Rise of Isis and Fall of Damascus–Syria

By Garrick Augustus, October 17, 2014

It has been 3 years, 7 months and 2 days since the Syrian Day of Rage protests staged on March 15, 2011, and over those 43 months a violent civil war has erupted in the land of Syria, a Moslem strong hold, which is very heavily supported (financially and militarily) by the countries of Iran and Russia. Over 200,000 thousand militants and innocent civilians alike have died in this uprising, yet the bloodshed continues unabated. The people are crying for “more economic prosperity, greater political freedoms and civil liberties”— the basic human rights, to chart their own destinies. They are also looking westward for help against their current political installations. We have looked at Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and seen the results of popular uprisings and the installation of new political and military administrations, in what is now known as the Arab Spring. Protests also erupted in Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, and Morocco. America and the West are seeking to benefit from Bashar al-Assad’s fall, and the politics goes on.

In this study, we will learn that there is a Divine hand involved in the destinies of nations and kingdoms, and that the crises in the Arab world today, are but the dawning of a new prophetic day, the very sounding gong from the contractions of birth-pains, yearning for the Messiah’s Kingdom of peace and righteousness. Next will follow active persecution against Christians, not just in the Middle East, but across the globe. The good news thought is simply this, Y’shuah’s kingdom will not be realized on this earth, until the peoples of Abraham’s descent are allowed to hear the everlasting gospel in the own tongue, even while the salvation of our world awaits the Loud Cry of the Third Angel’s message. The challenge is ours, to rise to the antitypical Macedonian call, to rise up to the help of the YHWH, to the help of YHWH against the mighty!

I like this very insightful statement from the pen of Ellen White: “God has a people upon the earth who in faith and holy hope are tracing down the roll of fast-fulfilling prophecy, and are seeking to purify their souls by obeying the truth, that they may not be found without the wedding garment when Christ shall appear.” –Testimonies for The Church, vol. 4, p. 307.

The challenge today is ours to be that people. Is your church providing you this “meat in due season,” through understanding “the roll of fast-fulfilling prophecy”? If not, you owe it to yourself to be nourished and fed that your soul may be watered from the “wells of salvation.” (Isa. 12: 3). It is for this reason alone why this article is now written, that those who desire to “purify their souls by obeying the truth,” and to be adorned in “the wedding garment” of Messiah, may obtain it in due season.

The prophet, Isaiah, lived about 740 years before Christ, and wrote about events for his days and ours. He has written so heavily on the life and ministry of the Messiah, that he is sometimes known as “Isaiah the Gospel Prophet.” His writings speak of last day events with such specificity as is rarely seen in other prophecies, except for those in Daniel and the Revelation. Isaiah predicted the fall of Damascus, Syria, and the rise of a new kingdom in the land of Aram.

“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” Isa. 17: 1

According to this prophecy, Damascus, Syria, will cease from being a city, State, that kingdom will fall and become a ruinous heap, prior to the Second Coming of Christ in power and great glory! How, why and when will this prophecy be fulfilled, and what will follow in the wake of Damascus’ demise? I cannot now give dates, but the major events marking the birth pangs of a new era, will become very evident to the reader, as we journey through this chapter. As signposts to the weary traveler, so are the fast-fulfilling prophecies to the student of Scripture. The central theme of these warnings is to prepare a people for the kingdom of YHWH, wherein dwells righteousness and peace.

Since 2011, a new resistance movement has begun in Syria, known as ISIL (The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), also known as ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), and IS (The Islamic State). The Levant is a large swath of land covering from Turkey in the North to Egypt in the South, and From Ethiopia in Africa to Iran in the near east. This terror group has become famous for the high level of violence it projects and the wanton beheadings and direct persecutions of all persons disagreeing with their religious views.

“The Levant (/ləˈvænt/), also known as the Eastern Mediterranean, is a geographic and cultural region consisting of the ‘eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt’.[2] The Levant today consists of Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and part of southern Turkey (the former Aleppo Vilayet)… The Levant has been described as the ‘crossroads of western Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and northeast Africa’,[4] and the ‘northwest of the Arabian plate’.[5] Other names for the Levant include [the region of] Syria, Sham, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Historically, the region was known by a variety of names, of which the first recorded to apply to the whole region was Canaan.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant

Syrian News Roundup

“The Syrian civil war, also referred to as the Syrian uprising, is an ongoing internal armed political conflict in Syria. The conflict began on 15 March 2011 with public demonstrations as part of the wider Arab Spring and developed into a nationwide uprising, and a civil war in 2012. Protesters have demanded the end to nearly five decades of Ba’ath Party rule, as well as the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad.

“In the spring of 2011, the Syrian government deployed the Syrian Army to quell the uprising. Several cities have been besieged, and soldiers were reportedly ordered to open fire on civilians.^[52] According to witnesses, soldiers who refused to open fire on civilians were summarily executed by the Syrian Army. Civilians and army defectors began forming fighting units, and unified under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, fighting in an increasingly organized fashion…”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War

“The death toll from three years of Syria’s civil war has risen to more than 191,000 people, the United Nations reported Friday.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/08/22/united-nations-syria-death-toll/14429549/

“Exclusive: Libyan fighters join Syrian revolt against Assad” “BEIRUT (Reuters) – Veteran fighters of last year’s civil war in Libya have come to the front-line in Syria, helping to train and organize rebels under conditions far more dire than those in the battle against Muammar Gaddafi, a Libyan-Irish fighter has told Reuters.” By Mariam Karouny, BEIRUT | Tue Aug 14, 2012 3:18am EDT; http://www.reuters.com

Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have already fallen, while Syria is in teeters—on the verge of collapsing to both internal and external military and political pressures. The struggle is not over, and it will sweep from one Arab nation to another. Numerous countries in the greater Middle East have had their uprisings, and power shifting to ease the bloodshed, but tensions are running high, and they will reach the tipping point of outright civil war as we are currently witnessing in Syria.

Joining the Syrian Army is the Hezbollah Islamist Terror Group, one of Israel’s arch enemies. And what of Israel? This uprising in the Middle East is also a unifying voice in the wait, and at the appropriate time, they will set their eyes on Israel, the real prize and enemy of Islam, and then the flood-gates bloodshed and warfare will be opened in the greater Levant!

Background on Syria

“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” Isa. 17: 1

Damascus, Syria was first mentioned in the Bible when Abraham engaged the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah to recover his nephew Lot. In that account we read: “(14) And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. (15) And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. (16) And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his [brother’s son (see Gen 14:12)], Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the people.” Gen. 14:14-16.

Note that Lot is not Abram’s “brother,” but instead his nephew (Gen 14:12). Observe too that Damascus is identified in the territory of “Dan,” years before the land was so divided by Joshua. In other words, the expanse of the ancient Kingdom stretched to Syria, the territory of Dan—from whence came Israel’s Judge and apostasy!

That Damascus is in the territory of “Dan,” gives rise to the memorable expression “from Dan even to Beersheba” (Judg. 20: 1), which provides the northern and southern extremities of the occupied territories of the nation Israel.

“Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.” 1Ki. 12: 28-30.

Illustrating the distance the people traveled to engage in apostasy, the parallel versions below describe it in words meaning very far away, in the northern quarters. Let’s take a parallel rendition of verse 30:

“And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there.” 1Ki. 12: 30, NIV.

“Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.” 1Ki. 12: 30, NASB.

“Worshiping them became [Israel’s] sin. The people went as far as Dan to worship the one calf.” 1Ki. 12: 30, GWT.

It is not an overstatement then to say that Israel’s idolatry emanated from Damascus, for there is where ancient Dan resided.

In the year 732 BC, some 8/7 years after Isaiah’s prophecy, Damascus was defeated by the Assyrian army, however this military defeat did not bring the city to a ruinous heap, nor was it ever depopulated. The account of this event has been left on the inspired record for us, in 2Ki 16:7-9, and the main antagonist in that siege has further documented his military gains for all to see that the prophesy of Isaiah 17 has not yet met its fulfillment, for the simple reason that Damascus has not “ceased from being a city,” as with the kingdom of Babylon, as the terms of the prophecy demand.

“Tiglath-pileser’s records contain an account of the campaign… Eventually the Assyrians were victorious, and Resin, having fled hastily to Damascus, shut himself up within its walls. Tiglath-pileser pursued him, laid siege to the city, and eventually took it…(‘Eponym Canon,’ p. 65). The Assyrian monarch thus describes the siege (ibid., p. 121): ‘Damascus, his city, I besieged, and like a caged bird I enclosed him. His forests, the trees of which were without number, I cut down; I did not leave a tree standing. [I burnt] Hadara, the house of the father of Rezin, King of Syria.’ And took it. The ancient Damascene kingdom, which had lasted from the time of Solomon (1 Kings 11:24), was thus brought to an end. Damascus gave the Assyrians no further trouble; and within little more than thirty years it had been so absolutely absorbed into the empire that its governor was one of the Assyrian eponyms (‘Eponym Canon,’ p. 68).” http://biblehub.com/2_kings/16-9.htm

Immediately after the flood and the confusion at Babel, the world was divided, and its peoples scattered to form their nations and kingdoms, based on their racial and unique language groups. “The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.^H758 Gen. 10:22. Aram would in time form the kingdom of Aram, today known as Syria. From Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary, we read: “H758 ‘ărâm; arawm‘; the highland; Aram or Syria, and its inhabitants; also the name of a son of Shem, – Aram, Mesopotamia, Syria, Syrians. 1) Aram or Syria the nation; 2) the Syrian or Aramean people; Aram =” exalted.”

Situated on in the heart of the fertile crescent, Syria (Aram) was a major trade route for all travelers to and from the east, and their language became the language of trade for many centuries. Even in the days of Y’shuah, the common language of the people was Aram-aic, the language of Syria and greater Canaan.

It was from Aram, whence Isaac’s wife hailed, When time came for Jacob to find refuge from Esau’s wrath, he went to his uncle, Laban in Aram, where he also found the love of his life—Rachel: “And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram^H6307 unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian,^H761 the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.” Gen 28:5.

The very name Padan-ARAM, means the plain or plateau of Aram—Syria. Again, in Strong’s Hebrew Dictiionary, we read, “H6307, paddan ‘ărâm, pad-dan’ ar-awm’; From an unused root meaning to extend; a plateau; or the second form which is from the same and H758; the table land of Aram; Paddan or Paddan-Aram, a region of Syria.”

“Aramaic…The name of the language is based on the name of Aram,[3] an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily, which also includes Canaanite languages such as Hebrew and Phoenician. Aramaic script was widely adopted for other languages and is ancestral to both the Arabic and modern Hebrew alphabets.

“During its 3,000-year written history,[4] Aramaic has served variously as a language of administration of empires and as a language of divine worship. It was the day-to-day language of Israel in the Second Temple period (539 BCE – 70 CE), some speculate was the language spoken by Jesus,[5][6] is the language of large sections of the biblical books of Daniel and Ezra and is the main language of the Talmud.[7]” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic_language

“The Aramaic language was the international trade language of the ancient Middle East. Originated in what is modern-day Syria, between 1000 and 600 BCE it became extremely widespread, spoken from the Mediterranean coast to the borders of India.” http://www.ancientscripts.com/aramaic.html

History of Damascus

Given the clarity of the prediction, “”Damascus will no longer be a city. It will become a pile of rubble,” is helpful for us to determine the history of this city, and to determine if it has ever been depopulated since its record debut on the stage of time some 4,500 years ago. “Damascus, settled about 2500 B.C., is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3580.htm

“Many scholars believe that, among the ancient cities of the world, Damascus is perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited. Over the centuries, Damascus has been conqueror and conquered, wealthy and destitute, and capital of empire and small states. Its fame has been sustained by its continuous prominence as a commercial and intellectual centre.” http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/150420/Damascus/25657/History

Given the fact that Damascus is “one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world,” coupled with the prophetic pronouncement that it shall cease from being a city, the only conclusion admissible is that the prediction of her becoming a “ruinous heap,” has not yet been fulfilled, and must be, before the consummation of all things, before the eschatological end of the world.

“After passing through various vicissitudes, Syria was invaded by the Romans (B.C. 64) and Damascus became the seat of the government of the province. In A.D. 37 Aretas, the king of Arabia, became master of Damascus, having driven back Herod Antipas. This city is memorable as the scene of Saul’s conversion #Ac 9:1-25.…Christianity was planted here as a centre #Ac 9:20, from which it spread to the surrounding regions.” Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Syria.

“Damascus was for a time the capital of the Mohometan Empire, and in the palmy days of Saracen rule was one of the greatest manufacturing cities in the world.”— 1904, ATJ, Empires of the Bible, p. 38.

At this point the reader needs to take careful note that Damascus was the seat of government for three principal religions, each claiming ancestry in Abraham. It housed Abraham’s family, and thus became a nurturing ground for the Hebrew Faith; it cradled the head of the Roman Empire, and in time the Roman Catholic Faith; it became the capital of the Mohametan Empire and thus the Islamic Faith, and as the place of Paul’s conversion, after the dispersal of the church from Jerusalem, the headquarters of the Christian Faith.

Syria has long been a center for true worship, and the Saviour of mankind also made this place a part of His mission field, when He walked as a man among men: “And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.” Matt. 4: 24

At the birth of Y’shuah, the seat of roman power emanated from Syria, the office of the governor, thus we are told of the taxation decree: “(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)” Luke 2: 2. The inclusion of the “governor of Syria,” in this verse, was designed for us to see that the Roman seat of power—their governmental authority was centered in Damascus, Syria.

Damascus was also a missionary training field, and it was from here that many missionaries were sent to distant fields: “(22) Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: (23) And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.” Acts. 15: 22, 23.

“Syria is significant in the history of Christianity; Paul was converted on the road to Damascus and established the first organized Christian Church at Antioch in ancient Syria, from which he left on many of his missionary journeys.” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3580.htm

The Predicted Fall of Syria

“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” Isa. 17: 1

While the governments of the earth plan on the fate of Syria, prophecy declares “Damascus… shall be a ruinous heap.” This ruin is the result of war—fightings from within and battles from without, and Damascus will not survive, but will be deposed and ruled by another government. Credited as one of the “oldest continuously inhabited cities of the world,” a great change is about to take place in this country of Abraham’s descendants. The US-Led Coalition of August, 2014, comprising some 50 nations, have started bombing targets in Syria and Iraq, even as they train “moderate” terrorists to unseat the Syrian government of Basher Al-Assad.

The language of this verse makes evident that this event is yet future, for had it already been fulfilled, it would not today still be the capital of Syria (Isa. 7:8). When this prophecy has met its fulfillment, the present tense “is,” will become very evident in the annihilation of the City’s inhabitants. That the locus of this prophecy extends beyond the limits of Damascus, is evident from the rest of the chapter:

“(2) The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks [See Zeph. 2: 6], which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.” Isa. 17: 2.

Note carefully that the prophet spoke of “cities” and used the pronoun “they,” when addressing place called Aroer. While there is today no specific city in Syria with the name “Aroer”, we conclude that the point of the prophecy is to represent Aroer as the prophetic name for the nation of Syria, inclusive with her various cities and population centers in the Holy Land. Hence the major population centers of Syria and greater Palestine, such as: Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia, and Ar-Raqqah, to mention a few, will be depopulated of their inhabitants through the forces of warfare. But while these cities will be “forsaken” of their former inhabitants, they will not at all be deserted, for instead being perpetual waste lands, they shall become dwelling places “for flocks”—righteous people, the remnant of the true Israel of YHWH in the last days—the 144,000.

The cities of Aroer were once possessed by Israel, and is now called Arair, located 13 miles west of the Dead Sea, in the mountains of Gillead and Bashan. “While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon.” Jud 11:26.

“In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.” 2Ki 10:32-33. That Aroer and her towns were finally taken by the Syrians, is clear from the above Scripture record, and the Bible is clear that Hazael was the king of Syria: “(22) But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.” 2 Kings 13: 22.

The fate of Syria, will likewise be the fate of the entire Levant—the land of Canaan: “(4) For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. (5) Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. (6) And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. (7) And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.” Zeph. 2: 4-7.

The mention of “cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks” is not an announcement of cattle ranching, but of the herding of sheep in the Good Shepherd’s pasture—righteous people—saints. “(37) Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. (38) As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.” Ezek. 36: 37, 38.

3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom [shall cease] from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria, they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts. Isa. 17: 2-3 [Added].

“The fortresses” are indicative of military installations, places of defense, and political strong holds against the enemy. The message here is clear, these military bases and other defensive fortifications shall also cease from the land of Ephraim—Northern Israel. We are also informed with even bolder language that the kingdom shall cease from Damascus. Since Damascus is the capital of Syria—the place where the governmental leadership if located, then for this system to “cease” is a clear statement against the central government of that country. This is not the change of one political regime to another, but the change of political government into the theocracy of the kingdom church.

“The remnant of Syria” represents the faithful believers—true Christians who at that time dwell in that land; they shall not be cut off, but remain to enjoy the glories of the kingdom, similar to the remnant in Zech. 14, who are not cut off, but remain in the city till the kingdom comes: “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue [remnant] of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” Zech. 14: 2

Their being “as the glory of the children of Israel,” indicates that “the remnant of Syria,” shall be like ancient Israel in her glory, under the reign of Joshua. As Israel marched to the Promised Land they grew from strength to greater strength, and from victory to greater victory, and so will it be with the Church of YHWH in the time of the Loud Cry of the Third Angel’s message. Thus, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners, shall the Church of God enter upon her final conflict in the battle of sin, conquering and to conquer!

Isaiah 17:3 In Parallel Versions

“Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom will disappear from Damascus. The remaining few from Aram will share Israel’s honor,” declares the Lord of Armies.” Isaiah 17:3, GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

“The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the LORD of hosts.” Isa. 17: 3, ESV

“The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, And sovereignty from Damascus And the remnant of Aram; They will be like the glory of the sons of Israel,” Declares the LORD of hosts.” Isa 17: 3, ASB

“(4) And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.” Isa. 17: 4

Jacob was the name of Israel before his new-birth transformation, and so becomes a fitting symbol of the Church prior to her liberation into the glorious kingdom of our Lord. “The glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean,” means that YHWH is about to “thin” up Jacob, and “lean” up his people—his church. When therefore Damascus becomes a trembling to the nations, the Almighty sends forth this sign as a warning to his people, his church, that he is about to take the divine scalpel in hand, and begin the purification work among them, and only the faithful remnant will survive this purifying, leaning and thinning process. See Ezek. 9: 1-7 for more on this cleansing work in the church of God. He will turn and overturn in the institutions called by His name, and separate the wheat from the tare, the good fish from the bad, the dross from the gold, the righteous from the unrighteous in the Laodicaen Church! Those of understanding who are informed as to the “roll of fast-fulfilling” prophecies, shall see in Damascus’ demise the sign of their deliverance, even while others ignore it as just another “war and rumor of wars.” Unless we correctly understand the signs of our times, the Lord’s coming to His temple to purify the sons of Levi, shall be a “thief in the night” experience for us, rather than a welcomed visitation from a long-awaited guest.

This statement from Ellen White’s pen is rather timely and fitting at this point: “Whole conferences are becoming leavened with the same perverted principles… The Lord will work to purify his church. I tell you in truth, the Lord is about to turn and overturn in the institutions called by his name. Just how soon this refining process will begin, I cannot say, but it will not be long deferred. He whose fan is in his hand will cleanse his temple of its moral defilement. He will thoroughly purge his floor.” The Paulson Collection of Ellen G. White Letters PARAGRAPH 01, PAGE 415; also in Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 372-3.

“The Harvestman Gathereth the Corn”

“(5) And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.” Isa. 17: 5

In the Bible, corn is a crop which is harvested during the firstfruit harvest—the time of Passover, thereby representing the gathering time of the 144,000 saints—the gospel’s “first fruits.”

“And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.” Lev 2:14

“(10) And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. (11) And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched [corn] in the selfsame day.” Jos 5:10.

“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” Rev. 14:4. This verse also makes clear that there can be no “firstfruits” without a Passover, for one complements the other. Christians today who hold that these feasts, including Passover, have been nailed to the cross, will be among those who fail to see these glaring signs of our times. Wake up, my friends, the hour is late!

The Valley of Rephaim: This location has been a Philistine hideout for ages, and comes down to us as the place where the enemies of YHWH dwell—their spiritual hiding places.

• “The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.” 2Sa 5:18.
• “And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.” 2Sa 5:22.
• “Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.” 1Ch 11:15.
• “And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.” 1Ch 14:9.

From the above arrangement of Bible verses, it becomes quite evident that the valley of Rephaim is proverbial for being a Philistine hideout, hence it becomes a symbol of the tares, the unfaithful professed Christians in the Church, the enemies of righteousness, during the time of harvest. We today need to determine if we are an apostate “Philistine” or a conforming Israelite, for the work of the divine “Harvestman” will determine the destiny of each. The Bible tells us that He who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man, and that he will come to harvest the crop Himself:

“(14) And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. (15) And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. (16) And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.” Rev. 14: 14-16.

This first reaping by “the Son of man,” is not the end of the harvest, but its very beginning, nor is it the Second Coming, for at that time He wears “many crowns” (Rev. 19: 12), whereas at this reaping He only had “a [one] golden crown” on his head. Further, after He had reaped from the earth only “ripe” grapes, another angel went forth (v. 18), and gathered “fully ripe” grapes from the “clusters of the vine of the earth,” all the while being careful to gather “the vine [not clusters] of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” (v. 19). So there are two reapings of righteous saints—the gospel’s first fruits (144,000), and the final harvest of second fruits—the “great multitude, from every nation, kindred, tongue and people.” (Rev. 7: 9).

The “Thinning” and “Leaning”

“(5) And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim [the valley of the giants].” Isa. 17: 5.

This work of “thinning” and “leaning” is as meticulous as though it were a hand-picked harvest by the farmer himself. This “husbandman” is Messiah himself who will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify his church—the sons of Levi Himself: “(1) Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. (2) But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: (3) And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” Mal. 3: 1-3.

At this time also, another of Isaiah’s prophesies will be fulfilled: “(19) And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. 20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. 21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.” Isa. 66: 19-21.

From this passage, it is clear that the sealed company—144,000 who survives the day of cleansing in the Church of God, will be sent as evangelists to the ends of the earth—“the nations”— to teach them of YHWH’s fame and reveal His Glory. Thus will God have a holy sanctified ministry to proclaim the Loud Cry of the Third Angel’s message.

Isa. 17: 6 ¶ Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.

The fact that “gleaning grapes shall be left in it,” is evident that the word of salvation has not been closed, and that the harvest comprehends more than a conglomerate gathering, but a systematic separation of saints from sinners, first in the church and then in the world. (1 Pet. 4: 17). From our earlier review of Rev. 14: 14-19, this prophecy in Isaiah 17 further confirms that probation is not closed for all at the first fruit harvest, for there remain “gleaning grapes” [righteous souls] two or three berries in the top, and four or five in the outermost fruitful branches” to be gathered in. When Y’shuah fed the multitudes, he was careful to instruct His disciples to “gather up the fragments.” This means that no good fruit will be left in the harvest field to rot, but that they will all be winnowed and gathered in His barn. This is the final harvest of earth, and those who are not gathered will become food for worms, and fuel for the fire.

“15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.” Isa. 10: 15. In other words, “Shall sinners dictate to the Saviour how to save?” Shall the clay dictate to the potter what type of pottery to make? Since He the Sovereign YHWH all by Himself without the need of any assists, we ought all the more earnestly take heed that the proverbial “stone” does not fall on us and grinds us to powder! O to be broken by Him today, that we may stand in His righteousness on that day!

“(16) Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.” Isa. 10: 16. “Fat” is never good, and the Torah prescribes it to be burned. See Lev. 4: 8-12.

“(17) And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; (18) And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. (19) And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.” Isa. 10: 15-19; [See 5T p. 81, Slides 27-28]

“The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect… Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock. In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them. The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view.” {5T 80.1}.

“The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. In this time the gold will be separated from the dross in the church. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat. All who assume the ornaments of the sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ’s righteousness, will appear in the shame of their own nakedness.” {5T 81.1}

Sinners Will Respect The Saviour

Isa. 17:7 At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.

“A man,” here, implies people in general. They seeing the purification of the church will take serious heed to the gospel, and use this signal [purification of the Church] as their last warning sign to get right with their maker and King, hence the world will “look” to YHWH for salvation, and “have respect to the Holy One of Israel.” Today the world flaunts its fist in the face of its Maker, because the church is living after the manner of the world, but when God gets a people to represent his character to the nations, then the nations will also have “respect” the God of Jacob. Friends, Christ is waiting on you and me, with longing desire for reproducing in, and the manifestation of His perfect character in our lives, so that his work of redemption for earth can quickly close. Let’s respect Him today!

Look around us you’ll and see that sinners have no respect for Y’shua, and the Church—nominal Christianity, in general, has no respect for Him either. How true the thought that the sins of the world lie at the door of the Church! When adultery, homosexuality, abortion, robbery and other vices in the world are also reflected in the life of the Church, what is there to motivate the world to respect our God? Do you now see why He has to first cleanse His church of her moral defilement that the influence of the truth can testify to the world of its sanctifying ennobling character? O Friend, let’s respect the Saviour today, that the blood of others do not lie on our shoulders, and we may thereby save ourselves and our households for His perfect kingdom of righteousness. But when the Almighty gather’s his first fruits, then shall the people of earth again “have respect to the Holy One of Israel,” and reverence His name. Thus shall men have respect the Holy One of Israel or continue in their transgression of His Torah and die in their sins.

“(11) The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. (12) For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: (13) And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, (14) And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, (15) And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, (16) And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. (17) And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. (18) And the idols he shall utterly abolish. (19) And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. (20) In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; (21) To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.” Isa. 2: 11-21.

“(11) And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. (12) I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” Isa. 13: 11, 12.

In the day when the Almighty punishes the world for its evil, YHWH will refine and purify those who are striving after holiness, and will esteem a righteous man “more precious than fine gold; [yea], even a man [more precious] than the golden wedge of Ophir.” When through his refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap he cleanses his church, all the dross—the worthless matrial—will have been washed away, and only the purity of a virtuous Christian character will be remaining for the world to see.

Ophir is mentioned as a gold-region, and the Gold of Ophir is esteemed for its purity, and so will the Church at that day. The gold of Ophir was used in the construction of Solomon’s temple, (1 Ki. 9: 28), of which the Bible states was built without a hammer or a chisel on the temple site,(1 Ki. 6: 7). All stones were pre-cut at the quarry, and brought as perfect stones for their rightful places in the overall structure of that magnificent edifice. So must it be with us—as followers of the Lamb who have perfected their characters before Him, we will individually occupy our place in that building which is “fitly framed together [and] groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.” (Eph. 2: 21).

Isa. 17: 8 And he [speaking of the same “man” in verse 7, representative of all sinners,] shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.

The “he” who shall not look to the altars nor have respect for the work of his fingers, is the same “man” identified in verse seven, which is symbolical of sinners in general. When Christians get their act together and “respect the Holy One of Israel,” then shall the people of earth—worldly minded sinners, “respect” our God. The Church of the living YHWH has been set in this world as a city on a hill, which cannot be hid; she is intended to be a beacon to the seafaring traveler, a mother to the homeless and destitute, a light to those who are groping in darkness, bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, salt to season and preserve the knowledge of YHWH in the earth, and the door of salvation to all who desires it. But when the Church of YHWH, eats and drinks like the world, dresses like the world, socializes like the world, votes like the world, goes to the same excesses like the world, and worships like the world, then sinners realize that the Church is only a mockery to holiness, an affront to righteousness and a hypocrite to the Torah, then they prefer to have no part with its duplicitous practices! I thank my God that soon he will have a people complete in Him, a people who are without sin in their lives, a people who follow the Lamb of YHWH wherever He leads and goes. I want to be numbered among that band of holy “repairers of the breach,” how about you, friend!

Today the nations gloat in their pride of attainments, we boast about having discovered electricity and the science of electronics, about inventing locomotives, automobiles, airplanes and space ships; about large militaries and strong economies; sky scrapers, bridges traversing precarious land formations and transcontinental subways; Cellular phones, Television and Internet; same-sex marriages, pornography and human trafficking; smart bombs, stealth fighter planes and pilotless drones; nuclear bombs, hydraulic fracking and trans-national Pipelines, and the list goes on and on. I am grateful that the day is coming when sinners “shall not look to the altars of wood and stone, of mortar and clay— the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images,” but shall instead respect the Most High, because of His holiness which is demonstrated in his purified church on earth. When as a people, we realize the sacred trust with we have been entrusted, to be the ambassadors of the King of the universe, then shall Christians be more circumspect in how we live our lives in the midst of a sin cursed earth. Ω

• 24For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. 25Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: 26And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch [a city in Syria]. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. 27And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.” Acts 11: 24-27.
• Damascus was proverbial for idolatry, and wickedness thus the rebuke of God also rested on that city: [See 2 Kings 16: 10-19, Next Slides, the altar from Damascus]

Isa. 17: 9 In that day shall his strong cities [the major cities of Syria] be as a forsaken bough (branch), and an uppermost branch, which they left [abandoned] because of the children of Israel [the inheritors of the kingdom]: and there shall be desolation [in Aram—Syria].

Amos 5:27 “Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.”

Israel was sent into captivity by YHWH of armies, into Syria and other lands occupied by the Assyrian kingdom. The dispersal of Israel and Judah into the heathen’s land was not without design, and in due course, He who scattered Israel will gather them again. They will also be rescued by Him, from their enemies lands, because of their repentance and acceptance of Messiah, and His faithfulness in honoring the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

This prophecy further teaches that this desolation is not restricted only to Damascus, but to all the major or “strong” cities of Syria. They shall be abandoned as a forsaken branch, and “left” for “the children of Israel”—the 144,000—the true inheritors of the Kingdom. They shall be like the forsaken branches of goodly tree, which are pruned and cast into the fires for destruction, hence the declaration “there shall be desolation”! The language here suggests war on a scale this land has never seen before, and destruction such as has been unknown in her history, it will be completely wiped clean of its occupants, save for the righteous, the remnant, who now dwell in it.

“Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.” Amos 3:12

This passage brings in memory the valiant David: “34And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.” 1 Sam. 17: 34, 35.

YHWH means what He says, and as David confronted the lion rescued the lamb “out of his mouth,” so also will our King, the antitypical David, Y’shuah the Messiah, do for His people who are left in the land of Syria, be they in a corner of a bed, as captives, in Samaria, or in a couch, as free upwardly mobile people living luxuriously, in the land of Syria. In either case, they will be numbered amongst those who were wating to perish at the hands of their enemies, but will be rescued by the great I AM. Truly, Michael shall stand up and deliver everyone whose names are found in His Book among the righteous living. (Dan. 12: 1).

• Zech 9:1 The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach [Lebanon], and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD. [Read entire chapter]
• Isa. 17: 10 Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants [Abrahamic Christianity and Judaic Christianity], and shalt set it with strange slips:
• “1Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” Acts 13: 1-3
• “Damascus is mentioned in Genesis 14:15 as existing at the time of the War of the Kings.^[14] According to the 1st-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in his twenty-one volume Antiquities of the Jews, Damascus (along with Trachonitis), was founded by Uz, the son of Aram.^[15] Elsewhere,in Ant. i. 7^[16] he stated:
• “Nicolaus of Damascus, in the fourth book of his History, says thus: “Abraham reigned at Damascus, being a foreigner, who came with an army out of the land above Babylon, called the land of the Chaldeans: but, after a long time, he got him up, and removed from that country also, with his people, and went into the land then called the land of Canaan, but now the land of Judea, and this when his posterity were become a multitude; as to which posterity of his, we relate their history in another work. Now the name of Abraham is even still famous in the country of Damascus; and there is shown a village named from him, The Habitation of Abraham.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus
• So, Antioch, Syria, was a launching base of operations for the early church as is evidenced in this passage. It was in Antioch, also, as we’ve already seen, that the followers of Christ (Messiah) were first called “Christians”
• [slips = shoots or branches; the religions of Roman Catholicism and Mohammedanism (Islam) are such “strange slips” to the historic “faith of our Fathers,” which was cradled in Aram (Syria). [Go to Slide 41]
• “Great Mosque of Damascus, also called Umayyad Mosque,  the earliest surviving stone mosque, built between ad 705 and 715 by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walīd I. The mosque stands on the site of a 1st-century Hellenic temple to Jupiter and of a later church of St. John the Baptist.” http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/150445/Great-Mosque-of-Damascus
• ““That’s what the Old City symbolizes,” Ghazi [a secular Christian tour guide] says,… “And if you go back in history, it has always been symbolizing this same thing. It was Christian, and when the Muslims came, they converted many churches to mosques”—the Umayyad Mosque, where a church once stood, still houses a shrine to John the Baptist—“and life has continued.”– http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/syrian-war/barnard-text
• You can now see that the once burgeoning city for Y’shuah name, was now splintered into these two major rival contenders—Catholicism and Mohammedanism, which are wild idolatrous vines from the parent, Abrahamic stock.
• “Christians in Syria make up about 10% of the population.^[1] The country’s largest Christian denomination is the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch (known as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East),^[2][3][4] closely followed by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches which has a common root with the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch,^[5] and then by an Oriental Syriac Orthodox Church; there are also a minority of Protestants and members of the Assyrian Church of the East and Chaldean Catholic Church. The city of Aleppo is believed to have the largest number of Christians in Syria.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Syria
• “Islam in Syria total population:^[1] Sunnis make up 74%^[1] of the total, mostly of Arab, Kurdish and Turkoman ethnicities. Shia’s make up the remaining 13%:^[1] Alawites are the predominant Shia group, followed by Twelvers and Ismailis. Sunnis are mainly of the Shafi’i madhhab with pockets of Hanafi and Hanbali. Several large Sufi orders are active in the country, including the Naqshbandi tariqa, and Qadiriyya. Although not traditionally considered as Muslims, the Druze make up 3% of the total population.^[1] ” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Syria
• Religion in Syria
• The Two “Slips” of Rome
• The first president of Princeton University, Jonathan Edwards, wrote in his book, “A History of the work of Redemption,” the following commentary on the Papacy and Islam:
• “The two great works of the devil which he in this space of time [from Constantine to the Reformation] wrought against the kingdom of Christ, are his creating his Antichristian and Mahometan (sic) kingdoms, which have been, and still are, two kingdoms of great extent and strength, both together swallowing up the ancient Roman Empire; the kingdom of Antichrist [the Papacy] swallowing up the Western Empire, and Satan’s Mahometan (sic) kingdom [Muslim or Islamic] the Eastern Empire. As the Scriptures in the book of the Revelation represent it, it is in the destruction of these that the glorious victory of Christ at the introduction of the glorious times of the church, will mainly consist. And here let us briefly observe how Satan erects and maintains these two great kingdoms of his in opposition to the kingdom of Christ.” (Jonathan Edwards, 1739, A History of the Work of Redemption), pp. 456-457
• “The Moors once occupied Portugal. The village of Fatima was given the Islamic name of the well-loved Princess of the nearby Castle of Ourem. She died at an early age after marrying the Count of Ourem and converting to Catholicism. Baptized with the Christian name of Oureana, she was named at birth ‘Fatima,’ like many other Moslem girls, in honor of the daughter of Mohammed. Of his daughter, Fatima, the founder of Islam, Mohammed, said: ‘She has the highest place in heaven after the Virgin Mary.’
• “It is a fact that Moslems from various nations, especially from the Middle East, make so many pilgrimages to Our Lady of Fatima’s Shrine in Portugal that Portuguese officials have expressed concern. The combination of an Islamic name and Islamic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a great attraction to Moslems. God is writing straight with crooked lines, as we will see. Fatima is a part of Heaven’s Peace Plan. It is hope for the world.”– Continued…
• The Koran: “In the Koran, the holy name of the Blessed Virgin Mary is mentioned no less than thirty times [34 times to be exact]. No other woman’s name is even mentioned, not even that of Mohammed’s daughter, Fatima. Among men, only Abraham, Moses, and Noah are mentioned more times than Our Lady. In the Koran, Our Blessed Mother is described as “Virgin, ever Virgin.” The Islamic belief in the virginity of Mary puts to shame the heretical beliefs of those who call themselves Christian, while denying the perpetual virginity of Mary. Make no mistake about it, there is a very special relationship between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Moslems!” Soul Magazine, © 2001 The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, U.S.A., Inc. September – October 2001, page 6; http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/olislam.htm
• Interfaith dialogue with Muslims and “Christians”
• “In November 2007, King Abdullah visited Pope Benedict XVI in the Apostolic Palace. He is the first Saudi monarch to visit the Pope.^[31]In March 2008, he called for a ‘brotherly and sincere dialogue between believers from all religions.’^[32]
• “In June 2008, he held a conference in Mecca to urge Muslim leaders to speak with one voice with Jewish and Christian leaders.^[33] He discussed and took approval of the Saudi Islamic scholars and the world’s renowned Islamic scholars to hold the interfaith dialogue. In the same month, Saudi Arabia and Spain agreed to hold the interfaith dialogue in Spain.^[34] The historic conference finally took place in Madrid in July 2008 where religious leaders of different faiths participated.”^[35] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_of_Saudi_Arabia
• Note: the relationship between Portugal and Spain, as it relates to Fatima, and the Historic conference for these 3 religions of Abraham’s descent.
• Isa. 17: 11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
• In Damascus, Syria, during the “morning” of Christianity, a plant has grown to a false deity, even the plant of Islam, and her seed has flourished—became very popular in its spread, yet, it will not leave a harvest of ripe (righteous) fruits, but instead the harvest will be as “a heap in the day of grief.” It will be stubble for the flames. The great challenge for the Church today, and for the 144,000 saints of tomorrow, will be to uproot this noxious “plant” – the heresy if Mohammed’s, with “the everlasting gospel” of the Third Angel’s—”Fear YHWY and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment is come.” Rev. 14: 7
• Isa. 17:12 ¶ Woe to the multitude of many people [the seed which flourishes–Islam], which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and [woe] to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! [See next slide]
• Islam is reputed to be the largest religion on earth, and is growing at a rapid pace. It is vast and widespread like “the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas”. This religion has taken in more converts than the gospel of Messiah, although Islam came into existence only some 1,400 years ago, in the year 622 AD! In other words, Christianity predated Islam by about 600 years, yet, Islam has surpassed Christianity in terms of numbers of converts to their faith! We have work to do, individually and collectively, to let the light of the Gospel shine in the darkness our world.
• The Growth & Spread of Islam
• “Muslim population has been ever increasing through birth rate as well as high rate of conversions. Islam is fastest growing religion and consequently this religion has become now the largest followers on this planet. At this moment Muslim population stands at 2.1 billion which is far greater than currently estimated 1.6 to 1.7 billion whereas Christian Population is 1.98 billion [religiouspopulation.com]. According to some sources Muslim populations in India, China, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia and in some other countries are displayed less than the actual population they have. In many parts like Europe[Cambridge University], North America[CNN], Christian’s are getting away from their religious belief, On the contrary among the Muslim Population the faith to their religion is ever increasing [CNN]. Consequently the present so called higher [number] of Christian population as stated in different sources, practically do not have any significance. It is expected that if present rate of increase of Muslim population continues that by 2030 One out of Three person will be Muslim.”– http://muslimpopulation.com/
• Our calculations displayed that in 2012 Christian population is 2 billion and Muslims are 2.1 billion. http://www.religiouspopulation.com/
• This equates to 30% of the current global population of 7.1 billion! See: http://www.islamicweb.com/begin/population.htm
• “Ethnic Syrians are of Semitic stock. Syria’s population is 90% Muslim–74% Sunni, and 16% other Muslim groups, including the Alawi, Shi’a, and Druze–and 10% Christian. There also is a tiny Syrian Jewish community.” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3580.htm
• 13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off [He will drive them out], and [they] shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing [tumble weed] before the whirlwind. Isa. 17:13
• Islam, with the rest of the unbelieving world, will “rush like the rushing of many waters”—as it is made up of many nations, but YHWH “shall rebuke them” all, and drive them out of His land, yet, He will redeem only those who have made His Son their hiding place for salvation.
• 14 And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us [the spiritual robbers], and the lot of them that rob us. Isa. 17:14
• The “eveningtide” here mentioned, marks the end of earth’s history, the very last closing hours of human probation. What a great work of harvest abounds for the 144,000! The evening of earth’s history will be an intense time of trouble, but the “morning” of the resurrection hastens, when it is not, because there’ll be joy to the righteous, in the morning!
• “Them that Spoil us, and…them that rob us” speak specifically to the prophecies of Daniel 11:14 which declare, “And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.” The “robbers” here, are those who have robbed from the Church the Hebrew-Christian faith once and for all delivered to the saints, and intertwined it with Babylonian worship.
• “Them that Spoil us, and…them that rob us” have independently corrupted the Torah, and the rest of Scripture and presented a false standard of righteousness before the world, while at the same time they work with clandestine deceitfulness to stamp out the light of salvation, the light of truth as it is in Messiah.
• Dan 11:27 “And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.”
• That we are here dealing with two distinct “branches” or “kings” cannot be controverted, as the Scriptures clearly declare, “both these kings’” shall do mischief, which will lead them both to “speak lies at one table”. This “one table” clause illustrates that these powers will grant false hopes of salvation to the same people (nations) they are seeking to convert to their respective religious views. For example Roman Catholicism requires its converts to believe in the Blessed Virgin Mary for salvation, while Islam requires belief in Allah as the one and true God, and Mohammed to be his last and greatest prophet—both being “lies” spoken at this “one table”— same group of people.
• The Kingdom Extends to Damascus
• Eze 48:1 Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan.
• “Hama (Arabic: حماة‎ Ḥamāh [ħaˈmaː], Biblical Ḥamāth, (“Fortress”) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located 213 kilometres (132 mi) north of Damascus and 46 kilometres (29 mi) north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 698,928 (2011 census), Hama is the fourth-largest city in Syria after Aleppo, Damascus and Homs. The modern city is built on the site of the ancient city of Hamath.
• Hamath Today
• “The city is renowned for its seventeen norias used for watering the gardens, which are locally claimed to date back to 1100 BC. Though historically used for purpose of irrigation, the norias exist today as an almost entirely aesthetic traditional show.
• In the last decades, the city of Hama has become known as a center of the anti-Ba’ath opposition in Syria, most notably the Muslim Brotherhood. The city was raided by the Syrian Army, beginning with the 1964 Islamic uprising, and becoming the scene of carnage during the Islamic uprising in Syria in April 1981 and especially in 1982, when some 25,000 people were killed in what became known as Hama massacre. The city was once again besieged by the Syrian military, as one of the main arenas of the 2011 uprising. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamath
• Hama city, central Syria, on the banks of the Orontes River. It was an important prehistoric settlement, becoming the kingdom of Hamath under the Aramaeans in the 11th century BC. It fell under Assyrian control in the 9th century BC, later passing under Persian, Macedonian, and Seleucid rule, the Seleucids renaming the city Epiphaneia in the 2nd century BC. During Byzantine rule it reverted to Emath, a form of its traditional name. When the Arabs took the city in the 7th century AD, they transformed the principal Christian church into a great mosque. Hamah was captured by the crusaders in 1108, retaken by the Muslims in 1115, destroyed by an earthquake in 1175, and occupied by Saladin in 1188, the Egyptian Mamluk sultans about 1300, and the Ottomans in the early 16th century. It passed to modern Syria after World War I. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
• “The city has a long history, having been settled as far back as the Bronze Age and Iron Age. In the 2nd millennium B.C. , it was a center of the Hittites. As Hamath it is often mentioned in the Bible, where it is said to be the northern boundary of the Israelite tribes. The Assyrians under Shalmaneser III captured the city in the mid-9th cent. B.C. Later included in the Persian Empire, it was conquered by Alexander the Great and, after his death (323 B.C. ), was claimed by the Seleucid kings, who renamed it Epiphania, after Antiochus IV (Antiochus Epiphanes). The city later came under the control of Rome and of the Byzantine Empire. In A.D. 638 it was captured by the Arabs.” http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Hama
• Idolatry Imported From Damascus
• 2Ki 16:10 And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
• 2Ki 16:11 And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.
• 2Ki 16:15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.
• 2Ki 16:16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.
• Am 1:3 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
• Am 1:5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.
• Am 3:12 Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.
• Am 5:27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.
• Zec 9:1 The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD.
• Ob 1:1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.
• Hab 2:7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
• Sweep away clouds of error
• In Christ’s day the religious leaders had so long presented human ideas before the people, that the teaching of Christ was in every way opposed to their theories and practice. His sermon on the mount virtually contradicted the doctrines of the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees. They had so misrepresented God that He was looked upon as a stern judge, incapable of compassion, mercy, and love. They presented to the people endless maxims and traditions as proceeding from God, when they had no “Thus saith the Lord” for their authority… Christ made every effort so to sweep away the misrepresentations of Satan, that the confidence of man in the love of God might be restored. He taught man to address the Supreme Ruler of the universe by the new name — “Our Father.”.– Review and Herald, Sept. 11, 1894.
• Moab = Lot’s Descendants, Shemites

“(9) And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession. (10) The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; (11) Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.” Deut. 2: 9-11