3g. THE MUSLIM MAHDI, “THE GUIDED ONE”
Dr. Earl Parvin
2018
“THE PROPHESIED REDEEMER OF ISLAM WHO IS TO TURN THE WORLD INTO A PERFECT ISLAMIC SOCIETY” [Islamic Eschatology]
CONTRASTED WITH
THE MESSIAH of the BIBLE
&
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
“THE PROPHESIED REDEEMER OF THE BIBLE WHO IS TO RULE THE WORLD IN A PERFECT THEOCRACY” [Christian Eschatology, Rev 20:6]
SCRIPTURE: II Thes. 1:5-12, 2:1-12
INTRODUCTION:
All doctrines of Scripture are in one or more ways counterfeited by the teachings of other religious systems. Let us consider the doctrine of Eschatology or ‘End Times’. Included are the teaching of the doctrines of the Jewish Messiah and the Second Coming of Christ, which were of great comfort to those who often were persecuted for their teaching of monotheism and virtuous living. Their worldview often brought under conviction those who lived debauched lives. Jews as well as Christians were often made scapegoats for whatever malady societies faced. God, in His great wisdom, brought comfort to those who found refuge in Him through these doctrines of the Messiah and the Second Coming. It is not surprising that these are counterfeited in Islam.
I. The Messiah of the Jews in the Old Testament was understood to be One who would come and deliver them from the wickedness of the oppressors of the nation of Israel, who were at that time in captivity in Babylon [Dnl 9:25-26]. The Hebrew word for Messiah in the OT, is translated in the Greek, as Christ, the Anointed One [footnote Matt. 2:31 NIV]. Therefore, throughout the ‘five’ Gospels, the Anointed One, the Messiah, now called the Christ [Acts 26:23], was hoped to deliver Israel from the boot of the Romans and become their reigning King [Matt 27:37]. Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders of the first century, did not understand that Christ was sent by God to be their Messiah, not to be their King, and then had HIM murdered on Calvary’s Cross [Matt 27:25], for claiming to be God [Jn 10:35]. We Christians however, understand the Scriptures to reveal that Christ’s death on the cross, although precipitated by angry clerics, who unwittingly played into God’s hand, who was preparing the True Scapegoat [Lev 16:10], the Redeemer [Is 54:5], was the price for all theirs and our sins. “He who knew no sin, became sin for us” [II Cor 5:21, I Jn 2:2].
II. The Second Coming is understood to take place in two separate events.
A. THE RAPTURE: The current age is to end with the rapture of the church, when the Messiah [Dnl 9:25-6], the Lord Jesus Christ comes to receive His Saints in the air. The dead in Christ shall rise first and then we who are alive will be caught up into the Heavens to become the Bride of Christ at His wedding feast, [Rev. 19:7,9; II Cor. 11:2; Eph 5:25; Mk 2:19; Jn 3:29]. Evidently the early Christians had some concern about those who had already died, whether they might have missed the coming of the Lord. Paul comforted them with the understanding that the dead would be raised and meet Him first, then they would join. Again the compassion of the Savior for His own is evident.
B. THE SECOND COMING: At the end of the Tribulation of seven years here on earth for those who missed the rapture, the Lord is to return with His Saints, now His Bride, to reign for a thousand years [II Th. 2:1-4]. This event was called the ‘day of the Lord’. Paul made it clear to the Saints that certain things had to happen before the Second Coming would take place. In this passage he tells them what those events would be: 1. falling away [KJV] or rebellion [NIV], 2. revelation of the ‘man of sin’, ‘son of perdition’ [KJV] or ‘man of lawlessness’, ‘man doomed to destruction’ [NIV] {v.3}, 3. he would exalt himself above God, 4. set himself up in the [tribulation] temple, 5. claim to be God {v.4}.
At this point, Paul reveals that these events of the lawless one’s meteoric self-exaltation is: (a. being held back for God’s timing [2:6], (b. ‘mystery of iniquity’ [KJV] or ‘power of lawlessness’ [NIV] is already at work [v.7], but (c. ONE holding it back will be taken out. It is understood that this ONE is the Holy Spirit, who along with the Saints will be raptured or taken out. (d. Then the lawless one will be revealed during the Tribulation. (e. Following the Tribulation, the Lord will return with His Saints and destroy the lawless one [v. 8] and reign for a Millennium, [Rev. 20:6].
Paul reveals some of the events which will take place during the Tribulation: 1. they will be empowered by Satan, 2. counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 3. every sort of evil that deceives, 4. they perish because they refuse to love the Truth and be saved, 5. they are deluded and believe the lie, 6. delight in wickedness [vs.9-12].
These conditions seem reminiscent of the era in which we live? Lies and deception everywhere. People believing lies rather than the truth. Wickedness is prevalent. Murder committed in the name of Allah. Character assassination an all too common tactic especially in politics.
III. The Mahdi or Messiah of the Muslim.
INTRODUCTION: It is interesting that the Muslim of all persuasions, are looking for a Redeemer of society. This means, One who will turn all the world into an ‘Ummah’ or Muslim society, which would be governed by Sharia or Muslim law, creating a “perfect Islamic society” or Islamic theocracy, ruled by some Muslim cleric. This is obviously a counterfeit millennium or Theocracy of Christ.
A. All Muslims believe in the ‘Guided One’ who is to come. Although the Shias have been more vocal, and some have a more developed teaching, there are commonalities among all Muslim.
The guided one is clearly an imitation of the Christ:
Ex 15:13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
2Ch 32:22 Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.
Ps 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
1. The concept of Mahdi is not found in the Quran, but is quite evident in the Hadith or teachings.
2. Many have claimed to be the Mahdi throughout history. One in 686 claimed he would save the Muslim people from the unjust rule of the Umayyad Caliphate.
3. As the Muslim world rule crumbled, the idea of the Mahdi became widespread. One who would right the injustices in the world of Islam. [//--Jews in Babylon or Jerusalem under Romans]
4. The majority of Sunni and Shiite traditions now believe that the Mahdi will arise before the ‘day of judgment’, institute a kingdom of justice and will fight alongside the returned Jesus against the Dajjal [antichrist or false Messiah]. [Matt 12:36 “give account in day of judgment; II Pet 2:9 “reserve the unjust to the day of judgment for punishment”; II Thes 1:7-9 ‘Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished with everlasting destruction…”]
B. There are variant teaching among the various sects of Islam.
1. The Birth of the Mahdi. According to all sources, he is a descendant of Mohammed, through Fatimah, his daughter.
2. The Sunnis say he will be born in Medina, S. Arabia. His father’s name will be Abdullah.
3. The Shias say he was born in 868 and is still alive, but in ‘occultation’ [ie. Hidden from view], and absent from the physical world—since age 5. His father is the 11th Imam, Hasan al-Askari. His mother is Narjis, a Byzantine princess. Twelver Shias believe the Mahdi is the 12th and last of the Imams.
4. The Mahdavis wait for Jesus’ Second Coming without the Mahdi, who has already come.
C. Characteristics of Mahdi.
1. His name is Mohammed or some variant.
2. He is tall, with facial features and character, that of Mohammed
D. Signs of His Emergence.
1. Shias say, there will be acts of disobedience, there will be fire in the sky, swallowing up Baghdad and Kufa, many dying and much destruction. Fear will come over the people of Iraq. There will be a revolution, starting from Palestine/Jordan, spreading over the Middle East from Iraq to Egypt. There will be a LOUD CALL signaling the Mahdi’s appearance.
[Trump: I Cor 15:52 “the trumpet shall sound, dead shall be raised…”
I Thes 4:15 “Lord descend with shout…voice of arch angel…trump of God…]
2. Both Shias and Sunnis teach he emerges from Mecca, he and Jesus are two different individuals, he precedes second appearance of Jesus=the Islamic and Christian Messiahs. He establishes justice, peace and truth throughout the world. [Is.42:1; Acts 17:31]
3. The Sunnis teach Jesus defeats false Messiah or Antichrist known as al-Dajjal.
[Heb 2:14 “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 1Jn 3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”.
Once he is defeated, both Jesus and the Mahdi live out their lives on earth. Jesus gets married, has family and dies. A grave is reserved for him in Medina, next to Mohammed’s. The Mahdi will correct the false and corrupted practices of Islam and Jesus will likewise correct false practices done in his name. [The Muslim are quite comfortable with the deception of the DeVince Code].
E. Signs of the Last Hour
1. Construction of tall buildings
2. Knowledge of Islamic teachings decrease
3. Drinking, fornication increase. [Matt 24:11-12 many false prophets appear, deceive many, increase of wickedness…]
4. Population of women increase 50 to a man.
5. Abundance of wealth---oil money? [Is 60:19; Zech 14:14; Rev 18:19]
6. Killings increase [justification for the increase of Jihadism, IEDs, bombings in name of Allah]
7. Time seems to be shortened. [Improvised Explosive Device]
8. Two great countries fight [which?]
9. Earthquakes increase [Mtt 24:7; Mk 13:8; Lk 21:11]
10 People will despair [Ez 12:19]
11. The al-Dajjal will come, claiming to be god, deceiving. He is short, red-faced, blind in right eye, hair sticks up. [2 Th 2:4 proclaiming himself to be God,2Ti 3:13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived].
12. Mahdi will come and call to true Islam as a military leader [as was Mohammed]
13. Jesus will come to Damascus, Syria, calling people back to Islam, as a military leader. People of the Book [Jews and Christians] will revert to Islam. He will break the cross, kill pigs, and kill al-Dajjal, stay on earth long time and die. [I Tim 2:4 “all men to be saved…come knowledge truth”]
14. Gog and Magog [two hidden tribes] will ravage the earth, kill people until Allah sends worm to wipe them out. [Ez 38:2; Rev 20:8]
15. Three places on earth will sink and be swallowed up. One in West, East, and Arabian Peninsula. [earthquakes? Mtt 24:7; Mk 13:8; Lk 21:11], [splitting of Mt. Of Olives?]
16. Fire from Aden in Yemen sweep northwards [Zech 9:4; II P 3:7 ‘heaven and earth…kept in store , reserved unto fire against the day of judgment”]
17. Sun rise from West [Josh 10:13; Hab 3:11]
18. Smoke all over earth, cause slight cold, followed by cold wind and kill all believers, leaving only unbelievers on earth, who will witness LAST HOUR. Angel Israfil will blow trumpet for resurrection of all humans. Following the Day of Resurrection, skies and earth are destroyed by Allah.
SMOKE: Joel 2:30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
Ac 2:19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
Re 18:9 ¶ "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.
ONLY UNBELIEVERS on earth: II Thes. 2:5-12 Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
6. And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
7. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the ONE who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
1Jo 2:18; 4:3
8. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
Da 7:10,11; Job 4:9; Isa 11:4; Ho 6:5; Re 2:16; 19:15,20-21; 2Th 1:8-9; Heb 10:27
9. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,
Joh 8:41; Eph 2:2; Re 13:13; 18:23; 19:20; De 13:1; Mt 24:24
10. and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
2Co 2:15; 4:3
11. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
Ro 1:24; 1Ki 22:22; Eze 14:9; Mt 24:5,11; 1Ti 4:1
12. and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. Ro 1:32
19. The Twelver Shias are divided in their understanding of whether the Mahdi will return after chaos has started and the apocalypse has begun, to save the righteous [Muslim] from annihilation, or if they must create the chaos to encourage the Mahdi to come out of hiding, or create a just order to entice him to return. This scenario is critical for the current leaders of Iran who seek nuclear capability and have prompted the editors of USNWR [5/22/06, pp 34-35] to print a special report entitled: Aiming for Apocalypse, which is subtitled, ‘Much rests on whether Iran’s leader is a shrewd nationalist or an end-times nut’. The article concludes that the leaders are in an apocalyptic mood in which the use of a nuclear weapon wouldn’t bother them to hasten the return of the Mahdi.
In a well in Jamkaran, Iran, have been thrown tens of thousands of notes addressed to the Mahdi, including one written by the president of Iran and signed by his entire cabinet, urging him to return. Ahmadinejad, as a Twelver, has verbalized that his main mission is to pave the way for the return of the Mahdi.
They conclude: Allah knows best. [www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/signsofthelasthour.html]
CONCLUSION: How important it is for the Christian to know what the Word of God says about Eschatology, so that he will recognize the counterfeit as it is being put forth. So much deception takes place when one does not know the TRUTH. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus and up to speed on our Christian Biblical theology, otherwise we should be scared to death to face tomorrow as society careens recklessly from bad to worse, creating ever more deadly ‘weapons of mass destruction’. Ahmadinejad recently told the UN that the American Empire is nearing its end.
1Jo 2:18 ¶ Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
1Jo 2:22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son.
1Jo 4:3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
2Jo 1:7 ¶ Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
UNDERSTAND THAT EVERY MUSLIM DENIES THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST; THEREFORE, THE BIBLE LABELS THEM--
“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more [70 virgins in death?]. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds”; (Ephesians 4:17-23 NIV)
ADDENDEM: 4-19-11 This year we are witnessing explosive circumstances in the Middle East and North Africa, unprecedented in my lifetime. The news media is all confused as to what is happening, usually blaming Israel for just existing in the region; thus, angering the Muslim world. Please note, that in all the clamoring for Secular Muslim dictators to step down, almost nothing is being said in the Muslim world about Israel! However, unmerciful persecution of Christians is endemic!! It is being called ‘religicide’.
Finally, note that currently on CBN is being broadcast a film entitled: “The Coming Is Near”, which is said to be produced by Iran and to be broadcast in the Muslim world. It is indicating that they believe the current unrest is indicative of preparation for the return of the Mahdi. The film says, “Iran is destined to rise as a great power to help defeat America and Israel, and usher the return of the Mahdi. The Mahdi will soon rule the world from Iraq. The indicators of this apocalyptic prediction are: unrest in MENA, rise of Muslim Brotherhood, poor health of King Saud in Saudi Arabia, the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran and Hassan Nasrollah, ruler of Hezbollah. It further indicates that Ahmadinajad is to wipe out Israel prior to the Mahdi’s coming.
Here we are in February 2018, and neither the Mahdi of Islam, nor the Rapture of the Church has occurred. We are reminded that no man knows the day nor the hour [Matt 24:36]. But we Christians have our marching orders… “make disciples” [Matt 28:19].
Fascinating to watch these developments, but we must keep our eyes on Jesus!
Dr. Earl Parvin
160 Tolbert Farm Rd, Beckley, WV 25801,
304.256.0596, email: earlparv@wvconnect.com and on the WEB: missionsnorthamerica.com