God’s Promises Affecting the Middle East Today
The major players: Arabs, Jews, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Canaanites, and Syrians.
Several nations were disbanded and dispersed by God: Edom (Joel 3:19), Moab and Ammon (Zephaniah 2:9). The Canaanites, however, were not driven out by Israel, so God left them there (Judges 2:3). The Palestinians are the descendants of those deported to northern Israel by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:24-41) mixed with Canaanites, Moabites, Edomites, and Ammonites. They were still there in Jesus day (John 4).
Ishmael (Genesis 16:10-12 and 25:12-18), the father of all Arabs.
Some cities became ghost towns because of changes in trade routes or climate. But destruction of a city in war usually does not end its habitation. If the location was a good one before the war, it will be resettled for the same reasons. God has changed that three times.
Tyre (Ezekiel 26:14 and 21)
Babylon (Jeremiah 50:13 and 39, Isaiah 13:20)
Ninevah (Zephaniah 2:13)
Is today’s nation of Israel under any godly directive?
- The chosen people have a history of promises.
- Chosen because of the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 7:6-12 and 4:37-38).
- But the promises were conditional (Exodus 19:3-8)
- Israel broke the covenant (Jeremiah 6:16-19 and 11:10)
- But the promise to David remained (Jeremiah 33:14-22)
- But not on earth (Jeremiah 22:24-30).
- That promise was apart from the Law (2 Samuel 7:16, Galatians 3:15-18).
- The Messiah would occupy David’s throne forever (Acts 2:30-36)
- Jesus is called the head of the kingdom (Colossians 1:13, 1 Thessalonians 2:12, Hebrews 12:28, 2 Peter 1:11)
- The present day chosen people are described in the New Testament.
- Not of this world (John 18:36)
- A heavenly kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14)3
- They are not all Israel who are descendants of Israel (Romans 9:1-8)
- The Law is ended (Galatians 3:24-25, Romans 7:6, Hebrews 7:12-22, 8:6-13, 9:15, 10:9)
- The olive tree (Romans 11:5 and 11-15)
- The present day nation of Israel bears little resemblance to Biblical Israel
- Not under the Law of Moses
- No descendent of David
- No Levitical priesthood
- The Promised Land may still be on the table, since it was to belong to the descendents of Abraham forever.
- Israel could be useful as those who keep the evidence of God’s history fresh.
- The symbolisms still work, even though Jesus has already come.
- If Israel should still exist, it would be populated by Jewish Christians.