Psalm 46 - World War 3

Eschatology is a branch of religious philosophy concerned with the final events of history and the ultimate destiny of humanity. It is commonly thought of as the end of the world as we know it and commonly called the end of days. In Jewish texts the context is a cataclysmic war that is so terrible that all mankind decides that war is totally unacceptable and certainly cannot be used to settle disputes among nations. Related to this Israel fully accepts the Torah and becomes the rabbi of the nations and the court of international law.

The first mention of this is the prophecy of Bilam, "I see him but not now, I perceive him but not soon; a star shall stride out of Jacob and a scepter will arise from Israel, and he will crush the edges of Moav and the skull of all children of Seth", (Numbers 24:17). The theme is also in the prophet Zechariah (chapter 14). He describes a war in which all the nations attack Israel, mountains are split, lands are levelled. Israel prevails and at the conclusion inscribes every pot in the country, probably because they have been terrorized, as dedicated to Hashem. In Ezekiel (chapters 38 and 39) the subject is the war of Gog and Magog. In it Israel will be invaded. There will be extreme violence and great carnage. "Mountains will be destroyed, cliffs will fall, and all walls will fall", (Ezekiel 38:20). Fire and brimstone will rain on the enemy. All of this will be an accompaniment of God's presence and to make his name known in the midst of the people of Israel. 

Psalm 46 is the same idea and many commentaries summarize it as the coming of Gog and Magog and the war to end all wars. The earth will reel, mountains will be thrown into the sea, the waters will roar and foam. But King David reveals a path with which to calmly transcend this tumult: "There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, sacred to those that dwell above. God is in its midst it will not be moved. God will help it during the approach of a [new] morning. The Lord of Hosts is with us, a transcendent stronghold to us is the God of Jacob, selah", (Psalm 46:5-8). The people in this city will behold the hand of God in this destruction, but instead will see the absolute end of the weapons of war.

Who are the people of this city? They are the people who have a highly developed faith in God. They are the ones that take joy when they sense the presence of God in the physical world, scripture, and their soul. As a result, even during the birth pangs of the moshiach, they can see purpose and kindness. They will be far from fear and depression when seeing the destruction of the old world. On the contrary they will be relieved and happy to see the emerging of a new and better world.

לע"נ  האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח

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