Latest Prophecy Commentary
Russian Ambassador: Assad Ready To Step Down; Syrian Official: It's A Lie!
According to Russia's ambassador to Paris, Alexander Orlov, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready to relinquish power. Orlov said during an interview with AFP that al-Assad had accepted the tenets of the transitional plan set forth by the world powers, but wanted to go in a civilized manner. Of course, Syrian officials have denied that this report is true.
The ambassador went on to say that the hold up in negotiations has never been on the side of the al-Assad regime but on the side of the Syrian rebels. "Unfortunately our Western partners... did not work sufficiently hard with the Syrian opposition to encourage them to come to the negotiating table," he said (Arutz Sheva).
Frankly, I have a hard time believing Assad felt the move was even necessary up until this most recent surge by the rebel troops.
What's shocking to me is that Assad failed to learn from the previous Arab spring revolts and just accommodate the Syrian people. Of course, he's not gone yet, but at first glance, it looks like a foregone conclusion. He very well could hang onto power, but if he does, he's in for a long civil war that will be inundated with conspiracies and defections. In the end, he could fall by the hands of his own people much like Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi did.
So what could be the fallout from Assad's fall from power? Israel and the United States biggest fear is that the enemies of Israel and other terrorist organizations (Al Qaeda) could gain control of Syria's massive chemical weapons arsenal. As I have stated in the past, the Assad administration knew its limitations and were in no hurry to pick a fight with Israel, no matter what they may have said in the news media. And that goes for the rest of the Middle East. Even though Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made some crazy outlandish statements toward Israel, most US and Israeli intelligence officials and leaders consider his administration to be of sound mind. Meaning, they don't foresee him going forward with his outlandish statements anytime soon. Of course, we here in the world of Bible prophecy know that at some point Iran will join up with Russia (and many others) to attack Israel in an attempt to finally destroy them (Ezekiel 38 & 39). However, in and of themselves (without Russia), I doubt they would ever take on Israel.
If Assad does fall, I have to believe that Israel's first order of business will be to destroy Syria's chemical weapons. Does that mean an Israeli bombing raid is imminent? Not necessarily! Much will depend on what takes place in the aftermath and who ultimately gains power. But certainly, the whole of the Arab Spring is setting the stage for what one day will be a massive attack against Israel by its neighboring enemies (Ezekiel 38 & 39; Revelation 6:3-8, 16:16; Zechariah 12:3).
So when will Isaiah 17:1, the total destruction of Damascus take place? I speculate that Damascus will be destroyed during the apocalypse (Revelation 6:3-8) or when the nations of the world come against Israel during the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16; Zechariah 12:3). Both of these great wars will take place during the tribulation period.
I hope this will lead you to pursue the Lord with all your heart.
Are you ready to meet the Lord? If not, your time is running out!
Terry Malone
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