Sunday, February 11, 2018

O Syria, Where Art Thou?



Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, “and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. “I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; “Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.  Ezekiel 38:1-6  NKJV

I am going to assume that by now most of you reading this have heard about the incident Saturday morning in Israel where Iran sent a drone into Israeli airspace.  This resulted not only in it being intercepted and shot down by the IDF, but Israel sending planes into Syria to attack and destroy the base where it was launched from.  This, of course, prompted cries of indignation from Iran and Syria with the obligatory threats of future violence towards Israel, and statements from Israel affirming its right to defend itself from any and all attacks on its sovereignty.  Yet the one thing most everyone has agreed on to this point is that this is a major escalation by Iran.

Many are speculating on what this might mean in regards to the future of the region, but for those who study their Bible, we already know.  In the passage above from Ezekiel where Magog and its allies are listed, I believe it is important to note two things.  One, Persia (Iran) is the first country listed which signifies its preeminence, while on the other hand, (two) Assyria (Syria) is not listed at all.  No one can read anything about the region at the present time without Syria being mentioned, or the presence of Russia and Iran within its borders being discussed.  So my question is simply this, O Syria, where art thou? 

Now many of you might recognize that question as a takeaway from a movie with a similar title, but there are actually some interesting parallels between the plot of the movie and the three “brothers”, as well as these three nations.  In the movie, one of the brothers “disappears” along the way, and in this passage from Ezekiel it seems Syria somehow goes missing too.   Considering this new escalation by Iran, it seems almost impossible to believe things can get any worse without the fulfillment of the Isaiah 17 prophecy about the destruction of Damascus. That in turn will set the wheels in motion for the following prophetic event which is the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy of the Gog Magog War.
   
The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid. The fortress also will cease from Ephraim, The kingdom from Damascus, And the remnant of Syria; They will be as the glory of the children of Israel,” Says the LORD of hosts.   Isaiah 17:1-3  NKJV

The relationship between Iran and Syria is complicated, but the one thing that remains clear is that Iran has invested a lot of money, materiel, and personnel to develop and upgrade Syria’s military capabilities. Much of Syria’s missile technology and armament has been provided by Iran, and at present it is reported as fact by many intelligence sources that members of the Iranian Republican Guard are in Syria helping develop and train Syrian troops. So the question must be asked, just what does Iran want from Syria in exchange for all of this help?

There is no question that Syria now finds itself indebted to Iran in a very big way, so it's logical to wonder to what extent Syria might go in order to repay the debt, or, for that matter, how much would Iran require as a payback for its investment? Iran has made known their desire for the total annihilation of Israel, and even gone so far as to brag about how many missiles could be launched in the event of a conflict, however most intelligence organizations agree their boast exceeds their capabilities. This fact leads many to wonder if Iran has agreements with other Arab countries for help in any attack on Israel. If so, this would easily explain the extent to which they have gone to arm Syria with weapons and technology they have not previously possessed.
The Doomsday Oracle

Syria where art thou?  Well, according to this prophecy, dealing with the complete destruction of its capital.  With all the problems Syria has right now with its own civil war, it’s easy to see where Iran might be more than willing to “play” the game it has begun with the thought that they can do what they please without recrimination by either Syria or Russia.  The result could well be the destruction of Damascus we find in Isaiah 17. That remains to be seen, but the Bible makes it clear that an event of unprecedented severity is coming to that region, and Syria will receive the brunt of it.  The Word also makes it clear what will befall any and all who choose to come against His chosen people.

“The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.   Zechariah 12:1-3  NKJV”

“The Iranians are raising the stakes of the bet,” Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Yossi Kuperwasser, former director-general of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and the former head of the IDF’s Intelligence Research and Assessment Division, said on a conference call held by The Israel Project on Saturday.“According to Kuperwasser, Moscow is “being used by the Iranians,” securing Assad regime bases while Tehran continues to strengthen their hold in Syria. “Russia is, in a way, becoming the useful idiot of the Iranians,” he said. “We have to be careful about how Syria will look like when it is controlled by Iran. We (Israel) got a taste of it this morning,” Kuperwasser said.”

Revolutionary Guards dep chief warned Iran would “open the gates of hell over the Zionist regime” and had the military power to destroy all American bases in the region. These threats from Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami were Tehran’s first response to the downing by Israel of an Iranian drone which intruded on its airspace Saturday morning. The foreign ministry in Tehran said Israel lied about the intrusion and its claims were ridiculous. Turning to the Americans, he said “It would be better for them to leave the region before their defeat.”

My feeling, along with many others, is that time is quickly running out for the Church to accomplish its work here on earth, and it would come as no surprise to hear the trumpet blow and our call to go home to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at any time.  If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to allow Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I urge you to do so right now. You can do that by simply praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

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