….is it the “end times” or just another wave of craziness?

A few years ago, when we were sliding out of the plandemic and not yet into the newest era of scripted wars, my husband’s two daughters and some of their children came for a long weekend.

The oldest granddaughter, probably 10 or 11 at the time, — but smart: they’re all home-schooled and very well read — was listening intently as we all sat around the picnic table and discussed the then-current lunacy and how it was affecting our day to day lives. We are all Christians, and I blithely said, “I hope Jesus comes soon.”

Her pretty little face swung around to mine, and she said seriously, “Well, I don’t! I want to grow up and have kids of my own first!”

It struck me then, and it strikes me still: End of the world prophecy is much more appealing if you’re old! I am. And I’m ready for the glorious appearing. It had never occurred to me that young people might not be.

But then I got to thinking more about the New Jerusalem that appears when Christ rules over the thousand years to follow the darkness of Armageddon. And who wouldn’t want to see that?!

It’s the part of Revelation that few discuss. And I don’t know why, because it makes all the bad stuff worth it!

All the Abrahamic religions have an eschatology. The Jews’ prophecy includes the coming of their messiah, because they didn’t recognize Jesus. The muslim prophecy incorporates both and waits for the last imam. Both Jews and muslims believe they can “help things along” with various preparations.

To this end, devout Jews in Israel have been preparing items for the “third temple,” which is prophesied to replace the Dome of the Rock mosque now occupying what is called “the temple mount,” a large rock upon which is supposed to have been the first two temples in Jerusalem. The West Wall, also known as the “wailing wall,” is all that is left of the second one, according to historians.

Equally devout muslims were not unaware of these preparations, however, and see their own prophecy in them.

Islamic “end times” prophecy is sort of like Game of Thrones: you know you’ve seen it all somewhere else (in the case of Game of Thrones, mostly in the Lord of the Rings and actual War of the Roses) but it’s mixed up with enough other stuff to keep it interesting. A fascinating summary can be found here.

The real difference among the 3 main religious eschatologies is that the Christians alone believe the timing cannot be predicted. You can see the warning signs, but you’ll not know when it will actually unfold, until, say, the Antichrist appears. (For those who don’t believe any of this, or have little background in it: the “antichrist” will not call himself that, and will not appear to be evil. Initially. In fact, the so-called antichrist will appear to be the best thing for everyone, and will “unite” the world in “peace.”)

The muslims also have an antichrist, but they have their own “messiah,” too, and the shiite muslims take it a step further, calling him the mahdi. The Imams of Iran are particularly obsessed with the mahdi. It is he who will conquer all, including the Antichrist, and the shiites believe they can “hasten his coming.”

The majority of shiites live in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon.

Just think about that.

We could stop right there and consider current events and conclude any number of things. None of which would be 100% correct. But, “current events” being all they are, and taking into account things like catastrophic earthquakes in Morocco and Afghanistan (2 in 2 weeks!), floods, droughts and sheer lunacy….well, old people like me can be forgiven for thinking we are seeing “signs.”

The entire Levant, the Middle East, has been in turmoil off and on since Mohammed spread Islam by force in the 600s. IMHO, when you have to spread your doctrine at the point of a sword, it can’t be a good one. But then, its basic tenets are violence and sex, (violence here and sex in heaven) so….

Some will try to claim that Christians have been equally violent, because … the Crusades. Reminder: the Crusades were caused by the taking of Jerusalem by muslim force. Facts are important.

All that notwithstanding, it’s never really felt like it does now.

I’m almost 74. I’ve been politically aware since I was 10 or 11, like my granddaughter, growing up in a house of readers. The country known as Israel was documented the year before I was born. I’ve watched it fight some significant wars with a few of its neighbors over the decades. There was often saber rattling by other neighbors, too. Eventually ceasefires and some form of peace was negotiated because there were still some adults in the room.

That appears to no longer be the case. The “adult” who stands for US, for example, wears diapers and can’t finish a thought unless it’s on a teleprompter. The adult who leads Palestine once financed the Black September massacre at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where 11 Jewish athletes were killed. So, no adult there. (When I worked in the Middle East in the mid-1970s, the Black September terrorists were considered heroes in the Arab countries. That is one of the many reasons I am not an unbiased observer.)

Since the Left Behind series of fiction books renewed interest in the Biblical book of Revelation, there have been a lot more people following a lot more threads than me. But for a Biblical Christian (not an “everything is wonderful you’re meant to be rich” Christian, for example) — the message has always been very clear: Jerusalem is the key. We must support and stand up for the Israelis, because even if they are not believers themselves (much of Israel is secular, not practicing Judaism) — they are God’s people.

And God has promised the Jews a Messiah, and the Christians the return of the ours.

The muslims have made up their own to fit in.

And all of the prophecies center around Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, the Dome of the Rock and the Third Temple. It is not for no reason that Hamas named their attack, the Flood of Al-Aqsa. Al-Aqsa is the mosque on the Temple Mount, and muslims know the Jews are preparing to be ready for the Third Temple, right there.

The shiite muslims don’t want that to happen. The majority of this tribe lives — all around Israel. Too further obfuscate the history, claims and infighting, the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan is in charge of the Temple Mount itself, even though it is in Israel. The tribes all go back to Abraham. Jews, Christians and Muslims all claim his line.

There is another common element among all three end times prophecies, and that is the battle of Gog and Magog. Many think that is what is now unfolding in front of us. People have thought that before, and been wrong. .. … let’s just say, if Russia joins in, all bets are off!

If that happens my granddaughter may be raising that family in the NEW Jerusalem!

And that is a beautiful place, indeed.

We all just have to wade through the chaos and hold on until the Glorious Reappearing.

Suffice it to say, that, when even the secular, no-nonsense, geared up preppers are getting ready, this may be more serious than other similar events.

You can parse theology and debate timing until we’re in the thick of it, but I’d recommend a few serious conversations with family, neighbors and people who watch CNN.

You know that notice on the old rear-view mirrors?

“Objects may be closer than they appear”

That’s where we are.

(For those of you who are firmly based in the rapture, we’ll “wade” into that another time. Too many levels, and if yours is right, we may not even see each other before then!)