Bringing in the Mashiach ( Messiah)

Nadene Goldfoot
When I moved to Israel in September 1980 I was met with the fact that many people were talking about the Mashiach who was soon to come.  Classes were going on that talked about it.  Students in schools were getting anxious to have it happen.  I was stunned!  Was that why I had the compulsion to move to Israel at this time?

Come to find out, the Christians are also expecting the Messiah to come again.  Something was going on, here.  Now that I'm not in Israel, I have had a chance to talk to more Christians and we can compare notes.  When is he coming, do you think, and is it right to figure out a time for the happening?  Actually, Judaism frowns on it.  This has led to false messiahs appearing at times of impending doom. 

The earliest I have found out is that it won't be for a couple hundred more years, according to Jewish thought.  However, it's sooner than that for the Christians.

Now I learn that the Muslims are also expecting their  Messiah as well.  What are we all doing to bring him here?

I look back in history to the caves where the "Dead Sea Scrolls" were found by a sheepherder in 1947,  7.5 miles from Jericho.  They disclosed that a group of males were living in these caves trying to live an exemplary life of abstinence and perfection who lived there until 68 CE.  Jerusalem fell 2 years later.  It was a time in Jewish history where there were many many different groups of Jews or different Jewish denominations, each with a variety of ideas as to how to behave, and they were thinking that things were so bad for them that surely it was time for the Messiah to arrive.  Each were doing what they thought was expected of them to bring the Messiah  to them.  One scroll spoke of the plan of the struggle of "the sons of light" against "the sons of darkness." which was to begin with the conquest of Palestine and to end 40 years later with the conquest of the whole world.  Israel has built "The Shrine of the Book" in the Israel Museum to house them. 

Today, again we see that things couldn't be worse.  We have  Israel threatened to be totally destroyed by atomic warfare coming from Iran, our old nemesis from the days of Purim with Queen Esther saving us.  The Muslim Brotherhood, with their doctrine to kill all Jews, has taken over Egypt's politics.  The Arabs called "Palestinians" are demanding their own state out of part of the tiniest state in the area, Israel, without any sign of wanting peace, and the whole world seems to be against Israel as shown in the politics of the UN.   It's time for the Mashiach!

The Muslims are teaching that their Hadith (Islamic tradition from Mohammad of sayings or acts) says that "the hour of Resurrection will not come until you fight the Jews.  The Jew will hide behind stones or trees and the stones or trees will call:  "Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him."  Their way of bringing in the Messiah is to kill all of us Jews.  With a fatwa stated by their "Pope" of Islamic thought, Qaradawi, who has called for the killing of all Jews, I am thinking that this is their idea today of bringing it on and why he is professing such a terrible act. 

Islam has two branches of thought; Sunni (Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia)  and Shi'a (Iran. some Iraqis,) Qaradawi is the Sunni leader but has been touted by Iran as well!  Their tradition has several Hadiths for their reference.  The Messiah or Mahdi is the redeemer of Israel who will rule for either 7, 9, or 19 years, depending, before the Day of Judgement.  He will rule alongside Jesus and will rid the world of wrong doing, injustice and tyranny. 

Shi'a Islam holds the central religious idea to the 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahal.  He will be an ordinary man.  The world will not come to an end until the Arabs are ruled by a man from his family and he will establish a moral system where all superstitious faiths are eliminated.  The Unbelieveers will believe. 

Revelations in the Christian tradition tells of times such as what we are starting to experience which is the start of the end of the world as we know it.  This will climax with most all Jews dying who are left on earth as you have to believe that Jesus is the Messiah while some stories tell about a rapture that will take up the blessed ones into a spaceship where they will find refuge while others just say they will meet the Messiah in the the heavens.  Since Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah, they are waiting for his 2nd coming.  This is thought to happen instantaneously and will be known worldwide.  It will be visible to all with a sign in heaven as well as with audible trumpet sounds.   Before he comes, the antichrist will be ministring on earth.  Jesus's return on earth will usher in 1,000 years of peace bringing in the New Jerusalem through resurrection. 

Pastor John Hagee, Evangelical leader with Christians United For Israel or CUFI, certainly believes that Jesus is the Messiah and is also awaiting his 2nd coming. At the same time he supports Israel. He doesn't believe in a Replacement theology. He writes that scripture plainly indicates that the church (spiritual Israel) and national Israel exist side by side, and neither replaces the other-ever!" He goes on to explain to people that spiritual Israel is the church and has the blessings of a physical Israel, but it does not replace physical Israel . Replacement theologians in the USA are preaching "that if Christians will quit supporting Israel and will economically boycott the Christ-rejecting Jews, they will accept Jesus Christ. So this is where all the Christian groups boycotting Israel get their ideas from!

We Jews are not as imaginative.  To us the Messiah, the annointed one (what happened to become a king was to be annointed with oil) , the ultimate deliverer, is a living human, a king or leader who has received Divine sanction and "unique inviolability of status".  He is not a "savior."  He would be from the house of David (King David)  who would break" the alien yoke "and establish a golden age.  He would be a great political leader as discussed in Jeremiah 23-5.  He will be well versed in Jewish law, will be observant of its commandments and will be charismatic.  The Messiah will be a great military leader and will win battles for Israel as well as be a great judge.

Predictions as to when the Messiah would come have been based on the book of Daniel and other biblical passages.  Jews revolted in 115-117 CE , ending with a huge battle in 133-135 CE with Bar Kokhba, who some thought to be the Messiah.  We have found out since than that there have been many false messiahs during times of stress.  Of course many Jews had thought that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and this started the movement of Christianity which has survived. 

It is said that in every generation there is someone who has the potential of being the Messiah, and he will come about in the Messianic Age.  The conduct of mankind will be the decisive factor of when he arrives.  It will be when he is most needed. 

Today I see that certain orthodox groups in Israel have become so over-zealous in their practice that they have had to be reprimanded by the Chief Sephardic Rabbi and the government of Israel.  They are striving for such perfection, possibly to bring the messiah, that they have overstepped logical bounds.  They have been practicing separation of sexes on buses.  This leads to behavior that is unacceptable as far as the rights of women are concerned, such as being most rude to women trying to sit among men, and so have had to be reminded that this is not an accepted practice in Judaism at all.  I see it as a fear that grows with the advent of such psychological pressure of being hated and the fear of being killed in an unwanted war.  They have been trying to be so good that this act can keep all their loved ones safe and secure.  It is for the reason of bringing the Messiah to them. 

Muslims have Qatarawi with his fatwa to kill Jews.  He even wants to do it himself, though he is in a wheel chair.  Following his advice is the PA's religious leader calling for the same thing, to kill the Jews.  The Palestinians show no signs of signing any peace agreement with Israel now. Could this be the reason why?  They expect the Mahdi to come?

To make matters more appalling, the Mayan Calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Since they were Indians in Central America, they had no such ideas as a messiah. It's just eerie that their calendar stops on this date. It has to do with a line-up of heavenly bodies for a first time. They were quite the astronomers. Nostradamus has made hard to decipher notations that the end will come about then as well, depending on the people interpreting his quatrains. The findings of mathematician Eliahu Ripps in Israel who has developed a "Bible Code" has led the journalist, Michael Drosnin to write about the results in that something is to also happen around this same time frame that might be a calamity as well, and here we are, in the year of 2012!

Reference:
http://www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm
 Michael Drosnins, "The Bible Code,; Bible Code II-The Countdown, and Bible Code III Saving the World
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Coming_of_Christ
http://www.mfa.gov.il/PopeinIsrael/Background_Information/Image_of_Messiah_in_Judaism_and_Christianity.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadith
http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer?pagename=learn_teachings#special_message
Book: In Defense of Israel by Pastor John Hagee
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/5h1cPdbdZfw?rel=0  Songs in Hebrew by Russians; note the song about the Moshiach. 

Pastor John Hagee and John McCain's Tiff

Nadene Goldfoot
Pastor John Hagee had given his support to McCain, and has just been dropped by McCain over the past tapes of his sermons from Jeremiah 16 that say that the Holocaust came about to get the Jews to establish Israel and that G-d used Hitler to do it.

The fact is that Hertzl tried to get Jews there in the late 1800's and some followed him. It was hard work to live there, and the new immigrants were attacked many times while they farmed and tried to build settlements. The Jews that stayed in Europe were destined to die in the Holocaust. The lesson was that all should have gone to establish settlements in Israel. We just didn't have hindsight.

I got out my Tanakh (old testament) and started reading Jeremiah 16. I don't think my reading was the same as Pastor Hagee's. I couldn't find his references. To me, Jeremiah was telling the Jews of that day that they had followed other g-ds and ignored G-d and torah and that's why they have problems. It sounds like a good reason why we should stick to our own religion and not convert of other religions. Finally we will be brought back to Israel. Then some will tell us that it was stupid to believe the way our fathers did; that it was all futile to want to live in Israel.

 Finally, G-d's lesson is not to trust in people and make flesh and blood our strength and turn away from the one G-d. We need to trust in G-d. It goes on to say that the people will reply that they will do as they want and will follow their own ideas. Jeremiah didn't hate his people. He was trying to get them to straighten up and get back on track. Jeremiah, a later prophet in our history, was trying to get Jews away from worshipping idols in private and depending on the temple and feeling they didn't need to follow the torah and its rules of conduct. Then, Nebuchadnezzar had conquered and sacked Jerusalem, and the people felt G-d was angry with them. Jerusalem was destroyed and he was out of the dungeon that he had been locked up in, but he was free to see all his people being led away in captivity to Babylon. His prophecies came true, and were prophecies for that day. Seventy years later, the captives returned and started the 2nd Temple.

It seems that Pastor Hagee and I have a difference of opinion in understanding Jeremiah. I'm no Rabbi, and I know that Hagee does confer with one, who is mentioned in his 2007 book, In Defense of Israel. Hagee is writing to Christians, hoping to change their outlook about Jews and why they have a right to have Israel.

John McCain heard about the expose of Hagee calling into the above account as saying that Hitler was in the story as the hunter, hunting down Jews. Therefore he disengaged from Hagee.

To me, there really was no reference to the holocaust at all, though history does repeat itself many times. That's why we have to study history. We don't want to keep repeating the same old mistakes. Hagee is just trying to understand and explain the Holocaust to his listeners.

I feel that Hagee is a fantastic supporter of Israel. He has his own reasons, and I have mine. At least we're on the same highway and will help each other if one has a flat tire. Friends are hard to come by. I'll end with, Do NOT do unto others that which you not wish them to do to you.", which Victor reminds me was also spoken by Hillel.

Republican Presidential Candidates Views On Israel

Nadene Goldfoot
My gut feeling is that the Republicans don't stand a chance in the presidential race. People want a change and want to get out of Iraq. I admire the Republicans that are running. None have a website that I have found like Hillary Clinton's telling of their accomplishments involving Israel, but all have visited Israel and have cultivated good rapport with Israel. In September of 2006 the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, asked four questions of the candidates, and I show the men's scores in regards to concern for Israel.

Rudy Giuliani, b: 28 May 1944 and Roman Catholic, the former New York mayor, ranks high by the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz as being favorable towards Israel. He had many Jewish constituents in New York and is looked upon as a friend of Israel. He led them to believe that he would make a great effort to take military action to stop Iran's nuclear weapons plan. He returned a $10 million dollar donation from a Saudi prince after 9/11 following his comments on Israel. I'm not sure what the prince's motives were; to compensate for the bombing by Saudi citizens, a reward for his Israeli speech, or a bribe to not support Israel. Overall, he received a rating of 8.75.

John McCain, b: 29 Aug 1936 and Episcopalian, is the Arizona senator who believes that America must give Israel whatever equipment and technology it needs for defense, so he also supports Israel. He's 71 years old and has been a senator for 21 years. His father and grandfather were Admirals in the Navy. During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, McCain said Israel's response to the guerrillas was appropriate. "What would we do if somebody came across our borders and killed our soldiers and captured our soldiers?" said McCain. "Do you think we would be exercising total restraint? Such restraint should come from Hezbollah and the nations sponsoring it, notably Iran." John just won in South Carolina's race. He sees Israel as a strategic asset, and received an overall score of 7.63.
3/3/2008: In April 2002 in a speech to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee he said that no free nation can tolerate a terrorist state on its border. ... We can allow terrorists no role in the political process. "the Oslo accord failed because it was based on...Palestinians and Israeli could live peacefully together. Israel determines their security....there can be no comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians until Palestinians recognize Israel, forswear forever the use of violence, recognize their previous agreements, and reform their internal institutions. (May 2006). About a Palestinian state, it should be the "ultimate end,", but first there needed to be "peace,". Hamas is not a partner for peace so long as they advocate the overthrow of Israel. (Jan 26, 2006).

Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, is a Mormon and graduate of Harvard. He talked about Israel's security and said that "the United States must keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb", and that "he's helping a former Israeli prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) lobby Massachusetts to divest pension funds from companies that do business with the country (Iran). He opposed Khatami's recent U.S. trip, saying taxpayers shouldn't fund a man "who supports the destruction of Israel." Romney does view Israel as a strategic asset, but was not as strong about it as the other candidates. He received an overall score of 6.0

Mike Huckabee is the governor of Arkansas. He has made nine visits to Israel, including a trip to Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. I take it that he wants to be informed. He has advocated forcibly transferring the Palestinians to other Arab nations. He has close associations with prominent End Times theological proponents like Pastor John Hagee, head of a Pentecostal congregation in San Antonio, Texas. They have 18,000 members and the executive director of Christians United for Israel belongs to this group. They are against the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine crisis and are in favor of a military strike on Iran. Huckabee delivered two sermons there and received a standing ovation. He said that Hagee is one of the great Christian leaders of our nation. Hagee has written a book that I have, titled, In Defense of Israel. In it he states that he would not try to convert Jews and seems to respect our religion. This differs from the other evangelicals. Interestingly, Huckabee started preaching in 1980. Huckabee had his own television show in Arkansas called Positive Alternatives. Hagee's zealous support for Israel comes from his belief that Jesus will one day return to "biblical Israel" to usher in a kingdom of Heaven on Earth...We will live by the law of God and no other law." In 1989 Huckabee became the youngest president of the 500,000 member Arkansas Baptist State Convention. I wish that more people would read Hagee's book. He received an overall rating of 5.5.

References: Political positions of John McCain-Wikipedia
The Israel Factor: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=759107
Romney In Israel-Elections Blog-The Stump
Israel News: The Real Mike Huckabee: Israel and the Apocalypse