At one time, however, the Moabites, Ammonites and Philistines were neighbors of the ancient Israelites. Along the eastern bank of the Dead Sea, the territory of Moab extended from the river Arnon in the north to the torrent valley of Zered in the south. The Ammonites occupied the region extending eastward from the upper reaches of the curving river Jabbok toward the desert.

As for the Ammonites and Moabites, they cooperated with the Babylonians in the latter part of the seventh century B.C.E. to bring about the ruin of the land of Judah. (2 Ki. 24:2) Not long thereafter the Ammonites and the Moabites were themselves deprived of their land. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, King Nebuchadnezzar carried on a military campaign against Ammon and Moab in the fifth year after his desolating Jerusalem. Archaeological evidence confirms that the area occupied by Ammon and Moab was largely depopulated before the middle of the sixth century B.C.E. By the third century C.E., the Ammonites had evidently disappeared completely. The Moabites, too, vanished from the scene. Such Moabite cities as Nebo, Heshbon and Aroer are today just ruins. Many other cities cannot even be identified.

The only explanation for the disappearance of the Moabites, Ammonites and Philistines is to be found in an ancient historical record that has continued to exist to this day. That record is the Bible. As acknowledged in The Encyclopædia Britannica, no explanation other than that supplied by the Bible prophets has real validity. For example, we read regarding Moab:

“Israel remained a great power in religious history while Moab disappeared. It is true that Moab was continuously hard pressed by desert hordes; the exposed condition of the land is emphasized by the chains of ruined forts and castles which even the Romans were compelled to construct. The explanation of the comparative insignificance of Moab, however, is not to be found in purely topographical considerations. Nor can it be sought in political history, since Israel and Judah suffered as much from external movements as Moab itself. The explanation is to be found within Israel itself, in factors . . . to be found in the work of the prophets.”​—11th ed., Vol. XVIII, p. 632.

Yes, the real reason for the vanishing of the Moabites, Ammonites and Philistines is that God’s judgment was against them. To his prophet Ezekiel, Jehovah declared:

“Son of man, turn toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them. Say to the Ammonites: . . . Because you cried out your joy over the desecration of my sanctuary, the devastation of the land of Israel, and the exile of the house of Judah, therefore I will deliver you into the possession of the Easterners. They shall set up their encampments among you and pitch their tents; they shall eat your fruits and drink your milk. I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and the villages of the Ammonites a resting place for flocks. . . .

“Because Moab said, ‘See! the house of Judah is like all other nations,’ therefore I will clear the shoulder of Moab totally of its cities, the jewels of the land: Beth-jesimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim. I will hand her over, along with the Ammonites, into the possession of the Easterners, that she may not be remembered among the peoples. . . .

There is overwhelming evidence that this prophecy was fulfilled. Ammon and Moab did indeed become the “possession of the Easterners.” Says archaeologist G. M. Landes:

“Archaeological explorations have shown that sedentary occupation in the land of Ammon virtually ceased before the middle of the 6th century B.C. . . . Into the vacuum created by the destructive advances of the Babylonians poured once again . . . the ‘sons of the East,’ the bedouin hordes from the desert, who now destroyed all formally organized political activity in this area, and brought to an end the semi-autonomous Ammonite state.”​—The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, Vol. II, pp. 87, 88.

How forcefully the end of Ammon, Moab and Philistia testifies to the accurate fulfillment of Bible prophecy! The judgment of Jehovah God was indeed carried out against these hard-set enemies of his ancient covenant people, the Israelites. Truly the prophetic Word of God can be depended upon. As we read at Isaiah 55:11: “My word . . . will not return to me without results, but it will certainly do that in which I have delighted, and it will have certain success in that for which I have sent it.” So if we want to share in the blessings that Jehovah God has in store for those who love him, we do well to inform ourselves about his will and then live in harmony therewith.