What about the prophecies or dragonsworn or anything in this story makes you believe that Rand was anything other than a messiah figure?

What I did find ridiculous was this idea throughout ToM that the DO actually tempted him. Like that Tairen Highlord for instance. Last time I checked, he hasn't tempted Rand at all, except for groveling and being a nuisance at times. It's not like he was whispering in Rand's ear, telling him to do this or that, and Rand was following. Yet Rand's dialogue makes it seem just like that.

In other words, all of Rand's choices up to this moment have been pretty good choices. It would've been more believable if Rand destroyed a city to get to Graendal because of that Highlord's advice or something. He wasn't blind to anything, except for his own anger and arrogance.