{" Syrian Government Will not Spur the Second Coming of Christ and the ARMAGEDDON"}

{" Syrian Government Will Not Spur the Second Coming of Christ and the ARMAGEDDON"} By Rev Evangelist Justin Davis Updated Feb 29 4:36PM CST Published as Feb. 29, 2020 4:45AM CST Beloved: The Evangelical Christian world is abuzz with the “news” that the end of the world is upon us. One blog proclaims “the long prophesied end days are here.” Christian radio host Carl Gallups told WND that “ancient prophecies are being fulfilled right before our eyes,” and added, “we are the first generation in history to see such dramatic and striking alignments.” These Christians see the Syrian crisis as the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Isaiah 17:1 reads, “See, Damascus will cease to be a city, and will become a heap of ruins.” Yes, that Damascus. Some apocalyptically minded Christians read this as a description of current events. The destruction of Damascus is part of a chain of events that leads to the Second Coming of Christ. If it is, then we can expect unstoppable epidemics, economic decline, the breakdown of society, the rise of the Antichrist, the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, a false prophet, widespread persecution, and Armageddon—a war the scale of which the world has never seen. And somewhere in the midst of all of this, true believers will be “raptured” away to heaven by Christ. If the precise order of events seems convoluted that’s because it’s cobbled together from different books of the Bible, mostly Revelation and Daniel. Isaiah isn’t usually in the lineup, but recent events have pushed his version forward. But before we drink the good Scotch, cash in our 401ks, and retreat to bunkers in the woods, here are a few reasons to be wary: 1. The conquest of Damascus already happened. At least seven times. Isaiah lived and wrote in the eighth century BCE and scholars think that the original prophecy referred to the conquest of Damascus by the Assyrians in 732 BCE. But that’s not the only time Damascus has seen conflict. Since then Damascus has been conquered by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and by Alexander the Great; it was tossed back and forth between Alexander’s successors, the Seleucids and the Ptolemies; it fell to a Muslim siege led by the general Khalid ibn al-Walid in the seventh century, and to a different Muslim army in the eighth century; it was sacked by the Turco-Mongol armies of Timur around the turn of the 15th century, and conquered by the Ottoman empire in the 16th. Not every conquest left the city in ruins, but we could be forgiven for thinking that at least one of these occasions would qualify as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Timur’s massacre of the entire city’s population and erection of a tower of decapitated heads outside the walls seems a good candidate. If that won’t start an apocalypse, what will? 2. There are some problems with the theory. The belief that the Bible provides a precise timetable of events for the end of the world is a feature of fundamentalist forms of Christianity. Just a few months ago, those groups were labeling Obama the Devil’s henchman for his position on same-sex marriage. Now he’s acting as the arm of God by pulling the trigger on military intervention in Syria. It’s theologically possible, because Obama might not know he is acting as an instrument of God. But God’s chosen agent is also the Antichrist? Awkward. Especially when, according to the composite timeline, the Antichrist isn’t supposed to start revealing his true nature until after the Temple is rebuilt. 3. Scheduling has never been Christianity’s strong suit. Christians have been predicting the Second Coming and end of the world since the Apostle Paul. Hal Lindsey, bestselling author of The Late Great Planet Earth, had to “adjust” his schedule when Jesus failed to return in either 1981 or 1988. Jehovah’s Witnesses prophesied Armageddon no less than nine times in the twentieth century. Most recently, Harold Camping went bust predicting that the Rapture would take place on May 21, 2011. When his quick recalculation to October 21, 2011 didn’t pan out either he faded into obscurity. If there’s a lesson for the budding prophet to take away here it’s this: when prophesying the end of the world, be vague and use really big numbers. Strangely, none of these failed predictions have bankrupted the prophetic project. Seventh Day Adventist Ellen White’s failure to accurately chart the course of human destruction inspired social psychologist Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance. His book, When Prophecy Fails, showed that, when faced with incontrovertible proof that their beliefs are wrong, some people walk away from their belief systems. But others will double down. They rationalize away the facts, defend their position, and actually become more fervent. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus says, “No one knows the day or hour” of his return. Given how many times we’ve been stood up by apocalyptic Jesus, you’d think we’d get the message. But when we’re so good at ignoring our repeated failures to predict that day, there’s no need to heed his words anytime soon. Person in Washington State Is First in U.S. to Die From Coronavirus, Authorities Say DEVELOPING Updated Feb. 29, 2020 4:35PM CST Published Feb. 29, 2020 4 :36PM A middle-aged patient in Washington state became the first person to die from the 2019-2020 novel coronavirus inside the United States, officials said on Saturday as they announced additional cases and declared a state of emergency there. At least 69 people on American soil have had confirmed cases of the novel 2019 -2020 coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in a large seafood and live animal market in Wuhan, China, where it killed thousands before spreading to dozens of other countries across the globe, with particularly severe outbreaks in Italy, South Korea, and Iran. One American also died in China earlier this month, the State Department said at the time. President Trump said in a press conference Saturday that the person who died in Washington state overnight was a “medically high-risk patient in her late 50s.” However, Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County public health, later said it was actually a high-risk man in his 50s. “It’s a tough one, but a lot of progress has been made,” Trump said, stressing that the risk to the general population remained low. “We’re doing really well,” he added, “under incredibly adverse circumstances... We’re prepared.” “I want to assure this family that they are in the hearts of every American,” said Vice President Mike Pence, who was named this week as czar of the president’s coronavirus task force despite a public-health track record that has come under harsh scrutiny. Pence called Trump’s actions in response to the outbreak “unprecedented.” Pence announced additional travel restrictions on Iran and specific regions in Italy and South Korea. Trump also said he was “very strongly” considering imposing restrictions on the U.S. border with Mexico. Pence added that the government had contracted the company 3M to make an extra 30 million face masks, on top of 40 million already available. “Let me be very clear: The average American does not need to go out and buy a mask,” he said. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said there was currently “no evidence” that the person who died had traveled recently to China or had any contact with someone who had. Which is to say this was the latest case of what experts call “community spread,” or cases of unknown origin. The death came amid a surge in cases in Washington overnight. Officials announced three new cases—on top of one announced late Friday—including the first healthcare worker to test positive in the U.S., and also discussed the first possible outbreak in a longterm care nursing facility. Duchin said the facility in question was Life Care in Kirkland, Washington. One patient was a woman in her 70s, a resident in serious condition; another patient in the state was said to be a healthcare worker in her 40s who had no known travel outside the U.S. Duchin said the facility had 108 residents and 180 staff, and there were dozens of people in both groups who had experienced symptoms and would be tested. Italy Shows Just How Crazy Coronavirus Panic Can Get GOING VIRAL “I would like to say that while there is some spread in some communities, there is not national spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, said. Shortly after Duchin announced the outbreak at Life Care, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced he had declared a state of emergency, directing agencies to use all resources necessary to prepare for and respond to the outbreak. “This will allow us to get the resources we need,” Inslee said. “This is a time to take common sense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state.” Those updates on Saturday bring the total number of cases detected in the American public health system to 22 and the total in the U.S.—including repatriated people from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess cruise—to 69. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said more cases were to be expected on American soil but that “any single death for us is a real tragedy.” The reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe respiratory illness and death and can include symptoms like fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Symptoms are believed to typically appear between two and 14 days after exposure. Authorities have worked to reassure Americans that the U.S. health system has the capacity to handle a surge of the deadly illness, which has previously had about a two percent fatality rate globally among confirmed cases. Over the course of several hours on Friday afternoon, officials in California, Washington state and Oregon all announced that residents with no known risk factors had tested positive. In Washington, officials said a high-school student who had been on campus just that morning had the virus. They did not say anything then about the now-deceased patient. In Oregon, a school employee had tested positive and may have exposed an untold number of elementary school staff and students. It’s Started: Coronavirus Spreads in Three States in One Day "ARE WE ARE PREPARED" A Washington state student fell sick Monday with fever, body aches, and a headache, and was seen at two clinics in Snohomish County. The teen felt better by Friday morning and returned to Jackson High School—only to be notified soon after that they tested positive, authorities said. “The few students they were in contact with have been notified and will remain home for 14 days with symptom monitoring by the Snohomish Health District,” the school district said in a letter to parents. The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday took new steps to expand testing of novel 2019- 2020 coronavirus in hospitals following complaints from labs that the previous requirements for in-house testing development were too onerous. Under the policy announced Saturday by the FDA’s commissioner, Stephen Hahn, due to “critical public health needs” during this “dynamic and evolving situation,” labs can begin using their own tests after validating them—but before the FDA has finished reviewing their request for emergency use authorization. In January, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” and the HHS Secretary Azar declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the nation’s health system in responding to the outbreak. Cases have been confirmed in Oregon, Wisconsin, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Arizona, and Washington state. Several major companies have begun to cancel conferences and travel plans within the U.S. over fears of an outbreak, which some have warned could have cascading effects on the travel industry and larger economy. Already, the U.S. stock market had its worst week since the 2008 financial crisis. The CDC has, in various statements, described its response to the virus so far as both “aggressive” and “unprecedented,” even as experts have criticized the agency’s ability to quickly provide working diagnostic tests to identify the illness. Both a potential vaccine and drug treatment option are expected to enter clinical trials in April and—if successful—translate to the public market within 12 to 18 months. Trump Identifies the Real Coronavirus Victim: His Presidency MAKING HIM ‘LOOK BAD’ Meanwhile, around the globe, the viral outbreak that began in Wuhan, China has now infected more than 85,000 people in 40 countries. Italy’s Civil Protection Agency announced that it had a total of 1,128 cases on Saturday. South Korea—which has the largest outbreak outside of mainland China—confirmed more than 800 new cases overnight, as Iran saw a 205-case jump and France banned public gatherings of more than 5,000 people in an effort to slow the spread of its 73 cases on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Ecuador and Qatar confirmed their first cases of the virus. In North Korea, Kim Jong Un held a high-level meeting in which he ordered all-out efforts to fight the virus and threatened “serious consequences” if it “finds its way into our country.” © 2020 End Times Bible Prophecy & Glory to God Ministries