There is nothing new about claiming to talk to God. Neither is there anything new in believing that the Lord is working his will through a human vessel. For thousands of years, societies have had mystics, ascetics, holy men, holy rollers, shakers, fakirs, shamans and charlatans. These folks usually served a useful purpose in that they reinforced a belief system that united the culture – especially in times of trial and hardship.

The old Testament is replete with examples of prophets and ordinary people who talked to God or who claimed they were carrying out the will of the Almighty. They are among the most revered figures in the history of both the Jewish and Christian religions. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Jonah are touchstones that for Jews, connect the present with the past and for Christians, represent confirmation in the divinity of Christ – “The Word Made Flesh.” Similarly, for Muslims, “al Mahdi” (The Guided One) is both a mystic and a savior. His return has been foretold for almost 1500 years and his arrival will herald the final battle between believers and non-believers. It is significant that the Mahdi’s return will not occur until Muslims all over the world are oppressed and ready to unite to defeat the forces of evil represented by their oppressors.

The modern, secular world no longer has much tolerance for people who claim to talk to God (or, at least have a direct line to what God is saying). They are considered kooks and crazies. If they stand on a street corner in ragged clothes with a sign saying “The End Is Near” we tend to feel pity. But when they go on television dressed in $1,000 suits and claim that illness is divine retribution for being disobedient of God, we are rightly outraged:

As the Israeli prime minister battled for life, Robertson seemed to suggest to viewers on his “700 Club” television show that Sharon was being punished for his policies in Gaza and the West Bank.

“The prophet Joel makes it very clear that God has enmity against those who, quote, ‘divide my land.’ God considers this land to be his.

“You read the Bible, he says, ‘This is my land.’ And for any prime minister of Israel who decides he’s going carve it up and give it away, God says, ‘No. This is mine.’”

Being something of a theatrical prophet, Robertson then invokes language reminiscent of the thundering condemnations given by Old Testament prophets to the sinning Hebrews:

I prayed with him personally. But here he is at the point of death. He was dividing God’s land, and I would say woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU, the United Nations or the United States of America.”

Woe, indeed. Robertson isn’t “suggesting” that Sharon’s illness was caused by his disobedience of God’s strictures, he is actually wishing it. “Woe unto” – or “may bad things happen to you” is a helluva lot different than simply saying that God doesn’t like you. In effect, Robertson is acting as the hand of God here on earth – by his lights – in punishing Sharon for his transgressions.

I will not make fun of Robertson’s beliefs by suggesting he is crazy. Indeed, millions believe in what the good Reverend has to say, even his over the air healing sessions where he invokes the name of Jesus Christ to cure everything from cancer to warts. Instead, as Joe Gandleman has pointed out, let’s examine Robertson’s affinity with another anti-modernist; Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

“Hopefully, the news that the criminal of Sabra and Chatilla has joined his ancestors is final,” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the semiofficial Iranian Students News Agency.

Ahmadinejad was referring to Sharon, who as defense minister in 1982 directed Israel’s ill-fated invasion of Lebanon. An Israeli commission found him indirectly responsible for a massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps by Christian Phalangist soldiers.

While not specifically invoking the name Allah, the reference to “joining his ancestors” is reflective of the belief of devout Muslims that Jews and Christians cannot enter heaven. And note the similarity – both men are wishing Sharon ill.

What are we to make of this? For Robertson’s part, he has been marginalized even in the evangelical movement as other TV preachers have far surpassed him in audience and fundraising. And his political influence is almost non existent. His notoriety comes from his brush with destiny in 1988 when he made a surprisingly strong showing in the Iowa Caucuses, finishing second ahead of candidates like Vice President Bush and Jack Kemp. Since the heyday of TV evangelists in the 1990’s, he has fallen precipitously.

Not so the mystical Ahmadinejad. As President of a country that is about ready to get its hands on the ultimate power here on earth, he claims that he “foretold” his election last June months before when his support was at 1%. He also claims to possess otherwordly powers:

The president also spoke of an aura that wreathed him throughout his controversial UN speech in September.

“O mighty Lord,” Mr. Ahmadinejad intoned to his surprised audience, “I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace.”

Later, at a private meeting with a cleric that was caught on video, Ahmadinejad shared his views of the moment. “I felt that all of a sudden the atmosphere changed, and for 27 to 28 minutes the leaders did not blink,” he said. “They were astonished…. it had opened their eyes and ears for the message of the Islamic Republic.”

“The promised one” being the Mahdi. And here’s where the similarities between Robertson and Ahmadinejad are most pronounced; they both have an apocalyptic vision of the world.

Robertson has said on many occasion that America is suffering because we have fallen away from God. Along with his fellow preacher Jerry Falwell who famously said that 9/11 was the result of throwing God out of the classroom and the public square, this is a worldview that accepts the fact of direct divine retribution for both innocent and guilty alike.

Ahmadinejad goes even farther. He believes he is laying the foundation for the return of the Mahdi, meeting the required conditions laid out in prophecy and tradition. By doing so, he hopes to usher in an era of “justice and peace” – ostensibly once the unbelievers are dealt with. The similarities between Robertson’s constant use of apocalyptic metaphors to describe what’s happening to America and Ahmadinejad invoking the Mahdi is startling. And, in the case of the Iranian President, extraordinarily troubling.

Robertson’s run for the Presidency in 1988 was doomed from the start. He was buried in every subsequent contest and never had a ghost of a chance of winning. What Robertson was really after was a platform for his ideas – something the Republicans were happy to oblige him at the Convention. Robertson was never really serious about being President and I daresay the American people never took him seriously in that regard.

But Ahmadinejad is already the leader of a country that is a regional powerhouse and whose influence (thanks to their support of terrorism) is felt far beyond the Middle East. They also hold vast reserves of oil, have a healthy literacy rate, an emerging middle class, and as I mentioned, are about to embark on the grand adventure of arming itself with nuclear weapons.

The problem is that Robertston would fit right in with those Old Testament prophets and mystics. They would recognize a kindred spirit. The same goes for Ahmadinejad to a certain extent. And here’s the problem.:

What do you think it would be like if instead of horns to blow down the walls of Jerhico, Joshua had a tactical nuke?

It certainly would have saved Joshua some time. After the walls came down, Joshua ordered every living soul in Jericho (with a couple of exceptions) put to the sword, dealing out God’s “justice” – a practice carried out many times by the Israelites in their conquest of the promised land.

This kind of fanaticism in the breast of someone like Robertson is harmless for the most part. No one takes him seriously. But in the case of the Iranian President, it would behoove us to be mindful of every pronouncement this man makes as it relates to his mystical belief in salvation – either by the Mahdi or by the Islamic Republic’s own devices.

We may get a chance to observe his mystical belief in the apocalypse a lot sooner than we would care to believe.