In listening and reading about the subject of the coming of God or His representative in the end times, I’ve uncovered some interesting parallels. Every major religion it seems has some prediction that God or a semi-divine representative (demi-god) will arrive on the earth at a critical time in history. This critical time is framed in a series of events that describe political instability, religious apathy or apostasy, war, natural disasters and human power that threatens all life on the planet. The holy man has many names, but regardless of tradition or culture seems to have the same mission. Here is the summary…
THE MAN OF GOD as predicted to arrive/return to earth in major religions...
Hinduism -
The Tenth Avatar of Hinduism...
Krishna was born around July 3228 BC, he is believed to be a direct incarnation of Vishnu (the supreme God in Hinduism). Hindus believe in a Trinitarian God collectively referred to as ëTrimurtií, Vishnu being one of them. Vishnu is the preserver and Hindus believe he maintains the cosmos through manifestation of his being through ëavatarsí (literally means descent). In other words he, in some form, descends to Earth as an incarnation. It is believed that ten focal avatars will descend and thus far nine have descended with Krishna being the eighth.
Hindus are not awaiting the return of Krishna. They are waiting for the tenth avatar whose name is 'Kalki'.
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Buddhism-
The Maitreya Buddha of Buddhism (the 5th Buddha)...
Maitreya (Sanskrit), Metteyya (Pali), or Jampa (Tibetan), is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva. Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieves complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor of the historic Sakyamuni Buddha.
The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya references a time when the Dharma (religion or philosophy) will have been forgotten on Jambudvipa. It is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana), and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an event that will take place when the Dharma will have been forgotten on Earth.
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Islam -
The Muhammad al-Mahdi of Islam (the 12th Imam)...
Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi (born c. July 29, 869 (15 Shaëban 255 AH), in Occultation since 941) is believed by Twelver Shiëa Muslims to be the Mahdi, an ultimate savior of humankind and the final Imam of the Twelve Imams.
Twelver Shiëa believe that al-Mahdi was born in 869 and did not die but rather was hidden by God in 941 (this is referred to as the Occultation) and will later emerge with Isa (Jesus Christ) in order to fulfill their mission of bringing peace and justice to the world. He assumed the Imamate at 5 years of age. Some Shiëite schools do not consider ibn-al-Hasan to be the Mahdi, although the majority sect Twelvers do.
Sunnis and other Shi'ites believe that the Mahdi has not yet been born, and therefore Allah only knows his exact identity.
Aside from the Mahdi's precise genealogy, Sunnis accept many of the same hadiths Shias accept about the predictions regarding the Mahdi's emergence, his acts, and his universal Khilafat. Sunnis also have a few more Mahdi hadiths, which are not present in Shia collections.
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Judaism -
The Messiah...
In Jewish eschatology, the term came to refer to a future Jewish King from the Davidic line, who will be "anointed" with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age. In Standard Hebrew, The Messiah is often referred to as MÈlekh ha-MashÌa, literally meaning "the anointed king."
Traditional and current Orthodox thought have mainly held that the Messiah will be the anointed one (messiah), descended from his father through the Davidic line of King David via Solomon (See Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan), who will gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel, usher in an era of peace, build the Third Temple, have a male heir and re-institute the Sanhedrin, among other things.
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Christianity -
Jesus the Christ...
In Christianity and Islam, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, sometimes called the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ to Earth.
This belief is based on prophecies found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies. Christians generally believe the anticipated event is predicted in biblical messianic prophecies. Views about the nature of Jesus' Second Coming vary among Christian denominations and sometimes among individual Christians within these denominations.
I'm sure the reader will acknowledge that some great event is imminent.
but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...
THE MAN OF GOD as predicted to arrive/return to earth in major religions...
Hinduism -
The Tenth Avatar of Hinduism...
Krishna was born around July 3228 BC, he is believed to be a direct incarnation of Vishnu (the supreme God in Hinduism). Hindus believe in a Trinitarian God collectively referred to as ëTrimurtií, Vishnu being one of them. Vishnu is the preserver and Hindus believe he maintains the cosmos through manifestation of his being through ëavatarsí (literally means descent). In other words he, in some form, descends to Earth as an incarnation. It is believed that ten focal avatars will descend and thus far nine have descended with Krishna being the eighth.
Hindus are not awaiting the return of Krishna. They are waiting for the tenth avatar whose name is 'Kalki'.
===============================================================
Buddhism-
The Maitreya Buddha of Buddhism (the 5th Buddha)...
Maitreya (Sanskrit), Metteyya (Pali), or Jampa (Tibetan), is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva. Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieves complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor of the historic Sakyamuni Buddha.
The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya references a time when the Dharma (religion or philosophy) will have been forgotten on Jambudvipa. It is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana), and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an event that will take place when the Dharma will have been forgotten on Earth.
===============================================================
Islam -
The Muhammad al-Mahdi of Islam (the 12th Imam)...
Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi (born c. July 29, 869 (15 Shaëban 255 AH), in Occultation since 941) is believed by Twelver Shiëa Muslims to be the Mahdi, an ultimate savior of humankind and the final Imam of the Twelve Imams.
Twelver Shiëa believe that al-Mahdi was born in 869 and did not die but rather was hidden by God in 941 (this is referred to as the Occultation) and will later emerge with Isa (Jesus Christ) in order to fulfill their mission of bringing peace and justice to the world. He assumed the Imamate at 5 years of age. Some Shiëite schools do not consider ibn-al-Hasan to be the Mahdi, although the majority sect Twelvers do.
Sunnis and other Shi'ites believe that the Mahdi has not yet been born, and therefore Allah only knows his exact identity.
Aside from the Mahdi's precise genealogy, Sunnis accept many of the same hadiths Shias accept about the predictions regarding the Mahdi's emergence, his acts, and his universal Khilafat. Sunnis also have a few more Mahdi hadiths, which are not present in Shia collections.
===============================================================
Judaism -
The Messiah...
In Jewish eschatology, the term came to refer to a future Jewish King from the Davidic line, who will be "anointed" with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age. In Standard Hebrew, The Messiah is often referred to as MÈlekh ha-MashÌa, literally meaning "the anointed king."
Traditional and current Orthodox thought have mainly held that the Messiah will be the anointed one (messiah), descended from his father through the Davidic line of King David via Solomon (See Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan), who will gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel, usher in an era of peace, build the Third Temple, have a male heir and re-institute the Sanhedrin, among other things.
===============================================================
Christianity -
Jesus the Christ...
In Christianity and Islam, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, sometimes called the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ to Earth.
This belief is based on prophecies found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies. Christians generally believe the anticipated event is predicted in biblical messianic prophecies. Views about the nature of Jesus' Second Coming vary among Christian denominations and sometimes among individual Christians within these denominations.
* * * *
It should be noted that with the exception of the Judeo-Christian tradition all the ‘men of God’ are numbered; tenth avatar, 5[sup]th[/sup] Buddha & 12[sup]th[/sup] Imam. The Book of Revelation states that the anti-Christ, a person who represents demonically inspired human passion and self-aggrandizement will also have a number. The number 666 is mentioned. Numerically the number 6 is the number of man. The triple digits represent a semi-perfect semi-divine human (demi-god) sent from spiritual sources that claim to be God. I'm sure the reader will acknowledge that some great event is imminent.
but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...