We ask that you support our Third Temple cause. Coming Of The MessiahYou may doubt it and it may seem not, but in the end, Israel’s survival as a nation and that of the Jewish people, and in fact the world, depends upon God. There are two forces necessary for God’s ultimate plan of future harmony and peace among all beings. One is God’s Third Temple, which represents the essence of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), where man and God will come together in prayer and celebration, and the other is the Messiah who will be a leader of the Jews and all peoples. It is the Messiah who will be responsible for guiding and keeping us on God’s path in this new world order to come. Belief in the coming of the Messiah has always been a fundamental part of both Judaism and Christianity. The Hebrew word for Messiah, Mashiach or Moshiach, means anointed, as does the Greek word, christos. Thus in Christianity, Christ is just another word for the Messiah. Much has been written about Jesus as the Messiah within the Christian realm, but little information has been publicized to the uninformed Jewish community concerning the coming of a Messiah, whom all we know about is that he will be a direct descendant of king David. Although Jesus has been proposed by Christianity to be such a descendant, Judaism does not accept Christ as their savior or king. Because the Messiah cannot be separated from God’s Third Temple and because God’s Third Temple is destined for all people, we are asking for funds to support the Shechinah Third Temple from people of all faiths and beliefs. Since part of our mission is to educate, we shall provide a brief discourse on the Messiah based upon what’s written in the Hebrew Bible. Passages from the Hebrew BibleA disclaimer that we make at the outset is that there are different meanings to the Hebrew words so that our English translation of the Hebrew may not match exactly with other writings. Also, we offer some commentary to the passages but there certainly are other interpretations. The sages long ago suggested that all interpretations of the Hebrew Bible are correct and we stand by this premise. Daniel 7:13-14 Commentary: The sages teach that the ‘clouds of heaven’ in this passage suggest that the Messiah could come in a miraculous way in any generation before the appointed time at the End of Days. As God Himself says in Isaiah 60:22, “I the Lord will hasten it in its time.” This would seem to be possible only if we (the human race) are worthy. Only two people, Daniel and Jacob knew the appointed time. Daniel was asked to obscure the matter and seal the book (Daniel 12:4, “As for you Daniel, obscure the matters and seal the book until the time of the end”) and Jacob was at the last moment on his deathbed not allowed to tell his twelve sons the appointed time at the End of Days. The passage also suggests the supreme power of the Messiah being a leader of all peoples of the world and the permanence of his and the Davidic kingdom. During the Messianic Age, king Messiah will preside over and guide the Jewish population in Israel in God’s path and when the Messiah dies, one of his sons will take his place. The word ‘serve’ does not mean serve as a slave but rather the nations of the world will have great respect for the Messiah and will come to him and ask for his advice. The Messiah is destined to be a great Prophet like Moses and have the wisdom of king Solomon. Zecharia 9:9-10 Commentary: The sages suggest that this is the other side of the coin. If the Jewish people and the world at large are not worthy, then the Messianic Age will come slowly in its appointed predestined time. The Hebrew prophets spoke the word of God back in biblical times but we must remember that God allowed them to predict the future without actually seeing the future. Yes, they could predict the coming of the Messianic Age, but there were no cars back then so they could only talk about what they knew and were familiar with. There were no weapons of mass destruction or even simple guns, so they could only talk about bows and arrows and donkeys, horses and chariots instead of armored tanks or cars. One could easily interpret the reference to the donkey as the Messiah being a man of simple tastes who doesn’t need to ride in a luxurious car but only a very modest inexpensive one. It could also be that this passage and Daniel’s passage above actually refer to the same person and that this lowly humble man is blessed in a miraculous way that he truly is the Messiah and did indeed come with the clouds of heaven. Zecharia also talks about the Messiah arriving on the scene when God has removed all weapons from the Jewish people. Ephraim refers to the Tribe of Ephraim but really represents Ten of the Twelve Tribes (the Lost Tribes) that were exiled by the Assyrians. More than a century later, the remaining Tribes of Judah and Benjamin, referred together as Judah, were exiled by the Babylonians when the First Temple was destroyed at the time Jerusalem was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia. We believe that ‘river’ refers to the holy trickle of water that will emanate from the Third Temple at the End of Days. This trickle will become a river which will in turn become rivers which will flow throughout Israel and into the Mediterranean Sea and ultimately to the entire earth. The Messiah will have his residence close by but not on the site of the Temple Mount or Third Temple, and he will become essentially the ruler of all the earth, being placed in this kingship by God. Isaiah 11:2-5 Commentary: The prophet Isaiah, in particular, spoke in parables making many interpretations possible to this and other passages. Clearly, the Messiah will carry the power of the Lord with him and will have ‘knowledge, understanding, righteousness and wisdom’ beyond ordinary man. He will be held to a higher standard by God. ‘Fear’ can be translated as love for there is shear delight to love the Creator. It is not clear what ‘smite the land’ means as this seems to imply that the Messiah will be involved in the possible wars of Gog and Magog (see below) predicted to occur prior to the eternal peacefulness of the Messianic Age. When God created Adam, he breathed a living soul into him. The ‘breath of his lips’ may refer to the Messiah being able to use the goodness of his soul to slay the wicked. With the Lord with him, the Messiah will not judge man and events with his senses of vision and hearing. He will not rely on his own intellect and will trust entirely in the Lord to help him guide the people. Most important, from Isaiah 42:4, “He shall not fail or be crushed until he sets right in the world.” Isaiah 2:4 Commentary: Isaiah could only speak to the weapons he was aware of during his lifetime. In today’s world, if Isaiah were alive, he would be speaking about conventional and nuclear weapons instead of swords and spears. It is clear from this passage that the inclination to do evil will disappear along with all wars. There will be universal harmony and peace on our planet. The only reason that this will be possible is that God will be so prominent in our world that goodness will prevail. Free Will will not disappear but one would certainly hesitate before one decided to commit evil with the power of God so close by. It will be like Adam and Eve all over again in the Garden of Eden except that we shall know beforehand that there are consequences associated with sin. Wars of Gog and MagogRabbi Eleazar wrote that the Messianic Age will begin in a generation with the power to destroy itself. This is certainly applicable today. If the Messianic Age comes in its predestined time, then the End of Days, preceding the peace to come in the world, will be apocalyptic. This is required by the historical process as told by the Hebrew prophets who spoke the word of God. Some passages to describe these wars follow: Malachi 3:19, “For behold the day comes. It burns as a furnace and all the wicked shall be stubble and the day that comes shall set them ablaze.” Malachi, 3:20-21, “But unto you that fear My Name, the sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in its rays. You [the Jews] will crush the wicked for they will be as ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I am readying says the God of Hosts.” Ezekiel 39:3, “I will strike the bow out of your left hand and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand.” Ezekiel 38:22, “I will rain down upon him [the leader of the enemy nations] fire and brimstone and upon the many nations who are with him.” Zecharia 14:2-9, “The city [Jerusalem] will be captured, the houses pillaged and half the city will go into exile. But the rest of the population will not be uprooted from the city. Then you will flee through the valley [created by] My mountains [the Mount of Olives will split during an earthquake]. From this valley you will flee as you fled from the earthquake during the days of king Uzziah of Judea [it was in king Uzziah’s time that the Shechinah began to leave the First Temple; presumably the Jews escape and the pursuing enemies are destroyed as the Mount of Olives will close up over their enemies]. On that day, there will be neither bright light nor thick darkness. There will be one day – only God knows when – of neither day nor night. But towards evening, there will be light. On that day, God will be one and His Name one.” A comment on this unusual day. The lack of day or night suggests the absence of the sun and moon and stars. Rather, God’s Supernal Light will shine on this day of reckoning as it did at the beginning of creation of our universe. Also from Zecharia 12:19, “On that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come up against Jerusalem.” All of the above suggests that just when all seems lost, God will step in to save the world. This will signal the beginning of Messianic times. At that time, it is written in Malachi 3:23, “Behold I will send Elijah the prophet to you before the arrival of God’s great and awesome day.” Elijah is thought to precede the Messiah by three days. Who are Gog and Magog? Noah had three sons, Japheth, Ham and Shem. The Jewish people are descended from Shem. We don’t know what or who Gog refers to but Gog could stand for someone’s initials. Magog was a son of Japheth. The land of Magog was thought to be located in southeastern Russiain the Caucasus Mountains between the Black and Caspian Seas. Magog’s descendants were Goths or Germanic peoples but also other nations such as the Greeks are thought to be descendants of Japheth. Because the Hebrew prophets spoke the word of God, then God will likely not change the endpoint. Otherwise, the prophets would lose their credibility. The End of Days will therefore come. However, because God has the power to change the path to the endpoint, the End of Days does not have to come in an apocalyptic way. If we merit it and we walk together as spiritual human beings, then God can bring us into the Messianic Age gracefully without fire and brimstone. The Shechinah Third Temple, Inc’s mission is not only to raise funds for the future building of the God’s Third Temple. It is also to encourage you to become a spiritual human being by following God’s Ten Commandments and by walking in His Image with kindness, mercy, truthfulness and justice in your heart. More than anything else, it is the spiritual route and your faith and love of God which will make possible a new life in the Messianic Age. ResurrectionIt is not only those who are alive at the End of Days who shall have the opportunity to be admitted into the glories of a new life. Those who are dead but were virtuous when they were alive will be resurrected to live once again during Messianic times. Daniel 12:1-3 Commentary: From Daniel’s vision, there is not only an End of Days but a Judgment Day. That is why God made free will so essential in our world. Free Will guarantees that we are all accountable, for we are all being observed and are being judged. Proverbs 20:29 states “The soul of man is the lamp of God [with which] He searches all the innermost parts.” God breathed a living soul into Adam and all humankind, and the soul discloses all that we do, to our Creator. Therefore, our actions in this world, which may determine our entrance into the Messianic world, are in fact being recorded. One of the prophets expresses it succinctly in commanding language, “Do not think that the Almighty does not observe all that you do.” Daniel’s visionary words imply that not only do we the living have the opportunity to be a part of the Messianic Age, but also those who are dead and who are deserving also have this same opportunity. Remarkably, this passage further suggests that those who have escaped accountability in their lives will be resurrected to face their Maker. This will especially be true for those who have committed evil. The evil will be punished severely and be condemned to an everlasting hell (Gehinnom in Hebrew). ‘Eternal life’ would seem to suggest immortality, at least for some of those resurrected. In Isaiah 65:22, it is written, “They shall not build another inhabit, they shall not plant another eat; for as the days of a tree shall be the days of My people and My chosen shall long enjoy their handiwork.” The type of tree is not specified, so living in the Messianic Age according to Isaiah’s passage is not specified in terms of an exact number of years. The resurrection of the dead is vividly described in the Vision of the Dry Bones, Ezekiel: 1-14. Isaiah 26:19 also speaks about Isaiah’s own return from the dead brought on by a supernatural dew that will awaken him and bring him back to life. It is important to place the time element in perspective. When the Hebrew prophets were alive, there was no Christianity or Islam, and the only peoples living in the Middle East were Jews and idol worshipping nations. Psalm 145:9 states, “God is good to all and His love extends over all His works [creatures].” Idol worshipping people are not part of God’s works but good people of all faiths and beliefs are. It is our feeling that goodness and good people will comprise the Messianic world at the End of Days. The Jews were much like a first grandchild and they were chosen not because they were better than anyone else but they were chosen to carry God’s spiritual banner to the rest of the world. As Exodus 19:5-6 teaches, “You [the Jewish People] shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a Holy Nation.” Signs and MiraclesJoel 3:3-4 As foretold by Zecharia, there will be an earthquake to mark the Shechinah’s return to the Third Temple and to the Jewish people. The great Shofar [ram’s horn] of the Messiah will be heard by all those who hear its calling. The blowing of the Shofar will signal the return to God. Prophesy will also return as foretold by Joel 3:1 and Ezekiel 37:27, “And after that I will power My spirit on all mankind and your sons and daughters will prophesy.” As stated in Zecharia 8:4, joyous times lie ahead, “The time will yet come when old men and women shall sit in the streets of Jerusalem. And the city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing.” And from Leviticus 18:19, “You shall love your fellow as yourself.” If miracles had a scientific explanation, then they wouldn’t be miracles and there would be no need for faith. For example, the miracle of healing as prophesied by Isaiah 35:5-6, “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the eyes of the deaf shall be unstopped, then shall the lame man leap as a hart [young male deer] and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.” In Messianic times, it is suggested that we shall be cured of our physical and mental illnesses. Or consider the miracle of the trickle of water emerging from the Third Temple that will grow into rivers and oceans of holy water for the world and will turn the arid desert and wasteland of Israel once more into a Garden of Eden. From Joel 4:18, “And it will be on that day that the mountains shall drip wine and the hills shall flow with oil and all the springs of Judah shall flow with water, and from the House of Hashem shall go out and water the valley of Shittim.” As stated in the Book of Ezekiel, trees will be planted and will bear fruit on the same day. Even a formerly barren tree will bear food as the tree itself will be a food. From Isaiah 35:7, “He hath comforted all her waste places and hath made her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein. Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.” Will we be young again? If God restored Sarah’s hormones at age 90 so that she could give birth to Isaac, why is it not possible for us to be young again in the Messianic Age? It’s a matter of faith and how much we trust in God or whether we believe in His miracles at all. And what about the dead returning to a modern world totally unfamiliar to them? Will it be like right out of the movies where puzzling faces will be seen waking up in a new time period or are those resurrected already being prepared for their re-entry into society, or perhaps even looking on watching us? The Sages SpeakBiblical scholars have felt that if people had known throughout history that the Messiah was not destined to come in their time, they may not have remained as spiritually dedicated. There have been false Messiahs, so the bar has been raised for the acceptance of a Messiah, particularly since he or she is just like one of us according to the prophesies. The sages speak about a “presumed” Messiah if he meets the following requirements:
The Messiah is a Prince of Peace whose throne upholds universal justice and charity. A Messiah must be able to lift himself above the influence of the thinking and reactions of ordinary man. Rabbi Maimonides warned that the Messiah does not have to perform sign and miracles, do something unprecedented, or revive the dead, or do something similar. The miracles will be accomplished by God. What is promised is a better world of justice and righteousness, not miracles. All Jewish leaders would have to agree on naming an individual as their leader. The tradition of anointing the Messiah with holy oil would have to be carried out before what used to be the highest court and legislature of Israel, the Sanhedrin. The latter would need to be reestablished by the Messiah in Messianic times. Why oil? The Torah teaches us that simple oil may be as important as the luster of gold in the Temple. Oil seems to represent God’s spirit and beauty. The utensils in the future Third Temple will be consecrated with oil. Who is the Messiah? What is his name? Is he here now? If he is, where is he? Let each of us follow the spiritual path and walk together to bring God back into our world. Then all shall become clear. Our organization, the Shechinah Third Temple, Inc., will do everything in its power towards helping us walk together. As one biblical commentator so aptly remarked, “We should all ask ourselves whether the goals we seek and the means by which we try to attain them are in keeping with God’s Will to such an extent that we might hopefully expect his assistance.” |
