NO. 73 WHO ARE EDOM, MOAB AND AMMON?

TEXT: DANIEL 11: 41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (KJV)

Today I would like to give a message entitled “WHO ARE EDOM, MOAB AND AMMON?”

It is written in the text that antichrist will enter into the glorious land in the end time. And a remarkable thing is also written, which is that Edom, Moab and Ammon will escape out of the trouble.

And this is the mysterious verse. Don’t you think so? Many may not think so. What then is mysterious?

This is because these three peoples, Edom, Moab and Ammon, who are mentioned here are no more on the earth or traceable exactly at present. They have disappeared very early from the history and they cannot be recognized distinctively. So we do not know how to specify who are Edom, Moab or Ammon.

Why do these Edom, Moab and Ammon appear in the end time though they all have disappeared in the history? We would like to think of it. Then, we have to think of one thing before we understand that. It is the characteristic of the book of Daniel.

One of the characteristics of Daniel is the word interpretation mentioned in it many times. And Daniel often interprets the dreams and prophecies with the wisdom of God. Interpretation means the same as understanding. In short the book of Daniel emphasizes the understanding of the word of the Bible.

And we are asked to know the importance of the interpretation and understanding of the words in Daniel. Why the interpretation is necessary is because the words have twofold or threefold meaning.

Edom, Moab and Ammon should be the words to be interpreted.

Who do Edom, Moab and Ammon mean in the Bible? We are going to see them.

Edom:

HEBREWS 12: 16 Lest there be any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (KJV)

Edom is the descendants of Esau, the elder brother of Jacob. Edom means red, because the color of the meal of one morsel of meat for which Esau sells his birthright is red.

Accordingly they are the Christians of the characteristics as Hebrews mentions as below.

1. He is the eldest at first.

2. But he despises the privilege and sells it.

They are at least God’s people for they are at first the eldest. But they become profane people.

We know one symbolic thing. It is Edom, the red, that appears among seven churches in Revelation.

REVELATION 3: 1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis (The red) write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou has a name that thou livest, and art dead. (KJV)

The church in Sardis means the Protestant according to Brother Nee. It may be so or may not. Yet it has the name of the man who sells his birthright and loses the blessing in any way. For that reason if we belong to the church, we must be careful not to follow the people like Edom.

Moab, Ammon:

Moab and Ammon are the descendants of Lot. As to Lot it is written as below.

GENESIS 13: 12, 13 12 Abraham dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot, dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. (KJV)

Although he believes in God, he “dwelled in the cities of plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.” And, “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” So he is nearly worldly Christian. And his descendants, Moab and Ammon, symbolize the worldly Christians.

And the king of Moab, Balak, obstructs the walk of Israelites and brings the teaching of Balaam.

NUMBERS 22 : 4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. (KJV)

REVELATION 2: 14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. (KJV)

Balaam brings the teaching to distort God’s word, idol worship and fornication into Israel for money.

With these above we know that Edom, Moab and Ammon are all God’s people. Regardless of what they are they look like God’s people. But they are not true God’s people but secular or worldly people.

We have something to learn to see the map of Israel in the Old Testament. Each tribe of Israel is located around the center of Jerusalem. And Edom, Moab and Ammon are located around Israel as they surround Israel. They take hostile actions and obstruct against Israel many times.

This is very symbolic and is telling us something. The condition in which the Christians are at the present time is similar. What is it?

There are true Christians among the God’s people. But those who belong to God’s people by name surround them. Some of them may be worldly. Others may prefer the worldly things to their birthrights. And others may worship idols or distort the word of God for money. Yet these are also located as the true God’s people are. And these namely “God’s people” around the true ones commonly obstruct those who walk and follow God.

Now we are going to see the text.

“And he shall enter also into the glorious land.”

This is the expression as parable. The glorious land means the country of Israel literally. But later as we see Edom, Moab and Ammon as the parables, this sentence may be also as parable or both as parable and literal.

If we take it as a parable, the glorious land is the true Israelites, true God’s Christians. “He (antichrist) shall enter also into the glorious land” means that they will suffer from the troubles.

As to this it is written in other verse as below.

DANIEL 7: 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. (KJV)

“Many countries ( ‘countries’ is the supplement) shall be overthrown.”

As this word “countries” is the supplement, we may take many as people who shall be overthrown. What does the word “be overthrown” mean? It may mean martyr or that there are some who walk out of faith.

“But these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.”

Edom, Moab and Ammon who are worldly Christians will escape out of his hand. Why can they escape? Possibly because they reject Christ, they may be delivered. “The chief of the children,” the most of them, do so. For that reason there may be a few of those who truly follow the Lord and suffer from the troubles, but they are exceptionally few.

The latter verse after the text says as below.

DANIEL 11: 43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans (vain heart) and the Ethiopians (the black) shall be at his steps. (KJV)

Black symbolizes sin. It contrasts to the white righteous robe. Therefore we now know that those who follow antichrist in the end time are the people of vain heart and sinners in the end time.

Let’s do the will of the Lord in the end time.

End.