If you have been following the articles posted here about the Islamic Antichrist and the recent revolts we have seen in the Middle East, which raise concerns about the rise of Islamic power....this is more confirmation as to the intent of the extreme elements in Islam.

Joel Richardson outlines in his book "The Islamic Antichrist", the clear link between historical events such as the rise and fall of empires with the last days in which we live.  (The possibility of a revived Turkish-Ottoman empire being penultimate in the conclusion of fulfilled prophecy.)

The current events in the Middle East, such as the surge towards Islamic power through real or engineered revolution are highlighting the expectations of Extreme Islam in their bid to bring about a unified Islamic power, through which the rise of their savior, the Imam Mahdi, (our antichrist) can take up residence in a unified bloc of Islamic nations, aka a Revived Turkish Ottoman Empire.

It is hard to tell if the revolutions we are seeing are legitimate or engineered. (But we know that Jesus said wars and revolutions must happen...but the end is not yet...do not be alarmed.)  Perhaps this is because it is both legitimate on the part of the oppressed Arabs in their respective countries, and engineered by powerful financially backed organizations for the purpose removing governments and dictators not friendly to the cause of Islamic unification.  (But not only Islamic Unification...surely also to give rise to the despotic rule of the antichrist.)  Follow the money.

Of particular interest is the following quote from Germany's Der Spiegel about Yossef al-Qardawi.

Qaradawi advocates establishing a ‘United Muslim Nations’ as a contemporary form of the caliphate and the only alternative to the hegemony of the West. He hates Israel and would love to take up arms himself. In one of his sermons, he asked God ‘to kill the Jewish Zionists, every last one of them.’”

But above and beyond all of this we have to look at the probable purpose of such maneuvers.  Who are these powerful people and organizations that can manipulate the rise and fall of dictators, initiate wars and revolutions, and shape a global society over decades and perhaps centuries to the desired form which will give birth to the last days, wherein anti-christ eventually rises to power?

There are several levels at which this whole thing can be analyzed.  Political, Economic, Cultural, Religious, and above all Prophetic.

Those who control the money seem to control the political, economic, and cultural aspects of change in this global theater.  Religious beliefs among collectives of individuals have a strong influence on the societies in which they dominate...but in and of themselves are subject to manipulation by corrupt leaders.

Ultimately, Prophecy from God's Word, The Bible, gives us an authoritative view about the end game.  Prophecy holds it's authority in that these words were spoken and recorded by Holy men moved by the Holy Spirit, long before such events come to pass.

The words of prophecy are written in such a way that they can not be faked.  Spread through many authors and books over many years, the same picture continues to burst forth regarding the last days.

Scripture makes it clear that Antichrist will be allowed to set up a global government, persecute the saints, (Christians and Jews), and then God will come to the aid of the Christians and Jews, removing and protecting them respectively from the great tribulation and persecution of antichrist and then God will pour out the indignation of His wrath upon the unbelievers.

While we stand for righteousness in this world, representing Christ and the sanctity of life, MAKE NO MISTAKE, we will see that effort in this world overrun by evil.  That is a promise from Jesus Christ himself.  By living our lives unto Christ we are playing our part in the great orchestration of events that will lead to the last days...in it's perfect timing.  And this demonstrates our reliance upon God the Father to navigate His people through this temporal existence and into eternity with Him.

We can prepare physically to withstand the difficult times coming...as a good steward should prepare.

But we most certainly need to prepare mentally and spiritually for the final stand we must take for the gospel and the truth of Jesus Christ.  Remembering that our death here only speeds our arrival into the presence of Jesus and our friends and family who have shared the same fate await our arrival to greet us and share in congratulations as Jesus tells us, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."

There is no greater aspiration in my life than to hear those words and to pass into the joy and peace of eternal life in the presence of God the Father.

Do not be taken by surprise because you have fallen into spiritual lethargy, indulging in the waste and wanton pleasures of this life.  Such things are a pile of dung as Paul put it, compared to the glory which we will enjoy in eternity with Christ.

Those who understand will instruct many...will you be an instructor?  Or a recently transferred student who is way behind the curve in the kingdom of God.  Or worse yet...will you be an unbeliever, who waits until it is too late, when the wrath of God is pouring out upon the whole earth.

Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...and all your earthly cares will be taken care of...

God Bless you in Christ Jesus.

The Strong Watchman

From the blog of Joel C Rosenberg at:

http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/ahmadinejad-says-the-final-move-has-begun-revolution-in-egypt-managed-by-the-twelfth-imam/

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is telling the people of Iran that the Twelfth Imam is managing the the revolution now underway in Egypt and in various parts of the Islamic world, and that “the final move has begun”to destroy America, Israel and the influence of the Western powers in the epicenter.

“We will soon see a new Middle East materialising without America and the Zionist regime and there will be no room for world arrogance (the West) in it,” Ahmadinejad told a crowd chanting “Death to America, death to Israel and death to Mubarak” last Friday.

Agence France Presse reported that “in his fiery style, Ahmadinejad, showed his messianic beliefs on Friday, saying the world was witnessing a revolution managed by Imam Mahdi, the 12 Shiite imam who disappeared as a five-year-old in the 10th century and who Shiites believe would return on the judgement day.”

“The final move has begun,” said Ahmadinejad. “We are in the middle of a world revolution managed by this dear (12th Imam). A great awakening is unfolding. One can witness the hand of Imam in managing it.”

The Christian Science Monitor provided additional quotes from Ahmadinejad’s message. Iran’s revolution was “the starting point of the rule of God over the earth,” Ahmadinejad proclaimed. “It’s a long path to fight against evil-doers; everyone must be aware of Satanic deceptions” of the United States, Israel, and the West, he said, adding that the U.S. and Israel would soon be “destroyed” with divine assistance, as Iran led humankind to “summits of perfection.” The Monitor also covered Ahmadinejad’s references to the Twelfth Imam’s role in guiding the “global revolution” now underway.

I am grateful to Agence France Presse and the Monitor for covering the story. Most of the rest of the mainstream media worldwide, however, have ignored Ahmadinejad’s comments this week, even amidst provocative new moves by Iran to send two warships through the Suez Canal and close to the Israeli coastline and to aggressively fix the damage done by the Stuxnet computer virus and accelerate the enrichment of uranium. For all the left-wing (and some conservative) criticism of Glenn Beck in recent months, I also give him credit for seeking to educate Americans on this topic. Yesterday, he devoted an entire one-hour program to the topic of the Twelfth Imam, which I was glad to be able to assist with. " style="font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: #cc0000; text-decoration: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Here’s one YouTube clip from the program. My comments are part of a video segment that begins at 6:22 minutes into this clip. I was glad to see other people interviewed for the program included Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and former Delta Force commander Lt.-Gen. (ret) Jerry Boykin.

The Twelfth Imam and Iranian eschatology are topics that deserve more attention than they are getting from the media or our government officials. Let us pray that our leaders wake up to the true gravity of the threat posed by Iran’s apocalyptic regime before it is too late.

UPDATE: In a disturbing sign for the future of Egypt, the military is securing access for the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader to preach in Tahrir Square during Friday prayers. This leader, Yossef al-Qardawi, was profiled in the German magazine Der Spiegel this week. The article notes:  “Qaradawi advocates establishing a ‘United Muslim Nations’ as a contemporary form of the caliphate and the only alternative to the hegemony of the West. He hates Israel and would love to take up arms himself. In one of his sermons, he asked God ‘to kill the Jewish Zionists, every last one of them.’”