More and more I get emails asking me if I believe the Antichrist will be Islamic. Some give me a list of reasons why I am wrong in my articles to think that the Antichrist will come from Christianity or Judaism. They send me reasons from other Bible prophecy teachers why the idea that Bible prophecy teachers thought the Antichrist will come from the Roman Empire was wrong and why he will really come from Islam. Although I respect the Bible prophecy teachers that are now teaching this I do not believe that the Antichrist and his Beast government will come out of Islam. You may be interested in my full response.

I will start with a slightly modified excerpt from my article on Islam:

“How the “holy war” with Islam will bring in the Antichrist?

There are now large Islamic populations in most European countries and among these populations are those trained in terrorism. When the war between the West and Islam does occur it will be totally necessary to isolate Islamic peoples in Europe in concentration camps. In order for this round up to be successful these States will have to become police states. This police state will get out of control and ultimately bring about the Beast Antichrist government and system. Hitler’s reign was a foreshadow of how this could come about but instead of a national socialist movement there will be a world pseudo Christian dominionist socialist movement. When the satanically possessed European dictator comes on the scene he will somehow appease Islam and Islam will join into the one world religion movement. Later, the dictator is killed and becomes incarnated by Satan. At that time he will claim to be God. He will move the world government headquarters to Babylon and he will turn on and destroy the harlot world religion. He will be easily accepted by most Muslims as their concept of “God” because he has the exact same nature as their Allah. He will seek to kill all those who will not worship him as God.

Islam is setting the foundation for the Antichrist Beast world system. Islam now totally controls or has major influence over forty nations in the world. In most other nations Islam is a rising force. Islam controls the masses by force and when it has control it does not tolerate other religions or those who do not adhere to its dictates. Islam in reality worships the god of this world and his name is Satan. When the god of this world becomes incarnate in the man we call the Antichrist he will be recognized by those in Islam as Allah. I am not saying that the Antichrist is Islamic although that is possible. I tend to think the Antichrist figure when incarnated by Satan will claim to be Zeus and will have supernatural help from fallen angels. Nevertheless, subtly Satan has established a worldwide foundation for his monotheistic world religion with himself as God and this foundation is called Islam. I do not think the Antichrist will claim to be Allah. He will claim to be above anything called God. (2Th2:4)

My point is that the leaders of Islam will recognize him as their own concept of God and the followers of this counterfeit god will use the world network already in place in Islam to rapidly bring in the forced world religion and the political system of the Antichrist. We get a strong signal from the book of Revelation about the power base of the Antichrist because like the Islamic fascist’s of today they also behead their enemies.”

So, it is not that Islam will be the Antichrist government. Those who have been indoctrinated by Islam will recognize Satan as the God they worship that they call Allah. I still think that radical Islam will force world religious wars that will bring in the Western Antichrist figure out of the area of the Roman Empire. I still believe that harlot Christianity will be the head religion that rides on the back of the Beast of Revelation chapter 17. I see no other option to fulfill that prophecy. At the mid-point of the seven years the Beast claims to be greater then anything called God and all people that do not love the truth will buy into the lie through his deception.

Nevertheless, Islam is setting the foundation for that intolerant would religion all over the world. I think an ecumenical movement will follow the religious wars where all names of God in all Religion will simply mean the Creator. Then one will arise claiming to be the Creator but he will have the attributes of Satan and the world will follow him believing that He is the Creator.

Having said all that, I fully understand why Christians would think that the Antichrist will come from Islam. It is antichrist. But when pseudo and dominionist Christianity fight the person labeled by the West, “the Islamic Antichrist” it will set the stage for someone in the West who will defeat radical Islam all over the world. This Western leader will be the actual Antichrist but he will be labeled a hero and the Messiah. The pseudo Christians and Jews will receive Him as a Messiah figure so you can understand why everyone even the elect will be deceived if that were possible. Like Jesus said to the Jews, “one will come in his own name and him you receive”. The Jews would never receive someone out of Islam as their Messiah. They will accept someone who will counterfeit their Messiah and lead them to destruction. Meanwhile, dominionist pseudo Christians will expect Jesus to come after the defeat of the person that they had labeled the Antichrist. However, those wars will only be false birth pains with a false tribulation created by man’s wars. Antichrist will try to counterfeit the role of the second coming through a satanic false tribulation that can be identified with the four riders in the Seal Judgments of Revelation. I do not think the 70th week of Daniel actually starts until the sealing of the 144,000 Jews at the sixth seal but you have to also realize that I believe there are 10 1/2 years from the rapture until the second coming. I believe when pseudo Christianity is expecting some type of Christ they will get the Antichrist.

I am almost sure aliens (demons) will somehow be involved in that deception as well as Marian apparitions. The pseudo Christian world and Israel will get a Christ like that they want. He will lead them to take over the world and set up a world kingdom called by God, “Babylon the Great” but after Antichrist sets up his counterfeit kingdom of god he will turn on those who will not worship him with a vengeance. So in my opinion those teaching that Islam is the government of the Antichrist could be setting people up to be deceived through the future holy wars and by the real Antichrist. In my opinion, they are not seeing the whole picture. They have substituted something that today seems obvious on the face of it. It makes sense from today’s point of view to say Islam will be the government of Antichrist but if all scripture is taken into account it really does not fit. It is all too simplistic, just like those who thought Hitler’s Fascism or Communism were the demonic movements that would bring in the Antichrist.

Also understand that Islam is a bastardization of the scriptures. It really does not mater if Muhammad distorted Bible prophecy, or if his followers did, or if it came from Satan. The point is that Islam is a counterfeit of the real. We should not take lying prophecies of the counterfeits and expect to find truth in them just because their lying prophecies seem to fit Bible Prophecy of an Antichrist.

The Bible implies that the Antichrist is Assyrian. I have been saying that I think he will be a Catholic with Jewish blood who will be brought up in a Middle-East country. Thus, he will appeal to all three religions and fulfill their expectations. Think of an Obama type person with a Jewish mother and a Arab father who claims to be a Christian. Of course that is just meant as a suggestion it may turn out quite different.

All religions are moving toward pluralism and universalism. Once radical Islam is defeated people may be free to believe what they want in private but in public there will be no proselytizing allowed and all exclusive clams to God will be outlawed as hate speech in the name of world peace and security. Wait until after the war against Iran, Syria and all radical Islam and you may see the picture more clearly.

Why should we look for a revival of Catholicism? Because it will provide the answers the world is looking for. The supernatural manifestations claiming to be Mary will be a deception used by Satan in the last day. Read the works of Roger Oakland on this topic. Catholics worship Mary, Muslims have more regard for Mary then they do Jesus and many have statues of Mary and follow the Marian manifestations. Even Eastern religions have high regard for Mary idols. So imagine a scenario where during a bloody religious war a so called divine intervention comes from this “Queen of Heaven” demon (there is nothing new under the sun). The world is then set up for a one world religion. It also is no accident that the Emergent and Emerging Church movement is moving back toward Catholicism, and mysticism as are some mainline churches and Word-Faith New Wave Pentecostals.

I admit that if you just look at the situation today it would look like the Antichrist comes out of Islam but there are always backlashes and counter revolutions. Thirty years ago everyone though Communism would be the catalyst. Today they think it will be Islam. Islam will be the catalyst but it will be the catalyst to bring in the Antichrist out of a Roman Empire that will proceed to unite all religion back under the Pope. Also keep in mind the leader of the Roman Church at the time of the Antichrist is after the true Christians are removed. So the remains of the Catholics will not contain true Christians. In addition, take note that the Vatican is the only religion on earth that has embassies in almost every nation and has a seat at the U.N. and they are mentioned in written U.N. plans to establish a world religion.

When pluralism and universalism is the world religion Jesus will not be regarded at God. That will be outlawed. How anyone can think that the Western world that is now rapidly moving toward religious pluralism, universalism and amorality is going to accept the exclusiveness and the laws of Islam is beyond me? That is not at all realistic and there is no way that Islam can militarily conquer the West.

When Satan is actually booted out of the Heavens with his angels and he claims to be God on earth and he has his fallen angelic army to help him enforce his decrees then he will use those in Islam and all repressive religions to further his agenda. That is the parallel. It is not that the Antichrist is Islamic it is that Islam and all religion outside of true Christianity is antichrist and all of those religions will help bring him in power.

The only biblical reference to the decent of the Antichrist is that he is an Assyrian. He appears to move his throne to Babylon only after he actually becomes incarnated by Satan. The woman that sits in the midst of the ephah in Zec chap 5 seems to be the same woman that John talked about as sitting on seven hills ruling over the world at the time of his writing. This woman was in Rome but this woman called wickedness is carried to Babylon for the last 3 1/2 years.

Having said that, go ahead and believe what you want. It is not going to change the future one iota and I am not going to be convinced by anyone that the Antichrist or the Beast government will be Islamic.

Here is one great interview with Joel Rosenberg who gives his very astute view of end time events. His latest book is “Dead Heat”

CNN.com - Transcripts

ROSENBERG: Well I think eventually Rome will be the center of the E.U. How is that going to happen? I don`t know. There is a lot I don`t know. The point is the Bible laid out some details it doesn`t give us all the details.

BECK: Is it true that we — we haven`t bombed parts of Iraq because of, not only the historic significance, but the biblical significance of — of Babylon?

ROSENBERG: Babylon itself, Babylon is a province, it`s also a city, but there is no one living in current Babylon, it`s being reconstructed. There is no question American forces were very careful about bombing in the area. However there was some archaeological destruction as troops were coming in and out of there. That was a problem.

But I interviewed for my previous book, “Epicenter,” a nonfiction book, “Epicenter,” you and I have talked about it. I interviewed the chief economic adviser to the current prime minister of Iraq and I said “The New York Times” and others are reporting you have a plan to rebuild Babylon as a cultural epicenter. He said absolutely. He walked me through the plans they have to rebuild the city. They believe cultural tourism in Iraq will be the second largest money producer after oil, two, three, four, five years down the road.

Now, right now it`s almost impossible to imagine people going on a vacation to Iraq.

BECK: Oh, no. Come to Iraq. I mean .

ROSENBERG: I just went there. My family thought I was crazy, president of Crazytown. But look, the Bible says that is what will happen. People will come from all over the world. Revelation describes all the merchants of the earth are coming to Iraq. That`s not that far off I don`t think.

The United Nation Returns to Iraq - HUMAN EVENTS: “Four years after an explosives-packed suicide cement truck blew up and destroyed the U.N. headquarters building in Baghdad, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to expand its operation in Iraq. “

“Iraq’s Al Azzaman Website quoted a senior U.N. spokesman as saying: “The U.N. is not concerned with what America wants. … We as an international organization will work to fulfill Iraqi ambitions and cooperate with the government.” The United Nations gives the Iraqi government a new diplomatic channel to coax anti-U.S. opposition groups into the political process. And that is most welcome.”

The UN will take over nation building in Iraq. It will be the world headquarters of the Beast world government of the Antichrist. Twenty years down the line most Christians will understand the implications of a modern world class city being built at Babylon, if they are still here.

‘U.S. Troops Now Fighting for U.N. in Iraq?’ - Cliff Kincaid - Jul 27, 07: “Despite all of the hoopla in the press about major differences between the Bush Administration and Congressional Democrats, they are united on one critical thing-giving the U.N. a much bigger role in Iraq. And this spells serious trouble, if not defeat, for a U.S. Iraq policy that once held out the hope of victory over the terrorists. It is time for honest conservatives to face the hard facts about the disastrous Bush Administration approach.”

Some might respond that this is a huge difference. But how much of a difference can it be when Bush and the Democrats agree on the fundamental issue of turning the country over to the U.N.? If, by some chance, the situation in Iraq stabilizes and the Iraqi government survives, who will be given the credit? I think we all know the answer to that. We can hear the commentators saying that the U.N. will have “saved” the U.S. in Iraq.

“What this means is that the U.N., with U.S. financial backing as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw, will take over more and more responsibility for Iraq, using increased foreign aid as leverage to bring the Iraqi factions together. “

I think the UN will take over in Iraq and I think that is also the prophetic scenario. Babylon will be rebuilt because the Antichrist will rule the world from there in the great tribulation. Lahay did not put that in his “Left Behind” series by accident, it is based on Zec. chapter 5. So if we look at the situation over there and we take into account how fast a modern new city can be built once their is peace in the Middle East and the oil is flowing we can easily see that all pieces for the end time world city can be in place before 2030. If you want an example of the building of a world class city in modern times within one decade check out the city of Dubai. Babylon will be greater.

World Tribune — Report: Iraq may have world’s second largest oil reserves

BAGHDAD — Iraqi oil production could double in five years, according to a new study.
The report found that Iraq’s oil reserves may be almost twice as much as previously estimated. The study by the U.S. consultancy IHS said another 100 billion barrels of oil reserves could be found in Iraq.
IHS said the estimate would rank Iraq as having the second largest reserves in the world

Iraq’s oil Reserves will prove to be even more then that. Iraq will have the capabilities to fill the world’s oil gap for at least 10 or 20 years if they get stability over there. In that amount of time the oil wealth could propel Babylon to become the newest world class city just in time for the Antichrist figure around 2030 AD. Four million barrels per day would work out to over $10,000 a year for each family in Iraq every year after all costs of production. If someone were selling that point to the Iraq people it just might give them the incentives to find peace. I think it will happen but only after world Islamic Fascism is dealt a near fatal blow.

WorldNetDaily: A triumph for traditionalists: “Why? Because the Holy Father knows the solemnity, mystery and beauty of the Latin Mass hold magnetic appeal, not only for the older faithful but the searching young. And he acted to advance a reconciliation with traditionalists out of communion with the Holy See, including the 600,000 followers of the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, excommunicated in 1988, who belong to his Society of Saint Pius X. “

What you are saying is that the Latin Mass is mystical and that is why it appeals to so many. Your priests will now once again become like the pagan priests of Babylon who offered up the dead on their alters. The Catholic priests will say their own magic Latin words over wafers of bread and magicly convert it into the actual flesh of Jesus Christ so those who eat it receive Jesus into their stomachs and get spiritual power or grace until disgestion. This is not Christianity it is witchcraft and paganism. Leave it to a former Nazi to overturn the few reforms that actually tried to enlighten the Catholics

WorldNetDaily: ‘Mideast war this summer’
‘Mideast war this summer’Syrian official threatens ‘resistance’ by September, warns Damascus preparing for large-scale conflict
Posted: July 8, 20073:32 p.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Syrian President Bashar Assad
GOLAN HEIGHTS – If Israel doesn’t vacate the strategic Golan Heights before September, Syrian guerillas will immediately launch “resistance operations” against the Golan’s Jewish communities, a top official from Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Baath party told WND.
The Baath official, who spoke on condition his name be withheld, said Damascus is preparing for anticipated Israeli retaliation following Syrian guerilla attacks and for a larger war with the Jewish state in August or September.

He claimed Syria has “proof” Israel is also readying for a war.
“We hear about special Israeli trainings to take Damascus. We see that Israel is re-establishing bases of the Israeli army in the Golan that are unusual and not needed except for war. We believe the Israeli government has an interest in confronting Syria to rehabilitate its image of losing to Hezbollah,” he said.

According to security officials, recent U.S. intelligence estimates also predict a strong possibility of war between Israel and Syria in the coming months.
Dennis Ross, the American Middle East envoy under the Clinton administration, said this weekend in an interview with Ynetnews, a leading Israeli news website, he thinks “there is a risk of war” between Israel and Syria this summer.
“Nobody has made any decision (about going to war), but the Syrians are positioning themselves for war,” said Ross.

I also expect a war on or before Rosh Hashanha (Sept 12- 13). It is forty years from the six day war in 1967 when Israel conquered these lands. I think prophecy students should be aware that a forty year cycle event is more likely than not. If Syria uses WMD it could mark the fulfillment of the end of Damascus prophecy that has never yet been fulfilled. Of course, any war with Iran or Syria would end up with a war on both. This could set the stage for a Period of peace in Israel that Ezekiel 38 and 39 indicates will be in place before the Gog invasion.

I have no biblical proof for this but I think starting in Septemeber we could see a few years of war that crushes Islamo-Fascism followed by a decade or three of regional peace, reasonable energy prices, the rise of the EU, Babylon, Russia and China followed by the Ezekiel war, the biblical Antichrist and the Revelation judgments. Stay alert.

Pope puts his weight behind the revival of Mass in Latin-Comment-Faith-TimesOnline: “The Pope has signed a document that re-opens the way to the optional use of the old Latin Mass, replaced by liturgy in the local language in the late 1960s, it was reported yesterday.
The document is expected to be published within the next few weeks. Known as a motu proprio, signifying that it is the Pope’s personal initiative, it reflects Benedict XVI’s thinking on the subject since long before he was elected pontiff.
While, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he repeatedly expressed sympathy for those Catholics who felt nostalgia for the traditional Latin rite which dated back to the Middle Ages, although when it came to discipline he took stern action against the ultra-conservative Catholic splinter group led by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who rejected the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and for whom the use of the Latin Mass was a banner.
The question of whether to use a vernacular or Latin Mass has political implications for Catholics everywhere, and the text of the motu proprio has been the subject of intense discussions among Vatican officials for many months. “

Every time I get stupid enough to think that the Pope seems to be moving in a more orthodox Christian direction he regress to doctrines that leads me to think he knows nothing about true Christianity. What will bringing back Latin mumble jumbo in the Mass do other than satisfy feelings of nostalgia for those who grew up on this mindless ritual?

The mystical is rearing its head again in areas outside Catholicism as well in the emerging movements and new age paganism. Perhaps by making the Catholic Church more mystical again the Pope hopes to find common ground of agreement between all those who want mysticism rather than true Christianity. Mystical religion is not Christianity, it is Mystery Babylon the mother of all harlots spoken about in Revelation chapter 17.

Esoteric Spirituality… - CWN: ” classic text from the Christian scriptures said this with surprising clarity two thousand years ago. This is no secret! There are only two kinds of religious people, those who worship and serve creation and those who worship and serve the Creator (Romans 1:25). These two kinds of spirituality describe the only two religious worldviews. They both require faith and service. They are mutually exclusive, and everyone must choose between them—but you would not know that from reading The Secret.

The age-old esoteric option, presented with such brilliant marketing skill in The Secret offers power, money, human “divinity,” the elimination of all things distasteful and the promise of a humanly-realized earthly utopia. However, it fails to take seriously huge issues that we ignore at our peril—human evil, physical death and the reality of God as separate from us, demanding our allegiance.”

The “Secret” is that mankind keeps falling for the same lies over and over again. All religion that worships the created rather than the Creator is ultimately identified as Mystery Babylon in Revelation.

Bush may turn to UN in search for Iraq solution Iraq Guardian Unlimited: “The Bush administration is developing plans to ‘internationalise’ the Iraq crisis, including an expanded role for the United Nations, as a way of reducing overall US responsibility for Iraq’s future and limiting domestic political fallout from the war as the 2008 election season approaches.”

This will probably happen somehow because eventually Babylon Iraq will becomes the world government headquarters.

Roman’s private beach: a Dubai on the Adriatic International News News Telegraph: “The billionaire is preparing to take on the financial might of a group of oil-rich Arab sheikhs as he prepares a bid for the eight-mile long Velika Plaza - or grand beach - in -Montenegro, where he plans to build a luxury tourist resort that would turn the country into a ‘new Dubai’.”

It is getting rather common for the rich to build brand new modern cites in a short periods of time. After what see see taking place in Dubai, in South East Asia and what they are now planning here. We should see that building a new Babylon is feasable in a decade once big money decided they wanted a world class city there.

U.N. Chief Urges Global Support for Iraq: “UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world’s major powers to support an economic and political reform package for Iraq at a conference in Egypt this week, saying this would encourage Iraqis to promote national reconciliation. ”

“Ban and al-Maliki will push participants at the conference to forgive Iraq’s huge debts and provide financial assistance to help implement the plan.”

The UN’s plan for Iraq is important because Babylon Iraq will become the seat of global world government before the end comes.

FT.com / In depth - Iraq may hold twice as much oil: “Iraq could hold almost twice as much oil in its reserves as had been thought, according to the most comprehensive independent study of its resources since the US-led invasion in 2003.
The potential presence of a further 100bn barrels in the western desert highlights the opportunity for Iraq to be one of the world’s biggest oil suppliers, and its attractions for international oil companies – if the conflict in the country can be resolved.
If confirmed, it would raise Iraq from the world’s third largest source of oil reserves with 116bn barrels to second place, behind Saudi Arabia and overtaking Iran.”

Babylon will be rebuilt and have great wealth.

Unesco intends to put the magic back in Babylon - Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune: “But Iraqi leaders and UN officials are not giving up on it. They are working assiduously to restore Babylon, home to the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They want to turn it into a cultural center and possibly even an Iraqi theme park.”

This is the latest of what is going on in Babylon Iraq. I wrote that Babylon will be rebuilt years ago. The article I wrote contains a further reference about the world’s plans for Babylon.

Bible Prophecy and Environmentalism:

“The true goal of the environmental movement is to draw the world into a central body that would set the rules. This plan is part of the devil’s master scheme to recreate the type of control he had during the time of the Babylonian Empire. The only way to get back to Babylon is to push for world unity.
The environmental movement is a perfect disguise because it asks nations to surrender their sovereignty for a cause seemingly beneficial to all nations. Recently, a group of well-known evangelical leaders fell for this ploy by deciding to back an initiative to fight global warming.”

Hal Lindsey Oracle - Politically Incorrect - Prophetically Correct: “The Key To “Last Day” Prophecy
There is one great proof to the validity of literal fulfillment of prophecy concerning the events that lead to Christ’s return – ISRAEL.

Moses predicted that Israel would be twice destroyed as a nation. The first destruction was in two stages.
First the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom know as Israel. Then the three tribes that made up the Kingdom of Judah would be destroyed and removed from the land.
Moses predicted that the second dispersion would be much more severe and extensive than the first under Assyria and Babylon.
He predicted, “Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone. And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life.” (Deut. 28:64-66 NKJ)
This began to be literally fulfilled in 70AD by Titus and the Roman Tenth Legion. He destroyed the city of Jerusalem with the Temple. He scattered the survivors into a worldwide dispersion that continued unabated until May 14, 1948.
But the same God that predicted Israel’s destruction and dispersion also predicted its return and eventual acceptance into His unconditional covenants.
This is a point that a system of Theology in the Church today known as “the Preterists” or “Dominionists” deliberately overlook and allegorize. “

There was an eye opener on 20/20 last night. If anyone wonders how Babylon can be rebuilt in a short period of time check out what is happening in Dubai today. The city is rapidly becoming the international playground of the rich people of the world. The King of this emirate is now building the most modern city in the world using 500,000 temporary guest workers (nearly slaves). He is in the process of erecting a building that will be twice as tall as the tallest building in the world. He is even making offshore islands in the shape of each nation of the world. You can buy your own nation/island in his miniature world for about $25,000,000. If one king of a small emirate can use his wealth to create the most modern city in the world in a short period just think of what the Antichrist could erect when all the wealth of the world is at his disposal.