Isaiah 17: Destruction of Damascus
In the last days, the Bible tells us of a horrible series of events that
will take place in the lands of Israel and Syria. One of these events
is the disappearance of Damascus as one of the premiere cities in the
world. The oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet, Damascus
has witnessed at least 5,000 years of human history, and some historians
believe the city actually dates back to the seventh millennium BC. In
fact, Paul was on the road to Damascus when Christ first appeared to
Him, an event that transformed not only his life, but the course of
human history.
In the very near future, Damascus will once again play a major role in
human events. The prophet Isaiah provides us with God’s commentary on a
future conflict between Damascus and Israel, and in so doing, he
reveals certain prophecies which have been partially fulfilled in the
past. However, the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 17 remains in the
future. The current existence of Damascus, which will one day cease to
be a city, as well as the historical absence of the coalition of nations
prophesied to attack Israel and be destroyed by God, is proof that
Isaiah 17 prophesies events yet future.
This is what God revealed to the prophet Isaiah:
“This message came to me concerning Damascus: ‘Look, Damascus will
disappear! It will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be
deserted. Sheep will graze in the streets and lie down unafraid.
There will be no one to chase them away. The fortified cities of Israel
will also be destroyed, and the power of Damascus will end. The few
left in Aram will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,’ says the
Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 17:1-3 (NLT)
These opening verses paint a bleak picture. The city of Damascus will
become a heap of ruins, utterly destroyed. Few, if any, buildings will
be left standing. The once great city will be devoid of human life and
will become home to all manner of wildlife in the absence of humans to
chase them away.
According to these verses, the cities of Aroer, which are located on the
northern bank of the Arnon River just east of the Dead Sea, will also
be deserted. However, the passage doesn’t say they will be destroyed in
the same manner as Damascus, just that they will be deserted. It may
be that people simply flee these cities out of fear.
In addition, many of the fortified cities in northern Israel will also
be destroyed. Those few who remain in Aram, 38 miles south southeast of
Damascus, will share the fate of these northern Israeli cities.
“‘In that day the glory of Israel will be very dim, for poverty will
stalk the land. Israel will be abandoned like the grain fields in the
valley of Rephaim after the harvest. Only a few of its people will be
left, like the stray olives left on the tree after the harvest. Only
two or three remain in the highest branches, four or five out on the
tips of the limbs. Yes, Israel will be stripped bare of people,’ says
the Lord, the God of Israel.” Isaiah 17:4-6 (NLT)
The breadth and scope of destruction is clearly illustrated as God
describes the Israeli landscape as stripped bare of people. Only a
small fraction of people either choose to stay in the land or else
survive what is a massive holocaust, leaving only a few inhabitants who
struggle in poverty.
“Then at last the people will think of their Creator and have respect
for the Holy One of Israel. They will no longer ask their idols for
help or worship what their own hands have made. They will never again
bow down to their Asherah poles or burn incense on the altars they
built.” Isaiah 17:7-8 (NLT)
As a result of this event, the people of Israel will once again turn to
God Almighty. Currently, the nation of Israel is predominantly secular
in nature. Other biblical passages infer that this will change as the
prophesied rebuilding of the Temple in the last days indicates a
spiritual resurgence among the Jews of Israel. Nevertheless, this
passage clearly indicates the people of Israel will turn away from all
false idols and gods.
Knowing that this will happen, we must ask: why does it happen? The answer is found in the verses that follow:
“Their largest cities will be as deserted as overgrown thickets. They
will become like the cities the Amorites abandoned when the Israelites
came here so long ago. Why? Because you have turned from the God who
can save you – the Rock who can hide you. You may plant the finest
imported grapevines, and they may grow so well that they blossom on the
very morning you plant them, but you will never pick any grapes from
them. Your only harvest will be a load of grief and incurable pain.”
Isaiah 17:9-11 (NLT)
The devastation that overshadows Israel will come about because Israel
has “turned from the God who can save them.” All the hard work
performed prior to this event will be lost. Those who have been
distracted by the things of this world will be disappointed, for they
have forgotten God, and by putting faith in the things of this world,
they will ultimately be disappointed. Their only harvest will be “a
load of grief and incurable pain.” This grief will be brought to a
climax when, in the midst of their suffering, the nation of Israel faces
an imminent invasion:
“Look! The armies rush forward like waves thundering toward the shore.
But though they roar like breakers on a beach, God will silence them.
They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind or like dust whirling
before a storm. In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn its
enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder and
destroy the people of God.” Isaiah 17:12-14 (NLT)
While Syria and Israel lie in ruin, the enemies of Israel will view her
suffering as an opportunity to invade, their ultimate goal to destroy
her forever. However, God has a different plan in mind, and He will
destroy these invaders Himself. A more in depth illustration of this
attack is foreseen in Psalm 83:
“O God, don’t sit idly by, silent and inactive! Don’t you hear the
tumult of your enemies? Don’t you see what your arrogant enemies are
doing? They devise crafty schemes against your people, laying plans
against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel
as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.’ This
was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against
you – these Edomites and Ishmaelites, Moabites and Hagrites, Gebalites,
Ammonites, and Amalekites, and people from Philistia and Tyre. Assyria
has joined them, too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot. Do to
them as you did to the Midianites or as you did to Sisera and Jabin at
the Kishon River. They were destroyed at Endor, and their decaying
corpses fertilized the soil. Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and
Zeeb did. Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna, for they
said, ‘Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!’ O my
God, blow them away like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind! As a
fire roars through a forest and as a flame sets mountains ablaze, chase
them with your fierce storms; terrify them with your tempests.
Utterly disgrace them until they submit to your name, O Lord. Let them
be ashamed and terrified forever. Make them failures in everything they
do, until they learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone
are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.” Psalm 83 (NLT)
So how do we know that Psalm 83 describes the same scene envisioned in
Isaiah 17? Let’s compare the two. Here’s how the intentions of
Israel’s enemies are described:
Plunder & Destruction
“This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God.” Isaiah 17:14 (NLT)
Destruction
“They devise crafty schemes against your people, laying plans against
your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a
nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.’ This was
their unanimous decision.” Psalm 83:3-5 (NLT)
Plunder
“for they said, ‘Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!” Psalm 83:12 (NLT)
Here’s how the fate of Israel’s enemies are described:
“They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind or like dust whirling before a storm.” Isaiah 17:13 (NLT)
“O my God, blow them away like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind!” Psalm 83:13 (NLT)
From the description of their fate alone, it is reasonable to conclude
that the armies of Isaiah 17:12 are the same nations who sign a treaty
against the Lord in Psalm 83:5-8. Below is a list of those nations and
their modern geographical equivalents:
Edomites = Jordan / Parts of the West Bank
Ishmaelites = The Arab people
Moabites = Jordan / Parts of the West Bank
Hagrites = Jordan / The Arab people
Gebalites = Lebanon
Ammonites = Jordan
Amalekites = Southern Israel / Gaza
Philistia = Gaza
Tyre = Lebanon
Assyria = Syria / Parts of Turkey and Iraq
The Descendants of Lot = Jordan
By studying the geographical history of these ancient people and places,
we can uncover which nations they currently compose. According to
Psalm 83, in the aftermath of the destruction of northern Israel and
Damascus, Israel will be invaded by armies from Jordan, the West Bank,
Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. All of these locations are heavily populated
by the enemies of Israel today.
An Expanding War?
But are the nations cited in Psalm 83 the only nations involved in this
attack? It’s quite possible that additional conspirators are named in
the Book of Ezekiel. Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83 might well foreshadow the
war of Gog and Magog.
In Ezekiel 38-39, an enormous coalition of nations, “a vast and awesome
horde” – will roll down on Israel “like a storm and cover the land like a
cloud” Ezekiel 38:9 (NLT). This prophesied future war in Ezekiel has
many similarities to Isaiah 17:12-14. Both prophets foresee a time when
enemy armies rush toward Israel while she awaits unprepared. Both
prophets foresee God’s instantaneous destruction of Israel’s enemies.
And in both scenarios, the marching armies intend to plunder and destroy
the people of Israel:
Destruction
“You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled
villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in
such confidence!” Ezekiel 38:11 (NLT)
Plunder
“But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Who are
you to rob them of silver and gold? Who are you to drive away their
cattle and seize their goods and make them poor?’” Ezekiel 38:13 (NLT)
Plunder & Destruction
“This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God.” Isaiah 17:14 (NLT)
Could the events predicted in Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83 be a catalyst for
the war of Gog and Magog prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39? Although it is
not a certainty, the possibility can not be completely ruled out.
Today’s Headlines
Looking at today’s geopolitical landscape, it’s not difficult to
envision the scenario outlined in Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83. Syria has
been adamant in its demand that Israel surrender the Golan Heights,
threatening war if Israel fails to comply. Meanwhile, the summer 2006
war between Israel and Hezbollah has apparently convinced leaders in
Damascus that Syria can be victorious in a conflict with Israel by
simply overwhelming the tiny nation with rocket attacks. From a greater
perspective, it has convinced the entire Islamic world that Israel
isn’t the militarily invincible nation they once thought.
Syria’s rocket technology is far more advanced than that deployed by
Hezbollah, and Syria is known to possess chemical weapons, including the
highly lethal VX and Sarin gases. If Syria miscalculates and attacks
Israel with these weapons, the Israeli response will be swift and
devastating. Israel is armed with nuclear weapons, and if its survival
is put in question, it will not hesitate to use them.
If this happens, a mortally wounded Israel will become an irresistible
target for her enemies. The surrounding Muslim nations will see an
opportunity to destroy her, while Russia will see an opportunity to
seize the upper hand in the oil rich Middle East.
Today, the most virulent enemies of Israel reside in the very places
named in Psalm 83 – Hamas in Gaza, the Palestinians in the West Bank and
Jordan, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Syria leadership and its Axis of
Evil partners in the city of Damascus.
As of this writing, the conditions are ripe for the fulfillment of
Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83, paving the way for the rapture of the church and
the beginning of the tribulation. In light of such developments, we
should zealously preach the Gospel of Christ to all who will listen.
For the hour is late, and the return of Christ is near.
Britt Gillette is founder of BrittGillette.Com, a website examining the
relationship between bible prophecy and emerging trends in technology.
For more information or to sign up for his email alerts, please visit
http://www.brittgillette.com