Osama bin Laden's Dream Lives On

article by Scott Ashley

Osama bin Laden, whose al-Qaeda terror group was behind the devastating Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, has been dead for almost two years. But his dream lives on, and we see this being played out in headlines across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Good News Magazine - March/April 2013

What dream is that? It's the dream of forming an Islamic caliphate —a worldwide body of Muslim believers, transcending all national borders, united under Islamic sharia law and the rule of a caliph —a successor to the founder of Islam, Muhammad, who died in A.D. 632.

But the caliphate isn't an end in itself. Islam's holy book, the Koran, tells Muslims that Allah sent Muhammad "with guidance and the True Faith [Islam], so that he may exalt it above all religions" (Surah 61:9, Dawood translation). Thus the purpose of the caliphate is to be a stepping-stone to Islamic world domination.

Will the World See a New Caliphate?

article by Tom Robinson

What can we expect will happen as Islamists take charge in the nations of the Arab uprisings? Turkey and other experiments in Muslim democracy give us some precedent. And on the horizon, the Islamist dream looms—a restored empire of Islam. What does this mean for the future of the Middle East and the world?

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Source: Thinkstock

Instead of a freedom-oriented Arab Spring, as cheery enthusiasts have hailed it in the face of toppled dictators, the Middle East is actually beset by a deepening Islamist winter (see "Winter Advisory: The Arab Spring That Wasn't"— intended as a prelude to this article). Does this relate at all to Bible prophecy, and does Scripture indicate where these trends may be leading?

The Arab Spring That Wasn't

article by Tom Robinson

Despite rosy forecasts of an "Arab Spring," a cold Islamist winter grips the Middle East, as developments in Egypt make clear. What does this mean for the future of this critical region?

Source: Photo illustration by Shaun Venish/iStockphoto

Sweet springtime! The birds are singing, the trees are budding, all is lovely. And so was it imagined to be by many in the West with the uprisings against dictatorial rule in Middle Eastern states that began at the end of 2010. Young visionaries coordinating through Google and Facebook spawned protests calling for reform throughout the region. Soon despotic rulers were ousted. It was hailed as the Arab Spring. No doubt freedom and democracy were on the way.

As the West, including the U.S. government, encouraged the various uprisings and ousters, some concerned voices warned of the revolts empowering Islamist forces. But this was brushed aside as Islamophobic fearmongering. All was sunshine and rainbows.

Escaping Egyptian Tyranny - Again

During the past month, a plague of locusts swept across Egypt and then into neighboring Israel. While not so uncommon, a number of news reports were quick to point out the significant timing of the occurrence—coming as it did just before the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, which will be observed next week. At this time we reflect on God's deliverance of the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt. To free His people, God sent devastating plagues on Egypt, including locusts. In light of other recent events, there is much more to reflect on at this time as well.

It's been more than a month since I wrote the lead articles for the current issue of The Good News concerning the Arab Spring—covering Egypt's slide into Islamist tyranny and the drive toward an Islamic caliphate throughout the region and the wider Muslim world. Yet of course the threat to Israel remains. In fact, it may surprise you to learn that the Bible even foretells that slavery in Egypt and other lands lies ahead for many modern Israelites. I would like to have addressed this issue in the magazine, but length prevented me—and I'll still only be able to touch on it here.