Is Islam in prophecy? There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world — 23% of the world’s population. There are about 3,500,000 Muslims in America and 43,000,000 in Europe. Experts suggest there are over 100,000,000 radical Muslims and that number is likely low. There are at least 250,000 radical Muslims in America. I live among some of them in Minnesota. They are continually being caught in terrorist activity in the U.S. and abroad. And they are joining ISIS on a daily basis.

But how do they fit into God’s end-time plan?

On our current radio program with Dr. Ed Hindson, he addresses some of those issues. He is also one of our speakers at “Understanding the Times Fall 2014” along with Pastor Jack Hibbs, Pastor Steven Khoury from Jerusalem, and yours truly.
Most of us know that Islam will meet a serious partial defeat on the mountains of Israel as outlined in Ezekiel 38-39. However, that war will not likely destroy over one billion Muslims. Will some just be so shattered at the defeat that they will leave the faith? Hard to say when they are doing nothing but gaining strength and power when you include all their off-shoots such as Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al Shabab in Ethiopia and another two-dozen splinter groups.

They are actually mutating and multiplying, not diminishing. And they are the number one news maker of our day.

Some, such as Joel Richardson and Walid Shoebat, see the head of the Caliphate as the Antichrist. But would Jews, who play such a prominent role in the last days, turn their allegiance to an Islamic leader? I highly doubt it.

Richardson’s study suggests that the Antichrist will emerge from Turkey, Syria or Iraq. If so, Islam plays a major role in Bible prophecy. I still do not accept this theory knowing Jews as I do and having been raised with them.
Dr. Ed Hindson is quick to admit that the idea of a Caliphate is predominate in the Arab world. In other words, it’s not just some small splinter groups that hold to it. He also reminds us that their “terrorizing” is a part of end-time “lawlessness” predicted in the Bible.

He reminds us that those seeking a Caliphate will not cooperate with global government or a global religion unless they ARE the global government or religion. That is intriguing and raises more questions!

Dr. David Reagan of Lamb Lion Ministry writes, “The Bible tells us that the Arabs will come against Israel in the end times and try to take its land. God will respond by rendering the Arab lands desolate (Ezekiel 35:6-7, 15), probably through the military campaigns of the Antichrist.

“But the future of the Arabs is not all bleak. Like the Jews, a remnant of the Arabs will emerge from the Tribulation with their hearts turned to the one and only true God, Yahweh (Jeremiah 12:14-17). The most remarkable prophecy concerning the future salvation of an Arab remnant is contained in Isaiah 19:16-25. Isaiah says that when the Lord strikes Egypt and Assyria, they will turn to Him and He will have compassion on them and ‘heal them.’ Isaiah then presents an incredible picture of Egypt, Assyria, and Israel living together in peace, worshiping the same God!”

Reagan goes on to say, “Some prophecy teachers are now asserting the belief that Islam will serve as the end-time world religion of the Antichrist. This assumption is based, in part, on the fact that some Muslims are looking forward to the appearance of a Messiah called the Mahdi, and because of this expectation, some theorize that the Muslim world will rally to the Antichrist when he appears, thinking that he is the Mahdi.”

David Reagan concludes, “I don’t believe this expectation is valid. First of all, the concept of a Mahdi is held by less than ten percent of all Muslims. It is an aspect of Shi’ite eschatology, not the vast majority of Muslims who are Sunnis.

“Second, the Bible teaches that the Antichrist will be of Roman descent and will rise to power in Europe. I can’t imagine the Muslim world rushing to endorse any European leader. Africa, Asia, and Latin America have spent the past 200 years divesting themselves from European colonial rule. They are not going to willingly submit themselves to such a rule again, regardless of how dynamic, charismatic, and wise the Antichrist may prove to be.”

Sadly, we now have a U.S. administration that is enabling Islam directly and indirectly. The support was launched in June of 2009 when Barack Obama addressed a large crowd at the Cairo University. Did you know the invited special guests were the Muslim Brotherhood, possibly the root of all evil in the Mideast? Uninvited was Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarek.

Obama’s kind words to the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist outfit were that it was a new day in America; that our support for Israel would wane and our support for Islam would increase. I watched that day and cringed and could picture some coming chaos but never the “Arab Spring” which that speech launched later in 2011. As a result, the barbaric Sharia Law was implemented in several Islamic countries thanks to this shift in policy and Christians have been on the run ever since.

As Dr. Hindson says on air, that speech was addressed to a religion (Islam), not a people (Arabs). Obama aligned himself with Islam that day in a very public way.

Barack Obama has gone on to betray old allies and side with many terrorist outfits in the Mideast including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Palestinian Authority, and even Hamas.

Keep in mind Barack Obama released the ISIS leader — Abu Bakr al Baghdadi — from an Iraqi jail in 2009. When he left Camp Bucca, having been sprung by the U.S. President, he stated to his American jailers that he would “see you in New York.” He formed ISIS one year later.
God is not against the Arab world though I believe they will be unspeakably judged for the harm they have done, or tried to do, to His covenant people and land. He could have wiped out Ishmael on a couple of occasions but chose not to.

He did promise that they would be “great nation” (Genesis 12:2) but that Ishmael’s hand will be against everyone’s hand (Genesis 16:12). That verse also says Ishmael and his descendants would be as a “wild donkey.”

Not too flattering but brutally true! And the hand that is against every man’s hand is one of the most brutal in history.

How ironic that this U.S. President now vows to defeat what he helped to create.

If you cannot see this through the lens of the last days, you would think you had fallen down the hole into Alice’s Wonderland. Today’s world is too bizarre and upside down to imagine. The WWII “greatest generation” could not have conceived of it. We are in the final generation whether your church preaches about this or whether anyone you know gets excited about it! The Bible talks about a time when there will be a rise in evil (2 Timothy 3:13).

Come, Lord Jesus, and deliver us from this madness.

And He will! Perhaps sooner than you think.

We are in dangerous, unsettling times. The earth is nearly shaking on its axis. Previous generations were spared dealing with concepts such as Sharia Law, Islamic Caliphates, nuclear centrifuges in rogue hands, chemical weapons, NSA spying, IRS lawlessness, border invasions, and corruption and serial lying at the highest levels of government.

Even nature is out of control. And today’s church is compromising so there aren’t many shelters any longer.

If you dwell on headlines too long, you would think that Armageddon is on our door step. And maybe it is. If you listen carefully, you just might hear the footsteps of the four horsemen of the apocalypse in the distance. Has their journey begun?

A Coalition of Comfort
That is why thousands travel every year to various Bible and prophecy conferences so they can compare notes with like-minded believers and comfort one another. They want to encourage one another (Hebrews 10). They want to be a “coalition of comfort” to one another. They also want assurance that their perspective on the world and church is on target.

In mid-July I participated in Dr. Dave Reagan’s annual Lamb Lion Bible conference near Dallas, TX with a number of great teachers and leaders. I came away with some distinct impressions I’ll share here. Many of you will identify.

His Return Trumps Dark Times
Every single person I spoke with was tired of bad news and dark headlines. Yet no one was depressed. No one wanted to give up. Why? They all had the hope of Christ’s imminent return.

That trumps dark news, slanted stories, the glorification of evil, the threats coming from Washington, and the hypocrisy from people in high places.
Many of those I met have been told to keep things light and even major in minors. They cannot do that. Some feel like an island even among other family members.

Just as I was writing this, someone e-mailed me the following. It fits in well. “We need one another. We are instructed to join together and worship and share and build up each other in Christian love. And we need commonality. We need people who can relate to the crisis of the day, or the hassles of the job, or the latest news headlines, or the sorrows of pain and loss. We need people who can help us discern doctrine. We are brought together by God for that purpose. God knows who we need and He brings us together.”

Why Is the Church Silent?
The conference attendees were 90% in unison that their church was silent on all of the important issues of the day, and particularly silent on the theology of the Lord’s return. That’s another reason why folks travel hundreds or thousands of miles to have like-minded fellowship.

They have been told that such topics don’t promote church growth. This subject matter is “controversial.” (Really???) Bible prophecy makes some people uncomfortable. Just what do all those bowls, vials, and seals really mean?? Their pastor might not have been trained in eschatology and he doesn’t want to risk preaching it. He might have it wrong. Or their pastor has been taught all the varying prophecies and they are unsure which one is sound.

And date-setters have given the topic a black eye!

Come, Lord Jesus, But Not Too Soon!
I asked many attendees what their experience was when dealing with the younger generation and current issues. Most responses were the same: Younger folks want to live out their lives on this aching planet and THEN enjoy Eternity. In other words, come, Lord Jesus, but not too soon!

They knew some young people who were an exception to that but not many. Most younger folks really wanted to enjoy life even with today’s struggles. They want to see kids grow and get married. Eternal issues can wait.

Yet I met a 15 year old who said to me, “I want to pass this torch.” He wanted to pass on the information, and the urgency of our times, to his generation! Rare, perhaps, but such occurrences happen to let us know we should not give up hope. You never know who you are affecting! I regularly hear from the younger generation. They are not all focused on the now and self.

Undaunted
But everyone left undaunted and built up in their faith. And they will keep journeying to various places far and near for this kind of like-minded fellowship where the minors are overlooked for the majors.