December 25th: Jesus, Palestine, and the Paradox of Eschatology

On December 13th, a nativity scene at the Vatican depicting baby Jesus wrapped in a Palestinian keffiyeh was removed after sparking backlash which Pope Francis had unveiled during the display as part of the annual exhibition. The use of the keffiyeh - a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance against Israeli occupation - drew swift criticism, with some accusing the display of being a "blasphemous political stunt." Even when the Zionists are mercilessly bombing both Muslims and Christians of Gaza, the Christian world stays silent because some have remarked that the Christians of Palestine are less Christians than those around the world.

Just in time for Christmas, the Muslim world exhausts its energy into proving that Christmas is a pagan festival, and wishing someone a "Merry Christmas" is an act of shirk or associating partners with God, because Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus as the son of God. The dilemma of the Muslim world never ceases to die.

Non-Christians and Christians themselves think that Jesus was a cool guy who permitted everything that satisfies the base desires of his followers. The caricature of Jesus as a liberal man, making him the symbol of eternal love, and the idea that everything is gloomy and beautiful, and he will accept everyone who just believes in him in his kingdom of heaven. The biblical Jesus is strikingly and diametrically opposite to the persona of Jesus portrayed by the Church and secular administrations.

Even when we see pictures of Jesus in various places, we see a white figure in that picture, while the fact is that Jesus was a Middle Eastern (although a eurocentric term!) man. They did not mold themselves into the persona of Jesus but changed the persona of the God on earth/Son of God to match their own whims and distorted the image of Jesus.

The question of the nature of Jesus Christ still aches Christendom. There is still no consensus on who Jesus actually was. With time, the answers become more complex than before. Was he a messenger? Was he God? Was he the son of God? Was he part of the trinity? Why did Newton remain anti-Trinitarian all his life? Why is the Gospel of Barnabas not among the books of the New or Old Testament? With all the hermeneutics and exegesis of the Bible, and the plethora of literature on it, why do we still not have a simple and straightforward biography of the man who has the most number of followers till date?

The Judeo-Christian alliance is hell-bent on bringing their Messiah as soon as possible. A cosmic dilemma will unfold before the Christian Dom: what will Jesus do during his second coming when he sees his birthplace being bombarded and raised to dust, killing his followers by the ominous collusion between Zionists and Christian Zionists? Will Jesus act as a redeemer for the atonement of the sins of his megalomaniac followers? Or will Jesus condemn them to hell for their tyranny?

The Muslim world boasts of the second coming of Jesus Christ in Damascus, with angels carrying him to the minaret. The recent "liberation of Syria" from Assadists has made the minds of Muslims more optimistic about the second coming of Jesus and the emergence of an army to support the Mahdi to pave the way for Jesus's descent.

The followers of these Abrahamic faiths fascinate themselves with eschatological happenings that will unfold in the future according to their archaic scriptures. Apocalyptic literature foretells supernaturally inspired cataclysmic events that will transpire at the end of the world. A product of the Judeo-Christian tradition, apocalyptic literature is characteristically pseudonymous; it takes narrative form, employs esoteric language, expresses a pessimistic view of the present, and treats the final events as imminent.

It is interesting to note that all three religions - Islam, Christianity, and Judaism - are Abrahamic faiths, but we can only see a Judeo-Christian alliance rather than an Islamo-Judeo-Christian alliance. That may be due to many reasons, but the fundamental reason is that the Judeo-Christian alliance has always been at war with Islam since its inception, no matter what disastrous animosity had been between Judaism and Christianity. They have this angst in common - they all want some Marvel-level endgame scenarios and enjoy that with popcorn resting on their chair of delusion. Their impatience for Armageddon has literally made Palestine a place for it.

Armageddon means "Hill of Megiddo," of which Megiddo is an important town of ancient Palestine. The Palestinian city of Megiddo, located on a pass commanding a road connecting Egypt and Syria, was probably chosen as a symbol for such a battle because it had been the scene of many military encounters owing to its strategic location.

Will there be a second coming of Jesus Christ? Will he act according to the prophecies of Islamic or Christian eschatology? Who will be the rightful claimant of the Holy Land? Long story short, the questions and the enigma of the holy land will still linger till the end of time. Until then, let's celebrate the birth of Jesus on the day he was not born. (The consensus on the lie becomes truth!)

Also Read : Jesus, Christmas and Abrahamic Understanding