The Messiah Prophecy: The Time of Redemption
The Redemption will happen after the war of Gog and Magog. At that time the Messiah will arrive and restore the Kingdom of Israel, rebuild the Temple and help organize the ingathering of the exiles. The Messiah will usher in a period of peace and knowledge of God. Isaiah tells us about the period of Redemption.
The wolf will dwell with the sheep, and the leopard will lie down with the kid. A ram, a young liion and a fat bull will be together, with a small boy leading them. A cow and a bear will graze. Together their young will lie down. A lion will eat straw as cattle do. An infant will play over the hole of a snake, and a baby will reach with his hand over an adder's lair ... They will not harm or destroy.... For the earth will be full of knowledge of God as water covers the seabed. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
We wait anxiously every day for the time of Redemption. When will it occur? The Kabbalists tell us
There is a potential end of days in every generation, according to its merits and a potential Messiah in the leader of each generation, according to the extent to which the people follow in his ways. If their sins become too numerous, the Redemption is postponed until a future time. (Tukkunei Zohar Chadash 95a)
Thus there have been many times which were propitious times for the Redemption. Rabbi Glazerson in his book Time for Redemption writes about the times that previous sages thought propitious for the Redemption. All these times have passed. Now, however, the time must be close. For many of the signs that the sages have written about are already present.
In the period preceding the coming of the Messiah, insolence will increase and honor wane. Prices will spiral upward. The vine will yield its fruit, yet wine will be expensive. The government [of Israel] will turn to heresy, but rebuke will be nonexistent. Meeting places will become places of sexual immorality. The Galilee will be destroyed, and the Gavlan desolated. Residents of border towns will go from place to place but find no haven. The wisdom of the sages will deteroiate, and those who fear sin will be despised. Truth will be lacking. Youths will put elders to shame. The elderly will stand up for the young. A son will treat his father disgracefuly. A daughter will rise up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be members of his own household. The face of the generation will be like the face of a dog. A son will have no shame before his father.
Upon what can we rely? Only upon our Father in heaven. (Sota 49b)
The Mishnah quoted above states that in the time preceeding the Messiah, the Galilee will be destroyed. We pair the key words: Galilee or The Galilee with was destroyed or will be destroyed. The result for the pairing of The Galilee with was destroyed is a compact table with the two ELSs having the same skip and appearing therefore parallel. With expected number of ELSs set to 35, the probability that a text from the ELS random placement text population would have as small an area table as that produced by the Torah text is 11/10,000.
For those who notice that the form of the verb used for was destroyed is feminine and that Galilee is masculine, Rabbi Glazerson notes that the term Galilee can be replaced by The Land of the Galilee, forming the total phrase the The Land of the Galilee was destroyed in proper grammatical form.
It is interesting that there is an ELS of Magog is in the area of this table.
When Magog destroys the Galilee, this will be a sign that the Redemption will soon follow.
The following table is suggestive that the year 5768 is perhaps a propitious year providing that there is sufficient Repentance, return to God. The key words are: 5768, Messiah, and Repentance. With the expected number of ELSs set to 10, the probability that a text from the ELS random placement text population would have as small an area table as the one produced by the Torah text is 19.5/1,000.
There is a development of this table that involves Gog and the holidays of Passover and Sukkot. Our Sages tell us that the war of Gog and Magog, the final war before Redemption, will take place on Sukkot. During this war Hashem will make wondrous miracles that will cause all people to recognize and believe in God.
The victory over Gog Magog will be in the month of Tishrei during Sukkot. This is why it is the custom to read chapter 38 of the prophet Ezekiel for the Haftora in Shabbat of Sukkot. (Rav Hay Gaon, died in 1038)
Passover is relevant because Passover is a celebration of redemption, all our redemptions. On the first days we relive our salvation from Egyptian servitude, and on the last days of Passover - and particularly on the eighth and final day of the holiday - we celebrate the Messianic Redemption. The Haftorah of the last day of Passover is Isaiah 10:32 - 12:6. Here Isaiah tells that a staff will emerge from the stump of Jesse, and he continues with a description of the qualities of the Messiah and the nature of the Redemption he will bring.
In addition, the table has in it a kabbalistic reference to Luria and to the light associated with the Name of Hashem whose gematria is 45 and the name whose gematria is 52. Notice that the ח of התשסח, the year 5768 is the ח of משיח, Messiah.
There is a development of a previous table involving Magog that was shown on the previous webpage. This development has an ELS for the month of Tishrei, which is the month during which the holiday of Sukkot is celebrated.
Website content by: Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson and Professor Robert M. Haralick