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We are a Christian Fellowship meeting in North London with a strong interest in teaching the Bible and understanding our time in
the light of Bible prophecy
Islam and the Second Coming
Our readers may be surprised to learn that the second coming of Jesus is
something Muslims too believe in. Although not explicitly mentioned in the
Koran, there is a Hadith which gives a detailed series of events connected
with the second coming. (A Hadith is a saying or tradition, not part of the
Koran but given importance in Islamic thinking). It speaks of Jesus going to
Jerusalem with a lance in his hand with which he will kill the Antichrist.
'Then he will kill the pigs, break the cross, demolish oratories and
churches and kill Christians except those who believe in him (i.e. in the
Muslim sense as a prophet not as the Son of God).' 'There will be such
security in his time that lions will lie down with camels, leopards with
cattle and wolves with sheep. Youths and boys will play with snakes without
harming them or being harmed by them. Then he will tarry on the earth for as
long as God wills - perhaps for 40 years. Then he will die and the Muslims
will pray over him and bury him.'
We see here elements of the biblical narrative (the destruction of
Antichrist at the second coming of Jesus in Revelation 19 and the millennial
rule of Messiah which will follow). The Bible account is changed and given a
different meaning to fit in with Islamic thinking. This is consistent with
the whole message of the Koran which is largely made up of altered stories
of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other biblical figures. The Muslims claim
that the difference between their account and ours is that we have 'changed
the books' (i.e. our Bible is not the original message but the Koran is).
However in the Koran, which was written about 600 years after the New
Testament, Mohammed actually recommends Muslims to 'observe the Taurat
(Torah) and the Injil (Gospel)' (Sura 5.6-8). He did not say anything about
the books being changed, a Muslim doctrine which was introduced much later
when contact with Christians showed them that their version of the same
stories differed from the original accounts found in the Bible.
It is not only the accounts which have been changed, but the spirit behind
them. A proper understanding of the biblical prophecies should inspire us to
a concern for unbelievers and a desire to see them saved from 'the wrath to
come' by believing the Gospel of peace and reconciliation with God through
the Messiah Jesus. Islamic groups looking for the end of days are motivated
in the opposite direction. One such group, Hizb ut Tahrir, has been active
in British universities calling on British Muslims to 'fight Jews and kill
them' in order to hasten the end of days. They also believe that when Jesus
comes again, he will kill all the Christians (except those who believe him
to be merely God's servant or messenger rather than the Son of God). There
is a Hadith which says that when Jesus returns, 'even the rocks and trees
will say, 'O Muslim, here is an unbeliever. Kill him!' Hence Allah will
cause all unbelievers to perish.'
Less extreme Muslim groups are seeing the present spiritual crisis in the
West as an opportunity for Islam. A Muslim family magazine says, 'Western
society is ripe for receiving Islam, as Islam has the answer for many of
society's ills.' A BBC 'Everyman' programme featured the way Islam is being
promoted, with such activities as open air preaching in Hyde Park, lectures
in universities and the use of pop culture to put across the message. It is
clear that many of the techniques of evangelical Christians are being used
by Muslims to promote their faith.
At the same time there is a growing fear amongst moderate Muslims about the
influence of extremist groups. According to an article in 'The Guardian'
(7/2/94) 'Liberal Muslims say a climate of fear is growing in Britain's
estimated 1000 mosques. Imams and officials say they feel besieged.' Young
radicals are openly campaigning for a more fundamentalist approach to Islam.
Worshippers at London's Regent's Park Mosque have to run the gauntlet of
dozens of young men raising money for 'holy wars' against foreign
governments (e.g. Israel, Egypt, Algeria). 'The Young Muslims' organisation,
based in Nottingham organises charter trips for young people to centres of
Islamic Revolution, Sudan and Iran, and holiday camps with lectures from
Islamic militants and political leaders. A Huddersfield local paper has an
article about a magazine produced by the local Muslim youth organisation
which 'declares a jihad or holy war on the Church of England and Jews as
sworn enemies of Islam. It encourages people to kill Salman Rushdie and
refers to the Queen as a prostitute.'
What is the prophetic significance of the rise of Islam?
The rise of Islam clearly has a significance for the end times. The whole
religion, coming out of a form of Christianity, but changing the heart of
the message, fits in with John's description of the 'many antichrists' who
will arise:
'They went out from us but they were not of us; for if they had been of us
they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out that they
might be made manifest that they were not all of us... Who is a liar but he
that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denies the
Father and the Son.' 1 John 2.19-22
Wherever Islam arises in its militant form, blood flows. Across the Middle
East and Africa the Islamic Revolution now being exported to young Muslims
in Britain, has brought untold suffering to millions of people. One of the
worst examples is Sudan, where the UN has submitted a report on a catalogue
of extreme human rights abuses committed by the Islamic government
torture, death by crucifixion and stoning, forced conversions to Islam and
slavery. The Islamic government was furious at the UN's denunciation of its
human rights, claiming that it is running the country according to Islamic
law (Shari'ah) and that criticisms of this are a 'flagrant blasphemy' and a
'deliberate insult to the Muslim religion.' Islamic fundamentalism sweeping
across the world is creating the conditions of nation rising against nation,
of persecution of Christians and brutal dictatorship described in prophecies
of the end times (Matthew 24, Revelation 13).
Many biblical commentators have connected the final antichrist system with a
revival of the Roman Empire (see following article). It is interesting that
the original Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western sections.
Today the western half is dominated by Roman Catholicism and the eastern
half by Islam. Both are religions which 'came out' of New Testament
Christianity, but actually changed the heart of the Gospel message and
became persecutors of those who are true to the Gospel. Both are in
conflict, but are in their own way contributing to the final antichrist
system, which will ultimately destroy both of them.
So how should we respond to the rise of Islam?
Despite all of this we should respond to Muslims not with fear and
hostility, but with love, as the Muslims are also those for whom the Messiah
Jesus died and rose again. We should have confidence in the greater power
that is available to us in the Lord Jesus, knowing that the reason our
society is in such a mess is that we have rejected the Gospel message he
came to bring us. Islam with its terrible record of human rights abuses and
violent conflicts has nothing to offer us as the solution to our troubles.
We have eternal life and forgiveness to offer to the individual Muslims. The
Lord assures us that 'greater is he that is in you than he that is in the
world.'
With this in mind it is moving to read of an incident in Africa in which
some Pentecostal Christians built a church in a predominantly Muslim area.
One morning the Christians came along and found that their church had been
burnt down by unknown people. They prayed on the spot for those who had
committed the act. Two weeks later a Muslim came to the pastor and confessed
that he and two others had burnt down the church. One of them had fallen
sick and died and the other had disappeared, and he wanted to be prayed for
because he feared that something bad was going to happen to him. The man was
forgiven. (Information from IISIC).
