Kedar

Isaiah 21:16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:

Here is a time prophecy that has to do with a literal year not a prophetic year. According to the years of an hireling. Who is Kedar that all his glory shall fail?

Genesis 25:13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

Who was Kedar? He was the Arab who came from Ishmael. The Arabs came from Ishmael. Kedar is specifically mentioned to come to his end and none shall help him. All his glory would be taken away within a year. It is interesting to connect Kedar the Arab world and Turkey. Kedar and Mesech are connected and in the ancient world. Mesech was in Turkey. They have always been a trouble spot for the Jews.

Psalms 120:5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!  6 My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.  7 I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.

Is this not the problem all the way through and still in existence today? Ever since Ishmael came into contact with his younger brother Isaac, there have been problems. The world problems of today are very much the Middle East conflicts. Here are Kedar and Mesech the Arab world and Turkey. All the glory within one year would be taken away. It is this conflict that Jesus utilises in His work. Notice how Jesus brings this out in His conversation with the apostles.

The Fig Tree

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

The generation that sees all these things the fig tree putting forth its leaves, shall not pass away. What else does Jesus say about this fig tree?

Luke 13:1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

The Galilaeans were being wiped out and He says this is just a warning that if you don’t repent, you will end up the same way.

Luke 13:4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

These serious words we know were so true, because the armies of Titus came and did just that.

Luke 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.  7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

 Jesus gave a parable of the fig tree. What was He talking about? He was talking about the Jewish nation. He was going to give them that last opportunity and if they would not bear fruit to God’s glory, He would cut the fig tree down. [E]xcept ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

What did He say in Matthew 24? Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When it begins to shoot you know that summer is nigh. This fig tree concept is a declaration of the Jewish nation and the generation that sees the Jewish nation shooting again, is the generation that shall not pass.

In Daniel 11 we will see the events of God’s orchestration coming right up to the time of our generation because the Arab world today is relating to the fig tree. In 1948 the fig tree shot again. Daniel 9 talks about the consummation where the Jews who had their city destroyed would also finally be consumed. He said it would be worse for you than for those of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In the last days of final desolation, all the nations that had been desolating each other through the millennia are going to come to their final consummation. We notice that the nations that had been world empires but were desolated would continue to exist as nations until their final consummation.

Daniel 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

He beheld the beast – the papacy continue until finally destroyed and given to the flame. The rest of the beasts, all the empires before the papacy, had their dominion taken away, however their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. The nations that used to be empires exist today not as empires anymore but as nations safeguarded for the final consummation together with the stout horn – the papacy.

The Final Consummation of all These Nations

Jeremiah 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

There are the perpetual desolations, continual battles of the Babylonian nations.

Jeremiah 25:13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, evenall that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.

Their own desolating hatred for other nations, their works of corruptions, they would be all recompensed according to their own deeds.

The Winepress

Jeremiah 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

This relates Isaiah 63:1-6, the winepress of his wrath.

Jeremiah 25:16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. 17 Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me: 18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;

The final consummation includes Jerusalem and the cities of Judah again. Israel has received Jerusalem again for a purpose so they can be desolated with all the others.

Jeremiah 25:19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;

Then he goes right through all the nations of the earth through to verse 28.

Jeremiah 25:28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.  29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.

Can you hear the echoing words of Jesus? Woe unto you, it will be worse for you. The city of God will be desolated, but don’t forget that all you other desolators will be made desolate.

Jeremiah 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.

The battles and political area is going to culminate in the consummation.

Jeremiah 25:32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.  33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

Here is the description of the consummation, a whirlwind that is going to be a warfare. The warfare that has been going on from generation to generation will be finally consummate at this time where He will cause all the nations to be trodden under foot. We can see Jesus coming behind the scenes here.

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Jesus is asked in Isaiah 63, why is your garment red with blood? I have fought the battle alone and now I am going to avenge myself. The garment of sacrifice is now a garment dipped in the blood of the conflict.

The Blood of Conflict

Revelation 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Here is the description of Jesus doing exactly what He did all the way through. Running one desolator past the other. They are all now together at the consummation and He is coming down and doing the same thing again leading them to destroy each other. Who are they?

Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

These are the nations that have always been resisting him.

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

To bring all these nations to such a consummation in the same manner as revealed in Daniel 11, we would expect a revival of the very nations that had been working in the past. The lives of the nations that used to be empires were extended so they could all be brought back together. Here is the direct description of how these nations are going to become involved again.

Joel 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:  10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. 11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.

They are all to be gathered together and there comes the mighty ones, Jesus on horseback.

Joel 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. 13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Here is a description of all the weak nations who were unaccounted for because they were so small. They say that now they will become armies and fight and involve themselves in world affairs. That is what the nations are going to do. Are we not seeing just that? The little nations that were just colonies at one stage are now becoming war-like nations.

Israel to be Revitalised

Ezekiel 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

Israel that has been lying waste will be revitalised.

Ezekiel 38:18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.

Ezekiel 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

1948

You can read many scriptures that point to this consummation. It says let the weak say I am strong. Israel had become a non-entity of a nation. Now it is strong. All the insignificant colonies since 1948 have become nations. Look at India and South Africa, every one of them were just colonies. Now they are becoming nations that are strong and developing their arsenal. What did Jesus say about the summer and the fig tree? Summer identifies harvest time and the treading of the winepress.

Luke 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

Let the little nations say we are strong. Let the trees shoot. Did you know that in Ezekiel 31 trees are nations? The fig tree is the Jewish nation.

After Hitler’s mass extermination of Jews and Bible believing Christians in Europe , when the war was over, numerous Jews sought a new life in a promised land of safety. Many of these were Bible loving Torah Jews. But when the Jewish state of Israel was announced in 1948, immediate war broke out from the surrounding nations yet by some miracle, the Jewish state of Israel ended up with three times its territory. Then in 1967 war was declared again.

The 6 day war

Israel’s forces were stretched out very thinly around its borders and on the Sinai front only two Israeli tanks stood guard. As they topped a sand dune they found themselves facing a complete Egyptian tank unit. However the Egyptians stopped their tanks took off their boots and ran into the desert.

Captured Egyptians said “there were hundreds of Israeli tanks. That’s why they panicked. Miracles such as these were told over and over again after the war. In Israel there was an air of excitement about the future.

Why?  Because Jesus said so;

Matthew  24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Jesus orchestrated these events. The fig tree in Bible symbolism is the nation of Israel.  When Israel became a nation again in 1948 it was not a great big nation but as a small branch shooting forth.

The Other Nations

Ezekiel 31:3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.

The Assyrian was a tree – a cedar.

Ezekiel 31:5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.

Ezekiel 31:13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: 14 To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.

The trees that shoot, the fig tree and all the other trees are here. They are nations that are showing that summer is near and the harvest is about to take place. These trees are nations including the nation of Israel. Before these trees are destroyed, a whirlwind shall come. What is written about the whirlwind and the trees?

Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

Remember the whirlwind that is going to destroy the nations? The angels are holding the wind.

Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

The trees are the nations, the ruling powers. The seas are the multitudes and nations. The winds are wars. The angels are told to hold the winds, don’t let them loose so that God’s people can be sealed. God’s people must know what is happening around them by beholding Jesus working behind the scenes. The nations are eager for conflict but they are being held because God’s people must be protected and confirmed. In the time frame of Daniel 11:45 the whirlwind is going to be let loose. From 1948 there is a development of the consummation where all the nations are gathering their powers. They are all poised in a worldwide interest in fighting together according to their common interest. They all contribute to the different wars.

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Learn the parable of the fig tree and the generation that sees the fig tree shoot shall not pass. The generation that was there in 1948 shall not pass.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Watch

Study the prophecies. Identify the correct appreciation of the prophecies and you will not be caught by surprise.

Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Revelation 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

Who is this angel doing this work? He is the Messiah, Michael the Prince, the archangel. What is Messiah doing? He is orchestrating the events of the world. He is doing His work in the heavenly sanctuary. He is answering the prayers of the people, bringing them up before the Father. He is the only man who stands between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (see 1 Timothy 2:5)

Revelation 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

Revelation 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

That’s what happens when He threw down the censer. He finishes His work, stands up and now comes this great time of trouble which is the lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. 

This is the hour of God’s wrath, the closing of the plagues.

Daniel 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

We need to be the wise who understand this vision.

Israel and the Promised

God led Israel from Egypt. He worked mighty wonders. He led them through the red sea unto the borders of the Promised Land. They fell short of the fulfilment of the promise of God.  Today ancient Israel is still seeking the fulfilment of that promise. The land which was flowing with milk and honey now flows with war and bloodshed as the Jewish nation endeavours to gain the Promised Land. They will never gain the Promised Land because that is not what God promised them. God would lead them all the way. Yet today we find not just the Jewish nation but every nation leading themselves in that way which seemeth right but the ends there of is Armageddon.

Stephen was speaking to the Sanhedrin. If you want a summary of the experience of the Hebrews, Stephen speaks clearly;

Acts 7:2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not [so much as] to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when [as yet] he had no child.

Here was this promise to Abraham was that the land you are will be yours and your seeds. But he had no inheritance in it. He had nowhere to set his foot on. Is that like dangling a carrot before a horse? Here is this land flowing with milk and honey and God says here it’s yours you can have it but he was never able to set his foot upon his inheritance. What really was his inheritance? What was it that Abraham longed and waited for?

The Land of Canaan

Abraham left his kindred.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. :9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

Abraham sojourned in the land of his inheritance. Living in tabernacles. It was a strange country. What does strange mean? It means you don’t know it and here is this promise of God this land will be yours but he dwelt in tabernacles in a strange land.

Hebrews 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.

Do you think that God came to him and said I make this promise to you and you will receive this and then Abraham said no, I’m going to look for this. He looked for the very thing which God had promised him. He looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God.

He dwelt in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob. Isaac died before Jacob went into Egypt. They never received any inheritance yet God had said I give it to you, you are going to have it and they died never having received that inheritance. What kind of a promise is that? Do the promises of God fail? Abraham was not looking for the land of Canaan as it was then. That was not the promise of God. What is Israel fighting for today? Not the promised land. It is not the promised land. The land was promised to his seed.

Hebrews 11:11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, [so many] as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them], and embraced [them], and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that [country] from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better [country], that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

A city which hath built. A better country. Better than the land flowing with milk and honey. That is what God promised Abraham. Even a heavenly.

Abrahams Regard for the Land before Him

Genesis 13:2 And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we [be] brethren. 9 [Is] not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if [thou wilt take] the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if [thou depart] to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Here is this promised land and Abraham says you choose whatever you want Lot. If you want to go that way, I will go this way. Only an attitude could be had in seeking a difference inheritance. What did Abraham care if Lot went that or this way? It wasn’t the land he was seeking, he sought a different land.

Isaac

Isaac also tabernacled in a strange country. Isaac had the same appreciation of God’s promise as his father.

Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. 2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

God makes the same covenant with Isaac as he made with Abraham. This land I will give to you and your seed will inherit it. Unto thee and unto thy seed. Did Isaac regard his land as that land?

Genesis 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. 13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: 14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. 15 For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. 16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. 17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. 19 And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. 20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water [is] ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.

Isaac dug a well and there was water springing out of it in this land and along came the herdmen of Gerar and said that is our water. Do you think if Isaac regarded this land as his inheritance he would have said no that’s my water, the God of heaven gave me this land.

Genesis 26:21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.

And they came along again and said that water is ours. He didn’t contend but said ok you can have it and he went and dug another well. He hit water again and the herdsmen came again and said that is our water as well. He said ok and moved on.

Genesis 26:22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

The Lord hath made room for us in this promised inheritance. Did he push a few aside and said fit Isaac in there?

King David

Kind David is in the heights of his kingdom in the land of Palestine having conquered many of the surrounding nations and his borders being vast says;

1 Chronicles 29:13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. 14 But who [am] I, and what [is] my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things [come] of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. 15 For we [are] strangers before thee, and sojourners, as [were] all our fathers: our days on the earth [are] as a shadow, and [there is] none abiding.

Here they are as powerful nation in the midst of the land of Canaan and the prophet David says we are strangers and sojourners even as our fathers were. Lot went his way and Abraham went his way and God came to speak with Abraham again to repeat his promise;

Genesis 13:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

Hasn’t Lot just gone off to the left and right, east to west? But God said look that way to the way Lot has gone and he said;

Genesis 13:15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, [then] shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

North, south, east and west is a long breadth. That is the whole entire earth. As Stephen said he received no inheritance not so much as to set his foot on. Abraham lived to a good old age but he never received the promise. God had promised that he would receive it. Not just his seed but he himself would receive the inheritance.

Isaac, Jacob died and the twelve sons died and none of them received the promised inheritance. Did Gods promise fail? God says in Isaiah that the word that proceeds from his mouth will not return void but will accomplish the thing said. God’s promises do not fail. Abraham died in faith. He died in hope knowing that he would receive his inheritance. He took the word of God and believed it.

Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

For what? A possession for a couple of generations or so many centuries? For an everlasting possession. The promise of God was for a heavenly country. An everlasting possession, an everlasting country. This land which was promised that he had not set his foot on, he himself was to inherit it. Those who live and possess an everlasting possession, what must they be and have? If you are to enjoy something eternally what kind of life must you have? You must have eternal life. The promise to be was a promise of eternal life. Abraham believed that God would raise him from the dead and that he would be given an inheritance on a earth made new. To dwell in a city which had foundations.  We know what city that is.

Revelation 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

This city that had foundations John saw it coming down to earth. This is the inheritance that Abraham looked for and nothing short of it. You can dig your wells, you can go whichever way you want, I don’t care. I am waiting for an earth made new. This earth made new was promised to Abraham and his seed. To who was the promise of inheritance made to?

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

The promise of God was that he would give immortal inheritance, the everlasting possession to Jesus Christ. This was the heir who would inherit. We know that when Jesus receives his kingdom, when he comes to claim it as his own, it will be renewed and he will come and dwell with man. The everlasting covenant that God made with Abraham that he would give the land to Jesus Christ. Only to Jesus Christ? Would Jesus Christ be the only inheritor of this land? No he had said to thee and thy seed.

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

We have, if we will an everlasting inheritance promised to us. They who are Christs are Abrahams seed. Those baptised into Christ that have put off the old man with the deeds. Jew, Greek, bond and free are all one in Christ and are all inheritors of the promise.

1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? 56 The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. 57 But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the promise made to Abraham the victory over sin and death. The victory over this earth and its corruptions through the Lord Jesus Christ. The promise was, the resurrection from the dead and the restitution of all things. That is the promised land. That earth made new and a city who’s maker and builder is God is what God covenanted. Not a temporal kingdom in Palestine.

Who Is Israel?

The question was posed, what of the physical seed of Abraham? If the physical seed of Abraham does not really embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour who remain stiffnecked and who continue to hold on the natural birth instead of the supernatural birth, those circumcised people are no longer regarded as circumcised. Those people who were never circumcised but have opened their heart to Jesus, they are the true Israel, they are of the twelve tribes. If the Israelis of today have not been circumcised in the heart, have not become a new creature, are they Israel? Are they Jews? It says:

Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly… 29 But he… which is one inwardly;

They are not part of the promise. They are born of the flesh like Ishmael was. It’s very fascinating that the Ishmaelites which are the Arabs or the Palestinians all those Muslim people in the Middle East, being Ishmaelites of Abraham’s line, they are no different to the Jews according to that. They,the Jews, are also of Ishmael’s line but they’re fighting and thinking they’re of God’s blessing when really they are all of that same line.

All the precious promises recorded for Israel in the Bible, are they for Jerusalem in the Middle East? Who are they for? This is the question that many people propose that all the promises of the Old Testament will come to fruition in the physical nation of the Israelis today. But according to the Bible the Jerusalem in the Middle East is not the true Jerusalem. We read it in Galatians. We read in its simplicity here just as inspiration has put it:

Galatians 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

The one that was barren which was Sarah gave birth. Now the allegory is put together that the barren one represents the Jerusalem above and the earthly one which was not barren represents Agar, those that are in bondage.

Galatians 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Which is the mother of us all – Israel the heavenly Jerusalem. With all those precious promises that are made for Israel and Jerusalem, is Jerusalem of the Middle East of today included here? No. Why is it not included and what is their future? We have already seen they are not included because they reject their Lord and Saviour as a nation. Here we have the blessings that are to be experienced by the Jews/Israelites if they will do these things.

Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3 Blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the field. 4 Blessed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine …

Etcetera, etcetera. One blessing after another to whom? To the Israel who takes God’s voice and diligently heeds it. These are the promises. Did the Jewish nation of today follow these ifs? Did they follow precisely the things that God has instructed them? We know they even rejected Christ when they were supposed to receive Him. They did not do what He said.

Isaiah 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

The faithful city that was once God’s city became a harlot. That being the case, were the blessings for them? What was given to them instead if they would not do this?

Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 16 Cursed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and cursed [shalt] thou [be] in the field. 17 Cursed [shall be] thy basket and thy store.

The curses continue:

Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until …

What will happen?

Deuteronomy 28:20 …until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. 21 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. 22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption …

He continues to talk about their destruction:

Deuteronomy 28:26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray [them] away.

What will happen ultimately? The carcasses of Israel shall be meat for all the fowls of the air. This is their curse, by not submitting themselves to the Lord.

Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe … that all these curses shall come upon thee…

Observe how true this has been for the Hebrews of today, for the Israelis of today, from the time that they rejected Jesus Christ:

Deuteronomy 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

The Hebrews understood all the nations that were around them but there was a nation from the far distant west that was a foreign language to them. We read about them:

Deuteronomy 28:50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young: 51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which [also] shall not leave thee [either] corn, wine, or oil, [or] the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. 52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. 53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:

This is precisely what happened as we know. When Jerusalem was surrounded by the Roman soldiers, they inside had no bread, no food and they would even eat their little babies. That was recorded. It was a direct promise by their disobedience to God that they would no longer be His people and they would be destroyed as a nation for that period of time.

Deuteronomy 28:63 And it shall come to pass, [that] as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

It was from the time that the Romans surrounded the city of Jerusalem and conquered it that the Jews were scattered everywhere thereafter.

Deuteronomy 28:59 Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, [even] great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

Here is a mention of the plagues. When God pours the plagues upon the earth and the final destruction, the people who will be destroyed in the final destruction of the plagues, the birds will eat the flesh of these people that are scattered on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 28:26 And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air.

Armageddon

Come to the plagues of Revelation 16 and notice that what is mentioned long before the Hebrews came to their promised land to which God was leading them.This was foretold if they were not faithful that they would be subject to plagues.

Revelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the fals  prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Indeed this is the terrible destruction that takes place even there in the place called Armageddon, or mountain of Megiddo. There in the Middle East, in the Jewish domain is the place. It’s right there on the side of the Jezreel valley where there is a fortress called Megiddo, a little mountain. That includes the area where the Jews were and are today.

Revelation 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

The Vials of God’s Wrath upon the Earth

Jeremiah 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. 16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. 17 Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:

Who were to drink of the vials of God’s wrath? Which one is the first one?

Jeremiah 25:18 [To wit], Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as [it is] this day;

Then it goes through all the nations that are all going to receive the vials of God’s wrath, of warfare.

Jeremiah 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished?

All the other nations have to be punished seeing He is punishing His own nation as well.

Jeremiah 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. 30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread [the grapes], against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise shall come [even] to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them [that are] wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. 32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. 33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from [one] end of the earth even unto the [other] end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

Is not that what He said in the curses, that they would be food for the birds? Indeed Jerusalem and all the other nations. Israel, the Israelis of the Middle East are destined as a nation to be destroyed together with all the other nations according to Jeremiah 25.

The Circumcised with the Uncircumcised

Jeremiah 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these [things] I delight, saith the LORD. 25 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all [them which are] circumcised with the uncircumcised;

Remember what Apostle Paul said? The circumcision becomes uncircumcision and these who are circumcised and those that are uncircumcised will all be punished together,

Jeremiah 9:26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all [that are] in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all [these] nations [are] uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised in the heart.

How clear the Bible is, how clear that those who are uncircumcised in the heart but are circumcised in the flesh, are the same as though they were never circumcised at all.

The Self-Destruction of the Wicked

What may we know of the Lord in all this? There is something very valuable and very important here that as we study this in reference to God’s attitude towards the Jews that have crucified Christ and who have not returned to Him, we see here very beautifully and simply that their own condition of insubordination will be the source of their destruction.

Psalm 9:15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit [that] they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. 16 The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

The heathen create their own destruction just as the Jews, the Israelis in the Middle East enter into the same process of conflict and warfare. What do we know of God in this? They have rejected Jesus Christ who was their God, their King; by rejecting Him they said, “We have no king but Caesar.” Now they reveal themselves to be like the other nations. As the heathen are sunk down in the pit that they have made they the Jews together with them will suffer the execution of God’s wrath. Our God is a just God. He has redeemed us through Jesus Christ but all who reject His redeeming love are left to the consequences of their choice. He speaks to us as He speaks to all Israel. He says, “This is the choice you can make if you will choose life and righteousness and good, then you will live. But if you choose the other, then it is death.”

Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; … 19 … I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

The Jews, the Israelis of today, have not chosen the life-Giver, they have chosen a different path; they have not done what He has said. As we behold Israel of the Middle East, let us behold Israel who worship God in spirit and in truth, and who look for the city that Abraham looked for. The Israelis of today do not look for a city that Abraham looked for; the city on earth is a different one to the one that Abraham looked for.

See also The King of the North and Daniel 11