Syria filled the news headlines in recent weeks for a very critical and historic event happening in this ancient Middle-Eastern nation. Syrian people seem to have awakened from slumber when a jihadi-insurgent leader named 'Abu Mohammed al-Jolani' (real name: Ahmed al-Sharaa) finally succeeded in deposing its longest reigning tyrant in recent history, Bashar al-Assad. And most of the people are ecstatic over their newfound freedom from a ruthless regime of 50 years. Because of this, curiosity to this once dominant biblical nation has increased.
Syria and its people were mentioned in both Old and New Testaments. Its ancestry can be traced back to the children of Noah. So, what exactly can we learn about Syria and its place in prophecy?
To know Syria is to understand its various roles with its neighbor, Israel. The following are summary facts of what the Bible tells us about Syria's past and future:
1. ANCESTRY/ORIGIN: Syrians can trace their Biblical heritage back to a man named "Aram". He was a descendant of Shem, Noah's son. Also known as "Arameans". Their lineage is recorded in Gen. 10:22-23,"The sons of Shem: Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek. This ancestry is also recorded in 1 Chron. 1:17. Smith's Bible Dictionary adds: "The first occupants of Syria appear to have been of Hamitic descent --Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, etc. After a while.. still largely nomadic, received a Semitic infusion, [who] came to them from the southeast." Syria is one of the oldest Biblical lands that still exist today.
Other key Biblical personalities of Aramean descent include Job, Boaz, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah, and Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus (Ref. 'BibleStudytools').
2. FRIEND AND FOE OF ISRAEL/JUDAH? During the days of the Judges, Syria became God's 'sword' of punishment against Israel. For a time, Israelites were subjected to the ruler of "Aram Naharaim, a kingdom of Aram (Syria)" (Jgs 3:7-10). When Israel repents, it then overcame Syria's king of Aram (Syria) Naharaim. King David also led a conquest against Syria and won the battle. This is documented in 1 Chronicles 18:1-13, Psalm 60, and 2 Samuel 8:3-13. In 1 Kings 15, in the time of the two kingdoms: Israel and Judah, King Asa of Judah reached out to King Ben-Hadad of Syria for help in a conflict against Israel. The ruler of Israel at the time was King Baasha, who led a siege against Judah. So an unlikely alliance were forged when Judah went to war against his brother Israel (of Northern Kingdom) with the help of Syria. In another unlikely alliance, the king of Syria and the king of Israel came up against Judah. At this time, the king of Judah was Ahaz. The events are recorded in 2 Kings 16:5-9. During these wars Israel went as far as the cities of Damascus and Hamath and occupied them.
3. NAAMAN THE SYRIAN WAS HEALED BY ELISHA THE PROPHET. During Aram's (Syria) conflict with Israel, a commander in the Aramean army, Naaman sought the help of the prophet Elisha of Israel (Elijah's successor). Naaman had leprosy. Because he was so well regarded as a soldier, the king of Aram allowed him to go, sending him with a letter to the King of Israel explaining Naaman's condition. Thereafter Naaman recognised the authority of the God of Israel when he was healed. This miraculous story can be read in detail in 2 Kings 5.
4. FAMOUS CITIES. Smith's Bible Dictionary lists familiar cities of Syria, in order of importance in the Bible:
"1, Antioch; 2, Damascus; 3, Apamea; 4, Seleucia; 5, Tadmor or Palmyra; 6, Laodicea; 7, Epiphania (Hamath); 8, Samosata; 9, Hierapolis (Mabug); 10, Chalybon; 11, Emesa; 12, Heliopolis; 13, Laodicea ad Libanum; 14, Cyrrhus; 15, Chalcis; 16, Poseideum; 17, Heraclea; 18, Gindarus; 19, Zeugma; 20, Thapsacus."
It is to be noted that a number of these town/cities were very important to the early New Testament church, specially, Antioch, Laodicea, and Damascus. Some of these town are now under the boundaries of modern-day Turkey ('Anatolia').
5. 'ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS.' One of the most well-known stories about the early church disciple by the name of Paul (Saul), is his journey to Damascus where he met Jesus leading to his conversion. This event is recorded in Acts 9:1-19. After this meeting, Paul was never the same man again and he was instrumental in spreading the Gospel to the gentiles.
6. SYRIA WAS ONCE THE CRADLE OF A FLOURISHING CHRISTIANITY. The followers of the early Christian church spent a lot of time in Syria. Most of earliest Gentile converts actually came from Syria. Antioch was the center of one of the first Christian churches. Acts 11:19-30 records that Paul and Barnabas led the first missionary journeys there. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia concludes: "Antioch was the cradle of Gentile Christianity and of Christian missionary enterprise. It was at the instance of the church at Antioch that the council at Jerusalem.. [was formed] (Acts 15). Antioch was Paul's starting point in his three missionary journeys (Acts 13:1; Acts 15:36; Acts 18:23), and thither he returned from the first two as to his headquarters (Acts 14:26; Acts 18:22)." Here also the term "Christian," was first applied to the followers of Jesus (Acts 11:26)
7. PROPHECY FOR SYRIA. The following are some distinctive prophecies uttered by various Biblical prophets concerning Syria and Damascus:
✴️Isaiah: "A prophecy against Damascus: 'See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites,' declares the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 17:1-3)
✴️Amos: "This is what the LORD says: “For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth, I will send fire on the house of Hazael that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad. I will break down the gate of Damascus; I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,” says the LORD." (Amos 1:3-5)
✴️Jeremiah:"Concerning Damascus: 'Hamath and Arpad are dismayed, for they have heard bad news. They are disheartened, troubled like the restless sea. Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor. Why has the city of renown not been abandoned, the town in which I delight? Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” declares the LORD Almighty. “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.” (Jeremiah 49:23-27)
Will there be a future resurgence of Syria, once a powerful country during Biblical times? While the prophecies talk about Syria's past and future judgment, the downfall of Assad’s regime and the chaos that follows remind us that Biblical prophecy often unfolds in dualities. They begin with historic events but its ultimate fulfillment is still in the future.
The event in Syria is just a backdrop of the greater news ahead. Its ultimate significance points us to God’s unfolding prophetic plan about His coming Kingdom. Rules of men rise and wane but God's eternal reign is sure to come and that's the great news behind all the news today, so let's continue to watch and pray!
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