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NUCLEAR WAR IN THE MIDEAST

PART 6 (SYRIA)

by Steve Ashburn

 

In Part 5 of this series, we saw how Damascus was converted to a “ruinous heap” by Israel after their attempted invasion, and the surrounding cities “forsaken.” After this, the few survivors were herded to a staging area near present-day Al-Karak, Jordan, and deported to other nations by a UN-type of agency contractor. Israel thus came into full possession of her promised land:  

And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau [Jordan]; and they of the plain the Philistines [Gaza]: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim [West Bank], and the fields of Samaria [West Bank]: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead [Jordan]. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel [still living in foreign lands] shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath [Lebanon & Syria]; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad [a province of ancient Assyria, symbolizing Jews still living in foreign lands], shall possess the cities of the south [Jordan & the Sinai]. (Obadiah 1:19–20) 

We continue now with our studies of this Psalm 83 war—which marks the beginning of the end times. Isaiah describes other nations raging at Israel at this time: 

Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. (Isaiah 17:12–13) 

Although the surrounding Arab nations will rush at Israel “like the rushing of many waters,” God will rebuke them and chase them away, and they shall “flee far off,” and be like “chaff of the mountains [nations],” implying international relocation of their surviving populations; Israel is here described like a “whirlwind,” indicating swift and deadly military action. The swiftness of Israel’s retaliation is indicated by verse 14:  

"And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us."  

The invading enemy forces are pictured as appearing in the evening, but by the morning they will be destroyed (“he is not”). Scripture indicates this also will be the punishment of all the other invading enemy forces (“This is the portion of them that spoil us”). If Israel uses nuclear weapons against Syria as they will against Egypt, this verse may literally be true: The invaders appear in the evening, but by the morning their country is a radioactive wasteland. In that case Damascus really would be “a ruinous heap,” and “there shall be desolation.”

Jeremiah 49:23–27 also describes the destruction of Damascus by fire, and is sandwiched in between end-times passages describing the destruction of Edom (present-day Jordan) and Kedar and Hazor (present-day Saudi Arabia). Verse 27 reads: “And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.” The timeline for this passage is “in that day” (a phrase referring to the end times) when “all the men of war shall be cut off” (Jeremiah 49:26). Since Psalm 83 indicates that Israel will be attacked by all the Arab nations surrounding her, it makes sense for Jeremiah 49 also to include the destruction of these two adjacent nations—Jordan and Arabia—at the same time. 

The destruction of Arabia (“the men of the east”) is described in Jeremiah 49:28–33. Although Nebuchadnezzar precursively fulfilled this prophecy in the sixth century BC, the inhabitants of Kedar and Hazor are advised to “Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone” (Jeremiah 49:31); in context, this almost certainly refers to Saudis fleeing to the United States for shelter after Israel attacks and destroys the Arab nations surrounding her.

 In this verse, the US is described as the “wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care . . . which dwell alone.” Indeed, the United States has been a refuge in times of war for many people worldwide; without a doubt wealthy Saudis would be welcome here. Verses 32–33 indicate that the wealth of Arabia will be “a booty, and . . . a spoil,” and that the Lord will “scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners” (of the Arabian Peninsula); then parts of their land will be “a desolation forever,” probably resulting from nuclear fallout. 

This “desolation,” however, implies more than just nuclear fallout. During the millennium, the Lord Jesus will restore the earth to its perfect antediluvian state, with environmental conditions similar to those in the garden of Eden, and the various nations restored to their lands with appointed boundaries. However, three areas are mentioned in the Bible as being “a desolation forever”: Edom (southern Jordan) in Jeremiah 49:18; future Babylon (probably located in northern Iraq) in Jeremiah 50:13; and Hazor (northwestern Arabia) in our text passage. The text suggests that “Hazor” is a geographical description of settled villages of Arabs, rather than a nomadic people (“Kedar”).  

For a region to be so cursed by God, its inhabitants must have sinned greatly and exceedingly, and must have irrevocably rejected Jehovah God—at this point, God removes their people from ever being a nation again. This applies to Edom (inveterate enemies of Israel), future Babylon (the seat of the Antichrist) and the so-called “holy land” of Saudi Arabia. (Interestingly, Mohammed himself claimed direct descent from Kedar.)

 Apparently, God has quite a bone to pick with Islam, which commands its adherents to kill all Jews on earth. Probably after Israeli nuclear missiles destroy Mecca, the entire Moslem world will know that their so-called god Allah was unable to protect his holy city against the Jews, and therefore is an impotent and false god. By implication, this means that Mohammed was a false prophet and that their so-called “holy scripture”—the Koran—was fabricated. 

After this, Syria becomes pastureland for Israel (“they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid”); Israel also is in possession of the West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan. As Obadiah 1:19 describes it:  

"And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead."

Ezekiel speaks of Egypt being “desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste” (Ezekiel 29:12); this description of other countries that are desolate probably includes Syria. Jeremiah 25 lists some of the other nations which will be judged in this conflict: 

Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; And all the mingled people [Arabs], and all the kings of the land of Uz [northern Arabia], and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod [Gaza], Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon [West Bank and Jordan], And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon [Lebanon] . . . Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners [of the Arabian Peninsula], And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert [all Arabs]. (Jeremiah 25:19–24) 

The immediate timeline for this passage is the Psalm 83 war, because Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan are included. However, all nations on earth are also included in this passage; therefore, the prophecy extends also to the battle of Armageddon, when “a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth” (Jeremiah 25:32–33). 

The surviving remnant of Syria is described as being like “the glory of the children of Israel”: “The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 17:3). 

This appears to refer to the kingdom age since “At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 17:7). Isaiah 19 also looks forward to this time: 

In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance. (Isaiah 19:23–25) 

Syria will have a blessed place in the kingdom age—along with the other nations in the millennium—perhaps especially notable because of its proximity to both ancient Assyria and Israel. They will serve the Lord, along with the Egyptians and Assyrians. Syria has been a blessing to Israel in the past. Rebecca, the wife of Isaac, was from Syria; so were Leah and Rachel, the wives of Jacob; the apostle Paul was converted on the road to Damascus; and the apostles established an early church at Antioch, and it is there that the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:20–30). Even today, Syria has more than one million Christians, many of whom are persecuted by Islamic extremists and being forced to flee. Perhaps after the war which begins the end times, these Christians again will live in part of their ancient land without fear of persecution. 

We’ll cover more about this Mideast war in Part 7 of this series, including the destruction of Jordan as a nation; and the deportation of the survivors to other nations from a staging area near present-day Al-Karak, Jordan, a process which will take three years. So stand by for Part 7! 

I provide more details of this and many other end-times prophecies in my recently published book, END TIMES DAWNING: Get Ready! (available from www.endtimesrecord.com). Please read it! Also if you would, please leave a book review on Amazon! 

Yours in Christ, 

Steve Ashburn

   

[This article was published on October 16, 2020]

 

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