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Debate & Prophecy

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

How Jews, Christians and Moslems see the Last Days
Here we bring a summary, what the three big religions have in their writings about the Last Days

Jews
According to the Tenach (Old Testament) and the Talmud (Sanhedrin 97b), there will be 10 signs heralding the coming of the Redemption. They are known as the birth pangs of the Messiah.
The world will either be in a state of complete righteousness or comlete degradation.
Truth will decrease and lies prevail.
Inflation will be out of control.
The Jews will return to their Biblical homeland and the desert will bloom.
There will be fewer and fewer wise and righteous people.
Many Jews will give up the hope for redemption.
The young will treat the old with disrespect.
Learning will be rejected because people will desire a life of ease.
The whole world will turn against Israel.
The Jews will fight each other (secular against religious).

In the war of Gog and Magog, God will defeat Israel’s enemies and confirm that the nation of Israel is His chosen people. Earthly redemption will last 6,000 years. Afterwards, eternity will come.

Christians
In Jesus’ end-time teachings (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; Revelation), He speaks of the following signs:

The Beginning of Birth Pangs
Wars and rumors of wars among the nations
Famine and plagues (epidemics)
False messiahs
The return of the Jews to the Land of Israel
The restoration of Israel

The Birth Pangs
The Gospel spreads to all the nations of the earth
Many false prophets arise
The Jerusalem Temple will be reestablished
The abomination of desolation
Hatred of the nations toward Israel
Uncontrollable anarchy
Signs in the heavens and natural disasters
Tribulation
People’s indifference to the signs of the times

After the battle of Armageddon, the Messiah will appear in the clouds and the thousand-year reign will begin. Satan will be bound in chains. When the millennium ends, God creates a new heaven and earth and the New Jerusalem descends from heaven “made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). “The tabernacle of God is among men…and God Himself shall be among them” (Rev. 21:3).

Moslems
Major and minor signs will precede the arrival of the Last Days. (Koran Sura 21:96, 27:82, 43:61).

Minor Signs
Bloodshed among Moslem groups
Increasing war in the world
Time contracts, with days becoming shorter
Religious awareness decreases
Atheists become very common
Moslems infiltrate all nations on earth

Major Signs
Gross materialism
Women outnumber men
The Moslems defeat the Jews in a holy war
Initially, Moslems and Christians fight together against the unbelievers

Afterwards, the Moslems defeat the Christians in another holy war: “On Saturday we kill the Jews and on Sunday the Christians!” Gog and Magog triumph. At the end of time, the world is destroyed, and only true Moslems are saved, with the most honorable places of heaven filled by martyrs who gave their lives for Allah in holy war. After the earth is destroyed, it is recreated and prevails 50,000 years.

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