Showing posts with label Isaiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isaiah. Show all posts

Thursday, August 21, 2025

Jubilee Years; It's Importance To Two Religions: Jews and Christians

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                   


The Jubilee talked about in the New Testament is from the Tanakh and  in the encyclopedia under Sabbatical Year and Jubilee and even brings to mind the number 7 to my mind. For some Christians, they have connected the Jubilee to the coming of the Messiah.  What's going on here? They are waiting for a Jubilee year. 

Christians connect the Jewish Jubilee to the Messiah by seeing Jesus' first-century ministry as fulfilling the Jubilee's promises of liberty to captives and restorationThey cite Jesus' declaration in the synagogue at Nazareth, quoting Isaiah 61, where He proclaimed He had come "to preach the acceptable year of the LORD" (the Jubilee). This ministry of spiritual freedom from sin, through His death and resurrection, is seen as the spiritual Jubilee that enables people to return to God, while the final, physical Jubilee will be fully realized at His second coming.   We Jews are still in waiting for the Messiah's one and only appearance.  That's one big difference in our religions.  

 Our body's cells are said to die off and replace themselves every seven years.  Number 7 is considered by many as a lucky number.  7 days make a week.  In Jewish law and tradition, the number seven (7) is the most sacred and symbolizes completeness, wholeness, and perfection, often seen in the seven days of Creation and the weekly Shabbat. Its significance extends to annual cycles like the Sabbatical year (Shmita), holidays such as the seven-day festivals of Passover and Sukkot, and mourning rituals like sitting Shiva for seven days. The seven-branched menorah and the seven Noahide Laws for humanity also highlight its profound importance in Jewish life and law.

The Torahthe first five books of theTorah-- Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Ascribed to Moses, it is now held by some scholars to be a compilation from texts of the 9th to 5th centuries BCE. called  by Greek name, the Pentateuch )                                 ordains a rest from farming in Eretz Yisrael once in 7 years (Lev. 25:3).  Any crops in the 7th year are communal property.  The year following 7 fallow years, ( of farmland) plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to restore its fertility as part of a crop rotation or to avoid surplus production."incentives for farmers to let the land lie fallow in order to reduce grain surpluses" )  that is, the 50th year---is the Jubilee (Lev. 25-:8) when cultivation is also prohibited, slaves are freed, and land, purchased since the previous Jubilee, reverts to its original owner.  

      Here's is its importance to us on Yom Kippur.

The Jubilee year was proclaimed by sounding the ram's horn on the Day of Atonement (Day of Judgement) .  The relevant laws are discussed in the talmudic tractate SHEVIIT.  According to halakhah, the commandments of the Jubilee year are valid only when all Jews are resident in their land, each tribe in its territory.  Nevertheless, ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel observe the Sabbatical year (such as 5754 which was 1993-1994).  

The most recent sabbatical year (Shmita) according to Jewish law was 2021–2022, corresponding to the Hebrew year 5782. This observance, which includes resting the land and releasing debts in Israel, concluded around Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) in September 2022. The next sabbatical year will begin on September 20, 2028, or the Hebrew year 5789.   Our calendar goes up to the year, 6,000. 

Isaiah was a prophet.  He prophesied in Jerusalem from the death of King Uzziah until the middle of Hezekiah's reign (740-701 BCE), and was from a noble family, closely connected withthe royal court and under King Hezekiah, was prominent in Publicaffairs. 

He was against moral laxity;   kindness, pity, and justice to the poor and underprivileged are more significant to G-d thanoffering sacrifices.  The hand of G-d is predominant in all 

historical events, even Assyria serving only as an instrument ofDivine anger.  He opposes all treaties with neighboring states;Israel as the people of G-d must trust solely in Him, The peopleof Israel will be punished for its sins but not exterminated;  aremnant will return and renew the link between G-d and the Landof Israel.  

Christians connect Jubilee with Isaiah 61.  Isaiah is telling us    that the spirit of Hashem/Elohim  is telling him; to bring tidingsto the humble, to bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for captives and release from bondage for the imprisoned..(now I'm thinking of our hostages).  to proclaim a year of favorto Hashem and a day of vengeance for our G-d, to comfort allmourners, to ring about for the mourners of Zion to give themsplendor instead of ashes, oil of joy instead of mourning, acloak of praise instead of a dim spirit.  they will then be called "elms of righteousness, the planting of Hashem in which toglory."  They will rebuild the ancient ruins, the wastelands offormer times they will restore.....Israel of today has certainlyall that.   

Our Stone Edition comment is:  favor (for his people), vengeance (for their enemies) 

The Jubilee year was designed to maintain social and economic balance within the Israelite community, prevent extreme poverty and the concentration of landownership, and remind them that the land ultimately belonged to God. 
The Jubilee year in ancient Israel, as described in Leviticus 25, significantly impacted farmers: Land restoration: All leased or mortgaged land was to be returned to its original owners, ensuring that ancestral lands remained within families and preventing permanent land loss due to debt.Freedom from servitude: Farmers or their family members who had fallen into debt and become bonded laborers were to be set free. This provided a chance to restart and regain economicindependence.Economic reset: The Jubilee system acted as a check on wealth accumulation and fostered social equity by periodically restoring property and releasing those in servitude, according to faithworksfinancial.org. Trust in God's provision: Farmers had to trust God to provide for them during the Jubilee year, as agricultural work was to cease.
Isn't this the first indication of land management and not wearing
it out?  The land rests every 7 years.
The practice of letting land lie fallow, or rest, for a year to replenish soil nutrients dates back to ancient times, after the Biblical days of Moses (1391-1271 BCE) .  Ancient civilizations like the Mayans and Javanese used fallow systems to sustain soil fertility. The Romans also practiced a form of crop rotation that included a fallow period where land was left unplanted. They understood that different plants drew different nutrients and that leaving the land fallow could help it regain its fertility. 
The three-field system, which incorporated a fallow year as a regular practice, emerged in Europe during the medieval period (around the 9th century and became widespread by the 12th century)according to Fiveable Library. This system involved dividing arable land into three sections and rotating crops and fallow periods to maintain soil health. Therefore, the understanding and practice of letting soil rest for a year is an ancient practice, not a modern discovery, and was systematized during the medieval period. (800-1100 CE) .
Resource:
Tanakh, Stone Edition
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia


Sunday, December 3, 2023

Our Prophets Who Told of "End of Days"

 Nadene Goldfoot                                        

David and Varda Goldstein pose for a picture while holding-up photos of their 3 grandchildren, Gal, Tal and Agam, and their mother, Chen, who were kidnapped on Oct 7th deadly Hamas attack as they await more details o...

Amir Levy/Getty Images


Soldiers attend the funeral of Captain Liron Snir, 25, an Israeli soldier who was killed in the northern Gaza Strip amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at the Mou...

James Oatway/Reuters

We're in a time of change.  The change started on October 7th with the invasion of Hamas and their devastating attacks on kibbutzim so close to Gaza. This period is also a very technical period where one can have a little robot gobble up dirt on the floor for you, where a voice you install tells you when to take your meds, AI (artificial intelligence) spacecraft going past the moon, etc.  It's different from the 1950s.                                    

Some people call this the END of TIMES, or the END OF DAYS,  though evidently our Israeli government wasn't quite aware of it. Those people happen to be Jews, Christians and Muslims)!   The government ignored a year ago warnings (Jericho Wall)  that came to them of what Hamas was up to and they didn't take it seriously.  

Warnings during the End of Times!  Insane, especially since so many Orthodox Jews are now in the government.  It looks like all the up to date security installed didn't do a thing.  It was all disabled first by the enemy.  People didn't even have any German shepherds to warn them.                                              

Well, it looks like our prophets talked a lot about the End of Times, and that was a good 3,000 years ago. Even 1,000 years ago, what was imagined for End of Days?  What was imagined for them so long ago when the End of Days would come?  Did they ever think we'd make it to the year 5783 (Hebrew calendar) ?  

Old Testament Endtimes Prophecy Chart

Author

Dennis McCallum

ProphecyPassages
Confusion in Last BattleEzekiel 38:21; Zechariah 12:4; 14:13
7 Years or 3.5 YearsDaniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7
CorpsesIsaiah 34:3; Ezekiel 39:11-20; Joel 2:20
Men Killed By FireIsaiah 13:8,12; 24:6; 33:14; 34:9; 51:6; 65:15,16; Ezekiel 38:22; 39:6; Zechariah 14:12; Malachi 4:1
HailstonesEzekiel 38:22
EarthquakesIsaiah 24:18-20; Ezekiel 38:19,20; Joel 2:10(?); 3:16; Amos 9:5; Zechariah 14:4
Regathering of IsraelEzekiel 37
All Nations Gathered to WarIsaiah 13:4; 66:18; Zechariah 12:1-4; 14:2
Jewish RevivalEzekiel 37:9-14; Zechariah 12:10-14; 13:1-9
Abomination of DesolationDaniel 9:27; 12:11
Second AdventEzekiel 39:21; Daniel 2:44; 7:13,14; Zechariah 14:4; Malachi 2:1-3
The Beast, or AntichristIsaiah 14:12-15; Daniel 7:8, 24; 8:19, 26; 9:26, 27; 11:36ff; Zechariah 11:15-17
10 NationsDaniel 2:42,44; 7:24
Kings of EastDaniel 11:44
Kings of SouthEzekiel 38:5; Daniel 11:40
Kings of NorthEzekiel 38:15ff; 39:2; Daniel 11:40; Joel 2:20
Signs in SkyIsaiah 13:10; 24:23; Joel 2:10,30; 3:15; Zechariah 14:6,7
Remnant SavedJoel 2:12, 17; 3:32; Amos 9:8; Zechariah 13:8,9; 14:2,5

                                             


It looks to me like Isaiah spoke the most. He prophesied from (740-701 BCE) and was from a noble family connected with the royal court, put to death by King Manasseh of Judah (692-638 BCE) son of Hezekiah who succeeded him at the age of 12, one of the worst Jewish monarchs we've had. He had cancelled his father's reforms, reintroduced pagan practices.  he put to death those who opposed him. The traditional view is that all 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah were written by one man, Isaiah, possibly in two periods between 740 BC and c. 686 BC,.  

 According to the chart above, he spoke of dead bodies;  men being killed by fire (on Oct 7th it was everyone-during WWII, also everyone);  Earthquakes;  all nations gathered (UN forces?) to war;  a beast or anti-?( some false leader);   signs in the sky (UAPs-unidentified anomalous phenomena )  October 7th covers the dead bodies, death by fire, and UAPs clearly.  We've had earthquakes lately, and the UN is part of the problem aiding and abetting Hamas with their one unit of workers specifically created to help only the Palestinians since they have been on the dole the longest, staying in Refugee camps into the 3rd generation now;  signs in the sky-UFO/UAPs and false leaders galore.  

Yet, all the other prophets also had something to warn about as well.  I notice we were warned by Ezekiel and Daniel  of the KINGS of the North, South and East but not any from the WEST.  Interesting.  That could mean that the USA of the West was okay-well, they are one who is backing Israel to a point with Gaza and with Iran.  They do not understand totally what or why but care for their own standing in the world first, but that's understandable-to a point.

Mostly, the prophecies are about the happening when the Jews were taken by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylonia.  Many see this as prophecy for NOW.  To think that the prophecies were made before that fatal time in 597 BCE is amazing in itself; let alone think it was also going to be replayed again now.  Let's hope it wasn't as gory a time as it was on October 7th.

        Nebuchadnezzar, king from 605-562 BCE:  In 597 BCE he captured Jerusalem and exiled 8,000 of the local aristocracy  to Babylon. He had put 21 year old Zedekiah (597-586 BCE), son of Josiah,  in place of King Jehoiachin.  8 years later even Zedekiah rebelled, so Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem again in 586 BCE and this time destroyed the Temple and destroyed cities and exiling masses more of the population.  Zedekiah was taken to Riblah where they executed him.  His sons were killed before him on purpose and his eyes were put out before he was imprisoned in Babylon until his executed.   Daniel wrote a lot about Nebuchadnezzar.  

Daniel wasn't a prophet but is listed above as such.  He wrote.  His "10 nations" above about King Nebuchadnezzar's dream  interpretation that he didn't like28-But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has informed King Nebuchadnezzar what will be at the End of Days.  Your dream, and the visions in your head on your bed, are these:  Interestingly, the writing started in Hebrew but switched to Aramaic from 2:4 until the end of chapter 7.  It's an interesting but convoluted story.  This king wanted to be the best in all of history and was told that as the chest is lower than the head, so will the kingdom that follows you, that of the Persians and Medes, be inferior to yours.  That's the end of days that Nebuchadnezzar thought of.  

US soldiers fire artillery in Afghanistan's Kandahar province in June 2011. Operation Enduring Freedom was launched in October 2001 to stop the Taliban regime from providing a safe haven to al Qaeda and to stop al Qaeda's use of Afghanistan as a base of operations for terrorist activities.

Notice what happened on October 7th in years earlier:  2001 War in Afghanistan begins:  American and British troops began air strikes against Al Qaeda and Taliban targets after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin-Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and other Al Qaeda operatives, to the United States.   Nicknamed Operation Enduring Freedom, the military strikes were part of the so-called Global War on Terror.The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism, is a global military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11, 2001 attacks and is the most recent global conflict spanning multiple wars. Perhaps 2001 was the countdown's beginning.  

  • 1944 Auschwitz-Birkenau Sonderkommando Revolt

    The short-lived rebellion was staged by prisoners who worked at a crematorium after they learned that the Nazis planned to execute most of the squad. The revolt was quickly put down, and over 450 people were killed.

  • Iran has replaced Nebuchadnezzar's power these days.  It seems that all the terrorist groups, Hamas, Hezbollah, etc, are backed by iran.  According to their Shi'a Muslim religion, "According to Shias, Mahdi will be looked upon to kill Dajjal to end the disintegration of the Muslim community, and to prepare for the reign of Isa (Jesus), who will rule for a time thereafter.  
    "
     Mahdi is a messianic figure in Islamic tradition who will "rid the world of bid'ah (innovation), reestablish Sunnah and teach religion...". The word Mahdi does not appear in the Quran (al-hadÄ«, or "guide" appears twice), but is found in hadiths and is said to be the sign between Minor signs and Major signs of Day of Resurrection. Some Shia Muslims regard him as the first sign of the third period. Hadith reports state that he will be a descendant of Muhammad through Muhammad's daughter Fatimah and cousin Ali's son Hassan."  This must be saying it will be an Iranian, no doubt an Ayatollah.  What will he look like?  "He will be of Arab complexion, of average height, with a big forehead, large eyes, and a sharp nose. He will have a mole on his cheek, and be recognized by the Muslim community while he sits in his own home. As written by Abu Dawud, "Our Mahdi will have a broad forehead and a pointed (prominent) nose. He will fill the earth with justice as it is filled with injustice and tyranny. He will rule for seven years." Other sources say five or nine years."

  • Iran has not been the same since On January 16, 1979, the shah left the country, and Khomeini assumed control. He had been working with Israel.  

                  Fashion in pre-revolutionary Iran: Pahlavi Era 1950s-1970s ...

  •  Although the shah did not abdicate, a referendum resulted in the declaration on April 1, 1979, of an Islamic republic in Iran ruled with an Ayatollah-Khomeini.  In December 1979, a new Iranian constitution was approved, naming Khomeini as Iran's political and religious leader for life. Under his rule, Iranian women were denied equal rights and required to wear a veil,                         

  • Western culture was banned, and traditional Islamic law and its often-brutal punishments were reinstated. Sunnis were all worked up now.  

  • By 1979, The Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is a Sunni Islamist militant group seeking to establish an Islamist Palestinian state that is committed to the destruction of Israel. It is the second-largest militant group in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, founded in 1979 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The group has drawn inspiration from the Iranian revolution and receives support from Iran, Syria, and Lebanese Hizballah. PIJ’s military wing, al-Quds Brigades, has been responsible for many attacks on Israeli targets since the 1990s. PIJ sometimes operates in coordination with HAMAS, although the groups have had a tense relationship because PIJ occasionally disagrees with HAMAS’s strategy for confronting Israel.



Friday, February 10, 2023

Are We In The Times Predicted About "End of Times?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             


My son and I were talking about the serious anti-Semitism, the rise in terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and the rest of Israel, and then the earthquakes.  He commented, "Unstoppable forces meets an immovable object.  The paradox of the Immovable Object meeting the Irresistible Force. No object can resist an irresistible force. No force can move an immovable object. So if an immovable object meets an irresistible force it will move and not move.What do you think will happen to Israel, Mom?

I commented that with the earthquake added to this recipe, it sounds more like the prophesized End Of Times have the answer.  

Already, some are wondering if Israel will be hit with a stronger earthquake like Turkey and Syria has been.  My son asked what the prophets had said.  

 I answered that all 3 major religions expected a Messiah at the end of Times.  Christianity expects a 2nd coming of Jesus, Islam expects a Mahdi and we Jews certainly await the Moshiach.  All three religions agree on one thing, this Messiah is due to appear sometime starting anytime, now.                       

                                    Dr. David Jeremiah

 Dr. David Jeremiah is one of America’s most trusted Christian Bible teachers.     Jeremiah said, " I can say with certainty that we are closer to the Rapture and the Tribulation than ever before...and even as the world hurtles towards earth's Last Days, we can find hope..." These are events that will happen during the end of Times to Christians.  

Many Muslims anticipate that the end of days is here, or will be here soon. In a 2012 Pew poll, in most of the countries surveyed in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, half or more Muslims believe that they will personally witness the appearance of the Mahdi. In Islamic eschatology, the messianic figure known as the Mahdi (the Guided One) will appear before the Day of Judgment. This expectation is most common in Afghanistan (83 percent), followed by Iraq (72), Tunisia (67), and Malaysia (62).  MahdÄ«, (Arabic: “guided one”) in Islamic eschatology, a messianic deliverer who will fill earth with justice and equity, restore true religion,(Islam) and usher in a short golden age lasting seven, eight, or nine years before the end of the world.  The Mahdi  'the Guided') is a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. The Palestinians have been fed so many lies about their origins and Israel that they feel a great deal of injustice, fixed only by destroying Israel.  They were fed such lies by the important Arab nations surrounding Israel who were inflamed with the Jewish presence, thinking the land was theirs---why--who knows?  More lies to them to fight against the Jews.  To them the League of Nations and the UN were evil.  The West was evil.  Jews were evil. 

Flag used by various Islamist organisations (since the late 1990s) with the white text of the shahada on a black background.

Muslims also take in the 2nd return of Jesus along with their Mahdi at the End of Times.  For years, al Qaeda invoked apocalyptic predictions in both its internal and external messaging, by using the name Khorasan, a region that includes part of Iran, Central Asia, and Afghanistan, and from which, it is prophesied, the Mahdi will emerge alongside an army bearing black flags. Internal al Qaeda documents and communiqués from Osama bin Laden often listed his location as Khorasan, and more recently, an al Qaeda cell in Syria adopted the name.5 These claims were, however, mostly symbolic. 

The Jews' opinion of the End of Times is:  According to the Talmud, the Midrash, and the Zohar, the 'deadline' by which the Messiah must appear is 6000 years from creation (approximately the year 2240 in the Gregorian calendar, though calculations vary). Today we are in the year 5783.  That means that by 217 more years, the Messiah will have been here.  This is the time preparing for the event.  It could happen at any time.  We're in the time of leading up to it.  

The Jewish Messiah is a different person from the Christian and Islamic expectations.  The Messiah in Judaism (Hebrewמָשִׁ×™×—ַ is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology, who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jewish people. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or High Priest of Israel traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil. 

However, messiahs were not exclusively Jewish, as the Hebrew Bible refers to Cyrus the Great, king of the first Persian empire, as a messiah for his decree to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple.  

In Jewish eschatology, the Messiah is a future Jewish king from the Davidic line, who is expected to be anointed with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age and world to come. The Messiah is often referred to as "King Messiah" (Hebrewמלך משיחromanizedmelekh mashiach) or malka meshiḥa in Aramaic.

Jewish messianism gave birth to Christianity, which started as a Second Temple period messianic Jewish sect or religious movement. 

Islam was started by Mohammad born in 570 in Mecca.  He died in 632.Mohammad did not read or write, but listened to Jewish story-tellers in Medina reading to their audience in Saudi Arabia.  He learned much; that Jews were People of the Book, and he thought he could provide the same for his people.                            

Earthquakes have caused widespread destruction and the deaths of millions of people. What does the Bible say about earthquakes in the end times? How should we respond?
Isaiah by Michael Angelo
The ancient prophet Isaiah issued a similar warning for the end times. In a message that applied first to ancient Jerusalem and then to Jerusalem  the prophet said, “You will be punished by the LORD of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire” (Isaiah 29:6). (By Hashem, Master of Legions, will you be remembered, with thunder and with earthquake, and loud sound, storm and  temptest, and consuming flame of fire.)

During the “day of the Lord”   (Isaiah 2:18,)And the false gods will perish completely and idolators will enter caves in the rocks and tunnels in the ground, because of the fear of Hashem and from the glory of His greatness, when he arises to break the land.  (Isaiah 21-9) Behold, it is coming;  a chariot with a man, a pair of horsemen.  each says loudly, "It has fallen!  Babylonia has fallen!  all the statues of its gods have been shattered on the ground!  it is like grain of the threshing floor for me to thresh!" Babylonia is in Iraq. It still exists, but probably felt the latest earthquake like Israel did as a 3.5. 

 Isaiah was a prophet who prophesied in Jerusalem from the death of Uzziah until the middle of Hezekiah's reign (740-701 BCE).  He was born into a noble family, closely connected with the royal court under Hezekiah, put to death by Manasseh.  He protested against moral laxity. He was for kindness, pity, and justice to the poor and underprivileged which is more important.  He taught that the hand of G-d is predominant in all historical events, even Assyria serving only as an instrument of Divine anger.  He opposed all treaties with neighboring states.  He said that Israel as the people of G-d must trust soley in Him.  The people of Israel will be punished for its sins but not exterminated;  a remnant will return and renew the link between G-d and the Land of Israel.

Isaiah is the seer of eternal peace at the end of the days when the Lord's Anointed shall judge the nations.  

Gershom Gorenberg wrote a book called THE END OF DAYS-fundamentalism and the struggle for the Temple Mount in 2000. He said that a believing person knows that G-d exists and is good.  I say that each religion has a different concept of G-d and goodness.  He said that things happen in this world that simply don't fit with a good G-d.  I say that 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust.  Many Jews lost their belief from that, as many didn't.    His book is a clear-eyed and compelling account of the messianists, would be prophets, and adventurers who have fixed their sights on Jerusalem's holy places.  

Then the New Testament Bible also has its warnings and referral to Jesus's 2nd coming.   

The McMinnville UFO photographs, also known as the Trent UFO photos, were taken by a farming couple, Paul and Evelyn Trent near McMinnville, Oregon, ...on May 11,1950.    
I have one more question about hints of this taking place.  What about  all the UFP's spotted by so many people lately?  Is that also a precursor of the End of Times?  I immediately thought of the angels that looked like people who med Abraham and Sarah at their tent and helped Sarah to be pregnant somehow.   A Christian writer said that a notable instance of their interaction with us is found in Genesis 6:4 with the arrival of the "sons of God." The Genesis account states that these powerful beings had sexual intercourse with women and produced a super race of beings known as the Nephilim. This sounds like what Greeks believed in.  The whole world believed in many gods at one time.  Only the Jews through Abraham decided there was only one source--one G-d.  This sounds like the stuff of science fiction, yet it is right there in the Bible. (To me, the bible is also a great history book.)  There are striking similarities between this account and the accounts of other ancient cultures. The writings of the ancient Sumerians, for example (who were the first to produce a written language) mention the presence of the “Anunnaki” who were deities that came from heaven to dwell on earth with men. It is also interesting to note that the Sumerians’ gods often came to them in the form of snakes.

What I see in the constant battle between Israel and Palestinians is not only political but mostly religiously originated.  We've also been battling the rest of the world for religious reasons as well.  I see that Spain just dropped their connections with Israel.  They   did the  same and exiled their Jewish citizens in 1492 with the Spanish Inquisition.  We wouldn't become Catholics or Protestants with Martin Luther.  We wouldn't convert to Islam.  We just want to remain as Jews and that's what so much of the world has held against us.  We've been the dumping ground for blaming all the evils of the world on us.  

        Beautiful Haifa where the Ba'hai found refuge.  The Bahai Gardens is possibly the most distinct tourist attraction in all of Haifa, and is very likely the most visited. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists and locals alike travel to the Bahai Gardens on Mount Carmel in Haifa. This is the most holy site of the Bahai faith. Last year alone, 750,000 people enjoyed the beautiful terraces of the Bahai Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Isaiah's words are read as harbingers of a future better than anyone has ever known with the Moshiach's coming arrival.  And this has always been Israel's consolation, no matter how dreadful the circumstances.  

Resource:

Tanakh, Stone Edition

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_in_Judaism#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Talmud%2C%20the,calendar%2C%20though%20calculations%20vary).

https://www.bu.edu/history/files/2015/04/The-Coming-Final-Battle1.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw2p06bgyKg

https://www.gotquestions.org/alien-deception.html