God's Prophecy to Obadiah

Well, again, happy Sabbath to all of you. Today I would like to discuss the book of Obadiah in a single sermon. Now, some of you may be saying, I'm not sure I know where Obadiah is, but I'm here to help you. That's one of the roles that I play as your pastor. So I'm going to give you a hint. It's between the books of Genesis and Revelation.

But we're going to talk about the book of Obadiah today. It's the shortest book in the Old Testament. And even though it's a prophecy about past historical events, more importantly, it is allegorical and it points to events yet to occur in the future. And that's obviously what I would really like to focus on today. We know nothing about the prophet Obadiah.

Most of the prophets wrote chapters and chapters and chapters. And by examining all of the verses in their books, you can figure out what their occupation was and who they were the son of and the time that they lived. But Obadiah is so short that most of that evidence is lacking. It was a common name in ancient biblical times. It was like having the name Mark, or John, today. As a matter of fact, there are ten different individuals named Obadiah in the Old Testament. The name Obadiah means servant of the eternal, so it's a very beautiful name. The theme of the book is the fall of Jerusalem in 585 AD.

That was the original theme written at the time. And it talks about the betrayal of the nation of Edom towards Israel. Now, the reason that's important is because the people of Edom were descended from Esau. And you may recall that Esau was the brother of Jacob. So they were both Semitic peoples. They actually were related to one another. Not going back very many generations, they literally related to one another. And much like their personal animosity over the birthright originally between Esau and Jacob, the nations of Judah in Edom were often at great odds with one another.

Even though, again, they really were related. They were both Semitic peoples. For example, Edom refused Moses and Israel passage through their land on the way to the Promised Land. So that's our first scripture today. If you'll turn to Numbers, chapter 20, verse 13, we will see where this event occurred. And what we're going to see is that there is deep resentment in the kingdom of Edom towards God's people. Again, Numbers, chapter 20 and verse 13. If you would turn there, please. And here's what Moses recorded in the scripture through the inspiration of God. This was the water of Meribah because the children of Israel contended with the Lord and he was hollowed among them.

You'll recall, of course, that Moses struck the rock twice and water came out. Because of that, he was not allowed to go to the Promised Land. Picking it up in verse 14, now Moses sent messengers from Kaddish to the king of Edom saying, Thus says your brother Israel. Hey, we're brothers! We're kin! We're related! You know all the hardship that has befallen us, how our fathers went down to Egypt and we dwelled in Egypt a long time and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. When we cried out to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent the angel and brought us up out of Egypt. And now we are here at Kaddish, a city on the edge of your border.

Verse 17, Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through the fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from your wells. We will go along the king's highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand and to the left until we have passed through your territory. We'll see what the king's highway looked like in a minute.

It was a major highway that went through the kingdom of Edom up to the Promised Land. Again, we'll take a look at a slide about that in a minute. Then Edom said to him, You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with a sword. So the children of Israel said to him, We will go by the highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I'll pay for it.

Let me only pass through on foot nothing more. Then he said, You shall not pass through. So Edom came out against them with many men and a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.

So we can see that Israel was forced not to go the easy way into the Promised Land, but to go all the way around the Kingdom of Edom, which was much more treacherous and much more difficult. Let's quickly look at this first slide. Obviously, this is the Kingdom of Edom. I'm going to show you another slide in a minute. It actually goes all the way down to the Gulf of Aqaba.

And you can see, eventually, it's capital city, is a term that we've heard before called Petra. And the King's Highway came up through the Kingdom of Eden. And this was the route that Israel was trying to take. And unfortunately, they were not getting any cooperation from Edom. Here's another map of Edom when it was at its greatest point. You can see, there it is. There's the Gulf of Aqaba. There's the Dead Sea.

And you can see that it was bordering Judah and was continually a contention to the nation of Judah. One other slide, and then we're done here. Here is an example of the King's Highway. And again, though this doesn't show Edom, there's the Gulf of Aqaba right there. And there is the Dead Sea. And you know what is smack dab in the middle of this great territory here?

It's the King's Highway. It was the most common route that one would take to go north and south. Now, the land of Moab was not conducive to growing anything on. It basically was a barren land. The way that they made money and they became quite wealthy was charging a toll, charging a tax to travel on a trade route in order to cross through their territory. And they became a very wealthy people. But here we see in Numbers, Chapter 20, beginning in Verses 13 and 21, that we discussed, that Israel wanted to go through the King's Highway and wanted to go to the Promised Land.

And they were denied. As we're going to see when we start drawing this analogy together of the prophecy of this book and how it relates to us, we too face the same problem in our world today. This present world controlled by a prince, that's the prince of the power of the air, constantly sets up barriers to stop us from entering the kingdom of God. This nation was a thorn in the side of Judah. At later time, after Israel was established, Saul fought against Edom, that's recorded in 1 Samuel, Chapter 14 and Verse 47. Later, David conquered Edom, that's in 2 Samuel, Chapter 8, Verses 13 and 14. And from that point on, Edom constantly rebelled.

They tried to rebel during the time of Solomon, but they failed, that's in 1 Kings 11. But eventually, as Judah weakened, as Israel broke off, became an independent nation and was captured, and as Judah weakened, they did revolt against King Jeram of Judah, and they won their independence, and that's recorded in 2 Chronicles, Chapter 21 and Verse 8.

I'd like to read you just a paragraph of what Holman's Bible dictionary says about Edom and kind of sum up what we've spoken about so far. Quote, the Israelites regarded the Edomites as close relatives, even more closely related to them than the Ammonites or Moabites. Specifically, they identified the Ammonites and Moabites as descendants of Lot, Abraham's nephew, but the Edomites as descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother. Thus Edom occasionally is referred to as brother to Israel, another instance aside from the way they were addressed, here in Numbers 20, is in Amos Chapter 1, Verses 11 and 12, where it's also referred to as a brother, the Edomites.

Continuing, getting back to this paragraph, Edom seemed not to have been barred from worship in the Jerusalem temple with the same strictness as the Ammonites and Moabites. Yet, as often is the case with personal relations, the closest relatives can be a bitter enemy. According to the biblical writers, enmity between Israel and Edom began with Jacob and Esau when the former stole the latter's birthright and was exacerbated by the time of the Israelite Exodus from Egypt, when the Edomites refused the Israelites passage through their land.

Be that as it may, much of the conflict also had to do with the fact that Edom was a constant threat to Judah's frontier and moreover blocked Judean access to the Gulf of Aqaba. So, as I said, Edom was a continual thorn in the side of God's people. God was working with his first covenant people and at this time what was left was the nation of Judah. We won't turn to Psalm 137. But here's what the psalmist asked God to remember after the fall of Jerusalem.

And I'll quote it. Since it's so short, I won't ask you to turn to Psalm 137. But here's what it says. Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem, who said, raise it, raise it, that's R-A-Z-E meaning tear it down, tear it down, tear it down to its very foundation. So when Israel or Judah, Jerusalem was being sacked in 585 B.C., Edom was saying, beat them up, go for it, make them collapse, make them be destroyed, remove them from the earth. Now, the Edomites lived in a very rocky fortress of Mount Cyr south of Palestine between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba.

And again, we will take a quick look at that just so that you have your bearings. And we'll try to enlarge this right here. So again, here's the Gulf of Aqaba down here, and here's the Dead Sea. And this whole area here is what Moab, I'm sorry, is what Edom controlled, as you can see there on that particular map. They were considered wealthy and cultured because their land was the center of an important trade route.

Their capital city eventually became Selah or Petra, and in 312 BC, the inhabitants of Edom were displaced by the Nabataeans, and these displaced Edomites moved into southern Judea, who had gone into captivity by now, and they became known by the Greeks as the Edomians. When the Roman Emperor Titus sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD, the Edomites disappeared from history. As a nation, as a national identity, they're gone. We do not know who they are. There are some theories that some of them are in modern Turkey. Perhaps some of the Palestinian Arabs are the physical descendants of Edom. We really don't know. But the prophet Obadiah foretells the fall of Edom as a nation in the first half of his prophecy, as we'll see shortly.

The reason is because they sinned by hastening and encouraging the downfall of their brother peoples in Judah. Let's talk about the date of the books. The date of the books is something that's also highly disputed, as many books are in Scripture. Few question its authority or authenticity, but scholars have been divided as to when the book was written. Here's theory number one. This is what most scholars believe today. Theory number one, it's suggested that the period is around 550 BC after the fall of Jerusalem. In this case, the events mentioned in the first part of Obadiah would not be an actual prophecy about the fall of Jerusalem, but would be referring to something that already happened. Another theory, theory number two, the one that I lean towards and the one the Church has taught for many years, is that the time period was written between 800 and 750 BC. In this case, the book would be an actual prophecy about the future fall of Jerusalem and Edom's captivity.

That would be the second theory, and again, the one that traditionally the Church teaches and one that I believe personally makes the most sense. Well, what we've been talking about is interesting. It's fascinating, but it's all in the past. What does that have to do with you and I? What does the fall of a nation called Edom, who's gone, doesn't exist anymore, has lost its national identity? What in the world does that have to do with the Church of God of the 21st century? Why should we care? As Mr. Armstrong used to say, he used to have a term and he said something like, What does that have to do with the price of putty?

I heard him say that many times. That was his way of saying, Why should I care? Well, the reason we should care is that this is not only a prophecy about the events regarding a physical people named Edom. Prophecy is dual and what this is is an allegory about Edom, and this book pictures the state of this present evil world and the coming kingdom of God.

We're going to see here that Edom represents the present world order, the politics of this world, the religions of this world, which basically are an enemy of God's people. This world has, throughout history, been an enemy of the covenant peoples of God. First, there were the original covenant peoples of the Old Testament, and history records over and over again the anti-Semitism and the butchery of Jewish peoples wherever they went virtually anywhere on earth and the persecution they experienced.

Secondly, God's new covenant people have also faced tremendous persecution throughout the world, throughout history, small though they may have been. They have constantly faced an uphill battle, keeping jobs because they wouldn't work on the Sabbath, being able to participate in their communities because they did things that were a little different.

Maybe they kept God's food laws, and they did certain things that were not part of our accepted culture. Throughout history, the world has despised and persecuted the Jews and later the Church of God. The fall of Edom represents the collapse of this world's culture and governments and the establishment of a new world order that we look forward to that's called the world tomorrow. The purpose of the allegory is for us to sustain our faith in the hope of Jesus Christ's return to this earth, to establish a moral government and the triumph of righteousness over the present evil that exists in our world today.

There is a spiritual warfare going on. Anciently, there was a physical animosity between the people of Edom and God's people. Today, there is a spiritual animosity between the governments and the religions of this world and those people whom God has called. Esau became jealous of Jacob because Jacob claimed the birthright. In a similar way, brethren, we have claimed the right of being the first fruits of Jesus Christ. We have seized on our calling.

You know, you might say, in a sense, you might say, well, didn't Jacob overly...wasn't he overly aggressive to seize the birthright? Well, Jesus Christ said that those who seek the kingdom seize it by force. In other words, they say, this is my opportunity. This is precious.

This is a pearl of great price. I'll sell anything that I have. I'll do anything that I need to do to seize this moment and this calling from God and to become part of his church, become part of his family. So because of that, as there was ancient animosity towards Jacob, there is spiritual animosity towards the first fruits who have seized their calling and been willing to give up everything they have in order to respond to the good news of the coming kingdom of God. The outline of the book can be divided into two main sections. Verses 1 through 14 emphasize that God knows and sees all things, and he'll judge the sins of everyone, all people, especially those who harm his people.

The second section, as we'll see, verses 15 through 21 emphasize that the Day of the Lord spells judgment for the nations of this present world, but deliverance and reward for the people of God. So now let's get into the book of Obadiah. If you will turn there with me, we'll go into one of these minor prophets, and we'll see what the Scriptures tell us. Obadiah, there's only one chapter beginning in verse 1.

You see, there is coming a time when in the first resurrection, when those who have been called in Christ, when they will leave this earth, and they literally will rise, arise and rise up to meet Jesus Christ in the air, and will return to earth as part of the armies of Jesus Christ, prepared to do battle against the final nations of this world, in what's known as the Valley of Megiddo or Armageddon. This is a prophecy from God to the world through this prophet Obadiah, and the angel proclaims a battle. Verse 2, The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the cliffs of the rocks, whose habitation is high, who say in your heart, Who will bring me down to the ground? Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord. Now, anciently, Edom was geographically very rocky, and it had huge cliffs, particularly in its capital in Petra, and this gave them a false sense of security. Edom felt protected. They became vain and arrogant because of their sense of false security. In the same way, the nations of the earth will assemble to war against Jesus Christ with their modern technological weapons, and they will feel like they are invincible. They will feel like they can fight off this invader coming into the earth, this Jesus Christ coming into the earth at that time. A modern analogy that we can look forward to and understand. Remember, this is also an allegory about the present world order, and that is the nations of this world are proud and arrogant against God. They don't want to accept God's law. They don't want to believe in God. Humanity, at this time, soars around the world in jet planes.

We have sent men on the moon. We have an international space station. That's kind of become our nest among the stars. The long-term goals of humanity, if time goes on, is to eventually have a colony on the moon, to eventually colonize the planet Mars. If time goes on long enough and the technology catches up, therein mankind will set its nest among the stars. Humankind believes science and technology can solve all of our problems without the need to acknowledge God, without the need to obey God. Now, for the rest of the sermon, we're going to be turning back and forth from Obadiah to Revelation. So I encourage you to tab both books so you can turn there easily. Let's go to Revelation 18, beginning in verse 4. But again, remember, we're going to tab back and forth also to Obadiah. Revelation 18 and verse 4. The arrogance of the nations of this world and its existing political and religious order. Revelation chapter 18 and verse 4. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, unless you receive her plagues. For her sins have reached the heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render her to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mixed double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself, and that's what the governments of the world do. They glorify themselves instead of God. That's what the religions of this world do. They glorify themselves and worship things and rocks and images instead of the true God.

That she glorified herself and lived luxuriously in the same measure give her torment and sorrow, for she says in her heart, I sit as queen. I'm important. I'm a valuable religious institution. I have over a billion people on earth who follow me. I sit as queen. I'm no widow. I will not see sorrow. I'm not going to fall. I'm not coming down.

Verse 8, Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be utterly burned with fire. For strong is the Lord God who judges her. The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her when they see the smoke of her burning.

And all of those nations that interacted with her and had a combination of a religious and political alliance so they could control people, so they could dominate the earth, they will see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, great city of Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour your judgment has come.

Again, this ties in with what we read in Obadiah, in which the refrain is the pride of the one's heart who says, Who will bring me down to the ground? God says, I'll bring you down to the ground. Let's go back to Obadiah, verse 5. Obadiah, verse 5, If thieves had come to you, if robbers by night, O how you will be cut off, would they not have stolen till they had enough? If grape-gatherers had come to you, would they not have left some gleanings? If your house is robbed, they take their possessions, but you know what you still have left?

You still have your house. They take what they want and they leave. But what God is saying here in his prophecy is there's going to be nothing left of Edom.

It is totally and completely going to be rooted out, and all remnants of ancient Edom and modern Edom will come to an end. Verse 5, O how Esau shall be searched out, every nook and cranny of that culture, every nook and cranny of false religion will be rooted out and destroyed, as if someone was searching with a magnifying glass. How his hidden treasures will be sought after, all the men in your Confederacy shall force you to the border. So those who were once on your side, those who were once your allies will force you to the border.

The men at peace with you shall deceive you and prevail against you. Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap for you. No one is aware of it. So these people that you are in a Confederacy with are going to turn against you, and they're going to destroy you. And of course, anciently, thieves and robbers would leave at least something behind, but the prophecy is that Edom would forever lose its nationhood and its national identity. Those whom she thought were her friends and allies when push came to shove, they did not support her. They weren't there for her. Total destruction occurred.

Nothing was left behind. It happened to Edom. It does not exist today. But now let's take a look at the allegory. At the end times, ten nations will form a superpower in Europe to support a political leader that we know in prophecy called the Beast. But also for a while, as part of that prophecy, there will be a woman representing a false church who will rise up, also called in the book of Revelation, as a harlot.

That's a harsh term today, so we'll use the politically correct, the monogamously challenged... That was supposed to be funny. I'm sorry. It's called in the book of Revelation a harlot. But these ten nations eventually will not want to be dominated by this harlot and will turn against her.

Let's see if what is said in Obadiah will come to pass. Revelation 17, verses 12-18. Revelation 17, verses 12-18. They say there is no honor among thieves. And sometimes people work together and dishonest people turn on each other. You may remember in World War II, with the early part of the war, Hitler signed a pact with the Soviet Union as an ally. And after Hitler could not overcome Britain in the Battle of Britain, Hitler turned against the Soviet Union, a nation that he had a compact of peace with.

Because there is no honor among thieves. Revelation 17, verses 12. The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet. Because this is prophetic. It's talking about something that would occur in the 21st century. But they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. And the beast, of course, is ruling over these ten nations. It's the political head. These are of one mind and they will give power and authority to the beast. So they will give all of their political and military strength and power to the beast. These will make war with the lamb. These are the ones who will have the fighting armies against the lamb.

And the lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings. And those who are with him are called chosen and faithful. And hopefully that's us. If we endure the end, that's talking literally about us. The chosen, the faithful. Then he said to me, the waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.

At this present time, over a billion believers follow her around this world of all different multitudes and nations, nationalities, and tongues. Verse 16, And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God has put into their hearts to fulfill his purpose. What is his purpose? To fulfill what Obadiah had said.

To the haunting one, the one who arrogantly said that she was queen and that she would not see sorrow. The one who Obadiah said would be betrayed by her friends. This is exactly confirmed and what occurs here in the book of Revelation. Chapter 17, verse 17, For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill his purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast. To her, to the beast. And so the words of God are fulfilled.

And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. So again, Obadiah mentions that the men and Edom's confederacy, anciently and modern Edom, will deceive against her and turn against her to destroy her. And the same holds true of the confederated ten kings who will be in league with her for a period of time in the future. Let's go to Obadiah, verse 8.

Back to the book of Obadiah. Will I not in that day, says the Lord, even destroy the wise men of Edom, scientists, those who are just so smart, those who think technology and science without God can save the world, can solve all the world's problems, and understanding from the mountains of Esau, then your mighty men, O team, and shall be dismayed, to the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau may be cut off by slaughter for violence against your brother Jacob.

Shame shall cover you, because you persecuted your brother Jacob. God says shame on you, and you shall be cut off forever. In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that strangers carried captive his forces, this is referring to 585 when Jerusalem fell, when foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were one of them.

But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother, in the day of his captivity, nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah, in the day of their destruction, nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

You should not have entered the gate of my people, in the day of their calamity, indeed. You should not have gazed at their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity.

You should not have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped, nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained in the day of distress.

So again, anciently, this refers to when Jerusalem fell in 585 BCE, Edom rejoiced. They even took over the south of Judah. They migrated peoples because no longer was Judah politically strong, so they expanded their nation.

On this, you will see that maroon color. That is when Edom expanded into the south of Judah to take it over after the Judean kingdom fell.

So God gives four reasons why he will destroy Edom on the world stage.

Verses 10 and 11. Here's the first reason. He says, because of violence against Jacob, continual war and aggression against their brother nation, instead of helping Judah against the Babylonians, they participated by not standing in the way.

When the end times come and the persecution starts upon the people of God, how much help and support do you think that we will receive from this world?

And you know what? The worlds are brothers. Everyone, whether they're called or uncalled, has the same father, and that's God. We all have the same creator.

So everyone in this world are our brothers, just like Esau and Jacob were brothers.

The second reason is they rejoiced and gloated in the destruction of Judah.

Third reason, they entered Judah and they took Judah's possessions for themselves.

And the fourth reason, verse 14, they didn't allow any Jews to escape into Edom for protection.

They physically stopped any from entering Edom and they turned them over to the Babylonians.

Now let's go back to the allegory of the modern sense of this prophecy.

Satan has always used governments and counterfeit religions to persecute the people of God, both his old covenant people and his new covenant people.

Is there a time in the future when Satan himself will try to cut off those who are escaping Jerusalem and will try to enslave them?

Let's go to Revelation 12, verse 13, and see what the Scriptures say.

See what the prophecy tells us from the book of Revelation.

Revelation 12, verse 13.

It says, Now the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth. He persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. The male child, of course, is referring to Jesus Christ.

But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place.

She was attempting to fly into a wilderness for protection because Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies. And these are God's covenant people who are fleeing Jerusalem as it's being overcome by armies looking for protection.

Where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, that's three and a half years, from the presence of the serpent.

So the serpent spewed out water of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.

But the earth helped the woman.

And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood, which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, just like Edom was always enraged against Judah.

Just like the prince of the power of the air is enraged against those who have accepted their calling, those who have received the Holy Spirit of God and are his first fruits.

The dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Those are Christian believers. Those who believe in Jesus Christ and keep God's law.

So again, in the end time, Satan himself would try to cut off the escape crossroads, the word that Obadiah uses, of God's people fleeing Jerusalem.

And with a warlike attitude, he wants to destroy the church, but God protects those who are fleeing Jerusalem for three and a half years.

Now let's go back to Obadiah verse 15. Obadiah verse 15. Now we're moving into a focus on the day of the Lord, the end times.

Obadiah verse 15.

You see, the transition has moved from just this physical nation of Edom to now addressing all the nations of this world.

Yes, they shall drink and swallow, and they shall be as though they had never been.

Again, talking about the nations of this present system of this world that we have, the present religious and political systems we have in this world. It says, drink and swallow. Let's see what they're going to drink and swallow if you'll turn to Revelation 17.

Revelation 17.

On the day of the Lord, judgment will fall upon the governments and false religions of this earth. They will attempt to destroy God's people, but they and the world system they supported will be destroyed before the conquering armies of Jesus Christ. Revelation 17. Beginning in verse 1.

With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication. And the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Again, the analogy of drinking. What is it that they're drinking? Sin. They're drinking evil. They're ingesting an evil way of life. Sin as a way of life. So he carried me away in a spirit into the wilderness. And I saw the woman sitting on a scarlet beast, which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was a raid in purple and scarlet. And adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead was a name that was written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, and of the Abominations of the Earth. Verse 6, tying in so well with what we just read in Obadiah. And the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

So here again we see a parallel between Obadiah's prophecy saying, Drink up! Your judgment has come. Just go ahead and drink it all. Drink it up! Because judgment has come upon you. Obadiah, let's turn back now to Obadiah, verse 17. This world is drunk with the wine of false religion and a false world order. And it has persecuted the people of God and is drunk with the blood of the saints of Jesus Christ throughout history. Obadiah, verse 17. But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance. There shall be holiness. The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. That is the governments, the nations, the kingdoms of this world. Because the kingdom of God starts in Jerusalem. But like that grain of mustard steed that radiates out, and eventually the entire world is converted to God's way of life. Verse 18. The house of Jacob shall be a fire and the house of Jacob a flame. But the house of Esau shall be stubble and they shall kindle them and devour them. Have you ever started a little fire? And I have with leaves. And then pretty soon it catches and then your whole woods are on fire. And it just keeps feeding off and it gets bigger and the circle gets bigger and bigger. And Mr. Thomas is out there with his garden hose screaming, trying to put out the flames. But that's the way Jacob and Joseph will be. They will start out as a fire and the kingdom of God in this analogy will just burn this evil world system. It will burn away the false religions of this world and they will be stubble. Where a whole new world can grow up and can be developed. It says, and no survivors shall remain in the house of Esau for the Lord has spoken. The south shall possess the mountains of Esau. This is talking about Judah, so it's going to take over this land that once was known as Edom. Physical Israel is even going to be expanded in its geography. And the low lands shall possess Felistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria, Benjamin, and possess Gilead. And the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites. As far as Zar-Phihath, the captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the south. And we'll give that a modern interpretation for you. The new world of God's kingdom will begin in Zion and like a consuming fire. It will eventually spread and encompass the entire earth. The righteousness of Jesus Christ and his saints will replace all evil and all wickedness in this world. Spiritual Israel will expand around the whole world and will possess the lands of its former enemies. The Negev that's mentioned here is the south desert region of Palestine. Zar-Phihath is the Phoenician border town of Israel near Sidon. And then this phrase here, Sepharad, is a land far beyond the ancient kingdoms of the Babylonians or Media. Some people believe it's either in Greece or in Spain. But the main point of these verses is that the dominance of Israel will be felt. There will be a ripple effect of the dominance of this new nation of Israel around the entire world. Let's now go to Revelation chapter 19 and see how this ties together with what we just read in Obadiah. Revelation chapter 19.

Revelation chapter 19 verse 11.

I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse. And he who sat in him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire. Interesting that Obadiah talked about how Judah would be a fire and Joseph a flame. And on his head are many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

He is the Word. This is none other than Jesus Christ. And the armies, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Who are these armies? Well, if you take a look, you'll see the same phrases used in chapter 19 verse 8. Fine linen, clean and white. In another chapter it's white and clean, and in another chapter it's clean and white. The point is it's the same phrase used for the Bride of Christ. So it's those who were part of the first resurrection who meet Jesus Christ in the air. Who are part of the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, clean and white, followed him on white horses as well.

And now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations. And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron, at least very early on, to crush all rebellion. That's not how he normally rules in the Kingdom of God. This is a time of utter crisis to save the world. If he didn't return, the world would destroy itself. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against he who sat on the horse and against his army. And then verse 20 tells us what happens. And with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These too were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

So, brethren, just like ancient Edom was annihilated and no longer exists, so too are the armies of those who gathered the valley of Megiddo to fight against the returning Jesus Christ. They will be totally and completely annihilated. Modern Edom and its political structures and its false religions and the perverted cultures that we have throughout our world will all have to be re-educated and rebuilt after they are demolished through these horrible events pictured at the end time.

The deliverance comes from Jesus Christ and he makes modern Esau a stubble, the nations and systems of this world. Other prophecies tell us that Israel will have greatly expanded borders in the kingdom of God. Let's go to the final verse now, and Obadiah anyway, verse 21. Obadiah, verse 21, a very beautiful and very encouraging scripture because this refers to you. This refers to me. This refers to the calling that we have. Verse 21, then Savior shall come to Mount Zion. Notice that's plural. Saviors, small s, to judge the mountains of Esau and the kingdom shall be the Lord. This word Savior comes from the Hebrew word yasha and it means someone who provides safety, a helper, a rescuer, someone who brings salvation.

The book of New Century Version, the way it translates this, and I'll read it in verse 21, powerful warriors will go up on Mount Zion and they will rule the people living on Edom's mountains and the kingdom will belong to the Lord. So that's our future. Let's tie this in again with the book of Revelation in our final couple of scriptures today. Revelation chapter 1 and verse 6, because this is why we were called now. This is why we are that remnant that keeps the commandments of Jesus Christ. This is why we honor God on his Sabbath day. This is why we endure the trials that we go through. This is why we live lives of faith. This is why we endure to the end.

Revelation chapter 1 verses 4 through 6, John, there are the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who were before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

And then verse 6, and has made us kings and priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Now let's just go back a few chapters, chapter 5, since you're already in the book of Revelation, and let's pick it up here in verse 6. Revelation chapter 5 and verse 6.

And I looked and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures which were in the midst of the elder, stood a lamb as though he had been slain. The lamb, of course, is Jesus Christ. Having seven horns, horn being a symbol of strength, seven perfection, so he's all powerful, seven eyes, seven again being the number of completion and perfection, eyes meaning all seeing, he's ever present, he's everywhere, which are the seven spirits of God sent out to all the earth. So Jesus Christ, this lamb, has spirits that report to him everything going on in the world. He's all powerful, all knowing, all seeing. Verse 7, then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. Now when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Very important, Scripture. So Mr. Thomas, why should I pray every day? Because your prayers are like sweet-smelling incense, like a golden bowl of sweet-smelling fragrant incense to God. And every day when we take that time out to pray and honor our Father and make known to him our request, it is like him breathing a beautiful, sweet-smelling incense from a golden bowl.

Verse 9, and they sang a new song, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. For you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And then verse 10, And have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. So when Obadiah says in verse 21, The Saviors will come to Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau. This reminds us that there are going to be righteous saints who are part of the first resurrection who will reign with Jesus Christ. And they will be considered Saviors because they were with him when he returned. They were part of his army. And because they have come to teach these people about the Lamb, about his salvation that he offers through his shed blood, and about the King of that kingdom, that everlasting kingdom. So today we've looked at the book of Obadiah, and hopefully what we have seen is it's just far more than some stale, ancient prophecy about a kingdom that no longer exists known as Edom. That is actually very richly filled with prophecy about future events, most of which are parallel from verses in the book of Revelation. It's a powerful prophecy. It's a beautiful prophecy. And in the end of this prophecy, we are reminded of the role that we will play as God's children, as saints, in the wonderful world tomorrow. Have a wonderful Sabbath.

Thank you.