Arabia Felix for instance is Yemen and anyone who knows Roman or Middle Eastern history knows that it was never a Roman province. Arabia Petraea was. It comprised the Sinai and parts of what is Jordan today, where the Nabateans lived (Petra, etc) but not the Arabian peninsula itself. They did not in any way rule the Arabian desert tribes like the Quraish that Muhammad belonged to. Not at Jesus’ time, not ever. Why would they? There was nothing of interest to them in that region.

The North Arabian desert tribes (not Nabateans) didn’t gain importance until the time of the conflicts between the Byzantine Empire (AFTER the fall of the Western Roman empire!) and the Sassanids in Persia when certain tribes allied with the Byzantines (the Ghassanids) and others (the Lakhmids) allied with the Persians.

Roman soldiers during Jesus’ time were Romans or at least Italians. It wasn’t until about the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD and later on that that they hired Germanic and other non-Italian mercenaries.

You don’t have to hold a PhD in Roman history to know that he’s ripping things out of context and deliberately confusing words.

Latin was the language of Christianity from the 2nd century onward after it replaced Greek as the main language used by Christians. Rome was the undisputed center of the Christian Church. So yes, it was Western based from that point of view, though the Gospel was preached to all people.

Intellectually and theologically, Western Christianity has achieved far more than Eastern Christianity ever has. After the schism between the West and the East, the Eastern church has pretty much remained stagnant. To the Orthodox churches everything remains a mystery. Some Oriental churches still reject the dual nature of our Lord Christ and have a problem with the Trinity.

The Latin Church has produced great philosophers and theologians who have offered a lot of explanations and insight into the Scriptures to convey the meaning of the Gospel to us. If it weren’t for the Latin Church we would never have had the Reformation either – and the Reformers stood firmly in the Latin tradition.

To the Eastern churches it is all vain human reasoning somehow and we should just accept “mysteries.” You’re never sure whether you’re saved in their “version” of Christianity (though of course there is only one Christian faith and one universal/catholic Church). Which really means blindly accepting whatever the Orthodox Church says and proclaims to be “mystery”. We might as well not have received any Scriptures to study and learn from then I guess, and act like parrots or like Muslim boys in Afghan or Pakistani madrassas that can recite the whole Q’uran in Classical Arabic and not even understand a word of what it means.

But I digress. Mr Shoebat is the one who should get his facts straight. However, I doubt he’s interested because it looks like all he wants is getting his Muslim Antichrist theory to become accepted by the majority, no matter what it takes – even Bill O’Reilly is a tool to accomplish that goal now, apparently. Shoebat has lost his credibility and my respect.

This whole eastern-leg anti-christ scenario reminds me of the continuing attacks some make on those who hold to a pre-trib rapture. The venomous name-calling is unbelieveable, completely uncalled for and unbecoming for those who claim the name of Christ. I don’t understand where this hate comes from. I have actually read posts where some will actually question a person’s salvation if they hold to the pre-trib viewpoint! And this “eschalogical flavor of the month” seems no different.

This eastern-leg anti-christ is a non-essential of the faith. The division these people bring has no place in the church. It is interesting to discuss and consider, but in the end, no one really knows who or exactly where the anti-christ will come from. And as I have said before, we should not be looking for the anti-christ. We should be looking for our blessed hope, the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To the Walid Shoebat’s and Rodrigo Silva’s, I would say, let’s have a discussion, but leave your arrogance, pride and venom at the door. It has no place among the saints of Jesus Christ.

Kevin