Posted on 08/29/2020 3:46:15 PM PDT by pastorbillrandles
One would think, that going by the constant rhetoric of the Arab states over the past 7 decades since the rebirth of the nation of Israel, that Arabs would be leading the way in the final siege and invasion of Israel.
Ezekiel did not see the Arabs in this vision. One could say that Libya perhaps could be considered an Arab State, but we must remember that North Africa is Berber. Libya has been Islamized and Arabized, but the Berbers had their own unique people and culture centuries before Arabs invaded them under Mohammed.
Where are the Arabs? Where are the Saudis, the custodians of Mecca and Medina and the guardians of Sunni Islam’s most radical sect, the Wahhabi’s? Where are the Iraqi’s the Egyptians, the Syrians and Lebanese? Why aren’t Israel’s most implacable foes represented in Ezekiel’s vision of the invading army?
Arabs do show up in this particular chapter of Prophecy, but not to invade and plunder Israel, but rather to raise a lame objection to the invading force somewhere( My guess is at the UN). They do this with the “Merchants of Tarshish and the young lions thereof”.
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (Ezekiel 38:13)
Sheba and Dedan are descendants of Ishmael, they are Arabs of the Arabian peninsula. Tarshish was the westernmost place known to the people of Ezekiel’s day. Note that it calls them “The Merchants” and not the Government of Tarshish. Tarshish would have been a trading post in Spain and there was one in Britain, as well as a tin mining center.
This is stunningly modern; Ezekiel saw the Arabs and the Western powers lodging an ineffective objection to the great invasion together.
The Arabs have long been the implacable foes of Israel and her protectors. Arab nations have poured incalculable amounts of money into organized terrorism, propaganda which is antisemitic and anti western, and the radicalization of Mosques around the world. They hate and fear Israel so completely that they will not allow anyone on Arab soil who has an Israeli stamp on their passport.
Remember, it is a vital tenet of Islam that the Muslims must annihilate the Jews before the last day. The very continued existence of the Jewish State is an affront to Islam and considered a reproach on the Muslim World. In fact the Arab designation for the day Israel became a nation is “Al Naqba”, that is “The Disaster”.
Five times since May 1948, Arab armies have attacked Israel, invaded her, with overwhelming amounts of men, Tanks, Airpower, the element of surprise, and seemingly flawless battle plans. Five times they have been utterly defeated, and even routed. Arab culture is “Shame/Honor ” culture. It has been psychologically crushing for Arabs to be defeated in this fashion, before the whole world.
But this is not why the Arab armies are not going to participate in the Islamic invasion of Israel.
The Arab world, as much as it hates Israel, has a deeper hatred and fear. They are ‘Sunni’ and Sunnis compose 80 percent of the Muslim world. But Iran is Shiite, and the Arabs are terrified of Iran, even more than they hate Israel. Iran represents an existential threat to the Arab world. Iranians have Nuclear power, they are clever and cunning and the Iranians have an Eschatology that welcomes a complete Apocalypse.
Iran has a grand strategy also, which involves uniting Shiites in a geographical crescent, from Iran, into the South of Iraq, and into Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Qatar. There are enough Shiites in all of these nations to present a problem to the Arabs. Yemeni Tribes are involved in a bloody war with the Saudis, and Hezbollah, the so called “Party of God” has long had its tentacles in Lebanon, and Syria and has choked the life out of each of these nations.
The Arabs are terrified of this.
In very recent times the spectacle that would hav been unthinkable has occurred, of Arab princes and diplomats flying into Israel and vice versa. Furthermore, the recent Peace treaty that the Trump administration brokered with the United Arab Emirates and Israel, is actually tempting the rest of the Arab world to enter into formal negotiations with Israel, and eventually a peace. Whether or not it goes that far is hard to tell, but certainly the direction is in line with what Ezekiel saw, that the Arabs are strangely absent from the invading force.
The Arabs are also motivated by fear of Turkey.
Though Turkey is mostly Sunni, she has been working with Iran recently, and it is Erdogan’s stated goal to unite all of the Muslim world to take Jerusalem. Both Turkey and Iran condemned the UAE /Israel peace treaty in the strongest terms,
Iran strongly condemned Friday an agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize ties, blasting it as an act of “strategic stupidity” that will only strengthen the Tehran-backed “axis of resistance.”
Meanwhile Turkey, itself once a strong Muslim ally of Israel but now a geopolitical foe under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said history “will not forget and never forgive” the UAE. Turkey: History Won’t Forgive..
Turkey is a rival to the Saudis, and longs to be the dominant player again in the Muslim World, as she was in the days of the Caliphate. The Saudis and the rest of the Arab State are concerned about the sudden rise and aggression of Turkey, and are seeking alliances with the Trump administration and Israel for sheer survivals sake.
Thus the uncanny alliances which Ezekiel had seen are taking shape and the stage is being set for Israel’s final conflict and soon deliverance!
Interesting.
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28:4
“And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.”
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Why does God put hooks into Gog’s jaw, and turn him around like a wild horse?
Is God forcing Russia/Turkey into war with Israel?
Because normally, it would be stupid move on their part, but with God, all things are possible.
We shouldn't forget that in Ezekiel's time, Islam/Muslims didn't even exist yet.
The point is the Holy Spirit who knows no time, knew that the spirit of antichrist would emerge in the form of Islam/Muslim nations in our time and the Holy Spirit gave Ezekiel the names of those nations.
Essentially, the sons of Ishmael (the Islamic World) have always hated Isaac (Israel) and now in the latter days will coalesce to try to utterly destroy her. But as always God will turn them back.
Arabs are Arabs on the Arabian Peninsula.
Iranians (Persians) live in Persia (Iran). "Arabia" does not include "Persia."
Arabs speak Arabic.
Persians speak Persian (Farsi).
.......They're different people, Jim.
Why would the UN invade the tiny state of Israel? Why would the UN risk their troops being vaporized by Israeli nuclear weapons? What member nation would want to risk their troops being vaporized by Israel? What damage does anyone want to inflict on Israel that can’t be accomplished by long range missile strikes? In today’s warfare, armies don’t surround cities and lay siege. You can’t take Biblical writings that pertained to events 2500 years ago and apply them to modern history. The hub of world power departed the Middle East about 2500 years ago. It is not coming back.
I see where Pastor Bill Randles replied to someone else,
My point is that there are Saudi Arabs, Omani Arabs,and United Arab Emirates, the classic Arab world is strangely absent from this invasion.The classically understood”Arab World” is simply not listed in Ezekiel 38.
I was unable to get Bill's point in all of this but that right there is an interesting point and that plus his definition of "Arab" was probably what I was looking for from Bill.
Later, however, I think these with the rest of the world will join in against Israel and against Israel's Messiah.
Answer is a few words: the U.N is run is large part by the satanic spirit of antichrist and Satan HATES Israel because Satan hates God.
Israel is God’s people and have a destiny in this world and Satan wants to stop them.
“Israel because Satan hates God. Israel is God’s people and have a destiny in this world and Satan wants to stop them.”
God Himself eradicated the Jewish nation in 70 A.D. and destroyed the temple. Jesus warned about it in Mat. 24 and on his way to his crucifixion.
According to Paul, Satan is like a roaring lion seeking to devour Christians.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.Genesis 3:15
This is God talking to the serpent (Satan). Who do you think the woman is?
Thanks for the input Jim. In this article, I am strictly going by the text, and then comparing it to current events. I do not see Syria in the text and the only Arabic speaking country I see in the list would be Libya. the text does say that “Many others will join with you...” so I do not doubt that many Muslims from all over the Muslim world as well as a good many others who hate Israel will be inspired to join. But God listed specific nations who would be prominent in this ill fated venture, (Turkey, Iran, Somalia/Sudan and Libya) . All of them have taken up the religion which sprang out of the grievance of Ishmael, but the actual descendants of Ishmael are among the Arab peoples.
Well, since the word “woman” plainly refers to Eve before and after verse cited, it refers to Eve. The important personality there is referencing Jesus.
Now, if you have some grandiose symbolic, spiritual, private interpretation, don’t bother me with it.
Well, again, I do find it fascinating - as you said as the simple point in your article - that none of the countries in the Arab peninsula are mentioned.
But why? Why are the nations on the Arab peninsula seemingly lukewarm against Israel and the rest of the world?
I’ve heard that a major reason for Russia and Iran attacking Israel is oil, that somehow Israel is some kind of hindrance to Russia’s and Iran’s oil pipeline and oil supplies.
Well, those on the Arab peninsula don’t have to worry about that - those governments are oil rich (while the people are generally still poor to the degree they are still governed by dictatorships which as far as I know, all Muslim countries are dictatorships).
So the governments on the Arab Peninsula are oil rich, fat (literally), and happy, and figure, “Why make waves?”. Make sense I suppose.
But Eve doesn’t have a seed - she never has and never will. It is the man that has the seed - he always has and always will.
So what does God mean by the woman’s seed?
Genesis 10 lists descendants of Noah’s sons.
Most nations in Eze 38 are descendants of Japheth, who are mostly Europeans, Persians, Turks and Indians (Indo-Aryan).
I believe modern-day Turkey is mentioned as “Gomer”, a participant in the attack on Israel (Ez 38:6).
Also Togarmah is probably Anatolia/Turkey, although modern Turks came from farther north and east.
“So what does God mean by the woman’s seed?”
Hebrew scholars (and I am not one of them, neither are the people who think they can peer into this supposed riddle and come up with a new truth) say the word “seed” simply refers to descendants. Satan overthrew the woman, her descendant (Jesus) will overthrow him. Again, the woman in this narrative is Eve; to slice and dice it into other meanings is illogical and completely forced. Sometimes the Bible uses plain words to convey plain meanings.
Regardless of your scholars, the descendants of a female are never her seed because the seed is not from the female but from the male.
So the “plain” wording of the Bible says “her [the woman’s] seed”. We know that seed is a “he” becsue the next phrase tells us so.
Who “he”?
I think it’s pretty clear “he” is Jesus, but why does God say he is of the woman’s seed? Reference to scholars doesn’t cut it. Again, the descendants are the seed of the man not the woman (which is why all the genealogies name the males who “begat” not the females).
So you still have a problem there explaining what is meant in the “plain” Bible wording of “her [the woman’s] seed”.
I think you don’t want to know. I feel like you’re not in this to have a good faith inquiry and discussion. Rather, you come across like defending your pet doctrine is priority and more important to you than the truth revealed in God’s Word.
I’ll leave you with this conundrum (of which there are many in the “plain” words of the Bible which is not correctly discerned by the carnal mind (1 Cor 2:14)).
Good bye and good luck.
“Rather, you come across like defending your pet doctrine...”
Pet doctrine???
You are so full of crap. I don’t have a doctrine regarding that verse. I accept the commonly accepted belief held for thousands of years that the “woman” refers to Eve, as the mother of the human race and the one who will bruise Satan’s head. Not a conundrum at all.
Commonly accepted beliefs are not necessarily the measure of truth in God’s Word. Otherwise Jude would not have to write about “earnestly contending for the faith [the true Gospel of the Grace of Christ] that was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
As far as “pet doctrine” you indicate without specifically saying, that Satan is against Christians but not against Israel.
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