Man of Sin and the Restrainer

[Guest]

Is it possible that Mohommed could be the "man of sin?" I have wondered if any thing relating to Islam could be fulfilled in prophesy. It seems that Islam is a power counterfiet of Satan with Mohommed superceeding Jesus. Just a thought.

Back in 1979 I first heard that the locusts in Rev 9 were a reference to Islam. About 3 years ago I asked the Lord, "If the locusts in Rev 9 are a reference to Islam could You please confirm it to me." Five days later I found the August 1969 issue of National Geographic in a second-hand book store. It ran an artcle by Robert Conway about locusts. In it is a map of a locust plague that hit North Africa between 1967 and 1968. It is almost identical to a map I have in a history book about the expansion of Islam in the 7th century.

I have another old National Geographic (1963 I think) about Medievil Europe. The caption to a picture of the Muslim hordes begins, "Out of the furnace of Arabia..."

[Guest]

Back in 1979 I first heard that the locusts in Rev 9 were a reference to Islam. About 3 years ago I asked the Lord, "If the locusts in Rev 9 are a reference to Islam could You please confirm it to me." Five days later I found the August 1969 issue of National Geographic in a second-hand book store. It ran an artcle by Robert Conway about locusts. In it is a map of a locust plague that hit North Africa between 1967 and 1968. It is almost identical to a map I have in a history book about the expansion of Islam in the 7th century.


I agree Sab about Rev 9 being about the rise of Islam. There are so many connections it's remarkable. Abul A'la Mawdudi one of Islam's most prominent scholars used the word "abyss of darkness" in a book introducing english speaking people to the origins of Islam. Muslim tradition speaks of locusts having dropped into the hands of Mohammed bearing the inscription on their wings "we are the army of the great God."
In the Quran it says "When you fight the battles of the Lord ,destroy no palm trees ,nor burn any fields of grain ,cut down no fruit trees."
The locusts were "like unto horses" and the arabs were known to be the most skilled horseman. John says the locusts wore "crowns like gold" and the yellow turbins the arab army wore in battle looked like gold crowns. John said the locusts had faces of men but hair like women , a perfect description of the long haired arab fighters.

[Guest]

Steve,

This is my first post, so let me begin by saying that I have really enjoyed listening to your recorded teachings. I'm continually amazed at how much you squeeze out of each verse, and it's led me to a much deeper appreciation of just how intricate and intertwined the Bible really is.

One of the topics that I've become more and more interested in over the past year or so (like many here apparently) is eschatology. I guess you could number me among the countless "recovering" dispensationalists. But some time back a friend and I listened to some of Dr. Dan Trotter's tapes on Orthodox Preterism, and it was like a light went on. Teachers like you and some others have made the light shine a little brighter!

Of course, I'm still learning, so although I've had countless questions answered, more have arisen. Here are a few:

1) My past understanding of the litte horn in Dan. and the man of sin in Thess. was that these were all the same person as the beast or the anti-Christ, or at least pointing to the same idea. But as I understand things now, the anti-Christ is not anyone in particular...just a general description. The little horn and the man of sin that Paul speaks of could be the same (or, at least share very similar descriptions), and the beast is totally separate. Do I have everything right so far?

2) The early church fathers (ECFs) also understood the little horn and the man of sin to be the same entity, and more specifically, they believed Dan. and Paul were referring to the rise of the Papacy after the fall of the Roman Empire, right?

3) Assuming I'm right on the first 2 assumptions/questions, did the ECFs separate the little horn, man of sin, beast, and anti-Christ? Or was that all one person/entity?

The reason for my asking is that I know a fella who is very big into studying the early church fathers (ECFs), and he basically forms his eschatology soley on their writings. His argument is that many of them received the direct apolstolic tradition, so they should have a much clearer understanding of prophetic and other unclear passages. As such (and relating back to my other questions), as far as I can tell he would agree that the Papacy could be the little horn and man of sin, but he also believes we are looking for a future anti-Christ and tribulation. He bolsters this argument with the claim that the ECF's "unanimously" taught that these were yet future events.

So, I guess I'm also wondering where you would agree and disagree with the ECFs, and if the evidence is truly that strong (at least from their writings) that they did not see the time surrounding 70 AD as fulfillment of the anti-Christ and great tribulation.

Thanks for any help,

The Hebe