Willful Blindness: Are We Missing the Signs?

In 1896, when Theodor Herzl published his revolutionary book Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State), the book that ignited the modern Zionist movement, the reactions were intense. Some Jews were inspired, feeling the pull of destiny in Herzl’s call to return home to the land of Israel. Others were outraged, rejecting his proposal as a threat to their hard-earned place in European society.

Stefan Zweig captured the anger of Vienna’s Jews: “Our language is German and not Hebrew, and beautiful Austria is our homeland. Are we not well off under the good Emperor Franz Josef?… Is our position not secure? Are we not equal subjects, inhabitants and loyal citizens of our beloved Vienna? Do we not live in a progressive era in which in a few decades all sectarian prejudices will be abolished?” 

That resistance to Zionism, which is nothing less than the modern expression of the Bible’s call for Jews to return home, has never disappeared. Even after the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, and the flourishing of the land, many Jews still refuse to see anything extraordinary in this story. They live as if nothing of biblical significance has unfolded in the last century.

God Himself declared of Israel, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people” (Exodus 32:9). That image of an unbending neck captures a national character that resists both oppression and guidance. Yet this stubbornness alone does not explain the spiritual blindness of our time. How can so many fail to recognize the unmistakable signs of God’s hand shaping our history right now?

The Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Elijah of Vilna (1720-1797), taught that redemption unfolds in two sweeping stages: Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah son of Joseph) and Mashiach ben David (Messiah son of David). These “Messiahs” are not necessarily individuals but rather eras in which God advances His plan of redemption.

The first stage, Mashiach ben Yosef, is when God works through nature rather than open miracles. It is the time of preparation – when exiles return, the land begins to bloom, and Jewish sovereignty reawakens. The second stage, Mashiach ben David, will be the visible, final redemption, when the throne of David is restored, and God’s presence is undeniable.

This first stage is also called Ikvot Meshichecha, “the footsteps of Your anointed,” as in the words of Psalm 89:

During this period of “footsteps,” the process of redemption is underway, but not everyone sees it. Many among the nations “disgrace” the “footsteps” of the redemption, clinging to the belief that God has abandoned Israel despite clear evidence to the contrary: the ingathering of exiles, the restoration of the land, the rebirth of Hebrew, and the survival of the Jewish state against all odds.

But it is not only the nations who mock or deny this process. Many Jews themselves remain blind. “Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him” (Genesis 42:8). This is true not just of Joseph in Egypt, but of every generation where Mashiach ben Yosef is at work. If Israel would recognize “Joseph” – i.e., if Israel would recognize that the redemption of the Messiah son of Joseph is happening before their eyes – we would already be redeemed with complete redemption.

This was certainly true in Herzl’s time. After centuries of false messiahs, Jewish skepticism was understandable. But now, even after the miraculous victories of Israel’s wars, after nearly eighty years of sovereignty and the return of millions of Jews, there are still many Jews who refuse to see that God’s plan is unfolding.

God designed it this way. Redemption is not meant to be obvious. It is a test of vision, a challenge to awaken and seek Him. We are not meant to be passive spectators waiting for God to redeem with supernatural miracles. We are called to study His word, recognize the signs, and take part in the redemption He is revealing.

King David described this process in Psalm 102:

First, God has “mercy on Zion” by initiating the process of redemption. Then, His servants – the Jewish people – will awaken and desire the stones and dust of the land of Israel. Once Israel sees and responds to God’s call by recognizing that the redemptive era has begun, the world will finally recognize God’s hand.

We are living inside this pattern right now. Time after time, God has shown “mercy on Zion.” Now, the ball is in the Jewish people’s court. If they can open their eyes and see what God has done for them, the rest of the world will follow suit. 

To recognize the footsteps means more than nodding to history. It means acting in alignment with God’s unfolding plan: strengthening Jewish settlement in the land, honoring the stones and soil of Zion, and refusing to surrender what God has returned to us. This is the calling of Mashiach ben Yosef, the Messiah son of Joseph.

Stubbornness has its place when we hold fast to God. But clinging to exile after He has opened the gates to the Holy Land is a kind of willful blindness. We are living through the era of Mashiach ben Yosef. The more clearly we recognize what we are witnessing, the sooner we will see Mashiach ben David.

God is moving through history, and His presence weighs heavily in our time. He has shown compassion to Zion, and the exiles return from the four corners of the earth. Hebrew, once thought dead, lives and breathes again, while the land that lay desolate now bears fruit.

The question before us is this: Will we recognize Joseph? Will we learn to cherish the scattered stones of Zion? And most important of all, will we take our place in the redemption that is unfolding around us?