The Book of Splendor

Main Text (Zohar)

...them in the land at the ends of the earth, and He takes them into life for themselves. And if the Egyptians, who did all these good things for Israel referring to the initial welcome of Joseph's family, were judged with all those judgments—them and their gods—how much more so will the Master of Heaven exact punishment from the other nations who distress them, kill them, and plunder their money, as it is written:

I will magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself, and I will make Myself known. Ezekiel 38:23

There in Egypt, He acted against one king, but here He acts against all the kings of the world. Rabbi Shimon lifted his hands and wept, saying: "Woe to whoever happens to be in that time, and happy is the portion of whoever happens to be and is found in that time!" Woe to whoever happens to be in that time because when the Holy One, Blessed be He original: Kudsha Brich Hu, comes to visit the Doe a mystical representation of the Shekhinah or the Assembly of Israel, He will look to see who are those standing with her, and He will examine the deeds of every single person, and a righteous man may not be found. As it is written:

And I looked, and there was none to help. Isaiah 63:5

And how many troubles upon troubles will there be for Israel! Happy is he who happens to be and is found in that time, because he who remains steadfast in faith will merit that light of the King's joy. And concerning that time it is written:

And I will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried... Zechariah 13:9

After these troubles are awakened against Israel, and all the nations and their kings take counsel together against them, they will stir up many evil decrees, all of them with one counsel against them, bringing trouble upon trouble. The later trouble will make the first one forgotten. Then, a single pillar of fire original: amuda d'esha will be seen standing from heaven to earth for forty days, and all the nations of the world will see it. At that time, the King Messiah original: Malka Meshicha will awaken to go out from the Garden of Eden, from that place called the Bird's Nest original: Kan Tzippor — a hidden celestial chamber where the Messiah's soul resides, and he will awaken in the land of Galilee. And on the day that he goes out there, the whole world will tremble, and all the people of the world will hide inside caves and rocky clefts so they will not be found, seeking to be saved. And concerning that time it is written:

And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Isaiah 2:19

"For fear of the Lord"—this refers to that trembling of the whole world. "And for the glory of His majesty"—this refers to the Messiah. "When He ariseth to shake terribly the earth"—when he arises and is revealed in the land of Galilee, because it was the first place to be destroyed in the Holy Land, and therefore he will be revealed there before any other place, and from there he will stir up wars against the whole world. After forty days that the pillar stands from the earth before the eyes of the whole world and the Messiah is revealed, a star will rise from the East side, flaming with all colors, and seven other stars will surround that star. They will wage war against it on all sides three times a day for seventy days, and all the people of the world will see. And that star will wage war against those stars with sparks of fire flaming on every side, and it will strike them until it swallows them every single evening. But in the day, it lets them out, and they wage war before the eyes of the whole world; and so it will be every day for seventy days. After seventy days, that star will be hidden, and the Messiah will be hidden for twelve months original: trisar yarchin. The pillar of fire will return as before, and in it the Messiah will be hidden, and that pillar will not be seen. After twelve months, they will take the Messiah up in that pillar into the firmament, and there he will receive strength and the crown of kingship. And when he descends, that pillar of fire will be seen as before before the eyes of the whole world, and the Messiah will be revealed. Many nations will gather to him, and he will stir up wars in the whole world. At that time, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will awaken His might against all the nations of the world, and the King Messiah will be known in the whole world, and all the kings of the world will awaken to join together to wage war against him. And several nations of the Jewish renegades will turn back to join them and will come with them to wage war against the King Messiah. Then the whole world will grow dark for fifteen days, and many of the people of Israel will die in that darkness. He opened and said: If a bird's nest chance to be... Deuteronomy 22:6

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