In today’s video, I will be looking at two key beliefs held by the Jews. The first is that the Messiah is coming and the second that the children of Israel will be gathered together. Jews point to the creation of the Israeli state as proof that the second prophecy has been fulfilled; but the fact of the matter is that this prophecy was fulfilled long ago when the last prophet, Muhammad, came as a messenger to all of mankind.
Leaving aside the question of whether those who call themselves Jews are really the true descendants of the children of Israel, those who unjustly occupy Palestinian land claim that Israel has a right to exist because God had promised the children of Israel this land, but is that really so? What does God’s final revelation to mankind, the Qur’an, have to say about this?
The Jewish prophecy about the coming of the Messiah
In Jewish eschatology, the term came to refer to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line, who will be “anointed” with holy anointing oil, to be king of God’s kingdom, and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age. In Judaism, the Messiah is not considered to be God or a pre-existent divine Son of God. He is considered to be a great political leader that has descended from King David, hence why he is referred to as Messiah ben David, ‘Messiah, son of David’. In Judaism, the messiah is considered to be a great, charismatic leader that is well oriented with the laws that are followed in Judaism.
Though originally a fringe idea, somewhat controversially, belief in the eventual coming of a future messiah is a fundamental part of Judaism, and is one of Maimonides’ 13 Principles of Faith. Maimonides describes the identity of the Messiah in the following terms:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah
And if a king shall arise from among the House of David, studying Torah and occupied with commandments like his father David, according to the written and oral Torah, and he will impel all of Israel to follow it and to strengthen breaches in its observance, and will fight God’s wars, this one is to be treated as if he were the anointed one. If he succeeded and built the Holy Temple in its proper place and gathered the dispersed ones of Israel together, this is indeed the anointed one for certain, and he will mend the entire world to worship the Lord together, as it is stated: “For then I shall turn for the nations a clear tongue, so that they will all proclaim the Name of the Lord, and to worship Him with a united resolve (Zephaniah 3:9).”
The word Messiah as used in the Qur’an simply means “the anointed one”. In times old and new, kings were anointed with oil as part of their coronation rituals. The Messiah, or anointed one, according to the Qur’an, was none other than prophet Jesus. The same Jesus, son of Mary, whom the children of Israel denied and persecuted. I am here not talking about the false claim by the Christians that Jesus, a son of God, was the Messiah. I am saying that the Qur’an makes it explicitly clear the Jesus, a man and a prophet, who was born of a virgin birth was the Messiah. And he was sent to the children of Israel as a messenger. His miraculous birth and his performance of subsequent miracles were a sign to the the children of Israel. However, like most messengers sent to a people, he was rejected, mocked and persecuted.
When the angels said: “O Mary: God gives thee glad tidings of a word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary; esteemed in the World and the Hereafter, and among those brought near.
“He will speak to men in the cradle, and in maturity, and is among the righteous.”
She said: “My Lord: how will I have a son when no mortal has touched me?” He said: “Thus is God; he creates what He wills; when He decrees a matter, He but says to it: ‘Be thou,’ and it is.
“And He will teach him the Writ and wisdom, and the Torah, and the Gospel.”
“And confirming what is before me of the Torah, and making lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you. I have come to you with a proof from your Lord, so be in prudent fear of God, and obey me.
“God is my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him. This is a straight path.”
But when Jesus perceived their denial, he said: “Who are my helpers for God?” The disciples said: “We are the helpers of God; we believe in God; and bear thou witness that we are submitting.”
“Our Lord: we believe in what Thou hast sent down, and we follow the Messenger, so write Thou us down with the witnesses.”
And they schemed, and God schemed; and God is the best of schemers.
When God said: “O Jesus: I will take thee and raise thee to Me, and purify thee of those who ignore warning, and place those who follow thee above those who ignore warning until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I will judge between you concerning that wherein you differed.
(The Qur’an: A Complete Revelation 3:45-55)
So, as far as the Qur’an is concerned, the Messiah of the children of Israel has already come and gone and that is the end of the matter.
The children of Israel will be gathered together
Now, we look at another other interesting claim made by the Jews that the establishment of the state of Israel is a fulfillment of God’s promise to the children of Israel that He will bring them all together. First a little backstory; the Qur’an tells us that God had decreed that the children of Israel would rise in prominence in two times and fall two times. Setting sketchy history aside, it is alluded in the Qur’an that after the fulfillment of God’s second promise, the temple would be completed destroyed – eradicated. This implies that after this moment, the children of Israel would cease to a united people. Thus after the second destruction of the temple, the twelves tribes of the children of Israel were no more. However, God left the option open for His Mercy: “…It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you;” (17:8) We shall now look at the relevant passage in the Qur’an carefully and stop off and make observations as we go.
And We gave Moses the Writ, and made it a guide for the children of Israel: “Take not instead of Me as disposer of affairs
“Progeny of those We bore with Noah; he was a grateful servant.”
And We decreed for the children of Israel in the Writ: “You will work corruption in the land twice, and wax high to a great height.”
Then when the promise came of the first of the two, We raised up against you servants of Ours of severe might who conducted a search within the homes; and it was a promise fulfilled.
Then We returned to you a turn over them, and supplied you with wealth and sons, and made you greater in influence.
If you do good, you do good to your souls; and if you do evil, it is to them. Then when the promise of the latter came[…], that they should disgrace your faces, and enter the place of worship as they entered it the first time, and destroy all that they overcame with destruction.
It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you; but if you return, We will return; and We have made Gehenna a prison-bed for the false claimers of guidance.
(The Qur’an: A Complete Revelation 17:2-17:8)
It is clear that during the fulfillment of God’s second promise, the place of worship of the children of Israel (their temple) Arabic: masjid was desecrated (as was done the first time) but was also completely destroyed. Thus, at this point a unified people ceased to exist. However, God remained open to granting them mercy which as we shall see was the point of the latter promise that was made to the children of Israel: that even though they will no longer be a unified tribal people, they will be brought together after having intermixed and intermarried with other peoples. i.e the believers among them will come together as a homogeneous group as part of the residual Mercy of God in His second promise to them. We read in the latter part of chapter 17.
And We gave Moses nine clear proofs, so ask thou the children of Israel. When he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him: “I consider thee, O Moses, one taken by sorcery,”
He said: “Thou hast known that there sends these down only the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth as a means of insight; and I consider thee, O Pharaoh, destroyed.”
And he wished to turn them out of the land; and We drowned him and those with him all together.
And We said, after him, to the children of Israel: “Dwell in the land; and when there comes the promise of the Hereafter (or latter), We will bring you in a mixed multitude.”
And with the truth have We sent it down, and with the truth has it come down — and We sent thee only as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner —
And as a recitation We divided, that thou recite it to men in stages; and We have sent it down as a successive revelation.
Say thou: “Believe in it, or believe not”; those given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, they fall on their faces in submission,
And they say: “Glory be to our Lord! The promise of our Lord is fulfilled!”
And they fall on their faces weeping; and it increases them in humility.
The Qur’an: A Complete Revelation (17:101-109)
s we have already seen, the the second promise of God made to the children of Israel (their rise and fall a second time) was fulfilled but God had allowed a provision for His mercy. This mercy of God, was that He sent down the prophet Muhammad, and through him the lost tribes of the children of Israel – who had now intermixed and intermarried with the people around them – came back together under the leadership of Muhammad to reclaim their land.
And We said, after him, to the children of Israel: “Dwell in the land; and when there comes the promise of the Hereafter, We will bring you in a mixed multitude.”
The Qur’an: A Complete Revelation (17:104)
The word lafifan which Brother Gerrans here translates as “mixed multitude” means wrapped up; mixed crowd (Steingass) or rabble (Hava). The underlying sense in this context is that the believers among the children of Israel would be brought together as different races. To repeat: the children of Israel ceased to exist as a separate people after the destruction of their temple. However, they were given a chance to come back into the fold of God’s mercy by accepting prophet Muhammad as God’s final messenger and believing in the final scripture (the Qur’an) of God.
Conclusion
In summary, it is clear from the Qur’an that both of the prophecies (which the occupiers of Palestine use to justify their continued tyrannical occupation of the land of the native peoples): the coming of the Messiah and the bringing together of the descendants of the children of Israel have been fulfilled as per God’s final revelation to mankind. It would be prudent for the Jews living today who falsely believe that they are the chosen people and that the Messiah is coming take heed at what the Qur’an says instead of believing their misguided and foolish rabbis. The way to God’s mercy is still open to them, as it was open to their forbears, but all hope is lost when the Day of Judgment arrives.