What will remain of Damascus?

by Michael G. Mickey

(10-7-06)

Located in a strategic gap commanding the Barada River and transdesert routes, Damascus has been inhabited since prehistoric times and is reputedly the oldest continuously occupied city in the world. There was a city on its site even before the time (c.2000 BC) of Abraham . Damascus was probably held by the Egyptians before the Hittite period (2d millennium BC) and was later ruled by the Israelites and Aram . Tiglathpileser III made it (732 BC) a part of the Assyrian Empire. From the 6th to the 4th cent. BC it was a provincial capital of the Persian Empire until it passed (332 BC) without a struggle to the armies of Alexander the Great.

(The Encyclopedia.com article goes on from there all the way to 1961 without describing a period of time when Damascus ceased to be a city!)

Having laid out a brief explanation as to why I question whether Isaiah's prophecy seen in Isaiah 17:1 has been completely fulfilled, I want to bring us forward to today's news where the stage may well be being set for Damascus to be taken from being a city before our very eyes!

A Jerusalem Post article opens with the following (emphasis added mine):

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called the recent Lebanon war between Israel and Hizbullah a "warning sign" that another regional war could soon break out.

"The Middle East is on the verge of exploding," Mubarak said in an interview marking 33 years since the Yom Kippur War (known to Arab nations as the "October War.)

And then there's the following opening to a Haaretz article to consider (emphasis added mine):

The Syrian military is preparing for war with Israel, Syria's President Bashar Assad told the Quwaiti newspaper Al-Anba on Saturday.

In an interview widely quoted by Syrian news agencies, Assad said Israel could attack Syria "at any moment."

"We must remain ready at all times," said Assad. "We have begun preparations within the framework of our options."

Assad also said he believes Israel has abandoned the peace process.

As I've documented, both in commentaries and on the site's news page, the United Nation's intervention in the recent Israeli-Hezbollah conflict has sent the wrong message to the enemies of Israel, one suggestive that an attack on the Israeli nation that is followed by a reaction will, in the end, find Israel being condemned and asked to retreat as opposed to its aggressive enemies. That makes the events of this period of time very interesting to observe as we await the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Is Damascus, emboldened by baseless claims Israel that can be destroyed by the collective might of the Arab world, willing to initiate a war in the hope that all its Arab brothers will jump on its bandwagon? If so, Syria's Assad may be about to make a HUGE mistake if he elects to initiate hostilities - one that leaves me wondering what will remain of Damascus once the smoke clears.

Another interesting issue this potential conflict brings back to the forefront of my radar is the international community's continuing cries for peace to come to the Middle East as soon as possible which I hope to discuss in tomorrow's commentary at length. Until then, keep your eyes on the skies! Jesus Christ is Lord and He is coming soon!

UPDATE: Israel on alert for Syrian attack (posted 10-9-06)

UPDATE: Security officials warn Damascus preparing its public for war (posted 10-9-06)