Even History Has to End
“For I know that after my death, you will surely become corrupt and deviate from the way that I had commanded you. Consequently, the evil will befall you at the end of days, because you did evil in the eyes of G-d, to provoke Him to anger through [your idols,] the work of your hands.” [Deuteronomy 31:29]
This week’s Torah portion Vayelech features Moses assembling the Children of Israel for a covenant with G-d. The covenant marks a commitment to national responsibility to the Almighty, a guarantee that obeying the Creator will result in joy and defying Him will bring tragedy. It’s a theme stated repeatedly in Deuteronomy, the last testament of Moses.
But in the verse above Moses already has the answer: The Jews will grow fat and complacent. They will abandon G-d for the latest fad and technology. Then will come the evil “at the end of days.”
The premier commentator, Shlomo Yitzhaki, or Rashi, does not explain the term “end of days.” Neither do other major commentators such as the Ramban, Ibn Ezra and Sforno. The absence is so glaring that one can only conclude that the church censor excised numerous texts.
The exception is Jacob Ben Asher, known as the Baal Haturim, a 13th Century sage regarded as a halachic giant but of whose life we know precious little. The Baal Haturim suggests that the “end of days” is the war of Gog and Magog, mentioned in Ezekiel 38. The prophet Ezekiel also talks of Gog coming to Israel from the north with a “mighty army,” essentially a regional coalition.
“Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the north, and all his bands; even many peoples with thee.” [Ezekiel 38:5-6]
The end of days is one of the few things that the world’s major religions agree upon. Christianity and Islam also reference Ezekiel as describing the apocalypse. The end of days has been predicted in every generation. This week a South African pastor, Joshua Mhlakela, sparked a frenzy on social media when he prophesized that Jesus Christ will return on either Sept. 23 or 24, on Rosh Hashana, and “take my church.”
“There’s a storm brewing right now, and it’s dark. No human being on this Earth is ready for what is coming. I’m a billion percent sure. I began to hear literally in my ear the sound of the trumpet.”
Mhlakela’s words were not falling on deaf ears. A 2022 poll reports that nearly 50 percent of American Christians believe in the end of days. Some responded to the latest prediction by saying they would sell their house, car and prepare to be taken to heaven. For them, the hardest part would be the expected separation from their pets. In any case, Sept. 24 passed and there were no sightings of Christ.
Where the end of days appears most real is with the Jewish people. There is no doubt that we are experiencing the greatest threat since Hitler. An unlikely coalition has been forming that includes such active aggressors as Iran and its proxies, particularly Yemen, in the east and south. To the west, Egypt, despite its 46-year-old peace treaty, has been threatening war, backed by its new friend Turkey.
The shift in the United States, long regarded as Israel’s protector, has been even more astounding. A March 2025 Pew Research Center poll reports a sharp decrease in support for Israel, with 53 percent expressing an “unfavorable opinion.” Young Americans, whether Democrats or Republicans, represent the greatest factor in the opposition to Israel.
Republicans under 50 are now about as likely to have a negative view of Israel as a positive one (50% vs. 48%). In 2022, they were much more likely to see Israel positively than negatively (63% vs. 35%). [Pew. April 8, 2025]
What this might mean is that in any future war — and many say that is imminent — President Trump will do little to stop his Middle East allies from casting a massive blow on the Jewish state. Indeed, it was Trump who saved Iran’s mullah regime from Israel’s air campaign in June. Today, Iran, with help from China and Russia, has been rebuilding its military as well as refurbishing nuclear facilities as many Trump supporters question why the president joined the Israeli attack in the first place.
Moses’ message of the end of days is repeated throughout Scriptures. The scenario is of a weak and passive Israel, once sure of its might and now brought to its knees. The complacency that Israel long experienced has turned to panic.
For or soul is cast down to the dust, our belly clings to the earth. [Psalms 44:26]
Unlike Vayelech, the Ibn Ezra, full name Abraham Ben Meir Ibn Ezra, explains. He portrays a Jewish people that has lost hope. In his words, “Our soul, which descended from heaven, is cast down to the dust, and our body clings to the earth [grave].”
And that is exactly the scenario G-d has drafted for the Chosen People. Those who have brought Israel down to the dust was not mighty Rome or even Egypt, rather a tiny entity such as Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. If that is possible, the Midrash says, “expect the redemption.”
But the redemption depends on repentance and faith. King David writes in Psalms 46 “The Lord of Hosts is with us, the G-d of Jacob is our fortress forever.” This sentence is written twice in the chapter. Again, Rashi, who lived in Christian Europe, remains mute. But the Ibn Ezra, who wandered the world for more than 30 years, is explicit. Based on the Scriptures and Midrash, he envisions a world that is collapsing. Nation will fight nation. Internal fissures will tear apart even powerful nations.
The war of Gog and Magog will mark the last gasp of Israel’s enemies. The coalition against Israel will march on Jerusalem as during the Crusades nearly 1,000 years ago. Some will come for blood. Others will come for money. But G-d will be there to wreak devastation, and the world will see the divine power. It’s the culmination of a human odyssey that has lasted thousands of years. But even history has to end.
“Then the nations will see that the Lord is with us, because we will not totter as they do.” [Ibn Ezra on Psalm 46]