The Baptist Pillar © Brandon Bible Baptist Church 1992-Present www.baptistpillar.com
"...The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
I Timothy 3:15
The Islamic State of the Mahdi
Art Sadlier
From Sound the Trumpet, November 2014
A high-ranking Iranian politician recently stated that he believes the Syrian revolution could be the catalyst for sparking a worldwide conflagration that will usher in an era of Muslim domination of the world.
"One can smell from the crisis in Syria the coming of the end of times and the coming of the last Islamic messiah," said Ruhollah Hosseinian, a member of the Iranian Parliament.
Shiites, whose clerics rule Iran with an iron fist, believe that at the end of times, the 12th Imam, Mahdi, a 9th century prophet, will reappear with Jesus Christ at his side, kill all the infidels and raise the flag of Islam in all four corners of the world.
I believe that this could be a scenario in which Islam would be deceived into believing that the coming Antichrist is their long awaited Mahdi. This would give Antichrist a tremendous reception in the Muslim world.
We know that when Antichrist comes, it will be a time of incredible deception for the whole world. It seems that Islam will receive Antichrist as their Mahdi, or saviour. That Israel will receive him as their Messiah and that Christendom will incredibly, receive him as Jesus Christ.
We read about this deception in 2 Thessalonians 9-11, "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie."
Many analysts believe Iran is seeking nuclear capability to bring on that great conflagration in which they intend to destroy both Israel and America whom they call the great Satan.
Meanwhile the new Islamic State (IS) is caught up in this same deception.
The gruesome video released by the Islamic State (IS) emphasizes that the beheading of Peter Kassig took place in the town of Dabiq, Syria. The town was chosen because of its significance in Islamic end-of-time prophecies about the time when the Mahdi and (the Islamic version of) Jesus will bring victory over those who oppose Sharia.
The Islamic State named its English-language magazine "Dabiq" for the same reason. The group is telling Muslims that it is fulfilling prophecy, enticing them to participate in, what they believe is one of the most important moments in world history.
A secondary message is that Islamic State supporters should not worry about the military superiority of their enemy or the terrorist group's setbacks because they will soon be made victorious with help from the Mahdi, Islam's messianic figure, and Jesus (when he joins Islam, which he will do according to Islamic prophecy).
"Here we are, burying the first American Crusader in Dabiq, eagerly waiting for the remainder of your armies to arrive," says one Islamic State speaker.
Have you wondered why "IS" has sought to provoke an American attack upon them? It seems foolish until you realize that they believe that to provoke such a conflict, even though they would be over matched, would cause the Mahdi to come and intervene and give Islam a great victory in which they would gain the rule over the entire world.
Abu Musab al-Zaraqawi, the former leader of the Islamic State stated, "The spark has been lit here in Iraq, and its heat will continue to intensify...until it burns the Crusader armies in Dabiq."
Another Islamic State member said to the West, "We are waiting for you in Dabiq."
The statements are a reference to prophecies in the hadith, the collection of sayings and actions attributed to Mohammed, the Holy Prophet of Islam.
One collector of the hadith, Sahih Muslim, states, "The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al-A'maq or in Dabiq." The Islamic State refers to President Obama as the "dog of Rome," they are making the case that the U.S. is the modern equivalent of the Roman Empire and American military action in the Middle East is the actualization of this prophecy.
The Brookings Institute points out that the Islamic State immediately presented its capture of Dabiq in April as part of this prophecy. The group's supporters distributed pictures on social media of the seized hilltop with the text of the prophecy.
The following is a quote from an article by Ryan Mauro:
“The Islamic State's beheadings of Peter Kassig and the other Americans are not only justifiable acts of jihad in their opinion. They are also acts designed to provoke an assault on them as prophesized. In their eyes, a U.S. military response is actually desirable, as it fulfills this prophecy.
“The prophecy states that the Romans will arrive at Dabiq and tell all the Muslims to stand aside so that they can fight only those Muslims who took the captives. The Muslims will then unite against the Romans. The Islamic State is hoping that this will come to fruition.
“When the battle begins, according to the prophecy, about one-third of the Muslim forces will flee ("whom Allah will never forgive"), one-third will die as "excellent martyrs" and the remaining one-third will win the battle and then conquer Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey).
“If Islamic State supporters believe this prophecy is about them, then they will not be discouraged by the current U.S. military action, high death tolls and desertions.
“According to the prophecy, what follows this victory in Dabiq and Turkey is the appearance and final defeat of the Islamic version of the Antichrist, called the Dajjal, at the hands of (the Islamic) Jesus.”
"IS" believe that their actions are in line with the prophecy of the hadith which states, that "Dabiq will be controlled by the "best" Islamic soldiers from Mecca, Saudi Arabia. They will capture "Romans" (i.e., Americans), which will lead to a foreign attack."
In another quote Mauro says, "If Islamic State supporters believe this prophecy is about them, they will not be discouraged by the current U.S. military action, high death tolls and desertions. They will actually be encouraged by it because they believe it will ultimately bring victory."
This all seems strange to us Westerns, but this theme runs deeply through Islam and it is no more unfathomable to us than the current confusing and brutal acts of "IS."
When we see all this in the light of the stated objective of "IS" to take control of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and then march to Jerusalem. We have the setup for the war of Psalm 83.
We can clearly see the scenario for this war now forming. It appears that this will take some time to yet unfold. However remember that we are now living in days when situations change very rapidly. I believe we need to be alert to this scenario.
It again appears that American military might is in the way of the unfolding of the end time scenario found in Scripture, including the war of Psalm 83. It would seem that if America is removed or neutralized, "IS" could quickly reach their objectives.
America has plunged into the depths of sin and wickedness and rebellion against God. The American Administration has turned against Israel, and they are allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons with the expressed purpose of destroying Israel.
The judgment of America seems to be imminent. There has been a steady stream of warnings to America, storms, floods, droughts, tornados, fires and earthquakes. In recent days there have been warnings of cyber-attacks which could bring down the hydro electric grid, an event which would bring an end to America as it is now known.
There have also been alarming reports from the recent security conference in Halifax, reports which declare that America is no longer an impregnable fortress. America is now vulnerable to nuclear attack and we have learned that both Russia and China have greatly increased their nuclear strike capacity. Iran has also been developing intercontinental missiles. Missiles that they do not need to reach Israel, they are intended for America.
Even more alarming is the constant warnings of impending economic collapse. What more fitting judgment could there be on a society that has fallen on its face to worship the gods of materialism?
We have constantly been warning of the coming war of Psalm 83 because we believe it is imminent.
We have been listening to recent reports that Israel must strike Iran to prevent annihilation by a nuclear attack. Reports indicate that such an attack could start a series of major wars that would probably entail the use of nuclear weapons. It could be that the war of Psalm 83 would be a part that conflagration. In such a case the world would be badly shaken and possibly ready for the superman, Antichrist to appear and work his wonders and return peace and prosperity to the world. His peace will probably include world-wide disarmament. His peace would include peace for Israel, a peace that would allow Israel to rebuild the Temple.
That peace would seem tenable because the Palestinians will be decimated in the war of Psalm 83.
I apologize for the speculation involved in some of above; speculation is dangerous in our interpretation of the Word of God. However when you study the prophetic scriptures carefully you sometimes see the shadows of prophetic events on the walls of current events.
We remind you that the rapture of the Church is always an imminent event. We only know for sure that it will take place
before the tribulation period begins but it could happen at any moment. Are you ready? Are you saved?
"For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).
Will you be left behind to go into the day of wrath when the body of Christ is caught up in the rapture?