At the onset of the current presidential campaign, it’s unlikely anyone would have proclaimed Donald Trump as a savior for the U.S., but that’s exactly what one rabbinical scholar has recently suggested.
Rabbi Mendel Kessin told his students during a recent lecture that Trump would play the role of a “Messiah-like figure” in the end of days, and that he would lead the U.S.—which he says is a leader of Western Christianity—into a role as “the rehabilitated biblical Esau.” In that role, America will be “a righteous nation that repents its past sins and becomes a helper of Israel.”
“The sins of (Esau) will be removed and (Esau) will become God-fearing,” he said. “(Esau) has in Jewish tradition been associated with oppressing, persecuting and afflicting the Jews, but at the end of days he will undergo a fundamental change in his character.
“As a result, (Esau) will be rehabilitated and earn a place in the world to come.”
Kessin said Trump will play a critical role in this purifying of the U.S. He later explained the Republican presidential nominee’s Hebrew numerical value is the same as that of “Moshiach ben David” (Messiah son of David), but quickly noted that he was not suggesting Trump was the Messiah, but rather a “messiah-like figure.”
“Many messianic figures, they come out of nowhere,” he said. “Everybody is expecting the Moshiach to be this incredible (righteous individual), incredible gadol (great person), unbelievable talmid chacham (Torah scholar).
“Yeah, eventually he will be. But he’s the guy that you don’t even look at twice. That’s who a Moshiach is. And you find all the (messianic figures) were always despised … That’s why there’s so much opposition to Trump. Because he’s about to start something which is a major reversal of the job of (Esau) from (oppression of the Jews) to (serving the Jews).”
Kessin’s views are controversial, not only for Jewish teachers, but for Christian theologians, as well. Many see the biblical Esau as Islam, not the United States, but some see the rabbi’s lesson as an expression of the prophetic times in which the world finds itself.
Baptist pastor and Florida-based talk radio host Carl Gallups told World Net Daily he thought Kessin was trying to explain how Jesus is using Trump to bring about a biblical reformation of the U.S. The rabbi was pointing out that Trump was the antithesis of President Obama, he added:
He’s looking at it in the same way that a number of Christians and even biblical scholars have examined Obama’s journey, candidacy and eight-year presidential legacy and point out his clearly ‘antichrist’ characteristics without ever believing him to be, or declaring him to be, the actual antichrist. I don’t think there is anything unbiblical about examining the times in which we live, and the world-impacting leaders of our times, and noting the biblical characteristics of those that Yahweh may be using for His ultimate purposes in our highly prophetic era.
I also find it remarkable that Rabbi Kessin outlined the qualities of a messianic figure as being that of a powerful person, a great person, a biblical scholar, a righteous individual, and one who is at the same time also ubiquitously despised, while seemingly coming ‘out of nowhere.’ These very same things can be said of the real and ultimate Messiah, Yeshua/Jesus.
I feel for Rabbi Kessin. I know he understands that we are now living in profoundly prophetic times. I get that. I am continually writing about and speaking to this issue as well—all over the world. There certainly seems to be something very numinous about this year’s presidential election. It may be the most important one in the history of the United States and, thus, the world. And with that feeling—he is looking for answers, and possible biblical connections.
I so wish that Rabbi Kessin could see that Yeshua/Jesus is the soon-coming Messiah! I pray that perhaps through the prophetic revelations that continue to unfold before us that Rabbi Kessin, and people all over the world, might come to Yeshua Ha Mashiach as Lord and Savior and understand that the world is not ‘falling apart,’ in fact—everything is actually ‘coming together,’ just as the Bible declared it would.
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