Russia, Israel, Vladimir Putin and the Prophet Ezekiel
Social Gospel Worship and Learning Center Sunday message for 03/16/24
Putin's Re-election and Bible Prophecy: Closing In on Armageddon
by Minister Paul J. Bern
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The impending re-election of Russian president Vladimir Putin to a fifth term as president of Russia is confirmation for the Biden administration that we must either work together for our mutual good, or we will wind up killing each other off in a nuclear war. His impending re-election was also confirmation for Bible-believing Christians, whether they attend church regularly or not, that the “Gog-Magog War” from Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 is getting close. To explore the significance of this, I am going to try to better explain this prophecy, since there is so much material to go over. So let me get started by pointing out some related prophecies elsewhere in the Bible that relate to what we'll be examining today.
A Little Background; the World War(s) to Come
First, we have the Psalm 83 war, which describes an unsuccessful invasion of Israel by its neighbors. This appears to have already occurred in the form of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, which resulted in the recapture of Jerusalem by the Israeli Defense Force. Those old enough to remember the Yom Kippur War of 1973 have undoubtedly heard the argument that the Psalm 83 war was actually that war, but that's just Christians and Jews arguing with other Christians and Jews. Since that prophecy has, either way, already been fulfilled, there is no further point in debating this issue. If those people spent the time they devote to theological disagreements on the needs of the less fortunate, the world would be a much better place.
There are at least one and possibly two world wars that will occur very closely together (see Ezekiel chapter 7 and Revelation 18, both of which describe America's coming destruction, and Revelation chapter 9, which describes World War Three in alarming detail), but none of those can be called the 'Gog-Magog' war for reasons that I am about to make clear. For my text for today, I will start in Ezekiel chapter 38, commencing at verse 1.
Some Relevant Bible Verses for Your Consideration
“The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of Man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophecy 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....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 among the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.” (Ezekiel 38, verses 1-4, 7-9)
Who Is the “Son of Man”?
One thing you will notice right from the start is that there can be no question about who is in charge of things. Sorry to disappoint or offend any atheists who happen to stumble onto this article, but that's just the way of the universe that God spoke into being. Beyond that, the first new thing we see are the words 'Gog and Magog', where Magog is the kingdom and Gog is the king, president, or other head of state. As such, Gog is also a military leader. The text is worded, interestingly enough, “Son of man, set your sights against Gog, of the land of Magog....”. In the four Gospels, Jesus sometimes referred to himself as the “Son of Man”. Ezekiel 38: 2 is the only place in the Bible I can remember right now where the words “the Son of Man” are used to refer to anyone else but Christ. This should give you all a good idea of how esteemed Ezekiel was in God's sight, something we all should be aspiring to.
Setting the Stage
“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.” 'Meshech' is an old Hebrew word for the geographical area around Moscow today, and Hebrew is the original language of the Bible. The second part of that quote, I believe, is currently being put into play, so to speak. What would bring out Moscow's entire army? Probably not an attack on the US, or at least not at this juncture. As I wrote above, that occurs later in Bible prophecy's timeline. So what else could Russia be entangled in to the point of having “hooks in (their) jaws”? The one-word answer is, Syria, which is Russia's only ally that has a Mediterranean seaport. Syria borders Israel, and those two countries have been at each other's throats for centuries. If Israel were to invade Syria, Russia and Iran would be obligated by treaty to come to Syria's aid. So we can all clearly see now that the stage has been set for the Gog-Magog War as I write this.
At Some Point in the Future, Israel Will Be Attacked
“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 among the nations, and now all of them live in safety.” The words, 'people gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel' refers to the United Nations resolution that made Israel a nation back in 1948, followed by the resettlement of the Holy Land in the ensuing years. This part of the world that we now call the Middle East was largely uninhabited back then, particularly the area where Israel is today. Gaza as we know it did not exist back then, so I’m not including the current Gaza conflict in this future scenario.
Would Russia Ever Attack Israel?
As of this writing, with the Israeli Defense Force being one of the most powerful army and air force in the world, and with a rapidly-expanding navy as well, the words, 'now all of them live in safety' are the fulfillment of that prophecy. It's just that the remainder of Ezekiel 38 is still rapidly unfolding. “You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.” Gog of Magog, the prince of Meshech (Moscow) is none other than Vladimir Putin (or possibly his successor). And, Putin's Russia, together with her allies and the armies of other nations around Israel (Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, and possibly Somalia), are going to attack Israel. I don't know when, but we won't have a long time to wait, I'm certain about that. Now let's move on to part 2 of this week's message, beginning at verse 14 of chapter 38.
A Biblical Prophecy That Has Yet to be Fulfilled
“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In the days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.'” Ezekiel 38, verses 14-16)
Russia and Israel, War and Peace
For a long time Vladimir Putin has undoubtedly been taking notice of Israel being allies with, and protected by, the United States. Israel has beaten back all attempts to attack it militarily and economically to the point that nobody in the Middle East – not Egypt, nor Iran, nor Turkey, and those are the three biggest military powers in the region, with Saudi Arabia also in the running and Gaza being the only exception, dare touch Israel. Moreover, the Gaza war will not continue indefinitely, with a peace accord being in that war’s future. All have attacked Israel in the past except Turkey, and all that their combined military’s could muster was no match for lowly Israel, the smallest country in the whole region. But lately the stakes have gone up considerably. The largest discovery of natural gas ever uncovered has been found about 60 miles off Israel's Mediterranean coast – more than Saudi Arabia and Kuwait combined! Putin's main interest in Syria is two-fold – first, because Russia can add a vitally-important southern seaport, and second for what everybody is fighting over – the oil pipelines that run from Syria north through Turkey and into Europe. That is exactly why Vladimir Putin's Russia is taking such a long, hard look at Israel.
Putin’s Cadre of Armies Will Attempt to Crush Israel
That's also why Putin is Gog, Russia is Magog, and why Putin will ultimately strike at Israel. When he does so, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and eventually several African countries will all join together in a confederation to attack Israel. “You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land.” Russia and her allies will attack very quickly and with the utmost decisiveness, like a mob of millions. The next verses tell what the outcome will be. “In the days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.” They will advance and conquer much territory and, at least for a short while, they will be successful.
Hands Off Israel!
But God clearly wants to make an example out of Vladimir Putin and Russia's military might, as he stated in verse 2, “I am against you, O Gog of Magog....”. Again God says in verse 16, “I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me....”, meaning that there will be no one left on the face of the whole earth who will not know exactly who God is and what he can do. Not when he finishes doing what he does to any nation that dares to attack Israel. Israel, you see, is God's Holy land. For a detailed description of Israel's true territory – as set forth by Almighty God himself – read Joshua chapters 13-20. For a short version, read Joshua chapter 1, verses 2-4, and you'll know why God gets so angry whenever any nation attacks Israel.
Maintaining the Peace of Christ While Keeping a Watchful Eye
With the Gaza conflict not yet being resolved, and with no prospects for peace as of this writing, we all need to pray more about this, especially if the war in Gaza escalates any further. Whether the outcome of the Gaza war will occur before or after this I can’t say with any certainty. What I am sure of is that Putin’s rigged reelection is confirmation to End Times watchers everywhere that we are getting closer to the unfolding of the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39. It is vitally important that we keep tabs on these current events as we compare their occurrence with the writings of the prophet Ezekiel. Stay in touch with Christ through your prayers, and pray continuously whenever possible. And the peace of Christ, which is beyond all human understanding or comprehension, will be with you wherever you go.
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