God's Plans for the Middle East

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FUTURE EVENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, Part II.
Prophecies regarding 7 ‘Biblical Lands’, based on the books of Isaiah & Jeremiah.
Specific Scriptures especially from Tanakh/ Old Testament prophecies,
& How these will impact the Middle East Nations and the world.

Please be sure to read our other study about “God’s Plans for the Middle East”.
These events could change your world.
Please notice the section about ‘In that Day’ or ‘The Day of the LORD’.
These phrases are used over 75 times in the Tanakh/ O.T.

HERE IS A SHORT SUMMARY OF 8 PERIODS OF TIME BEING DESCRIBED AS “IN THAT DAY”
Note: some of these ‘Days’ last many, many years.

Fulfilled Prophecies:
1. Against Israel on the Day of being deported into exile in Babylon, BC.
2. The Day of partial restoration of Israel back to their own Land, BC.
3. The Day of destruction of many ancient M.E. Kingdoms, BC.
(As in Daniel chapter 2.)
4. A further Day of disasters to Jerusalem, the Temple & the Jews, AD.
5. The destruction of Rome and the rise & fall of many nations for 2000 years.

Prophecies being fulfilled in our days:
6. The Day of restoration of Israel to their Land, also politically and later spiritually, & beginning of blessings to some other M.E. Nations.

Yet to be fulfilled:
7. 1st, a Day of Destruction of Israel’s enemies, also great ‘End Time’ events. 2nd, A Day of Blessing to & through Israel & Egypt & ‘Assyria’ to the world.
8. The Last great Day including and climaxing the entire End Time events & Jesus’/ Yeshua’s/ Isa’s Return to Earth on our great ‘resurrection Day’!
It is interesting to note that for some of the Special Jewish Feasts, the 8th day, (which is also the 1st day of the week), is regarded as a sacred ‘Shabbat’.

SPECIFIC PROPHECIES FOR SOME MIDDLE EAST NATIONS.
Note: Scripture portions, from Isaiah 13-19, are mainly used for this study. These are one specific group of ‘oracles.’ “An oracle concerning…” (Isaiah 13: 1, 15: 1, 17: 1, 19: 1). The word ‘oracle’ had the meaning of a ‘burden’ –which true prophets will know about, being a deep, yearning and concern for a group of people or a nation in particular. Sometimes it was introduced with the word “Woe”, (as in 18:1.) Even Isa Maseeh/ Jesus used this word with an agony of spiritual concern behind it. It is all based on the knowledge of the JUSTICE of GOD!
There is only room to mention 7 chapters in this study, chapters 13 to 19.
[Notice that in order to honour the Word of God, our quotes are in italic, from NIV.]

A BRIEF LOOK AT EACH CHAPTER IN THIS SPECIFIC SECTION OF ISAIAH.
[You will find a longer commentary of chapters 17 & 19 in Part III.]

Chapter 13: AGAINST BABYLON initially and including ASSYRIA.
The heading indicates the main message Isaiah was giving to these huge, powerful nations of his day, of coming judgement! “An oracle concerning Babylon… The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war… to destroy the whole country.” Vs. 1 –8. However, the description at first matches the ‘Battle of Armageddon’ as we call it, (or World War III) especially when one comes to verses 9-13, which match N.T. descriptions of the ‘Day of the LORD’S Coming’, affecting the whole world. “I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.” It is a very serious description.

Then Isaiah’s description reverts to what actually happened B.C. when God used the Medo-Persian kingdom to destroy Babylon. From verse 14, “Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land… (Vs 17) “See I will stir up against them the Medes who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. Their bows will strike down the young men, they will have no mercy on infants, nor will they look with compassion on children. Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonian’s pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.” [This has had 2 fulfillments at least, 8thC, 612 –609, & 539 – see Jeremiah 51: 11, 28, Daniel 5: 31, & 6:28.] “She will never be inhabited or lived in…” [as a residential, local City] “…through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there...” [It became a desert area.] “But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses, there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces, her time is at hand and her days will not be prolonged.”

Babylon was completely deserted by the 7th C. AD and in spite of Saddam Hussein’s efforts to recreate the city, it was never more than a reconstructed showpiece. These nations no longer exist in the same form as 2500 years ago. There are modern, separate nations in the same areas, (though Baghdad north of Babylon is an old center), with other good prophecies that can be applied to them. God is going to do great things in this very large area of the Middle East. The modern nations of Iraq and Iran now in this area will be the focus of God’s blessings! Pray for this to be soon!
[Later you will see our notes on Jeremiah 49: 39, about ‘Elam’/ Iran, as well.]

NOTE: The ‘Babylon’ of Revelation could well be a different political, religious and commercial centre in the End Times, where the significance is in its absolute evil, but her influence and power will end in total disaster. It seems ‘Babylon’ will re-emerge as a visible well known ‘capital’ for the ‘Fourth Beast Kingdom’ and the Anti-christ. It could even be a rebuilt centre for the ‘U.N.O.’ – the United Nations Organisation of the future -possibly somewhere in Iraq? See Revelation chapter 16: 17 –21, - which is a summary of a full description later in chapter 18. It seems it will be a literal, visible city, a center for great trade and which can be seen from ships in a nearby sea, at the time of its destruction.
BUT -the place is less important than its terrible function of cruelty!

Chapter 14. A LOOK INTO THE MORE DISTANT FUTURE BY ISAIAH.
This is a most amazing chapter in four parts.
After reassuring Israel that they will be regathered (verses 1 & 2), the chapter gathers momentum to describe the final overthrow of Satan himself, into Hell itself! (Verses 3-20.)

1. For ISRAEL, verses 1 & 2 are the 2nd ‘Day’ as we see it in our list, the time when the Jews did return from Babylon to their own land, under Ezra. These words must have been a great encouragement to Israel in Isaiah’s time, 700 years BC. The ‘shafts of light’ against a dark background of coming punishments keep coming through all the prophecies of the Old Testament.
Isaiah said; “The LORD will have compassion on Jacob. Once again He will choose Israel and will settle them in their own Land. ‘Aliens’ will join them and unite with the house of Jacob.”

[The exciting part is that these verses are having a double fulfillment in our own time, which we have listed as ‘Day 6’ on the list as written above.
It should also be noted that there are now, in this time of a second regathering, 1.5 million Arab citizens of Israel, with 4 members in the Government. However many of these Arab citizens are true Christians, who will share Israel’s blessings one day.]

2. Just JUDGEMENTS against ALL EVIL. The verses 14: 3 –20 are a description of Sheol, (the place of the unrighteous dead), using Earthly pictures to describe it as a graveyard, and reaching a climax in 12 –17 representing Satan’s fall from Heaven. He is called ‘King of Babylon’/ ‘Oppressor’, (4), and even called ‘morning star’/ ‘son of the dawn’ in verse 12, which we know is because he has always wanted to copy Jesus. However all people – even kings- that align themselves with evil Leaders will suffer the kind of tragic end described in 18 - 23. “’I WILL rise up against them’, declares the LORD ALMIGHTY. I will cut off from Babylon her name and survivors…” (22) These verses need to be read carefully.

3. The FINALITY of JUDGEMENT. Verses 14: 24 –27 are again a description of the defeat of Assyria in ancient times, but are used as another ‘picture’ of the absolute certainty of God’s final judgement of the whole world on the last great Day of God, (as in our list, Day 8.) “The LORD Almighty has sworn, ’Surely as I have planned, so it will be… I will crush the Assyrian in My Land, on My mountains I WILL trample him down’…”
(Punishment of Evil, however, always means victory for God’s People!)

4. Against PHILISTINES, Verses 14: 28 –31.
The oracle against the Philistines was fulfilled in the ancient times of the Assyrian wars in 715B.C. It should be noted that there are no longer any Philistines in the world today. As 31 says: “Melt away all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke from the North, and there is not a straggler in its ranks.”
[Later Arab peoples replaced them, but today’s ‘Palestinians’ are not Philistines, though they -as a nation -are still enemies of Israel. Claims of being Philistines are false claims, trying to make false historical links to the area of Gaza and the so-called ‘West Bank’ –Samaria & Judea, in fact.]
Therefore verses 30, and 32 are comforting for Israel and we believe Christian Arabs too.“The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety… What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? ‘The LORD has established ZION, and in her, her people will find refuge’.”
Anyone who finds ‘refuge by faith’ in Zion’s God is assured of blessings!

Chapter 15 & 16. Prophecies against MOAB, (part of present day ‘Jordan’.)
These punishments too, were fulfilled 715/713 BC but God wept through the prophet for a group of ancient people -probably related to Israel –that had to be destroyed. However there was to come a merciful Ruler who will make sure that “The oppressor will come to an end, the destruction will cease, the aggressor will vanish from the land…” The ‘jewel’ in verse 5 suggests this is largely future. “In love a Throne will be established; in faithfulness a Man will sit on it- One from the House of David- One who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.” A beautiful picture, so even Israel’s former enemies through their allegiance to Jesus the King can always find refuge; “Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you: be their shelter from the destroyer.” There are many Christians in Jordan today, which is the name for what was (in part), Moab. The more northern part of today’s Jordan was actually part of Israel, given to Rueben, Gad, and Manasseh. In Isa all Believers will become one.

[It is difficult to reprint these chapters in full, so you need to read and keep referring to them in your Bible. If possible, use a study Bible or commentary.]

Chapter 17. “An oracle concerning DAMASCUS,” Capital of Syria.
[See more complete notes in Part III.]
This is certainly partly historical, since the Northern Kingdom of Israel did align itself with Assyrian Damascus, and so suffered a similar defeat in 732B.C. under Tiglath-Pileser III. But! -“See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins...” has not yet happened since at the present time it is still a city, and in fact the capital of Syria. So it is quite right to expect prophecies as clear as this to be fulfilled sometime in the future. We give a much longer examination of this chapter, in the next article, as it is important to us today.
[For other information on LEBANON, which is also part of the Land promised to Israel, see Deuteronomy 11: 24 & Isaiah 29:17 –24 with their shared blessings.]

Chapter 18. Prophecy against CUSH.
This is part of Ethiopia and possibly Eritrea and Sudan. It says in verse 3: “All you people of the world, you who live on the Earth, when ‘a banner’ is raised on the mountains,” [i.e. Israel becomes a nation, compare 10: 12], “you will see it.” [To verse 7,] “At that time gifts will be brought to the Almighty, from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers-“ (upper reaches of the Nile).
This could have double fulfillments, but one could be that with the recreation of the Nation of Israel in their own Land, a ‘banner’ has been raised for all in the world who want to see it, (and some who do not!) Christians, certainly see it as a Scriptural fulfilment and therefore a signal, like a banner, of the times we are living in. (For more on this theme, of ‘the Banner’ see Isaiah 11: 10 –12.) Also the beautiful descriptions of verse 7, being the bringing of hundreds of Ethiopian Jews to Israel in 1986. “At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned...The gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the LORD Almighty.” Isaiah 18: 7.

Chapter 19, “An oracle concerning EGYPT.”
[See more complete notes in Part III.]
Again this is a very descriptive chapter and seems it can be taken literally as a set of (mainly future), events. Especially the last 3 verses that do not seem to have ever happened yet, but they give a glorious future hope and wonderful expectation of a great Middle East revival of blessing through the Lord Jesus/ Isa Maseeh! “In that Day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and the Assyrians will worship together. Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the Earth! The LORD Almighty will bless them saying, ’Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel My inheritance’.”

SO A SPECIAL NOTE OF BLESSING FOR THESE NATIONS.
We believe (based on the verse above), that people from all the above nations are marked for real blessings because ‘Assyria’ includes all modern-day areas from Syria across to Iraq, Iran, the Gulf States & part of Saudi Arabia and maybe even Yemen. The actual nations will still come under the False-messiah, but first, (perhaps in a small ‘window of opportunity before he gets total world control) God will hasten the knowledge of Who He is through them. This will be after He has made Himself known by breaking the power of powerful world religions in their joint, planned attack against Israel. (Compare Joel 2: 28 & 29!)
Then, finally the whole world will know Who the only true God is,
as Ezekiel says 74 times in his prophecy!

WE ADD NOTES ABOUT ELAM, from Jeremiah 49: 34 –39, today called IRAN.
We include these Scriptures, since they are very specifically about a special and very influential Middle East nation, now called ‘Iran’. We quote the verses 34 -36; “This is the Word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah.” This is known to be 597 –586 BC, during his short 9 year reign just before most of the people were exiled to Babylon. “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘See, I will break the bow of Elam the mainstay of their might.” (Elam was famous for its archers – compare Isaiah 22:6.) “I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of the heavens; I will scatter then to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go.” The exactness of God’s prophetic words is ours to see, as these events did take place after the over-throw of the last ‘Shah of Persia’ and when Islamic Ayatollahs took the power, bringing a strict Islamic regime to Iran in the 1970’s.

Verse 37 continues, “I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who seek their lives; I will bring disaster upon them, even my fierce anger, declares the LORD.” From 1980 – 1988 Iran was trapped in a horrific war with Iraq, killing 1 mln people, including children. Also we note, that sadly, even in the years of the 21st century, Iran has suffered devastating earthquakes killing thousands of people. Verse 37 continues, “I will pursue them [anti-God forces] with the sword until I have made an end of them.”
Yet as God breaks the power of their own leaders the people will make Isa Maseeh their God and king! This is because God says, “I will set My throne in Elam, and destroy her king and officials declares the LORD. Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come.”

This is wonderful news for the Farsi-speaking people of Iran! For a long period of their history, (1502 –1736) rulers were known as kings/shahs of the Safavid Empire. But soon they will enthrone Isa Maseeh in their hearts, and know His true and loving reign of spiritual freedom which many long for. (Other Scriptures indicate God’s throne is in Heaven, Isaiah 66:1, & 7:49.) There have been many Christian martyrs in Iran, even in recent times, whom God will not forget. Therefore Iran will surely be part of the blessing we have already referred to as part of ‘Day 7’, - spiritual restoration to the True God and His Son Isa Maseeh! Perhaps Iran will become, with Egypt, a leader in the spread of the true God’s ‘Good News’ of salvation in Jesus/Isa, especially to the ‘Muslim’ world, as depicted by the word ‘throne’, in the verse above?

We believe, most of those God has scattered to every nation, many of whom have come to know the true God through Jesus Messiah will return to their homeland and become a great blessing as leaders and teachers.
Please be encouraged if you are a refugee from any M.E. country, because God has good plans for you!

SO FINALLY WE HAVE A SPECIAL INSIGHT
INTO GOD’S FUTURE PLANS!

True spiritual blessings for the entire world from these M.E. nations!
We have repeated it before, but the glorious hope of blessing for millions to be blessed over the entire world surely cannot be repeated too often. The closing verse of Isaiah 19 speak for themselves.

“The Egyptians and the Assyrians will worship together. In that Day, Israel will be the third along with Egypt and Assyria.
The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying,
‘Blessed be Egypt -My people,
Assyria –My handiwork,
And Israel My inheritance’.”

Little more needs to be said. Other articles may enlarge in some ways. But we feel this is a very special part of the Word of God, which by His Holy Spirit and your own reading can become a very precious ‘anchor’ for your hope in the days ahead. Yes, there will be many other signs and events before Isa Maseeh returns but always there are God’s good Plans working together for the good of people and even nations.

We worship and praise God for these Plans,
as we join in prayer for them to be soon!

May the blessings come to those who read and to God’s people everywhere,
but especially among those ‘Middle Eastern’ people who will be
“a blessing to the whole world”.

TO GOD’S GLORY, ALONE!

We invite you to look at Part III of this series on
‘FUTURE EVENTS FOR THE M.E.’

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