Christian vs. Islamic Eschatology

By Greg May

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On March 2,  2015, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and President of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, honored Central Floridians for their support of the Jews returning to Israel with a reception at the Orlando Renaissance Hotel.

It was a wonderful evening of kosher food, music and fellowship as the rabbi expressed his heartfelt thanks to the audience for their support of the various programs including “Wings of Eagles” which he helped create to re-establish the Jews back into their homeland.

During the evening Rabbi Eckstein reminded us that “Israel will never allow Iran to become a nuclear power; it’s not just a Jewish issue, not just a Christian issue – it’s an issue of freedom!” He also reminded us that there were already 600,000 Jews in Israel in 1948 – the same number that was liberated from Egypt in Moses’ time.

During the Rabbi’s address to the audience I remembered Queen Esther as the rabbi reminded us how the biblical heroine hid her Jewish identity and God used her in a series of events to warn the king of the plot against him.

In the February edition of the London-based magazine Fortean Times,writer Ted Harrison compares Christian and Islamic eschatology in an article that focuses on a small Syrian town called Dabiq. This was the location of at least one of the vicious beheadings of Western hostages by ISIS. “Dabiq” is also the name chosen by ISIS for their propaganda magazine which is aimed at recruiting jihadists from the West.

In the video of one of the beheadings, we hear the words of an ISIS executioner: “Here we are, burying the first American crusader in Dabiq, eagerly waiting for the remainder of your armies to arrive.”

According to the Islamic version of the Apocalypse, Dabiq is the place where the battle of Amageddon will be fought, and – according to sayings of the prophet Mohammed – there will be a time of warning when world events will point to the Day of Judgement called Qiyamah.

In his article Harrison explains how Christians expect the Antichrist to precede the return of Jesus; in Islam there will be the Dajjal – a false messiah and “embodiment of evil” and the Suffyani – a tyrant who will “kill children and rip open the bellies of women.” This tyrant is prophesied to come from Damascus.

Do you remember the prophet Elisha’s prophecy to Hazael?

“Because I know the evil that you will do to the Children of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child” (2 Kings 7:12).

Islamic eschatology talks of great wars and conflicts. In his article Harrison writes, “There will, of course, be some American Christians who will regard military engagement as consistent with their own end-time beliefs”.

This American Christian points to the biblical prophecy of the destruction of Damascus, the capital of Syria: “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap.” (Isaiah 17:1)

Harrison also states that “some Christian fundamentalists go as far as claiming that by providing conflict in the Middle East the end is hastened, and with it the judgment of the world and the eternal reward of the righteous – themselves.” 

Earlier in his article he says, “Allah has not given a date for Quiyamah (Day of Judgment) but, as in the Christian tradition, there are many believers who have attempted to calculate the day, month and year. In both fundamentalist Christianity and Islam there is currently a sense of urgency; in particular, the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 is viewed as a crucial pointer to the final events in human history on earth.”

Harrison closes his article by stating how “all religions are a dangerous influence and how religious people with a strong belief in the imminent end times can be especially alarming.”

Mr. Harrison, religion has nothing to do with it.

Followers of the New Age Movement look to extraterrestrials to save them from the Apocalypse and Roman Catholics pray to the Virgin Mary and Michael the Archangel for protection, but the ONLY salvation comes from Jesus Christ—the Son of God—who first appeared on earth as the Lamb of God who allowed Himself to be slain for our transgressions.

When Jesus Christ returns at the Second Coming He will be the Lion of Judah avenging the enemies of Israel.

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