Editor’s note: This classic passage of Zohar becomes all the more intriguing in light of tensions between Iran and the West. One thing is for sure, with Hashem’s loving compassion for His people in Zion – ultimately, holiness shall truly prevail in the holy Land of Israel. With emuna, we need not fear anyone.
Zohar Va'era 32a
...Come and see -- for four hundred years the supervising angel of Yishmael beseeched G-d. He said "whoever is circumcised has a portion with you?"
G-d replied, "Yes."
He said, "Well, Yishmael is circumcised; how come he doesn't have a portion with you like Yitzchak?"
G-d replied, "This one (Yitzchak) is circumcised properly, and this other one (Yishmael) is not. Also, this one does it properly on the eighth day."
He asked him "And despite all this, even though he is circumcised he gets no reward?"
G-d responded by distancing the children of Yishmael from Himself in the upper worlds, and and He gave them a portion below in the Holy Land, because they are circumcised.
In the future, the children of Yishmael will rule over the Holy Land for a long time while the land is empty, just as their circumcision is empty and without completion. And they will hinder the children of Israel from returning to their place, until their merit in the Holy Land runs out.
According to the Zohar, Edom (left) and Yishmael (right) won’t be sharing laughs much longer…
In the future the children of Yishmael will stir great wars in the world. And the children of Edom [the West] will gather against them, and make war with them, one on the sea, and one on the land, and one by Jerusalem; and each one will prevail over the other but the Holy Land will not fall to the hands of Edom.
At the same time, a nation from the end of the world will be awakened against wicked Rome. And it will make war against her for three months, and many nations will gather there, and they will fall by her hand, until all the children of Edom will gather against her from all corners of the earth. And then G-d will awaken Himself against them, as it says, a "a sacrificial slaughter for the Lord in Batzra", and it says, "to shake the corners of the Land".
And after this, the children of Yishmael will be finished from the world. And all the supernal powers of the nations will be broken, and no power will remain above except for the power of Israel alone.
(Reprinted with kind courtesy of Rabbi Yaacov Natan from yiddishkeit.org)