Islam & the Second Coming

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Islam & the Second Coming

Our readers may be surprised to learn that the second coming of Jesus is something Muslims too believe in. Although not explicitly mentioned in the Koran, there is a Hadith which gives a detailed series of events connected with the second coming. (A Hadith is a saying or tradition, not part of the Koran but given importance in Islamic thinking). It speaks of Jesus going to Jerusalem with a lance in his hand with which he will kill the Antichrist. Then he will kill the pigs, break the cross, demolish oratories and churches and kill Christians except those who believe in him (i.e. in the Muslim sense as a prophet not as the Son of God). There will be such security in his time that lions will lie down with camels, leopards with cattle and wolves with sheep. Youths and boys will play with snakes without harming them or being harmed by them. Then he will tarry on the earth for as long as God wills - perhaps for 40 years. Then he will die and the Muslims will pray over him and bury him.
We see here elements of the biblical narrative (the destruction of Antichrist at the second coming of Jesus in Revelation 19 and the millennial rule of Messiah which will follow). The Bible account is changed and given a different meaning to fit in with Islamic thinking. This is consistent with the whole message of the Koran which is largely made up of altered stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other biblical figures. The Muslims claim that the difference between their account and ours is that we have changed the books (i.e. our Bible is not the original message but the Koran is). However in the Koran, which was written about 600 years after the New Testament, Mohammed actually recommends Muslims to observe the Taurat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel) (Sura 5.6-8). He did not say anything about the books being changed, a Muslim doctrine which was introduced much later when contact with Christians showed them that their version of the same stories differed from the original accounts found in the Bible.
It is not only the accounts which have been changed, but the spirit behind them. A proper understanding of the biblical prophecies should inspire us to a concern for unbelievers and a desire to see them saved from the wrath to come by believing the Gospel of peace and reconciliation with God through the Messiah Jesus. Islamic groups looking for the end of days are motivated in the opposite direction. One such group, Hizb ut Tahrir, has been active in British universities calling on British Muslims to fight Jews and kill them in order to hasten the end of days. They also believe that when Jesus comes again, he will kill all the Christians (except those who believe him to be merely Gods servant or messenger rather than the Son of God). There is a Hadith which says that when Jesus returns, even the rocks and trees will say, O Muslim, here is an unbeliever. Kill him! Hence Allah will cause all unbelievers to perish.
Less extreme Muslim groups are seeing the present spiritual crisis in the West as an opportunity for Islam. A Muslim family magazine says, Western society is ripe for receiving Islam, as Islam has the answer for many of societys ills. A BBC Everyman programme featured the way Islam is being promoted, with such activities as open air preaching in Hyde Park, lectures in universities and the use of pop culture to put across the message. It is clear that many of the techniques of evangelical Christians are being used by Muslims to promote their faith.
At the same time there is a growing fear amongst moderate Muslims about the influence of extremist groups. According to an article in The Guardian (7/2/94) Liberal Muslims say a climate of fear is growing in Britains estimated 1000 mosques. Imams and officials say they feel besieged. Young radicals are openly campaigning for a more fundamentalist approach to Islam. Worshippers at Londons Regents Park Mosque have to run the gauntlet of dozens of young men raising money for holy wars against foreign governments (e.g. Israel, Egypt, Algeria). The Young Muslims organisation, based in Nottingham organises charter trips for young people to centres of Islamic Revolution, Sudan and Iran, and holiday camps with lectures from Islamic militants and political leaders. A Huddersfield local paper has an article about a magazine produced by the local Muslim youth organisation which declares a jihad or holy war on the Church of England and Jews as sworn enemies of Islam. It encourages people to kill Salman Rushdie and refers to the Queen as a prostitute.
What is the prophetic significance of the rise of Islam?The rise of Islam clearly has a significance for the end times. The whole religion, coming out of a form of Christianity, but changing the heart of the message, fits in with Johns description of the many antichrists who will arise:
They went out from us but they were not of us; for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us... Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denies the Father and the Son. 1 John 2.19-22
Wherever Islam arises in its militant form, blood flows. Across the Middle East and Africa the Islamic Revolution now being exported to young Muslims in Britain, has brought untold suffering to millions of people. One of the worst examples is Sudan, where the UN has submitted a report on a catalogue of extreme human rights abuses committed by the Islamic government ™ torture, death by crucifixion and stoning, forced conversions to Islam and slavery. The Islamic government was furious at the UNs denunciation of its human rights, claiming that it is running the country according to Islamic law (Shariah) and that criticisms of this are a flagrant blasphemy and a deliberate insult to the Muslim religion. Islamic fundamentalism sweeping across the world is creating the conditions of nation rising against nation, of persecution of Christians and brutal dictatorship described in prophecies of the end times (Matthew 24, Revelation 13).
Many biblical commentators have connected the final antichrist system with a revival of the Roman Empire (see following article). It is interesting that the original Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western sections. Today the western half is dominated by Roman Catholicism and the eastern half by Islam. Both are religions which came out of New Testament Christianity, but actually changed the heart of the Gospel message and became persecutors of those who are true to the Gospel. Both are in conflict, but are in their own way contributing to the final antichrist system, which will ultimately destroy both of them.
So how should we respond to the rise of Islam?
Despite all of this we should respond to Muslims not with fear and hostility, but with love, as the Muslims are also those for whom the Messiah Jesus died and rose again. We should have confidence in the greater power that is available to us in the Lord Jesus, knowing that the reason our society is in such a mess is that we have rejected the Gospel message he came to bring us. Islam with its terrible record of human rights abuses and violent conflicts has nothing to offer us as the solution to our troubles. We have eternal life and forgiveness to offer to the individual Muslims. The Lord assures us that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
With this in mind it is moving to read of an incident in Africa in which some Pentecostal Christians built a church in a predominantly Muslim area. One morning the Christians came along and found that their church had been burnt down by unknown people. They prayed on the spot for those who had committed the act. Two weeks later a Muslim came to the pastor and confessed that he and two others had burnt down the church. One of them had fallen sick and died and the other had disappeared, and he wanted to be prayed for because he feared that something bad was going to happen to him. The man was forgiven. (Information from IISIC).

Blogger Comment:

1- We Muslims have to respect other people beliefs. We demonstrate to them what we think and ultimately faith is man's own choice.

2- The prophecies of the end of time both in Muslim and Christians texts are not clear like spring water. Many had interpretation and even fabrication.

3- Muslims look at what is right and would agree with the justice and equality of God.

4- As Muslims we proposed to have the common ground of the ten commandments and justice between all of us and lift oppression and injustice on all of us.

5- We are waiting eagerly like our Christian brothers for Jesus Second Coming.

6- El Mahdi for the Christians is falsely interpreted as the Antichrist.

7- The problem is not with Islam or Christianity but the people who control the world they want to maintain their status and do not care if other people dying of hunger, disease or living miserable lives. They will use with tenacity of some in the west to vow that any major plan to improve the world is satanic and only Jesus (PBUH) will save the world. Trust me these are the same forces that would conspire and persecute Jesus if to come again. However God will have him descend with Angels between Muslims and Christians who love him and are ready for his kingdom.

8-Some Christians no doubt have strong faith that Jesus is a true Son of God. They have the right to their faith as Muslims we ask them to read the Quran and give it even a little thought it could be from God.

9- Regarding change of the Bible. Muslims believe in large part it is from God and we have to respect it. There is some alteration. Muslims at time of Muhammad (PBUH) are discouraged from reading the Bible since the Quran is a pure book with no alteration and direct word of God. However given the high possibility of us being in the end of time. I encourage Muslims to read the Bible and Christians and Jews to read the Quran.

10- The first to be blamed for radicalization of the Muslim world is the west with its support to the oppressive regimes in the Arab and Muslim world. I warned America about them before 9/11 and I had it with them in Egypt for their closed mindedness and seeing only white and black. 9/11 is beleived by many now to be an internal job.

11- No doubt the violent approach is against Islamic revival and similarly passive approach and submission to the west is just more humiliation. If we stand as strong masses as Muslims and uniting our power we will get our voices hared and our rights returned.

12- Love from Christians comes from many of their Pastors and Nuns and ordinary Westerns, we need love and justice come from policies that can positively affect our daily lives.

13- This was my Taman Health Plan a love and justice to the American people who are deprived of justice to their health care and long term care security.

14- The wrong thinking that the Muslims are coming to persecute Christians and Jews is non-sense. The Just God of Quran is the same as the Bible. The Antichrist is not the Mahdi the corrupt system of the world now is the real Antichrist. A lot of good people in the west and Muslim world will actually stand with the Mahdi. The west if not even believe he is sent from God (though many in their hearts will believe and will fear the punishment of God) they will love his message which is close to Christ and the long awaited messiah for the Jews. Muslims will believe from all their hearts he is sent from God. The tyrants have the time to repent and find what they can do to please the Mahdi. God said in the Quran " I and my prophets are victorious".