"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. (Isaiah 17:1-3) Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Many read the passage above and realize that although the Assyrians conquered it in the 7th century BC, Damascus has never been destroyed in the manner described. If so, then this event awaits us in the near future. Although Damascus is the capital of Syria today, it was originally an Aramean city, and was actually allied with the Northern Kingdom of Israel against Assyria, just before its defeat. A Case Of Double Vision In chapter 17, as in much of his book, Isaiah was writing both short and long term prophecy, the short term now confirmed to us in history. In that sense, the verses above describe the defeat of Aram, followed closely by the defeat of the Northern Kingdom of Israel as indicated by the phrase "the fortified city will disappear from Ephraim" a reference to Samaria, its capital. (Ephraim is an alternate name sometimes used to identify the Northern Kingdom following the civil war that divided Israel after King Solomon died. Judah was the name given to the south). Following their defeat the Arameans and Israelites were systematically uprooted and dispersed through out Assyria, something the Assyrians routinely did after conquering their enemies to break up alliances among the conquered people and reduce the likelihood of future rebellion. "In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away. It will be as when a reaper gathers the standing grain and harvests the grain with his arm-as when a man gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. Yet some gleanings will remain, as when an olive tree is beaten, leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches, four or five on the fruitful boughs," declares the Lord , the God of Israel. (Isaiah 17:4-6) The Lord also sometimes used the name Jacob in place of Israel. When He did, it was to distinguish the unfaithful (Jacob) from the faithful (Israel). So these verses explain that in the idolatrous Northern Kingdom, the leadership strata of society would be so scattered throughout Assyria that only a few would be left intact. Like the few olives that are left on a tree after harvest. "In that day men will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made. In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation. (Isaiah 17:7-9) When Did That Happen? There is no historical indication that the Assyrians turned to the Lord following their victory over the Arameans and Israelites and left their idolatrous religions. Nor has this happened anytime since. Today the remnant of Assyria is called Syria, with Damascus its capital, and the religion is overwhelmingly Islam. There was a revival in Judah under King Hezekiah, and that saved them for a time, but the focus of the passage is not Jewish. So this prophecy is one of several indications that there is still a long term fulfillment to come. As I've said, Isaiah was writing both short and long term prophecy. The Lord often had prophets do this so their writings would be validated by events occurring within the span of their lives. The short term, often partial, fulfillment confirmed that the long term would also take place as prophesied. (see Deut. 18:21-22) "You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain. Oh, the raging of many nations- they rage like the raging sea! Oh, the uproar of the peoples- they roar like the roaring of great waters! Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale. In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us. (Isaiah 17:10-14) Is That You, Lord? All the peoples of the world had once known their Creator but over the centuries had abandoned Him in favor of their pagan religions. The Assyrians and Arameans, for example, were cousins, descendants of 2 sons of Shem, the oldest son of Noah. Shem was still alive when Abraham was called to be the father of the Israelites, and so was knowledge among these cousins of their Creator. (Read Adam to Abraham) The Assyrians continued to the very gates of Jerusalem, defeating everyone in their path, all their plans bringing immediate success. But one night as they camped on Mt. Scopus overlooking Jerusalem and planned their final assault, the Lord sent His destroying angel and 185,000 Assyrian troops were slain as they slept. (2 Kings 19:35-36) At daybreak those left alive retreated in defeat and the faithful remnant in Judah enjoyed a generation of peace. The revival in Judah had come just in time to avert a major defeat and the total elimination of the Jewish nation. These events so parallel prophecies of the End Times that in Jewish circles Sennacherib, the Assyrian King, is seen as a model for the anti-christ while Hezekiah, King of Judah represents the Messiah. But this was another partial fulfillment. The passage calls for many nations, not just the Assyrians, to rise up against Israel and is another indication of what's to come. More Next Time In Part 2 we'll place the prophecy of Isaiah 17 in the context of current events as the nations of the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent edge slowly but certainly toward war. And never before in our generation, even at the height of the Cold War, has there been such open and frank talk about the use of nuclear weaponry. Among the nations currently raging, India, Pakistan, Israel, Iran, Iraq, and the US all possess at least some nuclear capability and all appear ready to use it. But the nation most active in preparation, and therefore perhaps the spark that will ignite the region, is Syria. Secretly funded by Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, Syria is most likely to start something, and in fact has in the past week given the Lebanese Hizballah the green light for a major escalation of terrorist operations. Stay tuned. 06-16-02