The Seriousness of Syria (Part 1)

Today President Trump tweeted: "Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoins it!"
President Trump further stated that the relations between Russia and the United States are the worst they have been since the "mutually assured destruction" days of the Cold War.
On that point, the President is exactly right. But how did the worlds two superpowers reach this boiling point? After avoiding direct military confrontation for decades during the Cold War; how did Syria become the geopolitical breaking point for the world?
As soon as the Syrian civil war suddenly began eight years ago, I immediately knew our world had entered a new "Last Days of Bible Prophecy" phase. Syria is a lynch-pin of accelerating events that will have serious implications for the count
down to Armageddon.
Damascus carries an Old Testament Burden! That ancient Bible prophecy of a "burden" is best described as an ominous curse, or impending weight of Judgement. That "cup of a curse" will cause all the nations of the world to be entangled in a Divine Trap over the "Controversy" over another old city, Jerusalem!

Isaiah 17:1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

Jeremiah 49:24-25 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail. 25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!

The Seriousness of Syria (Part 2)

(Opening from Part 1) Damascus carries an Old Testament Burden! That ancient Bible prophecy of a "burden" is best described as an ominous curse, or impending weight of Judgment. That "cup of a maddening curse" will cause all the nations of the world to be entangled in a Divine Trap over the "Controversy" over another old city….. Jerusalem!

Bible prophecy carries within its context many symbols. A “CUP” is one such symbol. Old Testament prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah, in particular emphasize the perpetual Divine message involving the city of Jerusalem, and all nations that oppose and obstruct Gods providence for that city. God has chosen Jerusalem as a stumbling stone to his enemies!

Isaiah 34:8 For it is the “Day of the Lord's vengeance”, and the year of recompences for the “controversy of Zion.”

Jeremiah 25:15-16 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. 16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

The “Day of the Lord” in the Bible is always a reference to that climactic era in world history known more commonly as the Great Tribulation, or the time of Jacob’s Trouble. Of course, Jacob is a reference to the nation of Israel.
The “fury” and the “cup” symbols denote the built up indignation of the Lord, concerning his “chosen nation” and more specifically the city wherein God has mandated that should become the throne of Jesus Christ, Zion, or Jerusalem.

The word "sword” usually is a symbol of war and trial. However, in the panoramic view of latter days prophecy, the Sword, not only entails wars and rumors of wars, it also has linkages to the demonic inflammation of religious inspired terrorism! This Sword has the effect of making the nations mad; or becoming demonically manipulated into the swirling Controversy of Jerusalem! (i.e. Islamic terrorism aimed at wiping Israel off the map)

This week, Iran threatened harsh retaliation after Israel allegedly bombed an Iranian-held air base in central Syria. Then, on Wednesday, Israeli officials returned the favor, stating that if Iran made any foolish moves then everything it has gained in Syria over the past decade would go up in a puff of smoke.
Senior Israeli defense officials informed Syrian dictator and Iran-ally Bashar Assad that he himself will disappear from the map and the world if the Iranians try to harm Israel or its interests from Syrian territory." (Perhaps you well remember the battle mantra of the Islamic theocracy of Iran, “we will wipe Israel off the map!)

In 700 BC, Isaiah wrote of the demise of Damascus. Today, 2,700 years later, many believe that we are close to seeing that long-standing prophecy fulfilled. However chaotic the events on the world stage appear, we know that all things are working toward the fulfillment of God’s Word.

Damascus, the capital of Syria, has a longstanding reputation for being the oldest continuously occupied city in the world. It has never been without citizens or totally destroyed. Thus Isaiah’s ancient prophecy still stands as future; so there is coming a day when Damascus will be nothing but a “heap of ruins,” perhaps by nuclear means!

The current war in Syria could indeed be one of the events leading up to the Syrian capital’s destruction; and after that; the geopolitical thrust for a structured Global Government that can effectively control the threat of another nuclear holocaust!

The following narrative from the prophet Jeremiah portrays the actual climax to the Great Tribulation, which narrative also matches John’s Apocalyptic scenario of Revelation chapters 14 and 16.

Jeremiah 25:27-30 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. 28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. 29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts. 30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for "the Lord hath a controversy with the nations," he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. 32 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. 33 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: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

But that is jumping ahead (at least 7 years minimum) of the current situation in Syria!

The Seriousness of Syria (part 2)
Darrell G Young
Focus on Jerusalem

The Seriousness of Syria (part 3)

Darrell G Young
Focus on Jerusalem Prophecy Ministry

All eyes are on Syria these days, and dramatically so since the missile attacks ordered by President Trump on April 13. These attacks have been met by the usual protests from Russia and Iran. At the UN’s Security Council meeting, (April 14) Russia lambasted the US for its so-called intrusion against the sovereignty of Syria. Yet, there seems to be no diplomatic lament about the intrusion of Iran into both Syria and Lebanon.

As one Israeli foreign minister commented, “it is Iran’s presence in Syria” that is destabilizing the regional security. Added to that diplomatic analysis, is the charges now by both Israel and the United States that it is Russia that is “enabling” Iran to facilitate hegemony in Syria, and all for the sole intent of fostering terrorism and threats of annihilation against a nearby sovereign nation. Israel.

Not surprisingly, to those with a Biblical Worldview of the Last Days, this geopolitical development of Russia being an enabler of Iran squares with Bible Prophecy. The fact that Damascus is in the “eye of this storm” is all the more evidence that the world is moving at a rapid pace to a cosmic showdown over the “Controversy over Jerusalem.”

The following narrative from OT prophet Ezekiel conveys the perspective that the last days superpower to the utmost north of Israel, Magog or Russia (allied with Turkey and others) will act as a “Guard” to the “prince of Persia” in order to “enable” them to launch their long planned offensive to “wipe Israel off the map.”

Ezekiel 38:1-8 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. 8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel,

Russia has long employed Syria as a client state, even reaching back to the days of the Soviet Union. Syria holds significant strategic importance to Russia for several reasons. Perhaps foremost among those reasons is Russia’s ambitions to supplant the US as the major powerbroker in the Middle East, and in effect, hopefully the whole world. Russia and Iran are on common footing in that regard. But, Iran desires the diminishment of the US in the Middle East so as to hasten the day that they can annihilate Israel for the glory of Allah!

Iran has longstanding defensive alliances with Syria, and along with other anti-Israel factions built a regional superstructure of terrorist networks based primarily in Damascus! This alliance found its nexus effectuated by the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Iran founded the Hezbollah terror organization to destabilize and control Lebanon, for the design of fortressing a presence on Israel’s northern border. With Syria in tow, coupled with numerous Palestinian terror networks, Iran conveniently utilized these logistical bases for continuous covert operations against Israel.

But then, something changed! Iran got an unexpected gift; from the United States, of all places!

The Seriousness of Syria…..Part 3

Part Four…………..Coming Soon!

The Seriousness of Syria (Part 4)

Darrell G Young
Focus on Jerusalem Prophecy Ministry

Believe it or not, Iran, or Persia had actually been an ally of the United States prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and was in fact a major oil supplier to the Allied powers during World War II.

But 3 major changes occurred that reversed the fortunes and fates of the whole region. First, was the rise of Islamic fundamentalism with the 1979 fall of the Iranian Shah. Succeeding to that, Iran founded the Hezbollah terror organization to destabilize and control Lebanon, for the design of fortressing a presence on Israel’s northern border.

Second, the emergence of the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980’s. During that long and devastating war, the US followed a foreign policy toward Iran of “dual containment.” The American hope under the Reagen Administration was to contain the spread of the threat of Islamic Jihad from Iran. That policy would backfire decades later in the two Persian Gulf wars with Iraq.

Thirdly, the American withdrawal in 2011 from Iraq under the Obama Administration, created a power vacuum in Iraq that was ultimately swallowed up by Iran. These policy fiascos have uniquely served only the interests of Iran, and fueled the great Islamic schism between Iran and Saudi Arabia, a major US ally.

These 3 developments in the great “Middle East Maze” resulted in the opportunity for Russia to become emboldened enough to forge alliances with Iran, and become an “enabler” or “guard” (as prophesied by Ezekiel) (Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them) for Iranian schemes that are ultimately aimed at wiping Israel off the political map!

Iran’s genocidal regime demands Israel’s destruction and supports terrorist organizations Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south. Today, a further Iranian entrenchment in Syria constitutes a grave and unacceptable threat to the Jewish state’s national security.

Like Iran, Russia’s presence in Syria is driven by imperial ambitions. Moscow’s main interest in Syria is to maintain its naval military base in the Syrian port Tartus; and to act as a counter to American prominence in the region. Tartus and Latakia in Syria represent the Russian Navy’s only bases in the Mediterranean Sea. (Hint: these bases also provide Russia logistical means of an air assault against Israel)

With Iranian dominance in Iraq, a logistical military superstructure established in Syria, and a proxy terror army already deployed in Lebanon, Iran has its long dreamed of land-bridge all the way across the 1000 miles from Teheran to Jerusalem!

Iran is now preparing for a sustained campaign of direct confrontation with Israel, with plans to use the Iranian military’s presence in Syria and Lebanon, and from Gaza-Sinai-Hamas on the south to launch attacks on targets inside the Jewish state.

So, how serious is the situation in Syria? It is very explosive! It is literally a ticking time-bomb sitting on Israel’s doorstep! None of these prophetic elements were possible prior to 1979 and 2011.

What can we now expect? When might this tinderbox ignite? Where will it all ultimately lead? These questions will all be addressed in Parts 5 and 6.
…………….Coming Soon!