The Last Age
THE LAST AGE
All the religions of the world unanimously say that the percentage will come to an end and then the universal Leader will appear. The world will achieve universal peace, prosperity, and pleasure.
In the time, immediately preceding the movement of that Great Leader, oppression and tyranny will totally enwrap the world. This is bound to happen because when cruelty and tyranny reach their peak; all the nations of the world will direly feel the need for a reliever and reformer. They will be mentally prepared to sincerely accept the call of a reformer by that time. This period of oppression and cruelty will be a test of true believers. During this test and trial, 2/3 of the world’s population will be destroyed. It cannot be said with certainty whether this destruction will be the destruction of religion or physical death. But 2/3 of humanity is to die, spiritually or physically. As it has been mentioned in the book of Zechariah:
“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part to the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people, and they shall say, The Lord is my God.” Zecharia Chapter 13(8-9)
Our Imam Jafar Sadiq (A.S) has told about this time to his companion Abu Baseer:
“The Divine rule will not start until 2/3 of humanity meet death.” Abu Baseer requested that if 2/3 of human beings are going to perish what more will remain? The reply was, ” Are you not content that you will be among the remaining 1/3.”
Some of the narratives tell that the death will be of two types. Imam Sadiq (A.S) told that:
At that time two types of death will take place; White death and red death. Red death means murder and wars etc. And the white death means death by epidemics and chemical weapons in which no blood will flow. The chief of believers Imam Ali (A.S) also said that:
“Divine rule will not start until 1/3 of a human being is murdered, 1/3 die, and 1/3 will be saved.”
It is not possible to chalk out a precise schedule and proper order of the happenings of the future out of the various prophecies and foretellings made by various personalities. I shall, therefore, discuss the personalities only. The first is that there may be a spiritual death, second is that it may be a physical death but within some particular geographical limit. There are different prophecies about different regions made by various personalities. The various prophets deputed to various regions foretold about these particular areas only. Jesus Christ and the prophets immediately preceding him restricted their prophecies only to Jerusalem and Arabian Island. Similarly, other spiritual personalities have talked about their own particular regions as to what will happen there. I will try to discuss briefly about separate regions.
Jesus Christ has told in detail about the calamities to come in Jerusalem. He has specified the season and the day also.
“Pray ye that your flight is not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days should be shortened.”
Matthew Chapter 24(20-22)
The prophet Daniel has told even the number of those days. “He said to me, it will continue for two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary will be sanctified.”
There is another thing which has been told both by Christ and Daniel.
“That is some abomination that maketh desolate.”
After its setting up, a limit of one thousand two hundred and ninety days has been specified. It means it will last for three years ten months and two days. It was further told that when that abomination is set up, the persons waiting for the right should not quit their homes and wait there. It was further said, “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”
Daniel Chapter 12(12)
The total period of the days given in the preceding lines comes to six years and one month or so which is a very terrific period.
