THE DESTRUCTION OF DAMASK (SYRIA)
ECCLESIASTES 1: 9-10
9 That which was, that is that which shall be; And what has been done will be done; So that there is nothing new under the sun.
10 There is something that can be said: See, is this new? Already in the past centuries, which were before us.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops are battling about 1,000 rebel groups that would have 100,000 combatants. Some with a strong tendency towards extremism and links to al-Qaeda.
Since the beginning of 2014, the extremist group calling itself the Islamic State has come into the picture, facing both the government and the rebels, whether radical or moderate.
There are still the United States and its western allies, including France, and other countries with varying levels of involvement: Iran, Turkey and Persian Gulf nations.
And now Russia, which has launched a bombing campaign, according to the Kremlin, against positions of the Islamic State.
Understand chess and the pieces of this conflict: United States
Opposes: Bashar Al-Assad and Islamic State (EI).
It supports: rebel groups considered moderate and the Kurds.
In September 2014, then-President Barack Obama announced his intention to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the EI. Thus began an air campaign in Iraq and Syria, with support from Canada, France, the United Kingdom and several Arab countries.
Recently, at a summit on terrorism in the US, Obama emphasized the need for Assad's exit from power as a condition to defeat the EI. He said it was necessary "a new leader and a government of inclusion that unites the Syrian people in the fight against terrorist groups".
Russia opposes: Islamic State and other rebels.
Support: Bashar Al-Assad.
Location: Situated in the heart of the Middle East, Syria borders Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. Its capital is Damascus.
Economy: The country is based on its economy agriculture, tourism and oil extraction.
History: Inhabited by Semitic peoples since Antiquity, the territory of Syria is, in the course of history, divided between the Persian, Macedonian and Roman empires. The country was occupied by several peoples, and the marks of these passages are visible through the territory. There are since ancient Roman ruins, medieval crusader castles and Islamic monuments.
Independence: The country was dominated by the French until its independence in 1946. The first Syrian government was deposed in 1949, by a military coup. A new coup reestablishes the constitutional regime in 1954. In 1958, a plebiscite approved the merger of Syria and Egypt into the United Arab Republic, but a coup in 1961 separated them. Another coup in 1963 puts Baath in power.
Military dictatorship: In 1967, the country lost the Golan Heights to Israel in the Six Day War. In 1970, the Defense Minister, General Hafiz al-Assad, a Muslim Alawite, takes a hit. The general dies in 2000. In June of the same year his son, Bashar al-Assad, succeeds him, remaining in power until today.
Since the beginning of the civil war that has been going on in Syria since 2011, questions about biblical prophecy began to emerge in the evangelical milieu. "The prophet Ezekiel wrote 2,500 years ago that in the last days of history, Russia and Iran will form a military alliance to attack Israel from the north," Rosenberg recalls. "Bible scholars refer to this eschatological conflict, described in chapters 38 and 39 of the book of Ezekiel, such as the War of Gog and Magog."
For those who believe that Syria will play a key role in the end-time scenario, Rosenberg notes that Isaiah 17: 1-3 is primordial: "Warning against Damascus: 'Damascus will cease to be a city; And it will become a heap of ruins. Their cities will be abandoned; They shall be delivered to the flocks that lie there, and no one shall frighten them. '
Rosenberg argues that these prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. "Damascus is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities on the planet. It was attacked, besieged and conquered, but was never completely destroyed and uninhabited, "he argues.
For a good understanding of the threat of Isaiah 17, one must understand what the rest of the book says about Damascus and its relationship with the Kingdom of Israel:
"And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel went up to Jerusalem to fight against it. They could do nothing against her. And they told the house of David, saying, Syria made a covenant with Ephraim. Then his heart moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest moved with the wind. And the LORD said to Isaiah, "Now you and your son, Sear-jashub, went out to Ahaz at the end of the channel of the upper pool on the way to the field of the laundress. And say unto him, Take heed, and be still; Do not be afraid, nor let your heart be discouraged because of these two pieces of smoke; Because of the fierce anger of Rezin, and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria had evil counsel against thee with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and let us afflict him, and divide him among us, and let the son of Tabeal reign in the midst of him. Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. But the head of Syria shall be Damascus, and the head of Damascus Rezin; And within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be destroyed, and shall cease to be a people. " (Isaiah 7: 1-8)
At that time, the descendants of Abraham were divided between the Kingdom of the North ("Kingdom of Israel") and the Kingdom of the South ("Kingdom of Judah"). Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah and Samaria, which was in the tribe of Ephraim, was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel. The book of Isaiah tells us that the Kingdom of Israel had made an alliance with Syria to attack the Kingdom of Judah. In this context, Isaiah prophesied about the destruction that would come upon the Kingdom of Israel, "... within sixty-five years Ephraim Shall be destroyed, and shall cease to be a people. " So far, he makes no mention of destruction against Syria. He speaks of a wicked alliance between the Kingdom of Israel and Syria, but it threatens only the Kingdom of Israel. In the following chapter, we see a clearer threat against the two:
"And I went unto the prophetess, and she conceived, and bare a son; And the LORD said unto me, Call him the name of Maer-salal-Has-baz. For before the child shall know how to say my father, or my mother, the riches of Damascus, and the spoil of Samaria, shall be brought before the king of Assyria. " (Isaiah 8: 3-4)
Here, then, the prophet makes it clear that both the Kingdom of Israel (whose capital was Samaria) and Syria (whose capital was Damascus) would be attacked by Assyria. This is the context for understanding the prophecy of chapter 17:
"Damascus weight. Behold, Damascus shall be taken away, and it shall not be a city, but a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer shall be abandoned; They shall be for the flocks that lie down, and none shall make them afraid. And the fortress of Ephraim shall cease, and the kingdom of Damascus, and the remnant of Syria; They shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts. " (Isaiah 17: 1-3).
JEREMIAH 49: 23-27
Prophecy against Damascus
23 About Damascus. Hamath and Arpad were ashamed, because they heard the news, and fainted; In the sea there is anguish, you can not rest.
24 Damascus is feeble; Turned his back to flee, and the tremor seized her; Anguish and pains have taken her as of the one in travail.
25 How is the city of praise abandoned, the city of my joy!
26 Therefore shall their young men fall in their streets; And all the men of war shall be consumed in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and consume the palaces of Benhadad.
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