Turkey's Erdogan - the Antichrist, some suggest
Some writers who believe the Antichrist will come from Turkey are worried that Turkey's current president is being viewed as God on Earth. I think this is complete fabrication and exaggeration, but in an effort to research the facts, I do find this much:
From Mustafa Akyol through USNEWS:
"A recent book, “Recep Tayyip Erdogan: The Sun of the Age,” proudly refers to him as “an idol for our youth,” which would sound bizarre, if not heretical, to the average Islamist. In 2011, an AKP deputy declared, “Even touching Erdogan is a form of worship,” and in 2014 another AKP deputy proclaimed that Erdogan “carries all the attributes of Allah in himself.” Such views, heretical from a traditional Islamic perspective, were criticized and ridiculed by Erdogan’s opponents, but he conspicuously said nothing."
Leo Hohmann has an article at WND which says:
A billboard has appeared in the Gölbaşı district of Adıyaman province inviting people to attend a “holy birthday” event to celebrate Erdoğan’s birthday. The negative reaction this billboard received on social media stems from the fact that such an event is usually held to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. The billboard was an invitation to “a program of unity and togetherness organized on the occasion of the birthday of our president.” The event was organized by the Gölbaşı Municipality, a secular Turkish newspaper. No government officials or supporters have objected to the billboard or the statements.
AK Party Bursa deputy Hüseyin Şahin said touching Erdoğan is a form of prayer, while AK Party Düzce deputy Fevai Arslan said Erdoğan has “all the attributes” of God.
Last year during a political rally, as a woman fainted, Erdogan gestured to the crowd to carry the woman up to the platform, where he touched her, causing her to shake out of her spell, shouting, “Allah Akbar!” The headline at Vocativ.com read: "Prime Minister 'heals' sick woman."
Despite a political propaganda machine and supporters exaggerating his awesomeness and catering to his "cult of personality," Erdogan has not claimed to be God. But in case he does someday, Walid Shoebat explains that for a Muslim follower of Sufi mysticism (perhaps the Islamic equivalent of the Jewish Kaballah) claiming to be God is not a boastful claim. He quotes a famous Sufi mystic (Rumi):
"Remember the famous utterance of al-Hallaj, “I am God.” People think that to say “I am God” is a claim of great pretense and spiritual arrogance. It is actually a claim of extreme humility. “I am God” means “I do not exist.” He is all, everything is He, existence is God’s alone. I am without existence, pure non-existence. I am nothing.” “I am God” is not a claim of great pretension, it is a claim of extreme humility. There is more humility in this than any supposed claim to greatness, but people do not understand the inner meaning. When a man acknowledges his servitude to God, he is aware of his being a servant. He may see himself as a devoted servant of God, but he still sees himself and his own actions as apart from the one reality of God. He is not drowned in the Ocean of Divine Unity. Drowned is he in whom there is not separate motion or mobility. Drowned is he whose movement is the movement of the water. And so it is with the enlightenment ones, those who declares, “I am God.” Anyone who says “I am the servant of God” asserts the reality of two existences, one for himself and the other for God. But he who says “I am God” — and has realized the deepest levels of unity within his being — has seen through the illusion of his existence. He knows from the experience of unity that his own separate existence is nothing but an illusion."
First off, I do not believe that the Turkish people, who are quite well-educated, view Erdogan as a god - I think there are some tasteless statements being made in his grasp for greater power - much like state-run papers have done for Hitler, Stalin, and other dictators from Korea to France. Second, I do not think Erdogan takes Sufism seriously. Third, he has not claimed to be God.
But the idea bears mentioning, if only because Shoebat and WND and others are batting the idea around. Turkey did lead the last Islamic Caliphate. Islam will play a huge role in the end times. We can keep an eye on Erdogan and Turkey, even if we assume a different and more powerful president is a more likely candidate.
Read - Antichrist 2016-2019: Mystery Babylon, Barack Obama & the Islamic Caliphate
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