THE SIZE OF THE COMING ISLAMIC CALIPHATE
June 25, 2011
http://www/tribulationperiod.com/
I am convinced that the size of the Antichrist’s Caliphate will not cover the entire world’s surface as we know it, but rather the known world when John wrote the book of Revelation.
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 73A
USE OF THE HYPERBOLE IN PROPHECY
June 23, 2002
THE WORD HYPERBOLE COMES FROM THE GREEK – IT MEANS “TO DELIBERATELY THROW OUTSIDE OR INSIDE A MARKED LINE FOR EFFECT, MAKING THE AREA LARGER OR SMALLER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS, EXAGGERATION FOR EFFECT, NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY, EXAGGERATING OR DIMISHING BEYOND THE FACT, EXCEEDING THE TRUTH.” IT IS USED AT TIMES IN PROPHECY TO IDENTIFY A SMALL AREA AS ONE THAT IS MUCH LARGER. IT IS NOT A LIE BECAUSE THE HEARER OR READER IS ACQUAINTED W
ITH THE USE OF HYPERBOLE AS AN EXAGGERATED STATEMENT. THE EXPRESSIONS “THE WHOLE EARTH,
ALL THE WORLD, WHERESOEVER MEN SHALL DWELL ON THE EARTH, ETC. ARE, AT TIMES, NOT REFERRING TO THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE EARTH FROM POLE TO POLE AND AROUND ITS EQUATOR. I BELIEVE THIS HAS CAUSED MANY TO EXAGGERATE THE SIZE AND STRENGTH OF THE FINAL EMPIRE OF ANTICHRIST.
WE KNOW THAT NONE OF THE FOLLOWING EMPIRES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT EVER DOMINATED WHAT WE IDENTIFY AS THE WORLD OF TODAY.
Daniel 8:5,21,22 – And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west ON THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. [21] And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. [22] Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
Daniel 2:32-34,38,39 – This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, [33] His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. [34] Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. [38] And WHERESOEVER THE CHILDREN OF MEN DWELL, the beasts of the field and the fowls
of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler OVER THEM ALL. Thou art this head of gold. [39] And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule OVER ALL THE EARTH.
Daniel 7:3,23-27,11-14 – And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. [23] Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour THE WHOLE EARTH, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. [24] And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. [25] And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
[26] But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. [27] And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. [11] I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. [12] As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. [13] I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
(Please note that his millennial empire of Christ will take in everything “UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN.” This expression would include the earth as we know it today.)
I BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES WHICH FOLLOW CONTAIN HYPERBOLE THAT MEAN THE KNOWN WORLD OF JOHN’S DAY, NOT ALL THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT TODAY.
Revelation 13:1,2,5-12,16,17 – And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. [2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. [5] And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. [6] And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. [7] And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over ALL kindreds, and tongues, and nations. [8] And ALL THAT DWELL UPON THE EARTH shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. [9] If any man have an ear, let him hear. [10] He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. [11] And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. [12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth THE EARTH AND THEM WHICH DWELL THEREIN to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. [16] And he causeth ALL, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: [17] And that NO man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 17:12-18 – And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. [14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. [15] And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. [16] And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate
and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. [17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of
God shall be fulfilled. [18] And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over THE KINGS OF THE EARTH.
AS INDICATED PREVIOUSLY, SCRIPTURES THAT USE THE HEAVENS TO DESCRIBE THE AREA OF THE EARTH INTENDED TO BE CONVEYED TO US, MEAN THE WHOLE EARTH AS WE PRESENTLY KNOW IT. THESE THREE SCRIPTURES WHICH FOLLOW ARE OF THAT TYPE:
Daniel 7:27 + Matthew 24:31 + Mark 13:27 – And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. [31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, FROM ONE END OF HEAVEN TO THE OTHER. [27] And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH TO THE UTTER-MOST PART OF HEAVEN.
BUT THE FOLLOWING FOUR SCRIPTURES MEAN THE WORLD AS IT WAS KNOWN WHEN JOHN WROTE THE BOOK OF REVELATION.
Romans 1:8 + Colossians 1:5,6 + Acts 19:27 + 24:5 – First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD. [5] For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; [6] Which is come unto you, as it is IN ALL THE WORLD; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: [27] So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom ALL ASIA AND THE WORLD WORSHIPPETH.
[5] For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
Revelation 12:9,17 – [And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth THE WHOLE WORLD: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. [17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Daniel 2:39-44 – And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule OVER ALL THE EARTH. [40] And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. [41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be DIVIDED; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be PARTLY strong, and PARTLY broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall MINGLE themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not CLEAVE one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. [44] And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and
it shall stand for ever.
The conclusions that I draw from all these Scriptures is as follows:
* The Antichrist will only dominate the known world of John’s day.His empire will be weak because of a composition of nations that don’t hold together well.
* When an expression is used referring to the size of his empire in the book of Revelation it is used as a hyperbole, and does not refer to all the world as we know it today.
* I do not believe the mark of the beast will be put on residents of the western world.
* I do believe it will be put on in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Russia, and parts of Asia.
* The antichrist will certainly have influence in the nations of the western world, but he will not dominate them.
I am certainly prepared to be wrong in my belief in the size of his empire and in the degree of his domination. In other words, I know the popular teachings of many men and women on this subject, and I am prepared for their antichrist, but are they prepared for mine?
Begin Excerpt from MEMRI
Middle East Media Research Institute
Muslim Brotherhood Figure and Former Spokesman in the West: Establish a Global Islamic State
Special Dispatch No. 3944
June 24, 2011
In a June 8, 2011 interview with the Egyptian daily Al-Shorouq, Dr.
Kamal Al-Helbawy, former Muslim Brotherhood spokesman in the West, called upon the Arab youth to launch a new revolution that would eliminate the borders drawn by imperialist nations and bring about the establishment of a global Islamic state – “called ‘The United States of Islam.'” According to Al-Helbawy, the Muslim Brotherhood is active in approximately 80 countries and strives to realize the dream of becoming a global organization.
Begin Excerpt from the CBN News
Toward the Rise of an Islamic Caliphate?
By John
CBN News Sr. Editor
Sunday, March 27, 2011
As the Arab world convulses, much of the American discussion is focused on whom we should help, whom we should help topple, how much it will cost, how will it affect our already-taxed military personnel, and whether our leaders in Washington have any kind of plan for dealing with the changing regimes and allegiances — all valid issues.
But a wider view of the changes shows that
the ouster of rulers in Tunisia and Egypt, the possible fall of Gadhafi in Libya and Saleh in Yemen, and the upheaval in Bahrain and even Syria, could create a climate for a move to restore an Islamic Caliphate — a political union of Muslims under one ruler, a Caliph.
The Islamic world has been without a Caliph since the secular leader of Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, banished the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in World War 1. But a Caliphate is the historical norm, a Caliph having ruled over Muslims for most of the time since Muhammad’s disciples instituted it in the 7th century.
The fact that a defeat by the “infidel” powers of the West-Christians-led to the end of the last Caliphate, is a sore that festers throughout the Arab nations and the wider Muslim community.
The Following Excerpts are from “Al-Mahdi and the Antichrist”
Current News: The Coming Islamic Caliphate
It is no secret that there are many Muslims in this world who believe that there will come a time when there will be a Caliphate over the entire world under al-Mahdi. If you have not done so, you might want to read this article first: Islam’s Much Awaited World Leader – Al-Mahdi in order to understand the character of al-Mahdi. In fact, all Muslims are commanded to pledge allegiance, obey and help al-Mahdi when he appears on the world scene.
The Caliphate is the only system of Islamic government sanctioned in Islam. It is no wonder that many Muslims look back to the past Caliphates (the last being the Ottoman Caliphate) and into the future to prepare the way for this coming Caliphate. In this page, we present a link to such a proposal to revive the Caliphate, and also various news articles pertaining to this subject. Suffice to say that this and other proposals are being seriously looked at, and various items have been implemented.
As an example of the advance of Islam, you might want to read news concerning Eurabia.
Plan For The Return of The Khalifate
Abu Qanit al-Sharif al-Hasani, the Guiding Helper Foundation
Posted Nov 30, 2006. We are publishing this plan for the return of the Khalifate to give direction to the educated Muslim populace in its increasing interest in the establishment of Islam as a practical system of rule… We are making public this plan for the pleasure of Allah, Most High. It is up to Allah to decide whether this plan will succeed and culminate in the establishment of the Khalifate or not… Groups of the believers must start putting down the groundwork for the Return of the Khalifate. Small independent groups of five to ten people (or more or less) should task themselves to establishing one or more of the following ten institutions (listed below) in an attempt to make the Return of the Khalifate a practical reality.
Will A Nuclear Caliphate Rise From Unrest In The Mideast
?
Investor’s Business Daily
Posted Mar 26, 2011. The University of Maryland recently surveyed Muslims in Indonesia, as well as Egypt, Pakistan and Morocco, and found that 77% agree with al-Qaida’s quest to “unify all Islamic countries into a single Islamic state.”… [DAl-Qaradawi has said that Muslims should acquire nuclear weapons to “terrify” their enemies… Over the next decade, Harvard professor Niall Ferguson warns, it’s far more likely that a caliphate will emerge from the Mideast turmoil than Western-style democracies, posing a direct threat to the West….
Usa Moves Towards Caliphate
Pravda
Posted Mar 26, 2011.
Back in the early 1990’s Siraj has publicly stated that if Muslims were smarter politically, they could have taken control of the United States and replaced its Constitution with the caliphate. He stated that eventually one way or another the so-called democracy would collapse and the only thing that would remain would be Islam… “Those who preach their apostasy, promote their views – those should be put in jail.” Leading the community of the mosque Ground Zero, Ahmad in his sermon at the end of January of 2011 did not fail to note that Islam was superior to any other religion, and Muhammad was above “all the prophets before him, from Adam to Noah, to Abraham and Moses and Jesus, and all between them.”
Al-Qaida’s ‘Virtual Caliphate’
Jerusalem Post
Posted Oct 23, 2010. [DAl-Qaida and its affiliates were able to survive the loss of Afghanistan largely because they set up a base on the Internet instead…to reestablish an Islamic caliphate and to continually expand its borders.
In the meantime, due to its failure to achieve this goal, it has declared the whole world to be a dar al-harb – a land of war – and established a caliphate online instead, in which new attacks are plotted and from which new recruits are dispatched to wreak havoc on the world order so despised by jihadis.
OIC And The Modern Caliphate
The American Thinker
Posted Oct 1, 2010.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is a religious
and political organization. Close to the Muslim World League of the Muslim Brotherhood, it shares the Brotherhood’s strategic and cultural vision: that of a universal religious community, the Ummah, based upon the Koran, the Sunna, and the canonical orthodoxy of shari’a. The OIC represents 56 countries and the Palestinian Authority (considered a state), the whole constituting the universal Ummah with a community of more than one billion three to six hundred million Muslims.
Egyptian Cleric Salem Abu Al-Futuh: We Will Conquer Italy and the Rest of Europe, as Well as North and South America; The West Will Convert to Islam
MEMRI
Posted Sep 24, 2010. We Will Conquer Italy and the Rest of Europe, as Well as North and South America; The West Will Convert to Islam
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