There is a soon-coming event that we can see on the road ahead through our prophetic headlights. This is the destruction of Damascus, Syria.
The Bible speaks clearly about this prophecy that has never been fulfilled. We see in Isaiah 17 the entire description of this event, but we’ll limit the verses we read to just three: Isaiah 17:1,9,14. Here’s what they say:
1See, Damascus will cease from being a city;
it shall be a ruinous heap.
9In that day his strong cities shall be as a forsaken bough and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the sons of Israel; and there shall be a desolation.
14This is the portion of those who plunder us,
and the lot of those who rob us.
At evening time, sudden terror!
And before the morning, they are no more.
There is a confirming passage in Jeremiah 49:23-27. It reads:
23 Concerning Damascus:
“Hamath and Arpad are dismayed,
for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
troubled like the restless sea.
24 Damascus has become feeble,
she has turned to flee
and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
pain like that of a woman in labor.
25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
the town in which I delight?
26 Surely, her young men will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus;
it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.”
Let’s parse these a little. Look at Isaiah 17 again. In verse 1, Damascus is going down in a major way. There will be nothing left of the city; it will be a ruinous heap. This is major destruction.
This literal annihilation of Damascus will be brought about by the Israeli Defense Forces—the IDF—which verse 17 says will be the sons of Israel.
Then in verse 14 we learn this is occurring because of an historical plundering of Israel by their enemies—that would be those who have ruled Damascus over the years. In that same verse we learn a startling fact. This complete obliteration of Damascus happens overnight; by morning nothing is left of this once great city. The suddenness of this event leads us to lean toward the cause of this being a nuclear attack or perhaps a nuclear accident that happens as a result of an Israeli conventional attack.
Jeremiah’s Scripture provides more details. Jeremiah 49:26 informs us that there will be many civilian causalities as the young men of Damascus fall in the streets. More than that, no military troops will remain, but all will be silenced in death.
Verse 27 reinforces the terrible nature of the destruction with fire consuming the many walls of the city, but also the government buildings—the fortresses of Ben-Hadad—will fall.
Why didn’t the people flee in the midst of the panic the earlier verses ask? That could be the consequence of an accident as I mentioned earlier. We have just enough information to tantalize us and know it will happen, but not quite enough to answer every question.
Recent headlines in the Jerusalem Post and other news sources have shown us that Israel has already been attacking Damascus for a variety of reasons. A major reason of late has been the result of Iran, which is entrenched in Syria along with Russia and Turkey, attempting to bring into Syria through Damascus smart-guided missile technology. Syria has many dumb missiles and Iran wants to upgrade them to make them more lethal against Israel. Israel has incredible intelligence sources. If Bashar al-Assad sneezes, the IDF knows about it.
Here are example headlines:
“IDF strikes Iranian and Hezbollah targets”
“Syria War: Israel attack overnight on Damascus – IDF acted after firing of missiles by QUDS forces”
“Satellite images show damage from Israeli strike on Damascus airport”
“Israeli arbitrary airstrikes on Syria ‘must’ stop, Russia warns”
As you can see, Israel is being proactive. They will not allow Iran or anyone to place themselves into a position where they could have the upper hand against Israel.
Now, several points of interest. Damascus is the capital of Syria. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in history. Its existence stretches back to the time of Abraham, that is, about 4,000 years. Syria is the gathering place for the primary nations that will wage war against Israel in a soon-coming conflict. Russia, Iran, and Turkey are all major players in the latter days war described by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 38-39. This is the Gog of Magog War or Ezekiel’s War, as it’s sometimes called. The pieces for that puzzle are pretty much in place. It just needs the trigger that God alone will supply.
Let’s go back and reinforce the answers to some questions.
Who causes the destruction of Damascus? It will likely be the Israeli Defense Forces described by Isaiah as the sons of Israel:
9In that day his strong cities shall be as a forsaken bough and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the sons of Israel; and there shall be a desolation.
Why is Damascus destroyed? Syria has been the headquarters for many years of those who have attacked and plundered Israel. God says, “This is enough!”
14This is the portion of those who plunder us,
and the lot of those who rob us.
Understand also, that God early on decreed His supernatural protection upon the Jewish nation in Genesis 12:3:
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
With the destruction of Damascus, God is fulfilling His promise. Syria has cursed Israel long enough and God’s curse upon that nation will be enacted.
When will this happen? For that, let’s go to Ezekiel 38:9 where God is telling the ruler of the land of Gog—which is Russia—the following:
After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.
This describes Israel now as these nations gather against her. They are already at Israel’s border in the north in Syria past the Golan Heights. These, right now, are the future years, that is, the latter days—sometime very soon—when this will occur. These wars and events are likely all connected because of the adversaries that are soon to come against Israel.
The nations are almost in complete alliance. Russia, Iran, and Turkey all have serious financial issues that the plunder of Israel would supposedly alleviate. That’s their desire as outlined in Ezekiel. Soon, God will put a hook in the jaw of Russia’s ruler (Ezekiel 38:4), and he will decide he must attack Israel with the other adversarial nations in order to realize the needs or goals they have.
The implications of this prophecy and what it means are the following:
- The destruction of Damascus could happen anytime. It will likely be a tipping point for either the Psalm 83 War (which I’ll discuss further at a later time) and/or Ezekiel’s War
- The IDF will fulfill this prophecy about Damascus, but will be rendered impotent for some reason in Ezekiel’s War. The amazing thing is that when Russia and her allies attack, Israel will be unable to act and all will seem as if it’s lost.
- However, that’s when God plays His hand. He intervenes in Ezekiel’s War, and it’s apparent not only to Israel, but to the entire earth. God will get the much-deserved glory.
- When He does, this will be the beginning of the prophetic fulfillment of Israel turning back to God. Currently Israel is secular and far from God in the general populace. When God comes through against the overwhelming attack of Ezekiel, the people of Israel will recognize God, His existence, and His protection over them. Many will turn to Him.
- What the vast majority will not do at this point is recognize Yeshua, Jesus, as Messiah. That’ll still be a problem for Israel, because it means they must go into the 7-year Tribulation in order for them to be cleansed, purified, and convicted that Jesus is the Messiah they’ve long awaited, and that Jesus is Lord.