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World Update & The Role of Islam in Latter-Day Prophecy

Matthew 13:16-17 – blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.  (17) For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 

These words of the Master were directed to his disciples concerning the things which they witnessed of him, but I believe they have just as much application for us servants in these last days. While we have not seen Christ with our own eyes as his disciples did, many servants of old have longed to see the fulfillment and development of prophecy which we are witnessing each and every day. Our duty is to ensure that we understand how blessed we are to be given these signs and to respond to them with faith and works.

There are truly too many world events going on to discuss at once, but we wish here to give an update on some of the larger items but then direct attention to the role of Islam in latter-day prophecy, for recent events appear to shed a significant amount of light on this.

Trump & Putin Meeting – Ukraine Conflict Continues

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin recently met in Alaska, and while this event was significant, it seems that little has come of it. Trump’s goal was to seal a ceasefire and to help break the China-Russia axis, but Putin appears to be holding his ground. Instead of a ceasefire, Russia conducted more strikes in Ukraine within hours of his White House meetings (New York Times).

There are many obstacles which remain before any kind of deal is achieved, but it seems that Trump is putting pressure on Ukrainian President Zelensky to give some ground to end the conflict (Reuters, Associated Press). The war is expected to go on well into the future. The Washington Post recently released a video which covers what obstacles remain, and you can watch that here if you’d like.

As prophecy goes, many believe that Russia must possess Ukraine’s land in order to truly be the “Gog” of Ezekiel 38, but I am presently not convinced of this. I believe that Gog’s role in latter-day prophecy has been overstated, and the passages we read of him in (Ezekiel 38-39, Revelation 20:8-9) merely show him coming against Israel and being destroyed as soon as his feet touch Israeli soil. I believe the Ukrainian conflict is relevant more in its effect on world affairs, particularly the European community. We expect a united Europe to come against Christ (the beast of Revelation 19), and Russia’s assault on Ukraine has been critical to Europe strengthening themselves together in case they too are attacked by Russia. Time will tell, but these are our present thoughts.

Hamas Update & The Role of Islam

Were it not for international response to the Hamas conflict, it’s likely that the war would be over by now. Yet current events of this nature may shed light on some prophecies which have yet to be fulfilled, but let us first explain where the current situation is:

Hamas still has a number of Israeli hostages, and negotiations were underway until foreign nations began showing strong support for Hamas and calling for a Palestinian state. This gave Hamas a reason to keep holding their ground. As United with Israel explains,

“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed on Friday that talks to secure a hostages-for-ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas broke down when President Emmanuel Macron announced France would recognize a Palestinian state.

“‘Talks with Hamas fell apart on the day Macron made the unilateral decision that he’s going to recognize the Palestinian state. And then you have other people come forward, other countries say, ‘Well, if there’s not a ceasefire by September, we’re [also] going to recognize a Palestinian state,’ Rubio said.

“He noted that as a consequence, Hamas concluded, “let’s not do a ceasefire because we can be rewarded. We can claim it as a victory.”

Seeing how the world has rallied behind them, Hamas sees that they can hold their ground and get what they want. This is particularly important prophetically, because it creates a scenario in which Israel can hardly come out favorably on the international scene. 

If Israel caves to Hamas, Hamas will claim victory and this will not only embolden them to great violence against Israel, but it will also act as proof to the other Islamic nations that Israel can be defeated. Given the severe blow that Israel gave to Iran, this would reinvigorate the Islamic community and likely help bring to pass Psalm 83. If Hamas comes out as the victorious “good guy” in the world’s eyes, they are certain to keep pushing for a Palestinian state. This is something that nations are even planning to recognize next month at the UN, and Palestinian officials are prepping for this by creating a constitution for a Palestinian state (Israel National News).

On the other hand, if Israel is forced to take Gaza by force and eliminate Hamas, Israel will draw the harsh criticism of the international community and be further alienated from them. Israel is looking for places to send the “Palestinians”, and it appears that Sudan might be a viable place (Telegraph, Israel News), but this would only create more international enemies for Israel. Either way this situation pans out, it will help further prophecy.

As of now, the US is the only nation which supports Israel occupying Gaza. Part of this includes plans to settle Judea and Samaria, and the US appears to be on board with this as well:

If Israel proceeds to take Gaza and also settle Judea and Samaria, the US will likely be one of their only allies left. All that would need to happen then would be for something to sever that relationship, and Israel is completely on their own.

The Role of Islam in Latter-Day Prophecy

We have briefly noted how the Hamas conflict and the plea of the “Palestinian” people has turned nations against Israel and in favor of Hamas, but the extent to which Islam has affected Europe is more significant than many realize. More and more Muslims have been moving to Europe and the other western countries, and their influence is now being seen in the political stances of those nations in what is being called a trojan horse-like situation. Consider some of these headlines:

As a result of Islam growing in these nations, the nations are aligning themselves against Israel as prophecy foretells, and this has profound implications of how they will view Christ when he returns to claim his throne in Jerusalem.

There are two prophecies worth mentioning which we believe might teach of this very thing. It is clear that those Islamic nations surrounding Israel (Psalm 83) will be a part of latter-day prophecy, but we wish to focus on the greater reach of Islam. While some of these views differ from how these passages have been traditionally understood, world affairs are shedding new light on them. The first relates to

The Clay of Nebuchadnezzar’s Image

Many of us are familiar with Nebuchadnezzar’s image. The account is in Daniel 2:31-45, and it depicts a grand statue of a man that’s made from various materials: a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet made of a mixture of iron and clay. These represent the great powers of the world and show the progression of the kingdoms of men through history, and the “stone” of Christ strikes the image in the feet, it is clear that we are currently in the feet portion.

As with all unfulfilled prophecy, there are various interpretations of what the iron and clay feet refer to. The iron legs refer to Roman through its growth into Christian phase as the Byzantine Empire, and we wish to suggest that the iron in the feet refers to that same component which exists now in the European community – the Roman Catholic, Christian-like influence in Europe. Christianity has been the most dominant religion in Europe since the days of Constantine, and the most prevalent of that group are Roman Catholics. The iron in the feet indicates that these latter kingdoms of Europe have a heavy Roman Catholic composition.

But what of the clay? Iron and clay do not mix. They are incompatible. Yet the latter-day Europe which Christ will destroy has a component besides its Roman Catholic feature which will not mix with it, but it nevertheless is a significant part of the picture. It seems that Islam is the clay in the feet.

Islam and Christianity do not mix – they are far too different and oppose one another. Yet more and more Muslims have poured into Europe as a result of Middle Eastern conflicts, and they have grown to such an extent and formed enough of the voter base that the governments are now having to cater to them. Given how Islam has impacted and become an integral part of Europe, the image would therefore clearly refer to Europe of today. For reading on the increase of Islam in Europe, you can read these reports from two research organizations:

But why represent Islam as clay? We suggest two possibilities, both of which could be correct:

First, this is the first time that clay is mentioned in the image, and this indicates that it is something entirely different from the other things seen in the image. Of all of the nations represented in the image (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome), none of these were Islamic nations. The iron aspect of the feet draws from the fact that Rome was represented previously in the image as iron, but clay is only found in the feet. This means that only in the last days will the clay be significant in Europe as far as the image is concerned, and this is true of Islam. It is a fact that the Islamic Ottoman Empire became great in the earth, but this appears to be out of the scope of the prophecy in Daniel 2 and is not mentioned.

Secondly, Islam itself is a man-made religion. Modern Christianity and Roman Catholicism have been severely perverted by man, but these all originated from the true religion of Christ which was Divine. It was not of the earth, but of heaven. Islam, on the other hand, was the invention of the “prophet” Muhammad. It was an teaching of man who was formed of the dust of the earth, or “clay” (compare Genesis 2:7 to Job 10:9, 33:6, Romans 9:20-21). This earthly origin of Islamic explains why it cannot mix with the religion of heavenly origin, even if the Christianity it mixes with is corrupted. Such at present seems to be the best explanation of the iron and clay of the feet, and it correlates well to the Europe of our day.

But this gets to another latter-day prophecy:

The False Prophet of Revelation

Again, this differs from what has been the traditional view and should be studied in more depth, but there is enough evidence that it is worth sharing with fellow students for their own evaluation. I mention some of the questions which still exist for me at the end.

The false prophet is spoken of in Revelation 16:13, 19:20, and 20:10. In the last passage it is shown as having been destroyed by Jesus already, so the main two passages in question are Revelation 16 and 20.

The false prophet has historically been understood to refer to the Pope, and this may still be a valid interpretation. More study is always required, but I wish to share some thoughts which indicate that this false prophet is Islamic in nature, not Papal.

In Revelation 16, the false prophet is first introduced in Revelation. This is significant, for the context in which it appears as a world influence is after the Euphratean power dries up.

Revelation 16:12-14 – And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.  (13)  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.  (14)  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

The river Euphrates is the symbolic name of the Ottoman Empire (not Turkey today, but the Ottoman Empire as Bro. Thomas taught). The Euphrates literally originates in the heart of their ancient territory, and the river overflowing its banks was therefore symbolic of the Ottoman Empire expanding. But here it is shown to dry up and cease, and this had to be done so “that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared”.

I believed this is not referring Jesus as “the king of the sun’s rising”, but actual kings of the east. History shows that this very thing happened and was an important development in prophecy. The Ottoman Empire dried up in WWI, and what arose out of its territory was not only the state of Israel, but also the Islamic nations of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and others. It seems that the birth of these individual Islamic nations was even hinted at in the prophecy of Israel’s rebirth (note “and all the trees” in Luke 21:29). Many of these nations are players in the Psalm 83 war, and this prophecy therefore teaches that the Ottoman power had to be destroyed so these other Islamic latter-day enemies of Israel could arise. This relates directly to Islam and the false prophet.

It is only after the Ottoman power dries up that the false prophet is first mentioned, and he works alongside the dragon and the beast to deceive the nations. Per history, it was only after WWI that Islam came to impact the world scene and preach its falsehood. This does not mean that everyone converted to Islam, but they act in response to it as we see today. Muslims are crying out against Israel and labeling them as oppressors, and nations are bending over backwards to cater to them. This has created an anti-Israel bias in the nations, and it is helping turn the nations against Christ. Their “spirits” are therefore “gathering the nations to battle” against Christ.

There is also a fittingness in the title “the false prophet” as applying to Islam, for Muhammad was a literal false prophet. Even though Muhammad lived long ago during the AD 500s, the false prophet is only shown to deceive the nations after WWI because that is when the Islamic nations began having a significant influence on world affairs. It was in the dividing up of the Ottoman empire that the Islamic states began to have their voice heard and have a say in international politics, breathing forth deceptive spirits which work against Israel.

This “deceptive” work of the false prophet is seen in Revelation 19 as well:

Revelation 19:19-20 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.  (20)  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Again, the false prophet is traditionally viewed here to be the Pope who has certainly “wrought miracles” and deceived the nations of Europe (the beast). The Pope will unquestionably perform this role, but we wonder if the Papacy is part of this battle not by being the false prophet, but as the harlot riding the beast and controlling it (Revelation 17). If this were the case, Revelation 19 would teach that the nations of Europe are deceived and controlled by the Papacy, and both of these are motivated and deceived by the false claims and teachings of the followers of Islam.

If Islam is the false prophet, then what are the “miracles” which is works before the beast and deceives them with? Deception and a false cause have been integral tools of Islam with the international community since their nations have arisen. The “Palestinian” identity was literally created in order to give the false impression that there were a “Palestinian people” in the past – something which has never existed. As Times of Israel explains,

“In actual fact, the deliberate creation of the “Palestinian people” as a discrete entity in 1967, and the political group known as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964 was for the political purpose of destroying a sovereign and legally mandated Jewish state.”

In other words, the title “Palestinian” as a nationality was created for political purposes and to harm Israel (this is why I typically use quotations marks when referring to them). It is these acts of deception which have worked upon and deceived the nations – Europe in particular.

We are presently witnessing this exact same thing with the Hamas conflict in the form of false media coverage about Israel. Hamas and the Palestinians have been crying that they are starving because Israel has not allowed any food in, but these have all been verified as lies. Consider:

But even though video footage shows Gazans eating lots of food, the nations still believe the lies of Hamas and are lining up against Israel. Even the US has been subject to this frog spirit as a recent poll showed:

It states, “Most Americans now say Israel’s response to October 7th massacres has been excessive, endorse recognition of Palestinian statehood.”

It seems possible that these are “the miracles” of the false prophet which we are witnessing, and given the outrageous nature of some the claims coming out of Islam, “miracle” seems an apt term. Nevertheless, I leave it to each student to study this on their own. I myself wish to study it more before taking a strong stance one way or the other, and I welcome all comments and input from those who have studied this subject as well! “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17).

A few of the questions I still have on this subject are

1.     If the beast refers to a geographical thing (united Europe), then the false prophet would seem to need to be of the same sort. To say that “Islam” is the false prophet would be to identity the false prophet as a religion and theology, not a physical entity like the beast.

2.     If the false prophet is a physical entity and does relate to Islam, what is the exact identity of the false prophet? Is it a specific office or individual? If so, who?

3.     The beast of Revelation 17 and the harlot who rides it are destroyed before Revelation 19, then the beast of Revelation 19 would seem to be a different beast not headed by the Papacy.

It’s possible that Islam is the clay of Daniel 2 but not the false prophet of Revelation, and the reverse might also be true. Regardless of which interpretation is correct, we know that all forms of government and false religion will be eradicated by Christ and his redeemed, and what a vast number of signs we have been so blessed to see! Let us only see them as such and respond with increased faith and lively works. God could easily have chosen to send His son to the earth without any warning, yet He determined to give His servants abundant signs so they have opportunity to prepare accordingly. Let us do so with genuine hearts and a fervent, contrite spirit.

 

In the Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins

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