Yes, this is another long video by Bible expert, Nathan Lawrence, but this is a complex, multi-faceted subject with many contextual and historical threads. So if you want to understand what the Bible has to say about the current war between the Jews and the Palestinians (Hamas et al), then you will want to watch this. Nathan tags a lot of bases in this video explaining the 4,000 year old roots of this conflict, who Edom is in Bible history and prophecy and how that relates to Jews and Christians, as well as to Islam and Hamas. You will also learn what the Bible prophesies will happen in the future to all of these people groups and how this conflict will be resolved. You will not hear any of this in the current news reports, but this understanding will help you to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together.
Many, if not most of the modern Moslems or Muslims (especially the Arabs) trace their lineage back if not biologically then spiritually to Ishmael, the son of Abraham by Hagar. Islam in its religious book, the Koran, claims that it was Abraham and Ishmael who built the Kaaba (The Koran, Sura 2: 121 or 127, depending on the version.), which is the small building containing a stone that supposedly fell from heaven. This shrine is located in the midst of great mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
In Genesis 16:11–12 YHVH prophesied the following concerning Ishmael and his descendants:
The angel of YHVH said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because YHVH has given heed to your affliction. And he will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of all his brothers.”
The modern Moslems have twisted the biblical account of Abraham’s giving the birthright blessing to Isaac and believe instead that Ishmael was the promised son of blessing. Both Israelites and Arabs, therefore, believe that they have a right to the Promised Land of Canaan, and, hence, this disagreement is at the roots of the modern Arab-Israeli conflict.
Scripture further records that Esau, the disinherited son of Isaac, also had a jealous anger against his brother Jacob, who received the birthright promise instead of him. Scripture further records that Esau married the daughter of Ishmael (Gen 28:9). Thus in some of Esau’s descendants (he had more than one wife), the lineage of Esau and Ishmael were combined and both men had a jealous feud with the sons of Jacob, which has been passed down generationally to this day.
The Bible has more to say prophetically about the descendants of Edom (another name for Esau, Gen 31:6, 8)than about those of Ishmael. Edom is portrayed as an aggressive and bloodthirsty people who are opposed to Israel at every step. We will discover what Scripture has to say about this below.
In the mean time, let’s take a closer look at Edom.
Edom (meaning “red”) was Esau’s nickname (see Gen 25:25, 30; 36:1, 8–9, 19, 43).
Esau intermarried with the descendants of Ishmael (Gen 28:9).
Seir is another name for the land of Edom (Gen 32:3; 33:16; 36:8).
Esau intermarried with the people of Canaan (Gen 36:2). He intermarried with the Hittites, the Hivites, as well as the Ishmaelites.
His descendants included the Amalekites (Gen 36:12, 16) who fought against the children of Israel upon leaving Egypt and as soon as they had entered the wilderness en route to the Promised Land (Exod 17:1).
Esau’s sons were dukes or chieftains (leaders of clans) and kings (Gen 36:15–16, 40–43).
Although Esau’s direct lineage was confined to the area of the traditional land of Edom, in modern-day Jordan, it is clear from the biblical record that he and his descendants intermarried with many of the neighboring nations, so that his descendants were scattered far and wide over the region that later became known as the Holy Land.
The entire one-chapter Book of Obadiahis a prophecy against Edom. Let’s note several key points in this prophecy that might help us to understand some things about Edom in light of end-time Bible prophecy and how this relates to the end-times Arab-Israeli conflict. When you think of Edom, think of the modern day Palestinians.
Verse 2, The descendants of Edom are greatly despised (scorned, held in contempt, disdained).
Verse 3, Though they dwell in the clefts (places of concealment, retreats) of the rocks, they are proud and view themselves as invincible.
Verse 4, YHVH promises to bring Edom down.
Verse 7, Esau has a confederacy (league, alliance) of nations, which include many of the modern Moslem and Arab nations.
Verse 11, Edom’s eyes are on Jerusalem. Edom among other foreigners will cast lots for Jerusalem (seek to divide it among the nations or religions of the world as an international city under the control of the United Nations?).
Verse 13, Edom has entered into the gates of the land of Israel in the day of her calamity or disaster.
Verse 14, Edom will kill Jewish refugees trying to escape the land of Israel in her time of distress.
Verse 15, The time frame of the fulfillment of these prophecies is “near” the day of YHVH, when he will judge Edom and the other heathen nations.
Verse 16, Edom will be drinking (celebrating?) on the Temple Mount which is YHVH’s “holy mountain,” and as a result, they shall drink the cup of YHVH’s wrath.
Verse 17, The house of Jacob will get the Temple Mount back!
How many descriptions of the modern Palestinian and other Islamo-terrorists do we see in Obadiah? What other people-group fits this description? Is Esau a picture of many modern-day Palestinians and their Moslem backers who hate the Jews, the state of Israel and America?
We have learned who Jacob represents in end-time prophecy. Now we learn who Jacob’s descendants’ arch-enemy will be and who will attempt to prevent them from returning to the land of Israel. This will happen in the end times before the coming of the Messiah. We will learn more about this later.
As we noted, Edom’s hatred for Israel has its roots in the antagonism between Ishmael and Isaac, and then afterwards between Esau and Jacob. The hatred that Esau had for Israel has been passed on down to successive generations of Edomites. The biblical prophets discusses this murderous antagonism on Edom’s part as being carried down generation to generation to the very end times. Let’s review some of these biblical prophecies.
Ezekiel 36 speaks about the conflict between end-time Edom and end-time Israel. In verse two, we see that the enemies of Israel have regarded the “ancient high [or declared, promised] places” of Israel as “ours in possession.” This is a clear reference to the holy places in Israel (e.g., the Temple Mount for the Jews and Bethlehem for the Christians—only in recent years have the Palestinians taken Bethlehem and forced—out of persecution and intimidation—the majority of the large Christian population of that city to leave). “High places” can also refer to the militarily strategic high places such as the Golan Heights and the ridges surrounding the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Next, let’s look at Ezekiel 35, which is a prophecy against Edom. In verses four through five, we see that end-time Edom will be devastated because of its perpetual hatred for the children of Israel. They have killed their enemies by the power of the sword. This is how Muslim’s have traditionally spread their religion—by their curved scimitar sword. Advancing Moslem armies force its captives to leave, covert or die. According to verse five, this is to be occurring at the time of the punishment (of the children of Israel?) at the time of the end (NAS) or the end of time (lit. Hebrew). This is another example of YHVH’s using Edom (Esau) to bring Ephraim and Judah to its knees in the time of the end.
In verses six through nine of the same chapter, we see that YHVH will punish Edom for its blood-thirstiness against Israel and will devastate its cities and slay large numbers of its people. Other biblical prophecies indicate that the militaries of Judah and Ephraim will be the means by which YHVH accomplishes this.
Finally, in verse 10, Edom (Islam) wants to take over or possess the two countries or lands (Heb. eretz) of Israel or those of Judah and Ephraim (or the Jews and Christians), even though YHVH was there (in the lands of his people). Their anger and hatred against Israel is based on envy or jealousy (verse 11) of Israel.
The Koran, the religious book of Islam, has taken the historic and prophesied hatred of Edom and formed a religion around it. The Koran was written by Mohammed, a Jew and Christian hater, more than one thousand years after the prophecies of Ezekiel and Obadiah. Here are some quotes from the Koran that confirm the prophecies of the Bible with regard to Edom.
Make war upon those to whom the Scriptures have been given as believe not in God [Allah]…and who forbid not that which God and His Apostle [Mohammed] have forbidden, and who profess not the profession of the truth, until they pay tribute out of hand, and they be humbled. The Jews say, “Ezra is a son of God”; and the Christians say, “The Messiah is a son of God.” Such sayings in their mouths. They resemble the sayings of the infidels of old! God do battle with them! How they are misguided! (Sura 9:29–30)
When thy Lord spake unto the angels, “I will be with you: therefore stablish ye the faithful I will cast a dread into the heart of the infidels.” Strike off their heads then, and strike off from them every finger-tip. (Sura 8:12)
“O people of the Book!…Can I announce to you any retribution worse than that which awaiteth them with God? They whom God hath cursed and with whom He hath been angry—some of them hath he changed into apes and swine; and they who worship Thagout are in evil plight, and have gone far astray from the right path. (Sura 5:64–65)
Only recompense of those who war against God and His Apostle, and go about to commit disorders on the earth, shall be that they shall be slain and crucified, or have their alternate hands and feet cut off, or be banished from the land…(Sura 5:37) (All quotes are from The Koran; Ivy/Ballentine Books, New York, 1993)
The raised Antichrist, secular humanist fist of rebellion and defiance against YHVH Elohim
Way back on March 18, 2003 when I had a weekly Hebrew roots teaching program on Christian radio station KKPZ, I put out what I called “A Wake Up Call to the Body of Messiah in America.” That small radio station in Portland, Oregon wasn’t much of a platform to put out such a message, but I used the meager resources YHVH had put at my disposal at that time.
In that message I said,
A righteous remnant of end time spiritual warriors has been fighting an uphill battle against immorality, abortion, rebellion against YHVH’s biblical laws, humanism, Marxism/socialism, Eastern “spirituality”/New Age, and the global takeover by a consortium of political and corporate fascists commonly called the New World Order or biblically known as Babylon the Great. The latest addition to this list is the Antichrist religion of Islam and antisemitism. Both are presently raising their demonic heads in the traditional Judeo-Christian nations of Europe and America. Islam began knocking on the spiritual door of America a few decades ago, and now because of the large numbers of Moslems in this country, Islam has become a threat worth noting. The goal of Islam is definite, for the Koran states it clearly: to take over the world and to dispossess both Christians and Jews of their lands, property and, if necessary, their lives.
As a nation, we find ourselves in this situation because we turned our back on Elohim, and have failed to repent of the sins. Now the judgment of Islam and along with the illegal alien invasion is coming against us (as allowed by Elohim) to hopefully wake us up and drive us to our knees before our Father in heaven. These curses are coming against America because of its moral and spiritual weakness. Like biological pathogens, these threats to America are feeding on the physical and spiritual body politic of this nation because its spiritual immune system has been seriously compromised due to moral and spiritual declension due to its weak, hireling and apostate spiritual leaders.
I then went on to issue a wake up call to America’s Christian leaders and laity, and I identified the specific sins that would bring Elohim’s judgment on America.
Then in September 2007 at our annual Feast of Tabernacles gathering on the southern Oregon coast before about 120 people, I gave out my teaching entitled, “Is America in End-Time Bible Prophecy? What Scripture Prophesies Will Happen to America Economically, Politically, Militarily and Spiritually Just Prior to the Second Coming.” In that teaching, the written form of which I published and has been on the front page of our ministry website ever since (https://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/america.pdf), I warned and predicted that Edom (the Moslems) and its Marxists, leftist sympathizers and allies would attempt to take over America because of apostasy and lukewarmness in the Christian church. I predicted, based on my understanding of the Scriptures, that Elohim would use Edom/Islam et al as a giant paddle to spank America (and other western formerly Christian nations as well) for turning away from him. These would be judgments unto repentance. Most, I predicted would remain asleep, but some would wake up spiritually and that there would be a small, remnant spiritual revival, to one degree or another. I even predicted, again based on my understanding of the Scriptures, that, on a limited scale, there might even be some nuclear bombs that would be lobbed into the U.S. by its Edomite enemies or their allies. This was well before nations like Iran and North Korea had the atomic bomb! At this time, Hillary Clinton was running for president against the relatively unknown Barak Hussein Obama. It looked as if Clinton would definitely win the Democratic Party nomination and go on to become the president of the U.S. In my teaching at the Feast of Tabernacles, I predicted that if Obama won (a long shot), it would fulfill Bible prophecy, since Edom would now be in the White House as a judgment against backslid “Christian America.” Well, Obama did win, and the rest, as they say, is history. Now the predominant daily headlines in the news either pertains to LGBTQ or Moslem Continue reading →
Esau and his army stood in the way preventing Jacob from returning to his homeland. This event is prophetic of what will happen in the end times.
We have already identified who the sons of Jacob are, how they were divided into two camps, or two houses, and two kingdoms (the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Israel). But who are the descendants of Esau?
Many, if not most of the modern Moslems (especially the Arabs) trace their lineage back if not biologically then spiritually to Ishmael, the son of Abraham by Hagar. Islam in its holy book, the Koran, claims that it was Abraham and Ishmael who founded the religion of Islam and built the Kaaba, which is the small building containing a stone that supposedly fell from heaven. This shrine is located in the midst of great mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Of Ishmael and his descendents, the Bible prophesies in Genesis 16:11–12,
The angel of YHVH said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because YHVH has given heed to your affliction. And he will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of all his brothers.”
The Koran has further twisted the biblical account to teach declare that the patriarchs were Mulims and that Abraham gave the birthright blessing to Ishamael instead Isaac. Both Israelites and Arabs, therefore, believe that they have a right to the Promised Land of Canaan, and, hence, this disagreement roots of the modern Arab-Israeli conflict.
The Scriptures further record that Esau (Edom), the disinherited son of Isaac, also had ought against his brother Jacob, who, in a sense, stole the birthright promise from him. Furthermore, Esau married the daughter of Ishmael (Gen 28:9). Thus, some of Ishmael’s and Esau’s descendants merged becoming a people-group who had a jealous feud with the sons of Jacob or Israel.
The Bible has more to say prophetically about the descendants of Esau, who scripturally are referred to as Edom (Esau’s alternate name) than about those of Ishmael. Edom is portrayed as an aggressive and bloodthirsty people who are opposed to Israel at every step. We will discover what the Scripture have to say about this below.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the tidal wave of evil that is sweeping across the land and that is trying to annihilate everything good in its path—especially biblical truth and godly values? Should you run for the hills and hide out? Build a bunker and fortify? Bury your head in the sand and deny? Party while the ship goes down? Or…this video explains another option.
Ezekiel 6:3–5, High places…idols…corpses.As a judgment against the backslid and idolatrous “mountains of Israel” (Ezek 6:1), YHVH promises to bring a sword against his people as they are worshipping their idols instead of him.
The “mountains of Israel” in this instance is a poetic and prophetic Hebraism for the nations of Israel that YHVH has scattered around the world because of his judgments against their sin.
In this modern age, few people bow down to literal idols, but idolatry is as rampant now as it was in ancient times. Any person, thing or idea that gets in the way of or hinders a person from worshipping and obeying Elohim is an idol to that person. It may be money, sex, drugs, education, power, sports, philosophies, entertainment or pleasure.
The “mountains of Israel” today are largely the Christian nations of the world, which are backslid spiritually.
Typically, YHVH raises up Israel’s enemies to punish his backslid people in hopes they will repent of their sinful ways and return to him. The biblical Edom (or the jihadist Moslems) are YHVH’s end times paddle by which he is spanking his wayward people.
So what are the high places of the Christian nations where their idols are located that Edom is attacking resulting in slain corpses being strewn about? Think of the places where Edom has been detonating bombs and spraying bullets in their attempts to massacre the “people of the book” (as the Koran calls them), who are the Jews and the Christians. The West’s high places of idol worship include sports arenas and sporting events, Christmas parties, schools, night clubs, “gay” night clubs, financial centers, churches and other places of religious activity, places of governmental authority and military installations to name a few. All these high places where idolatry occurs represent the gods and idolatrous concepts of post-Christian Israelites who have rejected Elohim for their idols.
These are YHVH’s judgments upon his people to bring them to repentance.
