Lately, a lot of people have been claiming that the Zohar states a comet will appear in March 2013, and yesterday Jim quoted a site that claimed the kings of the earth would gather in Rome in 2012-2013.  That is not true.  I explained the problem with the comet allegations at http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/march2013/jovial38.htm and the claims made by this new site is very similar in distortion.

Several people are claiming that the Zohar reads "At 73 (meaning 5773 or 2012-2013), all the kings of the world will gather in the large city of Rome."  That is not what the Zohar is saying.  It describes certain events, as happening at 60 years before the 6th millenium, then 66 years prior, and "73" means 73 years before the 6th Millenium starts.  The reference for the dating is very well established.

The date signified by "73", or the year 4927 since creation, has already happened.  This would be referring to the 900-1000 AD year time frame, and the same passage in the Zohar gives a prediction of what would happen over the 100 years following that date.  I will put the full text of this at the end of this post.

The Zohar does make soem date predictions for ITS future, but every date it predicts in its future is in our past.  This is only one example.

 

What is actually says is this...

" Rebbi Shimon opened up and said: "And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov" (VaYikra 26:42) . (Yaakov is written) full with a Vav, why? Rather, in 2 sides is the secret of Chochmah, one which is a secret on the level of Chochmah, the place where Yaakov dwells, but this verse is said about the exile of Israel, for when they are in exile, the time that they are remembered (the House of Yaakov), they are remembered according to the secret of Vav. And that is that in the 6th millennium, and the Remembrance (Pekidah) is in the secret of Vav, 6 moments and a half time, and in the time of the 60th year to the bar on the door in the 6th millenium, the G-d of Heaven will raise a rememberance for the Daughter of Yaakov, and from that time until the Full Remembrance (Zechirah) will be 6 years and a half, and from that time another 6 years, and these are 72 and a half. In 66 (presumably also 66 year prior to year 5001 from Creation), the King Moshiach will be revealed in the Land of Galilee. And one star in the east will swallow 7 stars in the north, and a flame will be hanging in the sky for 60 days, and battles will be aroused in the world on the northern side, and 2 kings will fall in these battles, and all the nations of the world will gather on the Daughter of Yaakov, to push her out from the world, and on this time it is written "And it is a time of trouble for Yaakov, and from it he will be saved" (Yirmiyahu 30:7)

And thus the souls will finish from the body, and will need to be renewed. And the sign for this (the verse that has a hint for this) is "All of the souls that come to Yaakov to Mitzraim are 66" (Breishit 46:26).

At 73 (presumably also 73 year prior to year 5001 from Creation), all the kings of the world will gather in the large city of Rome, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu will arouse upon them fire and hail and algabish stones, and they will be lost from the world, except for those kings that didn't go to there, and they will return to fight other battles. And from that time, the King Moshiach will be aroused in the whole world, and some other nations and some other forces will gather with him, and all of B'nei Yisrael will be gathered in all those places, until the completion of those 100 years."

 

Shalom, Joe