At the risk of angering my fellow Christians, I’m not looking at this in terms of the Anti-Christ, or Biblical prophecy. While I am INTERESTED in how everything lines up, I take very seriously the idea that no man will know the hour. So I don’t try to know.
Too many people have foretold the end of the world in their generation, and all of them were wrong. I don’t get mixed up in that.
HOWEVER... you have a good point. The kind of people we’re talking about are so EASILY swayed. It’s terrifying. And they’ve bought into the lies of Islam with such fervor!
Part of me knows I have to cut ties with them. The other part isn’t ready to. Eventually that choice will be made FOR me, I guess.
While no man knows, we are instructed to watch and understand unfolding events. And we are given powerful prophecy and are charged with seeking to understand it ("Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast").
But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch...Rev 3:3
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
RE: dealing with people with opposing beliefs...a few weeks ago I had a FaceBook discussion with a distant cousin, regarding Glenn Beck “wishing someone was dead” or some such nonsense. She started the discussion by posting an article that totally skewed everything he’d said on that program. I was polite and FACTUAL in my response...she and several of her friends ranted and raved with propoganda—no facts, just the “other” side’s “talking points.” I replied one more time, answering each of their accusations with facts...and no one else responded.
I was surprised (and a little disappointed—I wanted to debate!) that they didn’t even debate any more...when facts were presented, apparently they were lost.
I don’t believe that everyone on “the other side” will just fold in the face of facts, but I was very surprised she did. I just realized yesterday that she “un-friended” me...
So my friendly (unasked for) advice is to continue to present facts. There’s always a chance the person will at least think about what you’ve said...and the friendship (”friendship”?) will either survive or not. We can and should be “salt and light” but if people are not willing to listen or consider the facts, that is up to them.