Kremlin says Israel promised not to strike Iran, but...

Kremlin says Israel promised not to strike Iran
"MOSCOW (Reuters) - Israel promised Russia it would not launch an attack on Iran, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview aired on Sunday in which he described such an assault as "the worst thing that can be imagined." ... "When he visited me in Sochi, Israeli President Peres said something important for us all: 'Israel does not plan to launch any strikes on Iran, we are a peaceful country and we will not do this'," Medvedev said.

Yes ... but did Israel promise not to strike Syria? I've had Syria on my mind lately because an oft-overlooked prophecy about the end times concerning Damascus. Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria.

Isaiah 17:1-3: Prophecy about Damascus
"Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city
And will become a fallen ruin.
"The cities of (Aroer are forsaken;
They will be for flocks to lie down in,
And there will be no one to frighten them.
"The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,
And sovereignty from Damascus"

Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. It is a governorate, meaning, its own state as well as a city. (sovereign). Since it has been continuously inhabited, we can say for certainty that Isaiah's prophecy has not yet come true. It is, nor ever has been, a heap of ruins. It has never lost its sovereignty. It is not forsaken. It is a vibrant city these days with a population of 1,669,000 people. Jim Simmons wrote a very good article about this prophecy. I excerpted it here but I encourage all to click on the headline and read in its entirety.

Israel's Preemptive Strike: Against What Country?
By Jim Simmons

"Will Israel strike Iran or Syria? Many people are talking about Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, but maybe we should reconsider Israel’s position ... Syria is known as a training ground for terrorists. It is believed to be the base of operations for a number of terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda, Hamas, and the Hezbollah. Syria is directly linked to Iran and Russia. ... Considering Syria’s strong ties to Russia and Iran, one would think that Syria would be one of the Russian allies [listed in Ezekiel 38] included in the coming Russian/Islamic Confederation invasion of Israel, but it isn’t listed. The most likely reason for this lies in its prophesied destruction according to Isaiah 17. Since Syria is not listed, we can place the sequential timing of the destruction of Damascus prior to the Russian invasion."

Jim makes an excellent point. Syria does not participate in the Gog-Magog war as described in Ezekiel 38-39. It is not listed in the alliance of nations that gather to come against Israel. Why not?? [ancient lands and their current names here]

So, when we read about Israel gathering steam to make a strike, and it is assumed that it would be Iran ... think instead of a smoldering heap of ruins that used to be Damascus. I have long thought that the destruction of that old city will be a clear an undeniable prophetic fulfillment that we, as Christians, could point to and say to unbelievers, "Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?" John 16:31