War With Syria Could Signal Biblical Armageddon, Say Some Christians [View all]

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http://www.policymic.com/articles/62775/war-with-syria-could-signal-biblical-armageddon-say-some-christians

Rachel George
in World 22 minutes ago


War With Syria Could Signal Biblical Armageddon, Say Some Christians
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The parts of the Middle East experiencing horrific turmoil and bloodshed are, of course, steeped in rich history dating back centuries. Parts of Egypt and Syria are among the oldest, holiest locations in the globe as they date back to biblical times.

It isn't very surprising, then, that the internet has become a flurry with references to Old Testament passages ripe with references to hot-button locations in ancient history and predictions about the "end of time" and the "second coming" of the Messiah. While these parallels are inherently troubling given their temporally removed and entirely speculative nature as a lens through which to view real human suffering, they highlight how entrenched the area of the world experiencing such heartbreaking bloodshed is in the expansive backdrop of religious history.

"Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city, and will become a fallen ruin," reads Isaiah 17 from the Book of Isaiah, a prophecy some fear is coming fruition centuries later in modern day.

Damascus, the capital and second largest city in Syria, has gotten the brunt of violence during the Syrian civil war. The city is home to state administrative offices, and its metropolitan area is home to an estimated 2.6 million people with a rich history dating back to the second millennium B.C. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. While the city has experienced tumult and violence before, episodes of violence in Syria today are some of the worst in history. 1,429 Syrians were killed in the August 21 chemical weapons attack outside of Damascus that sent the world spinning with outcry for some sort of international response. Hundreds of innocent victims in August's attack were women and children.

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