By Theodore Shoebat
ISIS has now declared war on the Vatican in their manifesto, which contains numerous details on their plans to invade Rome. In their manifesto they quote one of ISIS’ spokesman Shaykh Abū Muhammad al-’Adnānī ash-Shāmī as saying:
O soldiers of the Islam- ic State, be ready for the final campaign of the crusaders. Yes, by Allah’s will, it will be the final one. Thereafter, we will raid them by Allah’s per- mission and they will not raid us… And so we promise you (crusaders) by Allah’s permission that this campaign will be your final campaign. It will be broken and defeated, just as all your previous campaigns were broken and defeated, except that this time we will raid you thereafter, and you will never raid us. We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted. This is His prom- ise to us; He is glorified and He does not fail in His promise. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market
Moreover, ISIS makes it clear that Rome is their main target, stating that their jihad will not end until Rome is fully taken, and thus making Rome their top priority:
Finally, do not forget that Allah is with the Mus- lims and will never abandon them to His ene- mies. And the Islamic State will remain until its banner flies over Rome.
They go on to quote al-Qaeda agent Abū Hamzah al-Muhājir, when he spoke of a future Islamic conquest of Rome:
…by Allah, we will not rest from our jihād until we are under the olive trees of Rome, after we destroy the filthy house called the White House
Notice how he says the conquest of Rome will happen after they conquer the White House, and notice how he says that they will not rest until they conquer Rome. Again, this places Rome as the major priority of the Muslim expansion. They continue on to say that Rome does not just signify the Vatican or the Italian city, but the Christians of Europe in general, and that after the Muslims defeat them, then they will take the city of Rome:
the Muslims will be at war with the Roman Christians. Rome in the Arabic tongue of the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) refers to the Christians of Europe and their colonies in Shām prior to the conquering of Shām at the hands of the Sahābah. There will be a pause in this war due to a truce or treaty. … Then the Romans will commit treachery by raising the cross and killing a Muslim. This will lead to the continuation of the war between the Muslims and the Romans. They will demand access to those who enslaved some of them or the former captives themselves who accept- ed Islam so as to fight them. This enslavement will have taken place either before the signing of the truce or after the treachery, and Allah knows best. These events all lead up to the final, greatest, and bloodiest battle – al-Malhamah al- Kubrā – between the Muslims and the Romans prior to the appearance of the Dajjāl and the descent of al-Masīh. This battle ends the era of the Roman Christians, as the Muslims will then advance upon Constantinople and thereafter Rome, to conquer the two cities and raise the flag of the Khilāfah over them.
The Holy League, a confederacy of Catholic nations (that consisted mainly of Spain and Italy) that formed in the late 16th century to fight the Ottoman Turks, will rise again. This is not just some utopian dream, but an event foretold by God; for in the Book of Daniel it says,
For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. (Daniel 11:30)
Chittim consists of Cyprus, Greece, and Italy. The New King James renders it as “ships from Cyprus”, while the Douay-Rheims presents the passage as, “And the galleys and the Romans shall come upon him”. The Greeks, Cypriots, and Italians will be appointed by God to fight the Muslim armies of the Antichrist. The Greeks and the Cypriots are Eastern Orthodox, while the Italians are Roman Catholics.
The holy centurion, Cornelius, was amongst the first warriors to join the fold of Christianity, and he was “of that which is called the Italian band” (Acts 10:1). And the Italians of today, the inheritors of that mighty Cornelius, will be amongst the forces who will fight the Antichrist.
The Catholic world will therefore join forces with the Eastern Orthodox world, and together they will combat and crush the empire of the revived Ottomans and their Islamic confederacy. It will be a holy war; the Cross will be our banner; our souls will be armed with the Sword of the Spirit, and the hilt of the sword will be gripped in the thrall of mighty Christendom! The Holy League will rise again, and the New Crusade will end with the sword stained by pagan blood!
The New Crusade will be one based on Christianity, its foundation will be Orthodox theology; it will unsheathe the sword of truth and the eternal blade of the Spirit, and through Christ the warriors will sternly charge and conquer their enemies.