What is the “End of Days”?
The term “End of Days” is taken from Numbers 24:14. This has always been taken as a reference to the messianic era. Here we shall explore—albeit briefly—the Jewish belief in the coming of Moshiach (Messiah).What does the word Moshiach mean?
Moshiach is the Hebrew word for “messiah.” The word messiah in English means a savior or a “hoped-for deliverer.” The word moshiach in Hebrew actually means “anointed.” In Biblical Hebrew, the title moshiach was bestowed on somebody who had attained a position of nobility and greatness. For example, the high priest is referred to as the kohen ha-moshiach.In Talmudic literature the title Moshiach, or Melech HaMoshiach (the King Messiah), is reserved for the Jewish leader who will redeem Israel in the End of Days.
What is the belief in Moshiach?
One of the principles of Jewish faith enumerated by Maimonides is that one day there will arise a dynamic Jewish leader, a direct descendant of the Davidic dynasty, who will rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and gather Jews from all over the world and bring them back to the Land of Israel.All the nations of the world will recognize Moshiach to be a world leader, and will accept his dominion. In the messianic era there will be world peace, no more wars nor famine, and, in general, a high standard of living.
All mankind will worship one G‑d, and live a more spiritual and moral way of life. The Jewish nation will be preoccupied with learning Torah and fathoming its secrets.
The coming of Moshiach will complete G‑d’s purpose in creation: for man to make an abode for G‑d in the lower worlds—that is, to reveal the inherent spirituality in the material world.
Is this not a utopian dream?
No! Judaism fervently believes that, with the correct leadership, humankind can and will change. The leadership quality of Moshiach means that through his dynamic personality and example, coupled with manifest humility, he will inspire all people to strive for good. He will transform a seemingly utopian dream into a reality. He will be recognized as a man of G‑d, with greater leadership qualities than even Moses.In today’s society, many people are repulsed by the breakdown of ethical and moral standards. Life is cheap, crime is rampant, drug and alcohol abuse are on the increase, children have lost respect for their elders. At the same time, technology has advanced in quantum leaps. There is no doubt that today man has all the resources—if channeled correctly—to create a good standard of living for all mankind. He lacks only the social and political will. Moshiach will inspire all men to fulfill that aim.
Why the belief in a human messiah?
Some people believe that the world will “evolve” by itself into a messianic era without a human figurehead. Judaism rejects this belief. Human history has been dominated by empire builders greedy for power.Others believe in Armageddon—that the world will self-destruct, either by nuclear war or by terrorism. Again, Judaism rejects this view.
Our prophets speak of the advent of a human leader, of a magnitude that the world has not yet experienced. His unique example and leadership will inspire mankind to change direction.
Where is Moshiach mentioned in the Scriptures?
The Scriptures are replete with messianic quotes. In Deuteronomy 30:1 Moses prophesies that, after the Jews have been scattered to the four corners of the earth, there will come a time when they will repent and return to Israel, where they will fulfill all the commandments of the Torah. The gentile prophet Balaam prophesies that this return will be led by Moshiach (see Numbers 24:17–20). Jacob refers to Moshiach by the name Shiloh (Genesis 49:10).The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Joel and Hosea all refer to the messianic era. (For full references, the reader is referred to the book Moshiach by Rabbi Dr. J.I. Schochet.) It is interesting to note that the wall of the United Nations Building in New York is inscribed with the quote from Isaiah (11:6), “And the wolf shall lie with the lamb.” Furthermore, it is clear from the prophets, when studied in their original Hebrew, that Moshiach is a Jewish concept, and his coming will entail a return to Torah law, firmly ruling out any “other” messianic belief.
What sort of leader will Moshiach be?
Moshiach will be a man who possesses extraordinary qualities. He will be proficient in both the written and oral Torah traditions. He will incessantly campaign for Torah observance among Jews, and observance of the seven universal Noahide laws by non-Jews. He will be scrupulously observant, and encourage the highest standards from others. He will defend religious principles and repair breaches in their observance. Above all, Moshiach will be heralded as a true Jewish king, a person who leads the way in the service of G‑d, totally humble yet enormously inspiring.When will Moshiach come?
Jews anticipate the arrival of Moshiach every day. Our prayers are full of requests to G‑d to usher in the messianic era. Even at the gates of the gas chambers, many Jews sang “Ani Maamin”—I believe in the coming of Moshiach!However, the Talmud states that there is a predestined time when Moshiach will come. If we are meritorious, he may come even before that predestined time. This “end of time” remains a mystery, yet the Talmud states that it will be before the Hebrew year 6000. (The Hebrew year at the date of this publication is 5772.)
This does not rule out the possibility of Moshiach coming today and now, if we merit it. It should be noted that many Torah authorities are of the opinion that we are in the “epoch of the Moshiach,” and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, stated on numerous occasions that the messianic redemption is imminent.
Could Moshiach come at any time, in any generation?
Yes. In every generation there is a person who potentially could be the Moshiach. When G‑d decides that the time has arrived, He will bestow upon that individual the necessary powers for him to precipitate that redemption.Any potential Moshiach must be a direct descendant of King David, as well as erudite in Torah learning. It should be noted that many people living today can trace their lineage back to King David. The chief rabbi of Prague in the late 16th century, Rabbi Yehuda Loew (the Maharal), had a family tree that traced him back to the Davidic dynasty. Consequently, any direct descendant of the Maharal is of Davidic descent.
Maimonides, a great Jewish philosopher and codifier of the 12th century, rules that if we recognize a human being who possesses the superlative qualities ascribed to Moshiach, we may presume that he is the potential Moshiach. If this individual actually succeeds in rebuilding the Temple and gathering in the exiles, then he is the Moshiach.
What exactly will happen when Moshiach comes?
Maimonides states in his Mishneh Torah—a compendium of the entire halachic tradition—that Moshiach will first rebuild the Temple and then gather in the exiles. Jerusalem and the Temple will be the focus of divine worship, and “from Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the L‑rd from Jerusalem.”The Sanhedrin—the supreme Jewish law court of 71 sages—will be re-established, and will decide on all matters of law. At this time, all Jews will return to full Torah observance and practice. It should be noted that in this present age of great assimilation and emancipation, an unprecedented return of Jews to true Torah values has taken place. This “baal teshuvah” phenomenon is on the increase, and paves the way for a full return in the messianic era.
Will miracles happen?
The Talmud discusses this question and again arrives at the conclusion that, if we are meritorious, the messianic redemption will be accompanied by miracles. However, the realization of the messianic dream, even if it takes place naturally, will be the greatest miracle.According to some traditions, G‑d Himself will rebuild the third Temple. According to others, it will be rebuilt by Moshiach; still others suggest a combination of the two opinions. Some suggest that there will be two distinct periods in the messianic era: first a non-miraculous period, leading into a second, miraculous period.
Maimonides writes, “Neither the order of the occurrence of these events nor their precise detail is among the fundamental principles of the faith . . . one should wait and believe in the general conception of the matter.”
What will become of the world as we know it?
Initially, there will be no change in the world order, other than its readiness to accept messianic rule. All the nations of the world will strive to create a new world order, in which there will be no more wars or conflicts. Jealousy, hatred, greed and political strife (of the negative kind) will disappear, and all human beings will strive only for goodness, kindness and peace.In the messianic era there will be great advances in technology, allowing a high standard of living. Food will be plentiful and cheap.
However, the focus of human aspiration will be the pursuit of the “knowledge of G‑d.” People will become less materialistic and more spiritual.
What are the “birthpangs” of Moshiach’s arrival?
The Talmud describes the period immediately prior to the advent of Moshiach as one of great travail and turmoil. There will be a world recession, and governments will be controlled by despots. It is in this troubled setting that Moshiach will arrive.There is a tradition that a great war will take place, called the war of Gog and Magog, and there is much speculation as to the precise timing of this war in relation to Moshiach’s arrival.
There is a tradition that Elijah the Prophet will come to the world and announce the imminent arrival of Moshiach. However, according to other opinions, Moshiach may arrive unannounced. Elijah would then arrive to assist in the peace process. Some suggest that if the Moshiach arrives in his predestined time, then Elijah will announce his arrival; but if Moshiach comes suddenly, then Elijah will appear after Moshiach has come.
As mentioned before, it is unclear as to exactly how these events will unfold. However, this uncertainty does not affect the general matter of Moshiach’s arrival.
When will the resurrection of the dead take place?
One of the principles of Jewish faith is belief in the resurrection of the dead. According to the Zohar—an early Kabbalistic text—the resurrection will take place forty years after the arrival of Moshiach. However, certain righteous individuals will arise with the coming of Moshiach. All the dead will be resurrected in the Land of Israel.
There is a small bone in the body called the luz bone (some identify this bone as the coccyx), from which the body will be rebuilt at the time of resurrection. Our daily prayers are replete with requests for the resurrection, and there are many customs connected with it. (See the book To Live and Live Again by the present author, published by S.I.E. Publications.)
What can be done to bring Moshiach?
In general, mankind must strive to perform more acts of goodness and kindness. The Jew is mandated to learn and be aware of the messianic redemption, and strengthen his or her faith in Moshiach’s ultimate and imminent arrival.Charity is a catalyst for redemption. And every day in our prayers, we sincerely plead many times for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the ingathering of the exiles and the return to Torah observance under the leadership of Moshiach. The Lubavitcher Rebbe mounted a worldwide Moshiach campaign to heighten the awareness of Moshiach’s imminent arrival. The Rebbe constantly urged every Jew to prepare on a personal, family and community level for the arrival of Moshiach. This can best be achieved by “living with Moshiach”—that is, by learning about Moshiach and yearning for his coming.
The final Messiah will be a normal human being, born of human parents. It is thus possible that he is already born.
Similarly, the Messiah will be mortal. He will eventually die and bequeath his kingdom to his son or his successor.
Tradition states that he will be a direct descendant of King David, son of Jesse, as it its written, "A shoot will come forth from the stock of Jesse, and a branch will grow from his roots" (Isaiah 11:1). Likewise, in our prayers, we ask, "May the shoot of David flourish," and "May the memory of Mashiach ben David rise up… before You." There are numerous Jewish families today that can trace their ancestry directly back to King David.
The final Messiah will be the greatest leader and political genius that the world has ever seen. He will likewise be the wisest man ever to have lived. He will put these extraordinary talents to use to precipitate a worldwide revolution which will bring perfect social justice to humanity, and influence all people to serve God with a pure heart.
Special Qualities
The Messiah will see through the sham and hypocrisy of this world. He will have the power to sense a person's spirit, thereby knowing his entire spiritual record, and judging whether he is guilty or not. Regarding this power, it is further written, "He will be filled with the spirit of the fear of God; he will not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear" (Isaiah 11:3). This is one sign by which the Messiah will be recognized. However, similar to the gift of prophecy, this power will only develop gradually.
The Messiah will use this power to determine to which tribe every Jew belongs. He will then divide the Land of Israel into land inheritances with each tribe receiving its portion. He will begin with the tribe of Levi, determining the legitimacy of each Kohen and Levite. Regarding this the prophet said, "He will purify the children of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, to become bearers of an offering to God in righteousness" (Malachi 3:3).
Goals and Mission
He will also restore the royal dynasty to the descendants of David.
He will oversee the rebuilding of Jerusalem, including the Third Temple.
He will gather the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.
He will reestablish the Sanhedrin, the religious supreme court and legislature of the Jewish people. This is a necessary condition for the rebuilding of the Third Temple, as it is written, "I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as in the beginning; afterward, you will be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and those who return to her, with righteousness" (Isaiah 1:26-27). Such a Sanhedrin would also be able to formally recognize the Messiah as the king of Israel.
He will restore the sacrificial system as well as the practices of the Sabbatical Year (Shmitah) and the Jubilee Year (Yovel).
The Messiah will lead Israel back to the Torah and rebuild the Holy Temple.Therefore, as Maimonides states, "If there arises a ruler from the family of David, immersed in the Torah and its commandments like David his ancestor, following both the Written and Oral Torah, who leads Israel back to the Torah, strengthening the observance of its laws and fighting God's battles, then we may assume that he is the Messiah. If he is further successful in rebuilding the Temple on its original site and gathering the dispersed of Israel, then his identity as Messiah is a certainty."
Worldwide Influence
In the Messianic Era, many non-Jews will feel compelled to convert to Judaism as the prophet foretold, "I will then give all peoples a pure tongue, that they may call in the Name of God, and all serve Him in one manner" (Zephaniah 3:9). Once the Messiah has revealed himself, however, converts will no longer be accepted.
Still, Jerusalem will become the center of worship and instruction for all mankind. God thus told His prophet, "I will return to Zion and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth and the Mountain of the God of Hosts, the Holy Mountain" (Zechariah 8:3).
Jerusalem will become the spiritual capital of the world.This will begin the period when the teachings of God will be supreme over all mankind, as it is written, "For the Lord of Hosts will be King in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem. [He will reveal His] Glory in the presence of His wise elders" (Isaiah 24:23). All peoples will then come to Jerusalem to seek God. The prophet Zechariah describes this graphically when he says, "Many people and mighty nations will come and seek the God of Hosts in Jerusalem… In those days, ten people out of all the nations will take hold of the corner of the garment of every Jew and say, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'" (Zechariah 8:22-23).
In Jerusalem, the Jewish people will thus be established as the spiritual and moral teachers of all mankind. At that time, Jerusalem will become the spiritual capital of the world.
In the Messianic Era, all people will believe in God and proclaim His Unity. The prophet thus foretold, "God will be King over all the earth; on that day God will be One and His Name One: (Zechariah 14:9).
Peace and Harmony
In the Messianic Era, all nations will live peacefully together. Similarly, people of all dispositions will live together in harmony. The prophet spoke of this allegorically when he said, "The wolf will dwell with the lamb; the leopard will lie down with the kid; the calf, the young lion, and the fatling together, will be led by a young child. The cow will graze with the bear; their young will lie down together; the lion will eat straw like the ox" (Isaiah 11:6-7).
Although the Messiah will influence and teach all mankind, his main mission will be to bring the Jewish people back to God. The prophet thus said, "For the children of Israel will remain for many days with no king and no prince… Afterward, the children of Israel will return and seek God their Lord and David their king; they will come in awe to God and His goodness, in the end of days" (Hosea 3:4-5). Similarly, "My servant David will be king over them; they will all have one shepherd; they will also follow My ordinances and observe My laws" (Ezekiel 37:24).
All mankind will attain the highest levels of Divine Inspiration without any difficulty whatsoever.As society reaches toward perfection and the world becomes increasingly Godly, humanity's main occupation will only be to know God. The truth will be revealed and the entire world will acknowledge that the Torah is God's true teaching. This is what the prophet meant when he foretold, "The earth will be full of the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9). Similarly, all mankind will attain the highest levels of Divine Inspiration without any difficulty whatsoever. God thus promised through His prophet, "It shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy" (Joel 3:1).
Although man will still have free will in the Messianic Age, he will have every inducement to do good and follow God's teachings. It will be as if the power of evil were totally annihilated. This is what the prophet predicted, "I will place My Torah inside of them, and inscribe it upon their hearts… A person will no longer teach his friend and his brother saying, 'Know God!' For all of them will know Me, great and small alike" (Jeremiah 31:32-33).
The prophet likewise said in God's name, "I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). That is, the inclination toward good will be strengthened in man to such an extent that he will not be drawn after the physical at all. Rather, he will constantly strengthen himself spiritually and incline toward serving God and following His Torah. This is the meaning of the Torah's promise that, "God will circumcise the foreskins of your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you will love God your Lord with all your heart and soul" (Deut. 30:6).
Religious Practice
There is an opinion that the only books of the Bible which will be regularly studied in the Messianic Era will be the Five Books of Moses and the Scroll of Esther. The reason for this is that all the other teachings of the prophets can be derived from the Torah, and since the Messiah will reveal all the meanings of the Torah to perfection, the prophetic writings will no longer be needed.
The sacrificial system will be restored in the Messianic Era. However, the only private sacrifices which will be accepted will be the thanksgiving offering. Since man's heart will have been circumcised, the desire to sin will no longer exist, and the private sacrifices which are brought to atone for sins will no longer be needed. Similarly, the only prayers which will be necessary will be prayers of thanksgiving.
Our prophets and sages did not long for the Messianic Era in order that they might rule the world and dominate others. They did not desire that the nations should honor them, or that they should be able to eat, drink and be merry. They only wanted one thing, and that was to be free to involve themselves in the Torah and its wisdom. They wanted nothing to disturb or distract them, in order that they should be able to strive to become worthy of the life in the World to Come.
Six Tasks of the Messiah – who will complete them?
Asher Norman, in his book ‘26 Reasons why Jews don’t believe in Jesus,’ states that
there are six tasks which the Messiah has to accomplish:
1. Have the correct genealogy by being descended from King David and King Solomon.
2. Be anointed King of Israel.
3. Return the Jewish people to Israel.
4. Rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
5. Bring peace to the world and end all war.
6. Bring knowledge of God to the world.
He says that anyone who has not done these six things cannot be the Messiah. Therefore
Jesus is not the Messiah. He says that we will know when the Messiah has come when
someone has succeeded in doing all of this.
Asher Norman is following the teaching of Maimonides (who lived from 1135 to 1204).
He said the Messiah has to show that He is Messiah by completing the following three
tasks:
- Re-gather the dispersed Jewish people to Israel.
- Rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
- Make world peace.
Following this it is said that he will bring about a perfect world: ‘He will then
perfect the entire world, motivating all the nations to serve God together, as it
is written, I will make the peoples pure of speech so that they will all call upon
the Name of God and serve him with one purpose.’ Maimonides Hilchos Melachim 11.1
from the Mishneh Torah.
Two questions to this.
- If Messiah is just a great man (as is believed by Orthodox Jews like Asher Norman), how is he going to do all this?
- What about other prophecies, believed by Jews to be Messianic which are not covered by this list?
Answers to this.
How is Messiah going to do all this?
Most Jewish people I know when spoken to about the Messiah coming, reply ‘Not in
my lifetime.’ The possibility of anyone who is a great world religious leader accomplishing
the six items required of Messiah in Asher Norman’s list is near to zero. This does
not mean that we believe they will not happen for the reason that they will not be
accomplished by a great world religious leader, but by the supernatural divine intervention
of the Messiah Yeshua as King of kings and Lord of lords at the end of this age (which
given current events which line up with biblical prophecies of the end of days is
not too far off). But let us first consider the prospects of a purely human Messiah
accomplishing this.
- How is he going to show descent from David and Solomon? No records are available to prove such descent. I once asked this to an Orthodox Jew who said ‘God will know that he is descended from David.’ That is not the point. Since God is omnipotent He knows the descent of each of the people on the earth today (just under 7 billion). The point is that we should know that the Messiah is descended from David.
- Be anointed King of Israel. Today we have the State of Israel which has a President, a Prime Minister and two Chief Rabbis (one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi). We have the Jewish diaspora with local leadership in different countries. But we have no Jewish king. Lubavitch made proclamations of King Messiah for the late Rebbe, Menachem Schneerson, but this was not accepted by all members of Lubavitch, let alone all Jewish people. There is no priesthood today and no means of anointing a Jewish king. How is this to come about?
- Return the Jewish people to Israel. Today we have a return of Jewish people to Israel, so one could say that this has already been accomplished. But the modern State of Israel does not constitute the Messianic return of the Jews to Israel. We see a largely secular state with only part of the people living on part of the land. We have this return opposed by most of the Muslim world and any further expansion of Israel strongly opposed by the UN. In fact we have calls from the nations of the world for Israel to withdraw from Judea and Samaria and set up a Palestinian State there. In saying this we actually do believe that the modern State of Israel is a fulfilment of Bible prophecy – see our article ‘Biblical prophecies about Israel.’ However the modern State of Israel is not the complete fulfilment of those prophecies.
- Rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Today the Temple Mount is in the hands of the Muslims who jealously guard it as the third holiest site in Islam. While there are Jewish groups (the Temple Mount Faithful) who have plans to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, they have to deal with the opposition of one billion Muslims in the world to such a prospect. If anything could unite the Muslim world in a jihad for Jerusalem it would be any movement by Israel to remove the Dome of the Rock Mosque and rebuild a Temple on the site (or event to rebuild a Temple alongside the Dome of the Rock).
- Bring peace to the world. Wars and genocides in the 20th Century claimed around 160,000,000 lives. Will the 21st Century produce a Messiah figure who is a mortal religious leader who will bring in eternal peace as is claimed by Orthodox Jewish rabbis like Rabbi Kaplan? See our article ‘Messiah – a great man or a divine person. If so what happens when he dies? Actually a number of prophecies in the Tenach and in the New Testament speak of wars and mass destruction in the last days of this age (for example Isaiah 24, Jeremiah 25.30-33, Zechariah 12-14, Matthew 24, Revelation 6, 19). These wars will only be brought to an end by the supernatural intervention of the Messiah – the Second Coming of Yeshua.
- Bring the knowledge of God to the world. Which God? Bring all Gentiles to accept Torah Judaism? Some kind of interfaith union bringing peace to the world? Or the Day of Judgement in which God himself comes to judge the world in righteousness, purge out the rebels and bring only those who have come into a covenant relationship with Himself into the Messianic Kingdom (see Ezekiel 20.33-44). The passage which speaks of the Messiah reigning with justice in Isaiah 11 also speaks of Him destroying the wicked: ‘But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.’ (Isaiah 11.4). This is exactly what Paul says the Messiah will do at His second coming in 2 Thessalonians 2.8-10: ‘And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.’
Concerning these six items we believe they will come to pass, but only through a
supernatural intervention of God as the Messiah returns with all the power of God
at His disposal to take up His reign on earth:
‘Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the
day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which
faces Jerusalem on the east. … Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints
with You. … And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall
be — “ The LORD is one,” and His name one.’ Zechariah 14.3-4, 5, 9.
‘Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The
kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Messiah, and
He shall reign forever and ever!”’ Revelation 11.15
‘Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like
a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no
one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name
is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white
and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword,
that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod
of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD
OF LORDS.’ Revelation 19.11-16.
When this event happens the Messiah will do all that Asher Norman says He will do
and more. He will indeed:
- Restore the Jewish people to Israel within the biblical borders of the land (Isaiah 11.11-12.6, Jeremiah 31.35-40, Ezekiel 47-48).
- Create peace between Israel and her neighbours and in the whole world (Isaiah 19.21-25, Amos 9.11-14).
- Restore the Temple and rule the world from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2.1-4, Ezekiel 40-48).
- Bring an end to all war and military training (Isaiah 2.4).
- Cause the animal kingdom to become vegetarian and no longer harmful. Extend the life span of humans (Isaiah 11.6-9, Isaiah 65.20-25).
- Change the geography of the region of Israel (the Temple Mount to become the highest mountain and the waters of the Dead Sea to become fresh). The deserts will blossom as waters gush forth in the wilderness. (Isaiah 2.2, Isaiah 35, Ezekiel 47.1-12).
- Cause the earth to be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11.9, Habakkuk 2.14).
This list is by no means complete!
Significantly some of these prophecies to be found in the Hebrew prophets are not
included in the Jewish Messianic view held by Asher Norman and others, because they
can only be accomplished by one who is more than ‘a great man’ as Judaism holds the
Messiah to be. In fact they can only be fulfilled by God. Maimonides says that the
‘lion (or the wolf) lying down with the lamb’ of Isaiah 11 and 65 is to be understood
symbolically as Israel (the lamb) living in peace with the ferocious Gentile nations
(the lion). So he is claiming that this prophecy is non-literal whereas the prophecy
about the Jewish people returning to the land of Israel and the nations not studying
war any more is to be taken literally. The verses about the lion and the lamb are
in the same chapter in Isaiah (11.6-9) as the verses about the ‘Root of Jesse’ (i.e.
Messiah ben David) recovering ‘the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the
earth’ (11.10-12).
It is more logical to believe that there will be a literal fulfilment of these prophecies
because the one who causes them to happen is the Messiah who is also ‘God with us’,
a divine person. The New Testament book of Revelation supplies some information
that is lacking in the Hebrew Prophets concerning this period, which is that it will
last for 1000 years (the Millennium) and that during this time Satan will be bound
and unable to influence the nations (Revelation 20.1-6). The possibility of any of
this happening without the rule of God is zero.
