The Russian Conspiracy Ezekiel 38 & 39
by: Tim king
Russia has for years been very instrumental in shaping Mid-East policy and history. Various Arab and African nations rely heavily on Russia for economic and military assistance. Russia holds one of the five permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council along with the United States, Great Britain, France and China. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has become bordered by a variety of nations that have become increasingly influenced by Radical Fundamentalist Muslim beliefs. This lead Russia to establish a relationship with Iran to help them develop their nuclear energy/weapons program in hopes that Iran would help cut back the negative influence Islam was having in it’s neighbors. I felt it important to publish the following highly significant Biblical scriptures concerning Russia and a confederacy of Muslim nations [headed up by Iran] and the impact it will have on future events leading to the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Concerning the strange names: The Bible tells in the Book of Genesis that, because of excess wickedness [not unlike that of today], God destroyed the ancient world and everything in it with a great flood. Noah was the only one found to have favor in God’s eye, therefore God saved him and his three sons (Ham, Shem, and Japheth) in an ark that God commanded Noah to build. In the following end time prophesies from the Book of Ezekiel, the names Gog, Magog, Meshech and Tubal represent Noah’s grandsons through his son Japheth. After the flood waters receded, the ark landed in the mountains of Turkey. In time Japheth’s clan began to increase in number and tribes bearing the names of his sons sprang forth and migrated north to settle in the vast regions of Asia that Russia now occupies. Cush and Put were sons of Ham and their tribes populated northern Africa. The point being is that this prophesy, written about 550BC, uses the ancient tribal names used to identify the peoples living in these regions at that time.
Ezekiel Chap 38: The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog (Russia); of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say; This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia (Iran), Cush (Black African nations) and Put (Libya and various Arabic African nations) will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer (former Iron Curtain countries) with all it’s troops, and Beth Togarmah (Southern Russia) from the far north with all it’s troops--the many nations with you. “’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 many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people--all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.” Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will say, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize plunder?” (Ezekiel 38: 1-13)
When this prophesy was written, Jerusalem had been destroyed and Israel was in the midst of a 70 year exile to the Babylonian Empire which began about 586BC. At the end of this period, the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city wall and gates and make plans to rebuild the second Temple of the Lord. Time passed and Israel was in the possession of the Media-Persia empire, Greece and finally the Roman Empire. Our Lord came onto the world through the tribe of Judah, preached and performed many miracles and was rejected by the Jewish priesthood and crucified for our sins. Then in AD70, Titus and the Roman Legion destroyed the second Temple (Herod’s Temple) and severely persecuted and dispersed the Jews throughout the world until they returned and declared the nation of Israel in 1948. So what is the significance of all this? The prophesy speaks of a time “after many days and in future years” and also describes a time when Israel will live in unwalled villages. Ancient warfare unchanged for thousands of years involved the use of swords, clubs and bows and arrows. Modern rockets and advanced armor and artillery have made flimsy stone walls and iron gates quite obsolete.
Ezekiel continues: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Are you [Gog] not the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel? At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 38: 17-23)
Israel from the beginning has always been the Apple of God’s eye. It should be noted here that, even though much of the time, Israel was unfaithful to God, God was faithful to her and protected her from her enemies except at those times when God administered discipline according to God’s monumental scale of discipline which is, in many ways, beyond our ability to comprehend. But God gave his solemn and faithful oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) respectively that He would “bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” Lets hope that America will always be willing to help the nation of Israel lest we be on the receiving end of God’s wrath.
Ezekiel Chap 39: “Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken declares the Sovereign Lord. I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the Lord. I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel. It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day I have spoken of. (Ezekiel 39: 1-8)
This invasion (a mini-Armageddon if you will) has characteristics and a time frame different from the one called the Battle of Armageddon in Revelation. The Battle of Armageddon takes place at the end of the seven year Tribulation and involves the leader of the rebuilt Roman Empire (European Union), Kings of the East (China, Korea, etc.) and various other Arab/Muslim nations. That battle is brought to an end by the appearance of Jesus as Lord of lords and King of kings who puts an end to a nearly global sized battle that would otherwise finish all life on earth.
The next block of scripture describes an elaborate cleanup operation and the use of the spent weapons as heating fuel for a period of seven years following the battle. Is this seven year period the Tribulation? It could very well be that this battle is the catalyst that causes the Anti-Christ to confirm a peace covenant with Israel for seven years as described in the Books of Daniel and Revelation. This will allow Israel to resume worship and sacrifice in the future third Temple in Jerusalem. After three and one half years of relative peace, the Anti-Christ will set himself up on a wing of the Temple to be worshipped as God (see Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24). Then God will execute judgment on all those who worship the Anti-Christ and except his mark. At that time the world will experience grievous plagues, natural disasters and a rapid increase in the intensity of global warfare.
Just a quick note concerning Temple Mount in Jerusalem, it is currently under the firm hand of Muslim control. Even though it’s the third holiest site of Islam behind Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia, it remains as the most volatile piece of real-estate in the world. During the 1967 Arab/Israeli war which Israel won back Jerusalem, the Israelis deemed it wiser to let it remain under Muslim jurisdiction. Just the mere act of Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon’s visit and walk around the mount a few years ago so inflamed the Muslim world that Israel has continually been hit by waves of suicide bombers and many Muslim countries held huge and violent demonstrations against Israel and the US.
Ezekiel continues: “Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up--the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declared the Sovereign Lord.” “On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east toward the Sea (Dead Sea). It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog (Hordes of Gog).” “For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I am glorified will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord. Men will be regularly employed to cleanse the land. Some will go throughout the land and, in addition to them, others will bury those that remain on the ground. At the end of the seven months they will begin their search. As they go through the land and on of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker beside it until gravediggers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. (Also a town called Hamonah (Horde) will be there.) And so they will cleanse the land.” (Ezekiel 39: 9-16)
Ezekiel continues: “Son of man, this what the Sovereign Lord says: Call out to every kind of bird and all the wild animals: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood. You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls--all of them fattened animals from Bashan. At the sacrifice I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk. At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind; declares the Sovereign Lord. I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them. From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them. (Ezekiel 39: 17-24)
Chapter end: Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now bring Jacob back from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will show myself holy through them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 39: 25-29)
In closing, it’s very astounding to note that the relationship between Russia and Iran and Russia’s efforts to help Iran establish their nuclear programs has captured much attention in the media. This is one of many dangerous situations brewing in the world today that threaten our safety and well being. However, we who profess faith in the Lord Jesus know that the world is God’s and everything in it and that he exercises ultimate control over all things to accomplish his plans and purposes. Israel is the example, the clay in the Master Sculptor’s hand. The reason he raised Israel up before the whole world was to demonstrate how he manages his beloved creation. It was through them that God showed his presence to the world, through them he brought in the Holy Law and by them he provided the means of salvation for the rest of the humanity. Through them God demonstrated how richly he can reward for obedience to his word or how powerful and awesome his wrath and judgment can be for sin.
Just how these events come to pass and the circumstances surrounding them are yet a mystery to be revealed, but new evidence seems to be unfolding in the media daily. There has never been a time greater in history to place your faith in our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. For us all he says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3: 20) Do you hear his knock? Peace and God bless!