So either the Mahdi Jesus or the Jewish messiah will enlighten us all,as a sceptic I find it hard to believe that that will happen and of course it would usher in the end times.
There is a Du'a taught by Imams (a):
"O my God make me know yourself for if I don't know yourself, I won't know your Messenger. O my God, make me know your Messenger for if I don't know your Messenger, I will not know your proof. O my God make me know your proof, for if I don't know your proof, I would be lead astray from my religion...."
You have to start with step 1, you can't know step 2 without step 1. But you can use all of them and if you can get to know step 3 it means automatically you know 1 and 2.
So while it seems like you have to go by 1 then 2 and then 3, the converse is:
"If I am guided in my religion, I will know your proof, and if I know your proof I will know your Messenger, and if I know your Messenger, I will know you".
The Imam (a) phrased it the other way, because humans are negative and it would not have been passed on in the converse way.
But what I wrote is the logical equivalent to the du'a.
So if you started researching religion and find the right guidance you will know God's proof and if you do you will automatically at that point know God and his Messenger.