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False Messiahs of Today 

Mahdi

Today's False Messiah of Islam

The great religious traditions -- Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- share references to a savior of humanity at the end of time. These religions share glad tidings of his coming, though there are differences in detail and deep controversies in interpretation.

The idea of the coming of a Mahdi (the guided) has roots in Islamic traditions, both Shiia and Sunni, even though the Mahdi is not mentioned in the Qur'an. The Mahdi prepares the way for the second coming of the Prophet Isa (Jesus) and the impending end of the world. Eventually the awaited Imam will appear, and the Divine Aim will reach its fulfillment. The Qur'an explicitly declares the return of Jesus to earth. Surah Al ‘Imran 55 is one of the verses indicating that Jesus will come back. But in many verses of the Qur'an Allah states that those having faith in the trinity certainly are disbelievers: Those who say that the Messiah, son of Maryam, is the third of three are disbelievers. There is no god but One God. (Surat al-Ma’idah: 73).

In anticipation of Judgment Day, it was essential that the people return to a simple and rigorous, even puritanical Islam. The Islamic belief in the second coming of Christ is the creed of Sunni and Shi`i Islam in its generality. For Muslims, there is no question about the forthcoming Armageddon, following which war technology shall become unusable. The Mahdi will defeat the remaining third of the Jews (the other two thirds having already perished at Armageddon); This will be followed by a Christian vs. Muslim war, called al-Malhama al-Kubra ("Great Slaughter of the Intercessor" ie, the Prophet) in Muslim texts.

When the Mahdi's Army receives word of the Antichrist, they will go to fight the Antichrist, but he will besiege them in Jerusalem. Jesus will descend, and perform the dawn prayer behind the Mahdi, then Jesus will go out and kill the Antichrist. After that, he will take over the Caliphate. Upon the return of Jesus, he will not accept that Christians and Jews live with any other religion than Islam, and so will unite all the believers as Muslims.

Through the history of Islam, a few individuals claimed to be the Mahdi and found a following among those who were looking for salvation. For some of these figures, like Bab in Iran or Mirza Ghulam in India, the claim of being Mahdi was a stepping stone to the development of sects which broke away from Islam.

The Mahdi (Arabic: مهدي, also transliterated as: Mehdi or Mihdi; translated as: Guided One), in Islamic eschatology, is the prophesied redeemer of Islam, who will change the world into a perfect Islamic society before Yaum al-Qiyamah (literally "Day of the Resurrection").

The exact nature of the Mahdi differs between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, and at times the two groups actually publish each others beliefs in their own promotional materials. We'll not try to decipher through who believes what here as it's not based upon factual history, but instead merely fictional narratives passed own with each generation while individuals added or subtracted at will. 
 

Who is Mahdi? 

Sunni, Shi'a, and Mahdavi sources with contradictions left in:

"* He is a descendent of Muhammad, from the offspring of Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah
* He will be born in Medina, Saudi Arabia
* His father's name will be Abdullah (same as Muhammad's father)
* He was born in 868 and is still alive
* He has been in occultation since the age of five years
* His father is the 11th Shia Imam, Hasan al-Askari
* His mother is Narjis, a Byzantine princess
* Twelver Shia Muslims state Mahdi is the 12th and last Shia Imams
* His first name is "Muhammad"
* Some Muslims claim that his name can be an accepted variant of Muhammad such as Ahmed or Mahmoud; similarly, accepted variants of his father Abdullah's name include Abdul Rahman, Abdul Magid, and Abdul Hamid. Supporters of this idea quote a passage from the prophet Muhammad in the Hadith which reads: "His name is like my name, and his father's name is like my father's name."
* He is tall
* His facial features are similar to those of Muhammad
* His character is like that of Muhammad
* He has a fair complexion
* He has a broad forehead and a prominent nose
* The 6th Shia Imam, Jafar al-Sadiq, is reported to have said

"Before the appearance of the one who will rise, peace be upon him, the people will be reprimanded for their acts of disobedience by a fire that will appear in the sky and a redness that will cover the sky. It will swallow up Baghdad, and will swallow up Kufa. Their blood will be shed and houses destroyed. Death will occur amid their people and a fear will come over the people of Iraq from which they shall have no rest."

* There will be an insurgence by the Sufyani, a descendent of Abu Sufyan. Abu Sufyan is considered by Shias to have been one of Muhammad's greatest enemies, along with his son, Muawiya I and Muawiya's son, Yazid. According to Shia narrations, the Sufyani's revolution will start from Palestine/Jordan, and his reign of tyranny will span the Middle East from Iraq to Egypt.
* A loud call from the sky signals the Mahdi's appearance.
* He emerges during the last days of the world from Mecca
* He and Isa (ie. Jesus) are two different individuals
* He precedes the second appearance of Jesus, the Islamic and Christian messiah
* He establishes justice, peace and truth throughout the world by establishing Islam as the global religion
* Jesus defeats the false Messiah or Antichrist, known as the ad-Dajjal
* Once the Dajjal is defeated, Jesus and the Mahdi live on Earth to live out their natural life
* According to some traditions, Jesus gets married, has a family, and dies. There are claims that a grave is dug for him next to Muhammad's grave in Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, but this is not a universal Sunni belief.
* Upon his emergence, the young among his followers, without any prior appointment, reach Mecca that very night
* Each of his soldiers has the power of forty strong men
* Sinful opposers call their own followers to fight
* A large number of non-believers will convert to Islam once they see that the signs in the reports have occurred" 

  Click here to compare the above foolishness to the 
consistency of the Judaic/Christian Old and New Testaments 


People claiming to be the Mahdi

There have been several personalities over time who have considered themselves the Mahdi prophesized in Islam. Similar to the notion of a Messiah in the Judeo-Christian religions, the notion of a Mahdi as a redeemer to establish a society has lent itself to various interpretations leading to different claims within minorities or by individuals within Islam.


The Mahdi in fiction

Several authors have used the concept of the Mahdi in fictional stories. Perhaps the best known is Frank Herbert, whose Dune science fiction novels centered on the character of Paul Atreides, who was proclaimed by his followers, the Fremen, to be the Mahdi. Paul's Fremen name, "Muad'Dib", means "teacher of adāb (manners and respect)" in Arabic, although within the novel it is a word in the Fremen language of Chakobsa, and is the name of a kind of desert mouse.

In the Wheel of Time fictional world, the Tinker people are divided into traveling bands each led by a mahdi, which is translated as "seeker". The Tinkers are of the same ethnicity as the Aiel, a Fremen-like desert-dwelling people.

Also be sure to see:   Muhammad 

False Messiahs of Recent History

Where did such ridiculous belief come from? Who came up with these myths about the paranoid dictator? Of course it was Hitler himself who ordered that he be presented as a deified messiah.

Before coming to power in January of 1933, Hitler wrote about his reaction to Berlin on his first visit there: "The luxury, the perversion, the iniquity, the wanton display, and the Jewish materialism (of Berlin’s commercial district) disgusted me so thoroughly that I was almost beside myself," Hitler recalled. "I nearly imagined myself to be Jesus Christ when he came to his Father’s temple and found it full of money-changers. I can well imagine how he felt when he seized a whip and scourged them out."

When Hitler compared himself to Jesus, he was proclaiming his own divinity. It’s hard for us to imagine, but yet, many Germans considered him a supernatural being. Millions of German households actually erected shrines that featured a photograph of what they thought of as their dictator’s divine countenance. They said prayers in his behalf — even directed prayers to him — throughout the day.

In the eyes of his people, Hitler had rescued them from the humiliations of their defeat in World War I. Better still, he was going to lead all Germans into a future of unrivaled glory.

Freed at last from the dreadful fears that military and economic catastrophe had aroused in them, Germans envisioned Hitler as a truly magical figure of majestic wisdom and power. They saw him as an irresistible force, and they surrendered their whole hearts to him. He hypnotized Germans into worshipping him, successfully presenting himself as a savior and even as God himself. This is also the procedure the anti-Christ will use to become world ruler. Could people today be swayed by such a charismatic leader? 

To learn more about Adolph Hitler's belief that he 
was ordained by God to rule the world:  Click here 

Jim Jones initially relied upon the prophetic texts of the Holy Bible to exhort his congregation to work for social justice. The letterhead of Peoples Temple Christian Church bore the words of the Parable of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:35-36). Jones eventually rejected the Holy Bible, however, believing it full of lies and contradictions (see "The Letter Killeth"). He turned to Pravda, the news organ of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union, and to radical sources as his "sacred" texts once the group moved to Guyana.

Those that promoted him:
Jim Jones was a mainstream figure in San Francisco politics who received outspoken support from the Chronicle, the Examiner, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Willie Brown Jr., Art Agnos, the then Chief of Police, and the District Attorney.

Anyone who opposed Jones in San Francisco during the 1970s was threatened with violence and to be socially and politically ostracized by the "church", which in San Francisco was already an armed camp . 

How did Jones and company get away for so long with hundreds of blatant criminal acts in San Francisco? The same old story of corrupt politics applies here also, he produced money and votes. That was good enough for Willie Brown, George Moscone, Art Agnos, and others who supported him. 

No one in the SF political circle attempted to prosecute Jim Jones, but instead promoted and protected him.  He did eventually leave town, but only when outsiders came after him. New West Magazine published in New York, ran an in-depth article on the corruption of Jim Jones and his church operation.

Yes, Jim Jones was evil, mentally ill, and under the strong delusion of Satanic forces, but what about the politicians and citizens that supported him, all to the demise of 913 gullible men, women, and children?  

Those who attempted to warn others about Jones were ignored and marginalized by official San Francisco. What prompted any of the people of San Francisco to follow Jones' insane belief?  I submit to you that there is a spiritual stronghold over the city of San Francisco.

Now consider the other ungodly groups that the government and citizens of San Francisco support today.

In March of 1997 thirty-nine people, 21 women and 18 men were found dead in a mansion within the exclusive neighborhood of Rancho Santa Fe near San Diego in the United States. They ranged in age from 26 to 72 and came from nine different states within the US. The thirty-nine bodies were identified as members of a cult group, which later came to be known as "Heaven's Gate."

The bodies were found dispersed within the mansion on cots and mattresses. All but two had shrouds of purple covering their heads and shoulders. Most died of suffocation, induced by plastic bags placed over their heads, after taking a concoction of Phenobarbital and alcohol. Found among the dead was Marshall Herff Applewhite, the 65-year-old leader of the group. Applewhite had a troubled history and 1970 checked himself into a psychiatric hospital after hearing voices. He also hoped to find a cure himself of "homosexual urges."

Ironically, it was at that hospital that he met a nurse, Bonnie Lu Trousdale Nettles, whom appears to have fueled his delusions. Applewhite and Nettles became a platonic team and recruited followers, which grew into a group. 

Marshall Applewhite never resolved his mental illness. Some time after his discontinuation of psychiatric treatment he had himself castrated, apparently an effort to resolve his sexual frustrations. The videotapes of Applewhite's final statements were shown to Louis Jolyon West, professor of psychiatry at the University of California at Los Angeles. Dr. West concluded that the tapes demonstrated Applewhite was "delusional, sexually repressed, and suffering from clinical paranoia."

Applewhite taught his followers that he was a messenger from an "Evolutionary Kingdom Level Above Human." He claimed that periodically this higher kingdom sent messengers to earth and that one such previous visitor was Jesus. Applewhite believed he was once "Jesus" and was a member of what he called an "away team", but was now "incarnated again in a mature adult body that had been picked and prepped for his current mission." He advised that if his followers studied with him, he would become their pivotal link to this higher level. And that only through him would it be possible for them to eventually evolve and shed their human "containers," which were only "vehicles" for this supposed journey.

"Heaven's Gate" itself seemed to evolve and change through its own journey beginning in the 1970s. The group had previously been known as "The Two" (i.e. Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles), "Human Individual Metamorphosis" (H.I.M.), "Te and Do" (Nettles was "Te" and Applewhite "Do") and then "Total Overcomers Anonymous."

Applewhite required his "class" to give up virtually everything. This included families, friends and sex, five of his male followers had themselves surgically castrated like their leader. They also surrendered and/or renounced all their worldly possessions. His "crew" was told they must overcome and do battle spiritually with dark forces known as the "Luciferians" and those they influenced. This became a negative label that could be applied to anyone or anything outside the group.

The members of "Heaven's Gate" were also relatively isolated from the outside world and most often not in touch with their families or old friends. They also had new names, which further broke down their sense of individual identity and personal history. Applewhite controlled information, his followers were not allowed to watch television or read anything by choice, but rather given lists of proscribed literature.

Each member was assigned a partner and encouraged to travel in pairs. One former devotee recalled that this was an important facet of group control, "to keep members in the mindset. The partner was there, if a member was falling out of what they had to do, so they wouldn't fall out. It was part of the mind control."

It was through a process of rigid regimentation that Marshall Applewhite was able to purge his "class" of their individuality and program their minds to accept his doctrines. They were often not allowed to sleep undisturbed, but instead subjected to scheduled interruptions for periodic prayer. They ate the same food, called "formulas" at the same hours," which was referred to as "fuel for the vehicle." They all wore the same haircuts and clothing, military style, which often included gloves, apparently to avoid human contact. 
Work was even once divided into 12-minute intervals by audible beeps. Communication was at times limited to simply saying "yes," "no," or "I don't know."

This rigid regimentation persisted to the end. All the mindless robot-like members of "Heaven's Gate" ordered exactly the same last meal and ended their lives precisely alike in virtually every detail.

According to Marshall Applewhite the world was merely a "stepping stone" to "the true Kingdom of God." And this world was about to be "recycled" or "spaded under" because its inhabitants had refused to evolve. Only those who were bound together through his teachings could survive by traveling to the next level. 

False Messiahs of Ancient History

False messiahs have plagued Israel for thousands of years, but there is one false messiah that is still to come, the one that will be known as the anti-Christ.

As it was before Christ, the Jewish people continue till this day to expect Messiah to be a political servant to them instead of their being servants to Him as God. Their desire for world political power will lead to their downfall in the near future, when they mistakenly accept the anti-Christ as the True Messiah.

Let's take a look at some of the false messiahs in Israel's past. I think this will help you to understand the mindset of many Jews regarding messiah. 

Three of the false messiahs of Israel past are mentioned in the Brit Hadasha (New Covenant). 

Theudas boasted himself to be a "savior," and he attracted about 400 people. He was killed and his followers scattered. 

Judas of Galilee arose, probably contesting the Roman registration for taxation. He gathered a large following, but he too perished and his followers were dispersed.

"That Egyptian", (no name given) the third figure mentioned led people to follow him to the wilderness. He was pursued but escaped, and then went into hiding with a few of his followers. 

Simon of East Jordan crowned himself king. He burned the royal house in Jericho and the homes of the rich, before dying in combat. 

"The wonder working Bedouin” was another unnamed proponent claiming to be messiah,  promised the people liberty if they would follow him to the desert, but he too was slain. 

No particular person is mentioned as leading this revolt, however, according to the historian Josephus, the Jewish people were aroused to wage war against the Romans in 68-70 C. E. because of a prophecy contained in the Holy Scripture that convinced them to believe there would arise a man who would rule over the whole world. What they failed to realize was He had already come and they had crucified Him three decades earlier.

Simon Bar Kosiba, one of the most famous of the false Messiahs arose in the early second century; the Jewish leadership of the time under Rabbi Akibah proclaimed him Messiah. His name, which can mean “son of a liar”, was changed to Bar Kochba, which means "son of a star."  In support of his messiahship, a prophecy in the book of Numbers was applied to him :
"There shall arise a kochav (star) out of Jacob."

Bar Kochba sought to overthrow the yoke of Roman rule and regain independence for the nation. A Talmudic passage describes both his military zeal and his pompous arrogance:

"There was Bar Kochba who had an army of 200,000 men who had a finger cut off of each of his men to show their prowess and fearlessness. ... When he went out to war he would say: "Master of the Universe, do not help us and do not help our enemies."

There was great confidence that Bar Kochba would succeed; in fact Jewish coins were minted with the inscription "year one” and "year two of the freedom of Jerusalem." By 135 C.E., however, the campaign was utterly crushed by the Romans. Tens of thousands were slain and a large part of the Jewish Community was driven from Jerusalem. Thousands of Jewish captives were sold into slavery; others were forced into slave ships and and many died at sea. The Roman rulers changed the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina in an effort to wipe out its spiritual significance for the Jews and the figure of a swine was engraved on the marble gate that led to Bet-lechem (Bethlehem).

In spite of the immense disaster brought on by Bar-Kochba, many after him continued to claim the office of Messiah in Jewish history. Probably the most prominent false messiah who came after Bar Kochba was the 17th century Turkish Jew, Shabbetai Zevi. He proclaimed himself to be the Messiah sent from God, and traveled widely to Egypt, Jerusalem, Constantinople, and beyond. His rather odd nature attracted rabbis, scholars, and common people, and concocted a strange mixture of teachings and bizarre customs, based in part on kabbalism, and, in part, on a manic-depressive psychosis.

When finally he was arrested by the Turkish authorities and given the choice of being put to death or converting to Islam, Zevi chose Islam. His followers, however, continued to explain his conversion in a way favorable to his claims to messiahship, and Shabbateanism survived to the 18th century. 

Why did these false Messiahs attract such large numbers of Jewish people? No doubt it is normal for an oppressed people to seek to throw off the yoke of oppression, and to long for liberation from foreign bondage. Moses showed the people what a Redeemer" could do, and how a small number of people could escape the grasp of a powerful nation. The wars of the Maccabees also proved that a minority with God can be victorious over a heathen majority, because they believed that "with God all things are possible.

The Jewish people related their oppression to national sin. The Babylonian captivity resulted in a rejection of sinful idol worship in Israel, and a partial national and spiritual restoration followed. The Maccabees sought a purge of non-religious Jews, and again a partial restoration followed. The more the people believed they were faithful to the Torah, the more intolerable and impossible became the thought of heathens ruling over them. They believed that if they resisted under a "Messiah," like Hezekiah and Judah Maccabee, God would vindicate them and give them the victory.

Most of the false Messiahs also appealed to the Torah and stirred up protest against paying taxes. They said that it was not right to pay taxes to Caesar, since some of the money was also used to support heathen temple worship. This appealed to the masses, especially the economically depressed among them.

Jewish leaders during the first century, also deduced from Scripture that the time of the Messiah was near. The false messiahs did not possess the characteristics of the Messiah of Scripture. They did not seek to prove their rightful place as messiah by their lineage, but instead the power of the sword, and by an appeal to the physical and political deliverance of the Jewish people. The true Messiah was to have proof of his descent from King David. He was to bring peace and a kingdom that was eternal. 

The inner spiritual person yearned for redemption, and the time seemed right. Yet all have sinned, and "there is no righteous person that does good and sins not."  In order to cleanse the people, animal sacrifices (korban) were offered daily in the Jerusalem Temple. These sacrifices alone were insufficient, as the prophets had already pointed out in their messages. The people were offering sacrifices without sincerity.  Even with these sacrifices. there was still the longing for the Messiah in the hearts and hopes of the people.

The prophets also foresaw that God would provide a special korban and kohen g’dol (High Priest) who had done no violence, "neither was there any deceit in His mouth"  Of this one, the prophet goes on to say, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. ..When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.”  Only such a pure and perfect sacrifice was acceptable to God for atonement.

The True Messiah

Yeshua (Jesus), the Nazarene, was completely different from the others preceding him or anyone since. Yeshua performed verifiable miracles; He claimed to not have come in His own name, but He came in the name of His Father in heaven. He did not appeal only to the Jewish people, but attracted many Gentiles as well.  He saw his own people in sin, and his teaching, therefore, was first for his own to "repent, for the kingdom of God is near."  He declared that "except you repent, you shall all ... perish." Quoting Josephus the historian who was living during the early first century said : "In those days was Y'SHUAH, a wise man, if we can call him man. He did miracles ... . He attracted many of the Jews and Greeks. He was Messiah".

See also my personal testimony to Jesus as Messiah:  Who is Jesus? 

Jesus warned us:

Mathew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The elect spoken of by Jesus are Christians. If the anti-Christ will be able to deceive Holy Spirit guided Christians, how much more assuredly will he be able to lead those that don't know Jesus to eternal destruction.

1Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

God's word states how the world wide deception will come about:

2Th 2:9 Even him, (anti-Christ) whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Rev 13:14 And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Pray that you will not be deceived when the final false messiah anti-Christ comes.

New Testament Bible - 2Thessalonians  2: 9-12 
The coming of the lawless one (anti-Christ) will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

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