PAUL’S ANGUISH & THE HEART OF GOD • PART IV
THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE GREAT COMMISSION — PART II
I believe that in the coming years, the Lord will cause the descendants of Ishmael to cry out to Him out of the anguish of their exclusion from Abraham’s household. And the Lord will hear their cry and bring great salvation to the sons of Ishmael, who will become a “great” nation before Him. This great remnant among Ishmael’s children will be raised up to provoke jealousy in Israel—their younger brother—who also is lost, so that both might return to their God.
One of the Church’s sacred callings is precisely this: to provoke Israel to jealousy.[1] Though this mandate belongs to the Gentile Church across every nation, it carries special weight for the nations surrounding Israel—the very descendants of Ishmael.
THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE AND THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE EAST
We do not need to be experts in politics or international relations to perceive that the noose around Israel is tightening. The alarming rise of antisemitism worldwide—barely one generation after the Holocaust—should sober every believer. Neighboring nations openly declare their intention to seize Jerusalem and erase the State of Israel from the map. The United Nations, once envisioned as a guardian of human rights and religious freedom, has long since become a platform from which nations hostile to Israel broadcast their antisemitic agendas. In view of this growing hostility, our greatest concern must be for the Church—that she would stand faithful in the midst of persecution and deception. We need a generation of saints who, like their Master, will be willing to lay down their lives for their brother Israel.
Scripture is unambiguous about a coming period known as “the time of Jacob’s trouble,”[2] a season when God will draw His people into the wilderness to deal with them face-to-face.[3] It will be “a time of distress such as never has been since there was a nation.”[4] Where is this wilderness in which God will meet His people before restoring them and fulfilling all His promises? Once again, the prophetic texts point clearly to the surrounding nations.[5] Therefore, it is reasonable—and biblical—to believe that the Church within the most hostile nations toward Israel will carry the primary role in this divine drama. It will be within these lands—where Jewish refugees and captives will be taken during the darkest hour of human history—that believers will have the opportunity to manifest the ultimate expression of love: standing between the Jewish people and the fury of the Antichrist. Just as Jesus interposed Himself between humanity and the wrath of the serpent, so the end-time Church will take her place, bearing suffering on behalf of Israel and offering her life for them.[6]
ISHMAEL AND ISAAC RECONCILED IN THE END OF THE AGE
The enmity between Ishmael and Isaac will persist until the end of the age. Yet when the Lord returns in power and glory, He will bring judgment upon the nations that hated Israel without cause. However, we pray that among the Arab peoples, a great remnant will arise—a redeemed company who will love, shelter, and proclaim to Israel the truth of her King, Savior, and Messiah. Through their testimony, Israel will recognize Him when He comes to deliver her, and “they will look upon Him whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son.”[7] While our focus here has been the biblical promise given to Ishmael, Scripture contains numerous prophecies of restoration for the neighboring nations as well.[8] Indeed, a new disciple-making movement is spreading rapidly throughout the region. Remarkably, two of the fastest-growing churches in the world today are found in Iran and Afghanistan. What stands out most is that those who turn from Islam and pledge allegiance to the King of the Jews almost immediately begin to love Israel and to pray for her redemption. These believers—many of them former Muslims—are being forged into a Church prepared to give their lives for their Jewish brothers.
THE GOSPEL AND THE GREAT COMMISSION IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The movement of disciple-making throughout the Middle East and the fulfillment of the Great Commission are not coincidental. They have been woven into the fabric of God’s redemptive design since the very beginning of history. From Eden to Abraham, from the prophets to the apostles, the Lord’s purpose has remained unchanged: that through Israel, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Now, in the unfolding of the last days, the Lord is orchestrating a divine convergence—the salvation of Ishmael’s descendants, the awakening of the Church among the nations, and the coming restoration of Israel itself. These streams of redemption are not isolated; they flow together into a single river that will culminate in the return of the King to Jerusalem.
A FINAL EXHORTATION
The more we long for the return of the Lord, the more we will find ourselves drawn into His purposes among the nations—especially in the Middle East, the central stage of the redemptive drama. Jesus will return to save Israel and redeem all nations. He will establish a kingdom of truth, and that kingdom will be characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy. Israel will become the first fully redeemed nation, signaling the fulfillment of God’s ancient promise that all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Therefore, the call before the Church is unmistakably clear:
Disciple the nations, that through the witness of the Gentile Church, Israel might be stirred to jealousy.
When that divine jealousy takes root and Israel turns to her Messiah, the Messianic Age will dawn, and creation itself will be restored to the beauty of Eden.
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Why does Scripture emphasize the relationship between Ishmael and Israel in God’s redemptive plan?
How does the persecution of Christians and Jews in the Middle East fit within the prophetic timeline of redemption?
In what ways can the modern Church in the nations provoke Israel to jealousy through love and service?
What lessons can be drawn from the growth of the Church in nations like Iran and Afghanistan regarding God’s strategy in the end times?
Paulo Maranatha serves as a pioneer in the Muslim world with his wife and children.