Island
Reappearing in Rapidly Depleting Sea of Galilee Could Signal Beginning of
Messianic Prophecy
“He turned the sea
into dry land; they went through the river on foot; there let us rejoice in
Him!” Psalms 66:6 (The
Israel Bible™)
Dry land has
appeared in the Sea of Galilee, September 2016. (Aerial photo courtesy of
Rahaf)
An island that has recently appeared in
the middle of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) is a cause
of ecologic alarm, but, more importantly, it is also a sign mentioned
explicitly in the Talmud as presaging the coming of the Messiah from the House
of David.
The sudden appearance of the island is
not entirely unusual or unexpected. It frequently appears in particularly dry
seasons when the level of the Sea of Galilee drops significantly, and to be
sure, this year is exceptionally arid.
Since summer’s beginning, the water
level in the Kinneret has gone down by 40 inches, a worrying 14.76 inches below
the lowest red line, the Jewish
Press reported.
The drying up of the Kinneret has clear
Messianic implications. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 97a) discusses the signs that
will appear just prior to the coming of “the Son of David” (the Messiah from
the House of King David).
Rabbi Yehuda, a Talmudic sage, states
that one of the signs presaging the Messiah will be that the Sea of Galilee and
Gablan, the upper Jordan River in the Golan, will become desolate and destroyed
(“khorban” in Hebrew).
This Talmudic prophecy is consistent
with the verse in Isaiah, which uses the same word, khorban, to describe
rivers drying up in the days of the Messiah.
And the waters shall fail
from the sea, and the river shall be drained dry. Isaiah
19:5
The year began with the sea at the
lowest level since 1926. As it stands today, 38 feet shy of
being full, the Sea of Galilee has never before been so close to fulfilling
this prophecy.
The Zohar,
the foundational work of Jewish mysticism, cites the Galilee as the place in
which the beginnings of the Messiah can first be seen.
The Messiah… will arise in
the land of Galilee… the Messiah shall reveal himself in the land of Galilee
because in this part of the Holy Land the desolation (Babylonian exile) first
began, therefore he will manifest himself there first. [Zohar III, Shemoth 7b, 8b, 220a; Otzar
Midrashim, 466]
When considered alongside a prophecy in
Zechariah which states that in the times of the Messiah water will flow from
Jerusalem, it is clear that great changes are coming.
And it shall come to pass
in that day that living waters shall go out from Yerushalayim: half of them toward the
eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter
shall it be. Zechariah 14:8
The big picture created by these
different prophecies demonstrate how drastically the Messianic process will
alter the land. Jerusalem, a dry mountaintop city, will become a source of
flowing water while the Galilee and Jordan, perennial sources of Israel’s
water, will become desolate and dry. In yet another turnaround, the Dead
Sea will fill up with life in the days of
the Messiah.
Rabbi Yosef Berger, the
rabbi of David’s Tomb in Jerusalem, explained that we should understand the
destruction of the Galilee as the drought that is occurring right now.
“That section of the Talmud is
full of signs that indicate the coming of the Messiah, and every single one of
them is undeniably coming true,” Rabbi Berger explained.
“The simple reading of the prophecy in
the Talmud is that the cities in the Galilee will be destroyed,
but in trying to understand this particular sign pertaining to the Galilee, it
is important to note what the Zohar says about learning such things.”
He referred to a core Jewish tenant:
the idea that man can alter decreed Heavenly events with prayer and
understanding. “By virtue of interpreting a prophecy a certain way, people can
influence the way in which Heaven chooses to bring it into the world,” Rabbi
Berger told Breaking Israel News.
The rabbi explained how this applied to
the present situation. “By learning that our present drought condition in the
Galilee is what the prophecy called ‘destruction’ (khorban), our
interpretation of the destruction of the Galilee can influence, even change,
what was originally intended,” he said.
“Just like in prayer, which is a
dialogue with God, our thoughts are taken into account in Heaven, and can bring
the desired prophecy into existence… By people
believing that the Galilee drying up is part of the prophecy, it will help the
Messiah come.”
Related Posts:
200-Year-Old “Messiah Clock” Sets Last Possible Date for Final
Redemption - and the Timing Will Surprise You!
Why is
Jesus going to return on a white horse?
http://puricarefiles.blogspot.com/2016/09/second-coming-jesus-is-coming-to-earth.html
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz is a features writer for Breaking Israel News. He made Aliyah to Israel in 1991 and served in the IDF as a combat medic. Berkowitz studied Jewish law and received rabbinical ordination in Israel. He has worked as a freelance writer and his novel, The Hope Merchant, is available on Amazon. He lives in the Golan Heights with his wife and their four children.
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz is a features writer for Breaking Israel News. He made Aliyah to Israel in 1991 and served in the IDF as a combat medic. Berkowitz studied Jewish law and received rabbinical ordination in Israel. He has worked as a freelance writer and his novel, The Hope Merchant, is available on Amazon. He lives in the Golan Heights with his wife and their four children.
http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/75299/island-appearing-sea-galilee-presage-messiah-son-david/#3di5QMLxg12kwGuu.97
No comments:
Post a Comment