Current World Events in Bright Perspective - Psalm 93's Prophecies

Psalm 93, authored by Moses (B. Basra 14b; Rashi), contains a prophecy relevant to our days. That is to say, 3,300 years ago, the world's greatest prophet foretold how the pre-Messianic era, our present period (as per The Lubavitcher Rebbe), will unfold. The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, in August 1944 (הקריאה והקדושה), deciphered this Psalm's explanation - and added his own prophetic details of the events to take place. The brevity of these 5 verses is inversely proportional to its profundity.

In outline: The 1st third of the article nails down our current era as the period in question. The middle third predicts the sort of events we will witness, with specificity added by the Rebbe. The final third of the Psalm takes us further in time - into the Era of Redemption.

(Apropos, the 6 days of creation parallel the 6,000 years of prelude to the 7th, Sabbatical millennium. Our daily prayers include a single Psalm they used to sing every weekday in the Temple. Psalm 93 they reserved for Friday, singing it the day before Shabbat. Today, in year 5771, we are in "Friday's millennium", past "12:30 pm", on the eve of "Shabbat".)

Here follows a free-flowing translation of the Rebbe's article in Yiddish. (The highlighting is mine.)

ד' מלך גאות לבש

"Hashem is acknowledged as King when He vests Himself in supernatural grandeur."

Most people think the world runs on its own powers of Nature. Only when supernatural catastrophic events threaten the world with upheaval do they come to realize the greater force of Hashem in control. That's when people recognize the might of Hashem and call him "King". The Psalmist speaks of an era when mankind will acknowledge Hashem vested in supernatural grandeur, at which time He will be deemed "The King".

That this period will occur in the Messianic Era prior to the Era of Redemption, we learn from the next clause.

לבש ד' עוז התאזר

"Hashem will vest Himself in might that He had previously girded Himself with."

"Might" refers to Torah. Hashem had already girded Himself with the might of Torah when He first gave it to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. At that time, thunder and lightning struck so fiercely and frightfully that all mankind believed the world is doomed for destruction.

Among the Gentiles, at the time, only one prophet, Bilaam, knew better. He told his people, "G-d is giving might (which is Torah) to His people (Psalm 29, 11)".

The whole world at the time saw and heard the awesome and the supernatural. This was when Hashem first vested Himself with the might that is Torah. And, says the Psalmist, Hashem will once again vest Himself with this might. This is not a new might, but rather the original might of Torah; And this occasion will not be for a new purpose, but rather for the original purpose - to reinforce Torah, to cast it upon the world, again by demonstrating His dominion over Nature, to be acknowledged as "King". By again coming vested in the same force and for the same purpose ("G-d is giving might to His people."), although this time the whole world will accept Torah, this definitely nails down the period to the eve of Moshiach's arrival before the Era of Redemption.

אף תכון תבל בל תמוט

"The world will actually remain steadfast; It will not falter."

This forthcoming might to be unleashed will arrive - not for the sake of a flood or other catastrophe, as many will believe. The world will remain steadfast, without ruin, only now the Jewish nation and Torah will once again be uplifted. There will be a second "G-d is giving might to His people".

נכון כסאך מאז, מעולם אתה

"Your throne is prepared from long ago, from the universe that is You!"

Since creation, that You alone build, You have already prepared the royal seat. In fact, the entire purpose of creation was to anchor Torah in the Jewish people. As Rashi (Genesis 1,1) stated, "The whole purpose of creation was for the sake of the Jewish people." Already at the world's outset Hashem established that He will arrive vested in might to strengthen Torah. His second appearance vested in supernatural power will come, not to destroy the world, but to strengthen Torah, and so, "It will happen that Hashem will be deemed King of the entire world (Zechariah. 14, 9)." And when will that be? Once the world accepts the Jewish nation, through whom the world will acquire Torah.

נשאו נהרות ד', נשאו נהרות קולם, ישאו נהרות דכים

"The rivers will uplift Hashem, the rivers will raise their sound, the rivers will raise their tumult."

Because of the rivers' tumult, their sounds will be heard and Hashem will thus be uplifted. This can mean only one thing: That Hashem's uplifting will occur by the storminess of the rivers prior to the Era of Redemption. How so? Once the tumult hits, the raucous will raise the voices of man and stir them to recognize Hashem's greatness - thus "the rivers will uplift Hashem."

The tumultuous rivers will wreak much havoc in the world, as, for example, the drowning of an entire nation, or more than its half. Victims of this devastation will experience a change of heart, for they will come to realize their predicament as divine punishment. And quite possibly this will affect the entire world's politics through a whole chain of events that will happen as a direct consequence of the submerged country.

Anyhow, prior to the Redemption, a great stormy water event shall happen. This will lead the world to tremble, and then to a turnaround that will uplift Hashem. This is the meaning of "the rivers will uplift Hashem" and that "the rivers will raise their sound".

מקולות מים רבים, אדירים משברי ים; אדיר במרום ד'!י

"From the sounds of many waters, mighty shall be the breakage caused by the ocean, and mighty will be deemed Hashem in heaven."

The end result of these stormy water events will be to break land-based might; to break world mights by sea - followed by unanimous turnaround of man to acknowledge the Almighty above.

עדתיך נאמנו מאד, לביתך נאוה קדש; ד' לארך ימים!י

"Those bearing witness for You will be sincerely believed; For Your Temple, holiness is befitting. May Hashem maintain this for long years."

This holy prophet concludes his prophecy with what mankind's turnaround will accomplish. Gentiles will testify to the detailed accuracy of all of the Bible's prophets, concerning Hashem and Jewish redemption. This means the Era of Redemption will be a fact and Jews will again have back the Land of Israel** and the Temple. And that all Gentiles will be drawn to this land, to learn about the ways of Hashem; Otherwise the phrase "those bearing witness for You" would be untrue. The Gentiles will also say "For Your Temple, holiness is befitting," meaning to say, the Divine Presence will, as it had in the past, once again rest in the Temple. The Gentiles will also proclaim "Hashem is forever." This implies Jews will experience full-fledged peace, and no nation will harbor anti-semitic thoughts.

Although its words are sparing, this Psalm embraces the entire redemption period - the eve of the redemption, as well as the era in the end of days. The main event that will introduce the redemption will be an awesome water tumult that will display Hashem's might, which will transform mankind's mindset. This very water tumult will define the commencing phase of the Era of Redemption. Then the honor of Hashem, or of His Torah, or of the Jewish nation will be uplifted until all of the prophecies in the Holy Bible will be tangible and supreme peace will reign over all the world.

We need only wait for the great water tumult to arrive, which will force all nations to admit "Hashem is King!" and that it is no natural catastrophe but rather a divine intervention.

** Even in 1944 there was no formal country called "Israel" yet.