What’s Next?
Randy Nettles
I believe the next major biblical event to be fulfilled is the prophecy found in Isaiah 17, the destruction of Damascus, Syria. “Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid” (Isaiah 17:1-2).
Both Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel were defeated by Assyria in the 8th century BC. However, Damascus was never destroyed to the extent where it was no longer a city and became a “ruinous heap.” In fact, Damascus makes the claim of being the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Therefore, Isaiah 17:1-2 awaits a future fulfillment.
Most scholars believe Israel will be the cause of Damascus’ demise in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack by Bashar Al-Assad, tyrant of Syria; or Putin could do it and blame it on Assad or Hezbollah. It would be ironic (but not for God) if the chemical attack against Israel and the destruction of Damascus, Syria (by the military might of the modern nation of Israel) happened on the 9th day of Av. That would make the 9th tragic event that occurred on the 9th day of Av in the history of Israel.
The theory is that Saddam Hussein, tyrant of Baghdad Iraq, did in fact have huge stockpiles of chemical weapons all along, but they were never found because he secretly smuggled them into Syria days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. If Syria were to use weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical weapons, against the Jewish people, Israel would respond with their own W.O.M.D such as a tactical or neutron bomb. A weapon of this magnitude could certainly cause Damascus to cease being a city, thus fulfilling Isaiah 17:1.
There have been increasing military activities in and around Damascus as of late. Hezbollah and Iranian forces are turning an old military base south of Damascus into a drone training and operations center to protect from Israeli airstrikes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Could these drones be used for offensive weapons to deliver their payload of chemical weapons against the Jewish people?
If Israel were to destroy Damascus it would certainly infuriate Russia and Iran and greatly obstruct their military and strategic goals. It is also possible Israel will attack Iran’s nuclear facilities before they can produce a nuclear bomb which will be used against the Jews. “With JCPOA restrictions in place the United States estimated in 2015 that it would take Iran 12 months to produce enough nuclear fuel for a bomb should it decide to abandon the deal and seek a workable weapon. Today that estimate has shrunk to about one month as Tehran has installed more centrifuges in its nuclear centers, enriched uranium of a far higher quality than allowed under the original nuclear pact and restrained international inspectors’ access to Iranian nuclear facilities.”
These military actions by Israel against Syria and Iran could be the fuse that ignites the Gog-Magog war. It will be the excuse that Russia and its coalition will use to invade Israel “to take plunder and to take booty” (oil and gas reserves, minerals, etc.) as Ezekiel describes in Ezekiel 38:12-13.
I believe the Gog/Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39 takes place shortly after the Rapture of the Church, but before the seven-year Tribulation (aka Daniel’s 70th Week). However, if true, then it will occur at least three and a half years before the start of the Tribulation and seven years before the “in the midst’ moment of the abomination of desolation as described in Matthew 24:15-22. This is because, according to Ezekiel, the Jews would burn the weapons of the armies of the nations that attacked them for a period of seven years (Ezekiel 39:9-10).
No comments:
Post a Comment