Hello Steve,
Greetings,
Has the following prophecy been fulfilled in the past? If not, do you see it being fulfilled in the upcoming war in the modest? What are your thoughts on this? Clearly it shall succumb to a violent attack (nuclear?) of such magnitude that God chose to write to us about it. Is the burden, the terrorists that it harbors?
“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap” (Isaiah 17:1)
God bless
Frank Farrar
MyReply
Hello Frank,
I’m somewhat cautious in applying Isaiah 17:1 to modern times. It may, indeed, prophesy that Damascus will be destroyed in the years ahead of us. However, it needs to be remembered that Isaiah’s prophecy was given in the 8th or 7th century BC, and Damascus has been attacked, destroyed and rebuilt over the millennia (as has Jerusalem and other Mideastern cities). Isaiah 17:1 does not include a “latter day” prophetic time context within that verse, but Isaiah 17:4’s expression of “in that day” can be a reference to the “Day of the Lord,” a clear end-time context. On the other hand, the ancient kingdom of Israel, with its capital at Samaria, fell during Isaiah’s lifetime and Isaiah 17:3 seems to reference that ancient fall (arguing for an ancient context for Isaiah 17:1-3 and a possible end-time context beginning in verse 4).
Prophecies can take “leaps” of time within the same prophecy. An example of that is Daniel 11 where much of the prophecy applies to the ancient Seleucids and Ptolemies but the end-times are clearly discussed in verses 40-45. It isn’t clear how much of that chapter’s prophecy before verse 40 applies to the end times. The reference to the “abomination that makes desolate” in verse 31 convinces many that the end-times are being discussed prior to verse 40, but others regard this as a reference to the desecration of the Temple in ancient times by Antiochus Epiphanes, a Seleucid ruler. The words “even to the time of the end” could mean the end times or indicate a transitional period that will last till the time of the end arrives. The same kind of time “leap” may be present in Isaiah 17, making it unclear how much of that chapter is intended for an end-time fulfillment. That is a reason why I am cautious in applying Isaiah 17:1 to our times.
If Isaiah 17:1 has an end-time application, your suggestion that Damascus could be destroyed for harboring terrorists is a plausible reason why it could be devastated in a future war. It could also be destroyed simply because it is the Syrian capital if Syria wages war against the Israelis again.
Steve
