Israel-Jordanian End-times Ties
Israel-Jordanian End-times Ties
By Terry James
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection bid Tuesday September 17 has definite prophetic overtones, I think. The election is still not confirmed one way or the other as of this writing. But we will offer the following thoughts nonetheless.
Like in the case of Donald J. Trump’s political turmoil in the US, Netanyahu’s whirlpool of opposition that seeks to destroy him is a struggle against wicked powers and principalities to be sure. The ongoing storm involving both leaders continues to focus the attention of the prophetic observer upon end-times stage setting.
The Israeli prime minister, prior to Tuesday’s election, questioned just who the Israeli people wanted to trust to negotiate with in trying to work out a peace deal. Did they prefer to work with Trump and his effort at peace, or with those of Netanyahu’s opposition?
The prime minister reminded how he, Netanyahu, had helped convince President Trump to declare Jerusalem Israel’s capital. He had, he also reminded, convinced Mr. Trump to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Additionally, he announced that, if reelected and upon forming an effective coalition government, he would annex the Jordanian Valley and the northern reaches of the Dead Sea for Israel–a thing that would help to consolidate stronger defensive buffer zones from attacks from the Jewish state’s surrounding enemies.
Netanyahu further sought to provide proof of his close working relationship–even friendship—with the American president. He said that he told the US administration of his plans to annex the Jordan valley well before making the announcement publicly. He said “someone in the White House” had said off the record that “Netanyahu’s plan does not impinge on Trump’s.”
The prime minister said further, “That’s saying a lot.” He went on to express the vast differences in dealing with the current US president as opposed to the previous.
“For over eight years,” Netanyahu said, “I blocked the attempt to push us into the ’67 borders, to uproot settlements. Then, in the last three years, I’m changing the course of Jewish history by getting recognition for settlement, for the borders.”
He declared that he had “persuaded Trump to recognize Jerusalem as our capital, move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, recognize our sovereignty in the Golan, get out of the horrible Iran deal—that Gantz and Lapid [political opponents] supported—and now I’m doing the same thing [not only] vis a vis the Jordan Valley, but also all the settlements inside and outside the blocs. This is crucial.”
Immediately upon his declaration of his intention to annex certain swaths of the Jordanian Valley, the Palestinian leadership complained that this action will assure hostilities for the next hundred years. Leaders of both Russia and of Turkey joined in the rant against Netanyahu’s planned action.
For many years I and others who observe political movement within the Middle East–Israel in particular–have been curious about the entity called Jordan. Most who study the end-times alignment of nations look with interest at the following prophecy: “He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon” (Daniel 11:41).
The “he” in this prophecy is reference to the Antichrist, who will run rampant over the nations of the Middle East at the height of his power. It is fascinating to consider that present-day Jordan is carved from the territory called Moab in the prophecy. The children of Ammon, of course, are, in modern terms, the people of Jordan.
There are two nations among Israel’s antagonists not mentioned in the Gog-Magog coalition that will storm southward to destroy Israel and take “great spoil.” These countries are Egypt and Jordan.
These are the only Arab-Muslim nations in the region who have officially made peace with the much-hated Israel. While it is not yet clear what Netanyahu’s intention to annex these buffer lands mean in the overall scheme of stage-setting for fulfilled prophecy, we must consider developments with piqued focus.
A number of prophetic passages in the Bible foretell that both Egypt and Jordan (Moab and the children of Ammon) will fare well during Christ’s millennial reign. Of course, the people who come out of these regions to inherit that thousand years of a magnificently restored planet earth will be a remnant. These will be believers in Christ for salvation who survive the terrible time of Antichrist rule and of the judgments of the Tribulation era.
However, the prophecy above and others seem to indicate that people, particularly in the area of present-day Jordan, will avoid Antichrist’s devastation for the most part. Jesus said to each who call Him Lord: “What I say unto one, I say to all, watch” (Mark 13: 37).
As our new book Discerners: Analyzing Converging Prophetic Signs For the End Of Days lays out for believers in these closing days of the age, it is time to seek understanding of the strange things going on all around us. The Holy Spirit will make the madness of it all discernible, if we but seek to know about the signs of the times.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14 ).
–-Terry