The Prophecy of Obadiah
(Continued from the May, 2014 issue).
In the May, 2014 issue, the following points were covered respecting Obadiah.
(1) Edom, the subject of Obadiah’s prophecy, represents Christendom. Bozrah, the capital of Edom, represents the religous power of Christendom, Mount Seir the political governments of Christendom, and Teman is suggested to represent a Church State union of Christendom
(2) Revelation 18:8 indicates that some of the former political supporters of Papacy survive to bewail her burning. Ezekiel 35:3-4, 10-13, and 14-15 give evidence consistent with this.
(3) The armies of governments that supported Christendom are referred to as “Warriors of Teman” in Obadiah. Obadiah 10-14 indicates that because of violence done against Israel by Christendom, they will be judged. Following is the continuation of this article.
CAST OFF FOREVER
Edom, or Christendom, will be cast off forever. Why? Because as allies of their brother Jacob, Edom, or Christendom, was supposed to help protect Israel from her enemies. But what do they do instead? When the armies of Israel’s enemy Gog come from the north and attack Israel, we are told that Edom, or Christendom’s army, will stand aloof, that is, they will just stand by and do nothing, actually gloating or rejoicing over Israel being spoiled by the forces of Gog. Just as we noted earlier in Ezekiel, “they handed over the Israelites to the sword,” or as in Psalms 137:7, which also tells of Christendom’s encouraging Gog’s forces to tear down Jerusalem, “Remember O LORD what the Edomites [Christendom] did on the day Jerusalem fell. Tear it down, they cried, tear it down to its foundations.”
Coming back to Obadiah, we note in verses 13 and 14 that after the forces of Gog have done their plundering and leave, Christendom’s army who previously stood aloof watching it all happen will then enter the city of Jerusalem to plunder what still remains. They will lay in wait to capture the Israeli fugitives as they escape from the city. Thus these verses in Obadiah indicate that even though Christendom presently claims to be an ally of Israel, anti- Semitism will gradually grow, to the point where Christendom will be guilty of actually gloating, rejoicing, over Israel’s getting spoiled by the forces of Gog, and will follow after with their own spoiling of what yet remains in Israel at the end of Jacob’s Trouble. Anti-Semitism will have reached its climax.
Jeremiah 30:14 — “All your lovers have forgotten you … For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the punishment of a cruel one, because your iniquity is great and your sins are numerous.”
Obadiah 15,16 Rotherham (Day of Jehovah’s recompense) — “For, near, is the day of Yahweh, (Jehovah) upon all the nations — Just as thou hast done, shall it be done to thee, Thy dealing, shall come back upon thine own head. For, as ye have drunk on my holy mountain, all the nations shall drink continually,-Yea they shall drink and swallow down, and shall be, as though they had not been.”
Christendom and Gog of Magog’s armies are involved in this final battle with Israel in Obadiah. Why will God’s judgment be on all nations? (Two other scriptures also say all nations will be involved in Jacobs Trouble.)
Joel 3:2 NIV — “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat (meaning “Jehovah has judged”) There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”
Zechariah 14:2 — “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled … and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”
Could all nations of earth be literally involved in the final battle with Israel in Jacob’s Trouble? The Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon and other scriptures show the word for “battle” can be used to refer to other types of fighting or contending than warfare, like fighting an illness, or fighting to stay alive. An example is Ecclesiastics 8:8 GWV, “No one has the power to prevent the spirit of life from leaving. No one has control over the day of his own death. There is no way to avoid the war [or fight] against death.”
TOTAL NATIONS IN THE WORLD AND THE UNITED NATIONS
In the first decade of this century there were 195 recognized independent nations in the world. In 2011 there were 193 member states in the United Nations. The Vatican declined and Taiwan was replaced by China. The Internet Encyclopedia “Wikipedia” notes that “The UN Human Rights Council has adopted more resolutions condemning Israel than it has for all other states combined.”
Thus, God may consider all nations as being involved in Jacob’s trouble representatively, by being a part of the condemnations against Israel by the United Nations that will probably greatly increase.
Obadiah 17 Rotherham (After the trouble ends) — “But, in Mount Zion, shall be a delivered remnant which shall be holy — and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions [or inheritance!] Jacob’s Trouble ends with a Holy Remnant coming through the trouble (the same thought as in Isaiah 4:3) and Israel goes on to receive her promised inheritance in the Kingdom.
Isaiah 4:3 NAS — “He who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem [after Jacob’s Trouble] will be called holy — everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.”
Obadiah 18 NAS — This text describes who will bring final punishment on Christendom. “Then the house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them on fire and consume them, So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau.” For the LORD has spoken. (Jacob represents natural Israel, and the house of Joseph pictures spiritual Israel, Jesus and the Church, who will consume Christendom.)
Ezekiel 25:12-14 RSV — Christendom avenged by Israel. “Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance upon them, therefore thus says the Lord GOD … I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel; and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath; and they shall know my vengeance, says the Lord GOD.”
Thus the Ancient Worthies will direct Israel’s judgment upon Christendom. Zechariah 12:6 KJ — “In that day will I make the governors (Ancient Worthies) of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.”
Obadiah 19,20 LB — The promised land Israel will inherit after trouble. “Then my people who live in the Negeb shall occupy the hill country of Edom, those living in Judean lowlands shall possess the Philistine plains, and repossess the fields of Ephraim and Samaria. And the people of Benjamin shall possess Gilead. The Israeli exiles shall return and occupy the Phoenician coastal strip as far north as Zarapath. Those exiled in Asia Minor (Sepharad) shall return to their homeland.”
Obadiah 21 LB — The outcome and conclusion. “And saviours [Jesus and the Church] shall come up on mount Zion to rule all Edom, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.” After being burned as tares, Christendom will be blest by saviors, that is, Jesus and the Church in the Kingdom.
How marvelous is our Heavenly Father who can weave into countless prophecies the symbols used of what is yet to come. What a joy to find all these symbolic prophecies written by approximately 40 writers of the Bible, over a period of over 1500 years or more, and all are completely harmonious. Each and every prophetic symbol dove-tails perfectly together, like pieces in a jig-saw puzzle. This could only have happened because our God, the all-knowing supreme ruler of the universe, guided and directed each and every one of His prophets what to write. All the prophets meant to help us know where we are in the stream of time, to know what we are to expect, to know the ultimate destiny for us and all mankind, and above all to strengthen our faith as we see prophecies being fulfilled before our very eyes.
— Adapted from a discourse handout by Br. George Tabac