Here is an outline of how I understand it:

1. The war will include Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinians.
   • Syria - Isaiah 17:1, Zechariah 9:1 Zechariah 11:2-3, Jeremiah 49:23-25
   • Lebanon - Zechariah 11:1 Zechariah 9:2-4
   • "Palestine" - Isaiah 17:3 Zechariah 9:5 Zephaniah 2:5 Ezekiel 25:15-17 Isaiah 14:31-32
   • Jordan - Isaiah 17:2 (Aroer) Zephaniah 2:8-9 (Ammon)
2. Damascus will be utterly annihilated. Isaiah 17:1 Jeremiah 49:23-27 The extent of the destructions hints that nuclear weapons may be involved; how else would an entire modern city "cease to be a city"?
3. The Palestinians will join the Syrians and foolishly make a grab for territory. They will see the obliteration of their ally Damascus and "writhe in anguish." "The king will perish from Gaza" - Gaza is the place where Arafat's headquarters are. Zechariah 9:1,5 "I will eliminate the pride of the Philistines." Zechariah 9:6
4. Lebanon, Syria, and perhaps Jordan will burn. Zechariah 11:1-3
5. As a result of Israel's destruction of Damascus, their national status will become emaciated because of intense international condemnation and outrage. Isaiah 17:4,12
6. These circumstances will compel Israel to begin looking to the Lord. Isaiah 17:7
7. Possibly, as a result of this war, Israel will obtain large portions of territory from Lebanon, Syria and Jordan (land that had been promised to them by God.) Zechariah 10:9-10 Jeremiah 49:1-2 Isaiah 54:2-3 Obadiah 1:19-20

Hezbollah has indicated it will not stop its attacks on Israel, because their vowed purpose is the elimination of Israel. In a new tactic to further this aim, Hezbollah is now equipping, training, and mobilizing Palestinians from the Lebanese "refugee camps." Because Syria implicitly encourages this, and will refuse to restrain Hezbollah, even after many warnings by Israel, Israel will act decisively to protect the people in its northern towns. Both Lebanon and Syria will become involved in a war against Israel.

Zechariah 9:1-2 is another key prophecy regarding the fate of Syria and Lebanon. "The burden of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD) and Hamath also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise." (NASB) Hadrach refers to the nation of Syria; Hamath and Damascus are cities in it. Tyre and Sidon are in Lebanon, and are the locations of some of the primary Palestinian camps, from which terrorists are being trained by Hezbollah. Notice the details of Zechariah's prophecy - the "burden" (ominous, woeful message) is against "the land" (Syria) and will "rest" (fall with the fullest and final force) on Damascus. And when this happens, it will gather the attention of all of the world, and especially of Israel. That's "when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord."

Here is more about Damascus, from the prophet 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?'" (Jeremiah 49:23-25 NIV) This seems to coincide with Isaiah's and Zechariah's prophecy regarding Damascus. Hamath and Arpad are other cities in Syria - could it be the "bad news" they are hearing is the obliteration of Damascus? The degree of their distress at hearing the news is powerfully portrayed by Jeremiah. They "are convulsed with anxiety" (NJB) and Damascus herself is "aghast" and gripped with panic.

Regarding the last sentence - "the town in which I delight" is obviously Jerusalem. According to Jeremiah, it "had not been abandoned" - implying that given the events he saw prophetically might have expected people to flee, but they did not. The Amplified Bible puts it this way: "How [remarkable that] the renowned city is not deserted, the city of my joy!" This is all conjecture, but consider this: one thing that would prompt Israel to use weapons of mass destruction (nuclear) against Damascus would be if they were responding in kind to the use of weapons of mass destruction (biological and/or chemical) by the Syrians. Perhaps that is what Jeremiah saw, and thus would have expected to see people abandoning Jerusalem, except for the fact that Israel put a stop to it by bombing Damascus?

Jeremiah continues with: "Therefore her (Damascus') young men shall fall in her streets, and all her soldiers shall be silenced in that day, says Yahweh of Hosts." (Jeremiah 49:26) Obviously, the Syrian army will never again be a threat to Israel. God Himself gets very personally involved in the action in the next verse, when He says, "I will set fire to the walls of Damascus."

Isaiah 17:3 says that the reign, the rule, the royal power, the sovereignty will "disappear" from Damascus. This also implies more than just a defeat by a foreign power. For a capital city of a nation to no longer rule over that nation, a catastrophic defeat must take place. In the wake of a defeat of this magnitude, Israel would very likely step in and and take possession of portions of the defeated nations where their troops have invaded, though this is not their initial intention or motivation.

I had puzzled over part of verse 3 in Isaiah 17, which is speaking of the destruction of Damascus. Verse 3 didn't make sense to me at first: "The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus." God would be judging Syria, but what would "Ephraim" have to do with that? Was He going to be dealing with Israel also, I thought? No, it didn't seem to fit. Then I realized after some research that the "hill country of Ephraim" is the area of the now known as the "West Bank," where Arafat wants to establish His Palestinian state.

Whether or not a Palestinian state is in existence before the war with Syria, the outcome will be the same for them. Even (or especially) if they have not achieved their desire of statehood on Israel's land at that point, they will jump at the opportunity to join Syria. They will see it as their chance to seize the land that Israel did not cede to them. And so this part of verse 3 is speaking of a situation in the very near future - that God will crush the "fortifications" of the Palestinians after they foolishly join the Syrians, presumably in a grab for Jerusalem. "Ephraim will be stripped of its defenses." (NJB)

There are other prophecies that speak of the demise of Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. In order to invent a historical claim to the land, the Palestinians have fancied themselves to be the spiritual descendents of the Caananites and the Philistines. Though there is no physical connection, the name "Palestine" is indeed derived from "Philistine." And one of the 5 Philistine cities, Gaza, is now the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority. There are several Bible prophecies that speak of the "Philistines," written after the Philistines of old had faded from prominence.

In the context of an oracle against Syria and Damascus, (Zechariah 9:1-8) foretelling that it will be "consumed with fire," Zechariah also refers to the "Philistines" (Palestinians). They will "see it" (the destruction of their ally Syria by Israel) and "writhe in agony." Their "hopes will wither" and "the king will perish from Gaza". I believe that may be referring to Arafat. Furthermore, God says, "I will cut off the pride of the Philistines." To conclude, the Lord says, "I will defend my house against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch." (Zechariah 9:8 NIV)

That's one reason why I believe the first 8 verses of Zechariah 9, which describe what happens to Syria, Lebanon, and the Palestinians, is talking about end-times events as well as what happened during the time of Alexander the Great. That last verse can only be talking about end-times events, for certainly oppressors have overrun the Jewish people many times since this was written. Furthermore, Zechariah's prophecy then goes on to describe events that will happen at both the first and second coming of the Messiah Jesus.

Ezekiel also saw a future judgment against the Philistines, and the reasons that are cited for their punishment sound very much like the attitudes of today's Palestinians: "This is what the Lord God says: 'Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy those remaining along the coast. I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I take vengeance on them.'" (Ezekiel 25:15-17)

Zephaniah also talks about judgment on the Philistines: "Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; And I will destroy you, so that there will be no inhabitant." (Zephaniah 2:5 NASB) It is curious that God uses the term "Canaan," to describe the land. That seems to indicate that just as the Canaanites were inhabiting the land promised to Israel, so too these future Philistines would have possession of land which does not belong to them.

In the same context, God addresses what may be modern-day Jordan for their participation in the anti-Israel campaigns: ""I have heard the insults of Moab and the taunts of the Ammonites, who insulted my people and made threats against their land." (Zephaniah 2:8 NIV) Isaiah concurs with this, saying that in conjunction with the annihilation of Damascus, "The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid." (Isaiah 17:2 NIV)

The identity of Ammon today is easy to ascertain, for "Amman" is the capital of Jordan. Remember that land east of the Jordan River was allocated to 2 1/2 tribes of Israel? But today that part of the "East Bank" does not belong to Israel, but to Jordan. In this prophecy, the Lord wonders aloud why this situation has persisted: 'Concerning the Ammonites: This is what the LORD says: "Has Israel no sons? Has she no heirs? Why then has Molech taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns? But the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites; it will become a mound of ruins, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire. Then Israel will drive out those who drove her out," says the LORD.' (Jeremiah 49:1-2 NIV) . It was allocated to the tribe of Gad. The Lord is asking why the "Ammonites" live there instead of Israelis, and then proclaims that He will rectify that in the days to come. Incidently, "Rabbah" has become the modern city that is now the capital of Jordan, Amman.

In another place, Zechariah also speaks of a future conflagration in Lebanon, and massive environmental damage done in the area of northern Jordan, southern Syria, and the Golan Heights: "Open your doors, O Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars! Wail, O pine tree, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down! Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!" (Zechariah 11:1-3 NIV) Could this also be foretelling the war that is on the horizon? Foreign Minister David Levy recently echoed this prophecy when he thundered from the Knesset floor "Lebanon will burn!"

As a result of this war, and especially because of the "removal" of Damascus from the face of the earth, the international community will rise up in outrage against Israel. "Oh, the uproar and raging of many peoples who roar like the roaring of the seas, and oh the rumbling of nations who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters!" (Isaiah 17:12) Israel will undergo withering criticism from the United Nations, and will be viewed harshly. The national status of Israel will become emaciated: "When that day comes, Jacob's glory will diminish, from being fat he will grow lean." (Isaiah 17:4) It is very likely that overt anti-semitism will once again explode all over the globe.

Though Israel will be severely censured by the international community, their physical situation should be vastly improved after the war. Here's a perspective to consider... what if, after all these events, Israel ends up with even more land, and no malicious neighbors to harass them anymore? Would they not see that as a sign that God is intervening on their behalf, despite their lack of faith in His ability to deliver them? There are prophecies in Ezekiel that seem to indicate this may be one of God's purposes for this war. Compare these two prophecies, from chapters 28 and 38. The first talks of Israel living in safety after all of their malicious neighbors have been punished and eliminated as a source of painful affliction to Israel. The second one is from the famous "Gog" prophecy, describing the condition of Israel later on when Gog and his "hordes" decide to invade Israel.

"'No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.' This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.'" (Ezekiel 28:24-26 NIV)

"'Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land. (Ezekiel 38:7-9 NIV)

Notice that they both use the phrase "live in safety" to describe Israel. The first prophecy says that after they have been regathered to the land, they will "live in safety" as the result of God's subsequent punishment of their neighbors. The second prophecy says "living in safety" is the condition at the time of Gog's invasion. Because they do not now "live in safety" and continually suffer contempt and harassment from their neighbors, something has to happen to change that before the Ezekiel 38 situation can occur. Perhaps the war between Israel and Syria/Lebanon/Jordan/Palestinians is the "punishment" that would eliminate the continual hostility from Israel's neighbors? If so, then the phrase saying that Israel had "recovered from war" in the Ezekiel 38 prophecy might be referring to the war with Syria.

In presenting these Scriptures for your consideration, I'm not certain that all of them necessarily refer to the situation just ahead. While the timing these events is uncertain to us, we know that every word that God has spoken will be certainly take place. We have His sworn testimony to that effect! 'The Lord of Hosts has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.'" (Isaiah 14:24)