Russia: Defender of the Islamic World

The Bible tells us the most faithful, reliable and consistent defender of the interests of the Islamic world, Russia, has chosen the wrong side to align itself with.

Ezekiel 38:3: And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

Whether it will come now or in the future, the Bible tells us the Lord is going to hook Gog by the jaw and drag its forces to a fight - one we're told it is going to lose dramatically.

Ezekiel 38:4: 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:

Joining Gog in battle will be all those whose interests it boasts of defending so vigorously.

Ezekiel 38:5-7: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

Who are the modern nations spoken of in Ezekiel 38? They are:

When will the defender of the Islamic world, Russia, and an Arab confederacy take its shot at Israel? I believe in the early Tribulation Period due to the conditions we see described which paint a picture of Israel seemingly enjoying perfect peace with its neighbors - a peace I believe will only come when the Antichrist, as seen in Daniel 9:26-27, confirms a seven-year covenant of peace between Israel and her enemies.

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.

The forces of the Gog-Magog confederacy will be massive in number, descending on Israel like a cloud covering the land. One can almost envision shadows of aircraft flying overhead appearing on the ground in the Holy Land.

Ezekiel 38:9: 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.

The prophet Ezekiel proceeds from there to record the words of God which describe the logic behind the evil thought that will enter the Gog-Magog confederacy's collective mind at the time as well as the peaceful, safe and prosperous conditions Israel will be experiencing at the time, most likely as a result of the Jewish nation feeling safe as a result of the Antichrist's 'confirmed' seven-year peace covenant.

Ezekiel 38:10-12: 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: 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, 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.

As Ezekiel continues to record, God points out to Ezekiel that Russia and company will certainly observe how safe Israel perceives itself to be in those days and will devise a surprise attack - one that God will use against them to drawn them into battle against the little Jewish nation that carries a big sword. Why would God do so? Because of what He has in mind for Israel's enemies, as well as to show Himself mighty to the heathen!

Ezekiel 38:14-16: Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 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: 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.

The prophet Ezekiel tells us the defender of the Islamic world, Russia, is going to take the Lord's bait - hook, line and sinker - and make its move, causing the God of Heaven's fury to rise up in His face.

Is it any wonder, as we look at the role Russia has played in arming Israel's enemies throughout the years, as well as the evil terrorism and hatred of God's people they have allowed to flourish by providing the Islamic nations weaponry, that the fire of God's wrath is going to rise when these enemies of God dare to attack the Holy Land?

Ezekiel 38:18-19: 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 shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

What a fearful thought it is, from my perspective, that anyone or any power on earth would provoke God to battle, but to God be the glory for He will show Himself mighty to all the world as a result of it! Indeed there will be a great shaking in the land of Israel on that day and elsewhere!

Ezekiel 38:21-22: 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.

Ever wonder how the news media is going to react to this event? I do because the world is going to be astonished by what takes place, particularly when the smoke clears, Israel remains standing as a testimonial to the power of our great God, and the body count of the Gog-Magog confederacy's casualties begins to be tallied. Imagine the non-believing world's dismay when it is discovered that five out of every six of the invading Gog-Magog confederacy's invading forces will have died in the attack, demonstrating the power of Almighty God!

Ezekiel 39:1-2: Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that [is] with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and [to] the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken [it], saith the Lord GOD.

While I don't know if Vladimir Putin is going to play a role in the Gog-Magog invasion to come, an event I believe will take place inside the early Tribulation Period, it is certainly interesting to see him calling Russia "the most faithful, reliable and consistent defender of the interests of the Islamic world", as well as Islam's "best and most reliable partner and ally."

Sooner or later, Vladimir Putin's Russia is going to learn that boldly allying one's self with the enemies of God is a mistake. It's a rather large one in fact.

Nahum 1:3: The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.