Fun with Anti-Christs

If you're like me, you regularly take a look around some of the weirder parts of the J-bloggosphere. I came across a few references to something called the "Erev Rav" over at Akiva's:

...our main service and battle is to break and to remove the strength of the Erev Rav, the k'lipah of Armelius the Evil, from Israel; the Erev Rav is our greatest enemy, the one who separates the two moshiachs. The k'lipah of the Erev Rav works only through deception and roundabout ways. Therefore, the war against the Erev Rav is the most difficult and bitterest of all. We must strengthen ourselves for this war, and anyone who does not participate in the battle against the Erev Rav becomes, de facto, a partner with the k'lipah of the Erev Rav, and was better off not being born in the first place.

...As I see it, with Sharon gone, but not gone, it's possible that we are now in a transition phase between the Mashiach ben Yosef period and the Mashiach ben David period of history. Olmert (Armilus) and his gang are standing in the breach causing a separation between these two Mashiachs and their power base is centered at the gates of Jerusalem on the western side just as was written.

I asked a smarty-pants friend of mine about this Erev Rav and Armilus (and two Messiahs) stuff, and he was clueless. Luckily, Google is smarter than many, many well-meaning friends, and I came up with a few answers.

First of all, I'll have you know that it's not just Messianic Jews who believe in two Messiahs. It's also slightly more observant Messianic Jews.

Jewish tradition speaks of two redeemers, each one called Moshiach. Both are involved in ushering in the Messianic era. They are Moshiach ben David and Moshiach ben Yossef...

The term Moshiach unqualified always refers to Moshiach ben David (Moshiach the descendant of David) of the tribe of Judah. He is the actual (final) redeemer who shall rule in the Messianic age... Moshiach ben Yossef (Moshiach the descendant of Joseph) of the tribe of Ephraim (son of Joseph), is also referred to as Moshiach ben Ephrayim, Moshiach the descendant of Ephraim.He will come first, before the final redeemer, and later will serve as his viceroy.

The essential task of Moshiach ben Yossef is to act as precursor to Moshiach ben David: he will prepare the world for the coming of the final redeemer. Different sources attribute to him different functions, some even charging him with tasks traditionally associated with Moshiach ben David (such as the ingathering of the exiles, the rebuilding of the Bet Hamikdash, and so forth).

The principal and final function ascribed to Moshiach ben Yossef is of political and military nature. He shall wage war against the forces of evil that oppress Israel. More specifically, he will do battle against Edom, the descendants of Esau.

...The immediate results of this war will be disastrous: Moshiach ben Yossef will be killed. This is described in the prophecy of Zechariah, who says of this tragedy that “they shall mourn him as one mourns for an only child.” (Zechariah 12:10). His death will be followed by a period of great calamities. These new tribulations shall be the final test for Israel, and shortly thereafter Moshiach ben David shall come, avenge his death, resurrect him, and inaugurate the Messianic era of everlasting peace and bliss.

You can see why the Jews for Jesus folks love this stuff. Also, why will the Messiah need a viceroy in the Messianic age?

The essential function of Moshiach ben Yossef is to prepare Israel for the final redemption, to put them into the proper condition in order to clear the way for Moshiach ben David to come. Of that ultimate redemption it is said, that if Israel repent (return to G‑d) they shall be redeemed immediately (even before the predetermined date for Moshiach’s coming). If they will not repent and thus become dependent on the final date, “the Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a ruler over them, whose decrees shall be as cruel as Haman’s, thus causing Israel to repent, and thereby bringing them back to the right path.” In other words, if Israel shall return to G‑d on their own and make themselves worthy of the redemption, there is no need for the trials and tribulations associated with the above account of events related to Moshiach ben Yossef. Moshiach ben David will come directly and redeem us.

Ok, got that? So there's actually two Messiahs, because the real one's a busy guy. Just think of it as sweeping up the dirt before you mop the floor. (Why not just use a Swiffer? I don't know; ask God.)

So, what about that Armilus and Erev Rav stuff? Bartholomew helps us out:

the Erev Rav were converts who joined the Jewish people just as they were leaving Egypt. The Erev Rav numbered in the millions! According to our sages they were not sincere and continually caused the Jews to rebel against G-d. They were responsible for the most grievous sin the Jews were ever involved with, the sin of the Golden Calf. They were also the driving force behind every major movement within Judaism to undermine our commitment to G-d and His Torah. They are power-hungry, selfish opportunists who seek power and glory at all costs, and will stop at nothing to attain their goals.

According to the Zohar and the Holy Ari, (the two most important sources of Jewish mysticism), some souls of the Erev Rav return in every generation to harass the Jews. However, just prior to the redemption the original Erev Rav will return in full force to seize control of the Jewish people. Their goal is to delay the coming of Moshiach as long as possible. This is because after Moshiach comes they will be stripped of power forever. One of their methods is to keep the Temple Mount out of Jewish hands so that the Third Temple cannot be rebuilt.

They accomplish their goals through falsehood and deceit, convincing the Jews that they are friends seeking their well being. This is explained in detail by the great Gaon of Vilna in a book authored by his disciple Rabbi Hillel of Shklov called Kol Hator, recently republished in Jerusalem.

Holy bullcrap, Batman! And there's more, you say? Possibly involving questionable math and spelling?

Why yes, it's everybody's favorite pseudo-science, gematria! The centuries-old-time-waster that makes the Bible codes look almost reasonable.

Armilus, the Hebraic form of Romulus (200+40+10+30+60=340), was the founder of Rome (Edom).

Romulus shares the same numeric value as Peres (80+200+60=340).

Um, actually, I found this gematria-calculator and it said your math is off:

ARMILUS. = 341 [ארמילס]
ROMULUS. = 400 [רעמלס]
PERES. = 340 [פרס]

Just for some extra gematria fun:
341=Yesterday, Altar of Incense, Miracles, and Red Cow (which is pretty damn interesting, actually).
400= a pseudonym for Yesod ("foundation" of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, identified with the circumcision [covenant] and Joseph. Hey, remember all that Yosef stuff we talked about before? Interesting...)
340="Ferocious lion", "words" and "forehead". OOh, evil!

Sorry, where was I?

we read that the leader at the End of Days will be either Romulus, or Tarmelo.

...Tarmelo, spelled in Hebrew backwards is Olimert!

Now you understand everything.

I understand that your spelling sucks.

Tarmelo (350) טארמלע
Olimert (359) עלימרט

And just for fun...

350= City of Seven Hills (Vatican) and "El Shaddai" (one of the names of God).
359=Adolf Hitler.

Ok, I know that last one looks kind of bad. But keep in mind that 359 also corresponds to "I, the Death, even in Arcadia". Go ahead, check.

And anyway, the PM's last name is Olmert, which actually makes 349- which corresponds to the all-malevolent "sceptre". Hey, don't laugh, those things can have sharp edges.

Also, these wingnuts say Olmert isn't just the Anti-Christ AND the head of the Erev Rav, but also Amalek. A three-peat!

So what's the big deal you ask? Well, aside from blaming their political problems on the Anti-Christ, these jackasses are also engaging in some pretty racist arguments.

Racist? Really?
Yep. Take a look at this web forum conversation from way back in March:

it is incredible that a Jew could give up Jewish land, especially given the actions and words of the Arabs over the past 100+ years. Olmert's actions and words (again, if and only if this report is true) would identify him spiritually with the Erev Rav. For those who don't know, the Erev Rav is the "mixed multitude" brought out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus by Moses, but these were false converts to Judaism with an ulterior motive - to sabotage the Jews and G-d's plans for them. Jewish lore indicates that the Erev Rav have (in a spiritual sense) members present in every generation, but that the final generation will have the souls of all of those who were at Mt. Sinai - Jews and Erev Rav alike. And the Erev Rav, knowing that the Moshiach is about to come, will do everything that they can to stop the Redemption and the Moschiach.

Someone else adds:

One who would do such a thing is certainly not a Jew inwardly. Such a corrupt heart would be spiritually of the Erev Rav, ancestry notwithstanding.

So not only are the people who do things these guys dislike politically total jerks and possibly the forces of the Anti-Christ, they also aren't real Jews- spiritually OR, genetically! They're "fake converts" from Egypt, of all places! So remember, the next time you see any Jew who isn't, say, this guy, just keep in mind that behind that clean-shaven, open-minded, Darfur-Saving, Gay-Pride-Parade-Marching, smile, you're really looking at one of these guys. And, as you know, we stopped listening to those bozos shortly after we gave them a Kool-Aid Nile Delta.

Man, this seems pretty convenient. I wonder why frum Jews haven't used the Anti-Christ race-card before. Just magine how much more entertaining Jewish history would have been if instead of just accusing the Hasidim of heresy, the Vilna Gaon said they were Gauls.