Is the story of 2 brothers connected to

Matthew 24:21

and Yeshua/Jesus’ reference to the Days of Noah and the acharit hayamim/latter days; the Birthpangs/footsteps of Messiah/ikvot Mashiach and Jacobs trouble?

With all the focus on the nations in the middle east, an overview based on some historical facts may help us to understand what is happening and why. Governments and leaders around the world are beating war drums in the aftermath of recent events but as they say, the first casualty in war is truth; and maybe a better understanding of the different groups in that region, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the PLO, will help us understand what is going on and what may happen next. 

In all of what is unfolding we are certain of one thing, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob is not taken by surprise because He is in control of everything. We must stay grounded in Him and not be moved or fearful by what we see and hear in the natural; but rather trust in Him and His Word. Psalm 121:4 tells us, The God of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps and His Word and all that is prophesied will indeed come to pass and be fulfilled in His time and way.

The tale of 2 sons, who were also brothers, goes back to Genesis.

In Genesis 4 we read about Cain/Kayin and Abel/Hevel and the 1st act of violence ended in Cain murdering Abel. It was the 1st time human blood was spilled. It was the beginning of the end when in Genesis 6:13 The Lord God saw that the earth was filled with violence and flooded the earth to cleanse it. Noah and his family were saved to start over.

Noah had 3 sons, Shem Ham and Japheth. Ham is the ancestor of Nimrod, and Abraham can be traced back through 10 generations to Shem.

The tale of 2 sons continues with Abrahams sons Ishmael and Isaac, who were half brothers.

Isaac continued the story when he fathered 2 sons Esau and Jacob; and we know that Esau was first born but gave up his birthright to Jacob for food. From Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, come the Israelite tribes; and from Esau come the Edomite tribes as both of them had 12 sons.

This feud between the sets of brothers continues to this day through Ishmael and Esau and their respective descendants. This is an expansive subject and this post cannot cover all aspects, however an overview may help our perspective of the issues facing us today.  Referencing only what scripture tells us and in regards to the turmoil, violence, wars and rumors of wars, which we are told of in Matthew 24 will precede the return of Messiah.

The map below of ancient Israel, features the Biblical boundaries of the Land of Israel as described in Genesis 15:18 and Genesis 17:8. Possession of land and eliminating rivals are the focus of much biblical literature.

בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא כָּרַ֧ת יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־אַבְרָ֖ם בְּרִ֣ית לֵאמֹ֑ר לְזַרְעֲךָ֗ נָתַ֙תִּי֙ אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את מִנְּהַ֣ר מִצְרַ֔יִם עַד־הַנָּהָ֥ר הַגָּדֹ֖ל נְהַר־פְּרָֽת׃

On that day Hashem made a covenant with Avram, saying, “To your offspring I assign this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:

ba-YOM ha-HU ka-RAT a-do-NAI et av-RAM b’-REET lay-MOR l’-zar-a-KHA na-TA-tee et ha-A-retz ha-ZOT mi-n’-HAR mitz-RA-yim ad ha-na-HAR ha-ga-DOL n’-har p’-RAT

Genesis 15:18

וְנָתַתִּ֣י לְ֠ךָ֠ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ֨ אַחֲרֶ֜יךָ אֵ֣ת ׀ אֶ֣רֶץ מְגֻרֶ֗יךָ אֵ֚

ל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן לַאֲחֻזַּ֖ת עוֹלָ֑ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָהֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִֽים׃

I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your offspring to come, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding. I will be their God.”

v’-na-ta-TEE l’-KHA ul-zar-a-KHA a-kha-RE-kha AYT E-retz m’-gu-RE-kha AYT kol E-retz k’-NA-an la-a-khu-ZAT o-LAM v’-ha-YEE-tee la-HEM LAay-lo-HEEM

Genesis 17:8

The map of ancient Israel is a document that has been studied by scholars and laymen for centuries. It has helped historians understand how external influences have shaped the land over time, and it reveals the ever-changing borders of ancient Israel.

Ancient Israel was initially inhabited by various Canaanite tribes, which were later conquered by the Israelites in the 13th century BCE. The Israelites then established their kingdom in the land, which extended from the Mediterranean coast to the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf).

The map above of ancient Israel shows the country’s territorial divisions during different periods of history. During the reign of King David, the kingdom of Israel included the land from the Euphrates River in the east to the River of Egypt in the west. Under King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was at its peak and included parts of modern-day Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.

However, after the division of the kingdom into two states, Israel and Judah, in the 10th century BCE, the territory of ancient Israel was reduced once again. The northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 721 BCE and the southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, leading to significant changes in territory, population, and culture. Later, the Greeks established their own boundaries, and then the Romans.

The map reveals how these different forces have shaped the borders of the land over time. It also shows how certain cities or regions were important centers for trade or cultural exchange between different peoples during different historical periods.

Back to the sons… Abraham was called 1948 years after creation which is an interesting point!

Abraham had 2 sons one born of the flesh and one born of the spirit

One was by his own ability and one was by Gods ability.

Abraham tried to fulfill Gods promise to him by his own strength and did not wait on Gods timing. The son/fruit of the flesh always precedes the son/fruit of the spirit.

We act in our carnal understanding trying to help God out, by making the promises happen in our way and time. Fruit of the flesh always causes problems, flesh is flesh and spirit is spirit.

Ishmael’s mother was Sarahs handmaid Hagar; some scholars believe she was Egyptian, possibly pharaohs daughter? Type of the world/ gentile nations.  Islam considers her Abraham’s second wife, which was a custom in those days that to produce an heir if the wife could not conceive.

However Abraham should have waited for the son of the promise who would fulfill the prophecy that he would be the father of a multitude or many nations. Isaac gave birth to Jacob whose name was changed to Israel and he had 12 sons. The word to Ishmael was also that God would make him nations and Esau Jacobs brother also had 12 sons who became 12 tribes like the 12 tribes of Israel.

We often hear comments that Ishmael was a mistake that Abram and Sarai made that was a problem to all their future descendants. Ishmael was born according to the flesh that is by means of human design and effort.

Isaac was born through the promise and power of God. One lesson we learn is that actions inspired by works of the flesh without patiently waiting for Gods timing and provision will inevitably lead to conflict, hostility and produce fruit of the flesh.

However we see that YHWH spoke to her and blessed her and said that her descendants through Ishmael would be so many that they could not be numbered. If this was a mistake why would God cause Ishmael to increase his numbers? God knew of this before it happened and allowed it because it was always part of his plan. that these two nations should coexist to bring about the purposes of the Creator.

יִשְׁמָעֵאל Ishmael, Arabic Ismāʿīl, son of Abraham through Hagar,

The name Ishmael means: God will hear – yish maw ale.

Hagar, also spelled Agar, in the Old Testament

Gen. 16:1–16; 21:8–21.

Hagar called the Lord, the God who sees. El Roi

and the place was named: Beerlahairoi – the well of the living one.

Rom 4:1-25 Gal 4:21-5:1 Hebrews 7

Paul says Hagar represents the covenant God made with Israel at Mt.Sinai which bears children for slavery since her children are those who respond with the aspiration Ex.24:3 Deut 5:27 all the words which the Lord has spoken we will do. Whereas Sarah represents the covenant God made with Israel through the child of promise. (Yeshua) who bears children who are free and inheritors of the grace of God.

The Hebrew and middle eastern culture is very focused on family lines and having sons carries on the fathers house line and the inheritance always goes to the firstborn son. He carries the name and the responsibility of the family. Abraham fathered Ishmael first and that is the claim of the Ishmaelites better known as the Arab nations who are mostly muslins and believe Mohammed was the prophet sent from God and that Jesus/Yeshua was just another prophet along with all those of the Old testament.

Charts below:

Hamas? Hezbollah? The PLO?

Who’s Who in the Conflict with Israel.

There is a tendency to join the various anti-Western groups together as “Islamic terrorists,” however, the reality is a bit more complicated, so here is a brief look at some of these groups in more detail.

Some background on Palestine and Gaza.

Palestinian Arabs have occupied the area now known as Israel from the time the Romans exiled the Jews nearly 2,000 years ago.  Only very small Jewish communities survived until the 1880s when European Jews began emigrating to Palestine.  Jewish numbers increased in the area slowly at first but then more sharply after World War I.  

Palestine had been ruled by the Ottoman Empire for hundreds of years.  However, when the Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I, Britain took control of the area.  In 1917, Britain issued its Balfour Declaration, encouraging the creation of a Jewish state.  Many Jewish populations within Europe were fleeing the devastation wrought by World War I, and Britain thought that Palestine might be a good place to resettle them.  Additionally, with the passage of more restrictive immigration laws in the U.S. in the 1920s, Jews simply found it easier to settle in Palestine.  

Naturally, tensions arose.  Many fights broke out between Jewish settlers, Palestinian Arabs, and the British government between the two World Wars.  However, after World War II, Britain could no longer afford to manage its overseas empire, and the United Nations agreed to divide Palestine between Jewish and Arab groups.  

In 1948, one day after the announcement of a new Jewish state, the surrounding Arab nations of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq attacked Israel.   At the end of a year-long war, the Israelis won.  With the passage of the Israeli Land Acquisition Law in 1953, most of the land within Palestine was formally transferred from its former Palestinian owners to the new Israeli government.

But tensions never really ceased.  War broke out again in 1967 between Israel, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.   After this war, Israel won control of both Gaza and the West Bank,  leaving the now-landless Palestinians living under the control of the Israeli government.

On top of many other issues, the Palestinians have a very high birthrate, which has made the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt one of the most densely-populated places on earth.  Poor, crowded areas, full of largely unemployed young people, are ripe grounds for terrorist groups to recruit.  And this is exactly what’s happened in Palestine. Though it must be said that not all those in Gaza nor all Palestinians are terrorists we know there are both good and bad people in every nation.

The PLO

The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded in 1964 in Cairo, when leaders of 13 Arabic countries pledged to take action to liberate Palestine from Israeli rule.  The PLO acts as an umbrella group for six different Palestinian groups, the most prominent of which has been Fatah, to which Yasser Arafat belonged.  

While the PLO denied Israel’s right to exist for decades and conducted terrorist activities that ultimately killed thousands of Israelis, in 1993, Arafat entered into an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the Oslo Accords.  Arafat renounced terrorism and recognized Israel’s right to exist, and Rabin agreed to recognize the PLO as the official representative organization of the Palestinians.  

But fighting continued nonetheless. 

As the PLO claimed to back away from violence, other, more militant groups like Hamas have stepped in. 

The word Hamas means violence and was founded in the late 1980s, partially in response to the seeming ineffectiveness of the PLO.  Hamas is apparently an explicitly Islamic organization and is not about peaceful solutions or improving the lives of Palestinians. It’s about violently purging the state of Israel from the world.   

Hezbollah emerged from the Lebanese Civil War in the late 1970s.  They are a Shiite Muslim group, also dedicated to the eradication of Israel. 

The Iranian government provides the overwhelming majority of funding for Hezbollah, though Hezbollah has always insisted that they are in favor of Lebanese independence.  

Because Hezbollah is so much more sophisticated than Hamas, the Israeli government has been stationing troops at the Lebanese border

This post is only the briefest of overviews. People study Middle Eastern history for years and years, only to come away with the thought that we all need to get our spiritual houses in order.  

The Middle East conflict was prophesied in the Old Testament. The conflict is between two sons and, the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael.

On the day of feasting during which Abraham celebrated the weaning of Isaac, Ishmael was “mocking” or “playing with” Isaac (the Hebrew word מְצַחֵֽק, “meṣaḥeq” is ambiguous). This caused Sarah to tell Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away.

Abraham circumcised Isaac on the eighth day, making him a party to the holy covenant God had established with Abraham. 

Isaac became Abraham’s sole heir, and Ishmael and Hagar were banished to the desert, though God promised that Ishmael would raise up a great nation of his own.

Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac form the link between the world’s three major monotheistic religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

Isaac and Ishmael: Spirit and Flesh 21:8-11

In Galatians 4:28-29, Paul makes it clear that Ishmael represents the believer’s first birth (the flesh) and Isaac represents the second birth (the Spirit). Ishmael was “born of the flesh” because Abraham had not yet “died” and was still able to beget a son Gen. 16. Isaac was “born of the Spirit” because by that time his parents were both “dead” and only God’s power could have brought conception and birth. Ishmael was born first, because the natural comes before the spiritual 1 Cor. 15:46.

When you trust Jesus Christ, you experience a miracle birth from God John 1:11-13, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit of God John 3:1-8. Abraham represents faith, and Sarah represents grace Gal. 4:24-26, so Isaac was born “by grace … through faith” Eph. 2:8-9. This is the only way a lost sinner can enter the family of God (John 3:16-18.

It is worth noting that, in the biblical record, God often rejected the firstborn and accepted the second-born. He rejected Cain and chose Abel Gen. 4:1-15. He rejected Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn, and chose Isaac. He bypassed Esau, Isaac’s firstborn, and chose Jacob Rom. 9:8-13, and He chose Ephraim instead of Manasseh Gen. 48. In Egypt, the Lord condemned all the firstborn Ex. 11–12 and spared only those who were “twice-born” because they were protected by faith in the blood of the lamb.

Isaac pictures the child of God not only in his birth but also in the joy that he brought. Isaac means “laughter,” and this time it was not the laughter of unbelief Gen. 18:9-15. In the parables recorded in Luke 15, Jesus emphasized the joy that results when lost sinners repent and come to the Lord. The shepherd rejoiced when he found the lost sheep, and the woman rejoiced when she found the lost coin, and they both asked their friends to rejoice with them. The father rejoiced when his prodigal son came home, and he invited the neighbors to a feast so they could share in his joy. There is even joy in heaven when sinners turn to God Luke 15:7, 10.

Nowhere do we read that Ishmael caused great joy in Abraham’s home. Abraham loved his son and wanted the best for him Gen. 17:18. From before his birth, Ishmael was a source of painful trouble Gen. 16, and after he matured, he caused even greater conflict in the family 21:9. The old nature is not able to produce the fruit of the Spirit, no matter how hard it tries Gal. 5:16-26.

 

Note a third comparison between Isaac and the child of God: He grew and was weaned Gen. 21:8. The new birth is not the end, but the beginning, and the believer must feed on God’s Word and grow spiritually Matt. 4:4; 1 Cor. 3:1-3; Heb. 5:12-14; 1 Peter 2:1-3; 2 Peter 3:18. As we mature in the Lord, we must “put away childish things” 1 Cor. 13:9-11 and allow God to “wean us” Ps. 131 from temporary helps that can become permanent hindrances.

Like every child of God, Isaac experienced persecution Gen. 21:9; Gal. 4:29. Ishmael was apparently an obedient son until Isaac entered the family, and then the “flesh” began to oppose “the Spirit.” It has well been said that the old nature knows no law but the new nature needs no law, and this is certainly illustrated in Abraham’s two sons.

Jewish children were usually weaned at about age three, so Ishmael was probably seventeen years old at the time Gen. 16:16 But God had said that Ishmael would become “a wild donkey of a man” 16:12 , and the prediction came true. The flesh and the Spirit are in conflict with each other and always will be until we see the Lord Gal. 5:16-26.

When, like Isaac, you are born of the Spirit, you are born rich Gen. 21:10. Isaac was the heir of all that his father owned, and God’s children are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” Rom. 8:17). Abraham cared for Ishmael while the boy was in the home, but “Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac” Gen. 25:5).

Finally, Isaac was born free, while Ishmael was the son of a slave Gal. 4:22. Freedom is one of the key themes in Galatians 5:1 and one of the key blessings in the Christian life 4:31.

No one is more free than the child of God who delights in His will and does it from the heart.

 God honored His promise to bless Abraham’s offspring through Sarah, but He also acknowledged and blessed Ishmael and Hagar. Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn son with Hagar 

יִשְׁמָעֵאל Ishmael, Arabic Ismāʿīl, son of Abraham through Hagar,

Hagar, also spelled Agar, in the Old Testament Gen. 16:1–16; 21:8–21,

Descendants of the Ishmaelites

After roaming the wilderness for some time, Ishmael and his mother settled in the Desert of Paran, where he became an expert in archery. Eventually, his mother found him a wife from the land of Egypt. They had twelve sons each of whom became a tribal chief in one of the regions from Havilah to Shur, from Assyria to the border of Egypt. His sons:

Nebaioth (נְבָיוֹת Nəḇāyōṯ)

Kedar (קֵדָר Qēḏār), father of the Qedarites, a northern Arab tribe that controlled the area between the Persian Gulf and the Sinai Peninsula. According to tradition, he is the ancestor of the Quraysh tribe, and thus, ancestor of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Adbeel (אַדְבְּאֵל ʾAḏbəʾēl)

Mibsam (מִבְשָֽׂם Mīḇsām)

Mishma (מִשְׁמָע Mīšmāʿ)

Dumah (דוּמָה Ḏūmā)

Massa (מַשָּֽׂא Massāʾ)

Hadad (חֲדַד Ḥăḏaḏ)

Tema (תֵימָא Ṯēmāʾ)

Jetur (יְטוּר Yəṭūr)

Naphish (נָפִישׁ Nāfīš)

Kedemah (קֵדְמָה Qēḏəmā)

Ishmael also had one known daughter, Mahalath or Basemath, the third wife of Esau.

Ishmael appeared with Isaac at the burial of Abraham. Ishmael died at the age of 137.

 

According to the Book of Genesis, in the Hebrew Bible, Isaac rather than Ishmael was the true heir of the Abrahamic tradition and covenant, while at the same time being blessed by God with a great nation.

In some traditions Ishmael is said to have had two wives, one of them named Aisha. This name corresponds to the Muslim tradition for the name of Muhammad’s wife. This is understood as a metaphoric representation of the Muslim world (first Arabs and then Turks) with Ishmael.

Rabbinical commentators in the Midrash Genesis Rabbah also say that Ishmael’s mother Hagar was the Pharaoh’s daughter, making Ishmael the Pharaoh’s grandson. This could be why Genesis 17:20 refers to Ishmael as the father of 12 mighty princes. According to Genesis 21:21, Hagar married Ishmael to an Egyptian woman, and if Rabbinical commentators are correct that Hagar was the Pharaoh’s daughter, his marriage to a woman she selected could explain how and why his sons became princes.

 

According to other Jewish commentators, Ishmael’s mother Hagar is identified with Keturah, the woman Abraham sought out and married after Sarah’s death. It is suggested that Keturah was Hagar’s personal name, and that “Hagar” was a descriptive label meaning “stranger”.

Ishmael’s descendants “settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt as you go toward Ashur” Genesis 25:18 . 

Looking at the historical significance of the worldwide violence/ hamas, prevalent in Noahs day and the facts concerning the stories of two brothers; there is a connection to Jesus’ Messiahs reference to the Days of Noah and the acharit hayamim.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:5

The existence of hamas/violence is surely a sign of Messiah’s soon return…look up for our redemption draws ever closer and while we are looking, let’s intercede for all those innocent people caught up in the conflicts. Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem as scripture tells us to and focus on our Heavenly Father, Who sees everything and is working all things together for good; for His ways are not our ways and we must trust His plan. As Messiah tells us not to be shaken by worldwide events because we are seeing biblical prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes.

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.