{UAH} Acholis existed before christ (BC)

There are more Bible passages pronouncing judgment on the Edomites than on any other nation.¹ But who are they? What relevance do they have for ustoday? As diligent students of the Word of God, it is essential for us to understand who they are and what eschatological implications they may have on our present geopolitical horizon.

The Everlasting Hatred

The covenant birthright was a point of contention between Sarah vs. Hagar,²Isaac vs. Ishmael,³ and which then became the root of the hb’yae ~l’A[ olam ebah—the “Everlasting Hatred”—beginning in the womb with Esau and Jacob, and Esau’s sub-sequent contempt of the covenant birthright,⁴ and resulting in Esau’s spiteful intermarriage with the Ishmaelites, which con-tinued the “everlasting hatred” to this very day.⁵ Recognition of this “Everlasting Hatred”—and its embodiment in Islam—is essential to our understanding its eschatological implications, as well as the daily newscasts that dominate our mainline press.

The tensions continued as Israel, after the exodus from Egypt, was denied passage through their land of Edom.6 The misleading nature of the maps in many of our Bibles cause us to assume that the Edomites were confined east of the Jordan, south of Moab. However, the Edomites (“Idumeans” in Greek), under pressure from the Nabateans in the east, migrated west and established their own “Idumea” (see map, right).

Migration into “Idumea”

Nomadic Nabateans migrated out of Arabia into Edom and drove the Edomites westward. Directly west of Edom were established routes of passage. Land there was historically more prosperous and resourceful than the land of Edom, which consisted of infertile deserts and jagged mountains. Further-more, the land bore a family association: after all, Esau was Jacob’s brother.

Hebron, 19 miles south of Jerusalem and 3400 ft. above sea level, became their new capital: established 1500 years earlier, unlike Jerusalem, it was left intact as prime real estate after the Babylonian deportation under Nebuchadnezzar.

As the Babylonians took Judah into captivity, and angry soldiers wrecked the walls, slew the people, and burned the city, we could have observed their neighboring citizens—the Edomites—encourage the Babylonians to ruin the city: “Raze it! Raze it!” they were calling. “Dash their little children against the stones and wipe out the Jews!”⁷

Hebron remained under Edomite control until Judas Maccabeus retook the city under Jewish control in 164 B.C. Thirty-eight years later, in 126 B.C., they had to be reconquered by the Jewish Army under prince and high priest John Hyrcanus. A pivotal event then took place in which Idumeans were forced to be proselytized into Judaism or flee or die. This resulted in many Idumeans pretending to become Jews, yet really were not.⁸

In 47 B.C. Julius Caesar promoted the Idumean Antipater as procurator over Judea, Samaria and Galilee. In 37 B.C., the Romans named Herod, son of Antipater, as King over Israel. (His mother was Nabatean). Thus, the Herods of the New Testament were Edomites: One of them killed the Jewish babies in his attempt to destroy Christ;⁹ another Herod murdered John the Baptist; another one killed James the brother of John.¹⁰

 

These “almost Jews” were—to the Roman mind—more comfortable than the true Jews. The Idumeans had five centuries of prior history in Israel by the time of the arrival of the Messiah Jesus.¹¹ The struggle between the Israelis and the Arabs today is but a continuation of this same hatred that began in Genesis 25:21-26.Ach

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*A positive mind is a courageous mind, without doubts and fears, using the experience and wisdom to give the best of him/herself.

 

 We must dare invent the future!
The only way of limiting the usurpation of power by
 individuals, the military or otherwise, is to put the people in charge  - Capt. Thomas. Sankara {RIP} ’1949-1987

 *“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent

revolution inevitable”**…  *J.F Kennedy

 

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