An awful lot is happening in and around Israel and everyone has an opinion about it, including Christians. But you don't hear much about the judgments coming upon the people of Israel, even in the Christian world. Yet the Bible is not silent about it, and if we have our eyes open, we see developments in the world that indicate it is coming. All we can still do is pray that many Jews now, in our time, will accept the Lord Jesus as their Savior and be saved.
Judgment on Israel: two-thirds perish
There are several prophecies in the Bible from which we can conclude that a time of great tribulation will come for Israel (and the whole world). Very specifically, it is prophesied of Israel that then two-thirds of the people in the land will perish.
“It shall come to pass, in all the land, saith the LORD, that two thirds therein shall be blotted out and shall give up the ghost, but a third shall remain therein. I will bring that third part into the fire, purifying it as one purifies silver, and testing it as one tests gold. It will call on My Name, and I will hear it. I will say, This is My people; and it shall say, The LORD is my God." (Zechariah 13:8-9).
It is a terrible judgment from God that you hear little to nothing about in the "Christian press. What is mentioned is the promise of God that He will save His people and that the Messiah will come - Christ - who will establish His kingdom. By the way, according to the text, that refers to a third of the people who will be converted to God.
But that terrible judgment of God on those two-thirds? What to do with that? What is the answer when we ask why God does that? Surely God is not punishing them because the people committed idolatry in the past - in the days of the prophets? That would be unjust, wouldn't it?
Later in this article, we will see that Israel's idolatry earlier in biblical times, as well as now in the last days, is the reason for the coming of God's judgment.
Israel's ongoing problem: idolatry
When it comes to Israel, the problem God has with Israel is their continued idolatry. Before they enter the Promised Land - after wandering around in the desert for 40 years - God warns them at length against idolatry and its consequences in the book of Deuteronomy. The curses in chapter 28 leave no ambiguity about it.
""You will serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send upon you, with hunger and thirst, with nakedness and lack of everything. He will put an iron yoke on your neck, until He wipes you out. The LORD will cause a people to come against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle coming to soar; a people whose language you do not understand, a merciless people, who do not spare old people and are not merciful to young people." (Deuteronomy 28:48-50)" (Exodus 20:5-6)
“You will be torn away from the land you are going to take possession of. The LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known, wood and stone. Thereby you shall not come to rest among those nations, and the sole of your foot shall have no resting place, for the LORD shall give you there a trembling heart, languishing eyes and a sorrowing soul." (Deuteronomy 28:63-65)
And before Moses dies and the people enter the Promised Land, he hears from the Lord that the people will still fall back into idolatry and He will have to judge them.
“And the LORD said to Moses, Behold, you are going to rest with your fathers; and this people shall rise up and go after the strange gods of the land to which they are going, as in whoredom, in the midst of that land. It will forsake Me and break My covenant which I made with it. (...) I will certainly hide My face in that day, because of all the evil it has done, for it has turned to other gods." (Deuteronomy 31:16,18).
Moses must make a song about it from the Lord, so that the people would more easily remember these words later.
“Then he forsook God Who made him; he despised the Rock of his salvation. They brought Him to envy with strange gods; with abominable deeds they provoked Him to wrath. They have sacrificed to demons, not to God; to gods they did not know, to new gods, who have recently come, before whom your fathers did not tremble." (Deuteronomy 32:15-17).
The judgments, exile and restoration of Israel
This is also how it happened. The Lord had to judge them again and again, and eventually the people were taken into exile. First Samaria - the 10-tribe kingdom - was taken away to Assyria.
“In the ninth year of Hosea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria. He made them live in Halah and in Habor, by the river Gozan and in the cities of Media. This happened because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, Who had led them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. They had worshipped other gods, and had walked according to the ordinances of the heathen people whom the LORD had driven out from before the Israelites" (2 Kings 17:6-8).
Judah, the two-tribe kingdom, was later taken away in exile to Babylon (read 2 Kings 24 and 25).
The prophets who lived at that time alerted the people to their condition of apostasy (idolatry), called for repentance to the Lord, but also announced His judgment should repentance fail.
Furthermore, they often prophesied about the time of restoration that would come when the Messiah would appear and establish His kingdom here on earth. The latter is interesting because it is then about the time of the end (see, for example, Daniel 12:7-9).
the prophecies of the Old Testament are actual
when it comes to what will happen to israel in the last times
But that also means that in the prophecies of the Old Testament you can find many things that are precisely very recognizable and current in our time.
Zephaniah, the summary of the prophecies
Zephaniah is a minor prophet who makes it very clear how God deals with Israel and the nations. In three chapters, the prophet tells of judgment on Israel and the world, but also of God's ultimate blessing. It has been called "the summary of prophecies.
- Judgment of the world 1:2-3
- Judgment on Judah 1:4-2:3
- Judgment on Israel's neighbors 2:4-15
- Judgment on Jerusalem 3:1-7
- Judgment on all nations 3:8
- Blessing on Israel and the nations 3:9-20
No doubt the prophecy had a significance for the time in which it was spoken and written. In addition, there have certainly been later (partial) fulfillments, but very specifically, Zephaniah is about the things that will happen in the last days. It is the "day of the Lord" - and the reference to "that day1 - in which God will judge Israel, but also the neighboring countries and eventually the whole world. The latter aspect is also emphatic in Zephaniah.
The beginning of the first chapter of Zephaniah
Let's read the text of the first chapter and make a few observations about it.
“The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cusji, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. I will utterly wipe out everything from the face of the earth, says the LORD. I will wipe out man and beast, I will wipe out the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea, and the stumbling blocks, along with the wicked; yes, I will exterminate men from the face of the earth, saith the LORD." (Zephaniah 1:1-3)
These verses contain things that will happen yet ('I will'). But at the same time, it does seem to refer to the Flood, God's global judgment on depraved humanity, from which only Noah and his family were saved (Genesis 6-8). It is a judgment on the whole earth and all mankind, as also outlined in Isaiah 24.
Against this background, the Lord proceeds to address Judah and Jerusalem.
“I will Extend My hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will exterminate from this place the remnant of Baal, the name of the idol priests, with the priests, and those who bow down on the rooftops before the army in the sky, and those who bow down and swear by the LORD AND swear by Malcam, and who turn away from the LORD, away from Him, and who have not sought the LORD and have not asked of Him." (Zephaniah 1:4-6)
Here we read why Israel comes under God's judgment: it is the idolatry of the people, who think they are serving the Lord, but meanwhile serve the demons (Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17). It is actually the same as at the time of Noah: the mixing of the world of men with the world of demons2, making God's judgment inescapable.
So is there idolatry in Israel now?
You might say that idolatry only refers to the past and now it is about all those other things mentioned in the chapters. But there are a few arguments against that and the first is that the text of chapter 1 very directly mentions idolatry as the reason for the coming judgment of God, for the "day of the Lord. The second reason is that the other things that are mentioned - as, for example, injustice, violence and deceit, greed and wealth with all that is attached to it - are things that are a consequence of idolatry. After all, because of this the conscience is silent and people believe that God does not see it and intervene: "The LORD does no good and He does no evil." (Zephaniah 1:12). Throughout the Old Testament, these things are the result of idolatry; so too here.
But what about the idolatry of Israel today? Well, it is the same as in the contemporary Western world. Much of the population of Israel - estimate is 80 % or more - is simply secular and have adopted Western morality. They are just as influenced by drug use, meditation, music and things like that as here with us (see, for example here). Their lives are "westernized," so to speak.
In addition, there is a large group of Orthodox Jews (the so-called Charedean Jews) estimated at about 12 to 13 %. Already earlier I discovered things there that in my opinion are flawed (see, for example here); a lot of unbiblical thought and mysticism.
I had the idea that there was something special about that Orthodoxy after all, and then I looked into the meaning and purpose of the so-called "shucklen. That is moving the upper body back and forth when studying Torah/Talmud and praying. At the time, this was difficult to figure out on the Internet; I could only find one reference that made a connection between "shucklen" and mysticism.
Shuckling, davening and meditation
So now I searched again for the concept of shuckling. During that search, I came across the term "davening" which - as far as I understand - is a prayer practice related to "shuckling.
In searching for the meaning of these terms, it did now become abundantly clear that they are indeed about god experiences, getting closer to god, more focus and so on. All the same terms and words used in the Christian West as well. The views on shuckling are varied, but the most telling in my opinion is the following.
- Some believers experience that shuckling helps to achieve a higher level of consciousness achieve. It can help detach the soul from worldly affairs and closer to the divine coming, by synchronizing the physical movements with the spiritual intention of prayer or study.
- A rabbi explained on YouTube what shucklen is and compared it to meditation. Among other things, he said the following: "Shucklen is to focus again and again on a word that is important to you and meditate on it. You have to keep repeating it. If you do that then the word expands and becomes powerful in you, so to speak, so that you start to feel it. It takes you into another world and allows you to actually experience inwardly that which you are meditating on. Take a piece of mango as an example. If you meditate on that, you can indeed taste, smell and experience that mango inwardly..”
- The "Davening experience" is designed to bringing the believer closer to God, the awareness of the sacred deepen and a sense of spiritual fulfillment and community offer. For many, it is a daily ritual that helps anchor their faith and nurture their spiritual life.
- Davening is a "rich and complex" part of Jewish religious life. It combines intention, physical movement, community spirit, music and personal expression to create a profound spiritual experience create. Through these various elements, davening becomes more than just the uttering of words; it becomes a moment of connection with the divine and with one's own spiritual core.
Click here for more detailed quotes and summaries on "shuckling" and "davening.
- About Shuckling
Shuckling, also called "shaking," is a custom among many Orthodox Jews in which they move their head and upper body back and forth during prayer or the study of sacred texts. This ritual rocking has a number of possible sources and purposes, both historical and
spiritual.
* One of the earliest descriptions of shuckling comes from Rabbi Yehuda Halevi in his work "Kuzari" (12th century). He describes that people in synagogues moved while studying in order to better maintain attention and to remain physically active during prolonged sessions of prayer and study.
* In Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, shuckling is seen as a physical expression of the soul burning with longing for God. It is sometimes compared to the flame of a candle in constant motion, symbolizing the ever-present quest of the soul for spiritual enlightenment and connection with the divine.
* Concentration and Focus: The rhythmic movement can help increase concentration and achieve a meditative state. For some people, the physical movement helps to better organize thoughts and keep attention focused on the text or prayer.
* Physical Involvement: Shuckling can be seen as a way to involve the body in spiritual activity. By physically moving, the whole body becomes a participant in prayer, not just the voice or mind. This aligns with the Jewish view that serving God should be a complete, holistic experience that includes body and mind.
* Tradition and Continuity: Like many rituals within Judaism, shuckling contributes to a sense of belonging to generations of believers who have followed the same practice. Continuing these movements reinforces a sense of community and tradition.
* Spiritual Elevation (elevation): Some believers find that shuckling helps achieve a higher level of consciousness. It can help detach the soul from worldly affairs and get closer to the divine by synchronizing physical movements with the spiritual intention of prayer or study.
Conclusion
Shuckling is a deeply rooted tradition in Orthodox Judaism with multiple possible explanations for both its origin and purpose. It can serve to increase concentration, enhance physical and spiritual engagement, provide a sense of continuity with the past, and achieve a higher level of consciousness during prayer or the study of sacred texts. Whether seen as a practical tool or a mystical act, it remains an important part of Jewish prayer and study culture. - About Davening
The term "Davening experience" refers to the experience of prayer (davening) within Judaism, especially within Orthodox communities. Davening (from the Yiddish "davenen," meaning to pray) encompasses more than just the recitation of prayers; it is a profound, spiritual and often emotional experience. Here are some aspects that characterize the Davening experience:
* Spiritual Intention (Kavanah):
- Kavanah literally means "intention" or "focus" and refers to the inner attitude and concentration a person has during prayer. It involves focusing one's thoughts and feelings toward God, which makes a prayer more profound and meaningful.
*Body movement (Shuckling):
- As discussed earlier, rhythmic movement during prayer can help concentration and enhance spiritual experience. Physically engaging the body can make prayer more dynamic and lively.
* Community spirit (Minjan)**:
- In Judaism, much value is placed on praying in community, often in a "minyan," a quorum of ten Jewish men (in Orthodox communities). Praying together can strengthen a sense of unity and connection with others and with God.
*Prayer texts (Siddur):
- The prayers are recited from the "Siddur," the Jewish prayer book. The fixed structure and familiar texts help the faithful connect with ancient traditions and express common feelings.
* Musical Elements:
- Many prayers are sung or recited to melodies (nigunim). These musical elements can increase the emotional intensity of the prayer and evoke a sense of joy, comfort or reverence.
* Time and Regularity:
- Davening takes place at set times: morning (Shacharit), afternoon (Mincha) and evening (Maariv). This regularity helps structure daily life around moments of spirituality and reflection.
* Personal Prayers:
- In addition to the set texts, there is also space for personal prayers and requests. This gives the opportunity to express personal concerns and gratitude within the framework of formal prayer.
The Impact of the Davening Experience
The "Davening Experience" is designed to bring the believer closer to God, deepen awareness of the sacred and provide a sense of spiritual fulfillment and community. For many, it is a daily ritual that helps anchor their faith and nurture their spiritual life.
This experience can vary depending on personal beliefs, the specific community and the circumstances of the prayer. For some, it is a moment of deep introspection and connection, while for others it is an opportunity to feel connected to their community and tradition.
Conclusion
The "Davening experience" is a rich and complex part of Jewish religious life. It combines intention, physical
movement, community spirit, music and personal expression to create a profound spiritual experience. Through these various elements, davening becomes more than just the uttering of words; it becomes a moment of connection to the divine and to one's own spiritual core.
There are many videos on YouTube these days with "shuckling" or "davening" as the subject. You can easily look it up yourself.
Moreover, there are even Christians who also recommend shucking to Christians as a "deepening of their prayer life."
It should be clear to us that shuckling and davening are not harmless, but result in a state of higher consciousness. Thus, in biblical terms, idolatry, where one thinks one is experiencing god, but is actually influenced by demons.
A great sorrow for Paul
Following the above, I cannot escape the conclusion that even today idolatry in Israel is great. Not only secular, as in the Western world, but also precisely Jewish-religious, as in the Western Christian world.
When I sit and search for the meaning of shuckling and davening, I see YouTube videos coming by of religious Jews who are completely caught up in their Jewish thinking. But also recordings of Christians engaging in conversation with Jews on the street and telling them the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are often poignant conversations and when you reflect on all that, something of dismay and compassion for these people can come over you.
Paul probably experienced something similar - only much stronger, of course - when he speaks of "his brethren, kindred as to the flesh" (Romans 9:3). He then observes that Israel is being judged because of their idolatry, when he quotes from Isaiah and writes the following.
"Isaiah exclaimed of Israel: Though the number of the Israelites be as the sand of the sea, only the remnant shall be saved. For He completes a matter and deals with it in righteousness. For the Lord will indeed speedily finish His business on the earth. And as Isaiah said beforehand, If the Lord of hosts had left us no posterity, we would have become like Sodom and would have been made like Gomorrah." (Romans 9:27-29)
These texts refer to Isaiah 1, where the apostate condition of the people of God is described. The text also refers to Sodom and Gomorrah where the mixing of humans with the demons had created a totally depraved - and beyond "repair" - condition, which could only be ended by God's judgment3. Paul makes it clear that such a condition includes rejecting Christ: "For they have stumbled on the stumbling stone" (Romans 9:32-33).
For Paul it was a great sorrow that this was the fate that would befall Israel. He wished for them to be saved, and he was willing to give up his own salvation for it.
“I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie, and my conscience bears witness with me through the Holy Spirit, that it is a great source of sorrow to me, and a continual grief to my heart. (...) Brethren, the sincere desire of my heart and my prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation. (...) For everyone who will call on the Name of the Lord will be saved. How then shall they call upon Him in Whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without one who preaches?" (Romans 9:1-2; 10:1,13-14).
For Paul, there was only one solution for "his brethren according to the flesh," namely that the gospel would be preached to them, causing them to come to faith.
In this we may be imitators of Paul to pray especially for the gospel work among the Jews, that many may yet accept the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.
Footnotes
- The expressions "day of the Lord," "that day," and references to "the/a day" occur about 20 times in the book of Zephaniah. It usually refers to the wrath of God's judgments, but often includes the kingdom of peace. ↩︎
- See Genesis 6, which speaks of "sons of God" having fellowship with humans. ↩︎
- Incidentally, this was also the case in the time of Noah, as well as later in the time of Nimrod and Babel. Even now we are once again living in a time when the mixing of the world of men and demons reaches a climax and God must judge both Israel and also the world. DV we will come back to this in more detail another time. ↩︎
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