Deception in the last days – “Not the same Jesus”
DECEPTION – NOT THE SAME “JESUS”
MacArthur zeroes in on the deception involving the identity of “Jesus” or the Messiah. While many religions acknowledge a historical Jesus, they have different descriptions of Him. Some believe Him to be a good person, enlightened spirit, prophet, and so on, but Christians are the only people who believe Him to be God, our Creator.
Some evangelical Christians believe that Muslims, being monotheists who also believe in Jesus, can find common ground with Christians. However, MacArthur points out significant differences in how Muslims and Christians perceive Jesus.
In Islamic eschatology, Jesus (Isa) is seen as a man and a prophet, not divine, who was taken to heaven without dying and will return in the end times. This contrasts sharply with the Christian belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who died, rose again, and provided atonement for sins.
DIFFERENCES IN ESCHATOLOGY BETWEEN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY
| ASPECT | CHRISTIANITY | ISLAM |
| Source of Authoritative Truth | Bible (Old and New Testament) | Koran – words of Allah Sunnah (Hadith) – words & works of Mohammed |
| Nature of Jesus | Son of God, the only Way to the Father and eternal life | Jesus is a man, prophet – not God. Went to heaven, like Elijah |
| Death and Resurrection | Jesus died, rose again, and provided atonement for sins | Jesus did not die, did not rise, and provided no atonement to anyone |
| Where is Jesus now? | At the right hand of God, interceding on our behalf and building a Kingdom for His followers. | In heaven, standing alongside Allah, waiting for Allah to send him back |
| Role in End Times | Jesus will return to judge the world, setup His eternal kingdom with His followers. | Allah will send him back to straighten out the misdirected, misguided, misconceiving Christians who think He was God who died and rose again and provided atonement |
| How Jesus will end? | Jesus is eternal. He has no beginning or end. He is the Alpha and Omega. He is God. | He’ll get married, have children, and die and be buried next to Mohammed |
| Connection to Christianity | Jesus is foundational to the Christian faith. | Jesus is respected as a prophet, not a foundational person |
In both Christian and Islamic theology, the Last Days will be marked by the entry of three world-changing persons. Christians await 1. Jesus‘ return, 2. The Antichrist, and 3. the False Prophet. Islam also awaits the return of 1. Jesus, 2. the Mahdi, and 3. Dajjal.
Referencing the Islamic holy text, MacArthur describes each expected person of the Islamic religion. However, although each has a similar description to Biblical persons, all are complete reversals:
1: The IslamicSaviour (Mahdi) is the Biblical Antichrist
According to Islam:
- The Mahdi, also known as the Twelfth Imam, will be a messianic figure and a descendant of Mohammed.
- He will be an unparalleled, unequaled leader. He will come out of a crisis of turmoil.
- He will take control of the world, establish a new world order, and destroy all who resist him.
- He will invade many nations. He will make a seven-year peace treaty with the Jews. He will conquer Israel and massacre the Jews.
- He will establish Islamic world headquarters in Jerusalem.
- He will rule for seven years and establish Islam as the only religion. He will come on a white horse with supernatural power.
These are descriptions of the Biblical Antichrist. Revelation 6:1, Revelation 13.
2: The Islamic prophet Jesus is the Biblical False prophet
According to Islam:
- “Jesus,” will return as a radical Muslim.
- He will come back holding the wings of two angels who flew him down to meet the gathering army of the Mahdi in the east, the army of the black flags.
- “Jesus” will pray to the Mahdi.
- He will make a pilgrimage to Mecca and worship Allah.
- He will establish worldwide Sharia law. He will become the greatest Muslim evangelist and the final witness on the day of judgment against non-Muslims.
- Christians everywhere will affirm that they were wrong, that the gospel is wrong.
- The New Testament is wrong: Jesus didn’t die, he didn’t rise, he isn’t God, he isn’t the Son of God. He himself will come back and point out how wrong we’ve been.
- He will correct all misinterpretations and all misrepresentations. “He will shatter crosses” – the destruction of the church.
- He espouses the cause of the Mahdi. He is the Mahdi’s executioner, enforcer, and prophet.
- He will kill the Islamic Antichrist (Christian’s Jesus).
These are descriptions of the biblical False Prophet. Revelation 13, 16, 19, and 20 refer to the beast coming out of the earth—the false prophet who aids and abets the biblical Antichrist.
3: The Islamic Antichrist (Dajjal – The Great Deceiver) is the Biblical Jesus
According to Islam:
- The Dajjal claims to be the promised Messiah, the son of God.
- He claims to be God.
- The Dajjal will attempt to stop the Mahdi and the “Jesus.”
- The army of Satan (the Biblical God Yahweh) will be led by a person who will claim to be Jesus Christ.
The first three are descriptions of the Biblical Jesus. John 14:6, John 10:30, Rev. 19:19
In addition, in the book Jesus and the Jihadis by Evans and Johnston, Islam proclaims that “There is no god but Allah.”
Allah is not Yahweh, the Biblical God. Know that Christians and those of the Islamic faith serve a different God.
The Christian Jesus is Islam’s antichrist. The Biblical antichrist is Islam’s redeemer.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE?
“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Matt. 24:5
Asks MacArthur, “Who are you going to believe? There are a lot of Muslims who think Jesus is someone He is not and consequently reject the true Jesus. Do not be deceived. You cannot accommodate that by saying, ‘Isn’t that wonderful? They love Jesus.’ They don’t. Any other Jesus than the true Jesus is not Jesus. And if you worship any other than the actual Jesus, you are cursed.”
Believers, do not despair; Jesus reassures us in verses 24-25 of Matthew 24 that, “false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible,even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.”
Unbelievers, “seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6 (NKJV). “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 (NKJV) “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NKJV)
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2: 5-11 (NKJV).
Jennifer Layton Starns is a Jamaican software consultants coach and author of the book, “The Two Kingdoms.”
