Did the Bible really prophesy
about the fall of Syria?
Religious scholars make sense
of it all (READ) Posted by Y! Staff Contributor The deadly violence percolating
half a world away in Syria and
the warnings of a possible U.S.
attack have some people not only
looking ahead to what might
happen in the coming days — but also looking backward into
ancient, apocalyptic prophecies in
the pages of the Old Testament. In recent weeks, some dire
prophecies have turned up on
websites, in book stores, as the
subject of Bible studies and in
sermons by some Christians and
others who see a link between the old passages and modern-day
events in Egypt, Libya and Syria. “Behold, Damascus is about to be
removed from being a city, and
will become a fallen ruin,” reads
Isaiah 17, a passage some
Christians say they believe details
a horrific event that leaves the city uninhabitable and leads to
worldwide tribulation and the
second coming of Christ. Damascus is the Syrian capital and
one of the world’s oldest cities. Another passage in Isaiah 19
deals with civil war in Egypt and
the rise of a “fierce king.” Talk of those prophecies has
intensified as President Barack
Obama considers a U.S. military
strike on Syria in response to
what Washington says is evidence
that the Syrian leadership used chemical weapons against its own
people. In turn, Syria vows to
retaliate against neighboring
Israel if the U.S. strikes. “The prophecies are not new to
our group because we do (Bible)
studies every Friday night. We
have looked at that prophecy, but
one of the things I try not to do is
make a big assumption. That can be dangerous,” said Pastor Gary
Cristofaro of the First Assembly
of God in Melbourne. “We try to
find balance by immersing
ourselves in prophecy rather than
being affected by it.” “The situation in Syria as it
relates to scripture could be
something that we’re
witnessing, but we should be
cautious. What prophecy really is
about is the faithfulness of God’s word.” Prophecy has long played a role
in the formation of American faith
and, even, politics. A number of congregations
including the Seventh-day
Adventists and the Jehovah’s
Witnesses can trace their roots to
the so-called Great
Disappointment of 1844, a year when a preacher named William
Miller moved thousands of
Christians to give away their
possessions with prophecies
detailing what he thought would
be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Millions of Americans also
listened as Herbert W.
Armstrong, a warbled-voice
minister belted out dire
prophecies of famine, war and
pestilence in the late 1930s – during the Dust Bowl drought and
just before the onset of World
War II. President Harry S.
Truman, an avid student of the
Bible and its prophecies regarding
the return of Jews to the Holy Land, was the first world leader
to recognize Israel in 1948, a
moment some Christians believe
began a new prophetic era for
events in the Middle East. Tom Lombardo, a San Franscico-
based author and researcher of
end time beliefs, believes that the
Syrian prophecy is the latest
example of some Christians
turning to ancient biblical writings to make sense of a modern,
complex world. “Interpreting events doesn’t
lead to an understanding of
what’s going on. I believe it
actually clouds the
understanding,” said Lombardo,
whose novel American Underground touches on religious
themes, political divisions and
geopolitical conflict. Lombardo said followers of
prophecy tend to look at world
events and search through biblical
prophecies for what he calls clues
on the timing of the events. “You
have some prophecy teachers that argue that the tribulation has
begun now. So every time
something happens, it has to fit
into the narrative,” he said. Christian bookstores such as
Family Christian Ministries in
West Melbourne report that book
sales of prophecy-themed works
by charismatic minister Perry
Stone, Pastor John Hagee and novelists such as Joel Rosenberg
have increased in recent weeks
since tension in Syria and Egypt
escalated. “We sold a lot of Perry Stone
books, and he’s really good
with the end times. A lot of our
customers say their churches are
doing something on prophecy,”
said Kaylee Snodgrass, assistant manager at Family Christian
Ministries. Some, though, like Pastor Ralph
Nygard of Eau Gallie First Baptist
Church in Melbourne, urge caution
about any speculation and say the
prophecies of the bible must be
seen in their historical context. “All I’ve been teaching
recently has been the Book of
Revelation and sharing
information about the time in
which it was written,” Nygard
said. “What you have to decide is
whether the prophet Isaiah was
dealing with the ancient nation of
Israel or foretelling the future.
You can have a dualistic approach
and see the way it was written and the time,” and what it may
mean for the future, he said. www.ynaija.com/did-the-bible-really-prophesy-about-the-fall-of-syria-religious-scholars-make-sense-of-it-all-read/. www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/08/some-see-biblical-visions-of-doom-in-syria-trouble/2780827/

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