In these turbulent times, as the world appears to slip further into chaos, people are turning to end-times prophecies for guidance or for comfort. Such prophecies exist in several major world religions—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, the three Abrahamic religions—and some lesser-known ones such as Zoroastrianism. All of these ancient revelations predict the appearance of a messianic figure who will raise humanity from the depths of darkness and inaugurate a new era of light.
“… all major faiths foresee a future age that will unfold under the leadership of enlightened or divine beings.”
The principal religions of the East, Hinduism and Buddhism, point to the end of an evolutionary cycle rather than the end of the world that we know, as in the prophecies mentioned above. Yet all major faiths foresee a future age that will unfold under the leadership of enlightened or divine beings.
Among the main religions that contain end-times prophecies, the Abrahamic traditions of the Middle East and the West, there is a marked consistency among the key elements, with some variations on the themes. They are as follows:
- Humanity will face a period of great tribulation with increasing wars, famines, plagues, earthquakes, fires and floods. False messiahs will appear. Morality will decline, violence will increase, society will degenerate, and religion will fade away. The world we know will be destroyed.
- Cosmic signs will appear, and a divine or divinely inspired avatar will emerge to bring an end to human suffering and the struggle between good and evil. The souls of the living and dead will be judged, deeds will be accounted for, and a final judgement will occur, resulting in assigning souls to a heaven or a hell.
- The forces of good will triumph and a divine kingdom will be established on Earth. Some religions foresee “a new heaven and new Earth,” others predict a new golden age in which humanity will acknowledge spiritual truths, and virtue and righteousness will be restored.
In Islam, end-times prophecies appear in two bodies of teachings. One is the Quran, the sacred scripture believed to be the word of Allah, revealed to the Prophet Muhammed through the angel Gabriel over the course of 23 years. It combines prayers, historical narratives, and laws that form a code of conduct practiced by Muslims worldwide. The other body of teachings, called Hadith, is based on sayings of Muhammed and anecdotes about his life from those who knew him well.
Little information about the end-times appears in the Quran; the main source is the Hadith. Scholars of Islamic eschatology point out that the order of events is not entirely clear as accounts scattered through the Hadith and Quran sometimes differ from one another. Adding to the uncertainty is Islam’s teaching, shared by Christianity and other faiths, that only God knows the timing of events. Yet Islam holds that distinct signs will appear to indicate “The Hour“—the moment when history will consummate with the judgement of souls, the precursor to the dawn of a new era.
The onset of the end-times will be marked by the appearance of the Dajjal, a false messiah often compared to the anti-Christ. He is portrayed as a master deceiver, claiming to be a prophet and then a fully divine being. He will seek to be deified and worshipped, yet his reign will be characterized by cruelty and treachery. With a vast army at his command, he will conquer much of the world—except for Mecca and Medina, the holiest cities in Islam.
As a sign of “The Hour,” Jesus will return to end the reign of the anti-Christ and purify the world. He will confront the Dajjal in Damascus and will ultimately defeat him. According to the Sunni tradition, which represents the majority of Muslims worldwide, the Prophet Jesus will affirm the truth of Islam and will assume leadership of an Islamic theocracy.
Shiite Muslims also believe that Jesus will return, but that he will be closely linked with a messianic figure called the Mahdi, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammed. The Mahdi is described as a divinely inspired leader who will guide his people toward a world of justice and peace. Jesus will support him and collaborate with him in defeating the Dajjal. There are some who believe that Jesus and the Mahdi are one and the same. In Sufism, the mystical current of Islam, Jesus’ return is often interpreted as the opening of the human heart and the triumph of spirit over matter.
“In most Islamic teachings, Jesus is seen as a prophet who will fulfill God’s plan in the end-times.”
In most Islamic teachings, Jesus is seen as a prophet who will fulfill God’s plan in the end-times. It is believed that his appearance will signal the approaching Day of Judgement. In Sunni teachings, among the panoply of events predicted to occur during that period of time, it is written that people from around the world will gather in Syria, where it was foreseen that the Prophet Jesus would confront the Dajjal.
In Damascus, inside the great Umayyad Mosque, there are three minarets. The tallest of them is the Minaret of Isa, Arabic for Jesus. Originally constructed in the 8th century, it was destroyed and rebuilt many times due to sieges and fires. For many Muslims, this minaret is a symbol of hope as it is believed that that is the site where the Prophet Isa will descend from the heavens to defeat the dajjal and establish righteousness before the Day of Judgement.
“There are indications that people are increasingly placing their faith in the appearance of a divine avatar…”
For many who are living through these times, the period of tribulation described in religious end-times prophecies is coming into view. There are indications that people are increasingly placing their faith in the appearance of a divine avatar—a higher being who will end the suffering of humanity and inaugurate an era of truth, justice, peace and love. As conditions on Earth deteriorate with no sign of remediation, anticipation of such a figure grows. It is likely that many eyes in the Muslim world will be looking toward Damascus, as Syria rises from the ashes.
September 2025