The Islamic Antichrist (24 page)

So we see again that lying is permissible for any number of reasons. As long as the end goal is to further the cause of Muhammad or Islam, it is permissible and overrides the initial prohibition against lying. In this case it was permissible in order to achieve the end goal of an assassination of someone whom Muhammad wanted dead. Unfortunately, because Islam holds up Muhammad as the supreme example of behavior for all Muslims, Muhammad’s followers carry on this same attitude today.

DECEPTION TO ATTAIN GOALS AND PROSPERITY

Imam Al-Ghazali, one of the most famous Muslim theologians and philosophers of all time, takes the permissibility of lying even further. To Ghazali, lying is permissible so long as virtually any positive or beneficial goal may be achieved:

Speaking is a means to achieve objectives. If a praiseworthy aim is attainable through both telling the truth and lying, it is unlawful to accomplish through lying because there is no need for it.
When it is possible to achieve such an aim by lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible
.
¹³
(emphasis mine)

Know this that lying is not sin by itself, but if it brings harm to you it could be ugly.
However, you can lie if that will keep you from evil or if it will result in prosperity
.
¹⁴
(emphasis mine)

It is impossible to deny that deceit has found a rich seedbed in Islam to deposit its roots and call home. We see that Islam as a religious system permits and even encourages lying and deceit as a specific aspect of its religious life. This unusual fusion of religion and deceit has profound implications, both in matters relating to the spread of Islam in the West and in matters relating to our discussion about the last days.

IMPLICATIONS FOR ISLAM IN THE WEST

In terms of the implications for today, Abdullah Al-Araby comments:

The principle of sanctioning lying for the cause of Islam bears grave implications in matters relating to the spread of the religion of Islam in the West. Muslim activists employ deceptive tactics in their attempts to polish Islam’s image and make it more attractive to prospective converts.
¹⁵

I have personally witnessed this dynamic to the point of utter exhaustion. And equally frustrating is the fact that so many Christians, due to either a lack of knowledge or simply not wanting to appear contentious, allow the deception to flow unchecked. When Americans witnessed numerous so-called moderate Muslims make speeches to defend the benign nature of “the religion of peace” after 9/11, for instance, many of these speakers knowingly misrepresented the true nature of Islam. Many have been documented speaking in far more aggressive terms in private meetings with other Muslims. We pointed out the example of Omar Ahmed, chairman of the board of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the last chapter. These Muslims, posing as “moderates,” justified their misrepresentations of Islam because in their minds, they were protecting Islam, and thus American Muslims, from “harm.” It was “damage control” in its truest form. Christians, Americans, and unfortunately, even
much of the political leadership, either desperately wanting to believe the best of people in order to comfort themselves in times of great uncertainty or through the inevitable dumbing down of the West through the constant hammering of moral relativity and political correctness, bought much of this deception hook, line, and sinker. Those few bold enough to speak the truth regarding the true nature of Islam were viewed as intolerant or hateful or both. This is the pattern followed whenever Islam carrries out a great evil. Pay attention and you will see it again and again.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE LAST DAYS

Of course the implications for Islam’s doctrines of lying are obvious in relation to our discussion of the last days. The biblical picture of the last days is one where deception is the absolute rule of the day. In virtually every passage where the New Testament discusses the end times, the author stresses that believers must guard against deception. Following are some examples of such warnings.

Just before Jesus was taken away to be crucified, he had a discussion with his disciples about the last days. His very first exhortation was that they be careful not to be deceived:

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you…” (Matthew 24:3–4)

Jesus goes on to warn of the power of this deception:

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear
and deceive many people
…. For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles
to deceive even the elect—if that were possible
. See, I have told you ahead of time.” (Matthew 24:10–11, 24–25, emphasis mine)

Likewise the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians warns the church of the need to be cautious against deception: “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him…. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way…” (2 Thessalonians 2:1–3). Paul refers to the future deception as “a powerful delusion.”

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders, and in every sort of evil that
deceives
those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them
a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9–12; emphasis mine)

CONCLUSION

I understand that to call anyone a liar is quite an insult. That is why I felt it important to demonstrate thoroughly the fact that Muhammad, the Qur’an, and hadiths, as well as Islam’s most respected scholars, allow lying as a means to achieve any number of goals. I have documented this fact quite plainly. This is not an unfounded accusation made by the “people of falsehood” (a name that the Qur’an ironically applies to non-Muslims) but is indeed an established doctrine and practice within Islam. While I understand that this may feel like quite strong language, the simple truth is that Islam as a religious system is a son of its true father. The demonic being that assaulted Muhammad in the Cave of Hira is the same being that inspired the ungodly doctrines of deception that have so obviously affected the religion of Islam as we know it today. While I am quite sure that these comments may offend most Muslims, my response would be to ask that they do not get upset with me for reporting this information, but rather that they express their anger toward the traditions of Muhammad and the scholars of Islam who not only condone but encourage
such behavior. It is behavior that simply should not be found among those who call themselves godly. The Bible calls on all people to strive to resemble their true heavenly Father, the Author of all light and truth.

While most people will agree that religion and deception are not intermixable, it is clear that in Islam, deception and religion mutually support one another. Likewise we can be sure that in the last days, deception and religion will be so intertwined that it will be difficult even for “the elect” to discern the truth. Once again, Islam finds itself fulfilling yet another of the primary descriptions of the last days system of the Antichrist.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

THE GREAT APOSTASY, TERROR, AND ISLAM’S
CONVERSION RATES

P
erhaps the saddest
and most devastating aspect of the last days is what the Bible calls the Great Apostasy. The Bible teaches that in the last days, many of those who name the name of Jesus, who call themselves Christians, will turn away from the faith and renounce Christ. Referring to this most horrific and chaotic period, Jesus said: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other” (Matthew 24:10).

Paul the Apostle warned the believers on more than one occasion not to be deceived into believing that Jesus had already returned. For until the Great Apostasy and the emergence of the Antichrist, the “Day of the Lord”—the return of Jesus—will not come:

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. (2 Thessalonians 2:3, NASB)

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. (1 Timothy 1:4, NASB)

In this chapter we will examine how the dramatic growth of Islam may be tied to the coming Great Apostasy as well as the relationship between terror and the success of the Antichrist.

ISLAM’S RISE TO GLOBAL PROMINENCE

Because one of Islam’s core doctrines is faith in Allah’s absolute and complete sovereignty, many Muslims have had a hard time psychologically with the idea that Islam has had to play second fiddle to Christianity for such a long time. If Allah is all-powerful and Islam is his only religion, then why does Islam play such a secondary role to Christianity throughout the world? Why does Allah allow this? These are some of the things that many Muslims wrestle with. My speculation, however, is that in the next few decades, as Islam begins to draw closer to bypassing Christianity as the world’s largest religion, the psychological boost to Islam will be tremendous. The psychological blow to Christianity, on the other hand, will be equally profound. Suddenly many Christians will ask themselves, “If God is allpowerful, how can He allow Islam to, in essence, take over the world?” Muslims will triumphantly exclaim that it can no longer be said that Jesus Christ is the most influential man in human history, but rather Muhammad! There will be an atmosphere of excitement among Muslims that has not existed since the initial phases of Islam’s conquests.

I don’t intend to be negative here, but based on my simple observations of people, I expect that we will see a “tipping point” just before Islam actually bypasses Christianity when there will be a sudden burst forward of bandwagon conversions and growth. At this time, testimony will be a powerful tool for Muslims. As more and more Westerners convert, the claims and challenges of Islam will become far more difficult for many Western Christians to brush aside. Existing prejudices that have insulated many Western Christians from actually having to face Islam as a relevant factor in the world will suddenly be stripped away as sincere and intelligent people that they know become Muslims. No longer will people be able to hide behind their prejudices and ignore Islam as a more primitive religion of a less cultured or less educated people. Many Westerners will consequently be forced
to revisit the religion of Islam. Today in America, when the majority of people previously without religion come to accept monotheism and make a decision to follow God, most do not ever wrestle with which religion they should choose, but rather which denomination. As Islam grows in the West, such people will be forced to face this decision. Between the only two real choices, which will it be: Christianity or Islam?

We should expect at this time a frenzy among the Islamic community toward the goal of completing the task of Islamic world domination. The Muslim world will experience a tremendous psychological boost. This exhilaration will only be heightened if, during this time, anything happens to America that significantly weakens it as a world power. Admittedly, this is only speculation, but based on the apparent lack of any real significance of America in biblical prophecy, many prophecy teachers have argued that sometime prior to the last days America will suffer some form of significant decline in its place of prominence and power in the world. While I certainly do not hope for such a bleak scenario to unfold, the continual rise and fall of various world powers is a pattern as old and as predictable as the rising of the sun.

Again, I am just speculating, but if these two factors—the decline of America and the rise of Islam—did occur in a relatively close proximity of time, then surely the vindication that Muslims have longed for would invigorate the Islamic movement throughout the world in a way that has never before been seen. The final goal line would suddenly be in sight for Muslims throughout the world. Observers of apocalyptic movements have consistently made the point that one of the most dangerous combinations in any individual is the feeling that God is absolutely on his side and the belief in a divine mandate to do violence. Accordingly, when atrocities occur under the Mahdi, it will be far easier to excuse and overlook them. In the eyes of Muslims, the Mahdi will purge the last vestiges of infidel spiritual cancer from the earth in preparation
for an age of peace. Consider the following statement made in Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini’s
Al-Imam Al-Mahdi: The Just Leader of Humanity
. Referring to those who refuse to convert to Islam and submit to the Mahdi’s leadership over the earth, we read: