The Mahdi, The Islamic Antichrist theory

Is becoming increasingly popular in The Church.  Basically with most Christians, if they don't think he'll be the ultimate Western Liberal, they think he'll be an Islamic radical.  ISIS paranoia in the news lately is only propping that up.

I leaned towards it for awhile, but a different way of looking at.  For one I didn't go along with the usual Shiite Twelfth Imam fixation.  I figured he'd mainly claim to be the Sunni Mahdi, and that his war in Daniel 11:44 would be him waging war against the Shiites in Iran.  I also never agreed with many of the popular augments for the Islamic Antichrist view, including as I already discussed The Desire of Women reference.

The first draft of this older post of mine was made back when I still leaned that way, but it's been updated since then.

The main reason I've abandoned the theory isn't any insurmountable technical objections to the arguments for it.  But because of the Logic Chris White explains that it'll be conservative Judeo-Christians the Antichrist mainly seeks to seduce.

Some of the arguments against the view I still consider annoying.  Chris White says, referring to the Wars he fights in Daniel 11:40 "Why does he conquer these Muslim nations if he's a Muslim?".   White's normally pretty smart but that really makes him look stupid.  The Muslims are constantly at war with each other.

One Specific Mahdi prophecy says "The vast majority of people who profess to be Muslim will be so only in name despite their practice of Islamic rites and it will be they who make war with the Mahdi."  The specific figure of Sufyani has been suggested as correlating to the King of The North, ruling parts of both Syria and Iraq.

Also some critics of the theory will insist that either the Gog and Magog war and/or the Psalm 83 War will result in the Islamic world being destroyed and rendered politically insignificant.   First of all, as explained in those earlier posts I linked to, the trendy views of those Prophecies are wrong.    But also some views of Islamic eschatology do say a major catastrophe happens to the Muslim World before the Mahdi arises.

As I explained elsewhere, I do think the emphasis on beheading for those Martyred by The beast is the best argument for an Islamic Antichrist.  As well as against White's view of him posing as a Jewish Messiah.

Thing is I do, still think the Mahdi could be relevant to Prophecy, that a Mahdi claimant will be the Boogeyman the Antichrist presents himself as saving the world from.  And/or the person who gives him his mortal wound.