Throughout the series are countless references to Rand's tragic death. (There's no reason to quote them just check any other theory.)

We also have references that hint at Rand's possible survival or resurrection. (Also no reason to quote.)

I find it hilarious reading the different arguments, theories, and stubborn insistence on what is correct, since both views are completely ignoring the parts of the books that don't agree with their view, but I don't want to open up that debate again, I want to explore a new option that I don't think anyone else has put to writing yet.

I believe that normally what happens in the WoT over and over again, because it is endlessly repeating itself, is that the Dragon is Reborn, Arrives at Shayol Ghul, Dies in victory over the Shadow, and Joins the rest of the Heroes of the Horn awaiting Rebirth and starting the process all over again. The details of how might be different in each spinning of the wheel but the end result is the same each time.

I base this thought off of Ishamael/Ba'alzamon's comments to Rand in tEoW when he said repeatedly "We have fought each other many time's." Yes I know RJ insinuated that he was lying by responding "You believed Ishamael?" however the best lie contains a little truth to make it more believable. I think Ishamael lied about the Dragon kneeling to the shadow, but told the truth about facing him many times. The next bit of information makes this view even stronger to me.

When reading Moridin's POV in the prologue of tPoD I got to thinking that not only is there a third option, but I believe RJ is hinting that he is going to use it.

This description of the game of Sha'rah mirrors events in the series very closely, especially now after events in KoD where Rand physically resembles the Fisher. This physical resemblance is very likely to have been the same physical resemblance on all of the previous "Dragons" based on Moridin's POV.

Notice how Moridin/Ishamael muses on how to win in Sha'rah.

TITLE: Path of Daggers
CHAPTER: Prologue - Deceptive Appearances

The Fisher held his attention, baiting him. Several pieces had varying moves, but only the Fisher's attributes altered according to where it stood; on a white square, weak in attack yet agile and far-ranging in escape; on black, strong in attack but slow and vulnerable. When masters played, the Fisher changed sides many times before the end. The green-and-red goal-row that surrounded the playing surface could be threatened by any piece, but only the Fisher could move onto it. Not that he was safe, even there; the Fisher was never safe. When the Fisher was yours, you tried to move him to a square of your color behind your opponent's end of the board. That was victory, the easiest way, but not the only one. When your opponent held the Fisher, you attempted to leave him no choice for the Fisher but to move onto your color. Anywhere at all along the goal-row would do; holding the Fisher could be more dangerous than not. Of course, there was a third path to victory in sha'rah, if you took it before letting yourself be trapped. The game always degenerated in a bloody melee, then, victory coming only with complete annihilation of your enemy. He had tried that, once, in desperation, but the attempt had failed. Painfully.

Painfully.....(skipped some non-essential ragings)....The Fisher was always worked as a man, a bandage blinding his eyes and one hand pressed to his side, a few drops of blood dripping through his fingers. The reasons, like the source of the name, were lost in the mist of time. That troubled him sometimes, enraged him, what knowledge might be lost in the turnings of the Wheel, knowledge he needed, knowledge he had a right to. A right!.....(more skipped ragings).... Perhaps the Fisher did come from some dim remnant of a memory of Rand al'Thor, the shadow of a shadow. It did not matter. He realized he was laughing, and made no effort to stop. On the board, the Fisher stood waiting, but in the greater game, al'Thor moved already to his wishes. And soon, now.... It was very hard to lose a game when you played both sides of the board. Moridin laughed so hard that tears rolled down his face, but he was not aware of them.

From various POV's Elza, Taim, maybe a few other darkfriends, it's obvious the shadow is desperate to get Rand to Shayol Ghul, so he can fight and "lose" the Last Battle. This is represented by both of the "easy victories" mentioned above. At the end of CoT Rand was feeling trapped so he opted to strike at a third target and seek a truce with the Seanchan. You could say he's starting to run out of moves/choices or at least feeling that way. With Moridin playing both sides, or influencing by means of unknown darkfriends within the forces of light, he's playing a game that's practically impossible to lose.

Now if the forces of light succeed in purging the Black Ajah (which they're on the cusp of doing), eliminate the problems in the Black Tower, eliminate a few more Forsaken, etc..., then they're in a much better position to stop Moridin from controlling both sides, and be able to win by getting Rand to TG (putting the Fisher on to the goal row of your color behind your opponent). According to the prophecies Rand will not survive TG with this series of events occurring, but the forces of light will win, "and there was much rejoicing" no reason at all to invoke the third option victory.

However now we run into the pesky problem of what to make of the "Survival/Resurrection" Viewings and Dreams. We know Min's viewings always come true, but dreams may or may not happen, depending on certain events, actions, or choices. All of these types of fortellings are new, or recently made by Min, Egwene, Aiel Wise Ones, and Nicola. Whereas all of the old prophecies of the dragon, the Karaethon Cycle all talk of the Dragon dying, blood, etc...

The new types hinting at Rand's survival didn't start coming out till after Rand pulled Callandor and went to visit the Finns. We now know what his questions was, at least one of them.

TITLE: Knife of Dreams
CHAPTER: News for the Dragon.

"I went through that doorframe ter'angreal in Tear, Cadsuane. You know about that?" Golden ornaments bobled as she nodded impatiently. "One of my questions for the Aelfinn was 'How can I win the Last Battle?'"

"A dangerous question to pose," she said quietly, "touching on the Shadow as it does. Supposedly, the results can be quite unpleasant. What was the answer?"

"'The north and the east must be as one. The west and the south must be as one. The two must be as one.'" He blew a smoke ring, put another in the middle of it as it expanded. That was not the whole of it. He had asked how to win and survive. The last part of his answer had been 'To live, you must die.' Not something he was going to bring up in front of Min anytime soon. In front of anyone except Alivia, for that matter. Now he just had to figure out how to live by dying. "At first, I thought it meant I had to conquer everywhere, but that wasn't what they said, what if it means the Seanchan hold the west and south, as you could say they already do, and there's an alliance to fight the Last Battle, the Seanchan with everybody else?"

So Rand was given new information that contradicted the existing prophecies. All actions after this by Rand were in an effort to make this answer come true. He sought the Aiel to use their backing to conquer all the nations and bind them together. He talked to philosophers, found Herid Fel and started asking questions about the Last Battle in an effort to understand how he was going to accomplish his goal of winning and surviving among other questions.

Rand is still trying to find out how he can survive. Min told him about her viewing of Alivia, how she is going to help him die. Rand keeps her close and tries to get the other AS to teach her, because he has connected that viewing with his answer from the Finns. "To Live, you must Die." The sentence structure implies that he has to die BEFORE he will be able to live, or survive the Last Battle.

This is my theory: In (A Memory of Light) Alivia is going to help Rand DIE BEFORE he confronts the Dark One. This action is going to be like the third option for victory in the game of Sha'rah.

"Of course, there was a third path to victory in sha'rah, if you took it before letting yourself be trapped. The game always degenerated in a bloody melee, then, victory coming only with complete annihilation of your enemy. He had tried that, once, in desperation, but the attempt had failed. Painfully"

Then all the events we are eagerly awaiting, the great purge, Logain's glory stepping over the body of Rand, the black tower being rent in blood and fire, etc... After these Rand will be brought back, break the remaining seals, confront the Dark One, WIN AND SURVIVE.

How this is going to happen I don't know and I don't think RJ wants us to know ahead of time. He didn't tell us how Rand was going to Cleanse the Source until he actually did it. He didn't tell us how Nynaeve was going to heal severing until she did it either. But in each case, and others, he gave us hints that this was going to happen, and bits of the process they might use. Which is perfectly within his right. This gives us something to look forward to in the next novel. He could do something with Rand merging with Moridin, he could put him into TAR in the flesh completely and have him Ripped out, I don't know. If someone else has an idea on how great.