Jewish Apocalypse Messianic Age Prophecy
Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions, and the oldest still surviving into the present day. Although Judaism has changed over the centuries, and has many different sects interpreting it's traditions differently, all sects will confer that Judaism officially formed when Moses wrote the five books of the Torah; Bereshit, Shmot, Vayikra, Bamidbar, and Dvarim. While there is disagreement between sects of Judaism as to the authenticity of the oral tradition, all will agree that the Torah was the written beginnings of the Jewish Tradition. The Torah is the primary holy canon of Judaism. It is thought to have been written in approximately 1300 BCE, but may be much older.
In Hebrew, Torah means the 'Teaching'. The book 'Bereshit', which is commonly known as the 'Book of Genesis', also has the meaning 'In the beginning'. The book 'Shmot', which is commonly known as 'Exodus', also has the meaning 'These are the names'. The book 'Vayikra', which is commonly known as 'Leviticus', also has the meaning 'And he called'. The book 'Bamidbar', which is commonly known as 'Numbers', also has the meaning 'In the wilderness'. And, the book 'Dvarim', which is commonly known as 'Deuteronomy', also has the meaning 'These are the words'.
In approximately 450 BCE, the rest of the Judaic canon, the Tanakh, was compiled by 'Men of the Great Assembly'. The name. Tanakh, is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of three traditional subdivisions: The Torah ('Teaching'), Nevi'im ('Prophets') and Ketuvim ('Writings')hence TaNaKh. It is unclear when the Tanakh was formally canonized, but the timeframe of final canonization was between 200 BCE and 200CE.
Yet, the original language of the Torah, and the subsequent compilation of the Tanakh, were written in an ancient Abjad, the Hebrew language. The original language was primarily of consonants, with the implied vowel sounds. And, many of the words in the original text of the Torah are unknown, their meaning only learned through their supposed meaning within the context of the text, and the commonality between other, similar words. Yet, the Tanakh has been the main canon for most sects of Judaism since it's compilation.
There is also a rich history of extant texts that certain sects of Judaism used for their religious traditions, in addition to the Tanakh. Many of them have been recently uncovered in ancient archeological sites. Others are considered apocrypha to the accepted canon of Judaism. While some of these texts conflict greatly with the current canon, others have a long history with ancient sects of Judaism.
But, in ancient Israel, the Tanakh was primarily the canon of the sect of the Pharisees, which became modern day Rabbinical Judaism. The Sadducees did not recognize the 'Oral' law of the Pharisees and held to a different canon, of which the 'Written' law of Moses predominated. The Jewish sects of the Essenes and Therapeutae were said to have studied a set of completely different documents, as found in the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran.
In exploring the Jewish prophecy of the Messianic Age, the Tanakh will be referenced, and some of the other extant texts will form their own discussion later.
Within the Tanakh, Judaism is a monotheistic tradition. Theirs is the belief that there is one supreme God, and that God is concerned with the actions of humankind. According to the Book of Genesis, God promised Abraham to make his offspring a great nation. Unlike other ancient cosmologies, the Hebrew God is portrayed as unitary and solitary. The Hebrew God's principal relationships are not with other gods, but the people He created, and with the world as a whole.
Jewish apocalypticism holds a doctrine that there will be a coming era ruled by God. At the time of the coming era, there will be a Messiah who will deliver the faithful into this new era.
The term apocalypse has been used to mean destruction, or cataclysm, in modern times. But, the actual root of the word in Greek means 'lifting of the veil' or 'revelation'. As it applies to the Jewish eschatology, the original root would be correct. The apocalypse of the Jewish Prophets reveals a time when Humanity, and all of Creation, are in perfect harmony under the watchful eye of God. At this time, there will be a revelation as to the true nature of God, His Laws and the role of Humanity when God becomes the ultimate ruler, and saviour, of Mankind, as brought about by a Messiah.
The Hebrew word Moshiach refers to the Jewish idea of the Messiah. Messiah comes from a Hebrew word meaning 'The Anointed One', a person who is 'specially appointed' and 'empowered'. Originally, this phrase, the 'Anointed One', referred to Aaron and his descendants, the Levites, and following the establishment of Kings of Israel, those who were anointed with oil as part of a coronation ceremony.
In modern Judaic teaching, the Jewish Messiah refers to a human leader, physically descended from the Davidic line, who will rule and unite the people of Israel, and who will usher in the Messianic Age of global and universal peace. While the Jewish Messiah is considered to usher in this 'Messianic Age', he is not considered to be divine.
When one studies the Prophets in the Tanakh, there are writings of a 'Two Messiah' system within the texts. During the ancient times, certain sects of Judaism spoke of one Messiah who was the 'Son of David', of the Tribe of Judah, and another who was from the tribe of Joseph, or, possibly, from the tribe of Levi. While it is sometimes understood by modern Judaism that the Messiah will be of the tribe of Judah, specifically David's ancestor, there is also a second 'Anointed One' whose position in this prophecy is sometimes hidden, or secondary.
This two Messiah theory relates to the 'Two Anointed Ones' as found in the 12th Chapter of Daniel, in the 4th and 6th chapter of Zechariah, and other places in the Tanakh. These 'Two Anointed Ones' have, at times, been characterized as the Prince and the Priest, as throughout Judaic history, there has always been a royal and priestly line.
'And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
Zechariah 4:12-14
Nonetheless, most sects of Judaism agree that a shepherd, a man, an 'Anointed' person of Judaic origin, will unite Israel again and he will usher in an era of universal peace in which mankind:
'shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3
This future time of universal peace and brotherhood on the earth, without crime, war and poverty will be for all of Creation, not just for Humanity, and there will be a peaceful coexistance throughout the whole earth:
'The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:6-9
Now, many sects of Judaism believe that this Messiah will be along the blood line of their great king David who will fight the world and bring a verification of their laws and customs to the world. Yet, throughout the writings of their Prophets, the visions of their apocalyptic future also show a God that is unhappy with their ways, and systems of reverence. Yet, this same loving God cannot forget the Covenants that He made with their forefathers. For this God gives a revelation to the seed of Jacob:
'I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
Isaiah 65:1-9
And, even here, it can be understood of a duality of the Messiah. Is the writing of a 'seed out of Jacob' AND 'out of Judah', or is it speaking of a singularity of a seed 'out of Judah' which is therefore out of Jacob, that of Israel? Whichever the case, even though God is unhappy with the traditions of his people, and their ways, there is a person who will inherit this 'blessing' for the sake of all of Israel.
'And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name One.
Zechariah 14:8-9
And, it seems, that death will be confounded. As found in many of the writings of the Tanakh, one of the Blessings of God is that there is the possibility of 'eternal' life, or 'live forevermore'. In Genesis the 'Tree of Life' is guarded, yet still accessible to man. Within the Psalms, and Proverbs, of the Tanakh, this 'unlocking' seems to be conditional upon living the propler way. A path of 'Righteousness':
'Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in Unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Psalm 133:1-3
While the 'Unity of Brethren' is a most blessed act, loving your brother as yourself, it was on Mt. Zion that God 'commanded the blessing, even life for evermore'. And, we find later, in Proverbs, that death can be confounded by 'Righteousness':
'In the way of Righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.
Proverbs 12:28
So, is this the message that the Messiah of Israel will bring? 'Live for evermore' through a path of 'righteousness'?
'Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
Ezekiel 11:17-20
Yet, these 'statutes' and 'ordinances' have been seemingly lost by the various sects of Judaism. But, not only lost, changed. Jeremiah reveals a stern warning by God:
'Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Away with your sacrifices and burnt offerings that devour flesh!
I did not speak your fathers, nor did I command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
But this thing did I command them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people: and you will walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
Jeremiah 7:21-23
If these true 'statutes' and 'ordinances' were known, there would be Unity between the tribes of Israel, and the world, as all of them would not have question as to the proper way to live. There would be no need for a Messiah, as all would be living within this 'Truth'. As Jeremiah stated:
'Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
And, this is seemingly verified by Isaiah:
'And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
That he who blesseth himself in the Earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the Earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
For, behold, I create new Heavens and a new Earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
Isaiah 65:15-19
This is the nature of Apocalypse, of a 'revelation' or the 'lifting of a veil'. A new system, a new way. God will make things right, through His servant, a man from the bloodline of Israel. A man from the tribe of Judah, and/or a man from the tribe of either Joseph, or Levi.
Malachi gives us a clue when that time may be, and who is to take part in this apocalypse:
'Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:1-12
So, the 'messenger' will refine the 'Sons of Levi'. Then Levi will give to God and 'offering in righteousness' after 'the offering of Judah'. And, it is not until Levi is purified that this offering of Judah is acceptable to God. And, when this happens, the blessings that God will rain down upon Israel, upon Humanity, will be immense - 'there shall not be room enought to receive it'.
Earlier in the book, Malachi explains why Levi needs to be 'purified':
'And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.
The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 2:4-6
The 'messenger' is a Levite, a priest, who has the 'knowledge' and the 'law'. It will come from Levi and be that 'apocalypse', that 'revelation', of the Truth that will transform the world. This 'knowledge' and 'revelation is further illustrated in the writings of Daniel, in which it will be a 'strange' truth that many will not understand:
'Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Daniel 12:10
And, while this theme of universal goodness, and the Israelites being the light of the world, is throughout the Tanakh, it appears as a central theme to Isaiah:
'Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.
Isaiah 60:21-22
From the writings of Malachi, Isaiah, Daniel and all of the Prophets of the Tanakh, the mystery of the Jewish Messiah is closer to being understood. The covenant of 'life and peace' is with the 'Sons of Levi'. While the 'Sons of Judah' made a sacrifice, it will not be acceptable until this 'messenger', the 'Anointed One' of the tribe of Levi, is 'refined' with the 'Law of Truth'.