Although it might seem impossible now, I do believe that within a decade or two Muslims will visit Jerusalem and pray together with Jews as Prophet Zechariah predicts: “Then everyone who survives from all the nations that came against Jerusalem; shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.” (Zechariah 14:16) That is Mahdi hope. 

In Europe, the Russia-Ukraine war has now entered its fourth year, with over 1.25 million Russian dead according to data provided by the BBC, along with 200,000 Ukrainian casualties, of whom 55,000 were military.

Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary said, “49 of the most senior Iranian regime leaders” have been killed by US-Israeli strikes on Iran, declaring that “killing terrorists is good for America”. 

Iran’s Shahed drones have shown their capability to oversaturate air defenses and inflict painful damage. And while the Shahed flies slowly at 180 kph (just over 110 mph), it can range as far as 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) and carry a relatively big load of 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of explosives. Iran’s ballistic missile launch rate has fallen about 92% from its day one peak, falling from 480 launches on February 28 to 40 on March 9. Drone launches have followed an identical curve, down 92% from 720 to 60. Yet the U.S. and its Arab Gulf allies have trouble shooting down all Iran’s Shahed drones, which have hit several major military targets. 

On any given day, some 80 tankers — laden with roughly 16 to 18 million barrels, a third of all oil transported by sea — traverses the waterway, delivering around 20% of the world’s crude and a large portion of its gas.

And the EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said, speaking for all 27 EU nations, “The Middle East stands to lose greatly from any drawn-out war.”

The word Armageddon does not appear in the Hebrew Bible, and appears only once in the Greek New Testament, in Revelation 16:16 which makes no mention of armies being predicted to one day gather on or near Mount Megiddo; but instead seems to predict only that “they (will gather) the kings together to … Armageddon”. The text does seem to imply that the purpose of this gathering of kings in the “place called Armageddon” is “for the war of the great day of God Almighty” which is the old battle against national warfare which Prophet Mahdi will oppose.

Christianity, Judaism and Islam teach their followers to take care of the earth. Christians, Muslims and Jews also believe that humans should act as guardians and trustees (stewardship  and khalifah) on our planet, and that they will be held accountable by God for their actions.

Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam has a powerful eschatological strand. Islam anticipates the end to the world as we know it, a final historical confrontation between the forces of good and evil; after which human life will be transformed in a positive way.

As a Reform Rabbi who believes that the world wide upheavals we see are part of the birth pains of the Messianic Age, I offer Christians and Muslims some positive insights from the Jewish Prophets and the Rabbinic Sages.

Many millions of Jews, Christians and Muslims believe the wars of Gog and Magog (Gog u-Magog in Hebrew and “Yajuj and Majuj” in Arabic) which started in the 18th to 20th centuries will come to an end in the 21st century. 

It is true that human society changed more rapidly, violently and fundamentally in the last 250 years than ever before in history. Doctors saved the lives of millions. Dictators sacrificed the lives of millions. Populations are exploding in Africa........

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