Ahmadinejad's Divine Mission?

LONDON, U.K. -- According to an article in the News.Telegraph by Anton La Guardia dated 14 January 2006, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be motivated more by a sense of divine mission than by sheer recklessness or diplomatic naivete. La Guardia suggests that Ahmadinejad's speeches and statements indicate a religious messianism. La Guardia first gives two examples which are less than convincing. But then the story really starts to get interesting...

The most remarkable aspect of Mr Ahmadinejad's piety is his devotion to the Hidden Imam, the Messiah-like figure of Shia Islam, and the president's belief that his government must prepare the country for his return.

One of the first acts of Mr Ahmadinejad's government was to donate about £10 million to the Jamkaran mosque, a popular pilgrimage site where the pious come to drop messages to the Hidden Imam into a holy well.

All streams of Islam believe in a divine saviour, known as the Mahdi, who will appear at the End of Days. A common rumour - denied by the government but widely believed - is that Mr Ahmadinejad and his cabinet have signed a "contract" pledging themselves to work for the return of the Mahdi and sent it to Jamkaran.

Iran's dominant "Twelver" sect believes this will be Mohammed ibn Hasan, regarded as the 12th Imam, or righteous descendant of the Prophet Mohammad.

He is said to have gone into "occlusion" in the ninth century, at the age of five. His return will be preceded by cosmic chaos, war and bloodshed. After a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace.

This is similar to the Christian vision of the Apocalypse. Indeed, the Hidden Imam is expected to return in the company of Jesus. (emphasis added)

Mr Ahmadinejad appears to believe that these events are close at hand and that ordinary mortals can influence the divine timetable.

Having never heard about these particular apocalyptic prophecies of Islam, I am now very interested in learning more. I intend to do further research on the subject and will perhaps report my findings at a later date.

For now however, I must say that these ideas are very troubling. The Bible of course does not speak of Christ's Second Coming as occurring along with any other human being "returned from occlusion" or otherwise. According to Christian prophecy, the return of Jesus will be a celestial event...

27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man... 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; 30 then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
-- Matthew 24:27-30

The prophecies about the Hidden Imam suggest that he is a human being who will return in an earthly form and in a somewhat less than celestial event as described in the New Testament. The implication of course, is that Muslims therefore envision the return of Jesus with the Hidden Imam in an earthly human body and without the celestial fireworks.

This sounds frighteningly more like a different Biblical prophecy...

23 Then if any one says to you, ‘Lo, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Lo, I have told you beforehand.
-- Matthew 24:23-25


5 And the beast (the False Christ or "Antichrist") was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months; 6 it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints (Christians) and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain....

11 Then I saw another beast (the False Prophet) which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb (Christ-like) and it spoke like a dragon (devilish). 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast... 13 It works great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men; 14 and by the signs which it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth.
-- Revelation 13:5-8, 11-14

The last thing we need is for some Islamic false prophet to start making fire come down from heaven, and for some Islamic false christ to start making war on Christians.