In one of the prophecies we read:

“On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

Zechariah 12:9

Further, Isaiah 11:4 focuses on the messiah judging the poor with righteousness, deciding with equity for the meek, and “striking the earth with the rod of his mouth” while “slaying the wicked with the breath of his lips.”

Given that Israel in the days of Jesus was not a free land but occupied by Roman gentiles, and Jesus did not lead an armed resistance nor oust the Romans, but taught peace and reconciliation even towards gentile rulers, such as befriending Roman centurions (e.g., Matthew 8:5-13). Nowadays, Israel is surrounded by and additionally has internal conflicts, how can Christians claim Jesus did fulfill a prophecy that protects Israel and strikes those that are against it?

Do the scriptures directly promise that the Messiah will destroy Israel’s enemies?

In traditional Judaism it is a widespread belief that the Messiah will defeat or destroy Israel’s enemies as part of his mission. However, the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) do not directly say that the Messiah will destroy Israel’s enemies by name. There are repeated promises that God himself will defeat Israel’s enemies (for example, Deuteronomy 32, Numbers 24:17-19), but there is no explicit, direct Torah passage stating that the Messiah will be the one to personally carry this out. This claim for the messiah is rather an interpretation based on the Prophets, Psalms, and Jewish classical commentary—not a direct teaching of the Torah text itself.

When reading the Zechariah 12:9 quote above, one would think that this alludes to this somehow, however, this prophecy speaks about a particular day only and interestingly enough, when we read on the prophecy says the following: 

 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”

Zechariah 12:10

Historic evidence points to the fact that Jesus was indeed pierced by the will of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so this passage could well point to Jesus as the one coming in a future pouring out a spirit of grace to recognize and mourn him as well as providing an invitation to rectify the mistake of not recognizing him.

What does Jesus himself say about destroying Israel’s enemies?

When we read the Bible and New Testament, it becomes quite clear that Jesus does not see himself as a warrior. To the contrary, his teachings consistently urge non-retaliation, forgiveness, and love for enemies:

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Luke 6:35-36

When directly confronted by Pilate, one of the Roman leaders, Jesus made it very clear his mission was not to fight earthly battles or lead political uprisings:

“Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If it were, those who serve me would fight. They would try to keep the Jewish leaders from arresting me. My kingdom is from another place.’”

John 18:36

What does Jesus tell us with that? Obviously his message is that he is not bothering about earthly things including political boundaries and who occupies what. He still states though that he is a king – a king of what – if not an earthly one?

As I understand from the Bible, God is spiritual energy – a very strong spiritual energy. Only through thought – out of thin air, God created us humans and everything around us. God is the king of all that – and up and foremost – the king of spirit. Why would God bother about any earthly belongings when he can create that in less than a second?

I am convinced that God only cares about the spirit – our spirit. And as we read in the Torah and in the Bible there is a dark spirit that wants to draw us away from God. There is the ultimate adversary of humanity, a relentless force working against our souls, the goodness within us and thus against God. This bad spirit seeks to deceive, destroy, and separate us from truth, love, and salvation, standing as the greatest enemy against our spiritual well-being and eternal destiny. This spiritual enemy is called Lucifer or Satan.

God and Jesus want to free Israel and humanity from this enemy far stronger than any early occupation could be. Jesus is seeking to liberate our souls from this enemy that prevents us from entering paradise and thus eternal life in the presence of God. He wants to liberate our souls from the chains of sin and sinful slavery. 

In the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, affirms that the victory over Satan is accomplished by Christ in the future, ultimately fulfilling God’s ancient promise to defeat evil and bring justice for all.

What does Maria Valtorta see in her visions about this topic?

In the visions of the Italian mystic Maria Valtorta, this topic is mentioned multiple times. This underlines that during the times of Jesus on earth, it was a widespread belief that the Messiah would liberate Israel from enemies including the Roman occupation. 

For example we read:

“Gamaliel: ‘Tell me, Jesus. How can the peace of which the Prophets speak be hoped for, if destruction is going to come to this people by war? Speak and enlighten also me.’

Jesus: ‘Do you not remember, master, what those said who were present on the night of Christ’s birth? That the angels sang: “Peace to men of good will” but this people is not of good will and will not have peace. It will not acknowledge its King, the Just Man, the Saviour, because they expect Him to be a king with human power, whereas He is the King of the spirit. They will not love Him, because they will not like what Christ preaches. Christ will not defeat their enemies with their chariots and their horses, He will instead defeat the enemies of the soul, who endeavour to imprison in hell the heart of man which was created for the Lord. And this is not the victory which Israel is expecting from Him. Your King will come, Jerusalem, riding a “donkey and a colt”, that is, the just people of Israel and the Gentiles. But I tell you, that the colt will be more faithful to Him and will follow Him preceding the donkey and will grow in the ways of Truth and Life. Because of its evil will, Israel will lose its peace and suffer for centuries and will cause its King to suffer and will make Him the King of sorrow of Whom Isaiah speaks.’”

Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the ManGod, chapter 41. The Dispute of Jesus with the Doctors in the Temple.

Further we can read the following dialogue that happened in the house of a man named Chuza and that wanted to help Jesus to become a human king as he believed that Jesus is the messiah but Jesus respectfully declined his wish and support:

“(Chuza) ‘Can You deny that You are the promised Messiah?’

(Jesus) ‘I do not deny it.’

‘Well then, in the name of the living God, why do You want to deceive the hopes of the people?’

‘I have come to accomplish the hopes of God.’

‘Which?’

‘The redemption of the world, the formation of the Kingdom of God. My Kingdom is not of this world. Lay aside your wealth and your weapons. Open your eyes and spirits to read the Scriptures and Prophets and to receive My Truth and you will have the Kingdom of God within you.’

‘No. The Scriptures mention a King liberator.’

‘From satanic slavery, from sin, from error, from the flesh, from Gentilism, from idolatry. Oh! what did Satan do to you, o Hebrews, wise people, to make you fall into error concerning the prophetic truths? What is he doing to you, o Hebrews, My brothers, to make you so blind? What is he doing to you, My disciples, that you, as well, no longer understand? The greatest misfortune of a people and of a believer is to fall into false interpretation of signs. And such misfortune is taking place now. Personal interests, prejudice, craziness, false love of the fatherland, everything helps to create the abyss… the abyss of error in which a people will perish failing to recognise its King.’

Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the ManGod, chapter 462.In Chuza’s Country House. The Tempting Proposal Made to Jesus and Made Known by the Disciple Jesus Loved.

In summary, the Torah itself does not explicitly state that the Messiah will destroy Israel’s enemies; this idea arises more from prophetic books and later interpretation. Jesus emphasized a spiritual kingdom and taught love and mercy toward enemies, highlighting a mission of spiritual liberation rather than military conquest. Christian interpretations argue that Jesus fulfilled Isaiah 11:4 and related prophecies by his righteous judgment and teachings of love and doing good that do defeat the ultimate spiritual enemy of humanity – Satan. Further in his future return, he will bring ultimate justice. Mystical visions, such as those of Maria Valtorta, reflect this understanding that Jesus’ mission was to defeat the spiritual enemies of the soul, redefining messianic victory beyond earthly battles.