A news story from Aljazeera reports today that ISIS has declared its leader the new Caliph of Islam. The office of the Caliph, the Caliphate, is theoretically the head of all of Islam. So it is not surprising if it is demanding that all jihadist groups join it since if they don’t they are against the Caliph.
Muslim leaders have declared themselves the Caliph from time to time over the centuries. One of the more famous ones was Muhammad Ahmad, ruler of Sudan in 1841. So this sort of thing is not new. Here is a picture of the new ‘Caliph.’
However, what is new is that we have someone claiming the Caliphate so close to the Second Signpost, and hence so close to the man who will claim the Caliphate and be Antichrist. When Iran invades, some might think the leader of Iran at that time is the Caliph or the Antichrist. When the leader of Turkey takes back the Middle East and creates a great Confederacy, some may say he is the Caliph or the Antichrist. He won’t be of course.
He will not come until we see the man who emerges in the Fourth Signpost, reuniting three-fourths of the defunct Confederacy that existed in the Third Signpost.
But this news story does give us a possible addition to everything else about the fulfillment of the Signposts – each of the leaders in these Signposts might claim the Caliphate. This would only add to the confusion. But we have God’s Word and His Signposts.
Categories: In The News, Signpost #2: Iran, Signpost #4: New Islamic Empire
THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS 
You know, Mark, I have to wonder and be a bit skeptical here. I have been thinking about his for a while. It appears to me that this is not the real biblical Islamic Caliphate ‘beast’ as determined by Scripture. Tho’ undoubtedly it is a ‘harbinger’ of what is to come and even those not within prophecy circles have begun to think and wonder. I just can’t help but think this is all just a bit premature and will collapse because the ‘time has not come’ for the beast to arise and its subsequent, ‘Caliph.’ I just don’t get a good feel here within my spirit that we have reached the ‘threshing point.’
Am I over thinking this situation?
Prophecy students cry wolf to many times and we loose credibility with the watching Church.
Blessings!
Yes I hear you good4u1, and I appreciate it. As I said in the post, it could be just another like the leader in Sudan 100 years ago, or it could be the start of a new “trend,” where there is a new self-proclaimed “Caliph du jour” every year. This could make people tired of leaders crying “Caliph!” and therefore not being ready when the real one shows. Only God knows. Our command from Christ in Matthew 24 is to watch. And keep watching.
This article is very fascinating:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/raymond-ibrahim/exposed-obama-helped-decade-old-plan-to-create-is/
Hi Howard,
Interesting article. The militants may have been planning it, but their plans did not become visible until this time – when God used them to show how close we are to the Second Signpost.
Mark
We do tend to see only when the development is exposed to the light. The seed has been there, watering for a time, and what the enemy has sown is beginning to come to fruition. Thank God that His seed is also sown, and will bring forth His fruit at harvest time!