Some victims of ISIS\u2019 eschatology get it, said Salim Munayer, head of the Musalaha reconciliation ministry in Jerusalem. Many Syrian refugees are questioning Islam and the role of religion, especially as they find Christians responding to meet their needs.<\/p>\n
But other research shows that Christian eschatology can get in the way. Overly pro-Israel interpretations are a barrier to evangelism, conversion, and discipleship, according to one academic study of 150 Muslim converts in the Holy Land.<\/p>\n
Muslim interest in eschatology ebbs and flows, but is currently at high tide due to the collapse of regional governments and innovative proof-texting of Islamic traditions, said Munayer. This leads to a pessimistic and fatalistic outlook that encourages apocalyptic ideology. \u201cSome Muslims are taking refuge in end-times theology,\u201d\u009d he said. \u201cA tendency also found among some Christians and Jews.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Yet regardless of how Christians interpret Revelation or read the times, Larson calls them back to the gospel\u2019s hope. \u201cWe need to witness with assurance that faith in Jesus as the crucified, risen, and coming Messiah makes all the difference in this world,\u201d\u009d he said. \u201cAnd in the world to come.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n