The Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy Concerning Damascus?

The following is an excerpt from an upcoming book I am co-writing with Tom Horn:

It’s no secret amongst scholars, that early Syrian Christianity has a profound influence on the fledging pre-Quran Islam. McCants writes “In early Islam, Syrians were particularly partial to the Sufyani because his kin, the Umayyads, had ruled the caliphate from Damascus.”[1] The term Sufyani, a term referring to his descent from the progeny of Abu Sufyan, is yet another legendary character who will allegedly emerge before the Mahdi from Damascus. He is not the ally of the Mahdi nor the Dajjal, The hadith regarding the Sufyani specify that he is a tyrant who will spread corruption and mischief on the earth before the Mahdi.

A man will emerge from the depths of Damascus. He will be called Sufyani. Most of those who follow him will be from the tribe of Kalb. He will kill by ripping the stomachs of women and even kill the children. A man from my family will appear in the Haram, the news of his advent will reach the Sufyani and he will send to him one of his armies. He (referring to the Mahdi) will defeat them. They will then travel with whoever remains until they come to a desert and they will be swallowed. None will be saved except the one who had informed the others about them. (Mustadrak Al-Hakim)

This is from a five volume hadith collection written by Hakim al-Nishaburi. He wrote it in approximately 1003 AD. It contains 9045 hadith and al-Nishaburi claimed all hadith in it were authentic according to the conditions of either Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim or both. What makes it especially germane to the present argument concerning Syrian influence on the Qur’an and Hadith, it connects the Sufyani to Damascus, Syria. Of course many dispensational theologians assert God still has plans to annihilate Damascus in an unpresented destruction that excludes all alleged past fulfillments:

“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, And it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken: They shall be for flocks, Which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, And the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: They shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 17:1–3)

Scholars we respect like Michael Brown and Craig Keener have concluded this was fulfilled by the Syro-Ephraimitic War which raged during the middle 730s, [BC].”[2] However Brown qualifies, “In principle, I have no problem with the concept that ancient biblical prophecies can refer to contemporary events, since it’s clear that there are many prophecies still to be fulfilled, including the future world war against Jerusalem. (See Zechariah 12 and 14.)”[3] While they might be correct about dual fulfillment, the past simply does not match God’s word spoken through Isaiah that “Damascus is taken away from being a city, And it shall be a ruinous heap.” Up until a week ago, the capital of Syria, reveled in its status as one of the oldest existing cities in the world, and evidence exists of a settlement in the wider Barada basin dating back to 9000 BC.[4] While we recognize apocalyptic symbolism when we see it, “taken away from being a city” does not seem like figurative language. We expect Damascus to be destroyed, and as of October 21, 2015  pro-Moscow internet news service, Russia Insider, has published what it says is footage of the battle raging between the Syrian army and US-and-Australian backed rebels in the Damascus suburb of Jobar

Damascus is a ruinous heap

See full story with a Russian drone flying over the devastation

Russia releases shockingly clear footage of the devastation surrounding Damascus 

 

[1] William McCants, The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State, Kindle Edition, (St. Martin’s Press, 2015), Kindle Locations 1904-1905.

[2] Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), Isaiah 17:1.

[3] Michael Brown, “Does the Bible Predict the Destruction of Syria?,” Charisma, September 11, 2013, http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/in-the-line-of-fire/40946-does-the-bible-predict-the-destruction-of-syria Accessed October 19, 2015.

[4] Ross Burns, Damascus: A History, (London: Routledge, 2007), 2.

 

View From the Bunker 281: Cris Putnam – The Last Crusade

Derek Gilbert VFTB, SkyWatch NewsI had a nice conversation with Derek Gilbert about the book I am currently writing with Tom Horn about how ISIS, Pope Francis, USA and Russia are paving the way to Armageddon. I promise to be intellectually honest about my speculations as opposed to VERIFIED facts but am making effort to use those facts to support a particular reading of biblical prophecy -not newspaper exegesis as much as revealing how recent history seems to be pulling us toward what  premillennial futurism  has been saying for a century. The regathering of ethnic Jews, entailing s two stage regathering (first in unbelief ongoing since 1948 and before) followed by a, soon to come, national repentance and belief  in Jesus as Messiah as according to the Hebrew prophet Zechariah (Zech 12:10) and Jewish convert Paul – who encountered the resurrected Lord (1 Cor 15:8) and preached the Gospel he first received (1 Cor 15:3). I always enjoy talking with Derek because he so well informed.

VFTB 281: Cris Putnam – The Last Crusade

THE ISLAMIC STATE has made no secret of its plan to take over the world. But it’s not the only group with that goal in mind.

Cris Putnam, co-author of Petrus Romanus, Exo-Vaticana, and most recently, On the Path of the Immortals, discusses the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and the possible goals of IS, Russia, and the Vatican in the how the map of that part of the world is ultimately redrawn.

Podcast available here: http://vftb.net/?p=5977

ISIS Apocalypse Meets the Pope

Interestingly, the Brookings Institution lady doing the introduction was complaining about the parking situation due to the pope’s visit to Washington DC, apparently, as this was filmed.The two subjects (Pope, ISIS) have been on my mind alot lately and this is where it gets interesting. Tom Horn and I are currently writing a new book that connects the two: ISIS apocalypse and Pope Francis… eh?  Something about a final crusade?

McCants is a great source and scholar. I am finishing up his new book, and recommend it as well: The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State



I’ll be at Strategic Perspectives in about a week or so!