The Debate over Antichrist Part 2
by Walid Shoebat
Today, the debate is brewing—did the Bible warn us about the threat of Islam? Are we supposed to keep our focus exclusively on Europe? To shed light on the implications of such detailed evidence (which spawned countless challenges and questions), I decided to write God’s War on Terror, regarding Is-lam’s involvement in the end times. Consequently, I get challenges daily, not only by Muslims who want me dead, but also from Christians who are dogmatic about their views.
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. Daniel 7:8
The Debate over Antichrist
So please allow me to alleviate some pressure and present you with only three challenges (the first challenge was ex-plored in last month’s issue and this month we’ll look at the other two):
Challenge #2
Besides the argument on whether Magog is Russia, can anyone cite any literal reference to a nation that God destroys in the End-Times that is not Muslim?
Only if you ponder this question can you grasp its magnitude. On one occasion, during a lecture to a group of prominent Bible prophecy teachers in the Pre-Trib Prophecy Conference in Dallas, I asked this question and no one raised a hand to answer.
In frustration, I pointed to Dr. Randall Price, a well-known prophecy teacher and asked him to respond, in which he pointed that when it comes to literal references, there are none. Grant Jeffrey, another well-known author, once attempted to respond with Cush, not realizing that Biblical Cush (a reference sometimes translated as Ethiopia) is defined in the Unger Bible Dictionary as a landmass south of Egypt. Today this will be Sudan and Somalia.
Grant Jeffrey chose one of the most fundamentalist Muslim nations as a response to find non-Muslim nations in end-times. David Reagan of the Lion and Lamb Ministries with frustration pointed to Mystery Babylon,1 ignoring that the crucial word in my question is “literal.” If Babylon is a response to cite any literal reference for a non-Muslim nation that God destroys, this would still support my view—Mystery Babylon is an allegorical reference.
Challenge #3
In every portrayal of Christ’s return to the earth, is He not fighting a nation that today is Muslim?
The significance of this question is as follows—scholars are unanimous—that Christ’s second coming must happen after Antichrist appears on the scene. Christ’s mission will be to destroy Antichrist and establish His Millennium kingdom. The “European Union Model” has the Muslim hordes destroyed be-fore the Tribulation period. Yet the text shows that Jesus Himself deals with Muslim nations when He returns.
At the next prophecy conference you attend ask, “Is Jesus on earth on the Day of the Lord?” Ezekiel tells us of that day, “For the day is near, even the Day of the Lord is near” (Ezekiel 30:3). Yet this is when “Cush and Phut, Lydia [Turkey] and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt” (Ezekiel 30:5). Other prophecies show these nations are cast into Hell, including Asshur—“Iraq—Syria,” (Ezekiel 32:22-23); Elam—“Iran” (Ezekiel 32:24-25); Meshech & Tubal—“Asia Minor—Turkey” (Ezekiel 32:26); and, Edom—“Arabia” (Ezekiel 32:29). These nations are punished for striking terror against Israel and the believers (Ezekiel 32:22-24, 27).
Perhaps sharing a few from the volume of hundreds of prophecies of Jesus’ wars during the Great Tribulation can shed more light on the matter: “See Jehovah rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them” (Isaiah 19). Does this remind you of the song, “Behold He Comes Rid-ing on the Clouds”? Yet rarely are we told that Jesus here is fighting Egypt—a Muslim nation.
Even in Christ’s judgment of the nations (Joel 3), He is fighting Muslim entities. “Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon [Lebanon] and all you regions of Philistia [Ga-za]” (Joel 3:4). It couldn’t be more clear! It was as if Jesus Himself was speaking directly to Hezbollah (Tyre and Sidon) and Hamas (Philistia), challenging them regarding their blood-lust against the Jewish people. Their fight against Israel is in reality a declaration of war on the King Himself.
In Isaiah 25:9-10, at the time of the Lord’s return, we have Christ fighting Moab: “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under Him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill” (Isaiah 25:9-10).
Even in Isaiah 63, scholars unanimously agree that He fights Edom (Arabia). Are the Muslim nations in prophecy destroyed prior to Christ’s coming? Will the Antichrist then establish his European rule? Can anyone find a verse in the Bible in which Christ fights and nations are literally mentioned which are not Muslim?
This is why many who exclusively see Europe as Antichrist insist on removing Islam from the scene prior to the coming of Christ. Since the Muslims still exist on earth upon the Lord’s return fighting against Him, their whole premise of an exclusively European Antichrist falls apart.
For more information see Walid’s book, God’s War on Terror, on www.Shoebat.com.
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