Comparing the Mahdi and the Antichrist

In the article "The Coming of Isa the Messiah", the author made the following statement:

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As we have seen a close correspondence between al-Mahdi and the Antichrist described in the Bible (see this article for a detailed comparison), there is a character that the Bible is said that a close parallel of Isa? The answer is a definitive yes (and a surprise to some)! This character is the second beast mentioned in the Bible, and is described in Revelation 13:11-18. In this passage, the Apostle John had a vision of two beasts, in which the first beast is the symbol of what we commonly call the Antichrist. The second beast is our concern in this section, and is commonly known as the “False Prophet”, due to the nature of its activities. Again, this is not an in-depth study of this character. We only deal with the characteristics that are relevant to our discussion (positive or negative).
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Unfortunately, the link to the article for a detailed comparison does not exist. So I have to check the internet for alternatives. This article "Comparing the Mahdi and the Antichrist" looked pretty good.

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Characteristic	Al-Mahdi in Islam	Antichrist in Christianity	Bible Ref.
Where he comes from	Either he starts appearing in Khorasan with the army of al-Harith, or this Khorasan army will come and join him.	His power base will arise in the remnants of Seleucid Empire (which includes Assyria and Khorasan). *	Dan 8:9
His looks	Will look like "Bani Israel". Wears two cloaks.	Some say he will be a Jew, others say he will be a gentile.
His ascension to power	Starts humble, forced to accept leadership. Muslims voluntarily pledge allegiance to him.	Starts humble, given authority to rule.	Dan 8:24-25, 11:21, Rev 6:2, 13:2, 17:17
Amassing of power	Muslims voluntarily pledge allegiance to him.	People voluntarily give power to him.	Rev 17:17
His change	He will be changed by Allah to take up the responsibilities.	He is given power, throne and authority by the dragon.	Rev 13:2
His change	He will be changed by Allah overnight	He changes his religion.	Dan 11:37
His initial jurisdiction	The Muslim states. Some states (eg. Saudi Arabia) will be attacked for their failure to support al-Mahdi.	Most Muslim states of the Middle East, except possibly Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Bible states 10 nations, and three of them will be subdued.	Dan 8:9, Ezek 38-39
His final jurisdiction	The world (after successful jihad).	The world (after he won over the world)	Rev 12:19, 13:3, 16:14
His persuasive ability	Will win over people, including Jews and Christians. He will preach peace, justice and equity	By his words, will win over many people, including Jews and Christians. "By peace he will destroy many".	Dan 8:24-25
World's attitude towards him	Greatly loved by the world (after persuading the world and winning in jihad).	Greatly loved by the world (after he conquers the world).	Rev 13:3-4, 13:7-8
The rider	Comes on a white horse (?), conquering.	Comes on a white horse, conquering (one interpretation).	Rev 6:2
His army	Will either lead a large army of Muslims (from Khorasan) or this army will join him. Easily in the hundreds of millions.	A large army of at least 200 million will assemble in Iraq region.	Rev 9:16
His campaigns	Will wage war and win over the world and be successful.	Will wage war and no one can stand against him.	Dan 11:24, 11:39, Rev 13:4
His length of rule	Will rule for seven, eight or nine years. Seven years seem to be the concensus.	Will rule for seven years (most common interpretation).
Treaty with the Jews	Truce treaty of seven years with a Jew of priestly lineage. Though not explicitly stated, truce (hudna) treaties may be broken in the case of a minor infraction and when the Muslims are strong enough, as was in the case of the Treaty of Hudaibiyya.	Peace treaty of seven years with the people of God. This treaty will be broken in the middle of seven years.	Dan 9:27
His relationship with Jews and Christians	Will kill many Jews and Christians.	Will kill many Jews and Christians.	Dan 7:21, 8:12, Rev 13:7. 13:10, 16:16, 17:6, 18:24
Method of execution	Not explicitly stated, but if he is expected to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then beheading is a possibility. Islam is the only religion that continues to use beheading. Qur'an said to cut off heads of unbelievers (Surah 47:4, 8:12)	Beheading is one of the methods of execution. It is a distingushing mark of Antichrist.	Rev 20:4
His type of government	Will implement Shari'a Law.	Will change the law.	Dan 7:25
His type of calendar	Not explicitly stated, but as he is expected to follow the Sunnah of Muhammad, then he will use Islamic Calender.	Will likely change the calendar. ("change the set times")	Dan 7:25
Lying	Lying allowed under certain circumstances, according to the Sunnah of Muhammad. Taqqiya is an established doctrine and practice in Islam.	Will cause deceit to prosper.	Dan 8:24-25, 11:23, 2 John 1:7, Rev 13:14, 2 Thess 2:9
His religion	Direct people to worship Allah. Establish Islam as the only religion.	Direct people to worship the dragon. Establish one religion in the world.	Rev 13:4
Worship	Not explicitly stated, but implicitly stated.	People forced to worship Antichrist	Rev 13:4-15, 14:9,14:11, 16:2, 19:20
Prosperity	Great prosperity and wealth. Distributes wealth and booty.	Great prosperity and wealth. Distributes booty and land.	Dan 11:24, 11:39, 11:43
An assistant to al-Mahdi	Al-Mahdi has Isa to assist him.	Antichrist has Second Beast (False Prophet) to assist him.	Rev 13:11-18
His adversaries	His assistant, Isa, will kill ad-Dajjal who exercises miracles that will torment the world.	The Beast will kill the Two Witnesses who exercise miracles that will torment those who try to kill them.	Rev 11:1-14
Miracles during his reign	Allah will enable good rain and crops. The hadiths does not ascribe miracles to him.	The Bible does not explicitly ascribe miracles to Antichrist. His assistant will perform miracles for him.	Rev 13:13-14, 16:14, 19:20

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From here we can see that the anti-Christ corresponds to the Mahdi, the second beast to Isa (Muslim Jesus) and the two witnesses to the dajjal. Someone had aptly sum up as "one book's mahdi is another book's dajjal".

The Coming of Isa the Messiah

We have another article from the same blog on the coming of the Muslim Christ.

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Characteristic	Isa in Islam	False Prophet in Christianity
Position	Subordinate to al-Mahdi. Lower in status than al-Mahdi. Help al-Mahdi achieve his goals.	Subordinate to Antichrist. Lower in status than Antichrist. Help Antichrist achieve his goals.
Function	A prominent religious leader. Helps al-Mahdi institute Islam over world. All other religions will be abolished.	A prominent religious leader. Helps Antichrist institute world religion over world. No other religion allowed.
Religion	Direct people to worship Allah	Direct people to worship “dragon”
Laws	Help al-Mahdi to institute Shari’a Law and Islamic calendar	Help Antichrist to change laws and times
Behavior	Will claim to be the real Jesus, and act like him. Lying allowed under certain circumstances according to Sunnah of Muhammad.	Horns like a lamb (exercises authority like Jesus), speak like a dragon (lies and leading people astray and away from God)
Christianity	Will abolish Christianity	Will direct all to follow Antichrist and his religion.
Proselytization	Will persuade many Christians to become Muslims	Will lead many astray from Jesus and God of the Bible. There will be a great falling away (the Great Apostasy) in the End Times.
Persecution	Persecutes and kills Jews and Christians	Persecutes and kills Jews and Christians who refuse to follow Antichrist and him
Miracles	As a prophet, will possibly be able to perform miracles	Performs astounding miracles
“Mark of the Beast”	A beast will mark the Muslims on the forehead to distinguish from non-Muslims.	Institute the mark on the forehead or right hand so that only those who have the mark can buy and sell.
Slayer	Isa will kill ad-Dajjal.	Antichrist will kill the Two Witnesses.

....

Conclusions
We have examined in detail what the Islamic hadiths say about the coming apocalyptic character of Isa, which is the Muslim version of Jesus. The descriptions are of course very different from that of Jesus of the Bible. We also compared Isa with another apocalyptic character mentioned in the Bible, namely the second beast of Revelations 13, also nicknamed the "False Prophet". We see very important similarities between these two characters. The many anti-parallels between Isa and the False Prophets forces us to conclude that the coming Isa in Islam corresponds to the "False Prophet" in the Bible.

However, Isa is not the only character that has a counterpart in the Bible. There are two other characters that have an amazing correspondence in the Bible. Just as al-Mahdi, Isa and ad-Dajjal are three characters that are very important in the End Times in Islam, similarly, the Antichrist, the Second Beast and the Two Witnesses are also very important characters in the End Times in the Bible.
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The Antichrist in Islam (ad-Dajjal)

Just found an interesting article by a Malay Muslim on Dajjal, the Muslim Anti-Christin the last days. The significance is that this Muslim Anti-Christ correspondent to the Two Witness of Revelations.

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Characteristic	Ad-Dajjal	Two Witnesses	References
Physical characteristics	blind in one eye	No explicit description
Special characteristics	Has the letters “kfr” (kafir, meaning infidel) on forehead	Wears sackcloth signifying repentance (Heb: “kpr“. In Hebrew, the letter “p” is the same as “f”)	Rev. 11:3
Location	Appears between Iraq and Syria	Not stated, but likely in Israel and other places
Followers	Leader of 70,000 Isfahan Jews and women.	Not stated, likely a Jew and a Christian witness. No mention of followers
Vocation	Will claim to be a prophet	Prophecy, hence designated as prophets.	Rev 11:3
Ministry	Oppose al-Mahdi, Muslims and lead people away from Islam	Oppose Antichrist, the world and lead people away from the world religion. Lead people into repentance to the God of the Bible.	Rev 11:3,7
Ministry	Preach and torment Muslims for “40 days”. Due to unusual length of certain days, it is actually (or perceivably) about 14 months long.	Preach and torment Antichrist’s followers for 1260 days (about 42 months, 3.5 years)	Rev 11:5,6
Miracles	Performs great miracles, esp. sends and withholds rain.	Perform great miracles, esp. withhold rain.	Rev 11:5,6
Death	Killed by Isa	Killed by Antichrist	Rev 11:7
Death	Killed in Ludd (near Tel Aviv, Israel)	Bodies lie in Jerusalem (inside Israel)	Rev 11:8
Reactions to Death	No doubt there will be rejoicing by Muslims. Giving of sweets/gifts is a M.E. custom	Rejoicing by the world. Giving of gifts.	Rev 10
Burial	Not buried. Simply disappear.	Bodies lay unburied for 3.5 days, then resurrected to heaven.	Rev. 11:11-12

Notice that the correspondence is not as good a fit as the correspondence between al-Mahdi and Antichrist, and between Isa and False Prophet. In particular, there is one ad-Dajjal in Islam (although the hadiths say there will be thirty lesser dajjals), but there are Two Witnesses. However, the Islamic hadiths might actually be dealing only with the Jewish Witness (and did not mention the Christian Witness).

However, the general pattern is still very similar. In some characteristics, there is some leeway for both, so it isn’t necessarily a mismatch. For example, ad-Dajjal is supposed to be killed in Ludd near Tel Aviv in Israel (Northern Israel), while the bodies of the Two Witnesses will lie in Jerusalem. So, there is some room for these two to actualy be both fulfilled (eg. ad-Dajjal gets killed and then bodies moved to Jerusalem for all to see). The main anti-parallels are their miracles, their ministry, their death and the world’s reaction to their death.

This can be attributed to the fact that at most one religion is true (it can’t be both true). Hence, only one set of prophecies will be fulfilled, while the other will be very close, but not perfect. We shall have to wait and see as the future unfolds before our eyes.

Conclusions
We have examined in detail the hadiths and Muslim teachings about the Islamic apocalyptic character known as ad-Dajjal. Muslims understand this character to be the Antichrist. When compared against the Bible, however, ad-Dajjal is different from the Antichrist described in the Bible. Instead, we find that ad-Dajjal corresponds in description to the Two Witnesses.
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Telling It Forward

I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. (John 13:19 HCSB)
I have told you now before it happens so that when it does happen you may believe. (John 14:29 HCSB)
But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near! (Luke 21:28 HCSB)

Future News - Invasion of Israel by Gog and Magog

A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. You and all your allies - a vast and awesome army - will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. You will say, 'Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! I will go to those formerly desolate cities that are now filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder, for the people are rich with livestock and other possessions now. They think the whole world revolves around them!' But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, 'Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?'

"Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself. You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.

"This is what the Sovereign Lord asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel's prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people? But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. All living things - the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth - will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign Lord. Your men will turn their swords against each other. I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 38:8-23 NLT)

White Hair

As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9-10 ESV)

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. (Revelation 1:12-16 ESV)

Fatimids in Egypt

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9 ESV)

The following were taken from this website, "Fatimids in Egypt | History of Islam".

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Islamic history is animated by a vision to establish a universal community enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong and believing in God. But there have been different interpretations of this vision. In the 10th century there were at least four different versions of that vision. The Fatimids based in North Africa claimed the Imamate in the lineage of Imam Ismail. The Karamatians were also Fatimids but were extremist in their views and believed that their version of Islam be imposed on all Muslims, by force if necessary. The Buyids were Twelvers who believed in the Imamate in the lineage of Imam Musa Kazim. Then there were the Sunnis, the vast majority of the population, who accepted the Caliphate in Baghdad. In the 10th century, these conflicting visions collided on the political military plane. And out of this confusion emerged the victorious Turks, displacing both the Caliphate and the Imamate by a new military-political institution - the Sultanate.

The excesses of the age gave birth to a revolution - the Murabitun revolution in Africa - and provoked the dialectic of Al Ghazzali, which altered the way Muslims looked upon Islam itself. Their internal rivalry denied the Muslims their last chance to conquer Europe. In the 9th and 10th centuries, Europe lived in the age of imagination, dominated by the talisman and ruled by feudal lords. After the death of Charlemagne in 814, his Carolingian heirs fought among themselves for the remnants of the Frankish kingdom. Faced with Viking attacks from the north, Europe could not defend itself in the south and was militarily vulnerable. The mutual hostility between the Fatimids, the Umayyads and the Abbasids prevented them from exploiting this historic window of opportunity. The Aghlabid conquest of Sicily and their raids into southern Italy as far as Rome in 846 marked the farthest advance of Muslims into southern Europe. The armies of the Fatimids, the Umayyads, the Buyids and the Abbasids spent their energies primarily at each other's throats.
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What will happen if the Muslims today were able to conquer the world and impose Islam on the whole world? Exactly what happen in the past will happen again in the future. There will be fights on which interpretation of Islam is correct and you will have a corrupt Caliph enriching himself while pretending to impose morality on his people. Read the history of Islam for yourself. There is no example of Islam bringing progress to the people.

But Islam will never be able to conquer the Christians because God is always with the Christians. Just as God caused the Muslim to fight among themselves when the Christians were weak, so He will continue to preserve His people.

Four Civilizations

God has allowed four major types of civilizations to flourish. The humanist Chinese, the polytheistic Indians, the two monotheistic civilizations of Bible and Koran. These civilizations were given 1.5 to 2 thousand years and only those who believe in the Bible were able to come up with Science. The other three civilizations remain at more or less the same levels, making not much progress. This is because only those who believe in the Bible will allow truth to prosper.

Perception of God Determined by Perception of Sin

And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Exodus 34:6-7 KJV)

God, in His proclamation to Moses, declared Himself to be merciful and gracious. However, many atheists and unbelievers have a very different opinion of Him.

Richard Dawkins, in his book "The God Delusion", wrote of God as follows:
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The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character of all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.
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An article in the huffingtonpost.com, "The Embarrassment of Noah" by Ronald A. Lindsay, described God as a moral monster.
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Let's not mince words: if the story of the Flood is to be believed, God is a moral monster. To say his response to the alleged wickedness of humans is disproportionate is a gross understatement. Moreover, God engages in conduct that we would expect from the worst dictators, namely collective punishment that sweeps in the innocent along with the guilty. Children, presumably, were among those drowned (unless we assume that wicked adults had no offspring) as were most all of the animals, who bore no responsibility whatsoever for the misdeeds of humans. Intentionally drowning a kitten is conduct we'd expect of some psychopathic juvenile, not a loving deity.
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Jim Holt gave his view on God in this tweet:
"I think God is 100% benevolent but only 80% effective," - Jim Holt
(Tweets by Barnyardstories@BrianJBarnes442 11:11 AM - 2 Sep 2014)

Why such big discrepancy in God's own view of Himself and the views of atheists and unbelievers of Him? The main reason is the perception of sin. God views Himself as extremely merciful despite the hatefulness of sin committed by men. The atheists and unbelievers have very low view of sin, believing that most sins are okay and can be ignored.

Bible Verses on Truth

Some Bible verses on truth.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6 KJV)

Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. (Proverbs 30:5 NLT)

The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting. (Psalm 119:160 NASB)

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4 ESV)

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32 NLT)

Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, (Titus 1:1 NASB)

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17 ESV)
Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17 NET)

Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, (Ephesians 6:14 NASB)

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8 NASB)

But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15 HCSB)

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; (2 Timothy 2:25 KJV)

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24 KJV)

"But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?" (John 8:45-46 NASB)

So have I become your enemy speaking truth to you? (Galatians 4:16 ESV)

But we did not give up and submit to these people for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you. (Galatians 2:5 HCSB)

But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Romans 2:8 NIV)

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:7 KJV)

Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. (Isaiah 59:14 NASB)

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20 ESV)

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ESV)