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| - The “Oracle of Damascus” or “Burden of Damascus” is recorded in Isaiah 17:1-14, as well as in associated passages found in Zechariah 9:1-8 and Jeremiah 49:23-27. These Bible passages – and some say Amos 1:3-5 – are considered prophetic by most Evangelical Christians who embrace Futurism (Christian eschatology). Furthermore, some Futurists consider Psalm 83 as an allusion to Israel’s immediate neighbors conspiring to destroy Israel as a “Latter Day’s” phenomenon. These Futurists claim that the Bible says modern-day Damascus will finally come to a quick, devastating and permanent end. They see the opening of Isaiah 17:1 in no uncertain terms to mean the utter destruction by the world’s oldest, continually-inhabited city—an event heretofore which has never been fulfilled, therefore, it still
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| - The “Oracle of Damascus” or “Burden of Damascus” is recorded in Isaiah 17:1-14, as well as in associated passages found in Zechariah 9:1-8 and Jeremiah 49:23-27. These Bible passages – and some say Amos 1:3-5 – are considered prophetic by most Evangelical Christians who embrace Futurism (Christian eschatology). Furthermore, some Futurists consider Psalm 83 as an allusion to Israel’s immediate neighbors conspiring to destroy Israel as a “Latter Day’s” phenomenon. These Futurists claim that the Bible says modern-day Damascus will finally come to a quick, devastating and permanent end. They see the opening of Isaiah 17:1 in no uncertain terms to mean the utter destruction by the world’s oldest, continually-inhabited city—an event heretofore which has never been fulfilled, therefore, it still must be considered a prophecy yet future: “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap” (Isaiah 17:1) The devastation of Damascus will be caused by the future State of Israel as a result of the Samson Option in response to her very survival. Isaiah 17:9 states: “In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation.” They say the Bible even tells how quickly and the precise time of this destruction upon Damascus: “In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone!” (Isaiah 17:14). They also claim that Jeremiah 49:23-27; especially, verses 26 and 27, substantiate this claim upon Syria’s capital: “‘Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,‘ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.’” Nathan Jones of the Lamb and Lion Ministries Blog – (the Evangelical Premillenial ministry of David Reagan) suggests that an Israeli “nuclear warhead” will spell the demise of Damascus. Jones cites Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in his remarks as indicative of Israel’s ultimate quest for survival wherein Israel “would not hold back” if renewed attacks by Hezbollah were to inflict Israel once again (See: 2006 Lebanon War). There will no longer be a situation of distant fighting, where major cities continue with life as usual. The war will reach the cities and homes of Israeli citizens and our enemy's objective will be to target the home front . . . we will be forced to bring an end to hostilities quickly, at the smallest possible cost, using our comparative advantage (which will be) massive capabilities and tools during the Second Lebanon War that it refrained from using, because it was fighting a terror organization, not a state. ("Olmert: No holding back against Hezbollah" by Roni Sofer, YNetNews, Aug. 19, 2008) Jones suggests that Russia’s recent incursion into Georgia (See: 2008 South Ossetia War) foretells the lead-up to another yet future conflict, the Gog Magog War in which Russia allied with Iran (Persia) will descend upon the mountains of Israel in the End Times (Ezekiel 38-39); therefore, As the Middle East heats up with Russian on the move and the current (April, 2009) Iranian President’s rhetoric against Israel, the players are all playing and positioning themselves for a possible prophetic scenario. The consequence of this will put Israel in a very precarious position; with their back against the wall, Israel may use their nukes and fulfill the ‘Damascus’ prophecy found in Isaiah and Jeremiah. (“The Prophetic End of Damascus" Lamb and Lion Ministries, August 19, 2008) Premillenarian Ray Stedman (formerly of Peninsula Bible Church of Palo Alto, CA) affirms: Two verses in Chapter 17 (Isaiah 17:1-2) describe the future of Damascus, a city much in the news today. That has not yet been fulfilled. The infallible Word of God says that Damascus, a large and very old city, ultimately will be destroyed. We are not told how or when this will happen but it will happen, as the Word of God declares. (“Why Do the Nations Rage” – Ray Stedman, the PBC Library) Dave Dolan, a Jerusalem-based author and journalist, in his text, “Israel in Crisis: What Lies Ahead?" affirms the Futurist nature of the Oracle of Damascus (pp. 83-84). Dolan’s editorial updates from the Middle East confirm his persistent suspicions that the “Burden of Damascus” is imminent: Widespread media reports of possible imminent war with Syria—probably initiated by an attack upon Israel by its puppet Hezbollah militia force in Lebanon, supported by Palestinian Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip, and possibly by Iran itself—have increased significantly in recent days here in Israel. Military analysts say this indicates something is indeed occurring on the ground to raise the war alert, as confirmed by army sources. (“War Jitters Rock Israel" DDolan.com - Israel Update – Jerusalem, April 3, 2008)
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