Re: What if.........
If we see the reaction of religious communities where the strongly held beliefs are shaken or turned upside down by circumstances, most people turn to the first defence mechanism>>>>>>DENIAL followed by another explanation to keep the faith going. A few examples i can think of;
Jesus Christ promised to establish Kingdom of God, he was crucified later. The christians came up with the notion that he paid for sins of mankind by being crucified.
Early shiites beleived Imam from progeny of Prophet saw was required to guide people when Imam Hasan Askari died without leaving a living offspring theory of occultation came up.
*I also feel that concept of Mahdi is also an offshoot of similar denial mechanism.
PS: I mean no disrespect to christians and shia brothers, its just a philosophical discussion on behavior and not a theological one.