The Two End Time's Judgments Upon Edom - Part One

by Bill Salus

The Bible predicts two powerful prophetic judgments upon Edom; the first on the people and the second on the land. Judgment one, executed by the Israeli Defense Forces, eliminates the Edomites. Judgment two takes place in ancient Edom and is delivered single-handedly by Jesus Christ against Antichrist and his armies. Part one of this two part article identifies both judgments but primarily focus upon the first. Part two expounds upon the timing and purposes of the second judgment.

The first judgment:
1. Concludes the present Arab – Israeli conflict
2. Ends the ancient Arab hatred of the Jews
3. Gives Israel sovereignty over modern day Jordan
4. Eliminates the Palestinian Refugee crisis
5. Elevates the Israeli Defense Forces into “an exceedingly great army”
6. Proves God’s Genesis 12:3 Gentile foreign policy is still effectually in tact

The second judgment:
1. Makes an end of wickedness and wicked ones
2. Terminates the Antichrist and his armies (Armageddonites)
3. Devastates modern day Southern Jordan
4. Saves the Jewish Race from Genocide by the Antichrist
5. Paves the way for the 1000 year millennial reign of Christ.

These are just a few of the results of these two end time judgments upon Edom.

WHO-DOMITES? Who Are The Edomites Today? Simply put they are the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of the infamous Jacob of the Old Testament. In Genesis 32:28 God changes Jacobs name to Israel and his twelve sons and their descendants became the nation of Israel. Likewise the descendants of Esau formed the nation of Edom from which comes the term Edomites. (Genesis 36:1, 9)

The Edomites were spawned in Edom, which is today Southern Jordan. Although a remnant of Edomites still reside in Southern Jordan, most Edomites migrated in several waves centuries ago into Israel proper and made Hebron their central city. Hebron still exists today in the West Bank and is predominately inhabited by the Palestinians.

Around the time of “Alexander the Great”, (born 356 BC), the Edomites became known in the Greek language as the Idumeans. Presently Edomite descent can be traced into the Palestinian ethnicity as follows: (Edomites-Idumeans-Palestinians). Although the Palestinians are made up of a mish mash of ethnicities, many of them are Esau’s Edomite descendants.

Who are the Palestinians? “Palestinian” is the ethnic label tossed about loosely in modern times to identify three predominately Arab groups of people: the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians of the West Bank, and the Palestinian Refugees. These groups inhabit the territories that most closely border modern day Israel, with pocket communities in the surrounding Arab nations. It is generally understood that these three groups are comprised of a mixture of peoples who descended from various origins, including Esau, the father of the Edomites.

There are numerous prophecies in the Bible written by various prophets that foresaw Edomite participation in the current Middle East crisis. These prophecies, when appropriately discerned, present us with invaluable insights into the cause, details, duration, and resolution of the conflict at hand. As such this prophetic information has direct specific application to this present generation. (Fig. 1. Dheisha (Palestinian refugee camp, Bethlehem, West Bank 1949)

First Judgment upon Edom


The cornerstone prophecy regarding the Edomites around which all first judgment events are designed is contained in Psalm 83. Psalm 83:6 labels them as the “tents of Edom”. In Biblical usage populations residing in the “tents of” condition are either refugees or military encampments. In this instance the Psalmist appears to identify the Palestinian refugees of today.

Additionally, it is important to note that these refugees are listed first among the confederate populations predicted to come against Israel. This implies that they are the star of the prophetic show. Thus the present Palestinian Refugee crisis serves as the rallying call of the Psalm 83 confederacy. (Fig. 2. Baqa'a Palestinian refugee camp, Jordan, 1969)

These Palestinians ally with Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt with the goal of destroying the nation of Israel. This confederacy probably also includes the Hezbollah (the inhabitants of Tyre in Psalm 83:7), and Hamas (Philistia in Psalm 83:7).

Several of the prophecies related to the first judgment on the Edomites are listed below. By association, we can safely conclude that the entire Psalm 83 confederacy is adversely affected by the first judgment of Edom. In my book, “Isralestine the Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East,” I identify the connecting prophecies that affect the Arabs listed in Psalm 83.

“For the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head. The house of Jacob [Israel Defense Forces (I.D.F.)] shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau [Palestinians] shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” For the LORD has spoken. (Obadiah 1:15,18; NKJV)

These Obadiah passages inform us that the I.D.F. will decimate the Edomites leaving them with “no survivor”. Furthermore, it identifies the timing of the judgment to be prior to the Day of the LORD. The first judgment occurs just prior to the Day of the LORD, when it “is near”, but not yet come.

The Day of the LORD is commonly connected with what is called the seven-year “Tribulation”. This is a distinct seven-year end time’s period when God pours out his wrath on sinful humanity through a series of trumpet and bowl judgments described in the book of Revelation. This means that the First judgment upon Edom is a Pre-tribulational event.

‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,” therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan [Saudi Arabia] shall fall by the sword. I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, [I.D.F.] that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord GOD. ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because the Philistines [Palestinians / Hamas] dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,” therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites [Palestinians of Gaza] and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.”’” (Ezekiel 25:12-17; NKJV)

The expanse of the devastation extends deep into the collaborating Arab populations. Ezekiel 25:12-17 points out that the I.D.F. will defeat the Palestinians, Saudis (Dedan), and Hamas (Philistines and Cherethites) for their confederate involvement.

For brevity, I only list these prophecies regarded with the first judgment, however the chapter in Isralestine called “The Final Palestinian Farewell” lists many more.

In the aftermath of the first judgment Israel seems to expand its sovereignty over modern day Jordan, West Bank, and Gaza. This would correlate with the prophecies in Jeremiah 49:1-22 and Obadiah 1:19. Israel annexing the territory of Southern Jordan paves the way for the final end time’s faithful Jewish remnant to flee there during the Antichrist genocidal campaign against the Jews.

This concludes part one and sets the stage for part two, which will discuss the second and final judgment upon Edom levied by Jesus Christ upon His return.