Islam And The Papacy In Prophecy
IF YOU LIKE TO SEE THE WHOLE STORY:
http://www.giveshare.org/islam/islamandpapacy.html
by Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D.,
Retired Professor of Theology and Church History, Andrews University
Endtime Issues No. 86
I
f ever I needed some encouragement to undertake a research, I received
plenty of it from the responses to the last Endtime Issues newsletter (No.
85) on "Violence in the Koran and the Bible." The question that I posed,
was whether or not I should examine the possible prophetic role of Islam,
especially as it relates to the nature and work of the antichrist. About
500
subscribers urged me to proceed immediately without hesitation with such
an
investigation.
A few subscribers have advised me to leave this controversial subject
alone,
because it may be costly to my reputation. Some even warned me that if my
investigation weakens the role of the Papacy as the prophetic antichrist,
then I will play into the hands of my detractors who accuse me of being a
"Jesuit spy."
Let me assure you that I do not court controversy. Over the years I have
learned that researching and writing on controversial subjects can be
financially costly and emotionally draining. To this very day there are
some
Adventist Church leaders who refuse to invite me to speak in their
churches
and/or institutions, because I have authored such controversial books as
Women in the Church, and The Christian and Rock Music. The fact that these
books have been favorably reviewed by numerous Adventist and
evangelical
scholars, has not significantly changed their attitude toward me.
Having reached the sunset years of my life, I prefer to stay out of
controversy. But in good conscience I cannot ignore the Biblical
implications of the current war on terrorism. After all, the terrible
chain
of events following September 11, 2001, have left many Bible believing
Christians wondering: what is Islam and how does it relate to the
prophetic
role of the antichrist? Is Islam part of the prophetic power that has
historically promoted the false worship of God through political warfare
and
religious deception? Are the senseless acts of terrorism we are witnessing
daily to be viewed as isolated incidents of fanatical Muslims, or as part
of the historical outworking of prophetic antichrist?
There are other important questions thinking Christians are asking. For
example, why is the Pope working toward a rapprochement with Muslims by
praising the Islamic faith as the same faith of Abraham, in spite of the
late catastrophic events? Why is the Pope welcoming and affirming the
religion of Muhammad today, after condemning it for almost fourteen
centuries, including two centuries of crusades against Muslims? Is there a
common denominator between the agenda of Islam and that of the Papacy,
that
brings these two strange bedfellows together today? And how do the two
agendas of the Papacy and Islam relate to the prophetic role of the
antichrist?
It would be presumptuous to claim that this newsletter offers
comprehensive
answers to all these questions. The most I can hope to accomplish is to
stimulate some fresh thinking on the prophetic role of Islam and the
Papacy.
A Warning about the Length of this Newsletter
This is the longest newsletter that I have prepared. It may prove to be
one
of the most significant. If your time is limited, feel free to skip the
first part and jump to the last part where I deal specifically with how
the
Papacy and Islam fulfill the prophetic role of the antichrist. The first
part introduces the last part, by helping you to understand how the new
partnership the Pope is building with the Muslims is based on striking
similarities between the beliefs and practices of the two religions.
May I urge those of you who disagree with the position I develop in this
essay, not to become disagreeable or hostile toward me. It is a sign of
Christian maturity to learn to disagree without becoming disagreeable with
one another.
|
