Unleashing the Beast

116 / U NLEASHING THE B EAST

him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:2). Because of the tradition of the Mahdi and the white horse, some Islamic leaders own a special white stallion, in case Allah should raise them up as the Mahdi. Two of these leaders include Colonel Moamar Qaddafi of Libya, and Saddam Hussein of Iraq. T HE A NTICHRIST R ULES WITH A G REAT S WORD . The prophetic Scriptures indicate that the coming world dictator will be a violently aggressive military leader. His war-like character is alluded to in another passage penned in John's end-time vision in the Book of Revelation: And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword (Revelation 6:4). This passage speaks of events at the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation. Scholars note that the color red is a symbol of war. In the original Greek, the phrase "great sword" is megalee machara . The root word for megalee is megas , meaning "exceedingly large or great." "Sword" comes from the root word mache , a word alluding to fighting, striving or battling. According to Islamic tradition, one of the three items the Mahdi will restore will be the sword of the prophet Mohammed. This sword will enable the Mahdi to exact