Muslim prophets say the long-term targets of terrorism will
continue to be Washington and New York. "There can be no
doubt of the profound hostility entertained by Muslim
apocalyptic writers towards the United States, and their
intense desire to humiliate it and see it destroyed forever,"
says Islamic expert David Cook. However, a new major target
is the Vatican.
Spiritdaily.com reports that Islamic prophets are saying a
messiah called the Dajjal will rise from the ashes of the U.S.
and "Greater Israel," which is what Muslims call the worldwide
Jewish influence that they believe originates in the United
States.
Some of them quote Jeremiah 50:2 and 51:44, where the
figure of "Bel" (a Babylonian god) is "punished in Babylon." To
them, "Bel" refers to "Bill" Clinton. America is associated
with "Ad," a city whose destruction is foretold in the
Koran. "They had advanced weaponry and organized sports
and cultural events," Cook says. "These, however, were
merely for pleasure, not for the purpose of glorifying God.
Their buildings were skyscrapers, just as in New York." Before
dismissing these ideas as nonsense, we should realize that
one of these Muslim philosophers is believed to have had a
profound influence on Osama bin-Laden.
After America and the Jews are conquered and converted to
Islam, says Cook, "the victorious Muslims will conquer Europe
and destroy the 'idolatrous church in the Vatican.' This will
lead to?the physical appearance of the Dajjal himself, who
will gather another huge army to fight the Battle of
Armageddon." But the "Mahdi" will reappear first, who is
associated with bin-Laden. This may be one reason that his
organization is so eager to prove he's still alive, despite the
fact that there is nothing on the latest videos of him to
indicate they were taken recently. The last one showed him
walking but not actually speaking?it had a voice-over
narration.
However, "This ideal state of affairs is wrecked by the
Vatican, since groups of saboteurs under Roman Catholic
control are caught, and brought before the Mahdi," says
Cook. "They confess who sent them to him personally and to
representatives of the foreign countries. Then the Mahdi
proclaims that his armies are moving to the Vatican and going
to attack Rome."
The influence of these Muslim prophets explains why the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon were chosen as
targets on 911?they are symbols, and the terrorists who
believe they are waging a "holy war" believe in, and are
motivated by, symbolism. "Bin-Laden lives in a symbolic
universe which reads apocalyptically," says scholar Richard
Landes. "?Bin-Laden is a central player in a cosmic battle
that pits the warriors for truth against the agents of Satan
and evil in this world."
We have our
gurus too?how can we tell if they're for real? And how can
do we know if what seemed like an abduction really
happened? Find out on this week's
Dreamland!
For more information, click here.
