Associates for Scriptural Knowledge (Article #B00066)
P.O. Box 25000, Portland, OR 97225, USA
Ernest L. Martin, 1995. All rights reserved.
                    
How Israel Will Conquer The Middle East
by Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D., E mail - 76516,3662   --  AOL - ASKSSM



The title of this Prophetic Report has within it the word "conquer. "
This is a word that often has accompanying its meaning the connotation
of force and power. The word in national contexts usually gives people
the impression that a total conquest is indicated by which the armed
forces of a nation are used to compel other states into submission. But
I must hasten to add that though the prophecies of the Bible show that
Israel will have a supremacy of power and influence among most of the
countries of the Middle East in the years just ahead, Israel's
"conquering" will not be accomplished in the normal manner of one
nation warring against another. Israel will actually "conquer" the
Middle East in a far more subtle and esoteric way than most people
imagine today. And the outcome is inevitable because the prophecies of
the Bible show that Israel will be in a position of power and glory
within  the  Middle  East  before  the Second Advent of Christ. But how?

    Let us first be aware of what will NOT apply in Israel's
"conquering" of the Middle East. Though Israel is the strongest military
power in their area of the world, with a highly technical and
sophisticated  military  machine  (with atomic  weapons)  which  could
wreck devastating power against any aggressor, the Bible shows that
Israel will NOT use their military muscle in order to take over
effective control of the Middle East. Oh yes, the military power will be
there as a back-up, but the use of such force will not be the main way
in which Israel will come to a governance in their area of the world.
Let me explain the biblical answer why the use of military force as a
primary weapon will NOT be the method to be used.

    It should first be remembered from a biblical point of view that in
remote times God brought Israel out of Egypt under the  leadership  of
Moses  and commanded Israel to go into the land of Canaan and conquer
the Canaanites who  then  inhabited  the  land.  God intended for Israel
at that time to "conquer" the land of Canaan by the ordinary method of
using their armed forces. However, as we are all aware, ten of the spies
sent to view the land grew fainthearted when they witnessed the physical
size of the inhabitants as well as their well-trained armed forces and
high walled villages and towns. Israel temporarily forgot how God had
caused  them  to  triumph  over  the superior forces of Egypt by the use
of God's miracles,  and now th~y  were trembling that Israel was
inferior in military strength to the  Canaanites. This  reluctance  to
invade  the  land immediately and "conquer' the land by military force
caused God to get angry with Israel. He sent them into the wilderness
for another forty years (for each day they spied out the land, they had
to spend a year in the desert regions south of the land of Canaan).

    This did not end the story, however. After forty years, the armed
forces of Israel were finally led by Joshua into the land that was to
become the "Holy Land,.'.' and they were able to secure most of the
central region of what God intended them to have. But again they
disobeyed God.  They gave up the attempt to drive out the Canaanites
and their various tribes from the  "Holy Land" so God prophesied that
from then on these people would continue in the land and be a "prick in
their sides" (Numbers 33:55). God even made them the promise that he
would not drive out the inhabftants of the land buLlet them continue,
and to be a curse upon Israel (Judges 2:20-23; 3:3-7). And this very
thing occurred. Even much later, when David finally conquered all the
land of Canaan from the eastern branch of the Nile in the south to the
river Euphrates in the north and east, God still let many of the
Canaanites and Philistines remain in some of the choicest parts of the
"Holy Land." Actually, even the area called the "Stronghold of Zion" at
Jerusalem remained in Canaanite hands until the time of David. Even
after this, the peoples of the land continued to reside in Israel and
Solomon even used some of them for menial service, which lasted  until
after  the  Babylonian Captivity. As far as the Philistines were
concerned (who later gave their name to what people call "Palestine"),
they still inhabited  the  five  cities  on  the southwest coast of
Israel from Ashkelon down through what is now called the Gaza strip.
Truly, God meant business with  Israel.  Since  they  steadfastly
refused to invade, conquer and expel the Canaanites and the Philistines
in the manner that God had decreed by the normal methods of war, God
then told Israel that these people would remain in the land. This
condition still exists.

The Foolishness of King David

Though at the time of the Exodus God told Israel to "conquer" the
Canaanites by using their armed forces, their failure to respond to
God's directions forced them into a situation in which they will never
be able to rid themselves of the earlier inhabitants (or later
immigrants into the region) by the use of their armed forces alone.
Indeed, King David secured most of the promised land of Israel that God
had given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (though David did not expel all
the Canaanites or Philistines). He then decided to do what God had not
commanded. He ordered Joab, the commander of the  armed forces,  to
muster a huge ariny from Judah in the south and Israel in the central
and northern  parts  of the  country.  His intentions no doubt were to
use this vast number of military personnel to take over Egypt,
Mesopotamia and Asia Minor. In a word, David thought it was now time for
Israel to spread its wings and assume political and economic control
of the whole of the Middle East. As a matter of fact, David's desire
went further than that. Because of the influence of the Phoenicians in
the western part of the Mediterranean and Egyptian dominance southward
into the Sudan and central Mrica, along with the control of the Aegean
and Black Sea areas by the nations of Asia Minor, David would have
effectively controlled the main part of the known world by conquering
all those regions. Had he done so with the vast army that he had Joab to
assemble, David would have taken over the practical control of the known
world at the time.  In writing some of the Psalms as he did during this
period, he expressed his belief that he, or at least his son, would gain
control over all areas of the world (Psalm 2 and 72). He felt that his
Davidic dynasty would usher in what later people began to call "the
Kingdom of God" which would dominate the whole world. This was no doubt
the design of David when he ordered Joab to muster the armed forces and
place them on a war footing.

    But God had other ideas. David's ambitious  plans  were  brought to
a complete halt when God stepped in to frustrate the desires of David (I
Samuel 24:1-25). At a much later period, Israel was also not allowed by
God to overcome the Roman Empire in A.D.66 to 73 and again in A.D.132
to 135. And even today, Israel is only able, though quite effectively,
to take care of its own interests in the Middle East. It does not now
have the capacity to conquer and secure the  whole  of the  area,  and
certainly not the totality of the world.

    But back to David. In spite of being frustrated by God from carrying
out his plan to "conquer" the world with his armed forces,  God  did
allow  Israel under Solomon to gain a decided control over all the
earth, but by another means altogether. And it is this same type of
maneuver that God will allow Israel  to  adopt  and  to  practice  to
perfection in order for them to "conquer" the Middle East, and through
their example, in the seven years before the return of Christ Jesus to
this earth, to have an influence over all areas of the world. This is
when a type of messianic ruler will emerge whom the apostles referred to
(11 Thess. 2:1-12). He will come from the Middle East, and govern from
Jerusalem in particular. On the heels of this will come the Second
Advent and the Kingdom of God which tbe kingdorn of Solomon was a type.
Now note this important point. Solomon managed to control (or, to
"conquer") the Middle East and to influence the world, but NOT by the
use of his army.

Solomon's Kingdom a Type

Soon we are going to find that the people of Israel will once again
adopt the principles of Solomon in coming to dominate the Middle East.
His methods will work every time if they are done in benevolence and
good-will. And what did Solomon do in a typical fashion in order to have
the Middle East and finally the whole world prostrating at his feet?
Note what the Bible says in the clearest of language. It is by using
these meil~ods that Israel will be very effective at this end of the
age. Israel is soon going to adopt them once they realize that the Holy
Scriptures have the answers to all their social, political and economic
problems as well as their national and international interests. Let us
see what Solomon did that brought him a control over the Middle East.

    There are several points that Solomon adopted, but let us attend
to the more obvious. Look at I Kings 10:24. "And  all the  earth  sought
[margin: sought the face of\ Solomon, TO HEAR HIS WISDOM, which God had
put in his heart." The essential faculty that Solomon possessed above
all other men at the time was "wisdom," and the rest of the grcat men of
the world knew it. "And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding
exceeding  much,  and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on
the sea shore. And Solomon's wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the
children of the east country and all the wisdom of Egypt, For he was
wiser than all  men.. .and  his  fame  was  in  all nations round about"
(I Kings 4:29-31). The Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem to see Solomon
and said: "Behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity
exceedeth the fame which I heard" (I Kings 10:7). So, to gain the
admiration of all on earth, Israel must begin to show exceeding wisdom
in its affairs with others.

    This fact of Solomon's wisdom led to other similar accomplishments.
Solomon began to provide culture to all the world by his cre~tion of
literature (he spake 3000 proverbial stories) and his 1005 musical
compositions  (I  Kings 4:32). Education in the sciences was a great
attribute of his. He was a first class botanist and zoologist (verse 33)
and he brought animals from around the world to Israel (I Kings 10:22).
He established a wonderful transportation system over the Middle East (I
Kings 4:26-28). His chief desire was to bring happiness and prosperity
to all in his domain to Israelites and Gentiles alike (vs. 20,21).
Solomon was a top-notch negotiator and he brought peace among warring
tribes and nations (v.24), and this brought safety to Israel (v.25). He
made Israel the economic capital of the world and established a cartel
which set the prices involved in trading around the Middle Eastern area
(I Kings 10:28,29). And besides this, he secured treaties with the
nations of the world by having the kings send their daughters to him to
be in his harem, and this helped to control the nations of the world (I
Kings 11:3). And though these princesses of the world finally turned
away Solomon's heart from God, he was able to secure peace throughout
the period of his reign because of the treaties he made with the foreign
powers in the world.

    Now, much has changed since the time of Solomon and we no longer
have harems for peace treaties, but the same principles on the other
matters still apply. Israel will have to wake up and begin to practice
the ways of Solomon in aiding NOT ONLY ISRAELITES, but also the Gentiles
still in the lands of Israel and in their neighboring countries. They
need to start treating their neighbors  and  inhabitants  (whether
Jewish or Gentile) with the same kind of educational and cultural and
economic benefits that Solomon began to provide to all within his
territory. And though Solomon did not actually control the Middle East
and the world by having his armed forces everywhere on earth, he still
influenced and conquered them by his example: his wisdom, his peace, his
patience, his knowledge, his understanding, his powers of negotiating,
his benevolence and his care for all people under his supervision. When
Israel as a nation begins to do these things in the next few years, God
will bless them abundantly for their philanthropy and good deeds.
Indeed, the kingdom of Jordan, Lebanon and even Syria (among others)
will be' inviting Jewish professionals to come into their territories
and help them to build up their economies and societies. The Bible also
shows that many Jews will finally go into areas of Jordan and Lebanon
and settle there (Zech.10:10). Even in Saudi Arabia Jews will be welcome
if they  come  bearing  with  them  the wisdom, knowledge, understanding
and good-will of Solomon.

    Does this seem like a fantasy? Is this a pipedream without any
practical application in this part of the world where hatred now
permeates the very air? Listen! It is God who will intervene in that
area. God will soon send a spirit of grace and supplication to Israel
(Zech. 12:9-14). They will make an "about face" in dealing with their
neighbors and those within their territories. They will start showing
the  attributes of Solomon when they accept the Onc who is greater than
Solomon, and that person is their real Messiah (Matt. 12:42). Israel
will soon begin to mourn for the One who was pierced when He secured the
salvation of the world. And though it was Israel by their prophets who
introduced the teaching of the Messiah to the world, they are the very
ones who remain without him. They have a messianic religion, without a
Messiah! Yet this will change. They will be wise enough NOT to accept
the long haired "Messiah" who was invented by Constantine and his
successors and mimics the pagan gods. Israel will opt for the real
Messiah with credentials from the Holy Scriptures. When they do, "ten
men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations.. .the skirt of
him that is a Jew, saying, we will go with you (Zech.S:23). So, when
Israel begins to show that grace, good-will and love to other people as
did Solomon, and also accept the One greater than Solomon, they will
"conquer" not only the Middle East,  but they  will  also  have  the
admiration of all on earth. That day is just on the horizon.
[ELM]