Isaiah 17 ?

One reason we watch developments between Israel and Syria is because of the prophecy recorded in Isaiah 17. We have discussed this many times, but in short, this prophecy tells us that Damascus will be destroyed in a matter of hours and will become a "heap of ruins" and will cease to exist as a city. Obviously this is an unfulfilled prophecy, as Damascus is a thriving city today. It also seem vastly obvious that somehow the complete destruction of Damascus will play a role in the overall conflict in the region, quite possibly leading to the more epic prophetic events as described in Ezekiel 38-39, aka the "Gog-MaGog" invasion of Israel.

My good friend and brother-in-Christ Michael Mickey has written a timely commentary (also attached here) regarding the situation with Syria today:





Will Syria provoke the destruction of Damascus?

By Michael G. Mickey
(7-1-09)

Recently, as many of you know, Syria has been suspected of having a covert nuclear weapons program much like Iran has.

UPI reported the following on 6-6-09, documenting both present concerns and past ones:

Suspicions that Syria was trying to build a nuclear weapon have gained momentum with the discovery of uranium at a second site in the country, analysts say.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that a random test at a small research reactor in Damascus turned up processed uranium particles of a "type not included in Syria's declared inventory of nuclear material," The Washington Post reported.
And...
The first uranium discovery came after Israeli warplanes destroyed a facility on the Euphrates River near the village of Al Kibar in 2007. Syria had long claimed the bombed facility was not nuclear-related, but U.N. investigators say they found traces of a specialized form of uranium in soil around the ruined building, the Post reported.[More]
Adding to the tension Israel is already under with Iran, a nation whose leader has openly hoped for the destruction of the Jewish nation, seeking a nuclear bomb, the United States and international community breathing down its neck to make peace with the Palestinians who also want to see Israel destroyed, now there's a nuclear weapon-seeking Syria to its north. Not good.

As bad as the current situation is for Israel, one has to wonder where all of this is headed in light of Isaiah 17:1 which foretells a destruction of Damascus so terrible that it will no longer exist as a city, no small thing considering Damascus is thought by many to be the most continuously inhabited city on the face of the earth.

Isaiah 17:1: The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

The question on my mind right now, in light of recent developments, is: Will Syria provoke the destruction of Damascus, potentially very soon?

Mere days ago, with Syrian president Bashar Assad in attendance, Syrian officials "threatened to take "practical steps" to regain control of the Golan Heights, since Israel is clearly not willing to negotiate its surrender." (Source: Israel Today)

WorldNetDaily.com is reporting the following, documenting that Israel has been taking the threat posed by Syria seriously, even before the recent outburst:
Israel has not been standing idle at recent Syrian rhetoric and military moves.

A WND trip to the Israeli-Syrian border three weeks ago found Israeli tanks stationed alongside the Syrian border as well as a series of massive trenches dug in recent months on the Israeli side.
When Israel bombed Syria's first plant dedicated to their arch enemy traveling down the same path Iran presently is, it should've raised red flags in Damascus but it hasn't. Instead, if the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) is correct, Syria has simply relocated its efforts to become a nuclear power to a new location. As if that isn't dangerous enough in and of itself, members of its government are now threatening war with Israel for possession of the Golan Heights.

If Damascus went up in a mushroom cloud today, I'd be sorrowed for all the innocent people who would die in a scenario like that but I wouldn't be surprised in the least. While the mainstream media's attention is directed almost exclusively to Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon and Israel's potential attack to try and prevent that, bible prophecy foresees Iran remaining militarily viable, but by the time the battle of Gog-Magog occurs? Syria isn't mentioned as a participant, which raises the possibility in my mind that Damascus may have already been dealt with, specifically in an Isaiah 17:1 type way. Is that how it will ultimately play out? I don't know, but Syria is playing a very dangerous game right now - one it is not going to win.

Keep looking up!