"The Other Messiah"

In an earlier web installment, I proposed that the Antichrist Messiah is the solution to the Middle East Crisis. Many may wonder why I have chosen to couple the titles “Antichrist” and “Messiah”. After all, are they not contradictory?

They are not. In support of my contention that the Bible predicts two messiahs – each in harmonious relationship to one another -- I refer the reader to a passage in the eleventh chapter of Matthew. This passage is misunderstood by nearly all.

Two messiahs is a biblical concept. The appearance of two messiahs, rather than a single appearance of one unique Jesus Christ, has been part of God’s plan from before the foundation of the world.

I proffer this two-messiah theory, realizing it sharply contrasts with the traditional approach, which has been used for 2,000 years to reconcile the fact that Jesus Christ did not fulfill all the messianic prophecies. Tradition teaches that the biblical Kingdom of God is established through a First and then a Second Coming of a single messiah, Jesus Christ.

To prove this theory of two messiahs, I wish to begin with the testimony of Jesus about the person and character of John the Baptist, as it is found in Matthew 11:

[7] And as they [John’s disciples] departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
[8] But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
[9] But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
[10] For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
[11] Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

It is clear from the foregoing passage that Jesus had absolute confidence in John the Baptist. Jesus said that the Baptist was not weak or vacillating; nevertheless, nearly all expositors have attributed these very sentiments to the Baptist. In doing so, they plainly contradict Jesus.

Immediately prior to saying these things, Jesus had responded to a question posed by disciples of the Baptist on his behalf. John had been unjustly imprisoned. They asked, “ Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” Matthew 11:3.

. . .

It is important to know what Jesus thought about John’s teachings, because in publicly affirming John and his teachings, Jesus gives us an insight into His own thinking. What we also discover is that the truth about a vital element in messianic thought has been lost. Until now.

So now we turn to the episode that elicited these comments from Jesus. This account and His additional comments are found in verses two through six of the eleventh chapter of Matthew:

[2] Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
[3] And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
[4] Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
[5] The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
[6] And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

In affirming the Baptist and his teachings, Jesus indicated that what the Baptist said was true. The truth the Baptist taught – the same truth Jesus Himself affirmed – is embedded in a mistranslation of the third verse of Matthew 11. In turn, the mistranslation led to misinterpretation. This is a typical example: “The question probably expresses a doubt of the Baptist that Jesus is the one who is to come (cf Malachi 3:1) because his mission has not been one of fiery judgment as John had expected (Matthew 3).”. (New American Bible (NAB) footnote for Matthew 11:3 as published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.) By correcting the translation, the truth that had been suppressed ought to be become apparent.

The King James Version of Matthew 11:3 reads, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another [heteros]?”.

I propose that a proper translation ought to read, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for The Other [heteros]?”.

What is the difference in meaning between the two renderings? The sense of the King James Version supports the traditional view that the Baptist suffered doubt. But as already shown, this view is counter to the Jesus’ own statement about the Baptist’s steadfastness.

My translation, on the other hand, is faithful to its context. John the Baptist retains his faith.

In addition, my rendering makes sense of Jesus’ statement in verse 11: “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”.

The implication of verse 11, when it is compared to verse 3, is that “The Other”, who is given the additional title “The Least [or Lesser] in the Kingdom”, is the sole person among those “born of women” greater than John the Baptist. Given the high standing assigned to him by Jesus, only a messianic figure could be greater than John the Baptist.

. . .

There seems to be a deeper, supernatural purpose for this lapse in translation and its subsequent misinterpretation. After all, how could a vital teaching be so readily lost?

Our question appears to have been anticipated by Jesus in verses 25 and 26: “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight”. The secret of a second messiah was hidden as part of God’s redemptive plan. The truth would be disclosed to the unorthodox when the time was due.

What did the Baptist understand about the messianic claims he attributed to Jesus?

The answer is clear in Matthew 3:

[1] In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
[2] And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
[3] For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
[4] And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
[5] Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
[6] And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
[7] But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
[8] Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
[9] And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
[10] And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
[11] I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
[12] Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

It is certain that John the Baptist expected the mission of Jesus to be one of fiery judgment. In Matthew 11, Jesus pointed to His own ministry as evidence He came not to judge, but to save. This was the task appointed to Him. To “The Other” messiah would be committed the formidable task of judgment.

There is no evidence that John the Baptist ever doubted that Jesus was a messiah. However, the Baptist must have sorrowfully realized there was no hope in expecting Jesus to rescue him from prison, or even, to save him from a certain earthly death. Jesus said content is he who is not offended in Him. Matthew 11:6. Although the Baptist’s death would create a scandal that tested the faith of early Christians, the tragedy would occasion a desirable effect. The half-hearted would depart. They would otherwise impede the progress of the early church. The Baptist did not die destitute. Shortly thereafter, Jesus honored the martyrdom of the Baptist when He Himself offered His own blood as water to the seed.

In summary, we have reviewed what the Baptist understood about messianic claims and their relationship to the Kingdom of God.

We have discovered how a proper application of Matthew 11 resolves a number of puzzling questions, including, firstly, whether John the Baptist suffered a lapse in faith, and secondly, whether the Baptist, a man classified as the greatest man that ever lived, could then rightly be inferior to the One with the mysterious identity of “The Least in the Kingdom”. As defined by its context, only a messianic figure could be greater than John the Baptist. Jesus uses the term “Least” as a hidden reference to the Second Christ.

. . .

In conclusion, the twin testimonies of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ support belief in two messiahs.

I have spent thousands of hours studying the Bible and its prophecies. I am almost finished writing Dark Messiah: The Coming of the Antichrist. This book identifies the Antichrist according to the biblical standards of “signs and wonders”. My research has led me to a number of shocking conclusions. For example, as shown here, the Bible teaches the advent of two messiahs. The Antichrist is the second of these two. The character and work of the Antichrist Messiah has been mistaken by the various Antichrist traditions as part of a last grand scheme to test the faith of the faithful in each of the world’s three monotheistic religions.

Contrary to all orthodoxy, I am boldly calling for the Coming of the Antichrist as the solution to our world’s foremost problems.

The foregoing is excerpted from this forthcoming publication.

Feel welcome to post your questions.

What if life wasnt as complicated as you just described. I think religion is to complicated. Its almost rediculous. Maybe life is simple, maybe we are just supossed to do the right thing and help your fellow mankind and live on. Why not just wake up and do the right thing every day of your life to the best of your ability. It just seems so simple to me. However you insert religion and here comes trouble. jmo

Originally posted by earth2
What if life wasnt as complicated as you just described. I think religion is to complicated. Its almost rediculous. Maybe life is simple, maybe we are just supossed to do the right thing and help your fellow mankind and live on. Why not just wake up and do the right thing every day of your life to the best of your ability. It just seems so simple to me. However you insert religion and here comes trouble. jmo

You just said more than you can read in (censored) Bible and (censored) Qu'ran combined.

Not only they complicate too much and put a ton of mysticism and rules in it, but they also censored out all political incorrect Gospels and other truths which say exactly the same thing!

It's so simple -- they want you to fear God so you are a controllable slave.

True God accepts you as you are, because s/he understands you. How can you judge someone who is still learning? It makes no sense and it would be primitive to do so.

[edit on 7-5-2007 by detonator]