Youssef - End times and the secret of the Mahdi : unlocking the mystery of Revelation and the Antichrist

Praise for End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi

Thought-provoking does not begin to describe this treatise. Dr. Youssefs analytical insight into the past, present, and future through the lens of the Bible and Quran brings the world around us into sharp focus.

Congressman Louie Gohmert

Copyright 2016 by Michael Youssef

Published by Worthy Books, an imprint of Worthy Publishing Group, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., One Franklin Park, 6100 Tower Circle, Suite 210, Franklin, TN 37067.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Youssef, Michael.

Title: End times and the secret of the Mahdi : unlocking the mystery of Revelation and the Antichrist / by Michael Youssef

Description: Franklin, TN : Worthy Publishing, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015037825 | ISBN 9781617956621 (tradepaper)

Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Revelation--Criticism, interpretation, etc. | Antichrist. | Antichrist--Islam. | Mahdi.

Classification: LCC BS2825.52 .Y68 2016 | DDC 236/.9--dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015037825

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain. Scripture quotations marked NJKV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2011. The ESV text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation (Todays English Version, Second Edition) Copyright 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NABRE are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All Rights Reserved. Scripture quotations marked NET are taken from the New English Translation, NET Bible copyright 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC, http://net-bible.com All rights reserved.

Italics added to Scripture quotations reflect the authors emphasis.

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ISBN: 978-1-61795-662-1
Cover Design: Smartt Guys Design
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To Graeme Blaiklock
in deep gratitude to the Lord for
you and your persistence in
being Gods instrument in bringing
Leading The Way to Australia

ATHEIST PHILOSOPHERS and materialist scientists tell us that human life is utterly meaningless. Physicist Stephen Hawking put it this way: The human race is just a chemical scum on a moderate sized planet, orbiting around a very average star in the outer suburb of one among a hundred billion galaxies.

The book of Revelation assures us that the atheists are wrong. God cares very much about our individual livesand about the future of planet Earth. Though the world seems to be spinning out of control, Revelation tells us that God is moving human events toward a dramatic and triumphant conclusion.

End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi presents an exciting new approach to the book of Revelation. Most books about Revelation focus almost entirely on the future. In this book, I show how the message of Revelation impacts our lives todayand what our response should be.

As you read these pages, you will find a clear and relevant presentation of the major themes of Revelation, packed with contemporary stories and filled with many surprising insights. This is not just a guidebook to the future but an action plan for living confidently for Christ in these turbulent and uncertain times.

Instead of beginning in Revelation 1 and proceeding chapter by chapter, I have organized this book by the major themes of Revelation: the revelation of Jesus, the reign and fall of the Antichrist, the events of the Great Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon, what the Bible really says about heaven, and what Jesus is saying to you and me through Revelation. This unique approach will help you to understand and appreciate the book of Revelation in a fresh way.

After reading End Times and the Secret of the Mahdi, you will come away with a deeper sense of awe regarding Gods Word. Youll understand how the prophecies of Revelation merge seamlessly with the other prophecies of the Old and New Testaments. Youll recognize that many prophecies of Scripture have already been fulfilled with mathematical precision, and youll know that the prophecies yet to be fulfilled are every bit as reliable.

Our Bible is a collection of sixty-six books written by more than forty authors in three different languages on three separate continents over a span of sixteen hundred years. The Bible consists of history, drama, poetry, law, and prophecy. Yet the Bible is one Book. Gods Word is amazingly consistent, because our God is a consistent God.

The book of Revelation is the capstone of the entire Bible. It reveals the ultimate fulfillment of prophecies going back to the beginning of Genesis. Through the pages of Revelation, God has opened a big picture window on the future, and in this book you will discover how to apply these insights to your life today.

Now, you may be surprised at some of the amazing (and even disturbing) parallels between the end-times prophecies of the Bible and the end-times prophecies of Islam. You may be alarmed at the seeming connection between the Antichrist of Revelation and the shadowy figure of Islamic prophecy known as the Imam Mahdi.

But I dont want you to be alarmed. God gave us the book of Revelation not to frighten us but to motivate and encourage us. And that is my prayer for you as you read this book: May God fill you with hope, faith, and an eager expectation of the Lords return. Again and again in Revelation, Jesus assures us, I am coming soon.

Maranatha! Come, Lord!

Michael Youssef, PhD