The Twelfth Who??

The Twelfth Who??

A look at the Shiite Messiah from a biblical perspective.

Who’s That Man?

If we were to ask, “What man has had the strongest impact on world events during the last 30 years?” Who would you name? Would it be a pope? a Reagan? a Bush? The chances are better than average that you do not even know his name. His name is Muhammad Al-Mahdi, the last Imam (Islamic holy leader) in a line of twelve specially designated Imams who descend directly from Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali Ibn Abi Talib.

What makes Al-Mahdi unique is that he is the occultic or hidden Imam who disappeared in A.D. 941. In Shiite dogma, he is expected to return in Messiah-like fashion and bring peace and justice to the entire world, including both Muslims and non Muslims.

While this tradition has been held for centuries, Mahdism did not take on a life of its own until the days of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, when a new Mahdistic fervor arose as Shiites began insisting that Mahdi would not return until the world was prepared for him. At that point, the tentacles of Islamic religion and politics began to interweave, and the modern Jihad (self struggle, or holy war) of Islamic radicals was birthed.
This Jihad has had its fullest expression under the regime of Iran’s Ahmadinejad, a man who fully believes that he has had a “special connection” with Allah and that he, himself, will be a major instrument in conquering the world for Islam in preparation for the return of Al-Mahdi. This is the impetus behind his nuclear program and the reason why western overtures and offers represent little more than insults to him.
As believers, we are interested in holding a biblical perspective regarding Mahdism. We offer two salient admonitions for those who are maturing their own prophetic understanding of biblical events. We offer a word of warning and a word of wisdom.

A Word of Warning!

Mahdism is certainly the key to understanding the posture of Islam in the world today, and there are prophetic connotations which must be addressed. At the same time, believers must not fall prey to any one wave of apocalyptic fervor which grips the world and its religions. Could Mahdi be the long anticipated man of sin? Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no. In any case, he should not be our focus. There is an imposing list of would be Messiahs and antichrists available to all of the world’s religions and, when world conditions worsen, we become more apocalyptic in our thinking. Many, for example, saw Mussolini, Hitler, Kissinger, Reagan, and George Bush as antichrist. Further fueling the present apocalyptic fire are numerous dark traditions which suggest the end of the world somewhere between now and 2019. Mahdi’s reappearance is expected by Ahmadinejad to be about 2012. The unbiblical Harold Camping, internationally known Christian radio teacher, insists that the end of the world begins in May of 2011. The list of historicists goes on, and most cite both ancient and modern sources.

While we are interested in the present fervor, we are also convinced that we must never rely on these false sources. A wise believer may take advantage of the present apocalyptic mood to urge Christ upon a lost world, but he must never, ever, give credence to any of these non biblical traditions.  While it is true that even blind squirrels find acorns now and then, true believers never base their prophetic views and biblical interpretation on non-biblical sources. Learn from a long line of past Bible teachers who fell into this trap.

A Word of Wisdom!

Where then should our focus be? In reality, it should be on the battle of Gog and Magog. As never before, believers should be addressed to what the Bible says in Ezekiel 38 and 39 (see our resource note below). A simple study of the players at this battle will reveal the disturbing fact that the very nations named by God are the very nations today which are under the extreme control of the radical Islamics who embrace Jihad in the name of Al-Mahdi. This, of course, is an anti-Israeli war which, the Bible says, is really a war against God himself.

When will this occur? While there is room for debate, most literal interpreters of scripture place this massive attack against Israel right around the middle of the tribulation period, or at the inception of the Great Tribulation. Israel will be dwelling “safely,” in the land, most likely, under the protection of the man of sin. For full biblical support of these claims, secure the Middletown Bible Church article noted below.

These are certainly harbingers of the things which the Lord Jesus told us would come to pass. Jihad fervor could diminish, but, humanly speaking, it is unlikely, as the radicals have taken their cues directly from Hitler, and have poisoned a whole new generation on the supposed glories of dying for jihad.

Above all, do not fall into the second trap. Among evangelical Christians, a new pro-Palestinian movement has arisen which is anti-Zionist in its roots. Well known evangelicals, a host of Reformed teachers (replacement theologians) and a wide scope of emergent church leaders have all capitulated to the anti-Israeli sentiment which is gripping our nation, religiously and politically. Whether we can stem this present tide among God’s people is not ours to determine. That we should speak out now, more than ever, in defense of God’s people is an absolute mandate.

A Final Reminder:

Only in Dispensationalism (the only system on the face of the earth which is based on interpreting scriptures in a normative-literal fashion) can Israel be protected! We urge you to associate yourself with a sound, dispensational church where the ministry of the Word of God is central.
Most importantly, if you do not know Christ as savior, don’t waste a minute settling this issue. Need more information about Christ? Check our helps on this site, or visit www.BreadcrumbsMinistries.com and view their extremely helpful videos.

End - JPS

Resources for this article and your further study:

The September/October issue of Israel My Glory (www.foi.org) provides an excellent primer on the basics of Mahdism, and Middletown Bible Church (www.MiddletownBibleChurch.org) has an excellent article on the Future Russian/Islamic Invasion of Israel which this instructor uses http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/extensively. This article summarizes elements from both of these sources. The secular video Obsession (www.obsessionthemovie.com) documents Islam’s unholy alliance with Nazism and their employment of Hitler’s techniques.