Ezekial’s prophesy of end times can become obsessive. Over the centuries, as wars erupted and evil men rose to power, they were thought to be the signal that we had entered into the end times prophesy. Today is no different. But we need to be careful, then and now, in pointing a gnarly finger at the supposed perpetrators when we simply don’t know for sure.
Scholars are divided over interpretations of land and peoples and who exactly God has said through Ezekial will be the ones responsible for bringing about end times. References to Ethiopia and Persia are fairly direct encompassing nearly all of the middle east, with the exception of Saudi Arabia, and a fair portion of northern and eastern Africa. But division reigns when defining Phut, Gomer, Meshech, Tubal, Rosh and Beth-togarmah. Some scholars put these places in Turkey, others claim they were all ancient Iranians, and still others argue that they include Ukraine and Russia as reference to the ‘northern parts’, when in fact Turkey was the area north of Israel.
Why is this important? Because when looking to the people that the Bible prophesies will bring about end times, it is important to know how that relates to current warring.
At issue is the fact that multiple times in history, from the Mongols to the Turks and Ottoman Empire, to even Hitler, these people have been said to belong to ‘end times’ prophesy. With Syria now at the forefront, parallels have been made. One such parallel is the destruction of Damascus. The Bible prophesy declares that its ruin will be so complete that it will cease to be a city at all.
Isaiah 17:1-3 reads, “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 cities of Aroer? The literal Hebrew translation of Aroer is ‘ruin’. There were three cities with this name and all have been in ruin for centuries. Therefore some argue that the prophesy has already come to be, while others argue that Aroer refers to other ‘ruins’ that we are experiencing today. And while Damascus lies in rubble, it is still thriving albeit precariously. As such, the fate of Damascus is quite clear in the Bible and thus represents a tipping point.
Russia joined the fight against ISIS in Syria with the blessing of all countries. But their stated targets have included rebel factions as well. There are four rebel groups; two are Nusra Front groups affiliated with al Qaeda, the third is backed by the Saudi’s, the East Gouta Council, and the fourth is backed by the US, the Southern Front. Of course, rebels are fighting each other, fighting the Syrian government, fighting Iran, fighting ISIS, fighting, well, just about everyone.
The US has a twofold agenda, to topple the Syrian government and ISIS. Which is probably why neither agendas have succeeded given in a war it is always a good idea to ‘pick a side’, one side, and stick with it! Initially, al Nusra was trained and armed by the US until it was pointed out that they were actually al Qaeda. Oops.
Why would Russia bomb and destroy targets that were not ISIS? It’s military 101. To eliminate the enemy. The enemy is anyone who poses a risk to their ally, Assad. Whether you agree with this alliance or not, Russia has been very vocal from the beginning, there was no mistaking with whom their loyalties lay. This was not a secret…Therefore, the defeat of ISIS, al Qaeda and the rebels is the focus.
The US military tactics have not been effective against their targets; ISIS and Assad. Therefore, it makes more sense to sit back, let Russia clean up the mess and deal with Assad – later. If that is in fact even the true agenda…
Let’s not forget the open mic blunder between Medvedev and Obama in 2012. Agendas are behind closed doors, what the president says and what he does have no common denominator. Trying to discern the truth, the facts, is akin to putting together a puzzle of 1000 pieces when some of the pieces are missing, others are from a completely different puzzle, and still others have been cut to no longer fit.
In the meantime, we stand to set in motion the fall of Damascus and thus end times prophesy.
What may catapult the entire scenario is an ‘accidental’ bomb hitting the Russian military by the US, or the US military by Russia. That is most likely what the media is waiting for, drooling with anticipation as shadows percolate a WWIII scenario nudging with just the right amount of provocation and thus enabling Obama a stay of execution so as to remain in office for an indefinite period while elections are tabled. AND setting in motion a war that no one wants. No one believes in. And no one supports.
In the meantime, we will continue to create a villain, vilify and condemn as though we were God, and act in a manner that is abhorrent in pushing towards a re-alignment of nations and a catastrophe that will definitely take millions of lives.
But maybe, just maybe, that is – the agenda.