Eschatology & The 8th Day

Isaiah 17:1-3 the burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from [being] a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer [are] forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make [them] afraid. The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.

There are none as blind as those who will not see:

     “The burden of Damascus: Behold, Damascus is taken away from [being] a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap” Tradition teaches that this verse relates to a yet future destruction of the city of Damascus to the point of utter destruction & desolation where it will never BE a city ever again. This belief is derived and perpetuated from the word [being] as most are not familiar with the understanding that this word is an addition to the original text, as can be verified by looking up the verse in its original Hebrew language. The entire section of the verse “from being a city” is rendered from one Hebrew word; #05892 according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. Most read & teach this as “Damascus is taken away from ever being a city” but the original Hebrew does not allow for this and as such, this false belief is perpetuated. Most Bibles show this word in either italics or enclosed within brackets which shows it to be an addition to the original text.

     As with most mistranslated or misunderstood areas of scripture, the majority of those who continue to perpetuate this false belief do so by not adhering or considering the surrounding, preceding or subsequent verses. By simply considering the context of verse 3 “The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts” One should be able to derive this does not relate to utter & complete destruction as this verse mentions firstly a remnant being left but it also states that this kingdom of Damascus and this remnant shall be as the glory of the children of Israel; where does scripture ever teach or lead us to believe the children of Israel would ever be utterly and completely destroyed so that none of them should remain?

     There are numerous other verses that relate to this destruction of Damascus but these are seldom considered or tied together as being one in the same.

2nd Kings 16:1-9

In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah; Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. Twenty years old [was] Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome [him]. At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day. So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I [am] thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent [it for] a present to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried [the people of] it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.

Isaiah 7:1-9

And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, [that] Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field; And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, [even] the son of Tabeal: Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria [is] Damascus, and the head of Damascus [is] Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. And the head of Ephraim [is] Samaria, and the head of Samaria [is] Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

     Reading through these verses, we notice 4 major names: Pekah (King of the Northern Kingdom, also known as the 10 Tribes, Israel, Joseph & Ephraim) Ahaz (King of Judah) Rezin (King of Syria-Damascus) and Tiglathpileser (king of Assyria) Historical records show these 4 Kings to be parallel, existent and living during the same period of time and History records Tiglathpileser formed an alliance with Ahaz which resulted in the death of Rezin and the overthrow and destruction of Damascus in 732 BC. This information alone points to this destruction being what is referenced in the above listed verses, including Isaiah 17:1-3

     As for the belief that Damascus has never been attacked, besieged, overthrown or conquered, consider the following information.  (source)

BC: The name "Damascus" comes from the pre-Semitic Dimashka

15th century: According to Egyptian tablets, a region called "Dimashka" was conquered by the Egyptians.