End of times .. Possibility Yes!

I have been reading the forums lately and have read all the predictions. From an Islamic perspective I would like to warn the members of ATS of some coming events if certain signs appear. One of the main signs we should all be looking out for is "Signs in the Sky" especially during the month of Safar on the Islamic Calender which which comes in rougly in march. So lets say watch in the sky from Feb-April of 2006 for the signs. From research it will be either specific comet and/or a 2 taled star. If these signs do not come in the month of Safar we have another year to rest but if they happen to come .. it is one of the early signs. We still will have approximatly 10-12 months down the line before major things happen such as the collapse of the Middle East ... soon after 1-2 years after the collapse of the US. Heavy War worldwide etc. To my knowledge .. Prophet Jesus peace be upon him will descend after 7-8-9 years after a man from Arabia descends and fights a 3 front war (war in general). Some say a period of 10 generations will pass after this man emerges then Prophet Jesus will descend from heaven .. but slightly before this the Anti Christ would have emerged. The Big Dajjal (Anti Christ) has NOT emerged as yet. The others say after 7-8-9 years after the man from Arabia arrives .. Prophet Jesus will descend. Regardless the signs in the sky in Safar should be the main clues. From reliable sources.. Alot of people are predicting the coming of the man from Arabia in 2006.. But only God knows best. Predictions are not 100% accurate. But the signs will guide us.. God willing. I am only writing this as a warning for everyone and nothing else. If you have further questions do feel free to ask.

Just out of interest, how much is jesus mentioned in Islamic texts? I know he is regarded as a prophet, but how much else? Other than that, it is interesting to see the End times from the point of view from a different religion, even if I am Christian.

At this point predictions are not even 5% accurate. Why should this decade be any different then anything else. You can predict all you want but only one person knows the absolute truth and he isnt talking.

Originally posted by apex
Just out of interest, how much is jesus mentioned in Islamic texts? I know he is regarded as a prophet, but how much else? Other than that, it is interesting to see the End times from the point of view from a different religion, even if I am Christian.

Prophet Jesus peace be upon him is mentioned quite a few times in the Quran. This link might be of some help for you.. www3.sympatico.ca... We believe Prophet Jesus is a Prophet of Allah .. as is Prophet Moses as is Prophet Adam as is Prophet Noah as is Prophet Soloman as is Prophet David as is Prophet Mohamed who is the seal of the Prophets. The messiah for ALL MUSLIMS is Prophet Jesus and he will returning to kill the ANTI Christ

Hold on a second.... It was my understanding Jesus was a simple prophet and nothing more in the Quran. So by your post Jesus killing satan would that not make him something more then just a simple prophet?

the world was supposed to end in 999 because 1,000 was a scary round number. It was supposed to end in 1999 for the same reasons.

we're still here !

Originally posted by Whompa1
Hold on a second.... It was my understanding Jesus was a simple prophet and nothing more in the Quran. So by your post Jesus killing satan would that not make him something more then just a simple prophet?

Brother Prophet Jesus peace be upon him is no more than a Prophet. He doesn't kill satan. Satan and the ant christ are 2 seperate people. Satan will exist unil the Day of Reckoning. While Prophet Jesus will kill the Anti Christ. As i said before one must look for the signs .. I am not relying on any specfic dates.. wether it is next year or 50 years from now.. the signs must be shown before things can take place. Its just a simple warning for people who may take heed of it..

XTasawwufX

I am afraid that I must echo the sentiments of Whompa1 and ask you what you feel makes the coming years especially relevant or important? Why do you think that the End Times may be imminent? The reason I ask, which I hope you understand is not out of disrespect, is simply that in each and every generation there have been those who believed that massive upheavel, if the not end of the world itself, were going to occur within that generation. Furthermore, many of the signs that are held to be early warnings of the End Times are inherently vague and obtuse. War in the Middle East, for example, is nothing new and were we to use this qualifier we might point to many periods throughout history as equally if not better examples of the fulfillment of prophetic signs. I guess what I really want to ask is this: what happens if there are no signs during Safar? How long will the End Times be delayed as it keeps not happening? At what point do you finally say "Okay, it's not likely to happen in my lifetime"?

Just as an aside, I have always been extremely interested in the rather significant differences in the portrayal of Jesus (pbuh) in the End Times accounts of Christians and Muslims. Thank you for sharing this point.

Let me preface the following commentary by stating that I have respect for the faith of the religious and my observations are meant in no way to diminish the experience you and billions of others have with your personal theologies.

The problem is that the only thing that would be demonstrated by "signs from the sky" is that your religion, and many others, have preserved a sophisticated system of time keeping based upon astronomical observation. Many cultures, world wide, and across the ages, held a very logical view that time was cyclical. In my, and many others, opinion they conveyed this information in the form of symbolic allegories. There's no real reason to suppose that legends and prophecies of the end of the world are any different. I'm sure many if not all of you have heard of the "Age of Aquarius" (from the musical "Hair" at the very least). We are in fact on the brink of a major age shift (although exact dating is difficult) as the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. That the transition from Pisces to Aquarius (the precessional equinox moves "backward" through the zodiac, more on that in a moment) is without question the most significant zodiacal age shift as it represents the beginning of a new zodiacal great year (Aquarius is the first sign of the zodiac, see your daily horoscope column in your local newspaper for confirmation of this), an event that hasn't occurred in approx. 26,000 years.

The following information is largely paraphrased from "Hamlet's Mill" by Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha Von Dechend.

De Santillana and Von Dechend compellingly contend that "Cosmic phenomena and rules were articulated in the language, or terminology, of myth..." meaning that archaic symbols were pictorial and verbal representations of a specific scientific language.

Equinoctial and solstitial points do not remain forever at the same spot on a sphere of fixed stars. They move along the ecliptic in the opposite direction of the yearly course of the sun, opposite to the yearly sequence of zodiacal signs (Taurus to Aries to Pisces instead of vice versa). That's what is called the Precession of the Equinoxes (so named by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus in 127 BCE).

The position of the sun among the constellations at the vernal equinox indicated the "hours" of the precessional cycle. The equinotical sun occupies each zodiacal constellation for about 2,200 years. The constellation that rose in the east just before the sun marked the position in which the sun resided. So basically, circa 5,000 BCE the sun was in Gemini and has moved slowly into Taurus, then Aries, and then Pisces, which it still occupies. Our age is marked by the advent of Christ (note the prevalent fish symbolism of the Christ mythos). Because Virgil, shortly before the Anno Domini, stated "a new great origin of centuries is now being born..." he's been lauded as a prophet of Christianity, but there's no prophecy involved if he or his sources were aware of the precession, just a statement of observable fact. The preceding age of Aries was heralded by Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai as "two-horned", crowned with the Ram's horns while his people insisted upon worshipping the "Golden Calf" of Taurus (and note the symbolism that was preserved in the Greek myth of the Aries-like warrior Theseus slaying the man-bull Minotaur).

Very few eschatological myths actually describe the annihilation of all existence, including Revelations. Even the monumental Twilight of the Gods, Ragnarok, from Norse mythology depicts the end of a world, a world age. Catastrophe cleans away the past replaced by a "new heaven and a new Earth" ruled by a new Pole star (due to the tilt of the Earth's axis the Pole star shifts. Around 3,000 BCE the Pole star was alpha Draconis, during the time of the Greeks it was beta Ursae Minoris, now it is alpha Ursae Minoris, in 14,000 CE it will be Vega).

Wikipedia definition of the Ecliptic

Maybe this phenomenon is part of the manner through which your creator is conveying a message to humanity. Perhaps cosmological position does affect the quality of time and space. It could be that the Age of Aquarius will coincide with an exposure of our solar system to microwave streams and cosmic dust, or the like, that will affect our sun in such a way as to make the planet inhospitable to life on Earth, although it seems unlikely that the effects of that would be felt within any of our natural lifetimes. Personally I believe even the most compelling "end signs" are symbolic indicators of a profound astronomical awareness expressed by the ancients and communicated through myths and legends to the present, often with great distortion. That realization is profound enough, I think, and easier to fall asleep thinking about than the end of all that is. YMMV.

Originally posted by Jeremiah25
XTasawwufX

I am afraid that I must echo the sentiments of Whompa1 and ask you what you feel makes the coming years especially relevant or important? Why do you think that the End Times may be imminent? The reason I ask, which I hope you understand is not out of disrespect, is simply that in each and every generation there have been those who believed that massive upheavel, if the not end of the world itself, were going to occur within that generation. Furthermore, many of the signs that are held to be early warnings of the End Times are inherently vague and obtuse. War in the Middle East, for example, is nothing new and were we to use this qualifier we might point to many periods throughout history as equally if not better examples of the fulfillment of prophetic signs. I guess what I really want to ask is this: what happens if there are no signs during Safar? How long will the End Times be delayed as it keeps not happening? At what point do you finally say "Okay, it's not likely to happen in my lifetime"?

Just as an aside, I have always been extremely interested in the rather significant differences in the portrayal of Jesus (pbuh) in the End Times accounts of Christians and Muslims. Thank you for sharing this point.

-- When Al Mahdi appears.. this would be an event leading up to the end of times about Midway to the end of times. When Prophet Jesus comes ... we still have a 1-2-3 or more generations after his appearance. Now we weren't given any specfic dates. Just to look for some signs. If the signs don't happen to appear.. no need to panick. Its justs a good idea to prepare your mind if anything does happen. Don't want to be unprepared like our brothers and sisters in New Orleans. Only thing being is that .. what will happen .. will be far worse than most people can imagine.

originally posted by Cicada[/]
...it represents the beginning of a new zodiacal great year (Aquarius is the first sign of the zodiac, see your daily horoscope column in your local newspaper for confirmation of this)...

As any one who followed my advice and looked at their daily newspaper horoscope can tell you this is false. Aries is listed as the first sign of the zodiac (I'm not sure why and will try to research the matter. Perhaps it pertains to the spring equinox?) The misconception was mine and not my sources. I'm guessing my misconception was based upon the fact that Aquarius is the first sign after the New Year. I apologize for this mistake which has no real bearing on the rest of the information on my post. Thank you.