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Syria and Egypt vs. Israel - One Last Time
In 1996, the Lord drew my attention to certain verses in the prophet
Amos, with an accompanying revelation that a fourth and final war
between Syria and Israel will be a significant milestone in Bible
prophecy signaling the approach of the end of this present age. The
verses were:
"Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for
four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have
threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: But I will send a
fire unto the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of
Benhadad. I will break also the bar of Damascus..."
(Amos 1:3-5, KJV)
As if to confirm the above, I also came upon this verse:
"Behold,Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."
(Isaiah 17:1)
As if to confirm the above, I also came upon this verse:
"Behold,Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."
(Isaiah 17:1)
It should be noted that the 5,000 year-old city of Damascus is the
world's oldest perpetually inhabited city. However, according to the
prophet Isaiah, Damascus will be "taken away from being a city" and be
turned into a "runious heap." This has never happened before in all of
history, but has been reserved as a sign of the end-time, unfolding
biblical scenario.
Increasingly in 1996 and 1997, Syria began deploying
Russian-supplied VX gas warheads on its medium-ranged Scud-C missles,
prompting Israel's defense minister to then warn the Syrians that
launching any of these chemical weapons against Israel would "put the
(Syrian) regime at risk." It was generally assumed by the Israeli press
and governmental officials that Israel was implying the certain
destruction of Syria's capital city, Damascus, even if it meant the use
of nuclear weapons to do so. Since the renewed violence inside Israel
stemming from the Palestinian "intifada" that began afresh in September,
2000, the situation has only worsened, including the border threats.
In November, 2000, the commander of Israel's Galilee
Forces, Brig. General Moshe Kaplinksy, stated that Israel might be
forced to attack Damascus because of increasing terror attacks by
Hizb'Allah forces operating in southern Lebanon along Israel's northern
borders, who are supported from Damascus by the Syrian regime and also
by Iran. The Damascus airport has always been the main conduit for
Iranian and other arms to Hizb'Allah, and warnings from Israeli
officials to Syria continue.
In 1973, near the end of the Yom Kippur War, Israeli
tanks had approached within 20 kilometers of Damascus, but halted at the
request of the United States, because the Soviet Union (Russia) was
poised to move to Syria's defense. Syria was a major client state in
which the Soviets were heavily invested both militarily and politically.
Russian paratroopers were in planes and the U.S. military went on
world-wide alert ("defcon 3") for what might have become World War III.
As in all Arab-Israeli conflicts in modern times, Russia
has trained, equipped and provided manpower to help the Arab nations
fullfill their Islamic-driven mandate to "drive Israel into the sea."
However, as promised in the scriptures, God will not let Israel's
enemies win--nor will he allow Russia itself, like a Goliath against
little David, to destroy the Jewish state, which it will attempt to do
following the coming Syrian conflict.
Another scripture concerning Syria's final challenge to
Israel comes from the prophet Micah (chapter five, verses 2-6) in a
messianic-related verse that predicts a Syrian ("Assyrian") invasion in
the latter times of history, one that would occur after the fame of
Israel's "ruler" (e.g., messiah, Jesus Christ) would have spread to the
"ends of the earth," and after God had "regathered" the Jews back to
their ancient homeland, as confirmed by many other prophecies.
"And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the
land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from
the Assyrian, when he comes into our land, and when he treads within our
borders."
(Micah 5:6)
Since modern Iraq was encompassed by the ancient Assyrian empire, and in
light of recent alliances formed between Iraq and Syria, it's likely
that Iraq will be involved in this war and suffer the same fate. During
October, 2000, Saddam Hussein of Iraq begin massing several divisions of
troops along the Jordanian border in preparation for joining any war
against Israel. With the consent of the new president of Syria, Iraq has
also moved some divisions near its Syrian border in order to assist in
the "liberation of Palestine." He also has relocated 70,000 troops near
the Kuwait border again, possibly to stage another occupation of Kuwait
during the turmoil of a regional war against Israel.
As indicated in Micah 5:6, response to Israel's aggressors will be
severe: "And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword."
Obviously, at no time since Israel's modern rebirth as a nation-state
has it wasted the "land of Assyria," much less its capital, Damascus.
Apart from losing the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War, Syria has
been mostly untouched. However, according to the prophetic scriptures a
breaking of Syria and the destruction of Damascus is certain:
"So shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and
upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from
off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders."
(Isaiah 19:1)
WHERE IS EGYPT?
Always desiring to be the leader of the Arab world, Egypt must eventually break its peace treaty with Israel and join Syria once again in the fray--but it too will suffer great calamity:
Always desiring to be the leader of the Arab world, Egypt must eventually break its peace treaty with Israel and join Syria once again in the fray--but it too will suffer great calamity:
"The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides
upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt
shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the
midst of it."
(Isaiah 19:1)
The prophetic metaphor of a "swift cloud" coming into Egypt that causes
the "melting" of Egypt's heart and the "moving" (shaking) of its idols
might aptly describe an incoming nuclear-tipped missle and its results.
But whatever the meaning, divine judgment upon both Syria and Egypt
seemed to be linked prophetically (see Isaiah chapter 31), which is
possibly the reason why those two nations share a restoration together
(Isaiah 19:23-25) later during the millenial reign over earth by
Israel's returning messiah, Jesus Christ.
In 1996 Egypt held its most extensive military maneuvers ever to
"counter the Israeli nuclear threat." At that time, President Mubarak
warned that Egypt "would not stand idly by" if war breaks out again
between Syria and Israel. The Angry Sphinx, an article in the December,
1996, issue of The Jerusalem Post, cataloged the rising tensions between
Egypt and Israel. In response to the renewed Arab "intifada" (uprising)
that began in September, 2000, Egyptian officials have repeatedly
affirmed their county's willingness to assist Syria in any war against
Israel. The Egyptian ambassador to Israel was withdrawn in November,
2000, a diplomatic move that also preceded the 1972 Yom Kippur War.
Although Israel will survive the next round with Syria and Egypt, it
could be the most costly yet in Jewish lives and the destruction of
Israel's actual or perceived military strength. No doubt this would be
an enticement for Israel's more powerful enemy, Russian, who has always
desired to control the Middle East and its oil, to try to exploit the
situation soon thereafter. Such a perception might even be the "hooks in
the jaws" that God says, through Ezekiel, He will use to draw Russia
into its destructive conflict with tiny Israel. Little does Russia know,
however, that its armies will actually be facing off with the God of
Israel, who will unleash His powers upon earth again on a scale unseen
since ancient times to annihilate the Russian-led invaders.
EZEKIEL'S WAR
The next Syrian/Egyptian battle with Israel, including the destruction of Damascus, will be a major step forward towards Israel's more explosive conflict with "Gog and Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" (Russia). In great detail the prophet Ezekiel (38-39) describes this Russian-led invasion that will involve Iran (Persia), Libya, Turkey (Togarmah), Ethiopia and others. An alliance of western nations, referred to symbolically as "the merchants of Tarshish with all its young lions," will verbally oppose Russia's attempt to dominate the Middle East by conquering Israel, but it is yet unclear whether Russia's western enemies actually get a chance to fight, due to the quick, divine intervention on Israel's behalf that Ezekiel describes
The next Syrian/Egyptian battle with Israel, including the destruction of Damascus, will be a major step forward towards Israel's more explosive conflict with "Gog and Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" (Russia). In great detail the prophet Ezekiel (38-39) describes this Russian-led invasion that will involve Iran (Persia), Libya, Turkey (Togarmah), Ethiopia and others. An alliance of western nations, referred to symbolically as "the merchants of Tarshish with all its young lions," will verbally oppose Russia's attempt to dominate the Middle East by conquering Israel, but it is yet unclear whether Russia's western enemies actually get a chance to fight, due to the quick, divine intervention on Israel's behalf that Ezekiel describes
However, Ezekiel 38-39 does seem to describe events of near global
proportions, possibly a limited nuclear war. Remarkably, God himself
enters the fight according to the scriptures, for without His help tiny
Israel would surely be destroyed by such overwhelming forces. This
divine intervention is not necessarily good news for the rest of mankind
however, because it also signals the arrival of the infamous "time of
tribulation," a period just prior to the second-coming of Jesus Christ
characterized by unprecedented troubles according to the Bible. Of that
time Jesus warned:
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."
(Matthew 24:21)
EZEKIEL, WHY DID YOU LEAVE OUT SYRIA AND EGYPT?
It's important to note that Ezekiel's description of a Russian-led invasion of Israel does not include either Syria or Egypt among Russia's followers. Why? Obviously because these two nations will be out of the picture then, having been neutralized by Israel beforehand in the initial conflict described above. Since Syria and Egypt have always been prominent players in Israel's history and foremost subjects of biblical prophecy affecting Israel (Egypt is referred to about 800 times in the Bible), it's inconceivable that their absence during Ezekiel's war is anything but intentional, particularly since Israel's other Islamic and/or Arabic opponents are listed specifically by name.
It's important to note that Ezekiel's description of a Russian-led invasion of Israel does not include either Syria or Egypt among Russia's followers. Why? Obviously because these two nations will be out of the picture then, having been neutralized by Israel beforehand in the initial conflict described above. Since Syria and Egypt have always been prominent players in Israel's history and foremost subjects of biblical prophecy affecting Israel (Egypt is referred to about 800 times in the Bible), it's inconceivable that their absence during Ezekiel's war is anything but intentional, particularly since Israel's other Islamic and/or Arabic opponents are listed specifically by name.
The scenario unfolding in the Middle East will affect the lives of
everyone on earth, perhaps sooner and more profoundly than even
prophecy-minded Christians and Jews have imagined. The enemies of the
modern State of Israel are moving rapidly into a scenario that converges
with the words of the Bible. It will happen, for the Bible has recorded
what "is to come." Now is no time for anyone in this world to have a
"foundation built on sand" rather than on the eternal rock of God's word
and faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. With God's help alone will men and
women be able to cope with the momentous times ahead.
For more information on Ezekiel's war, click here.
Also, for more information on the prophecies concerning the destruction
of Damascus, including the important transition to the Russian-led
invasion described by Ezekiel, please read the following excellent paper
by Paul Robertson, Damascus Will No Longer Be A City.
Glen Allen