Five Things You Need to Know About the Middle East

The Middle East has long been a region of intense and frequent conflict. Tensions and wars have ebbed and flowed as peoples and governments have tried to protect their lands and citizens from mistreatment by others.

Over the past century there have been numerous attempts to bring peace to this troubled region, but thus far, none has fully succeeded.

This article will highlight five factors that are explained in greater detail in our new booklet The Middle East in Prophecy.

These five things provide the context you need to understand the significance of this part of the world, make sense of the ongoing conflict between Arabs and Jews, and become aware of the future peace destined to come to this area.

1. The Middle East is God’s geographical focal point.

One of the first things we need to understand about the Middle East is that this region is no ordinary piece of real estate. The Bible shows that the Creator of the entire earth selected this part of the world to be the birthplace of humanity—where humans were created and civilization developed.

The region has been called the cradle of civilization. It is also referred to as the Fertile Crescent because the productive heart of the Middle East is a crescent-shaped area stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf.

The Middle East is at the intersection of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. Because of its strategic location, it was fought over by great empires and later by competing religions.

This land is where God worked with the biblical patriarchs and allowed their descendants to establish the Old Testament kingdom of Israel.

When it came time to build a temple, God personally chose Jerusalem for its location (2 Chronicles 6:5-6; 7:12). After its construction, God further explained, “For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually” (verse 16).

Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, was where Jesus, the Son of God, was born. Nazareth, to the north, was where Jesus grew up, and He traversed the cities between throughout His ministry. Jerusalem was where our Savior was crucified and resurrected.

The Middle East plays a central role in end-time Bible prophecy. The Bible can help us understand current events and what will happen in the future. In the centuries since, followers of the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—have fought over the land of the Middle East. All three religions consider Jerusalem a holy city.

From the outset of mankind’s history, the Middle East has been the central location of God’s interaction with humanity. Bible prophecy shows that at the end of this present age, this part of the world is also going to be the prominent location of conflict among the nations and the place to which Jesus will return.

When Jesus establishes the Kingdom of God on earth after His return, Jerusalem will become a center of education and peace for the entire world. We’ll consider this in greater detail later.

2. The Middle East’s problems are rooted in family squabbles.

Today’s animosity between Arabs and Jews is largely the story of conflict among the descendants of one family. It’s a story of hurts and grievances held for centuries. This family feud is prophesied to continue until the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The family can be traced back to a man named Terah, who had three sons: Abram (or Abraham, as he was later called), Nahor and Haran.

When Haran died, Haran’s son Lot stayed with his grandfather (Terah) and his uncle (Abraham). When Abraham answered God’s call to move to Canaan, Lot went with him. Eventually, however, they both became so prosperous that the land could not support their dwelling together, and they separated (Genesis 13:6).

Lot and his family ended up in Sodom. God brought Lot and some of his family members out of Sodom before destroying that wicked city.

Lot’s daughters had sons who became the fathers of the nations of Moab and Ammon—nations that would often be at war with Abraham’s descendants.

Rivalries also sprang up in Abraham’s family. Although God had promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child whose descendants would become a great nation and inherit the land where they lived, they became impatient.

At Sarah’s urging, Abraham fathered a child (Ishmael) with Sarah’s maid Hagar. This event triggered a long-running distrust between Sarah and Hagar. It eventually led to Hagar and her son, Ishmael, being pushed out of the family. This happened after Sarah bore Isaac—the son God had promised—in her old age. Ishmael became the father of the Arabs, and the hostility between Ishmael’s and Isaac’s descendants (specifically, the Israelites) escalated through the years.

Further illustrating how the extended family of Terah became interconnected, Isaac married Rebekah, a granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor (Genesis 24:1-4, 15). Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons, Esau and Jacob, who fought with each other from the time they were in the womb. Both became the founders of nations, and their descendants became enemies (Genesis 25:23).

Esau’s descendants became the nation of Edom (Genesis 36:1). Jacob (who became known as Israel) had 12 sons, whose descendants became the 12 tribes of Israel. These two nations were also often at war.

A marriage between Esau and a daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9) linked these two branches of Abraham’s family in their bitter rivalry with Jacob’s descendants.

These ancient jealousies and disagreements among the descendants of Abraham and his relatives has engendered the animosities evident today between many Arabs and Jews.

3. A major aspect of Middle East history involves Arab efforts to unite.

To understand the Middle East today, it helps to have an overview of the history of the Arab peoples and the rise of Islam.

In the centuries following their development as tribes and peoples, the descendants of Ishmael lived in Arabia, northern Africa and the Levant (the area along the eastern coast of Mediterranean Sea). They became known as Arabs, along with some of the descendants of Esau and Lot.

Although these peoples were prophesied to be independent and fight among themselves (Genesis 16:12), they shared a hatred of Israel’s descendants.

Religiously, the Arabs were very divided. Nearly all were pagan polytheists, worshipping various gods associated with the lands they inhabited or heavenly bodies.

The birth of Muhammad in A.D. 570 began to change that. Muhammad taught a religion called Islam, which gained rapid acceptance and gave the Arab peoples a much-desired opportunity for unity. However, Islam itself developed divisions among its adherents.

The Koran (or Quran)—the book containing Muhammad’s visions on how to live and his perceived corrections of the Christian Bible—has some sections advocating peaceful existence with non-Muslims and other sections sanctioning bloodshed against them.

Today many Muslims cite passages in the Koran advocating peaceful relations. Others cite different passages to justify holy war with brutal, horrific acts to advance Islam and destroy its perceived enemies.

Another significant issue—the question of who was the legitimate successor of Muhammed—is the basis for the current Sunni-Shia divide. The Sunni position is that Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law, was the rightful successor. The Shia position, held by a minority, is that Muhammad had indicated his successor should be his cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Today, approximately 90 percent of Muslims are Sunni. Yet in the Muslim nations of Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan, the majority is Shia. Iran, governed as a Shia theocracy, seeks to dominate the Muslim world and funds terrorists throughout the region.

Understanding the emphasis placed on different passages of the Koran and the Sunni-Shia divide helps explain the ongoing divisions and conflicts in the Muslim world.

4. The Middle East is central to end-time prophecy.

The Middle East plays a central role in end-time Bible prophecy. The Bible can help us understand current events and what will happen in the future.

In recent years there have been some limited successes at making peace between the State of Israel and Arab nations. For example, the Camp David Accords, signed in 1978 by Israel and Egypt, and the first of the Abraham Accords, signed Sept. 15, 2020, by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, offered hope. However, Israel’s relationships with these nations remain tenuous, and its relationships with Iran and some other Muslim nations remain intractable.

Sadly, end-time prophecy indicates that the “ancient hatred” (Ezekiel 35:5) many Arab nations have toward Israel will boil over once again during the time preceding Christ’s return.

Psalm 83 describes a group of primarily Arab nations committed to the extermination of the Jewish nation. “They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You” (Psalm 83:4-5).

Daniel 11 also speaks of a likely end-time Arab coalition of nations led by a “king of the South” that will attack a “king of the North,” which refers to a restoration of the Roman Empire in Europe (verse 40). The king of the North will then enter and conquer much of the Middle East (verses 41-43).

Soon thereafter, the king of the North will be drawn into another battle—this time with a large army coming from the north and east (verse 44; compare Revelation 9:16).

Finally, armies from all over the world will be drawn to the Holy Land to fight against the returning Jesus Christ (Revelation 16:14, 16; Zechariah 14:2-4).

See our booklets The Middle East in Prophecy and The Book of Revelation: The Storm Before the Calm for additional explanation of these prophecies.

5. The Middle East is promised a peaceful future.

The time just before Christ’s return will be so chaotic that it will threaten the very existence of mankind. Jesus said that “unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved” (Matthew 24:22).

Fortunately, God will intervene and save us. As He promised, “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy . . . The LORD will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem” (Zechariah 1:16-17). When Jesus returns, His feet will touch down on the Mount of Olives on the east side of Jerusalem (Acts 1:9-12; Zechariah 14:4).

After Jesus defeats the forces of all the nations gathered against Him, He “shall be King over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9), teaching all peoples His way of peace (Isaiah 2:3). From Jerusalem, He will “judge between the nations” and rule with a “rod of iron” (Isaiah 2:4; Revelation 12:5; 19:15).

This means that Jesus will equitably sort out all the disagreements among the nations and have the power to enforce His righteous judgments.

With Satan removed from the scene and no longer free to deceive people (Revelation 12:9; 20:1-3), the wisdom and blessing of choosing God’s way of life will become abundantly clear.

Describing this time, Jeremiah noted: “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts” (Jeremiah 3:17).

As people and nations begin obeying God, they will experience real peace. Isaiah 32:17 declares, “The work of righteousness will be peace.”

This is the wonderful future for the Middle East and all peoples and nations who respond to the teaching of God.

Learn more in our new booklet The Middle East in Prophecy.