A ceasefire went into effect in Syria on Feb. 27, 2016—or should I say another ceasefire? Since civil war broke out in that country five years ago, several attempts to bring peace have failed. Fighting has not only occurred between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and revolutionaries, but also among a myriad of groups seeking a variety of goals. Terrorist groups, including ISIS, have taken advantage of the chaos to advance their agendas. More than a quarter million people have lost their lives, and more than 11 million have been driven from their homes. Surely the motive for peace is strong. Why is it so hard to achieve peace—especially in the Middle East?

Bible prophecy foretold the continual conflict and marching of armies from the north, into the Promised Land, and it also foretells a dramatic change yet to come.

Writers for Beyond Today have for many years looked to the Bible for understanding of this question and always come to the simple conclusion that, without the intervention of a powerful Creator God, mankind simply does not have it in his nature to achieve enduring peace. This is summarized in a statement found within the ancient prophetic book of Isaiah: “The way of peace they have not known . . .” (Isaiah 59:1).  Thousands of years of history support this conclusion.

The modern nation of Syria includes territory that was once the heart of an ancient kingdom that carried a similar name: that of Assyria. Hundreds of years before the time of Christ, the people of Assyria built a powerful empire that encompassed much of the Middle East. The Bible describes that empire conquering the Kingdom of Israel and nearly capturing the city of Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:1-23, 2 Kings 18:17-37; 2 Kings 19:1-37, Isaiah 36:1-22; Isaiah 37:1-38). That was accomplished approximately a century and a half later by the Babylonian empire, which by that time had overwhelmed the Assyrian.

Sitting at the junction of three continents, (Europe, Asia and Africa) the Middle East has seen many armies march through it, and most often they have progressed from the north to the south.

Not surprisingly, biblical prophecy includes several warnings to the peoples of Israel that an enemy would come “from the north,” and so it was: Assyrian armies marched from north of Jerusalem into Palestine. Later Babylonian armies followed the same route, eventually defeating even Egypt. Alexander the Great would lead his Greek armies that way, and in time the Roman legions traveled that way.

Even a dramatic prophecy in the book of Daniel describes a powerful conquering army passing from north to south through the Middle East sometime in the future: "At the time of the end, the King of the South shall attack him, and the King of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen and with many ships. And he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land and many countries shall be overthrown” (Daniel 11:40-41). The same prophecy later specifically states that Egypt will be one of the countries conquered.

So it sounds like nothing much has changed over thousands of years, and nothing will ever change.

But that is not quite true. Bible prophecy foretold the continual conflict and marching of armies from the north, into the Promised Land, and it also foretells a dramatic change yet to come. There will be peace in the Middle East—because God will bring peace and will enforce it by His power. Numerous Bible prophecies describe how that will come about, and one even specifically shows that the route from north to south will eventually serve a very different purpose.

The same prophet who wrote that mankind does not know the way of peace, also wrote of the time when God will cause mankind to know peace. “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that day, Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land” (Isaiah 19:23-24).

To those watching what appears to be endless conflict in the Middle East, the thought of a close alliance between the nations of Israel, Egypt, and Syria sounds like a fairy tale. It is not a fairy tale, but it will require a miracle. Fortunately the fulfillment of this prophecy does not depend on human creativity or intelligence. The Creator God, who has ultimate power over the affairs of nations will bring peace—and He will cause there to be a “Highway of Peace” running from north to south in the Middle East.