Paul the Poke

Jeremiah 49:23 Concerning Damascus. “Hamath and Arpad are put to shame, for they have heard bad news; they are disheartened. There is anxiety by the sea, it cannot be calmed.

Hamath: The name means “fortress”. In the times of Jeremiah, Hamath was a city in valley of the Orontes River. Hamath was the capital of the northern kingdom of ancient Syria. Today, this is the city known as Hama, Syria.

Hama, Syria is prophetically significant. Roughly 2,600 years ago the prophet Jeremiah wrote about the eventual destruction of Damascus in Jeremiah 49. Before Damascus, trouble would start in northern Syria from Arpad. Arpad is essentially modern day Aleppo, Syria. The destruction would move south to Hamath or Hama, Syria. Finally, Damascus would see bloodshed and war before its destruction. In March 2017, all three of these cities in modern day Syria are hot spots of military conflict.

See Isaiah 17 as well for the Burden of Damascus.

March 30, 2017: The Anadolu Agency out of Turkey is reporting of chlorine gas used as a chemical weapon in Hama, Syria. The Assad regime of Syria is being accused of using chlorine on civilians. Approximately 100 civilians have been affected.

“Local residents are showing symptoms of chlorine gas exposure, including vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision and shortness of breath,” Mohamed Elwan, Hama doctor.

The Assad regime is suspected of using chlorine gas in Al-Qaboun district northeast of Damascus.

http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syrian-regime-strikes-targets-in-hama-with-chlorine-gas/784284

“The bombardment had a substance that caused intense irritation, heavy foaming from the mouth, and constricting pupils. A chemical attack hit the same area on Saturday, killing an orthopedic doctor,” Abdallah Darwish, Health Authority Hama Province.

The Assad regime in Syria has continually denied the use of chemical weapons and chlorine gas.

“The army has not, will not, and does not need to use these weapons,” unnamed Syrian spokesman.

Military airstrikes in the region are increasing. Russian bombing runs are nonstop per witnesses on the ground.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-hama-idUSKBN1711O9

Escalation in violence is noted across the country including the Euphrates or Tabqa Dam. Fighting continues on the Tabqa Dam between ISIS and US backed Kurds. ISIS controls the southern part of the dam and the Kurds along with embedded US Marines holds the northern part of the dam.

Russia and ISIS are accusing the United States of trying to destroy the Euphrates Dam. The United States backed Kurds claim ISIS is bombing the dam. One thing is clear. The Tabqa Dam has taken some bombing. The control room of the dam has been destroyed. Maintenance work on the dam is required to repair failing flood gates.

“Because the dam has been out of service for three straight days, the technical equipment in the lower levels of the dam is under water. This rise in the level of the reservoir means that one of the spillways must be opened to drain the water so it doesn’t build up, which would pose a growing threat to the dam.” A nameless technician.

The United States says the dam has not been structurally damaged…

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/31694/19/

http://pulse.ng/world/in-syria-engineers-set-to-to-enter-is-held-parts-of-tabqa-dam-id6445175.html

The United Nations estimates one half of Syria’s 22 million people have been displaced. The UN estimates 5 million refugees have left the country. The situation is not getting better in Syria.