A May 2, 2012  Reuters Poll reported that “nearly 15 percent of people worldwide believe the world will end during their lifetime. “Whether they think it will come to an end through the hands of God, or a natural disaster or a political event, whatever the reason, one in seven thinks the end of the world is coming,” said Keren Gottfried, research manager at Ipsos Global Public Affairs which conducted the poll for Reuters. Among Evangelical Christians three out of four felt we are living in the End-Times of Gog and Magog; Ya’juj and Ma’juj.

According to both the Hebrew Bible and the Qur’an, since the days of Adam and Eve, many chosen  humans in the distant past have heard the One God speaking to them. These people are titled as Prophets or Messengers in the Abrahamic religions. And the Hebrew Scriptures, the Greek New Testament, and the Arabic Qur’an all agree that in the distant future, in the Era of the End of Days-Judgement Day-Qiyahmah; there will be a few chosen humans who will express, by words and deeds, God’s glory to all humanity. These future Messengers usually have a special name or title like: Messiah son of Joseph, Messiah son of David, and Elijah in Judaism, Jesus’ second coming in Christianity, and the Mahdi in Islam.  

Prophet Muhammad warned of a group of extremists who would emerge, claiming to be more religious than all others but causing great harm to the Muslim Ummah: “They will recite the Quran but it will not go beyond their throats. They will pass through Islam as an arrow passes through its target.” (Sahih Bukhari 5057)

As a Reform Rabbi and Messianic Age scholar, I say that the world is not going to end in this century; but the world is going to be positively transformed according to predictions made by the Prophets of Israel, as explained by past and present rabbinic sages. 

Human society has changed more rapidly, violently and fundamentally in the last century of the second millennium than ever before in history.  Doctors saved the lives of millions. Dictators sacrificed the lives of millions. Populations are exploding in Africa and birthrates are declining in North America and in Europe. Technology produces both worldwide prosperity and pollution at the same time. And the climate grows hotter and hotter world wide.

Knowing all this, should we look upon the first century of the third millennium with optimistic hope or with fatalistic trepidation?  Is the world and our society heading towards a wonder-filled new age, or toward a doomsday? Or are both occurring almost concurrently because breakdown is always a prelude to breakthrough? 

I believe that there will not be a startling worldwide increase in the number and impact of enlightened masters. Nor will earthquakes, floods and other plagues occur in much greater intensity or numbers. But the way people react to varying kinds of predictions is usually influenced by the long tradition of trying to foresee the eventual goal of human history. This tradition started with the Prophets of Israel about 3,000 years ago. 

This Biblical vision of a Messianic Age uses the insights of the........

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