4/15/10

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

By Bill Salus

Part One covered the first judgment upon Edom illustrating that the Israeli Defense Forces would be the tool used by God to end the Arab – Israeli conflict. In the aftermath of the first judgment Israel seems to expand its sovereignty over modern day Jordan, the 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.

The Bible foretells a remnant of Jews will come to faith in Christ during the Tribulation period (Hosea 5:15). Additionally the Bible declares at the same time the Antichrist will be attempting a final campaign to destroy the Jewish race. This impetus to destroy the Jews is a major theme in what is often called the Armageddon campaign.

During this campaign, the Antichrist assembles the armies of the world (Armageddonites) to kill the Jews, prevent the return of Christ, and prove that Jehovah, the God of the Jews, is a promise breaker. Scripture points out that the Jewish people are instrumental in provoking the Second Coming of Christ and upholding the covenant making character of Jehovah. Thus, Satan and his seed the Antichrist seek to destroy the Jews during the Tribulation period.

Second Judgment upon Edom

Whereas the Jewish people are instrumental in the execution of the first judgment destined for Edom, the second judgment deals with the Armageddonites rather than the Edomites and is not delivered by the Jewish people, but by the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ!

The first judgment on Edom will mainly destroy the Edomites rather than Edom, the territory. However, the second judgment will devastate the land of ancient Edom making it inhospitable for humans and converting it into a habitation for demon possessed wild animals. (Isaiah 34:9-15, Joel 3:9, Malachi 1:3-4 and elsewhere.)

The second judgment upon Edom has nothing to do with terminating the end of the Arab – Israeli conflict and everything to do with preserving the faithful Jewish remnant and destroying the Antichrist and his armies. The I.D.F. victory in the first judgment of Edom will be short lived. Soon afterwards the Antichrist will be masterminding his attempt to destroy the Jews.

Zechariah 13:8 says that the Antichrist will kill two-thirds Israeli Jews in the Tribulation period. Most of the final third flees to Edom, modern day Southern Jordan. They can safely seek refuge there only after Israel annexes Edom in the aftermath of the first judgment. This could not happen presently since Edom today is under Jordanian sovereignty. Part one pointed out that the first judgment upon Edom is a Pre-Trib event; however, the second judgment occurs within the Tribulation period.

Prophecies regarding the second judgment of Edom depict the return of Christ to Edom in order to fight for the survival of the Jewish remnant. Even though this remnant flees to higher safer ground in the mountainous region of Edom, (Southern Jordan), they will remain under imminent threat from the Antichrist.

Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?—I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save [Messiah Christ].” Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me [Christ alone and not the I.D.F.]. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come. I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own fury, it sustained Me. I have trodden down the peoples [Antichrist and Armageddonites] in My anger, Made them drunk in My fury, And brought down their strength to the earth.” (Isaiah 63:1-6; NKJV)

Isaiah makes clear that Christ touches down in Edom to protect “My redeemed”, the faithful Jewish remnant. Furthermore Isaiah declares that Christ single handedly destroys the “peoples” assembled against the Jews. Isaiah 34:5 makes a similar prophetic assessment.

For My [Messiah Christ] sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people [Armageddonites] of My curse, for judgment. (Isaiah 34:5; NKJV)

Summary of Parts One and Two

The first judgment upon Edom is intended to severely impact the Middle East, and leave a lasting impression upon all the inhabitants of the world. It will serve in the future as an echo of God’s past as well as His present foreign policy contained in Genesis 12:3. Obadiah 1:15 declares; “As you [Edomites] have done it shall be done to you”, which appropriately describes the curse-for-curse-in-kind clause of the Abrahamic Covenant. The Edomites and their Psalm 83 cohorts will seek to destroy Israel militarily, but conversely the I.D.F. will prevail.

The first judgment of Edom occurs when “the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near.” (Obad 1:15) It serves as a final worldwide warning that the end of life on earth as it will be understood at that time draws near. It will also be a call to remembrance that God blesses and curses in relationship to the treatment or mistreatment of Abraham and his descendants.

The execution of tremendous fury and vengeance against the Palestinians, leaving none to carry on the lineage of Esau according to Obadiah 1:18, will demonstrate to the world that if God did not spare the descendants of Jacob’s own twin brother Esau, then none seeking to bring future harm to the Jewish people will escape the curse-for-curse-in-kind clause of Genesis 12:3.

In contrast to Jacob, who was promised descendants, a homeland, and a King forever, his twin brother Esau will have none of the above. The first judgment against Edom eliminates all of Esau’s descendants including any would be kings, and the second judgment against Edom leaves Esau’s homeland unsuitable for human habitation. Indeed one will be caused to consider the severity of cursing Israel when they think about the contrasting fates of the twin brothers Jacob and Esau.

For greater detail on the two prophetic judgments pending against Edom, read “Isralestine; the Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East“ Chapters called: Whodomites; Who are the Edomites Today, and The Final Palestinian Farewell.

4/12/10

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.