Meet the New Antichrist, Same as the Old Antichrist

The oldline end times scenario of a revived Roman Empire under a European Antichrist has apparently run out of steam. In a much hyped new book, Joel Richardson (pseudonym) claims the villainous world dictator of dispensationalist lore will, instead, be of Islamic origin.

Meet "The Islamic Antichrist," a book expected to be greeted in the Muslim world with the same enthusiasm as Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses." The author, Joel Richardson, is prepared. He has written the book under a pseudonym to protect himself and his family.

But it's more than controversial – it's a hit.

"The Islamic Antichrist" is the No. 1 e-book in America at Scribd.com and No. 1 at Amazon in two religion categories. It's also the No. 1 best-seller at the WND Superstore, where it is exclusively offered autographed at no extra charge.

"The Bible abounds with proofs that the Antichrist's empire will consist only of nations that are, today, Islamic," says Richardson. "Despite the numerous prevailing arguments for the emergence of a revived European Roman empire as the Antichrist's power base, the specific nations the Bible identifies as comprising his empire are today all Muslim."

Richardson believes the key error of many previous prophecy scholars involves the misinterpretation of a prediction by Daniel to Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel describes the rise and fall of empires of the future, leading to the endtimes. Western Christians have viewed one of those empires as Rome, when, claims Richardson, Rome never actually conquered Babylon and was thus disqualified as a possibility.

It had to be another empire that rose and fell and rose again that would lead to rule of this "man of sin," described in the Bible. That empire, he says, is the Islamic Empire, which did conquer Babylon and, in fact, rules over it even today.

Many evangelical Christians believe the Bible predicts a charismatic ruler, the Antichrist, will arise in the last days, before the return of Jesus. The Quran also predicts that a man, called the Mahdi, will rise up to lead the nations, pledging to usher in an era of peace. Richardson makes the case these two men are, in fact, one in the same.

This would all be very intriguing were it not for the fact that the prophecies of Daniel were fulfilled centuries ago. In this regard, Richardson offers nothing new. He is reading Old Testament prophecies concerning events leading up to the first advent of Christ as though they concern the second advent. The "prince who is to come" (Daniel 9:26) is not "the Antichrist," but Christ! This mis-identification is one of the most egregious, bordering on blasphemous, errors of the self-appointed "prophecy experts," whether their "Antichrist" is Roman, Muslim, American, or what have you.

The essential premise of the eschatological "Day of the Lord" is a decisive act of God in the midst of human history in which is made plain the choice between good and evil, blessing and curse, life and death; that is, between the things that are of Christ and the things that are opposed to Christ (Antichrist). Those who have called themselves out as "experts" and "scholars" in the field of biblical prophecy, yet cannot distinguish those Scriptures which speak of Christ from those which speak of Antichrist are clearly unprepared for that Day and have no business pretending to prepare others for it.