Things in Common
By George C. Stewart
June 2007

What do Tim LaHaye and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have in common? Both expect the world to end in a cataclysmic way—SOON. Both expect their respective ‘saviors" to follow and rule the world. And maybe the similarities do not end there.

Most of us have at least hear of Tim Lahaye’s "Left Behind" novels, which are accepted by many as "truth." Of course, LaHaye is only one of scores of dispensational writers who seem to know every detail leading up to the return of Christ.

Don’t misunderstand, the Bible is very clear in teaching that Christ WILL return, that the present world will be destroyed, and there will be a new heaven and earth in which dwells only righteousness (2 Peter 3:8-13). But the Bible is also just as clear that no one knows when that will be (Matthew 24:36). And the scenarios envisioned by the likes of Tim LaHaye and Ahmadinejad are pure fantasy.

In July of 2006 Tim LaHaye was interviewed by Brian Braiker of Newsweek. Lahaye employed the typical politician’s method of answering some of the questions posed to him. Consider these examples. Question: "First-century Christians believed that the end of the world could come during their lifetime." Answer: "It’s a motivational factor to serve the Lord…." Question: "Couldn’t almost anything then be taken as a clue that any point in history might be the end times?" Answer: "We have more reason to believe that Christ could come in our lifetime than any generation before us." Concerning this last "answer," people have said this for hundreds of years. Of course there are far more disturbing similarities between dispensationalism (e. g., LaHaye) and Islamic end-times proponents (e. g., Ahmadinejad).

The Koran teaches the end of the world but says only God knows when that will be. Sura 20:15 says, "The Hour of Doom is sure to come. But I choose to keep it hidden, …" And Sura 33:63 says: "People ask you about the Hour of Doom. Say: ‘God alone has knowledge of it. Who knows? It may well be that the Hour is near at hand.’" Yet Muslim scholars have taken vague Suras and developed traditions which claim to provide "signs" to be witnessed before the "end."

Jesus Himself said: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone" (Matthew 24:36). However, just like Muslim commentators, Christian dispensationalists have figured they know more than their AUTHORS. For example, dispensational writers understand the "signs" of Matthew 24:4-33 to refer to a time just prior to the so-called "rapture."

Jesus said there would be "signs" of serious tribulations (Matthew 24:9-13). Dispensationalists are not in agreement on the correct interpretation of this tribulation period, but Dwight Pentecost maintains that "consistency of interpretation would seem to eliminate any application of this portion of Scripture to the church or the church age, inasmuch as the Lord is dealing with the prophetic program for Israel."¹ And John Walvoord sees that Jesus is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, but is unwilling to leave it there. He adds, "But, according to the prophets, the end is not yet and ahead of Israel is a terrible time of suffering before the day of restoration."² The facts get in the way when you have already made up your mind. But in these verses (9-11) Jesus is talking about tribulation upon His followers—not national Israel. The book of Acts, which closes before the destruction of Jerusalem, gives an account of how Christians were persecuted and killed for their faith in Jesus.

The second segment of Christ’s answer concerning the destruction of Jerusalem could be considered the Imminant Signs (Matthew 24:14-15). "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come" (v.14). Again, the dispensationalists push this forward to a "tribulation" period after the "rapture" of the church, and before Christ returns to establish an earthly reign over national Israel. Pentecost writes:

Consequently, although Jesus said all the events of Mathew 24:4-33 would take place within the generation of hearers to whom He was speaking (v. 34), dispensationalists believe the "tribulation" of Matthew 24 is a time after the "rapture" and before the "millennium." It takes a lot of speculations and gyrations to ignore Christ’s clear message.

Islam’s scholars have developed theories about the "end" which include the moral decline of culture, such as adultary, rape and dishonesty. According to one Muslim source, Muhammad gave the following "signs" to look for:

It seems as though Muhammad’s followers anticipated dispensationalism.

The "signs" of the Lord’s return—as seen by dispensationalists—are very similar to those imagined by Muslims.

David Reagan says "God never pours out His wrath without warning." However, in Matthew 24:44 we see that Christ’s warnings are not in "signs" but instructions to be ready ("For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.") Reagan thinks the "signs" will include famine, earthquakes, plagues (Matthew 24:7); lawlessness, violence, immorality, greed, selfishness (Mathew 24:12, 37-39); and movement toward a one-world religion (Revelation 17).

In 1988 Edger C. Whisenant published a two-in-one book with the titles: 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could be in 1988 and On borrowed Time. Four and one-half million copies of the book were printed and 300,000 were sent free to ministers.⁵ In Whisenant’s summary of events he chose September 11,12 or 13, 1988 as the date of the "rapture."⁶ World War III was supposed to have started on October 4, 1988, and ended on June 19, 1989.⁷ Whisenant’s "88 Reasons" include a rehash of old dispensational themes, some exercises in numerology, and the following "insights":(#64 and #65) a "famous psychic" said that "she saw a royal baby being born somewhere in the Middle East at about 7 A. M., 5 February 1962"; (#67) "a Washington-based ‘Think Tank’ has warned that the Soviet Union plans to destroy the United States with a surprise nuclear attack in 1988"; (#70) "Communism never reaches it (sic) 71st birthday mark"; (#72) the evening news reported in 1983 that "there were on that very day 45 different wars going on in the world"; (#73) "World War III looks very probable in 1988 just from casual observation"; (#80) the AIDS virus; and (#88) "every major prophecy in the Bible was told at least to the year, and usually detailed further by God as the time of year approached."⁸ Whisenant was very certain of these predictions. He writes:

Many people bought Whisenant’s book and absurd "reasons" for the so-called rapture. "Pat Bernet, a Little Rock teacher . . . left his job to spread Whisenant’s word."¹⁰ One Christian Church had thirty nine "decisions" on Sunday, September 11, 1988. But the events predicted by Whisenant never happened. Surely that would cause readers to question a system which produces such false prophecies. But, sadly, that’s not what happens. The September 14, 1988 issue of the newsletter from the church which had thirty nine decisions on September 11, included a long article which repeated the same old stale arguments used by Whisenant.

Muslims—especially among Shiites—are expecting the reappearance of the twelfth Imam, called the Mahdi, at the end of time. With the Imam will be Jesus and probably Moses. The Mahdi is supposed to have disappeared in 941 AD and has been miraculously kept alive, pending his emergence at a time of world chaos and war.

In 2005 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proclaimed to all Iran that "Our revolution’s main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12^th Imam, the Mahdi." At the close of his speech to the United Nations in September 2005, Ahmadinejad appealed to God to "hasten the emergence of your last repository, the Promised One, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace."

Some dispensationalists believe they can do something to speed the return of Christ. In 2006 some mega-church preachers met in California to plan ways to use global communications and aircraft to transport missionaries to the entire world. One of the speakers said: "As we advance around the world, we’ll be shortening the time needed to fulfill that Great Commission. Then, the Bible says, the end will come." This is not only a misuse of Matthew 24:14, but also shows the arrogance of thinking they can set the agenda for God.

Clyde Lott, a Mississippi preacher and a rancher, is trying to raise a herd of red heifers to fulfill the requirements of Number 19, while ignoring the truth of Hebrews 9:13 ("For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh").

And some Christians are adopting Jewish religious practices in order to align themselves with prophecies they say teach that Gentiles will stand with Jews near the end time. John Hagee even wears a Jewish prayer shawl when he preaches. All of this ignores a vast amount of the New Testament, such as Galatians 3:28 ("There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus").

Some Muslim scholars think the Messiah will descend to the earth and will destroy the Antichrist and then establish the true religion of Islam. According one tradition, Muhammad said, "By Him in whose hands my soul is; surely Jesus, the son of Mary, will soon descend amongst you as a just ruler: he will break the cross and kill the pigs and there will be jizya (taxation taken from non-Muslims)."¹¹ It is then claimed that after this Jesus will die and be buried near Muhammad in the city of Medina. However, even though the majority of Sunni Muslims believe in Jesus' second coming and his central role as the savior of the world during the end time, the majority of Shi'ite Muslims identify this savior figure not as Jesus but as the Mahdi ("divinely-guided one").¹²

Another similarity between Islam and dispensationalism, relative to the "end," is the activity of Gog and Magog, mentioned in the Koran. Sura 18:94 says: "They said: O Zulqarnain! surely Gog and Magog make mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute on condition that you should raise a barrier between us and them?" Sura 21 also mentions Gog and Magog: "Even when Gog and Magog are let loose and they shall break forth from every elevated place." According to Muhammad Khouj, "On Allah's command, the Gog and Magog will come out of their dam at the time of Jesus' descent." But many believe that Gog and Magog are two nations of powerful human beings who will be greatly multiplied during the end times and will bring destruction to the earth. A prophetic hadith claims that at the appointed time God will destroy them by a plague of worms.¹³

It is suggested you read these verses from the Koran in their context. When one does they can easily see in the Koran imagery similar to that used by dispensationalists.

Pre-Tribulation Rapture dispensationalists believe the church will be removed from the earth (raptured), followed by a seven-year period. Following that Christ will return with the church to set up a literal 1,000-year reign with Jerusalem as His "headquarters" and David as His co-ruler. During the seven-year period will be the 3 ½ -year "Great Tribulation."

In the interview mentioned above, Tim Lahaye was asked: "You've also written that ‘millions of unbelievers will be saved during the terrible time of the Tribulation.’ What do you mean by that?" LaHaye’s answer: "I take that from Revelation, chapter 7. One of the things that's going to happen after the Tribulation, after the church is gone, there'll be no one here to witness the faith in Christ. So the Lord raises up 144,000 Jewish witnesses and he names the tribes that they come from. The result of those witnesses is they reach a multitude of souls that receive Christ."

As with LaHaye, most dispensationalists believe that following the "rapture" not only are all Christians absent from earth, but also the Holy Spirit. Yet, amazingly, they believe multitudes of Jews will be converted. Certainly the means of conversion would have to be foreign to what is taught in the New Testament. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing the word of God, but "How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). And the rich man in Hades was told, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead" (Luke 16:31).

Much of dispensationalism is deterministic—just like Islam ("Allah wills it"). Dispensationalists believe God is bound to bless and save national Israel, regardless of Israel’s actions, and despite the fact they have already broken God’s covenant (Isaiah 24:5). Ironically, some think they can force God to hasten the fulfillment of their idea of God’s plan. (See above under "Hastening The Event.")

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes the elimination of Israel would announce the return of the 12^th Imam, the Mahdi. The Mahdi would then conquer the world, convert everyone to Islam and usher in peace and justice. Based on Islam’s rule of the Middle East, one must wonder about their vision of "peace and justice."

Although their theories vary as worldly powers rise and fall, in recent years dispensationalists have taught that Armageddon will be the world’s worst military conflict just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. It will begin, they say, when the antichrist turns on the Jews and begins to persecute them. The Arabs then attack Israel; Russia then overruns both Israel and the Arabs; and God then destroys the Russian armies. After this 200 million Chinese march overland toward Israel, and the antichrist gathers a European army to meet them there. These two mighty forces clash in the plain or valley of Megiddo in Israel. In the midst of an unprecedented slaughter, Israel herself is almost overwhelmed. But at the last moment Jesus returns visibly, rescues the believing Jews and annihilates the antichrist and the other enemies of Israel.¹⁴

John Walvoord, understanding the kingdom and the millennium as covering the same period of time, says:

Revelation 21 is a vision of the New Jerusalem, with God as the temple. Walvoord has a rather strange theory concerning the New Jerusalem. He thinks that the New Jerusalem is a special creation of God, "in existence throughout the millennium and suspended above the earth as a satellite city."¹⁶ He says this

An estimated 40 percent of Americans believe that the sequence of events described by dispensationalists is true—and is now underway. It seems to me that any theory with so many similarities with radical Islam should be re-examined.

I believe the New Testament plainly teaches there will be NO signs of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:42; Luke 12:40-46; Acts 1:6-7; 2 Peter 3:10). Furthermore, when He does come, history will end (as we know it), there will be the resurrection of the dead, God will judge all the dead, and man will spend eternity either in heaven or hell. NO second opportunities.