WASHINGTON – Before Joel Richardson's groundbreaking re-examination of Bible prophecy, "The Islamic Antichrist," hit the New York Times bestsellers list a few years ago, evangelical Christians nearly universally saw scripture's most feared future leader as a European.
Another eschatological domino fell this week when the ever-popular "700 Club" hosted the author's review of his findings, which have captured the attention of Christians stunned by what they see happening in the Middle East and the Muslim world lining up precisely with what the the ancient Hebrew prophets had to say about the end times.
The author of "Mideast Beast: The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist" sat down this week with host Gordon Robertson, who was filling in for his father, Pat, to explain how the Islamic "Mahdi," the Muslim version of the Messiah, may be the same person as the Antichrist of the Bible.
"When you look at Islamic tradition, sacred tradition, as they describe their primary messiah figure, the Mahdi, there's numerous striking similarities with what the Bible describes with the Antichrist," Richardson said. 'They believe he'll rule for seven years, they believe he'll rule specifically from Jerusalem on the Temple Mount, they believe he'll be a religious, military, political leader that will cause Islam to be supreme throughout the world, filled with anti-Semitism, anti-Christ, anti-Christian spirit and doctrine. It's amazing how the two concepts, messianic concepts, really line up in what I call an 'anti-parallel.'"
Other prophecy teachers, notably Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye have made the case for a European Antichrist, selling tens of millions of books in the process. But as Robertson noted, it's in the Middle East where messianic beliefs have truly taken root among both Shiite and Sunni Muslims.
And Richardson observed that in both the "thoroughly apocalyptic" Shiite Iranian regime that is seeking nuclear weapons and the Sunni terrorist group ISIS that is "completely driven by their apocalyptic policies," radical Muslims are acting on their beliefs about the end times.
More than that, Richardson argued, even moderate and mainstream Muslim publications are saying Islamic prophecy is being fulfilled now.
Richardson noted that if someone claiming to be the Mahdi appeared, there could be catastrophic "negative consequences for the world." And the one and only thing that a Mahdi claimant needs to show Muslims in order to unite the Islamic Ummah, or worldwide community, behind him is "success."
Islam, Richardson believes, is uniquely suited to serve as a unifying force across many nations to create a vast empire in the Middle East that can fulfill end-times prophecy. As he put it, "There is one dominant global force that will be at the tip of the spear of the system of the Antichrist."
In an interview with WND, Richardson expressed gratitude for the increasingly favorable reception his work has received among Christians.
"It's very encouraging that Pat Robertson is enthusiastic about my work and the Islamic or Middle East end-time paradigm. Of course, I have been articulating this perspective for the past decade. And many very prominent leaders are now also recognizing it and coming on board.
"I recently had the opportunity to connect with the legendary Bible teacher Kay Arthur of Precept Ministries who also has read 'Mideast Beast' and is very enthusiastically recommending the book.
"I was very blessed to find out that Jim Bakker recently read my book, 'Islamic Antichrist.' He was so excited and convinced that had me come to his studios, and we recorded several shows."
Gordon Robertson also recommended "Mideast Beast."
"I encourage you to get it and get informed. We need to be understanding the times that we're in and what exactly we face. If you think Islam is a religion of peace, get this book and you'll understand how they're specifically following their own prophecies and they're pursuing them vigorously."
Readers are following Robertson’s advice. As of this writing, "Mideast Beast" is the No. 1 bestseller in the categories of "Christianity," "Middle East" and "Islam" on Amazon.com. The book also enjoys an average review of 4.5 out of 5 stars out of hundreds of reviews.
Here’s what those readers are saying:
- "Though many folks will be intimidated by the study of End Times, or Eschatology – Richardson has created an approachable body of research for beginners as well as for those who've been studying for decades."
- "Provocative, well written, and easy to follow! The reader is both challenged to guard against carrying an antagonism toward Muslims, and warned against living in naivete with regards to the true ideology of Islam."
- "He has written a sound treatise on why scripture requires that it is the surrounding nations of Israel, and specifically, the northern, Islamic nations that will descend on the Holy Land to rid it of Jews just before Jesus Christ returns physically to destroy them, rather than a European Antichrist, as has been popularized. He meticulously takes apart passages that have been the mainstays of the European/Roman model and shows how these verses have been misunderstood and misapplied."
As Richardson noted on "The 700 Club," "The Bible, the testimony of the prophets are thoroughly Jerusalem and Israel centered. The whole story revolves around Jerusalem … it's a very Middle Eastern-centered story."
Richardson told WND after the TV interview: "I think that the events of the past couple of years have really turned many people's attention to the very Israel-centeredness of the biblical testimony. This is causing many people to recognize the premiere role of Islam in the end-time prophecies of the Bible.
"The transformative events that have been unfolding on the world scene have also in many ways silenced many of those were critical of this paradigm just a few years ago. I expect the events of the next few years to continue to draw the attention of the world to the Middle East as the testimony of the biblical prophets is fulfilled right before our eyes."
The central role of Israel, the Jewish people and the Middle East is the theme of Richardson’s new book, "When a Jew Rules the World: What the Bible Really Says About Israel In the Plan of God."
And Richardson says the problem of Islam and the threats to Israel are not just questions of terrorism but of faith.
"The end of the matter is that the church must recognize that Islam is the greatest challenge we will face globally before the return of Jesus. Right now, we are at least 20 years behind the curve, and it's time to wake up. This is a challenge that must be responded to missionally – with the Gospel.
"Ultimately all political and military solutions will fail. Only in the gospel of Jesus Christ do we have the answer and the antidote to the global spread of radical Islam. The church needs to rise up and recognize that it has the solution. Only we have the true good news. Only we have the message that is capable of counteracting the powerful narrative that is leading tens of thousands of young men to abandon everything to join the caliphate in Iraq and Syria and all of the world."
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WND has reported multiple times on the belief that the Islamic messianic "Mahdi" is returning, including recently when Iranian officials said the current Syrian crisis is a prelude to the return. Also, it was reported 670 million Muslims expect the madhi in their lifetime.
In 2009, Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei called on Muslim nations around the world to unite militarily in response to the imminent coming of the Mahdi. And even earlier, in 2006, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he expects both Jesus and the Shiite messianic figure, Mahdi, to return and "wipe away oppression."
See the interview: