The Hebrew tradition also speaks about two comings of the Messiah:

'It is only at the end of time that the Messiah will himself descend to earth, there to pour out the whole of his grace and enlighten the whole world; he is to descend in the form of two different manifestations: the first time as the 'son of Joseph' who has to die, and a second time as the 'son of David', conqueror of God's enemies and saviour of the 'rest of his sheep'. A striking analogy will be noticed with the Christian doctrine of the 'suffering' or 'crucified Christ' and the 'victorious' or 'glorious Christ', with the history of Jesus, 'son of Joseph', and the apocalyptic vision of the 'son of David'.

The 'end of time' referred to here is the end of the metahistorical cycle of humankind's evolution on Earth since the Fall. It marks the return to the Garden of Paradise from which Adam and Eve were expelled. A beautiful legend in the Hebrew tradition tells us that when the Messiah comes, the Golden Gates of the city of Jerusalem will fall and he will enter triumphantly into the city. This legend has a deep symbolic meaning: the golden Gates are in our hearts and in order to experience the reality of the Garden of Paradise, we have to open our heart centre (chakra in the Hindu tradition) which has been sealed by God, and awaken our Divine souls. So, when the Messiah comes, the 'Golden Gates' within our hearts, blocking the mystical entrance to the higher spiritual worlds, will fall and we will be able to see the Messiah and to ascend triumphantly to the Kingdom of God.

One of the most famous rabbis in our time, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, in an inspiring poetic talk said:

'From the Heavens the lights would reach Israel, and from Israel to Jerusalem and from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount. And there on the Temple Mount, in these days, there would be the coming of the Moschiach and there would be a 'redemption' and we would all go together to the Holy Land.'

The 'redemption' he speaks of is the ascent (in consciousness) to the higher Divine realms of Being where God Himself is always present. The 'Temple Mount', 'Jerusalem', 'Israel' and the 'Holy Land' are profound symbols of the higher heavenly realms of Creation. Let us recall here the visions of Ezekiel of 'God's Throne' (Ezekiel 1: 1-28) and his 'Visions of the Future Temple' (chapters 40-48). The Moschiach (or Messiah) is the One who is able to 'manifest the divine will to all the created worlds'. 'He descends and ascends through all the heavens in order to perform, with the prophets there abiding, the universal saving function'.

The Messiah will lead the people on a great new Exodus to the Holy Land. As Moses led the Exodus of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, now the Messiah will lead his people and the rest of humankind to the Divine Kingdom of eternal Peace, Love, Wisdom, Freedom and Truth.

If the Messiah is expected to ascend and descend freely through the whole vertical structure of the Universe, conveying the new Message from God, then in the Nine-fold Rainbow Path(#) we have an inspiring example of such an Exodus - the ascent to the reality of the New Heaven and the New Earth. Thus we could prepare ourselves for the coming of the long-awaited Messiah.