The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (CVI) Isaiah

“And they have rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit, and He turned to them for an enemy, He Himself has fought against them. And He remembered the days of old, Moses, His people. Where is He who is bringing them up from the sea, the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who is putting in its midst His Holy Spirit?” (63:10-11)

The Prophet again confronts us for our separation from God's Love, and for turning Him into an enemy. We still blame Him for the outcome of our rebellious heart. We have to understand that our enemies are those who live for ego's fantasies and illusions, and the negative traits and trends in consciousness. Those are the “nations” and “peoples” that want to destroy the righteous goodness of Love's ways and attributes, which are our essence and true identity.

As soon as we turn away from God's ways and follow the fate of the nations, these become our mortal enemies, for they exist to destroy all that opposes their predicament. As we fall down to envy, lust, indolence, indifference, haughtiness, wrath and coveting, by default these become our mortal enemies, for they pursue the destruction of what are opposite to them.

The Prophet prays for God's presence in our hearts, and to allow His attributes to lead all aspects and dimensions of our consciousness.

“Leading by the right hand of Moses, the arm of His glory, cleaving waters from before them to make to Himself an eternal Name. Leading them through the depths, as a horse in a plain they stumble not. As a beast into a valley goes down, the Spirit of the Lord causes him to rest, so have You led Your people to make to Yourself a glorious Name.” (63:12-14)

The Prophet evokes the Exodus from Egypt and the mighty hand of God's Love to redeem us from the lowest of human condition. Isaiah calls for God's promise to also redeem us in this last exile among the nations.

“Look attentively from the heavens, and see from Your holy and beautiful habitation. Where is Your zeal and Your might? The multitude of Your bowels and Your mercies towards me have refrained themselves. For You are our Father, for Abraham has not known us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer forever is Your Name.” (63:15-16)

The Prophet continues praying for our Final Redemption, and calls for God's attention regarding His destroyed Temple, His beautiful habitation in which His Name was proclaimed for the sake of the world. Isaiah appeals to God's zeal and dominion, and deplores His absence from our hearts. Representing Israel, he prays for their Redemption after the destruction of the First Temple.

Isaiah admits to God that we are strangers to the elevated character of Abraham and his grandson Israel, who have no resemblance to us. Hence he appeals to God's abundant loving kindness and compassion to be our sole Redeemer.

“O Lord, why do You make us to err from Your ways, and harden our heart from Your fear? Return for Your servants' sake, the tribes of Your inheritance.” (63:17)

The Prophet denounces our weak character that leads us to the wrong choices, and separates us from the righteousness of God's ways and attributes. Isaiah dares to make God responsible for our voluble nature, and our stubborness to disrespect His will. Hence the necessity to transform our consciousness in order to make us successful in our destiny to reveal and proclaim God's kingdom in the material world.

“For a little while did Your holy people possess [Your Sanctuary], our adversaries have trodden down Your Sanctuary. We have been from of old, [while] You have not ruled over them, not called is Your Name upon them!” (63:18-19)

Isaiah refers to Israel's enemies as also God's enemies, and blame them for the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem that represents God's Presence in the world. Although we know that our enemies are the consequence of our negative traits and trends out of ego's fantasies and illusions, the Prophet blames them for their relentless opposition to the Torah's plan for humankind.

While we, in spite of our stubborness to separate from God's ways, proclaim His Oneness and attributes as the ones that must prevail, the nations reject His Oneness and ignore His laws and commandments. Hence they do not call God's Name upon them.

This Name represents His abundant loving kindness, grace, compassion, righteousness and truth that He wants us to recognize as our essence and true identity.

The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (CV) Isaiah

“Who is this coming from Edom? With dyed garments from Bozrah [Babylon]? This that is honorable in His clothing, traveling in the abundance of His power? I [Myself] speaking in righteousness, mighty to redeem. Wherefore is your clothing red? And Your garments as treading in a wine vat?” (63:1-2)

The Prophet recognizes God's dominion over His Creation, and he sheds more clarity about His Redemption. Edom is waiting to be redeemed, for all mankind awaits for God's Redemption. Edom as the antagonist and nemesis of his twin brother Jacob. The Prophet sees the fulfillment of God's promise to transform human consciousness by removing the negatives traits and trends represented by Edom. Here Bozra, the ancient capital of Babylon, represents our material and spiritual exile from which God promised to redeem us.

The vision of Isaiah is an allegory of God as a powerful lone warrior that slays Edom, and His clothes got dyed with his blood. God eliminates evil from the face of the earth and from human consciousness, but we have to be aware that on us depends to complete the process.

God does not impose His will on us, and makes it up to us. Our exile in Egypt is an example, when according to our oral tradition only 20% of the children of Israel chose to leave their bondage.

God responds to Isaiah that righteousness is our Redemption as the ethical goodness of God's Love. God's “garments” turn red as wine, as the changed consciousness He promised. The royal purple red of Love's ways and attributes as the destined rulers of human consciousness.

“A wine-press I have trodden by Myself, and of the peoples there is no one with Me. And I tread them in Me, and I trample them in My fury. Sprinkled is their strength on My garments, and all My clothing I have dyed.” (63:3)

A wine-press as the transforming power of God's Redemption tells us that the ultimate purpose of a vineyard is for its grapes to be pressed and turn them into wine, as a symbol of the culmination of our destiny in the material world. We are destined to transform our consciousness into the goodness from which God's Love created us in order to also manifest goodness in what we are, have and do.

God's goodness does not dwell or associate with negative traits and trends represented by the peoples of the “nations”, the descendants of Edom. God alone submits them to goodness as the result of His “fury”. The strength of our negative trends becomes part of the will of God represented by His “garments”.

“For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed ones has come. And I look attentively, and there is none helping. And I am astonished that there is none supporting. And My own arm gives redemption to Me. And My wrath, it has supported Me. And I tread down peoples My anger, and I make them drunk in My fury, and I bring down to earth their strength.” (63:4-6)

God's Love wants our Final Redemption that He already decreed. God waits for us to return to His ways and attributes as our common bond with Him. We are not doing our part to help our dispersed and lost brothers and sisters in time and space return to our Land.

Our separation and distance are God's wrath and anger, and ego's negative trends get us drunk and even farther from Him. He brings down to earth our arrogance and haughtiness, making us humble enough to be the empty vessels in which He will pour His promised Messianic consciousness.

“The acts of loving kindness of the Lord I make mention of, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has done for us. And the abundance of the goodness to the house of Israel that He has done for them, according to His mercies and according to the abundance of His acts of loving kindness.” (63:7)

In this verse the Prophet sweetly underlines the goodness God's Love bestows in the Jewish people, for goodness is our common bond with Him. Hence the verse speaks of the goodness in the house of Israel we as Jews must recognize as part of our essence and true identity.

“And He says, 'only My people they are sons, they lie not'; and He is to them for a redeemer. In all their distress He is no adversary, and the messenger of His Presence saved them. In His love and in His compassion He redeemed them. And He does lift them up and bears them all the days of old.” (63:8-9)

God loves Israel, and we know that Love is also the common bond with His Love. Hence as our one and only Redeemer, the Creator is not pleased with our distress, for He is for us. These verses also evoke our Redemption from the slavery in Egypt, for He redeems us in all times, old and new.

The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (CIV) Isaiah

“On your walls, Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen all the day and all the night continually, they are not silent. Ye who remember the Lord, keep not silence for yourselves. And give not silence to Him until He establishes, and until He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (62:6-7)

In these verses God summons us to pursue the Final Redemption He has decreed for a long time. He tells us that the new consciousness available to us is guarded and protected forever. Only positive traits and trends not only will watch over our new consciousness, but all will speak out loud for us in what we discern, think, feel, say and do.

This is God's part for His Redemption. Hence He calls us to remember His ways and attributes as our common bond with His Love, and asks us to do our part to fulfill His promise.

God urges us not to keep silence to Him, and tell Him that we also yearn for our marriage to Him. We begin by distance our consciousness from ego's fantasies and illusions and embrace the righteousness of Love's ways and attributes. Our Prophets remind us time and again.

“'If you return, Israel', says the Lord, 'if you return to Me and if you put away your abominations out of My sight; then you are not be removed.” (Jeremiah 4:1)

“Therefore thus says the Lord, 'If you return, then I bring you again, that you may stand before Me. And if you take forth the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth: they shall return to you, but you shall not return to them'.” (Ibid. 15:19)

“(...) 'Return to Me, and I will return to you', says the Lord of multitudes. But you say, 'How shall we return?'” (Malachi 3:7)

“Thus says the Lord of multitudes: 'Return to Me' says the Lord of multitudes, 'and I will return to you', says the Lord of multitudes.” (Zechariah 1:3)

“Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)

We know that it is up to us. God needs to know that we are not silent anymore.

“Sworn has the Lord by His right hand, even by the arm of His strength: 'I give not your grain any more as food for your enemies, nor do sons of a stranger drink your new wine for which you have labored. For those gathering it do eat it, and have praised the Lord. And those collecting it do drink it in My holy courts.” (62:8-9)

Once again God repeats the promise for His Final Redemption, this time swearing by His Love. As we begin to make Love's ways and attributes our only reference and choice in what we think, say and do, God tells us that only Love will be the harvest of our sowing. It will be our harvest and not for anything on anyone who pretend to partake of it.

This is one of the meanings of Love being its cause and its effect, and that Love does not coexist with anything different from its ways and attributes.

“Pass ye on, pass on through the gates, prepare ye the way of the people. Raise up, raise up the highway, clear it from stones. Lift up an ensign over the peoples.” (62:10)

We are summoned again to take the necessary steps to prepare our consciousness for the change that awaits us in the Messianic era. We have to walk up and ascend to Jerusalem to bond eternally with our Creator. But first we have to rebuild this bond by unifying all its aspects and dimensions through the integrating and harmonizing power of Love.

Hence we have to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem, and clear the city of the enemies of Israel. Thus we unify our connection with God. We can't do it by letting the city divided because of our mortal enemies.

As we remove negative traits and trends in our consciousness we enter the gates of the unified city. Thus we prepare the way of the people, Israel, who are the positive trends and trends that must rule and conduct all facets of life.

We need to rise up the highway of Love's ways and attributes, and clear it from the stones of evil. Our ascent rises the ensign of righteousness' goodness as the banner of Love's ways and attributes.

We elevate this banner to bring all our exiles from the four corners of the earth. Love will call those who love, in order to gather them together and unite them to proclaim and fully reveal God's Love in the material world.

“Lo, the Lord has proclaimed unto the end of the earth: 'Say ye to the daughter of Zion, lo, your redemption has come'. Lo, his hire is with him and his wage before him.” (62:11)

Our Sages call Jerusalem the daughter of Zion, thus we understand that her Redemption is also Israel's. In this Final Redemption, God gives Israel both his mission and his pay.

“And they have cried to them, 'People of the Holy One, redeemed of the Lord'. Yea, to you is called, 'Sought out one, a city not forsaken!'.” (62:12)

All aspects and dimensions of consciousness, including negative traits and trends, are destined to become completely aware of Israel's identity and mission in the world as stated and commanded in the Torah of God. As He reveals His redeeming Love for the Messianic era, the nations also will see it and will proclaim that God reigns forever.

They all will know and realize that Israel, the messenger of goodness, is the sought out one. This is destiny for Israel whose permanent connection with God was never forsaken.

The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (CIII) Isaiah

“For Zion's sake I am not silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I do not rest until her righteousness goes out as brightness, and her redemption as a torch that burns.” (Isaiah 62:1)

God's promise to transform human consciousness is unavoidable. Let's remind ourselves that Jerusalem is the awareness of our permanent connection with God. We also realize that we achieve this awareness by enthroning the righteousness of Love as the only ruler and conductor of all aspects and dimensions of consciousness. Love's righteousness is the Light that shines our Redemption as the eternal fire of God's Love.

No matter how low we fall under the negative predicament of ego's fantasies and illusions, we never lose sight of Love as the way and means to return to the lost goodness we yearn for as our freedom and Redemption. God's only condition for us to return to His ways is embracing righteousness, for it is also part of our common bond with His Love.

“And nations have seen your righteousness, and all kings your honor. And He is giving to you a new name that the mouth of the Lord names. And you have been a crown of splendor in the hand of the Lord, and a diadem of royalty in the hand of your God.” (62:2-3)

Love is the example, the instruction and the teacher. Thus both the positive and negative traits and tendencies in our consciousness must follow the righteousness of Love's ways and attributes. In this verse we see that the nations which represent the negative aspects of consciousness are destined to learn from our righteousness as a fundamental part of the positive aspects represented by Israel.

As we have indicated often, “kings” represent ruling principles, values and beliefs that also will honor the righteousness by which Love's ways and attributes will lead all dimensions of life.

God again reiterates that Jerusalem will have a new name. This means that the current way we bond and relate with God will be different, taking into consideration that our “new” consciousness (the Messianic consciousness) will manifest without anything contrary to Love's ways and attributes.

God's Love will relate to our Love in ways we can't fathom with our current dual and fractured consciousness. This new name will be our new material and spiritual identity God elevates to the royal splendor only His hand (His Love) can give.

“It is not said of you anymore, 'Forsaken!' And of your land it is not said any more, 'Desolate'. For to you is cried, 'My delight is in her', and to your land, 'Married'. For the Lord has delighted in you, and your land is married. For [as] a young man marries a virgin, your builders do marry you. As the joy of a bridegroom over a bride, do rejoice over your God.” (62:4-5)

Under the regency of Love our consciousness is never forsaken, for Love is our belonging as our essence and true identity that comes from God's Love. Our land is our material life that is never desolate or destroyed under the regency of Love's ways and attributes.

Our joy and happiness are in the delight of living our connection with God. Hence Jerusalem is our delight when we realize our eternal bond with God's Love with which we are married. God's Love and our Love will dwell in marriage forever. It will be the happiest marriage of all, for we are married to the greatest Love of all.