Regarding Moshiach ben Yosef, I recall during the 2006 Lebanon war that Ariel Sharon started to move in a way that was absent during the previous six months of his coma. To this day I still think it possible that if Israel had declared all out war on hezbolah that Ariel would have woken up and led us as Moshiach ben Yosef.
The following was printed in the NYTimes Week in Review Aug 6, 2006:
“TOWARD the end of last month, well into Israel’s war with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, Ariel Sharon suddenly seemed to shudder.”