As I write this I am sitting here watching the talking heads on the evening news debate whether or not President Obama is going to get congressional approval for a strike on Syria, or if he will strike even without it. Looking at this from a Biblical, prophetic point of view it's not hard to see how events could be quickly coming to a point of rapid prophetic fulfillment in the Middle East.
As informed as the news personalities on television are, I think a big point is being missed when I hear very little discussion of the impact the Syrian crisis could have on Israel. I keep hearing the "experts" discuss what the unintentional consequences of a strike would be, but in that discussion I never hear anyone mention the potential consequences for Israel.
You can't expect secular news media to fully grasp what is happening in the Middle East when they ignore or just don't grasp the Biblical/prophetic element. However, I don't think you have to be a theologian to see how this could all go bad for Israel.
Should we strike Syria, I find it very likely that they would launch some sort of strike against Israel for one or both of the following reasons.
Number one, this would be an attack against our closest ally in the region. Since Syria/Assad does not have the capability to hit us they could activate Hezbollah and similar terrorist groups inside Israel and just across the border in Lebanon to hit our ally since they can't get to us. I am sure this would be done in conjunction with attacks on U.S. embassies throughout the region.
Number two, Syria could launch an attack on Israel in order to generate sympathy from the rest of the Arab world. Assad is not exactly the favored son of the region right now, but he is a lot more popular than Israel. A combination of being attacked by the U.S. and engaging Israel could draw more support from the Arab community than Assad would get otherwise.
This leads me to my great concern. I have absolutely zero confidence in President Obama or anyone else in leadership right now to stand beside Israel in an attack on them brought about by our actions. In order to continue to experience God's blessing, we need to continue to bless Israel. Turning our back on them in the hour of their need does not fit the bill of blessing Israel.
We know Damascus will be destroyed (Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49). We know a war is coming involving Israel and Syria and Lebanon (Psalm 83). What we don't know and remains to be seen is what part this ongoing crisis in Syria will have in the fulfillment of these prophecies. It sure feels like conditions could be ripening for their fulfillment though.
As Christians, we need to continue to pray for the following things:
1. The peace of Jerusalem
2. Wisdom for President Obama and our leaders (approval of them or agreement with them is not a prerequisite for prayer for them)
3. Wisdom for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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