Do you think that the Antichrist will be Muslim?


Readers Question / Comment - Do you think that the Antichrist will be Muslim?

Hi, I have a question. Do you think that the Antichrist will be a Muslim?

A Muslim man asked me the following question "Why does the bible say the number of the antichrist is 666 ? This number is our number !!"

At first, I was thinking "what is he talking about ?"

When I got home I searched on google 666 + islam and found quite a number of references.

Thanks.

JPN Reply:

Hi,

The Bible says the following:

1Jn 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.
1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
1Jn 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.
1Jn 2:21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
1Jn 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.

1Jn 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
1Jn 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.

So the Bible speaks of:
1. 'The' antichrist' who is coming
2. 'Many' antichrists who have already appeared
3. The spirit of antichrist.

And note that the antichrists and the spirit of the antichrist have to do with denying that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (God made man) and denies the Father and the Son. By this definition Islam is the spirit of antichrist for it denies that God even has a son. On the dome of the rock, their temple in Jerusalem, is has this written (among other similar things denying Jesus):

'God is only One God. Far be it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son.'

So Islam comes in the spirit of antichrist. Does that mean that the actual coming one often called the Antichrist will be Muslim? No - it doesn't. Remember that there are many antichrists and teachings in the spirit of antichrist throughout the ages. Certainly people are getting concerned about Islam at the moment because it is on the rise and very violent in a lot of lands where their numbers are high enough for them to rule or cause havoc. And you are right that Europe is beginning to face many problems with this.

The main reason that I don't think the coming antichrist, the coming world leader, will be Islamic is because in all descriptions of him, be they in Daniel, Thessalonians or Revelation, it always describes him as proclaiming himself to be God, exalting himself above the true God, and not worshiping other God (but himself!). This is anathema to Islam who creed is that 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet.'

Instead of this, the Bible says the following about the coming antichrist:

Dan 11:36-38 "Then the king (antichrist) will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. (37) "He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. (38) "But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures.

2Th 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,displaying himself as being God.

A good article on whether the antichrist is a Muslim is here if interested:
http://lamblion.com/articles/articles_islam4.php

So, no, I would not go along with everything said on that link you sent me. Islam is in the spirit of antichrist - no doubt about it. It is certainly a massive issue and problem for large parts of the world. But saying things like its the Greek symbol for 666 is like the crossed swords of Islam etc is nothing. The Bible doesn't tell us to look at the Greek symbols and find similar symbols elsewhere. It tells us to calculate the number:

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

So it seems that just as the name Jesus is 888 in the Greek (8 speaking of resurrection - see here for discussion interested: http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/panin2.htm so the antichrist's number will be 666.

My thoughts concerning the end times are that God will deal with Islam prior to the tribulation through the war of Psalm 83 first and then the bigger Ezek 38 & 39 war. This will put Islam back into its place and open the way for the rise of the antichrist who is likely to come through the revived Roman Empire. ie Europe.

An interesting discussion on Psalm 83 and Ezek 38 if interested is here:
http://lamblion.com/television/programs_prophecy20.php

All the best and I hope it does help a bit.