The Great Challenge of Islam
The Islamic Threat
Many Christians are uninformed about the current religious war and its implications for followers of Jesus Christ. This report aims to raise awareness of this challenge. It is a write-up with some basic important facts that will be helpful in the coming days.
Many talk about Islam as the great threat of our day. There's no question that the Islamic faith is the greatest current challenge. It is the great challenge politically, militarily, and religiously. It is the giant that we face.
Islam has been our Goliath, beating its chest and mocking God for centuries. God is looking for Davids.
The Enemy of God's Intentions
It has become quite obvious that the Islamic belief system is currently the most powerful enemy of God's intentions and His people. It's important to remember that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against powers of darkness. We are not at war with people, but against false gods and demonic lies.
We must wake up to the great challenge of Islam.
Judgment and The Biblical Perspective
The Islamic faith has been called God's greatest judgment against the church, appearing during the time of some of the most severe corruption in the development of the Roman Catholic church institution. And anyone with eyes can see that the Islamic faith has also been a severe judgment against the Jews.
A key theme in the Bible is that God often uses nations and people groups to war with each other, judging each other for their sin and rebellion. Negative judgment is always for the purpose of bringing repentance and restoration.
The Global Religious Landscape and Military Tensions
In 2024, about 30% of the world claims the Christian faith and about 25% of the world claims the Islamic faith.
Military tensions are rising in the Middle East, with a possible full-scale war between the industrialized nations Israel and Iran. The basis of this conflict is religious beliefs and the title deed to Yahweh's land.
Both Israel and Iran rank in the top 20 military powers. They have very similar military strength. Israel's greatest advantages are its nuclear capabilities and Western allies.
Iran's greatest advantages are its global influence through Shia Muslims and Islamic terrorist groups throughout the globe. It also has ties and interests with the other Islamic nations throughout the Middle East that surround Israel.
Key Islamic Terminology and Groups
Here is some basic Islamic terminology to become familiar with:
Jihad - Originally meant the struggle of the Islamic faith, but its more modern meaning also refers to a religious war against any other belief system other than Islam.
Imam - In Shia Islam, this is a leader within the bloodline of Muhammad. They are considered to be infallible and divinely guided. In Sunni Islam, it can be any religious leader.
Sharia law - Government policy based on Islamic faith.
There are two main groups of Muslims: Sunni Muslims (about 90%) and Shia Muslims (about 10%).
These groups split began after Muhammad's death. The Sunnis followed a friend of Muhammad as his successor, while the Shia followed a relative of Muhammad.
Shia Leadership and The Mahdi
Shia Muslims look to a bloodline descent from Muhammad for leadership. These spiritual leaders are called Imams and are considered to be infallible and divinely guided.
Shia Muslim eschatology believes in a Messiah figure known as the Twelfth Imam, called the Mahdi. The Islamic belief of the Mahdi very closely resembles the Biblical description of the Antichrist. A large population of Bible students believes the Islamic Mahdi Messiah figure will most likely be the Antichrist.
Iran’s Role and Ties to Terrorism
Iran is somewhat of a center for spiritual leadership of Shia Muslims. Shia Muslims look to Iran for spiritual guidance, similar to how Catholics look to the Vatican and the papacy for guidance.
Iran has very close ties with several terrorist groups, two of which border Israel - Hamas, located in Palestine, and Hezbollah, located in Lebanon. Many call these terrorist groups "branches of the Iranian military" as Iran heavily funds and supports these groups.
Further Understanding
For a deeper understanding, I would recommend watching a two part documentary series on YouTube titled Sheep Among Wolves. Volume 1 and Volume 2 are both available for free on the YouTube platform.
