Thoughts Along the Way: Tomorrow’s Headlines

How will we know when the Kingdom of God is on the way? Jesus has answered that question for us.

 

Ten Nations Attack Israel In the Promised Land

(Psalm 83)¹

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A significant aspect of the LORD God’s covenant with Abraham is the promise of a special land (Genesis 13:14, 15, 17). This “Promised Land” is specifically defined (Genesis 15:18) as a land of ten nations (Psalm 83), and since each nation would have a king, there would be ten kings. This point may have a real consequence in the study of Bible prophecy, especially in Revelation.

Elsewhere, this land is described as stretching from the border of Egypt in the southwest to the borders of Babylon and Assyria in the northeast (Exodus 23:23; Deuteronomy 1:7; 11:24; Joshua 1:4; Psalm 72:8). Within this arena, this land of Promise (the full territory of which has never yet been fully occupied by Israel), much of Bible prophecy has been played out. Even today, eager believers worldwide watch that special land, waiting for a sign.

However, this land still contains something like the ten nations mentioned in Psalm 83, although the names have changed over time. The ten nations of Psalm 83 are listed below:

In these days, the “Land of Promise” is a land occupied by two kinds of peoples:

Those mostly descended from Abraham, who are known today as “Jews” or “Israelis,” that is, those Jews who constitute a reborn Israel, and,

Those descended from the “ten nations” and other earlier occupants of the Land, mentioned in Genesis 15, whose ancestors were intermixed with one another and, to some degree, intermixed with the descendants of Abraham.

Many of the Jews look to their faith and to their ancestry to justify their claims to the land of Promise.

Many of the Arabs, who are primarily Muslims, look to Mohammed as the founder of Islam in justifying their claim to the same land that the nation of Israel now occupies. Their long-standing settlement of the land before British rule (post-1948) further complicates matters.

 “Arab” and “Ereb”

The English word” Arab” originates from the Hebrew ereb, which means “mixed.” A similar word for ereb occurs four times in Daniel 2:41-43, regarding the toes of the great image which Nebuchadnezzar saw (presumably there were ten toes!). The prophet Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and explained it to him:

Since the beginning of Biblical times, the Arab descendants of Abraham have intermarried with other peoples and created, a mixed or mingled peoples. In fact, this mingling has been mentioned several times in the Old Testament:

He [Esau] married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite [cp Exodus 23:23; Joshua 1:4], and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.” (Genesis 26:34, 35).

There are other instances of the word ereb—which may signify “mixed” or “mingled”—as related to other peoples of the Land:

1 Kings 10:15: “All the Arabian kings.”

Jeremiah 25:20, 24: “the foreign (or “mingled” KJV) peoples.” This description includes the Philistines, all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the foreign (mingled) peoples in the desert.

Jeremiah 50:37: “All the foreigners (or “mingled people” KJV) that are in the midst of her [Babylon].“

Ezekiel 30:5: “Cush, and Libya, and Lydia, and all Arabia (or “the mingled people” KJV).”

Nehemiah 13:1, 3: “Ammonite or Moabite…all who were of foreign descent (or “the mixed multitude” KJV).”

So, the “mixed peoples” of the Middle East are the Arabs, with blood ties both to the original Canaanites and the distant descendants of Abraham. Both these groups of people have historically had an intense hatred for the Jews.

Now, with the addition of a unifying religion, Islam, many of these Arabs view the Jews as abominable “infidels” who have no real claim to the Land of Palestine. To be honest, hatred goes both ways.

As we consider the Middle East since 1948, when the United Nations recognized Israel as a nation, we observe that the stage was being set for a battle between Israel and the ten “kings of the earth (or land).” As Daniel describes it, in the days when these mixed/mingled peoples trample down Israel, then the God of heaven will set up His everlasting Kingdom (Daniel 2:44).

As Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar:

The “rock” is easily recognized as the Lord Jesus Christ. He is “the stone which the builders rejected” (Matthew 21:36-42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17-19), and therefore a “stone” that will indeed become a great Kingdom.

And the prophetic words of Jesus, spoken to his disciples, give us a wonderful hope. How will we know when the Kingdom of God is on the way? Jesus has answered that question for us:

Of course, we can do calculations, guesses, and predictions about Jesus’s coming. And though no man may know the day or hour in advance, Jesus’ words are conclusive: When you see enemies advancing upon Israel or surrounding Jerusalem, then you will know.

It’s as simple as that. Until then, we wait, watch, work, pray, and preach. As the angels told the disciples who were looking intently into the heavens while their Lord Jesus ascended there:

Then the disciples remembered what Jesus had told them:

And then they set out to obey his commands and his examples, even at the risk of their own lives.

 George Booker,
Austin Leander Ecclesia, TX