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. Isaiah 17:1-2 NKJV
By
now I am sure you know I usually put the links of articles I feel are important
at the end of the articles I write, but obviously, today is rather
different. I did this to emphasize the
magnitude of recent events in the Middle East which I believe are a definite
sign that we are looking at the major conflicts described as occurring in the
last days by the prophets as being on our near horizon. Many are familiar with the prophecy from
Ezekiel 38,39 which is commonly known as the Gog Magog War, where Russia and
her allies attempt to invade Israel through the Golan Heights, yet most are not
aware that many prophecy scholars place the conflict described by Isaiah in
chapter 17 of his book as immediately preceding, if not the cause of the
Ezekiel conflict.
If
correct, then if we see the stage being set for the Ezekiel event, it follows
that the Isaiah conflict is even closer and could occur at any time. Of concern to most who have chosen to study
the Isaiah prophecy is the fact that it appears it describes destruction so
severe that the only reasonable conclusion is that Israel uses a nuclear weapon
to cause it. One of the questions most people have when they consider the
possibility that this prophecy from Isaiah seems to describe a future nuclear
attack on Damascus is “why”? The use of nuclear arms is certainly abhorrent to
most, yet most agree that this is exactly what is described in these passages.
I believe that the clue to the answer to that question lies in the
identification of the “cities of Aroer”.
In
all of the research I have done up until now, the one consistent fact has been
that most people who have studied and written about this prophecy place the
location of Aroer in the country of Jordan. Unlike Damascus, Aroer no longer
exists, so we are left to try to identify its location by studying past
references, and looking for archaeological evidence that might support a
conclusion as to its whereabouts.
Aroer
is mentioned three times in the Bible, and all occur in the Old Testament.
Unfortunately for us, however, each describes a different location, so we are
left to examine what the Bible says
about each and see if we can decide which location Isaiah is attempting to
describe. The first mention of Aroer is found in the book of Deuteronomy where
it says;
“From
Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is
by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the
Lord our God delivered all unto us;” Deuteronomy
2:36
This
site has been identified as being on the northern bank of the Arnon ravine
located in the modern country of Jordan, just east of the Dead Sea. The second
mention of Aroer we find is in the book of Joshua, where Moses is allotting
land to the twelve tribes and describing their boundaries. In this verse he
describes;
“And
their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the
children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah;” Joshua 13:25
Joshua
describes Aroer as being "before Rabbah". This city or any ruins of
it have never been located, but by the description we know it would need to be
situated be some twenty miles or so north of Jerusalem. The final time Aroer is
mentioned before Isaiah’s prophecy is in the book of Samuel, where we find it
listed among a group of cities that David is sharing spoil with from his defeat
of the Amalekites. We find when we read that;
“And to
them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which
were in Eshtemoah,” 1 Samuel 30:28
This
location has been identified as being in the Negev, twelve miles southeast of
Beer-sheba. We also see from reading this passage that it was one of many
cities located in the same area which helped and supported David in his battle
with the Amalekites. Ruins of this city have been found, and you can even
locate it on a map if your Bible has maps in the back. Simply look for a map of
Israel in the time of David, and you should be able to see Aroer located in the
south of Israel, southwest of Beer-sheba.
So
we have three different locations to choose from, and no help from the Isaiah
passage to identify which one he is referring to. Is it possible to find a way
to know for sure exactly which one of these locations is the one that Isaiah
describes as being "forsaken"?
First
of all, I think it may be logical to assume that Isaiah is referring to the
location southeast of Beer-sheba for several reasons. The first is that if you
compare the dates that these three books were written, you find that the Samuel
passage was written closest to the time of Isaiah, as opposed to the others
which were written much earlier in Israel’s history. Also, if you look closely
at these three locations, you see one of them is in Jordan, not Israel. Since
Isaiah is describing a conflict between Syria and Israel, I think we can
dismiss the Jordan location as a possibility. So we are left to choose between
two locations, one which has never been positively located, and one which not
only has been located, but may have some military significance as well.
If
we look at a map of Israel during the time of the twelve tribes, we can easily
see where Aroer is located. Now compare that map with a map of Israel today and
you may be surprised to find that a very significant complex has been
constructed in the same approximate location of ancient Aroer, and that is the
nuclear research facility known as Dimona. Since Isaiah is describing a future
conflict between Israel and Syria, obviously there must be a good reason that
Israel chooses to completely destroy Damascus. Is it possible that it is in
response to an attack of some sort on Dimona? I think it is not only possible,
but logical.
So
exactly where does Damascus fit in? Simply it is very questionable that Iran
can respond directly from their own territory with rockets accurate enough, or
with enough range to hit Dimona, but according to this article from Debka, they
do now because those missles are in Southern Syria. Would Iran launch their response from Syria?
Most experts have no doubt that Syria would do exactly what Iran tells them to
do, considering the extent to which Syria is indebted to them. Are we seeing
the clues to the beginning of the next Middle East War in the news today? Could
it happen in the very near future?
One
more thing which I found fascinating in the first article was the mention of
Russia moving its fleet from the Black Sea, through the Bosporus Strait, to
take up station off the coast of Syria. Reading
that caused me to recall something I had read long ago, which, although not
from the Bible, I believe may have great significance for what we have been
studying. If you study Bible prophecy, you are probably familiar with author
Grant Jeffrey, who has authored many books on biblical prophecy. In his book,
“The Next World War”, he makes the following statement;
There is an oral
tradition recorded from the Vilna Gaon , a Jewish commentary, that points out
the significance of the Russian navy (Magog) passing through the Bosporus
straits on the way to the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles: “It is now time to put on your
Sabbath clothes because the Messiah is coming.”
Grant
Jeffrey, “The Next World War”; Chap. 12, pp 150.
When
I read this my first thought was what Jesus said in Luke when He was talking to
His disciples about the end of days;
"Now
when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your
redemption draws near." Luke
21:28 NKJV
Keep
watching.
