Joel Richardson WND & related WND article here
Over the past several years, I’ve been one of the leading figures warning the church and the Western world concerning the Islamic doctrine of a coming messiah figure known as the Mahdi. In sounding this alarm, I have certainly had my share of critics, not only from the Pollyannas on the left, but also from within the Christian church.
One of my most outspoken critics has been Dr. David Reagan, a well-known prophecy teacher and evangelist. Among Reagan’s many criticisms, one of his most pronounced has been to accuse me of misleading my audience by claiming, as I do, that the Islamic belief in the Mahdi is more than just a Shiite doctrine, that in fact, much of the Sunni world also is expecting the coming of a Mahdi. Reagan’s initial criticism comes as follows:
Richardson’s presentation of what Muslims believe about the end times is very misleading, for what he presents is the Shiite version, which revolves around the concept of an Islamic messiah called the Mahdi. He leaves the impression that all the Islamic world is living in breathless anticipation of the appearance of the Mahdi, when the reality is that 90% of all Muslims – the Sunnis – are not looking for a Mahdi.
Several other critics not familiar with Islamic doctrine have since parroted Reagan’s claims. In response, I’ve repeatedly cited numerous modern and classical Muslim scholars who state unequivocally that belief in the Mahdi is, in fact, a universal doctrine for all Muslims.
But apart from citing these various Muslim scholars and my own anecdotal experiences over the past decade reaching out to Muslims, disproving this claim – that 90 percent of all Muslims reject belief in the Mahdi – has not been easy to do. Until now.
Last week, Pew Research firm released a comprehensive study of opinions among Muslims, and one of the questions was related to the Mahdi!
Now, for the first time, a comprehensive study including tens of thousands of Muslims in more than 23 countries asked if they believed the Mahdi’s emergence was imminent and that it would occur within their lifetimes. The results conclusively prove that which I have been warning about all along.
Below is an image of the Pew Research firm’s findings, nation by nation:
Obviously, the false claim that a mere 10 percent of the Islamic world is awaiting the Mahdi may now be satisfactorily put to bed. The bottom line is that it is far worse, far more widespread than even I would have guessed.
Analyzing the information, scholar of Islamic history Timothy Furnish makes the following important observations on his blog:
**Of the 23 countries whose Muslim citizens were polled, nine have majorities which expect the Mahdi in their lifetimes.
**The overall average percentage of Muslims globally who believe in the imminent return of the Mahdi: 41.8 percent.
**Extrapolating this data means of the 1.6 billion Muslims globally, 672 million Muslims expect the Mahdi’s imminent return!
**The average is higher for Sunni majority nations: 45 percent!
**Despite the conventional wisdom, three of the four countries with the highest percentage expecting the Mahdi are majority-Sunni ones: Afghanistan (83 percent), Turkey (68 percent) and Tunisia (67 percent).
Furnish then states: “Bottom-line: Mahdism is a far stronger and more-widely held belief than even I had thought – and I’ve been preaching its pervasiveness for years.”
Adding to Furnish’s observations, it is also important to observe that 68 percent of Turks, a large majority, are expecting the imminent appearance of the Mahdi. Turkey, of course, is the nation that I believe will produce the Antichrist.
Certainly the popularity of Mahdism within Turkey, when combined with the concurrent radical rise in 1) Turkish nationalism and Neo-Ottoman aspirations, and 2) anti-Semitism within Turkey, in so many ways, sets the stage for this nation to move toward fulfilling many of the last days prophecies of the Bible.
Another important point I have been trying to make for years is, although conventional wisdom has placed all emphasis on Iran as the nation that would produce a false Mahdi claimant (I say claimant, as there actually is no such thing as the Mahdi), the real danger lies with the Sunni world.
The primary reason for this is because while the leaders of Iran regularly make a lot of noise concerning the Mahdi – often referred to by them as the 12th Imam – there are some very strong reasons that it is highly unlikely that Iran will ever see a genuine Mahdi claimant figure arise. What outsiders must understand is that Iranian Muslim scholars have developed a very thorough systematic theology to essentially guard against any false Mahdi claimant from emerging. The 12-er Shi’a sect that dominates the nation of Iran is expecting a very specific person to return. 12-er Shi’a also look to the Mahdi as being almost omniscient and omnipotent. In order for any man to suddenly arrive and to actually be received as their Mahdi would be nothing short of impossible. I do not believe Iran will ever produce Mahdi claimant who will be received widely by the leaders or the people of that nation..
On the other hand, there is a certain fluidity among Sunni Mahdist traditions and prophecies that could very easily be manipulated. When one considers how loose Sunni traditions are concerning the Mahdi, it is not difficult to imagine a significant leader gaining a reputation and developing a massive grassroots following, all the while never even claiming to be the Mahdi. In fact, throughout Islamic history, several significant Mahdi claimants have arisen and gathered a significant following. They have all been Sunni Muslims.
In my book, “Islamic Antichrist: The Shocking Truth about the Real Nature of the Beast,” I walk the alert reader through the frightening world of Islamic apocalyptic views, comparing them with the biblical prophecies concerning the coming of the Antichrist, showing beyond any doubt that in the Islamic doctrine of the Mahdi, the world should be very concerned. In my new book, “Mideast Beast,” I demonstrate beyond any doubt, the scriptural case for an Islamic Antichrist. As always, it is time for the Christian world to wake up and fall to their knees in prayer. The hour is far later than most think.
30 Responses
This is shocking. I had always believed that only a smaller number of Sunni Muslim believers were expecting the Mahdi. It seems that it wouldn’t be hard for someone to come onto the scene and lead the majority of Muslims to get behind him. If there was a movement with only 200 million Muslims, that along would be the undoing of the world. I am truly grateful for all of your research and labor. Keep it up Joel.
DR.Reagan has never been with a sunni muslim personally if he ever made that claim. He should start asking them even here in america, randomly and he would be suprise what answer he will get
One thing i find interesting with the belief of a returning twelth Imam is his return from a well.
this would easily relate to the Bible teaching of satan being loosed from the bottomless pit.
I was aware Afghanistani Muslims are strong believers in the Mahdi, as I’ve often debated with Muslims from that country in North London, UK.
As always Joel, I’ll be posting on my G+ site.
And Iran wasn’t even among the countries surveyed; if it had been, surely the percentage would be higher.
100% of Scientologists believe that a big silver airplane is going to take them into outer space one day. Does that mean it will happen? We know from the Bible it will not. Even if 100% of Muslims believe some kid 800 years later will pull himself up out of a well and take over the world for Islam, it doesn’t mean it will happen.
Mohammed received his visions from demons, and as Satan doesn’t know the future, anything second-hand recorded in the Hadith concerning the Mahdi or any other claim of the future a Muslim may make would of course be false prophecy and impossible to self-fulfill.
In other words, belief in a Mahdi doesn’t matter at all. Belief in Christ Jesus does.
Very well said Nathan. You are absolutely correct! Why does anyone care what the devil inspired koran (Satan’s counterfit version of the Bible) has to say about anything? Satan doesn’t know the future and all he can do is “rip-off” the Bible and try to “imitate” what God has said. It’s just another counterfeit like everything else he has done and will do in the tribulation.
IMHO, Christians should be placing our faith only in the Bible and the TRUE word of God. The koran should be tossed right into the cultic theological garbage bin where it belongs. Stay in the Word of God and forget this Islamic nonsense.
God bless.
Nathan has nailed the issue. islam is a deception. Who cares what sunni or shi’a muslims believe? What does it matter if they believe a Satanic lie; that lie will not be allowed to manifest itself in any way, shape or form.
Moreover, equating islamic sources to guaranteed Biblical prophecy – to say that that some non-existent al-mahdi will be Gog of Magog who is one and the same as the Antichrist is patently ridiculous. Such nonsense is mutually exlusive based upon Scripture from Daniel to Revelation.
If I were Joel I would think long and hard about crossing the line delineated in Revelation 22:18-19. You’re so far over that threshold that a hasty retreat and repentance is essential at this juncture. And to do it for personal profit no less. Brilliant Dude, simply brilliant.
Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ; leave the islamic al-mahdi garbage in the gutter where it rightfully belongs.
Nathan, Sean, Rapture Forums,
Thank you for your comments. First, Nathan, you are absolutely correct that simply because someone or even a group believes something, it does not follow that what they believe will take place. Of course not. But your comments also demonstrate your complete misunderstanding, not only of my article, but also my larger work, and perhaps most importantly, why it does matter what 670,000,000 Muslims are eagerly expecting.
Beyond this, your comment: “some kid 800 years later will pull himself up out of a well and take over the world for Islam” also demonstrates your misunderstanding concerning Islamic Mahdism in general. Your mentor, David Reagan has continued to make similar statements on a few occasions as well, even though I long ago addressed his misunderstandings here: http://archives.joelstrumpet.com/?p=1690
Nevertheless, please bear with me, as I explain it again, briefly.
First, the minority sect of Shi’a Muslims (actually only the 12ers, who are the largest sub-set of Shi’a Muslims) believe that the Mahdi is (or was) a kid that disappeared and is now in a state of “occultation” (suspended animation of sorts) who will someday re-emerge from the well.
While Joel Rosenberg in his book The 12th Imam, and many others, have placed much emphasis on Ahmadinejad and the Shi’a with regard to their belief in the Mahdi, I do not believe anyone ever claiming to be the Mahdi will ever come forward from Iran or the Shi’a world. At least not anyone who will be received. This isn’t to say that their view isn’t dangerous due to their pursuing nuclear weapons and their anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.
But the point that I have been making for years now, and the point of this article, is that the majority sect of Muslims, the Sunnis (approximately 90% of the Muslims world) also believe in the Mahdi.
My introduction to David Reagan was when he began charging me publicly in his newsletter, on his web-site, and at various prophecy conferences, of misleading Christians, by claiming that Sunnis believe in the Mahdi. Over the past several years, he has continued to make this claim. Now, having been thoroughly corrected, will he acknowledge and correct himself? Charging a brother and fellow teacher of misleading Christians is not a small thing before the LORD. But whether or not he will choose to publicly correct himself is entirely his decision.
As this poll has shown, not only do Sunnis believe in the Mahdi, but far more than we thought actually believe his coming is imminent. Not the Mahdi down the well. Not a little boy who disappeared. But simply an end time figure who will restore unity to much of the Muslim world, and cause Islam to be exalted, defeat Israel, and establish himself as a Caliph-like figure in Jerusalem. The Sunnis believe that it is more of a mantle that can come upon any man who simply fulfills these actions and is called by “Allah”. Sunnis also say that the Mahdi would not claim to be the Mahdi but would only be received by the people as such.
Why is this information important? Simple: Because it represents a real danger. Never mind Biblical prophecy for a moment. Even from a mere military and foreign policy perspective, this is a real danger that must be understood. The potential of a (false) messianic-mahdist movement in the Muslim world is very real, as proven by this poll.
There have been several false mahdi claimants in the past, and several resulted in much blood-shed and warfare. The Mahdi of the Sudan of course was one of the most recent false mahdi claimants. He gave the British a very difficult time. But never has the potential for a mahdist movement on such a mass scale been as real as now. As the polls show, nearly half of the Muslim world believes that he will manifest soon. The time is indeed ripe. Anyone who understands this and still says that is is irrelevant is simply playing dumb. The danger of much of the Muslim world getting behind a man with an apocalyptic and revolutionary messianic fervor is far more dangerous than Iran getting nukes.
Concerning your other comments, that Satan does not know the future, I agree. Yet he has had the chance to listen to every godly prophet, prophecy teacher and expositor from the very beginning. He knowns the future far better than you or I do. Of course Satan is not omniscient, but he is also not to be underestimated in his understanding of Biblical prophecy and what lies ahead for him. But Satan is also insane, in that despite his destiny in failure and hell, he seems determined to try to succeed.
Let me explain it this way. Jesus came to a people whom the LORD had prepared. He gave them the Scriptures, prophecies, a history. Jesus came in the fullness of times, to a world with Roman roads and a common language, ready to receive the Gospel.
There are two views as to how Satan will send forth his Antichrist. One is that he will simply do it out of the blue, suddenly a new world religion will just pop up overnight. While not impossible, it is also not likely. If this is what you choose to believe, this is fine. Or it could be possible that Satan has been working overtime for the past 1400 years to also produce a religion, with false prophecies, false scriptures, false expectations, all for the purpose trying to complete what will be his final failed efforts. I believe that Islam is that religion. I believe that Satan is the source of these beliefs and “prophecies” concerning the Mahdi. I believe that Satan planted these prophetic time-bombs long ago to prepare a people to receive his man, the Antichrist when the time came.
Any claim that I or anyone else equates Islamic prophecy with the Bible is just plain foolish and an obvious distortion. I place absolutely zero prophetic value on a single Islamic prophecy. But this is not to say that one cannot observe the Satanic hand in these things, to set-up a people for his end time purposes. Even as Satan has filled the Islamic world with hatred of the Jews, so also has he filled this part of the world with an expectation concerning a savior figure, an end time man who will lead them to victory against the Jews.
In the end, only belief in Jesus matters. I fully agree. But to act as though what 670,000,000 people who surround Israel doesn’t matter is outright silly. Belief precedes and produces action. All that is necessary is for Satan to send forth his man and there is a whole world ready to receive him with open arms.
Sean, Rapture Forums, let me also address one of your concerns by stating very clearly that I have never claimed to be a prophet. It’s both laughable and sad that I would even need to address this. Do I believe that God has a calling on me to be a teacher? Yes. Do I believe that God is calling me to teach on prophecy? Yes. But I am certainly no prophet.
Finally, all that I have ever expected from you my brothers is to be treated as a brother, as we all seek together to warn the Body of Christ and to eagerly watch and pray for the soon coming of our LORD Jesus.
Peace and Blessings
Let me make an analogy, in order to understand the power behind a massive belief system, such as Islamic Mahdism.
In Genesis 11, the whole earth had one language and speech. These people journeyed and stop and in the land of Sinar. They decided to build a city, a tower whose top is in the heavens, and make a name for the selves, with the objective to not be scattered abroad the face of the earth. We know the rest of the story, God came down and confused their language for them to be scattered over the face of all the earth. God said: “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do, now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them”.
This is an interesting phrase, “nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them”. Because of the full agreement and unity in the purpose of building this city and tower so they would not be scattered, if God wouldn’t have interfered they would have achieved their goal. Now wait a second, would they build a tower a hundreds of miles high? Of course not. It’s just not possible. At that time they did not know that. But, the point is, they believed in a ridiculous claim that if they would continue to build and build and build they would reach the heavens (whatever they understood about heavens at the time). Would only a few believe in it, would they have started to build the tower? I guess not. It was needed much unity and agreement and a strong belief system to fulfill their desire. They had one purpose, one language, one speech. That’s what it needs.
The same could be understood with Islamic Mahdism. There is a very strong indoctrinated belief system of a coming of a (false) messiah figure to the Muslim world. We know now that almost half of the Muslim population not only believes in this doctrine, but also believe it could come about in couple of years, at least within a span of a lifetime. When this percentage reaches any level in order that the Muslim community would have one purpose, one language and one speech, surely they will attempt to achieve their goal, which is the emerging of the Mahdi (their messiah), if by claim or appointment. And believe me, if anyone is really paying attention to the Muslim community around the world he could see that Islam is growing in numbers and importance within the nations. Take US for an example, 10, 20 years ago, would US citizens be concerned about the growing Islamic faith within their borders? Very few. Nowadays, this is one of the major concerns in the land.
Did the peoples of Genesis 11 achieve their goal? They did start building the tower, but did not achieve their goal of reaching the heavens. God intervened with His hand and made a stop to it. The same with the Islamic Mahdi, who is not really the Mahdi, but is actually the Antichrist. Will he rise and come about? Yes. But will he achieve his goal to subjugate the whole world to Islam? No. God will again intervene, sending the Son of Man to fully destroy the works of the evil one.
Perry Brown
“Joel” and Perry, while well stated about the united hatred and Satanically orchestrated threat of Islam against Israel is indeed a very real present concern today, you continue to miss the crucial prophetic event of the Gog-Magog Battle of Ezekiel 38-39 that will soon end the Islamic threat before the Antichrist even comes on the scene. Islam’s days are numbered well before the Antichrist’s empire. I understand your argument that Gog-Magog is Armageddon, which we at L&L have written extensively on their differences. Because you leave that crucial prophecy out and many others, your desire to “sit at our table” cannot happen because you and Walid are already sitting in an entirely different room.
As for you and Dr. Reagan, Joel, you two can work that out, and I thought already had. You’ve got to like everyone else in this field be able to let your work take criticism and then just brush it off, for if we didn’t we’d all end up as emotional basket cases yearning for acceptance that will never come.
God bless you in your endeavors to bring Muslims to Christ!
Joel,
I concur completely with Nathan’s just submitted response to your reply to our shared concerns.
Asking for your “Islamic Antichrist” to have equal standing with the prophecy of Gabriel identifying the Antichrist as coming from Rome is something I will never, ever agree to accept.
Also, there is also no need whatsoever to warn the Bride of Christ about some non-existent islamic myth. As Nathan has just explained to you, Islam will not exist by the time the 70th Week begins. More importantly, the Bride of Christ will have been taken from this earth in the Harpazo prior to the advent of the 70th Week.
I also wish you Godspeed in converting muslims to Christ!
God Bless,
Sean
Sean, & Nathan,
Thanks for your comments. Concerning Gog and Magog, in my new book, I address this passage quite comprehensively. If either of you would like one of my new books, I would be happy to send one along. Just drop me an e-mail.
Blessings.
Joel,
From reading your comments it still appears that you don’t really understand that it does not matter what 675,000,000 moslems are sitting around waiting for! I believe that you think it is important because you need it to matter for your “new theory” to take shape and to fit your big picture you are trying to paint.
Neither does it matter what 100% of Scientologists believe about some imaginary spaceship. In fact, many religions out there have some sort of belief about the end times and how they will play out. But none of them are able to even be considered next to the prophecies of the Holy Bible which is the inspired word of God. Doing so is a great error and a way to confuse people, especially those new in the faith. If we are going to listen to the Islamics and their prophecies, are we going to give any credibility to the Catholics and their prophecies?
In your response you said “nevermind Biblical prophecy for a moment” and then you resorted to placing Islamic prophecy on or of greater status than the Holy Bible. Again, it doesn’t matter what millions of moslems think! The point has been made repeatedly that the “Mahdi” simply doesn’t exist and nothing is going to play out the way the Islamists think, in fact if anything, it will confirm what the Bible says. The Bible, the authority for Christians, does not even mention anything about an Islamic Antichrist. The Bible is crystal clear that the Antichrist will rise from the ethnic nationality of the people who destroyed the Jerusalem and the Temple in 70AD. This was clearly the Romans as all of history records. More indepth analysis on this points is available here:
http://www.raptureforums.com/FeaturedCommentary/themythofanislamicantichrist.cfm
I will agree with you that Islam will have a role to play in Bible prophecy, however, it will not be the role that you believe it will play. You see, Islam is “rising” today after being “dormant” for the most part since it’s inception because the prophecies concerning Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38-39, etc. need the Islamics to rise up in order for God’s plan to have the whole world know that he is once again in the affairs of men. God does this by Ezekiel 38-39 when he says:
Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.
Here the Islamists will find out that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the real God. Allah will be handed the “smackdown” that will help the world finally unite under a one world religion until the mid point of the tribulation period when the AC, indwelt by Satan, will demand worship for himself. Islam is nothing but a deception until the Satan makes his move. Islam is merely a deception for God’s greater plan to unfold. Your belief that people are going to climb on board a defeated religion and it’s “Mahdi” is just ridiculous to me. It’s not what the Bible says so it’s not going to happen.
Joel, your errors in understanding prophecy are just as bad as Walid’s teachings! He for one teaches that the AC and FP are one and the same. He further goes on to suggest that the “mark of the beast” is the “bandanas” that the terrorists wear on their heads and arms. Finally, he says the “mark of the beast” is not 666, but instead 616. These teachings are just so wrong, I don’t even know where to begin with them. Which is probably why I tossed them straight into the theological dustbin! The same is true for this “Islamic Antichrist” teaching! God gave a monumental clue when he said the origin of the AC would come from the “people who destroyed the temple and city”. This as I said before was the Romans. All of history has recorded that. Only you and a hand full of other mistaken individuals believe otherwise! The history books are on our side. they are no friend of the “Islamic Antichrist” theory.
But in the end Joel, I don’t expect you to listen to any of this. Why? Because you are too heavily invested to admit that you are wrong! You’d have to admit your were wrong, refund however much money you’ve taken in from these books, and then repent and start teaching the truth as the Holy Bible says. I agree with Sean and Nathan, that there is simply no place for such “newspaper exegesis” to be shared at the sound and biblical prophecy table! As one of them said, you are in a different room, perhaps even in a different state altogether. It is impossible!
However, despite all of this we can agree to disagree. I do wish you well in your efforts to reach moslems for Christ. The Bible says that only a few will find the truth (narrow gate – Jesus), but that most will not (broad gate to destruction) which is another reason why it doesn’t matter what the end times beliefs are of some 675,000,000 moslems. They are deceived and anyone else following their beliefs is also deceived.
Good luck with leading moslems to Christ.
God bless.
Chris
Chris,
Thanks for your e-mail. For what it is worth, my commitment is to always acknowledge when I am wrong. I have done so many times on this blog, and will likely do so many more times. However, I think that if you are truly open to the truth, then after examining the facts concerning Roman history and Daniel 9:26, you will reconsider your view. The Roman interpretation of this passage is simply unsupportable while its support of a Middle Eastern Antichrist is watertight. If you would like a copy of my new book, please drop me an e-mail, I’d be happy to send one out.
Blessings to you!
Joel,
I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I know the history of the Romans and Daniel 9:26 and there’s not one iota of support for an Islamic Antichrist! I addressed that in my article link above from my site! The Western Europe Antichrist teaching is water tight as history records:
The Antichrist cannot be Islamic. He will come from the same genetic stock as his prophetic forerunner, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Macedonian-Greek European. His ethnicity will be in exact fulfillment of Daniel 9:26b. Everybody knows that the Roman legions which destroyed the 2nd Temple and the city of Jerusalem were Legio X Fretensis (from the Straits of Messina between the Italian mainland and Sicily), Legio V Macedonica (which obviously was from Macedonia), and Legio XV Apollinaris which was stationed on the Danube River near what is present day Austria and Slovenia. These Roman legions were all staffed by Roman (European) citizen soldiers from the lowest all the way up the chain of command to General Titus Flavius Vespasianus.
Thank you for the offer of your book, but I’ll decline.
God bless you.
Chris
Sorry to be the one to break the news to you, but Europe does NOT matter and it never has. Europe (and America) is not in the Bible and CANNOT be forced no matter how hard one may try.
I don’t understand why so many Bible teachers are obsessed with the Roman Empire. It wasn’t a homegeneous people and almost every element of it was stolen from Greek civilization. It was, in fact, far more Greek than Italian.
The war of Gog-Magog is the ‘war of Armaggedon’. Even though the war of Armaggedon is a misnomer (it’s properly the war of Jerusalem, Armaggedon is ONLY the gathering place).
Nathan Jones seems like a real classy guy to come to this blog and belittle Mr. Richardson as if he was a fool. I have never been to the lamblion website because I DON’T CARE to read his outdated and irrelevant ramblings about Europe.
PS. I hope it works for Mr. Jones and Mr. Regan to tell the Islamic hordes that they don’t exist anymore whilst being beheaded for Allah. Although, I highly suspect that they, like many other ‘Christian teachers’, will be so unprepared for the event that they convert to Islam fairly quickly.
Chris from Rapture Forums
Also a classy individual. Won’t even read a complimentary book because it doesn’t fit into his narrative of the world. But don’t worry he already knows “the history of the Romans and Daniel 9:26”, so he is an expert at all things Biblical.
Wonder how many times he would have to have corrected the apostle Paul, or even Jesus Christ, during their ministry.
I’m not trying to be difficult, just think about this for a moment. How many times have you read in the New Testament when the Pharisees are mocking Jesus and insulting Him because of His teachings.
There are so many modern day ‘Pharisees’, it is ridiculous. They teach doctrines of devils and traditions of men as if it were scriptural fact. It is such lazy academia, one wonders if they have even read the Bible, or just hunt and peck for flashy scriptures while ignoring the majority of them to support their views.
It’s a good thing 98% of them are just the same recycled garbage that’s been taught for hundreds, even thousands of years, or else you’d have to sell your cloths to buy their books and dvd’s to find out God’s plan of salvation.
That’s really why so many ‘teachers’ attack people like Mr. Richardson and Mr. Shoebat. They are scared they might loose sales. It’s no wonder that so many people think Christianity is a joke or that it contradicts itself.
Unlike certain Bible scholars, I have never published a book. Therefore, it is immensely difficult to help people understand what the Bible teaches when their heads are filled with nonsense like European Unions and Italian antichrists. This is why I thank God for Joel Richardson being a good resource. Keep up the great work, sir.
I wish to speak to all of the people who continue to rebut Joel’s assertion the AntiChrist will be Islamic. I have just finished digesting Joel’s new book, “Mideast Beast” which simply DOES present an air tight case FOR an Islamic AntiChrist. Please, please DO accept/order a copy of Joel’s book,”Mideast Beast”. You cannot in good conscience reject his thesis without reading this book. After studying the “Islamic AntiChrist” I was more than convinced Joel had discovered real truth. Now, after reading “Mideast Beast”, there is no doubt in my mind that THIS IS THE TRUTH. I have studied Bible prophesy for 44 years and am no novice in the study. PLEASE read Joel’s latest book! THEN come back and reply. Carol Tandy
Nathan and all euro paradigm loyalist forgot to take into consideration that this is prophecy and thus goes with the times and can be adjusted. It isn’t a salvation issue that we should hold it dogmatically. For their stubborn position for an antichrist after Islam its unthinkable that billion of moslems around the world will suddenly give up their zeal for allah to another one. That’s pretty much underestimating the faith of these people and Islam as a strong brainwashing religion. Europe is getting islamized, radicalism is on the rise. These people are very hard to convert that’s why it takes the Lord to reveal himself in visions in order for them to change their hearts. And yet you are here hoping for some new age miracle-working illuminati that will displace allah and muhammad from the minds of moslems?? Thats utterly non sense and blatantly unrealistic
“Accuser in Christ”…er…”Brother in Christ” I hate to be the one to tell you this but you don’t have a clue as to what you are spewing out of your mouth! Read my last post and you will see the entire “Islamic Antichrist” theory go up in flames!
But I doubt that would help at all as you have shown that you have absolutely no reading comprehension skills whatsoever. Otherwise you would not have been such an arrogant imbecile to reply like you did! What a classy guy! Not!
You people sit out on the fringes of the Bible prophecy community and keep beleiving fairy tales of Islamic domination in the world. This nonsense is completely incompatiable with the Bible!
And don’t worry, I haven’t written any books so I’m always open to sound and biblical arguments I Bible prophecy. But I’m not open to theories diduced from kindergarten level reading comprehension nor theories developed for the latest newspaper headlines! However it seems that you are Mr Brother in Christ!
I bet you are one that doesn’t believe in a pre-trib rapture either. That’s clearly another strike against your reading abilities. I did take the pre-trib rapture view because that was what was taught to me, it is from reading God’s word. I was 35 and didn’t even know what the rapture was. But after 7 years of serious study and applying Dr. Coopers Golden Rule of Interpretation any one with a brain can see that we are not destined for wrath.
Furthermore, I hate to break it to you, but Gog/Magog is not Armageddon. In Ezekiel 38-39 the countries involved in the conflict are mainly Islamic and are listed. In Armageddon the entire world comes to fight. So there is absolutely no way they can be one and the same. Again, it comes down to reading comprehension skills which you have amply demonstrated that you have none.
Read the Bible and put down the newspapers. You’ll develop better theology that way.
God bless.
I am going to step in here and say that any further negative comments on this post will be rejected for obvious reasons.
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” —1 Corinthians 13:1-2
God bless you, Joel. I love your books and teachings and I truly believe the Lord has entrusted you with wisdom regarding the last days. I thank you and will continue to stand with you in prayer. God bless you!
Again, I reiterate: Please do not berate Joel and his stance until you READ his very detailed scriptural argument for an Islamic AntiChrist! How can you evaluate something you haven’t taken the time or trouble to investigate? Thank you, Joel, for your cool head and loving attitude regarding the unkind and unwarranted comments you have received. I STILL greatly appreciate and endorse your books!
Joel, You were right not to argue with these guys. They each have exposed themselves with their childishness and outright arrogance. Truly shameful. Just keep on keeping on. You are really changing a lot of people’s views and opening a lot of people’s eyes. I for one truly appreciate the revelation that your teaching has brought to me and my group. May the Lord bless you and your family!
I believe that there is a very severe discrediting in Joel’s, Walid’s and Joe Farah’s future when Islam is destroyed as Bible prophecy declares it will be prior to the 70th Week.
The devoid-of-the-Holy Spirit aspect of such teaching and efforts will be laid bare. The consequences of this false teaching will be painful.
Joel,
Anyone like myself who has been watching Islamic Jihadists over the last few decades, especially since 1980, knows how dangerous a period we are entering.
I first became a Bible student in 1980. I have two degrees one in theology and one in Ministry, not to big note myself, but to show I am not uneducated. I have never been comfortable with the Roman or American Antichrist theories for a number of reasons, the main one being they don’t mar up with apocalyptic texts outside Daniel and Revelation (which is always dangerous in my opinion). I came to the conclusion of an Islamic Antichrist in the 1990s. While you haven’t given me the revelation, you are one of a growing list of authors who have certainly reinforced my view with your sound exegesis and research. Well done.
Keep up the good work.
Sean Osbourne, I see nothing substanstial in those link articles in your site. They are just your opinions without any real scripture or support. There’s nothing new in those arguments that I haven’t seen before. You are obviously desperate and devoid of the Holy Spirit, only speaking ill of this teaching and its main proponents. As I said study of end time prophecy goes with the times and therefore can be adjusted. You should be open and not so dogmatic. This isn’t salvation. If Joel is proposing another God, another Jesus then that’s false teaching. But labeling an alternative prophetic paradigm as false teaching is absurd. It only smacks of fanaticism and dogmatism in your part.
my friends. if you read the history of religions and holy books in the all of this books telling us and prediction from coming a man who can destroy cruelty in the world . and now with the cruelties in the around the world that we can see them this event needed . in your opinion the crimes of daesh group dont need to trial ????. this is an example and a lot of other crimes that is doing now in the world . i dont say coming is close but it is the fact. i am a muslim but i have some information from the other religions. in the christianity training that we also belief that say us from the son of man this name is different from son of god. the first is mahdi and the second is jesus christ . we also belive that both of them will come . they will destroy the cruelty in the world and will build global governance based is justice. and we are waiting from . but we are not without duty . we are fighting injustice and cruelty . this text is just to know true islam.