Within Three Years The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is to be Despised
The Moabites and Ammonites descended from the incest between Lot and his daughters. Consequently, the land of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan became part of the kingdoms of Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites. But who are the Hashemites or the Jordanians and what common do they have with the prophecy concerning the ancient Moab?
After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his two daughters went to dwell in a cave in the nearby land. But his daughters, thinking that all mankind were destroyed, approached to their father to have intercourse with him. This they did, that human kind might not utterly be lost. And as a result of this, they gave birth to sons: the son of the elder was named Moab (the father of the Moabites), “one derived from his father,” and the younger’s son was Ammon (the father of the Ammonites), “one derived from a kinsman.” See also Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 11:5.
We read from the Biblical account thus,
And the first-born said to the younger, ‘Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us, as is the way of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine and lie with him, so that we preserve the seed of our father.’ So they made their father drink wine that night. And the first-born went in and lay with her father, and he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she arose. And it came to be on the next day that the first-born said to the younger, ‘See, I lay with my father last night. Let us make him drink wine tonight as well, and you go in and lie with him, so that we keep the seed of our father.’ So they made their father drink wine that night as well. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. And the first-born bore a son and called his name Mo’av, he is the father of the Mo’avites to this day. And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi, he is the father of the children of Ammon to this day. (Gen 19:31-38)
Therefore, we see from the Biblical account that the Moabites were descendants from the incestuous relations between Lot and his oldest daughter and the mountainous strip east of the Dead Sea and above Sodom became the inheritance of the children of Moab, while the children of Ammon, born from his relations with his second daughter, inherited the territories further north, around the city of Amman, the capital of modern-day Jordan. Consequently, the area of modern Jordan is part of the kingdoms of Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, or The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Successive world empires controlled that region, including those of Babylon, Persia, and the empire of the Seleucid Greeks. Then Rome came in order to be succeeded by Byzantine, the eastern leg of the empire envisioned by Daniel the Prophet. Byzantine lost the region to the Arabs in the seventh century and this, in turn, was taken over by the Turkish empire.
Who are the Hashemites?
Today, the ruling royal family of the Kingdom of Jordan is known as the Hashemites, descendants of an ancient Arab dynasty. But who are the Hashemites?
Once the House of the Hashemites ruled over a vast region that included today’s Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Eastern Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Israel. The royal family of the Hashemites belongs to the Dhawu Awn, one of the branches of the Hasanid Sharifs of Mecca who ruled Mecca from the 10th century until they lost it to the Sauds in 1924. Their ancestor is allegedly Hashim ibn Abd Manaf (died c. 497 AD), great-grandfather of the founder of the Islamic religion, Muhammad. The early history of the Hashemites is a continuous struggle against the Umayyads for control over who would be the successor of the Arab Caliphate.
In modern times, the Arab Revolt led by the Hashemites supported by the British in 1916-1918 pushed the Turks out of the region, thus opening the door for Arab independence of various states following the end of the Second World War. The Hashemites, although once controlled a vast territory of Asia, due to the Arab internal fights, lost Arabia to the Sauds and then they were kicked out of Iraq.
Today, the land east of the Jordan became home to the descendants of the Hashemites who are believed to be today’s Jordanians. However, it is also a home to so many Palestinian refugees that the Jordanians, the Hashemites, are actually a minority in Jordan.
However, whether the modern Jordanians, the Hashemites, are actually the ancient Moabites and Ammonites is hard to conclude. The Hashemites are clearly Arabs and the Arabs are clearly descendants of Ishmael, the son of Avraham from the Egyptian Hagar.
The Moabites and Ammonites on the other hand are descendants of Lot, Avraham’s nephew who came out of Ur with Avraham. Therefore, we see that the Hashemites and Moabites are two different nations from two different ancestors: Ishmael and Moab respectively. It is true that the two nations might have mingled, as the Edomites mingled with the Ishmaelites, especially after the Arab conquest of West Asia.
It is true also that the clan of the royal family of the Hashemites that rules the Kingdom of Jordan today sprang up from Mecca long before the Arabs’ invasion of the region, so we may deduce that the Hashemites are pure Arabs. Therefore, they are not Moabites.
Nevertheless, we should agree that the Bible prophecies concerning Moab concern the people that occupy the respective land, the land occupied today by the Hashemites.
Within three years Moab is to be destroyed
Having said that, we read first from Isaiah 15 and 16,
The message concerning Mo’av. Because in the night Ar of Mo’av was laid waste, was silenced! Because in the night Kir of Mo’av was laid waste, was silenced! … For the cry has gone all around the borders of Mo’av, its wailing to Eglayim and its wailing to Be’er Elim. For the waters of Dimon shall be filled with blood; for I shall bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him who escapes from Mo’av, and on the remnant of the land. (Isa 15:1-9)
We have heard of the pride of Mo’av – very proud – of his pride, his arrogance and his rage. His boastings are not true. So Mo’av wails for Mo’av, everyone wails. For the raisin-cakes of Kir Chareseth they moan. They are utterly smitten. For the fields of Cheshbon languish – the vine of Sivmah. The masters of the nations have broken down its choice plants, … But now Yehovah has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as the years of a hired man, the glory of Mo’av is to be despised for all its great multitude, and the remnant shall be few, small and weak.” (Isa 16:6-14)
Few Bible scholars know that Isaak Newton was not only a brilliant physicist, but also a brilliant Bible commentator who wrote his comments on Isa_15:9,
Since waters signify people, the turning them to blood must signify slaughter of the people. Thus the desolation of Moab is expressed by saying: The waters of Dimon shall be full of blood.
Therefore, we find that in one night, and very suddenly, Moab is to be destroyed. Moab is to be destroyed within three years due to the pride, arrogance, and rage because it has boasted the Temple Mount in Jerusalem which is under the Jordanian ruling. They are to be utterly smitten by the masters of the nations in the year of their punishment. The statement as to the time “Within three year” is intended to be taken literally: three years, not more. Then, the prophecy concerning Moab will be fulfilled. Only a remnant, a contemptible remnant, will be left.
And we read the prophecy concerning Moab, as found in Jeremiah 48,
Concerning Mo’av. This is what Yehovah of hosts, the Elohim of Israel said, Woe to Nebo! For it is ravaged, Kiryathayim is put to shame, captured. The high stronghold is put to shame and broken down. There is praise for Mo’av no longer. … Mo’av shall be destroyed, her little ones shall cry out. (Jer 48:1-4)
And a ravager shall come into every city, no one escapes. And the valley shall perish, and the plain be destroyed, as Yehovah has spoken. Give wings to Mo’av, for she has to flee away, and her cities become a ruin, with no one to dwell in them. Cursed is he who is slack in doing the work of Yehovah, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from blood. (Jer 48:8-11)
Mo’av is ravaged and her cities have been entered. And her chosen young men have gone down to the slaughter, declares the King, whose Name is Yehovah of hosts. The calamity of Mo’av is near to come and his affliction hurries fast. (Jer 48:15-16)
The devastation will come so suddenly, that Moab, in order to escape it, will have to use everything possible for enabling him to flee from it. The devastation is a work of the Elohim of Israel, and those who will be the means through which it will be executed must do it quickly, so that they may not bring the curse upon themselves.
The horn of Mo’av has been cut off, and his arm has been broken, declares Yehovah. Make him drunk, because he has made himself great against Yehovah. Mo’av shall splash in his vomit, and he shall also be in mockery. And was not Israel a mockery to you? Was he found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him, you shake your head. O inhabitants of Mo’av, leave the cities and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove making a nest in the sides of the cave’s mouth. We have heard of the pride of Mo’av (he is very proud!), of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, and of the haughtiness of his heart. I know his wrath, declares Yehovah, and his boastings are untrue, and his deeds are false. (Jer 48:25-30)
Through his pride, Moab has reached the level of sin that will bring destruction. In arrogance and rage that nation has exalted itself over YHVH and His people Israel to the point of its boundless pride and hatred against Israel. It boasted and was full of rage.
And Mo’av shall be destroyed as a people, because he has made himself great against Yehovah. Fear and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of Mo’av, declares Yehovah. (Jer 48:42-43)
We, therefore, see that Moab is annihilated, so that it is no longer a nation. And reason for this destruction is because it has risen up in pride against YHVH. It was spoken.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan lives up to the prophecy
What sense can we make of the prophecies concerning Moab in Isaiah and Jeremiah?
Moab has often carried on wars, and even suffered many defeats, but has never been driven out from its own land. This quiet continuance in the country, however, is to cease.
Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews Book 10, Chapter 9:7) states that the king Babylon Nebuchadnezzar, in the fifth year after the destruction of Jerusalem, made war on the Moabites and Ammonites and subdued them. But we have no other sources of information regarding this people, i.e. whether or not Moav ceased to exist. After the return of the Israelites from Babylon, the Moabites are again mentioned as a people in Ezr_9:1, Neh_13:1, and Neh_13:23.
There is no mention, however, made of this people in the books of the Maccabees, which is much later work, where the wars of Maccabees with the Edomites (1 Macc. 5:3 and 6) are recorded. What has happened to Moab we do not know with certainty. They might have been merged in the Arabians during the Arabs’ conquest of the their land, or something else might have come upon them. But the disappearance of the name of this people does not exclude the probability that their descendants still continue to exist today. We can come to this conclusion, because we read from the last verse in Jeremiah 48 concerning Moab.
But I shall turn back the captivity of Mo’av in the end of days, declares Yehovah. Thus far is the judgment of Mo’av. (Jer 48:47)
The judgment, however, on the Moabites, is not to prove a complete annihilation of them. At the end of the days, that is in the Messianic times, a remnant will return, though. The phrase “Thus far”, however, should draw attention.
Thus far is the judgment of Mo’av denotes that the prophecy concerning the fate of Moab was declared far back in the past; it supposes remoteness in time: a long period of time between its declaration and execution. In this case then, we may say that the wrath of Elohim of Israel had been already executed and the people that occupy the land of Jordan today, the Hashemites, are this remnant. The clue to make this conclusion comes from the very fact that the royal family of Jordan, the ruling party of the Hashemites, and its tribal people are small in number.
On the other hand, the reality is something else.
In 2017 UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in which the Arab countries have a heavy influence, has repeatedly denied the undeniable Israel’s historical, spiritual and emotional ties to the Temple Mount and even to Jerusalem, not without Jordanian pressure on the member countries. And when UNESCO affirmed a resolution that the Temple Mount was a Muslim site, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan hailed the decision as a “victory” and took credit for having drafted the absurd decision in coordination with the Palestinian mission.
And indeed, the Moabites repeatedly seek to undermine Israel’s legitimacy at just about every international forum and occasion. Not to mention the constant diplomatic pressure and threats on Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 demarcation line and accept a “Palestinian state”: an act which would undermine the security and the very existence of the Jewish state.
The incitements of violence are orchestrated to force Israel to accept that if it does not “embrace peace” and the establishment of a Palestinian state, Israel will “eventually be engulfed in a sea of hatred in a region of turmoil.” And we see all of this hostility despite the peace treaty the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has with the State of Israel.
The only thing that holds back Moab to broaden his full scale of anti-Israel arsenal is ISIS’ presence in the region and the direct threat against the small kingdom of the Hashemites. Had there be no ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the Moabites would be even bolder in their hatred towards the only ally they could possibly have to protect them from the existential threat on their border with Syria.
But that hostility towards Israel is not confined to Jordan’s establishment. It is a widely-spread sentiment among the vast majority of the Jordanian public which let us not forget is dominated by the Palestinian majority in the kingdom. That Palestinian majority is like a thorn in the side of the king of Jordan. They could cause enough trouble in Jordan to influence the king in one or other direction, and even to topple the Hashemite establishment. The sympathizing sentiments towards ISIS are well known among the Palestinians in Jordan.
Therefore, the opinion of the present author is that the prophecies concerning Moab, that is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is still to be fulfilled. His loftiness and arrogance and pride and of the haughtiness of his heart have not reached the level of sin that may trigger the wrath of the Elohim of Israel, not yet.
There are nations that boast because they are great. The Big Four, for example. But there are others that boast because they see themselves as great, but they are not, the small and troublesome Hashemite Kingdom, for example.
The Hashemite dynasty was once dominant in the Arab world. But after they were kicked out of Arabia, and then out of Iraq, now they are just a minority in a “kingdom” east of the river. With a population of just a few million they are no factor in the Middle East despite the fake impression the Western powers leave in the king’s mind.
For the ruling Hashemite tribe the anti-regime protests sweeping the small kingdom and the open calls for toppling the king from the Palestinians in Jordan are of a big concerns. Those signs of trouble are obscured by the war on terror in Syria, Iraq, and Egypt, and very well exploited by the king of Jordan to divert the public opinion from himself to Israel.
So, what may trigger the wrath on Moab and what will commence the curse “Within three years, as the years of a hired man, the glory of Mo’av is to be despised?”
If ISIS is defeated in Syria and Iraq, Moab may turn all his attention towards the west of the river falsely feeling secured and strong. What we observe in Jordan now in the light of the Bible prophecy concerning Moab, is the inferiority complex—the sense of inferiority arising from the conflict between the desire to be great again and the fear of being humiliated.
This may cause Moab to boast. He may incite a Palestinian riot in Jerusalem, the Judea and Samaria, and Gaza, and/or initiate a new wave of diplomatic campaign against Israel. Israel may respond in a manner that may get involved other Arab countries and terrorist formations. The domino effect will be imminent.
Syria and Hezbollah—the proxies of Iran—will not delay. Egypt may get involved too. Russia and the U.S. are just behind them, as we see that all players in the prophecy in Ezekiel 38 and 39 are all set. The writing on the wall had already been written; and now the time is coming for its fulfillment.
Unfortunately, we know nothing certain as to the time when the three years until Moab destruction will commence. The prophecy is silent on this.
For more insight on the end-time prophecy, please, visit Prophecy Insight and Part II The Last Kingdom of the present author’s book Reckoning of Time.
Navah
May we merit seeing the coming of our Mashiach speedily in our days.