Messianic Perspectives

Dr. Gary Hedrick: 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.

Liz Aiello: Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinct 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 pen 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. On the last program, we were looking at some end-time prophecies in the book of Ezekiel. We said there’s a section in chapters 34, 35, and 36 that has a dual fulfillment. In other words, there’s an immediate context, a primary context, and also a secondary context. The immediate context in this case has to do with the return of Israel from the Babylonian captivity. But there’s more to it than just that because it looks beyond the Babylonian captivity on into the last days. That's the secondary fulfillment.

The reason we know there’s a secondary fulfillment is that there are things in this section of Ezekiel that couldn't possibly refer to the return from the Babylonian captivity. He talks about a reunion of Israel and Judah into one nation, for example. He talks about the complete restoration of national Israel to the Promised Land. He talks about a national regeneration of Israel. When Ezekiel 36 says the Lord will give Israel a new heart and put a new spirit in them, he removes the heart of stone and gives his people a heart of flesh, it says. Of course, that's what happens at the end of the tribulation. So there’s a very clear end-time context here in this section of Ezekiel.

Chapters 35 and 36 talk about the Arab nations. Seir, which is another name for Edom or Esau, and Idumea, which is another name for Edom. In chapter 35, verse 10, here’s what I want you to see. Ezekiel prophesies what the attitude of the Arab nations will be in the last days. Here it is: "Because thou hast said, these two nations and these two countries"—that is Israel and Judah—"shall be mine, and we will possess it, whereas the Lord was there." You see, it’s an attitude of defiance. Even though Jehovah was there, even though it’s God’s land, even though God’s people dwell there, they say, "Israel shall be mine and we will possess it."

You read basically the same thing in chapter 36, verse 5. In other words, in the last days, the Arab nations will claim the land of Israel for themselves. Now let me tell you what’s so interesting about this prophecy. It says in the last days the Arabs will want the land of Israel for themselves—an Arab state, a Palestinian state in Israel in the last days. Here’s what’s so interesting about that. For 2,000 years, the Jews were dispersed from the land. They were scattered all over the face of the earth, and Palestine was basically a desert wasteland. It was so bad that British soldiers would cast lots to see who had to go to Palestine during the British Mandate.

During all that time, 2,000 years, there was never an Arab state in Palestine. The Arabs who lived there considered themselves Syrians, and there was never any effort to set up a Palestinian state, not once in 2,000 years. But then in the late 1800s and the early 1900s, the Jews began returning to the land. It was the Zionist movement. They established Jewish settlements in Palestine, and they actually bought the land from the Arabs who lived there. Every square foot the Jews settled on was bought and paid for with their money, with Jewish money. And the Arabs were glad to sell it to them because they considered the land worthless. They thought they were taking advantage of those poor Jews by taking their money.

It wasn't until World War I that the Arabs began having second thoughts about that. After the war, when Palestine was transferred from the Turks to the British, and the British made it clear that their intention was to provide a homeland for the Jews, that's when the Arabs started raising a stink. Here, they had sold all of this land to the Jews, and now Britain was going to help the Jews establish a Jewish state. Well, the British gave in to Arab pressure. In 1922, they gave two-thirds of Palestine to the Arabs, creating an Arab state which became Jordan. This was supposed to be part of the Jewish homeland, but they gave it to the Arabs instead. That left the Jews with a little sliver of land of about 8,000 square miles. Jordan is about 37,000 square miles.

But the Arabs wanted it all. The day after the establishment of the Jewish state in May of 1948, Arab forces attacked Israel. Forty years after that, in 1988, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the PLO, declared the establishment of a Palestinian state. Do you know what territory they claim for their Palestinian state? That's right, Israel. They claim the land that was bought and paid for by the Jewish people belongs to them. Do you get the picture? For 2,000 years, while the Jews were in the dispersion, the Arabs never bothered to set up a Palestinian state. But then when the Jews come back, all of a sudden they want that land.

Now let's talk about the future of the Middle East. God makes it very clear in the prophetic scriptures that peace is coming to the Middle East. After 4,000 years of feuding and fighting, it’s hard to imagine a peaceful Middle East, but it’s coming. There's no question about if, the only question is when. Ultimately, peace will come to the Middle East. Israel will be made to be at peace with all of her enemies, and that peace with each of her enemies will come by one of three means. Number one, by means of occupation. Number two, by means of destruction. Or number three, by means of conversion. And it happens prior to the Millennium, prior to the Messianic Age.

The Bible teaches that there’s a new world coming. It’ll be a world under new management when Messiah Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach, rules from his throne in Jerusalem. It’ll be a world of prosperity and plenty and peace, a world of abundance. That's when the Bible says they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 2:4. Sickness and disease will be eradicated. Unemployment will be zero. And all the nations of the world will live in perfect peace and harmony with each other, including the nations of the Middle East. Hard to believe, but it’s true.

By means of either occupation, destruction, or conversion, Israel will come to peace terms with each of her enemies at the beginning of the Millennium. The Bible specifies who those enemies are. There are seven of them, and God gives seven specific prophecies concerning the future of each of them. They are Assyria, Babylon, Lebanon, Edom, Egypt, Kedar, and Elam. Assyria is roughly equivalent to Northern Iraq and Syria. Babylon would be Southern Iraq. Lebanon would be the area north of Israel. Edom is actually Edom, Moab, and Ammon, which is basically Jordan. Egypt is the area south of Israel, of course. Kedar and Hazor are in the area of Saudi Arabia, modern-day Saudi Arabia. And 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. Each of them will come to peace with Israel either by means of occupation, destruction, or conversion. First, Assyria. The area of ancient Assyria was roughly equivalent to modern-day Syria and Northern Iraq. The Syrians today are some of Israel’s most militant enemies, so it’s amazing to read this passage in Isaiah chapter 19 and find that Israel and the Syrians will someday be at peace. Isaiah 19, verse 23 says, "In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Syrian shall come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrian."

In that day, verse 24, "shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land." Verse 25: "Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance." Isn't that remarkable? "Blessed be Egypt my people," he calls the Egyptians his people, "and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance." You see, what makes it so incredible is that these three nations were bitter, bitter enemies in Isaiah’s day when he was writing this. The Egyptians and the Assyrians hated each other with a double passion, and they both despised Israel.

Now we said each of Israel’s enemies would experience either occupation, destruction, or conversion when the world enters into the Millennial Kingdom. In the case of Assyria, it will be conversion. They will worship Jehovah, and he will bless them. It says that in the Millennial Kingdom, these three areas of the Middle East will be connected by a network of highways. People will travel back and forth freely between Israel and Egypt and Syria. In fact, much of that area will be incorporated into the new Israel, which will be much larger than the 8,000 square miles they have now. The new Israel will extend for some 300,000 square miles. Well, that's all for today. Next time, we’ll finish these seven prophecies about the future of the Arab nations. Join us then, won't you? I hope you will. Bye-bye.

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Gary. And thank you, listening friend, for tuning in today. 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 $6 or more to the ministry of Messianic Perspectives. Just visit our secure online store at messianicspecialties.com to place your order.

If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, PO Box 345, San Antonio, Texas, 78292. To order by phone, use our toll-free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397. 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. This is Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won’t you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series on Egypt and the Arab Nations in Prophecy, right here on Messianic Perspectives.