Jewish Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman (1720-1797) known as the Gra, or the “Vilna Gaon”
It was in the year of 1720 that a young prodigy and genius was born. The Gaon (Hebrew for “genius”), Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman was to become the most influential Jewish leader in modern history. He would be known as the most renowned Ashkenazi Torah authority in the past thousand years. His vast skills in memorization, his extraordinary talents, great wisdom and his comprehension of all branches of Torah and secular knowledge were early recognized.
By the age of seven, he gave his first public discourse on the Torah demonstrating an intellect that was fully developed to abstract thinking as an adult. By the age of ten years, his wisdom in the understanding of the Torah was so renowned for he no longer could find a teacher with the command of the Torah as he. Known as “The Gra”, this prodigious Torah giant set the standard of Torah study, absolute devotion to G-d and a character perfection emulated by centuries of later students of his manuscripts and books.
Authentic Picture of the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman
According to the enlightening article in the Jewish Virtual Library called the“Vilna Gaon– Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna”we read that at a very young age, the young rabbi went into a self-imposed “galus” or exile where he wandered from community to community as a beggar and sage. For forty years, he studied in isolation.
To the Gaon, the Torah was paramount and primary to all other studies. According to the Gaon’s son’s testimony, his father did not sleep more than two hours in a twenty four hour period for over fifty years. His memory and biblical knowledge was legendary, for he had no peers equal among the sages for the breadth for this knowledge included both revealed and hidden Torah knowledge. Yet he was also knowledgeable in secular sciences including authoring books on grammar and mathematics. His yeshiva, (academy of Torah study) was the premier yeshiva of the world for over 100 years and recognized as the model of all subsequent seminaries of Torah studies.
After forty years of studying in isolation, he finally settled in the town of Vilna. Living a quiet life, his fame as a Tzaddik (righteous man) and Torah scholar soon spread all over the land. In spite of a life of poverty, he gave 20% of all his income to charity and even would limit his own personal needs so he could marry an orphan girl or redeem a captive. Though in constant study, his ear was also kept to the needs of the local population. He began a local yeshiva, accepting students from the renown Torah scholars of that ere and from the writings of these students, scholars today are given a glimpse of the rare breadth of intellect that the Gra upheld.
According to the enlightening article in the Jewish Virtual Library called the“Vilna Gaon– Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna”we read that at a very young age, the young rabbi went into a self-imposed “galus” or exile where he wandered from community to community as a beggar and sage. For forty years, he studied in isolation.
To the Gaon, the Torah was paramount and primary to all other studies. According to the Gaon’s son’s testimony, his father did not sleep more than two hours in a twenty four hour period for over fifty years. His memory and biblical knowledge was legendary, for he had no peers equal among the sages for the breadth for this knowledge included both revealed and hidden Torah knowledge. Yet he was also knowledgeable in secular sciences including authoring books on grammar and mathematics. His yeshiva, (academy of Torah study) was the premier yeshiva of the world for over 100 years and recognized as the model of all subsequent seminaries of Torah studies.
After forty years of studying in isolation, he finally settled in the town of Vilna. Living a quiet life, his fame as a Tzaddik (righteous man) and Torah scholar soon spread all over the land. In spite of a life of poverty, he gave 20% of all his income to charity and even would limit his own personal needs so he could marry an orphan girl or redeem a captive. Though in constant study, his ear was also kept to the needs of the local population. He began a local yeshiva, accepting students from the renown Torah scholars of that ere and from the writings of these students, scholars today are given a glimpse of the rare breadth of intellect that the Gra upheld.
Rabbi Moshe Shturnbuch: The Great Grandson of the Gaon of Vilan osb’m
Today, the Grand Rabbi Moshe Shturnbuch is the great grandson of the Gaon of Vilna osb’m and is a Edah Charedit, an Ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jew. Today Rabbi Shturnbuch (Sternbuk) is the Raavad or the Vice-President of the Rabbinic Court and eligible to become the Chief Rabbi (Gaavad) if the present Chief Rabbi Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss were to decease or could not fulfill his responsibilities of the Haredi Rabbinic Court.
As reported by Rabbi Lazer Brody with Lazer Beams in late March, 2014, titled, “Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch: We Hear the Footsteps of Moshiach”, we read;
Rabbi Lazer Brody – “Rav Shternbuch received a closely guarded secret that came to him from Rabbi Yitzchak Chever zatza”l, who received it from Rabbi Chaim of Volozhyn zatza”l, who received it from the Gaon of Vilna himself, who revealed it shortly before his death:
“When you hear that the Russians have captured the city of Crimea, you should know that the times of the Messiah have started, that his steps are being heard. And when you hear that the Russians have reached the city of Constantinople (today’s Istanbul), you should put on your Shabbat clothes and don’t take them off, because it means that the Messiah is about to come any minute.”
Today, the Grand Rabbi Moshe Shturnbuch is the great grandson of the Gaon of Vilna osb’m and is a Edah Charedit, an Ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jew. Today Rabbi Shturnbuch (Sternbuk) is the Raavad or the Vice-President of the Rabbinic Court and eligible to become the Chief Rabbi (Gaavad) if the present Chief Rabbi Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss were to decease or could not fulfill his responsibilities of the Haredi Rabbinic Court.
As reported by Rabbi Lazer Brody with Lazer Beams in late March, 2014, titled, “Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch: We Hear the Footsteps of Moshiach”, we read;
Rabbi Lazer Brody – “Rav Shternbuch received a closely guarded secret that came to him from Rabbi Yitzchak Chever zatza”l, who received it from Rabbi Chaim of Volozhyn zatza”l, who received it from the Gaon of Vilna himself, who revealed it shortly before his death:
“When you hear that the Russians have captured the city of Crimea, you should know that the times of the Messiah have started, that his steps are being heard. And when you hear that the Russians have reached the city of Constantinople (today’s Istanbul), you should put on your Shabbat clothes and don’t take them off, because it means that the Messiah is about to come any minute.”
So today, for those with “eyes that can see” are standing on the cusp of awaiting for the Messiah son of David (Moshiach ben Dovid) to come, but in reality the time of the Guela (days of Redemption) is already upon us. As Dov Bear Barleib commented on Rabbi Brody’s blog, we read:
Dov Bear Barleib – “The Gog ben Gog Shmittah (Gog-Magog) cycle came and went without Geulah because too many of the enablers of the Gush Katif fiasco (2005) were observant Jews. They successfully delayed the Geulah one and only one full Shmittah cycle to the Cycle of the half Xtian/ half Muslim (half iron and half clay) 11th horn dude from the Book of Daniel, the Obamanation that makes desolate.
Gavriel the Angel then vows at the very end of the Book of Daniel that that last Shmittah cycle will not pass without Mashiach coming at the end of that last seven years. The 7th year or the Sabbatical year begins in 6 months (Rosh Hashanah 5774 or 2015). We are now 18 months until the end of that Shmittah cycle (Rosh Hashanah 2008 to Rosh Hashanah 2015 in the Jewish year 5775).”
The prospects for the true arrival of the era of the Messiah to finally be upon us appears also to be associated with the conquest of ancient Constantinople, or Istanbul today. As Dov Barleib wrote concerning the Statue of Nebuchadnezzar, we are in the era of the legs of the statue that were made of legs of iron and clay. This concept of ten toes of iron and miry clay (ceramic) collaborates less with Vatican Rome’s Christian notion that the two legs of the image were the Western Roman Empire in Vatican Rome and Eastern Byzantine Roman Empire in Constantinople.
Instead it merges beautifully with the Jewish and Islamic understanding that at the end of days, the last major forces will be Islam and the Amalekites that harassed the Children of Israel as they were traveling towards the Promised Land, and later had to fight in the days of King Saul and King David.
This converges with the Shiite understanding in the Islamic hadiths that during the last days, the Islamic forces of the Bani-Israelite Pashtun Tribes will rise up with the Islamic Mahdi (Islamic Messiah, Isi ben Mariam) to confront the Dajjal, the Islamic anti-Messiah. So, who is this Islamic anti-Messiah called the Dajjal? The modern understanding in the eyes of the Muslim people is that the Dajjal is NATO Rome fronted by the power the Greater Satan, the aerial power of the United States.
Istanbul and the Church of the Hagia Sophia
As BibleSearchers Reflections wrote five years ago in 2009, “The Durrani Pashtun Afghan Bani-Israel Empire and its Legacy: The Islamic Messiah, the Madhi and the anti-Messiah, the Dajjal.”
BibleSearchers Reflections – “The “Battle Axe” of G-d, the Lost Tribes of Israel who were implanted as the Pashtuns of Afghanistan, will become the predominate counter insurgents against the global forces of the West and the Vatican that are seeking world domination. Let us read this interesting and tantalizing fact:
Hadhrat (“Great Presence”) Buraidah (R.A.) narrated by Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join that army which will come from Khurasaan." (Ibn Adi)
The mystery gets deeper as we begin to realize that the Islamic messiah called “The Mahdi” will be hidden, like Osama ben Laden was for many years, in the midst of the Afghani tribal forces of the Pashtun tribes. As we will later read, one of most important objectives of the Mahdi’s Army will be to head towards Jerusalem. This army, according to this following Hadith will be that the first Islamic army to attack from the Muslim world will be from the Bani Ishaq [Sons of Isaac or the Children of Israel (Bani-Israel)].
It appears that the first attack will be on the city of Istanbul (Constantinople). This military attack against the former capital of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire will cause the fall of that great city. Istanbul will be spared looting and desecration for suddenly the news will arrive that the Dajjal (False or Anti-Messiah) will have arrived in the region. Suddenly the Mahdi’s forces will “leave everything there and would turn to him the Dajjal or the anti-Messiah)”, and head back to Damascus to find the False Messiah.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Apostle (may peace he upon him) saying: “You have heard about a city the one side of which is in the land and the other is in the sea (Constantinople). They said: Allah's Messenger, yes. Thereupon he said: “The Last Hour would not come (time of the end) unless seventy thousand persons (warriors) from Bani lshaq (Sons of Isaac) would attack it. When they would land there, they will neither fight with weapons nor would they shower arrows but would only say:" There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest," that one side of it would fall.
Thaur (one of the narrators) said: “I think that he said: ‘The part by the side of the ocean. Then they would say for the second time: "There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest" that the second side would also fall, and they would say: "There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest," that the gates would be opened for them and they would enter therein and, they would be collecting spoils of war and distributing them amongst themselves that a noise would be heard and It would be said: Verily, Dajjal (False or Anti-Messiah) has come. And thus they would leave everything there and would turn to him (the Dajjal or the anti-Messiah). (Saheh Muslim)."
As BibleSearchers Reflections wrote five years ago in 2009, “The Durrani Pashtun Afghan Bani-Israel Empire and its Legacy: The Islamic Messiah, the Madhi and the anti-Messiah, the Dajjal.”
BibleSearchers Reflections – “The “Battle Axe” of G-d, the Lost Tribes of Israel who were implanted as the Pashtuns of Afghanistan, will become the predominate counter insurgents against the global forces of the West and the Vatican that are seeking world domination. Let us read this interesting and tantalizing fact:
Hadhrat (“Great Presence”) Buraidah (R.A.) narrated by Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join that army which will come from Khurasaan." (Ibn Adi)
The mystery gets deeper as we begin to realize that the Islamic messiah called “The Mahdi” will be hidden, like Osama ben Laden was for many years, in the midst of the Afghani tribal forces of the Pashtun tribes. As we will later read, one of most important objectives of the Mahdi’s Army will be to head towards Jerusalem. This army, according to this following Hadith will be that the first Islamic army to attack from the Muslim world will be from the Bani Ishaq [Sons of Isaac or the Children of Israel (Bani-Israel)].
It appears that the first attack will be on the city of Istanbul (Constantinople). This military attack against the former capital of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire will cause the fall of that great city. Istanbul will be spared looting and desecration for suddenly the news will arrive that the Dajjal (False or Anti-Messiah) will have arrived in the region. Suddenly the Mahdi’s forces will “leave everything there and would turn to him the Dajjal or the anti-Messiah)”, and head back to Damascus to find the False Messiah.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Apostle (may peace he upon him) saying: “You have heard about a city the one side of which is in the land and the other is in the sea (Constantinople). They said: Allah's Messenger, yes. Thereupon he said: “The Last Hour would not come (time of the end) unless seventy thousand persons (warriors) from Bani lshaq (Sons of Isaac) would attack it. When they would land there, they will neither fight with weapons nor would they shower arrows but would only say:" There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest," that one side of it would fall.
Thaur (one of the narrators) said: “I think that he said: ‘The part by the side of the ocean. Then they would say for the second time: "There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest" that the second side would also fall, and they would say: "There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest," that the gates would be opened for them and they would enter therein and, they would be collecting spoils of war and distributing them amongst themselves that a noise would be heard and It would be said: Verily, Dajjal (False or Anti-Messiah) has come. And thus they would leave everything there and would turn to him (the Dajjal or the anti-Messiah). (Saheh Muslim)."
The Hurva (Churvah) Synagogue (Israel’s National Synagogue) rebuild in 1864 by the Disciples of the Vilna Gaon and again in 2010 after Blown up by Jordan in 1948; preparing Jerusalem for the Revealing of the Jewish Messiah, Maschiach ben Dovid
The new prophetic insight from the Vilna Gaon as to the final days is eye-revealing in that Istanbul, the capital of Turkey today is a NATO partner with the European Union and the United States. Now as the capital of Turkey, and also a NATO partner, this august city, may soon may be recognized by the Islamic Mahdi as part of the anti-Messiah system called the Dajjal. At the same time, if the Lost Pashtun Bani-Israelites in Khorasan do invade ancient Constantinople, it may be in collaboration with Putin’s Russia, who, with China is already the backbone of the Islamic nuclear program in Iran and Assad’s genocidal Syria. So will Putin’s Russia along with China seek to destroy or take possession of one of NATO strong military friends and assets?
Why would Putin want to invade Constantinople or Istanbul today? Even though the State of Turkey appears in western eyes to be an Islamic State, it was a founding member of the United Nations in 1945, was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2008 and a permanent member on January 1, 2009. Turkey as the second largest standing armed force in NATO after the American armed forces. They have almost a half a million forces that can be deployed.
Out of 26 nations that are a part of NATO, only five NATO members are a part of the nuclear sharing policies of the alliance; Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Turkey. Not only that the “Crown Jewel” of Turkey’s military is the Incirlik Air Base that today hosts 90 American B61 nuclear bombers of which 40 are dedicated for the Turkish Air Force so that in the presence of a nuclear conflict with the permission of NATO, 40 of those bombers are dedicated for the Turkish Air Force.
In other words, Turkey is the gateway from the Far East, Near East and Middle East to Western Europe. No wonder Putin would covet control of Istanbul and the Islamic Mahdi would seek to wrestle the military assets of the “Crown Jewel” of NATO for the Islamic forces of Allah.
If the abduction of the Crimean Peninsula, once the stronghold of the Lost Ten Tribes of the House of Israel during the 4th to the 1st century BCE and today now annexed by Russia is permanent, then what would it take to invade Istanbul and take possession of the once august capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople? Would this be a part of the Russian’s ruthless bid to take possession of NATO’s “Crown Jewel”, the city of Istanbul while entering the heartland of the Islamic world at the Straits of the Dardanelles?
Then we might ask, would the 70,000 man army of the Mahdi also be a part of a bi-polar thrust to lock down NATO’s military assets that it is using in Turkey to support the greater war to come, as the military assets of the globalists of America and the European Union confront the military assets of the globalists seeking world dominion over Russia and China. Who better, than Russia and America, would be at the fulcrum of this coming global war than the Great War between the Oriental and the Occidental worlds as shown to the Prophet Daniel in chapter 8 called the “Prophecy of the Ram and the He Goat” in Destination Yisrael’s blog titled, “World War III looms on the Horizon as the War of Daniel 8 is about to Erupt with Great Fury when Iran confronts America”?
With the collapse of Istanbul to the Islamic forces of the Mahdi, why is the anti-Messiah, called by Islam as the Dajjal suddenly now appearing in Damascus? Why do the forces of the Mahdi suddenly withdraw without taking full possession of the Eastern capital of ancient Rome and plunder her ancient treasures? The major land bridge to invade Iran from the west is Turkey. With Turkey in the hands now of Russia, and Saudi Arabia and the Arab Oil States now prepared to go alone without America to topple Shiite Iran, the only aerial land bridge from the west will have to be through Israel, Syria and Jordan. This is how the He-Goat from the west, as seen by the Prophet Daniel from the Persian palace of Shushan in vision, “el-al” flew over the land from one end of the earth to the other as he confronted the Persian Ram empowered by the might of its two great horns, Russia and China.
As the “Crown Jewel” of NATO appears to be in the hand of the Islamic messiah, The Mahdi, the Bani-Israelite forces quickly retreat and head directly to Damascus preparing to confront the Dajjal, the military forces of NATO and the United States. Will Obama’s American forces, fronting for the Shabbatean Rothschild forces of the Illuminati, now be there prepared to take possession of Damascus, the capital of Syria, where President, Bashar Assad has killed over 150,000 of its own people? This is the Syrian civil war where many Syrians were killed by chemical weapons of mass destruction given by Saddam Hussein to Syria, and now were unleashed upon Syria's own peoples?
If the Vilna Gaon, one of the greatest rabbinic minds in Jewish history was given a prophetic message almost 250 years ago witnessing the annexation of the land of Crimea to the Russian Federation, then maybe we might want to take a second look at our lives and see if we are prepared to witness the catastrophic events about to be unleashed upon Planet Earth at the “time of the End”? Prepare your hearts for what may be ahead in our lives as revealed by the Tzaddiks, the Righteous Jewish Sages of Judah.