Moab And Jordan

Q

I came across a scripture tonight and wondered what you make of it. Jeremiah 48:47 says “And I will bring back the captivity of Moab in the last days”. The people of Moab were somewhere in the vicinity of Jordan and were relatives of the Hebrews. Do you suppose that, like Israel, the rebirth of Moab would be a sign of the last days? Who would Moab be today? As far as I know there are no such people now. What do you think this means?

A

The Moabites were the descendants of the incestuous union between Abraham’s nephew Lot and one of his daughters. The Ammonites came from Lot and his other daughter. They settled the area we know as Jordan today, and the Lord sanctified this (Deut. 2:9). Its capital is Ahman, a name derived from Ammon. Daniel 11:41 says that Edom, Moab, and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from the hand of the anti-Christ during the Great Tribulation. The leaders of Ammon probably refers to the Royal family of Jordan, the Hashemites. The ancient city of Petra is located in southern Jordan and it’s here that many scholars believe the Jews will find refuge during the Great Tribulation.(Rev. 12:14)

The same stroke of the pen that created Israel in 1947 to be the Jewish homeland also created Trans-Jordan (now called Jordan) to be the Palestinian homeland. As late as 1973 Yassar Arafat was quoted as saying, “Jordan is Palestine and Palestine is Jordan.” I believe the creation of modern Jordan is the fulfillment of Jeremiah 48:47. If so, it would be another sign that the last days are upon us.