Rabbi’s Reflections – Sunday, July 19, 2020
Shavuah Tov *|FNAME|*,
Has God Prophesied the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election?
by Dr. And Senator Raymond Finney
INTRODUCTION: Before we get into the text of this RR, consider a sample of pertinent Scriptures about Adonai’s selection of a nation’s leader:
** [Daniel said]: “… He [God] removes kings and installs kings….” (Daniel 2:21b)
** For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up– to demonstrate My power in you, so My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Romans 9:17)
** [Adonai said] “They crowned kings, but not by Me. They appointed princes I did not approve….” (Hosea 8:4a)
** … For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are put in place by God. (Romans 13:1b)
** [Yeshua said to Pilate] “You would have no authority over Me if it hadn’t been given to you from above….” (John 19:11a)
** For the Lord’s sake, submit yourselves to every human authority…. (1 Peter 2:13a)
** … for the authorities are God’s servants…. (Romans 13:6b)
** Then Yeshua said [to the Pharisees and Herodians], “Give to Caesar [the government] the things that are Caesar’s,….” (Mark 12:17a)
God appoints leaders (“kings”) for His purposes. He may appoint a bad leader to punish a nation (example: King Saul disgraced Israel). He may appoint a good leader to reward a nation (example: King David blessed Israel). God will raise either Trump or Biden to the U.S. presidency in November, 2020 for His purposes– to bless America; or, to curse America; or, for a reason presently unknown by us.
SIDELIGHT: If a Believer has faith that God chooses leaders, should he/ she even bother to vote? Yes! Yeshua and others command that we Believers participate in civic affairs. We honor God, if we vote for the man or woman chosen by God for a leadership position. King David’s army was not despised by God because they followed David. Yeshua taught that we can divide loyalties, serving both “Caesar” (a national government) and God. Respected research organizations have shown: ** Many self-confessed Believers vote for candidates who support positions in stark contrast to Biblical teachings; and
** Only a minority of Believers actually vote or are even registered to vote.
If you are a Believer who does not vote or does not vote only after listening for the Ruach HaKodesh’s instructions, shame on you! You are unworthy of being called a Believer or an American. (There is still time to register to vote and to seek the Ruach’s guidance. Vote, as if Yeshua could take your place in the polling booth.) END sidelight.
This RR touches two subjects which may give Rabbi Weiner heartburn, as he decides whether to accept it. It discusses:
** The Torah Codes (Bible Codes), rejected outright by some and considered unreliable by others, while accepted by many as a revelation from God to be used by a generation with ready access to computers to be able to unlock the codes. (Rabbi’s answer: The Bible codes are worthwhile to confirm what we already know. I would never base my theology on them alone. My fear is that some people have. End RA)
** A political race, particularly the United States’ presidential election in November, 2020– the race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. (Rabbi’s answer: The political election must be viewed by each Believer as something to be viewed as a spiritual event and not a political one. If Raymond bring spiritual insight to an event of monumental importance in our day, then I’m all for it. End RA)
As I write, the conclusion of this RR– based on deciphering the Torah Code– is that Trump will defeat Biden. However, most polls presently predict Biden will win and Trump’s popularity is falling rapidly.
Is the 2020 presidential race déjà vu of the 2016 presidential race? In the 2016 race, Hillary Clinton was assured by most pollsters and political pundits of a crushing defeat of Donald Trump.
THE TORAH (BIBLE) CODE: Some Bible students claim there are coded messages hidden in the Tanakh, especially the Torah. These messages can be revealed through equidistant letter sequence (ELS) examination of the Hebrew text. To Torah Code researchers, the text we see when the Torah scroll is opened is the “surface text.” Within this surface text is a hidden, encoded text– the Torah Code. In the Torah Code deciphering technique, any letter in the Torah may be chosen as a starting point. Then, a skip number– a number of any magnitude used as a skip distance between letters– is tested. Proceeding in any direction from the starting point letter and maintaining the same skip number (ELS) between letters, it is determined if identified letters spell words or phrases. Such words/ phrases often congregate in the same passage to tell a message.
It was suggested by thirteenth-century Rabbi Bachya ben Asher (Spain) that coded messages were hidden in the Torah. One of the world’s greatest scientists-mathematicians, Isaac Newton, was convinced such coded messages existed in the Torah. Newton spent much of his life trying to unlock these codes. He failed. He did not have the advantage of a computer. More importantly, though, it was not in God’s timetable to reveal these messages during Newton’s lifetime.
Understanding God’s timetable is a basic requirement to understand Bible prophecy. Prophecies almost always are written many centuries earlier and are not understood or considered relevant by generations of readers, until that one moment when God needs to reveal His message (His plan) to a generation. Then, the “hidden” prophecy becomes obvious, and people wonder, “Why did so many people overlook this clear prophecy for so long?” Scriptures give examples of God’s prophets not understanding the prophecies God entrusted to them to write for our benefit. I also believe different children of God can receive different messages from the same Bible verse. That is, the Ruach HaKodesh may inspire different Believers to understand God’s Word in different ways.
In the latter part of the twentieth century, Rips and Witzum developed computer software to permit rapid search of the Torah text for ELS-coded messages. Although baffled and cautiously skeptical, initial ELS research was published (in 1994) in the prestigious journal, “Statistical Science.” In 1997, Drosnin published a best-seller book, “The Bible Code.”
Computers are best suited for Torah Code research, as a computer can accomplish in minutes what it would take a person with pencil and paper to accomplish in many hours. You can even download/ install Torah Code search/ interpretation software for your computer (free). I have resisted the temptation to do so, as I fear I would spend all of my time looking for hidden messages.
Researchers have unlocked thousands of encoded words and phrases. Many Torah Codes seem to describe events– events in the future, when the Bible was written many centuries ago– with uncanny accuracy. In the United States, major Torah Code proponents (researchers, authors) were Yakov Rambsel, a Messianic Jew, and Grant Jeffrey, a Christian– both of whom are now dead. I own a few of their Torah Code books. I have had the privilege of hearing several Torah Code lectures given by both of these gentle scholars and men of faith.
Torah Code research has attracted vicious criticism and detractors, as might be expected.
To understand the Torah Code, you will need to read about and seriously study it in greater depth than I can cover in this RR, and you will need to see actual ELS illustrations to understand what I have bungled in my brief description in this RR.
RABBI GLAZERSON’S 2016 RESEARCH: I taught Sunday School in Blount County in July, 2016. I announced to my class that I “knew” Trump would win the election to be held months away, regardless of what the political “experts” were saying. Why was I so certain? I read the Torah Code research of Rabbi Matiyahu Glazerson of Jerusalem in July of 2016, and I believed the method by which he had come to his conclusion.
The rabbi stated with unswerving conviction that the Torah Code clearly showed that Donald Trump would be elected president. Most of America’s political “experts” and pollsters at that time disagreed with the rabbi. Their polls clearly showed that Hillary Clinton would be elected in a landslide.
The only thing that bothered me, then, was that the rabbi gave two dates, said to be recorded in the Torah, for this victory– November 8 AND November 9, 2016. The United States held the election on only one date (November 8 in 2016). Why the two dates? As I watched the election returns in the wee hours of November 9, the answer to my question suddenly became evident. The election was held on Tuesday, November 8, but the election was not “called” until early Wednesday morning, November 9– one day for voting and the next day to announce results. Two days! Outsmarted by God again!
Rabbi Glazerson’s 2016 Torah Code prediction can be read in multiple sources predating the November 2016 election. I will not print these sources in this RR, but you can find them through a search engine inquiry. (Does anything posted on the Internet ever get deleted?)
RABBI GLAZERSON’S 2020 RESEARCH: Rabbi Glazerson recently issued his Torah Code research nearly a half-year before the November 2020 election. His research has been presented in several popular publications. According to Glazerson’s research, Trump will be re-elected. Use a search engine to find these published reports. In summary, Rabbi Glazerson finds this particular Torah Code with several closely congregated words and dates, which are in Hebrew, but which are, here, translated into English:
** “Trump” is mentioned by name. Next to Trump’s name is the word for “chieftain,” which is commonly translated “president” (president was a title unknown in ancient times).
** Beneath this “chieftain” (president) title and “Trump” are letters spelling “two” (two terms? twice?) and letters translated as 5780 (which is the Hebrew calendar equivalent of our year of 2020). Also present is the phrase, “will be elected.” (Slight Rabbi adjustment: by the time of the election it will be 5781 which begins at sundown on September 17, 2020. End SRA)
** “Corona” is found, suggesting that the corona virus pandemic will still be significant at election time. “Corona” and “United States” are closely connected, again suggesting this pandemic will still be an issue in our nation in November– which seems likely at this point.
** The word “plague” also is present.
** The phrase “he will save” occurs twice in this Code sequence. Who saves, is not clear. Surely, the media will not give Trump credit for saving anything or anybody.
** Included in the Code is the name “Cyrus.” Cyrus the Great was the Persian king who freed the Israelites to return from Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem to rebuild their defeated nation and the Second Temple. Trump has been called by Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu and others a modern-day Cyrus because of Trump’s special friendship with Israel (moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel, etc.).
** The title “Messiah” is also present. We usually think of Yeshua as the Messiah, but the Hebrew HaMashiach translates to “the anointed (chosen) one” and can be used for special persons other than Yeshua. God called “Cyrus” His anointed one (Isaiah 45:1).
** See a YouTube video presentation with Rabbi Glazerson as well as a Torah scroll marked with Code findings at: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/152459/torah-codes-reveal-trump-wins-re-election-in-2020/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Torah+Codes+Reveal%3A+Trump+Wins+Re-Election+in+2020+and+Today+s+Top+Stories&utm_campaign=BIN+-+AM+-+JUNE+16%2C+2020 .
** The rabbi cannot let this opportunity pass without a teaching comment. Rabbi Glazerson suggests that the corona pandemic may be a sign from God that we have sinned mightily against Him. Rabbi Glazerson also adds abortion and sexual sins that may incur punishment from God, as in the days of Noah’s flood.
WHAT IF THESE RESULTS ARE WRONG? The whole concept of the Torah Code is controversial. Some students believe these encoded messages are special, end-time revelations from God. Other students believe these encoded messages are nonsensical “parlor tricks.”
As far as I know, no other scholar has examined Rabbi Glazerson’s recent work (which was only announced in early July, 2020). In important research, it is desirable and customary to have other scholars study the research and either confirm the findings as valid or discredit the findings as invalid.
I only present Rabbi Glazerson’s views for your interest. We will know in early November whether God sent us a message, hidden in the words of Moses in Leviticus, to confirm His choice for America’s president in 2020. Taking a risk of causing some readers’ heads to spin violently, I will opine that if Joe Biden is elected president, we will have more to worry about than Rabbi Glazerson’s research misinterpretation. Shalom and Maranatha.