Edom And The Second Coming... Isaiah 63 pt 2

Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. (Isaiah 63:1-6)

Who would have thought that when Christ comes back, He comes from Edom? I had long heard, (and rightly so) that He would come to Jerusalem and that his feet would land on the Mt of Olives. But Edom? (Southeastern Jordan).

Scripturally, Edom is a name for Esau, the twin of the Patriarch Jacob. Jacob and Esau had a dispute about the inheritance which has run as a thread throughout history. The territory of Esau is called MT Seir, or Edom or Idumea and is in Southern Jordan. The Edomites became the inveterate foes of Israel and have remained so to this day.

There is no longer a Kingdom of Edom, for that was eventually destroyed, beginning in the days of David and Solomon. Edom ultimately was forcibly “converted” to Judaism, (King Herod was an Edomite), and no longer exists as a Nation. Over the centuries, the tribes of Edomites , Ishmaelites, Moabites and Ammonites intermarried and eventually blended together, as Arabs.

Eventually, a religion was introduced, which has codified the grievance of Hagar, Ismael and Esau, which is Islam. The Arabs who live in the area around the Holy Land, and who hate jews and Christians, are the modern Edomites and the LORD has much to say about them.

Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end: Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. (Ezekiel 35:2-8)

The Lord says that Edom has held a “Perpetual Hatred” against the children of Israel. They have shed their blood freely and actually loved to shed Blood. This is the Arab Muslim world.

*Muslim terrorists being interviewed on television, telling us all that they would surely prevail, because the Jews and the West “Loved Life”, but Muslims are taught to love death. The Bible tells us , that all who hate God love death.(Proverbs 8:36)

*The cover of Time Magazine October 23, 2000 featured a baying crowd of Arabs, trilling and cheering two men in a balcony, waving blood soaked hands. They had chased two recent immigrants to Israel into an Arab neighborhood and killed them with their bare hands to the cheers of the crowd.

The book of Obadiah, is very similar to Ezekiel 35, relating the doom of Edom in the end of days,

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.

For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress. 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. (Obadiah 10-15)

Edom is condemned for the violence he has done to his brother Jacob. The last 70 years since the rebirth of the Jewish State has borne witness to the non stop terror campaign which Arab Muslims have waged against the children of Israel. God warns Esau,“… as you have done, it shall be done to you”. This is merely an echo of the earlier promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you”.

Jesus is literally coming back soon, to make war. He is going to war against all that is false, hateful , twisted and perverse, and evil. He is also going to war against specific nations, thus He comes from Edom.

The Children of Israel will have to flee the AntiChrist from their own land, they will have to go to the wilderness, where they will seem to be vulnerable to their ancient enemies, as millions of refugees wander the deserts of Judea, and down into the wilderness of Edom.

It will appear that the Muslims finally have their opportunity, to wipe out the Jews at a place called “Bozrah” which means “enclosure” or “Sheepfold”. The noose will seem to tighten on the remnant of Israel, and the enemies will circle, sensing blood,

Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.(Micah 4:12-13)

This is why Jesus will make a stop at Edom, in Bozrah on the way to Jerusalem on the day of the LORD.

I understand that. But in one instance Christ defends Bozrah from opposition by Edom and the AntiChrist, on the other hand He fights against Edom. It's a little like saying Jesus defends California but fights against the host nation, the USA. But it's conceivable.
________________________________

After your earlier post which touched upon the cruelty of Edom I was motivated to do some further research. You might enjoy this excerpt from John Gill thru BibleHub

For thy violence against thy brother Jacob,.... Which is aggravated: by being against Jacob, an honest plain hearted man, and whom the Lord loved; his brother, his own brother, a twin brother, yea, his only brother; yet this is to be understood, not so much of the violence of Esau against Jacob personally, though there is an allusion to that; as of the violence of the posterity of the one against the posterity of the other; and not singly of the violence shown at the destruction of Jerusalem, but in general of the anger they bore, the wrath they showed, and the injuries they did to their brethren the Jews, on all occasions, whenever they had an opportunity, of which the following is a notorious instance; and for which more especially, as well as for the above things, they are threatened with ruin:

Thanks bro for the excellent questions, I do not see The LORD defending Bozrah, as Jeremiah and Isaiah tell us, Instead He defends those trapped in the Bozrah, Enclosure, Sheepfold)
“For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.” Jeremiah 49

Isaiah 34. “I swear by myself”, declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse, an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruin forever”.

Thank you, more to mull over. Are you planning a Part 3? It would be nice to read your thoughts on those actions following the victory at Bozrah.

. Here is how I am piecing it together and trying to follow Fruchtenbaum's analysis (not always easy). The forces of the Antichrist had been divided into two parts. One portion remaining in Jerusalem dealing with the unconverted orthodox who refused the mark yet had not accepted Christ) and the other sent to Bozrah (new Jewish converts outside the orthodox camp). Now it becomes a bit murky. After Christ has defeated the enemy force at Bozrah, He has yet to defeat the enemy at Jerusalem.(Perhaps it is during the Bozrah fighting that you have the national repentance, salvation & call to Christ from the Orthodox??) Thus, when Isaiah prophetically sees Christ approaching from Bozrah He is responding to the Jerusalem plea and on His campaign to destroy the last remnants of the Antichrist army.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.