even met with him.

Adding to all this was the statement of Israel’s Health Minister, Yaakov Litzman, himself ultra-Orthodox, as reported in HaAretz  on March 26 and with reference to COVID-19: “We are praying and hoping that the Messiah will arrive before Passover, the time of our redemption. I am sure that the Messiah will come and bring us out as [God] brought us out of Egypt. Soon we will go out in freedom and the Messiah will come and redeem us from all the troubles of the world.”

Well, Passover ended on April 16. And, in case you missed the news, the expected Jewish Messiah did not come. Ironically, Litzman himself contracted the virus, although he has since recovered. And for a number of reasons, including heavy criticism of his handling of the crisis, he is reportedly  considering quitting.

But all this talk about the Mahdi being here, ready to be revealed, along with the traditional Jewish Messiah being here, ready to be revealed, underscores what Jesus said about false Messiahs and false prophets in the last days.

Let us, then, keep our focus on the Second Coming of the true Christ. But let us not forget the warnings about the false Messiah (Antichrist) and his False Prophet who will come first.

WHAT DID JESUS SAY ABOUT THE TIME OF HIS SECOND COMING?

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“And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars…. (Middle East). For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated for My name’s sake” Matthew 24:5-9

The following report from Washington, 10th May 2019, reveals a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East that cannot end well. As explained in previous posts, Muslims worldwide are expecting the imminent return of their Messiah (Mahdi). Muslims believe that the Mahdi is the restorer who will come at the end of time to establish the reign of Justice and righteousness. Moreover, Iran’s leaders believe that they can prepare the way for the Shiite Muslims awaited Messiah with cataclysmic events directed at Israel and America (The Great Satan). Are we seeing this in play in our time?

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon approved the deployment of a Patriot missile defence battery and a Navy ship to the Middle East amid increasing tensions between the United States and Iran.

The USS Arlington and a Patriot battery will join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a U.S. Air Force bomber task force, which were deployed earlier in the week to the region in response to “heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations.”

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln transits the Indian Ocean.

The additional U.S. forces to the Middle East is the Trump administration’s latest effort to pressure Tehran over its support for weapons proliferation and extremist groups in the Middle East.

“The Department of Defence continues to closely monitor the activities of the Iranian regime, their military and proxies. On Wednesday, Trump ordered new sanctions placed on Iranian metals, Tehran’s largest non-petroleum-related sources of export revenue. The U.S. also took aim at Iranian oil by effectively ordering countries worldwide to stop buying Tehran’s oil or face sanctions of their own.

Additionally, the U.S. designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group. Iran responded with threats to close the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz, where about a third of the world’s oil export vessels pass. The U.S. then announced it was expediting the deployment of a carrier strike group equipped with bomber aircraft to the region.

How wonderful it is to have God’s Word (The Bible) that reveals to us exactly what will unfold prior to Jesus second coming. Sadly, as prophesied, the world increasingly is rejecting God’s Word and His commands so cannot know the truth.

We are told in God’s Word that “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty”. Liberty to do what? Liberty to do what I want, liberty to do what is wrong in God’s sight. No! It is a power to die for the truth. Do we trust God enough to face death gladly, if it His will for us at the time?

 

TEMPLE MOUNT IN LAST DAYS BIBLICAL PROPHECY

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Netanyahu-Erdogan fight escalates amid high tensions on Temple Mount

“We will continue to defend the rights of the Palestinians and the religious sanctuaries in Jerusalem for the Muslim world until our last breath,” Erdogan said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, calling him a “murderer who oppresses the Palestinian nation.” Erdogan made his comments in the context of recent tensions on the Temple Mount.

Netanyahu-Erdogan fight escalates amid high tensions on Temple Mount

“We will continue to defend the rights of the Palestinians and the religious sanctuaries in Jerusalem for the Muslim world until our last breath. Instead of ending the occupation, Netanyahu is working to attack me on social networks in order to win votes in the elections,” Erdogan said.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu wrote on Twitter: “The Turkish tyrant Erdogan attacks Israeli democracy, while judges and journalists are sitting in jail. What a joke. Israel is a democracy in which all its citizens have equal rights, including two million Arab citizens.”

The Bible tells us that tension between the surrounding Muslim nations and Israel will only escalate until the Antichrist appears on central stage and for a short time bring an illusory Middle East peace.

I believe beforehand, we are going to see the prophesied Daniel 8, end times (ram/goat invasions). Iran (Shia) invades west (Iraq), north (Syria, Northern Iraq, Eastern Turkey (some Shia Muslims), south (oil rich, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE). To some extent, these prophesied invasions are already underway with Iran forces in Iraq and Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Daniel 8 tells us Iran’s (Shia) invasion will eventually be countered by Turkey (Sunni). In fact, we are told the goat (Turkey) tramples the ram (Iran) and then we will see a revived Ottoman Empire with its leader, their prophesied Mahdi/Messiah, the Bible’s prophesied Antichrist. Imagine, the support the Mahdi (Islam’s Messiah) will receive from Muslim’s all around the world regardless of the country in which they live and its politics.

 

 

 

 

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN ISLAMIC NATIONS LINK TO COMING ANTICHRIST

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Most of the persecution Christians face occurs in predominantly Islamic nations, and the estimates are; as many as two-thirds of Middle East Christians “have left the region or been killed” in the past century. Persecution is reaching a fever pitch in places like Gaza, Iran, Egypt, Sudan and Syria. Its origin is the antichrist spirit spoken of in the last days prophecies, that will usher in the Antichrist, the Mahdi, the Islamic Messiah. Most Muslims believe his appearance is imminent. Take a look at the % of Muslims who expect Mahdi to return in their lifetime.

Image result for Belief in Mahdis Return Pew Research Centre data

Persecution of Christians:

SYRIA: The 220,000 residents of Raqqa, Syria, didn’t know what to think when the black flag of the Islamic State (IS) went up over their city. Then the executions began. A young man accused of unspecified criminal activity was shot in the head, and his body was left in the public square for three days. Several others were crucified. Some had their heads cut off and placed on fence posts. There were many new rules to obey. No one seemed to know for sure which behaviours were now criminal offences. An eyewitness named Abu Ibrahim said, “People were frightened, which is what they [IS] wanted. They wanted everyone to be terrified of them.” The city’s three Christian churches were padlocked. Crosses and other Christian symbols were either destroyed or covered.

MOSUL: “Isis came in and they rounded up all of the Christians. Not some, all of them. And they killed huge numbers. They chopped the children in half. They chopped their heads off. It was just so terrible what happened.”

EGYPT: In Egypt, dozens of churches have been bombed or set ablaze by radical Muslims, most of them alleged members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt has the largest number of Christians of any Arab nation, with about 10 percent of its 95 million population said to be believers in Jesus Christ. Most of them are Copts (Coptic Orthodox), but there are also thousands of Roman Catholics, evangelicals and members of various denominations. Persecution is nothing new to Egypt’s Christians, but it grew in intensity when the Arab Spring brought down the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak.

Do you suppose this was the work of Islamic extremists and that most Egyptians would be shocked by such a tragedy? Think again. In 2010, the Pew Research Center asked Egyptians whether they thought people who converted from Islam to Christianity should be executed. Eighty-four percent said they should be. That same year, a member of Egypt’s Ministry of Islamic Endowments appeared on state-run television and said he believed people who converted from Islam should be killed.

I have prepared a sermon Islamic Antichrist based on Joel Richardson’s book Mid East Beast – The Case for an Islamic Antichrist which is up on my other website http://www.powerpointsermons.net (PPS)
Did you know that the Second Coming of Jesus and the establishment of His Kingdom is the primary story of the OT prophets? God revealed to them, that His nation Israel, would be restored and it’s enemies defeated. The Messiah, a descendant of King David would rule and reign the universe on this earth, from Jerusalem for one thousand years (Millennium). Moreover, Bible prophecy provides a lot of detail on the last seven years prior to Jesus return – Daniel’s 70th week. It is a time of escalating tribulation – “great tribulation”, when a Satanically empowered individual, labelled the Antichrist, wields immense power, particularly in the Middle East. What this presentation seeks to do, is to examine the biblical evidence for the identity of this prophesied Antichrist and to compare him with the Messiah figure expected by the Muslims – the al Mahdi. If Islam is the religion of the Antichrist then its implications for the church are massive.
 

MAHDI IS THE ANTICHRIST – JOHN MACARTHUR

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I was pleasantly surprised that John MacArthur is preaching an Islamic Antichrist – Mahdi which is the position I have supported for several years now. This video is excellent. It was posted at the end of 2017, so it is not a new position that he has taken. If you want to know more about Islam and what they believe on end times and how it fits with our understanding of Biblical end times prophecy then put aside 35 minutes to watch this video. He also clearly understands that Christians will face tribulation and testing of our faith. It is only those that endure to the end will inherit eternal life and bring glory and honour to Him.