Judaism's Central Beliefs About the End of Times

One of the most important tenets of the Jewish faith states that the messiah's coming will herald the end of the world. Followers believe that the Messiah will be a direct descendent of David and unite the Jewish people in Israel by rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. The Jewish faith teaches that all leaders of the world will acknowledge the dominion of this messiah, creating a new era of international peace where the world finally fulfills its purpose of becoming God's abode. Jewish scripture refers to this period as the Messianic period.

According to Jewish belief, the arrival of the messiah will coincide with the resurrection of a small number of righteous individuals, such as the prophet Elijah and Moses, and later, the resurrection of all of the deceased within Israel and the regeneration of the world will occur. People will devote themselves to the study of the torah and other important Jewish scripture.

The end times will also feature a number of battles such as the war of Gog and Magog. The assembled heathen nations will unite under the leaders Gog and Magog and lay siege to Israel. Israel will defeat the attackers, ushering in the Messianic period. However, another important battle takes place after the arrival of the messiah, when according to the book of Psalms, God smites the leviathan -- a large sea serpent. The Jewish faith teaches that humanity then feasts on the body the leviathan.

After a period of great peace and joy in the world, God's final judgement will mark the end of the world. The Jewish faith teaches that nobody but God marks the end of the world, as he is the supreme authority. Individuals who still failed to embrace God or sinned greatly in their life without regret will enter Gehenna, while moral individuals who accepted God will enter paradise. The wicked spend up to 12 months in Gehenna, but a few scholars believe that those who led others into treachery or acted treacherously against God's law will stay there forever.