What is the biblical importance of Damascus?

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goldfish21
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14 Apr 2018, 1:01 pm

Someone I know said this:

Quote:
it's Damascus that they are after. If Damascus falls, we will be one big step closer to a shift of biblical proportions.


Followed up by "Read the bible if you dare."

I don't recall reading anything about Damascus in the bible. Is there any reference? Or is he just talking nonsense?


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naturalplastic
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14 Apr 2018, 1:31 pm

What your fundie friend doesn't make any sense to me, but Damascus is an ancient city that figures probably more than once in the Bible.

Saul of Tarssus, who would later become St. Paul, was a bounty hunter out to get Christians. Then one day while traveling down the road on a business trip out of Judea and into the capital of Syria, he was knocked off his horse by an angel and had his life changing epiphany and converted to Christianity. Hense the expression "having a road to Damascus experience". That's the one theologically specific thing about Damascus that I know of in the Bible.

During the early days of the current civil war in Syria I remember seeing a reporter on TV ending his report with "this is [his name] for CNN, on the road to Damascus" since his location happened to be on the modern highway between modern Israel and the capital of modern Syria- a modern highway the may well be the same road that St. Paul was on 2000 years ago. And the reporter did have a subtle inflection in his voice that indicated that the literary/cultural resonance of his phrase "road to Damascus" was not lost on him.



goldfish21
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14 Apr 2018, 3:00 pm

Interesting.

My friend followed up and posted this:

Quote:
it's been the safe haven for Israelites for the last 3000 years. Some say its home to eden. its not being taken over. it's being destroyed.


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Kraichgauer
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14 Apr 2018, 11:48 pm

goldfish21 wrote:
Interesting.

My friend followed up and posted this:

Quote:
it's been the safe haven for Israelites for the last 3000 years. Some say its home to eden. its not being taken over. it's being destroyed.


Where is the Eden connection coming from?


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goldfish21
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15 Apr 2018, 12:37 am

Kraichgauer wrote:
goldfish21 wrote:
Interesting.

My friend followed up and posted this:

Quote:
it's been the safe haven for Israelites for the last 3000 years. Some say its home to eden. its not being taken over. it's being destroyed.


Where is the Eden connection coming from?


I dunno. That’s all the guy said.


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Lintar
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16 Apr 2018, 9:23 pm

Who is this "guy"? Do you have a link to something he has written online?



goldfish21
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16 Apr 2018, 9:46 pm

Lintar wrote:
Who is this "guy"? Do you have a link to something he has written online?


An acquaintance on my Facebook friends list.


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