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Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE in Prophecy by Bill Salus “Saudi Arabia Opens Airspace to Israel” (NYT – 9/2/20)
“After UAE, Bahrain deals signed, Trump says 7-9 countries seek peace with Israel”
“Soon
after historic Abraham Accords ceremony at the White House, US
president includes Saudi Arabia among those nations also now ready to
normalize ties with Jewish state.” (Times of Israel – 9/15/20)
Saudi Arabia is back in the news again and that has some Bible prophecy
pundits warning that a 2600-year old biblical prediction could be about
to happen! In one of his most detailed apocalyptic writings, the prophet
Ezekiel identifies the nation of Saudi Arabia in his 38th chapter.
This
ancient prophecy informs of a forthcoming massive invasion of Israel in
the last days. It identifies an invading coalition that appears to be
led by Russia and includes Turkey, Iran and nine populations in total.
In
addition to this intimidating list of invaders, Ezekiel identifies a
group of nations that appear to be contesting the evil intentions of
this coalition. The verse below explains the sinister motives of the
invaders and identifies the concerned protesters.
“Sheba,
Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to
you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you, (Russia), gathered your
(coalition) army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take
away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’” (Ezekiel 38:13, NKJV; emphasis added)
This passage identifies Saudi Arabia under the banner of Dedan. The
Saudis are assembled alongside Sheba, (Yemen), Tarshish, (UK), and their
Young Lions, (USA, and maybe Canada and Australia). This grouping of
countries appear to be actively protesting, rather than militarily
preventing this invasion of Israel.
The concerns of these sideline spectators are lodged in several
questions, which help us to recognize that the primary goal of these
invaders is to conquer Israel for their own capital gains. These
belligerents intend to seize control over all aspects of Israel’s
economy.
Due
to the budding relationships between Russia, Turkey and Iran, several
Bible prophecy teachers believe that Ezekiel 38 could be the next event
to find fulfillment on the end times prophetic calendar. But is it?
Saudi
Arabia is actually identified in at least four unfulfilled prophecies
and when they are laid out sequentially, it turns out that Ezekiel 38:13
is seemingly the last of the four to find fulfillment. In addition to
Ezekiel 38, Saudi Arabia, as Dedan, is the subject of biblical
predictions in Jeremiah 49 and Ezekiel 25. Moreover, the Saudis appear
to be represented as the Ishmaelites in the 3000-year old prophecy
foretold in Psalm 83. These prophecies will be presented in their
apparent chronological order, but beforehand it is important to connect
the ancient territory of Dedan and the Ishmaelite peoples of the past
with modern-day Saudi Arabia.
Where is Dedan?
Historic
Mideast maps locate Dedan in Northwestern Saudi Arabia. Some Bible
scholars, such as Gary Stearman of Prophecy Watchers, suggest that in
the Old Testament, Dedan might even extend beyond Saudi Arabia to also
include the modern-day Gulf Cooperation Council, (GCC), countries of
Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE. If Dedan represents the
entirety of the GCC Arab states, this could be prophetically relevant in
light of recent events.
“Israel signs accords with United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at White House ceremony” (USA Today – 9/15/20)
Presently,
the UAE and Bahrain are in the process of normalizing national
relations with Israel as part of the “Peace to Prosperity” aspect of
Donald Trump’s, “Deal of the Century” Mideast peace plan. This economic
part of Trump’s plan was introduced by White House adviser Jared Kushner
in Bahrain on June 25, 2019.
“In Bahrain, U.S. Tries to Promote Mideast Peace Through Prosperity” (NY Times – 6/25/19)
In
the process of achieving peace with the UAE and Bahrain, which are two
Arab nations that never posed a real threat to the Jewish state, Israel
has agreed to temporarily postpone its plans to annex territory in the
West Bank. The annexation of this land was part of the political aspect
of Trump’s Mideast peace plan.
“UAE
Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan: “I thank Netanyahu for
choosing to stop annexation of Palestinian land.”” (Times of Israel –
9/15/20)
It’s
interesting to note that UAE’s Foreign Minister considers the territory
in question “Palestinian land.” In the cosmic CHESS MATCH between good
and evil, it appears that evil moved two PAWNS, the UAE and Bahrain,
forward and successfully put Israel into CHECK when it comes to the
“Chosen People” expanding further into the “Promised Land.” How this
newly formed alignment between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain may have
prophetic implications will be explored near the end of this article.
Whether
or not Dedan includes all of the GCC countries, most biblical scholars
would agree that at least it identifies Saudi Arabia.
Who are the Ishmaelites?
Some
suggest that Ishmael, the patriarch of the Ishmaelites, was the father
of the Arabs and that he settled in Arabia. Ancient Arabia is now often
alluded to as the Arabian Peninsula, and it is mostly encompassed by
Saudi Arabia. The map and quote below it, reinforces these
understandings.
“The Book of Genesis and Islamic traditions consider Ishmael to be the ancestor of the Ishmaelites/Arabians and patriarch of Qaydār. According to Muslim tradition, Ishmael the Patriarch and his mother Hagar are buried next to the Kaaba in Mecca… Ishmael is
recognized as an important prophet and patriarch of Islam. Muslims
believe that Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham, born to him from his
wife Sarah's slave, Hagar. Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the
ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and the forefather of
Muhammad.”
The Four Unfulfilled Saudi Arabia Bible Prophecies
SAUDI PROPHECY #1
“Flee,
turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan! For I will
bring the calamity of Esau upon him, The time that I will punish him.” (Jeremiah 49:8)
This
often-overlooked Jeremiah foretelling concerning Dedan was penned
approximately two decades prior to Ezekiel’s issuance of his 38th
chapter. Jeremiah issues a stern admonition to the inhabitants dwelling
in Dedan to, “Flee, turn back, dwell in the depths.” This forewarning
is given because “the calamity of Esau” is coming.
Apparently,
when this future prediction happens, the Saudis will have joined forces
with Esau’s descendants, and in so doing, will become positioned in the
line of fire. The Lord is going to punish Esau severely, and for Saudi
Arabia’s own protection, Jeremiah warns them to flee and turn back to
the depths of their homeland. This infers that at the time of Esau’s
calamity, that Saudi armed forces are involved in a military operation
that is taking place on foreign soil.
The
fifty-million-dollar question is, “what is Esau’s Calamity?” This topic
will be addressed further down in this article, but beforehand it’s
important to note what Jeremiah says happens to Esau’s neighbors as a
result of the calamity.
"And
he, (Esau), shall not be able to hide himself. His descendants, (the
Edomites), are plundered, His brethren and his neighbors, And he is no
more." (Jer. 49:9–10, NKJV; emphasis added)
Esau’s neighbors are plundered. This would include Saudi Arabia, if they
don’t heed the warning to, “flee, turn back, dwell in the depths.” In
other words, back off and go back home or else be plundered alongside of
Esau’s descendants.
SAUDI PROPHECY #2
“‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because of what (the) Edom(ites) did
against the house of Judah (Israelis) by taking vengeance, and has
greatly offended by avenging itself on them,” therefore thus says the
Lord God: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and
beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the
sword. I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel,
that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My
fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 25:12-14, NKJV; emphasis added)
About two decades after Jeremiah pens his warning for the Saudis to
disengage from their alignment with Esau, Ezekiel prophesies that the
Saudis will fail to do so. As such, “Dedan shall fall by the sword.” In
the Bible, “the sword” is often used as a typology for a war. Thus, this
identifies the Saudis as one of the neighbors that get plundered in the
related war when Esau’s Calamity comes.
This
Ezekiel passage also explains why Esau’s Calamity comes and how this
calamitous campaign is carried out. The Edomite descendants of Esau will
be guilty of attempting to bring harm against the Jews, and in
retaliation, the Lord will empower the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to
execute His anger, fury and vengeance.
This
curse for curse in-kind response comes directly out of the Genesis 12:3
playbook. This verse represents God’s foreign policy to the Gentile
nations. Those countries that do good to Israel will be blessed, but
those that do harm will be cursed. The Edomites seek to harm the Jews,
so in turn, God lifts up the IDF to eliminate all of Esau’s descendants!
Yes, I said ELIMINATE ESAU’S DESCENDANTS. The prophet Obadiah foretells
it this way:
““The
house of Jacob, (the IDF), shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph,
(the IDF), a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall
kindle them and devour them, And no survivor, (descendant), shall remain
of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.” (Obadiah 1:18, NKJV; emphasis added)
Understanding the size and scope of Esau’s calamity, it’s understandable
why Jeremiah previously warns the Saudis to back off and go back home
before this war happens.
SAUDI PROPHECY #3
“They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” For they have
consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against
You: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites;
Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of
Lot. Selah” (Psalm 83:4-8)
Saudi Arabia’s third unfulfilled prophecy is encapsulated in Psalm 83. I
have covered Psalm 83 extensively in my book and associated DVD
entitled, Psalm 83: The Missing Prophecy Revealed, How Israel Becomes
the Next Mideast Superpower. In those prior works, I explain the
connections between the three Saudi prophecies identified thus far.
ESAU’S CALAMITY
In
my book, I explain how Esau’s Calamity is described in Psalm 83 and the
related peripheral prophecies provided below. This is not an exhaustive
list; all told there are nearly 150 verses that chronicle this
calamitous event. Within these passages, we find out that the IDF is
God’s tool to defend Israel when these prophecies happen.
-
Psalm 83:1-18……………………………….... (18 verses)
-
Jeremiah 49:1-29, 12:14-17…………………. (32 verses)
-
Ezekiel 25:12-17, 28:24-26, 35:1-36:7, 37:10 (32 verses)
-
Isaiah 17:1-14, 19:1-18, 11:14………………. (35 verses)
-
Obadiah 1:1-21………………………………... (21 verses)
-
Zephaniah 2:4-11……………………………... (8 verses)
-
Zechariah 12:2, 5-6…………………………… (3 verses)
So
who are Esau’s descendants today? They are the “Tents of Edom” in Psalm
83:6. Esau fathered the Edomites as per Genesis 36:1. In my Psalm 83
book, I point out that the Edomites have an ethnical representation
within the Palestinians. Not all Palestinians have an Edomite heritage,
but many of them do.
The
fact that they are identified as the “Tents of Edom,” infers that at
the time of Esau’s Calamity, they are classified as refugees. In the
Bible the “tents of” typically represents either military encampments or
refugee scenarios. I believe that the Psalm describes the Palestinian
refugees of today.
These
Edomites are enjoined in the ten-member confederacy of Psalm 83:6-8
that wants to destroy Israel in Psalm 83:5. Below is a map that
identifies the modern-day equivalents of these ancient populations.
Observe that Saudi Arabia is included.
SAUDI PROPHECY #4
This fourth Saudi prophecy takes us back to the top of the article and
Ezekiel 38:13. If the sequence of prophetic events presented thus far is
correct, then by this future time Saudi Arabia has been plundered
severely with the Palestinian refugees and their Psalm 83:6-8
confederacy.
Apparently,
after being plundered, the Saudis decide to align themselves with the
protesters, rather than the invaders in Ezekiel 38. Perhaps at this
future point, when there is no further Palestinian plight to banner, the
Saudis will abandon their Arab (Saudi) Peace Initiative in favor of
normalized relations with Israel.
The Prophetic Implications of Israel’s peace with Bahrain and the UAE
If
the first two prophecies about Dedan extend beyond Saudi Arabia to also
include Bahrain and the UAE, then this current peace will be temporary.
Those two predictions point out that Dedan gets plundered at the time
of Esau’s Calamity. The IDF wouldn’t plunder Bahrain or the UAE if these
peace deals were still in place.
However,
there is another possible prophetic scenario to watch for that might
include Bahrain and the UAE. Jeremiah 49:34-39 informs of an end-times
war with Iran. I write about this war in my book entitled, “Nuclear
Showdown in Iran, Revealing the Ancient Prophecy of Elam.”
In
a nutshell, this prophecy declares that Iran will experience a
disaster, probably nuclear, and it appears that this results from a
military attack by the enemies of Iran. The key verse is below.
“For
I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies And before those
who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger,’
says the Lord; ‘And I will send the sword after them Until I have
consumed them.’” (Jeremiah 49:37)
Unfortunately,
this verse does not specify who Iran’s enemies are, but it’s highly
likely that if this prophecy were to happen soon, that Iran’s enemies
would at least include Israel, the USA, the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi
Arabia. It’s common knowledge that a primary reason that Bahrain and the
UAE are normalizing relations with Israel is to gain America and Israel
as allies in the event of a future war with Iran.
If
a war with Iran is forthcoming in the near future, these current peace
deals between Israel with the UAE and Bahrain, could make it easier for
an American, Israel and GCC Arab coalition to form and fight against
Iran in fulfillment of this prophecy. *Pre-Sale*** NEW BOOK! – from Bill Salus | 
