Scripture predicts and history records the destruction of those who oppose God and His people. For example, the Edomites were destroyed 2,500 years ago; the terrorist group Hamas is currently being destroyed; and Satan will be destroyed when he is “thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” where he “will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
The Edomites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother, and from the beginning they were hostile to Jacob’s descendants, Israel. They never forgave Jacob for stealing the blessing and the birthright from his brother, and they took out their rage on Israel.
The Edomites inhabited the ancient city of Petra (Sela in Hebrew). Dr. Henrietta C. Mears writes, “It perched like an eagle’s nest, enclosed by towering rocks. Its only approach is through a deep rock cleft more than a mile long with massive cliffs more than 700 feet high rising on either side. The city was able to withstand any invasion.”
The closing sequence in the 1989 film, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” was filmed at Petra. And as one of the wonders of the world, this historic site is a stark reminder that those who oppose God will eventually be destroyed.
In one of the shortest books of the Bible, (21 verses) the prophet Obadiah foretold the coming annihilation of the Edomites. “Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever” (Obadiah 1:10). The Edomites were conquered and driven out of Petra in the fifth century B.C. as a result of their burning hatred for God’s people and ruthless opposition to Israel.
Like the Edomites before them, Hamas has been enraged with Israel from the day they emerged in 1987. And their recent terrorist attack on October 7 was “a day of hell on earth in Israel.” “More than 2,000 men entered Israeli territory through 29 breaches in the barrier surrounding the Gaza Strip.” Hamas committed unspeakable atrocities against civilians in Israel.
Hamas relies upon its 300-mile tunnel network in carrying out its vicious agenda to kidnap, torture and kill innocent civilians. Nevertheless, the elaborate tunnel system will not prevent their looming destruction.
Whether it be the massive cliffs of Petra, or the labyrinth of passages in the Hamas tunnels, “those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder against them from Heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth” (1 Samuel 2:10). The words of Obadiah ring true: “The house of Esau will be stubble … there will be no survivors from the house of Esau. The Lord has spoken” (v. 18).
The hatred of the Edomites and Hamas toward Israel is only surpassed by the perpetual rage of the evil one who controls their hearts, namely, Satan.
Jesus defeated the devil by dying on the cross for our sins and rising again on the third day. Satan will be punished for his rebellion against God when he is “thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” (Rev. 20:10). There is no coming back from the unbearable agony of Hell, where the punishment never ends.
The destruction of the Edomites, Hamas and Satan are the result of their cold-hearted pride and furious contempt for Israel.
Obadiah wrote: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom … the pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home in the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord” (vv. 1,3-4).
Likewise, Lucifer thought he was invincible, and he longed to become the center of attention in Heaven. Pride and rebellion led to his downfall.
“Your heart became proud on account of your beauty” (Ezekiel 28:17). “So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub” (v. 16). “I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings” (v. 17). Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven” (Luke 10:18).
Jesus identified Pergamum in Turkey as the earthly residence “where Satan has his throne,” and “the city where Satan lives” (Revelation 2:13). But a spiritual throne in Turkey is no more secure than the cliffs of Petra or the tunnels of Hamas. No place is beyond the Lord’s reach and out of God’s sight, as King David noted: “Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7).
You see, it is impossible to hide from the Creator of Heaven and earth.
The Edomites, Hamas and Satan will spend eternity in excruciating torment as a result of their heinous iniquities. They will be shown no mercy, just as they showed no mercy to the victims of their brutality. In the words of Obadiah: “As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head” (v. 15).
We are witnessing this spiritual dynamic play out today with Hamas, just as it played out 2,500 years ago with the Edomites, and 2,000 years ago when Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities, and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).
“The devil is filled will fury because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:12). Satan realizes that he will be “thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” where he “will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Likewise, a growing number of Hamas terrorists are being killed by the Israel Defense Forces everyday, and their souls are immediately entering the horrific prison of Hell.
As with Satan and the Edomites, Hamas will suffer the painful and eternal consequences of God’s wrath against sin. They refused to bow their knee to King Jesus, and they persisted in carrying out terrorist attacks against God’s people. In so doing, they deliberately ignored this New Testament warning: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7).
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
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