Rabbi Meets Messiah?

I received the following letter the other week regarding a Kabbalist rabbi who, shortly before his death, claims to have met the Messiah. Further investigation into this proves it is, in fact, a real claim made by Kabbalistic Rabbi Yitzakh Kadouri. In addition to making the claim of meeting the Messiah, Kadouri prophesies a coming wave of natural disasters on the world, the Temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem, and finally the Messiah being revealed to the world.

The late Rabbi Kadouri

One thing that piques my interest in this is that these things are quite Christian, written in the New Testament, dispite the rabbi rejecting both Christianity and Jesus. The Temple being rebuilt is also Scriptural, prophesied in Ezekiel, and is mentioned as being built in the New Testament as well.

Even more interesting is the fact that Rabbi Kadouri revealed the name of this Messiah to his followers in a letter to be opened upon his death. The revealed name in Hebrew formed the name "Yehoshua", which is the longer version of the Hebrew name "Y'shua", from which we derive the Greek "Iesuas", which later became the anglicized "Jesus".

Some gentile Christians may be disappointed to know Rabbi Kadouri's Messiah will be a kingly Messiah, restoring Israel to the Jewish people, taking it away from Muslims and Christians alike. (Boy, despite being Biblical, that one wouldn't go over well in a Sunday sermon!) However, this kingly Messiah idea is also biblical -- in fact, Jesus' apostles first believed Jesus was going to restore the kingdom of Israel, as evidenced in Acts 1.

Without further ado, here's the letter to Israelites abroad regarding the death of 107 year old Rabbi Yitzakh, and his claimed meeting with Messiah. Draw your own conclusions.



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The Internet site where the actual note, in the handwriting of the rabbi, appeared also posted an article which revealed, to the discomfort and amazement of the rabbis' associates, far more. On that same website, as well as on the rabbi's site, it was reported that the rabbi "met" the Messiah about a year before his death, and his description of the Messiah was written down and then reduced into a list of 18 points. Let us take a look at what this venerated veteran rabbi has to say about the Messiah of Israel . The following has been translated from the Hebrew with our comments inserted in the brackets:

1. The rabbi met the Messiah about a year ago, after he foresaw the wave of natural disasters that hit the earth. The rabbi met the Messiah in a vision, and he therefore was able to also predict the coming disaster [it does not mention which disaster], because the Spirit of Messiah is the Spirit of prophecy [see Revelation 19:10, the rabbis is actually making reference to New Covenant scriptures here and in a few other places]
   
   
2. The soul of Messiah is conceived inside a person of the Israelite nation. Indeed a person is conceived by the Messiah and contains the spirit of Messiah when he meets Messiah. [The rabbi's definition of the new birth]
   
   
3. The Messiah draws to the Torah those who are removed from it. The true believers in Messiah do likewise and also draw others to the testimony of Messiah [ref. Revelation 19:10]. As he said, anyone who will teach and do this will be called great in the kingdom of heaven [ref. Mathew 5:19]
   
   
4. The union of the 2 Messiahs (Messiah son of Joseph and Messiah son of David) has taken place. Indeed the 2 Messiahs are one, they are one soul. [In Jewish tradition the suffering Messiah son of Joseph precedes the coming of the victorious Messiah son of David]
   
   
5. The rabbi was told that he would be privileged to see Messiah in his own lifetime, which has indeed taken place, and he was saved [the term "saved" is not common at all in typical Jewish vernacular]
   
   
6. Messiah will lead Israel in pleasant and loving ways to practice Judaism. Messiah will be a Torah observant Jew, as it is written, "the spirit of the Lord will rest on Him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord… And He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear" (Isaiah 11:2,3).
   
   
7. By His words He will gather the outcasts of Israel from all over the world. "And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel , and will gathered the dispersed of Judah " (Isaiah 11:12).
   
   
8. Many will find His words and speech to be easy to accept, "And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked" (Isaiah 11:4).
   
   
9. His words will be fulfilled by the very fact that they had been uttered by Him. "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host" (Psalm. 33:6) [This quote alludes to the divinity of Messiah, normally a non accepted tenet in Judaism].
   
   
10. As a leader Messiah will not sit in some kind of fancy office or bureau, but will sit in the "bureau" of Hashem [Elohim].
    
    
11. He will convey His words through different vessels
    
    "And saviors will go up Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau and the kingdom will be the Lord's" (Obadiah 1:21).
    
    
12. Purity is destined to come to the world through the same vessels that sin entered in. Thus, since sin came into the world through a vessel, a woman-Eve, so will purity come in by a vessel – a woman [this is a clear hint that Messiah was to come to the world by being "born", and not in some other way]
    
    
13. His rule will be free of all lust. "Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist" (Isaiah 11:5)
    
    
14. His true test will not be His ability to perform miracles, but the very essence of His being and His actions. He will act as a simple Jew. His entire will is to do the will of God, and God gives Him help. He is very humble, "He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him" (Isaiah 53:2) [In Judaism this 'forbidden' chapter is usually avoided, and when quoted it is always in relationship to Israel and not to Messiah]
    
    
15. Messiah does not distinguish between a secular Israelite and a religious one. He stretches forth His hand to all, and who so ever wills accepts Him, even the Gentiles. "The nations will resort to…" Him… "and His resting place will be glorious" (Isaiah 11:10)
    
    
16. Accepting Him is easier for those who do not keep the Torah and the commandments. Those who regard themselves as righteous are proud and that is an abomination to the Lord. "The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death the light will shine on them" (Isaiah 9:1)
    
    
17. Messiah will reveal Himself to individuals, and not necessarily to those who excel in Torah. For the strong do not need a doctor, the righteous do not need to repent, but the sick and the sinner [ref. Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31] , as it is written, "mercy have I desired, and not sacrifice" [Hosea 6:6; Mathew 9:13]
    
    
18. When He is revealed many will wonder: What, is it He?!
    
    "Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?... As for His generation, who considered?" [Isaiah 53:1, 8]
    
    "And I will pour upon the House of David and the dweller of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, so that they will look upon Me whom they have pierced and they will mourn for Him as the mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn (Zachariah 12:10) [A verse which is normally attached to the nation of Israel and not to Messiah]