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, 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. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will
believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the
truth but have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thes. 2:9-12)
It’s no secret that Iranian “Twelvers” are
preoccupied with the coming of a Shiite Islamic messiah figure, al Mahdi. This
continues to generate concern that a nuclear-armed Iran would create the kind
of global chaos that Shia believe will be necessary to set the stage for the
Mahdi’s return.
Iran, in the past, has made threats
to close the Strait of Hormuz, blocking over 35% of the world’s ship borne oil
supply. 15,000 U.S. troops have now been stationed in Kuwait in case of
trouble in Iran.
Al
Mahdi, which means the guided one, (not to be confused with Watchman
Al) is said to have
gone into “occlusion” (disappeared) in the year 941 AD, at the age of
five. Shiite Moslems believe he will reappear in the “end Times”.
They say his reappearance will be preceded by chaos, war and bloodshed. When he
comes he’ll establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate, and following a
cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness that lasts 7 years, the Mahdi
will lead the world to an era of universal peace.
This is obviously similar to Christian
eschatology of the anti-Christ. Indeed, the Hidden Imam, as he’s also called, is expected
to return in the company of Jesus. Iran’s “Twelver” sect of Islam
believes the Mahdi is Mohammed
ibn Hasan, regarded as the 12th Imam, or righteous descendant, of the Prophet Mohammad.
Both the Ayatollah Khamanei and former President Ahmadinejad claim to have communicated
with him.
“Twelver” leaders in Iran believe they
have been called to “pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi,
may Allah hasten his reappearance.” To some, this means creating the chaos
necessary to bring al Mahdi back.
He will confirm a covenant with many for
one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes
desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. (Daniel 9:27)
The Prophet Daniel spoke of a seven-year
rule by one who brings about Earth’s final judgment over 1000 years before
Mohammed fashioned the religion we know as Islam. And as is the case with
Shiite beliefs, Daniel’s ruler will rise to power on the heels of a great
battle between the forces of good and evil as well. How else would he be able
to use the promise of peace to deceive the world? (Daniel
8:25)
By the way, ISIS members, Sunnis, have a similar belief, they want to lure their enemies to Dabiq, Syria where they believe they will defeat their enemies.
By the way, ISIS members, Sunnis, have a similar belief, they want to lure their enemies to Dabiq, Syria where they believe they will defeat their enemies.
According
to Revelation
13, this ruler and his false prophet will force the world into
a common religion, killing all who resist. Shiites agree. They insist the
religion will be Islam, and that in the process all the Jews and Romans
(Christians) who don’t convert will be put to death.
I’m not trying to give these Islamic
beliefs about al Mahdi legitimacy. I’m only trying to show how similar
they are to Biblical prophecies of the anti-Christ. In fact the only
discernible difference lies in one fact. Whereas Daniel and other Biblical
figures who prophesied of this coming ruler viewed him as the ultimate
expression of evil, eventually indwelt by Satan himself, Shiites see him as a
force for good, ushering in a glorious age of worldwide Islamic rule. The Christian
and “Twelver” perceptions couldn’t be more opposite.
This
difference is the sprouting seed of the powerful delusion Paul spoke of in 2 Thes. 2:11. During the Great
Tribulation the world will experience a total reversal of perception from that
of its Judeo-Christian past. Consider these two passages from the Revelation as
confirmation.
Men worshiped the dragon because he had
given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who
is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”(Rev.
13:4) The dragon is Satan and the beast is the anti-Christ.
Men gnawed their tongues in agony and
cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they
refused to repent of what they had done. (Rev 16:10-11)
The End Times world will worship Satan
and curse God.
Amazingly,
this reversal of perception is also the basis of a New Age heresy called the
Luciferian Doctrine. Simply put it holds that Lucifer, the angel of
light (in Latin, Lucifer means light bearer; by the way, Isaiah 14:12-20 is
clearly about satan, and in the Hebrew the word means the “shining one.” It
comes from Hebrew root word that means to boast or be boastful. Satan made five
incredible boasts.) Luciferians are desperately trying to bring mankind through
the final, spiritual phase of human evolution, into the Utopian world man longs
for. But Lucifer is being thwarted in his efforts by the evil Adonay (from the Hebrew Adonai,
which means Lord) who wants to destroy man. As you can see, it’s also
the opposite of the truth, a deception just like Paul warned of in (2
Thes. 2:9-12), and just like prophecies of al Mahdi appear to
be.
This Luciferian doctrine will permeate
the One World religion of Daniel’s 70th Week because of the dramatic satanic manifestations of supernatural signs and wonders during that time. Satan, who
during our age has been content with giving anyone but God credit for the
Creation of Earth and Man, will begin demanding credit for himself. And having
refused to love the truth, man, who needs to believe in someone greater than
himself, will be fair game for this lie.
The Luciferian Doctrine explains the
difference between the Shiite view and Bible Prophecy and is likely the
powerful delusion Paul spoke of. The god of Islam is not the God of the
Bible, after all, and besides man there’s only one other created being who
aspires to be God, satan.
“The days are coming,” declares the
Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of
food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.” (Amos 8:11)
The
man who doesn’t stand for something will fall for anything, the saying goes, so
after the church disappears and the famine of God’s word prophesied by Amos
takes hold, there will be a real longing for something to believe in on Earth. The Luciferian
Doctrine will fit the bill nicely, especially when its two leading proponents,
the anti-Christ and the False Prophet, will have such supernatural power. Remember, satan can appear as an angel of light.
The introduction of religious zeal,
counterfeit though it may be, into world events is the most dramatic proof
since 1948 of the nearness of the end. The Bible speaks of intense spiritual
contention at the end of the age. After all the final battle is fought and won
in the spiritual realm. (See Ephesians 6:12) It just takes place on Earth. It’s clear that events at
the end of the age will include powerful, opposing, spiritual forces.
“Twelvers” are religious zealots of the
first magnitude. They believe al Mahdi is coming soon, and that he has been
chosen to have his country ready to receive him. An old Islamic saying goes,
“When the students are ready, the teacher will come.” And as Ahmedinajihad declared,
“We don’t shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world.” “Twelvers”
will not hesitate to plunge the world into chaos to hasten the day of his lord.
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 (2
Thes 2:7). But remember this, my friends. Before the
powerful delusion can truly take hold, the truth has to disappear. The
repository for truth in this age is the church, so when these things begin to take place, stand up and
lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).
If you listen closely, you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.
Friends, remember Muslims and all non-believers are not sent to Hell
for their sins. If they were, we’d all be going there. People send themselves
to Hell for refusing to accept the remedy the Yeshua provided for their sins, and
that’s to accept Yeshuah's death on the cross as payment in full for their redemption. We all need to repent of our sins, and believe that Yeshua rose again on the third day.
