The Details of Judgement Days For Jews and Muslims

The Jewish People’s past history (Deuteronomy 32:7 states: “Remember the days of old; consider the years long past.”) and future Jewish Messianic destinies are important subjects in the Hebrew Bible. So it is not surprising that the Rabbis took a prayer of Prophet Moses, preserved in the Zabur, Prophet David’s Book of Psalms as Psalm 90 “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watchman in the night.” (Psalm 90:4) literally to apply to a future Judgement Day, and the Days of the Mahdi Messiah.

As the Qur’an states “He (God) runs everything, from the heavens to the earth, and everything will ascend to Him in the end, on a Day (Judgement Day or the Days of the Messianic Age) that will measure a thousand years in your (human) reckoning.” (Qur’an 32:5)

One example of this should be of interest to both Jews and Muslims. The Nistarot d’Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the “concealed matters” or “secrets” of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was first published in 1743. However, scholars trace back its first publication to sometime in the early 8th or late 7th century. The text says that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, after 40 days and nights of prayer, had a vision of the Kenites (Byzantine Romans); followed by a vision of the kingdom of Ishmael (the Arabs) who will succeed the Byzantine Romans. This text includes many details of the Muslim conquest of the Holy Land in the 7th century.

The archangel Mettatron then informed Rabbi Shimon ben Yokhai that: “The kingdom of the Kenites (the future Byzantine Romans) will come to Jerusalem, subdue it, and murder more than thirty thousand in it. Because of the oppression with which they (the Byzantine Romans) oppress Israel (the Jewish People) the Blessed Holy One will send the Ishmaelites (Arabs) against them (the Byzantine Romans) to make war with them, so as to deliver the Israelites from their hand.”

The anonymous author of the “Prayer of Rabbi Shimon ben Yokhai” viewed the replacement of the Christian Byzantine Roman Empire, by the Muslim Arabs, as an act of God; which rescued the oppressed Jewish communities throughout the Near East, and especially in Jerusalem, from Christian Byzantine persecution.

In 614 CE a Persian army, supported by thousands of Persian Empire Jewish volunteers, had captured Jerusalem. This event is referred to in the Qur’an: “The Romans (Byzantines) have been defeated in the nearest land (Syria/Israel). But after their defeat, they will overcome (the Persians) within three to nine years. To Allah belongs the command before and after.” (30:2-4)

In 628 CE the Romans (Byzantines) did recapture Jerusalem, and they massacred all those Jews who had returned to Jerusalem during the period of Persian rule. Yet just one decade later, Arab armies had conquered and displaced the Roman (Byzantine) rulers from Egypt to Iraq.

The Nistarot d’Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai states that Israel will experience nine months of hardship, the “birth pangs” of the messiah, based on Micah 5:2. This means Edom (Rome), especially the Eastern Roman Empire) will rule (harshly) over Israel (the Jewish People) for nine months. After this, the first messiah, Mashiach ben Yosef, will come “and he will bring them up to Jerusalem. He will rebuild the Temple and offer foods.”

At this point, an evil king named Armilus will arise. Some identify Armilus with Gog from the prophecies of Ezekiel. The name “Armilus” derives from Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome (ie. Edom). Armilus will invade Israel and wreak havoc for 45 days. Something like a third of the population will perish, among them the Mashiach ben Yosef. After this the second messiah, Mashiach ben David, will slay Armilus, and usher in a thousand year kingdom of God on Planet Earth.

The concept of two messiahs is mentioned in the Talmud (Sukkah 52a). But, Nistarot d’Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says there is no absolute necessity for there to be two messiahs: “If they are not worthy, the messiah of the lineage of Ephraim [the son of Yosef] comes; but if they are worthy, the messiah of the lineage of David will come.” In other words, the whole catastrophe with Armilus-Gog can be averted if the Jewish People are very meritorious as suggested by the Rabbinic Sages in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 98a): Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi raised a contradiction: It is written: “There came with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man…” (Daniel 7:13).

And it is also written: “[Behold, your king will come to you…] lowly and riding upon a donkey…” (Zechariah 9:9). So if they merit, the messiah will come “with the clouds of heaven”; if they do not merit, the messiah will come “lowly and riding upon a donkey”.

When it comes to prophecies, the Jewish view is that negative prophecies do not have to be realized, since they are warnings. Positive prophecies, however, will be realized. Therefore, in the ideal case there is only one messiah, Mashiach ben David, and no need for a Gog u’Magog-style conflict. If that is not the case, then first will come the Mashiach ben Yosef to lead the Jewish People through difficult times of rectification.

The Secrets of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai states that after Mashiach ben David establishes the kingdom there will be two thousand years of peace and prosperity. Only after this will Judgement Day come, when people will be sent to a post mortem Eden above or a fire below. The two thousand-year figure appears to be based on Psalm 90:3-4, which states: “You turn man to penitence; and say: ‘Return, you children of men.’ For a thousand years in Your sight are as yesterday when it is past…”

The Hebrew term “a thousand years”, elef shanim, can also be read as “two thousand years” (elef shanah is singular, while shanim implies double or more). So, God gives mankind two thousand years or more to “return” and repent before Judgement Day.

In any case, in the following centuries, Jews from Spain to Mesopotamia lived much freer lives under Muslim rule than previous centuries of Christian and Zoroastrian rule. Rabbi Mukhayriq was right in thinking Muhammad would begin a new era in world history. Perhaps his devotion to a Messianic future of peace and brotherhood can inspire Islamic and Jewish religious leaders today to heal past wounds, and make Jerusalem a city of peace for the future.

There is a Talmudic teaching (Sanhedrin 97a) that divides up the 6,000 years of human written history in three stages: two thousand years of “chaos polygamy, two thousand years of “Torah”, and two thousand years of Mashiach. This does not necessarily mean that the era of Mashiach will last two thousand years. After all, the Talmud wasn’t completed until about 1500 years ago, which was already well into the final two thousand-year period.

What the Jewish Sages meant was that the final two thousand years of history is when the window is open for Mashiach to come. If Israel merited it, Mashiach could have come centuries ago.

With this in mind, it isn’t clear if a new two thousand-year period will begin after Mashiach ben David comes, or that we are already within this period of potential, and whenever Mashiach ben David does come, we will have however many years are left over until 6000. The latter makes more sense in light of the Talmud.

Nistarot d’Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai concludes with a famous teaching that also appears in the Midrash and Talmud. In Nistarot it is written more concisely, as follows: “And this will be the sign for you—when you see that at the beginning of one week there is rain, and in the second the loosing of the “arrows of hunger”, and in the third a severe famine, and in the fourth no hunger but no satisfaction, and in the fifth there is great satiety. A star shall appear from the east with a “rod” on top of it—this is the star of Israel, as Scripture says: “a star shall step forth from Jacob…” (Numbers 24:17). If it shines, it is for the benefit of Israel. Then Mashiach ben David shall emerge.

Our Rabbis taught: in the seven year cycle at the end of which the Son of David will come, in the first year, this verse will be fulfilled: “And I will cause it to rain upon one city and cause it not to rain upon another city” (Amos 9:7); in the second, the arrows of hunger will be sent forth; in the third, a great famine, in the course of which men, women, and children, pious men and saints will die, and the Torah will be forgotten by its students; in the fourth, partial plenty; in the fifth, great plenty, when men will eat, drink and rejoice, and the Torah will return to its disciples; in the sixth, [Heavenly] sounds; in the seventh, wars; and at the conclusion of the septennate the Son of David will come.

ISLAM The sinners demanded to hasten the punishment (“adhab”) (Qur’an 22:47), if the punishment is truth. God tells that what you count as 1000 days to him it is like (Arabic: “ka”) just one day (so it is an allegorical comparison). Thus, the end of the world event might seem far to the human. But God sees that event as very near. They see it as something distant, but We see it near. (Qur’an 70:6–7).

During the end of the world event, what will happen to the angels and ruh which continuously descend and ascend to and from our created world (34:2)? Will they also die with us? Angels and ruh will ascend to a very far realm so much so that they need 50,000 years to reach that realm through a “stairway” (Arabic: “ma’arij).

God is called the lord of ma’arij (Qur’an 70:3), that’s why the name of the chapter is also “stairway” or “ma’arij”. It is described in the first 10 verses of chapter 70. For this 50000 years, no comparison with human-year has been made. If Earth is already destroyed by that time, human counting is irrelevant.

Then finally a trumpet will be blown, and even the angels will fall dead. And a second trumpet will be blown and everything will be resurrected, and the world will shine with the glory of God (Qur’an 39:67–69).

I have written this paragraph with vivid description, but take it allegorically, as the true nature of a different realm cannot be comprehended. Ma’arij also means “a way to ascend”, so it is not needed to visualize it as a literal stairway that the angels with wings will literally climb. We just don’t know how does the “ascension” happen.

I quote from a commentary of the Qur’an that summarizes the main message of these verses: the implication of this verse is that the punishment is bound to come because the threats and promises of God are certain to materialize; however, exalted is His majesty and He is the Lord of many levels and stairways. The commands that originate from His court have their own program and time-frame. His Day is equivalent to a thousand “human” days; for this reason, man should not judge the length of God’s Day on the basis of his limited measurements. (Tadabbur e Qur’an)