Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: With media attention focused on Israel and the people of the Gaza Strip, hope for a peaceful solution to the Middle East situation seems almost hopeless. Yet the ancient prophets told us thousands of years ago how everything will turn out. Stay tuned as we talk about Bible prophecy today, right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the Scriptures from a distinctive first-century Jewish point of view. This is Liz Aiello. Today, Dr. Gary Hedrick is talking about Bible prophecy. His subject is Egypt and the Arab Nations in Prophecy.

Here on Messianic Perspectives, we usually focus on prophecy as it relates to Israel, but today we'll be looking at the future of the Middle East from the viewpoint of the Arab nations. Because believe it or not, Israel is not the only nation in the Middle East that God has a plan for. I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pencil and paper ready. And now with today's installment, here's Gary.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: Thank you, and welcome listening friend to this edition of the program. It's good to have you with us today as we continue this series of studies dealing with Egypt and the Arab nations in prophecy. For the past two weeks, we've been delving into the prophetic scriptures to see what the Bible says about the future of the Arab people.

And if you've been with us for the entire series, you know we've covered a lot of territory because the scriptures are very specific and very clear about what the future holds for the Arab people. In fact, there are seven specific prophecies given concerning seven of Israel's major enemies. The seven nations that are mentioned are Assyria, Babylon, Lebanon, Edom, Egypt, Kedar, and Elam.

Of course, several of these nations no longer exist, but there are successor nations which carry on in their behalf and occupy basically the same geographical areas. For example, Assyria is roughly equivalent to Northern Iraq and Syria. Babylon, that's Southern Iraq. Lebanon, that's the area north of Israel. Edom is actually Edom, Moab, and Ammon, and that would be modern-day Jordan.

Egypt is the area south of Israel, still is. Kedar and Hazor are in the area of Saudi Arabia. Elam is ancient Persia or modern-day Iran. So the seven nationalities represented are the Iraqis, the Syrians, the Lebanese, the Jordanians, the Egyptians, the Saudi Arabians, and the Iranians. And we said last time that according to the Bible, each of these seven nations will come to be at peace with Israel either by means of occupation, destruction, or conversion.

Three ways: by means of occupation, by means of destruction, or by means of conversion. Now, last time we talked about the first of these nations, which is Assyria, and we looked at the prophecy in Isaiah chapter 19 that tells how Egypt, Assyria, and Israel will all be at peace in the millennium because all three of them will be worshippers of Jesus the Messiah. So that's the first of these seven prophecies.

Then the second prophecy has to do with Babylon. The Babylonians, of course, were enemies of Israel in the Old Testament. The Babylonians were the ones who conquered Palestine and took Israel captive in 586 BC. And in Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51, we read about God's judgment on Babylon. And again, we have a prophecy with a dual fulfillment, and we've talked about this before.

In the immediate context, it was fulfilled in 538 BC when the Babylonians themselves were conquered and Babylon was destroyed. But then there's a secondary fulfillment, a secondary fulfillment that comes through very clearly in these chapters because there are things here that just don't fit the destruction of Babylon in 538 BC. And when you compare New Testament passages like Revelation chapter 18, you begin to see that the day is coming when Babylon will be rebuilt.

In fact, during the tribulation period, the name Babylon is used symbolically to describe the worldwide economic and religious system of the Antichrist. Revelation 18:1 says, "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."

Verse 9: "And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning." Verse 11: "And the merchants of the earth," the business interests, the economic interests, "the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more."

So Babylon will ultimately be at peace with Israel, not by conversion or occupation, but by destruction. And in the passage in Jeremiah 50 and 51, the destruction of Babylon is in connection with the restoration of Israel at the end of the tribulation. So that's the second of the seven prophecies. Then the third prophecy has to do with Lebanon. Peace between Israel and Lebanon will come by means of occupation.

In Ezekiel chapters 47 and 48, we read the boundaries of the nation Israel in the millennial kingdom. The northern border encompasses all of modern-day Lebanon. So in this case, peace comes not by destruction nor by conversion, but by occupation. Number four: the fourth prophecy concerns the area of modern-day Jordan. In Bible times, this area was inhabited by Edom, Moab, and Ammon.

Passages like Ezekiel chapter 35, Jeremiah chapters 48 and 49, and the book of Obadiah all indicate that peace between Israel and Jordan will come by destruction, although the destruction will not be total. Number five: the fifth prophecy concerns Egypt. And we go back once again to that beautiful passage in Isaiah chapter 19, where the prophet describes the salvation of the Syrians and the Egyptians.

Five times in that passage, he says, "In that day, in that day, in that day." Verse 16: "In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts." Verse 18: "In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan." Verse 19: "In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt... and it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt."

Verse 23: "In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria." And verse 24: "In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land." And the day he's talking about here is the climax of world history. "In that day" is an eschatological term which refers to the events leading up to the coming of the Messiah to set up his kingdom on earth.

So Egypt will ultimately be at peace with Israel as a result of conversion. Number six: the sixth prophecy has to do with the Arab nations of Kedar and Hazor, which correspond to modern-day Saudi Arabia. Jeremiah 49 describes the total devastation of the people in this area. So peace will come between Israel and Saudi Arabia by means of destruction, tragically by destruction.

And finally number seven: Elam or Persia, which is modern-day Iran, will enter into the millennial kingdom by means of conversion. Jeremiah 49:39 says, "But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the Lord." In other words, he will restore her fortunes and bless Elam in the latter days.

Well, we're almost out of time. Let me give you one more prophecy quickly. You know, for many years I worried about those poor Arab nations that are going to be swallowed up by Israel during the millennium. Because instead of the 8,000 square miles Israel has now, her territory will be expanded to something like 300,000 square miles during the millennium, according to Ezekiel 47:15-20.

So what about all those Arab people who will be swallowed up by the new Israel? Well, the prophet Ezekiel gives a very startling prophecy and says that even the Arabs will be given an allotment of the land in the millennial kingdom, along with the tribes of Israel. That's in Ezekiel 47:21-23. You see, God is no respecter of persons. He loves the Arabs as well as the Jews.

Listen, God chose the Jews to be the ones through whom he would send the Messiah so he could bless all the nations of the world, including the Arabs. What you and I must do, whether we are Jew or Gentile, is accept God's gift of love by receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior and Messiah. Well, that concludes our study on Egypt and the Arab nations in prophecy. I hope you enjoyed it. Bye-bye.

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Gary, and thank you, listening friend, for tuning in today. Gary Hedrick's subject today has been Egypt and the Arab Nations in Prophecy. Now, on a program like ours with Messianic emphasis, you might think it's rather odd to be talking about Egypt and the Arab nations.

However, it's important to understand that God has a prophetic plan for the Arab people, just like he has a plan for Israel and the Jewish people. He has not forgotten the sons of Ishmael, and the prophetic scriptures tell us that Arab believers will have a prominent place in the coming millennial kingdom.

If you enjoyed today's presentation on Egypt and the Arab Nations in Prophecy by Gary Hedrick, you'll be glad to know we've placed the entire series on one convenient CD. It's available for a gift of just six dollars or more to the ministry of Messianic Perspectives. Just visit our secure online store at messianicspecialties.com to place your order.

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And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. I'm Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick begins his series on The Rebirth of Israel in 1948: Was It a Fulfillment of Prophecy? Right here on Messianic Perspectives.