The Bible prophesies that Damascus is to be reduced dramatically.

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

Current world events show that that this prophecy is well underway to being fulfilled. The Syrian city of Aleppo is already being reduced to rubble.

That same passage speaks of the diaspora of the Syrians. Multitudes of Syrians are being scattered all over the Earth.

The same chapter has something to say about enemies too. Isaiah 17:12-14 says:
12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14 And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

Aircraft do make the sounds of rushing waters, and again, this is what we are seeing unfolding in the Middle East.

Many Futurist Christians might be thinking that we are now very close to the last stages of the end times, with an imminent coming rapture, tribulation and antichrist (or similar varying views to these).

But the end is not yet, as Jesus said there would be wars and rumours of wars. Also we find a whole series of prophecies in Isaiah 17, 18 and 19 that can be grouped together.

What it says about Egypt is in the process of being fulfilled too:

“And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Isaiah 19:2).

There are a lot of problems which stem from Islam in the Middle East. But there is another complicating matter. The Australian Defence White Paper (2016) states, “Russia’s involvement in the Syrian conflict increases the complexity of the United States-led international coalition’s effort to disrupt, degrade and ultimately defeat the terrorist threat from [ISIS].”

When we turn to Bible prophecy in Daniel 8, Daniel 11 and Ezekiel 38 & 39, we find that the power behind Syria is to rise up, and is going to also move against Egypt (and those who back Egypt from the West). That power is Russia.

And in the face of this, there is one more prophecy, in Isaiah 18, which shows the proper Bible and the Gospel to be lifted up. “All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.” (Isaiah 18:3).

So while the reemergence of belligerent Russia is coming to be the biggest advent of our time, their fall is something which the Bible also directly and explicitly prophesies.

In light of this, a right thinking Christian should agree that Australia is taking commendable initial steps with its military plans and investments. (See http://www.defence.gov.au/whitepaper/ ).

But more importantly, right thinking Christians should be preparing for this:

“Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2).

The Bible consistently shows that there must be a rising up of Christian knowledge, a restoration of Christian influences in our nations. Other nations and other religions are going down (even if it doesn’t look like it), but true believing Christianity must come up (even if it doesn’t look like it).

John 4:35-38 says:
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

There’s been a lot of sowing, so there absolutely has to be reaping. Confess today that WE ARE REAPERS!