Am I Feeling Reverberations of the Messianic Era?

Since October 7, something’s shifted.

Jews from all backgrounds are clinging harder than ever to their identity. Some feel shaken by what the world really thinks of us. Others feel a quiet sense that we’re part of something bigger.

In my home, that shift got personal. My wife turned to me one night, overwhelmed: “Is this the start of the Messianic era? Is it supposed to be this terrifying? Is it just war and collapse?”

I pulled out a book I hadn’t read in years: The Real Messiah by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan—written in the 1970s, but more relevant now than ever. For generations, the coming of the Messiah sounded like a fantasy: the clouds parting, a Temple descending in Jerusalem, the world remade in an instant. But what if that’s not how it works? The book described the messianic era and all its promises unfolding naturally through technology.

Jewish tradition describes the Messianic era as a time when humanity fulfills its purpose. A world where nations choose cooperation over war, where no one is hungry or forgotten, and truth is obvious—not hidden. A world that still looks like ours but finally works in harmony the way it was meant to.

The World Feels Like It’s Speeding Toward Something

Almost 2000 years ago, the Zohar, Judaism’s chief mystical text, predicted that in the year 5600 (1840) a sudden “opening of the gates of wisdom above and below”—a spiritual and technological expansion—would prepare the world for a new phase. That year marked the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, unleashing forces that would reshape every corner of human life.

The Zohar predicted that a great opening of wisdom would begin in 1840—coinciding with the Industrial Revolution and a transformation that would reshape every corner of human life.

Since then, prophecy and progress have moved in eerie parallel. The Talmud’s visions of outsized produce or transformed agriculture once seemed mythical. Today, gene editing, vertical farming, and 3D printing are real. Maimonides said these prophecies were metaphors for a world where nature fulfills its purpose and human effort is uplifted (See Maimonides on Sanhedrin 10:1, Shabbos 30b).

In just 200 years, the world has shifted more than it has during the 2,000 before it. We carry access to global Torah in our pockets. Satellites and drones track live movements. AI processes complexity instantly. Blockchain offers trust beyond institutions. Space travel breaks boundaries. These are signs. We already have the tools to end hunger, liberate people from drudgery, and bring justice into reach. This isn’t just progress—it’s the scaffolding of redemption. So why hasn’t it happened?

Because tools don’t equal alignment.

Profit distorts health care. Media bends truth. Even science is politicized. The world is equipped—but the people are not. Still, the cracks are showing. Corruption is surfacing. Institutions are trembling. It feels like something deeper is beginning to shake loose.

What Is the Messianic Era Actually For?

The Messianic age describes a transformation when humanity becomes aligned enough to support a wise and righteous Jewish leader who unifies the world around truth, grounded in Jewish wisdom and values. His strength is decisive moral clarity—knowing when to show restraint and when to act. In a world torn between aggression and confusion, he awakens even hardened nations to clarity, purpose, and judgment they can no longer ignore.

Maimonides gives us a clear benchmark: if a Jewish leader arises, descended from King David, devoted to Torah and mitzvot, restores law and gathers the Jewish people in their homeland—we consider him the potential Messiah. If he also rebuilds the Temple in Jerusalem, then his identity is certain. (See Maimonides, Laws of Kings, Chapters 11 and 12)

The Messianic era is about the world waking up. Illusions fall away and humanity sees the Divine in everything.

That kind of leadership doesn’t appear out of nowhere. A fractured people can’t sustain transcendent leadership—just like no company can attract a real CEO without first defining its mission. Until we recognize what’s missing, we can’t prepare to receive it.

And when the role is ready and the people aligned, something deeper unfolds. The Messianic era isn’t just about a leader—it’s about the world waking up. The illusions fall away. Humanity sees the Divine in everything. Meaning isn’t debated—it’s lived. And the age of awareness begins—not just abundance, but awe.

A Return Unfolding in Real Time

For nearly 2,000 years, the Jewish return to Zion was a prayer. Today, it’s becoming a reality.

In 1948, Israel was reborn—just as Isaiah foretold: “He will gather the dispersed of Israel from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12). In the decades that followed, Jews returned from Arab lands, Ethiopia, Iran, and the former Soviet Union.

Today, over 7 million Jews live in Israel... And since October 7, the movement hasn’t slowed. Some come to protect, others to build. Many see this demographic shift as spiritually significant, aligning with the tradition that when most Jews live in the Land, conditions for natural redemption begin to emerge.

Torah study—once bound to physical communities—now spreads across the globe. What once felt like dreams are now real: a people regathered, a language revived, an ancient wisdom reborn and digitized.

The Battle of Our Generation

In Jewish tradition, the war of Gog and Magog refers to a global upheaval before the Messianic era. Some see it as a physical confrontation; others, a collapse of moral systems.

The Chofetz Chaim, a revered 19th–20th century Jewish sage known for his teachings on ethical speech and personal integrity, warned that the final war would not only be fought with weapons, but with ideologies.

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 97a) describes that generation: “Truth will be absent… the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog… those who fear sin will be despised.”

The Midrash names Persia—modern-day Iran—as central to the final confrontation. Today, that feels chillingly real.

Like a dog that runs ahead but constantly looks back to see where its owner is going, our leaders appear to lead—but are actually checking public opinion. This feels current in an age where values are crowd-tested and truth bows to trends.

The Midrash names Persia—modern-day Iran—as central to the final confrontation. Today, that feels chillingly real.

The World Knows

The world’s eyes are always on us. Sometimes it feels like pressure or hatred. But maybe it’s something deeper. Maybe, deep down, they sense there’s something about the Jewish people they’re meant to witness—and even admire. Something noble, ancient, and unshakably true.

The Jewish people were never meant to blend in. We were meant to lead—with clarity. To reflect something higher—and help the world rise.

This is the work of our time: to raise families in clarity, not fear. To live with courage and dignity even when misunderstood. To infuse our homes, communities, and choices with truth.

We aren’t watching history. We’re shaping it.

Redemption isn’t on the horizon. We are part of it.

And the era has already begun.