200 More Killed in Syria, But also More Military Defections

Damascus, Capital of Syria

The government of Syria is still using a lot of force against its people:

July 12, 2012

(Reuters) – Syrian government forces killed more than 200 people, most of them civilians, in a village in the province of Hama on Thursday, opposition activists said.

The village of Taramseh was shelled by Syrian troops and later stormed by pro-government Shabbiha militia, they said. Several people in the village were killed by the shelling and more were shot later in the head, execution-style, they added. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/12/us-syria-crisis-massacre-idUSBRE86B1DO20120712

Some in the military are taking actions to leave Syria’s military:

12 July 2012

The latest report of violence came in the wake of the highest-level defector yet from President Bashar Assad’s regime — his ambassador to Iraq.

Defections from the Syrian regime have stirred hopes in the West Assad’s inner circle will start abandoning him in greater numbers, hastening his downfall.

But the tightly protected regime has largely held together over the course of the 16-month-old uprising, driven by a mixture of fear and loyalty.

The latest official to flee, Ambassador Nawaf Fares, announced that he was joining the revolution, asserting Thursday that only force will drive Assad from power. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hJ8EtYnqjc8HMYkPPch812_RNMOA?docId=c51819fd7ce84cd6bfee7bf0a2a975e9

Syria’s President Assad has no intentions of leaving unless he feels he must. He either will be involved in an attack with Israel (quite possibly with his closest ally Iran), be overthrown through internal unrest, be assassinated, or perhaps flee as part of some deal.

Syria will change, now or later. The King of the South will rise up (Daniel 11:40), it will not be Iran, and thus Syria (directly or indirectly) is likely to play a role in that occurrence. Syria will end up being a supporter of that king–thus the situation in Syria must change.

The Bible shows that Syria’s capital city Damascus will be destroyed:

7 thus says the Lord God: “It shall not stand, Nor shall it come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus (Isaiah 7:7-8)

3 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron. (Amos 1:3)

1 The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap. (Isaiah 17:1)

In a similar fashion, last week LCG reported:

Long ago, the prophet Isaiah predicted, “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap” (Isaiah 17:1). Jeremiah also prophesied, “Damascus has grown feeble…her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day” (Jeremiah 49:23-27). Syria was punished anciently for siding against the nation of Judah, and modern Syria has done the same. The civil war has now reached the suburbs of Damascus, and rebels may soon enter the heart of the Syrian capital. As events unfold in Syria, it will be interesting to see how these prophecies will be fulfilled. For more information on events in the Middle East, request our free booklet The Middle East in Prophecy.

As Jesus said in Mark 13:37, we all should watch. There will be changes in Syria. The continued killings and defections are likely to play a role in that.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

The Islamic and Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What will happen with Turkey and Iran? What does Islam teach about the Imam Mahdi?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Is he the Imam Mahdi? What does the Bible say?