Russia: Gog, Magog and many with them
According to Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, in the latter days Gog (Russia) along with other allies will come together against Israel. The countries mentioned in Ezekiel are the ancient peoples of Gog, Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, Togarmah and “many people with thee”. These countries are the present day countries of Russia, Turkey (eastern Turkey and the area near Syria), Iran, Sudan, Libya, and the Ukraine.
Ezekiel 38:2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
The next verses tell (Gog) Russia to prepare themselves and prepare the nations with them and be a guard to the Arab nations that are with them. I’m not sure how Russia will guard the others.
Ezekiel 38:7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
News Alert 7/25/06: War between Hezbollah and Israel – It may be possible that Russia will be part of a multinational force stationed in south Lebanon to protect the Lebanon – Israel border. This force may offer to protect Israel’s borders after the rapture happens.
Current UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) Contributors of Military Personnel
http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/unifil/facts.html
Wikipedia: United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
Russia is in South Lebanon to build bridges torn down after the war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIFIL
Russia does have a presence:
…Russia also said it would send up to 400 troops — to concentrate on rebuilding infrastructure destroyed in Israel’s offensive.
The Russian soldiers will work independently of the U.N. peacekeeping force, which is being reinforced to pave the way for a complete Israeli troop withdrawal from south Lebanon.
This aggression from Russia and the Arab nations is attempted at a time of safety for Israel.
Ezekiel 38:8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
In the near future Russia will have an evil thought to take Israel as a prey. Read about this in Ezekiel 38:3-11. This kind of maneuver toward Israel from Russia and the Arab nations has never happened before in history so it has to be an event in the future. In Ezekiel the description seems to indicate Russia and the others will come into Israel via air attack combined with a land attack. See Ezekiel 38:9 where it says “come like a storm and a cloud to cover the land”. And in Ezekiel 38:4 where it says “army, horses and horsemen”.
Ezekiel 38:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, 12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
God has a plan for this attempt of aggression from Russia and it’s Arab allies. Ezekiel 38:16 says “that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” God will show the entire world His power and sovereignty.
Ezekiel 38:16
And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
God will release his fury onto Gog for this attempted aggression against the land of Israel.
Ezekiel 38:18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. 19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
Russian motivation to come against Israel
The main motivation according to the scripture is “to take a prey”. (Ezekiel 38:11-14)
Russian motivation may be oil and power for the Russian nation along with improving Russia’s image with the Arab nations. Russia has been waiting and wanting to reclaim their past status as a power monopoly in the north.
Also, Russia has an oil tip line that runs through Israel coming in at Ashkelon on the Mediterranean and going to Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba.
There’s a Pipelines Map on this page of the Eilat Ashkelon oil pipeline website.
This has become a vital artery for Russian oil exports to the Far East, the fastest-growing energy market in the world and one Moscow wants to dominate.
No doubt about it, Russia wants to dominate all oil pipelines:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aH3aCZthyWjw&refer=germany
Here’s an interesting article about Putin visiting Israel for the first time:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4374399.stm
Putin to make first Israel visit Wednesday, 23 March, 2005, 09:19 GMT
Russian President Vladimir Putin will make the first visit by a Russian or Soviet leader to Israel at the end of April, Israeli officials say.
Mr Putin will meet Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and top Israeli officials, spokesman Ron Ben-Yishai said. Russia is a member of the diplomatic group known as the Quartet of mediators for Middle East peacemaking, along with the US, the UN and the EU. They sponsored the stalled “roadmap” peace plan for a Palestinian state. It was not clear if Mr Putin would also meet Palestinian officials during the visit on 27 and 28 April. Israeli-Russian relations have improved greatly in the past 15 years since the fall of the Soviet Union. Mr Sharon, who is of Russian descent, has visited Moscow three times since taking office in 2001. However, ties between the two countries have been strained in recent months over a Russian decision to consider supplying Syria with missiles. Israeli President Moshe Katsav is said to have invited Mr Putin while the two men were in Poland to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp.
Another interesting article:
7/10/06 “Now the Russians find that they are in a powerful position over energy and that people are interested in them.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5147948.stm
Arab motivation to come against Israel
Arab nations want power over Israel and stability in the region. Some Muslim countries have even wanted to wipe Israel off the map.
Also, the Arab nations would like to have a power country like Russia behind them right now because of the current U.S. stance on destroying tyranny. The Arab countries may feel the need for a power country like Russia to back them. Follow closely the relationship between the United States and the Arab nations and Russia in the near future. The Bible says that in the last days the Arab nations will have a stronger relationship with Russia than they ever have. See below and take a look at the current relationship status between Russia and the Arab nations.
Russia: Russia, despite US pressure, is going ahead with cooperation in setting up nuclear power stations in Iran.
Turkey: While relations between Turkey and the US have cooled down, primarily because of differences over the US-led invasion of Iraq, Turkey is coming closer to its historical enemy, Russia. At the same time, relations between Turkey and Israel, which were quite close during the Cold War and almost hot after the fall of the Berlin Wall, have deteriorated recently,
Syria: The US reaction Before the Russian denial, while describing Russian arms sales to Syria as speculative, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher made it clear that the US was opposed in principle to all arms sales to Syria.
Iran: Dick Cheney, radio interview, January 20 2005: “You look around the world at potential trouble spots, Iran is right at the top of the list.” Iran is pursuing “a fairly robust new nuclear program” and “is a noted sponsor of terror . . . Given that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel, the Israelis might well decide to act first, and let the rest of the world worry about cleaning up the diplomatic mess afterwards.”
Another factor in the attempted attack against Israel: Israel at peace
Notice in Ezekiel 38:11 that this attack will happen when Israel is at peace and has un-walled villages. (Ezekiel 38:9-14)
Because of terror attacks during Arafat’s PLO reign, currently Israel has walls between itself and the West Bank. Though the International Court of Justice has ruled that the fence violates international law, it remains highly popular among Israelis. Attacks have declined by as much as 90 percent in certain areas since construction began.
As long as Israel is not at peace and even possibly has this wall, Russia will not attack Israel.
Ezekiel 38:11-12 11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
God will protect Israel Himself – God will be glorified
Ezekiel 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
According to Ezekiel 38-39 God will protect Israel from this attempted aggression from Russia and the Arab nations. God will intervene supernaturally with rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstones. God’s intervention will cripple Russia and the nations that attacked Israel.
The Golan Heights are a plateau, and part of a volcanic field (areas prone to localized volcanic activity) that extends northeast almost to Damascus. Could it be that God uses the volcanic field to erupt on the Russian and Arab platoons?
According to Ezekiel 38:16, 23 and 39:7,22 the Lord will be magnified through this attack and in many nations people will come to know the Lord as their Savior.
Weapons – Enough to burn for seven years
The attack leaves Israel with enough “weapons” to burn for seven years. The weapon described here may be oil; currently the world’s most sought after energy resource. From this attack Israel will receive enough oil to burn for seven years. The oil may be contained in the pipeline that Russia has going through Israel and possibly on tankers still in the gulf when the attack happens. (we talked about the pipeline earlier under “Russian Motivation”)
Ezekiel 39:9
And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years
Ezekiel 39:10
So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.
If the weapon is oil that would mean the oil will be Russia’s but Israel will burn it for seven years. Israel will “rob those that robbed them” according to Ezekiel 39:10.
SIDE KICK: Speculation: Ezekiel talks about burning the “oil” weapon for seven years. This seven year time span is not necessarily the seven years of the tribulation because the Jews will only be in Israel for the first half of the tribulation. (Rev. 12:6 &Rev. 12:13-17) Midway through the tribulation the Jews flee to a place prepared for them by God. You’ll read about this a little later. So the Jews only need 3 ½ years worth of fuel for the beginning of the tribulation. This leads you to believe that Russia may attack Israel 3 ½ years before the tribulation begins.
Burying the dead
The Bible says it will take Israel seven months to bury the dead from the attack. It also says “all the people of the land shall bury them”. This may mean the Palestinians may help bury the dead.
Ezekiel 39:13
Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
Terrorism …has existed for a number of years; however, recently terrorists have targeted larger groups with a greater loss of life.
Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1961-2003: A Brief Chronology
From 1996 to 2001 the number of international terrorist attacks increased steadily. In September of 2001 Islamic extremists hijacked four U.S. jetliners and forced them to crash into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This attack triggered an outrage in the U.S. and all around the world.
Citizens of 78 countries perished at the World Trade Center site. “Freedom and democracy are under attack,” said President Bush the following day. Leaders from around the world called the events of September 11 an attack on civilization itself.
The majority of all terrorist attacks come from Arab nations and the Islamic faith.
15 out of the 19 suicide hijackers were Saudis
What is Terrorism?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation states:
Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.–FBI Definition (1)
While some attacks have been targeted toward the eastern hemisphere countries, the majority of Arab terrorist attacks are directed towards the U.S. This is largely because of the alliance that the U.S. has with Israel. The United States has been the strongest supporter of Israel since its founding in the 1940s, and Arab states have, at one time or another, been enemies of Israel.
SIDE KICK: Take a look at Daniel chapter 10 for a minute. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood the angel when he needed to tell Daniel the interpretation of the vision in Daniel 10:13. Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help the angel. In Daniel 10:20 the prince of Grecia comes when the angel goes back to fight again the prince of Persia. It almost sounds like a fight between good and evil. The prince of Persia sounds like the evil force and tries to prevent the message from getting to Daniel. The prince of Grecia is on the opposite side of the prince of evil, and is the force of good. Below is an interesting article about the good and evil fight in our world today. Many people see President Bush as a “good” force against the “evil” forces of terrorism, even though some people like the person below doesn’t agree with it.
AFTER THE PERIOD OF TIME CALLED THE CHURCH AGE THERE WILL BE A CATCHING UP OF THE SAINTS, GOD’S CHILDREN. THIS IS CALLED THE THE RAPTURE…
