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The Reality of Mashiah
 

By Ariel Bar Tzadok
Copyright © 2013 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.

 

Still waiting for Mashiah? Yeah? Well, so is God! Still waiting for some kind of a magical, Heavenly intervention to save us all from all our self-made human problems? If you are, then you had better be careful what you wish for, and what you pray for!

Let's ask this! What if, yes, what if, all of a sudden, out of the sky, there would appear, as if out of a wormhole, or something equally bizarre or supernatural, a large space/inter-dimensional armada, claiming to be the army of Mashiah. Would such a sight be welcomed by all as the promised messianic salvation, or would everyone run in terror, and cry “invasion,” as if reality was imitating our best science fiction thrillers?

How would anyone know the difference between an alien invasion, the coming of Mashiah, a demonic deception, or a false-flag government conspiracy? The answer is that no one would be able to tell anything about anything! While everyone would draw his own conclusion, and act based upon what he believed, there would be no proof that what the one believed was true, and what the other believed was false.

If something or someone were to come, appearing with extraordinary “out-of-this-world” power, and claiming to be the long awaited Mashiah, who would have the courage to stand up to face him, and, if necessary confront him? Who would have the courage to approach this “mashiah,” and ask him for his credentials of authenticity? The answer is no one!

While many people might suspect many things, who will have the courage of conviction to stand up, and thus, stand out, and do something significant? Ultimately, most people are simply cowards, who freeze in the face of fear, and shun all kinds of confrontation that may be too uncomfortable. Most people do not stand up for themselves under normal circumstances, why would anyone expect for there to be a birth of courage and resolve under such extraordinary circumstances?

The average, assimilated, western Jews, of all kinds, are a clear example of this. With the exception of small groups of Israelis, most Jews fear violence and run from it in terror. Most would do anything rather than have to stand up, and get literally bloodied in a fight.

Most Jews refuse, with passion, to own a firearm. Most Jews refuse with passion to train themselves, either physically or psychologically, to deal with threats to either themselves, or their communities at large. It is this type of cowardliness, shielded under tons of justifications and rationalizations, that make Jews such a welcome target for crime, racism, racial violence, and bloodshed. Almost everyone knows that most Jews never fight back. Because of this adverse reaction to violence, these Jews invite the violence that they seek to avoid. Maybe the coming “mashiah” won't be theirs?

So, what do you think the Messianic army is going to look like? Maybe it will look like something out of a movie, or from a comic strip? Maybe the Messianic army will be a bunch of peace loving, happy, singing, blood hair, blue eyed female angels whose only desire is for everyone to kiss and makeup. Of course those who believe this kind of delusion would be best served under the care of a mental health professional. While we wait for Mashiah to come, most never give any real thought to exactly what it is that they are waiting for, and how they would recognize it, from a forgery, if indeed, it were to come!

So many today are convinced that we are living in pre-messianic times, the legendary “end of days.” This predilection is nothing new, it has been around for a very long time. In the late 1500's the famous Kabbalists, Issac Luria and Hayim Vital proclaimed that they too were living in the “end of days.” These “end of days” must go on for a long time, if they have been going on now for close to 500 years. At this rate, who knows when the “end of days” will finally come to an end.

An interesting thing about apocalyptic beliefs, and “end of days” Biblical prophecies is that everyone who reads them tends to interpret them literally, whereas the professional, classical Torah commentators often do no such thing. With regards to the actual meanings of prophetic texts, the Sages all agree that how the Biblical scenario will actually materialize remains a mystery, and a minor mystery, at that. How the Mashiah is to come, and how the end of days are to unfold, are not considered to be essential matters of the Torah faith.

One thing is certain, when Mashiah does come, if there is anything extraordinary in his appearance, as Zechariah 14:5 suggests, how this experience will be understood by a world watching the events unfold on television, and the internet, will be something other than religious.

So when the Mashiah does show up, how will he be recognized? How will he be welcomed, not only by the world, but by his own nation Israel, and not just the secular who may not care for him, or his message, but what about the religious who are supposed to be anticipating and expecting his arrival every day? How will the religious respond, once the prayers they have been praying daily for thousands of years are finally answered?

If indeed humanity, as a whole, were to become subject to an invasion force from outside of anything within our presently known parameters of reality, we can rest assured that the global reaction would be one of panic and collective shock. If Mashiah comes, as described literally in the Bible, with overwhelming Heavenly force, we can rest assured that such an advent will be messy at least.

It is easy to give people what they want. It would be easy to fool the world into believing that a “mashiah” has come, when indeed one has not. In our modern age of global media and entertainment, one can project any news story, and make it believable.

So, when the time comes for the real Mashiah to come, it may be that he will have to make a real mess, in order to get noticed, in the way that he might seek. Personally, this is one mess that I do not seek to see, to create, and certainly not to clean up.

So, while I wait for Mashiah daily, as is our Torah way, I am also very well aware of what it is that I am waiting for. And, unlike many of my peers, I am not afraid to ask the uncomfortable questions, or to raise what I consider to be necessary controversy.

We want Mashiah now, really? We had better get a grip on what it is that we are asking for, and what the ramifications of such prayer and request will be!

 

Questions?  Comments?  Email me at: koshertorah1@yahoo.com