New teaching posted by Adam at Pursuing Truth
The Bible does not teach that Damascus, Syria will be destroyed in our future. We will see why this is true from both a historical and Biblical standpoint. Contrary to many predictions that are rapidly accumulating on the internet, not even Isaiah 17 contains such a prophecy for modern-day Damascus: 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. “In that day it shall come to pass that the glory of Jacob will wane, and the fatness of his flesh grow lean… Yet gleaning grapes will be left in it, like the shaking of an olive tree, two or three olives at the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in its most fruitful branches,” says the Lord God of Israel (Isaiah 17:1-6).
Continued Here: The Bible Does Not Teach That Damascus, Syria Is About To Be Destroyed
Sola Dei Gloria 
Just a footnote:
Read there will be an interview with Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad, televised Monday evening.
I’ve been looking at various written and video reports now and have my opinion as to a course of action one should take in Syria.
Seeing all agree a chemical attack did indeed occur and there was a heinous crime committed, not like this sort of war crime doesn’t ever happen, I’d think finding a peaceful way to end this civil war would be preferred then go after who actually did do this deed if it can be determined?
What troubles me is what George Mitchel brought up in another thread about the Christians there. I read a report today that a loose al queda faction has now taken control of Maaloua, a strong conclave of Christianity where some have kept alive the very Aramaic language of the first century. If they wipe out Christianity from there now that they are in control there we will have an even graver matter to face, either way it’s not going to be resolved by brute force and Islamic tyranny!
It would be nice to hear the Presidents of France and USA speak out against such barbaric notions of Islam to establish Sharia law in Syria eliminating the free expression of the Christian Faith in Syria or the democratic process that protects Religions in Syria.
Michael, I have long been a supporter of pushing for democratic reforms in the Middle East and elsewhere, but unfortunately it really hasn’t worked out very well. I suspect that one of the problems is that “democracy” is NOT a Christian institution, but is, in reality, a humanist institution. What made democracy work in America was a strong humanist element in the original 13 colonies. And when I use the term humanist, I am referencing a well established Masonic Order along with other sympathizers and fellow travelers. Where!!! do you find that sort of philosophy in the Middle East? In the 13 original colonies Masons were the businessman and elder statesmen of their respective communities. In the Middle East the humanists are … mainly students. Who are the established businessmen and elder statesmen? Think Muslim Brotherhood etc, hardly humanist in any definition of the term. So the ground for the establishment of democracy is seriously lacking. The efforts made in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya by the US and its allies have in many ways been noble efforts in spite of the wealthy vultures who have supported these efforts for all the wrong reasons. But now the US really needs to stand back and reevaluate the situation before taking further risks in such a volatile environment. Not to do so is suicidal and counter to the interests of our fellow believers residing in these countries. A huge additional factor is Al Qaeda. Contrary to popular belief, Al Qaeda is not dead. Wounded perhaps, but certainly very alive. In fact, Al Qaeda themselves may well have access to their own stock of chemical weapons inside Syria. For sure Iran has them and Iraq as it stands today would be more than willing to allow them to pass through to Syria. I am absolutely convinced that the recent chemical attack that is raising all this fuss was perpetrated by Assad’s military. But recent evidence exposed by Germany indicates that Assad himself does not seem to have authorized the attack personally. In other words, the army may have perpetrated the attack on their own. Would it not be ironic if Al Qaeda militants managed somehow to launder some of their own chemical weapons over to Assad’s desperate troops in order to facilitate a quasi false flag attack, hoping that the USA would finish of their war against Assad??? I am NOT saying that is what happened. I am only saying this is the Middle East, and how often in the Middle East are things what they appear to be??? Remember Sadam Hussein and his supposed WMD’s? Weapons that turned out to be a mirage? And based on that supposition the US engaged in a long drawn out war that has resulted in an eternally failed state that continues to be a breeding ground for extremists and troublemakers. The Russian’s don’t want Al Qaeda to prosper any more than we do, and certainly another of THEIR fears is that the US is naively facilitating Al Qaeda’s agenda. Reagan went against public opinion in Grenada and elsewhere during his administration and was largely vindicated. I am terribly afraid that President Obama, like President Bush before him, will NOT be so fortunate. I had really, really hoped that President Bush’s vision for Iraq would become a reality. But such has not been the case. And Libya continues to teeter on the brink. Libya may yet pull this off, I most certainly hope they do, but I am not holding my breath. In the mean time it is far too early to up the ante on this “democracy” gambit by trying to punish Syria for something their leader or military commanders *may* have perpetrated.
Thanks for posting this. I recently came to the same conclusion and spoke about this very subject in our Bible study yesterday. It’s always nice then the Lord provides confirmation from other sources
It is nice when God provides confirmation. I’m so happy to read God used Adam’s post to do this…for you both!
God bless you Steve
Modern day prophets are using the Bible like a Ouija board in order to coerce their followers in the desired direction. This is just a logical extension of “private interpretation”. There are NOT many versions of the truth, but only one, God’s version. Indeed we know that most if not all of these frequently cited Biblical prophecies were, in fact, long ago fulfilled. Of course, one could argue the case of multiple fulfillment, but does that mean that the Bible becomes a reliable prophetic guide any time something coincidentally matches some cookie cutter formula? Well, *maybe* sometimes. But these are the sorts of things that people make extreme decisions over, financial, political, just all sorts of weird reactions. And most of the time the “prophecy” fails to come true. Its a recipe for cults and cultic churches. People used to “learn” the Bible though a great deal of study. The history of Israel, the Roman Empire, etc. Good study Bibles include all of this. So do good commentaries like the work of Matthew Henry. But so many modern Bibles and commentaries are riddled with shear speculations, and I would include some older works like Scofield’s. Instead of interpreting scripture in the light of surrounding Jewish, Christian and/or secular history, they are the result of one man looking at the scripture and exclaiming, God has revealed to me that THIS is what it means. We just went through that with Harold Camping. Mr Camping is a sincere Christian and I am sure he loves the Lord with all his heart. But at some point he allowed himself to be seduced into the darkness of private interpretation. Thankfully, in his case, he has since repented. But people who enter this realm either as perpetrators or followers, put the lives, both spiritual and physical, of themselves and others at risk. It is putting our country at risk because some of our leaders are practicing this.
They sure do George. Not content with the scriptures alone, they heavily embellish God’s Word in order to make it fit their view.
Excellent comment brother…all of it. A big AMEN!
Thanks, PJ, for the re-post. This was a fun study. I only had a small amount of knowledge about ancient Damascus before digging in over the last few days and doing a lot of research. It was enlightening.
Damascus was apparently a mega-city, as Tiglath-Pileser III said that he captured 591 cities in Damascus. It was no average “city” then, if that’s the case. It was also a kingdom, which is why Isaiah 17:3 says that “the kingdom” would depart from Damascus. The text doesn’t say that no one would ever live in Damascus again, as many are saying all over the internet.
One of the biggest keys pointing to the fulfillment of Isaiah 17 in Isaiah’s own time period is the phrase “in that day” in verse 4. Isaiah prophesied that Damascus and Syria would fall in the same “day” that Israel would fall, and we know that Israel (the northern kingdom) fell in 722 B.C.
Isaiah 7, Isaiah 8, Amos 1, and II Kings 16 also shed a lot of light on the significance of Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 17. God had already declared that Assyria would decimate Syria and Israel because of their evil alliance against Judah and Jerusalem, and this is why we see Isaiah taking on Syria and Israel together in chapter 17.
On another note, it’s good to see that the US is less likely to go to war with Syria now than we were a few days ago.
Thank YOU Adam, for continuing to post such vital teachings! Your posts are always something i look forward to reading/studying.
I pray God continues to use you in this manner Adam…for you make us “think”. Aha…
Thanks to Adam for the additional historical info. I would like to add that according to my research the fulfillment of this prophecy by Tigleth-Piliser was the consensus view of bible scholars for almost 2,000 years. It has only been in recent years as dispensationalism has taken hold that many have been convinced otherwise.
You’re welcome, Steve. I’m seeing the same thing as I look at older commentaries on Isaiah 17. A little bit ago I posted a follow-up article which covers the rest of Isaiah 17 (verses 7-14):
http://kloposmasm.com/2013/09/17/isaiah-1712-14-is-addressed-to-the-enemies-of-judah/
I’m especially fascinated by the fulfillment of the last three verses (12-14). It appears that the consensus view of earlier Bible scholars was that this was fulfilled when Sennacherib, a later king of Assyria, attempted to defeat Judah and Jerusalem in 701 BC, but miserably failed when God miraculously intervened. I definitely see it. It’s a beautiful story (described in II Kings 18-19, II Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 37), and is richer than any speculation about how Isaiah 17 will supposedly be fulfilled in our future.
I agree with the title of this post , there is no biblical basis for any pending war with Syria, this is just silly and irresponsible talk………..but neither do I agree with the conclusions that Adam has drawn regarding the historical dates of the destruction of Damascus in particular , and the remainder of Isaiah 17 in general. And why may you ask? , because once again , we see historical annals being used to provide interpretation of scripture. Am I the only person questioning how the carnal/ secular mind can possibly interpret the scriptural / spiritual mind of God? , surely not!. I believe that if one were to read this passage studiously and circumspectly, one would realise that external sources are not required to give a date or timeline of the fulfilment of this prophecy, the bible is quite capable of interpreting itself, historical accounts not withstanding.
Quote from Adams article
“In that day…” (Isaiah 17:4). In what day?
end quote
Hmm , good question , in what day?. In the first 17 chapters of Isaiah , there are no fewer than 18 , yes 18 , direct references to ” in that day” . Now unless one believes that God is the author of confusion [ He is not], then sound hermenuetics demands that all references to ” in that day” , must pertain to one particular day.To argue that each reference to ” in that day” is a different day that is to be determined by private interpretation is complete confusion.
So what is “that day” , just three of the 18 references to ” that day” are sufficient to provide us with a clue as to the fulfilment of the various prophecies of the chapters leading up to and including chapter 17.
Isaiah 11:10
And in that day, there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign
of the people;to it shall the Gentiles seek : and his rest shall be glorious.
Isaiah 11:11
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the
second time to recover the remnant of his people…………
Isaiah 12:1
And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though you were angry
with me, thine anger is is turned away, and you comfort me.
So what is that day? , it is the day of salvation , the day that Christ died for the sins of his people, and so it follows that if ” that day” is the fulfilment of all these prophecies, then surely the literal cities are not what is in view here, the cities that are mentioned are all symbolic of Satan’s kingdom , they represent the slavery, bondage , exile , punishment and judgement that God’s people have endured , and finally at the cross, Christ has judged the kingdom of darkness. Did not Jesus say that he is the fulfilment of all the law and prophets?, if so , then how can Tiglath -Pleser 111 possibly qualify as fulfilling prophecy?
Adam, thank you for including the link to your newest post! I just came upon it in my feeds and was going to post it 🙂