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"Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city, and will become a heap of ruins".
Isaiah 17.1
The Prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, proclaimed his message to Judah and Jerusalem between 742 and 687 BC at a time when the Northern Kingdom of Israel was annexed to the Assyrian empire. In the 17th Chapter Isaiah shares what also lies in store for Damascus, for they, too, are prideful and militarily arrogant. 'Damascus will cease to be a city' (l7.1) and 'in that day men will regard their Maker, and their eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel' (l7.7).
Damascus was the largest and wealthiest Syrian city but, soon after Isaiah' writing, Damascus became engulfed by the Assyrians and entered into a dark age. A revolt against the Assyrians was brutally put down and much of the city laid to waste. It happened again in 572 BC; this time all of Syria - including Damascus - was conquered by the Neo-Babylonians.
Why mention the story of the historical destruction of Damascus? In a survey conducted by LifeWay Research and reported in the October 30, 2013 issue of Christian Century, 32 percent of Americans surveyed said they agree with this statement: 'I believe the battles in Syria are all part of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation.' Isaiah l7.1 is used as a proof text.
Are you kidding me?
In faith,
Pastor Tim
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