A Comparison of the Biblical and Islamic Views of the States of Christ

Part 2: The State of Exaltation

Gerry Redman

Introduction

In the third paper in this series the comparative examination of the Biblical and Islamic presentations of the states of Christ continues, studying the critical stages in the life and ministry of Christ as outlined in the Bible, and examining the Islamic equivalent (if any), to comprehend the contrasting portraits of the life of Jesus. In this paper, the bedrock of the Christian faith – the resurrection – is examined. Equally, the ascension of Jesus, common to both Islam and the Bible, will be studied, together with their distinctive characters, as will the present condition of Jesus in Paradise and His Second Coming. By this comparative 'biographical' analysis of the life and ministry of Jesus the differences and similarities of the two systems can be analysed, as well as the question of their respective inner consistencies or otherwise. Before going further, we should observe that for Christian theology, the state of exaltation is paradoxically, the result of the state of humiliation - Philippians 2:9-11. The position of the lowly sufferer is exchanged for that of the majestic, heavenly glory.

1. The Resurrection

A. The Biblical view

(i) The Renewed Body of Christ

Philippians 3:21 ('who will transform the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working whereby He is able even to subject all things unto Himself') informs us that our resurrection bodies will be of the same pattern as that of Christ, a thought echoed in 1 John 3:2, ('Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like him...'). Hence, His characteristics indicate the nature of our somatic lives in the future.

(a) It was a real body - Christ was not a disembodied spirit; He specifically denied this in Luke 24:39. This is underlined by the fact that he could eat - Luke 24:30; 41-43; John 21:12; Acts 10:41. This does not mean that, as Muslim polemicists like Deedat claim in Crucifixion or Cruci-fiction, p. 60, Jesus had not died at all; such an assertion is a complete non sequitor. Rather, it reveals the nature of the resurrection body – that Jesus was not a ghost, but had truly, bodily risen. At any rate, given that Muslims believe that resurrected believers will enjoy material blessings in the Final State, including eating and drinking, Deedat's position is self-contradictory. As for Deedat's assertion that Luke 20:36 teaches that resurrected believers are 'angelised', this refers only to their immortality, and the fact that immortal beings such as angels do not marry.

(b) Its essential state was invisibility and thus immateriality. Harris observes that the most common verbal form denoting His resurrection experiences is ophthe, which means 'he came to visibility'.51 Luke 24:44 supports this, Harris notes that the beginning of an appearance is invariably mentioned, but rarely the disappearance.

(c) He was no longer bound by spatial, materia1 limits. He could walk through a sealed tomb, Matthew 28:2, 6; through closed doors, John 20; 19, 28; could transport without physical movement, Luke 24: 36; and effect instant appearance and disappearance, Luke 24:31, 36. He could materialise at will and thus localise.

(d) When localised in heaven, His body appeared radiant - Acts 7:55-56; 9: 3-9; Revelation 1:12-16.

(e) From the fact that the body was missing from the tomb, and as Thomas could feel the wound in the body, we see that it is the same body, only renewed: identity-in-transformation.

(ii) The Nature of the Resurrection

(a) It is important to distinguish the resurrection body of Christ from those raised previously. Although others had been restored to life in both Old Testament and New Testament times, e.g. 1 Kings 17:17-24; Luke 7:11-17, there is a qualitative difference between a body so-revived and the resurrection body of Christ. The former remains a normal body which the grave will one claim again: the latter is a swma pneumatikon soma pneumatikon, spiritual body, which can walk through walls (e.g. John 20:19, 26), materialise and de-materialise, etc.

(b) Another difference is that whilst a revived carnal body would eventually return to the grave, a spiritual body will not. The bodies of Lazarus and the daughter of Jairus were revived, their spirits returned to their natural bodies, and the grave would one day claim them again. Christ, however, has been resurrected through death, to a glorified body, never again to return to the grave. This is because the latter does not belong to the Present Age, but to the age to Come - the Resurrection Age. The former comes back from death, the latter through death, conquering death for eternity, Romans 6:9, 'knowing that Christ being raised from the dead, will not die again; death has no more dominion over him. 10 For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he lives, he lives unto God.'

(iii) Significance of the Resurrection

(a) Christ is the 'firstfruits' of the Resurrection Age - 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23. He is the 'bearer of destiny' for Man, so inasmuch as the (Second) Man has risen, the Resurrection Age has arrived - its powers have invaded the Present Age. Significantly, the phrase for 'resurrection' used in Romans 1:4 ex anastasewv nekrwn ex anastaseos nekron is plural, indicating that His resurrection is the inauguration of the Resurrection Age. As Bruce comments, '...Christ's resurrection is denoted by a phrase which hints at the future resurrection of the people of Christ; His resurrection is the first instalment of "the resurrection of the dead", as viii.11 makes plain (cf. 1 Cor. xv. 20-23).'52

(b) This being so, the resurrection of Christ is the surety of our resurrection - 1 Corinthians 15:22; Romans 6:8; 8:11. Again, Christians can look forward to a resurrection body after the pattern of the Messiah. The present possession of the Holy Spirit is the guarantee to the believer that the Spirit of Him who resurrected Jesus will equally resurrect us. Harris comments on this:

A comparison of 2 Corinthians 1.22 and 5.5 shows that for Paul 'sealing' denoted God's giving of the Spirit as a pledge. But the crucial question remains: as a pledge of what? Paul states, 'Now God himself has prepared us for this very purpose and has given us the pledge of the Spirit' (2 Cor. 5.5). The 'purpose' referred to is the receipt and possession of the spiritual body which verses 1-4 have described in various ways: as the acquisition of a building from God (v. 1), as investiture with a heavenly dwelling (v. 2), and as the swallowing up of the mortal body (v.4). The Spirit, then, is the pledge God has given the believer of the acquisition of an immortal body (vv. 1-2) through the transformation of the mortal body (v. 4)... God's gift of the Spirit is therefore not only the fulfilment of promise (Gal. 3.14; Eph. 1.13) but also the promise of fulfilment (2 Cor. 5.5; Eph. 1.14).53

(c) The Resurrection allows for the impartation of the Life of the Kingdom of God - Philippians 3:10; Acts 2:31-33; 13:32-34, 37-38; Mark 10:23, 30. The 'other Paraclete' of John 14:16 – i.e. the Holy Spirit - imparts the life of the Risen Jesus - Galatians 2:20.

(d) Christ is the embodiment of the Kingdom of God, and that such is perfectly realised in the Resurrection Age, Luke 20:34-35; 1 Corinthians 15:50. In Old Testament, the Kingdom of God was expressed and operated through the mediatorial reign of the House of David. Despite the fall of the latter, the prophets looked to its restoration in a new age characterised by the outpouring of the Spirit through the person of the Messiah.54 When we examined the significance of the Baptism of Jesus, we saw that the Baptism presaged the Restoration of Israel through the Messianic reign, and that Jesus 'is the embodiment of the Old Testament Messianic Hope, of the Kingdom of God and of the New Covenant... As Jesus begins his ministry after this, we can see that the bestowal of the Spirit was the divine 'call' or 'ordination' - the King and the Servant were to characterised by the anointing with the Spirit.' O. P. Robertson observes in regard to the restoration of the Davidic reign through Jesus that the title 'Christ' indicates 'that his distinctiveness resides in his being "anointed" by God's Holy Spirit...'55

In the person of Jesus the Messiah, this new age the prophets anticipated has arrived, established through the Resurrection. Hosea 6:2 predicts that the Israelite Kingdom would be restored 'after three days'. 1 Corinthians 15:4 alludes to this in respect to the Resurrection of Christ. Thus the Resurrection of Christ is the Restoration of Israel that the Old Testament looked toward; this is further evidence by the frequent reference in 'Acts' to the Resurrection as the 'Hope of Israel' - 23:6; 26:6-7; 28-20. Ezekiel 37:11-13 pictures the resurrection of the nation of Biblical Israel (in context, this refers to its spiritual and political restoration after the Babylonian exile, rather than to a physical restoration), and this is linked to the reign of the Davidic King i.e. the Messiah. Isaiah 49:8 predicts the restoration of Israel, a text quoted in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2. The latter announces that this has been fulfilled. The message of 'Acts' is that the state and nation of Israel is restored in the Resurrection of Christ. N. T. Wright states concerning this aspect of the Resurrection:

The gospel of the early church, of Paul, of the evangelists, is that the promises of the Jewish scriptures had come true in the resurrection. That is why Paul and others keep insisting that Jesus' death and resurrection happened 'according to the scriptures', or in fulfilment of them... the point of such ideas is that the scriptures as a whole tell of the covenant; of the exile as the result of Israel's god punishing his people for their sins; and of the great 'return' that will happen when that dark period is finally over and done. What the early church is saying, when telling the story of Jesus' resurrection and announcing it to the world as the summons to obedient faith, is that the history of, and promises to Israel had come true in Jesus, that in his death he had taken the exile as far it could go, and that in his resurrection he had inaugurated the real return from that real exile.56

Of course, whilst fulfilled, the restoration of the True Israel is not consummated until the Return of Christ. This was the basis of the disciples' question in 1:6 - 'will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' The reply of Jesus with regard to the question of 'times and seasons' is similar to his reply to the disciples' query in the Olivet Discourse about 'the close of the age' - Matthew 24:3, 36 - namely, that such is in the hands of the Father alone. The disciples rightly perceived that with Christ's resurrection, the Resurrection Age had arrived, and queried if this was to be completed by the General Resurrection - which is the culmination of the Kingdom of God, established at the Coming of Christ. What we find in 'Acts' is that the Davidic State is restored, but not consummated: Acts 15:16ff regards Amos 9:11ff as fulfilled - the Restoration of the Biblical State of Israel (i.e. not the modern state claiming that title) is a past event which occurred with the Resurrection of Christ.

(e) Christ's resurrection appoints Him, as the Son of God with power - Romans 1:4. It vindicates His claims and ministry. This is important for Christian discussion with both Jews and Muslims. We saw earlier that the apparent Muslim denial of the Crucifixion, whatever the nature of that denial, resulted from dispute between Muhammad and the Medinan Jews. The Jews, no doubt looking back to the divine curse on anyone hanging on a tree in Deuteronomy 21:22f, regarded the cursed death (i.e. crucifixion) of Jesus as the demonstration that His Messianic claims were false. Hence the statement in 1 Corinthians 1:23 that the preaching of 'Christ crucified' was a stumbling block to Jewish belief in Jesus as Messiah. As far as the Jews were concerned, the death of Jesus was not just their negative estimation of His Messianic claims, but more pointedly a divine judgment on Jesus, and as we saw, the Talmud precisely advanced that tenet.

Since it was essential to Muhammad's claims to prophethood that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the rather ambiguous denial of what the Jews asserted about the crucifixion of Jesus had to be refuted in some way. For Christians, the matter is resolved by the Resurrection. The Jews had judged Jesus wrongly. God had vindicated His Anointed One. This is the import of Acts 2:32 'This Jesus God raised up, of which we all are witnesses... 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for sure, that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.'57 As Harris writes:

For those with eyes to see, Jesus had received divine accreditation by his 'mighty works, wonders and signs' (Acts 2.22). But such accreditation was effectively cancelled in the eyes of even responsive Jews, when Jesus was crucified. The cross reversed the verdict of responsive Jews and confirmed the suspicions of the unresponsive: Jesus had been rejected by God. But the Resurrection was the great divine reversal. The same one who had once declared 'a hanged man is accursed' Deut. 21.23) now declared 'this hanged man is accepted' (cf. Acts 3.1-15). He whom man rejected, God accepted and installed as his Messiah, no longer Messiah-elect or simply Messiah de jure but Messiah de facto. Since the God-appointed messianic destiny remained unfulfilled until Jesus had suffered, it was only after and because of his suffering that he could be acknowledged as Messiah in reality. Responding to the question of the high-priest at his trial before the Sanhedrin, Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?', Jesus spoke of their being future witnesses of his 'sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven' (Mark 14.62).58

The resurrection also demonstrates that God affirmed the crucifixion as the redemptive act for Humanity. Jesus did not just die as a martyr, all that He had said previously about His death being the 'ransom' for all, Mark 10:45 (cf. 1 Timothy 2:6) was proved to be the case. The resurrection evidences that the death of Christ is indeed the means of salvation. The cross was the path to the Messianic crown, Luke 24:46. Since He was innocent of any wrong-doing, He was crucified for our trespasses, Romans 4:25, and as the Suffering Servant, indicated at the Baptism, He was the One on whom 'the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all'. Jesus was manifested in the flesh, and justified by the Spirit, 1 Timothy 3:16.

Of course, as the text demonstrates, the resurrection validates the claims of Jesus to divine sonship – it proves Islam wrong; Jesus is indeed, the Son of God. This claim was the very reason the Jews killed Him – John 19:7 – the resurrection is God's answer. The voice at the Baptism and Transfiguration as to the unique sonship of Christ, the revelation Gabriel gave to Mary, Luke 1:35, the claim Jesus made to Nicodemus, the Son who had a unique relationship with the Father, Matthew 11:27, and with the Spirit in the Trinity, Matthew 29:19, the positive answer He gave to the High Priest's question as to whether He was the Son of the Blessed in Mark 14:61-62, is shown to be true. God said it was true by resurrecting Him. Hence, those denying His unique eternal sonship will be judged, John 3:18. 2 Corinthians 13:4 'for he was crucified through weakness, but He lives through the power of God.'

(f) The references to Christ's resurrection as being 'the Hope of Israel' indicates that this event was what the Old Testament was about, and Paul's comments in 1 Corinthians 15, especially v 14, indicates this is also true of the New Testament. It is vital to the resurrection schema to recognise that Adam and Christ, being the Bearers of Destiny for the Race, are Representative prototypes for Humanity - Romans 5:18-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23; 47-49. Their actions and experiences had consequences for all in solidarity with them: thus, when Adam fell, Humanity fell in and with him; and when Christ rose from the dead, the New Humanity rose also. Spiritually, this becomes actual when a person receives the Holy Spirit, and thus experiences the spiritual benefits of resurrection life with Christ – Roman 7:6; Galatians 5:25. Humanity has already entered the Resurrection Age. Christ is the first fruits of the Age-to-Come - Acts 4: 2; 26: 23; 1 Corinthians 15; 20, 23; Colossians 1:18 - He is the Guarantee of our resurrection.

This is borne out by Acts 2:25-32, quoting Psalm 18 - David was confident of his own resurrection because he knew God would not allow His Holy One (Hasid) - i.e. Christ - to see corruption; David was "in Christ", thus like Him, he would rise again. Paul repeats this thought in Acts 13:32-37 - Christ, by His resurrection, fulfilled the promises to the Patriarchs and to David. Further, we see from all this that the Resurrection of Christ is the Hope of Israel. All Israel - is the Church - is "in Christ", and thus His Resurrection fulfils the promise of the Restoration of Israel - 1 Corinthians 15:45 has in mind, among other texts, Hosea 6:2.

(g) We summarise much of the preceding by referring to historic Christian Confessions of Faith. Article IV 'Of the Resurrection of Christ', of the Church of England's 39 Articles states 'Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again His body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherefore He ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until He return to judge all men at the last day.' Article III of the Augsburg Confession declares that Jesus

...truly rose again the third day; afterward He ascended into heaven that He might sit on the right hand of the Father, and forever reign and have dominion over all creatures, and sanctify them that believe in Him, by sending the Holy Ghost into their hearts, to rule, comfort, and quicken them, and to defend them against the devil and the power of sin. The same Christ shall openly come again to judge the quick and the dead, etc., according to the Apostles' Creed.

Article 45 of the Heidelberg Catechism, answering the question, 'How does Christ's resurrection benefit us?', answers as follows: 'First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, so that He could make us share in the righteousness which He had obtained for us by His death. Second, by His power we too are raised up to a new life. Third, Christ's resurrection is to us a sure pledge of our glorious resurrection.' The Second Helvetic Confession, Chapter eleven, explains the nature of the Resurrection, of Jesus in relation to the characteristics of His constitution – that He possessed a real body:

Christ Is Truly Risen from the Dead. We believe and teach that the same Jesus Christ our Lord, in his true flesh in which he was crucified and died, rose again from the dead, and that not another flesh was raised other than the one buried, or that a spirit was taken up instead of the flesh, but that he retained his true body. Therefore, while his disciples thought they saw the spirit of the Lord, he showed them his hands and feet which were marked by the prints of the nails and wounds, and added: 'See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have' (Luke 24:39).

(iv) Objections to the Resurrection

(a) Deceit: The disciples stole the body and circulated the idea that Christ had risen. Such was of course, the response of the Jewish authorities in Matthew 28:11-15. The likelihood that a group whose ethics stressed Truth and Peace would do this is small, but further, one may ask how realistic it is that they would be able to overcome the Prussian-like efficiency of the Roman Army in a sort of comical guerrilla operation! At any rate, no-one has ever alleged this, and as far as soldiers falling asleep on duty is concerned, cf. Acts 12:19. Moreover, people would have challenged the Christians to show their risen Messiah, and failure to do so would have undermined the cause.

It much be stressed that the Christians were speaking to a largely hostile audience who would have been quick to pick holes in their arguments. Thus the Church would have been meticulous in is presentation of the Truth. The elaborate precautions that the Hierarchy and the Governor undertook are in themselves evidence for the veracity of the gospel account. There were about five hundred witnesses of the Risen Jesus, 1 Corinthians 15:6. Above all, as we have suggested, Biblical faith is based on the fact of Christ's resurrection, so it is difficult to imagine the disciples as continuing to believe in something like the Messianic Kingship of Jesus if its foundation was invalid.

(b) The Vision Theory: It is suggested that the psychological pressures that came upon the disciples following the death of the One they thought was the Messiah unhinged them, and that visions of Jesus were produced by this pressure. Apart from the fact that the experience of the Risen Jesus was often a group affair, we must remember that such were not the products of meditation, etc, but experienced in everyday life. Conversation occurs between the Risen Christ and His followers - scarcely appropriate for the kind of vision envisaged here. Moreover, we much remember that the disciples were not necessarily disposed to believe in the resurrection: cf. the scepticism of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Luke 24:22-24, and especially that of Thomas, John 20:24-29.

(c) The Mythical Theory: This thesis holds that the origins of the resurrection faith are to be found in Oriental Mystery cults which often stressed the death and resurrection of a god. Such theories, however, consistently fail to establish direct linkage between mystery cults and gospel accounts, and further, ignores the difference that it is the resurrected humanity of Christ in the New Testament that is emphasised.

(d) The Swoon Theory: Christ did not die but merely fainted, to be later resuscitated either naturally or by the disciples. The severe tortures Christ experienced, together with the spear in His side, rule out such a proposal. Could such a weakened man be able to push back the stone, overcome the guards, walk to and from Emmaus, etc.? What became of Him afterwards? Of course the Ahmadi/Qadiani sect, viewed as heretics by orthodox Muslims, actually do propose this hypothesis, claiming that He swooned, recovered, migrated to India and is now buried in Kashmir!

Mirza Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya, always strove to discredit the truth about Jesus. In the first volume of his book, 'Baraheen', he followed the traditional Islamic belief about Christ. However in 1891 he put forward a new doctrine that Jesus was crucified but did not die on the cross. Instead he swooned, was removed from the cross and later died in Galilee. According to his teaching the Qur'an (Surah 4:157-158) 'does not deny the fact of Jesus's being nailed to the cross, but denies his having died on it'. This was indeed a deviation from orthodox Islamic belief that Jesus was taken up to heaven by divine intervention at the cross, without having suffered crucifixion at all.

In 1899, Mirza modified this idea in his book, Masih Hindustan Main, Jesus in India. After escaping from the cross, Jesus received divine healing by the application of some special ointment. He then left Palestine and travelled to Syria, Persia and later came to India, where he stayed in Kashmir to preach the gospel to the lost tribes of Israel. According to Mirza Ahmad, Jesus died in Kashmir at the age of 120.59

Masood has observed that despite their traditional hostility to the Qadianis, orthodox Muslim have been at worst plagiarising, at best employing the ideas of Ahmadis on many Christian dogmas. Deedat, despite his popularity among mainstream Muslims, appears to have imbibed this idea in some form. In his polemical tract, Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction, p. 43, Deedat seems to affirm that Jesus was still alive when taken down from the cross – he contends that the Jews were 'under the false assumption that he had died.'60 Indeed, Deedat affirms most strongly on the following page that Jesus was still alive! Gilchrist expresses his amazement that Deedat is willing to employ an Ahmadi argument like this.61 The title (and contents) of one of Deedat's pamphlets, Resurrection or Resuscitation?, does seem to point in this direction.62

One thing is certain; according to the Qur'an, as we have seen, Jesus was either bodily assumed into Paradise, or He died as a consequence of the divine decree. Orthodox Muslims do not have the Qadiani option open to them; the body taken from the cross, whatever its identity, could not, on the basis of Islamic doctrine, have been alive when it was removed. If it were someone else, like Judas, the resurrection could not have occurred, and therefore the charade Deedat presents in his writings on the subject would have been impossible. At any rate, the Muslim belief that Jesus is now in Paradise prior to His Second Coming fatally compromises Deedat's theory.

(e) The Gnostic/Muslim Theory: As we have seen in the previous paper, both Gnostics and Muslims (usually) believe that Christ did not really die on the Cross, but rather that a double from the crowd took His place. Gnostics held it was Simon of Cyrene, Muslims usually hold that it was Judas. There are many obvious and clear objections to this, as we have seen, but suffice it to say that the Romans were guarding Jesus, and it is hard to imagine how such a thing could have happened. A theory like this impugns the integrity of Jesus, that He would permit such an occurrence, and then appear three days later to lie by claiming His resurrection. Christ definitely claimed both death and resurrection - Revelation 1:18.

B. The Islamic view

[i] The Resurrection of Jesus

Taking the Qur'an and Sunnah together, as we suggested in our previous paper, it is clear that the authoritative sources of Islam deny that Jesus died on the cross. This being the case, it is clear that Islam does not hold that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, since, obviously, resurrection presumes death. Instead, Jesus is believed to have been bodily assumed – in His natural body – into Paradise. Islam, however, does hold that Jesus will one day die, and be raised again - S. 19:33 - 'So Peace is on me the day I was born the day that I die and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)'! The Hadith definitely speaks of the future death of Jesus:

One interesting point, considering the urgent concern of modern Muslims like Ahmed Deedat to controvert the idea of Christ's resurrection, is that the Qur'an nowhere denies this Biblical tenet! The Qur'an does not explicitly affirm the resurrection of Jesus, but neither does it deny it. Perhaps this explains the emergence of various Hadith and traditions about Jesus to address this anomaly. In fact, were it not for the Hadith, we could, if we took the interpretation of the text in S. 4:177 proposed by Muslims like Taha, conclude that the text addressing Christ's resurrection, S. 19:33 - 'So Peace is on me the day I was born the day that I die and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)' actually supports the Biblical view! Even if we take the majority Muslim view about the Substitution theory, it is strange that there is no explicit denial of Christ's resurrection, given that other specific Christian dogmas are clearly denounced – 'Say not "three"', 'Jesus was no more than an apostle', 'the similitude of Jesus is like Adam', the denial of His being the Son of God, etc. Given the importance of Christ's Resurrection for Christians, and the polemics that have traditionally surrounded this belief down to the present, it is puzzling that rejection of this doctrine found no place in the Qur'an, not even the assertion that the Christians got the timing wrong!

It should be remembered that the natural meaning of mutawaffika is 'caused to die', and its usage in S. 4:157, as well as in S. 3:55 and S. 5:117 (tawaffaitani), in the latter two texts immediately followed by His exaltation to God's presence, do not preclude belief in the resurrection. In fact, given the fact that Muslims hold that S. 43:61 teaches the Second Coming of Jesus, it would make more sense that He had been resurrected and then exalted to Paradise, and to return bodily. After all, given that the Qur'an does seem to teach that Jesus was made to die, it would be strange and incongruous to believe that a disembodied spirit would 'return' from Paradise, to fight, marry and rule! 

[ii] The Nature of the Resurrection Body

Since Islam does not hold that the General, Final Resurrection has commenced with the resurrection of Jesus, there is a paucity of information about the nature of the resurrection body in Islamic sources. Certainly, the future resurrection of Muhammad gives no pattern for it. According to Fiqh, the resurrection body according to Islam will be just as the natural body, though with the implication that it will be immortal.63 Some texts teach that the wounds of believers will be transformed into musk, whilst other threaten the wicked and unbelieving with disfigurement. It can be seen that one text even teaches that the souls of believers are placed inside the birds of Paradise. Most definitely, the future resurrection of Jesus after His return, reign and death presents no pattern for the resurrection body of believers. As we shall see, the Islamic view of Paradise – including during the Resurrection state – involves the resurrected body enjoying material pleasures, such as eating fruits, consuming wine and milk, and especially having sexual relations. 

[iii] The Significance of the Resurrection

Jesus will be present on the Day of Resurrection, and will have two special roles. One, according to the Qur'an, will be as a witness against the Jews for disbelieving in Him – S. 4: 159 'And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment He will be a witness against them.' The other, according to the Hadith, seems to be as the Agent of the Resurrection, but not according to the Biblical portrait. Rather, it is simply His arrival that causes it, though it must be stated that this contradicts other ahadith which present Jesus as living for forty years after Hid descent, and also give priority to Muhammad:

Sahih Muslim Hadith 293

Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah

I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: A section of my people will not cease fighting for the Truth and will prevail till the Day of Resurrection. He said: Jesus son of Mary would then descend and their (Muslims') commander would invite him to come and lead them in prayer, but he would say: No, some amongst you are commanders over some (amongst you). This is the honour from Allah for this Ummah.

Rather than the activity of Jesus, we find instead that Muhammad's role of intercession will be vital, although this is to be found in the Hadith, as opposed to the Qur'an, which merely affirms the reality of the Day of Resurrection, and of God's action in bringing it about.64 According to the Hadith, Muhammad will have eschatological priority over other prophets, and cause Paradise to receive Muslims – 'On the Day of Resurrection I shall be the bearer of the banner of praise under which will be Adam and the others... I shall be the first intercessor and the first whose intercession is accepted on the Day of Resurrection... I shall be the first to rattle the knocker of Paradise, and Allah will open for me and bring me into it accompanied by the poor ones among the believers... I shall be the most honourable in Allah's estimation among those of earliest and latest times....'65

A similar tradition states clearly that Muhammad (and therefore not Jesus) will be the chief of all the people on the Day of Resurrection.66 Indeed, one tradition implies that Muhammad may be more important than Jesus on the Day of Resurrection, if, as is probably the implication, Muhammad has more followers on that Day than any other prophet.67 This is also supported by the belief that Muhammad will be the first to be resurrected, clearly demonstrating that the position of Jesus has been supplanted by Muhammad:

Other ahadith appear to contradict this claim of Muhammad's priority.68 It can be seen that the unique and crucial position Jesus holds in Christianity is given to Muhammad in Islam. However, the differences are singular; Muhammad, unlike Jesus, did not rise from the dead, and so it follows he is not the pledge of the General Resurrection. In Eschatological terms, this means that unlike the Biblical schema, according to Islam, the powers of the Age to Come have not invaded the Present Age. At any rate, since Islam does not have the sense of 'eternal life' realised in the present, but simply holds that Man, having made the Shahadah, is capable of submission to divine precepts, the importance of Christ's resurrection for the present sanctification of the believer does not arise. As for the Hope of Israel and its relation to Christ's resurrection, this has no direct equivalent in Islam.

However, it could be argued that there is a rough equivalent to the Restoration of Israel in the ministry of Jesus bringing the Gospel to testify to the truth of the Torah. In our previous paper we noted that Yusuf Ali comments on Surah Al-Ahqaf 46:12: 'The last revealed Book which was a Code of Life (Shari'at) was the Book of Moses; for that of Jesus was not such a Code, but merely moral precepts to sweep away the corruptions that had crept in...' In that regard, the resurrection of Jesus along Biblical lines would be superfluous. At any rate, it is the Muslim Ummah, rather than the Christians, the Ummah of Jesus, who will have priority on the Day of Resurrection.69 They are also the first Ummah to come forward on that Day, and Muhammad will be the first to raise his head.70

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.239

Narrated by Abu Huraira

Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said, 'We (Muslims) are the last (people to come in the world) but (will be) the foremost (on the Day of Resurrection).'

2. The Ascension

A. The Biblical view

(i) The Fact of the Ascension

Luke refers to it twice, Luke 24:50ff; 50 'And He led them out as far as Bethany: and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: 53 and were continually in the temple, blessing God.' In Acts 1:6-11 we read the following:

6 'They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, are you at this time restoring the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father has set within His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you: and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they were looking continually into heaven as he went, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 who said, You men of Galilee, why are you looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall come in the same way as you saw him going into heaven.'

The structure of John depends on the schema of Descent-Ascent: 6:62 – 'What then if you should see the Son of man ascending where he was previously?'; 14:2 – 'In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were otherwise, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.'; 14:12 - 'Truly, Truly, I say unto you, whoever believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and he will do greater works than these; because I go to the Father'; 16:5 – 'But now I go to Him who sent me', 10 – '...I am going to the Father, and you shall see me no more' (cf. v17), 28 'I went forth from the Father, and came into the world: again, I am leaving the world, and going to the Father.'; 17:5 'And now, Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was'; 20:17 - 'Jesus said to her, Do not hold on to me; for I have not yet ascended to the Father: but go to my brothers, and say to them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God."'. The theme is that Jesus will ascend to where He was before - Heaven. This testifies to His pre-existence, and thus His deity.

The nature of Ephesians 1:20ff implies the reality of the Ascension – '...when He raised Him from the dead, and caused Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 and He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him to be head over all things to the church...' Ephesians 4:8-10 is explicit in affirming its reality – '8 ... When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. 9 (Now this, "He ascended", what does it mean other than that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)'. 1 Timothy 3:16 in all probability refers to it - 'taken up in glory'.

The same is true of 1 Peter 3:22 – 'who is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven; angels and authorities and powers being made subject to Him'. Hebrews 1:3 ('when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high') and 6:19-20 ('...which enters within the veil; 20 where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek') imply it, with 4:14 ('Having then a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God') and 9:12 ('...through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place...'), 24 ('For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, like a pattern of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us') being explicit. It is essential to the heavenly Session of Christ, and texts mentioning the Second Coming of Christ, e.g. Philippians 3:20 presume it ('For our citizenship is in heaven; from where we also wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ') - if He is to return from heaven, He must have first ascended there.

It is interesting to observe the differences between the Qur'anic and Biblical views of the Ascension at this point. The Qur'anic material mentioning the ascension is sparse and ambiguous, whereas as we can see, there is abundant Biblical evidence for the event, both at the time, and predicted by Jesus Himself, despite the claims of Deedat that it is generally absent from the gospels (he seems to ignore the Gospel of John).71 He also ignores the evidence of the Apostle Peter. Moreover, unlike the 'substitution' rescue most orthodox Muslims believe, the Biblical presentation of the ascension reveals a public event – one witnessed by a number of people – Luke 24:33ff (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:6); Acts 1:1-14. Harris notes the use of the imperfect tense anaphereto in Luke 24:51 – 'he was [slowly] taken up', and the reference in Acts 1:9 to a cloud removing Jesus from the sight of His disciples.72

The Muslim view, however, depends purely on belief in the Qur'an as revelation. Obviously, the 'Muslim ascension' could have had no eyewitnesses, and so none could have recorded it. There is no objective evidence for it. The Biblical ascension, did have eyewitnesses. As we can see, the event is given mention elsewhere in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul was literally stopped in his tracks by the vision of the Ascended Jesus – 1 Corinthians 15:8. The very fact that Jesus predicted His Second Coming implied it. The event has real significance, not least because Jesus in heaven continues to perform His ministry, unlike the Islamic portrait. The Biblical narrative of the Ascension is more logically consistent than that of Islam in this respect. Nor does it rely on a purported revelation six hundred years after the event for evidence.

(ii) Its Nature

It represents a change in the location of Jesus - He moves from one place (earth) to another (heaven): this must be stated, since not only is the condition of Jesus changed, i.e. from humiliation to exaltation, but the place wherein this glory is realised is necessarily different - heaven, not the cursed earth Jesus ascends to a heavenly throne.

The Ascension is a bodily assumption of Jesus - it is not just His spirit that is taken up. It is a necessary event, since only in heaven could he be enthroned, and also because the cursed earth is not the proper place for the resurrection body - 1 Corinthians 15:44, 48-49. A heavenly body demands a heavenly home. The event points to the manner of the Second Coming - that of a visible, bodily return - Acts 1:11. This is important for the comparison with the Islamic viewpoint. This verse indicates the parallel between two supernatural events – the ascension of Christ to heaven, and His return from there – that it will occur in like manner. The same is not true of Islam.

(iii) Its Significance

Christ was with the disciples for forty days teaching and convincing them of the reality and nature of the Resurrection e.g. Luke 24:42. In this respect, the bodily ascension of Jesus evidences the truth of His resurrection (and thus prior death). As we have seen, many people had the chance to vie the resurrected one, and the fact that He was the assumed into heaven disproves the Qadiani/Deedat theory that Jesus did not really die or rise again. His death had supernatural connotations, His resurrection was obviously supernatural, so was the event which marked His departure from the Earth. The fact that He was received into Heaven marks the divine acceptance of His sacrifice and ministry. It was the public testimony by God, similar to the Voice at the Baptism and Transfiguration, as to the nature of Christ – His unique sonship – 'I am ascending to My Father...' John 6:62 points to the ascension as indicating Christ's pre-existence – 'where He was before'. It is His return to heavenly glory – Philippians 2:8-9ff. This was true of neither Enoch nor Elijah.

Further, as Harris points out, the resurrected body of Jesus did not have a natural habitat on the present earth, but rather in heaven.73 As Hebrew 9:24 puts it, Christ has entered 'into heaven itself.' Henceforth, there was no opportunity for ordinary sight of Jesus - faith alone was the vehicle (cf. John 16:10.) His earthly ministry is completed, and He ascends to begin His heavenly Royal and Intercessory work. It is necessary for His purpose of preparing a place for His disciples - John 14:2-3. Matthew 28:19-20 points to the fact that Christ's kingdom is of a universal, rather than particularist nature - and effectively this could only be exercised from heaven. Linked to the preceding point, it is essential for Jesus to ascend to heaven for the Spirit to be poured out on all flesh - John 16:7-10: the Spirit is the sign of the Kingdom - Acts 2:33.

The Westminster Confession of Faith summarises Biblical revelation about the resurrection and ascension of Jesus in Article four of Chapter eight: 'On the third day He arose from the dead, with the same body in which He suffered, with which also he ascended into heaven, and there sits at the right hand of His Father, making intercession, and shall return, to judge men and angels, at the end of the world.' Article 46 of the Heidelberg Catechism answers the question:

'What do you confess when you say, He ascended into heaven?' by stating 'That Christ, before the eyes of His disciples, was taken up from the earth into heaven, and that He is there for our benefit until He comes again to judge the living and the dead.'

The Catechism further develops this theme by exploring the aspects of the ascension, specifically in answer to 'How does Christ's ascension into heaven benefit us?', which it answers by declaring: 'First, He is our Advocate in heaven before His Father. Second, we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that He, our Head, will also take us, His members, up to Himself. Third, He sends us His Spirit...' The Second Helvetic Confession examines the purpose and character of Christ's ascension in its eleventh chapter:

Christ Is Truly Ascended Into Heaven. We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ, in his same flesh, ascended above all visible heavens into the highest heaven, that is, the dwelling-place of God and the blessed ones, at the right hand of God the Father. Although it signifies an equal participation in glory and majesty, it is also taken to be a certain place about which the Lord, speaking in the Gospel, says: 'I go to prepare a place for you' (John 14:2). The apostle Peter also says: 'Heaven must receive Christ until the time of restoring all things' (Acts 3:21).

B. The Islamic view

It is significant that although Muslims, especially those holding to the 'substitution' theory of the crucifixion, believe Jesus ascended to Paradise, there appears to be no significance to the subject in either the Qur'an or Hadith other than the idea that in some way, this frustrated Jewish intentions, and the obvious, bare fact that at His Second Coming, Jesus will descend from Paradise. At best, on the 'substitution' theory, the ascension was a rescue mission. Obviously, it was not visible, not attended by angels, and did not involve a change in status. According to the 'substitution' theory, it was a bodily assumption, although this is not clear from the Qur'an. Rather, it is an implication from the Hadith, based on the idea of His return.

As indicated previously, there is no parallel in Islam between the method of Christ's ascent to Paradise and His return from there – one is secret and invisible, the other is open and visible. As we shall see, unlike the Biblical concept of the Ascension, there is no sense in Islam of the ascent of Jesus being a continuation of His ministry; rather, it is an interlude. Though there might be some indication that His ascent to heaven aided His relatives (see below), it does nothing for the generality of the human race. He has not gone to prepare a place for anyone. It can be seen that there is no logical progression in the Qur'an between the earthly ministry of Jesus and His ascension. Effectively, His ministry terminates until the time of His return. There is no meaningful significance for the Ascension in the ministry of the Islamic Jesus.

Perhaps this is partly because Muhammad supplants Jesus in this respect. We have already seen that one aspect of the Miraj is roughly equivalent to the Transfiguration. However temporary Muhammad's Ascent to the heavens may be, according to Islam he accomplishes more during this short-lived event than Jesus does in all the time He is there. Jesus, as we shall see in the next section, 'The Session', performs no function whatsoever in Paradise according to Islam. Muhammad, however, manages to establish the actual number of prayers Muslims will have to say, by bargaining with God.74 We shall see in the next section that in this respect, the consequences of the ascent of Muhammad is equivalent to the effects of Christ's session – the establishment of His kingdom, the New Testament Church, and its nature as a worshipping community through the gift of the Spirit.

3. The Heavenly Session

A. The Biblical view

We have noted the connection between the Resurrection and the Kingdom. The time Christ actually commenced His cosmic reign was after the Ascension, when He was seated at the right hand of the Father. We note the following:

[i] Nature

The Resurrection is defined in Acts 13:32-34 as the fulfilment of the Promises to the Patriarchs and to David – '32 And we bring you good tidings of the promise made to the Patriarchs, 33 that God has fulfilled this for us, their progeny, in that He raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, You are My Son, this day have I begotten You. 34 And having raised Him up from the dead, never to return to corruption, He has spoken thus, "I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David."' The reference to David indicates that the nature of the Promise/Covenant involves Kingship, Genesis. 17:6 respecting Abraham's progeny – 'kings shall from you'. McComiskey writes about this aspect of the promise to Abraham: '...as the history of the ancient Hebrews unfolded, and they became a nation in their own land, they felt the need for a king and the Israelite monarchy was born. It was then this promise to Abraham began to be realized.'75

The Covenant commitment to Abraham that royalty will be his offspring is narrowed specifically to the House of David in 2 Samuel 7:12-14, which promises David that his offspring will be king – 'I will establish your offspring after you... 13 ...I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son...' It is significant that Psalm 72:17 states that the Promise to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him is renewed but the fulfilment thereof is assigned to the Davidic King, so that the Seed of Abraham will be the Son of David: 'His name shall endure for ever; His name shall continue as long as the sun: All nations shall be blessed in him; And men shall call him blessed'. The fulfilment of all these covenant promises is found in Matthew 1:1, which refers to Jesus as 'the son of David, the son of Abraham'.

Further, 2 Samuel 7:14 states that the son of David would also be the son of God, reiterated in Psalm 2:7, which Acts 13:33 states is fulfilled in the Resurrection. We should note that 2 Samuel 7:12 LXX says anastasw to sperma mou meta se ...anastaso to sperma mou meta se... which may be translated 'I will resurrect your offspring after you...'76 Most importantly, it is clear that the throne of David is coterminously the throne of the Lord God - 1 Chronicles 29:23 - 'Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king...' [Significantly, the Kingdom is stated to be both God's and Christ's - Ephesians. 5:5]. It is clear that the aspect of divine sonship involved here is synonymous with kingship - when the son of David mounted the throne, then he became the son of God in this sense. As the Heir of David the King, he was the Heir of God, but he was only inaugurated as such and entered into the full exercise of his power when he ascended the throne. This necessitated His death and resurrection, and thus His Ascension into heaven.

This is the meaning of Acts 13:33, and we can see the significance of 2:30-31 - '...knowing that God had sworn to him (David) to sit the fruit of his loins upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ...' and the throne of David is located at the right hand of God in heaven - v33 - 'Being therefore lifted-up to the right hand of God'. The Session of Christ fulfils the covenant with David, reconstituting the Biblical State of Israel, 15:16 ('After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the fallen tabernacle of David'). Of course, Christ was already a King before the resurrection and Session, but with the latter, He is inaugurated into the exercise of His full authority, particularly to the Cosmic aspects of such - the exercise of Kingship was no longer confined to Palestine. This is the significance of Acts 2:36 - '...God has made Him Lord and Christ...', 'lord' here signifying kingship, rather than deity.

This also demonstrates the logical consistency of the Biblical view. Jesus is presented as continuing in heaven the ministry He exercised and proclaimed on the earth – the Kingdom of God (better, the Reign of God) – Mark 1:15 ('The Time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is near') and Luke 17:21 ('the kingdom of God is in your midst'). The essential difference is one of intensification - this ministry is unchallenged and universal (not limited to Palestine). One of the great Biblical scholars of he twentieth century was George Eldon Ladd, who wrote extensively on the Kingdom of God. He made the point that the Kingdom of God was present in 'Jesus' person and message.'77 His disciples, the recipients of His 'messianic salvation became the true Israel...'78 This continues with the Session, by the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have already seen the relation of the gift of the Spirit to the restoration and resurrection of Israel and the Davidic monarchy, especially with regard to Ezekiel 37:13ff:

13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and you shall know that I, The Lord, have spoken it and performed it, says the Lord.... 23 ...I will ...cleanse them: so shall they be My people, and I will be their God. 24 and My servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk according to My ordinances, and observe My statutes, and do them.

On the Day of Pentecost, the Resurrected Davidic King – the Messiah – bestowed the Spirit on the true Israel, that they might have eternal life and walk blamelessly before God. We should remember the import of Romans 1:4 – the Resurrection of Jesus was not only individual, but commenced the collective resurrection of redeemed Humanity. When he rose from the dead, Israel was resurrected, and the Holy Spirit imparted the eternal life of the risen Messiah to His disciples, making them the true Israel. This is the context and meaning of Peter's sermon in Acts 2:33 – 'Being therefore exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this, which you see and hear.' Those who received the Holy Spirit of the Messianic Davidic King – He is actually called the Spirit of Christ – Romans 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11 – become the true subjects of the Davidic King, and thus the true Israel. F. F. Bruce writes about this:

... on the Day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus' death and resurrection, the disciples 'were all filled with the Holy Spirit' (Acts 2:4). When the crowd of spectators was amazed at the visible and audible phenomena which marked the event, Peter explained that Jesus, crucified by men but raised from the dead by God, was now 'exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear' (Acts 2:33).

The baptism of the Spirit, or baptism with the Spirit, is thus the work of the risen Christ. By this act he brought his church into being. The church - the people of God in New Testament times - is continuous with the people of God in Old Testament times; but on that day of Pentecost it experienced a new beginning, a spiritual rebirth. Jesus is the representative of the people of God in Old and New Testament times alike; when he descended into death and rose again, the people of God symbolically died and rose with him. 'The Spirit of him raised Jesus from the dead' now came to dwell in his followers and made them a new community - the community of which Jesus had said 'I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [the powers of death] shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18) Whereas the people of God in Old Testament times; had been almost entirely confined to members of one nation the reborn people of God, endowed by Jesus with his speedily came to embrace men and women of many nations. ...in 1 Corinthians 12:13...'in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body' ... the meaning of the Pentecostal event is made plain. It is the risen Christ who baptizes his people - all his people –'in one Spirit', and by this baptism they are incorporated 'into one body'..79

We should remember the connection of the Spirit with the first manifestation of the restoration of Israel at the Baptism of Jesus. The timing of the Pentecostal outpouring is significant. The Spirit could only be given when Jesus was enthroned in heaven, by the right hand of the Father. Jesus had promised the Spirit to His disciples in John 16:7ff, and connected this to His exaltation - 'Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 and when He comes, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ...10 of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will no longer see me...' Again, there is clear, logical progression and consistency in the Biblical presentation.

We find this same logical progression and consistency with respect to the cosmopolitan nature of Christ's kingship. We have seen that the covenant-promise to Abraham stated that all nations would be blessed through him and his progeny, and in Psalm 72:17 this is specifically related to the Davidic King – i.e. the Messiah. It can be seen that the renewed Israel would be a multi-ethnic people. Muslims like Badawi, as we have seen earlier, claim that Jesus was only an emissary to the Jews, usually citing Matthew 15:24 'But He answered and said, I was only not sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' In doing so they ignore the context of the narrative – that Jesus was testing the faith of the Canaanite woman, and that once she passes the test, He grants her request.

Jesus also predicted that whilst many Jews would reject the gospel, many Gentiles would receive it - Luke 13:28 'There shall be weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, but yourselves cast out. 29 And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.' When Jesus witnessed the faith of the Roman Centurion, He predicted the incoming of the Gentiles - Matthew 8:10 And when Jesus heard it, he was amazed, and said to His followers, Verily I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel. 11 And I say to you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: 12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.'

Of course, in the main, Jesus' earthly ministry was largely restricted to Palestine and the adjacent lands, which meant that His primary focus was on Jews, but we can see from these predictions that Jesus definitely saw His ministry as leading to the salvation of Gentiles and their incorporation into the People of God. John 3:16 states that the reason for the Incarnation was that God loved the world, and not just the Jews. Jesus was conscious that His death would draw all humanity – John 12:32 'And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Myself.' It can be seen that the Session is a logical progression from the Passion in this respect. Similarly, the ironic, unintentional prophecy of the High Priest testified that Jesus would die in the nation's stead, to which the inspired gospel adds that He would die in the stead of all humanity - John 11:49-52 '...Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, it is expedient that one man should die for the people, so that the whole nation does not perish... being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad.'

The last words of Jesus before His ascension concerned the salvation of the Gentiles – Matthew 28:19 - 'Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'; Acts 1:8 'But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.' Jesus, as universal king, employs the Church as His instrument to extend His kingdom. Specifically, this occurs after the conversion of Cornelius and the Gentiles in Acts 10:44-45. This was discussed at the Council of Jerusalem, where James, Jesus' half-brother, stated the following:

Acts 15:14 Simeon (i.e. Peter) has reported how first God visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And with this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16 After these things I will return, And I will rebuild the fallen tabernacle of David; And I will repair its ruins, And I will establish it: 17 That the remnant of men may seek after the Lord, And all the Gentiles, upon whom My name is called...

The word translated 'people' is laov laos– i.e. 'chosen people' in a religious sense rather than eynov ethnos – an ethnic group. Essentially, the visitation of God to these Gentiles made them members of the people of God. Hence, it can be seen that with the Session the full significance of the term 'Messiah' – the anointed Davidic King is realised. He reigns over all, and brings about the extension of the reign of the House of David to include all humanity. His message and work was for all humanity, as He demonstrated when he healed the servant of the centurion and the daughter of the Canaanite woman, He died for all humanity, as testified by the Gospels, He commissioned the Church to proselytise all humanity, at Pentecost, as Risen, Ascended King He poured out the Holy Spirit on all Humanity - Acts 2:17 'And it shall be in the last days, says God, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh...', and His reign is specifically over all humanity. When He returns, He will judge and resurrect all humanity - Matthew 25:32. Again, the Session is a logical progression of His other work.

[ii] Significance

(a) The 'right hand' is the place of royal honour and dignity - 1 Kings 2:19. It is questionable if too much should be made of the fact that Jesus is presented as 'sitting'; He is not resting in the sense of sleeping or being inactive. Note that He is presented as being at the right hand of God, Romans 8:34; 1 Peter 3:22; standing, Acts 7:56; walking, Revelation 2:1. The point of emphasis is simply that Christ is exalted to the place of divine power.

Christ had stated that He would be seated at the right hand of power - Matthew. 26:64. The terminology is drawn from Psalm 110:1 - 'The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make your enemies a footstool for your feet', which verse is quote in Acts 2:34 to indicate its fulfilment. The fact that Christ conflated Psalm 110 with Daniel 7:13-14 in Matthew 26:64 indicates that His position as the Son of Man (a title referring to His heavenly origins, as Daniel 7:13-14 demonstrates) is connected to the Session. In Daniel 7 the 'one like a son of man' comes to God, to receive universal authority. It is significant that in Matthew. 25:31, 34 the Son of Man is a King. Reference to the event is also made in Acts 5:31; Ephesians. 1:20-22; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3, 13; 7:26; 10:12-13; 12:2; Revelation 3:21; 22:1. Christ is referred to as a King in Romans 14:9; 1 Corinthians. 15:24-28; Hebrews 2:7, 8.

(b) The Session is presented as a past event in certain texts, e.g. Acts 2:33ff, 5:31, Hebrews 1:3, 10:12, etc. As Harris says, 'The fact of 'sitting down' points to the completion of a task. When Christ 'sat down' the words 'mission accomplished' were written over his earthly career'.80 In Philippians 2:5-11, Christ is exalted to the highest place, having been obedient to the extent of enduring the crucifixion. To quote Harris again, 'The heavenly glory he had enjoyed in the Father's presence before his incarnation had been restored - and augmented. Jesus is now 'crowned with (fresh) glory...'. At his exaltation he not only re-entered glory but entered into new glory (Luke 24:26; 1 Peter 1:21)...'81

Whilst Christians are destined to rule with Christ, Matthew. 19:28; 2 Timothy 2:12, and are enthroned with Him, Ephesians. 2:6, Christ's own throne is unique. The phrase 'at His right hand' is never ascribed to anyone but Christ.

(c) It is also a present event - as previously stated, He is active now in exercising His reign. The principal characteristic of the latter is the destruction of His enemies. The Heidelberg Catechism rhetorically asks 'Why is it added, "And sits at the right hand of God?"', to which the answer is given 'Christ ascended into heaven to manifest Himself there as Head of His Church, through whom the Father governs all things.' It further questions:

'How does the glory of Christ, our Head, benefit us?', responding that 'First, by His Holy Spirit He pours out heavenly gifts upon us, His members. Second, by His power He defends and preserves us against all enemies.'

Although in some places this cosmological conflict is presented as a work the Father does for Christ, e.g. Acts 2:35, elsewhere it is an act that the Son performs - 1 Corinthians. 15:24-27. Taken in line with Ephesians. 5:5, this indicates that cosmic governance is synergistic and that the Son's role is thus mediatorial. The 'enemies' involved are spiritual forces, both demonic Principalities, Ephesians. 1:20-22, Sin, 1 Corinthians. 15:56-57, and Death, v26, whereupon the terminus of His mediatorial reign is reached, v24, and He returns in glory to the earth.

It is clear from Galatians. 4:3, 9 that the Apostle Paul regards Paganism, Judaism and heretical Christianity as demonic, principally because they reject or undermine the Christ-event. The subjugation and destruction of false religion is thus a major facet of the Session. The first instance of the public, cataclysmic display of the Session of the Son of Man in destroying His foes is the Destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in AD 70, whereupon it would be signified that the Son of Man had come on the clouds to God and been given universal authority, Matthew 24:30. Because it is universal authority, Christ will perform this everywhere for as long as he reigns, and because it is cosmic, it means that there is nowhere in this universe that the power of Satan can withstand that of Christ.

This is indeed what we find in the Biblical presentation of the Session. From the time Jesus begins His ministry, He confronts the Forces of Darkness. Immediately after the Baptism, He successfully faced the assault of Satan in the desert. Thereafter, we find Him exorcising demons – note what He says in Matthew 12:28 'But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.' The fight against demonic forces was also accomplished on the Cross – John 12:31 – 'Now the Prince of this world will be cast out'; Colossians 2:15 'having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.' Hence, at the Session, Jesus perpetuates this ministry. The Kingly reign of Christ both on the earth and from heaven confronts demons. The injunction to perform exorcisms was also a command to His disciples, Matthew 10:8, and after Pentecost we find the disciples continuing this ministry – e.g. Acts 19:12. Moreover, this clash of kingdoms continues directly in the ministry of Jesus from heaven.

In Philippians 2:9 we read that one consequence of the exaltation is precisely this cosmic confrontation which results in Messianic triumph – 'Therefore God highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, whether in heaven and on earth and under the earth'. Harris identifies those in heaven with angels, and those under the earth with demons or the dead or with the 'angelic powers that were commonly thought to rule over the astral, terrestrial, and chthonic regions of the universe.'82 This idea seems to lie behind the thought of Ephesians 6:12 'For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.' This verse in itself points to the fact that the ministry of Christ in heaven is partly realised through the activity of those to whom the Messiah gave the Holy Spirit.

The Church is able to perform this ministry because of the exalted dominion of Christ over the cosmic forces of evil, as a result of God's power, Ephesians 1:20 'which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come' It is clear that the Session actively subjects the cosmic forces to Jesus - 1 Peter 3:22 'who is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.' Several texts, quoting or alluding to Psalm 110, indicate that the Session actively subjugates the cosmic enemies of Christ - 1 Corinthians 15:25 'For he must reign, until he has put all his enemies under his feet' (cf. Hebrews 1:13; 10:13).

The other present aspect of the Session is Christ's heavenly intercession. Jesus is not only a King, but a priest. In fact, He is a King-Priest, after the order of Melchizedek, again a quote from Psalm 110, e.g. Hebrews 5:10 'named by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.' The cross was a priestly work of intercession, Jesus offering the sacrifice of Himself to God for the sins of the world. The death of Christ both propitiates the wrath of God against Man's sin and expiates sin from Man - Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10. This sacrifice is a once-for-all act, Hebrews 9:12; 10:12, but it has continuing consequences. Jesus has a present work as intercessory Advocate in Heaven; as 1 John 2:1-2 presents, if we sin, He acts as our Advocate (paraklhtov parakletos) with the Father. John Murray writes concerning this:

... if Christ as priest after the order of Melchizedek is the mediator and surety of the new covenant as the everlasting covenant, this means that his priestly function is operative in the consummating action which will bring to final and perfect fruition the redemptive counsel of God. The ever-active priestly activity of Christ is thus brought into relation with the consummation of redemption, just as it is his priestly function of making propitiation which ensured by its once-for-all transcendent efficacy and perfection that redemption would be consummated. In other words, the priestly activity of the Redeemer is central in the whole redemptive process. It is because he is a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek that redemption in its Old Testament adumbration had saving effectiveness, that redemption in its objective accomplishment has meaning, and that redemption in its consummation will be achieved.

The heavenly high priesthood of Christ means, therefore, that Christ appears in the presence of God at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens to present himself as the perfected high priest to plead on the basis of what he has accomplished the fulfilment of all the promises, the bestowment of all the benefits, and enduement with all the graces secured and ratified by his own high priestly offering. This is a ministry directed to the Father. This it is pre-eminently. The Godward reference is primary here as it is also in the once-for-all priestly offering. But it is also a ministry on behalf of men. As directed to the Father it has no relevance except as he is appointed for men in things pertaining to God (cf. Heb. 5:1). But since it is a ministry on behalf of men, it is also a ministry which reaches to men in that it involves the administration of the house of God upon earth and the ministration of succour to the people of God in all their temptations and tribulations.83

Hence, it is the very presence of Jesus in heaven that acts as intercession. Romans 8:34 links the death of Christ to His continual intercession for believers, and presents this as also liked to the resurrection – 'who is the one that condemns? It is Christ Jesus that died, rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.' A similar point is made in Hebrews 7:25 'Therefore also He is able to save to the uttermost those that draw near to God through him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.' This intercession could only function in the true, heavenly sanctuary – not in the earthly Jerusalem – Hebrews 8:2. As Guthrie states, 'The work of mediation between God and man depended on the entrance into heaven of the mediator, as the intercessory nature of the Jewish high priest depended on his gaining access to the holy of holies. The session at the right hand of God, secured through the ascension, gives Christ as our heavenly high priest an inestimable advantage over the Aaronic priests.'84 It is clear from Romans 8:34 that this continuing ministry is exercised as a consequence of the Session. Harris writes:

...Christ is presented as a levitical high-priest of the Aaronic order before his session, and a royal high-priest of the order of Melchizedek after his session. Just as the levitical high-priest fulfilled his ministry only when he had brought the victim's blood inside the holy place, so Christ did not fulfil his Aaronic high-priestly role until he had entered the heavenly sanctuary with his own blood and had sat down at God's right hand (Heb. 9.11-12; 10.12). Thereafter he fulfils a priesthood of the Meichizedekian type, acting as a minister in the real sanctuary (Heb. 8.1), interceding for his people (Heb. 7.25; 9.24) and offering up their praise (Heb. 13.15; cf. 1 Pet. 2.5), and guaranteeing their permanent and free access into the holy place (Heb. 4.16; 10.19-22).85

B. The Islamic view

[i] Nature

We have previously noted ahadith about the Miraj mentioning that Muhammad encountered other prophets in his ascent to Paradise, Jesus being among them. This bare fact alone is mentioned. In the Biblical presentation, the Return of Christ is a logical progression of His heavenly activity. He returns to complete His reign and all-round work of salvation. In heaven, He ruled, until His foes were made His footstool. The last foe, Death, is consumed at His return. With regard to the presence of Jesus in Paradise according to Islam, however, it can only be considered an interruption in His active service to Allah. There is no logical consistency between the presence of Jesus in Paradise and His return, as in the Bible. We are not told what Jesus is doing in Paradise, and there seems to be no indication that He is either reigning or uniquely interceding there as in the Biblical portrait. This in itself makes His return all the more incongruous. His very presence there is irrelevant. It should also be asked of those Muslims holding to the 'substitution' theory as to why Jesus remained in Paradise after the threat from the Jews passed – certainly after Christianity was given toleration by the Roman Empire? An American Muslim has faced this question, without giving a satisfactory answer:

As far as what Jesus is now doing up in Heaven, this is a matter of the Unseen known only to Almighty God, and as such, it can only be known through Divine Revelation. I have personally never heard any hadeeths that describe what Jesus, peace be upon him, is doing up in Heaven (not that this necessarily means there aren't any), but as a Muslim, I am not allowed to guess when it comes to matters of the Unseen. Certainly, one might say that 'there doesn't seem much point in this' but part of Islam is trusting in the wisdom of Almighty God... Certainly, Almighty God could have allowed him to be killed (just like other prophets were killed), just as He could have explained what happened to him in greater detail, if He so wished. However, He - due to His Wisdom - chose not to.86

In the absence of data to the contrary, we can only assume that Jesus is held to be behaving in the normal way Muslims in Paradise conduct themselves – enjoying the sensual delights of the place. The Islamic portrait of Paradise involves luxury, rivers of milk and wine, robes and silk, and heavenly voluptuous maidens whose only function is sexual satisfaction for the master.87 This in itself makes the Islamic position logically inconsistent – the hooris warn the 'earthly' wife that her husband is only a 'passing guest', but according to Islam, Jesus will return to earth. Further, He will cease to enjoy these hooris, replacing them, for a while, with a presumably less desirable woman, only to enjoy them again after His death following His forty-year reign on the earth.

Finally, there is a glaring logical inconsistency in the Islamic presentation of the ministry of Jesus associated with His title – al-Masih the Messiah. We have seen that the term refers to the eschatological Davidic King, and surely a king is meant to reign. In the Biblical narrative that is exactly what Christ does in glory when He sits on His heavenly throne. The Islamic Jesus, however, does nothing of the sort when He ascends on high to Paradise. His presence in Paradise is pointless and irrelevant in relation to His title, and the reverse is true as well. It is difficult to see how Muslims can address this inconsistency in their schema.

[ii] Significance

There is one Hadith that implies that a martyr intercedes for his relatives, presumably meaning that his good deed is merited to their account as well.88 If Jesus is counted in some way as a martyr, He may be considered as performing this function. There is no indication that the presence of Jesus in Paradise aids His followers. He is not preparing a place for them, nor performing any salvatory or even prophetic role whatsoever. He is not subjecting His enemies. Instead of Jesus being at the right hand of God, the possibility of Muhammad occupying this position is proposed, with the difference that this occurs after the Resurrection, and from the second hadith in view, the place of supremacy and the role of intercession performed by Jesus during the Session is effected by Muhammad after the Last Day:

It is also clear from this and from another hadith that the right of intercession on the Day of Resurrection belongs to Muhammad, rather than Jesus; another implication of the same tradition is that Jesus was only called to one nation, and so any idea of universal, cosmic kingship for Christ, despite the obvious connotations of the technical phrase Al-Masih, must be rejected by Islam:

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.429

Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah

Allah's Apostle said, 'I have been given five things which were not given to any amongst the Prophets before me. These are:

1. Allah made me victorious by awe (by His frightening my enemies) for a distance of one month's journey.

2. The earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying and a thing to perform Tayammum. Therefore my followers can pray wherever the time of a prayer is due.

3. The booty has been made Halal (lawful) for me (and was not made so for anyone else).

4. Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation exclusively but I have been sent to all mankind.

5. I have been given the right of intercession (on the Day of Resurrection.)'

An inference from other ahadith must be that there is no special act or prayer of intercession possible for Jesus in that He, like other prophets, has used up His special prayer already, leaving only Muhammad with the unique prayer of intercession:

It should be stated that there are contradictory statements in both the Qur'an and Hadith that indicate that Allah alone is the intercessor, different ayat that He allows others to perform this function, traditions that others than Muhammad can perform a present work of intercession, such as the martyrs we examined earlier, and that even Fasting and the Qur'an perform this activity.89 Despite this, there are other aspects that point to Muhammad supplanting Jesus. After his ascent, Muhammad was properly able to establish the Muslim Ummah by the revelation of liturgical prayer, i.e., Salat. Just as the presence of the Holy Spirit produces the New Covenant Church, so the existence of Salat is the key to Islam, since it includes belief in the Qur'an and Muhammad:

Fiqh-us-Sunnah 1.75 Prayer

The prayer is a type of worship consisting of specific statements and actions. It is begun by pronouncing the greatness of Allah, and is concluded with salutations of peace. As prayer is the essence of Islam, we will discuss it here in detail. To state it simply, prayer must exist, for without it Islam can not stand. The Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, "The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer, and the top of its hump is jihad in the way of Allah." It was the first act of worship that was made obligatory by Allah. Its obligation was revealed directly to the Prophet, during his ascension to heaven. Said Anas, "The prayers were made obligatory on the Prophet, upon whom be peace, the night of his ascension to heaven. At first, they were fifty in number, but were reduced several times until they were five. Then it was proclaimed, 'O Muhammad, the order is not changed. These five are (equivalent) to the fifty." As to the authenticity of the report, it is related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i and at-Tirmidhi, who said it is sahih...

It follows that the Miraj also subsumes the act of Jesus at Pentecost. Likewise, it was after the Miraj that Muhammad was able to establish the Islamic State at Medina, again equivalent to Jesus being enthroned on high after His ascension, and in equivalence to Jesus overcoming His foes, Muhammad after his ascent to power in Medina subjected and destroyed his foes – pagans, Jews and Hypocrites by jihad:

Maududi Sura Introductions Surah 17. Al-Israa

This Surah takes its name (Bani Israil) from v. 4. But this name is merely a distinctive appellation like the names of many other surahs and not a descriptive title, and does not mean that "Bani Isra'il" is the theme of this Surah.... The very first verse indicates that this Surah was revealed on the occasion of Miraj (Ascension). According to the Traditions and books on the life of the Holy Prophet, this event happened one year before Hijrah. Thus, this Surah is one of those which were revealed in the last stage of Prophethood at Makkah...

The Holy Prophet had been propagating Tauhid for the previous twelve years and his opponents had been doing all they could to make his Mission a failure, but in spite of all their opposition, Islam had spread to every corner of Arabia and there was hardly any clan which had not been influenced by his invitation. In Makkah itself the true Believers had formed themselves into a small community and were ready and willing to face every danger to make Islam a success. Besides them, a very large number of the people of Aus and Khazraj (two influential clans of Al- Madinah) had accepted Islam. Thus the time had come for the Holy Prophet to emigrate from Makkah to Al-Madinah and there gather together the scattered Muslims and establish a state based on the principles of Islam. These were the conditions when Mi'raj took place and on his return the Holy Prophet brought down the Message contained in this Surah.

4. The Second Coming

A. The Biblical view

Just as there are four schools of Islamic law, so there are four 'schools' of interpretation about the Second Coming among Christians – Amillennialist, Postmillennialist, Historic Premillennialist and Dispensational Premillennialist. All agree that the Second Coming of Christ will finally result in the General Resurrection, Last Judgment and cosmic metamorphosis. There are different nuances within these schools. Hence, what follows is largely based on common understandings of the event; where distinctive elements intrude, they follow the Amillennial viewpoint, regarding the Battle of Armageddon as fulfilled in the Destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, and that the verses in Matthew 24 up to and including v35 refer to the latter event, whilst from v36 onwards we encounter the prophecy of the Second Coming.90 [An excellent book examining the four views is that edited by R. G. Clouse, The Meaning of the Millennium, (IVP, Illinois, 1977)].

[i] Timing

(a) No one knows the time of the Second Coming. Neither will any sign be given: Jesus made it quite clear that the event will be of the same character as the Flood - no sign will be given of the impending act. Even Jesus, as to His human nature, was unaware of its timing - Matthew 24:36. When we study the texts concerning the situation preceding the Flood, we note that no indication was given, apart from the preaching of Noah - 2 Peter 2:5; rather, life went on as normal - Matthew 24:39 (there is no indication in either text of an intensification of evil during the period of Noah's construction of the Ark) - it will come as a complete shock.

(b) This is reinforced by Luke 17:22ff - the event will be as unpredictable as lightning, and as with Sodom, life will go on as usual with no outstanding, obvious supernatural indication of coming judgment.

(c) The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, e.g. 2 Peter 3:10. A thief gives no advance warning of the time of his approach, verbal or otherwise.

(d) The fact that life will go on as normal is further underlined by 1 Thessalonians 5:3 - Jesus will return at a time of peace and safety. At times of conflict and danger, men tend to more seriously consider their spiritual state and future, but with the passing of such they revert to type.

The text indicates that Jesus will return at a period of general security, involving world peace prior to His Second Coming. In this situation, the Second Coming will be like the arrival of the initial labour pains of an expectant mother.

This is not to say that certain things will not occur first - the revelation of the Man of Lawlessness, for example (if in fact such is yet future), or the Great Tribulation of AD 70, but nothing will indicate the timing of the Parousia.

[ii] Its Nature

The Second Coming will have the following characteristics:

(a) Personal

It is a personal return, not figurative - Acts 1:11 indicates that the Return will be of the same fashion as the Ascension, which was personal, cf. Matthew 24:44; Acts 3:19-21; 1 Corinthians 15:22; Philippians 3:20: 1 Thessalonians 2:19, etc. Jesus Himself will directly return to the earth from Heaven.

(b) Physical

It is not a spiritual return - cf. again Acts 1:11. Jesus will bodily return to the earth. Critics have pointed to the meaning of Parousia as 'presence', which may indicate the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost; however, other words are used - apokalupsi' ('revelation'), and epiphaneia ('manifestation') - which point to a public event. Moreover, the New Testament epistles speak of it as a future event - Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 4:15, 16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Titus 2:13.

(c) Visible

Acts 1:11 implies this, as do Colossians 3:4; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28 – 'so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to those that wait for him, unto salvation.' The disciples saw Jesus ascend into Heaven, we will witness His return from there.

(d) Sudden

It will catch people by surprise - Matthew 24: 37-44; 25:1-12; Mark 13:33-37; 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3; Revelation 16:15. This follows from what we examined about the issue of timing – Jesus will come like a thief in the night.

(e) Decisive

When Jesus returns, history as we know it will cease - 1 Corinthians 15:24 - then the end will come.

(f) Glorious

His first coming was in humiliation; His second will be in glory - a glorified body, royal apparel - Hebrews 9:28; myriad angels will accompany Him - 2 Thessalonians 1:7; archangels will herald Him - 1 Thessalonians 4:16; He returns in sovereignty, having conquered His enemies - 1 Corinthians 15:25.

[iii] Its Purpose

(a) To crown His reign: He is ruling now - 1 Corinthians 15:25, but He returns because He has completed the process of overcoming His foes; in fact, He will not return until He has made His enemies His footstool, Acts 2:34-35, until the 'times of restoration', 3:21.

When we consider points (b) and (c), we observe a logical progression between Christ's work on the cross and His ascension and Session. His death conquered him who had the power of death, the Devil - Hebrews 2:14. The Devil was also exorcised by the Cross – John 12:31. It was for this reason the Incarnation took place - 1 John 3:8. During the Session, He reigned until His foes became His footstool; at the Second Coming, they are damned to Hell for all eternity. The Last Enemy is death, 1 Corinthians 15:26, conquered at the cross, vanquished at Christ's Resurrection, annihilated by the Second Coming with the concomitant General Resurrection – 1 Corinthians 15:54.

Equally, the election we noted as characterising the Restoration of Israel in Christ's ministry, from the Baptism onwards, and then applied to all humanity, is climaxed at His Return, when the Righteous inherit the New Heaven and the New Earth, whilst those who rejected Jesus as Lord and Saviour are damned to Hell.

(b) To resurrect the dead: 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16. The Dead in Christ rise first, followed by those believers yet alive being rapt into the air. This completes the General Resurrection commenced with Christ's own resurrection.

(c) To judge all humanity, living and dead, and to damn all demons - Acts 10:42; 17:31; Romans 2:3-16; 1 Corinthians 4:5 etc. Matthew 25:31ff indicates that the Righteous and the Wicked are separated at this point, the latter to Hell, the former to their 'inheritance' - the Renewed earth. The destiny of demons is settled – they are removed from this sphere, and damned to Hell with those rejecting the Lordship of Christ - Matthew 25:41.

(d) To establish the New Earth: the cursed earth is laid bare, and the Renewed Earth formed, 2 Peter 3:7, 10, 12, 13; cf. Acts 3:21. Just as we are resurrected, so is the earth - Romans 8:18-24. The ancient promise to righteous Israelites, those who truly walked in the faith of Abraham, that they would inherit the Land, Psalm 37:11, and renewed to the cosmopolitan True Israel at the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:5, where it is expanded to include the entire earth, now comes to fruition, in fulfilment of the covenant-promise to Abraham that his offspring would inherit the Land and ultimately, the earth – Romans 4:13. This brings us full circle to the promises to the Patriarchs, and demonstrates the logical consistency of the Biblical position. What is important for us at this point is that this is effected by the Return of Christ in glory.

[iv] Place?

There is no indication in the New Testament of Christ returning to any particular locality - not even in Revelation 20. Acts 1:11 speaks only of the manner of the event. Appeal is sometimes made to Zechariah 14:4 - that He will tip His toe on the Mount of Olives, but this is unviable because:

(a) The language is anthropomorthic - no first century Jew imagined YHWH as having literal, physical feet (cf. Old Testament terms like 'outstretched arm', 'the Hand of YHWH', etc.). Furthermore, there is no indication that this is a Messianic prophecy; usually, such predictions are couched in terms describing the Messiah as 'David', 'the Branch', etc. However, such titles or descriptions are completely absent.

(b) The second half of Zechariah belongs to the genre of apocalyptic and prophetic imagery - and so should not be interpreted in a crass literalistic fashion.

(c) The text speaks of the Temple, localised worship, and sacrifices, v21 - all obsolete in the New Testament age - Hebrews 8:13.

(d) Zechariah 14 is set in a time of war, whereas the New Testament represents Jesus as returning at a time of peace. Further, Christ's conflict with the demonic forces is cosmic and spiritual, not physical.

(e) The New Testament presents Jesus as being in the air and then on the throne at His coming: and the fact that the Judgment and the Resurrection occur at this time would seem to undermine a literal understanding of Zechariah 14.

(f) At any rate, the old earth is laid bare at His coming, so old localities are destroyed. 

We can summarize Biblical teaching on the Return of Christ by examining the Westminster Confession of Faith declares about the Second Coming of Christ in Chapter XXXIII - 'Of the Last Judgment':

1. God has appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world, in righteousness, by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
2. The end of God's appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy, in the eternal salvation of the elect; and of His justice, in the damnation of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient. For then shall the righteous go into everlasting life, and receive that fullness of joy and refreshing, which shall come from the presence of the Lord; but the wicked who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments, and be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.
3. As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin; and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity: so will He have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come; and may be ever prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly, Amen.

B. The Islamic view

Muslims are agreed that Jesus will return to earth one day. It is an essential element of their faith. However, there is little or no indication in the Qur'an that this will definitely occur. The text that is usually presented as evidence for this is S. Az-Zukhruf 43:61 – 'And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour) but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way.' Yusuf Ali comments: 'This is understood to refer to the second coming of Jesus in the Last Days before the Resurrection, when he will destroy the false doctrines that pass under his name, and prepare the way for the universal acceptance of Islam, the Gospel of Unity and Peace, the Straight Way of the Qur'an. (43.61)'

Gilchrist observes that this interpretation commands wide support among Muslims: 'Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi also has a similar comment on this verse in his translation, saying "The reference is to the second advent of Jesus" (The Holy Qur'an, Vol.2, p.493B). Indeed the vast majority of Muslim commentators take Surah 43.61 to be a prophecy of the descension of Jesus to earth, an interpretation sustained for centuries in Muslim writings. The anticipated event has become known as the nuzul-i-Isa, the "descension of Jesus".'91

However, it should be observed that Yusuf Ali is interpreting, rather than strictly translating the Arabic here at this point (which can be either 'it' or 'he' – obviously, Yusuf Ali chooses the latter pronoun to make it refer to Jesus); Pickthall renders it 'there is knowledge of the Hour', which is closer to the original, especially as ilm is usually translated by 'knowledge' rather than 'sign'. It does well to examine the context:

57 When (Jesus) the son of Mary is held up as an example behold thy people raise a clamour thereat (in ridicule)!

58 And they say 'Are Our gods best or He?' This they set forth to thee only by way of disputation: yea they are a contentious people.

59 He was no more than a servant: We granted Our favour to him and We made him an example to the Children of Israel.

60 And if it were Our Will We could make angels from amongst you succeeding each other on the earth.

61 And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour) but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way.

62 Let not the Evil One hinder you: for he is to you an enemy avowed.

63 When Jesus came with Clear Signs he said: 'Now have I come to you with Wisdom and in order to make clear to you some of the (points) on which ye dispute: therefore fear Allah and obey me.

64 'For Allah; He is my Lord and your Lord: so worship ye Him: this is a Straight Way.'

65 But sects from among themselves fell into disagreement: then woe to the wrongdoers from the Penalty of a Grievous Day!

66 Do they only wait for the Hour that it should come on them all of a sudden while they perceive not?

It should be remembered that the objects of the passage are the pagans, rather than Jews or Christians. The assertion that Jesus was only a 'servant' in v59 is in response to the mockery of the Meccans that Jesus was a foreign god, and is not directed at Christian dogma. It merely corrects the defamation by the pagans. Previously in the chapter, Moses is presented as a messenger who faced mockery from the pagans, vv. 46-47, 54. As a result of the Egyptian obstinacy, the pagans were destroyed, v55, as an example for others, v. 56. Similarly, the contemporary pagans mocked Jesus when Muhammad referred to Him, and again, Jesus is quoted as an example, v57. As elsewhere, there is obvious typological correspondence here – the Meccans mocked Muhammad, as previous messengers were mocked by the peoples to whom they were sent – vv. 6-7 – 'How many a Prophet did We send among the men of old. And never came there unto them a Prophet but they used to mock him.' The next verse, v8, recounts that the recalcitrant were destroyed by Allah, an example for others. Like Muhammad, the former messengers were 'warners', v23 – specifically of the Hour of Judgment.

It is important to note that the antecedent verse to ayah 61 refers not to Jesus, but to the angels. The connection between v59 – where Jesus is presented as an example to Israel –i.e. of warning, and v60, where it states that if Allah had willed, he could have set angels as viceroys on the earth, is that the Meccans are presented as worshipping the angels, and claiming they were female – vv. 16-20. In this light, we can see that v60 is denying the pagan claim that the Daughters of Allah were 'partners' with Allah; rather, they - the angels - were subject to Him, to the extent that if Allah willed, He could have sent them to be His deputies on the earth – thus making mockery of the assertion that they were co-equal objects of power and devotion alongside Him.

Hence, the warning for polytheists is that Allah has set a Day for Judgment – the fact that Allah is uniquely sovereign – to the extent that He can command the angels - is for knowledge of the Hour. No one should doubt the reality of the Hour, and that Allah alone has knowledge of it – a persistent theme in the Qur'an, e.g. S. 7:187; 31:34; 33:63; 41:47. This becomes especially apparent when we compare 43:61 with a verse later in the chapter, but continuing the theme of the passage under consideration – v85 'And blessed is He unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and with Whom there is knowledge of the Hour...' Of course, this sovereign power is exercised even over the angels. Just as previous messengers like Jesus declared, as Muhammad now reiterated, people should only worship Allah. Those worshipping others than He should note that it has been revealed that there is an Hour of Judgment, when the pagans will be destroyed, cf. v66. This is the import of the passage.

It follows from all this that S. 43:61 is not predicting the Second Coming of Christ. Possibly, one reason Muslim exegetes have sought to hang the doctrine on this particular verse is that in its absence, there is no clear indication in the Qur'an of the Second Coming of Christ, and the ambiguity of this text allows them to suggest this ayah as its foundation. Undoubtedly, Muslims have been prompted to uphold the Second Coming of Christ because otherwise, there is a glaring logical inconsistency in the Qur'an concerning Jesus. Surah Maryam 19:33 presents Jesus as stating 'So Peace is on me the day I was born the day that I die and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)'. This demands that Jesus one day expire, and be resurrected. Obviously, if Jesus is in Paradise, He cannot die, so logically, He must return to earth again if only for this purpose.

In all probability, it is partly also for this reason that the Hadith traditions about the Second Coming of Christ emerged. Gilchrist notes that 'The Hadith teach unambiguously that Jesus will return towards the end of the world. There are no less than seventy accredited traditions supporting this doctrine and they are regarded as mutawatir, "universally-attested" traditions of unquestioned reliability.'92 Indeed, this is most definitely the unambiguous testimony of many ahadith, which begs the question as to why there is such an abundance of clear texts in the Hadith corpus when there is so little (or even nothing) in the Qur'an on the subject? The difference is salutary, and reveals a logical inconsistency between the Qur'an and Hadith. There is no logical progression between the inactivity of Jesus in Paradise and what He does at His return.

Further inconsistencies concern the difference on the one hand between the paucity of references to the work of Christ in general in the Qur'an, where He does precious little, and further, which are relatively trivial in comparison to Muhammad, and on the other to the abundance of information on the crucial work Jesus performs after His return. Again, given His very secondary and textually impoverished work in the Qur'an in contrast to Muhammad, why is it He, rather than Muhammad, who performs such a vital eschatological role before the Hour? Once again, we see that Islamic doctrine is devoid of logical progression and consistency.

[i] Timing

The Hadith traditions link Christ's return with a conflict between the Roman (i.e. Byzantine Empire) and the Muslims, and with the emergence of the Antichrist. Obviously, this tradition is embarrassing for modern Muslim exegetes since the Byzantine Empire ceased to exist in the fifteenth century!93 The Hadith is even more uncomfortable for Muslims holding to the infallibility of prophetic revelation, or at least that ahadith are reliable guides, since it states that one third of the Islamic army will immediately proceed to conquer Constantinople – at the time the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The problem is, the city was actually conquered by the Muslim Ottomans in 1453! On this basis, the return of Christ should have occurred centuries ago. The fact that it did not happen disproves the Hadith as a reliable guide, and as such, raises questions about Islam itself.

This is further compounded by the fact that according to sahih ahadith, Muhammad expected Jesus to return imminently, which leaves Muslims with the unenviable option that either Muhammad was mistaken, and thus not a true prophet, or that the Hadith corpus is questionable as a reliable source:

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.657 Narrated by Abu Huraira Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler); he will break the Cross and kill the pigs and there will be no Jizya (i.e. taxation taken from non-Muslims). Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it." Abu Huraira added "If you wish, you can recite (this verse of the Holy Book): 'And there is none of the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) But must believe in him (i.e. Jesus as an Apostle of Allah and a human being) Before his death. And on the Day of Judgment He will be a witness against them." (4.159)

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.425 Narrated by Abu Huraira Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims) as a just ruler and will break the cross and kill the pig and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims who are in the protection of the Muslim government). Then there will be abundance of money and nobody will accept charitable gifts.

A further problem for Muslims is that many of the ahadith relating to the Second Coming of Christ refer to Him killing the Dajjal al-Masih – the Antichrist. Yet there are traditions indicating that the Dajjal was alive at the time of Muhammad, someone by the name of Ibn Sayyad, and since he can ultimately be killed, we have to assume that he was a man, not a demon or something else.94 Given that Jesus has not returned, that must mean that Ibn Sayyad is getting very long in the tooth! Either that, or he died, undermining the eschatological prophecies of Islam. A recent Muslim publication refers to the Dajjal in a way that seems to be an attempt to explain away this contradiction: '...the Dajjal, the person, the final leader of the Roman (i.e. Western) One World Empire, a man of Jewish descent (described in the Hadith in the likeness of a Jew by name of Ibn Sayyad...' 95 However, the texts do not state that the Dajjal is like Ibn Sayyad, but indicate that he is indeed the Antichrist.

Another tradition implies that he cannot be killed – except, we presume in the light of other traditions, by Jesus.96 It should be noted that yet another text indicates that the Dajjal should have appeared and been overcome by the Muslims after the succession of their victories against Arabia, Persia and the Byzantines. A similar tradition about the Muslims fighting the Byzantines and then hearing of the activity of the Dajjal excludes reference to Jesus. Another, strange tradition (also excluding reference to Jesus) indicates that Constantinople will be conquered by Jews apparently converted to Islam, who will there learn of the actions of the Dajjal. According to one hadith, Ibn Sayyad disappeared after a battle.97

What is particularly incongruous is that one hadith claims that every prophet since Noah predicted the coming of the Dajjal!98 Why this should be so, given what little the Qur'an states about Jesus, is difficult to fathom. The natural assumption is of a figure in opposition to Muhammad, rather than Jesus. Certainly, we never find Jesus in the Qur'an predicting the coming of the Antichrist, nor anyone nor anything comparable. Indeed, we never find any prophet in the Qur'an – not even Muhammad – making such a prophecy. We have to depend entirely on the Hadith for this information. This is perhaps the best indication that the entire dogmas of the Second Coming of Jesus and the Antichrist have been borrowed and adapted from Christian sources. The idea of the last battle was probably borrowed from traditions about Armageddon, as a recent Muslim publication inadvertently suggests by referring to these events as 'the Muslim version of Armageddon...'99

[ii] Its Nature

The Second Coming according to Islam will have the following features:

(a) Personal

The very fact that Jesus fights and ultimately dies after His return is evidence that His return is literal, not spiritual. This undermines Qadiani assertions about their founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, being the spiritual Second Coming of Jesus.100

(b) Physical

This is implied in our previous point. From the descriptions in the Hadith, it is clear that Jesus bodily returns to the earth. His marriage and begetting of children surely demand this, as does the fact that He will die:

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4310

Narrated by AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (peace be upon him). He will descend (to the earth). When you see him, recognise him: a man of medium height, reddish fair, wearing two light yellow garments, looking as if drops were falling down from his head though it will not be wet. He will fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizyah. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him.

(c) Visible

The hadith we examined in the previous section, with the imperative that Jesus should be recognised, implies that His return will be visible. However, given that according to another hadith, He seems to return to a normal earth, and to a specific locality – Damascus – it is unlikely that we should compare this with the Biblical portrait.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 7015

Narrated by An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an

...It will at this very time that Allah will send Christ, son of Mary. He will descend at the white minaret on the eastern side of Damascus, wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two Angels...

(d) Expected

There does not appear to be the same indication that Jesus will return like a thief in the night. Rather, the traditions, without giving a definite, specific date as to His return, do indicate the occasion wherein His descent occurs. We have already seen that one tradition relates this to the conquest of Constantinople, and others to the emergence of the Dajjal. Given that the Dajjal is said to appear either forty days, forty months or forty years before the coming of Christ, it should be possible to plot the timing of Christ's descent, even to the point of the exact minute, since He returns at the time for prayer, and so the element of sudden surprise is absent from the Islamic presentation.

(e) Decisive?

Inasmuch as the traditions relate that Jesus will slay the Dajjal during a great battle, then convert the world to Islam, and thereafter rule for forty years, it can be argued that a definite change occurs in History. However, History as we know it does not end with the return of Christ – the End, though imminent, does not occur as yet, and He has minimal role in the Resurrection and Judgement, as we have seen. One tradition, however, does imply that His return is linked to the Resurrection, although it must be said that it contradicts other ahadith and the Qur'an:

Sahih Muslim Hadith 293

Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah

I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: A section of my people will not cease fighting for the Truth and will prevail till the Day of Resurrection. He said: Jesus son of Mary would then descend and their (Muslims') commander would invite him to come and lead them in prayer, but he would say: No, some amongst you are commanders over some (amongst you). This is the honour from Allah for this Ummah.

(f) Glorious?

The Islamic Jesus, like the Biblical Jesus, returns accompanied by angels, though in a different way:

Sahih Muslim Hadith 7015

Narrated by An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an

...It will at this very time that Allah will send Christ, son of Mary. He will descend ...placing his hands on the wings of two Angels...

However, in the Islamic narrative, only two angels return with Him, and do so for the obvious reason that He cannot fly! There is nothing comparable to the Biblical narrative where myriad angels accompany Jesus as His heavenly retinue. Jesus returns to conquer in the Islamic portrait, rather than as conqueror, following the Biblical presentation. Given that He eventually dies, the Islamic narrative does not present the glorious picture of Jesus we find in the Bible.

[iii] Its Purpose

(a) To destroy the Dajjal

We have already seen traditions that Jesus slays the Dajjal, and we can quote Abu-Dawood 4310 on this '...He will destroy the Antichrist....' This occurs in a literal battle in Palestine, near Lydda. The Muslim idea of Christ killing the Dajjal probably resulted from a misunderstanding of 2 Thessalonians 2:8, which refers to Jesus destroying the Man of Lawlessness 'with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming'. Neither in the Bible nor the Qur'an do we ever encounter Jesus physically killing anyone, again indicating that the Islamic presentation is devoid of logical consistency and progression.

Part of the problem is the identity of the Antichrist. There have been many candidates for the post, from Nero to Hitler, though the Reformers and the Puritans were keen on recognising the Papacy as an institution as the guilty party: Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXV, article VI: 'There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof, but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Church, against Christ and all that is called God.' When we examine the most extensive treatment of the subject in the first epistle of John, although one cannot be dogmatic about this, the indications are that 'antichrist' is generic, rather than individual title, referring to incipient Gnosticism:

1 John 2:18 'Little children, it is the last hour: and as you heard that antichrist comes, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour'; 1 John 2:22 'Who is the liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, even he that denies the Father and the Son'; 1 John 4:3 'and every spirit that confesses not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is in the world already'; 2 John 1:7 'For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even those that do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.'

Chilton, after examining these texts, aptly states that '...Antichrist is a description of both the system of apostasy and individual apostates. In other words, Antichrist was the fulfilment of Jesus' prophecy that a time of great apostasy would come, when " many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and will mislead many" (Matthew 24:10-11).'101 When Jesus returns, all that stood against Him will be destroyed in Hell. No one will be physically killed. The terminology in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 is metaphorical in this respect. Significantly, the Islamic Jesus destroys some of the Wicked by His body odour (!), suggesting an adaptation of the Biblical portrait:

Sahih Muslim Hadith 7015

Narrated by An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an

...It will at this very time that Allah will send Christ, son of Mary... Every non-believer who smells the odour of his body will die and his breath will reach as far as he is able to see. He will then search for him (Dajjal) until he catches hold of him at the gate of Ludd and kills him...

In the final analysis, the Islamic Christ's destruction of the Dajjal contrasts most unfavourably with the Biblical Christ's glorious if grim role in the Final Judgment of all the Wicked.

(b) To establish the global supremacy of Islam

In the Bible, when Jesus returns the Final Judgment ensues, and only true, born-again Christians remain to inherit the new earth. It is then too late to repent and receive Christ as Saviour. However, this is not the case with Islam. Christ's return ends the presence of all other religions, including Judaism and Christianity. In one tradition Allah Himself is the Agent of this, albeit occurring as a consequence of the Second Coming. In other traditions, Jesus plays an active role, especially against Jews and Christians. He destroys crosses and pigs, and abolishes the Jizyah, because Jews and Christians (and all other religious believers) having been slain, there is no place for it.

Squires quotes the 12th Century Muslim writer Ibn Taymiyyah on the subject:

"Almighty God did not state that Christ died, nor that he was killed. He said, rather: "0 Jesus, I am gathering you and causing you to ascend to Me, and am cleansing you of those who disbelieve" (Qur'an 3:55)... When he descends, the Jews and Christians will believe that he is the messenger of God -- not rejecting him as do the Jews now, nor claiming that he is God as do the Christians. God states that they will put faith in him when he descends to earth. It is stated that he was raised up to God when He said: "I am gathering you and causing you to ascend to Me" (Qur'an 3:55). He will descend to earth before the Day of Resurrection and then he will die. By this God has informed us that they will believe in him before Christ's death, as He also says elsewhere (Qur'an 43:59-65). In the sound hadith reports from the Prophet he said:

It is impending that the son of Mary will descend among you as a just judge, a righteous imam; he will break the cross, kill the pig, and impose the jizya.102

Another modern Muslim writer after examining the traditions about establishing the supremacy of Islam and the destruction of other faiths, states the following:

'To break the Cross and kill the swine' means that Christianity will cease to exist as a separate religion. The entire creed of Christianity is based on the doctrine that God caused His only son (the Prophet Jesus) to die an 'accursed' death on the Cross, which made him the Atonement for the sin of man. And the distinction of the Christians among the prophetic communities is that they abandoned the whole Divine Law and only took this doctrine; so much so that they made the swine lawful, which was forbidden in the Law of all the Prophets. Therefore, when the Prophet Jesus will himself declare: 'I am neither son of God, nor did I die on the Cross, nor became atonement for anybody's sin,' the Christian faith will have no basis left for it. Likewise, when he will declare that he had neither made the swine lawful for his followers nor given them the freedom to disobey the Law, the other distinctions of Christianity will also disappear.

In other words it means: 'All kinds of differences among the communities will disappear and human beings will join one community, the Community of Islam; thus, war will be put to an end to, and jizyah will cease to be imposed.'103

(c) To rule for forty years

There is abundant evidence from the Hadith that Jesus will rule after His return, having slain the Antichrist and destroyed all other religions:

Effectively, Jesus becomes Caliph or Imam of the global Islamic State. Of course, this actually allows for Jesus to realise some aspect of the force of His title in the Qur'an – al-Masih, although in practice, this picture has nothing resembling the glorious reign of Christ for all eternity that we find following His Return in the Bible. It is limited – for no apparent reason – to a mere forty years! Then, after dying, He does not continue to reign in any sense, but presumably returns to the sensuous joys of Paradise. Once again, Islam dogma is incongruous, and deficient in logical consistency and progression. Whilst on the earth, Christ's reign is characterised by material prosperity, religious exclusivism, and the implementation of the Shari'ah – the Christians are warned about the supercession of the Injil by the Qur'an in the following hadith:

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.658

Narrated by Abu Huraira

Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Qur'an and not by the law of Gospel?

However, despite the fact that Jesus judges upon His Second Coming, He does not return to effect the Last Judgment. Squires specifically denies this:

This is because all of the Qur'anic verses and hadeeths that refer to Jesus' death refer when he returns to earth in the time of the Mahdi. However, your statement that '...when Jesus comes back to Earth to judge people (including Muhammad? - interesting to know what you think about this)', is not correct. It seems as though you've confused Christian beliefs with Muslim beliefs. As the last paragraph of Ibn Taymiyyah's quotation said, Islam certainly does not teach that Jesus, peace be upon him, will come to judge people - especially Muhammad, peace be upon him. Neither the Qur'an nor the authentic hadeeths record such a thing...104

Another incongruous tradition, is that despite Jesus returning to be the Emir of the globe, He rejects the honour of leading Salat, probably because Islam wants to undermine the status given Him in the Bible as our great High Priest:

Sahih Muslim Hadith 293

Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah

I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: A section of my people will not cease fighting for the Truth and will prevail till the Day of Resurrection. He said: Jesus son of Mary would then descend and their (Muslims') commander would invite him to come and lead them in prayer, but he would say: No, some amongst you are commanders over some (amongst you). This is the honour from Allah for this Ummah.

A further problem in the Islamic eschatological schema is that of the role of the Mahdi, the rightly-guided one, who fills the world with justice and righteousness. Shi'ite Muslims identify him with the Twelfth Imam. Sunni Muslims merely reckon him to be a descendant of Muhammad through his daughter Fatima. The concept is absent from the Qur'an, found only in the Hadith: Yusuf Ali comments:

For: 4.159

Before his death: Interpreters are not agreed as to the exact meaning. Those who hold that Jesus did not die refer the pronoun 'his' to Jesus. They say that Jesus is still living in the body and that he will appear just before the Final Day, after the coming of the Mahdi, when the world will be purified of sin and unbelief...

The Hadith reveals that the coming of the Mahdi, who will reign for seven years, will be an era of just government (i.e. Shari'ah) and material prosperity:

Again, there is a lack of logical progression here. It appears that the Mahdi does practically everything Jesus does, only within a shorter time-frame. In fact, from this, it appears that the crucial function of Jesus is to slay the Dajjal and end all other religions. Other than this, the golden age will have already existed for seven years prior to His coming, making 'date-fixing' for His return easier. Again, contradictions abound; if the world has been subjected to the rule of the Mahdi, how can we harmonise with other ahadith about the Muslims fighting the Romans? What happens to the Mahdi; does he abdicate in favour of Jesus, or is he killed by the Dajjal or someone else? There is a tradition which may relate to the Mahdi, and if this is so, he dies at the end of his seven year reign; the parallel between this figure and Jesus is such that it is even mentioned that las with the death of Jesus, the Muslims will recite funeral prayers over him:

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4273

Narrated by Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Disagreement will occur at the death of a caliph and a man of the people of Medina will come flying forth to Mecca. Some of the people of Mecca will come to him, bring him out against his will and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam. An expeditionary force will then be sent against him from Syria but will be swallowed up in the desert between Mecca and Medina. When the people see that, the eminent saints of Syria and the best people of Iraq will come to him and swear allegiance to him between the Corner and the Maqam. Then there will arise a man of Quraysh whose maternal uncles belong to Kalb and send against them an expeditionary force which will be overcome by them, and that is the expedition of Kalb. Disappointed will be the one who does not receive the booty of Kalb. He will divide the property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace be upon him) and establish Islam on Earth. He will remain seven years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him.

(d) To marry

A tradition is quoted by the polemical Muslim writer ur-Rahim from the Kitab al Wafa' of Ibn al-Jauzi that after His descent, Jesus will marry and have children.105 It is likely that the tradition arose because of Muslim discomfort at the idea of an unmarried prophet, especially in the light of Muhammad's polygamy. It may also be a reaction to the Biblical portrait of the Church being the spiritual Bride of Christ. However, there is a decided paucity of evidence for this tradition in the Hadith.

(e) To die

We have already seen that the death of Christ is required by the text of the Qur'an, and the Hadith resolves this embarrassment by relocating it to after His Second Coming. This is something of an anticlimax after Jesus destroying the Antichrist and presiding over a golden age. Undoubtedly, by presenting it in this way, Muslim authors hoped to undermine faith in Jesus as the eternal Messianic King. After all, as the Qadianis realised, it is embarrassing that Islam's 'Final Prophet' died whilst its penultimate one remains alive! Masood quotes Mirza Ahmed 'We cannot tolerate the thought that our Master [i.e. Muhammad] is dead and buried, while Jesus is alive and in Heaven. We feel humiliated before Christians.'106

It is quite clear both from S. 4:159 and the following ahadith that Jesus will die at the close of His forty-year reign:

It is also clear from the fact that Muslims have prepared a grave for Him in Medina that they expect Jesus to die at this time:

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 5772

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Salam

The description of Muhammad is written in the Torah and also that Jesus, son of Mary, will be buried along with him. AbuMawdud said that a place for a grave had remained in the house.

Tirmidhi transmitted it.

[iv] Place?

It can be seen from what the Hadith states that Jesus is believed to return to Damascus. Masood notes that Muslims will place a ladder for Him by the minaret so He can climb down!107 Again, this is in glaring contrast to the Biblical Return of Christ. Why Jesus should return to Syria is difficult to fathom, since the bulk of Jesus' ministry – as Muslims agree – was in Palestine, so it would surely make more sense for Him to return to Jerusalem, Bethlehem or Nazareth. Even in the Muslim schema, Jesus then moves to Palestine.

In conclusion to our examination of the Second Coming of Christ , we should note that practically everything Jesus does after His return in the Islamic portrait could have been done by anyone else; in fact, we find almost exact equivalence with the activity of the Mahdi. The specific presence of Jesus is superfluous. This arises out of the contradictions of Islamic Christology and its careless borrowing from Christian sources. In many ways, the typology of prophethood is reversed. The Jesus of Islamic Christology in the end is essentially Muhammad transmogrified into Christ.

As Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution by the pagans, so Jesus is rapt to Paradise to escape the Jews. As Muhammad later returned in triumph to Mecca after physically fighting his foes, Jesus returns from His place of 'Hijrah' to literally fight His enemies. Just like Muhammad, the purpose of the jihad the Muslim Jesus fights against the foes of Islam is to establish a pure Islamic State. As ruler, just as Muhammad cleansed the holy city of Mecca of idols and instituted the pure worship of Allah, Jesus will similarly cleanse the holy city of Jerusalem, where He originally operated, by ridding Palestine – and the entire earth - of crosses and swine, supposed innovative religious corruptions by Christians of the primal Islamic doctrines of 'the Muslim prophet' Jesus. Like Muhammad, he rules according to the Shari'ah. Finally, like Muhammad, He marries and dies like any other human being.

Again, in order to harmonise the contradiction of Jesus being in Paradise when He must one day die, Islam borrows from Christian sources to present an eschatological Muhammad who is re-classified as Jesus who does on a grander scale what Islam's prophet himself did – even to the point of warring against Jews and Christians! Of course, the pieces will not fit together, because the Jesus of Islam is not the Messiah of History – especially when we consider that History is His Story. To find the true Jesus, and a portrait that unlike Islam, is characterised by logical consistency and progression, we must look to the Bible alone.

References