Unleashing the Beast

R EVELATIONS IN THE A RABIAN D ESERT / 73

man will climax with the takeover of much of Israel, the division of Jerusalem and the death of many Jews and Christians who will not convert to Islam. It was this Islamic teaching of the last days that opened my understanding of the revelation of Biblical prophets concerning the time of the end. I SLAM AND THE L AST D AYS It comes as a surprise to many Christians to learn that Muslims have strong traditions about the "last days." Oddly, their expectations of what will happen parallel the Biblical predictions of a final world empire controlled by a war-like military leader. In Israel, I have met with both former and practicing Muslims to compile many of their beliefs relating to the last days. In the Koran the last days are noted by several terms: the day of uprising, the day of separation, the day of reckoning, the day of awakening and sending forth, the last day, the encompassing day, and the hour. Many Muslims teach that the last days will be preceded by three blasts of a trumpet:  At the first blast, all creatures in heaven and earth will be struck by terror.  At the second blast, all creatures in heaven and earth will die.  At the last blast, 40 years later, all will be raised again for the judgment. The length of judgment will be 1,000 years (some