Syria And End Times Commentary From Joel Rosenberg

Actually there are two very interesting commentaries by Joel Rosenberg. One reason I listen to Mr Rosenberg is the fact that he has extensive experience in the Middle East and he is very well connected. Additionally, his book "Epicenter" pretty much outlined exactly what Russia is doing today in the region:

In this first commentary he addresses this new idea that Isaiah 17 has already been fulfilled. It comes from the same group who refuses to take a literal view of future prophecy and for the usual incorrect reasons. The rebuttal is worth reading:

Syria And End Times Concerns A 'Legitimate Question' Says Mideast And Prophecy Expert

The question of whether or not the current events taking place in Syria are connected to the End Times is a "legitimate question," says an author and expert on the Middle East and End Times prophecy.

Joel C. Rosenberg, New York Times bestselling author of books such as The Last Days and Epicenter, and founder of the pro-Israel The Joshua Fund, told The Christian Post that such speculations should be taken with caution, but are legitimate ponderings.

"That being said, the prophecies of Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 are very important. They speak to the utter destruction and judgment of the city of Damascus at some point in the End Times future."

Rosenberg, whose bestselling novels often feature end times themes, also told CP that "these prophecies have never been fulfilled in history so far."

"Damascus has certainly been attacked and conquered in history, but it has never been removed from being a city. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on the planet," said Rosenberg, who has worked for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Regarding biblical prophecy and the Syria conflict, many have specifically pointed to Isaiah 17, which states in the first verse that "Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap."

In response to the curiosity about Isaiah 17, many Christian theologians have expressed skepticism about the passage applying to modern events.

Dr. Robert Mulholland, who is a recently retired professor of New Testament of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that he did not believe there was a connection.

"In this case, Isaiah was predicting the demise of Damascus at the hands of Assyria in the eighth century [Before Christ]," said Mulholland. "If one wanted to try to make the case for Isaiah 17 predicting the end times, then Iran (the present day successor to Assyria) would be responsible for Damascus' demise and not its primary ally."

Regarding the words of scholars, Rosenberg responded to CP that there were a couple of issues with saying that Isaiah 17 was fulfilled millennia ago.

"We know for certain that this prophecy of Isaiah 17 has not been fulfilled for several reasons. First Damascus had never been removed from being a city," argued Rosenberg.

Of course it still is a city so it could not have been fulfilled."

Rosenberg also argued that the set of prophecies Isaiah makes that includes chapter 17 were made in the year King Ahab died, which was sometime after Assyria had conquered Damascus.

"So Isaiah had not even had the prophecy of the complete destruction of Damascus that he writes about in Isaiah 17," said Rosenberg.

"Isaiah did prophesy about the conquering of Damascus by the king of Assyria in 732 BC and we find those prophecies in chapters seven and eight."

Putin To Visit Iran For The First Time In Six Years. Historic Trip Will Raise Renewed Interest In The 'Gog & Magog Prophecies

“Vladimir Putin has accepted an Iranian invitation to visit the country and meet with newly elected President Hasan Rouhani, a spokesman for the Russian president confirmed,” reports the Times of Israel.

“Putin has been invited to Iran, and he will certainly take advantage of this kind invitation,” the Interfax news agencyquoted spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Friday. “The dates of the visit will be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.”

“The announcement came on the heels of a report that Russia had agreed to sell to Iran the advanced S-300 air defense system and construct a new nuclear reactor at the Bushehr site,” the Times noted. “Putin met with Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Friday. During the meeting, Rouhani extended an invitation to Putin, who accepted, the Iranian semi-official Fars news agency reported. In July, there were reports that Putin would travel to Iran in August to revive negotiations over the country’s controversial nuclear program, but those plans appeared to fall through.”