Just as troubling as the erroneous teaching that the Rapture will take place post-Tribulation is the false premise that the Antichrist will be a Muslim or Islamist. Both predictions stray from the truth in God’s inerrant Word. Such deliberate misdirection brings profound misunderstanding.

During the past months and even years, I, as have my colleagues, received these diatribes—misunderstandings of prophetic truth at best, and willfully misleading false teachings at worst. In my experience, these have mostly come from those who are hostile to the pre-Trib Rapture. The senders or callers want to debate and have even accused me of being a coward for not wanting to engage in verbal or email warfare.

Debate is fruitless, as minds are never changed in such interactions, and my answer to those wanting to debate is that I long ago saw its fruitlessness. I have long since just taught the truth from God’s Word, after much study and prayer. And, admittedly, there have been times such study and prayer have shown me my own erroneous conclusions.

But in the matters of the Rapture and the Antichrist, my spirit is totally at rest.

The Rapture can take place at any moment before the start of Daniel’s seventieth week (the Tribulation). Antichrist will not lead the Islamic hordes into a takeover of the world. Of these facts I am certain beyond any doubt.

We have presented so much information about the Rapture, confirming with proof texts from God’s Word that the great event will be pre-Tribulation, that I won’t go into it here. I simply recommend that readers go to our website, Raptureready.com, to find thousands of references, articles, and documentation of the proof of which I write.

We will look here primarily at the world’s last and most tyrannical despot. And I hope to give a primary reason Antichrist will not be a great Muslim leader who will cause all to worship Satan in anything like the Islamic model or tradition.

To begin, I can certainly understand why some believe Antichrist will be a Muslim. The following excerpts are just the tip of the iceberg in pointing to Islam’s never-ending quest to establish itself as the ruling religion on the earth.

The takeover isn’t coming. It’s here.

In just two decades, Houston has been transformed into the frontline of America’s Illumination. In the early 2000s, the city had about 41 mosques. Today, there are over 200 mosques and Islamic prayer centers — a 400% explosion that has redrawn Houston’s religious and cultural map. (“March of Conquest: Islamic Soldiers Seize Houston’s Streets,” RAIR Foundation, August 18, 2025)

The arrest of Jermaiah Yusuf Sawaqed, a pro-Palestinian jihadist tied to extremist networks, shows how Islam and its leftist allies are no longer confined to campus protests—they’re bringing their war to America’s streets.

Boston, MA—A 25-year-old pro-Palestinian Muslim activist and UMass Dartmouth graduate, Jermaiah Yusuf Sawaqed, has been arrested and charged after a spree of vandalism and the placement of hoax devices resembling IEDs at multiple Boston landmarks, including the Massachusetts State House. The case is raising alarm over escalating radical left-wing and Islamic activism spilling into criminal tactics inside the United States. (“Jihadi Arrested After State House Attack and Hoax Bomb Plot,” RAIR Foundation, August 18, 2025)

Chicago’s streets were hijacked by an Arbaeen procession that wasn’t a parade but a manifesto—a loudspeaker call to jihad, Sharia economics, and the subjugation of non-believers.

On August 10th, downtown Chicago was seized by an Islamic procession — the Arbaeen Juloos. Armies of men marched through our streets waving flags, chanting, and asserting their dominance — not as Americans, but as Muslims…

This is not a cultural parade. It is a political and essentially military show of force, designed to remind the faithful that their duty is resistance, sacrifice, and ultimately, the triumph of Islam. (RAIR Foundation, August 16, 2025)

While the assaults on American soil continue to mount, the Islamic assault on the nations of Western Europe are even more imposing. The Islamist militants have established “no go zones” more aggressive in domination in major European cities than such areas we remember were established in places like Minneapolis/St. Paul during the Obama and Biden administrations.

We read reports daily of Muslim men sexually assaulting women and girls on the streets in Europe and in America as part of their religion—all part of Islam’s contempt for females who don’t conform to the Sharia law demands in dress and comportment.

So, with the tremendous movements across the world to establish the Islamic religion, and, in Europe in particular, there being little resistance, it seems, it is easy for some prophecy pundits to conclude that the evil dictator, Antichrist, will be Muslim.

And the followers of Islam believe a supernatural leader is coming who will be their messiah. The definition of this leader is presented by a Google search.

In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is a prophesied figure expected to appear near the end of the world to establish justice and righteousness before the Day of Judgment. While both Sunni and Shia Muslims believe in the Mahdi, their interpretations and beliefs about his identity and role differ significantly.

One sect of Islam believes he will be a powerful dictator who will force all to bow to Allah or die by the sword. The other sect is more of the opinion that the Mahdi will be a peacemaker of sorts rather than a totally cruel tyrant.

Regardless, the fact that Islam predicts—prophesies—such a coming leader gives the “Antichrist will be a Muslim” crowd the fodder they need to put forth their erroneous teaching.

There isn’t room here for a complete presentation of all the reasons Antichrist will come from the area of Rome from which came Titus and his troops that destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem in AD 70. But there is plenty of proof that he will not be Middle Eastern. His being the Assyrian might mean he will have ancestry from that Mideast region, but his geographical origin will be from the western leg of Rome.

There is room in this commentary to express only one very strong proof that Islam will not rule most of the world, as will the one called Antichrist.

Ezekiel the prophet describes the fate of the hordes of the Islamic religion who will join in the Gog-Magog attack against Israel:

And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 38:18–39)

Islam is destined to be decimated when the Muslims, in their hatred for God’s chosen people and nation, join with the Gog-Magog coalition. God’s promise to Abraham will find its ultimate fulfillment:

I will bless those who bless thee, and I will curse those who curse thee.

Antichrist’s regime will be backed by the ten-member kingdom of Daniel chapter 2 and its tremendous military force. Antichrist will neither need, nor have the backing of, the war-making hordes of Islam. These will be destroyed. Antichrist’s force will doubtless possess all massive nuclear arsenals of the world, plus no telling what other source of destructive military capability at that time. The prophetic word asks: “Who is able to stand against him?”

Of course, God’s Son, Jesus Christ, will be able to stand against him, and Jesus will speak the words that destroy Antichrist with the brightness of His coming at Armageddon. I believe those words will be the same as when He spoke to the raging storm that day on the Sea of Galilee:

Peace…Be still.

When I heard the words I sat a bit straighter in my chair while the president ended his uncharacteristically brief speech. He was reporting the “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear facility buried 300 feet below a mountainous terrain.

In ending his speech Mr. Trump thanked the pilots who flew the B2 bombers that released the “bunker buster” bombs. He thanked the Israeli military for their work in making it possible to fly to the targets in an uninhibited way. He then thanked God and followed that by what made me sit straighter in my chair.

The president of the United States said: “We love you, God.”

Never had I ever heard such words coming from a president of the United States. And it came from a man I have always supported yet have said he isn’t a godly man –but is “God’s man” for this time and place so near the end of this Church Age.

What does this statement mean? Is it a statement just for speechifying? Is it a comment of momentary elation over a spectacularly successful mission sent by this presidential administration? Is it made just to solidify and satisfy the president’s evangelical Christian base? Is it a genuine thanks to the God of Heaven made by a worldly man who has seen the light and now is a believer for salvation of his soul?

His statement of love for God did come from a tone of heartfelt gratitude.

Regardless of the reason for saying “We love you, God,” it is, in my view, a most significant, even profound, matter in this profoundly late prophetic hour.

Upon reflection of the statement and things going on that give evidence of God’s great hand in all things involved in not just Iran and the bombing of the nuclear facility, but in all matters surrounding this president, my thoughts immediately leaped to the Apostle Paul and his meeting with King Agrippa.

Paul was accused falsely of blasphemy, fomenting uprising and for crimes of sedition and with other charges. He claimed the right of a Roman citizen and was brought before King Agrippa.

The apostle laid out before the king how he had greatly persecuted Christians, but that Christ disrupted his journey on the road to Damascus. He told of Jesus’ words to him and all the rest. How he was thus converted to the Christian faith.

Festus, who brought him before the king, was incredulous. Here is the account.

And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. (Acts 24-29)

So, I am led in my spirit to wonder, based upon his being spared death in the assassination attempt, whether our president, in view of his “We love you, God,” prayer-like words stem from his conversion like the Apostle Paul’s, or to the “almost I am persuaded” words of near conversion like in the case of King Agrippa.

I prayerfully hope, of course, that it is the former rather than the latter of those possibilities that is the case.

But the real point in pursuing this line of thought with this commentary involves the number-one prophetic indicator of where we stand on God’s prophetic timeline. I mean, of course, the nation Israel.

A prominent Jewish writer presented for me a most interesting segway into my thinking regarding matters somewhat akin to the Apostle Paul’s meeting with King Agrippa. The writer offers a novelist’s perspective into the Jewish look at Bible prophecy. It fits within our theme “Almost persuaded.”

“The Bible is a story,” the Yeshiva University philosophy professor told a global audience Thursday evening. “It has a beginning, middle, and an end—and we are the characters writing its final chapters.”

[Rabbi Yosef Bronstein’s] thesis was unlike anything being said by other commentators: this isn’t about ancient prophecies coming true, but about understanding ourselves as active participants in a divine narrative that began with creation and is racing toward its climactic conclusion. By Sunday night, as President Trump announced Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely and totally obliterated,” Rabbi Bronstein’s vision of real-time biblical storytelling seemed prophetic.

The author of “Engaging the Essence: The Torah Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe” wasn’t offering traditional religious commentary. Instead, he presented something far more compelling: a framework for understanding current events as the latest chapters in the ultimate story ever told.

“The Bible begins with Genesis—’In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’—and ends with the eschatological perfect world where God’s presence is revealed for all to see,” explained Rabbi Bronstein, who leads a rabbinical training center in Efrat and holds a PhD in Talmudic studies. “In between, you have an unfolding story where God is constantly trying to push the world forward from creation all the way to redemption.”…

Three days after his presentation, as Iran’s nuclear facilities lay in ruins and the world witnessed what seemed like divine intervention through human action, Rabbi Bronstein’s vision of participatory biblical narrative seemed less like literary theory and more like an instruction manual for understanding our times.

We aren’t just witnessing history—we’re writing the Bible’s final chapters. And the story, Rabbi Bronstein suggests, is approaching its long-awaited happy ending.(“We Are Characters in God’s Story” – Scholar Reveals How Israel’s War Writes the Bible’s Final Chapters, Elie Mischel, Biblical News Israel365 June 23, 2025)

This author, an orthodox rabbi, is persuaded that God’s story of humankind is right and true and he can see it developing to a “happy ending”. But he, along with all who are of belief held within Judaism, as well as all other belief systems not centered in Jesus Christ, are almost persuaded, just as was King Agrippa almost persuaded when Paul preached to him. Sadly, tragically, theirs, apart from coming to belief in God’s only way to salvation –His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ—is destined to end in eternal separation from God and heavenly bliss. It will, for these, not be a happy ending.

This is why it is vital that we who name that majestic, Holy Name witness as never before to those who need to come to Jesus, who is the only way, truth, and life that leads to the Heavenly Father and happiness in Heaven forever.

Here, again, is how to witness to those who are not yet persuaded.

That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10: 9-10)