The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (XCVII) Isaiah

“Arise, shine, for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen on you. For, behold, the darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. And on you does rise the Lord, and His glory on you is seen.” (Isaiah 60:1-2)

These verses refer both to the people of Israel and the awareness of their permanent bond with God in the Final Redemption. In the Messianic era God's Light is fully revealed, and His glory exalted. Light and glory are attributes that represent in our consciousness the unattained knowledge we have not been able to grasp regarding God's will for His Creation, and the unattained perception of how His will is manifest in the material world.

The Prophet is telling us that God's Light is already revealed, hence depends on us to know it. We do it through the meaning of Light as the opposite of darkness. Thus we realize that Love's ways and attributes as our Essence and true identity are the Light we need to enjoy the goodness God wants us to be, have and manifest. By manifesting it, we indeed rise to the highest realms of our consciousness and thus we live God's glory in all we are, have and do.

Isaiah also reminds us that there is darkness in the material world, and even thicker in human consciousness, for we are destined to reveal God's Light through the goodness of His ways and attributes. If humankind has not been able to do it, God tells us that the revelation of His Light is imminent, either we want it or not. We must understand this as an invitation for us to leave behind the darkness of negative traits and trends, and begin to embrace the Light of Love's ways and attributes.

We already know that our mission and destiny is to overcome the negative and adverse conditions in the material world, in order to make the planet a better place for everyone.

This task is only possible by also removing the “thick” darkness in human consciousness and fill it by, with and for the goodness of Love's ways and attributes. Thus God “rises” in us as we let lead Love all aspects and dimensions of consciousness, and we “see” (know) God's glory in all we do.

“And nations have come to your Light, and kings [come] to the brightness of your rising. Lift up round about your eyes and see. All of them have been gathered, they have come to you. Your sons from afar do come, and your daughters on the side are supported.” (60:3-4)

The negative traits and trends in consciousness (represented by the “nations”) are waiting for our goodness to turn them into positive ways and means to make Love's ways and attributes prevail in what we discern, think, feel, speak and do. The latter are material manifestations of God's Light that He commanded Israel to be for the nations. As we have mentioned often, Israel represents the positive creative potentials in human consciousness. Hence God addresses Israel to be fully and permanently aware of His Light to be brought to humankind.

Thus we realize that the Torah is God's Light to the material world, and the Torah is Israel's identity. “Kings” represent the ruling values, beliefs and principles that conduct the ways we conceive and approach life. The Messianic era begins when we make Love's ways and attributes the values and principles that will direct the kings that rule our existence. For this we have to “lift” our eyes and see, meaning that we have to acquire full awareness of goodness.

The Prophet refers not only to the nations and their kings, but also the dispersed of Israel that will be gathered in their Land. We realize that what is underlined here is the goodness we can gathered not only from the dispersed of Israel but from those among the nations who want to join them to fulfill together the Final Redemption in which only goodness reigns. God tells us that the goodness we choose in all we do (our “sons” and “daughters”) is always “supported” by His Love.

“Then you do see and become radiant, and your heart become thrilled and enlarged, because the multitude of the sea turns onto you, the strength of the nations does come to you.” (60:5)

The Messianic era begins when we integrate all levels, aspects and dimensions of consciousness for the united harmonic functional purpose God wants us to be aware and manifest. This awareness is the “thrilled” and “enlarged” heart we acquire when we “see” what the radiant Light is in our consciousness, that which shines in the goodness of Love's ways and attributes.

Everything we can think or imagine as “the multitude of the sea” in our consciousness will come to us in and for goodness. The force in what makes us feel, desire and do in life as “the strength of the nations” will come to us to achieve the goodness we are destined to have and be.

The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (XCVI) Isaiah

“And He has put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of redemption upon His head. And He has put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and is covered as with a cloak with zeal. According to [their] deeds, He has repaid. Fury to His adversaries, their deed to His enemies, to the islands their deed He has repaid.” (59:17-18)

Again the Prophet remarks with allegories God's ways and attributes as His “garments”, which do not belong to anything different from them. God is not punishing us for our negative actions, for He created us with free will. Therefore He “repay” us by making us aware of the consequences of our actions. That is “wrath”, “jealousy”, “fury” for His “enemies” which are the traits and trends that deny the loving kindness and truth He wants us to chose and live by.

“And they fear from the west the Name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun His glory. As a flood that comes in for an adversary, the Spirit of the Lord as raised an ensign against him.” (59:19)

We have said often that geographical places as well as cities represent beliefs, feelings and emotions. These levels of consciousness are destined to revere (“fear”), respect and admire the goodness of our Creator we know in His Name, for He is good. His ways and attributes are strong in our consciousness once we choose to live by and for them. These are the “flood” that wipes out that which we do not need in our life and the material world. We are referring to evil and negative ways we are not required. God's ways and attributes are the expressions of His Spirit, the raised ensign that goes ahead of Him.

“And a redeemer has come to Zion, and to captives of transgression in Jacob. An affirmation of the Lord.” (59:20)

This verse contains another emblematic statement related to the Final Redemption and the Messianic era in Judaism. God repeats here that He is the Redeemer that came or has come (past tense, in the original Hebrew text), for Zion is the place for the Temple of Jerusalem where God's Presence dwelt in ancient times. In the context of Isaiah's messages, we must understand this verse as a reiteration of God's decreed Redemption since our first exiles. Thus we realize that it is up to us to return to Him and embrace it.

Also in this verse God is telling it to all of us Jews who have transgresses in our inherited identity as the children of Jacob. “In Jacob” means making our negative choices “in” the awareness of who we truly are, and in what God wants from us as His chosen people. This is related to what the Prophet said earlier in this chapter regarding our deliberate choice to transgress the goodness of Love's ways and attributes.

God has announced His Redemption, and we just have to embrace it. Thus we enter the Messianic era, the eternal place and time where His Spirit (His loving kindness and truth) will be always with us, as He has spoken.

“And as for Me, this is My Covenant with them, have said the Lord: 'My Spirit that is upon you and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed's seed, says the Lord, from here and now forever'.” (59:21)

The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (XCV) Isaiah

“We feel like the blind for a wall, yea, as without eyes we feel. We have stumbled at noon as at twilight. In desolated places as the dead.” (59:10)

The Prophet again equates living in the darkness of ego's fantasies and illusions to death. It is a blunt statement and is true. He calls us deliberate sinners, because even seeing the light we choose darkness.

As we walk blinded by our materialistic fantasies and illusions, we end up hitting walls. Our feelings lose their eyes, which represent the judgment to tell right from wrong.

“We roar like bears all of us, and mourn bitterly like doves. We hope for judgment and there is none, for redemption that is far from us. For our transgressions have been multiplied before You, and our sins have testified against us. For our transgressions are with us, and our iniquities we have known them.” (59:11-12)

In our darkness we are defeated by the anger of frustration that roars like hungry bears, and cries like pigeons. These metaphors resound in our consciousness, for bears and doves represent negative expressions of feelings and emotions hurt by our own self neglect.

As we lose free will by our obsessions, addictions and attachments, our redemption is indeed far off. Our predicament identifies who we are, what have and do. Thus we get acquainted with our negative traits and trends, for we know them quite well.

The Prophet reminds us that ego's fantasies and illusions do not cohabit with God's ways and attributes (59:13-14). As we weaken the truth in the goodness of Love, we strengthen the falsehood of evil and wickedness, and “straightforwardness is not able to enter” in our consciousness.

“And the truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. And the Lord has seen it, and it is evil in His eyes that there is no judgment. And He has seen that there is no man, and is astonished that there is no intercessor. Therefore His own arm brought redemption unto Him, and His righteousness it sustained Him.” (59:15-16)

Let's pay close attention to this warning. Even if we separate from our evil ways, we remain in danger. It is not enough to abandon evil, for we need the guidance of Love and the ethics of its ways and attributes as the basis of our judgment.

“No man” and “no intercessor” are metaphors for the guidance we need to be and manifest Love as our Essence and true identity. Hence the Prophet points out to God's will as His Redemption for us, and His righteousness and judgment as the sustenance for all He has created.

The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (XCIV) Isaiah

“Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened for redeeming, nor heavy His ear from hearing. But your iniquities have been separating between you and your God, and your sins have hidden The Presence from you, from hearing.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)

These two verses are fundamental, for they contain multidimensional meanings and messages. God's “hand” represents not only His works but also what inspires His actions. The God of Israel's ways and attributes are immeasurable and unattainable by our comprehension. Hence we don't really have a concrete idea what is “short” or “extended” in the context of Redemption.

Though we may refer to Israel's previous exiles as short or long, waiting for the return to our Land, here the Prophet invites to reflect on the fact that the time for the Messianic era depends on us.

Let's understand that Isaiah is also mentioning God's “hearing” as His understanding of what and whom He has created. He them all, for all comes from Him. Hence the next sentence underlines the reasons we have to separate from His ways and attributes. When we separate from goodness, we separate from God.

The Torah teaches us clearly that, although He created darkness and evil for us to choose Light and goodness, He does not associate with the former. By making evil and darkness a choice and not a reference, we not only make God's Presence hidden from us but impair our understanding for what is good.

God's Redemption is not short of extended, but as much as we make it permanent. God never said or hinted that His promises are limited or temporary, neither His understanding. We also learn from this that we are liable for our actions.

When we follow ego's fantasies and illusions, we not only separate from God's ways and attributes but from those who believe in the latter. Our separation is not only from Him but from all. We end up alone in our attachments, addictions, obsessions, haughtiness, anger, indifference and indolence.

“For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters wickedness. There is none calling in righteousness, and there is none pleading in faithfulness. Trusting in vanity and speaking falsehood, conceiving wickedness and bearing evil.” (59:3-4)

The Prophet points out specific transgressions derived from negative traits and trends in consciousness prompted by ego's fantasies and illusions. Evil and destructive talking as one of the most lethal weapons in the arsenal of wickedness.

In such predicament, truth as justice and righteousness are absent and there is nothing or none to trust. Without truthful values and principles there is nothing to believe or to have faith.

Once again Isaiah denounces vanity as the field of ego's fantasies and illusions, and falsehood as their expression, along with their negative and destructive consequences. The Prophet continues calling our attention to assimilate the premise that we must abandon our negative ways in order to return to God's ways and attributes (59:5-7).

“A way of peace they have not known, and there is no judgment in their paths. Their paths they have made wicked for themselves, none who walks in it have known peace. Therefore judgment has been far from us, and righteousness reach us not. We wait for light but behold darkness, for darkness – in thick darkness we go.” (59:8-9)

The obvious occurs when we live by and for ego's fantasies and illusions, and peace is their first casualty. Judgment as the principle for which we make our choices is next, for in negative trends there is no path, direction or purpose in life. Thus we sow the fruits of our haughtiness, wrath, envy, lust and cruelty, the wicked paths we create for ourselves in which there is no peace.

The bad news is that we end up loosing our free will as the judgment we need to face all aspects and dimensions of life. Light as Love is far from our hearts, and we walk amid the thick darkness in which there is no righteousness.