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Today, The Bible & You

Today’s Front Page

The Nation’s Christian Newspaper

April 2024

Is God Summoning Russia and Iran to their 

2,500-Year Appointment?

The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote 2,500 years ago that in 

the ‘last days’ of history, Russia and Iran would form a military 

alliance to attack Israel from the north.

 Bible scholars refer to this eschatological conflict described in Ezekiel 38.  Some Bible teachers were certain that the former Soviet Union would play a major role in last-day events.  Identifying the communist behemoth with the Old Testament powers of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39), they believed that it was going to attack Israel.  After the collapse of the Soviet Union, that identification quietly fell away… until now.

 

 In the past week, Russia has attacked Israel for the first time shooting missiles at Israeli drones and missiles and sending Russian jets to destroy some of the incoming Israeli missiles, but not engaging the Israeli jets.  Russia even brought some of the latest fighter jets that are capable of interacting with Israeli F-35 jets.

 This will surely precipitate the Biblical scenario given to us by God in Ezekiel 38.  God wants us to share two important things with those we can reach. 

 1.) 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 God, before their eyes.”

 2.) Ezekiel 38:23, “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.“

 God wants His servants to share this with those around us “that the heathen may know me” and to bring this to pass, “I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

 Ezekiel 30:1-23, “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.” [The words “chief prince is Rus, the ancient name for Russia.  When I was in Russia, most of the Russian people knew exactly that this referred to modern-day Russia.  It was founded by Kievan Rus, a Viking King. (862-1242)  He established a medieval political federation located in modern-day Belarus, Ukraine and part of Russia (the latter name for the Rus, a Scandinavian people).  The name Kievan Rus is a modern-day (19th century) designation but has the same meaning as ‘Land of the Rus,’

 Kievan Rus, established the first eastern Slavic state, which is still called Kiev (the capital of Ukraine).  The capital city of Ukraine is still called Kiev (Kyiv) today.  It was founded by the Viking Oleg, ruler of Novgorod (one of the former capitals of Russia) from c. 879, who seized Smolensk and Kiev (882), which the capital of Kievan Rus.  Extending his rule, Oleg united local Slavic and Finnish tribes, defeated the Khazars, and, in 911, arranged trade agreements with Constantinople.  Kievan Rus peaked in the 10th and 11th centuries under Vladimir I and Yaroslav, becoming Eastern Europe’s chief political and cultural center.  At Yaroslav’s death in 1054, his sons divided the empire into warring factions.  The 13th-century Mongol conquest decisively ended its power. 

 Ezekiel 38:4 “And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.”  Russia does not really want this war, but God Himself will put hooks into their jaws and bring them forth to fulfill God’s prophetic Word.

 Other nations will join Russia in this war

against modern-day Israel

Ezekiel 38:5 “Persia [modern day Iran], Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shields and helmet. …the house of Togarmah of the north quarters [which refers to Turkey] and all his bands: and many people with thee.” 

 Many others will join them.

 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with foreign ministers from members of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Moscow, Russia on November 21, 2023 (Reuters).  Also, on February 26, 2024, Russia invited Hamas and all other Palestinian factions to Moscow, Palestinian Authority to develop a larger strategy.

 When will this prophecy be fulfilled?

Ezekiel 38:8, “After many days you [Russia] shall be visited: in the latter years you shall 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.”  The term “latter years” always refers to the time when Israel has returned to the land promised to them by God.  This occurred after being in exile for more than 2,000 years, returned from more than 104 countries in the world, and speaking more than 70 different languages.

 The Next Domino to fall soon after this initial interaction between Russia and Israel is provided to us in the next verse: 

 Ezekiel 38:9, “You shall ascend and come like a storm, you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all thy bands, and many people with thee.”  The term “You shall be like a cloud to cover the land,” refers to what paratroopers would look like.

 

What are the leaders of this invasion group thinking?

 God tell us in 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 you shall think an evil thought.”  They are coming to seemingly take a treasure:

 

 Ezekiel 38:12 “To take a spoil, and to take a prey…”  Israel has discovered many oil and gas wells in the Mediterranean Sea and around the Golan Heights.  The mineral wealth of the Dead Sea has been estimated to be worth more than 4 times the wealth of the world.

 Ezekiel 38:13 “… some shall say unto you, Are you come to take a spoil?  Have you gathered your company to take prey?  to carry away silver and god, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” 

 This is what God wants us to do with this information — inform our friends and relatives what is about to come to pass — so that THEY MAY KNOW HIM.

 Ezekiel 38:16 “And you [Russia, Iran, and others] shall 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 wants the entire world to know!!!  How is God going to react to this invasion against Israel?  He tells us… 

 

 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.  For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.  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.  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.”

  Here is what God wants us to do with this information — SHARE IT — SHARE IT!

 Ezekiel 38:23, “Thus will 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.”

 

 Even so, come Lord, Jesus!

Printed with permission of Today, The Bible & You located at P.O. Box 1722, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74013, Phone Number (918) 279-1136. the name of the original article in the April 2024 issue of Today’s Front Page was “Is God Summoning Russia and Iran to their 2,500-Year Appointment?” www.JohnBarela.com