10 Mar THE GATHERING STORM: BIBLICAL PROPHECY AND THE FINAL WAR

The extraordinary
events we have
witnessed over the
past week and a half
seem almost like
science fiction. The
elimination of forty
senior leaders in less than a minute along with
the ability to fly over the Iranian airspace
without interference, sounds more like the
plot of a novel than reality.
Yet we continue going about our daily routines
without fully recognizing the magnitude of
what is happening. We wake up in the morning
and hear that yet another senior enemy leader
has been eliminated, and that existential
threats that have loomed over us for decades
are being removed one after another with
astonishing speed. Because these events are
happening so rapidly, there is a risk that we
become accustomed to them and fail to
appreciate the immense miracles unfolding
before our eyes.
In the times of the Sages, miracles of a similar
scale—such as those commemorated on
Purim and Chanukah—were established as
holidays for all generations. Through this,
they taught us the proper outlook: when one
witnesses extraordinary salvation and clear
manifestations of Divine providence, one

must pause, recognize the miracle, and
express gratitude, rather than allow such
moments to pass by as if they were ordinary
events.
In Brit Bein HaBetarim (Bereishit 15:7–21)
Hashem reveals to Avraham Avinu a prophetic
vision outlining the future of the Jewish
people. This foundational moment sets the
stage for Jewish destiny, including both exile
and redemption.
Within this covenant, Hashem makes a
dramatic appearance—“a smoking furnace
and a flaming torch that passed between the
pieces.” This symbolizes a binding agreement
and Divine presence accompanying
Avraham’s descendants throughout the ages.
Upon witnessing current world events—
especially the war with Iran—it’s astonishing
to realize how all of this was already outlined
in the Torah, as explained by Yonatan ben
Uziel.
Targum Yonatan ben Uziel, the earliest and
most expansive Aramaic commentary on the
Torah, brings a profound interpretation to this
passage. He views the vision as not just
referring to the Egyptian exile but as an
allusion to the four exiles—each represented
by a different kingdom that would dominate
Israel in the future. This mirrors the
interpretation later expanded in Sefer Daniel.

The pasuk states: “As the sun was about to
set, a deep sleep fell upon Avraham, and
behold—a dread, great darkness fell upon
him” (Bereishit 15:12). Chazal note that four
distinct expressions are used in this pasuk:
deep sleep (תרדמה(, dread (אימה(, great
.(נופלת) falling and ,)חשכה גדולה) darkness
What do these four elements hint to?
Targum Yonatan connects the four empires to
the pieces of the covenant to show that Jewish
suffering is never random, but part of the
Divine plan—foretold from the very
beginning of our national destiny.
• Deep sleep (תרדמה – (symbolizes the
Babylonian exile, when the people were
spiritually asleep and disconnected after
the destruction of the First Beit
HaMikdash.

• Dread (אימה – (represents the Persian-
Mede Empire, in which the Jews faced

existential fear, as in the story of Haman
and the threat of national annihilation.
• Great darkness (גדולה חשכה – (refers to
the Greek exile, which brought a
darkness of the soul—spiritual war
against Torah, mitzvot, and Jewish
identity.
• Falling (נופלת – (points to the Persian
(Iran) exile, marked by destruction,
dispersion, and the ongoing challenges
of galut.
Here, the Targum offers a profound insight:
he explains that in the end of days, this
empire will fall and will never rise again—
and from its downfall, Israel will rise, and
Mashiach will come. Throughout history,
this seemed impossible to anticipate. But
what we’ve witnessed over the past week is
a precise unfolding of this prophecy:
Persia—modern-day Iran—is collapsing,
while Israel is rising in the most miraculous
ways. (Note that in some versions, the
Targum reads Edom instead of Persia.)
In the prophecy of Daniel, Yishmael does
not appear as the fourth exile; instead, it is
Edom. This stands in clear contrast to what
is presented here.
It seems that Daniel’s vision subtly includes
Yishmael in a different manner. In the statue
seen by Nebuchadnezzar, the feet were
composed of both iron and clay—iron
representing Edom (Rome/Christianity), and
clay symbolizing Yishmael (Islam). This
mixture implies that in the final chapter of
world history, these two powers—Edom and
Yishmael—will stand together as the last
great forces before the ultimate redemption.
The vision describing the feet made of two
elements—clay and iron—appears to
represent precisely what we are witnessing
today. The Europeans, identified with Rome,
are now deeply mixed with Yishmael. Yet,
like iron and clay, they do not truly merge
into a single entity.
Walking through the streets of Europe, one
can easily observe this phenomenon: large

Yishmaelite populations living among
European societies. However, rather than
fully assimilating into one unified culture,
each group largely maintains its own identity
and way of life, standing alongside one
another but not truly blending together.
The prophecy of the final world war between
Gog and Magog in the book of Book of
Ezekiel (38) is fascinating. The Malbim
explains that Gog and Magog represent
Yishmael and the Christian world, who will
ultimately confront one another in the final
war.
The psukim describing Gog also list Persia
among the nations aligned with him. Gog may
be connected to Amalek, noting the similarity
between the name Gog and Agag, the king of
Amalek, and that Haman is called “the
Agagite,” a descendant of Amalek according
to the Targum on the Book of Esther.
According to this understanding, the psukim
state the final conflict will revolve around
Jerusalem. Indeed, the war initiated by
Yishmael in recent years was named “The
Flood of Al-Aqsa,” declaring its goal to
“liberate” what they describe as occupied
Jerusalem from the Jews.
The Gemara in Yoma (10a) records a debate
as to which of the two—Edom or Yishmael
(often referred to there as Persia, which is the
modern-day Iran)—will dominate at the very
end. The Gemara debates whether Edom or
Persia will rule over the world for nine
months. Tosafot (Avodah Zarah 2b) explain
that Persia will maintain its power until
shortly before the end of days, at which point
Edom will wage war against them and defeat
them.
This uncertainty is reflected in the unstable
composition of the statue’s feet: two
conflicting elements that cannot truly merge.
But the prophecy doesn’t end with them. A
stone—unshaped by human hands—strikes
the statue and shatters it. This stone represents
the eternal kingdom of Hashem, led by an
“ancient of days” who reigns forever. It is a
vision of Mashiach and the ultimate
redemption, when all false powers collapse
and Divine truth fills the world.
We are standing at the threshold of that
moment. Based on the words of Chazal and
the unfolding of world events, it seems that
the final stage of history is already in motion.
The end of exile is near—and with it, the
dawn of eternal clarity.