Messiah, A Comparison...The term messiah comes from the Jewish term Moshiach which they believe is the man who will be "anointed" as king in the End Of Days. It is believed that this man will put an end to evil in the world, rebuild the temple, bring the exiles back to Israel, and usher in the world to come (Olam Ha-Ba). It is believed that, in every generation, a man is born with the potential to be the moshiach. It is also believed that the conduct of man will determine the time of the coming. It is believed that the moshiach will exhibit the following characteristics: 1. He will be a great political leader and descendant of King David. 2. He will know and observe Jewish law. 3. He will be a great military leader that wins battles for Israel. 4. He will be a great judge that makes righteous decisions. 5. He will be a human.
In Islam the term messiah is used to describe a messenger (prophet) of GOD (Allah). It is believed that every prophet is "anointed". The term masih is often substituted and describes one who travels extensively to increase their influence in the world. In Shia Islam, the name Mahdi describes the "guided one". It is believed that Hujjat ibn Hasan ibn Ali (the 12th Imam) is the Mahdi. It is believed that the mahdi will appear and fight alongside Jesus against the Dajjal (anti-christ) to usher in the last days. In Christianity, it is accepted that Jesus was and is the messiah that was spoken of by the prophets. In fact Jesus Himself, in John 4:26, said that He was the Messiah when He was talking to a samaritan woman at the well. The term messiah, in Christianity, is more than a mere man to usher in the last days. It refers to the savior which is the "anointed one" the prophets spoke of as the one who would restore the relationship between GOD and men. Jesus Christ fulfilled that mission in His life, crucifixion, and resurrection. He was the perfect sacrifice and made atonement for the sins of the world. The Jewish people are still waiting for the messiah (moshiach) because they believe that Jesus was just a man. In Islam, Jesus was a prophet and therefore a messiah (anointed) but was only a man. In Christianity, Jesus was crucified because He said that He was the Son Of God. His death paid the penalty for all sins. According to the Jewish leaders of that time, Jesus committed blasphemy when He claimed to be the Son Of God. He was handed over and crucified. According to Islam, Jesus was on the way to be crucified when God raised Him up to heaven (surah 004.157,158). It is believed that someone that looked like him was crucified in His place. If Jesus was convicted of blasphemy (shirk) because of who He said He was, why would GOD not allow Him to be crucified? Would GOD allow shirk to go unpunished? Either Jesus was not telling the truth when He committed shirk and therefore deserved crucifixion or Jesus told the truth about who He is and was wrongly convicted of blasphemy (shirk). If Jesus deserved crucifixion, would a just GOD (ALLAH) raise Him up to heaven? If Jesus was telling the truth and did not deserve crucifixion, then we must believe in all of His teachings including when He said that He is the way to heaven. RETURN FROM MESSIAH TO HOME
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