Something else of importance that needs to be mentioned here, is that because the fourth kingdom has been identified as the religion of Islam, it is more than likely that the ten leaders will be religious leaders of Islam, i.e. Grand Muftis and Grand Ayatollahs, rather than secular leaders of nations states. The little horn referred to in Daniel’s dream, before which three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots, refers to the Anti-Christ himself. And so we see that ultimately, the Anti-Christ will also arise from within the religion of Islam. But we will not look at the Anti-Christ in any detail in this section however, as we want to concentrate on what scripture reveals to us about these ten leaders. From this passage of scripture we see that not long after these ten leaders arise, that three of them will in fact be subdued by the Anti-Christ himself. In connection with the three being subdued by the Anti-Christ, it is interesting to note that the religion of Islam has two main streams, i.e. Sunni and Shi’a. The majority of Islamic states are mainly Sunni, but there are three Islamic states today that are mainly Shi’a. Those states are Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. It is well known that the followers of the two streams of Islam have clashed violently in the past, and continue to do so even today. And so it is very possible that when the Anti-Christ is revealed in the earth, that these three mainly Shi’a Islamic states will be brought into the Sunni fold.
Michael E.B. Maher
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