“WHAT IF? -- Could a Messiah Appear in Our Lifetime?”
by Frances Oman, MA

Asked, “Could a Messiah Appear in Our Lifetime?” a Vicar of the Church of England replied, "No, no. It is simply impossible that Christ would return in my lifetime—no, not in my lifetime. I'm sure of that." However, a lady coming out of Victoria Station hadn't given the Second Coming much thought, but her immediate reaction was, "That would be wonderful. He couldn't choose a better time."

Michiko Ishikawa is a Japanese woman living in Northern California . She travels frequently to Japan, where she was raised. "In Japan," she reports, "we expect the 5th Buddha, Miroku Bosatsu, who the Buddha said would come. The East Indian Buddhists know him as Maitreya. Many Buddhists look for him now, are expecting him at any moment … and I am one of those."

Rabbi Ted Falcon of Los Angeles explained that though he did not believe it was imminent, "There are those in certain elements of Judaism who believe that this is the time that He will come. Some point to the study of the stars and say that they tell us that this is the time. Others point to the political conflicts in the Holy Land as proof that these difficult times foretell his imminent coming."

Mohammed Zinatbakhsh, was raised as a Moslem. He explained that there are two expectations that Moslems have. "One is that Jesus, who they honor as the Christ, will return. Another is that the Imam Mahdi, the greatest of all religious leaders, the twelfth Imam Mahdi who was lost, will return to pull all the nations together when there is much chaos in the world. He will help create peace on earth. Personally, I believe that He is in our midst now, awaiting the right time to make himself known."

An East Indian gentleman who had always lived in a typically mixed Hindu-Buddhist community, explained that either Maitreya Buddha or the next incarnation of Krishna, is expected by many in India to appear in our lifetime, and that many are already saying that they have seen him in India. "We expect his return now because last year thousands of Ganesh statues in temples across India and in other countries miraculously drank milk, and in such numbers that New Delhi had to be closed down to accommodate the phenomenon. It could be this year, for sure."

American Cherokee Glen Rider, points out that a White Buffalo has now been born, which many Native American's believe means the imminent appearance of a great spiritual leader. "Many tribes await such a Great Man, who is the Great Spirit's gift to teach and lead us into a peaceful and better world."

Christian fundamentalist, Mercedes Juarez, who hosts prayer meetings in her Los Angeles home Saturday mornings, declared, "The coming of the Lord is near, is very near." Signora Juarez went on to voice impassioned thoughts that were echoed by others of different religious beliefs who were interviewed, "The earth will be renewed. There'll be no more smog. The water will not be contaminated; the water will be clean. The air will be clean... There will be springtime all over the world. There's not going to be any more hunger. And it's going to come to be."

The interviews showed that the average person tended toward optimism on the subject. On the other hand, like the British Vicar, many others cannot imagine it happening in their own lifetimes. Perhaps it is safer to think of The Great Lord high up in heaven, on the right hand of God rather than appearing at our own local synagogue, mosque, or church - or perhaps not in the religious field at all but in the socio-political arena, reminding us of what the various religions taught us ages ago which we have still not managed to put into effect.

Or perhaps it is safer yet to believe that the great religious teachers of the past are but myths. Many of the most highly educated people interviewed said that the likelihood of a Divine Person emerging in an active role today is so remote that anyone firmly believing it is surely out of touch with reality. But what if...?

What would it mean to the world if the Messiah, Christ, Buddha or the Imam Mahdi or Krishna came into our lives now? An eleven-year-old boy on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California, responded, "Oh, well, sure, he could come now. He would call together all the leaders of all the countries in the world to one place and ask them all to agree on one plan. From then on there would be peace in the world. In fact if He had come a lot sooner there would never have been nuclear weapons." From the mouths of babes…

Looking to the media for reports that might lend credence to such an event we find what are hailed as signs and miracles in every religion. CNN reports that in North Africa a white lamb was born with the black symbol of Allah clearly marked on its side. Not long before that CNN also reported that a man appeared out of the blue at an enormous prayer meeting in Kenya, healed many, told the assembled crowd that they would see him again soon and then disappeared back into thin air.

What might happen if one Divine Messenger came into the world now? Is it not possible that those of all religions might see him as their own great expected Teacher? The Christians recognizing him as Christ; the Buddhists as Maitreya Buddha; the Jews as the Messiah; the Hindus as Krishna; the Moslems as the Imam Mahdi. Those of no religion might see Him as an inspired teacher. Does it make sense that it might be a universal teacher whose spiritual power would be recognized across dogmatic boundaries?

What is it that makes us skeptical that something like this could happen in our lifetime? It may not always be healthy to be skeptical if that closes our minds. Statistics are showing that more and more people are interested in things spiritual, and for the first time 90% of Americans believe in God. Might it not already be that a great transformation is spreading throughout all the countries of the world, inspired by the incoming of such a One?

One New Yorker declared, "He himself would discourage any one religion from owning him or calling him by their own name for him. I have heard that there is someone like that named Maitreya working quietly and humbly among the poor in the East End of London, where the poorest of the poor, the immigrant Bangladeshi live in poverty."

Japanese television found a recognized artist and writer in London named Benjamin Creme who agrees. When the Japanese TV crew located Creme he claimed that all these miracles are caused by a messianic figure he calls The World Teacher. He told the interviewer that he has reason to believe that this great teacher is the one all religions are waiting for and will soon be recognized as such in an interview already scheduled on a major television network.