Contrary to how it may seem, the prophecy that there will be a Muslim antichrist is further proof that there is more to unite the three religions of Abraham (Judaism, Islam and Christianity) than there is to divide them. In the Book of Genesis, it is revealed that Abraham is the father of both Ishmael and Isaac, the patriarchs of the Islamic nation and the nation of Israel, respectively.
God had promised Abraham that his children would be greater in number than the stars in the sky. Yet, here was Sarah, childless. She arranged for her husband, Abraham, to father a child by her slave, Hagar. When Sarah discovered that Hagar was expecting, she had a change of heart and threw Hagar out of the house.
While Hagar is fleeing for her life from her angry mistress, an angel of the Lord comes upon her. He assures her that she will live to have lots of children and that she would have a son, whom she was to name, Ishmael. He would grow up to become a bit of a wild character, a powerful ruler and would be constantly at odds with people. Abraham and Sarah, at this time, are in their 80s and 70s, respectively.
As Ishmael prepares to enter his teens, God makes an appearance before Abraham and tells him that Sarah will finally have a son. His name would be Isaac. He further informed Abraham that Ishmael would be blessed, too, and that he would have twelve sons who would lead a great nation.
Later, God decides to test Abraham. He asks him to take Isaac to the mountains and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Having complete faith in God, Abraham obeys. Just as he is raising his hand to slay his son, an angel stops him. Isaac goes on to father Jacob, who, with the assistance of his two wives and their two maidservants, begets the rulers of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Many skeptics of Christianity point out that both Judaism and Islam were religions long before Christianity. This is untrue. The birth of Christ, the Messiah, was prophesied for hundreds before the birth of Jesus.
God had to send his Son to die for the sins of mankind. Satan got the keys to Planet Earth the moment Eve bit into the apple. The only way mankind could be saved was for God to sacrifice his Son.
So who is the antichrist? According to Islamic eschatology, he will appear before the Day of Resurrection. He is Masih ad-Dajjal, and will be the last of a series of 30 false prophets. Among the signs of his coming will be an acute famine, people will stop offering prayers, lying will become a virtue, many people will worship Satan and people will lose respect for elderly people. Is this something Baby Boomers should be worried about?
God had promised Abraham that his children would be greater in number than the stars in the sky. Yet, here was Sarah, childless. She arranged for her husband, Abraham, to father a child by her slave, Hagar. When Sarah discovered that Hagar was expecting, she had a change of heart and threw Hagar out of the house.
While Hagar is fleeing for her life from her angry mistress, an angel of the Lord comes upon her. He assures her that she will live to have lots of children and that she would have a son, whom she was to name, Ishmael. He would grow up to become a bit of a wild character, a powerful ruler and would be constantly at odds with people. Abraham and Sarah, at this time, are in their 80s and 70s, respectively.
As Ishmael prepares to enter his teens, God makes an appearance before Abraham and tells him that Sarah will finally have a son. His name would be Isaac. He further informed Abraham that Ishmael would be blessed, too, and that he would have twelve sons who would lead a great nation.
Later, God decides to test Abraham. He asks him to take Isaac to the mountains and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Having complete faith in God, Abraham obeys. Just as he is raising his hand to slay his son, an angel stops him. Isaac goes on to father Jacob, who, with the assistance of his two wives and their two maidservants, begets the rulers of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Many skeptics of Christianity point out that both Judaism and Islam were religions long before Christianity. This is untrue. The birth of Christ, the Messiah, was prophesied for hundreds before the birth of Jesus.
God had to send his Son to die for the sins of mankind. Satan got the keys to Planet Earth the moment Eve bit into the apple. The only way mankind could be saved was for God to sacrifice his Son.
So who is the antichrist? According to Islamic eschatology, he will appear before the Day of Resurrection. He is Masih ad-Dajjal, and will be the last of a series of 30 false prophets. Among the signs of his coming will be an acute famine, people will stop offering prayers, lying will become a virtue, many people will worship Satan and people will lose respect for elderly people. Is this something Baby Boomers should be worried about?
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