The Great Future Northern War

Damascus prophecy

You have probably seen the latest fighting in Israel and the Gaza strip in the Middle East over the last few weeks and have seen this as no different from recent history and the battles between Hamas and Israel.  A few have asked me if this is significant in the light of prophecy.  I think it definitely is because Bible prophecy tells of a great northern war where it is prophesied in Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 that Damascus in Syria as pictured above will become a heap of ruins and will no longer be a city.¹  The northern part of Israel will not escape either.²  We even saw a hint of this great northern war in the latest skirmish with Hamas with an attack drone full of explosives having been sent from the north in Syria into the historical Beit-Shean (Bethshan) where Cathi and I visited in 2019.  This was a drone manufactured in Iran.

Ring of fire surrounding Israel

I am subscribed to the Watchman News by Erick Stakelbeck which is well worth watching on a regular basis as Erick gives regular updates on the developing situation in the Middle East in the wars between Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and Israel. Erick regularly says that God is still on the throne and yet a future northern war is imminent.  No one knows exactly when but we do know that it has to occur soon probably before the 7-year tribulation period begins at the end of this decade.  We know that this war is prophecy and in the future, because never before has Damascus been completely obliterated.  In fact, it is claimed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.  In the Syrian civil war, Damascus did suffer some damage but Aleppo copped a great deal more especially in the Battle of Aleppo from 2012-2016 where some 31,000 people were killed.  It is a violent conflict in Syria between pro-democratic insurgents and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s long-standing dynastic regime.  The ongoing conflict began on 15 March 2011, with demonstrations. These demonstrations were like demonstrations held in other Arab countries, which has been called the Arab Spring. Protesters in Syria demanded that President Bashar al-Assad resign out of their discontent with his government which has been ruling since 2000.  The bottom line is that Damascus still stands which is the capital of Syria so obviously, this prophecy of obliteration has never been fulfilled.  Erick sees in the not too distant future, a great northern war between Israel and the so-called ring of fire (countries surrounding and opposed to the state of Israel) backed by Iran who is on record as saying that they want to eliminate Israel and the Jews.  Of course, we know that this will never happen because of Amos 9:15.  Israel was planted in their own land in May 1948 never to be uprooted again.  That doesn’t stop the Islamic nations from trying though and through their proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, both terrorist organisations, this will continue.  Israel continues to be a thorn in their sides and an immovable rock for all nations.³

The war may open the way to get to Jordan

What is the significance for us as Christians in these last days?  One significant point is that we know that Christ cannot return before this happens so there are still prophecies yet to be fulfilled.  That, therefore, discounts and precludes the pre-trib doctrine of imminency.  See this post: Error: the very next event in prophecy is the pre-trib rapture.  Another question that comes to mind is how on earth are we going to get to Israel and then ultimately Jordan as part of the woman of Revelation 12 who escapes to the wilderness?  If there is destruction in the northern part of Israel and Syria then this could open up the way for people to relocate and emigrate to Israel to help in its reconstruction and to aid in its recovery.  This would be a possible route into Israel.   At the moment this is not possible unless one has Jewish heritage and is vaccinated against Covid-19.  But just think how unlikely it would be that anyone would even want to travel there let alone emigrate there because of the possible nuclear fallout if the great northern war involved a nuclear exchange.  This would take a huge step of faith and would be extremely counter-intuitive for the great majority of Christians.  Joel 2:32 says that there will be deliverance on Mt. Zion and Jerusalem among the survivors whom the Lord calls.  Now in one sense, one could spiritualise this verse explaining that deliverance/salvation comes on Mt Zion in the last days because of what Christ did on the cross at Mt. Zion, 2000 years ago, but maybe just maybe this also has another dual meaning that there will be survivors after this war and the Lord will call people to this place only later for these survivors/refugees to escape and flee to the mountains at the half-way point.⁴  The mountains, by the way, are the mountains across the ditch (Jordan Valley) in Moab (Jordan).

Watch the Middle East

You might be asking what makes you think that it will be a nuclear exchange between Iran, the ring of fire and Israel?  Well, for one, it seems as though Iran is surreptitiously moving towards developing a nuclear weapon.  It seems as though the Biden administration is making moves towards removing sanctions against Iran again after being severely restricted by previous U.S. President Trump.  See this news article.   Secondly, Psalm 83:13-15 seems to sound a lot like a nuclear weapon being detonated with a fire consuming all before it like chaff before the wind.  Things are certainly heating up in the Middle East to say the least and we need to watch this space.

One thing is for sure, there is a future war coming in the Middle East before the last day’s Battle of Armageddon and it will be more than likely the great northern nuclear war which obliterates Damascus and the northern cities of Israel. Will it be this war that ultimately opens up the way for the woman of Revelation 12 to escape to the wilderness? I suspect so but I could be wrong.