For
too long a true understanding of Biblical prophecy, especially as concerns the
United States, has been largely impossible for the reasons that Hebrew syntax
and Hebraisms, and Koine Greek verbs and prepositional phrases do not lend
themselves well to a literal word for word translation into English. Indeed,
one Koine Greek verb can take three sentences to correctly translate. Further
complicating this has been denominational prophetic errors that were force fitted
into reading the Bible, skewing a plain understanding of prophecy.
Denominations
have also struggled to keep their teachings rather than allow the correction of
numerous errors that advanced manuscript criticism has allowed to be corrected
through a better understanding of Hebrew and Koine Greek grammar and usage; archeology
has played no small role in proving the usage of many hotly disputed Greek
verbs. Notwithstanding this denominations have fought long and hard to maintain
their long held traditions, especially in prophecy.
As
I have stated elsewhere: “…that we in
the Body of Christ have lost sight of one of the main principles of Bible study
and the Word’s correct application. It was the guiding principle of the
Protestant Reformation, and we would do well to return to it. It is “sensus
literalis”, or the principle of the literal interpretation of the scripture as
first defined by Martin Luther…. ‘Therefore, any attempts at “harmonization”
must be foremost in the resolution of any clear contradictions of a proposed
supposition of a scriptures’ meaning by another scripture. Failing this, any
understanding of the intent of scripture becomes one of a reliance on human
supposition only. Thus, “Chances are if the plain sense makes sense, you have
the right sense’”
The
main glaring mistake in misunderstanding the prophecies in the Old Testament
are in the misunderstanding of the Hebraisms of linguistic cues. The Lord often
uses linguistic cues as a contextual safeguard in transition from the subject
in one passage of scripture to the next, to guard against a misunderstanding of
‘who’ a passage is targeted to. Judah ben David (one of the first Hebrew grammarians to
expound on the prophets’ use of a form of the past tense mixed with the present
perfect tense in referencing future events), wrote extensively on the
recognition of these linguistic cues with their combination of the past and
present perfect tense.
It
must also be remembered that most Biblical prophecy has a ‘near’ (soon after
the prophecy was written) and a ‘far’ (into the distant future) interpretation.
What this means is that both the ‘near’ and ‘far’ applications of the prophecy
are intertwined with textual cue verses, or Hebraisms to delineate the targeted
applications of the prophecy being dealt with.
The Old Testament Book
of Obadiah is a perfect example of misunderstood prophecy. It was likely
written between 848 and 840 B.C. However, the total destruction of Edom took
place between 1060 and 1030 BC as recorded in 1 Kings 11:15-16, which means
that the book of Obadiah was written to the nation of Edom 200 years after they
had been destroyed. The question then becomes to whom the book could be talking
to?
It is recorded that Jacob, father of the nation of Israel and who was later renamed Israel, had a fraternal twin brother named Esau, who was the father of the nation of Edom. Taking into consideration the obvious Hebraism of addressing a nation long destroyed, it can be surmised that this book is addressing a nation as close as a brother to Israel; one who is known for great hunters/warriors as Esau and the nation of Edom were, and that was known as a great world center of advances in and manufacturing of the weapons of war, such as Edom’s city of Teman.
1Kings 11:15 “For it happened when David
was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain,
after he had stricken every male in Edom--16 ‘for Joab remained there six
months with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom.”
Further, it is scripturally and historically
recorded that one of the King of Edom’s relatives Hadad, escaped to Egypt and
there married Pharaoh’s daughter and raised a family. These decedents of the
Edomite King later returned to Edom, but after several years of harassing King
Solomon ended up as vassal servants of Israel. When they revolted around 810 BC,
they were crushed and wiped out; just as the ‘near’ part of the prophecy in
Obadiah foretold. Even during the few years Hadad and his band of family and
men did harass Israel, they did so largely as in guerrilla style warfare; thus,
Edom never returned to a strong kingdom again after King David destroyed it.
It
is necessary to point out here that only two nations in all of history were
dedicated to God at their start, the United States with the Mayflower Compact
and Israel with their desert commission. Thus, you find the United States as an
older brother to Israel in their current reincarnation as a nation. This fact
is necessary to remember when studying prophecy as it is written that “…He is
able to guard [what has been]
entrusted to Him until that Day.” This means that whatever is dedicated to God,
He will watch over until the end.
Obadiah
begins with a call for nations to rise against ‘Edom’, immediate cue that the
actual Edom is not being dealt with, as it was Israel that first destroyed
Edom; it then in the second verse uses a sarcastic Hebraism to project this
prophetic application into the future; it can be seen as sarcastic when the
next verses reveal that THIS Edom is a powerful nation, but small to God. The
next two verses deal with the intended prophetic subject of a nation that
considers itself in a highly defensible position, has a rather high opinion of
itself and believes itself undefeatable. Soaring high ‘like’ the eagle, it has
made its home between the stars (literal application of the Hebrew grammar here
‘between the earth and the stars’); God announces that from there He will bring
it down.
While
this, from the rendering, conveys the idea of a nuclear or other airborne
attack, the next two verses show that this is an airborne invasion, which
brings hordes of rampaging and looting soldiers. Indeed, verse seven shows that
countries allied with this nation that soars like the eagle, while it is off
fighting for the alliance, invade and overcome it; the wording here meaning
that this nation’s own food will be used in subduing it. Read here: come turn
your weapons in and United Nations will feed you; which fits exactly with
General George Washington’s Vision for America.
While
verse eight cues into further near upcoming dealings with the remnant of Edom
that revolt against serving Israel, the following verses are intertwined with
the reasons for God having dealt in judgment for both ‘Edoms’: Brothers standing
back and doing nothing as Jerusalem is divided and the land of Israel is
plundered and given away. Whether or not anyone else is, God is a Zionist who
is going to give it to the nations that mess with Israel, soon.
However,
the United States of America, our beloved Republic survives, as like General
Washington’s vision relates, when we repent, kneel, and with one voice cry out
to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and our Lord Jesus. At that moment the
heavens break and legions of angels with drawn swords join our mortal battle
with the “army of the blue flag”, we take heart and begin to fight again and
finally prevail! Then the Angel with “Union” on its crown announces to General
Washington “Son of the Republic, look and learn! As long as the stars hang in
the heavens and the dew falls from the sky, THIS UNION SHALL STAND!”
The
prophetic scriptures bear this out as we find a terrible fair-skinned nation
mentioned in Isaiah 18. It is directed to a land ‘beyond’ Ethiopia, but this is
another Hebraism as the word translated “beyond” is two Hebrew words meaning
‘like but above, across a region or LARGE distance’. The “Woe” is a textual cue
of a prophet projection into the future as an exclamation, more probably “Oh!”
or “Ho!”, as can be seen by the “shadowing with wings” literally: ‘covered over
head with flying’. Also of note is the word “rivers” in this verse is
translated from a word meaning ‘large river or sea’. Thus verse one is best
translated: “Ho! To the land covered over head with flying, like but better
then Ethiopia and across the large sea from it.” (Ethiopia had for years before
being subjugated by Egypt, been known for trying to keep peace among the
central African nations with their ambassadors. They also had a large
population of Jews that were a respected part of their population.)
Verse
two of this chapter is even more revealing as to WHOM this prophecy is
directed: “That sends ambassadors across the sea in weapons WITH words, across
the waters, SEND swift messengers to a nation of tall, light skinned and
independent people, dreadful from their beginning onward; a nation for
measuring (other nations is the sense implied) that tramples down, whose land
the rivers divide”; a pretty good description in ancient Hebrew of the United
States.
Verse
three is God gathering His Army in the mountains (SEE ‘Take My People to the
Mountains’ post), RIGHT before His early harvest season return verse 4 and 5;
then the verse 6 Battle of Armageddon.
In
verse 7 we see these light skinned tall people from across the sea, whose
nation the rivers divide, a nation of people for measuring others that are
terrible from their birth on ward, powerful and trampling underfoot other
nations, SHALL BRING PRESENTS TO THE LORD OF HOST IN ZION! This Union shall
survive! This Republic SHALL STAND! We Will OVERCOME THE New World Order!
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