THE FINAL SHOWDOWN

the following are excerpts from an article written of the Chofetz Chaim’s prediction and a three-hour final war in Yerushalayim

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN:  

[…] In Rambam’s portrayal of the Messianic Era he inserts the following quotation. “Lo yeida adam eich sheyiheyu ad sheyiheyu — A person will not know how it will be until it is” (Hilchos Melachim 12:2). We won’t know how it will happen until it actually happens.

Rambam describes how after Mashiach comes he will fight the apocalyptic war that will end all wars. The enemies are Gog U’Magog. Rav Hai Gaon (quoted in Tur O.C. 490) reveals that the battle will take place in Tishrei. That’s why the haftarah of Shabbos Chol Hamoed Succos is Yechezkel’s description of that awesome battle. Midrash Talpios specifies that the battle will be fought on Hoshana Rabbah.

[From The Final Showdown by Rabbi Menachem Nissel, Mishpacha 10/2/17. Family First Issue 562 ]

Rav Moshe (Shapira) once heard Rav Elya Lopian relate an extraordinary memory. The place was London the year 1939. Rav Elchonon Wasserman told Rav Elya that the Chofetz Chaim had predicted that The Great War would be the first of three wars. The Chofetz Chaim said that around 25 years later a war would break out that would make World War I look like child’s play. He concluded that we don’t know when the third war will happen.

Our holy seforim mention that this final war will last shalosh shaos three hours which we allude to on Hoshana Rabbah when we cry out Hosha na! Shalosh shaos hosha na!

The three-hour war will take place in Yerushalayim and is the war of Gog U’Magog. Once again the length of the war and its location are not necessarily literal (apologies to all the doom-and-gloom nuclear holocaust predictors) but they do tell us that the war will not follow the pattern of regular wars.

The Midrash Tehillim (Perek 2) says that Gog U’Magog proclaim that they will avoid the mistakes of their evil predecessors. What is their solution? To wage war neged Hashem v’neged Meshicho (Tehillim 2:2). “It’s not enough to fight Mashiach ” they declare. “For evil to prevail we must fight against Hashem Himself!”

“[…] The Midrash Tehillim (Perek 2) says that Gog U’Magog proclaim that they will avoid the mistakes of their evil predecessors. What is their solution? To wage war neged Hashem v’neged Meshicho (Tehillim 2:2). “It’s not enough to fight Mashiach ” they declare. “For evil to prevail we must fight against Hashem Himself!”

“[…] Gog U’Magog are characterized by the middah of hisnasus a self-perception that they are elevated and exalted (Brachos 58a). They’re in no need of any outside force; everything under the sun is their domain. Their gematria is 70 implying total dominion over the 70 nations.”

https://mishpacha.com/the-final-showdown-2/