Will the real Anti-Christ please stand up.

Last year I bought a new car. It was my first car totally researched and purchased online! There was a large amount of time browsing websites... one site in particular. It contained a vast amount of resources pertaining to a choice of vehicle... options beyond number. But, as the search continued, my mind was captivated! What, at first, was endless, extraneous detail transformed into dreams of driving long pleasurable stretches of sunny highways. By the time I purchased the car I had already driven it many miles in my mind.

All that is to say:
Although we may enjoy rambling over an occasional prophetic detail there is a common goal to which I want to press. This destination is the TRUE agenda of this blog! Stated simply... I entreat you to awaken the Maranatha call in your hearts. Endless wrangling over words never produced a fruitful life. But, a heart set on the soon-coming of our Lord Jesus Christ WILL be blessed!

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Back to the promised topic!

The Anti-Christ. The Pope? Barak Obama? Ted Turner? Some yet-to-be-indentified European leader?

Let's get one thing straight. The term "antiChrist" is found only in 1st & 2nd John.

>1 John 2:18
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.
>1 John 2:22
Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
>1 John 4:3
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
>2 John 1:7
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

These passages do not seem to be pointing to a specific person, but rather a "type" of person. They speak of a false teaching that has been around since the resurrection. It says, "Jesus was just a man. No one special. Certainly NOT God." It should be noted, though, THE AntiChrist will be the embodiment of these heresies.

What we refer to as AntiChrist comes with other names.

> The Beast, Revelation 19:20
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

> The Man of Sin. 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

> The Prince who is to come, Daniel 9:26
And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

> Or, just a pretender Christ. Matthew 24:23
Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them.

... and other passages.

I, like many (like all?) before me cannot claim an air-tight case for my thinking. Much of the Book is sealed until the end. But, it is my contention that as the end approaches a world of detail will become clear and the road will become increasingly apparent with each passing week.

My case, as it is...

I think that the Anti-Christ (as I'll call him) is right under our nose and right at the door. He comes from a direction which no one suspects. The Moslem world. If you are not aware of it... the Islamic "Mahdi" (read, Messiah) is the vibrant expectation of the world of Islam. The Mahdi is prophecied and his return is considered imminent by millions of Moslems. The focal point of the excitement is the nation of... (you guessed it?) Persia! Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, political leader of present-day Persia, has been fervently predicting Mahdi's appearance for several years now. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad)

Joel Rosenberg's blog sums it up nicely.

"Ahmadinejad, after all, believes it is his GOD-GIVEN MISSION to annihilate the U.S., Israel and Judeo-Christian civilization as we know. Why? To create the conditions that will bring the ISLAMIC MESSIAH known as the MAHDI or the "12th Imam" to earth. Ahmadinejad is not just another power-hungry dictator in the mold of the Soviet or Chinese leaders of yore. He is a Shia Islamic fascist. He believes his life DESTINY is to kill millions of Jews and Christians and usher in an Islamic caliphate. He believes HE IS A JOHN-THE-BAPTIST, A FORERUNNER, OF THE ISLAMIC MESSIAH. If he dies, he believes he will spend eternity in paradise with 72 virgins. But he doesn't really believe he's going to die. He believes HE HAS BEEN CHOSEN for a divine appointment, and that nothing can stop him." http://joelrosenberg.blogspot.com/
The caps above are mine.

Joel and many others have written a lot about Ahmadinejad and the 12th Imam, but none have drawn, what I believe is, a reasonable conclusion. The Beast comes from Islam.

Impossible? Live with it awhile. Objections? Okay, let's cover the biggest.

It is said: "AntiChrist comes from the re-united Roman Empire"
The root of this comes from the statue in Daniel 2. Let me say that we know for sure who the head is. After that, it is all speculation. Speculation by sincere men who have tried to figure out God's plans. And the further down the great statue you go, the greater the speculation.

There is a pertinent point, though. If you believe that we are in the last days, the days of the "toes", I find it fascinating that this group of (10?) nations have some very interesting markers. They are a mixture of power (iron) and no power (clay). Specifically, Daniel 2:43: "And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery."

Now, say that again... a group of nations of which some have great power (money?, influence?, world reach?) and some have none (poverty? third-world? disenfranchised?)... they combine in some sort of agreement for world domination but still squabble a lot. They've got the world on a string but still can't get along! What is it with these guys? Blood-feuds? Old unsettled scores? Or, are they just eaten up with anger and hatred! Is there any group of nations on earth like this today?
I think there is.

In conclusion:
The age-old master demon of Persia reasserts himself into the endtime scenario. Having prepared his armies for millinnea he raises up the expectation of the imminent return of the 12th Imam, the Mahdi/Messiah/Christ of over 1.5 billion Moslems. The stoneage character of much of the Arabic/Islamic world is transformed almost overnight as the discovery of oil washes across the MidEast in waves of incalculable wealth. Oil-producing nations sit at the same table with those that have none. Cadillacs and camels share the roads while a little man in Persia predicts that Mahdi is at the door. And when he comes... all things Moslem will be fulfilled. And that's NOT good.

So, you're thinking... "The non-Moslem world would NEVER follow a Moslem Messiah!!"

Oh, yeah?! Let's talk about that.

Anti-Christ may have a new address!

Where do I begin...

It started some years ago in the book of Daniel. With my deepest spiritual partner, my wife, we read once again the amazing passage from chapter 10.

10:10 Then behold, a hand touched me(Daniel) and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, "O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you " And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.
12Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.
13"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia."

That is some rich reading!! The salutation to Daniel... the preceeding mourning and fasting... the appearance of the angel(?)... Wow!! And after all that... he pulls back the veil for a tantalizing glimpse of the unseen realm!

> the existence of one called "the Prince of Persia (Iran)"...

> a twenty-one day struggle with this demonic power that resulted with the chief prince, Michael, interceeding... (NOTE: this Persian Prince is unthinkably potent!)

> and some guys called "the kings of Persia" just hangin' around.

My sweetheart and I (let's call her Wilderness Sweetheart (WS) began to think about this Prince of Persia and made note of a couple of things.
(NOTE: Some of the following is speculation! But, it is SINCERE speculation.) ;)

First, the cradle of civilization, and indeed the commonly held location of Eden lie in the footprint of Persia. We wondered, in light of present day evils, if this "assigned" demon-power, the Prince of Persia, was STILL in power and at work in the region? Was the "first lieutenant" of the Father of Lies still standing watch in ancient Mesopotamia/Persia? Could this particularly strong demon be the earliest of evangelists of lies, deceit, murder and crimes against nature?

And, IF the Prince of Persia HAD been in control of the same region of the world for 6000-plus years... How would that part of the world look today? What would the culture exposed to his lies and deceit look like? What would their religion teach? Would their cities and schools and places of worship somehow reflect a deeply deceptive and violent nature? Would they have a special hatred for those who did not believe as they did? Believers in the true God?!

There is no doubt. Satan has a plan for the subjugation of the whole world. But, THIS Prince... the Prince of Persia,... One who comes from the very beginning of war with Almighty God... has been the malevolent puppeteer of a specific, key population for thousands of years!! I think they are standing before us today. I think that the Prince of Persia is crouching with them. Waiting.

Life is full of surprises!

Back in the 50s and 60s the most often heard prediction of anti-Christ was that he was the Pope.
The Catholic church was Mystery Babylon and Rome was the capitol of the 10-nation revived Roman Empire.

By the 70s and later, the picture had changed slightly. The anti-Christ had become a powerful, charismatic, political, economic leader that would come out of Europe (10-nation revived, etc.) who would make a peace pact with Israel, leading the world into promised peace. This view is still predominant.

Both theories were reasonable in their time and way, keeping in mind that they were the product of sincere men who were trying to figure out what the scripture was saying... attempts that can be moderately accurate or wildly off-target. As for myself, I was sure that Ted Turner was the false prophet and had a long list of reasons to back it up! Oh well. Just another sincere man.

But, there have been some unexpected pieces of the puzzle that have appeared in recent years. While we were waiting for the "man of sin"... Islamic fundamentalism, with over a billion strong Moslems in quiet acquiescence, exploded into a fanatical threat unlike any of the past. Hey! None of the old-line eschatologists mentioned these guys?! This doesn't fit into the old prophetical framework. Or, does it?

I think it may be a perfect fit! (But, remember. I'm just a sincere man.)

Intro to Biblical Scenarios...

Like a Kansas Indian of the old west I have had my ear to the rails for many years listening for the sound of an oncoming train. A train that must come. A train that is prophesied.
As a young man of 20 the train remained at a great distance, throwing up a lot of steam and, at times, getting a lot of attention because of it's faint sound and fury. But now, standing at the entrance of 60 years old, things have changed. They have intensified. The steel in the rails is alive with vibration and shudder.
Look now! Is that the outline of a locomotive in the distance? Yes. It is bearing down on us with it's stack billowing and it's smoke almost erasing the image before it can define itself.

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