Brad Alles

Thus far we have seen three visions of the future that involve global government: a secular one, a communist one, and a spiritually evolved one. The fourth worldview also has global government as a goal, but it’s Islamic in nature. Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated this clearly: “With the guidance of Allah and His invisible help, we shall make the Islamic civilization proud on the world stage…This is our destiny…There will come a time when all the oppressive powers of the world will be destroyed and humanity will be enlightened in the era of Imam Mahdi.”

Khamenei’s branch of Islam, Shiite, believes that wars will consume the Earth, during which one-third of the world’s population will die, and another third will perish from starvation and chaos. Israel will be destroyed, and only then will the 12th imam, Mahdi, reappear. He will kill all the infidels, and spread Islam to all corners of the world. Khamenei is telling Iran that it must prepare for war and “the end of times” as it continues to develop nuclear weapons.

This is not the ranting of a lunatic mind. According to some in Islam, this is the decree of Allah, and, to quote Khamenei, the inevitable “destiny” of humanity. Starting at the end reveals all people submitting to Allah in a global Islamic state. And that’s why it’s essential to understand the Islamic worldview.

According to Islam, all people were born Muslim but were led astray. The goal is for all to submit once again to Allah. This can be achieved through the spreading of the Islamic faith, or, according to the minority view, by jihad. In the end, a global Islamic state, a theocracy, or rule by Allah, will ensue. Heaven or hell will follow this inevitable Islamic government.

After Mohammed’s death in 632 AD, a conflict arose between two factions regarding who would succeed him. The Sunni Muslims believed the successor should be elected by popular vote. Today, they comprise about 80 percent of the world’s Muslim population. On the other hand, the Shiite Muslims believed that one of Mohammed’s descendants should follow in his footsteps. They said that Mohammed’s son, Ali, was the first Imam, gifted by Allah to guide Muslims.

Today, some Shiites anticipate the return of the twelfth Imam, Mahdi. Imam Mahdi was a boy taken by Allah into hiding in 874 AD. He never died, but will return and bring justice at the end. Jesus will join him, destroy the crosses, kill the Jews, be killed himself and be resurrected. Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei said, “The issue of Imam Mahdi is of utmost importance, and his reappearance has been clearly stated in our holy religion of Islam…We must study and remind ourselves of the end of times and Imam Mahdi’s era…We must prepare the environment for the coming so that the great leader will come.”

Under Khamenei’s guidance, centers have been established in Iran to research information on the coming of Mahdi. Iran also distributed a book called The Last Six Months among its military forces in preparation for Mahdi’s coming and its confrontation with the West. The Last Six Months prophesies signs that would start a six-month time frame for the reappearance of Mahdi: an attack on Syria and then an attack on Iran. Shiites believe Mahdi will only reappear when Israel is destroyed and America is defeated. Two-thirds of the world’s population will die in a nuclear exchange, and with chaos engulfing the earth, Mahdi will appear. From that point on he will spread Islam over the earth, creating a global Islamic state until Judgment Day.

The next post will continue with this view of the future.