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Islam's Long War

(With Study Notes & comments re, Islam & Sunday Laws) 

The prophecies in Daniel and Revelation, regarding the doings of Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam overlap each other like overhead projector transparencies, and by putting them all together, overlaying one on top of the other, we can get a pretty good picture of prophetic history, right up to the end.

The best explanation about the doings of Islam for about the last thousand years tells us that radical Islam constitutes the "Three Woes" of Revelation 8:13.

By about 500 AD apostate Christian Catholicism (the King of the North of Dan. 11:30 and onward) was heavily into worshiping idols "icons," and looking back over the long history of Islam, it is clear that God used Islam to chastise Catholicism for that very practice.....idolatrous image-worship. Mohammad (the "star that fell" in Rev. 9:1) really just wanted to clean up Catholic Christianity and present it in its purity to the Arab tribes of the East, but unfortunately, after nearly getting himself killed, he fell back to his tribal thinking that tribal reform at the point of a sword was the best way to go.

Generally speaking, for a thousand years Islam's attacks on Catholicism (the first two "woes") kept the Popes' Crusades from completely wiping out the Sabbath-keepers scattered around Europe and North Africa, and later, also kept the Popes from wiping out the Protestant Reformation in the 1500's, and pretty much just held the power of the Popes in check, until 1798 (at the end of the 1260 year prophecies) when organized atheism (the King of the South, manifesting itself as Napoleon's France in Dan. 11:40) finally deposed the then reigning pope from his throne, the "push at him" in Dan.11:40 (which is also the "deadly wound" of Rev. 13:3) which spelled the end of Catholicism as a political power, forever....or so he thought.

The first 670 years of Islam was the First Woe, from about 627 AD to July 27, 1299 AD. Islam was the religion of the disorganized (but no less deadly) Arab Saracen tribes that were like noxious "smoke" (Rev. 9:2) in the eyes and noses of the apostate Holy Roman Empire, both Eastern and Western. Sabbath-keeping Christians (having "the seal of God in their foreheads") had far more religious freedom under the Islamic Arab Caliphs than they did under the sun-worshiping Popes (...but, unfortunately, not so for the Jews).

For the last 150 years of the First Woe, from July 27, 1299 AD to early in the year 1449 AD, Islam, now under the newly organized tribes of the Ottoman Turks, fulfilled their prophetic commission to "hurt" and "torment" (Rev. 9:5) the kingdom of the Popes for "five months" (150 years).

The Second Woe began in 1449 AD when the new "Christian" emperor of the Eastern Holy Roman Empire voluntarily (a key point) gave up his kingdom by asking the permission of the Turkish Sultan first before assuming his throne. Soon afterward, the Ottoman Turks invaded, using explosives (muskets and cannons) for the first time against "Christendom" to "slay" (Rev. 9:15) the apostate "Christian" nations of Europe in order to expand their Islamic Empire. Thus, as noted before, Islam continued to keep the armies of the Popes busy, which prevented them from being used to squash the growing Protestant Reformation.

Prophecy declares that this "radical" Islam was to assault apostate Catholic Christianity for an "hour, day, month, and year" (Rev. 9:15), or (applying the day-for-a-year principle) 391 years, 15 days. This time period, the Second Woe, was completed when the then reigning Turkish Sultan surrendered (also voluntarily) the enfeebled "Sick Man of the East" Ottoman Empire into the control of Christian nations on August 11, 1840, on the very day specified in the prophecy (taking the 150 years, and the 391 years, 15 days together).

After the results of atheism were seen in Napoleon's bloody French Revolution and Reign of Terror, it was quickly abandoned and tolerance of the Bible reinstated, but about 120 years later organized atheism sprouted up again in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Then atheistic Communism took over the job of holding the Popes in check (making the USSR the new King of the South), until 1989, when the USA helped Pope John Paul II defeat Communist atheism (the "whirlwind" of Dan.11:40) for the last time. So, from then on there has been no check on the spread of Catholic papal power (the last King of the South has been dead since 1989), and the Popes have "overflowed" into the "countries" of Eastern Europe once again.

America sent its first Ambassador to the Vatican in 1984. At that time it ceased to be a "Protestant" country (it is logically inconsistent to station a diplomat at the Vatican and still "protest" popery), and since that time the USA has been helping the pope regain his power in Europe, as well as allowing the pope to increase his power and prestige in "Protestant" America (the "glorious land" of Dan. 11:41). America is also represented as the second beast of Rev. 13; the one that is now in the process of changing from having the lamb's horns of religious and economic freedom to the dragon's voice of military compulsion and economic oppression. (Changing from opposing to supporting Catholicism is another prophetic marker.) The culmination of this trend will be when the USA enacts and enforces the pope's Sunday Law.

Right now the Popes are on the march again, with the aid of the USA, to gain control of the entire world (the Egypt of Dan. 11:42-43), and to eventually attempt to exterminate all Sabbath-keeping "heretics" worldwide. Therefore, God has allowed radical Islam to rise back up again also (the third "woe") in order to chastise not only worldwide Catholicism, but apostate North American "Protestantism" as well.

Islam seems to have slumbered for a hundred years, but there can be no doubt that we are within the time period of the "Third Woe" since Sept. 11, 2001, for "Radical Islam" has re-awakened and is on the loose again, with an emphasis on explosively violent surprise attacks, as before. In order to be historically and prophetically consistent their wrath must be directed at an apostate "Christian" power that is endangering God's true worshipers.

"The forms of religion will be continued by a people from whom the Spirit of God has been finally withdrawn; and the satanic zeal with which the prince of evil will inspire them for the accomplishment of his malignant designs, will bear the semblance of zeal for God. As the Sabbath has become the special point of controversy throughout Christendom, and religious and secular authorities have combined to enforce the observance of the Sunday, the persistent refusal of a small minority to yield to the popular demand will make them objects of universal execration. It will be urged that the few who stand in opposition to an institution of the church and a law of the state ought not to be tolerated; that it is better for them to suffer than for whole nations to be thrown into confusion and lawlessness. The same argument eighteen hundred years ago was brought against Christ by the "rulers of the people." "It is expedient for us," said the wily Caiaphas, "that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." John 11:50. This argument will appear conclusive; and a decree will finally be issued against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, denouncing them as deserving of the severest punishment and giving the people liberty, after a certain time, to put them to death. Romanism in the Old World and apostate Protestantism in the New will pursue a similar course toward those who honor all the divine precepts."

 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 615

Therefore, the closer America follows the pope's ways and restricts personal and religious liberty (which the Popes hate), the more America will be troubled with the incurable plague of those explosive radical Islamic terrorists. Genesis 16:11 says of Ishmael (the father of the Arab tribes, and therefore the spiritual father of Islam), that he would be a "wild man" (and by extension his descendants also), and that "his hand would be against every man, and every man's hand against him," fitly describing radical Islam's attitude toward the world, and the world's attitude toward radical Islam.

But continuing with the prophecies......with the help of the USA, the pope finally will get control of the world ("Egypt" in Dan. 11:43), most likely through the United Nations (the "10 kings" of Rev. 17:12), but the "tidings" of the noisy Sabbath-keepers in Dan. 11:44 (the "loud voice" of Rev. 14:9 & 18:4) begin to call away the pope's support-base of followers (the "waters" Rev.17:15, of the Euphrates in Rev. 16:12).

Then, whoever the pope is at that time, he "shall plant" himself (Dan.11:45) "between the seas" --or waters, or his people/support-base (Rev.17:15), and the "glorious holy mountain," which is God's purified Sabbath-keeping church, who are calling his people, his support-base, away from him, but "he shall come to his end" when the "10 kings" of Rev. 17 turn on him (and Jesus comes to save His loyal Sabbath keepers~!), "and none shall help him."                              

Ishmael

Gen. 16:12

And he will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. 

Patriarchs & Prophets, p. 146 by EG White.

Sarah saw in Ishmael's turbulent disposition a perpetual source of discord, and she appealed to Abraham, urging that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away from the encampment.

PP 174

Separated from his father, and embittered by the strife and contention of a home destitute of the love and fear of God, Ishmael was driven to choose the wild, marauding life of the desert chief, "his hand" "against every man, and every man's hand against him." Genesis 16:12. In his latter days he repented of his evil ways and returned to his father's God, but the stamp of character given to his posterity remained. The powerful nation descended from him were a turbulent, heathen people, who were ever an annoyance and affliction to the descendants of Isaac. 

Selected Messages, vol. 1, p.221 by EG White (1SM 221)

We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Prophecies are fulfilling. Strange and eventful history is being recorded in the books of heaven--events which it was declared should shortly precede the great day of God. Everything in the world is in an unsettled state. The nations are angry, and great preparations for war are being made. Nation is plotting against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The great day of God is hasting greatly. But although the nations are mustering their forces for war and bloodshed, the command to the angels is still in force, that they hold the four winds until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. 

Rev. 7:1

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 409 by EG White (3SM 409)

Angels are holding the four winds, represented as an angry horse seeking to break loose, and rush over the face of the whole earth, bearing destruction and death in its path. . . .

Islam & Sunday Laws

There are some religious zealots who are pushing for Sunday laws now, but they aren't supercharged by fear and panic, yet. Their present motive is to impose their idea of religious orthodoxy on everyone (nowadays a shared Catholic and "Protestant" idea), so they can be counted as "evangelists". But when the fear and panic comes, they and everyone else will want to force everyone into church on Sunday, in order to make God happy again so He won't abandon the USA to be blown up any more by those "wild" (Gen. 16:12) Moslem suicide exploders.

"It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity." Great Controversy, p. 590

However, they are going to blow up this country, because of the loss of civic freedoms (which the US gov't is contributing to), and because of the fearful religious zealots who will successfully work to restrict other people's freedoms through increasing Sunday laws. It will be a positive-reinforcement loop, becoming worse at every round, until society collapses into bloody anarchy similar to the French Revolution.

"At the same time anarchy is seeking to sweep away all law, not only divine, but human. The centralizing of wealth and power; the vast combinations for the enriching of the few at the expense of the many; the combinations of the poorer classes for the defense of their interests and claims; . . . the world-wide dissemination of the same teachings that led to the French Revolution--all are tending to involve the whole world in a struggle similar to that which convulsed France."  Maranatha, p. 146 by E.G. White

The more our civil and religious freedoms are restricted (the US gov't is working hard and fast to reduce our civil freedoms now), the more "legal right" Islam will have to punish the USA.

It is the whole story of the "3 Woes" of Revelation 8:13. 

If one lines up the book of Revelation with the flow of history since the time of Christ it is easy to see, as per Uriah Smith's book, "Daniel & Revelation". Islam's role is to punish any nation that supports the oppressive socialistic policies (both economic and religious) of Catholicism primarily, and of apostate Protestantism secondarily. As "national apostasy" is the signal for "national ruin" explosive Islam will be the entity that finally ruins the USA, and the world.

Scripture warns us about the role of Islam in the 5th, 6th & 7th Trumpets ("Woes"). What Islam did in the 5th & 6th Trumpets shows us what they are doing now in the 7th Trumpet. (ie. attacking the armies of the countries that support the papacy.) The USA has been the papacy's "new army" ever since we sent an ambassador to Rome in 1984, and then helped the papacy take down the King of the South, the atheistic USSR, in 1989.

The main prophetic marker of the 5th Trumpet is that Islam attacks the armies of the countries that support the papacy "suddenly and unexpectedly", like scorpions, and the main marker of the 6th Trumpet is that they use explosives in their attacks, so now (as we apply the principle of a triple application of prophecy) we see both of those markers now in the 7th Trumpet/3rd Woe as Islam focuses on the use of suicide bombers (most notably on 9/11).

On both the 1843 & 1850 Pioneer Charts Islam is portrayed as a war horse, and EGW speaks of the Four Winds of Rev. 7 being an "angry horse" straining to be loosed to spread destruction all over the world, but held in check until the 3rd Angel's Message is fully proclaimed (Rev. 14:9-11). We believe it is justified to assume that Islam is that "angry horse" that is presently being "restrained".

Obama is making a symbolic gesture of good will to the global Islamic community because now that Islam outnumbers Catholicism (as I just recently read) he is justly afraid of them, like the rest of the world. The global fear of Islam is prophetic too. Gen. 16:12 says of end-time Islam, "And he will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." This last phrase means that Muslims don't assimilate with other peoples, which they don't. They tend to remain in Islamic ghettos and breed hate for all non-Muslims.

Another prophetic marker that is especially meaningful to Seventh-day Adventists is that on Aug. 11, 1840, at the beginning of the Millerite time, Islam was "restrained" by Christian powers. After 9/11 Islam was "restrained" by Christian powers again. That "restraining" of Islam is one of several events that mark the beginning of the same sequence of events (the 7 Thunders) that occurred during the Millerite time.

We understand that "the generation" that saw those "signs" also "saw" Jesus arrive in the "clouds of heaven" before the Father at the opening of the Investigative Judgment on Oct. 22, 1844. Since the same sequence of events is evidently underway, I believe we can expect that the generation that saw the 1989 and 9/11 "signs" will also live to see Jesus actually arrive in the "clouds of heaven" at the end of the Judgment of the Living and the Seven Last Plagues.

May you and I together be ready to meet the Lord in peace.

Pat Rampy