In Balaam's last prophecy, he speaks about what will happen in "the end of days." There he speaks about King Messiah and says, "A star will come out of Jacob, and a king will arise from Israel," and about his effect on the world he says, "He will eliminate the leaders of Moab and karkar "All the children of Sheth." What does the word mean? karkarWe find two explanations in the words of our sages: 1) to rule, meaning that King Messiah will rule over all human beings (since we are all children of Sheth, son of the First Man). 2) to destroy, which would mean that King Messiah will destroy and eliminate all the peoples of the earth.
Obviously, the second definition requires explanation. In many prophecies concerning the time of the Final Redemption, we clearly see that there will be other peoples besides the Jewish people. The prophets speak of "all nations marching to him," and of the unity of all humanity to serve God—"Then he will speak to the nations with a clear language, so that all may call on the name of God and serve him together." How can we say that the Messiah will destroy the other nations?
In the Book of Zechariah, there appears a prophecy about the destruction of two-thirds of humanity: "And it shall be throughout the earth, says God, two-thirds shall be cut off, they shall die, and the remaining third shall survive." This prophecy also raises a question: Is it not written, "The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is upon all his creation"? How can it be that, precisely at the time of the Final Redemption, when the world reaches its completeness, such destruction of human beings occurs?
The answer lies in understanding that this is not about material destruction. These prophecies speak of a time after the disappearance of evil from the world, and after the wicked have received their punishments. The human beings of that time will not be enemies of God, liable to punishment, but rather a part of the rectified world of the Days of Messiah. Regarding this concept, we find two opinions on the definition of the "other peoples" of the Messianic era.
According to the first view, other nations will retain their own identity, but Messiah will rule over them. According to the second view, the identity of other nations will be destroyed; that is, they will no longer perceive themselves as having their own distinct identity, but rather will feel that their entire existence is to serve the Jewish people in fulfilling their mission.
There are also in the halakha Jewish law provides examples of the "non-existence" of a person in and of themselves. For instance, the law states that "everything the servant acquires, his master acquires." A servant does not have an independent existence; everything he does and acquires belongs to his master. This exemplifies the definition of existence for other peoples in the time of the Messiah, when "And God will be King over all the earth"—they will feel that their entire existence and sustenance are solely to help the Jewish people.
However, according to the first opinion, the definition of other peoples as distinct entities will remain even in the Messianic era, since God's will is that these other peoples, as they are in themselves, also experience Divine truth. Therefore, it is important that these other peoples maintain their distinct existence and, at the same time, recognize that God is "the King over all the earth" and, as Maimonides writes, "return to the true religion," and work toward the knowledge of God. This will contribute to the fulfillment of the intention of creation: that the entire world, as it is now, be a dwelling place for God.
Extracted from www.chabad.org.il