This end-time prophecy for
Joseph (which I believe is the modern day Anglo-Saxon peoples of Great Britain,
United States and Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Anglo South Africa) seems
to be strikingly fulfilled in the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, and
following. (Even if you do not believe in the identity of modern Israel in the
Anglo-Saxon peoples, you will have to admit that New York City has more Jews
than almost any other place in the world!)
America continues to grieve
the most devastating tragedy in its history.
The terrorist attack was the most grievous episode in American
history. But who are the archers, and
why do they hate Joseph?
Ishmael, son of Abraham and Sarah’s
handmaid Hagar, grew up with envious hatred for Isaac, father of Jacob
(Israel), the father of Joseph, Genesis 21:9-11. After Sarah’s jealousy resulted in the
expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael, “God was with the lad [Ishmael]; and he grew,
and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer,” verse 20. Most students of the Bible know that Ishmael
was the father of the Arabs. What kind
of people would Ishmaelites be? The
angel of the Lord announced, “And he [Ishmael, which means ‘God shall hear’]
will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every
man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren,”
Genesis 16:12. In modern
parlance, Ishmael’s descendents would be terrorists, wreaking havoc in
the midst of his brethren (the legitimate sons of Abraham). Why?
Because they have never forgiven Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph for receiving
the promised birthright from God. That
hatred continues today, in men like Yassir Arafat, who claims he is an
Ishmaelite who eternally hates the Jews (Judah) and the Americans and British
(Joseph) who support them.
There is another archer — Esau,
the nephew of Ishmael. Isaac and
Rebekah had twin boys, Esau and Jacob (later renamed Israel). “And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning
hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents,” Genesis
25:27. Esau, the firstborn, should
have received the birthright blessing.
But he despised his blessing, verses 28-34. Later, Jacob tricked his aged father Isaac
into blessing him instead of Esau.
Notice that Esau was an archer (Genesis 27:1-4). Thousands of years of hatred began with this
historical incident, “And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith
his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my
father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob,” Genesis 27:41. One of Esau’s wives was Mahalath (or
Bashemath), sister of Nebajoth, the son of Ishmael. Thus, Esau through marriage was related to Ishmael as well as
being his nephew. Both Ishmael and Esau
were archers. Both hated Isaac, Jacob,
and Joseph. Isaac prophesied of Esau,
“And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother [Jacob];
and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shall
break his yoke from off thy neck,” verse 40. See also II Kings 8:20, which is a type of the end
times. Esau rejoiced at the destruction
of Jerusalem, Psalm 137:7.
In the centuries that
followed, the Ishmael/Esau confederation were archers who lived by the sword,
which with the crescent moon became the symbols of Islam. Actually, the word for “archers” in Genesis
49:23 is Strong’s #1167, ba’al, alluding to 
Nimrod, the mighty hunter with the bow (cf. the constellation of Orion). The archers who attack and grieve Joseph in
the last days are at heart Baal worshippers.
It is interesting to note that in 1998, Palestinian Authority leader
Yassir Arafat had a postage stamp printed with Baal on it!
Psalm 83 tells of a confederation
of terrorists against God’s people.
“For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have
lifted up the head. They have taken crafty
counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them
off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate
[worldwide terrorist network] against thee: The tabernacles of Edom [Esau],
and the Ishmaelites; of Moab . . . Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines . .
. children of Lot,” verses 2-8.
In type, Job experienced a
grievous affliction similar to that prophesied for Joseph in Genesis 49.
In Job 16:11-14, we read Job’s lament, “God hath delivered me to
the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked. I was at ease, but he hath broken me
asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me
up for his mark [target]. His archers
compass me round about [multiple terrorist attacks], he cleaveth my reins
asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground. He breaketh me with breach upon breach [breach
of security?], he runneth upon me like a giant [even though small in number, a
few terrorists can wreak enormous damage].”
Ishmael had twelve sons,
Nebajoth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadar, Tema,
Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah, Genesis 25:13-15. It may be a coincidence that Ishmael, prophetic rival of Israel,
had the same number of sons that Jacob (Israel) did; also, both had one
daughter.
A trait of Ishmael, even
today, is to wear lots of gold (see Judges 8:24). In Isaiah 21 prophesies of Dumah,
verses 11-12, and Tema and Kedar in Arabia in verses
13-17. “Watchman,” Isaiah asks,
“what of the night? [How far is it spent? How long till morning?],” verse 11,
Amplified Bible. Within a year, the
glory of Kedar shall fail, verse 16.
“And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the
children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken
it,” verse 17.
