could a messiah come as an animal?
919858
If you believe in divine beings and saviours then anything's possible. But you'd have to ask why, as it wouldn't be perhaps the most efficient way to for a deity to communicate to a mass of people as animals are not known for their speaking or writing skills. Imagine the problems as an ant for instance. I suppose a parrot has the necessary vocal tract to make intelligible speech and a monkey could hold a pen or work a keyboard, but even then you're starting from a low base. Of course you would get more TV coverage because of the novelty value, so  I suppose the message might be gotten over more efficiently that way.
230748
They wont. They've been sitting there for two thousand years waiting for the Messiah to come since they killed Jesus and still can't admit that maybe, just maybe, oops maybe we killed the Messiah by mistake. Our bad.\n\nBY THE WAY - super clever post there "redsoxfanjme"
1091722
Well she wouldn't get much done since not very many people would believe she was the new messiah.  It's pretty hard to overthrow the antichrist if you don't have a strong army of followers backing you.
407651
Absolutely not, no one claiming to be a messiah in current times would be believed by anyone but thier core followers and once they were killed they would be forgotten.\n\n\n\nTo everyone who cited "freedom of religion", almost everyone who has started a cult and claimed to be a messiah in the last 30 or so years has been killed or died mysteriously.  We have "freedom of religion" just as long as we don't insult the mainstream.
415427
THE MESSIAH IN JUDAISM:::\n\nHow have we Jews, who invented the term, always defined the term Messiah?\n\n1)The Messiah is born of two human parents, as we said.\n\nBut Jesus, according to Christian theology, was born of a union between a Human woman and Gd, just as Hercules was born of Zeus and the human woman named Alcmene, and just like Dionysis who was born of Zeus and Semele, as well as many other pagan gods.\n\n2)The Messiah must trace his lineage through his human biological father, back to King David (Isaiah 11:1,10; Jeremiah 23:5; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:21-28; Jeremiah 30:7-10; 33:14-16; and Hosea 3:4-5)\n\nBut Jesus's lineage cannot go through his human father, according to Christian theology, as Jesus's father was not Joseph the husband of Mary. According to Christian theology, Jesus’s father was Gd.\n\n3)The Messiah traces his lineage only through King Solomon, and cannot be adopted into the Royal line (II Samuel 7:12-17; I Chronicles 22:9-10)\n\nBut according to Luke 3:31, Jesus was a descendant of Nathan, another son of King David, and not a descendant of King David through King Solomon.\n\n4)The Messiah can not trace his lineage through Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, or Shealtiel, because this royal line was cursed (I Chronicles 3:15-17; Jeremiah 22:18,30).\n\nBut according to both Matthew 1:11-12 and Luke 3:27, Jesus was a descendant of Shealtiel, grandson of Jehoiakim, and part of the cursed lineage.\n\nFurthermore, according to the Jewish definition of the term, the Real Messiah will make changes in the real world, changes that one can see and perceive and be able to prove because these changes take place in the real world. It is for this task that the real messiah has been anointed in the first place, hence the term, messiah -- one who is anointed. These changes, that one will be able to see and perceive in the real world, include:\n\n1)The Messiah is preceded by Elijah the prophet who, with the Messiah, unifies the family (Malachi 4:5-6)\n\nWhich is contradicted by Jesus in Matthew 10:34-37.\n\n2)The Messiah re-establishes the Davidic dynasty through the messiah's own children (Daniel 7:13-14)\n\nBut Jesus had no children.\n\n3)The Messiah brings an eternal peace between all nations, between all peoples, and between all people (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4; Ezekiel 39:9)\n\nObviously there is no peace. Furthermore, Jesus said that his purpose in coming was to bring a sword, and not peace (see Matthew 10:34, as referenced above.)\n\n4)The Messiah brings about the universal world-wide conversion of all peoples to Judaism, or at least to Ethical Monotheism (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Zechariah 8:23; Isaiah 11:9; Zechariah 14:9,16)\n\nBut the world remains steeped in idolatry.\n\n5)The Messiah brings about an end to all forms of idolatry (Zechariah 13:2);\n\nBut the world remains steeped in idolatry.\n\n6)The Messiah brings about a universal recognition that the Jewish idea of Gd is Gd (Isaiah 11:9)\n\nBut the world remains steeped in idolatry.\n\n7)The Messiah leads the world to become vegetarian (Isaiah 11:6-9)\n\nIt isn't.\n\n8)The Messiah gathers to Israel, all of the twelve tribes (Ezekiel 36:24)\n\nMany of the ten lost tribes remain lost.\n\n9)The Messiah rebuilds The Temple (Isaiah 2:2; Ezekiel 37:26-28)\n\nIt hasn't been rebuilt.\n\n10)There will be no more famine (Ezekiel 36:29-30)\n\nPeople starve to death every day.\n\n11)After the Messiah comes, death will eventually cease (Isaiah 25:8)\n\nPeople die every day.\n\nNone of the following has happened, yet, either:::\n\n12)Eventually the dead will be resurrected (Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; Ezekiel 37:12-13; Isaiah 43:5-6);\n\n13)The nations of the earth will help the Jews, materially (Isaiah 60:5-6; 60:10-12;\n\n14)The Jews will be sought out for spiritual guidance (Zechariah 8:23);\n\n15)All weapons will be destroyed (Ezekiel 39:9,12);\n\n16)The Nile will run dry (Isaiah 11:15)\n\n17)Monthly, the trees of Israel will yield their fruit (Ezekiel 47:12);
1056573
Sadly, your question neglects an important detail...\n\n...the Israelites were specifically allowed to choose either a lamb or a GOAT for Passover, both in Egypt and for later commemorations.\n\n(Exodus 12:5) The sheep should prove to be sound, a male, a year old, for you. You may pick from the young rams [male sheep] or from the goats.
661270
Umm... I think God has that figured out. Since animals don't have souls ( at least none that humans know of) then no, they won't go to heaven.Because heaven is not a physical place, it is a spirtual place.
1067164
Jesus came as God in flesh, sent to cleanse us of our sin.\n\nBefore the time of Jesus, it was tradition to offer a sacrificial animal for the sins of a person or nation. The animal was symbolically paying the debt for everything the person/nation did wrong. In other words, the payment/punishment ("wages" as it is put in the Bible) for anything we do wrong is death. By offering an animal, as specified by God, that would count as payment.\n\nThe sins of the world, however, are great and many. This is no secret, of course. So, instead of offering animals all the time, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to serve as the ultimate sacrifcial lamb. His death served to pay for our sins, and his resurrection showed us that He has overcome death and will keep us saved, or "paid up."\n\nThe only way to be completely paid up is to become "saved"; that is, to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior (accept his gift of sacrifice) and believe that He died and rose. It is also customary and commanded that we verbally acknowledge this, and follow Christ's example by being baptised (this is symbolic of dying to our old self and rising, cleansed, to a new life in Christ). \n\nYes, people are called to follow Him, but not all will choose to. Jesus is very clear that those who reject him will spend eternity in Hell, and those that accept Him will be protected by His blood and spend eternity in Heaven.\n\nHope that helps.  :)
566315
The Bible is not clear on that...but God wants us to be right with Him for those types of hopes.\nThere are numerous examples of animals associated with heaven (including 2 Kings 2:11, Revelation 5:13 and 19:11-14) or the “new creation” (Isaiah 65:17-25).\nStill, the question is “were these animals new creations or do these animals include reborn earthly creatures?” \nBoth mankind and animals are formed from the ground (Genesis 2:7, 19). This reveals that the physical bodies of both are similar, but it does not tell us about their immortality. \nGod’s covenant with Noah included both people and animals (Genesis 9:9-11). However, that covenant was not one of eternal life, but that He would not again destroy the earth with a flood. \nThe fourth commandment as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 includes a Sabbath rest for animals as well as people. Again, it reveals some equality between people and animals, but makes no statement regarding animals going to heaven. \nGod takes care of both men and animals (see Matthew 6:26 and Psalm 104—verses 14 and 27-30 in particular). Although death is mentioned in Psalm 104:29, we learn nothing regarding an afterlife. \nAt some future time, Christ (a Rod from the stem of Jesse) will bring about a time of peace where all animals and man will be in harmony (Isaiah 11:1-9). Still, the description is not necessarily of heaven, and these animals are not necessarily reborn animals. \nNotice the recurring theme, although animals are our “equals” in some ways, none of these passages tells us anything about whether an animal has eternal life.\nI'll end with hope...\nIn Ecc 3:19-22\nFor that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. \nAll go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. \nWho knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? \nWherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
471148
“He will come up like a twig before [an observer], and like a root out of waterless land. No stately form does he have, nor any splendor; and when we shall see him, there is not the appearance so that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2)\n Here we see the backdrop against which the Messiah is to enter the earthly scene. He is to have a lowly start, and to observers he will appear unlikely to amount to anything. Moreover, he is to be like a mere twig, a tender sapling, that grows on the trunk or branch of a tree. He is also to be like a water-dependent root in dry, unpromising soil. And he is not to come with regal pomp and splendor—no robes of royalty nor any sparkling diadems. Instead, his start is to be humble and unpretentious.\n\n How well that describes Jesus’ lowly beginning as a human! \n\n“He was despised and was avoided by men, a man meant for pains and for having acquaintance with sickness. And there was as if the concealing of one’s face from us. He was despised, and we held him as of no account.” (Isaiah 53:3)\n Certain that his words will come true, Isaiah writes in the past tense, as if they had already been fulfilled. Was Jesus Christ really despised and avoided by men? Indeed, he was! Self-righteous religious leaders and their followers viewed him as the vilest of humans. They called him a friend of tax collectors and harlots. (Luke 7:34, 37-39) They spit in his face. They hit him with their fists and reviled him. They sneered and jeered at him. (Matthew 26:67) Influenced by these enemies of truth, Jesus’ “own people did not take him in.”
1046079
I don't believe animals pray b/c they don't have a soul capable of going to heaven or hell "based on their decision to accept or not accept Jesus as their Savior"...I believe animals are capable of love, loyalty, and are great to have as part of the family! Dogs especially even seem human sometimes....this can seem confusing...but only humans created in our Lord's image can pray.
15447
This only poses a problem for Christians who believe the Messiah must be born in Bethlehem based on a misreading of  Michah 5:2 as their proof:\n\n"But you Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are small among the thousands of Judah, out of you will come to Me one who will be ruler in Israel, whose goings out are from ancient time, from days of old."\n\nThis verse is not a prophecy that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. The passage simply states it has been preordained that the Messiah would be able to trace his roots back to Bethlehem. This is\nconsistent with the biblical statement that the Messiah will be a descendant of King David, who was from Bethlehem, as seen in I Samuel 16:18.\n\nWith a correct reading of Michah 5:2, whether muslims take control of Bethlehem or not, it wont affect God's mission of bringing the Messiah (Muslims also await the coming of the Messiah).\n\nIf you believe in God and the coming of the Messiah, have a little *more* faith in God's power and abilities and all will all right.\n\nNow look busy, Messiah is coming !
908230
This may sound simplistic but if you think of Jesus as God's avatar on Earth it kind of makes better sense.\n\nGod's will and Jesus's will are one in the same for us humans, but Jesus was God in human form, exactly the same as you and I but more like I said above an avatar.
895968
The Beast appears as a satanic version of Christ. We have to be careful what we are looking for because the Jews missed Jesus when he came because they were waiting for a worldly warrior, not the suffering servant lamb that takes away the sins of the world.The Beast could be a literal man like many think or a messenger of GOD like Muhammad or anyone or anything else that resembles Jesus Christ. So watch and pray. We will see soon enough.\nMay GOD richly bless you.
971434
No, God has put animals under the dominion of man. However it talks about dealing with them kindly. That would include if we killed them for food, for example, to do it in a humane way, and not to promote their suffering. (I know I'm gonna hear from vegetarians on that one, but I stand by it.)
687774
Prophecies to Identify the Messiah, Which Jesus Does Not Fulfill:\n\n1) Matthew 1:23 says that Jesus (the messiah) would be called Immanuel, which means "God with us."  Yet no one, not even his parents, call him Immanuel at any point in the bible.\n\n2) The Messiah must be a physical descendant of David (Romans 1:3 & Acts 2:30).  Yet, how could Jesus meet this requirement since his genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 show he descended from David through Joseph, who was not his natural father because of the Virgin Birth. Hence, this prophecy could not have been fulfilled.\n\n3) Isaiah 7:16 seems to say that before Jesus had reached the age of maturity, both of the Jewish countries would be destroyed.  Yet there is no mention of this prophecy being fulfilled in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus, hence this is another Messiah prophecy not fulfilled.
42435
Simple answer. Lo.\n\nOK, reasons why not.\nThe beast is not human. The antichrist is the one who gets the wound to the head. He will be DEAD and then rise up and regain power. It will be a pseudo miracle. Putting him in a coma does not count. He will make a peace agreement and allow Israel to rebuild their temple. Sharon is no where NEAR that kind of power or trust.\n\nMatt,\nSorry bro. It's actually Roy Horn of "Siegfried & Roy". All the people love him. He has no love for women. He was wounded in the head, yet lived. He is called the little "horn". There is three, and one is a beast. (OK, now, don't go nuts... I'm KIDDING!)