Btw I note that you still have not addressed the Sefer Chassidim, as has no other lubavicher except for CS. Could you at least say something along the lines of, “I don’t know what to answer,” and leave it at that, rather that to hope it will just go away on its own. It won’t go away, just like the faulty sundial didn’t go away.
Was the Chofetz Chaim also involved in Kishuf? Was Reb Shachneh Zohn involved in Kishuf? And they weren’t the only ones who said that Moshiach is close.
So there are a few answers:
1. The simplest answer (and the one I feel most comfortable with) is that we are closer to Moshiach’s coming, as in, we’re 800 years closer. So in Rabbi Yehuda Hachassid’s time it was simply not true that Moshiach was almost here, so anyone (or any Malach) who said that must have been lying, while nowadays he is (though it depends on how you define “close”, in the grand scheme of the 2000 year exile, even the G-d Forbid 230 years until the year 6000 is close).
2. As Reb Yehoshua Mondshine wrote (back in 5753, before the Rebbe’s passing!):
??? ????? ?????? ?? ???”? ?’ ???? ??”? ?????? (?????”? ???? ????), ???? ??? ??????, ?? ??? ????? ???? ?????”? ?????????? ??? ???? ?????, ??? ?? ??? ????”? ?????????? ??? ?????, ???? ????? ?????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???? ??. ??? ??’ ?? ??? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ????. ????? ??????? ????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????. (?”? ??? ???? ?”? ??”?).
And for the record, I did answer the sundial story previously.