The fall of Assad?

Submitted by Michael S. (United States), Sep 30, 2014 at 13:17

HI, Lujack. You said,

"Iran and Turkey are in disagreement about Assad being in power over Syria. Both Iran and Turkey in the last 8 weeks have reached out increasing diplomatic ties and boosted economic development with Armenia, Azerbaijan... Iran and Turkey have boosted economic ties with each other. Once Assad falls from power Iran and Turkey will be ready to join the Gog/Magog alliance."

Turkey has been pursuing a "zero problems" policy with all its neighbors for several years, howbeit not very successfully. They are definitely in disagreement about Assad, whom the Iranians are likely to back to the end and whom the Turks want to depose (to make way for their favored Muslim Brotherhood to take over). I think you are correct, that Turkey and Iran will ally with one another (against Israel, of course), once Assad has fallen from power.

Just how Assad will be overthrown is a matter for speculation. Some possibilities:

1. He might die of natural causes, or be assassinated

2. He might be overthrown in a coup

3. He might be defeated in a foolhardy attack on Israel.

All things are possible, so I try to keep on top of the latest events. Huffpost says:

Embracing Assad Is a Better Strategy for the U.S. Than Supporting the Least Bad Jihadis
-- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/graham-e-fuller/us-assad-isis-strategy_b_5898142.html

Fortunately, I doubt that President Obama will heed such advice. I don't know if or how he will get out of the quagmire in Iraq and Syria; but now that allies have joined us in the anti-ISIS effort, I think he's in it for some time. He also appears adamant in insisting that Assad must go. The Turks are a real wild card in this situation:

Turkish Parliament is likely to debate two motions authorizing the government to take necessary military measures -- including sending troops abroad -- to deal with security threats emanating from Iraq and Syria behind closed doors, a senior official of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) said on Tuesday.
-- http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_parliament-to-debate-military-preparations-in-closed-session_360346.html

Turkey seems poised for some sort of invasion of Syria -- in the name of humanitarianism, security, yada yada. We'll see. If they want to turn Syrian Kurdistan into some sort of "safety corridor", I don't think Assad, the Russians and the Iranians will take it lying down. Right now, the Russians are saying,

"The U.S. must ask President Bashar Assad's permission to bomb the Islamists in Syria," Baklitsky said. "Since the Americans do not consider the current Syrian government to be legitimate, they are striking and going over Assad's head. This is de facto a violation of international law."
-- http://rbth.com/international/2014/09/26/us_russia_find_common_ground_on_isis_while_agreeing_to_disagree_40145.html)

If they are thus objecting to the bombing of ISIS, which benefits both Assad and the Syrian Kurds, one can only imagine how they will react if the Turks move against both over the Syria-Turkey border. We are in for some rocky times in the coming months; and I can't predict anything for certain about what will happen during that time.

You went on,

The book of Revelation 7:1-17 speaks about the Jewish 144,000 sealed whom preach about Jesus Christ for the 7 year tribulation period the same 7 years Ezekiel 39:9 Israel burns the weapons from the Gog/Magog war.

You are cobbling together scriptures from various places. Those "144,000" are not "Jews". Rev. describes them as coming from the twelve tribes of Israel; but those twelve tribes no longer exist on earth. They must therefore have some unseen, spiritual meaning. Ezekiel talks about reconstituting the twelve tribes in Ezek 48, drawing from "whosoever will" within the new tribal boundaries:

Ezek. 47
[23] And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord GOD.

That sounds more like a group of Christians or some other group, than Jews; because it's the Christian NT that talks about the church being the "twelve tribes":

Jas.1
[1] James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

The Jehobah's Witnesses, of course, believe that the 144,000 are JWs. You continued,

"1 Thessalonians 5:9 says God has not appointed those true Christians to wrath"

1 Thes. 5:
[6] Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
[7] For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
[8] But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
[9] For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Whether "us" refers to today's Christians, is a matter of some discussion. Even so, the "wrath" Paul is speaking of is the final judgment -- not any event here on earth. You went on,

"Revelation 3:10 a small segment of Christians whom do not bow down to the pope will leave this world."

The scripture you cite says nothing about this sort of thing. You went on,

Revelation reveals 7 churches in which six are corrupted. Many of those Christians who love Israel will be part of the raptured group.

Rev. does indeed speak of seven churches in Asia Minor; and there is only one with which God finds no fault:

Rev. 3:
[7] And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
[8] I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
[9] Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
[10] Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
[11] Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
[12] Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

John mentions "them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie". Is that how you come up with this "rapture" doctrine? Let me say a few things about this passage:

First of all, the use of the word "synagogue" in this translation. Elsewhere in the NT, the identical word is translated as "congregation" which, indeed, is the meaning ot the word "synagogue". John is not talking about "Jews" here in the modern sense, as a group separate from Christians. He is talking about Christians; and the "synagogue of Satan" is a congregation that pretends to be "Christian", if you will (more precisesly, "followers of Jesus") but isn't. If this were not the case, such a congregation would be in no position to deceive the Philadelphians.

Secondly, John speaks of "Jews" here, in the same sense that James spoke of the "twelve tribes which are scattered abroad". Both Joh and James were Jews, born and bred; and they looked upon those with whom they had fellowship (whom you may call "Christians") as true Jews. In Philadelphia, there were apparently two churches -- one genuine, and one phoney. The phoney church there (and a similar one in Smyrna) are described here.

None of this has anything to do with any "rapture", unless you believe a priori that it does. You went on,

Christians who love Israel will be part of the raptured group. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. God has wrath in Ezekiel 38:18-19. The rapture will take place before the Gog/Magog war. Then the Jewish 144,000 in Revelation will arise.

Honestly, I don't know where you and some other Christians come up with these ideas. You've worked together three scriptures from three different books in completely different parts of the Bible, and come up with a doctrine. I see no connection whatever between them, and I sincerely hope that few others here do.

What you said concerning Turkey and Iran is probably correct; and it is close to my own understanding of Ezekiel 38-39. All this "rapture" stuff, though, looks like something out of Jack Chick comics.

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