Throughout history, people have wondered: are we living in prophetic times? The Bible speaks of a day when Jerusalem will no longer be trampled by foreign powers, when Israel will rise again, and when Mashiach, the redeemer, will be revealed. For many, these promises have felt distant, like ancient poetry awaiting a far-off future. But what if the timeline of prophecy, down to the very year, has already been fulfilled in our generation? What if the last pieces of this divine puzzle are already falling into place before our very eyes?
The Book of Daniel offers one of the most remarkable prophecies in all of scripture. In chapter eight, Daniel sees a vision of the Medo-Persian Empire, followed by the rise of Greece under Alexander the Great. Then comes a divine question: “How long will the sanctuary and the people be trampled underfoot?” The answer is given: “For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings, then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Applying the biblical principle of a day for a year, these two thousand three hundred days equal two thousand three hundred years. And history gives us the starting point: the year 332 before the common era, when Alexander marched into Jerusalem and began the era of foreign dominion over the city. For more than two millennia, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, Crusaders, Ottomans, and finally the British ruled Jerusalem. The Jewish people remained exiles in their own land.
But in June of 1967, during the Six-Day War, Jerusalem was finally restored to Jewish sovereignty. From 332 before the common era to 1967 of the common era is precisely two thousand three hundred years. Daniel’s prophecy was not symbolic, not approximate — it was exact. In our lifetime, the prophetic clock has struck the appointed hour.
Yet even as Israel reclaimed its eternal capital, something strange occurred. The holiest site, the Temple Mount itself, was left under the custodianship of the Islamic Waqf. The Jewish state liberated the city, but the very heart of Jerusalem remained dominated by foreign shrines. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque still stand where the Holy Temple once stood. Daniel called this the trampling underfoot and the abomination that causes desolation. It is the last paradox of history: Jerusalem is free, but the Mount is not yet redeemed.
The rabbis long foresaw that at the end of days, after Edom, meaning Rome and Christendom, declined, the children of Ishmael would rise as Israel’s final oppressor. The Torah describes Ishmael in Genesis sixteen: “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him, and he will dwell in the face of his brothers.” The Midrash, Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer, and the Zohar all emphasize that Ishmael would have a foothold in the Holy Land in the last generation, preventing Israel from fully flourishing until his power was subdued. History matches this perfectly. After nearly two millennia of Christian rule, it is Islam, the descendants of Ishmael, who today hold symbolic sway over the Temple Mount. Jerusalem belongs to Israel, yet the Mount still bears the mark of Ishmael’s dominance.
Zechariah chapter nine adds another prophetic layer. “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Behold, your king comes to you, humble and riding upon a donkey, upon a colt, the foal of a donkey.” For centuries this verse has been taken literally. But consider the Torah’s own description of Ishmael: a wild donkey of a man. The image of Mashiach riding a donkey is not about a mode of transportation — it is a symbol. The final act of redemption will be the subjugation of the wild donkey, Ishmael. In kabbalistic thought, the donkey, or chamor, represents raw materiality, unrefined passion. Mashiach riding upon it is the image of holiness harnessing that wildness, bringing the last exile under divine order. The king does not ride a beast for convenience; he rides to show mastery. In the same way, Mashiach’s appearance will coincide with the taming of Ishmael’s dominion.
Daniel’s phrase, the abomination of desolation, applies to every age in which foreign shrines desecrate the sacred. In our time, the Dome of the Rock is that abomination. It is a mute idol, an empty monument, standing where the Presence of God is meant to dwell. But its time is not eternal. The prophets Isaiah and Joel assure us that foreigners will no longer trample the holy mountain. Ezekiel envisions the day when God’s glory returns to the Temple Mount. The Dome’s presence is temporary; its fall will mark the final sanctification of the mountain of the Lord.
What, then, is the revelation of Mashiach? Kabbalah teaches that it is not merely a single man enthroned, but the unveiling of divine consciousness, Da’at Elyon. Mashiach is a spirit, a collective awakening, in which Israel and the nations recognize Hashem as One. When the Temple Mount is redeemed, when Ishmael’s hold is subdued, that consciousness will break forth. The Shekhinah will rise from the dust, and the spirit of Mashiach will be revealed, not in shadow, but in glory.
We are not waiting for the prophetic timeline to begin. It has already been fulfilled. The two thousand three hundred years are complete. Jerusalem has been restored. Only one foothold remains — the last oppressor, the wild donkey, holding sway on the Mount. We are living in the generation when these final events must unfold. The words of Daniel, Zechariah, and the Zohar converge with history itself. The liberation of the Temple Mount is not a distant dream — it is the next step in the divine plan. And when it comes, the world will know. The abomination will cease. The wild donkey will be subdued. The Temple Mount will be sanctified. And the spirit of Mashiach, the consciousness of redemption, will be revealed to all mankind.
The prophets saw it. The sages taught it. History confirms it. And now, we stand on its threshold. The words of Zechariah will soon be fulfilled: “Hashem will be King over all the earth; on that day Hashem will be One, and His Name One.” The time is upon us. The signs are clear. And the redemption is near.
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