The Rise of Islam

Why this primer exists

Islam did not exist when the Bible was written.

Today, it surrounds Israel, influences Jerusalem, and has its own end-times expectations.

Does that matter to Bible prophecy?

We begin with Scripture — and then follow the evidence.

Islam in Brief

Muhammad arose in seventh-century Arabia, roughly six centuries after Jesus Christ and long after the apostolic gospel had been established.

That timing matters because Muhammad claimed later revelation that must be compared with what God had already revealed through Christ and His apostles.

Islam honors Jesus as the Messiah and an important prophet, but its teaching about Him differs fundamentally from the New Testament. Islam rejects His divine Sonship and the Trinity and contradicts the New Testament testimony concerning His crucifixion.

Those differences are not side issues. They concern the identity of Jesus and the heart of the gospel.

Two Very Different Kinds of Conquest

Islam is not merely a private religion. From Muhammad onward, it developed as a religious, political, legal, and territorial system. Its expansion has included preaching and conversion, political rule, military conquest, and jihad. Those forces remain active today. Islam continues to expand as a global religious and political force.

Jesus Christ established a fundamentally different model. He did not command His followers to seize territory, impose Christian rule by force, or compel conversion. He commanded them to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The apostles carried out that commission through preaching, discipleship, church planting, sacrificial love, suffering, and witness — not armies.

That expansion remains visible in the modern world through multiple channels: jihadist territorial movements, political Islam, missionary activity, demographic growth, mosque and institution building, and organized political influence. These methods are not identical, but together they demonstrate that Islam remains an active global expansionary force rather than merely the remnant of a medieval empire.

But What About the Crusades?

The Crusades came centuries after Muslim armies had conquered large territories that had previously been predominantly Christian, including Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and North Africa. By the eleventh century, Byzantine losses in Asia Minor also helped trigger appeals to the West.

That history does not make every Crusader action righteous. Christ’s commands—not a cross on a banner—define Christian conduct. The key distinction is foundational: Jesus commissioned His followers to make disciples through the gospel; Islamic tradition presents Muhammad himself as both a religious leader and a political-military ruler.

Women, Marriage, and Sharia: A Different Standard

Christianity teaches that men and women are equally made in God’s image and equally in need of salvation. Scripture gives husbands and wives distinct responsibilities, but a husband’s model is Christ: “love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

• Marriage: Classical Islamic law permits a Muslim man to have as many as four wives (Qur’an 4:3), while Jesus points marriage back to the one-flesh union of creation (Matthew 19:4–6).
• Marital authority: Classical Sharia—Islamic religious law and the legal tradition built around the Qur’an and Islamic teachings—gives husbands powers that wives do not possess on equal terms, including unilateral ṭalāq (divorce). Qur’an 4:34 was traditionally understood by classical jurists as permitting physical discipline for marital rebellion.
• Captivity and consent: Classical Islamic law also recognized concubinage—a system in which a male owner could have sexual relations with an enslaved woman without marrying her. The legal framework did not generally make the enslaved woman’s freely given consent the basis for those relations. That presents a serious moral problem.

This does not mean every Muslim today accepts these practices. It does mean the classical Islamic legal tradition differs sharply from the Christian standard of covenant faithfulness, equal human worth, and Christlike sacrificial love.

Muhammad and the Biblical Test of a Prophet

Christians do not test a claimed prophet by influence, sincerity, or supernatural experiences. Scripture is the standard.

Muhammad appeared roughly six centuries after Jesus and claimed revelation from God. But Islam’s message contradicts teachings already established by Christ and His apostles: the New Testament reveals Jesus as the Son of God, crucified for our sins and bodily raised from the dead; Islam rejects central parts of that apostolic testimony.

Islamic tradition says Muhammad received revelation through the angel Gabriel. An angelic claim does not override the gospel already given. A later message that contradicts Christ and His apostles must be rejected.

Influence does not prove inspiration. Scripture remains the standard.

Islam, Israel, and Jerusalem

Few issues can stir the Islamic world as quickly as Jerusalem. At the center is one of the most contested pieces of land on earth: the Temple Mount.

For Jews, the Temple Mount is the location of the First and Second Temples and Judaism's holiest site.

Muslims commonly call the same compound Haram al-Sharif, meaning “the Noble Sanctuary.” It contains the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock — the famous gold-domed shrine seen in many photographs of Jerusalem.

Changes involving Jewish prayer, Israeli security, Muslim administration of the site, archaeological work, or efforts toward a future Jewish Temple can produce reactions far beyond Jerusalem.

That doesn't mean today's disputes over Jerusalem fulfill Zechariah 12. But the modern situation demonstrates something remarkable:

A dispute over a tiny piece of land in Jerusalem can quickly become an international religious and political issue.

Start With Biblical Geography — Not Modern Religion

Many nations surrounding Israel today are Muslim-majority nations. That does not mean every prophecy concerning those territories is secretly about Islam.

We first ask who Scripture identifies, where those people lived, and what geographic regions are involved. Only then do we ask what nations and peoples occupy those regions today.

Psalm 83 and Israel's Near Neighbors

Psalm 83 names peoples including Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Amalek, Tyre, and Assur. Bible teachers disagree over whether the Psalm is primarily a prayer about ancient enemies or whether the coalition may also point toward a future conflict involving Israel's immediate neighbors.

Many territories associated with those ancient peoples are located in or near Israel's modern neighborhood, and today much of that territory is Muslim-majority.

That's worth noticing. But Psalm 83 doesn't say, “Islam will attack Israel.” Islam didn't exist when the Psalm was written. The text names peoples and territories.

For the site's fuller treatment of this question, see Understanding the Inner-Ring Conflict →

Ezekiel 38–39 and the More Distant Nations

Ezekiel 38–39 describes a future invasion of Israel led by Gog, a ruler associated with a land called Magog. Gog is the leader; Magog is the land associated with him.

Ezekiel names several members of the coalition, including Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah.

One identification is particularly clear: ancient Persia is modern Iran.

Other identifications in Ezekiel 38 are more debated. Several commonly proposed identifications connect parts of the coalition with territory in or around modern Turkey and regions farther north.

Many territories commonly associated with Ezekiel's coalition are Muslim-majority today. That's worth noticing. But it doesn't allow us to turn Ezekiel 38 into “Islam attacks Israel.” Ezekiel names peoples and nations — not Islam.

Watch the alignment. Don't force the fulfillment.

For a detailed treatment, see Understanding Gog-Magog (Ezekiel 38–39) →

Iran deserves special attention because ancient Persia is explicitly named in Ezekiel 38. Modern Iran is also a major regional power hostile to Israel. That is significant, but it does not set a prophetic clock; governments and alliances can change.

Turkey: Watch the Direction

Turkey remains a member of NATO — the military alliance linking the United States, Canada, Turkey, and many European countries under a collective-defense system. It has also become an increasingly important regional power.

Several peoples named in Ezekiel 38 are commonly associated by some prophecy interpreters with areas in or near modern Turkey. Those identifications are not equally certain.

That's why the important question isn't, “Did a Turkish leader make an anti-Israel statement today?” The better questions are: Where is Turkey moving? Who is it aligning with? How is its relationship with Israel changing? What happens with Iran? What happens with Russia?

Trajectory matters more than an isolated headline.

The Muslim World Isn't One Side

A simplistic prophecy model might imagine every Muslim nation eventually lining up together against Israel. Modern history warns us not to make that assumption.

Peace agreements and the Abraham Accords show that Muslim-majority states do not move as a single bloc. Some have established or expanded normal diplomatic relations with Israel.

That's what normalization means — countries establishing ordinary diplomatic, economic, and political relations rather than treating one another as enemies.

Religion isn't the only force shaping the region. National interests, military threats, economics, energy, internal politics, and relationships with major powers all matter.

The prophetic landscape could therefore involve major realignments within the Muslim world itself.

Watch Alliances — Not Headlines

When Muslim-majority nations increase military cooperation, prophecy watchers naturally pay attention.

Saudi Arabia matters because it contains Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities. Pakistan matters because it possesses nuclear weapons. Turkey matters because of its military strength, location, and possible connections to Ezekiel's geography. Iran matters because Scripture explicitly names Persia.

But dramatic labels can get ahead of reality. A commentator might describe some new arrangement as a “Muslim NATO” when it amounts to little more than meetings and political statements.

A useful way to judge the significance of an emerging alliance is to watch how far it progresses from words to action:

A speech can matter. A treaty matters more. A mutual-defense pact matters more still.

Concrete alignment is stronger evidence than dramatic language.

Could the Antichrist Come From the Islamic World?

The Antichrist—the future evil ruler associated with Revelation’s Beast and Paul’s “man of lawlessness”—will oppose God and exercise extraordinary political and religious authority. Many prophecy teachers expect him to arise from a future form of the Roman imperial world. Others believe a Middle Eastern or Islamic background is possible.

We should neither accept that theory because current events make it interesting nor reject it merely because it challenges a familiar interpretation.

Daniel 9:26 — “The People of the Prince”

Jerusalem and the Second Temple were destroyed in A.D. 70 by forces under Roman command. That creates a real Roman connection. But Rome also drew soldiers and supporting forces from its eastern provinces and surrounding regions.

Daniel’s wording therefore does not settle the future ruler’s ethnicity as neatly as is sometimes assumed. A Roman connection is real. A Middle Eastern origin remains possible—but not proven.

2 Thessalonians 2:4 — “Showing Himself That He Is God”

Paul says this ruler will exalt himself above every object of worship, enter God’s Temple, and present himself as God. Islam strongly rejects worshiping a human being as Allah, which creates an obvious objection to an Islamic-Antichrist theory.

But Paul’s emphasis is on what the ruler presents himself to be through his position and actions; the verse does not require the exact statement, “I am Allah.” The objection matters, but it does not by itself rule out a ruler from an Islamic background.

Revelation 13 — The Bigger Test

No Antichrist theory should rest on geography alone. Revelation describes worldwide political authority, blasphemy, persecution, deceptive signs, worship, a second religious figure, and economic control. Any proposed identity must account for the whole picture.

Scripture does not say, “The Antichrist will be Muslim.” Neither does it plainly say, “The Antichrist will be European.” A Middle Eastern or Islamic Antichrist is a serious possibility—but not an established fact.

Islam’s End-Times Expectations

Islam also has its own expectations about the end of the age. Details differ among Sunni and Shia Muslims—the two largest branches of Islam—so we should not treat every Islamic tradition as identical.

The Mahdi

Mahdi means roughly “the rightly guided one.” Islamic traditions expect a future leader who will restore justice and right order. Twelver Shia Muslims—the largest branch of Shia Islam and especially influential in Iran—identify him with the Twelfth Imam, whom they believe is hidden and will return.

The Dajjal

Dajjal means a great deceiver or false messiah. Islamic tradition expects this end-times deceiver to oppose the truth and eventually be defeated.

Islam Also Expects Jesus to Return

Islam teaches that Jesus will return near the end of time, defeat the Dajjal, and affirm Islam. That is not the Jesus proclaimed by the New Testament, which reveals Him as the crucified and risen Son of God.

The parallels and reversals are striking, but similarity does not establish identity. Scripture never says “Mahdi = Antichrist,” “Islamic Jesus = False Prophet,” or “Dajjal = the real Jesus.” These comparisons are reasons to pay attention—not permission to force a conclusion.

Islam and the Coming Religious System

Even if the Antichrist arose from an Islamic background, that would not automatically make Islam the final religious system of Revelation 17.

Revelation describes a powerful corrupt religious system often called Mystery Babylon. The passage does not identify it as one modern religion. A broader syncretistic system—blending beliefs and practices from different religions—remains a strong possibility within our framework.

Islam could influence such a system without being the entire system. The Beast eventually turns against and destroys the religious system, so the two should not be treated as identical.

For the fuller treatment, see Understanding the Global Religious System →

What We're Watching

This is where the primer connects directly to Daily End Times News.

• Iran — because Persia is explicitly named in Ezekiel.
• Turkey — because of its geography, military power, regional ambitions, and possible relationship to peoples named in Ezekiel.
• Jerusalem and the Temple Mount — because Jerusalem becomes a central international issue in biblical prophecy.
• Saudi Arabia and normalization with Israel — because regional realignment matters in both directions.
• Pakistan — because it is a nuclear-armed Muslim state involved in regional security relationships.
• New military alliances — especially when rhetoric becomes cooperation, cooperation becomes military coordination, and military coordination becomes binding alliance.
• Political Islam — often called Islamism, meaning movements seeking to shape government and law according to Islamic principles.

Prophecy watching should not become confirmation-bias watching.

We also watch contrary evidence. If long-term alliances move in the opposite direction, historical evidence weakens an identification, or closer study shows that we have misunderstood a passage, we should adjust our interpretation rather than force the evidence. Scripture is not on trial; our interpretation always is.

What We Should Not Claim

Responsible prophecy teaching requires knowing when to say: We don't know.

• Scripture does not explicitly identify Islam as the final end-times religion or say that every Muslim nation will unite against Israel.
• Scripture does not explicitly identify the Antichrist as Muslim or European; those are interpretations built from the prophetic evidence.
• A military agreement, Temple Mount dispute, hostile speech, or dramatic headline is not automatically prophetic fulfillment.
• Muslim-majority governments, Islamist movements, jihadist organizations, and individual Muslims are not interchangeable categories.

Governments change. Borders change. Alliances change. Political systems change.

Scripture doesn't.

Muslims Are People, Not Prophetic Symbols

When discussing Islam and prophecy, ordinary Muslims can easily become pieces on a prophetic chessboard. Christians shouldn't think that way.

Muslims are individual people created in the image of God. Many have no control over what governments, armies, terrorist organizations, religious leaders, or political movements do. Many Muslims themselves have suffered terribly under extremist movements, authoritarian governments, terrorism, persecution, and war.

We therefore need to distinguish between Islam, the religion; Islamism, a political ideology seeking Islamic influence over government and law; jihadist organizations, violent extremist movements that invoke Islamic concepts of jihad to justify armed struggle or terrorism; Muslim-majority governments, which pursue their own national interests; and individual Muslims, whom Christians are called to love and reach with the gospel.

Biblical prophecy should produce discernment — not hatred.

Muslims and the Gospel

Ultimately, the most important issue involving Islam isn't geopolitical.

It's Jesus Christ.

Islam honors Jesus as a prophet and Messiah. But honoring a different understanding of Jesus is not the same as believing the gospel.

Jesus isn't merely another prophet. He is the eternal Son of God who became man. He died for our sins. He was buried. And He rose again.

That is the gospel Islam ultimately contradicts.

Salvation isn't earned through religious works. It doesn't come from being Muslim. It doesn't come from being Jewish. It doesn't come from merely calling yourself Christian.

The gospel isn't a Western message against Muslims. It is God's message of salvation for Muslims — and for everyone else.

Pray for Muslims to Come to Christ

Christians should not merely study Islam or watch its prophetic significance. We should actively pray for Muslims to receive Jesus Christ. Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies and “pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44; see also Luke 6:27–28). If Christ commands prayer even for those who oppose and persecute us, then our response to Muslims must include earnest prayer for their salvation.

Pray that Muslims will encounter the true Jesus revealed in Scripture, recognize Him as the Son of God, believe His death and resurrection, and receive the salvation He freely offers. We oppose a false religious system while loving the people within it enough to pray that they come to Christ.

Go Deeper

This primer connects several larger prophetic subjects. For the fuller biblical case, continue with the related DETN primers:

Summary

Islam arose centuries after the apostolic gospel was established, so we do not read Islam backward into passages that never name it. We begin with Scripture. But Islam now dominates much of the region surrounding Israel, shapes Jerusalem’s religious landscape, and carries its own end-times expectations.

DETN therefore watches Islamic powers and alliances where they intersect with biblical geography while keeping interpretation in its proper place. A Middle Eastern or Islamic Antichrist is a serious possibility, not an established fact; Revelation likewise does not identify Mystery Babylon simply as Islam.

The deeper issue is Christ. Islam’s message contradicts the apostolic testimony concerning His divine Sonship, crucifixion, saving death, and resurrection. Scripture—not later revelation—remains the standard.

Why This Matters

Islam matters to Bible prophecy because the prophetic story is centered on Israel, Jerusalem, the surrounding nations, the coming world ruler, and a powerful end-times religious system. Islam now touches every one of those subjects.

That does not give us permission to force Islam into passages that do not name it. It gives us reason to understand Islam accurately, watch the nations and alliances Scripture places around Israel, and take seriously the possibility that Islamic beliefs or powers could play a significant role as the prophetic picture develops.

But the most important issue is not identifying the Antichrist before he appears. It is recognizing the true Christ now.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. No later prophet, angelic claim, political ruler, or global religious system can overturn that gospel.