One need not have great powers of discernment to recognize the painful veracity of these predictions. Consider only the constant and senseless brutal acts of terror – suicide bombers, decapitations, hijackings, missiles, etc.
We are the generation that has been destined to witness the fulfillment of the prophecy given to Hagar, the matriarch of the Arab-Muslim world (Genesis 16: 11-13): “Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you shall name him Ishmael…and he shall be a wild beast of a man; with his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and over all his brethren shall he dwell…..”
The long arm of Ishmael’s terror has indeed reached every part of the world.
There is yet another amazing prophecy in the Yalkut Shimoni – a midrashic compilation that eerily foretells the events of today and should give us pause:
Rabbi Yitzchok said: The year Melech HaMashiach will be revealed, all the nations of the world will be provoking each other. The king of Persia [Iran] will provoke the king of Arabia [Saudi Arabia]; the king of Arabia will go to Edom [the leader of the Christian nations, i.e. the president of the United States] to take counsel and the king of Persia [Ahmadinejad] will threaten to destroy the entire world.
The nations of the world will be outraged and in a panic .They will fall on their faces and experiences pains like birth pangs…. Israel too will be outraged and, in a state of panic, ask, “Where do we go?”
But say unto them, “My children, do not fear, the time of your redemption has come…. And this last redemption shall be different from the first that was followed by further bondage and pain. After this last redemption, you will not experience any further pain or subjugation.” [Yalkut Shimoni, Isaiah 59]
The Klausenberger Rebbe, z”tl, referring to this teaching, said, “Remember these words. They are perhaps not understood now, but in time they will be, and will be a source of strength to our people.”
(To be Continued)