himself designated the line of descent
in which his most important successor would be found, and even indicated
his personal appearance. The time having arrived, it is not strange that
the man is forthcoming, only in this instance there is more than one
claimant. There is a "holy man" in Morocco who has allowed it to be
announced that he is the designated reformer, while cable reports show
that a rival pretender has appeared in Yemen, in southern Arabia, and
his supporters, sword in hand, are now advancing upon Mecca, for the
purpose of proclaiming their leader as caliph within the sacred city
itself.

History then relates to us the indisputable fact that at the time of
Jesus of Nazareth an Angel-Messiah was expected, that many persons
claimed, and were believed to be, _the_ "Expected One," and that the
reason why _Jesus_ was accepted above all others was because the
Essenes--a very numerous sect--believed him to be the true Messiah, and
came over to his followers in a body. It was because there were so many
of these _Christs_ in existence that some follower of Jesus--but no one
knows _who_--wrote as follows:

"If any man shall say to you, Lo, _here is Christ_, or, lo, he
is _there_; believe him not; for _false Christs_ and false
prophets shall rise, _and shall show signs and wonders_ to
seduce, if it were possible, even the elect."[431:1]

The reasons why Jesus was not accepted as the Messiah by the _majority_
of the Jews was because the majority expected a daring and irresistible
warrior and conqueror, who, armed with greater power than Caesar, was to
come upon earth to rend the fetters in which their hapless nation had so
long groaned, to avenge them upon their haughty oppressors, and to
re-establish the kingdom of Judah; and this Jesus--although he evidently
claimed to be the Messiah--did not do.

Tacitus, the Roman historian, says:

"The generality had a strong persuasion that it was contained
in the ancient writings of the priests, that at that very time
the east should prevail: and that some one, who should come
out of Judea, _should obtain the empire of the world_; which
ambiguities foretold Vespasian and Titus. But the common
people (of the Jews), according to the influence of human
wishes, appropriated to themselves, by their interpretation,
this vast grandeur foretold by the fates, nor could be brought
to change their opinion for the true,