Could the 12th Imam be the Antichrist?

If you've watched the news at all lately, you will have heard of the riots in Egypt and political unrest throughout the Middle East. If you've dug into even further, you will have come across the term "Caliphate" and know that the Radical Shiite Muslims want to establish a new Caliphate - Islamic Welfare State run by the Caliph, eventually the 12th Imam- which will be a worldwide Islamic State.

Now, you might not be familiar with the teaching of the 12th Imam, so I will do my best to give you the cliff notes version. Basically, the radical Shiites teach that a Muslim Messiah called the 12th Imam will emerge from a rebuilt Babylon. Jesus will come with Him and will convert the world to Islam while persecuting Jews and Christians who will be hiding behind rocks in Jerusalem. This sounds eerily similar to what the Bible teaches concerning the 2 Beasts of Revelation 13, that we know more familiarly as the Antichrist and False Prophet.

Up until recent years, it would've been hard to see how this 12th Imam figure could fulfill the numerous prophecies concerning the Antichrist. After all, Daniel 7 and Daniel 2 make it clear that the 10 Kings from which the Little Horn will come are a part of the 4th Empire, which was Rome. However, Daniel chapter 8, gives us a specific prophecy about the Greek Empire and in particular a man named Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus committed an Abomination of Desolation, when he caused the sacrifice to cease in the Temple and erected an altar to Jupiter (the Greek Equivalent of Zeus, which I believe is Satan), and he sacrificed a pig upon that altar. He was only allowed to rule 2300 days after that event. So, you're saying, "Well, that's the end of it." Not so fast my friends! Jesus equated this event with an event that would mark the last 3 1/2 years of the Great Tribulation. In Matthew 24:15-16, Jesus said, "When ye therefore see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of by Daniel the Prophet standing in the Holy Place, then let them which are in Judea flee." This was spoken hundreds of years after Antiochus. And for those who say, well it's the destruction of the temple, there was no altar set up to foreign deities under Titus in A.D. 70. They just leveled the entire city including the temple. Also, when you read the remainder of chapter 8, the Angel Gabriel makes it clear to Daniel that he is seeing a vision of the Antichrist. So Jesus must have been referring to the Antichrist in Matthew 24.

So, how does this tie in with the 12th Imam of Islam? I'm getting there. Just hold on. First however, I'd like to give you some names and characteristics of the Antichrist given in Scripture.

• He comes in his own name. John 5:43


• He comes out of the 4th Empire and 3rd Empire (Rome and Greece) Daniel 7, 8
  
• He blasphemes the most high God. Daniel 7


• He exalts himself above the Prince of princes. Daniel 8.


• He is the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition. 2 Thessalonians 2:3


• He is the Assyrian. Micah 5:5, 6


• He is the king of fierce countenance. Daniel 8:23 and


• The Little Horn. Daniel 7:8
  

I want you now to look at the following maps.

The Greek Empire (3rd Empire)

The Roman Empire (4th Empire).

The Ottoman Empire (Muslim Caliphate).

The Emerging Caliphate.

Now look back at the map of Greece and Rome. Rome contained Mesopotamia which is modern day Iraq. Greece, Persia and Babylon all did as well. The Ottoman Empire and the possible emerging Caliphate all have that area as their central hub, and as you know, the ancient city of Babylon from which the 12th Imam is to emerge is in that region as well. The interesting thing about Greece is that upon Alexander the Great's death at age 33, his empire was divided among 4 general. Seleucus I, from whose line came Antiochus Epiphanes, occupied....you guessed it, the Middle East: Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. In light of Daniel 8, I don't think it is that much of a stretch to see how a Muslim leader (12th Imam) could be "The Assyrian" talked about by Micah the prophet who will come out of the 3rd and 4th Empires, be given power to prevail over Israel for a short time after which Christ will return and set up His Kingdom which shall never end! Even so come quickly Lord Jesus! Maranatha!