THE FINAL ROMAN EMPEROR, THE ISLAMIC ANTICHRIST, AND THE VATICAN’S LAST CRUSADE Part No3

ISIS, the Final Roman Emperor, and the Next (Biggest) Prediction




Tom Horn and Cris Putnam on the set of IT’S SUPERNATURAL with Sid Roth

In our upcoming book and FINAL ENTRY, Cris Putnam and I examine in great detail enigmatic apocalyptic beliefs—both Muslim and Catholic—of a final war between Islam and the “Army of Rome,” which, unknown to most, is currently guiding the actions of some of the major global players in both of these institutions and that is tied to a startling revelation that no other modern writers or researchers have made involving an ancient prediction about a “last Roman emperor.” And yes, major Catholic Mystics also verify our conclusions.

But more on that later.

As for the role ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria; sometimes “ISIL”: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) will play in the prediction that I am set to make, we need to briefly consider the “hows” and “whys” of our modern world’s fears over this mysterious group.

Our Facebook newsfeeds have been inundated with blurred images of bloody beheadings. When we visit YouTube, unsolicited videos pop up off to the side with the latest reporting of death tolls by men in black clothing carrying threatening firearms with their faces covered. When we Google-search something entirely unrelated, articles appear declaring that the seemingly unnecessary and irrational executions of non-hostile men in orange jumpsuits are still underway. Our confidence in national security has been rattled by the threat, the American collective consciousness lives in nail-biting suspense, and even our children have picked up on the fact that nameless and faceless “bad guys” are fulfilling repulsively dreadful feats of bloodshed that makes the boogeyman look like a comparative saint.

Unbelievably, however, there lies a group of central questions at the forefront of our minds that even our country’s leaders have not been able to effectively answer: What is ISIS’ motivation? Where did they come from? Why are they killing? And what in the world is “the Islamic State”?

Reasonable questions, no doubt, and simple enough that one would assume they would render equally simple answers. Despite convoluted explanations, however, our government, as well as the American public, is largely mystified. Though many theories have surfaced, some of which are popularized as the most likely, getting in touch with ISIS and understanding the purpose behind their mission is puzzling to even Maj. Gen. Michael K. Nagata, former US Army commander of the Special Operations Command Center, who said in an interview with The New York Times, “‘We do not understand the movement, and until we do, we are not going to defeat it,’ he said, according to the confidential minutes of a conference call he held with experts. ‘We have not defeated the idea. We do not even understand the idea.’”[i] Former Defense Intelligence Agency Michael T. Flynn reacted to this comment: “The fact that someone as experienced in counterterrorism as Mike Nagata is asking these kinds of questions shows what a really tough problem this is.”[ii]

Firstly, the Islamic religion is monotheistic and Abrahamic, and it holds its roots in the Quran (Arabic: “the recitation”), which Muslims (followers of the Islamic faith) believe to be the exact and literal words of Allāh (Arabic: “the God [of Abrahamic religions]”). There are many common elements between fundamental Islam and Christianity, such as beliefs in: only one God; the message and teachings of the prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses, David (and others), as well as Christ; Christ as a prophet (but not divine in Islam); Old and New Testaments are holy; wickedness of Satan; appearance of Antichrist; and heaven and hell…and so on. A peaceful start, one might think. However, just like there are different denominations within Christianity in which fundamental beliefs and lifestyle practices fluctuate, there are varying sects of Islam (Sunni, Shia, Sufi, Kharijites, Ahmadiyya, etc.), under each of which exist numerous different schools of thought—and all with their own views on violence.

To which does ISIS belong? It is said they subscribe to Wahhabism, a branch of Sunni Islam. Wahhabism is described by neutral and unbiased sources as a “religious reform movement…[in which] followers believe that they have a religious obligation…for a restoration of pure monotheistic worship.”[iii] Even among many Muslims, however, such as those behind the As-Sunnah Foundation of America (ASFA) whose mission statement on the front of their webpage says “Unity, Knowledge, and Understanding for the Muslim Community,”[iv] Wahhabism is “[t]he most extremist pseudo-Sunni movement today.”[v] The ASFA goes on to say, “Irrespective of what they think, they [Wahhabis] are not following the Islamic sources authentically.”[vi]

(story continues below video)

WATCH THE TRAILER FOR THE NEW BOOK AND FINAL ENTRY!

Other experts say the “best” way to describe ISIS’s belief system is Salafist, a belief in the literal interpretation of the words and deeds of Muhammad and his early successors (salaf being Arabic for “ancestor”) and that while all Wahhabists are Salafists, not all Salafists are Wahhabists.In fact, “Wahhabi” is apparently considered an insult by Salafists.

“Wahhabism,” referring to the subset of Salafism founded by Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1792), was allied to the House of Saud in the late-eighteenth century and remains as such today. In a nutshell, Wahhabism rejected modern influences on Islam.

Salafism emerged at al-Azhar University in Cairo (according to Tim Furnish, the most influential Islamic academic institution in the world) in the second half of the nineteenth century. Contra the Wahhabists, Salafists tried to reconcile Islam with modernism. ISIS rejects leadership of the House of Saud because they are not the religious or political heirs to Muhammad. (ISIS declared war on Saudi Arabia in December, and the Saudis have been building a high-tech fence along its border with Iraq.)

What they have in common is a “fundamentalist” interpretation of the Quran and Hadiths, a belief that mainstream Sunnis have been wrong about their faith for about a thousand years. And both see themselves as the legitimate, “true” Muslims. ISIS especially engages in takfiri, the practice of excommunicating those who aren’t with the program, but for both groups Shias are right out, absolute heretics.

In 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became the leader of ISIS, and has since strived for domination. Aggressively, he has led ISIS to control huge land masses in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Nigeria, and Afghanistan, among many other territories of Asia and Africa. In 2014, official ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-‘Adnani declared Baghdadi the “Caliph Ibrahim”:

‘Adnani demanded that all jihadi factions, not only those in Iraq and Syria, but everywhere, pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, for the “legality” of their organizations is now void. He stated: “Indeed, it is the State. Indeed, it is the khilāfah. It is time for you to end this abhorrent partisanship, dispersion, and division, for this condition is not from the religion of Allah at all. And if you forsake the State or wage war against it, you will not harm it. You will only harm yourselves.”[vii]

Many may read these words and believe they are—at least—the most emphatic definition of hubris fathomable, if not complete totalitarianism. Nevertheless, though the world caliphate is a self-proclaimed authority (which numerous Muslim groups find controversial), and though Baghdadi is the self-proclaimed caliph (of whom numerous Muslim groups deny support), ISIS continues to gain assistance from fellow terrorists-in-training; American intelligence officials have estimated that one thousand foreign fighters per month travel to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS,[viii] with Baghdadi now standing as dictatorial commander over every Muslim community in the world.

While their clandestine motives—political and religious—have baffled even US intelligence officials, their actions are loud and clear. They may be reclusive in keeping communication lines limited to themselves, allowing the rest of the world to draw whatever conclusions they will about the whys, but leaders of ISIS are social media savants, and at every turn they have blasted the Internet with execution videos, propaganda videos, rejections of peace, and articles of demands, as well as photos of their destruction of Christians, artifacts, and buildings, etc. Genocide, the likes of which this world has not seen since the domination of Nazi Germany, is one of ISIS’ goals:

The Nazi destruction of stolen art was an act of gratuitous violence against Europe’s cultural heritage, undertaken in service to a demented ideology… Similarly gratuitous destruction of ancient cultural centers and artifacts is now underway wherever the black flag of the Islamic State, ISIS, is raised in Iraq and Syria. And so is another genocide, this time of Christians.…

As the indefatigable human rights campaigner Nina Shea wrote…the wanton destruction of a sacred place is also a metaphor for “the genocide of Iraq’s Christian people and their civilization.”[ix]

Nina Shea is not the only one who sees this horror for what it is. For example, the European Parliament “passed a resolution declaring that the Islamic State terror group…‘is committing genocide against Christians and Yazidis…(and) other religious and ethnic minorities.’”[x] Even Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said a few months ago, “I am now sure we have enough evidence, what is happening is genocide deliberately aimed at destroying lives and wiping out the existence of Christians and other religious minorities.”[xi]

Is ISIS so far out in left field that their cries for dominance are driven by an apocalyptic landscape? Some rational minds would believe this to be an immediately sensationalistic notion, but if we look at how dramatic ISIS is in every other aspect, we begin to not only accept, but expect, their ideologies to be ceaselessly and recklessly grandeur…and we are not alone. ISIS is in fact driven by very specific and ancient eschatological apocalypticism.

To begin, Islam’s central figure, the prophet Muhammad, allegedly predicted the invasion and defeat of both Constantinople and Rome. The first of these two cities fell into the hands of the Muslims in the 1400s, bringing the prophecy to fruition. Rome has yet to be dominated. Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi, “one of the most influential clerics in Sunni Islam,”[xii] explained this prophecy:

The Prophet Muhammad was asked: “What city will be conquered first, Constantinople or Romiyya?” He answered: “The city of Hirqil [i.e. the Byzantine emperor Heraclius] will be conquered first”—that is, Constantinople… Romiyya is the city called today “Rome,” the capital of Italy. The city of Hirqil [that is, Constantinople] was conquered by the young 23-year-old Ottoman Muhammad bin Morad, known in history as Muhammad the Conqueror, in 1453. The other city, Romiyya, remains, and we hope and believe [that it too will be conquered].[xiii] (brackets and ellipses in original)

The idea that ISIS plans to wage war against Rome is more than clear through all of their speeches, posts, articles, and propaganda. To quote Baghdadi, himself, in a speech to fellow Muslims just two days after he was pronounced the caliph (translated by ISIS’ subsidiary media company Al-Hayat; as quoted by the Middle East Media Research Institute):

So congratulations to you, O slaves of Allah, as Allah has allowed you to reach this noble month. Praise Allah and thank Him for having granted you long lives, thereby giving you a chance to correct your past deeds.… As for the religion of Allah, then it will be victorious. Allah has promised to bring victory to the religion.…

So take up arms, take up arms, O soldiers of the Islamic State! And fight, fight!… So raise your ambitions, O soldiers of the Islamic State!…

Soon, by Allah’s permission, a day will come when the Muslim will walk everywhere as a master, having honor, being revered, with his head raised high and his dignity preserved. Anyone who dares to offend him will be disciplined, and any hand that reaches out to harm him will be cut off.

So let the world know that we are living today in a new era. Whoever was heedless must now be alert. Whoever was sleeping must now awaken. Whoever was shocked and amazed must comprehend. The Muslims today have a loud, thundering statement, and possess heavy boots. They have a statement that will cause the world to hear and understand the meaning of terrorism, and boots that will trample the idol of nationalism, destroy the idol of democracy, and uncover its deviant nature.…

So listen, O ummah [Arabic: “community”] of Islam. Listen and comprehend. Stand up and rise. For the time has come for you to free yourself from the shackles of weakness, and stand in the face of tyranny, against the treacherous rulers—the agents of the crusaders and the atheists, and the guards of the Jews.…

O Muslims everywhere, glad tidings to you… Raise your head high, for today—by Allah’s grace—you have a state and caliphate, which will return your dignity, might, rights, and leadership.…

Therefore, rush, O Muslims, to your state. Yes, it is your state. Rush, because Syria is not for the Syrians, and Iraq is not for the Iraqis. The Earth is Allah’s… The State is a state for all Muslims. The land is for the Muslims, all the Muslims.…

Know that today you are the defenders of the religion and the guards of the land of Islam. You will face tribulation and epic battles.…

So prepare your arms, and supply yourselves with piety. Persevere in reciting the Koran [Quran] with comprehension of its meanings and practice of its teachings.

This is my advice to you. If you hold to it, you will conquer Rome and own the world.[xiv]

[NOTE THE SYMBOLISM ON THE FRONT COVER OF TOM HORN & CRIS PUTNAM’S UPCOMING BOOK (AND FINAL ENTRY) DEPICTING THE ISIS FLAG ATTACHED TO THE TOP OF THE OBELISK IN ST. PETER’S SQUARE AMIDST THE RUBBLE OF WHAT THEY WILL DETAIL AS THE COMING VATICAN DESTRUCTION]

Besides the aforementioned parallels between Nazi Germany and ISIS’ genocidal agenda is the blatantly obvious parallels between Hitler’s declaration-of-war speeches and this—Baghdadi’s declaration of war against Rome and all enemies of Islam. His intonations are sometimes so Hitlerian that one could swap out the relative ethnic groups and enemy groups and post it online as a “lost speech by Hitler” and people would believe it. But I digress…

Under the leadership of Baghdadi, radical Muslim terrorist factions are, in fact, “raising up arms” for war. Islamic eschatology (from the Hadith) points to the town of Dabiq, Syria, as a fester-pot of the Muslim Malahim (apocalypse; Armageddon). The “Romans” (or “Roman Christians,” as some scholars put it) will “land” in Dabiq, wage war against the Muslim soldiers, the Muslims will win, and the “Last Hour” heralds the arrival of Isa (Christ) and Dajjal (Antichrist). (Note, also that ISIS’ official magazine is also called Dabiq.) From “The Only Quran” website, the prophecy reads:

Abu Huraira [Muhammad’s recorder and companion] reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) assaying: The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land…in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina (to counteract them).… They will then fight and a third (part) of the army would run away, whom Allah will never forgive. A third (part of the army), which would be constituted of excellent martyrs in Allah’s eye, would be killed and the third who would never be put to trial would win… And as they would be busy in distributing the spoils of war (amongst themselves) after hanging their swords by the olive trees, the Satan would cry: The Dajjal [Antichrist] has taken your place among your family. They would then come out, but it would be of no avail. And when they would come to Syria, he would come out while they would be still preparing themselves for battle drawing up the ranks. Certainly, the time of prayer shall come and then Jesus [“Isa”] (peace be upon him) son of Mary would descend and would lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah [Dajjal; Antichrist] would see him, it would (disappear) just as the salt dissolves itself in water and if he (Jesus) were not to confront them at all, even then it would dissolve completely, but Allah would kill them by his hand and he would show them their blood on his lance (the lance of Jesus Christ).[xv]

For some time, ISIS has been goading worldwide military powers to bring vicious attacks against Dabiq, believing that the Muslims will win, and subsequently take the battles therefore outward to Rome. These provocations have been seen in a number of recent terrorist activities, and now they have raised the incitement even higher, baiting up to sixty countries across the globe.

Not long ago, a serious ISIS threat-video was released called See You in Dabiq, relating imagery of this upcoming war. The media specialists in ISIS used some digitally altered stock footage to make the film, since the war has not yet happened, as well as original footage filmed in Iraq. At one point in the video, the ISIS flag is raised over sixty other nation flags, representing its domination over opposition. Another scene shows an armored battle tank driving toward the Roman Coliseum, with the voiceover saying, “This is your last crusade, the next time it is us who will take the battle on your own land.”[xvi]From Heavy News:

In the video, tanks can be seen driving towards the Coliseum crumbled in the sand. Footage then cuts to outside buildings of the Italian capital, before zeroing in on the Vatican.…

The film’s dialogue makes claims that the “Dabiq Army” will race into Rome, destroy crucifixes, and enslave Christian women.[xvii]

This video trails another, which was released last December (2015). Two ISIS radicals sit on a peaceful beach, facing the camera. One speaks in (somewhat broken) English, regarding the November 2015 ISIS terrorist attacks in Paris, France, and goes on to list other targets, including the US:

It is a state [referring to the Islamic State]. When you violate its right, your hand is bound to get burned.… All you Crusaders, you claim to want to degrade and fight the Islamic State, while you fail to secure your nations and your capitols. How come shall you degrade us? You call your armies, like France called their armies in the streets of Paris, but rest assured, they will avail them nothing. We will come to them from where they do not expect.… The revenge has started, and the blood will flow. France was the beginning. Tomorrow will be Washington. It will be New York, and it will be Moscow. You Russians, don’t you think that we forgot you! Your time is coming! It is coming! And it will be the worst.… You will not have safety in the bedroom of your houses.… Allah! This event healed our hearts.[xviii]

The article, “ISIS Releases Chilling New ‘End of the World’ Video Showing Final Battle with Crusaders,” from Mirror News has no problem linking all their past violence to their latest unsettling See You in Dabiq bait, calling forth all powers of the world to challenge them on their own soil, and then taunts that nonbelievers will “burn on the hills of Dabiq.”[xix]

Credit to Tom Horn