Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all feature parallel accounts of the "end times," and all three accounts feature a messianic Savior, an apocalyptic final war between good and evil, and a central role for the city of Jerusalem. Do these three "end times" scenarios intersect in some way? In a world that cries out for peace, which will prevail -- Jesus or jihad?
Jesus, Jihad and Peace by Dr. Michael Youssef - An excellent book for our times! Dr. Yousseff’s Egyptian background informs his view point and gives us an in-depth understanding of the history of the Islamic Jihad movement sweeping the Middle East and Europe, its roots, religious foundation, goals and divisions. Dr. Youssef shows us how the worldwide alliances of the Jihad movement threaten the equilibrium of peace and hope for the future that civilization enjoys. He explains how the unrest we see in the streets of our towns and cities is tied to the agendas of these warring factions and the alliances they are forming internationally. In “Jesus, Jihad and Peace” Dr. Youssef demonstrates unequivocally the differences in the history and character of the Jihadist worship of Allah, writings of Mohammad and the God of Abraham. How Jihad is a worship of a warring god, as opposed to worship of the Prince of Peace. Dr. Youssef gives us an integral understanding of the goals of the Jihad movement and how to face these issues in our own communities and with our neighbors. It is well written, concise and well documented. I strongly recommend this book to everyone wishing to understand the groundswell of change in our global community.
I have to give this book 5 stars, which is something I rarely do. This book lays out Islam and how it can affect Christians in the future. Michael Youssef is very knowledgeable and understands how to bring things down to a simple, understandable level that everyone can understand. Excellent reference and spiritual material.
This is an exce,,net book for Christians who are looking to understand the truth about Islam today. Covers its history, methodology, and theology. A definite must read!
I won this book through GoodReads First Read program.
What a great book to learn about Islam and how it compares to Christianity. With what is going on in the Middle East today and in the world it is good to know what the thought process is of the radical leaders of the Islamic nations. I also learned how countries that overthrew despotic leaders and wanted democracy later became Islamic nations ruled with an iron fist.
What was the most scary for Americans was what I learned about the Muslim Brotherhood and how they have been accepted more and more each year by our society and even have influence in the White House.
Well written through discussion of Islam and the goals of the Islamic people. Hard to see how any other religion can exist peacefully with them in this world. What I fear most is a charismatic Islamic leader who puts out the vibes of wanting to bring peace to the world. The Anti-Christ will be just such a person.
In Jesus, Jihad, and Peace by Michael Youssef , he explains the difference in beliefs of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Dr. Michael Youssef uses Biblical scripture to show how things that are happening in the world today, line up with the prophecies in the Bible. I personally gleaned a lot from this book.
I received an ARC (advanced readers copy) from NetGallery in exchange for my honest review rather it be good or bad. Thank you.
Michael Youssef is an excellent pastor, and after reading this book I see that he is also a talented writer. This book explains what is happening in the world today. With all the wars and Islamic extremists battling it out for world domination, Dr. Yourself tells his audience why these things are happening, and what the truth is behind Islam, and see that the Christian faith is essential for the world to see and understand.
I found this book to be both enlightening and frightening. I feel like this book should be read but everyone considering the actions on Islam has an affect on just about everyone at this point. this book is a great look behind the curtain at what is really going on and what could happen if good people allow themselves to be kept in line by political correctness instead of standing up for freedom and truth
As a self-proclaimed ostrich (stick my head in the sand about current events I don't want to think about), a Christian, and a Westerner, I'm really glad I read this book!! It provided great historical background on Islam and how it manifests itself in current events. It relates what both the Bible and Koran say about end times (which they agree, scarily enough), and brings it back into focus for how Christians should deal with this spiritual force on a day-to-day basis. Highly recommend!
Dr. Michael Youssef has done an outstanding job with this book. It is well researched, and easy to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in gaining a better understanding of the times we are living in, and the unrecognized spiritual battles we face.
I would rate this more like 3.5 stars as it was an interesting and eye-opening read. I hesitate to give it a higher rating as my knowledge of the history and theology of Islam is limited. I'm also not convinced of his eschatological views - though again, not an area where I have much expertise. If Youssef's assertions in this book are generally true, then it paints a frightening picture.
Jesus, Jihad, and Peace is a very eye opening book. It is well written, contains pertinent information about both Islamic and Judeo Christian beliefs. The book is a must read for anyone concerned about the current world situation.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
Prooftexting the Bible to find an Islamic presence in the “end times” is not new, but I did find an interesting twist in Jesus, Jihad and Peace: What Bible Prophecy Says About World Events Today (Worthy Publishing, 2015) by Michael Youssef, head of the Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef ministry and pastor for The Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia. In this book, the author connects the premillennialist expectation of a coming “Antichrist,” a tyrannical political and religious leader who subjugates the whole world, with the Muslim expectation of a coming Twelfth Imam (or Mahdi, according to some Shia Muslims), who will save mankind. Youssef sees the development of Islam as having been purposely guided by Satan so that Muslims are preconditioned to accept the Antichrist as someone sent from God and on the same side as Jesus, so to speak. Instead, however, he’s predestined to be everything Christ isn’t: the ultimate enemy who is defeated only after persecuting Jews and Christians worldwide.
Although in summary the argument might look plausible, Jesus, Jihad and Peace fails to convince, resorting to sloppy exegesis to make the associations between the Bible and the present work. I got the impression that promoting a particular anti-Muslim agenda was more important to the author than presenting a biblical eschatology. As a Christian, I can only say that the end result was really embarrassing. Youssef carefully selects passages from the Bible and the Koran, picks and chooses what he likes from history and current events, and judges the two religions by different standards. He does this so that he can present the least offensive view of Christianity and the most offensive view of Islam and call them both “genuine.” I suspect that he does this out of personal motivation, as a native Egyptian raised Coptic Orthodox, who has likely witnessed if not actually experienced oppressive elements of Muslim rule. Whatever he reasons, they unfortunately led him away from his main responsibility as a pastor: setting aside his own biases and engaging in sound hermeneutics so that he can present what the Bible actually teaches rather than what he wishes it taught.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as a First Reads giveaway winner on GoodReads.com. There was no obligation to write a review.
I will tell you right now. Yes, I do believe I shall. This book opened my eyes and helped me to see. We sit here in America wondering "what in the world would possess these people to be so brutal, to be so intense, to be so focused, so hateful, so....fill in the blanks"??
Michael Youssef manages to get the balance right. He explains in great detail the workings of Islam and how it relates to Judaism and Christianity. He shows you how there is no hope of salvation, only hope that they did enough to please Allah. There were so many things that I didn't understand that make perfect sense now. For instance, they cannot fathom how we could allow people to say His name in vain. They are floored that we would allow that kind of disrespect to the God of the universe. The God we say we love. They see how flippant we are in our belief and it disgusts them. I get that. It disgusts me too.
I also found it interesting that they can't stand Christians because they believe we are polytheist. The trinity of God looks like we worship three Gods and they know that is wrong to worship more than one. It's very interesting to see how many little things upset them and how some of it is true (we don't stand up for God when people use His name in vain! That is wrong. I am guilty of standing by silently. Shame on me!!). Other parts are not true, just not translated correctly. They don't understand that we see Him as One. That, coupled with their fear of doing enough to please an almost impossible "god" to please, lead them to become more and more frantic and dangerous.
There are so many things that you will find in this book. It truly helped me to understand and have more compassion for the people that hate us so much. Some of the book is pointing to the end times and what the world looks like now. I was more interested in learning the culture of Islam and understanding the hearts of the people.
So, pick up a copy of Jesus, Jihad and Peace: What Bible Prophecy Says About World Events Today and take a look for yourself. This is the best book at breaking down their religion, thoughts, fears and goals that I have ever read.
Thanks, so much, Worthy Publishing (First Look), for giving me a copy of this book. As always, this is my honest review. Here's to many more!
May I commend to you, "Jesus, Jihad, and Peace" by Michael Youssef.
I am a big fan of books regarding Biblical Prophecy. It seems I learn something new with each reading. This book, however, ranks as one of the best ever, at least in my opinion.
Every book on prophecy will discuss the current Middle East Theatre, as does Dr. Youssef. What sets this is apart from others is the fact that the author grew up in the the Middle Eastern powder keg. With amazing clarity, Dr. Youssef not only discusses Iran, Iraq, Israel, ISIS, and radical Islam. But, with his unique understanding, having grown up in The Epicenter (a term first used by writer Joel C. Rosenburg), Michael Youssef shows a peek of "why" all this stuff is going on.
He gets us into the minds of radical Jihadists. As we understand their culture of violence and Jihad, beginning centuries ago, we begin to understand their mindsets and motivations for their actions. Don't get me wrong. Just because I better understand it does not mean that I condone nor agree with their practices. Islam is NOT a religion of peace. It has been hijacked by evil, barbaric leaders who even kill their own.
There are few books that I just can't put down. However, this is one of the few. An enjoyable, yet frightening, read. A 5 star piece of work.
I received a copy of this book as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and timely review. I have no other associations with the author or the publisher. This review may also be found on Amazon.com and my blog: jonreviewsbooks1@Wordpress.com
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Worthy Publishing in exchange for honest review.
Having watched Dr. Youssef before, I was very curious to read his book on Islam, the Middle East, and Bible prophecy.
First, Dr. Youssef goes into the history of terrorists groups, their beliefs, and then how these group plan on carrying out their plans. This brought a lot of light to present-day issues when you read the reasons behind attacks and killings.
From there, Dr. Youssef, goes into the history of Islam, staring with Mohammed, and working his way into the various sects, and sub-sects of Islam. I really enjoyed this section as it shows that not all Muslims believe the same; similar to denominations in Christianity.
Finally, Dr. Youssef ties this altogether with the possibility of Islam playing a role in Biblical prophecy. For some time now I have thought that Islam would play a role and it is interesting to get Dr. Youssef's take on the matter.
This is a great starter for those unlearned in Islam and its history who want a firsthand account of living with Muslims but from someone who eventually came to Christ.
The idea of forced conversion is hard for Christians to grasp. After all, Jesus told us His kingdom was not of this world. Jesus also asked people to follow Him, but compelled no one. Therefore, Christians need Michael Youssef to explain to us that Islam is not only a religion--it is a complete political and economic system hell-bent on global conquest.
As much as Americans especially would love to deny the truth and embrace peace, they must know who is coming after them. This book is especially important in light of escalating attacks on Christian minorities by ISIS. The author covers theology (Allah vs. Jehovah) and eschatology (who is the Mahdi?) as well as political divisions withing Islam, e.g. Sunni and Shiite. The global caliphate is explained along with many passages of the Koran.
Youssef does not leave us in despair, however. The last chapter offers "God's Peace Plan" which is available to all who will accept it.
I received a free review copy of this book from Worthy Publishing.
What Does Bible Prophecy Say About World Events Today? Michael Youssef Worthy Publishing
Michael Youssef speaks openly of his experience in the Islam Culture a born again Christian.
Michael Youssef speaks a little bit of his life in Egypt and he reminds us that we as Americans should care about what is happening in the Middle East because what is happening there now does effect us.
The differences in the beliefs of Christians and Muslims are pointed out by comparing and contrasting verses from the Bible as well as passages from the Koran. And he points out how one study shows that how Christianity is perhaps the most persecuted religion in the world and certainly in the Middle East especially in Islamic nations where Christian Missionaries are risking their lives.
I give this powerful and informative book Five out of Five Stars...
I just finished reading "Jesus, Jihad and Peace" by Michael Youssef. The author is a native born Egyptian who is the pastor of The Church of the Apostles in Atlanta. This is quite simply the best book on the subject of Islam I have read thus far. He gives a history of Islam and how it came to be. The beliefs of Islam are laid out and compared to Christianity. The book also ties it all in to end times Bible prophecy. Islam is not a religion of peace as all who follow the news know. The very word "Islam" means surrender or submission. This is a very dangerous movement in these very troubling times. It is time to look up for our redemption draweth nigh. A fascinating read.
This is such a well-written and informative book on the relationship to and comparison among Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The title is a little deceptive in that the information contained within the book is so much more comprehensive than the title would suggest. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a better understanding of Islam: its origin, its founders, and its beliefs. We hear a lot today about the 12th Imam and the Caliphate, and Mr. Youssef provides a clear treatise on this subject.
As a Christian who was raised in the Middle East and returns there often, Michael Youssef has a deep understanding of the Islamic faith and its world view.
I received a free copy of this book from Worthy Publishing through Goodreads First reads. This book was a real eye opener for me. It's a book that once you begin reading, you don't want to put it down until you are finished with it. The author, Michael Youssef, covers the belief systems very well. This book was a real eye-opener for me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for answers to better understand what is going on in the middle east and how it effects not only the middle east - but the world.
(I received a copy of this book from Worthy Publishing.) This was a thorough and enlightening discussuon of the history & theology of Islam and its contrast to Christianity. It should be recommended reading for our political leaders to gain an understanding of the difficulties we are facing in the Middle East and around the world.
A great discussion about differences of Islamic and Christian eschatology
It's an easy read and includes good stories and information that very simply compares theologies of the end times belief (eschatology) of the 3 monotheistic religions. He mainly focuses on Christianity and Islam though.
I read if for a chapter on my forthcoming book Lovescape. It was really useful for working on my chapter on Love Jihad in India. I have gone through the the theory and literature author cited. Good work.
I am always interested in the similarities and differences in different religions. I believe that all religions have grains and seeds of the One Truth. So, when I saw this book on one of the display shelves in the library, I was very interested in what this book had to say about the ending days and Islamic jihad and how it’s related to Christianity.
The author, interestingly enough, is of Egyptian and Middle Eastern descent, even though he is a Christian and was one of the founding pastors of The Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael Youssef explains on the back cover that he would “provide answers that are concise and biblically accurate.” As a historian, this really intrigued me because it seemed like it would be a pretty unbiased book, though with a hint of Christian perspective.
But, I was wrong.
The first few chapters were interesting. It talked about some of the basic of Islam, as well as the historic culture of the Arabs and how that influenced the culture of Islam. Just like Mormonism, sometimes it’s hard to tell between the culture and the actual religion. However, I already knew that information from high school and college history classes. But, I don’t really keep up with the news well, so the next part was interesting to me: he explained the difference between “moderate” Muslims (the ones that believe their religion is one of peace), ISIS, The Islamic State, The Muslim Brotherhood, Al’Qaeda, and other fractions and fanatic/terrorist groups.
Once Youssef set that up, he started to sound very anti-Islam on a whole. He said that those fanatic groups, although evil, had more of a truth on what the Koran says than the “moderate” Muslims. He would like to believe the “moderate” Muslims were the true Muslims, but they didn’t really understand their Allah’s commands of subjugation and creating a world caliphate according to the Koran. He used passages from the Koran to show that the goal of Muslim religion is to dominate the world into a theological dictatorship known as the World Caliphate. He claims that the word Islam doesn’t come from the Arab word for peace, but subjugation. He says that the violent actions against infidels, unbelievers, and hypocrites, is the true jihad, and jihad of inner struggles and against Satan are secondary. He says that most governments, including the US’s has been compromised by Islamists connected to the Brotherhood and they are taking down our government and subjecting us very subtly from the inside out.
I hated the way Youssef started to sound! He also used Bible quotes to prove that the AntiChrist will be the Islamic prophesied savior, their version of a Messiah. He uses Bible prophecies to connect them to Muslims, as if Islam is the Devil’s tool. It made me sick. Half the book just sounded like he was better because he was Christian and automatically saved. It read very conspiracy theory. I mean, he says he has studied this and researched it and read sources of all sides. Well, I have read the Koran as well, and have had numerous Muslim friends. The Koran was peaceful and respected the Christians and Jews (although almost in a patronizing way) and a lot of the teachings of the Koran is parallel to the teachings of the Bible! Also, for crying out loud! Using the Koranic passages that talk of war against non-Muslims during the time of Muhammad to show how “evil” Islam is…does he not realize that God of the Jews commanded them to do the same to non-Jews in the Old Testament, even to kill all the herds and animals of the tribes they were to decimate?!?!
Overall, this was a really disappointing book. Although, it did teach me a little bit more about the fanatic Islamist groups. It was also a little ironic because I had finished it a few days before the Paris attacks, and I had started to write this post during the weekend. We now know that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, as well as a few other suicide bombings (and then, coincidentally, a few natural disasters) in other countries on the same day. So, there was a little apoplectic/conspiratorial part of me that thought, “he was right!!” But, that only lasted for 5 minutes.
I have already read several books by this author and was impressed with his knowledge and writing skills on the history of Islam. He was born in Egypt and grew up there as a Coptic Christian; today Dr. Youssef leads a megachurch in America. As such he has a native's understanding of the workings of the Middle East, Islam and especially radical Islam, and the dwindling Christian population in the region. In this book, Jesus, Jihad, and Peace: A Prophetic Vision for the Middle East by Michael Youssef, he explains what is behind many of today's terrorist organizations and how they have become serious threats to the nations of the Middle East as well as to countries of the free world. The author explains the types of alliances at work among these organizations as they cause unrest in western societies to destabilize them to facilitate their jihad. In Jesus, Jihad, and Peace: A Prophetic Vision for the Middle East Dr. Youssef calls on Christians to defend their families and their freedoms as he shares historical insights and strategies that can be used to counteract the insidious nature of radical Islam. As with all of his books that I have read, this one is well researched and written to hold your interest as he logically presents facts and his analysis.
Awesome work. These thoughts are about deception that will lead many one world government, one world religion, one world economy. The author wrapped up his discourse by drawing me to the peace that surpasses all we can imagine. It's a peace that is deposited in a human spirit when he/she receives the lordship of Jesus Christ. I needed these thoughts to reignite this peace in the middle of rough oceans.