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Esav & Ya'akov's Conflict
A d'rashah for parshat Tol'dot
By Rabbi Reuel Dillon
In B'reishit (Genesis) 27:40 Yitz'chak (Isaac) prophesied to Esav the following about he and his
descendents. He said, "You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when
you break loose, you will shake his yoke off your neck". In parshat Tol'dot we read about a
conflict in which we are still experiencing its effects to this day. It would set the stage for the
ultimate world conflict in the future.
Some call it the Arab-Israeli conflict, some call it the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, some call it
Global Jihad...but it really stems from the Esav and Ya'akov conflict, which we read about in our
parashah. And, it has only intensified in our modern times. On May 15, 1948, the British pulled
out of Palestine, and the Yisraeli leaders proclaimed the State of Yisra'el. How did Yisra'el's Arab
neighbors react to this? The surrounding Arab states (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq)
then declared war against Yisra'el, and indeed most of them did attack, claiming that they sought
to “save” Palestine from the Zionists. Indeed, violence and rule by the sword has been
characteristic throughout history of the Arab peoples, who are the descendents of Esav and
Yishma'el. Thus, the roots of this conflict are not modern, rather it stretches back thousands of
years.
From ancient times we have seen Esav and Yishma'el's descendents joining together through
marriage, and through other means, to carry out the age old conflict. In B'reishit (Genesis) 28:9
we read, "So 'Esav went to Yishma'el and took, in addition to the wives he already had,
Machalat, the daughter of Yishma'el Avraham's son, the sister of N'vayot, to be his wife".
Earlier we read about the prophecy of the conflict Esav would have with Ya'akov, but even
before that, we see that there was a similar prophecy in regards to Yishma'el. We read about this
in B'reishit (Genesis) 16:12 where it was said of Yishma'el; "He will be a wild donkey of a man,
with his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, living his life at odds with all his
kinsmen". Between Yishma'el and Esav, it is quite the explosive genetic combination for
conflict against Ya'akov.
Esav married one of the daughters of Yishma'el, as well as other women, resulting in the birth of
twelve ‘princes’, the genesis of the Arab nations. Ya'akov married Lavan’s daughters, Le'ah and
Rachel, which resulted in twelve sons. These were to become the patriarchs of the twelve tribes
of Yisra'el. The conflict which began as a dispute between Sarah and Hagar, later to be
reinforced by the struggle between Ya'akov and Esav in the womb, was given new life when
Yisra'el reclaimed its birthright in 1948, thereby rekindling the conflict between themselves and
the descendants of Esav.
Regarding the contrast in character between Ya'akov and Esav and their descendents, in B'reishit
(Genesis) 25:27 we read, "The boys grew; and 'Esav became a skillful hunter, an outdoorsman;
while Ya'akov was a quiet man who stayed in the tents". While some versions describe Ya'akov
as a "quiet" man, the Hebrew word "tam", which actually refers to something that is perfect idiomatically refers to someone who is wholesome, or pious. Rather than being "a quiet" man, a
better translation would be a "wholesome" or "pious" man (Heb: "ish tam"). Thus is the nature
of Ya'akov. In contrast, our parashah not only describes how Esav violently reacts to Ya'akov,
but once again to point out B'reishit (Genesis) 27:40, it says of Esav; "You will live by your
sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you break loose, you will shake his yoke off
your neck".
And, this is exactly what we have seen happen from that time to the modern day. For example,
with the Palestinian - Yisraeli conflict, Yisra'el is clearly the ruler in the land, yet there is a
constant struggle to remove the yoke of Yisra'el from off the neck of "Palestinian" / Arab
peoples who are trying to lay claim to it. And, while Yisra'el would continually try to seek
shalom and seek the piety of the God of Yisra'el (as is characteristic of Ya'akov), the Arab
peoples there, who are the descendents of Esav, have waged constant war against the
descendents of Ya'akov (which is characteristic of Esav). From the modern declaration of the
Yisra'eli state to the current year (1948-2016) there were 3,549 killed and 14,227 injured as a
result of terrorist attacks from the Palestinians and surrounding Arab peoples (these figures
include terrorists). Casualties in these terrorist attacks include at least 222 children killed and 239
injured. (source: www.johnstonsarchive.net/terrorism/terrisraelsum.html)
While there are various reasons given for the conflict, the true reason now and the reason then
for this fighting and hatred is over the Avrahamic blessing, which includes Eretz Yisra'el (The
Land of Yisra'el), and who has the right to it. We read about this in B'reishit (Genesis) 27:41
where it says, "'Esav hated his brother because of the blessing his father had given him. 'Esav
said to himself, "The time for mourning my father will soon come, and then I will kill my
brother Ya'akov". And, while there have been periods of shaky peace over history, this has been
the overall pursuit of Esav...to kill Ya'akov - over the right to the Avrahamic blessing.
Of course, the battle is at its very root is a spiritual conflict, with HaSatan manipulating the
descendents of Esav and Yishma'el to fight his battle against Adonai and His people here on
Earth over a similar issue...because the blessing and birth right was also stripped from him. He
was cast down from his elevated position (Revelation 12:7-9). Thus, Esav was chosen by
HaSatan to express and physically represent his mission and battle here on Earth. But, there is
hope for Esav and Yishma'el's descendents...and, that hope is only found through Yeshua The
Messiah, and through the B'sorot Tovot (Good News). This is the only way that the chains of
HaSatan can be removed from their descendents and for the conflict to stop. Their only hope is
to accept the rulership of the one who would be the ultimate fulfillment of the seed of Avraham,
the seed of Yitz'chak, and the seed of Ya'akov - none other than Yeshua The Jewish Messiah.
And indeed, many of the Arab peoples have found this freedom, and thus have ceased their
conflict with Ya'akov, with Yisra'el, and God Himself. When this happens, instead of being filled
with hatred for Ya'akov and Yisra'el, their hearts are filled with love for Adonai's chosen people,
and they accept their role in God's order and plan. For this is also a part of God's will and plan,
for while Esav would seek to shake off the rule of Ya'akov, Yitz'chak's prophecy to Esav stated,
"and you will serve your brother", which I believe ultimately points to bending the knee to
Ya'akov's descendent; Yeshua The Messiah, the Great King.
Today, this Esav/Ya'akov conflict has spread throughout the nations, with the entire world stage
as its battleground, as Islamic extremists declare war on especially both Jew (14.2 million) and
Christian (2.2 billion) alike, and anyone who doesn't agree with them. Those who are of the
Christian faith generally align themselves with Yisra'el and become part of the spiritual seed, thus
also become enemies of Esav's descendents. Even before the modern establishment of the
Jewish state, HaSatan sought to revitalize this fight through the formation of Islam with the
descendents of Yishma'el and Esav, in the 7th century. Today there are now about 1.6 billion
Muslims in the world, making up about 23% of the global population. By mid-century, this
figure could grow to 25% of the world population, thus setting the stage for the ultimate
conflict. HaSatan accomplished this through the historical figure Muhammad.
Islamic tradition has it that at about the age of 40 years old Muhammad began to receive visions.
But, from the beginning it was evident that HaSatan was involved in directing Muhammad, and
that he was demonically possessed. Muhammad claimed the angel Gabriel (Heb: Gavri'el /
Arabic: Jibreel) transmitted the entire Koran to him from "Allah" while he was living in the Hira
Cave. But, in 2Corinthians 11:13-14 we are cautioned about such angelic visitations, and the
false prophets that manifest themselves as a result of such encounters. It says, "The fact is that
such men are pseudo-emissaries: they tell lies about their work and masquerade as emissaries of
the Messiah. There is nothing surprising in that, for the Adversary himself masquerades as an
angel of light". And, indeed Muhammad not only had such an experience, but he claimed that
Yeshua (Jesus) was actually a prophet of Allah, and that he was a Muslim, thus he was indeed a
false representative of Yeshua.
In regards to the "satanic verses" spoken of in Muslim writings, and the Koran, a few examples
are as follows. Some have noted that the following episode seems like something one might see
in a supernatural horror movie as opposed to what one would expect out of an experience with
the true Angel Gavri'el. In Sahih Buchari (considered to be the second most holy book in Islam)
we read about this early encounter in the cave of Hira between Muhammad and this supernatural
ominous being:
“The Prophet added, ‘The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not
bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I do not know
how to read.’ Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear
it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I do not know
how to read (or what shall I read)?’ Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me,
and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists)
has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous (96.1, 96.2, 96.3)’”
(Sahih al-Buchari, Volume 1, Book 1, Number 3). Another early report says here Muhammad
was being strangled so hard he felt like he was going to die (Ibn Isaq, The Life of the Prophet
Muhammad, [Oxford University Press, 2014], p. 106). This is not how the holy angels of Adonai
treat the prophets.
Muhammad would be thrown down to the ground and experience what were described as
epileptic seizures and would thereafter see his visions. At that time, this was also thought to be a
sign of demon possession. And indeed, after this experience, when Muhammad had first
received his visions, he feared he had been overtaken by a "jinn". A jinn was a demon. But
Muhammad's wife Khadijah convinced him that his visions were actually from God and that
Muhammad had been chosen as his special messenger. Amr ibn Sharhabil says Muhammad
expressed to his wife Khadijah that he feared he was possessed by demons and thought that
others may also see this and consider him possessed by jinn (Pfander 1910:345).
After his experience with the jinn in the cave, Muhammad repeatedly tried to commit suicide.
He stated the following in regards to the verses the demon was pressing him to read; “… I
recited it, and then he desisted and departed I woke up, and it was as though these words had
been written on my heart. There was no one of God’s creation more hateful to me than a poet
or a madman; I could not bear to look at either of them. I said to myself, "Your humble servant
(meaning himself) is either a poet or a madman, but Quraysh shall never say this of me. I shall
take myself to a mountain crag, hurl myself down from it, kill myself, and find relief in that way"
(The History of al-Tabari, Vol. 6, [State University of New York Press, 1988], p. 71). You find a
similar account in Ibn Isaq’s Life of Muhammad: “Now none of God’s creatures was more
hateful to me than an [ecstatic] poet or a man possessed: I could not even look at them. I
thought, “Woe is me poet or possessed…” (Ibn Isaq, The Life of Muhammad, [Oxford
University Press, 2014], p. 106). As can be seen in the text, in that time-period and culture there
is a correlation made between a "poet" and a demonically possessed person.
Again, Muhammad was so disturbed and convinced his experiences were with a demonic entity
that he wanted to kill himself, but didn't go through with it. Throughout the TeNaKh there isn't
one example of a Biblical prophet or emissary believing that they were possessed by a demon or
initially being led by HaSatan in their divine mission, and thus trying to kill themselves. But, the
truth is, this is the description of the origin of Islam. In addition, what are described as "The
Satanic verses" were present in the original version of the Koran when Muhammad was
trying to woo the Meccans who believed in many gods including the pagan idols; AlLat, Al-Uzza and Manat. Muhammad himself admitted that he was possessed by Satan at
one time. He stated, "Have you, then, seen Al-Lat and Al-Uzza? And Manat, the third
one, the other? These are exalted females (sublime ones), Mounting nearer and nearer to
Allah. And truly their intercession may be expected. (Al-Koran, Sura 53 verse19-20).
Muhammad admittedly received a message from Satan and delivered it to the people…as if it
were from God (Koran 53:19-20, 17:73-75, 22:52-53). "Satan...put upon his tongue ‘these are
the exalted Gharäniq whose intercession is approved.’ When Quraysh heard that, they were
delighted and greatly pleased at the way in which he spoke of their gods and they listened to him;
while the believers were holding that what their prophet brought them from their Lord was true,
not suspecting a mistake or a vain desire or a slip...Muhammad and his followers bowed down in
honor of receiving this satanic revelation…the Muslims prostrated themselves when their
prophet prostrated confirming what he brought and obeying his command, and the polytheists
of Quraysh and others who were in the mosque prostrated when they heard the mention of their
gods, so that everyone in the mosque believer and unbeliever prostrated...'Muhammad has
spoken of our gods in splendid fashion".
Long before Islam, the Sabeans in Arabia, and the Quraysh tribe worshipped a Moon God.
According to the tradition, the Moon God was married to the Sun Goddess, had three daughters
whom the people of that area started worshiping. The three daughters where called "Allat", "Al
Uzza" and "Al Manat". These three deities where merged and they formed a triple goddess triad.
In the same way Allat has three names known to the initiate: Q're, the crescent moon or the
maiden; Al Uzza, literally 'the strong one' who is the full moon and the mother aspect; then Al
Manat, the waning but wise goddess of fate, prophecy and divination. It is no wonder then that
the symbol for Islam, raised high on every mosque is the crescent moon. Islamic tradition
continues to recognize these three, but now labels them 'daughters of Allah'". And, Muhammad
turned the Moon God (the highest ranking of all 360 Gods worshipped in the Kabbah by the
Quraysh tribe) into the God of the Koran; Allah.
"Al-Uzza", the Arabic goddess who rules birth, death, marriage, warfare, raids, the Zodiac, the
change of the seasons, the course of heavenly bodies, and Venus as the morning star, had green
as her sacred color. Thus, it should be no surprise that this particular color was adopted by
Islam as its own representative color. Furthermore, Meteorites, such as, for instance, the black
stone inside the Ka'aba ('cube'), located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, are her sacred stones.
While Muhammad initially publicly recognized these false gods, and many of their characteristic
aspects would continue to be manifested amongst Islam...he later edited out these
embarrassing verses (known as "the Satanic verses"), and admitted that they were inspired
by HaSatan. It was stated, “We have not sent a messenger or prophet before you but
when he recited, the Devil would intrude into his recitation. (Al-Koran. Sura 22 verse 53).
Also, Muhammad admitted that he had a Jinn (demon) up his nose. (Al-Hadis. Volume 4,
Book 54, No.516), and that he had a resident demon, the one-eyed Dajjal (Al-Hadis. Volume
3, page 803). Muhammad himself feared that a demonic figure had appeared to him. He stated,
"The Messenger of Allah said to Khadija: “When in seclusion, I hear someone calling and saying,
O Muhammad, O Muhammad”.. and I fear that it is one of the jinns. (Al-Sirat al-Halabiya, by
Al-Halabi, v.1, p. 377 Bukhari (english) 1.1.3).
And, what was Allah’s response to Muhammad? The Koran states, "Don’t worry about it
Muhammad. All prophets proclaim Satanic messages from time to time". The Koran states,
"Then Gabriel came to the apostle and said, ‘What have you done, Muhammad? you have read
to these people something I did not bring you from God. So God sent down (a revelation), for
He was merciful to him, comforting him and making light of the affair and telling him that every
prophet and apostle before him desired as he desired and wanted what he wanted and Satan
interjected something into his desires as he had on his tongue. So God annulled what Satan had
suggested".
After criticism and retracting these satanic verses, Koran 22:52 was then created by Muhammad
to give an excuse as to why he delivered verses from HaSatan. It states, “Never did we send an
apostle or a prophet before you, but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his
desire: but God will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in, and God will confirm (and
establish) His Signs: for God is full of Knowledge and Wisdom” (Koran 22:52, Yusuf Ali). In
other words, after Muhammad retracted the verses the devil put on his tongue, he claimed Allah
said all prophets speak satanic revelations by mistake – so it is normal. Islamic commentators
who agree Koran 22:52 refers to the satanic verses episode include: Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Al-Wahidi,
Zamakhshari, and others. But, according to D'varim (Deuteronomy) 18:20, Muhammad was a
false prophet because of this episode. For the Torah says, “But the prophet who speaks a word
presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in
the name of other gods, that prophet shall die”.
Even from a young age it was said that there were concerns that Muhammad may have been
demonically oppressed. His wet nurse thought he was demon possessed…as seen in Sira, Ibn
Hisham (english) p.60. It was written that "Anas reported that Gabriel appeared before the
Apostle of Allah (Muhammad), while he was playing with some boys. Gabriel took him,
laid him down, pierced his heart, and took out a clot of blood. Then he said, “This is
the portion of you possessed of a devil.” Next, he washed it in a gold cup with water
from the well Zamzam. Thereafter, he sewed him up and took him back to where he
found him…’ (Attended by Muslim. Al-Hadis, Volume 4 page 367).
In another place, the 8th century Muslim biographer Ibn Isaq reports the story told by
Muhammad’s foster-mother Halima: “. . .he and his brother were with our lambs behind the
tents when his brother came running and said to us, ‘Two men clothed in white have seized that
Qurayshi brother of mine and thrown him down and opened up his belly, and are stirring him
up.’ We ran towards him and found him standing up with a livid face. We took hold of him and
asked him what was the matter. He said, ‘Two men with white raiment came and threw me
down and opened up my belly and searched therein for I know not what,’ so we took him back
to our tent. His father said to me, ‘I am afraid that this child has had a stroke, so take him back
to his family before the result appears.’ So we picked him up and took him to his mother who
asked why we had brought him when I had been anxious for his welfare and desirous of keeping
him with me. . . . . When she asked if I feared a demon possessed him, I replied that I did” (Ibn
Isaq, The Life of the Prophet Muhammad, [Oxford University Press, 2014], pp. 71-72). This
episode is also attested to in The History of al-Tabari, Vol. 6, p. 63 and Koran 94:1. This shows
Muhammad’s foster-mother was convinced Muhammad was demon possessed during this
episode.
The fact these beings thrust Muhammad to the ground is consistent with what the Bible says
demons do to people. Luke 9:38-42 states, "Suddenly a man in the crowd shouted, "Rabbi!
Look at my son, I beg you, because he's my only child! What happens is this: a spirit seizes him,
and suddenly it lets out a shriek and throws him into convulsions with foaming at the mouth;
and only with difficulty will it leave him. It's destroying him! I asked your disciples to drive the
spirit out, but they couldn't." "Perverted people, without any trust!" Yeshua answered, "How
long do I have to be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." Even as the boy was
coming, the demon dashed him to the ground and threw him into a fit. But Yeshua rebuked the
unclean spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father".
During his alleged revelations Muhammad would hear ringing in his ears and sweat profusely
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 1, Number 2), turn red and breath heavily (Sahih Muslim,
2656, Abdul Siddiqi Translation, Vol. 2, p. 700; Ibn Kathir, The Life of Prophet Muhammad,
[Darul – Ishaat Karachi, 2010], p. 126), be choked (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 3),
move his lips quickly (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 4), hear voices thinking trees and
rocks were speaking to him (The History of al-Tabari, Vol. 6, [State University of New York
Press, 1988], p. 63), fall to his knees with trembling shoulders (The History of al-Tabari, Vol. 6,
[State University of New York Press, 1988], p. 68), feel dread and terror (The History of alTabari, Vol. 6, [State University of New York Press, 1988], p. 68), have a racing heart with
swollen veins on his shoulders and neck (Ibn Kathir, The Life of Prophet Muhammad, [Darul –
Ishaat Karachi, 2010], p. 123), and have a severe fever (Ibn Kathir, The Life of Prophet
Muhammad, [Darul – Ishaat Karachi, 2010], p. 126).
This is not how the holy prophets of the God of Yisra'el manifested themselves when receiving
prophecy. Instead, Muhammad manifests features which are consistent with what the Bible
describes as demonic possession. There is so much more that could be sited here in regards to
the origins of Islam and its age old battle between Esav and Ya'akov, but the point I wanted to
establish is that the conflict is a spiritual battle, between HaSatan (who Islam calls "Allah") and
the God of Ya'akov, the God of Yisra'el, and His followers.
Some try to claim that the Arabic word "Islam" means "peace", but the word "islam" is an
Arabic word meaning "submit" or "submission", and refers to the global domination by Islam by
any means necessary...including brutal violence. The world of Islam believes that the best way
the world will experience peace is by causing everyone in it to submit to their false god "Allah",
and for Islam to take over the world. They want this "peace", by invading and conquering one
piece of the world at a time...a piece of the middle east, a piece of Europe, a piece of America,
ect., until every piece of the world is dominated by Islam. That is the type of "peace/piece" that
they want.
To the fundamental Muslim, the world is divided into the ‘land of Islam’ and the ‘land of the
unbeliever’, the latter being destined for being conquered, with Islam being Allah’s intended
world religion and government. Thus, "Sharia", or Islamic law, drives Muslims. And, while
some claim to respect the law of the land they live in, the true intention is to grow in larger
numbers to eventually overtake that government that issues that law, so that "Sharia law" can
become the new law of the land. Yet still more radical elements don't want to wait for their
numbers to increase to overcome a land...instead they seek to establish Islam through terrorism
and violent jihad. "Jihad" can mean an internal spiritual struggle or an external defense of Islam.
It is estimated by some that 10–15% of Muslims are ‘extremist’. That means as many as 200
million people could be intent on eliminating us! While it is said that the definition or
interpretation of ‘Jihad’ or ‘Holy war’ is what separates the extremist Muslim from the supposed
peaceful ones...the reality is that much of the "moderate" Muslims support and protect the more
radical Muslims, as they both have the same goal...for the world to be dominated by Islam. They
are just two divisions of the same threatening organism.
The book "Fast Facts on Islam" by researchers John Ankerberg and John Weldon states, "There
has been a huge growth in Muslim activity in the nineties. In 1990 there were 30 mosques in the
US, now there are over 3,000. Pakistan alone has 40,000 Muslim religious schools. The
government estimates 6,000-7,000 of these are militant, each having hundreds of students
spending their day learning how and why to kill Christians and Jews. Today the US has 2 million
Muslims. Europe has 60 million. If this trend continues, our children will face an enemy of
unimaginable proportions".
Throughout history Esav's descendents have been known for their violence and terrorism, which
they learned from their father. And, later on in history their representative religion, Islam,
established by Muhammad, was also known by this same violent terrorism. As was mentioned
before Ya'akov was described in the Torah as a pious and wholesome man, but Esav was known
and would be known for his hate and violence. The distinction's between Yeshua and
Muhammad also make this evident. The following are a few teachings from Muhammad:
Surah 47:4 states, "Therefore, WHEN YOU MEET THE UNBELIEVERS, SMITE AT
THEIR NECKS; At length, when you have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on
them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its
burdens. Thus (are you commanded): but if it had been Allah's Will, He could certainly have
exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with
others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He will never let their deeds be lost".
Surah 9:5 (Also see Surah 9:29) states, "Kill the Mushrikun (unbelievers) wherever you find
them, and capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush...".
Muhammad stated, "I descended by Allah with the sword in my hand, and my wealth will
come from the shadow of my sword. And the one who will disagree with me will be humiliated
and persecuted." (Reference: Ibn Hisham (828 A.D., "The Life of Muhammad", 3rd ed., pt. 6,
vol. 3 (Beirut, Lebanon: Dar-al-Jil, 1998), p. 8)
In Surah 9:29 it states, "Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture
(Christians & Jews) as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah
hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute
readily, being brought low".
In contrast, the ultimate representative of Ya'akov, Yeshua The Messiah, stated the following in
Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:43-48, "You have heard that our fathers were told, `Love your neighbors
-- and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good
and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. What reward
do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that! And if you are
friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim
(pagans) do that! Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect".
Mattityahu (Matthew) 26:51-52 states, "At that, one of the men with Yeshua reached for his
sword, drew it out and struck at the servant of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his ear. Yeshua
said to him, "Put your sword back where it belongs, for everyone who uses the sword will die by
the sword". And, in Yochanan (John) 14:27 Yeshua tells us, "What I am leaving with you is
shalom -- I am giving you my shalom. I don't give the way the world gives. Don't let yourselves
be upset or frightened". So, while Islam leaves us with fear and death, Yeshua leaves us with
shalom and comfort.
Muhammad gave his followers the authority to wage war on unbelievers. In the Koran, Surah
48:29 states, "Muhammad is Allah's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to unbelievers".
Yeshua understood that the real battle is against the dark spiritual principalities, as spoken of in
Ephesians 6:12, and gave us authority to wage war against God's enemies in this area. In
Mattityahu (Matthew) 10:1 "Yeshua called his twelve talmidim and gave them authority to drive
out unclean spirits and to heal every kind of disease and weakness".
Furthermore, according to the Koran itself "Allah" is known for his deception. For example,
Koran 3:54 states, "And they (the unbelievers) planned to deceive, and Allah planned to deceive
(the unbelievers), and Allah is the best of deceivers". In Koran 7:99 it states, "Are they then safe
from Allah's deception? No one feels safe from Allah's deception except those that shall perish".
And, in Koran 8:30 it says, "And (remember) when the unbelievers plotted deception against you
(O Muhammad), to imprison you, or kill you, or expel you. They plotted deception, but Allah
also plotted deception; and Allah is the best of deceivers".
From what the Koran itself has witnessed to, this deception is actually a description of HaSatan.
In Yochanan (John) 8:39-45 we read, "They answered him, "Our father is Avraham." Yeshua
replied, "If you are children of Avraham, then do the things Avraham did! As it is, you are out to
kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Avraham did nothing like
that! You are doing the things your father does." "We're not illegitimate children!" they said to
him. "We have only one Father -- God!" Yeshua replied to them, "If God were your Father, you
would love me; because I came out from God; and now I have arrived here. I did not come on
my own; he sent me. Why don't you understand what I'm saying? Because you can't bear to
listen to my message. You belong to your father, Satan, and you want to carry out your father's
desires. From the start he was a murderer, and he has never stood by the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is speaking in character; because he is a liar -- indeed, the
inventor of the lie! But as for me, because I tell the truth you don't believe me".
As we continue to read in Yochanan (John) 17:17 the God of Yisra'el is characterized by the
truth, and not deception. Yeshua says, "Set them apart for holiness by means of the truth -your word is truth". In Yochanan 8:31-32 he says, "So Yeshua said to the Judeans who had
trusted him, "If you obey what I say, then you are really my talmidim, you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free". And, in Yochanan 14:6 Yeshua said, "I AM the Way -- and the
Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me".
As could be expected, when one researches the differences between Islam and what Yeshua
taught and practiced...there are great and fundamental differences. For the god of Islam is by no
means the same as the God of Yisra'el, or The God of the Bible. The god of Islam, HaSatan, is
a god of death and deception, as attested in their own writings. At this time in history, through
Islam, we can see the beginnings all around the world of what is spoken of in Revelation 6:8. It
says, "I looked, and there in front of me was a pallid, sickly-looking horse. Its rider's name was
Death, and Sh'ol followed behind him. They were given authority to kill one-quarter of the
world by war, by famine, by plagues and with the wild animals of the earth". Much of this war
and death will be accomplished through the "jihad" of Islam, the instrument of HaSatan,
through the descendents of Esav. The word "palid" describing the horse of death, sh'ol, and war
in Revelation 6:8 comes from the Greek word "chloros", which means "greenish" in color,
which is related to the word "chlorophyll", which is the green pigment in plants. Again, this
green color is the chosen color of Islam.
In the scriptures the descendents of Esav were also known as "Edom". This name comes from
a related event that goes to the core of the physical and spiritual conflict regarding the land and
covenant promise given to Avraham. B'reishit (Genesis) 25:29-33 states, "One day when
Ya'akov had cooked some stew, 'Esav came in from the open country, exhausted, and said to
Ya'akov, "Please! Let me gulp down some of that red stuff - that red stuff! I'm exhausted!" (This
is why he was called Edom [red].) Ya'akov answered, "First sell me your rights as the firstborn."
"Look, I'm about to die!" said 'Esav. "What use to me are my rights as the firstborn?" Ya'akov
said, "First, swear to me!" So he swore to him, thus selling his birthright to Ya'akov".
Just as Muhammad received his satanic visions in a cave, and just as Islamic terrorists have been
known for hiding out in caves, Ovadyah (Obadiah) 1:1-10 says the following about Edom and
his modern Islamic representatives and the judgment they shall receive at the hands of God in
the end of time. It states, "This is the vision of 'Ovadyah. Here is what Adonai HaShem says
about Edom. As a messenger was being sent among the nations saying, "Come on, let's attack
her," we heard a message from HaShem: "I am making you the least of all nations, you will be
beneath contempt. Your proud heart has deceived you, you whose homes are caves in the cliffs,
who live on the heights and say to yourselves, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' If you
make your nest as high as an eagle's, even if you place it among the stars, I will bring you down
from there." says HaShem.
If thieves were to come to you, or if robbers by night (Oh, how destroyed you are!), wouldn't
they stop when they'd stolen enough? If grape-pickers came to you, Wouldn't they leave some
grapes for gleaning? But see how 'Esav has been looted, their secret treasures searched out! Your
allies went with you only to the border, those at peace with you deceived and defeated you, those
who ate your food set a trap for you, and you couldn't discern it. "When that Day comes," says
HaShem, "won't I destroy all the wise men of Edom and leave no discernment on Mount 'Esav?
Your warriors, Teman, will be so distraught that everyone on Mount 'Esav will be slaughtered.
For the violence done to your kinsman Ya'akov, shame will cover you; and you will be forever
cut off".
As we continue to read in Ovadyah 1:15-21 we see all of this connected to the acharit hayamim
(end of says) and what is happening with radical Islam today. It says, "For the Day of HaShem
is near for all nations; as you did, it will be done to you; your dealings will come back on your
own head. For just as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so will all the nations drink in turn;
yes, they will drink and gulp it down and be as if they had never existed. But on Mount Tziyon
there will be a holy remnant who will escape, and the house of Ya'akov will repossess their
rightful inheritance. The house of Ya'akov will be a fire and the house of Yosef a flame, setting
aflame and consuming the stubble which is the house of 'Esav. None of the house of 'Esav will
remain, for HaShem has spoken. Those in the Negev will repossess the mountain of 'Esav, and
those in the Sh'felah the land of the P'lishtim; they will repossess the field of Efrayim and the
field of Shomron, and Binyamin will occupy Gil'ad. Those from this army of the people of
Yisra'el exiled among the Kena'anim as far away as Tzarfat, and the exiles from Yerushalayim in
S'farad, will repossess the cities in the Negev. Then the victorious will ascend Mount Tziyon to
rule over Mount 'Esav, but the kingship will belong to HaShem".
In Yechez'kel (Ezekiel) 36:5-7 the prophet further prophecies about Edom and the descendants
of Esav the following, "therefore this is what Adonai HaShem says: "In the heat of my jealousy I
speak against the other nations and all of Edom, since, rejoicing with all their heart, they have
arrogated my land to themselves as a possession and, with utter contempt, seized it as prey."'
"Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Yisra'el, and say to the mountains, the hills, the
streams and the valleys that Adonai HaShem says this: 'I speak in my jealousy and fury, because
you have endured being shamed by the nations. Therefore thus says Adonai HaShem: "I have
raised my hand and sworn that the nations surrounding you will bear their shame".
In conclusion, there is no doubt that these prophecies speak of the current events of our day, to
the ongoing conflict between Esav and Ya'akov, and to the near future. Again, the only way that
anyone from the house of Esav can escape the consequences spoken of in these prophecies is by
no longer being a part of the "house of Esav", for as the prophecy in Ovadyah stated, "none of
the house of Esav will remain". This escape from the House of Esav can be accomplished
through receiving the Good News of Yeshua, and through becoming a new creation in God.
2Corinthians 5:16-17 states, "So from now on, we do not look at anyone from a worldly
viewpoint. Even if we once regarded the Messiah from a worldly viewpoint, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation - the old has passed; look,
what has come is fresh and new!". And, Ivrim (Hebrews) 3:6 we are told, "But the Messiah, as
Son, was faithful over God's house. And we are that house of his, provided we hold firmly to the
courage and confidence inspired by what we hope for". It is only through trusting in Yeshua,
the one who will come riding on a white horse, the one who is faithful and true (Revelation
19:11), that Yisra'el will be victorious in the end, and the Nations and those destined for
destruction will escape the wrath of God.
V'im'ru amein! And, all God's people said, "Amein".
Shabbat shalom!
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