Many students of Bible prophecy are questioning the role of Islam and Judaism in end-time events. SDA's have always claimed that the prophecies pertaining to the return of the Jews to Palestine were conditional to their being God's people on earth. Since the present-day state of Israel is purely secular in nature with only a handful of orthodox believers to carry on the heritage of the past, the role of Judaism in prophecy is unclear. Similarly, there has been no light given as to how Islam and its false prophet Mohammed fits into the final events of earth's history.
The fact that the extreme elements of the Islamic faith seem to be playing an ever increasing part in current events, and that the conflict occurring between Muslim Arabs and Jews in Palestine grows ever more contentious and apparently unsolvable, causes one to speculate as to their role in prophecy. The fact that neither one of these religio-political groups is found in current SDA interpretations of Daniel and the Revelation further stimulates us to speculation.
Some of the leading SDA theologians such as Samuel Bacchiocchi are making a scholarly attempt to answer this riddle, and I applaud their efforts. It is significant that the Papacy has recently made overtures toward a reconciliation with Islam and with the Jews. This seems to point to some kind of coalition forming for last-day events. It is no secret that the Jesuits have used fanatical Muslims in the past to accomplish the overthrow of hostile governments, and, if it fits into the overall picture of world domination by the beast power, I am inclined to think they will use them again. It is possible that the beast power is using Islamic extremists as dupes for its purposes. In fact, it may already have done so.
No one really knows who was intellectually and financially behind the recent events of terrorism. Previous to 9/11/01 the liberties of this democracy were protected by the guarantees of the Constitution. Since that fateful date, the government has been mobilized to fight terrorism, and many of our freedoms are being threatened in the name of security. We are told that every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution will someday be abrogated, and that this will make way for the takeover of the dragon power.
Could it be that the Papacy, Islam, and Judaism are represented by the three-fold union of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet?
