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By Robert G. Ardis
This Booklet is not to be sold. It is published by the
Church of God's Faithful
as a free educational service in the public interest.
First edition published August 1998
Revised, second edition published January 2002 © 2002 Church of God's Faithful ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
When this booklet was first published in 1998, Gerald Flurry, the pastor-general of the Philadelphia Church of God, headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma, was cooperating with the Royal Family of the nation of Jordan in a restoration work to make the rose-red city of PETRA one of the most beautiful areas on earth. Mr. Flurry's interest in this very ancient pagan city is due to his belief that PETRA is the "place prepared of God" or place of safety referred to in scripture. In magazine articles and sermons Mr. Flurry leaves no doubt of his belief that PETRA is the "place of safety." He wanted to participate in the restoration of PETRA as the future "place of safety." "Even during the GREAT TRIBULATION, this WORK will continue until the desert blossoms as the rose," Mr. Flurry declared! After Jordanian officials discovered his true intentions, Gerald Flurry and his Philadelphia Foundation were expelled from the project. Petra will not become one of the most beautiful areas on earth! God's Word declares that area of the world will suffer destruction so complete that it will be an utter devastation. People will not be impressed by the great beauty of Petra but will be astonished at its devastation. Jeremiah 49:17-18 states: "Also Edom (the land where Petra is located) shall be a desolation: every one that goes by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. As in the overthrow of SODOM and GOMORRAH and the neighbor cities thereof, SAITH THE LORD…" Isaiah 34:5-6 adds more: "For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: Behold it shall come down upon Idumea (Latin for Edom)…for the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah (ancient capitol city of Edom), and a GREAT SLAUGHTER in the LAND of IDUMEA…" Gerald Flurry teaches that PETRA WILL BE THE PLACE OF SAFETY! God's Word says PETRA WILL BE A PLACE OF SLAUGHTER! WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? Or have you even thought about the PLACE OF SAFETY being somewhere other than PETRA? The PLAIN TRUTH concerning this vital subject is revealed, right out of the Word of God, in the pages of this booklet.
INTRODUCTION: The patriarch Noah was given the task of warning the entire world of his day. Unless they repented, God would destroy the earth with a great worldwide flood. God told Noah to built a huge ark in which he, his family, representatives of all life forms, and any person who would believe the warning message, could be saved. Noah was given 120 long years to build this large ship and to preach the WARNING message. People laughed and scoffed at Noah, his message and his boat. Most likely, Noah's wife and sons were embarrassed by his words and actions. This did not deter Noah. Genesis 6:22 of the Holy Bible states: "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he." Noah was a righteous man, the only righteous man on earth. Verse 9 says, "…Noah walked with God." Mankind had become so wicked it grieved God. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart…" verses 5-6. Verses 11 - 13 add more: "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them: and behold, I will destroy them with the earth." Genesis 7:5 repeats the statement: "…Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him." But Noah, alone, was obedient to the will of God---all others on the face of the entire earth laughed, scoffed and followed their own evil ways. God had a GREAT PLAN and a definite time to fulfill this plan. It appears He had given the inhabitants of the earth 120 years to repent of their evil ways through the powerful preaching of righteous Noah (II Peter 2:5). At the end of this WARNING period, God told Noah and his family to go into the ark. "And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood…They and every beast after his kind…and they went in unto Noah into the ark…And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: AND THE LORD SHUT HIM IN (Gen.7: 7-16)!"
The ARK was the ONLY Place of Safety on the earth! The laughing and scoffing ceased abruptly as the rains began and the fountains of the deep began gushing water upon the earth. Then, instead of laughter and merry-making, there were screams of terror and cries for help. BUT IT WAS TOO LATE! GOD HAD CLOSED THE DOOR! Genesis 7:21 states: "And ALL FLESH DIED that moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth, AND EVERY MAN!" That is HISTORY; that is the way it happened. People would not listen to the warnings sent from God. As a result THEY ALL DIED! Now we have come to the end of another period of time! Jesus Christ prophesied in Mathew 24:37: "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; SO SHALL ALSO THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN BE." Especially since September 11, 2001, aren't conditions on the earth today very similar to what they were in the days of Noah? Violence and bloodshed are commonplace. Two great religions composed of 2 ½ billion people are preparing for "holy" war against each other. Anthrax, Smallpox, Ebola, AIDS, and other horrible plagues have raised their evil heads as weapons of mass-destruction. Our President declares we have entered into a new type of war---Terrorist warfare! And war will bring on famine and more pestilence. The Four Horsemen of Revelation 6 are in full gallop across the earth! As it was in the days of Noah---the world is corrupt to the point that children are arming themselves and going on KILLING SPREES; killing one another or becoming suicide bombers killing themselves and any others in their path. There are millions of broken homes with the resultant decay and perversion of morals. Homosexuality has come out of the closet and has become a powerful political influence in our country. God tells us in no uncertain words that this is a corruption in the thinking of Society; "Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; IT IS ABOMINATION." (Leviticus 18:22 & Romans 1:26-27) Abortion is openly practiced and its participants protected by law... contrary to the LAW of God... "Thou shalt not murder" (Exodus 20:12). There is no justice in the land (Isaiah 59). Many of our national leaders have corrupted themselves and the people, as a whole, do not even care. Patriotism is the NEW religion in the land---not Christianity! Just as it was in the days of Noah, people live and die, they laugh and cry, they wave their flags, and go on with their lives.
BUT NOW TIME IS UP! The Great Tribulation looms directly ahead! Now it's TOO LATE for America, Britain, Israel, and the WHOLE WORLD! Now it may be TOO LATE for many of those of GOD'S CHURCH! The DOOR of the "ARK" will be closing very soon! God's Place of Safety will definitely be needed in the near future! THIS MAY BE YOUR FINAL WARNING! PLEASE READ ON!
Chapter One:
The First Four Seals ......................................................7
Chapter Two:
The Middle East In History ........................................14
Chapter Three:
The Middle East In Prophecy .....................................37
Chapter Four:
Where Safety IS! ..........................................................48
Chapter One:
The First Four Seals
Almighty God the Creator has a great OVERALL PLAN! This fantastic plan has a TIME LIMIT devised by God, Himself. In this plan mankind has been given 6000 years to go his own way under the influence of Satan, the devil. Mankind today has descended from the son's of Noah since the Great Flood. Humanity has been given the example of the "world that then was" (II Pet. 3:6), that perished in the flood, but has ignored the WARNINGS of God's prophets through these 6000 years. NOW IT IS TOO LATE! That Six Thousand-year period ended on October 1, 1997 according to man's best calculations. At that precise time a great secret, kept hidden through the centuries, was revealed to God's faithful Church. From that point of time, the Church of God's Faithful, has understood the amazing fact that the DAY OF THE LORD and the DAY OF THE LORD'S WRATH are not the same event! Revelation 1:10 states: "I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day…" We had not realized before this very moment that this scripture means exactly what it says. In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John sees and records everything from the point of time of THE DAY OF THE LORD as he stated in verse 10. John is projected forward to the specific TIME of the end of MAN'S 6000 years and into our time NOW---THE DAY OF THE LORD! In chapters 2 and 3, John is inspired to give the history of the TRUE New Testament Church from its beginning in 31 AD to the END of the LAODICEAN era. The reader is brought from the beginning of the Church age to the final "knocking on the door" (Rev. 3:20) of Laodicea that is taking place as you read these words in the DAY of the LORD. The remainder of Revelation 1 and chapters 4 and 5 describe the awesome, symbolic details of the Throne Room of Almighty God. John sees the 24 Spirit Elders and the 4 Beasts, but his main focus is on Jesus Christ there symbolized as the LAMB of God receiving from the FATHER'S hand a scroll with SEVEN SEALS upon it. As chapter six begins, Christ rips off each of the FIRST FOUR SEALS. These seals have been opened, IN TYPE ONLY, throughout HISTORY. Now the DAY of the LORD has come and Christ ACTUALLY releases The FOUR HORSEMEN
to do the grisly work that is expected of them. As each one is released, one of the Beasts cries aloud each time for Christ to, "COME AND SEE!" The Day of the Lord has come, NOW Christ would COME and SEE that the HORSEMEN bring about the situations, conditions, and circumstances leading to the absolute fulfillment of each of their tasks. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong taught us for years the MEANING of the fulfilled types of these First Four Seals, or The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. 1) The White Horse: RELIGIOUS DECEPTION culminating in the Great False Prophet and "Beast" System of Rev. 13 and 17. 2) The Red Horse: WAR with the picture of the end-time BEAST of Rev. 13 and 17. 3) The Black Horse: Food Shortage and FAMINE resulting from WAR and UPSET WEATHER. 4) The Pale Horse: DEATH, disease, sickness, and the Grave. Christ, Our Lord, opens these First Four Seals that release these fearsome HORSEMEN at the beginning of the DAY of the LORD and the END of 6000 YEARS. As they gallop out to begin their deadly tasks they cry to CHRIST to "COME AND SEE!" (Please write for our free booklet THE DAY OF THE LORD for a clear explanation of this vitally important subject.)
We have entered the period of time called THE DAY OF THE LORD! Jesus Christ has answered the cries of "COME AND SEE"--- come and see that all is in readiness for the OPENING OF THE CHILLING, FIFTH SEAL--- THE GREAT TRIBULATION! First, The Day of the Lord comes as a "Thief in the Night" (II Pet. 3:10) then Christ comes SUDDENLY to his Temple (Mal. 3:1). He finds the Temple, his Church, in a state of chaos and confusion except for His Faithful few who have
kept the SIXTH CANDLESTICK burning brightly (see Rev. 1:20 and also request our free booklets Elijah's Message to the Philadelphia Church of God and Bloody Jezreel). Our Lord then immediately begins separating those who are HOLDING FAST to his TRUTH, keeping every word patiently (Rev. 3:10). These are his true Philadelphians who respect and honor their Father and strive with all their might to keep His word; as Malachi 3:16-17 declares: "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be MINE saith the Lord of Hosts, IN THAT DAY (The Day of the Lord) when I make up my jewels (SPECIAL TREASURE) and I will SPARE them, as a man spares his own son that serves him." SPARES HIM FROM WHAT? Spares him from the horrors of the First Four Seals---AND the FIFTH SEAL, THE GREAT TRIBULATION, which shall be opened after the Four Horsemen have done their work. Verses 1-8 of Revelation 6 ends with this sentence: "And Power was given unto them over the FOURTH PART of the EARTH, to KILL with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." From the effects of the FOUR HORSEMEN, ONE QUARTER OF THE POPULATION OF THE EARTH DIES! OVER 1 ½ BILLION PEOPLE WILL PERISH as a PRELUDE to the GREAT TRIBULATION.
A warning has gone out to the whole earth through the End-time Elijah, Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA), preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God as a WITNESS to ALL NATIONS (Matt. 24:14). Mr. Armstrong was a "VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS" of religious confusion (Isa. 40:3). He also preached to kings, prime ministers, emperors, presidents, and the leaders of nations. THE WORLD HAD ITS WARNING ! NOW IT'S TOO LATE! THE DOOR HAS BEEN CLOSED TO GOD'S SPIRITUAL TEMPLE (His Church), except for those comparative few whom God will "compel" to come from the "highways and the hedges" (Luke 14:23).
A stern warning has been given to the WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD that was established by Jesus Christ through His servant Herbert Armstrong. After Mr. Armstrong's death the WCG turned from the RESTORED TRUTHS given by Christ. The Worldwide Church of God and her daughter churches, that have turned from the TRUTH in one degree or another, are now in the OUTER COURT of the Spiritual Temple, as defined in Revelation 11:1-2. Gerald Flurry was raised up by Christ to give WARNING to those of the SPIRITUAL TEMPLE who had turned from the TRUTH. Mr. Flurry suffered the same ridicule, scoffing, and persecution, as did Herbert Armstrong and "all the prophets which were before you" (Matt. 5:10-12). But he was raised up to STERNLY WARN the OUTER COURT. He, as the Leader of the Laodicean Candlestick (Church), and those Faithful of the Philadelphia Candlestick (who had remained in the INNER COURT) WARNED the OUTER COURT through the Truth contained in Malachi's Message to the Church of God Today. This warning took SEVEN YEARS… but the OUTER COURT HAS BEEN INFORMED of their turning away from the precious TRUTH of God. It may be that some have turned so far away from the TRUTH that they have quenched the Spirit of God in them (I Thessalonians 5:19 and Hebrews 10:26-27). NOW IT IS TOO LATE FOR SOME OF GOD'S CHURCH! Christ has come SUDDENLY to his temple in the Day of the Lord. Through the Church of God's Faithful He is "standing at the door" (Rev. 3:20) of the LAODICEANS, who are The Philadelphia Church of God, with Headquarters in Edmond, Oklahoma. These people have been a part of the Laodicean Work of God and could STILL understand, but have now gone to sleep, spiritually. Most of these had heeded the WARNING shouted out by Gerald Flurry and had come out of the Worldwide Church into the PCG. However, Satan has caused Mr. Flurry and his ministry to adopt a terribly abusive church government and to take their eyes off of following Christ. Having "lost the way" in their blind stubbornness, the PCG has veered way off course as explained in Elijah's Message to the Philadelphia Church of God. The PCG membership has become lukewarm and spiritually asleep as Revelation 3:15-18 clearly describes. They are the Laodiceans!
This WARNING MESSAGE of the Church of God's Faithful is being sent to the ministry and members of the PCG. They are still a part of the INNER COURT! They must be awakened by our LOUD, PERSISTENT, LOVING, KNOCKING so they CAN UNDERSTAND and REPENT. They do not realize they ARE the LAODICEAN CHURCH! We are doing all possible to inform them of this AND its consequences. But only a few have heeded our warning! The GREATER PART of God's Church is now in the OUTER COURT as the Synagogue of Satan. Their ministers have deceived and confused them to believe they are part of the "Churches of God," when in reality they are the "churches of god"---"synagogue of Satan." Satan has gushed forth torrents of confusion to the point that most of God's people are bewildered "lost sheep" (see Rev. 12:15-16). At this time they cannot UNDERSTAND because of being led astray by their "hireling" shepherds (See Jeremiah 50:6 and request our booklet, Set Apart By Truth).
But, the PCG can still understand if they can be awakened in time. (This had originally been written in 1998. Since that time, we have given the PCG continual warnings, but they have drifted into deeper spiritual sleep. Nevertheless, please continue this that was sent to them in 1998.) They MUST be made aware of the CONFUSION Gerald Flurry has plunged himself and his Church into. King Saul of ancient Israel refused to follow the simple instructions God had given him through the prophet, Samuel. Mr. Flurry is following Saul's example and the dictates of his own human heart. In I Samuel 13, Saul needed a "gimmick" to prevent his soldiers from deserting him, so he "offered a sacrifice" that was supposed to have been offered by Samuel. This was completely unacceptable in God's sight. Gerald Flurry was concerned over the dwindling number of members and income back in 1996. The abusive government enforced by Mr. Flurry and his ministers upon the membership of the PCG was unacceptable in the sight of God. Consequently, God had begun to withdraw his blessings from the PCG, so Mr.
Flurry needed a "gimmick." He took to himself the "right" to publish and distribute Mr. Armstrong's greatest book, Mystery of the Ages, without permission of the copyright holder, the Worldwide Church of God. Just as King Saul had done, Gerald Flurry has perpetrated an illegal act---but he needed a "gimmick." Now he is involved in a LAW SUIT against his "brother" which is opposed to the PLAIN TRUTH of Holy Scripture (I Cor. 6:1-8; Rom. 13:1-8; 2:21-23; I Pet. 2:13-17, etc.). Gerald Flurry has said that Mystery of the Ages is God's book; therefore he has a "right" to it. How far would this be-fuddled man get if he applied this bazaar thinking to Jacob's Pillar Stone in Scotland! Is he free to walk in and take this priceless relic because it "belongs to God?" Does he have the "right" to remove the "Dome of the Rock" from the Holy Ground in Jerusalem because the ground "belongs to God?" Of course not! King Saul became more and more depressed and confused. Gerald Flurry sunk into the same emotional state---NOW, HE NEEDS ANOTHER "GIMMICK!" The PCG MUST be awakened to what their leader is doing. They must FOLLOW CHRIST instead of a man who has turned from his commission to follows the dictates of his OWN HUMAN HEART (Prov. 14:34). In his egotistical vanity, Gerald Flurry has developed his latest "gimmick." HE IS PREPARING THE PLACE OF SAFETY (in PETRA) for his blind, mind-controlled, PCG members who will not think for themselves. (Remember this was originally written in 1998. Since then Mr. Flurry has been "expelled" from the Petra Project. However, according to his sermons and articles, this stubborn man, most likely, still believes Petra is the place of safety.) A PLACE OF SAFETY is definitely going to be needed, just as it was in the days of Noah. The First Four Seals are open; the Horsemen have ridden out. War, Death, and Destruction are on the horizon. The Fifth Seal will be opened soon. At this moment, Jesus Christ is here examining, investigating, searching out, and having His Mark (Ezek. 9:4) placed upon those who will be found worthy to be taken to THE place of safety that HE (not Gerald Flurry) is preparing. Rev. 12:6 & 14 states: "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of GOD, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her PLACE, where she is nourished for a time and times and a half of time, from the face of the serpent."
THERE IS A PLACE WHERE THERE WILL BE SAFETY ---and there is a PLACE WHERE THERE WILL NOT BE SAFETY! THE BIBLE REVEALS THERE WILL BE NO SAFETY IN PETRA!
God's prophets have warned the World throughout the ages of TIME (Matt. 23:3435); but very few have ever heeded the warnings sent by a Loving God. As has been previously stated, it is TOO LATE for the World and MOST of God's Church. WHY? WHAT HAS HAPPENED? "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil, and Satan, WHICH DECEIVETH THE WHOLE WORLD: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels with him…" (Rev. 12:9). The entire EARTH has been deceived by the influence of this evil enemy of God and Man. We have entered THE DAY OF THE LORD! Satan has but a short time remaining before the Mighty Christ will depose him and remove him from the presence of man for 1000 years. Satan is in a rage and will stop at nothing that God will allow. The Fifth Seal has also been labeled as "Satan's Wrath" (see Rev. 12:17). Unrepentant and rebellious mankind together with the begotten of God who have turned from the truth, and all blind, lukewarm Laodiceans will face the WRATH of SATAN---the Great Tribulation. Matthew 24:21 states: "For then shall be Great tribulation, SUCH AS WAS NOT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD to this time, NO, nor ever shall be." Similar statements are made throughout the Bible. These DAYS that are nearly upon us will be UNEQUALED in HORROR and MISERY. Satan has deceived the WORLD and most of GOD'S CHURCH! He is very busy in his attempt at COMPLETING his deception of Gerald Flurry and the PCG. He has Mr. Flurry at the point of thinking he is infallible in his decisions. One such decision, as we have already reported, was the offer of his services to the Royal Family of the Nation of Jordan in the plan to restore the ancient "rose red city, half as old as time"--- PETRA!
Chapter Two:
Why is there such great interest in PETRA and this remote area of the world? Where is Petra? What is its history? The New Unger's Bible Dictionary has this recorded on page 995 under the article, "PETRA": "The capital of Edom and subsequently of Nabataea…about 50 miles S of the Dead Sea. The name is from the Gk. Word petra, "rock", Hebrew "sela". The rockcut city of Petra was a noted PAGAN CENTER. It was also a notable fortress and stronghold. Many identify Petra with OT Sela…The site is about a mile long and a half mile wide. Its dominant natural feature is the 950-foot acropolis known as Umm el-Biyara. Its high place is an excellent example of the high places referred to and CONDEMNED in the OT. Petra is striking even in ruins. Some of the structures are rose red and others a dark red ochre shade of sandstone with bands of yellow, gray, and white. These buildings and tombs are almost all cut into the rock cliffs of the area…" (emphasis mine). A more recent article in the newspaper USA TODAY reported by Tim Friend gives the following information: "Petra National Park, Jordan—The rose-red city of Petra, "half as old as time", is showing rapidly advancing signs of age. Registered as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations and regarded as one of the most endangered sites in antiquity, Petra is a city of unique sandstone temples melting under a cascade of flash floods and crumbling beneath the footsteps of too many careless tourists. But now an ambitious effort to rescue the city is being led here by the Petra National Trust (PNT), a group of scientists, philanthropists—including American real estate developer Bruce Ludwig—and Jordanian Royalty. (Mr. Friend omits Gerald Flurry and the Philadelphia Church of God!) Preserving Petra will depend largely on how successful the PNT is at resurrecting an elaborate water system built more than 2000 years ago by the city's inhabitants, the ancient Nabatabeans." Why is Gerald Flurry so interested in this ancient ruin? Why does he teach that this "noted Pagan Center" is the "PLACE PREPARED OF GOD" or the Place of Safety (Rev. 12:6 & 14)?
Petra is most certainly NOT a secret place known only to "God's Elect." Thousands of tourists flock to Petra each year. Other well-known televangelists such as Benny Hinn and Pat Robinson have their own interest in Petra and Jordan. Petra was the capital of ancient EDOM, but who were the EDOMITES? And who are the JORDANIANS of today? What does the Bible have to say about the Land of Edom and the Jordanians? WHO WAS EDOM? This is a MOST IMPORTANT question in regards to the subject of this booklet!
Back in the 1930's God's end-time Apostle and Elijah, Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA), wrote the very important book containing the revealed truth of the United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy. This book presented to us a vital key to understanding the prophesies of the Bible. It revealed to us the identities of the major nations of today through the knowledge of their ancient names. This all began with the man, Abram, who later had his name changed to Abraham, the "father of the faithful." God had called Abram out of the land of Ur of the Chaldees. He was told to go to a land that the Eternal would show him. This is recorded in Genesis 12 and occurred approximately 500 years after the great flood of Noah's time. God told Abram: "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing…and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed…" (verses 2-3). This is the first mention of the great blessings this man was offered in return for his faithfulness to God. Abram and his wife were childless and were getting up in age. Abram correctly reasoned that God was promising him a son ---if he was to become a great nation. Abram and Sarai waited for nearly 25 years for this great event to happen. During this time of waiting, God again brought Abram wonderful promises: "And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward and southward and eastward and westward: For all the land which thou seeth, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto
thee…" (Gen. 13:14-17). The Eternal God again promised this to Abram; it was NOT promised to Lot. In chapter 15 an even more important promise begins to emerge. Abram was getting older and was unsure of exactly how God was going to perform that which he had promised. He thought perhaps God was going to allow his steward Eliazar to be his heir. But God said NO! Verse 4 declares: "And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, look now toward heaven, and tell the stars if you be able to number them: and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be." Even though Abram was in his "old age" he believed that which God told him… "and he counted it to him for righteousness" (verse 6). The promise of the LAND being given to Abram is once more declared by the Eternal in verse 7 and 18: "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates…" Many times the impatience of mortal man causes acts that lead to great sorrow and trouble. Abram and his wife Sarai became engrossed in a plan that stemmed from their impatience. Sarai suggested to Abram a very foolish idea: "…Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened unto the voice of Sarai… and he went in unto Hagar and she conceived…" (Gen. 16:1-4). This was NOT God's plan and it caused much heartache! Almost immediately animosity welled up between the two women. Hagar had to flee from her mistress but was told by the angel of the Lord to return and submit herself unto Sarai. The angel told Hagar… "Behold thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name ISHMAEL; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren…" (vv. 11-12). This description of Ishmael and his descendants shows they would be like the "wild ass, dwelling in the wilderness, rude, turbulent and plundering. They would dwell (live in tents) among their brethren but maintain their own independence." "And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name which Hagar bare, Ishmael. And Abram was fourscore and six (86) years old when Hagar bare Ishmael…" (verses 15-16).
Abram loved Ishmael and thought he would be the HEIR! Nevertheless, this was not in God's Plan. When Abram was 99 years old, twenty-four years after he had been called out of the land of Ur of the Chaldees, God APPEARED unto him. This was God Almighy, El Shaddai! He told Abram that he was establishing his COVENANT with him whose name was to be changed to ABRAHAM… "for a father of many nations have I made thee… And I will establish my covenant between me and thee AND thy SEED after thee in THEIR generations for a PERPETUAL COVENANT, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee" (Gen. 17:5-7). God also changed Sarai's name to SARAH. "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and you shall call his name ISAAC: and I will establish MY COVENANT WITH HIM for an EVERLASTING COVENANT, and with HIS SEED after him…" (v. 19). ISAAC WAS THE PROMISED HEIR--- NOT ISHMAEL. This caused Abraham great concern for his son, Ishmael. In verse 18 Abraham laments, "O that Ishmael might live before thee!" God, in His great mercy, told Abraham: "And as for Ishmael, I HAVE HEARD THEE: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; Twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. BUT MY COVENANT WILL I ESTABLISH WITH ISAAC" (verses 20-21). The story continues in Chapter 21 with the birth of Isaac: "… And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him…" (v. 4). The jealousy and resentment between Sarah and Hagar had continued. Now a great crisis came in Abraham's life. Sarah insisted that Hagar and Ishmael be banished. Verses 10-13 of Genesis 21 relates this grievous trial thrust upon Abraham. "Wherefore she (Sarah) said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman SHALL NOT BE HEIR WITH MY SON, even with ISAAC. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman…FOR IN ISAAC SHALL THY SEED BE CALLED. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, BECAUSE HE IS THY SEED." But Isaac would be the HEIR and through Isaac's lineage would come the "seed through which all nations of earth would be blessed"--- THE MESSIAH!
Sending Ishmael and his mother away was, indeed, a grievous trial for Abraham, but his most severe test still would lie ahead. More years went by, and then one day God told Abraham that he must "sacrifice" his son, his beloved son, ISAAC! God instructed Abraham to go to one of the mountains in the land of Moriah, a three day journey, and offer Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham surely must have felt the deepest anguish in the knowledge that he would be required to KILL his dear son. But Abraham trusted God (see Heb. 11:17-19). Abraham came face to face with the most bitter trial of his life; but he BELIEVED GOD and had FAITH that even if he killed his son God could resurrect him and fulfill the promise that "in Isaac shall thy seed be called"…(see Rom. 4:21). Genesis 22:9-10 shows this man's great determination to obey his GOD: "And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son". In his mind Abraham DID IT! However: "The angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: FOR NOW I KNOW THAT THOU FEAREST GOD, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me" (vv 11-12). Abraham had done it! God was impressed and greatly pleased and made a fantastic statement to the "father of the faithful." Verses 15-18 declare: "And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessings I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore: and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies; AND IN THY SEED shall all of the nations of the earth be blessed; BECAUSE THOU HAST OBEYED MY VOICE." God Almighty had sworn that these promises WOULD be fulfilled; Abraham had DONE HIS PART, NOW GOD SWORE HE WOULD DO HIS! No thing or No being could prevent these promises from being fulfilled---although Satan the Adversary, with all of his power to deceive, would try to hinder their accomplishment.
The Eternal God at this point in time had unconditionally guaranteed his friend Abraham the fulfillment of the promises. ALL of the LAND stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates was GIVEN to Abraham and to his SONS after him---and that "THE SEED" would come through them, BECAUSE Abraham had been OBEDIENT. Years slowly passed: finally a wife was found for Isaac. Abraham had made his servant swear to him that he would search out a wife for his son among the kinsmen of Abraham's own country. The story continues in Genesis 24:3: "thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the CANAANITES, among whom I dwell…" This faithful servant under the guidance of God found Rebekah and brought her to Isaac. Verse 66 proceeds: "And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her…" Verse 20 of chapter 25 states: "And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister of Laban the Syrian." Rebekah was of their close kin. She was not a Canaanite. Abraham married another woman (possibly after Sarah died) by whom he had six sons (Gen. 25:1-2). "And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward unto the east country." ISAAC was the HEIR of the Promises and the Blessings. The other sons were sent away as was Ishmael. Twenty more years passed before Isaac and Rebekah had children. At last, twin boys, Esau and Jacob were born to them. ESAU was the FIRSTBORN and was HEIR to the Birthright and the Promises.
Abraham died when his grandsons were 15 years old. But before he died he most assuredly had told these boys on numerous occasions of the exciting relationship he had been permitted to have with the Creator, the God of the Universe! Abraham knew and understood much of God's PLAN for mankind (see Heb. 11:8-19). He vividly, in great detail, told his grandsons of the "sacrifice" he had made of their
father, Isaac. And he told them of the stupendous promises God had given him to pass down to his Son and his FIRSTBORN grandson. Jacob must have thrilled to the stories his grandfather and his father told of the Blessings and the Promises. But Jacob was not the Firstborn. Jacob desired this Birthright Blessing and the Promises so greatly that he began to devise plans to acquire them by any means. Esau had no real vision of the MAGNITUDE of these Blessings that were his by right of birth. Esau's thoughts were upon the "things at hand" and his physical satisfaction. Sly Jacob knew this. Esau was a hunter. One day as he returned from an unsuccessful hunt, he was very hungry. Jacob just happened to have a savory red stew cooking on the fire as Esau came by. Esau begged for some of the stew; and most of us know the story. Verse 30 of Genesis 25 gives the answer to the question, "who was EDOM?" "And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that RED POTTAGE; for I am faint: therefore was his name called EDOM." ESAU was EDOM! "EDOM" means "red." Continue with verses 31-34: "And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy BIRTHRIGHT. And Esau said, behold, I am at the point to die: and what PROFIT SHALL THIS BIRTHRIGHT DO TO ME? And Jacob said swear to me this day, and he sware unto him: and he sold his BIRTHRIGHT unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he rose up, and went his way: THUS ESAU DESPISED HIS BIRTHRIGHT." Through his disdain for his Birthright, he lost the opportunity to have the MESSIAH to be born through his family line.
The Birthright Blessing of the elder son meant that he would receive a double portion of the wealth of his father (Deut. 21:16-17). This law would have provided Esau with 2/3 of Isaac's great wealth (see Gen. 26:12-14) and 1/3 would be divided according to Isaac's wishes. Now, Jacob was to receive all the BIRTHRIGHT BLESSINGS of the FIRSTBORN. Esau threw all of this away for a BOWL of SOUP! And Jacob was not finished yet! Jacob plotted with his mother, Rebekah, to also wrest the greatest portion of the remaining 1/3 of his father's wealth for himself. Rebekah remembered the words the Lord had told her before she gave birth to her two sons: "… the elder shall serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23) so she schemed with Jacob to fraudulently take Esau's blessing. This was not of God, but
He allows us to do foolish things at times. We always suffer for them and Rebekah was no exception. Jacob was a cunning and unscrupulous man. Esau was lacking in vision and very foolish. In Genesis 27, Jacob, through deceiving his father, also stole the other major BLESSINGS from his brother. Disguised as Esau, Jacob came before his Father to receive Isaac's blessing. He lied to Isaac who was nearly blind… "And he said, art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am." (v.24) Believing Jacob to be Esau, Isaac bestowed upon him the greater portion of the Blessing. The BLESSING also confirmed the BIRTHRIGHT. Isaac blessed JACOB with these inspired words: "… see the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed: therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and PLENTY of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let your mother's son's bow down to thee: cursed be everyone that curses thee, and blessed be he that blesses thee" (vv. 27-31). As quickly as possible, Jacob left the presence of his father, and none too soon, for momentarily Esau came striding into Isaac's tent. Within a few moments later a bewildered Isaac and Esau realized Jacob had tricked his father and had stolen Esau's blessing. We pick up the story in verse 33 of Genesis 27; "And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? Where is he that has taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before you came, AND HAVE BLESSED HIM? Yea and he SHALL BE BLESSED. And when Esau heard the words of his father, He CRIED with a great and exceeding BITTER CRY, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he (Isaac) said, Thy brother came with subtlety, and hath TAKEN AWAY THY BLESSING. And he (Esau) said, Is he not rightly named JACOB? For he hath supplanted me these TWO TIMES: He took away my BIRTHRIGHT; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing…Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants: and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou not one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and WEPT" (vv. 3338).
ESAU IS EDOM! He had contemptuously cast away his Birthright, now his Blessing had been taken from him. "And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven from above; AND BY THY SWORD thou shalt live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. AND ESAU HATED JACOB…and said in his heart…I WILL SLAY MY BROTHER JACOB" (vv. 39-41). Rebekah was told of Esau's plan to kill Jacob. She advised Jacob to flee to Haran. So the son she loved so dearly had to leave---and she, most probably, never saw him again! Breaking God's Laws always causes sadness and sorrow, Esau had married Canaanite wives, much to the chagrin of Isaac and Rebekak. Before Jacob began his flight from Esau's wrath, we read this in Genesis 28:1-4: "And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. And God Almighty (EL SHADDAI) bless thee, and make thee fruitful and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest INHERIT THE LAND wherin thou art a stranger, WHICH GOD GAVE UNTO ABRAHAM." The story of Jacob is well known to all who have been called into God's Church. Jacob, who had to learn some hard lessons, was finally converted and his name changed to ISRAEL. God's end time Apostle, Herbert Armstrong, makes PLAIN the TRUTH concerning ISRAEL and his descendants in his book we mentioned previously, "The United States and Britain in Prophecy." This wonderful book, this vital KEY to the understanding of Bible prophecy, traces the history of Israel up to the very present time in which we live. We understand the great TRUTH of the Identity of Israel today---but how about ESAU'S descendants? ESAU IS EDOM! BUT WHO AND WHERE ARE THE EDOMITES TODAY?
Here are some of the facts we have seen so far: 1) The promises of the land of Canaan, national greatness, and the line to produce the Messiah were given UNCONDITIONALLY to Abraham and later confirmed to Isaac and Jacob. 2) Ishmael was Abraham's firstborn but was NOT the HEIR. He was the son of the bondwoman, Hagar, and appeared to have calmly accepted his situation. He did not appear hostile to Isaac or his sons. Ishmael is not mentioned very often in the Bible. Only rarely were his descendants at war with Israel or Judah. He usually dwelt peacefully "among his brethren". 3) Esau was the firstborn of Isaac and the rightful HEIR. He sold his birthright, and his blessing was also taken from him. However, he was still to inherit some very productive real estate described as, "the fatness of the earth". (Some versions of the Old Testament render this "away from the fatness of the earth" but that expression does NOT agree with the actual facts. Esau was given the land of Mt. Seir according to Deuteronomy 2:4-5. That land at that time must have had much lush pastureland and Esau had great herds of cattle (see Gen. 36:6-7). It is also thought by some that the Hebrew word rendered "fatness", (#4924 in Strong's) taken from #8080 can mean, "oily, wax, fat,"---or OIL; PETROLEUM. 4) He was to "live by the sword" and would have to "serve his brother." 5) Esau married Canaanite wives. Esau reasoned that THEY had a claim to the LAND of CANAAN, although Jacob now had the PROMISE of the Land of Canaan. It would be very natural for the wives of Esau to share the bitterness of their husband who had lost his "right" to the land by his own callousness and his brother's trickery. Esau wanted his RIGHTS restored by any means. This attitude would be passed on to the children of Edom. 6) Later Esau married daughters of Ishmael in an attempt to placate his bitter mind, thinking they also had a right to the LAND because they were daughters of Abraham's firstborn.
7) Esau hated Jacob and wanted to kill him. However, after 20 years as Jacob was returning to Canaan with his family, flocks, and herds, Esau came to meet him and forgave Jacob. (See Gen. 33:4) God, evidently, intervened in this situation. 8) When Jacob was returning, Esau lived in the land of Seir. He had conquered the Horites and taken the land. Esau LIVED BY THE SWORD.
Those who have read and studied "The United States and Britain in Prophecy" are well aware of the identity of the United States and British Commonwealth Nations and many of the Nations of northwestern Europe that have descended from the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel. In Genesis 36 the sons of Esau/Edom are listed. Where are their descendants in the world TODAY? By the time Jacob returned home with his wives, children, flocks, and herds, Esau was living in the land of Seir. Esau and his sons had conquered the Horites and had taken their land, for God had given it to Esau (see Gen. 32:3; Deut. 2:5 & 12). Verses 8-9 of Genesis 36 states: "Thus dwelt Esau in Mount Seir: Esau is Edom And these are the names of the sons of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir." Nelson's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Facts on page 202 states the following concerning Edom and Mt. Seir: "Edom was another name for Esau, son of Isaac and brother of Jacob. Originally Esau went to live in the hills of Seir, southeast of the Dead Sea. The area became to be known by his name, and the people Edomites. Edom also means "red", and speaks of the reddish color of the sandstone mountains in south Edom. Here we find Petra, the fabled 'rose-red city'… The Edomites inhabited a mountainous territory extending from the Zered (river) to the Gulf of Aqaba." Esau's Family Record is listed in Genesis 36. Esau had three Canaanite wives, Adah, a Hittite, Aholibamah, a Hivite and Bashemath, daughter of Ishmael. Esau's wives gave birth to five sons in the land of Canaan. His first-born was Eliaphaz. Eliaphaz was the father of six sons. Their names were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, and Amalek. "Teman" means "south" and is a city in the south of Jordan even today. "Omar" is an easily recognized name today from the "Mosque
of Omar" in the city of Mecca. After Jacob returned Esau decided to leave Canaan and go to Mount Seir (verse 7). Verse 8 declares: "Thus dwelt Esau in Mount Seir: Esau is Edom." Verse 12 of Genesis 36 declares: "And Timna was concubine to Eliaphaz, Esau's son; and she bare to Eliaphaz Amalek…" Timna was the granddaughter of Seir, the Horite, whom Esau and his sons had conquered. She was a captive concubine, but her son Amalek became one of the pre-imminent princes.
Over two hundred years pass until we come to the time of MOSES. During this two hundred years Jacob and his sons had gone to Egypt to find relief from the terrible famine that had swept over all the land, Canaan included. Jacob, now named Israel by God, had come into the land of Egypt. Originally they were seventy people [Gen. 46: 27], which would increase in number during those years to 600,000 men plus the women and children. They had come into Egypt where Joseph, Israel's favorite son, was second only to Pharoah as ruler of the nation of Egypt. However, after Joseph died the Israelites became slaves to the Egyptians and their cries had come up to God in heaven---and He raised up Moses to deliver them. While the Israelites were increasing in numbers during these years, the EDOMITES were also. The descendants of Esau filled the land of Edom, from the Zered River to the Gulf of Aqaba! The Amalekites, the pre-imminent tribe, spread out from the south western shores of the Dead Sea and occupied most of the desert all the way to the River of Egypt, and had taken over parts of southern Canaan. After God led Moses and the Israelites through the Red Sea into the Land of Midian, the news of this great event spread throughout the entire region. Amalek heard the news. Why was Israel coming into this area? Was Israel going to claim this land, too? This would not be allowed vowed the Amalekites. The huge numbers of Israelites were slowly heading toward Mount Sinai in Midian. (Notice, I am stating that Sinai is in Midian---NOT in the Sinai Peninsula. Please see Galatians 4:5-6 and request our free booklet Set Apart By Truth.) The vast numbers of Israelites did not intimidate the Amalekites. The Amalekites
themselves also must have numbered in the hundreds of thousands of fighting men. The Amalekites possessed the land of Edom to the north of the Israelites' trek and considered themselves the rightful owner of Canaan. They would not lose their land as their forefathers had done. They would wage WAR! They were AMALEKITES, descendants of ESAU---EDOMITES! They LIVED BY THE SWORD! Exodus 17:8 & 13 picks up this important part of history: "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men and go out, fight with Amalek…And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the Sword." Notice the awesome words God uses as He warns Moses about Amalek in verses 14 and 16: "…Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the REMEMBRANCE OF AMALEK from under heaven…And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi (The Lord My Banner): For he said, Because the Lord has sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." Why was God so upset with Amalek? Why was this frightening CURSE put upon all of the Amalekites forever? Deuteronomy 25:17-19 gives more understanding of the nature and character of the Amalekites: "Remember what Amalek did unto you by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindermost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; AND HE FEARED NOT GOD. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the LAND which God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the REMEMBRANCE of AMALEK from under heaven; THOU SHALT NOT FORGET IT." Amalek practiced TERRORIST type warfare, preying on the weak and helpless. And "HE FEARED NOT GOD!" This is the reason the ETERNAL GOD is upset--Amalek did not fear God and attempted to thwart God's Plan. A better translation of Exodus 17:16 reads: "Because the hand of Amalek is AGAINST THE THRONE OF GOD." Through the spirit of God it can be perceived that Satan is the unseen motivation behind the action and attitude of Amalek; of actually trying to hinder God's Plan and the setting up of His Kingdom. Amalek attempted to destroy those through
whom the "SEED" would come and sit upon that THRONE--- in Jerusalem ---in the LAND of Canaan that was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel! In the Book of Numbers in the Holy Bible, a false prophet by the name of Balaam is introduced. Balaam was requested by the King of Moab to pronounce a curse on the Israelites as they encamped in his land. God would not allow Balaam to curse Israel but to bless them instead---and curse their enemies. This blessing and cursing is also a prophecy for the very end time. Balaam prophesied against Amalek in verse 20 of Chapter 24: "And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations (the pre-imminent) but his latter end shall be that he PERISH FOREVER." One of Amalek's descendants was AGAG. This individual was such a powerful leader of the Amalekites that his name was given to all of the subsequent kings of Amalek. Consequently the royal line of Amalek would be Agagites. Baalam prophesied in verse 7 that a KING would rise in Israel that will "be higher than Agag".
Approximately 400 years later we come to the time of the first king of Israel, SAUL. The prophet Samuel reminds King Saul of the command God had given in regard to Amalek. In I Sam. 15:1-4 we read: "Samuel also said unto Saul, the Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid in wait for him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek and UTTERLY DESTROY all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." Here were a people that were filled with bitterness toward God and deep hatred for the Israelites. God is Righteous! These words, "utterly destroy," seem very harsh, but as we proceed it will become obvious why God commanded the annihilation of these people. King Saul did not carry out his commission given him by God through the words of Samuel. After the battle with the Amalekites, instead of destroying the animals, Saul brought the best of them back along with Agag, the Amalekite king. This was the second time Saul had failed to follow God's instructions and disqualified
himself as being king of Israel. Samuel did not take this infraction of the instructions of God lightly! "Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said, as thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal" (vv. 32-33). All of the Amalekites, of course, were not killed at that battle with Saul. They had spread far and wide. In I Samuel 21 and 22 King Saul made another terrible mistake involving an Edomite. Saul was intensely jealous and fearful of David. In a rage he commands Doeg the Edomite, his servant, to kill 85 of the priests of Israel that he jealously thought were loyal to David. King Saul made mistake after mistake by using wrong judgment. God's Spirit had departed from him, leaving Saul in a melancholy state of mind (see I Sam. 16:14). It seems ironic that King Saul came to his death at the hands of an Amalekite. II Sam. 1:1 states: "Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites…" A young man came into David's camp and told him Saul was dead. David questioned the man about his announcement asking him for details. The man admitted that Saul was sorely wounded and asked him to put him out of his misery---so he killed the King of Israel. Verse 13 says: "And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an AMALEKITE." He wasn't a very bright Amalekite! Acknowledging to David that he was an Amalekite, and had killed the king of Israel sealed his own death warrant. David had him put to death, immediately.
King David was a warrior! Through his trust in God, David conquered the surrounding nations, Philistia, Syria, Moab, Ammon, and Edom. This is recorded in II Sam. 8. Verse 14 states: "And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord preserved David whither so ever he went." David ruled with God's blessing. God established the Throne in Jerusalem with David as King over all of Israel.
The Eternal God had inspired Jacob, hundreds of years before the Throne was established in the Nation of Israel to give the prophecy recorded in Genesis 49. This prophecy would apply to the descendants of Jacob's 12 sons "in the last days" (verse 1). The great "Blessing" promise would be fulfilled in Joseph's descendants (see verses 22-26), but the kingly line and the Messiah would come through Judah--"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, UNTIL SHILOH COME; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be…" (verse 10). King David was of the tribe of Judah and his Throne was to be established forever. These words of God from II Sam. 7:12-16 state this absolute promise: "And when your days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the sons of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thy house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee: thy throne shall be established forever." In the New Testament, The mighty angel, Gabriel, announced to Mary: "…Fear not Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID: AND HE SHALL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOR EVER: AND OF HIS KINGDOM THERE SHALL BE NO END." Esau gave up ALL of this for a bowl of soup! However, Satan, the devil, has caused the descendants of Esau to do all they could to re-claim the land and re-gain the promises---and if they could not acquire the true promises they would create counterfeit promises! David's son Solomon reigned after David's death. God was with Solomon in all that he did. Solomon's wealth, wisdom, and glory were known throughout the world. Solomon built the first Temple in honor of God, which was probably the most magnificent building ever constructed. These were the glorious years of the Israelite kingdom, but Solomon in his old age sinned grievously before God. Then,
as promised, God chastened Solomon with the "rod of man and with the stripes of the sons of men. Verse 14 of I Kings 11 makes this statement: "And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the EDOMITE, he was of the kings seed in Edom." Hadad was an Agagite! Battles raged back and forth for approximately 150 years longer. In the days of Amaziah, King of Judah, a great battle was fought between Judah and Edom. Amaziah was victorious in the battle as declared in II Kings 14:7: "He slew of EDOM in the valley of salt TEN THOUSND, and took SELAH (Selah in Hebrew is "ROCK", as PETRA is "ROCK" in Greek) by war…" From this point in time, the Edomites, the Ishmaelites, the descendants of Lot's sons, Ammon and Moab, and the descendants of Abraham's other sons, had intermarried. As their numbers increased they spread out, ranging from the borders of Egypt, down through the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas all the way to the Persian Gulf and the Tigris-Euphrates valley. On page 21 of his book, PETRA, by E. Raymond Capt, he states concerning the battle between Amaziah and the Edomites: "Although it is often implied by Bible scholars that this battle recorded by Obadiah (verse 3-4) meant the near destruction of the whole Edomite race, this was not the case. There were many other Edomite communities that were left to fight the Judeans another day. History has shown that a defeated nation seldom, if ever, becomes completely extinct. Usually, a considerable proportion of the population survives to build a new life in a new territory, where its national characteristics continue to be seen in new generations."
In the year 721 BC, the northern ten tribes of the Nation of Israel were conquered by Assyria and a great portion of the population deported and resettled in other captive territories.
A hundred years later King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Nineveh in 605 BC and brought about the end of Assyrian dominance in the Middle East. We continue quoting from E. Raymond Capt's book, PETRA on pages 24-25: "Then in 587 BC, Nebuchadnezzar with his Babylonian army attacked Jerusalem after several attempts to subject the city to his reign. Jehoiakim, who had been placed on the throne of Judah by Pharoah Nechco, transferred his allegiance (under pressure) to Babylon. "Angered after several abortive attempts to throw off Babylonian control of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar again sent his forces to totally subdue Judah. Jerusalem was taken and completely destroyed. The Judean king Zedekiah, with all his court and most of the people of Judah of any consequence, were taken into Babylonian captivity. Only the poorest and simplest of the people of Jerusalem remained to see the walls of their city come crashing down. "Although they had no hand in the attack against Jerusalem, the children of Esau gloated over the destruction of the city. They joined the sack of the city and with great cruelty slaughtered some of the fugitives. Jerusalem was a symbol of Judean tyranny to the Edomites and they reveled in seeing it destroyed. They produced their own Song of Triumph, 'Down with it, down with it, even to the ground,' which they sang jubilantly. The Israelites were to remember the humiliation. In the 137th Psalm the Israelites called to God, 'Remember O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundations thereof'. "The land of Judah lay empty and unprotected but for a few peasants. The Edomites needed no invitation to leave their inhospitable hills and take possession of their enemies' land. They came down, a few at a time, as though not daring to believe their good fortune. When it became clear that there were no obstacles to overcome, others flooded down in great numbers. They took control of Hebron and other towns in the southern portion of Judah. "In the land of Judah, the Edomites set up a new kingdom of Edom which the Greeks called, 'Idumea' (a corruption of Edomean). No effort was expended to make any provision against attack. They gave their allegiance to Babylon and looked to them for protection. The nation of Edom included the people known as, 'Amalek,' against whom God set His face: 'For he said, because the Lord hath sworn, that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation'" (Exodus 17:16).
But Mighty Nations and even Empires come and go! In the autumn of 539 BC the mighty, "impregnable" Golden City of Babylon was overwhelmed and taken captive by the forces of the Medes and Persians. The Babylonian empire came to a close: The Medo-Persian Empire began. The story of Esther in the Bible shows the desire of Satan to destroy the people of promise. He constantly stirs up the hatred of those who are the enemies of God. In the book of Esther, the enemy, again, was an Edomite by the name of Haman. His father was Hammedatha, the AGAGITE! Haman had convinced the King of Persia that all the Jews in the empire should be annihilated. Verse 13 of chapter three makes this ominous statement: "And the letters were sent by posts into all the kings provinces, to destroy, to kill and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey." King Ahasuerus of Persia had chosen Esther as his Queen. She was used by God to save the Jewish people of that time from certain death. Chapter 8, verses 3 and 7 sums up this part of Esther's story: "And Esther spake yet again before the king and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman, the Agagite and his device that he had devised against the Jews…. Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews." Again, remember God's words: "For he said, because the Lord hath sworn, that THE LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." We will conclude this chapter, "The Middle East in History," by quoting once again from Mr. Capt's book on pages 26-27. After that we will present a PROPHECY, which clearly states that Jesus Christ will destroy Edom FOREVER--here in our own present time---THE DAY OF THE LORD. "In about 500BC, after Babylon had fallen to the Persians, some of the captive Judeans were allowed to return to Palestine. Their arrival triggered conflicts with the Edomites, who had occupied the Judean homeland during their sojourn in
Babylon. At first they plagued each other with raids, but ultimately the returning Judeans were strong enough to become the dominant force in Palestine. "The complete subjection of the Edomites came about when John Hyrcanus (135105 BC) crushed all Edomite resistance and forced them to integrate into not only the new "Jewish" (originally meaning remnant of Judah) state but also into the Jewish religion. Josephus records the assimilation of the Edomites into the Judean nation: 'Hyrcanus took also Dora and Marissa, cities of Idumea, and subdued all the Idumeans; and …they submitted to the use of circumcision, and the rest of the Jewish ways of living; at which time therefore this befell them that they were hereafter no other than Jews.' (Book XIII, ch. IX, Sec. 1) From that day forward, the name 'Jew' could mean either an Israelite Judean or a non-racial Israelite… The new Idumean 'converts', now a legalized part of the Jewish nation, began to seize power by any means at their disposal. The House of Hyrcanus itself, was finally deposed by the Idumean councilor Antipater who called in the help of the Nabataeans. The Idumeans remained in power in Hebrew life throughout the time of Christ. "It was an Idumean, Herod I, who upon gaining authority, ordered the extermination of the Hasmonaean priestly line which Josephus, himself, claimed descent. This same Herod ordered the massacre of the infants when Jesus Christ was born. Herod (the Tetrarch) son of Herod I and a Samaritan wife (being half Idumean and half Samaritan) was perhaps without a single drop of Israelitish blood in his veins. He was responsible for the murder of John the Baptist. "It should be pointed out that the Idumeans (Esau-Edomites) were unwilling converts to Judaism, and their conversion was never genuine. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, they either speedily cast off a faith for which they only had a natural antipathy or deformed it substantially contributing to the rise of a false Judaism. It is perhaps only logical that as descendants of Esau they should resent the loss to Israel of what once appeared to be his birthright and should aspire dominion for themselves. Their own dominion could only be held at the expense of the religion of Israel. "The true Israelite clung tenaciously to all that was Hebrew: this is true especially of those Israelites who later became the disciples of Jesus Christ. It was they who opposed the acceptance of Hellenism into the mainstream of their Hebrew religion, whereas the Idumeans embraced it and sought to substitute it for the true Hebrew religion. After all, The Edomites only "accepted" Judaism as a matter of convenient policy where they might achieve their ambition of dominion. It was the
EDOMITE/IDUMEANS who fostered and organized the vicious campaign against JESUS CHRIST THAT RESULTED IN HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS" (Emphasis mine throughout).
The god of this world, Satan the devil, has tried to counterfeit practically everything God has done. One way he accomplishes this is through the manipulating of mans' emotions. Satan is very greatly familiar with the emotions of jealousy, resentment, envy, and lust for power, hatred, and bitterness. This is SATAN'S nature---and he knows HOW to promote it in man. Satan had used the bitter and hostile attitude of the descendants of Esau to corrupt and deform Judaism, as we read above, but that was just experience for that which would develop in the next 1500 years. Roman Catholicism is the world's most populous religion with nearly ONE BILLION members. Close on the heels of the Roman Catholics in sheer numbers of adherents are those of the MOSLEM religion or ISLAM. Islam means submission (to God's will). These two GREAT RELIGIONS of the WORLD are deceptive counterfeits of God's True Way! Most of us of the Church of God understand the development of Roman Catholicism, but how about ISLAM? Where and how did it come about? The founder of the Moslem religion was Mohammed, a "prophet" born in Arabia in the city of Mecca around 570 AD. With an awareness of the methods the "god of this world" has always used, there is a great probability that Mohammed was an Edomite, and most probably an Agagite. In the very pattern with which his ancient forefather had conducted himself, Mohammed was "inspired" to do the same. Esau by "despising his birthright" faithlessly rejected God, the Messiah, and God's Words. Mohammed rejected the God of the Bible for his god, "Allah". Mohammed, himself, became "the prophet" instead of Jesus Christ. Mohammed rejected the Bible replacing it with the Koran. If the Birthright blessing could not be regained, the descendants of Esau would
create a counterfeit! The Moslem religion was born and has been accepted as the predominant religion in the "Arab" nations of the Middle East.
Remember Deuteronomy 25:18, speaking of Amalek, declares: "…and he feared not God." Psalm 36:1-4 in the New Century Version of the Bible adds: "Sin speaks to the wicked in their hearts. They have no fear of God. They think too much of themselves so they don't see their sin and hate it. Their words are wicked lies; they are no longer wise or good. At night they make evil plans; what they do leads to nothing good. They don't refuse things that are evil." The Edomites/Amalakites/Agagites have been the ENEMY of GOD for thousands of years. Reading Exodus 17:16 again: "For he said, because the LORD has sworn that the LORD will have war with AMALEK from generation to generation." The marginal rendering of this verse by Spiros Zodhiates states: "Because the hand of Amalek is against the Throne of the LORD." Psalm 83 brings these prophecies right up to the present time of 2002, now in The Day of the Lord. Beginning with verse one: "Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, THY ENEMIES make a tumult: and THEY that HATE THEE have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against THY people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel be no more in remembrance. (The name Israel had been changed from Israel to Palestine) For they have consulted together with one consent: THEY ARE CONFEDERATE AGAINST THEE:" WHO are these ENEMIES of GOD? WHAT NATIONS would dare be "confederate AGAINST GOD?" Verses 6-8 list these ENEMY NATIONS---ENEMIES OF GOD! All but one of these ENEMY NATIONS are Islamic nations of the Middle East. Notice that Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and other Islamic nations that harbor Islamic Extremist who practice Terrorist Warfare, are missing from the list in Psalm 83. These nations NOT listed comprise the "King of the South" that will "push" at the "King of the North," who is the "North Atlantic Treaty
Organization" (NATO) group of nations. The United States of America is a vital part of NATO. The USA was violently "pushed at" by Islamic Terrorists on September 11, 2001. The world has not been the same since. World War III began! The "King of the South" pushed at the "King of the North" and a "whirlwind" has issued forth (see Dan. 11:40-43). Prophecy reveals that America, Britain, and Israel will collapse due to terrorist action in the near future! As this happens the confederation of nations of Psalm 83 will form quickly and swoop into Israel and "surround Jerusalem" (see Luke 21:20-24 & Dan. 12:1 & 10-13). The Church must then FLEE to the "place prepared of God," immediately before the Great Tribulation begins. Do you know where this place is? This is the ONLY true place of safety---and it is NOT PETRA!
Listed below are the nations of Psalm 83 identified with their modern names. EDOM: first on the list, part of modern Jordan, where PETRA is located. The Ishmaelites: the Arabians of today. Moab: part of modern Jordan. The Hagarenes: modern Syria and parts of Turkey. Gebal: Lebanon of today. Ammon: part of modern Jordan. The Capitol of Jordan is Amman. Amalek: the Jordanian "pre-imminent" ones. The Philistines: the Palestinians. Tyre: most likely the Palestine Liberation Organization strongholds or terrorist groups located North of Israel today. Assur: modern day Germany. These nations have never been confederated as yet. Germany has never had an alliance with this group of Middle-Eastern nations. But they will---VERY SOON!
Chapter Three:
Herbert W. Armstrong originally identified the nations listed in Psalm 83 in his booklet "The Middle-East in Prophecy." Gerald Flurry elaborated on that booklet and brought it up to date in his publication "The King of the South." Mr. Flurry knows most assuredly that these nations will be punished severely by the Great God they have allied themselves against. Yet, Gerald Flurry wishes to ALLY himself with the Pre-imminent Ones of the Nation of Jordan that are included in the Psalm 83 list! Mr. Armstrong had close ties with the Jordanian Royalty before Mr. Flurry came along. Mr. Armstrong had an interest in Petra and had toured it on more than one occasion. He stated, "If Petra is not the place of protection the Bible does not indicate where it is!" I do not know how or when Mr. Armstrong developed this idea, but in the early Sixties, Dr. Herman Hoeh wrote several articles in "The Good News" magazine concerning Petra, certainly implying that Petra is THE place of safety. Gerald Flurry has reprinted parts of these articles in the "Trumpet" magazine (see July 1996 issue; "Jordan and God's People in Prophecy"). Mr. Herbert Armstrong was unwilling to state dogmatically that Petra is the place of safety. Herman Hoeh wrote: "Isn't this prophecy a clear indication that the place of safety…is in an Arabian wilderness, where the Bedouin dwell and is probably at Sela or Petra?" (Emphasis mine) His article was written in 1962, 40 years ago. It is not just the Bedouin that lives in Petra today. Petra is the main tourist attraction in the nation of Jordan. Petra is NOT a hidden city today. Movies, television documentaries, and the Internet have revealed all the secrets of this ancient "Pagan Center". Mr. Gerald Flurry understands that God will have "a place prepared" and had taken it upon himself to PREPARE Petra as the Place of Safety. As stated earlier, once it became known that Mr. Flurry's interest in Petra was for a "place of safety," he was expelled from the restoration project. He has had very little to say about Petra since leaving the project. Does he still believe Petra is the place of safety? I do not know! Has he really examined this subject in the light of God's WORD? Just because he may BELIEVE that which was questionable in the past is NOT enough; the question MUST be: IS IT TRUE?
Is PETRA the place of safety? Or is it to be a place of slaughter? That was our original question. With the background that has been given in this presentation, we can now proceed to a definite answer from the WORD of GOD. A Place of Safety is certainly going to be needed. We are in the Day of the Lord. The First Four Seals have been opened and Christ is preparing to open the Fifth Seal---the Great Tribulation. The WORLD has been warned; GOD'S CHURCH, snared in the synagogue of Satan, has been warned, and Gerald Flurry and the Laodiceans have been warned. God in His mercy will compel many of His people who are presently snared, confused, and bewildered to come to His one true Church to be taught His Truth in the PLACE of SAFETY--- HE HAS PREPARED (see Rev. 3:9)! God has a Place of Safety, but it is NOT in Petra! Let's see this in the WORD of GOD. Revelation 12:6 & 14 referred to earlier, plainly declares that there will be "a place prepared of God." Understand: "prepared of God" not ANY man! Which scriptures did Gerald Flurry use in an attempt to PROVE Petra is THE Place of Safety? We will examine them closely. Which scriptures will I use to absolutely AND conclusively PROVE Petra is NOT the place of safety? These will be thoroughly examined too.
Jesus Christ is finalizing all preparations for the opening of the Fifth Seal. Very soon all mankind left alive are going to be desperately seeking a hiding place, a place of safety! We will begin here to definitely show that PETRA is not a place of safety, but one of hundreds of areas on the earth where people will be seeking to hide. "Enter into the rock (Hebrew: tsur), and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord…and they shall go into the holes of the rocks (tsur), and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." "In that day (the day of the Lord's WRATH, during the DAY OF THE LORD) a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold,
which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks (tsur), and into the tops of the ragged rocks (Hebrew: cela), for fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:10 & 19-21). All of mankind will be seeking a place to hide as the Heavenly Signs (the Sixth Seal) usher in the Day of the Lord's Wrath (the Seventh Seal). Revelation 6:15-16 in the New Testament has the same message as Isaiah 2: "And the kings of the earth and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks (Greek: petra) of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks (petra), Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne, and from the Wrath of the LAMB." I have emphasized the words "rock" and "rocks" and given the Hebrew or Greek words from which they are taken. "Tsur" (Strong's #6697) means "a rock or boulder." The Hebrew word "cela" (#5553) is defined as "to be lofty; a craggy rock, rock, stone, stronghold." When referring to the ancient rose-red city, the KJV uses "Sela" (#5554). This word is used only twice in the Bible: Isaiah 16:1 and II Kings 14:7. In the New Testament the word for "rock" or "rocks" is the Greek word "petra" (#4073) and defined as; "feminine of the same as #4074; a (mass of) rock (literally or figuratively)." Remember, God has sworn that he would have "war with Amalek from generation to generation." Edom/Amalek are under a curse placed upon them by God. They, Moab, Ammon, and the other nations listed in Psalm 83 are ENEMIES of God. These nations will ally themselves with Germany against Israel because of their perpetual hatred of Israel. They will ally themselves with the BEAST of Rev. 13 & 17--- but later they must face the Men of the East and the Wrath of God! Ezekiel 35:2-5 states; "Son of man, set thy face against MOUNT SEIR (ESAUEDOM-JORDAN) and prophesy against it, And say unto it, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, and I will stretch out my hand against thee, and I will make thee MOST DESOLATE. I will lay thy CITIES (PETRA INCLUDED) WASTE, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt KNOW that I am the Eternal. Because you have a PERPETUAL HATRED, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end." Please read Obadiah: 10-14. Notice the last part of verse 14 especially, "Neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress."
Edom has sided with the enemies of Israel and Judah on many occasions. They sacked Jerusalem when the Babylonians destroyed it in 585 BC and again in 70 AD when Rome devastated the city the second time. They will repeat this in the near future when "all nations" will be gathered against Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1-2). Gerald Flurry and his blind Laodiceans will receive the same treatment owing to the "perpetual hatred" of these people. Mr. Flurry may try to hide out in Petra in the "rocks and holes of the earth," but would most likely be betrayed by the Agagite Jordanians. If he would attempt this foolish act, he and his Laodicean followers will be "DELIVERED UP" to the Beast and the Great False Prophet. This would certainly be the "time of their calamity" when they must prove their faithfulness to God with their blood. (Our free booklet Bloody Jezreel makes this clear.) Continue in Ezekiel 35: "Thus will I make Mount Seir most desolate…I will make thee Perpetual Desolations, and thy CITIES SHALL NOT RETURN…As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: Thou shalt be DESOLATE, O Mount Seir, and ALL Idumea, EVEN ALL OF IT: and they shall know that I am the Lord" (verses 7, 9, & 15). God's Word says The CITIES of Edom or Jordan will become DESOLATIONS. PETRA is one of these cities of Jordan. It is a 'desolation" now, although Gerald Flurry had previously declared in a sermon that he would make Petra the most beautiful place on earth; second only to Jerusalem in The World Tomorrow. However, God says it will be a desolation. When the Eternal God says "DESOLATION" he means DESOLATION! Jeremiah records the following: "Also Edom shall be a DESOLATION: every one that goes by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. As in the overthrow of SODOM and GOMORRAH AND THE NEIGHBOR CITIES THEREOF, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it" (vv. 17-18). What could more describe DESOLATION than Sodom and Gomorrah? Verses 2122 seem to describe an airplane dropping a nuclear device. The explosion is heard all the way to the Red Sea! This appears to be very much like the "brimstone and fire" that came down from heaven and totally destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24).
Petra is not "THE" place of safety! It is not even "A" place of safety! The entire region of Edom shall be destroyed! Ezekiel 25:4 and 10 warn the Ammonites and the Moabites that "the Men of the East" are coming. Ammon, Moab, and Edom are the ancient names of the region of modern Jordan. The entire 48th chapter of Jeremiah is addressed to MOAB. God names city after city that shall be destroyed in Moab/Jordan. Verse 4 reads: "Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard." Verses 15 and 28 state: "Moab is spoiled and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the SLAUGHTER, saith THE KING, WHOSE NAME IS THE LORD OF HOSTS…O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities and dwell in the ROCK (cela), and be like the dove that makes her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth." Is the King, the Lord of Hosts, telling these Moabites to flee to PETRA as a Place of Safety? Of course not! God is going to destroy them! He is telling them that they had better hide in the dust of the earth, in the dens and in the caves, and plead for the mountains to fall on them, for FEAR of the great God and this most frightful time ever in History (see again Isa. 2). "And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD" (v.42). In Jeremiah 49:10 God says they will not be able to hide: "But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbors, and he is not (will be no more)." THERE IS NO PLACE OF SAFETY IN THE LAND OF EDOM---BUT THERE WILL BE A GREAT SLAUGHTER THERE! "For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down on Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood…for the Lord has a sacrifice in BOZRAH, and a GREAT SLAUGHTER in the land of IDUMEA…For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion" (Isa. 34:5-6 & 8). "Who is this that comes from EDOM with dyed garments from BOZRAH…wherefore art thou RED in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treads in the wine vat?" (Isa. 63:1-2, see also Rev.19:13) God's Faithful will be protected from the Great Tribulation and the Wrath of God in "the Place prepared." Those begotten of God not "proven worthy to escape" will have suffered and died by this time of the Lord's Wrath. If they were able to
overcome in the Great Tribulation, to the point of giving their lives in obedience to God, they will await their Resurrection at the sound of the last trumpet. Following a man to a PLACE of SLAUGHTER will be an extreme trial that could lead to deep bitterness. May God help all of us as we read and "prove all things" concerning the PLACE of SAFETY.
Gerald Flurry, evidently, had gotten much of his information about Petra and the place of safety from Dr. Herman Hoeh's 1962 Good News article. It would be interesting to know if Dr. Hoeh still agrees with his article after 40 years. However, in 1998 there was no doubt that Mr. Flurry still believed what was written those many years ago. He had not dug into the Bible to obtain the facts that have been presented in this writing. There are four series of scriptures that have been taken out of proper context to present Petra as the place of safety. These were first printed in the 1962 Good News article and re-printed in the 1996 Trumpet magazine article, "Jordan and God's People in Prophecy."
The first set of scriptures are from Isaiah 16:1-5 and are supposed to "prove" that God has "His Outcasts" hiding in Petra. "Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion" Dr. Hoeh writes concerning this verse: "The time setting for this prophecy is the return of Christ to rule the nations. He is the King of the land." I totally disagree with Dr. Hoeh's assumption. The prophecy in Isaiah 15 and 16 is getting near to the time of Christ's return, but His visible Second Coming has not yet occurred. The point of time of these chapters is at the beginning of the ONEYEAR period of the Day of the Lord's Wrath. Christ's visible return is still months away.
The Hebrew word rendered "ruler" in verse 1, is #4910, machal; this means: to rule, govern, have dominion, to manage. Immediately before Christ returns, who will physically be "managing" the affairs of God? Who will be representing the Government of God on earth? Two powerful but humble prophets are coming on the scene in the very near future. They are the TWO WITNESSES! They will be in charge---for God! Quoting Dr. Hoeh: "the Moabites are commanded to seek Him, to send Him an offering as a token of their submission. The offering comes from Sela. But why are the Moabites found in Sela, when only Bedouin dwell there today?" Dr. Hoeh asked that question in 1962. Many things have changed since he offered that question. Now there exists a four-star hotel in Petra, not for the Bedouins, but for the thousands of tourists that visit the area each year. The reason WHY the Moabites are there is very obvious from a simple reading of the scriptures! They are there because they are cringing in fear in the dust of the earth and in the caves and rocks (see Isa. 2:19-21, Rev. 6:15-17, Jer. 48:28)! If Petra were a place of safety, they would be content to stay there, so why are they told to send an "offering to the ruler?" The Moabites are fugitives or outcasts (Isa. 15:5 & 16:3-4) and are fleeing southward to hide in the rocks and caves of Petra. Remember that Ammon, Moab, and Edom occupied the land that is known today as Jordan. This entire region will be utterly destroyed! The "men of the East" are coming--- Ezekiel 25:1-14! We need to remove from our mind the thought that some of God's people will be hiding there in safety. Any Church of God member, who would follow Mr. Flurry or any other church leader to Petra; to a place God says he is going to destroy, would soon be dead from lack of food, water, exposure to the harsh elements, and capture by the Beast and the False Prophet. In verse 4 the phrase, "let my outcasts dwell with thee, Moab" in the KJV is a poor translation. These Moabites have realized God is working through the Two Witnesses who are either performing their ministry from Jerusalem or nearby. They are beseeching them for protection. They are not in SAFETY in Sela-Petra! Think about that! The RSV reads: "let the outcasts of Moab dwell with you…" The NIV renders verse 4: "Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you…" The Modern Language Bible says: "let the outcasts of Moab live among you…" The Today's English Version simply states: "Let us stay in your land. Protect us from those who want to destroy us." The New American Standard Bible reads: "Let the outcasts of Moab stay with you…" They are crying out to the "ruler of the land," very likely
the Two Witnesses. These "daughters of Moab" [verse 2] want to come where the "ruler" is--- not to remain in Sela/Petra. These "outcasts" evidently know WHERE God's people are being protected not too far distant. God will NOT have any LIVING "outcasts" in Sela as Dr. Hoeh has written and Mr. Flurry would like to believe. The "outcasts" are the Moabites hiding there in the rocks and holes of the earth! The Moabites will appeal to the MINISTRY of GOD on earth at that time, but it appears IT IS TOO LATE! Jeremiah 48 describes the total destruction of Moab. Verses 42-44 give this chilling statement: "And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he has magnified himself against the Lord. Fear and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon you, O inhabitant of Moab, says the Lord. He that flees from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that gets up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, says the Lord."
The second group of scriptures used in an attempt to depict Petra as the place of safety begins in Isaiah 33:13: "Hear ye that are far off, what I have done; and ye that are near, acknowledge my might." Mr. Flurry writes in his "Jordan" article: "The sinners in God's Church or Zion are going to be punished." 'The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings' (v.14)?" Mr. Flurry continues: "The Laodicean hypocrites are to enter the nuclear Great Tribulation. They are hypocrites because they act like God's very elect and are not. They have been dishonest and compromised God's precious truth. They will be surprised by this indescribable trial. They assume God will protect them." Gerald Flurry is accusing those of the OUTER COURT or synagogue of Satan, that he labels Laodiceans of being "sinners and hypocrites". But notice how these scriptures certainly apply to the Leader of Laodicea, Mr. Flurry himself: Who has stolen the copyright for Mystery of the Ages? Isn't that dishonest? Who is involved in a lawsuit with his brother? Isn't that hypocrisy? Who really IS a hypocrite when they are viewed in the light of the following scriptures?: "He that walks
righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppression, that shakes his hands from holding of bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil." (v. 15) Continuing Mr. Flurry's article: "The very elect walk righteously, hate deceit and shut their eyes and ears from seeing and hearing evil. They are building the faith now to become God's outcasts (emphasis mine). When they are cast out of their own nations, it will look very perilous to most people. But this great act of faith is God's way of testing them and at the same time rewarding them. It is through this process that God takes them to a place of safety." God's Word says: "There is a WAY which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the WAYS of death" (Pro. 14:12). Gerald Flurry is caught up in his own WAY, not God's WAY. He is heading for his own "dust and rocks of the earth," his "place" in the land of the Enemies of God.
Verse 16 of Isaiah 33 is one of Mr. Flurry's foremost scriptures in the belief that Petra is THE place of safety: "He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munition of rocks; bread will be given him; his waters shall be sure." Mr. Flurry quotes Herman Hoeh concerning this verse. Dr. Hoeh writes: "This is a poor translation. The Hebrew word for 'munitions' is metsad, which means a stronghold or fort. The word for 'rock' is sela. It should read 'stronghold of Sela'—or Petra!" Dr, Hoeh says "it should read" that, but it does NOT! King David, a man after God's own heart, has written under the inspiration of God, II Sam. 22 and Psalm 18. These TWO chapters state the same mighty message. Anytime the Eternal God repeats Himself, we had better pay attention! "I will love thee, O Lord, my Strength. The LORD is MY ROCK (CELA) and MY FORTRESS (METSAD), and MY DELIVERER, MY GOD, MY STRENGTH (TSUR) in whom I will trust; MY BUCKLER, and the horn of MY SALVATION, and MY HIGH TOWER."
As stated earlier, ALL of mankind will be looking for a hole or cave to hide in. Mr. Flurry wants to take his followers to the land of an ENEMY of God to hide in "a rock." God is the ROCK and HE is OUR ROCK—OUR FORTRESS. "For who is God save the Lord, or who is a ROCK save our God." (v.31) This is WHERE SAFETY really is! Our bread and water will be sure, spiritually AND physically in THE PLACE GOD HAS PREPARED---NOT in Petra.
The third scripture used in defense of Petra as the place of safety is Isaiah 33:17: "Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off." Dr. Hoeh and Mr. Flurry both have said this is speaking of viewing the land of Israel from the tops of the mountains in Petra. But think; when shall our eyes see Jesus Christ in his Glory? It will be at His Coming at the First Resurrection--- in the CLOUDS (I Thess. 4:17). When we meet Him in the cloud we will be a lot higher than the mountaintops of Petra and we will be able to SEE for miles in every direction.
The fourth set of scriptures appear in Isaiah 42:10-12: "Sing unto the Lord a NEW SONG, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing; let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands. Gerald Flurry homes in on the one phrase, "the inhabitants of the rock" and supposes this is Petra, assuming those who have sought safety there are praising God from the top of the mountains. Nevertheless, the Bible is clear that this area of the earth will be destroyed! So what is this verse actually telling us? First, it needs to be determined in time order, when this event will take place. Notice that the entire earth will be singing a new song of praise to the Lord; from
those that live by the sea and in the islands, to those who dwell in the plains, the desert, and the mountains; all the ends of the earth will praise God. Obviously this attitude of praise to God occurs only well into the Millennium! The inhabitants of the entire earth will be compelled by the "rod of iron" Government of Jesus Christ to keep the Laws of God (see Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19:11-16). The strict adherence to all of God's Law will bring forth such blessings and benefits ALL the earth will sing praises to Him. These are the physical inhabitants of the entire earth finally recognizing the JOYS of God's Ways. Isaiah 42:10-13 is a wee glimpse of the benefits of obeying God. These verses have NOTHING to do with Petra or a place of safety, as some apparently want you to believe. What is shown happening physically in these verses is a type of that which will also be seen spiritually. Where does God's Word describe a large body of people from all over the earth standing on top of a mountain singing a NEW SONG to God? Verses 1-3 of Revelation 14 shows 144,000 resurrected Firstfruits standing on Mt. Zion singing a NEW SONG of praise to their great God. This is, indeed, so plain! See chapter 15:1-4 also. All of this is very clear once everything is put into proper perspective, and we allow the Bible to interpret the Bible.
Chapter Four:
Where Safety IS!
Jesus Christ IS here in the Day of the Lord preparing THE Place of Safety that will be so necessary for His Faithful during the Great Tribulation and the Day of HIS Wrath. ALL the others of mankind will search out "the dens and rocks of the mountains" for a place to hide during the Day of the Lamb's Wrath (Rev. 6:15-17), but Christ is Our ROCK and hiding Place. Study closely the following scriptures: I Corinthians 10:1-4: (That ROCK was Christ.) Matthew 16:18: (Christ will build his Church on the great ROCK.) Ephesians 2:20: (Christ is the chief CORNERSTONE.) Psalm 27:5: "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion; in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me upon a rock (tsur). Psalm 91:1-2: "He that dwells in the secret place of the most HIGH shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my FORTRESS; my God in him will I trust." Psalm 9:9-10: "The Lord is our refuge in times of trouble and we must put our trust in HIM." Psalm 31:3: "For thou art my ROCK (CELA) and my Fortress (METSAD)…" Over and over we read that Our God is our Rock and our Fortress. The world, the Laodiceans, and those others not "accounted worthy to escape," the Great Tribulation will seek the "rocks" of this earth, but we seek THE GREAT SPIRITUAL ROCK--- JESUS CHRIST. "Oh how great is your goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; Which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men" (Psa.31:19). Psalm 25:14 declares: "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant." God has given His Faithful Church His secrets! The great REVEALED TRUTH of the DAY OF THE LORD has been given to his FAITHFUL Church. We are the only group on earth that KNOWS that Jesus Christ has come "SUDDENLY to his TEMPLE;" that the DAY of the LORD has come as "a thief in the night." This
great REVEALED SECRET should have his FAITHFUL in a state of humble submission to the WILL of God as much as can be possibly achieved while in the flesh. Christ must be LIVING HIS LIFE in us to "make up his special treasure" (Mal. 3:17) and have us ready to go to a physical Place of Safety that HE is preparing. Right now, as of this moment, we must be in THE SPIRITUAL PLACE of SAFETY. That PLACE is DEEP in the INNER COURT of the SPIRITUAL TEMPLE. THAT IS WHERE CHRIST IS; and where we MUST be. Psalm 31:20 is a key scripture for US today: "Thou shalt hide them in the SECRET OF THY PRESENCE from the pride of men, (We are the ONLY people that KNOW THE SECRET of HIS PRESENCE!) "Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strifes of men." This is where the PLACE of SAFETY is NOW! Christ is HERE! He came suddenly to His Temple---to His True Church. He is HERE in the Church of God's Faithful. We are the Inner-Court of the Temple now, and we are SAFE with Him! And we know that IF we remain close to Him, deep in the Inner-Court, when it is necessary for us to FLEE, He will take care of us. He will make sure we will be taken to THE PLACE HE HAS PREPARED. That geographical place, in which the Church will then be located, is also where He will be. It will truly be THE PLACE OF SAFETY---NOT A PLACE OF SLAUGHTER! As the Laodiceans read this message, this may well be that their final WARNING will be COMPLETED; the KNOCKING will cease. As it was in the days of Noah, the "DOOR of the ARK" will be closed. May The Eternal God have mercy on us ALL!
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