Doomsday is Coming!
ZECHARIAH (NKJV) 13:
1 IN THAT DAY A FOUNTAIN SHALL BE OPENED FOR THE HOUSE OF DAVID AND FOR THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM, FOR SIN AND FOR UNCLEANNESS.
FOR SIN AND FOR UNCLEANNESS. literally for "Chatat" meaning purification after coming in contact with a dead body; and for "Nidah" meaning purification after coming in contact with menstrual blood. Even in Hebrew however these terms could be taken to represent impurity in general.
Ezekiel also speaks of a similar flow of purifying water.
cf.
EZEKIEL 47: 1 THEN HE BROUGHT ME BACK TO THE DOOR OF THE TEMPLE; AND THERE WAS WATER, FLOWING FROM UNDER THE THRESHOLD OF THE TEMPLE TOWARD THE EAST...
3 AND WHEN THE MAN WENT OUT TO THE EAST WITH THE LINE IN HIS HAND, HE MEASURED ONE THOUSAND CUBITS, AND HE BROUGHT ME THROUGH THE WATERS; THE WATER CAME UP TO MY ANKLES. ... THE WATER CAME UP TO MY KNEES..... THE WATER CAME UP TO MY WAIST. 5 AGAIN HE MEASURED ONE THOUSAND, AND IT WAS A RIVER THAT I COULD NOT CROSS; FOR THE WATER WAS TOO DEEP, WATER IN WHICH ONE MUST SWIM, A RIVER THAT COULD NOT BE CROSSED. ....
2 IT SHALL BE IN THAT DAY, SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS, THAT I WILL CUT OFF THE NAMES OF THE IDOLS FROM THE LAND, AND THEY SHALL NO LONGER BE REMEMBERED. I WILL ALSO CAUSE THE PROPHETS AND THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT TO DEPART FROM THE LAND.
UNCLEAN SPIRIT. In Hebrew "Ruach" (spirit) Ha-Toomah" (of impurity").
The UNCLEAN SPIRIT dominates our world. Everything we do is expected to abide by certain false standards that serve misleading ideologies. The Theory of Evolution has became an article of faith for many and an excuse to reject belief in God.
The same applies to Biblical Criticism. Even in linguistics we have doctrines whose acceptance is ideologically motivated. Who says that the English Language is closer to that of the Ancient Hindus than to that of the Hebrews? The Raw Material before us could be interpreted either way. Why is it not?
I am just finishing a reading of a book that Rabbi Avraham Feld gave me of "The Strange Death of Europe. Immigration, Identity, Islam" by Douglas Murray. Murray seems to claim that Western Europe is committing cultural and demographic suicide by letting in swarms of refugees from Third World Countries who breed faster and are more assertive concerning their beliefs than the Christians are. Murray says that the Christians of Western Europe have lost belief in themselves. He may be exaggerating but there is some truth in what he says. Biblical Criticism, the Doctrine of Evolution, Liberal Permissiveness, Left wing attitudes and so on have a cumulative weakening and debilitating effect. This is the UNCLEAN SPIRIT that causes us to give into our enemies and lie down before them.
Wikipedia:
Murray contends that European civilization as it has historically existed will not survive. He explores two factors in explaining this: The first is the combination of mass migration of new peoples into Europe together with its low birth rates; The second is what Murray describes as "the fact that at the same time Europe lost faith in its beliefs, traditions, and legitimacy".
We also have Conspiracy Theories. These are often what they purport to be agaisnt, agents of hate, of mendacity, and perversion of the truth. These is no conspiracy in the sense of people getting together and planning things agaisnt the interests of others. There is however collusion of shared interests. In Europe white people no longer want to bring babies into the world. The rich industrialists need workers on the lower levels. Without workers they will not be able to go forwards. Colored people from Third World countries can do the job efficiently enough under the right direction. They are banging on the gates, floating across the sea on rubber raftes, and there are swarms of them, and they are in genuine humanitarian need. The Capitalist big-wigs may not have wanted to initiate any move to brign them in but since they are coming anyway why oppose them? They already isolate themslves from the mainstream of society and will be the last to be adversely affected by an incursion of newcomers.
3 IT SHALL COME TO PASS THAT IF ANYONE STILL PROPHESIES, THEN HIS FATHER AND MOTHER WHO BEGOT HIM WILL SAY TO HIM, YOU SHALL NOT LIVE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE SPOKEN LIES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. AND HIS FATHER AND MOTHER WHO BEGOT HIM SHALL THRUST HIM THROUGH WHEN HE PROPHESIES.
"Prophesy" here means simply utter an opinion that has religious or philosophical implications, Daat Mikra (DM) points out that the Greek Translation (Septuagint) as well as the Peshitta (Syriac Christian Aramaic) render the word "thrust through" (Hebrew "Dakaru") as "imprison" BUT the Simple Hebrew means "thrust through" that is "to kill. " Nevertheless in the light of the explanation to Zechariah 13:6 below it could perhaps mean scourge or whip. The Old Testament part of the Peshitta is believed to have been translated from the Hebrew in ca. 100s CE so it might retain some valid traditions.
4 AND IT SHALL BE IN THAT DAY THAT EVERY PROPHET WILL BE ASHAMED OF HIS VISION WHEN HE PROPHESIES; THEY WILL NOT WEAR A ROBE OF COARSE HAIR TO DECEIVE. 5 BUT HE WILL SAY, I AM NO PROPHET, I AM A FARMER; FOR A MAN TAUGHT ME TO KEEP CATTLE FROM MY YOUTH. 6 AND ONE WILL SAY TO HIM, WHAT ARE THESE WOUNDS BETWEEN YOUR ARMS? THEN HE WILL ANSWER, THOSE WITH WHICH I WAS WOUNDED IN THE HOUSE OF MY FRIENDS.
The preachers of false doctrines that will have caused such palpable obvious impossible-to-deny disasters will be ashamed of themselves and try to hide their guilt.
DM explains WOUNDS BETWEEN YOUR ARMS to mean the marks of having been whipped for uttering false doctrines that still remain on the back or chest.
There are Midrashim that explain these verses in an entirely different way. They understand these verses to be referring to Religious Jews who will have been persecuted and physically afflicted for keeping the Torah. It is also accepted that the Bible Message (when not dealing with legally applicable injunctions) may have manifold applications all of which are valid.
7 AWAKE, O SWORD, AGAINST MY SHEPHERD,
AGAINST THE MAN WHO IS MY COMPANION,
SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS.
STRIKE THE SHEPHERD,
AND THE SHEEP WILL BE SCATTERED;
THEN I WILL TURN MY HAND AGAINST THE LITTLE ONES.
The false shepherd will be condemned.
THE LITTLE ONES in Hebrew "Tso-arim" meaning "Officers" or subsidiary commanders. In Modern Hebrew a "Tsoar" is a cadet, i.e. a tranee officer. DM says it refers to the officials and assistants who helped the False Shepherd do what was done.
Zechariah 13:8 AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN ALL THE LAND,
SAYS THE LORD,
THAT TWO-THIRDS IN IT SHALL BE CUT OFF AND DIE,
BUT ONE-THIRD SHALL BE LEFT IN IT:
IN ALL THE LAND, in Hebrew the word translated as LAND here is "Ha-Arets." This can mean a specific country or all the world. DM and the Classical Commentators all understand it to mean all the word. According to this ca. 66% of world population will perish and only ca. 33% remain and they too will suffer as shown in the next verse. On the third who remain appear to be Israelites as shown below.
9 I WILL BRING THE ONE-THIRD THROUGH THE FIRE
WILL REFINE THEM AS SILVER IS REFINED,
AND TEST THEM AS GOLD IS TESTED.
THEY WILL CALL ON MY NAME,
AND I WILL ANSWER THEM.
I WILL SAY, THIS IS MY PEOPLE;
AND EACH ONE WILL SAY, THE LORD IS MY GOD.
The Descendants of Israel will be saved and purified and will once again become acknowledged as the Children of God. The Almighty will recognize them as HIS Chosen Ones and they will affirm that HE is God Almighty.
The Midrashim say that the Third who survive will be descendants of Israel.
Different opinions however exist. One school of thought among the Sages says that the Third who remain consists of descendants of Israel along with Righteous Gentiles. Another opinion feels that even among the Israelites there will be few survivors but from these the world will be rebuilt. The bottom line is that we all should do as well as we can with what we have.