Eschatology In Christianity And Islam Essay

Eschatology in Islam and Christianity

Religions exist with the belief of afterlife, either would be in the form reincarnation, resurrection or the eternal Atman. What I want to focus at today is the resurrection and how there are similarities and differences of it with respect to Christianity and Islam. Muslims calls it the Day of judgment or the last days so is Christians in some sense but it is also called the last things. Such beliefs include few different components; Death, resurrection, heaven and hell, paradise and the return of the lord.

In Islam these final things are called by different names but consist with the same meaning. It is called “The-Hour, the day of resurrection, the day of anguish” and many other names. There are many examples and deep analysis of The-Hour in the Quran more than the bible where the with all the names of it was mentioned more than a hundred times and it is considered to be

and not believing in such events will make you unbeliever of the whole religion, also the Quran give a comprehensive vision on the day of resurrection with many warnings of not to fall of the right bath and be place in hell.
Chronologically if we will be talking about the afterlife, it is logical to give a small preview of life and it’s view theologically. Life is a gift god blessed us with to live; no such live as a bad life or a dark one, but there are sufferings that a person faces and could overcome. I believe that suffering is a form of god test to see who does better than other and who still his heart is filled with the faith so that when they die they be rewarded for such patience.
After life comes death and all of us will die, as god said in the Quran to Prophet Mohammed that “you will die and they will die”; as all human. Although there are different views of death as the beginning of the end or that the real journey starts after it. In the Islamic view death is inevitable and that we should work for that day ever since and that after that day you can not do good deeds because you will be judged for your life, weather good or bad you did that is the day to sort it out and see which is more and be judged upon it. In contrast some Christians “consider death as a taboo” (Ratzinger69) and they have their life without mentioning it or working for it and it is not a new thing in Christianity but in all other religions. Although, the new issue is the author mentioned that American newspapers does not allow the word “death” in their papers which is odd. Also media wise and in the bible death is pictured as the enemy; in Corinthians 15:26 death is pictured also as the last enemy.
After death comes the resurrection but before that Muslims believe comes purgatory and it is the life between this life and the hereafter; which is the time the body spend in the grave and the soul is taken to it.

This life is unknown how long it lasts but during that time the person be judged for his sins and if his bad deeds overbalanced his good deeds, a window from hell opens among him and if the other way around a window of heaven open up. This period ends with the beginning of the resurrection. Different belief from the Platonic dualism theory by the philosopher Plato (429-347 BC) who believes that the soul preexisted the body and will exist after it and that there is another world that is intangible although biblically when the man dies, “he perishes, body and soul.” (Auer105). As in (Luke24:7-30) when Jesus appeared to his disciples after his death and they almost did not recognize him, there is a different world and that can tell be somehow evidential of what the purgatory life is; where the soul detaches from the body and be in the world o

souls.
After Purgatory comes the resurrection, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to” (Romans 8:11); Anthony C.Thiselton in his book “Life After Death” believes that God power through the Holy Spirit is what raises his creations. Such difference is irrelevant to what Is believed by the Christian faith but what Thiselton mentioned is what Muslims believe in. above all that is is the same believe of resurrection. In the Quran there is a description of the resurrection where Almighty God grasp the entire earth with his hand, and the heaven in his right hand and the trumpet shall be blown and all the creatures, including angles, will die, except these whom God want to stay, then, it will be blown again and they will be standing and looking on the earth shining with it’s lord light. And then they are brought to the higher justice, the ones who did good to heaven and the ones who did bad to hell for eternity (McAuliffe140).
In the book of revelation chapter 20 verse 11, the judgment of the dead is mentioned and that all the creatures in a similar scene of the Quran but almost like the same event was looked at from a different angel, but instead of heaven and hell, there is a lake of fire as the hell and new Jerusalem as heaven. In contrast Muslims believe that the heaven and hell are different from this earth and they are in the skies where god knows where. The heaven is consisting of seven heavens and a paradise of which is the highest and hell is also seven hells. a hadith of the the prophet said “Hell when was lit a thousand years to get until it got white and another thousand years until got red and another thousand years until got black so it is black as the night” may we all avoid.
Aside of all the differences in beliefs, there are neuromas similarities that get you wondering is this a coincidence to have these books share a lot of similarities? In the Islamic View in regard to the return of Christ there are many similarities with Christianity such as Jesus will lead the people to defeat the Antichrist, and that he is the Messiah. Such concept is closely related to what believed by the Christians, although religion can get quite controversial.
Finally, with all the differences and similarities we should not forget that we are created from the same father and that however differences can be found in the religions and beliefs should not get under our skins and cause conflicts among us. throughout the history, people with different religion lived peacefully together and even prophet Mohammed neighbor was Jewish and there was not any fights among them. And above all is working for the end of time is what matters the most, may God cover us with his mercy and get us into his highest heavens.