Machiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David

Two Messiahs? 

What gives?

 Daniel - Chapter 7

13 I saw in the visions of the night, and behold with the clouds of the heaven, one like a man was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was brought before Him.

14 And He gave him dominion and glory and a kingdom, and all peoples, nations, and tongues shall serve him; his dominion is an eternal dominion, which will not be removed, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.

The “man” in Daniel’s vision is Mashiach and he sees him coming with the clouds of heaven. The assumption is that Mashiach will arrive, riding on the clouds of heaven.

However, we find a conflicting prophecy in the book of Zechariah (9:10):

Zechariah - Chapter 9

9 Be exceedingly happy, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a foal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys.

10 And I will cut off the chariots from Ephraim, and the horses from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off. And he shall speak peace to the nations, and his rule shall be from the sea to the west and from the river to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah too is prophesying about king Mashiach, but he sees him arriving as a humble man riding on a donkey.

How then will Mashiach arrive? Will he come, riding on the clouds of heaven or as a poor man riding on a donkey?

Yechezkel - Ezekiel - Chapter 37

15 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

16" And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write upon it, 'For Judah and for the children of Israel his companions'; and take one stick and write upon it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'

17 And bring them close, one to the other into one stick, and they shall be one in your hand.

18 And when the children of your people say to you, saying, 'Will you not tell us what these are to you?'

19 Say to them, So says the Lord God: Behold I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel his companions, and I will place them with him with the stick of Judah, and I will make them into one stick, and they shall become one in My hand.

Missionaries locked onto Zechariah - Chapter 9; saying that it prophesied Jesus Christ 

The Synoptic Gospels say that this prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus sent two of his disciples to fetch the animal that was to carry him into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:2-7, Mark 11:2-7, Luke 19:30-35). The Gospel of John claims that Jesus found the animal on his own. He writes, “And Jesus, finding a young ass, sat on it; as it is written: ‘Fear not,  daughter of Zion; behold, your King comes sitting on a she-ass’s colt’” (John 12:14-15). Only one version can be correct, although both can be wrong 

Matthew has an interesting variation in his narrative, which brings up the question: Did Jesus enter Jerusalem riding on one animal, as in the three other Gospels or on two animals, as in the Gospel of Matthew? Matthew writes: [Jesus said] to them: “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a she-ass tied and a colt with her; untie them, and bring them to me. And if anyone says something to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them’; and immediately he will send them.” Now this took place that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled saying: “Say to the daughter of Zion, behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted upon a she-ass, and upon a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” And the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them, and brought the she-ass and the colt, and put upon them their garments, and he sat upon them. (Matthew 21:2-7)

Matthew ignores that synonymous parallelism is a common feature of biblical poetry. As a result, he gives a misreading of the prophecy, which is as if the prophet was referring to someone riding two animals. But, the fact is that the parallel structure of biblical poetry is a poetic device that calls for repetition of an idea or fact. However, this does not mean there is an actual duplication that is to be taken literally. Zechariah’s prophecy mentions only the riding of one male animal. The prophet’s statement, “riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of a she-ass,” expresses the same event in different words. Matthew creates an imaginary fulfillment of a prophecy that never existed in the first place.

He thinks that two different animals are involved and so has the disciples bring two, a she-ass and its colt. Therefore, he writes, “Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted upon a she-ass, and upon a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. And the disciples … put upon them their garments, and he sat upon them.” Matthew’s Jesus came to Jerusalem riding astride both animals, one being male and the 5 female respectively. A rather uncomfortable fulfillment but all the more a miracle as they would be of different sizes. Each animal, we are told, was covered by the garments of Jesus’ disciples, which shows that “he sat upon them” refers to the animals not the garments. The mention of the garments is incidental to the narrative. Those who accept such alleged fulfilments of prophecy must do it on faith alone, as they lack a basis in in historical fact.

(Zechariah 9:9)

The prophet Zechariah declares: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, your king is coming to you, he is just and has been saved, humble, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of a she-ass” (Zechariah 9:9). Zechariah’s prophecy mentions only the riding of one male animal. The prophet’s statement, “riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of a she-ass,” expresses the same event in different words. Matthew creates an imaginary fulfillment of a prophecy that never existed in the first place.

He thinks that two different animals are involved and so has the disciples bring two, a she-ass and its colt. Therefore, he writes, “Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted upon a she-ass, and upon a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. And the disciples … put upon them their garments, and he sat upon them.” Matthew’s Jesus came to Jerusalem riding astride both animals, one being male and the 5 female respectively. A rather uncomfortable fulfillment but all the more a miracle as they would be of different sizes. Each animal, we are told, was covered by the garments of Jesus’ disciples, which shows that “he sat upon them” refers to the animals not the garments. The mention of the garments is incidental to the narrative. Those who accept such alleged fulfilments of prophecy must do it on faith alone, as they lack a basis in in historical fact.

This is not the only fallacy with this story of Jesus going to Jerusalem, let us take a look at the whole story as told in the Gospels.

Jesus and the fig tree

Mark 11:12-25 King James Version (KJV)

12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:

13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it.

Is this the way a man of G-d should act? Cursing a Fig tree that is not doing any harm by just being there? And not bearing fruit that is out of season, a pious man would do this?

Now let us continue with this chapter.

15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.

17 And he taught, saying unto them, is it not written, my house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

John 2:15, it states that Jesus made for himself a scourge or whip, with which to beat the people in the Temple:

And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables... [John 2:15]

Those who 'bought and sold in the Temple' were there because of G-d's command. In Deuteronomy 14:24-26, G-d told the Jews to sell the animal they wanted to sacrifice for money, take the money to Jerusalem, and then after changing the money to the local currency, to buy the same type of animal and sacrifice it. Therefore, the money changers and sellers of sacrificial animals were supposed to be there, as commanded by G-d:

Devarim - Deuteronomy - Chapter 14

24 And if the way be too long for you, that you are unable to carry it, for the place which the Lord, your God, will choose to establish His Name therein, is too far from you, for the Lord, your God, will bless you

25 Then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and you shall go to the place the Lord, your God, will choose.

26 And you shall turn that money into whatever your soul desires; cattle, sheep, new wine or old wine, or whatever your soul desires, and you shall eat there before the Lord, your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

Now let’s get back to Mark Chapter 11

18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine.

Feared him? For he committed a sin against G-d’s commandment that we just saw in Devarim - Deuteronomy - Chapter 14 verses 24 through 26? I would think a lot of people would be angry, he should be in fear.

19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.

20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

The tree died for just doing what G-d ordained for it to be a tree that bears fruit at an appointed season. Everybody knew that figs were out of season.

13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

for the time of figs was not yet.

Jesus robbed the man who planted the tree of his labor of planting and caring for the tree and of it’s fruit for the next season and following seasons. Jesus was a pious man, a man of G-d? 

I can go on, I can show fallacies for the arrest of Jesus, and the trial, but I already posted that in earlier articles. Now to get back to

Two Messiahs? What gives?

Machiach ben Yosef; The Peaceful Reign of the Messiah

We need to understand who Mashiach ben Yosef is and where he fits into Rabbinic/Biblical eschatology.

To get to this we need to find out three things:

1.   What does the Tanakh say about who is ‘messiah’?

2.   What do the Rabbis mean by ‘messiah’?

3.   Where do the Rabbis get their idea of more then one Messiah?

As to the Tanakh, the facts about the ‘Messiah’ will be surprising. One of the top Biblical scholars J. H. Charlesworth states:

“The term, ‘the Messiah’ simply does not appear in the Hebrew Scriptures (or Old Testament). The last group of scholars to acknowledge this fact were conservative Christians, and now the very conservative New Testament specialist [the late] Professor George Eldon Ladd states, without qualification, that ‘the simple term “the Messiah” does not occur in the Old Testament at all.’ Of course, the title ‘the Anointed One’ denotes in the Hebrew Scriptures (or Old Testament) a prophet, a priest, and especially a king.”

From here we see that Biblically a person is ‘a messiah’ if he is doing some G-d ordained function: prophet, priest or king, but it does not refer to a single special person who is expected to arrive at some future date. This, of course, leads to a question. We use the term ‘Messiah’ and more or less, everyone has an understanding about that term. At the least, it refers to a person who will appear at the ‘end-times’. Where do we get this association with that term?

To understand this we need to look at some of the ‘end-times’ prophecies of the Tanakh. While much of the arguments with missionaries deal with passages that are unclear as to when or to whom they apply, there are passages in the Tanakh that announce that they are dealing with a specific period called ‘the end of days’. Some of them mention particular characters that seem to have a role to play in this future period:

One of the most well-known passages that is explicit about being an end-times prophecy is Isaiah 2:2-4.

Devarim - Deuteronomy - Chapter 28

9 The Lord will establish you as His holy people as He swore to you, if you observe the commandments of the Lord, your God, and walk in His ways.

10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they will fear you.

Yeshayahu - Isaiah - Chapter 2

2 And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it.

3 And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the Lord's mount, to the house of the God of Jacob, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths," for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 And he shall judge between the nations and reprove many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

Verse 4 is one of the most well known verses in the Tanakh.

Two Messiahs?

Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David

By Rabbi Shlomo Nachman © October 28.2013 (last updated January 11, 2015)

According to the Bible and our respected elders there is also the teaching that one day HaMelekh Mashiach (The Anointed King) will come, restore Israel and bless all inhabitants of the Earth through the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3). Rambam lists this belief as one of The Thirteen Pillars of Jewish Religion. We Jews want מָשִׁיח! Each morning religious Jews around the world pray the Shemoneh Esrei. The fifteenth Blessing is Malkhut beit David: our supplication that HaMashiach will arrive and restore the Davidic reign:

ES TZEMACH dovid avd'cho m'hayro satzmi-ach,

v'karno torum bi-shu-osecho,

ki li-shu-os'cho kivinu kol hayom.

Boruch ato Adonoy, matzmi-ach keren y'shu-o

"The offspring of Your servant David may You speedily cause to flourish,

and enhance his pride through your salvation,

for we hope for Your salvation all day long.

Blessed are You, HASHEM, Who causes the pride of salvation to flourish."

    * This is taken from the Seif Edition Artscroll Transliterated Linear [Orthodox] Siddur.

As Jews we await "The offspring [singular] of Your servant David": Mashiach ben David. Judaism of course is very diverse but this is the traditional understanding.

Yirmiyahu - Jeremiah - Chapter 23

3 And I will gather the remnant of My flocks from all the lands where I have driven them, and I will restore them to their dwellings and they shall be fruitful and multiply.

4 And I will set up shepherds over them and they shall pasture them, and they shall no longer fear nor shall they be dismayed, nor shall [any of them] be missing, says the Lord.

Flocks of my pasture are the people of Israel. This started in 1948 with the modern state of Israel, but many of the flock is still scattered. I hope soon to join my flock in Israel.

HaMashiach will be a fully human, Torah observant, Jewish man who will lead HaShem's people (all 12 Houses) and fulfill the various prophecies at the conclusion of the Olam Hazeh or current age.

Yirmiyahu - Jeremiah - Chapter 23

5. Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will set up of David a righteous shoot, and he shall reign a king and prosper, and he shall perform judgment and righteousness in the land.

The new king of Israel, that will come from the House of David will be the The HaMelekh Mashiach.

The HaMelekh Mashiach will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments.

Yeshayahu - Isaiah - Chapter 11

1 And a shoot shall spring forth from the stem of Jesse, and a twig shall sprout from his roots.

2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and heroism, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

3 And he shall be animated by the fear of the Lord, and neither with the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor with the hearing of his ears shall he chastise.

4 And he shall judge the poor justly, and he shall chastise with equity the humble of the earth, and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he shall put the wicked to death.

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith the girdle of his loins.

Melech HaMashiach ben David will be a single, divinely anointed, Israeli ruler from the House of David and the Tribe of Judah, who meet ALL of the biblical requirements. Thus far no one has succeeded at this. May he come soon!

Isaiah 11:

1.   There will be a leader, from the tribe of Judah who will also be the judge. (1 and 10)

2.   Ephraim (the Northern kingdom of Israel) and Judah (the Southern Kingdom) will no longer contend with each other. (13)

Yeshayahu - Isaiah - Chapter 11

6 And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid; and a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead them.

7 And a cow and a bear shall graze together, their children shall lie; and a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw.

8 And an infant shall play over the hole of an old snake and over the eyeball of an adder, a weaned child shall stretch forth his hand.

9 They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mount, for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea bed.

10 And it shall come to pass on that day, that the root of Jesse, which stands as a banner for peoples, to him shall the nations inquire, and his peace shall be [with] honor.

11 And it shall come to pass that on that day, the Lord shall continue to apply His hand a second time to acquire the rest of His people, that will remain from Assyria and from Egypt and from Pathros and from Cush and from Elam and from Sumeria and from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.

12 And He shall raise a banner to the nations, and He shall gather the lost of Israel, and the scattered ones of Judah He shall gather from the four corners of the earth.

13 And the envy of Ephraim shall cease, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, nor shall Judah vex Ephraim.

14 And they shall fly of one accord against the Philistines in the west, together they shall plunder the children of the East; upon Edom and Moab shall they stretch forth their hand, and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

15 And the Lord shall dry up the tongue of the Egyptian Sea, and He shall lift His hand over the river with the strength of His wind, and He shall beat it into seven streams, and He shall lead [the exiles] with shoes.

16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, as there was for Israel on the day they went up from the land of Egypt.

    3.The Jewish people will be gathered from exile. (12, 16)

In Ezekiel 37 we find more about this reconciliation of Judah and Ephraim, with some more information about this ingathering period:

Our prophets and rabbis explain that HaMashiach ben David will come in one of two ways: either through the collective repentance of the Jewish people, or through divine coercion. The later applies when we speak of the two mashiachs as we will see as we continue. This is not the preferred way for HaMashiach to come! But it appears to be the way it will happen.

      In a famous discussion in the Gemara in tractate Sanhedrin (97b), Chazal inform us of these two models, while disagreeing about the legitimacy of one of them:

Rav said: All the predestined dates [for redemption] have passed, and the matter [now] depends only on repentance and good deeds.  But Shemuel said: It is sufficient for a mourner to keep his [period of] mourning.

This matter is disputed by Tannaim: Rabbi Eliezer said: If Israel repent, they will be redeemed; if not, they will not be redeemed.  Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: If they do not repent, will they not be redeemed! But the Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a king over them, whose decrees shall be as cruel as Haman's, whereby Israel shall engage in repentance, and He will thus bring them back to the right path.

Another [Baraita] taught: Rabbi Eliezer said: If Israel repent, they will be redeemed, as it is written: "Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings." Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: But is it not written: "You have sold yourselves for naught; and you shall be redeemed without money"? "You have sold yourselves for naught" - for idolatry; "and you shall be redeemed without money" without repentance and good deeds.  Rabbi Eliezer retorted to Rabbi Yehoshua: But is it not written, "Return unto Me, and I will return unto you"?[1]

It is self-evident that the preferred model is that of repentance that leads to redemption.  The people repent and draw near to God, God draws them near, and then redemption comes and actualizes the state of Israel being found under the wings of the Shekhina.  And indeed, Rav and Rabbi Eliezer are unable to accept any other possibility, for if Israel is unfit, it is only right that they should not be redeemed, but rather they must continue to suffer in exile until they improve their ways.

In the second scenario, Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David will both appear on the world stage. The former will be 'a messiah, the later will be THE Messiah. Together they will vanquish the enemies of Israel and establish Kingdom of Zion throughout all of Eretz Y'Israel, all of the Land deeded to Avraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the people of Israel. Their individual tasks will be different but harmonious

According to Rebbe Nachman of Breslov:

Mashiach will conquer the entire world without firing a single bullet.

-- Siach Sarfey Kodesh 1-67

The real Messiah will be a King of Profound Peace and Righteousness. His personal holiness and his great wisdom will inspire the entire world to Peace and Faith. The Gentile nations will voluntarily come to him seeking his wisdom and leadership.

HaMashiach's main weapon will be prayer!

-- Rebbe Nachman, Likutey Moharan I, 2

Despite this, the sages are clear that before King Messiah ben David establishes global peace there will be extremely difficult times. We may well be witnessing the birth pangs of these day NOW (Sanhedrin 98b).

Yirmiyahu - Jeremiah - Chapter 33

1. And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still confined in the prison yard, saying:

2. So said the Lord, the Maker thereof, who formed it to prepare it; the Lord is His Name.

3. Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and strong things that you do not know.

4. For so said the Lord God of Israel concerning the houses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah that are demolished for the mounds and for the sword.

5. They come to war with the Chaldeans and to fill them with the corpses of the men whom I have smitten with My anger and with My wrath, and that which I have hidden My face from this city because of all their evil.

Now Chaldeans is Assyria and Babylon, there are historical connections of Syria to ancient Assyria, and Babylon is now in Iraq. Look at what's happening today. The signs are there.

Headlines

Multiple rockets target US embassy in Baghdad:

report

By 

Ben Feuerherd

January 13, 2022

Bases housing US troops in Iraq, Syria come under attack

QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

January 5, 2022

Before the time of the Moshiach, there shall be war and suffering

Yechezkel - Ezekiel - Chapter 38

2. "Son of man, set your face toward Gog, [toward] the land of Magog, the prince, the head of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy concerning him.

3. And you shall say; So said the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, Gog, the prince, the head of Meshech and Tubal

4. And I shall unbridle you, and I shall put hooks into your jaws and bring you forth and all your army, horses and riders, all of them clothed in finery, a great assembly, with encompassing shield and buckler, all of them grasping swords.

5. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them; all of them with buckler and helmet.

6. Gomer and all its wings, the house of Togarmah, the utmost parts of the north and all its wings, many peoples with you.

Iran from the North and Russia from the utmost north!!!!! Now, for those who have been keeping up on world events, Russia, form utmost North has joined with Iran from the north and are in Syria, which was Assyria. Looks to me to be prophesy coming true right before our eyes!!!

7. Be prepared and make ready for yourself, you and all your assembly who are gathered about you, and you will be to them for a guardian.

8. From many days you will be remembered; at the end of the years, you will come to a land [whose inhabitants] returned from the sword, gathered from many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which had been continually laid waste, but it was liberated from the nations, and they all dwelt securely.

9. And you will ascend; like mist you will come; like a cloud to cover the earth you will be; you and all your wings and many peoples with you.

10. So said the Lord God: It will come to pass on that day that words will enter your heart and you will think a thought of evil.

11. And you will say, "I shall ascend upon a land of open cities; I shall come upon the tranquil, who dwell securely; all of them living without a wall, and they have no bars or doors.

12. To take spoil and to plunder loot, to return your hand upon the resettled ruins and to a people gathered from nations, acquiring livestock and possessions, dwelling on the navel of the earth.

13. Sheba and Dedan and merchants of Tarshish and all its magnates will say to you, "Are you coming to take spoil? Have you assembled your assembly to plunder loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take livestock and possessions, to take much spoil?"

14. Therefore, prophesy, O son of man, and say to Gog, So said the Lord God: Surely on that day, when My people dwells securely, you will know.

15. And you will come from your place, from the utmost north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding horses; a great assembly and a mighty army.

16. And you will ascend upon My people Israel like a cloud to cover the earth; at the end of days, it will be, and I shall bring you upon My land in order that the nations recognize Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog.

17. So said the Lord God: Are you he about whom I spoke in ancient days through My servants, the prophets of Israel who prophesied in those days many years ago, to bring you upon them.

18. And it will come to pass on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, that My blazing indignation will flame in My nostrils.

19 .For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken; Surely there shall be a great noise on that day in the land of Israel.

20. And at My presence, the fishes of the sea and the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the field and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth and all the men who are upon the surface of the earth shall quake, and all the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall to the ground.

Sign of the times? Third earthquake in two weeks felt in Israel

 January 23, 2022

Although no injuries or damage were reported, for residents of the Jewish State, where earthquakes are uncommon, the quake caused panic.

By World Israel News Staff

A relatively minor 3.7 magnitude earthquake was felt throughout Israel’s northern region late Saturday evening. It was followed by a second one less than 12 hours later  in the same vicinity, which measured 3.5 on the Richter scale.

The epicenter of the earthquake was some 20 miles southeast of Nazareth, not far from Israel’s border with Jordan.

People in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria also said they felt the tremors.

Saturday’s tremors came just two weeks after a stronger, 6.6-magnitude quake occurred off the coast of Cyprus, which was also felt in Israel.

The quake did manage to caused some panic. “I felt a strong earthquake again,” a resident of the northern city of Nahariya told Ynet. “The sofa was moving. A feeling of helplessness.”

A resident of Tiberias told Walla News that she and her family were rattled by the earthquake.

“My whole body was trembling with fear. I started grabbing my kids to get outside,” she said. ‘The bed really moved. All the windows were shaking.”

“It went on for a relatively long time. It moved things around in my house,” a Haifa resident told Walla. “My desk was moving by itself for four or five seconds. The whole house, the bed, the room shook.”

Israeli police reported dozens of calls to its emergency hotlines. No casualties or significant damage was reported.

Dr. Avi Shapira, a seismologist, appeared on Channel 12’s Morning News with Niv Raskin and downplayed the seriousness of the quake.

“This is a fairly small and weak earthquake. Such tremors have been felt in the past,” he said.

Shapira noted that seismologists were not concerned about the two earthquakes occurring in a relatively short time span and shot down fears that the tremors could indicate that a large earthquake is imminent.

“We do not see a change in seismic rate activity,” he said.

Are we seeing this in the USA? Is CRT (Critical race theory) the beginning of this indoctrination within our schools?

Can we trust the Government to make critical life changing decisions for the people of the world? Seems that most everything the Democratic party does is a big failure!

Are the Democrats so evil that they would help fund the Wuhan labs to release a bioweapon on the earth, to reduce the population of the earth?

Pentagon gave millions to EcoHealth Alliance for weapons research program

The Defense Department doled out millions of dollars to the same nonprofit that funneled federal grant money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for bat coronavirus research — with most of the Pentagon money going toward murky research on countering biological weapons.

22. And I will judge against him with pestilence and with blood, and rain bringing floods, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone will I rain down upon him and upon his hordes and upon the many peoples that are with him.

Headlines

Heavy rains, flash floods around world in 2021

More than 150 people killed, over 650 injured as worst flooding in more than 200 years hits Germany.

Hurricanes How many hurricanes occurred in 2021?

21

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season ends as the third most active year ever. The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season is now officially over, ending a period in which eight storms smacked into the U.S. coast. With 21 named storms, 2021 ranks as the third most active year in history, according to the National Hurricane Center. Nov 30, 2021

Volcanoes

The Tonga eruption from tsunami warnings to sonic booms.

An undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion in the Kingdom of Tonga on January 15, 2022, as seen at right in this image taken by a Japanese weather satellite.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAPAN METEOROLOGY AGENCY VIA AP

 The volcanic plume generated record amounts of lightning before producing a blast heard thousands of miles away. 

There were 78 confirmed eruptions at some point during 2021 from 74 different volcanoes; 30 of those were new eruptions that started during the year. A stop date with "(continuing)" indicates that the eruption was considered to be ongoing as of the date indicated. Data is reported through the last data update (9 December 2021). Information about more recent eruptions can be found in the Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report.

G-d is angry; the world is upside down, in this warped so-called modern society; Little boys are now little girls, little girls are now little boys. Some are so confused they don’t know what gender they are.

Parents no longer interact with their children; give them a cell phone and they'll be quite all day. No more playing outside, no more dodgeball, a poor little kid might get hurt.

Society has changed! We have a permissive society where anything goes! And now we are seeing the results of this liberal permissive society! Mass shooting that is bred in a liberal permissive society and we now have a mental illness that is killing us!

Yeshayahu - Isaiah - Chapter 5

20 Woe to those who say of the evil that it is good and of the good that it is evil; who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet and sweet as bitter.

Mashiach ben Yosef will oversee and subdue our enemies during these difficult days. All of the negatives of these prophecies concerning him could be avoided however if only the Jewish people would choose to submit themselves to HaShem with emuna (active faith).

We know from the Prophets that the Messianic age will advance in two stages: the first is to be led by Mashiach, son of Joseph [Yosef], and the second by Mashiach, son of David.

The Gaon of Vilna, the great 18th century sage, in his book Even Shleima, writes about the era of Mashiach, the son of Joseph, as the era of the physical return to the Land of Israel. This era precedes the spiritual repentance of the actual Messianic age, that of Mashiach, the son of David.

There is a hiatus between the period of Mashiach the son of Joseph and the revelation of Mashiach the son of David...

The Biblical prophecies of the latter Prophets describe a horrendous time, when all the nations will come up against Jerusalem. These can be interpreted on various levels. For example, the nations coming up against Jerusalem could be fulfilled by condemnations from the United Nations, rather than a literal war. The only thing that is clear from the Biblical prophets is that this period will be very difficult, and that how it plays out will depend on us and our repentance.

What should we be doing during this particular time period? The Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin (98b) says that during the "birth pangs of Mashiach" two things save us: acts of loving-kindness and learning Torah.

By the sovereign will of HaShem, through Theodor Herzl, David Ben-Gurion, the Hovevei Zion, the First Zionist Congress of the Zionist Organization in 1897, and the other early Zionists, the government of Israel has now been re-established. A little over half of the world's Jews have returned home to Israel and more are making aliyah ('ascending' to our homeland) every year. This,we may assume, began the countdown to HaMashiach and the birth pangs of the his yet future Messianic Kingdom. How he will take his reign remains to be seen! That is up to the Jewish people and of course to HaShem.

There will only be one "HaMashiach", that is Mashiach ben David. He will be a Torah observant descendant of King David, of the tribe of Judah, and he will meet all of the requirements of this holy office. Don't let the term 'two messiahs' confuse you: Two anointed tzadikim, one THE Messiah.

Rashi in his commentary on Zechariah 12:10 alludes to Mashiach ben Yosef as well as a Mashiach ben David:

Zechariah - Chapter 12

10 And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplications. And they shall look to me because of those who have been thrust through [with swords], and they shall mourn over it as one mourns over an only son and shall be in bitterness, therefore, as one is embittered over a firstborn son.

RASHI Commentary

a spirit of grace and supplications: That it should come into their mind to supplicate Me, and they will be in My good graces.

a spirit: Talant in Old French, a desire.

they shall look to Me because of those who have been thrust through: Jonathan renders: And they shall supplicate Me because of their wanderings. And they shall look to Me to complain about those of them whom the nations thrust through and slew during their exile.

and they shall mourn over it: Over that slaughter.

as one mourns over an only son: As a man mourns over his only son. And our Sages expounded this in tractate Sukkah (52a) as referring to the Messiah, son of Joseph, who was slain.

We know from many sources that THE Messiah will be Mashiach ben David (Isaiah 11:1 etc.), the anointed descendant of King David. So who is this talking about?

First note that Rashi says "our Sages expounded this..." These sages were the Men of the Great Assembly. They received their information directly through the holy prophets and so we accept their statements as true. On the other hand, Rambam does not mention Mashiach ben Yosef at all, even though other notable authorities past and present do. This seems odd.

Mashiach ben Yosef will by definition be a son of Joseph. This tells us that he will arise from Ephraim, i.e. from the 10 Lost/Divorced Houses that HaShem exiled from His presence due to spiritual adultery and lack of emuna. Judah (and Benjamin) alone remained of Klal Israel. This is confirmed at II Kings 17:18 when discussing how the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell before Assyria circa 710 BCE. Mashiach ben Yosef is also sometimes referred to as Mashiach ben Ephrayim, or Ephraim's anointed descendant. This mysterious and important figure is not and cannot be Mashiach ben David and his tasks have not yet been accomplished. We therefore have two end time "mashiachs."

According to numerous scriptural references the "Ten Lost Houses of Israel" (collectively called Ephraim) will not be restored until the coming of Mashiach ben David (see Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 3:6-18; Hosea 1-3; Amos 9:8-10; Obadia 15-21; Micah 2:12-13; 5:3-15; Zechariah 8:13; 9 & 10; Ezekiel 34-37 etc.). Those who suggest that Mashiach ben Yosef has already come face this and other biblical problems. Likewise, had Mashiach ben David already come as some wrongly believe, then the Ten Houses would long ago have been re-established to the Holy Land. This has never happened. Even today only a small sliver of our Land has been restored and only a few people thought to be descended from the tribes of Ephraim have been identified. Neither of these foretold leaders have yet come. The prophecies remain unfulfilled.

In the months and years following the Assyrian conquest of the Israel (i.e. the Northern Kingdom) some Ten House Israelites escaped to the south and merged with the people of Judah and Benjamin. When "Judah" returned to Judea and Samaria after the Babylonian captivity, they were the people we today know as the Jew Among them are some from the ten northern houses. Today the Jews are a global extended family that collectively represent all that remains of Am Israel. Mashiach ben David will re-assemble the Twelve Houses (Tribes) of Israel and assign them each the land granted to them by HaShem to be their eternal possession in the Torah. These Ten Houses will follow Mashiach ben Yosef and he will follow Mashiach ben David, the servant of HaShem.

To understand what the Rabbis have taught about the major figures that will have a role in end time’s story we need to look at a few verses in Zechariah 2:

Zechariah - Chapter 2

1 And I lifted my eyes, and I saw-and behold!-four horns.

2 And I said to the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these?" And he said to me, "These are the horns that scattered Judah and Israel and Jerusalem."

3 And the Lord showed me four craftsmen.

4 And I said, "What are these coming to do?" And he said, saying, "These are the horns that scattered Judah to the extent that no man raised his head. And these came to cause them to quake, to cast away the horns of the nations that bear a horn against the land of Judah, to scatter it."

5 And I lifted my eyes, and I saw-and behold!-a man with a measuring line in his hand.

6 And I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see how much is its breadth and how much [is] its length."

7 And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was coming forth, and another angel was coming forth toward him.

8 And he said to him, "Run, speak to this young man, saying: 'Jerusalem shall be inhabited like unwalled towns, because of the multitude of men and cattle therein.' "

9 But I will be for it-says the Lord-a wall of fire around, and for glory I will be in its midst.

10 Ho, ho! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord; for I have spread you as the four corners of the heavens, says the Lord.

11 Ho, Zion! Flee, she who sits among the nation of Babylon.

12 For so said the Lord of Hosts: After glory, He sent me to the nations that plunder you, for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye.

13 For, behold! I raise My hand over them, and they shall be prey for those who serve them. And you shall know that the Lord of Hosts sent me.

These verses seem to be talking about the end times. Jerusalem is filled again with people (8) and verse 10 indicates the ingathering which we have seen the Tanakh places in the end-times. But look at 1-4; we see that there are 4 horns, which represent the enemies of the Jewish people, who sent them into exile. Opposed to them are four craftsmen, who cut them down. These four seem to be important figures in the end-times. Who are they? 

Here is what the Rabbis teach: “ ‘And the LORD showed me four craftsmen.’ Who are these four craftsmen? Rav Chunah the son of Bizna said in the name of Rebbi Shimon, ‘These are Machiach ben Dovid, Machiach ben Yosef, Elijah and the Righteous Priest.’ “

So what is the job of this fourth person? One hint is in the prophet Ovadiah:

17. But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

Rashi’s commentary:

those who inherited them: The possessions of the people who inherited them. [from Targum Jonathan]

18. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken.

Rashi’s commentary:

for the Lord has spoken: Now where did He speak? (Num. 24:19) “Out of Jacob shall come a ruler, and he shall destroy him that remains in the city.” [from Mechilta Bo 12:16, Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer ch.37]

19. And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the Lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.

Rashi’s commentary:

And [the inhabitants of] the southland shall inherit: Israel, who were dwelling in the south of Eretz Israel, shall inherit the mountain of Esau, which is at the southern boundary; and the people of the plain shall inherit the land of the Philistines and Mt. Ephraim and Mt. Shomeron.

and Benjamin with [the inhabitants of] Gilead: And the children of Manasseh, whose territory was the land of Gilead, shall spread beyond the borders of Eretz Israel on the east.

20. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath, and the captivity of Jerusalem, that is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South.

Rashi’s commentary:

And this exiled host: Heb. הַחֵל. Jonathan renders: This people. הַחֵל, An expression of a host. Cf. (Isa. 36:2) “And he came (sic) to Jerusalem with an army (חֵיל) of a great multitude,” which deals with Rabshakeh, only that this one is missing a “yud.” It is also possible to explain גָלֻת הַחֵל as “the exile of this valley.”

who are [with] the Canaanites as far as Zarephath: The exile which is of the children of Israel who were exiled from the ten tribes to the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath

and the exile of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad: who are of the people of Judah who were exiled to Sepharad - they shall inherit the cities of the southland, which are in the southern part of Eretz Israel. The exegetes claim that Zarephath is the kingdom called France in French.

Sepharad: Jonathan renders: Spain.

21. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Rashi’s commentary:

shall ascend: Princes of Israel as saviors on Mt. Zion.

to judge the mountain of Esau: to exact retribution from the mountain of Esau for what they did to Israel.

to judge: Heb. לִשְׁפֹּט. joustiser in O.F.

the mountain of Esau: Jonathan renders: the great city of Esau.

and the Lord shall have the kingdom: This teaches you that His kingdom will not be complete until He exacts retribution from Amalek.

Here we see, from verse 18, that the House of Joseph (including its leader) has a military role in the end-times drama. Verse 21 indicates that this is a joint effort. From this we see that the time when the Mashiach ben Yosef comes ends with a period of peace. This would indicate the period we have seen above when there is world peace, a renewal of the Davidic kingdom, etc. Let me summarize the Rabbinic writings with regards to Mashiach ben Yosef:

There will be a period of about seven years of terrible famines and other troubles. The land of Israel will at that time be under Non-Jewish control, and a leader of the tribe of Ephraim, will arise to lead militarily against these nations who control Jerusalem. He will be successful, but after his initial victory he will die in battle. This will cause a great mourning and many will lose faith. At that time (still within the seven years) the Mashiach Ben David will be revealed, he shall finish the battle. After which, he will resurrect all the dead, starting with the Mashiach Ben Yosef. Both of them will go up to Mount Zion to fulfill the prophecy in Ovadiah verse 21: "And the saviors (plural - both Messiahs) shall go up onto Mount Tzion and judge Mount Esav, and the kingdom will be for Hashem." There is the fulfillment of ALL the major prophesies like an end to war and a world at peace with the Jewish people in a restored Jerusalem with the third Temple.

Daniel - Chapter 9 also gives us a similar message, but only of the two mashiachs.

Daniel - Chapter 9

21 While I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I saw in the vision at first, approached me in swift flight about the time of the evening offering.

22 And he enabled me to understand, and he spoke with me, and he said, "Daniel, now I have come forth to make you skillful in understanding.

23 In the beginning of your supplications, a word came forth, and I have come to tell it, for you have desirable qualities; now contemplate the word and understand the vision.

24 Seventy weeks [of years] have been decreed upon your people and upon the city of your Sanctuary to terminate the transgression and to end sin, and to expiate iniquity, and to bring eternal righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies.

Rashi’s commentary

Seventy weeks [of years] have been decreed: on Jerusalem from the day of the first destruction in the days of Zedekiah until it will be [destroyed] the second time.

to terminate the transgression and to end sin: so that Israel should receive their complete retribution in the exile of Titus and his subjugation, in order that their transgressions should terminate, their sins should end, and their iniquities should be expiated, in order to bring upon them eternal righteousness and to anoint upon them (sic) the Holy of Holies: the Ark, the altars, and the holy vessels, which they will bring to them through the king Messiah. The number of seventy weeks is four hundred and ninety years. The Babylonian exile was seventy [years] and the Second Temple stood four hundred and twenty [years].

(to anoint the most holy. A better translation here would be “to anoint a most holy place.” This is a reference to the Jewish temple which is to be rebuilt when Messiah comes. It refers to the same temple that Daniel’s contemporary, Ezekiel, described in great detail (Ezekiel 40-48).)

7x70= 490

70 years of captivity. 

25 And you shall know and understand that from the emergence of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the anointed king [shall be] seven weeks, and [for] sixty-two weeks it will return and be built street and moat, but in troubled times.

Rashi’s commentary

called him His anointed and His king, as it says (Isa. 45:1): “So said the Lord to His anointed one, to Cyrus etc.” (verse 13): “He shall build My city and free My exiles, etc.”

seven weeks: Seven complete shemittah cycles they will be in exile before Cyrus comes, and there were yet three more years, but since they did not constitute a complete shemittah cycle, they were not counted. In the one year of Darius, in which Daniel was standing when this vision was said to him, seventy years from the conquest of Jehoiakim terminated. Deduct eighteen years from them, in which the conquest of Jehoiakim preceded the destruction of Jerusalem, leaving fifty-two years. This is what our Rabbis learned (Yoma 54a): “For fifty-two years no one passed through Judea.” They are the fifty-two years from the day of the destruction until they returned in the days of Cyrus. Hence, we have seven shemittah cycles and three years.

(I wondered why Cyrus would be held to such high regard, so I googled Cyrus, and this is what I found in Wikipedia.

Cyrus is well-known for having respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered. He was important in developing the system of a central administration at Pasargadae governing satraps in the empire's border regions, which worked very effectively and profitably for both rulers and subjects. The Edict of Restoration, a proclamation attested by a cylinder seal in which Cyrus authorized and encouraged the return of the Israelites to the Land of Israel following his conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, is described in the Bible and likewise left a lasting legacy on the Jewish religion due to his role in ending the Babylonian captivity and facilitating the Jewish return to Zion. According to Isaiah 45:1 of the Hebrew Bible, God anointed Cyrus for this task, even referring to him as a messiah (lit. 'anointed one'); Cyrus is the only non-Jewish figure in the Bible to be revered in this capacity.)

and in sixty-two weeks it will return and be built: i.e., the city with its streets.

and moat: Heb. וְחָרוּץ. They are the moats that they make around the wall to strengthen the city, which are called fosse in French, ditch or moat.

but in troubled times: But in those times they will be troubled and distressed, for in the subjugation of the kings of Persia and the heathens, they will burden them with harsh bondage. Now although there are sixty-two weeks and four years more that remain from the eighth week, whose beginning, viz. the three years, was included in the fifty-two years of the duration of the exile, those four years were not counted here because here he counted only weeks, and you find that from the beginning he started to count seventy weeks, and at the end, when he delineated their times and their judgments, he counted only sixty-nine, proving that one week was divided, part of it here and part of it there; and he mentioned only whole weeks.

but in troubled times: They will be troubled in those times.

26 And after the sixty-two weeks, the anointed one will be cut off, and he will be no more, and the people of the coming monarch will destroy the city and the Sanctuary, and his end will come about by inundation, and until the end of the war, it will be cut off into desolation.

Rashi’s commentary

And after: those weeks.

the anointed one will be cut off: Agrippa, the king of Judea, who was ruling at the time of the destruction, will be slain.

(Herod Agrippa I, original name Marcus Julius Agrippa, (born c. 10 BCE—died 44 CE), king of Judaea (41–44 CE), a clever diplomat who through his friendship with the Roman imperial family obtained the kingdom of his grandfather, Herod I the Great. He displayed great acumen in conciliating the Romans and Jews.)

and he will be no more: Heb. וְאֵין לוֹ, and he will not have. The meaning is that he will not be

the anointed one: Heb. מָשִׁיחַ. This is purely an expression of a prince and a dignitary.

and the city and the Sanctuary: lit. and the city and the Holy.

and the people of the coming monarch will destroy: [The monarch who will come] upon them. That is Titus and his armies.

and his end will come about by inundation: And his end will be damnation and destruction, for He will inundate the power of his kingdom through the Messiah, and until the end of the wars of Gog the city will exist.

cut off into desolation: a destruction of desolation.

27 And he will strengthen a covenant for the princes for one week, and half the week he will abolish sacrifice and meal- offering, and on high, among abominations, will be the dumb one, and until destruction and extermination befall the dumb one.

Rashi’s commentary

And he will strengthen a covenant for the princes for one week: לָרַבִּים, for the princes, like “and all the officers of (רַבֵּי) the king,” in the Book of Jeremiah (39:13).

will strengthen: Titus [will strengthen] a covenant with the princes of Israel.

for one week: He will promise them the strengthening of a covenant and peace for seven years, but within the seven years, he will abrogate his covenant.

he will abolish sacrifice and meal-offering: This is what he says in the first vision (8:26): “and in tranquility he will destroy many.” Through a covenant of tranquility, he will destroy them.

and on high, among abominations will be the dumb one: This is a pejorative for pagan deities. i.e., on a high place, among abominations and disgusting things, he will place the dumb one, the pagan deity, which is dumb like a silent stone.

high: Heb. כְּנַף, lit. wing, an expression of height, like the wing of a flying bird.

and until destruction and extermination befall the dumb one: and the ruling of the abomination will endure until the day that the destruction and extermination decreed upon it [will] befall it, in the days of the king Messiah.

befall the dumb one: Heb. תִּתַּ, reach; and total destruction will descend upon the image of the pagan deity and upon its worshippers.

If I understand what the Rabbi is saying, it appears that all the events, except the for verse 27 of Daniel - Chapter 9 already took place. Now what ask the Rabbi said about Verse 27 “Also, an idolatrous temple with mute abominations would later be built on the high place of the Temple (by Hadrian) – until destruction will be poured out upon all such abominations in the End of Days.” He said “would later be built” After the destruction of the second Temple? Nothing has been built on the Temple mount since the destruction of the second Temple, with the EXCEPTION of the Dome of the Rock.

Daniel 9 clearly speaks of two anointed people – one after 49 years (7 weeks), who will begin the rebuilding of the Second Temple. And a second after 62 weeks (434 years), when an anointed person will be cut off. The first one predates the Second Temple.

Daniel speaks of a second anointed one, who lived about 4 BC, this mashiach will be cut off “(“yikarait”). Karet, which means excision, always has a negative connotation in the Torah. There will not be to him” (“v’ain lo”). It is a cryptic term, but seems to say that he will have nothing left or there will be nothing left of him. It is difficult to understand when to begin the count of 490 years. 

To begin understanding these verses according to Jewish tradition, as always, it is important to see the verses in context. In the beginning of Chapter 9, Daniel is profoundly worried about the prophecy of Jeremiah. Jeremiah foretold that Jerusalem’s destruction would last 70 years (see Jeremiah 25:12 and 29:10). He thought the 70 years had come to an end already, and in fact the Babylonian Empire had recently been overtaken by the Persians, yet the return to Jerusalem had not occurred. He feared that they were not worthy of the prophesied redemption and that it was going to be delayed. He began fasting and praying, beseeching God for His forgiveness, until the angel Gabriel came to him and clarified the future events – when the Second Temple would be rebuilt and how long it would stand.

(In truth, the two 70’s of Jeremiah 25 and 29 were separate prophecies. Babylonia would fall 70 years after its ascension (25:12) – and this had occurred the year before the events of Daniel 9, while the return to Zion would not occur until 70 years after Jerusalem’s destruction (29:10), which occurred 18 years after Nebuchadnezzar’s ascension.)

As to the precise interpretation of the verses, there are a number of slightly different approaches among the commentators. In the interests of simplicity, I will follow primarily a single approach below.

The 490 years (70 weeks) refer to the entire time period from the destruction of the First Temple until the Destruction of the Second. Gabriel outlined this entire period to Daniel. Some explain that this was in part a response to Daniel’s anxiousness over the 70 years of Jeremiah. The angel explained that in addition to the literal 70 years of Jeremiah’s prophecy – the 70 years of punishment Israel would require before the building of the Second Temple, Jeremiah was hinting to a longer 70 – 70 weeks of years – which would be required to fully expiate the sins of the nation during the First Temple. Thus, apart from the 70 years of actual exile, there would be 490 years total in which Israel would suffer other forms of unrest and deprivation, even as the Second Temple stood (Abarbanel, Malbim).

Based on this, verse 24 states that a full 490 years would be required to completely wipe out the sins of the First Temple era. At that point, sin could be removed totally and a period of everlasting righteousness and the fulfillment of prophecy could ensue. I.e., after the full atonement of the 490 years, the Messianic era could have ensued, and the Third Temple could have been built shortly after the Second. (Sadly, though, the Jews sinned further during the Second Temple, pushing off the ultimate redemption even further away.)

Verse 25 speaks of an anointed prince appearing after 7 weeks, after which “a street and moat” will be built, standing for 62 weeks, but in troubled times. The anointed prince was Cyrus (whom God referred to as his mashiach (Isaiah 45:1)) who was to grant the Jews permission to rebuild the Temple. This occurred in the 52nd year after Jerusalem’s destruction – longer than 7 weeks, but the final fraction of a week was not counted.

As that verse continues, afterwards would commence the building of the Second Temple. That period would span in total 62 weeks = 434 years, plus the 4 years remaining from the eighth week begun before Cyrus ascended the throne. (Note that the 7+ weeks together with the 62+ total 70 full weeks.) Thus, this period would last 438 years in total – the 18 years from Cyrus’s command until the Temple was inaugurated, together with the 420 years the Second Temple stood. This, however, would be in troubled times – under the rule of the Persians, then the Greeks, and finally the Romans, with much oppression throughout.

Verse 26 describes what will happen at the time of the Second Temple’s destruction. An “anointed one” will be cut off. This either refers to King Agrippa II, the Hasmonean King at the time of the destruction, the High Priest at that time, or the notion of priesthood in general. The Temple will be utterly destroyed by the Roman legions of Vespasian and Titus (“the people of the prince”). Jerusalem will be utterly “washed away” (“its end shall come in a deluge”). And it will remain so until “the end of war” – the final battles in the time of the Messiah.

Verse 27 adds some interesting details of those final years and beyond. The Romans will make a covenant of peace with the “great ones” of Israel for the final seven years. However, they will not abide by their covenant but for the final half a week before the Temple’s destruction they will abolish the offering of sacrifices. Also, an idolatrous temple with mute abominations would later be built on the high place of the Temple (by Hadrian) – until destruction will be poured out upon all such abominations in the End of Days.

Midrashic consensus regarding Mashiach Ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David

The following points summarize this issue and are agreed to in all the Midrashim that deal with the Mashiach ben Yosef and the Mashiach ben Dovid.

1.   They are two different people from two different tribal families.

2.   They live at the same time.

3.   Mashiach ben Yosef never takes the throne nor is he entitled to.

4.   Mashiach ben Yosef is a warrior (Mashiach ben Dovid would also appear to be)

5.   Mashiach ben Yosef will be killed in BATTLE and will be the first to be raised from the dead by Mashiach ben Dovid.

6.   The period of time from when Mashiach ben Yosef first comes into prominence until he is resurrected after the Mashiach ben Dovid comes to his throne is very short, the longest period is under two years.

7.   The basic chronology of events is that there is a seven-year period. It starts with continually problems, it starts to improve and then in the sixth year it gets worse again. In the seventh year there are great wars in which the Mashiach ben Yosef is first successful and then he is killed in that later part of the year. Many Jewish people will become depressed and fall away. At the end of the seven years Mashiach ben Dovid comes and finishes the job and there comes the resurrection of the dead.

HaMashiach will be a fully human, Torah observant, Jewish man who will lead HaShem's people (all 12 Houses) and fulfill the various prophecies at the conclusion of the Olam Hazeh or current age. Melech HaMashiach ben David will be a single, divinely anointed, Israeli ruler from the House of David and the Tribe of Judah, who meet ALL of the biblical requirements. Thus far no one has succeeded at this. May he come soon!

Our prophets and rabbis explain that HaMashiach ben David will come in one of two ways: either through the collective repentance of the Jewish people, or through divine coercion. The later applies when we speak of the two mashiachs. This is not the preferred way for HaMashiach to come! But it appears to be the way it will happen.

According to Rebbe Nachman of Breslov:

Mashiach will conquer the entire world without firing a single bullet.

-- Siach Sarfey Kodesh 1-67

The real Messiah will be a King of Profound Peace and Righteousness. His personal holiness and his great wisdom will inspire the entire world to Peace and Faith. The Gentile nations will voluntarily come to him seeking his wisdom and leadership.

HaMashiach's main weapon will be prayer!

-- Rebbe Nachman, Likutey Moharan I, 2

Despite this, the sages are clear that before King Messiah ben David establishes global peace there will be extremely difficult times. We may well be witnessing the birth pangs of these day now (Sanhedrin 98b). Mashiach ben Yosef will oversee and subdue our enemies during these difficult days. All of the negatives of these prophecies concerning him could be avoided however if only the Jewish people would choose to submit themselves to HaShem with emuna (active faith).

The Gaon of Vilna, the great 18th century sage, in his book Even Shleima, writes about the era of Mashiach, the son of Joseph, as the era of the physical return to the Land of Israel. This era precedes the spiritual repentance of the actual Messianic age, that of Mashiach, the son of David.

The Biblical prophecies of the latter Prophets describe a horrendous time, when all the nations will come up against Jerusalem. These can be interpreted on various levels. For example, the nations coming up against Jerusalem could be fulfilled by condemnations from the United Nations, rather than a literal war. The only thing that is clear from the Biblical prophets is that this period will be very difficult, and that how it plays out will depend on us and our repentance.

By the sovereign will of HaShem, through Theodor Herzl, David Ben-Gurion, the Hovevei Zion, the First Zionist Congress of the Zionist Organization in 1897, and the other early Zionists, the government of Israel has now been re-established. A little over half of the world's Jews have returned home to Israel and more are making Aliyah ('ascending' to our homeland) every year. This, we may assume, began the countdown to HaMashiach and the birth pangs of the his yet future Messianic Kingdom. How he will take his reign remains to be seen! That is up to the Jewish people and of course to HaShem.