Obadiah is a book with only a single chapter in the Old Testament (or Tanakh), and sits just after the book of Amos and before Jonah.

I’m sure I’ve looked at the book of Obadiah at some point in my life, but I’m sure it was during my mainstream days.  That was when I was taught the Old Testament is just a bunch of cool old stories about people that no longer exist.
It doesn’t apply to any of us in the Jesus-era…
(This is the point where you should hear fingernails on a chalk board in your head).

While I share scripture in this blog, and my goal is to teach truth of scripture, this post is going to be a bit more speculative.
Why is that?
Because this ‘thing’ has not yet happened.
Please keep in mind what I’m about to write is of a pondering nature, as opposed to “this is what scripture says, therefore we can label it as truth”.

Having been in the mainstream church for many years (decades, actually), I was taught to always support the nation of Israel. No questions asked. Period.
If I learned something that didn’t seem right, or that I didn’t understand, this was always the default:
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

That settles it, right?
Well, no, not exactly.
First of all, this proclamation is given to Abram.
It is a promise to him as he begins this journey of faith.
Some teach that this blessing extends perpetually to all of Israel, since Israel was born of Abram. But does it say that?
No, it does not.
There are perpetual covenants and perpetual statements in scripture, but they are clearly identified as such.

Whether this promise of blessing and curse applied just to Abram, or to all of Israel forever and ever is not the point of this discussion.

Where am I going with this?
For the last several years, I’ve been led by the spirit (the Ruach) to have a disdain for the current nation of Israel and the Star of David. This “leading” went against the grain. It went against all I had ever known about Israel.  Bless them and be blessed, curse them and be cursed.  
I have very strong feelings of repulsion (yes, I said repulsion – a very strong word!!).
I didn’t understand.
We are supposed to bless Israel.
No matter what.

It took me over a year to listen and accept.  I was very cautious to test the spirits, as we are told to do.
I believe this comes from Yehova, and I’ve spoken with other believers who feel the same way, for the same reasons.

Then Yehova started showing me in scripture who Israel really is.
Wait…
What???
Israel is something different than this????

Yes, believe it or not…
I won’t go into a miles-long discussion of the history of Israel, the people of Yehova, but here is the gist of it:
The line started through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob had a brother named Esau and they were not friends.
Israel became powerful in Egypt through the actions of Joseph, but were eventually enslaved there for 400 years.  Their escape/rescue from Egypt is known as the Exodus. It was a supernatural event, orchestrated by Yehova, often referred to as God in English bibles.
The people brought out of Egypt consisted of both the descendants of Abraham as well as many foreigners.  All were welcome.
Over a great length of time, the people had forgotten how to follow the ways of Yehova.  He gave the people His ways, His instructions, via Moses.  He wrote some of His instructions on stone tablets using His own finger (twice!!), and some of the instructions were given to Moses  to write down for the people.
Eventually, the people of Yehova split into two Kingdoms.  Judah, the southern kingdom consisting of two tribes, and Israel, the northern kingdom, consisting of ten tribes.
Both rebelled against Yehova.  Judah partially returned to obedience and covenant.  Israel, though, was divorced from their covenant and scattered among the nations of the world.
It is prophesied that the tribes would one day be restored as one, and enter into covenant again with Yehova (through the efforts of Yeshua, otherwise referred to as Jesus in English bibles).

It would take days to study all of this, and to support it with scripture.  Go for it my friends!! Read and pray and learn who Israel is today!!

Now, back to the point of this discussion…
I briefly mentioned that Jacob had a brother and that they were not friends.  In fact, Esau stated that he would slay his brother Jacob (another enormous study in and of itself).
Prophecy tells us quite clearly that the line of Esau, the Edomites, would occupy and rule in the promise land of Israel and Jerusalem during end times. We are also told in prophecy that they will be destroyed by fire.
This is not good, right?

If you want to study this concept, check out Ezekiel and Isaiah.  You can also see the beginnings of all of this by studying Esau and Jacob in Genesis.

But now…
Finally to the point.

Many people around the world have been returning to Israel.
The process of gaining citizenship in Israel is called Aliyah.  It is my understanding that in order to do so, you must deny Yeshua Messiah (Jesus).
I read a number of documents and articles, and here is just one excerpt:

“Jews who are seeking to make Aliyah today, are forced to fill out a form which asks the question, “Have you ever been a Messianic Jew or have you ever believed in Yeshua as Messiah?”  As a Messianic Jew the choice is to either lie (something anathema to true bible believers) or risk being turned down immediately the minute you answer in the affirmative.”

While I do not know anyone who has personally sought after Aliyah and Israeli citizenship, I do know people who know people pursuing Aliyah.
I have been told that belief in Yeshua Messiah is a deal-killer, and that they must lie about this in order to be granted Aliyah.

Here is what I know in scripture regarding this:
Matthew 10:32-33
“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. ”

In 1948, the nation of Israel was established through the efforts of the League of Nations (now the United Nations).  Since then, many people have returned to their ‘homeland’ by completing the requirements of Aliyah.
Does this sound like prophecy being carried out?  Does this sound like it is scriptural, and of Yehova?
Do you believe that returning to the land should involve denying our Messiah?
No, me either…

And yet, these people describe a “calling”.
They feel a supernatural calling to return to the land.

My question, and what I’m pondering, is whether or not this is a good thing.
Prophecy says Edomites, a line of people in conflict with the true nation of Israel, will occupy the land during end times.
Revelation 3:9 tells us this (words of Yeshua):
Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.  A similar statement is made in Revelation 2:9 as well.

Ezekiel and Isaiah tell us that Esau’s descendants will take back his birthright by the sword and through deceit. And we see this possibly tied together in the book of Genesis.
Gensis 3:15
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

For several years, I have wondered why I am repulsed by the Star of David and the geo-political nation of Israel, while many other people feel drawn to it.  This has bothered me a great deal.
How can there be two conflicting ideas permeating the Torah movement?
I believe it comes down to the continuing struggle between Esau and Jacob.

We are told this in Matthew 13:24-30
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
²⁴ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.²⁶ But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

We are told that the tares will be gathered first, and will be bound and burned. The wheat will be gathered second, and will be kept safe.

Matthew 24:29-31 tells us when the elect will be gathered:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Yeshua Messiah Himself tells us when the elect will be gathered.  “After the tribulation of those days…”

Tares go first, wheat is gathered second.

I learned yesterday that the book of Obadiah is about the destruction of the Edomites, the line of Esau.
Here is the entire book (it consists of only one chapter):

The Coming Judgment on Edom
¹ The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom
(We have heard a report from the Lord,
And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying,
“Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):

² “Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You shall be greatly despised.
³ The pride of your heart has deceived you,
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is high;
You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
⁴ Though you ascend as high as the eagle,
And though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down,” says the Lord.

⁵ “If thieves had come to you,
If robbers by night—
Oh, how you will be cut off!—
Would they not have stolen till they had enough?
If grape-gatherers had come to you,
Would they not have left some gleanings?

⁶ “Oh, how Esau shall be searched out!
How his hidden treasures shall be sought after!
⁷ All the men in your confederacy
Shall force you to the border;
The men at peace with you
Shall deceive you and prevail against you.
Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap^[a] for you.
No one is aware of it.

⁸ “Will I not in that day,” says the Lord,
“Even destroy the wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountains of Esau?
⁹ Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed,
To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau
May be cut off by slaughter.

Edom Mistreated His Brother

¹⁰ “For violence against your brother Jacob,
Shame shall cover you,
And you shall be cut off forever.
¹¹ In the day that you stood on the other side—
In the day that strangers carried captive his forces,
When foreigners entered his gates
And cast lots for Jerusalem—
Even you were as one of them.
¹² “But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother
In the day of his captivity;
Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Nor should you have spoken proudly
In the day of distress.
¹³ You should not have entered the gate of My people
In the day of their calamity.
Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction
In the day of their calamity,
Nor laid hands on their substance
In the day of their calamity.
¹⁴ You should not have stood at the crossroads
To cut off those among them who escaped;
Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained
In the day of distress.

¹⁵ “For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near;
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.
¹⁶ For as you drank on My holy mountain,
So shall all the nations drink continually;
Yes, they shall drink, and swallow,
And they shall be as though they had never been.

Israel’s Final Triumph

¹⁷ “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. ¹⁸ The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.

¹⁹ The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, And the Lowland shall possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim And the fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
²⁰ And the captives of this host of the children of Israel Shall possess the land of the Canaanites As far as Zarephath.
The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Shall possess the cities of the South. ²¹ Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Verse 18 stands out to me…
¹⁸ The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,” For the Lord has spoken.

We know from scripture that the tares are gathered and destroyed first, and the elect are gathered second, after tribulation.
Ezekiel, Isaiah, and other references tell us the line of Esau will live in the holy land at end times, and will be destroyed.
Verse 18 tells us that there will be no survivors of the house of Esau – followed by these words:  “for the Lord has spoken.”
When Elohim has spoken, you can absolutely bet that what was said is true and will happen.

So, after much rambling, and referring to many different sources of scripture and many different ideas, this is what is floating in my head:
Regarding those who are seeking Aliyah, to return to the geo-political nation of Israel and gain citizenship where we are told the line of Esau shall live and rule —
Are they the Edomites being gathered in the land, in order to fulfill what Elohim said in verse 18 above? Must they be gathered so that none may survive, as is foretold, from the very words of Yehova?
What about those who love the geo-political nation of Israel and the Star of David?
Is this just a lack of discernment?
Do they have a righteous calling on their life to do so, just as I have a calling on my life to reject it?

Yes, I recognize this idea will be very offensive to those who feel the calling to love and support the current nation of Israel, or to even return to the land and claim it as their heritage.  The idea I’m presenting is awful for those people if it is true.

But my goal is to search out scripture and find truth.
I want to know why I am offended by the Star of David, while others embrace it.
I’ll be praying about this as James tells us to pray:

James 1:5-8
⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Disclaimer…
Please do not see my comments as showing disrespect for the true people of Yehova, the true people and nation of Israel.
The same thing goes for the promise land.  I am fascinated by the thought of one day being called to the promise land, as we are told will happen.
But not until then.  Not until Yeshua makes it happen, not the United Nations.
I have absolute love and respect for the true entities that are of Yehova.  I am just questioning the counterfeits that are mentioned in scripture…