The future of humanity from the perspective of the Bible
A)
“For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed, the offspring of the wicked will perish. The righteous will inherit the land, and dwell in it forever… The Lord helps them and delivers them, he delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him.” [Psalm 37 28-40]
Apparently, these sentences are from the Book of Psalms of David, which the Noble Quran refers to:
“And We have already written in the book [of Psalms] after the [previous] mention that the land [of Paradise] is inherited by My righteous servants.” (5)
B)
” Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor. May he endure [as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more. May he rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust. May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him. For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight. Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long. May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive like the grass of the field. May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed. Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.”[ Psalm 72]
Some Jews interpret the king as being David himself, and the king’s son as Solomon. However, Christians believe this Psalm is about Jesus Christ. But both theories seem to be invalid. The Jewish theory is flawed because firstly, David was not the bearer of laws and commandments, so he would not ask Allah to bestow His laws upon him. Secondly, it seems highly unlikely that David, in his humility and devoutness, would refer to himself as king during prayer. Thirdly, according to biblical accounts and belief, Solomon’s reign, like his father David’s, was limited to Jerusalem. (7) Fourthly, during Solomon’s era, as explicitly stated in the Bible, oppression and idolatry were not entirely eradicated; in fact, the Bible claims that Solomon himself fell into idolatry towards the end of his life! (8) Lastly, Solomon’s reign, as explicitly stated in the Bible, did not last more than forty years. Therefore, none of the characteristics mentioned in Psalm 72 can be applied to Solomon. (9)
The Christian theory, on the other hand, is flawed because firstly, Jesus had neither father nor son; therefore, the passages in the Psalms cannot apply to him. Secondly, by Christian confession, Jesus never ruled or reigned, even for a single day. Thirdly, according to the explicit testimony of the Bible, Jesus himself was not the bearer of laws but rather a follower of Moses and his Torah. (10)
It seems likely that the ‘king’ referred to as the bearer of laws is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), and the ‘king’s son’ who fills the world with justice refers to the promised Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance). At least, this interpretation aligns more closely with the beliefs of Muslims, particularly Shiites.
C)
“My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds. Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet. Your throne, O God,[c] will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad….”[Psalm 45]
These descriptions can only be true for the Imam of the Age (May God hasten his reappearance), who will establish a global justice system in the future.
D)
In the Gospel, Jesus presented a parable to the people of Israel; the substance of this parable is as follows: a vineyard owner left his garden in the hands of several gardeners and went on a journey. During grape harvest season, the owner sent several people to the gardeners to collect his share, but the gardeners attacked and killed them. The owner sent more people, but the gardeners did the same thing. Eventually, the owner sent his son, but they attacked and killed him as well. After this, Jesus asked his people: “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? “Therefore, I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet….” [Matthew 21, 33-45]
Upon reflection on this parable, it becomes clear that the vineyard owner represents Allah, and the vineyard symbolizes divine religion and law. The gardeners denote the Jews and the Israelites. The emissaries of the vineyard owner, who were killed by the gardeners, represent the prophets of the Israelites (as per the Quran, one of the reprehensible characteristics of the Israelites was their prophet-killing). The son of the owner refers to Jesus who Christians claim is the Son of God. The other nation to whom the owner will hand over the vineyard is the Arab people, from whom the Noble Prophet and the Immaculate Imams, peace be upon them, descended. The stone that the builders rejected, which later became the cornerstone – a stone that will shatter anyone who falls on it or on whom it falls – apparently represents the Imam of the Age; an Imam who, due to the threat of the tyrants and oppressors, had to go into occultation among the people for centuries. Further evidence for this claim can be found in other sections of the Holy Book:
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord, we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.” [Psalm 118, 2-27]
Some Christians suggest that the ‘rejected stone’ signifies Jesus, who will descend from the heavens in the future. However, this explanation is incorrect; the speaker of these words is Jesus himself, and in this narrative, Jesus is symbolized by the owner’s son who is murdered. The usage of the ‘rejected stone’ arises only after this event. Furthermore, the description given to the stone (that anyone who falls on it will be broken and anyone on whom it falls will be crushed) does not truthfully apply to Jesus, who is recognized by all Christians and attested by the Holy Book as a prophet of mercy and love.
The Gospel of John records Jesus as having said: “Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” [ John 12, 44-74]
E)
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law… I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house… The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once.” [Book of Isaiah 42, Verses 1-4, 6-7, 13-14),
The following words describe characteristics that can only be ascribed to Imam Mahdi (May Allah hasten his reappearance). Contrary to the claims of Christians who believe this prophecy pertains to Jesus, the characteristics mentioned do not align with Jesus Christ. He was not a warrior (according to Christians), as his message was one of love and peace; he did not conquer his enemies, nor was he able to establish justice and fairness on earth. Instead, according to the Holy Book itself (not us Muslims), he was crucified and killed by the wicked.
F)
Christians, as mentioned earlier, also believe in the arrival of a final savior and reformer at the end of times, but they regard this final savior to be Jesus Christ. They believe that after being crucified and buried, Jesus rose from the grave three days later and ascended to heaven. They believe that he will return from heaven in the future to fill the world with justice.
In the Holy Bible, these expectations are reflected in various verses such as in 1 Peter 1:13 (NIV):
“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.”
And in the Gospel of Luke 12:35-40 (NIV), these sentiments are echoed further:
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes…It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak…You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
In the Holy Bible, there are verses that speak about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the subsequent gathering of people towards him. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (NIV), it is written:
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us…that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God…But the Lord Jesus will overthrow him with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”
In accordance with numerous traditions, we also hold the belief that Jesus Christ will return at the end of time, coinciding with the appearance of the Imam of the Time. He will follow behind the Imam to lead the congregational prayer and will strive alongside him in the establishment of justice and truth.
G)
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.” [Isaiah 65:17-25 (NIV)]
H)
“Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them– all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger. Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.” [ Zephaniah 3:8-9, 11-13 (NIV)]
I)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” [ Matthew 25:31-32 (NIV)]
