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Heritage Baptist Bible Church

Dr. Max D. Younce, Pastor Walnut Grove, MN - USA

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Bible Questions & Answers Archive

Question

#0248

RUSSIA AND HER ALLIES

In our previous study we have found that the United Federation of Nations, influenced by one of their own (the Antichrist), makes a covenant with Israel. The covenant promises perpetual protection and peace. Very soon the next event prophesied will swing into full realization. That event is prophesied in Ezekiel, Chapters 38,39. This pertains to Russia and her five allies in their attack and invasion of the little nation of Israel.

I. Russia identified in Ezekiel, Chapter 38:1-3,

“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (1) Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, (2) And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: (3).” Ezekiel 38:1-3.

A. “Gog and Magog.” “Gog” is in reference to the leader and “Magog” is referring to the country or nation. In my study, I have found that almost all prophecy teachers universally agree that “Gog” is the Prince of Russia and “Magog” is the nation, itself. This is without question speaking of Russia. One reason is that in Verse 15 we are told that this nation will come against Israel out of the North.

“And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:” Ezekiel 38:15.

Also in Ezekiel 39:2 we are told again that this nation will come from the north.

“...and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:”

When in connection with Israel, which is the center of the world biblically speaking; North, South, East, and West are always in relation to Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. Check your world map and see for yourself that Moscow, Russia’s capital, lies almost directly north of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.

Our Bible Encyclopedia concerning “Gog” and “Magog,” says that they are the farthermost northern nations dwelling in the regions of the Caucasus Mountains and the Volga River in Russia.

“Bishop Lowth of England in 1710 wrote, “Rosh” taken as a proper name, signifies the inhabitants of Scythia, from whom the Russians derive their name.”

The Jewish historian of the First Century, Flavius Josephus, in Book 1, Chapter 6 says, “the Scythians were called Magog.” Our History books tell us the Scythians settled in Russia.

Notice in Verse 2, “The chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” The word “chief” is the Hebrew “ROSH.” The translators took “Rosh” to be an adjective, meaning “chief,” instead of a Noun; therefore the proper name of a northern nation, that being Russia. Therefore, the proper translation would be as follows:

“The Prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal...”

We might also note that “Rosh” is also the Swedish name for Russia. Meschech would be none other than Moscow, representing the West; and Tubal, present-day Tobolsk, one of the chief cities of Siberia, representing the East. It has a population of a little over 104,000 and houses a major oil refinery.

Who ever head of Russia 2,000 years ago, as she was non-existent. Only the Lord can name a nation some 2,000 years before it ever existed and state exactly when it will be destroyed. The History Book of the Future is given to mankind to know what is coming next. How gracious the Lord is to tell us in advance.

“Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:9

II. Russia’s Allies Identified In Ezekiel 38:5,6.

The Lord names five nations with their armies that will be in alliance with Russia when she invades Israel. The five are: Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, and Togarmah.

A. Persia. Persia is prophesied to be allied with Russia in the “latter years” (v.8) and “latter days” as stated in Verse 16. Since this invasion will not occur until after the Rapture, yet we see evidence now of Russia supplying aid and weapons to Persia. They are together now, how close the Rapture must be! This alignment did not just start; but was being formulated many years ago. As far back as 1932, Moscow signed a treaty with Persia. Should there be a war, Russia was promised free access through Persia to the Middle East and to Palestine. Three years after this treaty, in 1935 Persia changed her name to Iran, which we are so familiar with today. Remember her leader, Ahmadinejad, has vowed they would exterminate Israel completely. As we will see later on, it will be the Lord who exterminates the Army of Iran. Iran is under the curse of Almighty God.

1. Putin invites Ahmadinejad to Moscow

Close ties: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands in Tehran on Tuesday, October 16, 2007. (AFP Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to travel to Moscow for talks, Russian news agency Interfax has reported.

The invitation followed a meeting between Mr. Putin and Mr. Ahmadinejad, who is fighting calls from Western powers to stop nuclear work that the US says is aimed at building atomic bombs.Tehran says it only wants nuclear technology to generate power.

"Ahmadinejad accepted the invitation with gratitude," Interfax quoted the two leaders as saying in a joint statement. "The parties agreed to clear the dates for the visit through diplomatic channels." Mr Putin also agreed to bring Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant into operation on schedule following talks in Tehran. "The Bushehr nuclear power plant will be constructed and brought into operation in line with the agreed upon schedule," the statement said.

"The parties... reaffirmed that it will continue to be pursued strictly in line with their commitments under the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons." “The US, which sees the plant as part of a nuclear drive through which Iran may try to produce weapons, has urged Moscow to halt construction.”

“Mr. Putin has called for patience in the international dispute. In his address to the leaders summit Mr Putin has warned against the use of force in the region. Iran is seeking Russia's support in blocking further UN sanctions and continued assistance in building Iran's first nuclear power station.”

2. Relations with Russia.

“Ahmadinejad has moved to strengthen relations with Russia, setting up an office expressly dedicated to that purpose in October 2005. He has worked with Vladimir Putin on the nuclear issue, and both Putin and Ahmadinejad have expressed a desire for more mutual cooperation on issues involving the Caspian Sea. More recently, Iran has been increasingly pushed into an alliance with Moscow due to the controversy over Iran's nuclear program. By late December 2007, Russia began to deliver enriched batches of nuclear fuel to Iran as a way of persuading Iran to end self-enrichment.” (Wikipedia)

B. Ethiopia. The Hebrew for “Ethiopia” is always “Cush. In the past, Haille Selassie, who claimed to be a Christian, was a friend of the United States. This would not last, as a revolution was about to take place. The initiation of the 1974 revolution was the work of the military, acting essentially in its own immediate interests. The unrest that began in January of that year then spread to the civilian population in an outburst of general discontent.

"After a period of civil unrest which began in February 1974, the aging Emperor Haile Selassie I (Pictured on the left) was deposed. On September 12, 1974, a provisional administrative council of soldiers, known as the Derg ("committee") seized power from the emperor and installed a government which was socialist in name and military in style. The Derg summarily executed 59 members of the former government, including two former Prime Ministers and Crown Councilors, Court officials, ministers, and generals. Emperor Selassie died on August 22, 1975. He was allegedly strangled in the basement of his palace.

Lt. Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam assumed power as head of state and Derg chairman, after having his two predecessors killed, as well as tens of thousands of other suspected opponents. The new Marxist government undertook socialist reforms, including nationalizations of landlords' and church's property. Before the coup, the

Ethiopian peasants' way of life was thoroughly influenced by the church teachings; 280 days a year are religious feasts or days of rest. Mengistu's years in office were marked by a totalitarian-style government and the country's massive militarization, financed by the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, and assisted by Cuba.

In December 1976, an Ethiopian delegation in Moscow signed a military assistance agreement with the Soviet Union. The following April, Ethiopia abrogated its military assistance agreement with the United States and expelled the American military missions. --Wikipedia

In December 2007, the Peace Corps returned to Ethiopia after a 10-year absence. Volunteers serve in the realm of health and HIV/AIDS. The United States and Ethiopia supposedly have a "bi-lateral" relations for counter-terrorism. This is a "social democracy" and our countries have resumed ambassador relations. The U.S. also gives Ethiopia much famine relief.

C. Libya. I believe it was in 1972 that Libya expelled our Air Force out of her country and closed our air bases. One of the great Bible scholars and Bible teachers, who has gone on to be with the Lord, Dr. Mark G. Cambron, had something interesting to say concerning Libya in his book, While We Wait, on pages 43,44.

“Several years ago (1979), I was speaking in a Bible Conference held in St. Petersburg. Florida, on this same subject. After the massage a dear Brother in the Lord came up to me. saying, ‘Dr. Cambron, “I want you to know that your message thrilled me, I saw in the paper where you were going to speak on this subject, and I just had to hear you.” He handed me his card, showing that he was a U.S. Army Lt. Colonel, Retired, Chaplain Corps. He than added. “I was in Libya as an officer when they kicked us out several years ago; and I was in Turkey when they kicked us out of there. Our ‘brass’ could not understand why these two countries which had been befriended by the United States with substantial financial aid, etc., could do this, but I found that answer today while listening to your message. It has been in the Word all the time that Libya and Turkey would be with Russia in the last days, and they are with her right now.

If only those who are in the high offices of our country could have been warned by the Word, the United States would have saved face in Libya and Turkey, and of course, in IRAN!”

	1. On April 16, 2008, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, met with Libyan leader, Muammar Qaddafi in Tripoli. "Your visit is very opportune," said the Libyan leader as he met his Russian counterpart, to which Putin answered, "You have not been to Russia for a long time either." Putin and Qaddafi have found a common language. Both are strong leaders used to telling the truth in the face of whatever comes. It is this quality that puts Qaddafi in ill favor with many Arab leaders. Putin, on the other hand, only welcomes such an approach. The first outcome of the visit is the settling of Libya's debt to the former Soviet Union.
Tripoli recognized the $4.6 billion sum named by Moscow. In reply, Russia wrote it off in exchange for new and promising contracts with Russian companies. One of them is aRussian Railways (RZD) contract to build a 500-kilometer railroad between Sirt and Benghazi. Its sum is 2.2 billion euros. According to Russia's Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, the contract will finance 70% of Libya's purchases of plant and equipment in Russia. Another is a memorandum of understanding signed by Russian energy giant Gazprom and Libya's National Oil and Gas Company. Altogether, ten agreements on trade, economic and military cooperation were signed. For understandable reasons the military ones are not publicized, but in the view of Russian analysts they involve deliveries of between $2 and $4 billion worth of weapons and equipment. The Libyan military is interested in the most advanced Russian armaments, many of which have not even been adopted by the Russian army. These are Ka-52 Alligator helicopters and Su-35 fighters. Besides, as sources in Rosoboronexport, Russia's state arms exporter, said earlier, the Libyans plan to buy S-300 and Tor- M1 surface-to-air missile systems, two submarines, and spare parts for the older Soviet arms Tripoli received in the 1970s and 1980s.” But Putin did a great thing in Tripoli: he cleared and staked out a patch for Russia's oil and gas companies and paved the way for Rosoboron export in the Libyan arms market, which is worth a lot. (EN.RIAN.RU)
	Russia and Libya have agreed that Tripoli will repay Moscow $4.6 billion in outstanding Soviet-era debt. In the photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Libyan revolutionary leader Muammar Qaddafi during a welcoming ceremony at the Azizia state residence in Tripoli. During the visit, the sides could sign arms contracts worth $3 billion, a Russian leading business daily, Vedomosti, reported earlier this week. In the photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Libyan revolutionary leader Muammar Qaddafi during a welcoming ceremony at the Azizia state residence in Tripoli.
The newspaper said citing a Defense Ministry official that Russia wants to sell 12 of the latest Su-35 Flanker multi-role fighter and Tor-M2E short-range missile systems, and to offer spare parts and maintenance services for Soviet-era military hardware. In the photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Libyan revolutionary leader Muammar Qaddafi during their meeting at the Azizia state residence in Tripoli on April 16, 2008

D. “Togarmah.”

Who in the world is Togarmah?” In Ezekiel 38:6 we are told,

“... the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.” Ezekiel 38:6

“North” is north of Jerusalem. This country makes up almost all of Asia Minor. One may also check your maps of the First Century showing the site of Turkey, which was called in ancient times “Armenia.” She is none other than Turkey today.

In 1975, Turkey closed some 20 of America’s Air Force bases and expelled our military out of its country. She also controlled the Dardanelles; a waterway between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. Prior to 1975 she had already opened this passageway to the Russian Navy, allowing their ships to access the Mediterranean Sea. America and Russia both have ships there now.

Note: The 4th Infantry Division was scheduled to take part in the Iraq War in the spring of 2003 by spearheading an advance from Turkey into northern Iraq. The Turkish Parliament, at the last minute, refused to grant permission for the operation and the division's equipment remained offshore on ships, arriving through Kuwait after the invasion had started. However, the 4th I.D., commanded by Col. James Hickey, captured the "Ace of Spades" Saddam Hussein.

Yes, Turkey is allied with Russia just as God had said 2500 years ago. She will not invade Israel with Russia until after the Rapture, yet here she is, ready to go. The signs of the times are everywhere. For the Christian, it won’t be long. “Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.”.

E. “Gomer.” Gomer is Germany of today. Should one trace the travels of Gomer’s descendants (A grandson of Noah, Genesis 10:1,2), through the millennia, they would run into Germany. To this most Bible Scholars agree.

“Thus Gomer's children and his children's children went far up into Europe, where, despite their separation both in time and distance, the name of their ancient forebear was preserved among them. Indeed, there is even the possibility that the very name of Germany preserves for us Gomer in slightly inverted form.” (Arthur C. Custance, noted ethnologist and linguist, Roots Of The Nations, Chapter Two, The Family of Japeth).

Germany was divided after World War II in 1945, by the invasion of Russia, and East Germany was Communist for many years. However, when President Ronald Reagan made the famous statement, “Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this wall!” on June 12, 1987, the Brandenburg Gate is open and Germany is now one nation. However, God says that Germany (Gomer) will send their soldiers to fight alongside Russia against Israel.

The next article will cover the destruction of Russia.