The turmoil in the Middle East may be an indicator of something bigger.
Should the United States bomb Syria? Your answer might depend on your eschatology (whether Christian or Muslim).
LifeWay Research noticed how the Syrian conflict has prompted discussion
of the End Times (i.e. dispensationalism) unlike previous debates over American
intervention in foreign affairs. So, it did a survey and found some surprising results:
Almost one in three Americans see Syria’s recent conflict as part of the Bible’s plan
for the end times. One in four think that a U.S. military strike in Syria could
lead to Armageddon.
One in five believes the world will end in their lifetime.
Ed Stetzer (now joined by Bob Smietana, previously at TheTennessean)
explores the full results—inlcuding that women (36%) are more likely
than men (28%) to link Syria and the Bible—in a post worth reading.
But for comparison: Barna recently found that “41 percent of all U.S. adults,
54 percent of Protestants, and 77 percent of evangelicals believe the world is now
living in the biblical end times.” The online poll of 1,000 American adults found that
those most likely to believe this include African Americans (54%), Hispanics (48%),
married adults (46%), and families that had children living at home (47%).
PRRI recently found that nearly 4 in 10 Americans (and 65 percent of white evangelicals) believe recent natural disasters are evidence of the End Times, while 15 percent of Americans (and 29 percent of white evangelicals) believe that the end of the world, as predicted in the Book of Revelation, will occur in their lifetimes.
Reuters recently found that “nearly 15 percent of people worldwide believe the world will end during their lifetime.” According to its survey of more than 16,000 people in more than 20 countries, those in the United States and Turkey believe this the most, while those in France, Belgium, and Great Britain believe this the least.
CT recently noted how American evangelical leaders took their own surprising vote on whether to bomb Syria, as well as examined whether Syria’s Christian should be the top priority of American Christians.
CT also recently noted the death of the filmmaker who launched the End Times movie genre, and has regularly covered Syria, the End Times, eschatology, and dispensationalism.
Whenever tensions begin to skyrocket in the Middle East, the rest of the world gets worried. It’s no surprise, since the area has been known for its turmoil for most of
human history. Many, though, also recognize that it is the center of the majority of
Biblical prophecies.
The Syrian conflict and the U.S. decision to strike a base inside the country are leading to further concerns. The future of the nation’s civil war, the state of the humanitarian crisis, and the best political path to move forward are all under hot debate. People are confused on how to best diffuse the situation.
In addition to the conversations on how to remedy the crisis, there has also been intense debate within the theological space. Christians are starting to discuss the possibility of the events in Syria being connected with prophecies in the Bible.
A Biblical prophecy is a prediction of an event that has yet to unfold.
There are many who whole-heartedly believe the Syrian conflict is written explicitly in Biblical prophecy. For example, Joel Rosenberg, a New York Times’ bestselling author, has pointed to Old Testament scriptures to support his case.
Questions began to make their way around evangelical circles following the event of Russia’s air strikes targeting rebels in Syria in October 2015. The discussion surrounding Syria’s ongoing civil war, which started in 2011, and if it was tied to biblical prophecy reemerged.
Rosenberg laid out his thoughts by publishing on his blog in the wake of the air strikes.
He claimed that Russian president Vladimir Putin is “working hand-in- glove with Iran’s government” in formulating operations in Syria. This came the same week that reports of Iran waging a ground attack, while Russia was carrying out assaults from the air, were circulated.
“The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote 2,500 years ago that in the ‘last days’ of history, Russia and Iran will form a military alliance to attack Israel from the north,” Rosenberg wrote. “Bible scholars refer to this eschatological conflict, described in Ezekiel 38–39, as the ‘War of Gog & Magog.’” He added, “Are these sudden and dramatic moves by Moscow and Tehran…simply coincidental, or [do they] have prophetic implications?”
The question Rosenberg poses is at the epicenter of the debate surrounding
Iran, Syria and Russia and their potential involvement in the end times.
This has gained a great deal of attention in both the Christian community and the general media over the years. For those who believe Syria will play a role in end times scenarios, Isaiah 17:1–3 is the cornerstone.
“’See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
The first portion that focuses on a “ruinous heap” has many wondering if the present crisis in Syria was prophesied in the Bible. However not everyone is buying it. Some scholars have countered that Damascus was already destroyed and that this verse refers to an attack by the Assyrians that unfolded in 732 BC.
Rosenberg combats his critics and shuts down the idea of the Assyrian attack being the event prophesied in the Bible. Specifically citing Isaiah 17:1–3 and Jeremiah 49:23–27, Rosenberg explained in a separate blog piece that Damascus’s destruction has not yet happened. Jeremiah 49:23–27 pledges judgment upon Damascus, proclaiming that it has “become helpless” and that a fire will be kindled in its walls.
“We’re watching Damascus unravel…These prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. It has been attacked, besieged, and conquered,” Rosenberg wrote. “But Damascus has never been completely destroyed and left uninhabited.”
“Bible Answer Man” Hank Hanegraaff doesn’t believe in the claim that the Old Testament could be describing future or current events. Hanegraaff has spoken about supposed Biblical prophecies associated with the end times before. Back in 2013 on his radio show
a caller asked him about claims that the Book of Isaiah details impending destruction for Damascus.
Hanegraaff pushed back the notion.
“So, what you’re saying is they’re tying in the passages in Isaiah to what is currently happening in Syria…and this is just a classic example of newspaper eschatology and shame on the pastors that are doing this, because it either is a case of them not knowing the Word of God, which seems unlikely to me, or simply wanting to invite sensationalism and sophistry,” he responded. “If you look at what the Bible actually says, it is very clear that the fulfillment comes in the biblical text as well.”
“This whole notion is fulfilled in biblical history when the king of Assyria captured and destroyed Damascus…if you look at Isaiah chapter 7, there’s a permutation of this as well…you see the fulfillment in the very next chapter, Isaiah chapter 8,” he continued.
Hanegraaff went on to say that some pastors’ decisions to transport pieces of prophecy to the 21st century are irresponsible. He called the action “embarrassing” and said that those pastors and Bible experts who embrace the idea are “dragging Christ’s name through the mud.”
Rather than reading the Scriptures for what they are, he believes
that some theologians are “reading into the Scriptures their own eschatological views.”
In the end, the debate is compelling, intriguing and fascinating from both sides. The debate is composed of individuals who agree on a central Christian doctrine, however couldn’t disagree more about the signs and symbols that are presented within it. We cannot be sure when the end times are coming or how they will unfold, but it’s worth discussing in the Christian space.
Does war with Syria have anything to do with the end times?
As civil war rages in Syria and other nations ponder potential involvement, some Bible teachers believe we can see biblical end-times prophecy unfolding right before our eyes. The Middle East is a religious-political powder keg and has been for years, but the Syrian Crisis seems to be making the situation that much more explosive. Because of Syria’s proximity to Israel, Egypt’s troubles, Iran’s threats, and the United States’ ultimatums, there is talk of the end times, Armageddon, and World War III.
#1 in Ecclesiology Christian Theology
The complete guide to Syria in end time Bible Prophecy –
High Time to Awake By Craig C. White
The fuse has been burning in Syria for eight years. Now the powder keg is about to explode! Isaiah 17 predicts the destruction of Damascus, Syria.
Isaiah 17:1 The burden of Damascus. Behold,
Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
Now more than ever it is important for Christians to be alert to the Bible prophecy that is unfolding in Syria. For that reason I have edited and compiled all of my commentaries about Syria into this one book. These commentaries appear throughout several of my other books. This book contains everything that you need to know about Syria in Bible prophecy as you watch events unfold in the coming days.
The city of Damascus is the capital of Syria. It is a large prosperous city with modern amenities and an ancient history. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It was founded by the Aramaeans over four thousand years ago, and was inhabited two thousand years before that. Damascus is a living depiction of human history.
Today Damascus is dying.
According to Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah; Damascus, Syria will
be destroyed. I think that the Bible tells us that Turkey will enter Syria and destroy Damascus. This could be the prophetic event that puts the end time into high gear!
Syria has been fighting for the past eight years, in the midst of a hostile takeover by outside forces. During that time Damascus has suffered some damage, but has been mostly spared. Now Turkey has amassed 400,000 soldiers on the Syrian border. Now Turkish President Erdogan has vowed to remove Syrian President Assad from power in Syria’s capital city of Damascus. Now Turkey has acquired world wide support for their invasion into Syria. It is true that, with every passing day, we draw closer to the Second Coming of Christ (James 5:8).
The Bible presents a certain paradox when it comes to the end times. On one hand, we have Mark 13: 32, which tells us “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” So the angels in heaven don’t know when the end is coming. Not even Jesus, Himself, knows when He’s coming back, it seems.
Yet in Matthew 24: 5-8, Christ says, of the impending end of all things,
that “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you dare not be alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” So we’re told that we cannot know when the end will come, yet we are given definitive signs that foretell its coming.
How can we make sense of this?
One way in which these signs can be useful is if we, instead of trying to predict the end through them, simply take them as hope-filled reminders that Christ is going to return and redeem all of creation. In this way, when we see these events transpiring, we can find hope instead of fear as we prepare ourselves to weather the storm.
To help you see these events for what they are, let’s take a look
at 6 Biblical signs of the end times.
Nation Against Nation
False Prophets
Moral Decay
Signs in the Stars
A Great Tribulation
Earthquakes in Many Places
And the prophecy of Isaiah 17:1 has yet to be fulfilled:
“A prophecy against Damascus: ‘See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.’” 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. But Isaiah’s prophecy still stands; there is coming a day when Damascus will be nothing but a “heap of ruins.” The current war in Syria could indeed be one of the events leading up to the capital’s destruction.
There are other verses in the Bible tethered to Isaiah 17:1, but the idea of a ruinous heap suggests that not one building is left standing in Damascus. The city will no longer be a city. Some students of prophecy believe a nuclear bomb could be the means of fulfilling this prophecy; others suggest the possibility of an earthquake.
Regardless of exactly how or when it happens, two things we know for sure:
God is sovereign and His Word will stand (Isaiah 40:8).
There is much unrest in the Middle East, and the war in Syria is capturing the attention
of the whole world. However, this particular conflict, even if it expands to other nations, cannot be associated with Armageddon. That battle occurs near the end of the Tribulation, during the bowl judgments, as the nations of the earth gather to fight against the Lord (Revelation 16:12–16). The war in Syria, if it is indeed part of the end-times prophecy,
is more likely part of the “birth pains” described in Mark 13:7–8.
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.
“The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice
of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever”
(1 Thessalonians 4:16–17)—are you ready for His coming?
What does the Christian fish symbol mean (ixthus / icthus)? | GotQuestions.org – YouTube | Are we living in the end times? | GotQuestions.org – YouTube
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