Messianic fever

You may have seen the headline that read, “Messianic Fervor Grows Among Iran’s Shiites.” The article by John Daniszewski told how thousands of devout Muslims are looking for the appearance of a Messiah, known as Mahdi. When the controversial president of Iran appeared before the United Nations in September 2005, he prayed for the return of the Messiah, saying, “O mighty Lord, I pray to hasten the emergence of…the promised one…the one who will fill this world with justice and peace.”

When Muslims speak of Mahdi or the Messiah, they are not speaking of Jesus Christ but a resurrected Imam, thought to be one of the twelve chosen prophets, a direct spiritual descendant of Mohammed who will reappear and, along with Jesus, will “lead Muslims in a struggle to rid the world of corruption and establish justice.”

Muslims believe and teach that Jesus never really died and that He did ascend to heaven from whence He will return – not as the Messiah or Coming King – but as man who must then die as do all men.

Making it more personal, do you look forward to the return of Jesus Christ? For 2,000 years the return of Jesus Christ has been the hope and the comfort of believers everywhere.

If you knew for certain that you had exactly 24 hours to live before Jesus returned as Messiah and Lord, how would it affect your life? What would you do differently? He will return; the only question is when.

Used with permission from Guidelines Philippines, Inc. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, please write to Box 4000, 1280 Makati City, Philippines or e-mail address box4000@guidelines.org. You may also visit our website at www.guidelines.org.