With the Arabs so much in the news these days, we thought it might be profitable to reprint part of an editorial written some years ago.
Shall we ask, Who are these Arabs? Through the centuries there has been a mingling of the peoples of that area, but basically they are the descendants of Abraham and Isaac through Ishmael and Esau. How strange that they should have such open enmity toward their brethren! And yet it was so from the beginning. Did not Ishmael mock at the time of Abraham's feast at the weaning of Isaac? Were not he and his Egyptian mother cast out of Abraham's house at that time? (See Genesis 21.) And before Ishmael was born God said, "He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him" (Gen. 16:1212And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 16:12)). Is not the wild man now preparing to display his characteristics?
And what of Esau? He was the elder twin brother of Jacob; he sold his birthright to the grasping Jacob, and when he lost the blessing too, he determined to kill Jacob; but as time elapsed, peace was made between them. In the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, God refers to the unrelenting hatred of the descendants of Esau (or Edom) to the children of Israel.
Two other peoples, descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot, are also included in the present enemies of Israel—the children of Moab and Ammon (Gen. 19:37, 3837And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. (Genesis 19:37‑38)). Their hostility to Israel in bygone days can also be traced in the Scriptures. At present, the capital city of the nation of Jordan is Amman, and in Old Testament times it was called "Rabbah of the children of Ammon" (2 Sam. 12:2626And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city. (2 Samuel 12:26)). It was there that Uriah the Hittite was slain by "the sword of the children of Ammon" (v. 9).
In Psalm 83, where the future alignment of the neighboring enemies of Israel is given prophetically, we find the descendants of all four, among others, mentioned as saying, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance." v. 4. Steps leading up to this confederacy have been in the making for some time, and every fresh incident of trouble between the West and the Middle East propels the forces forward which will unite in their attempts to eliminate Israel. Nothing short of it will satisfy the jihad agitators.
In all likelihood, it will be such a war for the extermination of Israel (together with other international events) that will force the formation of the revived Roman Empire whose armies will rescue the Jews and give them back their land, including Jerusalem and its shrines, under their protection in a solemn compact for a period of seven years. For "he," the head of the revived Roman Empire, "shall confirm" a covenant with the mass of the Jews who will be placed back in Palestine for a period of "one week," or a period composed of seven years. It is decreed and it will come to pass.