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Book: Israel at War: Inside the Nuclear Showdown With Iran by Joel C. Rosenberg
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Authors: Joel C. Rosenberg
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for such prophecies to come to pass.
First, an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities could be so successful that Iran is neutralized for several years to come. Israel could find itself feeling more secure than ever. It has recently discovered massive amounts of natural gas offshore. This gas should come online soon and could bring enormous wealth to Israel in a short period of time. An Israeli natural-gas boom could also infuriate Russia, which is one of the world’s leading exporters of natural gas. Such developments could set into motion the War of Gog and Magog in the not-too-distant future.
Second, Russia could dramatically intervene and somehow persuade Iran to give up its nuclear program. That could give Israel short-term security. In turn, however, Russia could go to the U.N. Security Council and demand that Israel disclose, dismantle, and destroy its nuclear weapons. Israel would resist. Russia might then begin to build a military coalition to force Israel to disarm, and this could set into motion a showdown that fulfills the prophecies regarding the War of Gog and Magog. I used a premise like this in my 2005 novel, The Ezekiel Option .
Third, I could imagine a scenario in which the U.S. makes a series of promises to Israel to neutralize Iran, causing Netanyahu to hold off a preemptive strike. But the U.S. could later renege on those promises or find that its attempts to neutralize Iran fell short. Israel would then have missed its opportunity, and Iran would be in the “zone of immunity.” Russia could then see an opportunity to join forces with a nuclear-armed Iran and start building a larger coalition to attack Israel.
These are just a few possibilities. There are other scenarios that could unfold too. The important thing for students and teachers of Scripture to do now is to study these prophecies very carefully and pray faithfully for the Lord to provide his wisdom and discernment.
The Destruction of Damascus
In the spring of 2012, a prominent member of Congress asked to meet with me in Washington, D.C. I thought the topic was going to be the possible coming war between Israel and Iran. Instead, the official asked, “What are your thoughts on Isaiah 17?” For much of the next hour, we discussed the coming judgment of Damascus according to Bible prophecy and how this scenario could possibly unfold in the near future in relation to other Bible prophecies and current geopolitical trends in the Middle East. Given that this prophecy is a significant theme in my forthcoming novel, Damascus Countdown , it is one I have studied carefully.
There are actually two key biblical prophecies that explain that at an unspecified time in the future, the city of Damascus will be completely destroyed—judged by God—and will not be inhabited again.
Isaiah 17:1-3: “The oracle concerning Damascus. ‘Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and will become a fallen ruin. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they will be for flocks to lie down in, and there will be no one to frighten them. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and sovereignty from Damascus.’”
Jeremiah 49:23-27: “Concerning Damascus. ‘Hamath and Arpad are put to shame, for they have heard bad news; they are disheartened. There is anxiety by the sea, it cannot be calmed. Damascus has become helpless; she has turned away to flee, and panic has gripped her; distress and pangs have taken hold of her like a woman in childbirth. How the city of praise has not been deserted, the town of My joy! Therefore, her young men will fall in her streets, and all the men of war will be silenced in that day,’ declares the L ORD of hosts. ‘I will set fire to the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the fortified towers of Ben-hadad.’”
These prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. It has been attacked, besieged, and conquered. But Damascus has never
First, an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities could be so successful that Iran is neutralized for several years to come. Israel could find itself feeling more secure than ever. It has recently discovered massive amounts of natural gas offshore. This gas should come online soon and could bring enormous wealth to Israel in a short period of time. An Israeli natural-gas boom could also infuriate Russia, which is one of the world’s leading exporters of natural gas. Such developments could set into motion the War of Gog and Magog in the not-too-distant future.
Second, Russia could dramatically intervene and somehow persuade Iran to give up its nuclear program. That could give Israel short-term security. In turn, however, Russia could go to the U.N. Security Council and demand that Israel disclose, dismantle, and destroy its nuclear weapons. Israel would resist. Russia might then begin to build a military coalition to force Israel to disarm, and this could set into motion a showdown that fulfills the prophecies regarding the War of Gog and Magog. I used a premise like this in my 2005 novel, The Ezekiel Option .
Third, I could imagine a scenario in which the U.S. makes a series of promises to Israel to neutralize Iran, causing Netanyahu to hold off a preemptive strike. But the U.S. could later renege on those promises or find that its attempts to neutralize Iran fell short. Israel would then have missed its opportunity, and Iran would be in the “zone of immunity.” Russia could then see an opportunity to join forces with a nuclear-armed Iran and start building a larger coalition to attack Israel.
These are just a few possibilities. There are other scenarios that could unfold too. The important thing for students and teachers of Scripture to do now is to study these prophecies very carefully and pray faithfully for the Lord to provide his wisdom and discernment.
The Destruction of Damascus
In the spring of 2012, a prominent member of Congress asked to meet with me in Washington, D.C. I thought the topic was going to be the possible coming war between Israel and Iran. Instead, the official asked, “What are your thoughts on Isaiah 17?” For much of the next hour, we discussed the coming judgment of Damascus according to Bible prophecy and how this scenario could possibly unfold in the near future in relation to other Bible prophecies and current geopolitical trends in the Middle East. Given that this prophecy is a significant theme in my forthcoming novel, Damascus Countdown , it is one I have studied carefully.
There are actually two key biblical prophecies that explain that at an unspecified time in the future, the city of Damascus will be completely destroyed—judged by God—and will not be inhabited again.
Isaiah 17:1-3: “The oracle concerning Damascus. ‘Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and will become a fallen ruin. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; they will be for flocks to lie down in, and there will be no one to frighten them. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and sovereignty from Damascus.’”
Jeremiah 49:23-27: “Concerning Damascus. ‘Hamath and Arpad are put to shame, for they have heard bad news; they are disheartened. There is anxiety by the sea, it cannot be calmed. Damascus has become helpless; she has turned away to flee, and panic has gripped her; distress and pangs have taken hold of her like a woman in childbirth. How the city of praise has not been deserted, the town of My joy! Therefore, her young men will fall in her streets, and all the men of war will be silenced in that day,’ declares the L ORD of hosts. ‘I will set fire to the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the fortified towers of Ben-hadad.’”
These prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. It has been attacked, besieged, and conquered. But Damascus has never
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