It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth
and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.
Revelation 13:12
In compelling ways, Islam is a severe perversion of Christianity. It claims Jesus is only a prophet who will one day return to point people to the Muslim Messiah, the 12th Imam, or Mahdi, as the true Savior of the world.
In the first half of Revelation 13, the Antichrist is described as the Beast out of the Sea. The latter half of the chapter speaks of a Beast out of the Earth. Most agree that this is a description of the False Prophet, the right-hand man to the Antichrist. He is also mentioned (in the NIV) as the False Prophet in Revelation 16:13, 19:20, and 20:10.
Look at some of the alarming similarities between the False Prophet and the coming Muslim Jesus. Once again, this is only a snapshot. I highly recommend the book by Joel Richardson, The Islamic Antichrist. Here are just some of the eerie similarities found between Revelation 13:11-18 and Muslim writings:
- Right-hand man to the Antichrist, or Mahdi
- Appears like a lamb
- Speaks great things
- Points people to worship the Antichrist, or Mahdi
- Kills those who don’t worship the Antichrist, or Mahdi
Think of this for a moment. Both Christians and Muslims believe Jesus is coming back. Imagine the hysteria, confusion, and worship that will arise when someone claims to be Jesus and then points people to the Mahdi. Naïve and shallow Christians will assume they had it wrong, as this holy blast from the past actually directs people to an Islamic Messiah. Could this be a source of the “powerful delusion” that causes the apostasy or great falling away (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11)? We’ll look at this topic tomorrow.
Today is as good a day as any to ask you to reexamine your faith in the one true God and His Son, Jesus. He died for your sins and was resurrected to defeat sin forever. Only He has the power to save you from a hopeless eternity. Now is the time, more than ever, for you to have assurance in your salvation so that you can endure the troubling days ahead with peace, hope, love, and steadfastness.