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12.11
Signs of messiahs- visions and dreams
 
     
  While celestial events, climactic events and even knowledge are difficult to coordinate for people wanting to claim themselves as Messiah, virtually all cultures have accepted dreams and visions as a legitimate sign of a person being a legitimate Messiah.  
12.11.1 The honor and authenticity given to Dreams and Visions  
  Unlike the present day where dreams and "visions" are considered the ghost of a physiological machine and nothing more, before psychology virtually all cultures placed great honor and faith in the importance of dreams and visions.  
  The Great Prophet Muhammad claimed the origin of the Qu'ran from visions and dream state through the angels. The Bible is full of prophets receiving their divine mission plan from dreams and visions.  
12.11.2 The distinguishing features of a legitimate vision and a false vision  
  Of course, the difficulty has always existed as to what represents a legitimate vision or dream of divine intervention and what is a false vision? The answer is there are no simple rules. What one person has claimed as a vision, others have frequently classed as madness. Certainly this was the experience of Jesus, Muhammad and most people now historically recognized as Messiahs of their culture during their lifetime.  
  Such reaction is understandable. No one readily accepts a claim by someone else that they have received a message from "God" or the "angels" unless they hold some official orthodox position in some institution of credibility. The funny thing is that ever messiah that has ever been historically validated into culture has always been a revolutionary and "outsider" to this culture.  
  There are however some general signs of a dream/vision being legitimate compared to false:  
  (1) That the dream evokes the image of clearly holy people interacting with the dreamer either in physical form, or voice form;  
  (2) That the dreamer is aware that they are having a dream- that is, they are conscious within the dream, "I know I am dreaming, yet this dream feels real and I am able to reflect on this thought while still being in the dream".  
  (3) That the dream indicates some divine connection/mission of the dreamer  
12.11.3 How many dreams does a messiah candidate get?  
  It is interesting to reflect on the Bible on just how many divine dreams/visions some prophets get compared to others. For some, only one dream is given and that is enough to change their lives. For others, they have been blessed with several.  
  Generally speaking, few figures in history have experienced more than a couple of profound visions/dreams in their life that qualify for the criteria listed above. For a person to experience more than a couple is strong indication of their messiah qualifications by traditional methods.  
12.11.4 Modern day witnesses of vision/dreams  
  Over the past one hundred years that have been only a few notable "visions" most notably Fatima and Garabandal.  
  The message of impending disaster allegedly revealed at Garabandal was repeated, with more detail, in Yugoslavia a decade later. In June 1981, six young people from the mountain village of Medjugorje reportedly encountered Mary near the top of Mount Podbrdo, a small mountain located in central Yugoslavia. In a series of apparitions that still continues, but with much less frequency, she reportedly sent a message of faith, prayer, fasting, conversion and peace. In these apparitions Mary said she came to bring humanity back to her Son; and warned that Satan is especially active in these times and that it was necessary to pray fervently and often to ward off his advances.  
  During the early 1980s, Medjugorje became well known initially throughout Europe, with newspaper reports in Le Monde and the Financial Times; by the late '80s it had become known throughout the world. As a result of its growing fame, more than ten million pilgrims had visited it by the tenth anniversary of the first apparition. On the tenth anniversary, conflict broke out among the Bosnian Serbs and Croats. Despite this conflict, thousands of pilgrims still manage to make the dangerous journey to Medjugorje each year.  
  For example, at Garabandal Our Lady reportedly stated that the Miracle will occur on a Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m. (Garabandal time) between the 8th and 16th of either March, April or May. The Miracle will coincide with an important event in the Church and on a feast day of a martyr of the Eucharist. Russia will finally be converted after the Miracle occurs.  
     
   
 
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