THE EDOMITES: WHAT HAS BEEN THEIR HISTORY IN THE PAST?
AND HOW WILL IT PLAY OUT IN THOSE EPIC TIMES YET TO COME?

What can we say about the Edomites, the spiritual descendants of Esau? Are they still around today? At first appearance Esau appears to be an eternal enemy of Jacob, whom we might identify as the unrefined Judeo-Christian people. They include an Ekklesia, a congregation, and a kingdom. Although currently divided and in disarray, they are nevertheless the spiritual children of Abraham, a people in a very broad sense are "called out" into the "Everlasting Covenant".

Jacob is a trickster and a deceiver. and far from perfect. But nevertheless, he is on his way to becoming Israel. His shifty character will soon get him into some trouble, a a strait out from which he will not be able to easily extract himself. He may soon be about to encounter some sifting and refining in the trials of the latter days. When this character flaw is addressed and corrected, even in the time of "Jacob's Trouble", he will be saved and delivered out of it. At the end of the saga, when the "fullness of the Gentiles" is brought in, Jacob will undergo a name change as well, to match the character change. He will become Israel, "prince and contender with God".

So what is Esau's role in all this? And what should be our disposition to Esau? Right at the very first mention of the name "Edomite" in holy scripture, the Holy One of Israel tells us quite plainly what our attitude and disposition to the Edomites should be.

Deuteronomy 23:7
“You shall not loathe an Edomite, for he is your brother;
you shall not loathe an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land.

Why would God say that?

So, Rebekah was aware of the conflict between them,
even at that early time. And as we see, Esau was the firstborn.

Jacob came out soon afterward grasping the heel of his brother. The name Jacob means, "heel grasper" or "supplanter". Jacob was somewhat of a shyster and trickster. But nevertheless he looked up to the God of his fathers Abraham and Isaac. And despite his shifty nature he took responsibility in calling his family and others into that devotion. Jacob was a caring man, sensitive to spiritual matters, and devoted to the family of his fathers. He was also a man of the flocks and gardens, the home and hearth.

The children of Jacob spawned the Judeo-Christian people. In spite of their deceptive ways in their better moments their culture of caring for others still shines through. Jacob was a man of the flocks and herds. He was to be found near the tents of Isaac, his father, and Rebekah his mother. He was drawn into the ways of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Within the loins of Jacob, and and with the spiritual endowment given to him, flows the 12-fold anointing for ministry and for rule, the 12 jewels on the High Priest's breastplate reflecting the whole counsel of God, and the glories yet to follow in the12 gates that lead into the Holy City. That was the promise as it was given back at the beginning. And so it remains today.

As we see, the priestly blessing was given to Jacob, even in the midst of some trickery. This story is told in

Genesis 27:1-29.
“Therefore, may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you and blessed be those who bless you!” (Genesis 27:28–29)

By deception, Jacob receives the blessing from his father, Isaac.

WHO ARE THE EDOMITES?

ESAU, THE HUNTER

Esau was different from Jacob. He had little time for domestic matters. Esau was Isaac's firstborn and his favorite son. He was a hunter and a free spirited man, comfortable in the wilderness and away from society. He was a roving man of the open field. He took down what he wanted with the bow. Agriculture and gardening was not his thing. He had little time for nurturing much of anything, whether it be caring for the family, animal husbandry, or planting crops for harvest. These were just onerous chores to him. He was not one to waste time at home at the tents, or shepherding the flocks. Nor was he one to cherish his spiritual heritage handed down to him in the faith of his fathers. Esau had little patience for such domestic matters. To him these pre-occupations were mundane and boring. He'd rather be out hunting!

Esau was a wild man. He sold his birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage. In this act of spiritual neglect he showed that he had very little interest in his spiritual inheritance. He was an earthy man, and a phallic sort of a guy. Esau was a hustler, an exploiter of others and what others had, rather than being a cultivator of plants or one given to animal husbandry. He was motivated to "go out and get" things rather than to establish and care for living things., As the consummate hunter Esau preferred to 'take down' what he wanted, out there in the wild. A life of nurturing was not for him.

WHERE ARE THE EDOMITES TODAY?

So as we see, the cultivating and cultured life was not for Esau. In fact, he rejoiced in being uncultured. Being wild at heart and a hustler was a badge of honor to Esau back 4,000 years ago. We can certainly see that same wild, rebellious, and occasionally a bullying spirit rising in our Western culture today. This is now becoming a matter of grave concern in our public schools. So, even though all those centuries have passed the question arises. Who are people who carry the legacy of the Edomites today? And where are they most likely to be found?

We know that upwellings of these sort of people are in existence today, in our time, and even living among us.. And how do we know this? We can discern the spirit of Esau and sense that character as it impacts our culture. From the pages of the Bible we can also know for a certainty that the children of Esau, the Edomites, will be rising up as we approach the latter days. The spirit of the Edomites will be back again, big-time. We know this because of the left-over blessing Isaac gave to Esau in the book of Genesis. What is more, we are already seeing this penchant for taking an offense to the limit, nursing a vindictive attitude, and flying off the handle in our Western society today.

So just what was that left-over blessing Isaac gave Esau. Let's take a close look at it. Because it relates to the end-time, and even to our day. And as we consider the typology and the timing, it seems that the emergence of the hunters to join the fishers may in fact be connected to the return in force of the Edomites, and a related end-time reality.

"YOU CAN RUN. BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE." With the advent of surveillance technology any attempt to hide from the bounty hunters will be in vain.

"I'LL BE BACK!" This has become a byword today, for someone leaving
with a threat to return in anger to address a past perceived offense.

The Edomites have a grievance. And it has been simmering away for 4,000 years. As they see it, Jacob has a "privilege" that he does not deserve. It can't have come by any magic from God. So therefore, he must have got it by exploitation! So with the real and imagined misbehavior of tricky Jacob, his compromise with things that are not right, and his double-dealing, Esau is getting somewhat irritated with the guy, and even a bit antsy.

The name "Edom" means "red'. That spirit of red-faced anger at a grievance is still with us. The offended party starts off being being resentful and then vindictive. The spirit of Esau is forever prompting its subjects to keep an eye out to spot what might be "a problem" or a "raw deal". The Edomite is often seen to nurse his anger. He "keeps his wrath forever".

The spirit of Esau is an inflammatory spirit, an irritant at work in the souls of disgruntled and resentful men. It is a parasitic or symbiotic spirit living off the energy of angry souls. So the human hearts over which that spirit rules often tend to remain both unforgiving and "unforgiven". Those who are caught under its spell never seem ready to forgive a perceived offense. Nor will it receive forgiveness. They do not of necessity need to be bound by that spirit forever. But sadly, they often are.

It is uncommon to see such a person driven by the Edomite spirit surrender to God, although it is not impossible. In his "unforgiven" state he seldom finds peace with God, peace with his fellow man, or peace with himself. Unless he repents, he cannot find forgiveness. So he cannot escape his own wrath. Nor can he be redeemed and saved from the wrath to come.

This is a deep doctrinal malady. In rejecting the blood of atonement for sin provided by the blood of Christ the Edomite remains bloody minded in himself. Such a soul often grows to hate everyone around him. Unless God intervenes and saves him he acts out in terrible ways, or goes to the judgment shaking his fist at God. His eternal doom is then sealed. He descends into the Abyss, into the fires of perdition in a torment that will last forever.

This restless seething anger is the driving force of end-time Esau. He wants to break loose all constraint in order to grasp something he calls "freedom". His is not a freedom enjoyed within boundaries of Godliness or civil behavior. Esau wants HIS notion of freedom. He demands freedom to express himself, - - - -and in any way he pleases!

THE EDOMITES LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE GROUPS HAVE MIGRATED.
THEY ARE NO LONGER TO BE FOUND WITHIN THEIR ANCIENT BORDERS.

Some scholars affirm that the Edomites are "the Palestinians" or "the Arabs". This is sloppy scholarship. It maligns and does a disservice to the Arabs, the children of Abraham and Hagar. The first time we see the pre-incarnate Christ, the Angel of the Lord, He is appearing to Hagar, mother of Ishmael. He tells Hagar that her son will live. He will be blessed with wealth and become the 12 tribes of the Ishmaelites, the Arabs.

The called out from among these people have a wonderful future. Once they break free of that bloodthirsty Islamic moon worship of Allah things will turn around for them, and gloriously so. Allah is a capricious ruling religious spirit. We see a merciful smiling Allah one minute and righteous beheading Allah the next. No wonder the Arabs are unstable in their ways! Their god is flip-flopping in an unpredictable manner all the time. In Islam, as in other religions, there is no cross to unify justice and mercy as we have in Christendom. The Judeo-Christian people have been enormously blessed by this in their system of common law. There is a wonderful peace and stability to be found in the faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. This is the peace that Jesus/Yeshua brings to men, and in the increase, the basis for great blessing we currently see Western nations, and later the Gospel blessings that will be enjoyed by all nations in the times to come.

So, given the present day politics of the Middle East, the assertion that the Arabs are the Edomites may sell well in the politico-religious marketplace and be easy for Westerners to swallow. And yes, there is some truth to the present day Palestinian-Edomite connection. But this does not exhaust the much wider prophecy of Isaac over his son Esau.

The fact is, many nations, especially the nations the Bible describes as the fat places of the earth have gathered Edomites. The Arabs are primarily the descendants of Ishmael. Yes, it is true that Ishmaelites intermarried with the Edomites. But many other nations intermarried with and adopted the spirit of the Edomites as well. And unlike the Edomites the Old Testament prophecies present a happier final outcome for the Arabs who are primarily the children of Ishmael, Abraham's son through Hagar. The Arabs as a people have been hogtied and bound by that scimitar waving Islamic pseudo-religion. But it has only been for the past 1300 years of their 4,000year history. This state of affairs can change. And it will change! A great revival will spread to all the Islamic nations. In fact, we are already seeing it with the emergence of the wonderful youthful church in Muslim Indonesia.

We know from the Millennial prophecies that there will be a highway running north and south of Israel to bless the Arab people round about. The Arabs are destined for ultimate redemption. And during the coming Millennium that highway with connections north and south from Israel will be a channel of great blessing, far and above what we have already seen with the abundance of oil, and "treasure hid in the sand".

Esau's spiritual descendants are a different story. They are seemingly forever angry at God, angry at Jacob/Israel, and and angry with themselves. They never seem to repent. And so unless they are dramatically changed by God or their anger at their brother Jacob subsides, their doom is certain. Their final judgment was prophesied over them by the prophet Obadiah and mentioned in other places as well.

However, there is a ray of hope here. Because as we look back into the story of Jacob and Esau, they did actually come to a point of reconciliation. But this only happened when Jacob had wrestled with the Angel at the Brook Jabbok.

Something happened to Jacob there. He was a broken man as he journeyed on, his hip injured out of joint, and leaning upon his staff. There he went out to meet Esau, his wives and his flocks and herds going before him. But in this surrendered state, no longer defending himself, his family, or his things, his shifty character was gone. His name had changed. He was now Israel "prince and contender with God".

And Esau? All the anger that had sent him and 400 men to kill Jacob had vanished. The winds of jealous vindictive wrath had been taken out of his sails.

Is there a lesson here for us? Might we expect, that in a future time, a time of scattering and brokenness, the light will shine forth from the broken vessels? In the days of the true and genuine Latter Rain might we see a true spiritual victory, even embracing former Edomites, and all for the glory of the God of Abraham?

THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL WERE DIVIDED, SCATTERED, AND DISPERSED. SO TOO WERE THE EDOMITES. THEY ARE LONG GONE FROM THEIR HOMELAND IN MOUNT SEIR. THEY ARE NO LONGER CLUSTERED IN THE LANDS SOUTH OF THE DEAD SEA. SO, WHERE DID THEY GO?

So where are the Edomites today? It is difficult to imagine that the sons of Esau are still to be found corralled up within their rocky ancient borders southwards from the Dead Sea. But nevertheless, that is what many Bible teachers want us to believe. They don't seem to want to address the matter.

The children of Esau's brother Jacob have very definitely departed from their ancient borders. As we well know, the Judeo-Christian people are mainly in the West.



The Jewish Tribe of Judah was scattered by the Romans. The destruction of Jerusalem came in 70 A.D. great Diaspora took place after the city of Jerusalem destroyed in 70 A.D.. The second Temple was burned by a wicked mob. This was against the orders of the Roman general Titus. This outrage by "the people of the prince, (the Antichrist), who is to come" unfolded precisely as prophesied by Daniel nearly 600 years before. See this article.

So the Jewish people of the family of Jacob have also continued to migrate and regather in their tribal groupings through the centuries. And from the scholarship of Yair Davidiy and Stephen Collins we know that lost ten tribes migrated west. Since 1948 the Jews are back in the land in Israel. This is a "fact on the ground" which greatly upsets the powers of this world. Unlike their brethren in the lost ten tribes the people of the Jewish tribe, the tribe of Judah, remember who they are. They nurture and retain their connection to Yehovah-God as they knew Him under the Old Covenant.

The God of Israel established His covenant with Congregation of Israel, as with the Nation and Commonwealth of Israel. And thus the ministry of Israel and the sovereignty of Israel was established back at Sinai. Stephen spoke of the Congregation of Israel before Calvary as the Church in the Wilderness.

This entrainment in the God of Israel came under the Mosaic priesthood, under the judges, under King David and King Solomon, and then in captivity and subsequently under the Rabbinical priesthood. After the destruction of the Temple in 586 B.C. the teaching continued on in the synagogues and Yeshivas. The Hebrew schools preserved the Hebrew language, and the Old Testament scriptures. The rise of the rabbis brought an explosion of commentaries on the Law such as the Mishna and the Talmud. All this started during the 70 year captivity in Babylon. After many dispersions, persecutions, and migrations our Jewish brethren still retain the Torah, the Tenakh, and their Jewish customs. This helps them to maintain their identity. And now, after all these centuries, the Hebrew language has been restored. It is now the spoken language of the newly formed state of Israel.

The Jewish people know their roots. This is why the Christian people of the West nurse a certain jealousy of the Jewish house and are inclined to occasional Edomite agitations of antisemitism. They are brethren to the Jews but do not know their history enough to believe it yet. They have a deep spiritual problem of a deep sense of disconnect. It is not really a racial matter but rather a spiritual issue. The God who is sovereign over emerging holy history seems to have set things up so the matter cannot be resolved without accepting the inner rule of Messiah. He is the ultimate peace-maker, in all matters.

Politics cannot resolve this problem. The ten tribes cursed themselves when they seceded from the union. They walked out of the Kingdom of Israel, the sovereignty, the Throne of David, and the scepter, which was the Jewish House of David. They rejected the rule of the House of David thereby cutting off the sovereignty they once had in Israel. This great family feud came after the death of Solomon. It all erupted at the Breach of Jeroboam around 932 B.C.. It still remains as a great national tragedy. And as long as it remains unresolved it is spawning terrible anti-Semitism and genocidal histories. This is something that only the indwelling Messiah can bring. Because He is both King of Salem, King of kings, Prince of Peace, and High Priest of God Most High. Holy history still awaits the restoration of Israel. Only the coming of Messiah, first into human hearts, and then to reign upon this earth, will bring the long awaited "peace on earth and goodwill among men".

People are inclined to be jealous of those who are gifted. They especially resent others who have something that they long for and have come to believe that they themselves cannot ever have. This jealousy and resentment of the Jewish house by Westerners and their persecution of Jews is a long sad and sorry record of history. But the feud will end and in an epic way in times to come. The promised Restoration of all Israel will surely come to pass. See Hebrews chapter 11. How will this happen? It will happen during the Latter Rain Holy Spirit Outpouring, great End-Time Revival, and the Harvest of the Latter Days.

So as we have seen with Israel, histories push people across rivers and mountain ranges. They carry people across oceans and seas and see them migrate to the ends of the earth. So even though people groups and nations are no longer to be found within their ancient borders that does not mean they have disappeared from history. The lost ten tribes are no longer in Samaria. But they do exist! Their geography has changed. But they are now to be found elsewhere!

It seems God has seen fit to hide this truth for the present. And given the tricky nature of Jacob, (a character trait we might view in ourselves at present), both the Western political powers and our Laodicean and Dominionist churches are hiding the truth about the lost ten tribes. No doubt this has been allowed to happen for some very good reasons.

So here we are attempting to trace another important people group, the Edomites. What happened to them? Where did they go after their Idumean governing presence in Israel under the Romans? Remember how the Herods ruled Israel under the Romans? Remember the genocide committed by Herod in Bethlehem? Where did they go from their homeland in Mount Seir and Bozrah and Petra? Is it possible that the Edomites continued to track along with all the lost tribes of Israel basking under the birthright blessings of Israel in places our patriarch Isaac described as the "fatness of the earth"? Just where did the children of Esau go? And where are they to be clustered today?

DISCERNING THE SPIRIT AND CHARACTER OF ESAU IN THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE

Let us go to the Old Testament first. If we take a look at the character of Doeg the Edomite, who lived back in the time of David. As we look at what he did in the town of Nob we can immediately begin to see the Edomite traits in this man. Doeg was a common soldier in Saul's army. He rose up to do a heinous bloody deed during on a dreadful day of wrath and bloody mayhem. All this was unleashed and brought into play by the jealous rage of King Saul against David. Here is how it happened.

David was being pursued by King Saul. Upon discovering that David had passed through the town and had been fed and sheltered by the priests of Nob King Saul flew into a rage. He ordered his army officers to slaughter of all the priests of Nob immediately. These were his own countrymen, his own priests!

None of Saul's men in the army of Israel would obey this murderous order. It was a call to slaughter all the holy priests of Israel that were in that town. But King Saul's terrible wrath did draw a certain man. He stepped forward to respond to the order.

His name was Doeg and he was an Edomite. Here we see a classic example of godless bloodthirsty Edomite wrath. Doeg drew his sword and killed all the priests there at Nob. None of them were shown any mercy whatsoever.

But he was not finished. He then proceeded to kill all the women and children in the city as well. But his genocidal fury was still unabated. He then proceeded to kill every animals in Nob. By the time the Edomite had finished slaughtering there was not a living human soul or animal left in the city. - 1Sam.22:16-19.

Such is the murderous wrath of Edom. And it was unleashed by a king in a fit of jealous rage. Saul was a king who once was spirit filled and sang praises to God along with the prophets of Israel. Here was a man who should have known better. But he let his anger get the better of him. Then in loosing Doeg the Edomite, he had unleashed a terror and a horror that would be remembered for all time and eternity.

Haman is another example of an Edomite. But even worse, Haman was an Edomite from that vicious sub-family of Edom, the Amalekites. These people have always harbored a genocidal hatred of the covenant people of God. Haman was a prominent Edomite in the service of the Medo-Persian rulers in the days of Queen Esther. The genocidal plot he hatched was to entrap and kill all the Jews in the kingdom. This murderous scheme pushed into Medo-Persian law, is well known. Such was, and is, the homicidal anger of the sons of Esau. And when they were stirred up the bloody crimes the Edomites have committed against God's covenant people knows no bounds. This is all a matter of biblical historical record.

Let us move forward to the time of Christ's first advent. We know Esau's sons were around at that time and impacting holy history. The Herod's were Edomites. They ruled over the Jewish nation in Judea with an iron fist. They were drawing the authority for their tyrannical excesses from Rome, the superpower of the time. The Romans found the Edomites very useful in executing their Machiavellian rule.

When it came to killing the innocents the Edomites had no scruples. They performed any of the murderous the wishes of Rome without any twinges of conscience. Brutal Roman ways were never a problem for the Edomites. They were always eager to oblige their Roman masters. They would spill Jewish blood whenever the occasion or the opportunity presented itself.

Herod even butchered his own children when he feared they might be a threat to his rule. And Herod's barbarous massacre of the children of Bethlehem is a well known part of the Christmas story. After their visit with King Herod the wise men from the lost tribes out in the Parthian Empire must have seen something in the man that deeply disturbed them. After finding the Christ child they were not inclined to return to Herod as he had requested. Instead they returned to their own country by another way. Herod was infuriated. And we know the rest of the story.

Mel Gibson starred in "Road Warrior", an apocalyptic nightmare in
which godless graceless men and women of violence have a chance to
have their day, hunting and gunning down all who stand in their way.

THE SPIRIT OF ESAU IN THE CULTURE

In the attempt to trace and locate a people group a good historian will not remain totally fixated on the ancient geography of that people. That will just be the place where the investigations begin. If they care for the truth scholars will show some diligence in tracing that people through the centuries in their histories and in the migrations that ensued as a result of those histories. If it can be proven that a people group were wiped out or died out or had become totally assimilated by another nation then historians can go ahead and write their epitaph, but not before. No such proof of extinction can be offered concerning the Edomites. Nor can an epitaph can be written concerning the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Bible scholars who make any such assertion are being highly presumptuous. If we can believe what God has written by His Holy Spirit in our Bibles the Edomites are not only present in the end-time drama but they will come to their doom at the end of the age.

So, that being the case we had best get serious about discovering where these people are and how we are to recognize them. We are not to recognize them in any racial way but by spiritual discernment. This is one of the three informational gifts of the Holy Spirit we see listed in 1Corinthians 12. We can recognize the Edomite spirit as it expresses itself though people and through the culture.

So as we search out the story of the Edomites we need to keep an open view here. We also need to our eyes wide open for a reappearance of people groups that scholars and historians have found it expedient to throw into the dustbin of history. Yes, this is sad but true. The dissemination of misinformation is often found to be politically expedient. Churchmen are inclined to proclaim certain untruths because of societal pressures that are brought to bear upon them. They are also heavily "leaned upon" by the powers of this world to keep the masses "quiet".

This hiding of the truth is probably good for the masses. But God's covenant people are going up to witness in the latter days. These people not only deserve the truth but they will have an appetite for the truth. They will seek the Truth and find Him. He will guide them and tell them everything they need to know. Others do not need to know. And they won't be interested.

We trust "authorities" to tell us the truth. But we serve a God who is very personal. He became personal to us when we were "born again". He has given us the Holy Scriptures. And He gave us His Comforter/Guide by His Presence in the Holy Spirit. So we must take the time to do our homework and take this responsible action ourselves. In order to discover the truth we are called to "study, and show ourselves approved unto God". See 2Tim. 2:15,16

To present a good example of miscarriage of historical truth it is no secret that modern historians of a liberal secularist mindset don't like the Puritans. So they proceeded to write their epitaph and throw them into the dustbin of history. But this was highly presumptuous of them. They were dead wrong. The Puritans are with us today!

Babylon is another interesting issue. Babylon was an ancient very worldly sophisticated and advanced civilization. It was conquered by the Medo-Persians in 586 B.C.. So the Babylonian Empire ceased to exist as such. And yet the Bible clearly speaks of a resurgence of the very same worldly spirit of Babylon. Mystery Babylon will be a presiding influence over a prominent civilization that will rise up to assume a key role in the end-time drama. In Revelation 17 and 18 we see a world system that the Bible calls Mystery Babylon. And where are the people of this Mystery Babylon to be found? It is unrealistic to expect that we can find end-time Mystery Babylon by poking around the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon 50 miles south of Baghdad in modern Iraq. This would be a useless exercise. That ancient ruin, contrary to what some are saying, will never be rebuilt. That old archeological dig will never again be the center of world commerce, world military power, and the wellspring of material sophistication that it once was. But according to the Holy Scriptures another highly sophisticated society will arise in the latter days, assume world dominion, and take on the name "Mystery Babylon". This too is an identification that can only be achieved by discernment of spirits.

So here is the bottom line. The people and the spirit that hovered over them have gone from their ancient dwelling places! They have moved on to other geographical regions. The Mystery Babylon John spoke of in Revelation 17 and 18 cannot be found just by looking in their old haunts by the Euphrates River back in Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization. The Babylonians have grown up and moved out. They have left the cradle of civilization. Similarly, Mount Seir is now just a desolate wilderness. Today the Edomites are no longer to be found there. They have gone on to other places.

Vital people groups tend to migrate in their histories, exploring lands across oceans and migrating on to more favorable places. Consider the Jewish people, the children of the patriarch Judah. They were uprooted by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.. Then after their return from Babylon under Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah they again suffered the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.. They were scattered again by the Romans in the following years. The land of Israel, having lost all 12 tribes, was re-named 'Palestine' after the Philistines, Israel's worst enemy. Today we are very well aware of just how far the Jews have gone since their being driven from their ancient homeland in southern Israel two millennia ago. Up until the 20th century nearly all of the Jews remained out there in the Diaspora far from Jerusalem and Judah. The Jewish tribe were to be found nestled in among the nations. If we had visited the land Israel had inhabited in earlier centuries we would fail to turn up the sovereign nation of Israel. Nor would we count any significant number of Jewish inhabitants. Today, of course, it is a different story. But still only 7 million of the 20 odd million Jews are back in the land.

TRACING THE EDOMITES BY DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS.

I saw these young men at the local Walmart and snapped this photo.
Is America seeing the prophesied rise of the angry family of Esau?

Esau was a wild man. He was a man of the hunting field. Was his ancient land precious to him? Holy history and profane history present us with no evidence of this. But there is no doubt Esau a vigorous roving man, an active free ranging soul. So like his brother Jacob we can expect that he too has left his ancient homeland in the Middle East.

Search for Esau in those places south of the Dead Sea today and you will fail to find them in national numbers sufficient for statehood. There is not much there at all except a barren wilderness and a few very humble nomadic people wandering through it. The main bulk of Big bad Esau has long gone from these Middle Eastern regions. He has moved on from those ancient territories to the fat lands, to "fat city" where he can more readily do his exploits, carrying on with his exploitations in other lands.

So where are the Edomites today? Isaac's blessing on Esau was very clear. He prophesied over his firstborn son Isaac. And he gave him a "left-over" sort of blessing that provide us with some clues. Isaac told Esau,

1. His descendants would end up dwelling in rich countries. - Gen.27:39
2. He would live by the sword, (gun).
3. Eventually he would break free from the Jacob's yoke of civil behavior and run wild. - Gen.27:40

If the Edomites are around today might they be found in nations such as ours. Are they here with us among the people of the West? Why not? The richest nations are to be found in Western civilization. Isaac's blessing clearly states, "Behold your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth."

So we are looking for fat, (or rich), countries. Modern Jordan is a desert wasteland. It does not even have much in the way of oil. So it does not fit the bill here at all. Esau's ancient homeland is now a poor country. As much as we would like to imagine Esau's people, the brothers of Jacob, being still restricted to their ancient borders this does not seem likely. We do not see them living as troglodytes in the caves up in Petra anymore. Nor do we see them in Jordan living in tents and riding camels up around ancient Bozrah after all these ages. If we think the people of Esau have not moved out of those rocky territories southeast of the Dead Sea we are deceiving ourselves. Let's face it, thousands of years have passed by. The spirit of Esau is now flowing in the nations far abroad. Today's Edomites are still hustling their way through life. But they are within new borders as citizens of some very rich and prosperous countries, notably the nations of the West. Isaac's blessing over Esau in Gen. 27:39,40 is very clear. The Scriptures declare that the children of Esau, the Edomites will be found in the "fatness of the earth". That means we might expect to find these hustlers and predatory people of modern times to be mixed in among the citizens of some especially blessed and wealthy nations.

DISCERNING THE SPIRIT AND CHARACTER OF ESAU THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
THE EDOMITE SPIRIT IS PERVASIVE IN OUR WESTERN CULTURE TODAY.

What can we say about the character of Esau? Well this much we know. He scorns his spiritual inheritance. He is not interested in seeking out the blessings that come from the God of Israel. He is a profane man. He lives by the sword or by force of arms. Does he put his trust in guns and military armaments first and foremost? And why are so many Americans in that mode of thinking today? That is an interesting question. Hopefully we shall see the politically engaged militant Puritan Christians make a peaceful transition into the ways of the Pilgrim sojourners of Messiah.

Esau was always inclined to be violent and wrathful. He has little patience for those whose proclivities tend toward caring for things and cultivating something to make it grow. He would rather name and claim what he wants, or blab and grab it by his own human force of will. The Edomite of the spirit is a humanist of the baser kind. But for a while he can often hide it well with a disarming smile. He scorns the life of devotion in God, considering it evidence of weakness. Unlike his brother Jacob, Esau is not inclined towards agriculture, shepherding, or training up his children in the ways of God. Esau in the post-modern era may well be the stereotypical hustler, the predator, the "bad guy".

Do we find such brash, boisterous, and bullying people in rich western countries, including Europe and the U.S?

Of course we do! We see his image plastered all over the movie billboards. And in those cowboy westerns we should have little difficulty in discerning the spirit at work in the Edomites amongst them. Could they be those nasty bad guys with the black hats? The characters played by Clint Eastwood in the "spaghetti westerns" and his main role character in "Pale Rider" and "Dirty Harry" come to mind. In the movie "The Unforgiven" we can discern

heavy overtones of the spirit of Esau. It seems that there is a certain cult of the gangster, the "bad guy". In fact, the "bad guy" as a character attracts a lot of worth-ship, even a secret admiration in the hearts and minds of many Western people today.

Here in the spirit of Edom we see people who cannot find redemption. Esau's spirit is forever angry. He has a chip on his shoulder. Everything to him is a "raw deal". He just never gets over it. His is an awful and tragic story. Esau just never seems inclined to see the error of his way and repent. His heart never melts or breaks over the things he has done. And so without repentance he never seems to find grace for forgiveness and reconciliation. Because of this Obadiah the prophet pronounces God's ultimate and total doom on him. - Obadiah 1:18.

So what does an ancient character from the Old Testament have to do with us as Christians today? We know that discernment of spirits is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As we discern the spirit of Esau in the scriptures we can see that dominating, intimidating, and manipulative spirit in the world around us. We can trace the spiritual flows we see in Esau back then and also abroad in our culture today?

So is Isaac's firstborn son Esau still in our midst today? Have we seen any evidence of his anger and murderous wrath rising up in our time? Well this past century has seen genocides too numerous to recount. The 20th century saw more Christians and Jews martyred than all the previous centuries combined. Current martyrdoms are rising and number approximately 170,000 per year. Genocide of good people and innocent unborn babes and infants is on the increase.

THE PROPHESIED END-TIME WRATH OF ESAU BEGINS TO BE SEEN IN THE 20TH CENTURY WITH
THE TARGETING OF CIVILIANS, THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS, AND GENOCIDE ON A MASSIVE SCALE.

What other evidence do we have of genocidal wrath in modern history? In the Boer War we saw some of the first large scale concentration camps for non-combatant civilians. The British government, (not the Germans), were the perpetrators. It was during the South African War that tens of thousands of innocent Boer women and children were incarcerated behind barbed wire in compounds. This martial law policy of concentration camps of the Boer War instituted in the Transvaal in South Africa was instituted and overseen by Lord Kitchener.

He realized that the Boer farmers were using guerrilla tactics. The Boers were striking at the British by day and being supported by their womenfolk from their farmhouses by night. Lord Kitchener elected to deal with this by sanctioning brutal tactics and the establishment of martial law with concentration camps in South Africa. Under this horrific policy women and children were rounded up at gunpoint and penned up in concentration camps throughout the Transvaal. 48 000 people died in concentration camps in what’s known as the South African War between 1899 and 1902.

This is a little known piece of history. I was not taught this in British History class in grammar school. So many women and children starved, sickened, and died in these awful places of incarceration. The fact is, we would not have known about this had not a British lady of some courage, initiative, and true class, Emily Hobhouse, not gone there to see what was happening for herself. She saw and photographed the deplorable conditions there, and sounded the alarm back in Great Britain. She wrote a book on what was going on. Since this information was censored by the newspapers by the war office she stirred up a wave of righteous indignation throughout the British Empire.. She established "The Distress Fund for South African Women and Children". Then, not surprisingly, she was barred from entry into South Africa by "the authorities".

Was the policy 'successful' in bringing the war to a close? Oh yes, it certainly was. Martial law is the only way to win a guerrilla war. The land must be occupied like France, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands were in World War 2. It must be policed by military patrols, carding of citizens, and reprisals. Martial law, abrogating civil law, is forced on the locals by fear of severe and often deadly consequences. These were the usual tactics of a Gestapo or Stazi style police force.

Dear saints, here is a truth that governmental leaders will never reveal to its citizens. The enforcement of a police state or martial law is absolutely necessary to win a guerrilla war. It worked in the British occupation of the Transvaal.

And it worked again in the German occupation of France and Europe during World War 2. This pacification of the country was undertaken by a heartless police state engaging a well executed program of terror. After any partisan attack on the occupiers came the reprisals with random hangings or shooting of citizens. This was the policy instituted by the German Gestapo in France and other occupied countries in Europe. And it was very successful. History shows that a program of social dismemberment of a nation does pacify them. These measures are instruments of terror. But they do in fact break the will of the captive nation to resist politically or militarily.

Will the powers that be ever stop good people from praying. Will the saints of God Most High ever be stopped from appealing to heaven, or from conducting an information war with the Word of God? Will they ever stop the good fight of faith? Can Christian men and women be fear-mongered to halt the campaign of witness being carried out against the evil angelic an human hierarchies of men?

Absolutely not! And in this matter we can rest assured.
We take our stand in witness on the authority of the Word of God.

THE VIETNAM WAR SITUATION: THE FREE PRESS, AND THE UNWILLINGNESS
OF AMERICANS TO ENACT BRUTAL EDOMITE STYLE OPERATIONS IN VIETNAM.

Americans by nature are a people who cherish freedom and fair play. It would have been very hard to get regular U.S. soldiers to get into the nitty gritty of setting up an American Gestapo style administration to rule over the Vietnamese villagers. Nevertheless, secret activities like Operation Phoenix, did go on with the Special Forces, with what came to be called "black ops". In the areas in which they operated these brutal programs did have some significant 'success'. But they used torture and other inhumane methods to gain information from the Viet Cong. These unsavory phoenix operations had to be secret and small. And they could not be hidden from the American reporters and cameramen forever. Back in those days the American people heard very little about these secret operations. But nevertheless, they were occurring. See this video clip from the movie "Apocalypse Now".

So despite enormous air power and firepower the Americans back in the 60's and 70's had neither the political will nor the desire to rule on the ground with an iron Edomite fist. The American eagle may have landed. But it was unwilling or unable to land on the ground and hold the ground. It was not able, nor willing to dominate the Vietnamese civilian populace by martial law. The Americans would not be equal to the successful brutal occupiers we saw in Nazi Germany. Even the Germans had to set apart and engage special SS Panzer Divisions to do what the regular German Wehrmacht would not be willing to do.

Morale in the regular army in Vietnam was already low. Many soldiers turning to hashish to escape from the terrible realities of war. The eventual outcome was inevitable. The Americans were worn down. They were facing a determined enemy who were more brutal with civilians than they were. Eventually the U.S. military forces were forced to withdraw from Vietnam.

THE SPECTER OF EDOMITE GENOCIDE IS SEEN DURING WORLD WAR 2.
THE WAR TURNS UPON INNOCENT CITIZENS WITH THE BOMBING OF CITIES.

This Edomite barbarism took place with the Allied Firestorm bombings of World War 2. Is this any semblance to a civilized way in which to wage war?

Lest we become comfortable in our own sense of self-righteousness what can we say about the allied bombing of German cities in World War 2? The American 8th Air Force bombed by day and British Bomber Command sent the Lancasters over for "area bombardment" of German cities by night. With the area night bombing raids no attempt was made to concentrate on hitting military targets only.

The Firestorm bombing of German cities during World War 2 were horrific beyond telling. See this BBC account of the allied bombing of Dresden in 1943.

It has been well documented that the bombing of cities did not stop the German war machine. Only the invasion of Europe by the allies did that. The war was ending as the firestorms swept through German cities. Was there any sound military reason to bomb the cities of Hamburg and Dresden until the whole city, including the asphalt roads, were all burning as a huge single mass of flames? 80,000 civilians, including women and children, perished in the firestorms of Hamburg. A similar number in died in the Dresden bombing and the subsequent firestorm. Was anything to be gained for the war effort against the German military machine by conducting this genocide?

This horrific bombing campaign killed as many civilians as the A-bombing attacks on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These round the clock firestorm bombing campaigns against German cities were genocidal. Were they a military necessity? The diabolical scheme used by the allies used alternating bombing raids of incendiaries and high explosive charges. The whole city would be set ablaze as one huge fire. Even the asphalt roads would be be caught up in the inferno and the flames roared in towards the center of the city. Was this anything other than a program of sheer terrorism? Do we see shades of Edom in the genocides we and our enemies have perpetrated since the advent of air power?

If this hasn't been enough what are we to surmise about missile technology for delivery of nuclear warheads? As the nations begin to rage as we approach the end of the age are modern wars becoming less a contest of armies on battlefields and more and more turning into contests over destruction of cities? Is the warfare now between our Edomites and the Edomites of our enemies?

And what can we say about modern nuclear warfare waged by whole countries against whole countries? Such warfare threatens to destroy all life on the planet. While we can do little to prevent it is Esau and his MAD policy now in the driver's seat of history? Is Esau on the rise, just as the patriarch Isaac has prophesied? (Gen.27:39-40)

THE EDOMITE SPIRIT BECOMES MANIFEST IN THE SCHOOL SHOOTINGS. THESE ARE
GENOCIDAL ACTS, USUALLY WELL PLANNED BEFOREHAND BY WHITE ASSAILANTS.

ESAU IN THE SCATTERING, THE END-TIME REGATHERING, THE BOZRAH EXILE,
AND THE ENCLOSURE OF JACOB IN THE SHEEPFOLD OF MYSTERY BOZRAH

The Bozrah prophecies are another biblical perspective seldom recognized. There we see the latter day spiritual children of Esau emerging as a future reality during the tribulation period. The Mystery Bozrah story from Micah 2:12-13 is laid out clearly for us in the prophetic scriptures. In fact, this Edomite connection will turn out to become an important part of the end-time drama.

We also have the end-time prophetic scriptures mentioning Edom in Daniel 7:21. Then in Isaiah 63:1-6 the prophet describes the returning Messiah coming to Bozrah in an apocalyptic judgment. He is trampling the wicked, the ones who have abused His covenant people. The unrepentant Edomites enclosing God's called out people, have despised His ministry in the Gospel. They have rejected His rule in the hearts. And as we see in Psalm 2, there is a conspiracy to prevent any witness to the return of Messiah, in a vain bid to prevent the Judgment, and His coming rule in Jerusalem.

In Micah 2:12,13 the prophet Micah speaks of a huge gathering of Jacob. It seems that the Judeo-Christian people are being gathered, refined, and nurtured in Messiah. This will be happening in association with the flight and exile of the Woman of Revelation 12, who flies off to "her place" out in a wilderness destination. This is also known as the Second Exodus and is cross-linked in Holy Scripture as the Wilderness of the People. The return of Messiah to Mystery Bozrah, returning as the Breaker at His sheepfold, is a magnificent end-time story. Micah describes the sheepfold of Bozrah as a noisy camp meeting. The Bozrah Saga ends up with the epic Bozrah Deliverance. This is the work of an awesome God. Why are we not hearing this part of the end-time story? Why are our popular Bible prophecy teachers remaining silent about this?

OUR PROPER RESPONSE TO THIS INFORMATION. GOD IS IN CONTROL OF THE END TIME EVENTS. HE WILL NURTURE HIS COVENANT PEOPLE AT END-TIME MYSTERY BOZRAH. THE STORY WILL WRAP UP WITH THE GLORIOUS BOZRAH DELIVERANCE. GOD HAS DECREED THE FINAL JUDGMENT OF THE EDOMITES.

This information is for fathers and young men. -1John 2:12,13,14. It is difficult for us to face these unpleasant, even fearsome truths. But there is one thing we need to keep in mind through all of this. Our Lord Jesus is the Ancient of Days, the One who sits in the heavens and presides over end time events. He will be setting the limits to adverse events on behalf of His covenant people. And it is not by any striving of our flesh but rather in Him that we win! Isaiah paints an awesome picture of the returning Messiah coming in at Bozrah. -Isa.63


The prophet Micah also saw the "Breaker", (the Messiah) returning in vengeance to terminate the Great Tribulation and terminate Esau's end-time dominance at the Mystery Bozrah of the latter days spoken of in Holy Scripture.. He saw Him come in a great deliverance. Micah in Micah 2:12,13 says that Messiah finds His sheep as a noisy multitude. He sees them at the end of the age. They are penned up in some sort of exile in this mystery place of Bozrah. Bozrah means 'sheepfold' and this is our big clue as to what will happen. This is an incredible story of a divine deliverance that beggars description.

The scene is magnificent in scope and beyond our ability to describe. All the tribes of Jacob, (this would include all of the combined Jewish/Messianic and the gentile "ekklesia"/"called out congregation"/church remnant),-Gal.3:29, appear to be in some sort of exile or captivity together. All the 12 tribes of Jacob, the entire remnant elect of God are there. They are gathered together "as the sheep of Bozrah". What is meant by this reference to Bozrah?

In ancient times Bozrah was a city near the Dead Sea. It was the place of Esau's sheepfolds. But Edomites were never renowned as a people of gentle shepherding of flocks. Being penned up in a sheepfolds controlled by Edomites might not be the nicest place for God to gather His end-time Elect. So what is the message here in this intriguing Hebrew picture story? Is Bozrah some sort of a tribulational global incarceration network of places around the world out of which God delivers His exiled remnant people? Or might Bozrah be one single geographical place out at the ends of the earth? Which scenario fits the spiritual description of "the sheepfold of Bozrah"? -Mic.2:12,13. It is against this background of end time Edomite domination that the "Breaker", our returning Christ/Messiah returns. Isaiah sees Him return at the Bozrah/sheepfolds, a pastoral town in the ancient territory of Edom. And when Messiah returns He will come in wrath upon the wicked. And He will surely deliver His covenant people, every last one of them. Here is our scripture from Micah 2:12.13.

Micah 2

2:12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;
I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold:
they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

2:13 The Breaker is come up before them:
they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it:
and their King shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.Micah 2:12-13

The returning Messiah as we see Him in this perspective appears in the midst of His people there at the sheepfold of Bozrah. It is time for the long awaited breakout! The returning Messiah comes as the Shepherd at the dawn of the new day. He breaks them out in the manner of the shepherd breaking open the rock enclosure that had kept his sheep penned up during the night. He returns in deliverance of His own. He also comes in wrath and vengeance against the enemies of His people. -Isa.63.  Micah sees Him as He breaks open a passage out of the sheepfold just as the new day is dawning. And so He leads his people out in a joyous release and on to the green pastures of His Davidic Messianic Kingdom.

This Bozrah story is as much a part of the the return of Christ as is the story of His return in the clouds of heaven to gather His elect.-Mat.24:29-3, 1Thes.4:17 And it is also as much a part of the story as His coming at Jezreel in the battle of Armageddon which brings deliverance to His people at Jerusalem.-Zech 12, Rev.16 This unexplained element, the Bozrah story, is an important part of the apocalypse. It has not yet been addressed or expounded upon and the vast majority of teachers and commentators on bible prophecy have completely neglected it. But it is exceedingly important that we know that our Lord returns to judge His enemies. He will surely deliver His hard pressed people. This is why He comes in vengeance at Bozrah. He is not slack concerning His promises. Nor will He abandon His own. As we come into the end-time we must know that. The King of kings is returning to His Holy People and to His Holy City. He will deal justly. He will bring wrath on His enemies. And He will bring His own people out in a glorious deliverance. His coming back to gather His Elect in the Resurrection-Rapture at the end of all this, again is our blessed hope. - Titus 2:13 He is surely coming. What an awesome day of deliverance that will be! - Mic.2:12,13.

Blessings to all who love His appearing.