Both Islam and Christianity expect the return of Jesus at the end of times, and both expect trials and tribulations to occur at the time.  Many of the themes of these trials are similar, but they are also very different in detail and definition.  Both religions expect the nation of believers to be the final victors, but the Christian believes that these are defined as the believers in the Gospel of the New Testament and in Christ as ‘the Savior’ and ‘the Incarnation’ of God, whilst the Muslim knows that it refers to those who believe in the pure monotheism entailed in submission to the One and Only True God.

The return of Jesus is preceded in both religions by signs, again similar in general description, but subtly different in detail.  Both religions teach that the return of Jesus will be preceded by a great and powerful figure of falsehood and temptation, called the Maseeh ad-Dajjal (The False Messiah) by the Muslims and the Anti-Christ by the Christians.  Before this event other signs that agree with each other include a general increase in immorality and fornication, murder and crime, and general lawlessness, debauchery and falling away from religion and true knowledge.  Accompanying these signs of civil malaise will be internecine[1]  wars, and natural disasters following closely one upon the other.  The details and timings of these, however, are substantially different, even within particular faiths.  How the Christian faith regards the second coming depends on the doctrinal view held.  Four broad views are prominent: Historical and Dispensational Ante-millennialism, and Preterist Post and A-millennialism.[2]

Ante-millennialism[3]  has two branches of interpretation.  Both postulate that Jesus will come and then, after defeating the Anti-Christ, will rule the earth with the ‘elect’ for 1000 years before the evil souls are resurrected, and Satan is unbound in the resurrected Anti-Christ[4].  They differ significantly concerning the events around this second coming.

Dispensational Ante-millennialism

While both agree that it will occur during a seven year period of Tribulation when the Anti-Christ reigns, one places the return of the Jews to Israel and the rebuilding of the temple during this seven year period, while the other holds that Jesus will re-establish Jerusalem as his Capital, rebuilding of the temple during his reign.  The former determines that the past elect of Church will be raised to life before the tribulation starts, and then chosen to rule with the descended Jesus, while the righteous Jews will be resurrected along with heroes who stood against the Anti-Christ and died at the end of the tribulation, heralding his reign of peace and plenty.  The latter holds that the ‘rapture’ of all the elect, these being all the dead saints of Christianity and the righteous of Judaism before the advent of Christ, will be at the second coming of Jesus, and will thereafter constitute, with their offspring, the deserving citizens of the millennium rule.  When Satan is finally loosed in the resurrected Anti-Christ, a great battle will be fought with the minions of Satan and Satan, the false prophet, will be defeated and hurled into Hell, ushering in the end of the world.  Here, again, the two branches differ.  The Historicist sees Gog and Magog as the nations Satan leads in rebellion when he is loosed, while the Dispensationalist, although he agrees Satan will lead an army of deceived nations, does not place The Gog and Magog as being among them.[5]

Historical Ante-millennialism

After the defeat of the forces of evil, mountains will crumble, the earth will become a flat plain and Judgment will be instituted on the people of earth.  The true believers in Christ will be rewarded with heaven and eternal communion with God, and the disbelievers and unrepentant sinners will be consigned to hell and eternal separation from God.

Preterism is the general name for the viewpoint found in both the views that oppose Ante-millennialism.  It sees the return of Jesus as having already happened at the time of the destruction of the temple Jerusalem, at least in terms of judgment.  That is, they see people as judged when they die.  Hence it sees the earth itself as everlasting, and that perfecting our faith and the truth about God is a never ending task set us by God.[6]  Among the partial Preterists, the moment of perfection is the second physical coming of Jesus, who will then reign forever over those who have achieved salvation.

Post-millennialism sees the 1000 year reign of Jesus as more figurative than literal, and that it has already begun.  Jesus is literally the king of earth right now, judging the dead as they die, and the Christian church is in the process of perfecting belief in him and defeating Satan.  Then Jesus will return to vanquish the Anti-Christ, heralding the end of the world, and establish the Church to rule with him.

Post-millennialism

A-millennialism[7] also sees the 1000 year reign as figurative and already established, but, like ante-millennialism, it envisages Judgment Day as the day of sorting out the good from the bad and eternally consigning them to their respective destinations.

A-millennialism

These viewpoints often overlap, so one is not sure where one doctrine leaves off and the other starts.  None of them, however, conform to the Islamic view of the reign of Jesus and his role in the second coming.

Islam sees Jesus’ return as a completion of his life and work, which he left incomplete.[8]  As the true Messiah, he alone has the power granted to him by God to defeat the false Messiah at the end of time.  His rule will witness the invasion of the Gog and Magog, whom not even he will be able to defeat.  Rather, he will pray to God who will then destroy them Himself.  The end of the Gog and Magog will herald the beginning of a world hegemony in which every one will believe, or at least submit to, his reign as God’s representative.  He will rule by God’s Law as taught by Muhammad (i.e. Islam), may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, until he dies at the age of about 70 or 75.  In this period of time there will be plenty for all, and peace throughout the world.  Then, some time after he dies and is buried, all the Muslims will be caught up by a breeze and wafted into the hereafter.  The remaining people on earth will be unbelievers, and they alone will witness the final chapter of earth.

Many of these events described in Islam echo the concept of the Messiah at the end of times conceived of in Judaism, although they believe the Law with which he will reign will be the Law of Moses, rather than Muhammad, peace be upon them.  Both Islam and Judaism regard the coming of the Messiah as essentially uniting, gathering believers together from the ends of the earth.  Both see his rule as returning to the fundamentals of faith and Law.  Both see his role as that of a leader who will fight God’s war against the forces of evil, and that this war will be followed by a peaceful hegemony in which God’s Law will prevail throughout the world.

Where they differ is in who this end of time figure represents.  To the Jews, the Messiah necessarily will be a Jewish leader who re-establishes Israel and the temple and all its rites in Jerusalem.  To the Muslim, he represents the championing of pure Islam, sorting hypocrites from true believers.

All three visions of the Messiah at the end of time hold something in common.  In the next four articles, however, we will expound the Muslim picture of the future, which is envisioned to be just around the corner.  This vision is very clear and subject to little doctrinal variation, unlike both Jewish and Christian viewpoints.  It is up to you to draw the parallels that are apparent and reject that which does not reflect the truth represented herein.

Christians believe that Jesus is alive today, and many denominations believe him to be active.  They also believe that he has been resurrected already, and that he will never die again.  The Muslim position, however, is that he never died, and therefore is still alive.  It says in the Quran, that the Jews claim:

"We killed Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, Messenger of God."

However, God denies this, as the verse continues:

"But they killed him not, nor crucified him; It was only a likeness shown to them: Most certainly they killed him not.  Rather, God lifted him up to Himself." (Quran 4:157-8)

This action of lifting is literally an upward movement, physically being taken from the earth into heavens, just as he will be physically brought back on the wings of angels from the heavens to the earth when he returns.  Christians estimate his age to be 31-33 years of age at ascension, because the synoptic Gospels are considered to describe approximately 1 year of his life.  The Gospel of John purportedly describes 3 years of his life from the moment he began preaching, of which Luke says:

"And Jesus himself began to be about 30 years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph … and (he) was led by the spirit into the wilderness." (Luke 3:23 and 4:1)

Muslim scholars agree.  Hasan Basri said, "Jesus was 34, while Sa’eed ibn Mussayyib said, "He was 33," when he was lifted up to heaven.[1]

"And there is none of the People of the Book but will believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Judgment, he will be a witness against them." (Quran 4:159)

God, here, is talking about the ‘People of the Book’ believing in Jesus before the latter dies well after he was lifted up into the heavens.  The implication is that he is not yet dead.  In fact, he is securely kept by God until he completes his appointed term.  As God says in the Quran:

"It is God Who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and (the souls) of those that die not during their sleep.  He keeps those for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed." (Quran 39:42)

And:

"It is God Who takes away the souls at night, and has knowledge of all that you have done by day, and raises you up again that a term appointed be fulfilled; then will you be returned unto Him.  Then He will inform you of all that you used to do." (Quran 60:60)

‘The term appointed’ denotes the numbered days of our lives, already known and confirmed by God.  The word "to take away" is a promise made by God to Jesus which God will do when His messenger is threatened by disbelief.  The Quran informs us that He told Jesus:

"Indeed I will take you (away) and lift you up to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve…" (Quran 3:55)

Thus we have a promise of God fulfilled when he saved Jesus from crucifixion, and another that will be fulfilled when He returns Jesus to earth and he completes his life here - a promise confirmed in the revelation given to Mary at the annunciation:

"God gives you tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be Jesus Christ, son of Mary, held in honor in the world and in the hereafter, and one of those who are nearest (to God).  He shall speak to the people in infancy and when middle-aged[2], and shall be of the righteous." (Quran 3:45-46)

Since middle-aged is older than the early thirties, this prophecy concerns his speaking to the people after his return. So this second promise (that everyone will believe in him before he dies) concerns his second mission when he descends to earth again.  When he arrives, he will be the same age as he left, and then he will live for another forty years.[3]  The Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said:

"There is no prophet between me and him (Jesus), and he shall descend.  He… will stay in the world for forty years; then he will die and the Muslims will offer the funeral Prayer for him." (Abu Dawood, Ahmed)

The return of Jesus will be close to the end of time.  In fact, his descent will be one of the major signs the final hour is due.  The Quran discloses that:

"He (the son of Mary) shall be a known sign of the Hour; so have no doubt concerning it and follow Me." (Quran 43:61)

His appearance will be followed by only two or three other unmistakable portents.  Among these are the appearance of the beast[4], the wafting of the believers from the earth[5], leaving only disbelievers behind, and the rising of the sun from the west.[6]

The ten major signs, among which is the second coming of Jesus, are summarized in one hadeeth:[7]

"The Hour will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke; the False Messiah; the Beast; the sun rising from the West; the descent of Jesus son of Mary; the Gog and Magog; and three tremors - one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden and drive people to the place of their final assembly." (Ahmed)

May God save us from disbelief and preserve us from being among those who witness the final moments.

The Rise of the Mahdi, and Advent of the False Messiah

The circumstances of the second coming will involve two other people from the end times, theMahdi[1]  and the Maseeh ad-Dajjal, Arabic for the False Messiah, and the trials and tribulations associated with them.  The primary task of Jesus on his return will be to save the world from the False Messiah and unite it once more under the Rule of God. 

The advent of the False Messiah, however, will be preceded by a man who unites all Muslims under his leadership.  Of this man, the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said that before the world ends, a person from his family with his name (Muhammad ibn Abdullah) will rule the Arabs, filling the earth with equity and justice where before there had been oppression and injustice, for 7 years.[2]  He further said that he will be supported by the Muslim nation, of whom it was said:

"A group of my people will not cease fighting for the Truth and will prevail till the Day of Resurrection.  And Jesus son of Mary will descend and their (the Muslims’) leader will say, ‘Come and lead us in Prayer.’" (Saheeh Muslim)

Thus, before the coming of Jesus, the Muslim nation will defend the religion under a man directly descended from the prophet, who will invite Jesus to lead the prayer interrupted by his coming.  How long he will have been leading the Muslim Nation will be less than 7 years, but how much less is not known exactly.  What is known is that he will be a reluctant commander whom people will flock to, only after an army attacking Mecca is swallowed up by the earth.

The Prophet said:

"Disagreement will occur at the death of a caliph and a man of the people of Medina will flee to Mecca.  Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring him out against his will and swear allegiance to him between the Corner[3] and the Maqam.[4]  An expeditionary force will then be sent against him from Syria, but it will be swallowed up in the desert between Mecca and Medina.  When the people witness this, the most pious men of Syria and the best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam." (Abu Dawood)

"There will also be several campaigns, the first against internal elements[5], and then against external elements.  An army consisting of the best Muslim soldiers in the world will come from Medina to counteract the western invasion of Ash-Sham[6]."

"When they arrange themselves in ranks, the Romans will say: ‘Do not stand between us and those who took prisoners from amongst us.  Let us fight with them.’  The Muslims will say: ‘No, by God, we will never stand aside for you or our brethren so that you can fight them.’" (Saheeh Muslim)

The fight would last three days with great slaughter on all sides until, on the fourth day, the remnants of the Muslim Army will defeat the Western forces and go on to conquer Istanbul.  While the soldiers are looting the city a false rumor that the False Messiah had arrived will reach them, so they will make for Syria again.  By the time they reach Damascus, where the Mahdi will prepare them for war against the False Messiah’s coming, the False Messiah will truly appear. 

His stay on earth will be 40 days. However, these 40 days will have something special about them.  The first day and night will last a full year, the second a full month, and the third a full week, and the remaining 37 days would be normal.[7]  It is in these final 37 days that Jesus will probably come, since he will kill the False Messiah shortly after his arrival. 

The False Messiah will appear out of the east, on the way between Syria and Iraq[8], and his coming will spread great troubles and injustice right and left.  He will range far and wide, like a wind driven cloud, coming to first one people and then another.  He will invite people to follow him, rewarding the ones who respond and affirm their faith in him by commanding the sky to rain, which will cause the land and domestic animals to flourish and produce.  Those who refuse him will suffer drought, famine, and loss of wealth.  Wherever he goes, he will call forth the land’s treasures, which will gather before him like swarming bees, and he will even kill a man, cutting him in half and then bring him back to life.

The Coming of Jesus and Death of the False Messiah

As can be seen, the False Messiah will have been given miracles to convince people to stray from the path, and many will follow him.  Some hadeeths mention that many people, especially the Jews[9], will take him for the real Messiah, as he will announce himself to be God’s representative.  However, he will soon claim divine power himself, and eventually claim to be the Lord.[10]  He will conquer most of the world and go against the Mahdi in Damascus, and this will be the time the true Messiah, Jesus, will descend.

"God will send the Messiah, son of Mary, who will descend at the white minaret on the eastern side of Damascus wearing two garments, lightly dyed with saffron, his hands resting on the wings of two Angels.  When he lowers his head, beads of perspiration will fall from it, and when he raises it up, beads like pearls will scatter from it.  Every non-believer who smells him will die, and his breath will reach as far as he is able to see." (Saheeh Muslim)

In another hadeeth it says,

"Certainly, the time of prayer shall come, and then Jesus, the son of Mary, will descend and will lead them in prayer.  When sees he him, the enemy of God will [begin to] dissolve just as salt does in water." (Saheeh Muslim)

The first hadeeth continues to say that he will meet him at Lydda:

"He (Jesus) will pursue the False Messiah until he captures him at the gates of Lydda and kills him." (Saheeh Muslim)

Jesus will use a spear guided by God in this killing,[11]  by which the forces of temptation will be vanquished.

"Then, a people whom God had protected will come to Jesus, son of Mary, and he will wipe their faces and inform them of their ranks in Paradise." (Saheeh Muslim)

This information is not the Judgment of Judgment Day, but knowledge given to Jesus by God.  These people are not the elect of the Christian rapture, but the survivors of the turmoil surrounding his coming.  And this is but the first episode of the Messiah’s life on his return, which the next article will elaborate on, if God wills.

 

The End of Gog and Magog

When the Gog and Magog will have driven the Muslims to hole up in their strongholds and refuges, and when they see the blood on their weapons, which will have returned from the sky, they will take these as evidence for their imminent victory over the Muslims.  However, that evening:

"Jesus and his companions will beseech God, and God will send against them (the Gog and Magog) worms which will attack their necks; and in the morning, they will all perish as one." (Saheeh Muslim)

Not knowing that the horde was already destroyed, the Muslims in their strongholds will call for a volunteer to scout out what the enemy was doing.  The volunteer, knowing he would probably die, will descend to find them all dead, lying on top of one another.  Returning, he will call out: ‘O Muslims, rejoice!  God has sufficed us against our enemies!’[1]

When Jesus and the people who took refuge on Mount Tur descend, they will find the same scene, with not a single spot of the earth around them free of the putrefying stench of rotting bodies.  So sickening and dangerous to health will be the situation that Jesus will pray again to God, Who will send huge birds to carry them off[2]  and throw them into the sea where the sun rises.

The Aftermath

After that, God will send a drenching, intense rain that penetrates into everything, lasting forty days.  Unlike the Deluge,[3]  this torrential rainfall will be beneficial, for:

"The earth will be washed till it looks like a mirror. God will then order the earth: ‘Bring forth your fruit and restore your blessing.’" (Saheeh Muslim)

The Muslims will let their cattle and flocks out to graze again, and they will fatten up better than from any vegetation they had fed on before.[4]  Orchards will produce fruit of size and quality never known before, and cattle produce fine quality milk in copious amounts, enough so that nobody will experience any shortage of it.[5]

The benefits, then, from the advent of the Gog and Magog, will the decimation of non-believers, leaving the world for a nation of the believers, and food in abundance after the earth had absorbed all the dead decaying bodies caused by their invasion and later extermination.  For a period of time, wealth would be so abundant that people would not be able to find those to whom they could pay out the poor due.[6]  Abu Hurayrah reported the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, as saying:

"…And there will be no Jizya.  Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (in charity)." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Not so beneficial will be the reduction in the numbers of men, causing a major imbalance in the sex ratio.  Women will far exceed the men in numbers, possibly due to casualties in war, as was the case in Germany after World War Two.[7]

The Reign and Death of Jesus

The reign of Jesus, may God grant him peace, will be by the Law that Muhammad brought.  This is in accordance with the Covenant that God took from all his prophets.  In the Quran, it says:

Behold! God took the Covenant of the prophets, saying: "I have given you the Book and Wisdom; then will come a messenger to you confirming what is with you, so believe in him and render him help." God said: "Do you agree, and take this Covenant as binding upon you?" They said: "We agree." He said: "Then bear witness! And I am with you among the witnesses." (Quran 3:81)

The reign of Jesus, therefore, will be according to the Covenant with God, and this is backed up by an explanation of the saying of the Prophet by Abu Hurayrah, when he reported a question he had asked to his companions.  He said:

The Messenger of God said, "What would you do when the son of Mary descends among you, and lead as one among you?"

One of the companions, Ibn Abu Theeb, asked:

What does, ‘He will lead as one among you’ mean?

Abu Hurayrah replied:

"He will lead you according to the Book of your Lord, exalted and praised is He, and the Way of your Messenger."[8]

His reign will be marked by mutual respect, peace and prosperity among the people.  In another hadeeth, Abu Hurayrah said:

"Spite, mutual hatred and jealousy against one another will disappear, and when he (Jesus) summons people to accept wealth, none will do so." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

The lack of rancor between people will be absolute, not relative, for at least seven years, wherein no two people would be stirred to ire towards each other,[9] and the word between them would be ‘peace’.  In fact, religiosity and piety will be the order of the day, for to each person:

"A single prostration to God (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Jesus himself will not only rule and judge by the Muslim Shariah, he will complete all the Islamic pillars.  The Prophet of Islam said:

"By him in Whose hand my life is, the son of Mary will certainly invoke the name of God for Hajj or Umrah[10] or both in the valley of Rauha (a valley near Medina)." (Saheeh Muslim)

Then, forty years after his second coming, he will die, and the Muslims will perform the funeral prayer for him.[11] And this moment is the moment God is referring to in the Quranic verse:

 "And there is none of the People of the Book who must believe in him before his death…" (Quran 4:159)

God willing, all the people will be of one Book at that time.

Conclusion

As we can see, the return of Jesus to the Earth will be a truly magnificent event, surrounded by truly magnificent incidents, so magnificent that one may find it even fantasy-like.  Jesus will come at a time when the world is in true need of Divine Help.  Indeed this Divine Help will come with Jesus, but some of the trials of those days will be so great that not even he will be able to face it, fleeing to the tops of mounts with his followers.  Only God will be able to save humanity in that time.  Albeit, not only will this Divine Help come to put an end to the greatest trials faced by humankind since the dawn of time – the False Messiah and Gog and Magog - but it will also come to show the truth about God, putting an end to all falsehood, with everyone being united under the one true religion of God.