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Imam, Imam, Come Out to Play, Stand Up as Antichrist Today!

December 5, 2005

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Al-Mahdi – The Coming Islamic Imam Messiah

The major difference between the two sects of Sunni and Shiite, concerning the coming of their Messiah, the Al-Mahdi, is that the Sunnis believe he is yet to be born, while the Shiites believe he has been hiding in a cave for 1,100 plus years, but will soon come out to rule all Islam as the 12th Imam.

To the extreme sect of Shiite, the 12th Imam is Muhammad al Mahdi, who was born in 868 AD, and has been been waiting to come out of a cave for some 1137 years, from which he will suddenly appear and lead Islam to worldwide victory over all its enemies.

The list which follows contains the names of the 12 Imams.

Shia (Shiite) “Imams”

In the Shia context, Imam also has a meaning more central to belief.

The Shia believe that an Imam is someone that is able to lead mankind in all aspects of life. In addition they believe that an Imam is a perfect example in everything. According to Shia, an Imam is a leader that must be followed since he is appointed by Allah (GOD).

The Shia interpretation is that the Quran clearly says

that only God can appoint an Imam and no one else has the power to designate one.

The incident of Ghadeer-e-Khum is referenced as when Muhammad declared Ali as the leader of the community after him.

According to the Twelve-Imam Shiite, Imam is a divine status like Prophecy.

A Prophet can also be an Imam but not all Prophets are Imams. Since Prophet Muhammad is the last Prophet, there could be no Prophets after him and so the 12 Imams are not Prophets but only Imams.

These 12 Imams are as great in a sense as all the previous prophets except Prophet Muhammed who is the greatest of all.

Following is a listing of the rightful successors of Muhammad, as recognized by (“Twelver”) Shias. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, except for Husayn who was the brother of Hasan. See Shia Imams for details.

(1) Ali ibn Abu Talib (600–661)

(2) Hasan ibn Ali (625–669)

(3) Husayn ibn Ali (626–680)

(4) Ali ibn Husayn (658–713), also known as Zainul Abideen

(5) Muhammad al Baqir (676–743)

(6) Jafar as Sadiq (703–765)

(7) Musa al Kazim (745–799)

(8) Ali ar Rida (765–818)

(9) Muhammad at Taqi (810–835)

(10) Ali al Hadi (827–868)

(11) Hasan al Askari (846–874)

(12) Muhammad al Mahdi (868–?))

The new Iranian President is a “died in the wool” religious Islamic fanatic from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. The Apostle Paul was a “Hebrew of the Hebrews,” and President Ahmadinejad is truly a “Shiite of the Shiites.” He is locked in combat with the old conservative heads that have run Iran since the revolution that overthrew the Shah of Iran. He is trying to slip new leaders and departments into his

new government. He is trying to get younger key members of the extremists from his Revolutionary Guard into top positions of power, putting out the old leaders who have held power for so long over all governmental decisions.

It appears he has another revolution in mind, one in which he has absolute power to form a very radical Islamic Republic to replace the current conservative one. I truly believe the religious extremism in the fanatical Shiite beliefs among their literal interpreters is going to unveil the antichrist among them. Both the Sunni and Shiite sects of the Muslim faith believe in a coming Al-Mahdi, which we would relate to by our looking forward to the return of our Messiah, Jesus Christ. The major difference between the two sects of Sunni and Shiite, concerning the coming of their Messiah, the Al-Mahdi, it that the Sunni believe he is yet to be born, while the Shiites believe he has been hiding in a cave for some 1,100 years, but will soon come out to rule all Islam as the 12th Imam.

Many of the local Imams across Iran and Iraq are preaching his coming is very soon, and a fever for his arrival is growing.

The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a Shiite religious literalist, who believes in the imminent return of the 12th Imam. His segment of the Shiite faith believes the 12th Imam went into hid

ing in the 9th century. The Sunni sect of Islam believes the Al-Mahdi, who is to arise and lead Islam to rule the world and establish a one-world Islamic religion, will be an ordinary man, born to an ordinary woman, and will live an ordinary life with the people of his time.

But the Shiites under

the same persuasion of their current President, believe that soon the 12th Imam, who disappeared mysteriously in the 9th century, will suddenly appear to lead the Shiites to victory over all their enemies, starting with the hypocrite mullahs and ending with the Jews. In the Shiite theology, believing in the Imams is the cornerstone of their faith. They believe the 12th Imam has been living in a cave for more than ten centuries, and that he will suddenly surface from his hiding place as their Mahdi, their Messiah, and will meet Jesus, the Son of Mary.

They believe Jesus, the Prophet of Allah, will be second in command in that he will pray behind Al-Mahdi. They believe Allah will give Al-Mahdi the ability to rule the Muslim nations with righteousness in the span of a night.

In the Shiite theology of the religious followers of the current President of Iran, the 12th Imam is still the sole source of legitimate power on the earth. I suspect a man will suddenly arise in Islam claiming to be the 12th Imam. He will declare himself to have returned with the power of Allah but, in reality, he will be the antichrist. Islamic writers indicate the signs

in the next paragraph will precede the 12th Imam.

There are many signs that will precede him, a very important sign is that he will come at a time when there is great confutation, intense disputing, and violent deaths – when people are experiencing great fear. Calamities will fall upon people, so much that a man shall not find a shelter to shelter him self from oppression. There will be battles and conflicts before his appearance. The people will be troubled to such an extent that they will long for death. It is then that Imam will arise. The messenger of Allah said he will be sent at a time of intense disputes and differences among people amidst widespread earthquakes.

It may well be that Paul’s man of sin, the antichrist, is the coming Islamic Al Mahdi.

II Thessalonians 2:4 – Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (See Archive Prophecy Update Number 252 on http://www.tribulationperiod.com/)

Welcome to the “Land of Let’s Pretend!”

December 4, 2005

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The sale of more than a billion dollars worth of weapons by Russia to Iran

is being pawned off as being “only for defense.” If you believe that is true, you need to go back into the thirties and forties and dig up some of the “Let’s Pretend” radio series broadcasts under the sponsorship of the Cream of Wheat Company.

The program began with a little song that went something like this, as I remember – Cream of Wheat is so good to eat, that I eat it every “morn,”……………….. And now kiddies, Welcome to the Land of Let’s Pretend………Which would be followed by a fairy tale.

Primary Reason for the Sale: (1) Russia needs Iranian oil money for its sagging economy, and wants to be on the good side of Iran if Iran does happen to be successful in driving Israel out of the lands from Dan to Beersheba, which the Lord gave her, and (2) Iran wants all the weapons she can get to eventually launch a united Arab Jihad against Israel, as well as to defend herself when Israel retaliates.

What Iran really needs is a Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooter Arrow Head that glows in the dark, with a compass. The song that made me order it as a child went something like this: “Start the morning with hot Ralston, and you surely will agree, it’s a warmed up filled up breakfast, full of cowboy energy, take a tip from Tom, go and tell your Mom, hot Ralston can’t be beat.” Iran can’t see in the spiritual darkness which surrounds her, and she needs to have some sort of compass to steer her away from the ungodly path she is following. Tom Mix was a straight shooter – Russia and Iran are not!

I also ordered a Captain Marvel Secret Code Ring, but I don’t want the Iranians to get hold of that – They might use it against us, and I don’t need Iranian oil money, even though I have a sagging waistline.

The following article concerning the sale of weapons by Russia to Iran by the Associated Press was extracted from the Jerusalem Post.

BEGIN JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

Russia: Weaponry Supplied to Iran is Only for Defense

Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST

December 3, 2005

All Russian weaponry supplied to Iran is purely for defensive purposes, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday, responding to news reports that Moscow was selling more than US$1 billion worth of missiles and other defense systems to Tehran.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kaminin did not comment on any specifics of weapons deals, saying in a statement only that they were “exclusively defensive weapons.”

“All contracts concluded in the military-technical cooperation area fully comply with our international commitments, including in the sphere of nonproliferation, and are in full compliance with Russian law,” he said, according to the statement.

The statement appeared to be timed to head off the expected heated reaction from the United States following reports in Russian media Friday that

Russian and Iranian officials had signed contracts in November that would send up to 30 Tor-M1 missile systems to Iran over the next two years.

Interfax said the Tor-M1 system could identify up to 48 targets and fire at two targets simultaneously at a height of up to 6,100 meters.

On Saturday, an influential Iranian official downplayed the deal, telling

the official Islamic Republic News Agency that Iran has been trading arms with many countries and would continue to do so.

“Iran’s and Russia’s military cooperation is not a complicated issue,” said Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

“It existed before, and there was no ban on it.”

“We do not see any necessity to answer any question in this regard,” Larijani said.

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman on Friday said he was unaware of the reported deal between Russia and Iran, but said it would harm regional security.

“When a country hopes to strengthen the military potential of Iran, they are serving to strengthen the most negative elements in the region,” spokesman Mark Regev told The Associated Press in Jerusalem.

Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat, and does not believe Tehran’ s claim

s that it

s nuclear program is peaceful.

Israeli concerns were heightened recently after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged that Israel be “wiped off the map.”

On Friday, Israel carried out a successful test of its Arrow missile defense system, intercepting and destroying a missile similar to Iran’s long-range Shahab-3.

END JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

Latest on the Spread of H5N1 Bird Flu Virus

December 3, 2005

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According to various news sources, more than 1,500 dead birds were discovered in the Ukraine in its Black Sea region of Crimea.

This is the first discovery of massive deaths of birds in that area.

The dead birds tested positive for the H5 subtype.

A quarantine zone was put in place and those who had contact with the birds were being watched.

The carcasses of the birds were being burned.

Samples are being sent to laboratories in Italy and England for tests to determine if it is the H5N1 strain, which is being monitored for feat it may mutate into a form that is easily transferable among humans.

IAF Test Adds to National Feeling of Peace & Safety

Supplement to Archive Prophecy Updates 66A, 67A, & 27 to 31

December 3, 2005

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The Israeli Air Force (IAF) successfully tested an improved Arrow Two anti-ballistic missile on Friday against a simulated Iranian Shihab 3 missile launch against Israel. There is coming a time, perhaps as early as 2007 or as late as 2012, when Israel will believe her surface and air defenses will insure an era of peace and safety from attacks within and without. The security wall/barrier/fence will soon be completed to stop Palestinians by internal surface containment, and Israel’s anti-ballistic missile shield will protect its skies.

However, as I have contended for many years,

the coming attack and war in the Middle East will not be an atomic war – it will be a conventional war fought with sophisticated conventional weapons. And it will not just be three or four of the Arab nations launching an attack – it will be 10 united in a Jihad to drive the Israelis into the sea. I continue to believe this attack may occur as early as 2007, and that it is likely to occur before 2012.

Ezekiel 38:8,9 – After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

[9] Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

Please take a look at Archive Prophecy Updates 66A, 67A, & 27 to 31 for a full line by line exposition of what I have stated up to this point.

Arieh O’Sullivan is one of my favorite writers in the Jerusalem Post, which has a talented staff

of writers. The article, which follows, was extracted from the Jerusalem Post

BEGIN JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

Air Force Successfully Tests Arrow Scud Buster

By Arieh O’Sullivan, THE JERUSALEM POST

December 2, 2005

The Air Force held the 14th test of the Israeli-designed Arrow 2 anti-ballistic missile on Friday, successfully intercepting an incoming rocket at a higher altitude than ever before.

A day after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared that Israel would not tolerate Iranian efforts to get nuclear arms, the test demonstrated Israel’s robust interception capability against incoming missiles that may be armed with nuclear or chemical warheads.

The Defense Ministry said

the routine test, which was scheduled over a year ago, tested improvements made to

the Arrow 2 system.

The test took place at 10:28 a.m., when the Arrow 2 interceptor was launched from the Palmachim Air Force base south of Tel Aviv.

An F-15 fighter jet flying over the Mediterranean dropped a Black Sparrow test missile specially designed to simulate an incoming Iranian Shihab 3 missile headed toward the Israeli shore.

The radar detected the Black Sparrow missile and relayed its data to a battle management center, which issued the command to launch the Arrow 2 interceptor.

“The interceptor performed successfully and intercepted the target,” a Defense Ministry st

atement said. “The test’s success is a major step in the system’s operational improvements to deal with future ballistic missile threats.’

Air Force officers carried out the test, but officials from the companies which manufacture the system as well as US officials were also on hand.

Air Force Patriot batteries also participated passively in the test, following the incoming missile with their radars and simulating interceptions.

This tested the entire missile defense screen of the country, the only nation in the world to have a national missile defense shield.

“The defense establishment, the Ministry of Defense, the defense industries and the IDF have proven once again their technological contribution to Israel’s national defense,” said Jacob Toren, director general of the Defense Ministry.

“The success of the test will improve the existing operational capabilities of the Arrow system that will be able to cope successfully with future threats.”

The Arrow 2 was delivered to the Air Force in 1998 and has been declared operational for over five years.

END JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

The Israelis Will Believe They Have a Peace with Security

December 2, 2005

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I have consistently maintained in every Update we have ever issued that Israel will never believe they have “peace and safety” unless they truly believe they can control it by their own ingenuity and power.

It is an absolute impossibil ity for them to believe they have a cond

ition of peace and safety based on trusting the Palestinians to honor it. By 2007 the security wall/barrier/fence will be in place around the West Bank, and super tight security will be maintained at all check points, and along the entire length of it – Then, and only then, will the stage be set for sudden destruction to come on Israel because of their faith in their own power and expertise. Israel will be the only one to determine its security needs.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

[4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

The heading of the following article from the Jerusalem Post says it all concerning the future fulfillment of I Thessalonians 5:3,4.

BEGIN JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE

PM: Israel to Control Its Own Security

By JPost.com Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST

December 1, 2005

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke at the yearly editors’ convention at Sokolov House in Tel Aviv on Thursday, addressing the major issues concerning Israel’s future.

One of the most pressing issues he addressed was his recent founding of a new political party while drawing major political figures from across the political spectrum. He commended his new political partner MK S himon Peres, saying that any party and any country would be lucky to have

him serve within it.

He outlined part of Kadima’s platform, distinguishing its agenda from that of his former party and new rival, Likud.

He noted how he was the one who founded the Likud many years ago, but lamented that he felt forced to leave it because of his desire to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – an issue he felt the Likud was not ready to advance.

He also noted the ongoing struggles against the “rebels” which occupied all of his time.

He expressed the hope that the Palestinians learned from the violence that encompassed the region and negotiate for peace with Israel, stressing his dedication to proceed with the Road Map while zealously protecting Israel’s security. He insisted that Israel would be the only one to determine its security needs.

The prime minister downplayed the dismal assessment by whom he called “an anonymous intelligence source,” who reportedly stated that Iran is only months away from the point of no return in its nuclear project.

He emphasized that Israel, as well as other countries, could not accept the prospect of Iran possessing nuclear weapons.

Still, he said that Israel was preparing for such a scenario.

Sharon expressed his concern regarding the participation of Hamas in the upcoming elections in the Palestinian Authority. He stressed the terrorist organization’s commitment to the destruction of the State

of Israel even if it would return to the borders before the Six-Day War – something Sharon said would not happen. He told reporters that it was not Israel’s place to interfere with the election process, but the IDF would continue with its current policy of apprehending Hamas operatives at checkpoints.

The prime minister also mentioned his campaign against smuggling from Egypt.

He noted that he did not distinguish between smuggling of weapons, drugs, contraband or terror experts across the border, and that he was determined to fight against those trends with the same zeal.

END JERUSALEM POST ARTICLE