Greetings from the Lord’s followers in Babylon. They are God’s chosen ones. Mark, who is like a son to me, sends his greetings too. ~ 1 Peter 5:13, CEV

The apostle Peter was in prison in Rome when he wrote the above verse. The King James’ translation of this same verse is: “The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.” This particular verse is used when many end times’ prophecy scholars want to prove that Revelation’s Babylon is not the rebuilt ancient city of Babylon but rather an allegorical reference about the spirit in the literal and physical Rome that was satanic, anti-Semitic, and antichrist in nature.

Now, there is no denying that the Roman Empire, globally, historically, biblically, and symbolically, is one of seven successive empires that attempted to annihilate the Jews. The Roman Empire is the sixth successive empire—the sixth head of the seven-headed beast apostle John describes (cf. Revelation 12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 7, 10 and 11). However, what most people who read the book of Revelation seem to forget is the fact that the city of Rome isn’t the rebuilt Babylon of Genesis 11, nor is Rome the rebuilt Babylon of Jeremiah 51. For sure, the literal, physical city of Babylon, which began on the Plain of Shinar with Nimrod and became the capital city of the great empire Nebuchadnezzar ruled, was utterly destroyed by the Persian King Xerxes in 478 B.C., and, according to God through the prophetic words spoken by prophet Jeremiah, is NEVER to be inhabited again (cf. Jeremiah 51:64)!

Certainly, it is true that the Roman Empire controlled apostle Peter’s world (that is, this empire controlled the parts of the Earth that the Romans had conquered by first century A.D.). This truth, however, is why it also is evident that in this first-century apostle’s day his allegorical Babylon reference really is speaking about the literal and physical ROME—the capital city of the united Roman Empire that a couple of centuries later is demoted to the capital city of only the Roman Empire’s western leg.

More important, what Peter is saying by referencing an allegorical Babylon is that the Roman Empire’s Rome, like this city’s predecessors, had an ever-present spirit that was satanic, anti-Semitic, and antichrist in nature. This is that demonic/beast spirit that has influenced every one of the capital cities of the global, biblical, and historical empires to date that have tried to destroy the nation of Israel and God’s chosen Jewish people. Furthermore, this demonic/beast spirit actually began with Nimrod, who is the first world leader after the Flood.

For this last reason, this ever-present spirit that was satanic, anti-Semitic, and antichrist in nature is the reason why there can be no doubt that the allegorical Babylon Peter refers to in 1 Peter 5:13 is the literal, physical ROME of his day, which to him actually symbolizes the Babel of Nimrod’s day. For sure, like the literal, physical city of ROME, the city of Babel (“Babylon”) was a city of great confusion: mysterious symbols . . . false religion (worship of Nimrod and his mother shrouded in divine secrets that pertained to their practiced mysterious rites); idolatry . . . false religion (the objects of worship in this cult were the Supreme Father, the Incarnate Female, who was Nimrod’s mother or “Queen of Heaven,” and her Son); occult . . . false religion (included black magic, demon contact, séances, perverted astrology [eventually became spiritism, soothsaying, and the misuse of the stars to predict future events and dates], and witchcraft); ancestor worship . . . false religion (worship of the dead); pantheism . . . false religion (belief that God and nature are the same); polytheism . . . false religion (belief in multiple gods); prostitution, tyranny, murders, and human sacrifices . . . false worship (shedding of innocent blood, killing of newborn babies, etc.); corruption, evil, and rebellion against Jehovah God . . . false worship (Nimrod proclaimed himself to be god). 

When God confounded the people of Babel’s tongues and scatter them, they took with them their ungodly beliefs, idolatrous practices, and rebellious nature, which is why centuries later the empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, Rome, and Turkey are guilty of having the same satanic, anti-Semitic, and antichrist spirit that influences evil and immoral spiritual, political, and economic standards. This truth, thus, explains why apostle Peter calls his Rome, BABYLON. He is making an allegorically reference to ancient Babel, which was the most corrupt seat of idolatry and the worst enemy of God. Thus, compared to Babel, it is easy to understand why this first-century follower of Jesus the Christ saw his Rome as the most corrupt seat of idolatry and the enemy of Christianity.

Once again, there is no doubt that apostle Peter’s Rome is the historical and biblical sixth empire of the seven successive empires that try to wipe Israel off of the map. Therefore, it is clear that the context in which the apostle John, Peter’s contemporary, speaks of Mystery Babylon (cf. Revelation 17:5) also suggests Mystery Babylon refers to the reigning spiritual, political, and economic empire that has an ever-present satanic, anti-Semitic, and antichrist spirit. The logical conclusion, then, is that the last reigning earthly empire also will have corrupt laws, idol worshippers, and Christianity haters in them.

In these last days of the 21^st century, it is obvious to the observant individual that the 4^th Beast empire predicted to rule in the end times is the one that is rising right now before this modern generation’s eyes, and this Beast empire, which is head number eight, will be the last empire to come against Israel (cf. Daniel 2:35-36; Revelation 17:11, 14). This rising world empire is going to be true to form. Like those that came before it, as previously stated, this last empire also will have satanic, anti-Semitic, and an antichrist spirit; it also will have corrupt laws; it also will have idol worshippers; and it also will have Christianity haters in it. This last days and end-times’ empire is the Islamic Empire, specifically the Umayyad Caliphate/dynasty (661-750 A.D.), which in its short reign did the most to expand the Islamic religion and the Arabian/Islamic Empire. The Ottoman/Turkish Empire, which is the fourth major Islamic Caliphate/dynasty that followed the three major Islamic Caliphates (Umayyad, Abbasid, and Fatimid) of the Arabian/Islamic Empire, used the Caliphate system of government, which consists of the fundamental political and religious concepts that are inherent in Sharia Law, to expand Islam throughout its empire. Thus, the Islamic Caliphate is the revived seventh head or seventh empire (cf. Revelation 17:10-11).

Concerning Islam and/or the Islamic Caliphate being linked to Mystery Babylon, as  well as linked to the prophesied 4^th Beast empire, in the 21^st century, more and more end times’ prophecy teachers are declaring that the kingdom or empire that ushers in the Antichrist will be a kingdom made up of Muslim nations. The only past empires that fit this prediction’s criteria are the Islamic and Ottoman/Turkish Empires. Furthermore, the Islamic Caliphate, which began with the Islamic Empire and continued with the Ottoman/Turkish Empire, truly is what makes the revived Islamic Caliphate the prophesied kingdom of corrupt laws, idol worshippers, and enemies of Christianity, because Islam, the religion of the Islamic Caliphate, is a twisted version of the Gospel of Christ. Therefore, there can be no doubt that Islam is the quintessential false religion!

Now, it is very clear that Jesus the Christ, the Messiah in the Christian Holy Bible, is not the messiah in Islamic literature. The Muslims’ Mahdi, their messiah who is mentioned in six of the five canonical books of the Hadith, is really the Antichrist in the Christian Holy Bible. Hadith literature contains Muhammad’s sayings, reports about what he did, and Islamic beliefs about the end times. Thus, since Hadith literature mentions the Mahdi in the context of the end times, then either Christians’ eschatology or Muslims’ eschatology is twisted—one or the other is ALL wrong.

A thorough comparison of the Antichrist described in the Christian Holy Bible and the Mahdi described in the authentic Hadith literature does show striking similarities between Christianity’s Antichrist and Islam’s Mahdi. Ironically though, Christians and Muslims need to understand the principal messages in each other’s sacred writings before either group can connect the dots to what it is that their messages have in common. Even if Christians and Muslims, as a whole, never come to a full understanding of each other’s sacred writings, that will not diminish or erase this truth: It is the Muslims’ Hadith literature that makes the connecting of the dots about how the Antichrist in the Christian Holy Bible will rise to global recognition much easier to see.

Furthermore, while many Christians do believe that a major end-time sign is the Rapture (the first stage of their Messiah’s Second Coming), there are denominational and sectarian issues about whether the Rapture is before the end-time period (Tribulation) begins, in the middle of the Tribulation, or at the end of the Tribulation. On the other hand, the majority of Muslins believe that the one major sign that points to the beginning of the end times is the appearance of the Mahdi. There are some variations of this belief, and a few Sunnis completely reject the idea of a Mahdi, but the general belief in the Mahdi is neither a Sunni nor a Shi’a sect issue within Islam. For sure, the general belief in the Mahdi’s return being the first major sign is universal among most Muslims, and they believe that he will ascend to power after the fourth and final agreement between the Arabs and the West (possibly Christians) has been signed. In Islamic literature, this is a prophesied seven-year agreement that is to be mediated through a Jewish priest from the lineage of Aaron!

One of the first tasks Muslims’ Mahdi, their messiah, will accomplish is a restoration of the Caliphate (the old governing Islamic political and religious systems, and the Islamic defined sovereign territory that implements this government). The Caliphate was first established after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the Caliphate was created to guarantee the purity of the Islamic faith so that Islam would become the standard for all nations. Therefore, Islam’s Mahdi (Christianity’s Antichrist) will be a Caliph who is a descendant of Muhammad, which is the reason why he will restore the purity of the Islamic faith. As the final Caliph, the Mahdi will act as Allah’s vice-regent on earth, leading the revolution that establishes a new Islamic world order.

Historically, the Caliph’s position is based on the notion of a successor to the Prophet Muhammad’s political authority, so Islam’s Mahdi (Christianity’s Antichrist) has to establish a new Islamic world order. As the Mahdi pushes for his one-world religion and his one-world government, he will wage multiple military campaigns (jihads . . . holy wars) that will include the invasion of many non­-Muslim countries, which he will achieve when he makes Islam’s Sharia law a global practice.

Various Muslim sacred writings describe their Mahdi as follows:

• The Mahdi is Islam’s primary messiah figure.
• He will be a descendant of Muhammad and will bear Muhammad’s name (Muhammad bin Abdullah).
• He will be a very devout Muslim.
• He will be an unparalleled spiritual, political, and military world leader.
• He will emerge after a period of great turmoil and suffering upon the earth.
• He will establish justice and righteousness throughout the world and eradicate tyranny and oppression.
• He will be the Caliph and Imam (vice-regent and leader) of Muslims worldwide.
• He will lead a world revolution and establish a new world order.
• He will lead military action against all those who oppose him.
• He will invade many countries.
• He will make a seven year peace treaty with a Jew of priestly lineage.
• He will conquer Israel for Islam and lead the “faithful Muslims” in a final slaughter/battle against Jews.
• He will establish the new Islamic world headquarters from Jerusalem.
• He will rule for seven years (possibly as much as eight or nine).
• He will cause Islam to be the only religion practiced on the earth.
• He will appear riding a white horse (possibly just symbolic).
• He will discover some previously undiscovered biblical manuscripts that he will use to argue with the Jews and cause some Jews to convert to Islam.
• He will re-discover the Ark of the Covenant from the Sea of Galilee, which he will bring to Jerusalem.
• He will have supernatural power from Allah over the wind and the rain and crops.
• He will posses and distribute enormous amounts of wealth.
• He will be loved by every human.

Contrary to the Muslims’ rosy view of their Mahdi (Antichrist), the biblical Antichrist is described in the Scriptures as the Beast, the abomination that causes desolation, the desolator, the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, the little horn, the Assyrian, the King of Babylon, the King of the North, and Gog. He also is described as a global leader who is a political, military, and religious world leader who comes from the Middle East, out of a Muslim country rather than any European country! Then too, although this global leader might be liked by the people on earth, not everyone will love him, because after his attempt to convert the Jews to Islam fails he wars against God’s chosen people. The bottom line is that his ultimate goal always has been to destroy the Jews, and this desired outcome is predicted to be the Jews’ final holocaust that will take place within Israel.

Similarly, this global leader also will come against Christians and try to force them to accept Islam. Again, since one of his goals is to establish a one-world Islamic religion, in order to achieve this goal this global leader (Antichrist/Mahdi) will have to be anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and purely satanic. Indeed, the Christian Antichrist or the Muslim Mahdi world leader not only will be an enemy of Jews and Christians but also an enemy of women, and an enemy of humanity, as a whole. As such, he eventually will become the leader of the army that invades the land of Israel and eventually establishes the most corrupt seat of authority on the Temple Mount.

Christian Scriptures also say the following about their Antichrist: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:4, NIV. Similarly, the Shi’a Muslims refer to their Mahdi as Sahib Al-Zaman (“The Lord of the Age”) or Al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar (“The Guided/Awaited One”), but it is obvious that the Muslims do not understand that their Mahdi will be bad news for everyone.

Christians, however, do understand how horrific the Antichrist will be, and they know that only Jesus the Christ can save them from his terror, which he uses to control the world during the last half of the seven-year Tribulation. The true Savior of the world, on the other hand, is not the Muslim Mahdi, but the very One Muslims believe was just one of Prophet Muhammad’s messengers. Because the left behinders will be given a STRONG delusion so that they (Muslims and non-Muslims) will believe the Antichrist’s lies that flood the Tribulation world, RIGHT NOW is the only time that Muslims will be able to see the Light. The apostle Paul taught this end-time truth, for he writes:

Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth. ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, NLT

The point that the apostle makes in the above-cited Scriptures is that, if people do no believe that Jesus the Christ is the ONLY begotten Son of God, the Second person in the Trinity, and the ONLY Savior of this world, then these people are following the spirit of antichrist. In the Tribulation period, the spirit of antichrist will be Islam, and the human manifestation of this antichrist spirit will be the Antichrist (Mahdi)! No one who has been observant and who can discern biblical truths from blatantly outrageous lies, no matter who is spouting them, will disagree with this statement: Islam not only still denies the trinity and the divinity of Jesus the Christ but also radical Muslims still oppose and persecute non-Muslims, particularly Christians.

Aside from using Christians and Jews for material gain, Muslims truly have no religious tolerance. They are anti-Semitic, too, and they do not hide the fact that they hate Jews. Therefore, Islam is really the only probable source for Prophet Daniel’s 4^th Beast, and the Beast is the corrupt and immoral empire, as a whole, as well as the empire’s satanic world leaders (the Antichrist and the False Prophet)!

To devout Muslims, every non-Muslim is evil personified, which is why they declare that their belief about who or what is evil is the reason why their Quran, their collections of Hadith, and their Sharia Law not only justify their use of terror, but also mandate that the terror they use can be achieved by any means necessary. Therefore, besides bombings, beheadings also are a known Islamic terrorist strategy.

As already mentioned, Muslims’ own sacred writings and Sharia Law have given them the green light on terrorism. The Quran makes it clear that the beheading of infidels is a recommended method of killing. Quran 008.012  reads:

Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): ‘I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.’

Concerning beheadings, in this century, it is a fact that Islamic radicals in Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia have beheaded non-Christian and Christian foreigners. Moreover, there are biblical Scriptures that point to the Islamic jihad that will be taking place during the Tribulation. The main way infidels will be killed at that time is by beheadings. The apostle John provides one of the most famous Tribulation Period descriptions on Islamic jihad in the Holy Bible. The apostle writes:

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ~ Revelation 20:4, NLT

Even though these beheaded infidels, those who reject Islam and the mark of the Beast during the Tribulation Period, will be resurrected, these left behinders will suffer the worst kind of persecution. In short, they suffer because, before the Tribulation Period started, they either weren’t saved, or they were saved but were choosing to continue to live like the world.

Concerning today’s terrorism, most observant and informed people know that Saudi Arabia openly provides financial support for Islamic terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda. As a result, Muslims’ jihad has been making tremendous strides, especially in the 21^st century. The problem is that these Saudi Arabians, and Arabs from all over the world who follow Islam, do not know that they are sealing their own souls’ eternity.

The Holy Bible is very clear that Jesus the Christ is coming back to destroy ALL of the enemies of the Jewish nation of Israel and all of the enemies of God’s chosen people, the Jews. Today, these enemies are Islam-believing Arabs! A very famous biblical passage in which an Arabic ten-nation confederacy is listed is Psalm 83:6-8. Another less familiar passage about what Jesus the Christ is going to do for the Jews who have been persecuted by Islamic Arabs is found in the book of Micah. Chapter 5 of Micah is all about the Jews’ Warrior King, who is the Messiah Jesus the Christ, their peacemaker. This minor prophet writes the following about the prophesied Jewish Messiah:

And he will be the source of peace. When the Assyrians invade our land and break through our defenses, we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us,  eight princes to lead us. They will rule Assyria with drawn swords and enter the gates of the land of Nimrod. He will rescue us from the Assyrians when they pour over the borders to invade our land. …The people of Israel will stand up to their foes, and all their enemies will be wiped out. ‘In that day,’ says the Lord,  ‘I will slaughter your horses and destroy your chariots. I will tear down your walls and demolish your defenses. I will put an end to all witchcraft, and there will be no more fortune-tellers. I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars, so you will never again worship the work of your own hands. I will abolish your idol shrines with their Asherah poles and destroy your pagan cities. I will pour out my vengeance on all the nations that refuse to obey me.’ ~ Micah 5:5-6, 9-15, NLT

The above quote is about what Jesus the Christ is going to do to the Antichrist (Muslims’ Mahdi) and every one of Israel’s Arabic foes. The evil, corrupt, and immoral Islamic political and religious systems, as used by Mystery Babylon, also will be destroyed!

Here’s where a connect-the-dots activity clearly would show how the biblical Antichrist and Islamic Mahdi are one in the same. As mentioned earlier, Rome is the Babylon that apostle Peter allegorically refers to in 1 Peter 5:13, and this allegorical Babylon is the old, literal Babel, which was founded by Nimrod. In countless literary works, Nimrod is described as a rebel chief. In countless works by many Bible scholars, the Nimrod from antiquity is accredited with establishing the wicked-ruler standard that every Nimrod-like ruler has emulated. These same Bible scholars also claim that the satanic, anti-Semitic, and antichrist spirit that not only permeated the seven consecutive empires that have come against Israel but also continues to be that spirit that floods this world today started with Nimrod.

The particular Scripture that supports the claim that a satanic, anti-Semitic, and antichrist spirit would be that spirit that floods the end-time world is prophesied by the prophet Daniel. Concerning an end-time “flood” in Jerusalem, the prophet writes:

After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. ~ Daniel 9:26, NLT

It is clear that the “flood” the prophet refers to in this above verse is not a literal flood of water, and not necessarily a flood of armies, but rather he speaks metaphorically about the lies that the Nimrod-like Antichrist will spew out of his mouth in his attempt to get Jerusalem Jews to accept his one-world religion and his one-world government, which by the way are one and the same for Muslims; their one-world religion and one-world government is Islam!

For sure, Nimrod was the prototype “rebel,” and the word “rebel” means he was a man of lawlessness, disobedience, willfulness, and apostasy. This Nimrod also was an imposture, for his mother’s false claim that he was born of a virgin caused many to worship him as a god. Then too, he was not elected to the position of king. On the contrary, he elevated himself; he shot up above his equals . . . then towered above them (pun intended). He becomes so great that he not only demanded allegiance from other men but also he demanded that they worship him.

In comparison, the Antichrist of the Christian Holy Bible (who also happens to be the Muslims’ Mahdi) will be the end times’ truest of all of the past Nimrod-like rulers. In fact, He will be worse than the original Nimrod, for the Antichrist will be the worst and boldest “rebel” that this world has ever seen, and will never see again, for he will be the man of sin and the son of perdition (a Satan-controlled Beast)! The prophet Daniel says that this man of lawlessness . . . this future world ruler:

…will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. ~ Daniel 11:36

Before the Lord utterly destroys the Antichrist, this man will rise to power just like Nimrod did . . . he will exalt himself. He will exercise his power by demanding that the world’s other leaders not only pledge their allegiance to him but also demand that they worship him. The apostle Paul says:

He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:4, NLT

Then too, the prophet Daniel compares the Antichrist’s rise to power to a little horn that suddenly comes up among the other ten horns. He is a little horn who speaks pompous and blasphemous words. Like Nimrod, it appears as though the Antichrist also will shoot up and tower above the world’s well-known rulers. It is as if he will be viewed as something new and great, as if he were the best thing since sliced bread.  The prophet Daniel writes:

As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small horn appeared among them. Three of the first horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. ~ Daniel 7:8, NLT

and

Then from one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel. ~ Daniel 8:9, NLT

It is interesting to see just how significant this horn symbol really is and how, incidentally, Nimrod’s kingdom relates to the Antichrist’s empire. According to some scholars, Nimrod’s governors wore leather bands with a single horn attached to them.

Now, it should be clear that the little horn on prophet Daniel’s 4^th Beast represents a false ruler. It also should be evident that prophet Daniel’s 4^th Beast and apostle John’s Beast that rises from the sea both represent a group of people who follow a false religion. Indeed, just as it is understood that the last earthly empire is Beast number 4 of Daniel 7:7 and the Beast in Revelation 13:3, it also should be understood that in Revelation 13:3 this Beast is waiting for its seventh head to heal from its fatal wound so that the little horn of Daniel 7:8 can push through and create the revived version of empire number 7 that will follow in its predecessor’s footsteps. Furthermore, it should be evident that this little horn also relates to the Muslims’ Mahdi whom they are waiting for so that he can follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, the Prophet Muhammad. Moreover, while this little horn refers to the Antichrist, it is important to note here that the Antichrist is not the mortally wounded one. The Beast (or more accurate) the Beast System, in particular the Islamic Caliphate, is what is mortally wounded, when the Islamic Caliphate finally was dismantled in 1924.

Indeed, the Antichrist is the Muslim Mahdi, and this man “…will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time” (Daniel 7:25, NLT). The Muslims’ Mahdi, according to the Hadith, will change Mosaic Law by instituting the Islamic Sharia Law. He also will change the Jewish festivals’ calendar . . . change the times by making it mandatory for everyone who is subject to his rule to observe the Islamic Hijri (the Muslim calendar), which means a week, from that time until the end of the Tribulation, will run from Saturday to Thursday, with Friday being the sacred day of prayer.

Everything that has been said about the Antichrist and the Mahdi is to show that after the dots have been connected the end result always will be this truth: Mystery Babylon is linked to both the Islamic Caliphate and Islam—a false religion! This last statement just underscores the irony in the Prophet Muhammad’s choice to call the religion he founded, Islam, especially since Prophet Muhammad and his followers have been hell-bent on making non-Muslims submit to, surrender to, and accept Islam as the world’s ONLY true religion. Indeed, historically and biblically, the two religions that Islam has been the biggest threat to are Judaism and Christianity!

Perhaps the most undisputed source that supports the claim that the Mystery Babylon phrase used in Revelation 17:5, KJV is connected with the Old Testament prophetic references to the Islamic Caliphate and Islam is the end-time prophecies that are found in the book of Zechariah. This minor prophet writes:

Then the angel who was talking with me came forward and said, ‘Look up and see what’s coming.’ ‘What is it?’ I asked. He replied, ‘It is a basket for measuring grain, and it’s filled with the sins of everyone throughout the land.’ Then the heavy lead cover was lifted off the basket, and there was a woman sitting inside it. The angel said, ‘The woman’s name is Wickedness,’ and he pushed her back into the basket and closed the heavy lid again. Then I looked up and saw two women flying toward us, gliding on the wind. They had wings like a stork, and they picked up the basket and flew into the sky. ‘Where are they taking the basket?’ I asked the angel. He replied, ‘To the land of Babylonia, where they will build a temple for the basket. And when the temple is ready, they will set the basket there on its pedestal.’ ~ Zechariah 5:5-11, NLT

Described in this Scripture is the Kaaba, which is the huge black cube-shaped structure in Mecca, the spiritual center of Islam. The Kaaba is located in the center of the Masjid Al-Haram, which was built around the Kaaba. The Masjid Al-Haram is the world’s largest Mosque. Moreover, to the Muslims, the Kaaba is the holiest place in Islam, but long before the Prophet Muhammad had a vision about Islam the Kaaba was in Mecca.

Legend has it that the Kaaba dates back to the time of Adam and Eve. Another belief is that Abraham and Ishmael built the Kaaba, and since Ishmael was an Arab then that’s why the Kaaba became Arabs’ reason for  making an annual pilgrimage (“Hajj”) to Mecca.

Abraham and Ishmael also are alleged to be the ones who found the Kaaba’s black cornerstone that is surrounded by a silver frame. Legend has it that this black stone was white, when it came down from Heaven, but it turned black from the heaviness of the world’s countless sins. Because of the sacredness of the Kaaba, during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Muslims walk around and around the Kaaba, in a counter-clockwise direction (the Muslim ritual known as “tawaf”), while they point at the Kaaba, and even try to get near it to kiss it.

In case it might have been overlooked, there are so many similarities between the Kaaba and Great Mosque and the Jewish Temple and the Temple’s Holy of Holies, the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Since the Jews were commanded by God to make three annual pilgrimages to the Jerusalem Temple to celebrate mandatory festivals, and since the Jews’ God had made these commandments thousands of years before Islam began, then there can be no doubt that Prophet Muhammad, who founded Islam, and who instituted pilgrimages to the Kaaba shrine in Mecca, was merely mimicking Jewish customs. Likewise, just as the Holy of Holies place is inside the Temple the Jewish God commanded Solomon to build, the Kaaba being inside the Great Mosque is an additional counterfeit. Lastly, it was annually that the Jewish high priests would sprinkle the blood of a sacrificial lamb on the Mercy Seat to atone for the sins the entire Jewish population committed during the past year. Apparently, the black stone on the Kaaba is serving in the same capacity as the Mercy Seat—as divine forgiveness; the fact that the original white stone is now black from the weight of the Muslims’ sins supports this view.

Returning to the Zechariah 5:5-11 biblical passage, to tie it all together, this passage is a picture of Mystery Babylon and the evil, scarlet-clad woman who represents those specific religious, political, and economic world systems that generate the previously mentioned demonic/beast spirit that is prevalent in the seven consecutive empires that come against Israel. At the time that the prophet Zechariah is having this vision, the Medo-Persian Empire has conquered the Babylonian Empire and Babylon is one of Medo-Persia’s capital cities. In fact, Babylon remained a capital city of the Medo-Persian Empire until King Xerxes, in an attempt to end the rebellion in Babylon, destroyed Babylon’s walls and temples in 478 B.C.

Now, contrary to popular opinion, Babylon’s evil, corrupt, and immoral influence did not die, though the city itself was in ruin. As stated earlier, the confusion and the evil that were in the original Babel resurfaces in all of the seven consecutive empires that persecute Israel. This truth would mean that after Medo-Persia has defeated the Babylonian Empire, the evil and immoral capital seat of the Babylonian Empire eventually changed from the literal, physical city of Babylon to the allegorical Babylon, which the capital cities of the Persian, Grecian, and Roman Empires represent.

For this reason, Zechariah’s measuring basket represents the allegorical Babylonian end times’ economic and financial systems that will be supporting the Antichrist and False Prophet’s political empire, and the wicked woman inside the basket represents the union between her evil religious system and the Antichrist and False Prophet’s corrupt political and economic systems. She represents all of the mysterious ancient false religious systems that existed in Nimrod’s kingdom, and in every one of the seven consecutive empires that have come against Israel. That is why special attention should be given to the heavy lead lid. That it does not hold this woman down indicates just how powerfully corrupt and dreadfully evil she is—she’s a Beast!

The two women who carry this basket to an allegorical Babylonia, or allegorical land of Shinar, are bringing the exact same evil and immoral religious, political, and economic world systems that existed in Nimrod’s day down throughout the ages to the allegorical end-time Babylon, which today is represented as Mecca—the political, economic, and religious capital of modern-day Islam(or the Harlot)! That there are two women carrying the evil woman in the basket, who represents a religious system, does suggest that these two-winged women represent two specific religious systems, as well. That the basket is taken to an allegorical end-time Babylon does suggest that the three women’s religions are the three major world religions. There should be no doubt, then, that the wicked woman symbolizes Islam and that the other two women symbolize Christianity and Judaism. For sure, both Islam and Christianity are spin-offs of Judaism, and this truth suggests that all three of these religions have been contaminated to some degree by ancient Babel’s ungodly political, economic and religious systems!

Again, historically speaking, the seventh successive empire of Revelation 17:10-11, which is the Islamic/Ottoman/Turkish Empire, moved its Islamic political and military capital (the capital of the Caliphate) twice under the Islamic Empire—once, when the Umayyad Caliphate/dynasty moved from Mecca, Saudi Arabia to Damascus, Syria; and then again when then Abbasid Caliphate/dynasty rose to power, in 750 A.D., and moved the Islamic capital from Damascus, Syria to Baghdad, Iraq (which is located about 50 miles north of ancient Babylon). Baghdad remained the Islamic capital for 508 years, until the Abbasids’ rule ended in 1258 A.D. Eventually, the Ottoman/Turkish Empire relocated the Islamic political and military capital to Constantinople or Istanbul, Turkey.

Having said that, it is important to note here that right now Mecca is once again the Islamic political and military capital. The union between the religious, political, and economic systems, which is held together by miraculous exploits that includes seducing and deluding the world into accepting the Antichrist as world leader, is the reason why all three of these mentioned systems are at one geographical location—the allegorical Babylon, which once again is today’s Mecca located in Saudi Arabia. For a while, the Mystery Babylon, which the Bible says is the Mother of everything filthy and abominable, is going to be in charge of the allegorical Babylon. The Scriptures even say that every world leader, especially every one of the 10 horns (powerful kings/rulers) on the revived seven heads (7 kingdoms) of the Great Beast Empire, will willingly participate in the Great Harlot’s corruption and immorality (get drunk from the city’s wine—the true Mystery Babylon—which is her “oil”/pitch). 

Thus, it should be evident to Christians that Islam and the Islamic Caliphate are linked to Mystery Babylon, and this last statement is true simply because Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, and opulent (Harlot) Mecca is the sacred city of Islam, and the Kaaba is the center of the Muslim world. That at least five times a day nearly two billion Muslims from all around the world are “facing the qiblah”—they are turning toward their holiest shrine, the Kaaba, and are praying to their idol god—should leave no doubt that this commanded behavior, this strictest form of legalism, also will be the reason why Islam and the Islamic Caliphate will be connected to Mystery Babylon (the oil that lures the nations to the Great Harlot [city] that sits on the people of the world, and causes them to commit adultery with her). This truth means Mecca not only is the present allegorical Babylon, but also, via Islam and Muslims’ oil, Mecca is spreading its “evil and immoral” influence—the kind of influence that leads to the lust of eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life filling this world (cf. 1 John 2:16).

Indeed, Islamic Saudis daily speak blasphemous words against the Christian trinity doctrine, against the fact the Jesus the Christ IS the SON of God, and against the fact that the Jewish God is the One and only true God. Then too, these same blaspheming Islamic Saudis support a global revival of jihad, a holy war that sanctions the killing of Christians, Jews, and every infidel (anyone who doesn’t worship Islam), all while performing their totally corrupt and totally immoral desires in the name of their Allah.

The apostle John writes the following about Mystery Babylon (oil system) and the Great Harlot (city):

‘Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal. For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.’ Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, ‘Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her.’ ~ Revelation 18:2-4, NLT

First, the word Babylon in the above quotation is another allegorical reference, in this case, to Islam being the major corrupt system of government in control throughout the 10/40 Window (regions in the eastern hemisphere where Christianity is met with much opposition, where Christian resources are lacking, where poverty is unrelenting, and where the quality of life is insignificant).  

Furthermore, although a common definition for fornication is to commit adultery . . . sexual immorality with a person who is not a spouse, the word “fornication” in Revelation 18:3, KJV, refers to idolatry. In fact, the KJV of Revelation 18:3 actually metaphorically uses the word “fornication” to describe idol worship, which refers to someone committing idolatry.

It is because of Islam’s false religion of today, in which idol worship of the Muslim god Allah is mandatory, that apostle John uses the word Babylon in conjunction with the phrase “slept with her” (committed fornication with her), when he speaks about the corruption and spiritual immorality existing during the end times. This corruption and spiritual immorality are symbolized by the prostitute of Revelation 17:1-5, who is sitting on the horrible looking seven-headed, ten-horned Beast. She has been given the names of Mystery Babylon and Great Harlot. The apostle writes:

So the angel took me in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it. The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. A mysterious name was written on her forehead: ‘Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.’ ~ Revelation 17:3-5, NLT

The reason why the apostle is writing about modern-day Islam in this passage is because Muslim believers are not only increasing like wildfire but also, if the trend continues as it has been, Islam is predicted to become the number one world religion before the middle of the 21^st century.

Prophecy critics worldwide are saying that Saudi Arabia is the perfect example of Islamic faith, and this statement leaves no doubt that Islam’s idolatry also will include Mystery Babylon (oil), and the worship of this idol/Mystery Babylon will take place in the Harlot (city), which presently is the most obvious: Saudi Arabia’s Mecca. For sure, there can be no doubt that Saudi Arabia’s Islamic faith will continue to spread throughout the world until the prophecy concerning the Great Harlot being the mother of “EVERY IMMORAL AND FILTHY THING ON EARTH” has been fulfilled.

Once again, this degree of global evil and immorality begins with deceptive Islam. According to Sharia Law, and based on the Quran’s doctrine of Taqiyya, deception is not only permitted in certain situations but also is sometimes deemed obligatory. For this reason, deception is of fundamental importance in Islam. Every Islamic terrorist sect agrees to it and practices it.

Muslims’ deception is achieved by using murwa (stealth, flexibility), and by using two forms  of lying: (1) taqiyya (translated as “deception” . . . saying something that isn’t true; guarding the faith); and (2) kitman (lying by omission; concealing the true intent), all for the purpose of advancing the cause of Islam, and that cause is to defeat Muslims’ enemies. For example, the Prophet Muhammad clearly used deception when he signed a 10-year treaty (The Treaty of Hudaibiya) with the Meccans (Qurayashi troops, Muhammad’s former tribe turned enemies) that allowed Muhammad access to their city, while he secretly prepared his own forces for a takeover. In the two years after Muhammad entered into this treaty with the Meccans, Muhammad plundered, raided, pillaged, and massacred the Jews in the attacked villages located near Medina. Because he promised those men who joined in on the raids that they would get a percentage of the booty, this offer helped his 1500-member band of men grow to a 10,000-member army. He was now stronger in number than his Meccan enemies. Thus, when Muhammad broke the treaty two years after it was signed, the unsuspecting residents were conquered in easy fashion.

The real truth is that Islam is merely the façade of a religion. It actually is a system of government that Muslims believe will control the entire world. Under this system of government, nearly two billion people today already are COMMANDED to pray five times a day in the direction of Mecca’s Kaaba, the shrine (black cube) that sits in the middle of the  Muslims’ sacred mosque, Masjid al-Haram!

Moreover, once the Islamic/Ottoman/Turkish Empire is revived and the Caliphate, the Islamic form of government representing the leaders of the Muslim world’s political, economic, military, and religious union, is re-established, the Antichrist also will use Islam as his political, economic, military, and religious systems! In essence, Islam is Muslims’ Sharia Law, for Sharia Law imposes obligatory duties that Muslims who are devoted to their Islamic faith must do. Since most devout Muslims consider Sharia Law to be the expression of Allah’s divine will, they allow Sharia Law to guide all aspects of their lives, including their daily routines, familial and religious obligations, and financial dealings.

Furthermore, Mystery Babylon’s identity cannot be connected to any nation other than the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, because Saudi Arabia is the only kingdom that fits all of the Holy Bible’s conditions for the existence of the seductive harlot who sits upon the Great Beast. First, The Great Whore sits on seven hills. Now these are empires, but they also are the literal seven hills surrounding the city (Great Harlot, Mecca) from which the merchants of the world engage in idolatry (get drunk off of Saudi Arabia’s oil). Secondly, Revelation 17:3 says that apostle John is taken to the desert (in the Greek language, Eremos), where he sees the harlot who is dressed in purple and scarlet and sitting on the Great Beast (the oil system and the Sharia Law system, which is political, religious, financial, and etc.). Based on the abovementioned Scripture’s description of the place where the harlot is, there cannot be a revived Roman Empire, because the Roman Empire didn’t sit in a desert! However, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is 95% desert. Furthermore, after 1517 the Islamic/Ottoman/Turkish Empire dominated the Arabian Peninsula (or Arabia)!

Finally, the Good News is that Mystery Babylon (oil; Islam and Sharia Law’s financial system), the Antichrist (Muslim Mahdi), and every follower of the Beast (Islamic Empire . . . Daniel’s 4^th Beast, which is both the leader of this last earthly empire, the Antichrist, and the world systems he uses to deceive and seduce the left-behind world) will be wiped off this Earth. Therefore, to not be one of those people who will be wiped off this Earth, human beings have to put their trust in the Christian Holy Bible, the true Word of God, which  declares that ONLY the Gospel’s Truth will set the listeners FREE who believe and receive the Gospel Truth about Father God, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit being ONE, about Jesus Christ being God’s ONLY begotten Son, and about God’s Son being the ONLY Savior of this world.

In other words, to be free from eternal damnation, to be free from the Tribulation, and to be free from sin, unbelievers must change their current wrong thinking, confess their sins, and accept Jesus the Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Anyone who hasn’t done so before Jesus the Christ comes to Earth on a cloud and raptures His Bride, or before He returns to this Earth and places His feet on the Mount of Olives, will suffer the wrath of Almighty God, will suffer a physical death, and will suffer the spiritual, eternal second death!

Anyone who has an ear. . .!!!

Please view the following added YouTube video, added 12-22-2013: Babylon the Great & The Turkish Antichrist: