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By: K.F. Lessard We know that in scripture it says that the Holy Spirit would be poured out in the last days on believers and that we would understand the hidden things of God. I never thought that time would come now. I thought it may come in my lifetime, but not now. In the past I have written articles about the last days empire but I now want to create a series of articles to post on propheticnews.net that are laid out in a logical and easily understandable fashion for the world to see and read, so we cannot claim ignorance when our Lord Yeshua soon returns. I will endeavor to answer at least some of what I consider to be the most important truths of Biblical eschatology in a logical fashion accompanied with scripture to show what is being said is not something I made up or heretical in any way shape or form. So let’s get started.
The Eighth Kingdom So what is the eighth kingdom and what will it look like? The eighth kingdom refers to the book of Revelation 17 verse 11; “The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.” I believe it is far more important to understand this eighth kingdom and what it may mean for us as believers in Christ Jesus. So let’s take a look at what the angel explains to John. The Angel explains to John the following interpretation in Revelation chapter 17: 9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. I past articles I have shown what the symbolism means. The seven heads he explains are seven mountains. We know that a mountain in Biblical prophecy is a kingdom or in this case an empire. The Angel states that five have fallen and one is and one is yet to come. We know from history that at John’s time there had already been five empires that ruled the Middle East (including Israel) and they are the following: 1. Old Babylonian Empire.
2. Assyrian Empire.
3. New Babylonian Empire.
4. Persian Empire.
5. Grecian Empire. At John’s time the Roman Empire was in power and controlled the Middle East and Israel. This is the sixth empire. Now what was the seventh empire to rule the Middle East? Some might say it was the Byzantine Empire, but I do not believe that to be correct since the Byzantine Empire was just “Roman Empire East” and not an actual seventh empire, but just the eastern seat of power of the Roman Empire that continued after Rome fell in 476 AD. No the seventh empire to rule the middle east and by far the largest is the Ottoman Empire aka the Islamic Caliphate. It took the Islamic Empire hundreds of years to finally conquer Constantinople in 1453. This seventh empire continued to expand and grow. It then started to decline as all empires do until WWI and the industrial revolution in Europe and America killed this “beast” and finally in 1924 the Turks dissolved the caliphate and joined the western world. Rebirth of the Caliphate In 1928 just four short years later the Muslim Brotherhood was born with one main mission, to resurrect the caliphate and restore the empire. In the time since the birth of the Muslim Brotherhood many other organizations have been born like Al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah. These organizations are much more than just “Terror Groups” that commit acts of terror like that of 911, they are a theocracy. Under Islamic rule there is no separation of church and state for they are one. Allah’s law is absolute and there is no debate. In Mark Gabriel’s book Islam and Terrorism Dr. Gabriel describes how he asked a question of a visiting Islamist. As a PhD and professor at Al-Azhar University in Egypt he was not a doubter but an Islamic academic seeking clarification of something this visiting Islamist said. His one question landed him in jail where he was tortured for 14 days until his very well to do Muslim family could buy his freedom. As you can see there is no openness or “free” thinking under Islamic rule, where even an innocent question can land you in jail where you receive severe punishment. It is no wonder that under Islamic rule these societies do not flourish or grow in knowledge and technology. What is happening Today? Today we are now seeing the fruits of the Muslim Brotherhood as we are on the verge of the rebirth of the seventh empire. Since the Arab Spring which started Friday, December 17th 2010 the Muslim Brotherhood is closer than ever in reestablishing the Islamic Caliphate. To date, rulers have been forced from power in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen; civil uprisings have erupted in Bahrain and Syria; major protests have broken out in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Morocco; and minor protests have occurred in Lebanon, Mauritania, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Western Sahara. Clashes at the borders of Israel in May 2011, as well as protests by the Arab minority in Iranian Khuzestan and a rebellion in Mali have also been inspired by the regional Arab Spring, while the Malian coup d'état has been described as "fallout". As these protests have occurred all over the Middle East and Asia Minor the one battle call remains steady, the call for the Islamic Caliphate. Muslims by the millions are calling for the Caliphate. But why do they want a Caliphate? What is the motivation behind this? Let’s take a look and see. Islamic Eschatology: The Mahdi In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi (Arabic: مهدي / ISO 233: mahdī / English: Guided One) is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine or nineteen years- (according to various interpretations) before the Day of Judgment (yawm al-qiyamah / literally, the Day of Resurrection) and will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny. In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious idea" and closely related as the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, whose return from occultation is deemed analogous with the coming of the Mahdi. In Sunni traditions, there are several hadith referring to the Mahdi. The Mahdi is frequently mentioned in Sunni hadith as establishing the caliphate. Among Sunnis, some believe the Mahdi will be an ordinary man, born to an ordinary woman. The world will not come to an end until the Arabs are ruled by a man from my family whose name is the same as mine and whose father’s name is the same as my father’s His [the Mahdi's] aim is to establish a moral system from which all superstitious faiths have been eliminated. In the same way that students enter Islam, so unbelievers will come to believe. manifested in believers that the Mahdi will call to the whole world from where he is, with no postman involved When the Mahdi appears, God will cause such power of vision and hearing to be, and they will hear and even see him. I heard the Messenger of God say: "The Mahdi is of my lineage and family [...]". - Abu Sa`id al-Khudri said:
The Messenger of God said: "He is one of us [...]" The Messenger of God said: "The Mahdi is of my lineage, with a high forehead and a long, thin, curved nose. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice as it was filled with oppression and injustice, and he will rule for seven years. The Messenger of God said: "At the end of the time of my ummah, the Mahdi will appear. God will grant him rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits, he will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the ummah will become great. He will rule for seven or eight years. A typical modernist in his views on the Mahdi, Abul Ala Maududi (1903–1979), the Pakistani Islamic revivalist, stated that the Mahdi will be a modern Islamic reformer/statesman, who will unite the Ummah and revolutionize the world according to the ideology of Islam, but will never claim to be the Mahdi, instead receiving posthumous recognition as such. Islamic Eschatology: Isa According to Islamic view, Isa (Jesus) son of Mary was a prophet and messenger of Allah. The Quran mentions Isa many times. Muslims respect Isa (Jesus) as one of the six prominent prophets of Allah. It is believed that Isa was not crucified; instead he was raised bodily. According to many hadith, he will return to Earth. Also in the Quran 43:61 it states the following: “And he (Isa) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way.” At the time appointed by God, Isa will physically return to this world and aid the Mahdi. According to some sects of Shia Islam, the Mahdi also descends. Isa will slaughter the Dajjal break the cross, kill the swine and end all wars, ushering in a messianic era of peace. According to Islamic tradition, Isa's descent will be in the midst of wars fought by the Mahdi (lit. "the rightly guided one"), known in Islamic eschatology as the redeemer of Islam, against the al-Masīh ad-Dajjāl ("false messiah") and his followers. Isa will descend at the point of a white arcade, east of Damascus, dressed in yellow robes—his head anointed. He will then join the Mahdi in his war against the Dajjal. Isa, considered in Islam as a Muslim (one who submits to God) and one of God's messengers, will abide by the Islamic teachings. Eventually, Isa will slay the Dajjal, and then everyone from the People of the Book (ahl al-kitāb, referring to Jews and Christians) will believe in him. Thus, there will be one community, that of Islam. Sahih Muslim, 41:7023 Sahih al-Bukhari, 3:43:656: Narrated Abu Hurairah: "Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (Mariam) (i.e. Isa) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts)." Are there any similarities between Biblical and Islamic Eschatology? I know what you’re thinking right now, you’re thinking “you have to be kidding”. Your thinking this can’t be real, but the truth is that it is real. All the Bible verses and all of the Islamic text are totally real. And there are many similarities between Christianity and Islam eschatology. The main difference is the outcome. So let take a look at who Muslims think the Mahdi is. In their book, Al Mahdi and the End of Time, Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammad Arif, two well-known Egyptian authors, identify the Mahdi in the Book of Revelation, quoting the hadith narrator Ka'ab al-Ahbar. In one place, they write, “I find the Mahdi recorded in the books of the Prophets... For instance, the Book of Revelation says: “And I saw and behold a white horse. He that sat on him [...] went forth conquering and to conquer.” Ibn Izzat and Arif then go on to say: “It is clear that this man is the Mahdi who will ride the white horse and judge by the Qur’an (with justice) and with whom will be men with marks of prostration (zabiba) on their foreheads.” Clearly we can see that Muslim Scholars believe that the Mahdi is none other than what Christians believe to be the Antichrist. Another thing that stands out is that they believe the “Mark of the Beast” to be the zabiba. The Zabiba is the following: A prayer bump or prayer scar, also known as a zabiba/zebiba/zebibah ("raisin" in Arabic), is a mark on the forehead of a Muslim, apparently due to the friction generated from the contact of the forehead with the prayer mat. Islam generally requires its adherents to pray five times a day (known as salah), which involves kneeling on a prayer mat and touching the ground with one's forehead. When done for extended periods of time, a prayer bump may develop. Some Muslims may consider the presence of a prayer bump to be a sign of religious dedication and piety. Some Muslims also believe that on the Day of Judgment, this bump will particularly fluoresce an immense white light. As we can see there are some similarities in the two faiths. The difference once again is in the outcome of events. An author of particular note named Walid Shoebat put forth an alternate interpretation of Revelation 13 and what the mark of the beast may be. "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding reckon the multitude of the beast: for it is the multitude of a man (i.e., Muhammad); his multitude is...In the Name of Allah." So how did Walid Shoebat come up with this interpretation? He saw something that no one else had ever noticed before, the Bizmullah. Below is a detail of a photograph of the Codex Vaticanus, the 4th century parchment on which, among many other books, is the Greek text from Revelations. This detail is, to be precise, the "chi xi stigma" part, aka the 666 part, in Greek. 
Now, here are some examples of the bizmullah. The pictures are very common preamble to prayers, legal documents, speeches, etc. for Muslims. The Bismillah says, "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful." 
Now we will turn the Bismallah on its side...as a badge or patch would likely do. 
We can now compare it to the first picture. You can see how very similar they are. They match up! The "X" that you spotted in the picture of the Vatican archive is another symbol that is widespread and common in Islam. Most jihadists use it as a symbol for their organizations. Many Islamic countries have it on their flags. Crossed scimitars, swords, or guns. Take, for instance, the logo of Hamas: 
It is very possible that when John saw his vision he wrote what he knew and tried to make the best of it. It really does not make a lot of sense to have 666 as the number of the beast. The verse seems to make sense up until the point of the last verse. Why on earth would something that was making sense all of a sudden change to nonsense? I believe that Walid Shoebat may have found a key to properly interpreting and understanding Revelation 13. Conclusion We have taken a look at some of the evidence and compared Christian and Islamic eschatology to see the similarities and differences in each faith. We saw that the seven heads are the seven empires that ruled the Middle East and that the last empire to rule was the Islamic Caliphate. We looked at how the Caliphate died and how Muslims since 1928 have been trying to resurrect the empire. We also saw that the person who heads the new Caliphate is none other than the Antichrist/Mahdi who will attempt to deceive the world and conquer it. I also find it amazing that Muslims would read the book of Revelations and see their Mahdi who is our Antichrist. One of the most striking things I have read elsewhere is that Muslim scholars would call the Mahdi the Antichrist since he is exactly that. The Mahdi and his false prophet Isa (Muslim Jesus) will work together to convince the world that Christianity is in error and a lie. I can see that happening very easily. People are lead a stray very easy. The vast majority of Christians don’t know the Bible. They follow preachers that make them feel good and they never grow in faith. So when Muslim Jesus comes and performs miracles in front of the world and renounces the Bible, the world will believe it. My advice would be to ready yourself for the coming of the Antichrist. Do not count on a pre-tribulation rapture to save you from the seven years of troubles. If it happens then great, but don’t count on it. Rely on our Lord Jesus. Read your Bible every day to keep your faith up and alive. If you don’t know Jesus now and you’re wondering what you should do, go right now and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins. Give yourself to him completely. Do not trust in anything of this world. Know that nothing can separate you from the love of God. And know that if it comes down to it, that it would be better to die in Christ Jesus and rule with Christ for eternity then to go on living for a while and then burn for eternity in the lake of fire. See you in the clouds, K.F. Lessard
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