“Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.” — Obadiah 1:21

The book of Obadiah, which is all of one chapter, is a prophecy against Edom and describes her downfall at the End of Days. At the end of the book, a new world order is described in which the descendents of Esau, who rule with wickedness, will no longer have any effect on the world. He will be subjugated by those who govern from Zion — the descendants of Jacob, who rule with righteousness. Then, and only then, “the kingdom will be the Lord’s.”

From all the evil nations in the world, why is the defeat of Esau a pre-requisite for God’s dominion on earth? What is unique about this nation?

When the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt, they were invincible and God’s kingship was irrefutable. After all that He had done to Egypt, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind about who was running the world. Then along came the nation of Amalek, who Scripture called “first among the nations” (Numbers 24:20). They had the dubious honor of being the first to challenge God’s authority and the first nation to try to destroy His children.

Amalek was defeated by Israel, but spiritual damage had been done. They doubted God’s kingship and planted the seeds of heresy for generations to come. Scripture tells us, “For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16). In the original Hebrew, the word “throne” is missing one letter. The message is that until the people represented by Amalek — and everything they stands for — are defeated, God’s throne will remain incomplete. Until that time, there will always be doubt of God.

Now let’s connect the dots. Amalek was a grandson of Esau and the chief of the Edomite tribe. Amalek, Edom, and Esau are all one and the same. Obadiah’s prophesy makes perfect sense. The fall of Esau/Edom is the end of an epic battle between Amalek and God. Esau’s fall means the end of all questioning. The entire world will recognize the Lord our God, and His kingship will be complete.

The spiritual seeds that Amalek planted thousands of years ago have sprung weeds everywhere. People of faith look forward to the time when the weeds of doubt will be replaced with seeds of faith, and the world is restored to the beautiful Garden of Eden that God intended all along.