Roman Empire, Christianity, & Islam

[Proclaimer]

Visual for the spread of the Roman Empire, Christianity, and Islam.

[Proclaimer]

History of the World: Every Year

[Proclaimer]

20 Largest Empires in the World

[Proclaimer]

When will the Muslim population equalise with native Europeans in Europe?

[Berean]

Hi To all,

Table adventage OF this study

AND God bless

 

Islam and the Little Horn or Daniel 7
Home
Previous Issues
Volume 17, Number 1 – Interpreting Prophecy
Islam and the Little Horn or Daniel 7
Share

P. Gerard Damsteegt
Church History Department, S. D. A. Theological Seminary, Andrews University
Author, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission

Ever since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center by Islamic militants, the attention of some Christians has been directed to Bible prophecy, looking to see whether the Bible projects any role for this world religion in our time.

A review of the history of prophetic interpretation shows that some leaders of the Protestant ReformationClike Luther and CalvinCpointed to Islam as a possible fulfillment of the little horn of Daniel 7. Recently this view has been revived; some are suggesting that we should take Islam seriously today as a fulfillment of Daniel 7.[1]

From a historical point of view it is not surprising that the Reformers looked at Islam as a fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. When Islam arose in the 7th century and for some time after, Catholics also identified Islam as the Antichrist. During the 16th century Islam was a very great threat to Christianity because of its military successes in Eastern Europe.

Against this background Luther interpreted the little horn of Daniel 7 as both Islam and the papacy. So did some other Reformers. We should, however, be careful what we accept of the Reformers’ interpretations of Daniel, because much of this prophetic book was to be sealed until the time of the end (Daniel 12:4). Obviously the time of the Reformation was not the time of the end.

The events of the 18th and 19th centuries, such as the French Revolution, the “deadly wound” to the papal government and the decline of the Islamic Ottoman empire, led prophetic expositors to conclude that Islam did not fit the profile of the little horn. However, in the light of recent political developments focusing on Islam it will be helpful to see whether there is anything to the notion that Islam can be identified as the little horn of Daniel 7.

The Four Kingdoms. The prophecy of Daniel 7 presents the familiar picture of four beasts coming out of a great sea. First appeared a lion, which interpreters have identified as representing Babylon. The second beast was a bear, representing Medo-Persia. The third was a leopard, representing Greece, and the fourth, a “dreadful and terrible” beast, representing Rome. Ten horns emerged out of the fourth kingdom, followed by a little horn which would attempt to annihilate God’s people.

Although experience has shown that most prophecies can be understood only after they have been fulfilled, the early Christians interpreted the four beasts as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, and they expected ten kingdoms to arise out of Rome. History reveals that they were right! Between a.d. 351 and 476 barbarian invasions broke the Roman Empire into ten kingdoms. The early Christians also believed that after the division of the empire the little horn power would arise and oppose Christ and His church, bringing great affliction upon God’s people.

Daniel 7:8, 11, 20, 21, 24 and 25 present the little horn’s characteristics. In trying to identify the little horn power we need to be sure each aspect of the biblical description fits the power we apply it to. We will now compare each of these distinctive features with Islam to see whether Islam fits historically.

Origin of the Little Horn

1. It arose out of the fourth beast (Dan 7:7, 8)
The prophecy shows that the little horn was to arise out of the fourth beast, which is the Roman Empire. This is certainly not the case with Islam. Islam originated outside the Roman Empire. It began its conquests from its base at Medina in today’s Saudi Arabia. It is therefore incorrect to identify the little horn as Islam on the basis of the geography of its origin.[2]

2. It arose among the ten horns (Dan 7:8)
History shows that ten barbarian tribes (the ten horns) established themselves within the Roman Empire as kingdoms during the 4th and 5th centuries. The little horn was to develop among these kingdoms, or ten horns. This was not the case with Islam, which, as we have seen, developed outside the divided empire. So this characteristic of the little horn does not fit Islam.[3]

3. It arose during the time of the ten horns (Dan 7:24)
The little horn arose while the ten barbarian kingdoms were in place. But by the time Islam arose, three of the ten had already disappeared. Therefore, there is no relation between the rise of Islam and the ten kingdoms of the Roman Empire. Again, this time characteristic of the little horn does not fit Islam.[4]

4. It subdued and uprooted three kingdoms (Dan 7:8, 20, 24)
During its rise the little horn subdued and uprooted three of the horn kingdoms. Some have suggested that Islam fulfilled this characteristic because it subdued Egypt, Palestine and Syria, three major centers of primitive Christianity and of the Eastern Roman Empire.

But this view is problematic. The prophecy does not speak about centers of Christianity. It refers to kingdoms that totally disappeared. The early Islamic conquest of Egypt, Palestine and Syria refers to regions within the Eastern Roman Empire. These regions were not kingdoms at all. Furthermore, the three uprooted horns have to be kingdoms that were part of the ten kingdoms that derived from the Roman Empire. Islam fails to meet this characteristic of the little horn.

In addition, Islam did not confine itself to these three regions. Note the conquests of Islam. Between a.d. 635 and 649, a period of about 15 years, it conquered Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Babylon, Egypt, the island of Cyprus, and the areas of North Africa that included Pentapolis, Carthage, and Tripoli. Some of these regions were part of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire (Syria, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa, and Cyprus). Others were under Persian control (Mesopotamia and Babylon). Designating only some regions of the Byzantine Empire (Egypt, Palestine, and Syria) as the three horns that the little horn uprooted and not mentioning other regions of its early conquest is completely arbitrary. Again Islam does not fit this characteristic of the little horn.[5]

Appearance of the Little Horn

5. It had eyes like the eyes of a man (Dan 7:8, 20)
The little horn had eyes like human eyes, a feature representing evidence of intelligence. This aspect could apply to Islam.

6. It had a mouth speaking great things (Dan 7:8, 20)
The little horn had a mouth speaking great things. This has been interpreted as speaking blasphemously. Here Islam could qualify, because throughout its history it has spoken blasphemous things against the Christian faith.

7. It looked more stout than its fellows (Dan 7:20)
The little horn is stouter in comparison to the ten kings. In the literal sense of the word, we cannot say that Islam was more stout or greater than its fellow kingdoms.

Granted that Islam grew until it was much more powerful than the barbarian kingdoms. However, these kingdoms cannot be considered as fellow kingdoms of Islam, because Islam did not arise among them.

8. It was different from the other horns (Dan 7:24)
It is true that Islam has been different from the other kingdoms. These other horns or kingdoms were primarily political powers, while Islam has always been a strongly religio- political power. Here Islam would qualify.

Behavior of the Little Horn

9. It spoke great words against the most High (Dan 7:25)
This could certainly apply to Islam, a religio-political power that has frequently spoken blasphemous words against the God of Christianity.

10. It made war with the saints and prevailed against them (Dan 7:21); it wore out the saints of the most High (Dan 7:25)
The long-continued conflict between Islam and Christianity appears at first glance to reflect the persecuting nature of the little horn. Islamic nations have fought many wars against Christians. However, in the time prior to the Crusades (11th to the 13th century), Islamic powers made a distinction in their treatment of the followers of the various Christian churches. For example, they showed no mercy toward Roman Catholics, who venerated Mary and the saints and used images, which Muslims considered idolatry.[6]

Nestorian or Syrian Christians, however, who professed to follow the Scriptures and opposed image worship, were allowed great freedom; at times they were even employed and respected at the courts of the caliphs.[7]

This means that the most faithful Christians, or “saints,” were respected, while the apostate Christians were persecuted. The prophecy stated that God’s true followers, not the apostates, would be the ones persecuted. By persecuting the apostates instead of the “saints,” Islam proved it was not the little horn.

11. It thought to change times and laws (Dan 7:25)
Some suggest that Mohamed’s decision to make Friday the Islamic day of worship fulfils the little horn’s characteristic of changing times and laws. However, nothing in Islam’s past indicates that any Muslim has publicly claimed to have changed God’s law from the Saturday Sabbath to Friday.

The prophecy said that the little horn would make a deliberate attempt to change God’s times and laws. Here the focus is on a religious power that claims to have the authority to alter God’s law.

Islam does not consider Friday a weekly day of rest! True, there is a Friday noonservice with prayer and a sermon, but rest and abstinence from any secular work on Friday is not a part of the Muslim religion.

The following passage in the Koran gives an insight into the nature of the Friday “Day of Congregation.” “O you who believe! When the call is made for prayer on Friday, then hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off traffic; that is better for you, if you know. But when the prayer is ended, then disperse abroad in the land and seek of Allah his grace, and remember Allah much, that you may be successful.”

A Muslim commentator has explained these verses this way: “Ordinary business may be carried on by a Muslim on Friday before or after the Jumuíah prayer. Hence, unlike the Jewish and the Christian Sabbaths, it is not necessarily a day of rest. But attendance at the Jumuíah prayers is obligatory, and as soon as the call to prayer is given, every Muslim is bound to leave business of every kind and immediately to hasten to the mosque.”[8]

Clearly, the weekly Muslim holy day is nothing like the weekly biblical Sabbath of rest.

Why did Muslims select Friday? We read, “Muhammad claims in the Traditions to have established Friday as a day of worship by divine command. He says, >Friday was ordered as a divine day of worship both for the Jew and Christian, but they have acted contrary to the command. The Jew fixed Saturday and the Christian fixed Sunday.’According to the same traditions, Friday is >the best day on which the sun rises, the day on which Adam was taken into Paradise and turned out of it, the day on which he repented and on which he died. It will also be the Day of Resurrection.'”[9]

When we compare these reasons for observing the Muslim Friday with the text of Daniel 7:25, we discover that none of them fit the characteristic of the little horn whothinks–or intends–“to change times and laws.” We notice that Islam has never claimed to change God’s law but states that originally God appointed Friday as the divine day of worship. Thus from an Islamic perspective, those who changed God’s law are the Jews and Christians. The position of Islam on the weekly day of worship clears it from being a fulfillment of the little horn.

Its Duration

12. It reigned for a time, times, and the dividing of time (Dan 7:25)
The little horn’s three-and-a-half-year time period does not find any historical fulfillment in the history of Islam. To reconcile this problem, proponents suggest that the period is half of seven, God’s number of perfection. The “half of seven” time period then becomes a symbol of incompleteness and limitation. During this period the forces of the Antichrist are limited and do not reach the scope of the complete destruction of God’s people.

Interpreting the three and a half years as an indefinite time is a complete departure from the continuous historical or historicist school of prophetic interpretation that the Reformers taught and Adventists maintain. It comes from a different school of prophetic interpretation, called idealism, that is careful to avoid seeing specific historical events as fulfillments of prophecy. Idealism leaves the identity of the little horn blurred and subject to speculation, leading to the view that the prophecy can have multiple fulfillments.

Conclusion

After reviewing these 12 identifying characteristics of the little horn given in Daniel, we conclude that only four can apply to Islam. The majority of characteristics, 8 out of 12, do not fit Islam. We can conclude, therefore, that Islam is not a viable fulfillment of the little horn. Without a better proposal, we have no grounds for moving away from the interpretation of the little horn that Adventists embraced in the 19th century and have taught ever since.

Let us beware of muddying the interpretive waters, casting doubt on clear historical fulfillments, and getting excited over speculative interpretations, when the long-established views are just now reaching their most complete fulfillment.

NOTES

1 See Samuele Bacchiocchi’s newsletter, Endtime Issues No. 86: AIslam and the Papacy in Prophecy,” July 6, 2002.

2 Harry W. Hazard, comp., Atlas of Islamic History (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1951); R. Roolvink, comp., Historical Atlas of the Muslim Peoples (Amsterdam: Djambatan, 1957); William C. Brice, ed., An Historical Atlas of Islam (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1981).

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid.

5 See, e.g., Karen Armstrong, Islam: A Short History (New York: Modern Library, 2000), xiv; P. M. Holt, et al., eds., Cambridge History of Islam (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1970), 1:62, 63; G. B. von Grunebaum, Classical Islam: A History 600-1258 (Chicago: Aldine Pub. Co., [1970]), 54, 202; Bernard Lewis, ed. and tr., Islam from the Prophet Muhammad to the Capture of Constantinople (London: Macmillan, 1976), 1:xxxv.

6 See, e.g., Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 2:51.

7 See, e.g., John Stewart, Nestorian Missionary Enterprise, the Story of a Church on Fire (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1928), 214, 215; Aziz S. Atiya, A History of Eastern Christianity (London: Methuen, 1968), 193, 194.

8 Maulvi M. Ali, The Holy Qur-án Containing the Arabic Text with English Translation and Commentary (Woking, Surrey, England: Islamic Review Office, 1917) 1077.

9 Thomas P. Hughes, Dictionary of Islam: Being a Cyclopaedia of the Doctrines, Rites, Ceremonies, and Customs, Together with the Technical and Theological Terms of the Muhammadan Religion (London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1885) 132. See also H. Lammens, Islam: Beliefs and Institutions (New York: Dutton, [1926]), 59, 60.
 

 

[Berean]

Hi To all  an God bless

 

Rome is Conquering the Islamic World as Iranian Muslims Now Express Their Approval of Pope Francis

Rome is Conquering the Islamic World as Iranian Muslims Now Express Their Approval of Pope Francis
March 12, 2021 by Andy Roman

First, Pope Francis signed a declaration of peace on “Human Brotherhood” with the Grand Imam in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; then Pope Francis made a historic visit to Iraq and met with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the most important Shiite Muslim religious leaders, and held an interfaith service with him to put aside their differences; now Iranian Muslims are expressing their approval of Pope Francis. Look at the following news reports showing how happy Iranians are with Pope Francis:

“Iranians are happy about the Pope-Sistani meeting, not the fundamentalists – Pope Francis’s visit to Iraq on March 5-8 has had several repercussions in Iran, especially the meeting between Francis, the leader of world Catholicism, and Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the most important Shia religious leaders … For many Iranians, the most important part of the trip was the pontiff’s visit to al-Sistani, which is of great value for peace in the region and the safety of Iraqi Christians. [1]

“A Muslim academic from Tehran, the capital of Iran, describes the event as “very important” because it brings together the head of the Church and “a great Shia leader.” In his view, “Peace is a message that must be spread all over the world and Ayatollah al-Sistani is a good choice to direct it to the Islamic world.” He is an “Islamic leader of peace and we hope that this will be emphasized in his meeting with the Pope and that it will be underscored by the media around the world.” [2]
Islam, with its 1.8 billion followers, has held back the papacy’s dream for global supremacy. During the Catholic Crusades (1095-1492), Rome was unable to conquer the Mohammedans. However, according to Bible prophecy, even this power must be subdued.

“And all the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3.
People used to ask in the 19th century: “How can the papacy rule the world while the Protestant churches are protesting? Well, where is the protest today? Then, in the middle of the 20th century, people questioned, “How can the papacy achieve global supremacy while half of the nations of the world are communist? Well, where is communism today? Today, in the 21st century, people are asking, “How can the papacy rule the world with so many Muslim nations? Well, what is happening to Islam today? They too are being led into captivity by Rome before our very eyes.

Truly, the whole world is wondering after the beast! That is precisely what we are seeing today. The prophecies of Revelation Chapters 13, 17, and 18 are taking shape, and this should make us aware of the signs of the times. The end is near. Prophecy warns us that when we see the great religious bodies uniting, this act will precede the final conflict in the great controversy. In this conflict God’s people cannot be neutral or ecumenical. Our message is even more necessary today than in the past. In fact, the closer we get to the end of time the more spiritually significant the Third Angels’ Message becomes.

Sources

[1] http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Iranians-are-happy-about-the-Pope-Sistani-meeting,-not-the-fundamentalists-52567.html

[2] http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Muslims-and-Jews:-the-Pope-in-Najaf-and-Ur,-the-basis-for-an-Iraq-of-peace-and-pluralism-52530.html

[Ed J]

Visual for the spread of the Roman Empire, Christianity, and Islam.

I couldn’t get to post a copy your video in your quote, but good video!

[Berean]

Hi To all
Thank God that we still have a little time to search his Word and his prophetic Word and prepare for the near return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Below is a study of chapter 9 of Revelation by Uriah Smith

VERSE BY VERSE

God bless

 

9. The Moslem World in Prophecy

Verse 1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was
given the key of the bottomless pit.

The Fifth Trumpet. For an exposition of this trumpet, we shall again draw from the writings of
Alexander Keith. This writer says:
“There is scarcely so uniform an agreement among interpreters concerning any other part of the
Apocalypse as respecting the application of the fifth and sixth trumpets, or the first and second woes, to
the Saracens and the Turks. It is so obvious that it can scarcely be misunderstood. Instead of a verse or
two designating each, the whole of the ninth chapter of the Revelation, equal portions, is occupied with a
description of both.
“The Roman Empire declined, as it arose, by conquest; but the Saracens and the Turks were the
instruments by which a false religion became the scourge of an apostate church; and hence, instead of the
fifth and sixth trumpets, like the former, being marked by that name alone, they are called woes. . . .
“Constantinople was besieged for the first time after the extinction of the Western Empire by
Chosroes [II], the king of Persia.” [1]
The prophet said, “I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of
the bottomless pit.”
The historian writes of this time: “While the Persian monarch [Chosroes II] contemplated the wonders of
his art and power, he received an epistle from an obscure citizen of Mecca, inviting him to acknowledge
Mahomet as the apostle of God. He rejected the invitation, and tore the epsitle. ‘It is thus,’ exclaimed the
Arabian prophet, ‘that God will tear the kingdom, and reject the supplications of Chosroes.’ Placed on the
verge of the two great empires of the East, Mahomet observed with secret joy the progress of their mutual
destruction; and in the midst of the Persian triumphs, he ventured to foretell, that before many years
should elapse, victory should again return to the banners of the Romans. At the time when this prediction
is said to have been delivered, no prophecy could be more distant from its accomplishment, since the first
twelve years of Heraclius announced the approaching dissolution of the empire.” [2]
It was not on a single spot that this star fell, as did the one that designated Attila, but upon the
earth. The provinces of the empire in Asia and Africa were subdued by Chosroes II, and “the Roman
Empire was reduced to the walls of Constantinople, with the remnant of Greece, Italy, and Africa, and
some maritime cities, from Tyre to Trebizond, of the Asiatic coast. . . . The experience of six years at
length persuaded the Persian monarch to renounce the conquest of Constantinople, and to specify the
annual tribute or ransom of the Roman Empire; a thousand talents of gold, a thousand talents of silver, a
thousand silk robes, a thousand horses, and a thousand virgins. Heraclius subscribed these ignominious
terms; but the time and space which he obtained to collect such treasures from the poverty of the East, was
industriously employed in the preparation of a bold and desperate attack.” [3]
“The king of Persia despised the obscure Saracen, and derided the message of the pretended
prophet of Mecca. Even the overthrow of the Roman Empire would not have opened a door for
Mahometanism, or for the progress of the Saracenic armed propagators of an imposture, though the
monarch of the Persians and chagan of the Avars (the successor of Attila) had divided between them the
remains of the kingdoms of the Caesars. Chosroes himself fell. The Persian and Roman monarchies
exhausted each other’s strength. And before a sword was put into the hands of the false prophet, it was
smitten from the hands of those who would have checked his career and crushed his power.” [4]
“Since the days of Scipio and Hannibal, no bolder enterprise has been attempted than that which
Heraclius achieved for the deliverance of the empire. He . . . explored his perilous way through the Black
Sea and the mountains of Armenia, penetrated into the heart of Persia, and recalled the armies of the great
king to the defense of their bleeding country. . . .
“In the battle of Nineveh, which was fiercely fought from daybreak to the eleventh hour, twenty-
eight standards, besides those which might be broken or torn, were taken from the Persians; the greatest part of their army was cut in pieces, and the victors, concealing their own loss, passed the night on the
field. . . . The cities and palaces of Assyria were opened for the first time to the Romans.” [5]
“The Roman emperor was not strengthened by the conquests which he achieved; and a way was
prepared at the same time, and by the same means, for the multitudes of Saracens from Arabia, like locusts
from the same region, who, propagating in their course the dark and delusive Mahometan creed, speedily
overspread both the Persian and the Roman empires. More complete illustration of this fact could not be
desired than is supplied in the concluding words of the chapter [from Gibbon], from which the preceding
extracts are taken.” [6]
“Although a victorious army had been formed under the standard of Heraclius, the unnatural effort
appears to have exhausted rather than exercised their strength. While the emperor triumphed at
Constantinople or Jerusalem, an obscure town on the confines of Syria was pillaged by the Saracens, and
they cut in pieces some troops who advanced to its relief, an ordinary and trifling occurrence, had it not
been the prelude of a mighty revolution. These robbers were the apostles of Mahomet; their fanatic valor
had emerged from the desert; and in the last eight years of his reign, Heraclius lost to the Arabs the same
provinces which he had rescued from the Persians.” [7]
” ‘The spirit of fraud and enthusiasm, whose abode is not in the heavens,’ was let loose on earth.
The bottomless pit needed but a key to open it, and that key was the fall of Chosroes. He had
contemptuously torn the letter of an obscure citizen of Mecca. But when from his ‘blaze of glory’ he sunk
into the ‘tower of darkness’ which no eye could penetrate, the name of Chosroes was suddenly to pass into
oblivion before that of Mahomet; and the crescent seemed but to wait its rising till the falling of the star.
Chosroes, after his entire discomfiture and loss of empire, was murdered in the year 628; and the year 629
is marked by ‘the conquest of Arabia,’ and ‘the first war of the Mahometans against the Roman Empire.’
‘And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the
key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit.’ He fell upon the earth. When the strength of
the Roman Empire was exhausted, and the great king of the East lay dead in his tower of darkness, the
pillage of an obscure town on the borders of Syria was ‘the prelude of a mighty revolution.’ ‘The robbers
were the apostles of Mahomet, and their fanatic valor emerged from the desert.’ ” [8]
The Bottomless Pit. The meaning of this term may be learned from the Greek {GREEK
CHARACTERS IN PRINTED TEXT}, abyssos, which is defined “deep, bottomless, profound,” and may
refer to any waste, desolate, and uncultivated place. It is applied to the earth in its original state of chaos.
(Genesis 1: 2.) In this instance it may appropriately refer to the unknown wastes of the Arabian desert,
from the borders of which issued the hordes of Saracens, like swarms of locusts. The fall of Chosroes II
the Persian king may well be represented as the opening of the bottomless pit, inasmuch as it prepared the
way for the followers of Mohammed to issue from their obscure country and propagate their delusive
doctrines with fire and sword until they had spread their darkness over all the Eastern Empire.

[Berean]

Hi to all

FROM THE BOOK PDF: “MYSTERY,BABYLON THE GREAT”
Volume 2 by I. A. Sadler

ISLAM AND THE ROMAN CONNECTION

Introduction
In the previous chapter we looked at the rise of the papacy during the Dark Ages.
However, another great religious movement emerged at the beginning of the 7th
century in the East. This was Islam, which was founded by Muhammad and first
established in Mecca. Many godly commentators consider that the latter part of Daniel
11 refers to the rise and pretensions of the papacy, followed in verses 40 to 43 by the
great Muslim conquests by the Saracens, and later by the Turks, of the Middle East,
North Africa and much of Europe [1] [2] [3]. These, as we saw previously, posed a
significant threat to the papacy, but we will see that this threat was partly of Rome’s
own making.
Readers will be forgiven for wondering why the subject of Islam has been brought into
this book. However, there is a subtle connection linking Islam and the Church of
Rome. It is claimed by Muslims that the god Allah, whom they worship, is the same as
the God of Israel and the Bible. We will show that this is not the case, and that Islam,
like the Church of Rome, is ultimately derived from Babylon. Unlike the Church of
Rome, Islam has not adopted the full array of Babylonish doctrines and abominations;
nevertheless, the similarities between Rome and Islam are still discernible.
The Moon God
The main branch of Babylonian religions represented Nimrod as the sun god and
Semiramis as the moon goddess. The goddesses Astarte and Isis were frequently
symbolised by the crescent moon, and this has been carried forward by the Church of
Rome in the symbolism of the Virgin Mary [4, page 13]. However, there was a variant
of this in which the symbolism of the sun and moon was reversed, the moon
representing the male divinity. In this Cush, the father of Nimrod, was worshipped
under the name “Meni” or “Manai,” which signifies in Chaldee “The Numberer.” [5,
page 94] Given that astronomy and the calculation of the motion of the stars was an
essential feature of the Babylonian religious system, it is natural that its gods were
accredited with having invented arithmetic. Let us note the first words of the writing on the wall before Belshazzar. “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the
interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.”
(Daniel 5. 25-26) The Lord God pronounced the doom of Belshazzar and Babylon
according to the manner of their own religion.
The pagan Saxons and Norsemen worshipped the moon under a very similar name.
Hence, we still have the Scottish festival of “Hogmanay;” this name comes from the
Chaldee “Hog-Manai,” which means “The feast of the Numberer.” [5, page 95]
Likewise, the Sabeans in Arabia worshipped the moon as the male divinity [6, page
42]. They celebrated the birth of the moon god on the 24th December, which was
almost identical to the Anglo-Saxon date of the 25th December for the festival of Yule
[5, page 94].
Allah
Despite the widely held view that Allah, whom Muslims worship, is simply another
name for the God of Israel, the historical and archeological evidence about ancient
Arabia contradicts this. Long before the birth of Muhammad, tribes in Arabia
worshipped the moon god under the name of “Allah.” [6, page 50] [7, page 17] The
symbol of the crescent moon was used as a symbol of the pagan Allah; likewise, the
same crescent moon is an Islamic symbol. Allah also corresponds to the Babylonian
god Bel [6, page 48], who Hislop shows to be Cush or Meni the moon god [5, pages
26 and 94].
Other important features of the Islamic religion are almost identical to the pagan rites
of ancient Arabia [6, page 40]. Just as Mecca is the holy city of Islam, so Mecca was
the centre for the pagan religions of pre-Islamic Arabia. Mecca was under the control
of the Quraysh tribe into which Muhammad was born; this tribe was particularly
devoted to the worship of the moon god Allah [6, page 51]. It was believed that Allah
had three daughters, who were worshipped as goddesses. In keeping with the
Babylonish concept of a goddess that interceded for mankind, the pagans believed that
the daughters of Allah were intercessors between him and the people.
At the centre of the pagan worship in Mecca was the square stone temple called the
Kabah (which is Arabic for “a cube”); the original building was rebuilt in the 6th
century. Following the widespread belief in the powers of magic stones, the famous
“black stone” was embedded in the wall of the Kabah [6, page 41]. Such black stones were elsewhere to be found in the pagan Middle East [8, page 162]. The pagans of
pre-Islamic Arabia believed that one should bow and pray towards Mecca at set times
in the day [6, page 52]. Furthermore, they believed that one should make a pilgrimage
to worship at the Kabah once in one’s lifetime, and when there to process round the
Kabah seven times and to kiss the black stone. There was a certain month in the lunar
calendar at which a period of fasting was to be observed. All these rites have been
carried forward into the religion of Islam.

To be continued

God bless

[Berean]

 

FOLLOWING :ISLAM AND THE ROMAN CONNECTION

Muhammad and the Cleansing of the Kabah
Prior to the time of Muhammad, the Quraysh tribe had seen to it that all manner of
different idols were allowed in the Kabah, so as to extend the influence of Mecca as a
centre for many religions. There were about 360 different idols in the Kabah in
addition to an idol of Allah [6, page 40]; there was even an image of Mary and Jesus
[7, page 14].
Muhammad was born in 570 AD in Mecca. He came from a family background that
practised pagan occult arts [6, page 69] [7, page 14]. It was about 610 AD when
Muhammad claimed to have had visions and revelations; this began his career as a
prophet [6, page 75] [7, page 16]. We need not go through the events of his life in any
detail, but Muhammad in the subsequent years drew to him an increasingly large band
of followers. This grew into a large army which eventually conquered Mecca and
much of the surrounding country. Muhammad purged the Kabah of its idols, and
formed from the pagan worship of the moon god Allah the new religion of Islam [6,
page 84] [7, page 17]. However, what is currently inside the Kabah, which is the
holiest place of Islam, is a mystery. Does a statue of the moon god Allah remain, or is
the Kabah simply an empty building ? These are questions which would be sacrilege
for a Muslim to ask. Like Romanism, Islam is not a religion which encourages freedom
of enquiry or conscience [6, page 26]. However, we have to conclude that worshipping
towards the Kabah, whose interior is a mystery and hidden, has remarkable
connotations with the Mysteries.

The Doctrines of Islam, Babylon and Rome
Despite the denial of all images and idols, which cuts against Romanism and other
Babylonish religions, Islam has some remarkable similarities to the Mysteries. These are to be expected because of the pagan origin of the worship of Allah. However, we
shall see that certain features cannot be explained in terms of the fairly distant link
between the moon god Allah and the mainstream Babylonian Mysteries.
The teaching of Islam is a mixture of a variety of sources, which were widely available
in Arabia around 620 AD. Scholars have shown the Quran (or Koran) to have drawn
on not only Sabean, Jewish and supposedly Christian sources, but also from the eastern
mysticism of Hinduism and Zoroastrianism [6, page 147]. These supposedly Christian
sources were heretical works of Gnostics, who we saw in a previous chapter were
deeply infected by the false religion of the Mysteries. Therefore, it is not surprising to
find that Islam denies the Trinity and proclaims that Jesus was only a man, though a
great prophet. The denial of the Trinity was a feature of the Gnostics. However, it is
strange to find that the Quran teaches that Christians believe the Trinity to consist of
the “Father, the Mother (Mary) and the Son (Jesus).” [6, page 152] A further peculiar
teaching of the Quran is that Mary gave birth to Jesus under a palm tree [6, page 142].
It should be noted that in the Mysteries the palm tree (the original form of the
Christmas tree) symbolised Nimrod reborn. These things show that the form of
professed Christianity, which Muhammad had contact with, was distinctly Babylonish
in nature.
The Islamic system of salvation is essentially one of justification by works, which is
similar to the teaching of the Mysteries and the Church of Rome. The Quran teaches
that on the day of judgement, good and bad works will be weighed up in a balance to
decide whether one goes to heaven or hell [6, page 150]. This is just like the scales of
Anubis or of “St. Michael the Archangel,” which was discussed in Chapter 6. In fact
the Islamic concept of heaven is a place full of fleshly indulgences [6, page 155]. Such
a carnal view of eternity is in stark contrast to that of the Bible.
The teaching of Islam has a special place for Mary the mother of Jesus. It is important
to note that this is well known to leaders of the Church of Rome. The teaching of the
Quran about Mary has distinct similarities to that of the papacy, and this is being
exploited by the Church of Rome to attract Muslims [9, page 458].
In a pure Islamic state there is no division between religion and politics [6, page 20].
The merger of secular and sacred is an exact parallel to the Church of Rome, where the
Sovereign Pontiff is both head of religion and a reigning monarch.
A common feature of Romanist and Islamic theology lies with the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who was a pupil of Plato. The Encyclopaedia Britannica states,
“Aristotle was the author of an intellectual system that, through the centuries, became
the support and vehicle for both medieval Christian and Islamic
scholastic philosophy.” [10] It was the system of Aristotle that Luther and the other
Reformers withstood, upholding the word of truth in the Bible.
The final similarity between the Church of Rome and Islam is the persecution, firstly
of Jews, and secondly of Christians who profess to believe the Bible. We previously
noted in Chapter 5 how the Roman Emperor Constantine started the process of uniting
Paganism with Christianity, and which initiated the persecution of true Christians by
the Church of Rome. What we must also observe, is that the Jews were granted full
Roman citizenship in 212 AD. However, when the Empire became nominally Christian
under Constantine a hundred years later, this toleration of the Jews declined and
persecution began [9, page 22]. This was the start of the long history of terrible
persecution of the Jews by the Church of Rome. Likewise, early in his career
Muhammad started attacking and massacring Jews [6, page 81] [7, page 17]. Muslim
armies also greatly reduced the power of Rome’s great rival the Orthodox Church,
which was the official church of the Eastern Empire based in Constantinople.
Islam and the Vatican
Having spoken about the implicit connections and similarities between Islam and the
Church of Rome, we will now consider the testimony of Rivera that there is a direct
link. Rivera claims that, whilst he was a Jesuit, he was briefed in the Vatican on many
of the deepest secrets of the Church of Rome. This included the Vatican’s involvement
in creating a new religious movement amongst the Arabs with the aim of capturing
Jerusalem, over which the Eastern Empire and the Persians had fought bitterly. The
Jews were also a major impediment to the Vatican’s designs on Jerusalem [7, page 18].
Rivera then recounts that the Vatican decided to make use of the Arabs to form a new
movement, which although not Romanist, could be used to achieve Rome’s ends and
would lead the Arabs ultimately to Rome.
It is widely known that at the age of 25 Muhammad married a rich widow called
Khadijah, who was nearly 15 years older than himself. It was through her that
Muhammad gained wealth and influence [6, page 75]. When at the age of about 40
Muhammad received visions (it is interesting to note that these were received in a cave
[7, page 20]), Khadijah supported and encouraged him to share them with his family, who became his first converts [6, page 78]. However, Rivera states that Khadijah was
a devout Romanist, who had given her wealth to the Church and dwelt in a Convent.
Subsequently, she was sent back into the world with her wealth to find a young man,
who could be used by the Vatican as the Arab messiah. Rivera also notes that
Khadijah’s cousin Waraquah was also a devout Romanist; together they had a
profound influence on Muhammad [7, page 19]. The followers of Muhammad were
also supported by the Romanist king of Abyssinia on account of Muhammad’s views
on the Virgin Mary [7, page 16].
Following Muhammad’s death the Muslim armies made astonishing military advances
outside of Arabia. Rivera claims that the Pope supported the Muslim generals, giving
them permission to invade North Africa on condition that they eliminated Jews and
Christians, protected Romanists and their shrines, and conquered Jerusalem for the
Vatican [7, page 21]. However, Rome’s plans miscarried; the Muslims, buoyed up with
their victories, turned against Rome. The Muslims eventually built the Mosque of the
Dome of the Rock on the site of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem [7, page 22]. Rivera
puts the responsibility for the formation of Islam and its great hatred of true
Christianity with the Church of Rome.

To be continued

God bless

[Berean]

Hi all

 

Inspired by Pope Francis, the Muslim World Just Released Their Own Version of Laudato Si’ for Islam

Rome’s influence continues to have a global impact as it works to close the gap between itself and all other religions. For decades, the Vatican has been trying to form a geopolitical and religious alliance with all different segments of society around the world. The plan is taking shape as Muslims have not only adopted Roman Catholic initiatives; they are also advancing them and giving their power and strength unto the beast of Bible prophecy.

According to an article published by NOLA Media Group on April 21, 2024, the Muslim world has adopted their own version of Laudato Si’ called “Al-Mizan,” which, according to the Roman Catholic leaders, is in line with and a counterpart to the Pope’s encyclical. Truly, the world is coming together as one.

NOLA Media Group published the following:

• “When Pope Francis released his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, in 2015, Muslims, Hindus and other faith leaders joined Christians in dialogues in response to the pontiff’s powerful call to tend to climate change as a matter of faith. Now, nine years later, Islamic leaders have released a counterpart to the Vatican document.” [1]

• “The document was drafted by scholars and members of leading Islamic organizations, including the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Uskudar University in Istanbul.” [1]

• “Christian leaders said the document struck a balance between the Islamic worldview and the Christian perspective, particularly that of the Catholic Church.” [1]

• “In many ways, ‘Al-Mizan’ is the Islamic equivalent to ‘Laudato Si’,’ the encyclical of Pope Francis, and more recently, the ‘Laudate Deum,’ a follow-up document,” Catholic Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, the apostolic nuncio in Kenya and South Sudan, told those gathered for the announcement. “‘Al-Mizan,’ although building entirely on its own profound Islamic tradition, resonates in many ways the teachings of ‘Laudato Si’.” [1]

• “In fact, I would like to invite all of you to read them in tandem, as they raise together a harmonious song of praise, who is the creator of the universe,” said van Megen.” [1]

Laudato Si’ is the foundation for the coming solidarity between Islam and Catholicism. Rome’s common ground philosophy, as defined in Laudato Si’, is what binds even the Protestant world to her. As Rome’s power and influence grows around the world, she will soon be able to implement any political or economic strategy that furthers her goals and aspirations. Rome is positioning herself to be the main negotiator and mediator on social and political issues, above all others. This is exactly what the prophecy predicts.

“And all the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3.

The Catholic crusades against Muslims are over, and Rome has come out on top. With 1.9 billion adherents, Islam has impeded the Pope’s aspirations to rule the world. Not anymore. Today, we are witnessing, in real time, how the Mohammedans are being led into captivity by Rome. Truly, the whole world is wondering after the beast! That is precisely what we are seeing today. The prophecies of Revelation Chapters 13, 17, and 18 are taking shape, and this should make us aware of the signs of the times. The end is near.👈

Prophecy warns us that when we see the great religious bodies uniting, this act will precede the final conflict in the great controversy. In this conflict, God’s people cannot be neutral or ecumenical. Our message is more important now than it has ever been. In fact, the closer we get to the end of time, the more spiritually significant the Third Angel’s Message becomes.

Sources

[1] https://www.nola.com/louisiana_inspired/muslims-launch-counterpart-to-pope-francis-laudato-si/article_fe907688-f1e4-11ee-b45d-2f79034964a6.html

 

GOD bless

[Author]

Posts