You know, Islam, Christianity and Judaism are more similar than is often suspected. All three belief systems have Abraham as a patriarch. All three are expecting the return of a messiah and all three believe the messiah will be preceded by an imposter. The muslim antichrist is the Islamic version of this false prophet. The term does not refer, as some might think, to the Christian antichrist being a muslim.
In Islam, the name of the false prophet will be Masih ad-Dajjal. Literally translated, this means "false messiah." He will be the 30th in a long line of imposters. This last Dajjal is expected to be blind in his right eye, which will be swollen to the size of a grape. A false prophet, if he is going to be any good at his job, might be expected to try and disguise this tell-tale feature in some way, at least if he is keeping up with his Islamic eschatology.
The term eschatology refers to what is going to happen at the end of the world. In Judaism, this is called the end of days. There is a surprising amount of overlap among the three Abrahamic faiths. It is, however, easier to compare Christian end times with Islamic end times than it is to compare either of them with Judaic end times.
Matthew 24:7 talks about earthquakes, violent conflicts between nations and widespread famines in the days leading to the Day of Resurrection. Hadith-Bukhari 9.237 speaks to the same events in the Islamic version of the end times. Both sides agree that nobody knows the exact date and time this will take place, although there is mounting evidence that the prelude is unwinding before our eyes right now.
Many Christians would probably be surprised at the Islamic view of Jesus. While many believe that he is a false prophet and an imposter, at the other extreme are those who recognize him as the Son of God and worship Him as such. Islam also recognizes Noah, Abraham and Moses as legitimate prophets along with Muhammad. They also consider Jesus to be the Messiah.
The role of Mary and her role in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ are mentioned in the Quran, the Islamic authoritative document similar in function to the Holy Bible. According to Islam, Allah (or God), Mary and Jesus are collectively known as the Trinity. Muslims, like their Christian brothers and sisters, believe that Jesus performed many miracles. Like followers of Christ, they attribute the power behind these miracles as God, and not the Man himself.
It certainly appears that there is more to unite the Abrahamic religions than their is to divide us all. Instead of fighting each other, we should unite in praise and worship. Yes, there are differences in the respective literatures, but these may probably the work of Satan. Satan, the father of all lies, the Great Deceiver, has but one goal, to destroy man and to lead him away from God.
As we appear to be approaching the end times, we should obsess less over trivial differences, like why a 4,000 year-old wooden boat has no visible remains. We should instead listen to the collective wisdom of all the prophets and treat each other with a bit of respect. God can clear up the minutiae when He gets here. If, that is, he sees fit.
In Islam, the name of the false prophet will be Masih ad-Dajjal. Literally translated, this means "false messiah." He will be the 30th in a long line of imposters. This last Dajjal is expected to be blind in his right eye, which will be swollen to the size of a grape. A false prophet, if he is going to be any good at his job, might be expected to try and disguise this tell-tale feature in some way, at least if he is keeping up with his Islamic eschatology.
The term eschatology refers to what is going to happen at the end of the world. In Judaism, this is called the end of days. There is a surprising amount of overlap among the three Abrahamic faiths. It is, however, easier to compare Christian end times with Islamic end times than it is to compare either of them with Judaic end times.
Matthew 24:7 talks about earthquakes, violent conflicts between nations and widespread famines in the days leading to the Day of Resurrection. Hadith-Bukhari 9.237 speaks to the same events in the Islamic version of the end times. Both sides agree that nobody knows the exact date and time this will take place, although there is mounting evidence that the prelude is unwinding before our eyes right now.
Many Christians would probably be surprised at the Islamic view of Jesus. While many believe that he is a false prophet and an imposter, at the other extreme are those who recognize him as the Son of God and worship Him as such. Islam also recognizes Noah, Abraham and Moses as legitimate prophets along with Muhammad. They also consider Jesus to be the Messiah.
The role of Mary and her role in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ are mentioned in the Quran, the Islamic authoritative document similar in function to the Holy Bible. According to Islam, Allah (or God), Mary and Jesus are collectively known as the Trinity. Muslims, like their Christian brothers and sisters, believe that Jesus performed many miracles. Like followers of Christ, they attribute the power behind these miracles as God, and not the Man himself.
It certainly appears that there is more to unite the Abrahamic religions than their is to divide us all. Instead of fighting each other, we should unite in praise and worship. Yes, there are differences in the respective literatures, but these may probably the work of Satan. Satan, the father of all lies, the Great Deceiver, has but one goal, to destroy man and to lead him away from God.
As we appear to be approaching the end times, we should obsess less over trivial differences, like why a 4,000 year-old wooden boat has no visible remains. We should instead listen to the collective wisdom of all the prophets and treat each other with a bit of respect. God can clear up the minutiae when He gets here. If, that is, he sees fit.
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