Posted on 02/28/2003 10:11:09 AM PST by John H K
Many Evangelical Christians in America are watching events unfold in the Middle East with great interest, seeing in the preparations for war the possible unfolding of the End-Times scenario predicted in the Bible. A small segment of ultraorthodox Judaism shares an apocalyptic vision, centering around rebuilding the Temple on Mount Zion (where the Islamic Dome of the Rock Shrine and al-Aqsa mosque, now sit). What many Americans don't realize, though, is that Islam also has an eschatological endgame, and that like any Left Behind-reading American, many Muslims see current events as a run-up to their own version of Armageddon.
Islam derives its Last-Days scenario from the Koran, which appeared centuries after the Christian Bible — a fact that for non-Muslims could account for elements of Christian and Jewish prophecy appearing in the Koranic text. Particularly since the mid-1980s, modern interpreters within Islam cast the Arab-Israeli conflict, and more broadly, the conflict between Islam and the West, as part of the cosmic conflict that will mean the end of history and the ultimate triumph of Islam. David Cook, a Rice University scholar of Muslim apocalypticism, sketches below the main themes of Islamic End-Times prophecy, and its ramifications:
Rod Dreher: What are the main beliefs of Islamic eschatology?
David Cook: Referring to Sunni Islam, the principal beliefs are:
1)There are a series of signs or portents previous to the end: moral and social decay, natural and cosmic disasters, and political events that will demonstrate in an incontrovertible manner that the end is about to happen.
2) A tempter, or Antichrist, called the Dajjal will appear and lead the world (with the exception of true Muslims) astray. Almost everyone will be subject to his tribulations, but just before he succeeds in annihilating the Muslims, Jesus will come down from the heavens and kill him.
3) There will be a messianic age, led by either Jesus or another messianic figure called the Mahdi. This latter figure will conquer the entire world and convert everyone to Islam.
4) After the time of the Mahdi, then Gog and Magog [cf. Ezekiel 38, 39; the Islamic version goes by the name Yajuj and Majuj] will invade the world and destroy it. 5) God will bring the world to an end.
Dreher: What sort of Muslim tends to make Islamic End-Times prophecy central to his piety?
Cook: Usually one without much hope in the likelihood that there will be positive changes that will benefit Islam in the immediate future. Such people can oftentimes be attracted by an apocalyptic, destroy-it-all framework or long for the messianic age.
Dreher: How popular is apocalypticism at the present moment among Middle Eastern Muslims?
Cook: In certain areas, quite popular. Radical Muslims (followers of or sympathizers with al Qaeda) have responded to their setbacks during the recent past by publishing large numbers of apocalypses, and mahdi scenarios. Among Palestinians, apocalyptic speculations are also quite prominent. I think that apocalypse as a genre has become less popular in Egypt than it was 3-4 years ago, however, and Algerian radicals no longer use apocalyptic motifs either.
Dreher: If one is reading current events through the lens of contemporary Islamic prophecy, what will one see?
Cook: Many of the apocalyptic wars before the appearance of the Dajjal speak of Christian powers invading Muslim lands. This is the interpretation of the [seemingly imminent] Iraq war. The Dajjal is said to be a Jew, and will blaspheme the area of Jerusalem. Ariel Sharon is usually made to fit that bill. Among radical Muslims, the Mahdi is oftentimes said to be either Mullah Omar or in some cases Osama bin Laden. One of the traditions says: "The Prophet of Allah promised us a raid on India" which is widely cited by Pakistani radicals.
Dreher: Given the central role the Temple Mount plays in the End-Times beliefs of certain fervent Jews, Christians, and Muslims, what kind of trouble might we see there in the event of Middle Eastern war?
Cook: Right now the Temple Mount is effectively closed. It will probably always be the center of scary predictions and fears for Muslims as long as Israel has any power or influence in the region, but I don't foresee any necessary reason why the Temple Mount should be a focus. Most of the material published now speaks of wars and apocalypses on a grand scale; the materials on the Temple Mount were all because of the fear that Israel would rebuild the Temple in the year 2000 (perhaps contributing to the explosion of the second Intifada during Sept. 2000).
Dreher: In the secular West, we tend to discount the role religious visions play in driving or at least shaping world affairs. If you were advising the president on what he could do to avoid provoking unnecessarily Muslims who believe strongly in Islamic prophecy, what would you tell him?
Cook: I would tell him to convert to Islam if I were trying to get him to avoid provoking Muslims who believe strongly in Islamic prophecy. There is probably no other way to avoid provoking them. For them, Bush is easily cast into the role of Pharaoh, the Dajjal (for those who aren't satisfied with Sharon as the one). He is usually referred to as the Hubal (the name of a pre-Islamic idol) of this age, which signifies that there is no chance to mollify this type of people.
Dreher: It doesn't matter whether or not a particular prophetic vision is true; what matters is how it affects the actions of those who do believe it's true. With that in mind, what kind of problems could Islamic apocalypticism pose for the United States as it attempts to foment governmental and society change on Middle Eastern populations through force?
Cook: The basic problem is that our actions could, in the perception of large numbers of the population, coincide with apocalyptic interpretations. If this is the case then it will serve to radicalize people, and raise the stakes that much higher for the apocalyptic groups. If they view the situation (or perhaps I should say if enough of them, or enough of those placed in the right place) as an apocalyptic one, then they will respond accordingly.
Dreher: I guess what I'm getting at with this last question is this: How cooperative will Islamic populations be with the forces of a man, George W. Bush, whom they may see as their version of the Antichrist?
Cook: It depends upon the issue of perceived victory, I think. No one challenges the victory of the U.S. in Afghanistan because it was complete (more or less) and legitimate (or perhaps legitimized by the new Afghan government). If that is perceived to be the case in Iraq, then the result could be exactly the opposite. What should not happen is for something to drag out; in hindsight that was the problem with both the Oslo negotiations and the blockade of Iraq. They were lengthy and people forgot the original reasons why they were the way they were, and then allowed themselves to be swayed by radical and apocalyptic interpretations of events.
Yes. They can pick someone who thinks there's no tomorrow, and give him a vial of ebola or a dirty nuke.
Darn! I though he was a Pisces...
I laid out a couple of clues that someone could follow if they're really interested in proving to themselves that December 25 is the exact date of conception and September 29 is the exact date of birth.
Or God Himself has selected you to be His agent in destroying eeeeeevil on earth...
Me? I'm just lazy...
Or if you're an atheist, you can rationalize the murder of 60 million as in the Soviet Union by Stalin. Why not, we're all just temporary biological systems. Once a person is dead, it doesn't matter that he ever lived according to atheist philosophy.
The fish god that was all over the place back then? The Dogon referred to it as the Nommo. The Ninevehns worshipped the same "being". He got around.
I am today.
Personally, when I hear "Black Flag" I think of that brand of bug spray (which if you lived in south Florida you would know what I'm talking about), and I would like to use some bug spray on these al-Qaedic bugs.
An interesting factoid is that people who wear black turbans are entitled to do so because they are "descendants of the Prophet Mohammed". Now, considering that
the false-prophet Mohammed had 11 wives at any given time (and I have seen a list of 23 women he was married to in toto) inluding the little 6-year-old girl Alyesha;
AND that he owned 28 slaves, 17 of whom were women;
AND that he also probably had a number of concubines;
AND that he was not above raping other women and was well-known for his energy;
..... I am surprised that we don't see all 1,000,000,000 Muslims wearing black turbans.
Here's how I would answer your question.
The prophecies are that there will be a great evil called the Dajjal who will, through seduction or arms, nearly succeed in taking over the globe -- but will be unable to take Mecca and Medina. The Mahdi and his army will rise up and do battle with the the Dajjal, his army, and his followers. They will kill every last one of them. Any non-Muslims who have good hearts will now convert and become Muslims. The entire world will be peaceful and prosperous under the just rule of the Mahdi. Some hadith say for 7 years, some for up to 40 years. After the Mahdi dies, then comes Judgment Day.
'Isa (the Muslim version of Jesus) fights at the right hand of the Mahdi during the battle, and is subordinate to the Mahdi. He rebukes and maybe kills all the Trinitarians, and levels all the churches.
The relevant point to your question is that, instead of waiting for a real one-eyed, world-conquering, miracle-performing giant to show up, many mullahs have decided that the miracle-performing is an allegory for the marvels of Western science and technology, that the world-conquering is the pervasiveness of Western culture, and that the one-eyedness is that pyramid on the back of the dollar bill.
They don't have to "fulfill" the prophecies. The prophecies have been fulfilled all on their own (to them). All they have to do is enlist at the recruitment station to join the Mahdi's army, and then go out and kill some infidels.
And if they die during the battle as martyrs, they go immediately to Paradise.
So why shouldn't they sign up?
Well, according to their prophecies we do.
But I suspect that things might not go exactly as outlined in the Hadith.
There will still be millennialist terrorists, but we must try to marginalize them, and make it harder for them to recruit. --This cannot be done until Americans learn what this Qiyamah / Mahdi / Dajjal scenario is all about!
____________
* A major problem with trying to tell them the Dajjal and Mahdi will appear far in the future is that a great medieval scholar named al-Suyuti wrote a treatise predicting that Judgment Day would occur in the Muslim year 1500 AH. His book has recently been mass-published and is very popular.
But we have to try to mainstream as many of them as possible, and minimize the pool of potential terrorists.
I'm not sure about September 29.
I would be real sure of the Feast of Booths ; where the Jews enter their temporary dwellings as in the desert during the Exodus.
The Seven Festivals Of The Messiah
I agree with your timing from Luke.
I suggest that the L-rd was conceived on Hanukah , when the Light entered the world.
Matthew 23:39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say,
`Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" [Psalm 118:26]
Barukh haba b'Shem Adonai
Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord
Y'shua HaMashiach
chuck <truth@YeshuaHaMashiach>
666
Revelation 13
16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.
Calculate/count, from where?
From the Crucifixion/Resurrection that's where.
Why Didn't the Red Ribbon on the Head of the Scapegoat Turn White in 30 C.E.?
http://www.outreachjudaism.com/Yomkippur.html
30 C.E.
30 + 666 = 696 C.E.
Abd al-Malik King of the Arabs
Abd al-Malik standardized, Arabic as the official language built the Dome of the Rock and standardized Islamic currency
dinar - An Islamic gold coin, first struck in Syria under Abd-al-Malik in AH 77 (AD 696/7), which remained the principal gold coin of the Muslim world.The term is occasionally also used for a silver coin.
dirham - The principal Islamic silver coin, first struck in AH 79 (AD 698/9).
The 'mint' of the beast
And, under his rule the Qu'ran was standardized.
Vowel points (marks) in the Qu'ran
...According to Arthur Jeffrey, "That the practice of pointing came generally accepted and consistently carried through the whole of the Codex is said to be due to activity of the famous official al-Hajjaj b. Yusif, who was perhaps the most remarkable figure in Islam during the Caliphate of 'Abd al-Malik. When we come to examine the accounts of the activity of al-Hajjaj in this matter, however, we discover to our surprise that the evidence points strongly to the fact that his work was not confined to fixing more precisely the text of the Qur`an by a set of points showing how it was to be read, but he seems to have made an entirely new revision of the Qur`an, having copies of this new text sent to the great metropolitan centres, and ordering the destruction of earlier copies in existence there, much as Uthman had done earlier." (The Quran as Scripture [New York: Books for Libraries, 1980], p.99)
Another issue which the Muslims had to deal with was variant readings. When the Quran was originally written, there were no vowel marks or diacritical points to differentiate the meanings of words. To help illustrate the kind of problems this style of writing can create in a text, we will write a sentence without vowels:
h gv hm bd
This sentence could be read in several possible ways depending on the context. For instance, it might mean "he gave him a bid" if he were a contractor, or "he gave him a bud" if he were in a florist's shop, or "he gave him a bed" if in a furniture store. This textual style gave rise to thousands of variants between the codices which were available at that time.
http://www.faithdefenders.com/sermons/islam7.html
Vowel points can compleatly alter the meaning of not only Arabic, but Hebrew as well.
Abd al-Malik is the King James of the Qu'ran.
More on Islamic currency
http://www.islamicmint.com/islamicdinar/index.html
Introducing the Islamic Dinar and Dirham Abu Bakr ibn Abi Maryam reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: "A time is certainly coming over mankind in which there will be nothing [left] which will be of use save a dinar and a dirham."
(The Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal)
1. History of the Dinar and Dirham
2. What Are the Islamic Dinar and Dirham
3. Uses of the Dinar and Dirham
4. The Zakat
5. The Future
From: History of the Dinar and Dirham
In the year 75 (695 CE) the Khalifah Abdalmalik ordered Al-Hajjaj to mint the first dirhams, thus he established officially the standard of Umar Ibn al-Khattab. In the next year he ordered the dirhams to be minted in all the regions of the Dar al-Islam. He ordered that the coins be stamped with the sentence: "Allah is Unique, Allah is Eternal". He ordered the removal of human figures and animals from the coins and that they be replaced with letters.
In the next year... 696... He ordered the coins be stamped with...
blasphemy...
Revelation 13
1 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.
Strong's #6
Hebrew for #06 Alef-Beit-Dalet Abd
Pronunciation Guide 'abad {aw-bad'}
Outline of Biblical Usage
1) perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed
a) (Qal)
1) perish, die, be exterminated
2) perish, vanish (fig.)
3) be lost, strayed
b) (Piel)
1) to destroy, kill, cause to perish, to give up (as lost), exterminate
2) to blot out, do away with, cause to vanish, (fig.)
3) cause to stray, lose
c) (Hiphil)
1) to destroy, put to death
a) of divine judgment
2) object name of kings (fig.)
Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 184AV - perish 98, destroy 62, lose 10, fail 2, surely 2, utterly 2, broken 1, destruction 1, escape 1, flee 1, spendeth 1, take 1, undone 1, void 1; 184
Strong's #11
Hebrew for 011 Alef-Beit-Dalet-Vav-Nun
Pronunciation Guide 'abaddown {ab-ad-done'}
Outline of Biblical Usage
1) place of destruction, destruction, ruin, Abaddon
Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 6AV - destruction 6; 6
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
