Obadiah specially crafted to tell of Edom's doom

Ezekiel 38 is the great prophecy preacher passage about the Second Advent and the Antichrist and the time of Armageddon.

“People love to take this passage, and this is where they get Russia invading Palestine and all that stuff, and Europe being a part of it, and most of that comes from the fact they think the Antichrist is going to be a part of the revived Roman Empire, which, again, has nothing to do with the Book of Daniel; it has to do with a lot of bad study all through the past,” says Richard Jordan.

“The chapter begins, [1] And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[2] Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

“Ezekiel’s going to give you a prophecy against the Antichrist and those associate with him, but look who’s with him in verse 5: [5] Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

“Verse 6: [6] Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

“None of those are Arab nations. Persia is Iran, Afghanistan. Ethiopia, Libya—that’s Africa. Gomer is Europe. There’s not an Arab nation in Ezekiel 38. Well, why would there not be any Arab nations, because they’re the ones right around Israel, fighting against Israel at the Second Advent? That’s a head-scratcher. The reason is they’ve been destroyed prior to that. That’s what Psalm 83 is about.

“Psalm 83 is talking about the destruction of those Arab nations that have come against them. The way the Edomites and those in cahoots with them are brought together in order to be destroyed . . . you know that verse in Zechariah that says, ‘I’m going to gather them together that I might pour my wrath out on them’? ‘God uses the wrath of men to praise Him.'

“There’s something really fascinating here. Psalm 83: [2] For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
[3] They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
[4] They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
[5] For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
[6] The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

“These Arabs have gotten together and consulted together and developed a confederacy. He says in verse 5, ‘They’re confederate against thee.’ They’ve gathered together in an organized way and they’ve got a crafty counsel to accomplish it.

“When you see that, that takes you to the one-chapter Book of Obadiah. There are only five books in the Bible that have one chapter. Anything God thought was so important to say that He would make a one-chapter book out of it, you better listen to it. It’s also a book written, not to Israel, but to a Gentile. It’s about Edom.

“Obadiah is a very special, powerful book in the Bible, specially crafted to talk about Edom. Edom is going to be the special object of God’s hatred. One book dedicated to the doom of Edom.

[1] The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.
[2] Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.
[3] The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
[4] Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

“People don’t love the Edomites. Verse 3 says, ‘The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee.’ So what is it that’s going to cause the Edomites to be deceived? The pride. You go back and read about Ishmael and Esau. What’s going on? Pride, self-interest. Why would they despise the Abrahamic Covenant and fight against it? Pride.

Verse 6: [6] How are the things of Esau searched out! how are his hidden things sought up!
[7] All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.
[8] Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?

“Here’s the confederacy of the tabernacle of Edom. In that list over in Psalm 83 they’re first. They’re the leading group at the forefront of the Arab confederacy. ‘All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border.’ The border of what? Malachi says the border of Israel.

“The whole issue in the jealousy over the Abrahamic Covenant boils down to the land. 'The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.' He took the title deed to that piece of ground and gave it to Abraham and his descendants.

“ ‘The men which were at peace with thee have deceived thee.’ Notice who it is that deceived them? It’s the dudes in league with them. People who were at peace with them. ‘They that eat thy bread.'

“You go to Jeremiah 49 where this Book of Obadiah is almost repeated there and it talks about, ‘Aren’t there any wise men in Edom? Ain’t there anybody got sense enough to believe what I said? Don’t you understand what the Abrahamic Covenant informed you about?’

“Their pride deceived them and what happens is this confederacy uses them as a front and deceives them into thinking they can trust their god and get the land.

"In fact, if you read Jeremiah 49 where a lot of Obadiah is repeated—that’s why I say, if He pulls that information out and puts it into one book, it's so you won’t overlook it—it talks about the terrorism associated with these guys trying to get what they want to get.

Verses 8-9: [8] Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?
[9] And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.

“He goes on to describe how they opposed and fought against Israel and he said because of all that, verse 15: [15] For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

“There’s that reciprocity. What you did to Israel is going to be done to you. Israel is God’s client-nation in the earth. You bless them and you’ll be blessed; you curse them you’ll be cursed and Edom’s going to get the curse they wished upon Israel.

"They’re going to be wiped out because of that and they’re going to be deceived into it by these other nations using them. The Palestinian conflict comes to a resolve in this stuff. When it does, it doesn’t just resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; it resolves the religious forces that carry that conflict.

“Zephaniah 2, the first 9 verses or so, he talks about Israel and how they’re going to take the spoil out of all those people round about them; they’re going to clean their plow. They’re going to take their wealth, their land. Israel is going to expand her borders. They’re not just going to have a West Bank.

Verses 10-11: [10] This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.
[11] The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.

“When that takes place, and that Israeli Defense Force goes out and does to them what they thought to do to Israel, wiping out that Arab onslaught, The Lord’s going to do it so that He starves out all the gods of the earth. 'They claim to be able to do something; you demonstrate they can’t.'

“When Israel comes and take the spoils of the Arab nations, Jehovah is going to expose the false gods for who they really are; they’re nothing. A bunch of nothings.

"He’s going to starve them into insignificance. That’s going to leave a lasting impression on the Middle East and it’s going to destroy the confidence of the whole world in the religion of the Middle East.

“Notice the reaction of the world when that happens in Ezekiel 35:12-13. [12] And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.
[13] Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.

“That ought to scare you. You realize God’s heard everything you ever said?

Verses 14-15: [14] Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.
[15] As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

“That’s why Psalm 83 says, ‘Do all this so they can know you’re Jehovah; you’re the Most High.’ That’s the conflict with the satanic policy of evil—who’s going to be the Most High.”

(new article tomorrow)