Iran's missile emblazoned with 'Yeay Mahdi!'

When Judas Iscariot purposefully betrayed Jesus to the religious authorities, many historians and theologians believe his purpose for doing so was to force Jesus to assume His position as the King Messiah. By initiating Jesus' arrest, Judas reasoned, he could force Jesus to arise as the divinely sent savior.

Throughout the history of messianic movements, there has commonly arisen a tension between "zealots" such as Judas, who believe that man can assist or force God to save them, and those who believe that deliverance will simply take place according to God's will and in His own timing.

Ever since Iranian President Ahmadinejad's 2005 prayer for the arrival of Islam's Mahdi-Messiah, before the U.N. General Assembly, speculation has raged regarding which school of thought Ahmadinejad adheres to.

Many have argued that Ahmadinejad and the religious leaders of Iran are in fact all true Mahdist zealots, racing toward nuclear capability solely for the purpose of "hot-wiring the apocalypse." Other analysts have taken a slightly more skeptical approach, believing that Iran's leaders are more traditionalist in their messianism.

Understand the significance of the Muslim's Mahdi 'messiah' in Joel Richardson's book, "The Islamic Antichrist: The Shocking Truth about the Real Nature of the Beast." Note: The book is also available in electronic form at reduced price through Scribd.

This week, the merging of several events took place in Iran that could settle the issue once and for all. First, through Russian assistance, the Iranian uranium-enrichment program is in full swing. How long it will be until Iran reaches the level it needs to create weapons grade nuclear material is up for debate. But if it is possible, the next events may be far more foreboding. In typical Iranian form of broadcasting their military and technological achievements, Iranian TV aired the launch of one of their surface-to-surface Qiam missiles to shouts of "Allahu Ahkbar!" Nothing new. But according to the Telegraph UK, this particular missile had the words "Ya Mahdi!" emblazoned across its body. Ya Mahdi would be the equivalent of "Yeay," or "Go Mahdi!"

The Mahdi is Islam's primary messiah figure Muslims believe will come at the end of the age to lead Islam to global dominance. Much popular discussion of Mahdism in recent years has inaccurately expressed that belief in the Mahdi is merely a Shia phenomenon. While variances in the details do exist between Sunni and Shia Muslims on this issue, belief in the Mahdi is nevertheless not reserved to one group or the other. Numerous renowned Muslim scholars, Sunni, Sufi and Shia affirm the orthodoxy of belief in the coming of the Mahdi.

Video footage of the launch featured on the Telegraph website does not clearly show the words "Ya Mahdi," so the question arises as to where this information comes from. But if the Telegraph's claims are true, this could be a confirmation that the religious leaders of Iran are in fact hell-bent on initiating the apocalypse. Imagine if the U.S. military publicly and purposefully broadcast to the world its launch of a missile with the words "Come quickly Lord Jesus!" emblazoned across its sides. Yet today, the Western media has little to say about this event in Iran.

And Sunday, Iran unveiled its first unmanned bomber drone, which President Ahmadinejad affectionately referred to as "the ambassador of death" for Iran's enemies.

Watching this day approach has been like watching a train wreck unfold in extreme slow motion. For years now, the world has known of Iran's regional and global ambitions to spread the Iranian Revolution beyond its borders. We listened as Ahmadinejad denied the Holocaust and threatened that Israel will soon be wiped from the pages of history. We read all about Iran's Mahdist apocalyptic end-time belief system. We watched as Iran openly thumbed its nose at the world in its race for nuclear capability. We watched as America and the Western powers did nothing. And now all of these things have come to a big, ugly, apocalyptic, puss-filled head. Though I dare not speak it out loud, what happens next is not hard to imagine. The Obama administration no doubt is presently considering the best way to blame the whole thing on George W. Bush.

Joel Richardson is the author of "Islamic Antichrist," published by WND Books, and is the co-author with Walid Shoebat of "God's War on Terror." His blog is www.Joelstrumpet.com.