For Christianity in terms of the Parousia, there have been too many years of grace. In terms of salvation history, there have not been enough.

The Jesus of the gospels seems to expect the imminent end-times: Mark 13:30-33. Paul predicts the Second Coming (parousia) in his lifetime: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 5:2-11. But the wait has been extended for almost two millennia.

‘Christmas: 1924‘ by English poet Thomas Hardy

“Peace upon earth!” was said. We sing it,
And pay a million priests to bring it.
After two thousand years of mass
We’ve got as far as poison-gas.

Two millennia, however, do not seem to be enough. If humans appeared about 200,000 years ago, how can one admire a God who refused to disclose the fullness of truth and salvation until the very last fragment of time?

Interestingly in the Qur’an we read:

‘We have surely sent you with the truth as a deliverer of good news and a warner. There is no community that has not had a Warner.’

According to a Prophetic narration collected by Ibn Ḥibbân, the total number of prophets sent around the world, from Adam (ﷺ) to Muḥammad (ﷺ), is 124,000—of which only twenty-five are mentioned in the Quran.

Categories: Christianity, Islam, Jesus, Qur'an