"The burden against Damascus.  Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap."  Isaiah 17:1 (NKJV)
 
      Damascus, the capital of Syria is believed by many to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.  It has been devastated at times by just about every type of catastrophe there is, however it continues to be inhabited, rebuilt, and continues to be a living city.  The prophecy in Isaiah 17:1 has never been fulfilled.  To this day, Damascus continues to be a city!
 
       Damascus' days are numbered, and the hand-writing is on the wall!  Most of us who have followed the progression of the search for the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, have believed all along, that they were shipped to Syria, and especially in and around Damascus.  The New York Times is finally even figuring this out.
 
        Most Doves who have been watching the unfolding of events in the Middle-East have been watching for a possible way that would culminate in the fulfillment of Isaiah 17:1.  While I have certainly been surprised before by the way the Lord turned a series of events from my understanding, and He may well do it again, it does seem that Damascus is very close to becoming "a ruinous heap."
 
        A few days ago I was amazed to discover that the Bush Administration is closely watching the military movements in Israel because they are afraid of what Israel might do in regard to Syria.  It would seem that at least a few people in the White House have read Isaiah !7:1, and if that be the case, hopefully they will also read that Israel is to own all the land from the river of Egypt (most likely the Nile) unto the great river Euphrates.
 
  Gen 15:18 " In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:"
 
       I fear for the USA!  God has blessed us and protected us, in spite of our great sinfulness and wickedness, in large part, because we are the ONLY nation in the world that has continuously stood by Israel!  The greatest bulk of our Foreign Aid goes to Israel - 3 billion dollars plus per year!  Israel gets our latest and best military equipment, and then they often make it better than it was.  We share intelligence, AND, to my knowledge, the USA is the only nation that has put their troops on Israeli soil in order to protect Israel from foreign attack.  This happened in 1991 when US soldiers manned Patriot missile batteries in Israel that were successful in shooting down Saddam's Scud missiles.
 
       The USA has blessed Israel since their rebirth on May 14, 1948, and we have never left Israel.  Because of that, we have been the recipients  of God's Blessing to Abraham.
 
  Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
 
      The USA is now exerting great pressure on Israel to give up their land which was given to them by God, in exchange for a false peace.  Because of that, the USA is now on the verge of no longer being a blessing to Israel but instead, we will become a curse to them.  We will lose God's umbrella of protection, and will finally receive judgement for millions of abortions, the perverse moral decay, and the rejection of God's Word, The Ten Commandments, prayer in our schools, and so much more.  We can't say we don't deserve it!
 
  Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
 
  The up side of all this - "Pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are going to come to pass."
 
  "Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus."
 
                                                                                  Blake Hayes - pastor
                                                                                  Riley's Creek Baptist Church