The caliphate versus the Kingdom of God

In the ongoing and unfolding global clash of civilizations, the most common paradigm utilized by analysts is that of democracy and freedom versus an Islamic caliphate. But concepts such as democracy or freedom cannot ultimately defeat the vision of Islam.

Now, let me be clear; I am a die-hard supporter of the American revival presently sprouting up across the land. Clearly, the principles laid out by the Founding Fathers of America are far superior to the principles laid out by Muhammad. However, mere democracy or even the concept of freedom simply does not carry enough power to counteract the grand meta-narrative the Islamist vision presents. As alluring and appealing as these concepts are, it is nearly impossible to compete with Islam's comprehensive worldview, whose adherents fully believe has emanated directly from God.

If we allow our imagination to be carried away by the lofty sales pitches that will be made at the upcoming pro-caliphate Hizb ut-Tahrir conference outside of Chicago, we must admit that it is a powerful vision. Imagine a form of government that promises to end all oppression, where justice always prevails, where the wicked are subjugated, where Muslims dwell together in peace and unity and where God's blessings reside. Never mind the fact that whenever Islamic government has been tried, just the opposite has been proven to be true.

History reveals that Islamic rule has always resulted in the oppression of women, children, non-Muslims, minorities and any Muslims of insufficient piety. But like their collectivist brethren the communists, Islamist visionaries also refuse to allow the facts to cloud their utopian vision. These true believers tell themselves that if they only do it right, if they only submit a little harder, then it will all finally work out as planned. Thus we can be sure that these zealots will not stop.

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Understand the significance of the Muslim's Mahdi 'messiah' in Joel Richardson's book, "The Islamic Antichrist: The Shocking Truth About the Real Nature of the Beast." Note: The book is also available in electronic form at reduced price through Scribd.

But the power of the Islamist vision and its growing popularity globally is not the conclusion of the story. There are a few other very relevant elements to this equation that shed a powerful glimmer of hope.

The first element is the turn that has taken place within the world of Christian-Muslim interaction. If you ask any Christian who grew up in a Muslim-dominated nation, they will all tell the same story. Leading up to the 1980s, there was a sense among Arab Christians that Islam had Christianity pinned against the ropes. Christians often kept their heads down and attempted to avoid public confrontations with Muslims. But as the last century came to a close, with the power and availability of the Internet and the resultant information explosion, this dynamic has taken a radical turn in the favor of Christianity.

Today, throughout the Islamic world, there are thousands of Christian evangelists who are not only bold and fearless, but also well equipped to debate any Muslim takers. Many of these Christians are themselves former Muslims. In recent years, a Christian Arabic television show called "Truth Talk" has drawn millions of Muslim viewers to watch as host Zakariah Boutros deconstructs the case for Islam and shows the superiority of the case for Christianity. Muslims regularly call into the show to convert to Christianity live on the air. Throughout the Middle East, there is now a growing sense, among both the Christian and the Muslim communities, that intellectually, morally and theologically, Islam is bankrupt. And as a result, Christian missionaries are seeing more Muslims convert to Christianity now than at any other time in history.

The second relevant element to this equation is that despite the inability of democracy to fully counteract the vision of Islam, there is another ancient and vastly comprehensive vision that can and will defeat the Islamist vision of the caliphate. It is called the Kingdom of God. Some call it "the Messianic age," others "the Millennium," but it is the central message declared by all of the prophets and apostles. In the New Testament, the message is called "the good news" or "gospel." In referring to the message that Jesus proclaimed, it is said that he preached the "good news of the kingdom of God."

This message is simple: The kingdom of God is a literal kingdom that we will see here on the earth. From the beginning, the church has always proclaimed that Jesus "will come again, to judge the living and the dead." Obviously, this hasn't happened yet.

And unlike mere democracy, this message is entirely powerful enough to overcome the vision of the caliphate.

I am a friend to a Christian ministry called Exodus Cry. This group works to save women from the global sex-slave trade. Few are aware that there are more slaves in the world now than at any other time in history. The majority of these slaves are young women who want nothing more than to get out of the hell they are trapped in. When we speak about "the good news" it is precisely this kind of thing that we are talking about coming to a decisive end. Yet Islamic law allows various forms of prostitution. In Iran, religiously sanctioned "temporary marriages" are common.

To those who yearn for justice, only the Kingdom of God holds the key. Islamic law is morally bankrupt.

When we speak of "the good news of the kingdom of God," we are speaking about the end of all of the things that make us groan from day to day, as we yearn for justice to prevail, for the voiceless and oppressed to be vindicated. In my latest DVD set, "Understanding the Times," I discuss these things in great detail. This is the message that the entire Bible is pointing to. The Islamic caliphate has had nearly 1,400 years to prove its divine origin. But it has always failed.

Throughout the earth today, various strategists and thinkers are striving to find a way to defeat the religious, militaristic, imperialistic and totalitarian vision of Islamism. Democracy and freedom are wonderful alternatives to a revived caliphate, but far too often, when given a choice between a revived caliphate and an American form of government, far more Muslims choose the caliphate. In the end, there is ultimately only one message, one vision that can overcome, and in fact is overcoming, the vision of Islam. It is the good news concerning the Kingdom of God.

Joel Richardson is the author of "Islamic Antichrist," published by WND Books, and is the co-author with Walid Shoebat of "God's War on Terror." His blog is www.Joelstrumpet.com.