Petra – The Prepared Place
Historical Background of Petra

Most Bible scholars believe this godly remnant who flees from Jerusalem will find refuge
in the ancient rock-hewn cliff city of Petra, and in the surrounding region in the land of that once
belonged to the descendants of Esau, that is Edom (Southern Jordan). Petra is not mentioned by
name in the Scriptures, but Bozrah, the ancient capital of Edom (Gen 36:31-33; Amos 1:12), is
said to be the place where God will care for them as his sheep (Hebrew botsrah = ―sheepfold‖ –
Micah 2:12-13), and it is the place where Messiah will tread the winepress of his vengeance
against the nations of the Earth (Isaiah 63). Bozrah was on the North-South caravan route known
as ―The King‘s Highway‖ (Numbers 20:17), south of the Dead Sea. Petra is about 7 miles from
the ancient location of Bozrah.
122 Petra may not be large enough to hold all the people who will
flee from the terrors in Jerusalem. However, since Bozrah is near Petra, it is likely that the
whole area will be God‘s prepared place for the refugees. The remnant will survive there,
protected by God, for three and a half years. Meantime terrible destruction will come upon the
land of Israel–which will be the focal point of war. The entire world will suffer terrible
destructive judgments, all from the Lord on that Day–but the believing refugees who constitute
what the Bible calls “true Israel” will be safe in the sheepfold around Bozrah and Petra. See also,
Appendix H – The History of Edom.
Edom, as the territory allotted to Jacob’s brother Esau, is documented in Genesis 36. A
man named Bozrah was a descendant of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land “before there
were any kings in Israel” (Genesis 36:31-33).
Edom’s long-standing enmity against Israel ultimately brought God’s judgment on them.
Obadiah the prophet devotes his short but potent message to the judgment of Edom, telling us of
her pride and arrogance and the reasons for God’s final judgment on these people. Amos, the
shepherd of Tekoa, wrote of impending judgment on Edom (Amos 1:11-12).
Various writers have given fine descriptions of Petra and the history of that region of
ancient Edom. The Nabataeans displaced the descendants of Esau probably in the 6th Century
BC. They controlled the entire region as far North as Damascus until the First Century. The
Greeks and Romans built extensively in Jordan and the area around Bozrah and Petra was well
populated as late as Roman times. Today the area is desolate and sparsely populated because of
the very low rainfall and scarcity of natural resources there.
Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans. Tourists to this vast mountain-enclosed
ancient city in the Wadi Musa generally enter from the east on foot or on horseback through El
Siq, a 6000 feet long narrow cleft (width: 12-30 feet) with 100-500 foot high cliff walls. Tombs
and houses carved into the bedrock over a vast area at Petra would be suitable for temporarily
housing many thousands of people. Mt. Hor is nearby, where Aaron died after Moses passed the
high priestly garments of Aaron on to Eleazer in the sight of the congregation (Numbers 20:23-
29).

Not to Be Conquered by the Beast
The future world dictator’s military will pursue and seek to annihilate the Jewish
believing remnant as they flee from Jerusalem. But their route of escape will have been made
ready by the Lord.
He [the last king of the North] will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but
Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. – Daniel 11:41

A Hiding Place
Evidently this part of Jordan will be given special protection during the last great
invasion of Israel. Isaiah the Prophet instructs the believing remnant of Israel to find a safe
hiding place during the time of Jacob’s trouble when God’s judgment will fall on the whole earth
(Isaiah 26:20-21).
During the second half of The Tribulation Period there will be no safe place to hide
anywhere on the earth–except in the refuge God will provide, probably at Petra. We gain
glimpses of how terrible life will become for non-believers in those days from many passages in
the Book of Revelation. For example at the opening of the Sixth Seal of judgment John notes:
I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like
sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars in the sky fell to
earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14The sky receded like a
scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and
every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16They called to the
mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and
from the wrath of the Lamb! 17For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can
stand?” -Revelation 6:12-17

Believers’ Underground
These fleeing refugees from Jerusalem will become a part of a believer’s underground in
those days. True believers in Jesus as they are converted by the vigorous world-wide evangelistic
campaign of the 144,000 will not be allowed the privileges of citizenship and commerce in the
Beast’s world government, as we have noted. They will refuse to participate in worship of the
beast, and consequently will not be allowed to buy or sell anything. Therefore, they will be
forced to hide in secret places, or die, as the early Christians did when the Church was young.
Christians went underground during the persecutions in Rome. They literally lived in the
vast network of catacombs beneath the city of Rome. Visitors to Rome today can visit the places
where they lived, including large cavernous rooms where they met for worship and prayer, and
hundreds of tombs carved into the sides of the tunnels for those who died during this time.
Groups of “underground” believers during the Tribulation Period will no doubt form their
own alliances for survival, including sharing of resources, bartering, and standing guard for one
another. They may well have the use of the Internet, satellite communication, and other high tech
methods in their struggle.
According to Revelation 12, which records the cosmic drama of Israel and the Dragon,
the devil will be thwarted in his attempt to capture the fleeing remnant of Israel and will be
enraged at “the rest of her offspring” who are described as true believers in Jesus (Revelation
12:14-17). Evidently this latter group will be converts from all the Gentile nations.
It is possible that the underground followers of Jesus during The Tribulation period will
receive special divine guidance and help from this place to which Israel will flee, because it will
be protected by God. Petra is certainly one of the best natural places on earth for protection,
because it can only be entered by one narrow valley (“El Siq”), which would be easy to guard.
However, given the modern capabilities to fly over the city and bomb even mountain sanctuaries,
it seems clear that God himself will provide the necessary supernatural protection for Israel.