“The Mahdi is coming!”
Moderate Islam. Radical Islam. Militant Islam.
About the time you were getting confused and cynical about them all, along comes another term, complements of Joel C. Rosenberg
The threat we face is not simply from Radical Islam. Indeed, it not even primarily from Radical Islamic groups like Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and al Qaeda at this hour, as serious as these threats are.
The most serious threat we face in the Middle East and North Africa is what I call “Apocalyptic Islam.”
This term — “Apocalyptic Islam” — is one that each of needs to become familiar with and begin to teach others. Why? Because for the first time in all of human history, we have not just one but two nation states whose rulers are driven not by political ideology — or even mere religious theology — but by apocalyptic, genocidal End Times eschatology.
The Islamic Republic of Iran today is ruled by an apocalyptic, genocidal death cult.
So is the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
The former are Shia. The latter are Sunni. Both believe the End of days has come. Both believe their messiah – known as the “Mahdi” — is coming at any moment. Both are trying to hasten the coming of the Mahdi. Yet each has entirely different strategies to hasten his arrival or appearance on earth.
ISIS wants to build a caliphate. Iran wants to build The Bomb. ISIS is committing genocide now. Iran is preparing to commit genocide later.
In the near term, ISIS is more dangerous. Why? Because ISIS is on a jihadist rampage right now. Robbing. Killing. Destroying. Enslaving. Raping. Torturing. Beheading. Because ISIS is a Satanic movement. This is not mere terrorism. This is genocide. These are demon-possessed people making blood sacrifices to their god and if they are not stopped they will murder millions and bring down one Mid-eastern regime after another.
The emphases are mine. Your response to them is yours. What say you? Please tell us below.
The church faces a gathering storm on many fronts. If you walk with Jesus, get closer to Him.