“1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh,[a] Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.
For many years now I have been following Russia because of the above prophecy. The 90s were an extraordinary time starting in 1989 with the collapse of communism in East Germany following the gradual dismantle of United States of Russia. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) was a single-party political system dominated by the Communist Party. When its economy stagnated in the mid-1980s, General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an effort to modernize Communism. But his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the Soviet Union into Russia and 14 other independent republics.
The years between the 90s and 2000, my interest in Russia waned, but Putin rise from the coattails of Boris Yeltsin, the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999, changed all that. It was not until, by chance, watching on tv the Lord Mayors show in London, that my interest in Russia was kindled. The Lord Mayors show is an annual parade of a new Lord Mayor and on the day after being sworn in, the Lord Mayor and several others participate in a procession from the Guildhall, via Mansion House and St Paul's Cathedral, in the heart of the City of London, to the Royal Courts of Justice on the edge of the City of Westminster, where the new Lord Mayor swears allegiance to the Crown. As I continued to watch the process, I sat up as I saw at the head of the parade two wicker giants, Gog and Magog, leading the Lord Mayor's procession in the City of London, the traditional guardians of the City of London. I’ve since learned it is tradition that goes back to centuries based on legend of the 33 wicked daughters of Roman emperor Diocletian and certain demons they'd been canoodling with. As he founded New Troy (which would become London), the heroic Brutus tamed the two colossi, forcing them to serve as guardians of the city by chaining them outside his palace, the site of which is now Guildhall and just outside the Great Hall, on display behind a glass panel, reside a wicker Gog and Magog. It was seeing this footage and the arrival of Putin that caused me to remember forcibly a dream that I had, and it wasn’t until I started writing this article that the significance of the dream came to light. My reaction has been like reading a scripture that you regularly read but then one day the Holy Spirit puts a torch on the scripture and suddenly it all make sense.
I didn’t really think much of the dream at the time and I don’t even remember when I had the dream but suddenly, the dream came alive as I watched the tv and followed news headlines. At the time of the dream, I didn´t pay attention because Russia was far from being a force to fear and any idea of it becoming a geopolitical lead, as it is now, was inconceivable.
Between the age of 15-17 years old, I used to visit an elderly lady from our church in Willesden /Kilburn, northwest London. I used to take a single bus (number 8) from East of London to her home. The 8 is quite a well-known London route, with a well-established eastern terminus in the Old Ford area (East), buses running through the City (Financial District, Square Mile) to the West End (central London), then Edgware Road (Arab district) up to Willesden garage until 1992. In the dream the Soviet army, carrying the red hammer and sickle flag was marching through route of the number 8, coming from the east. I was outside Tottenham Court Road tube station on the left. Crowds of people were lined up clapping and watching the spectacle, but the atmosphere was unnerving, and the crowd looked on passively. I was stooping on the ground secretly watching the parade behind the coattails of the crowd. Then I awoke up. Years later, in 2006, when I saw the world falling in love with Putin I bought a revised and updated book called “Inside Putin’s Russia”. Written by Andrew Jack, the Moscow Bureau Chief of the Financial Times, is a revealing look at the meteoric rise of Vladimir Putin and his first term as president of Russia. Drawing on interviews with Putin himself, and with a number of the country's leading figures, as well as many ordinary Russians, Jack describes how the former KGB official emerged from the shadows of the Soviet secret police and lowly government jobs to become the most powerful man in Russia. The author shows how Putin has defied domestic and foreign expectations, presiding over a period of strong economic growth, significant restructuring, and rising international prestige. Yet Putin himself remains a man of mystery and contradictions.
I do not know if the dream is significant, but one thing I do know is that since 2000, when Putin was appointed, Russia is like an octopus with tentacles extending across the globe. Here in the UK, the Russians have made an indelible mark on London in particular, buying our newspapers, football teams and property in the most upmarket areas. They shop at Harrods, keep Bond Street’s boutiques afloat, send their children to our best schools and provide endless work for lawyers, private equity fund managers, bankers and gossip columnists.
Russia’s influence also includes the usual KGB, now called FSB, antics of state executions and surveillance and it is also manipulating politics through lobbying in the streets of London, Berlin, Paris, Washington, and its presence is being felt all over the world even across the borders of Israel in alliance with Iran and Turkey. One of the major points of this article is to report to you that all these nations are today arrayed with Russia militarily and diplomatically. Since the collapse of the old U.S.S.R., Russia has moved diplomatically and militarily to re-establish all the old ties to these Islamic governments. Through these series of articles, I will address what could be the hook that draws the alliance against Israel, detailing how Russia is forming alliances and God’s promises concerning Israel and its land. The rise of the Gog of Magog alliance is a major sign of the end times and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Ezekiel said this coalition will attack Israel "in the last days" (Ezekiel 38:16) "after they've been gathered from among many nations" (Ezekiel 38:8). The stage for the prophecies of Ezekiel 38 and 39 is being set.
It is important to recognize that the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38-39 is quite different from the one in Revelation 20:7-8. Below are some of the more obvious reasons why these refer to different people and battles.
Gog and Magog are referred to in Ezekiel 38-39 and in Revelation 20:7-8. While these two instances carry the same names, a close study of Scripture clearly demonstrates they do not refer to the same people and events. In Ezekiel’s prophecy, Gog will be the leader of a great army that attacks the land of Israel. Gog is described as “of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal” (Ezekiel 38:2-3). My personal belief is that the Ezekiel's battle of Gog and Magog occurs in the tribulation period, more specifically at the beginning of the Seven-Year Peace Treaty and that will give Israel a period of seven years to bury the dead. The strongest evidence for this view is that the attack will come when Israel is at peace (Ezekiel 38:8, 11). The description from Ezekiel is that of a nation that has security and has laid down its defences. Israel is definitely not at peace now, and it is inconceivable that the nation would lay down its defences apart from some major event. Such an event could be the signing of a Seven-Year Peace Treaty with the Antichrist and his revived Roman empire at the beginning of Daniel's 70th week Daniel 9:27. According to Ezekiel, God will strike the land of Israel with a mighty earthquake that will throw the coalition forces into confusion (Ezekiel 38:18-20). That earthquake will then be followed by “pestilence” as well as “flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone” (Ezekiel 38:22). The slaughter will be so great that the people of Israel will gather up the weapons from the slain armies and use those weapons as fuel for their fires for seven years (Ezekiel 39:9-10). And I think the destruction of their enemies may inspire Israel’s religious leaders to start building the Final Temple.
Whilst reading the alliance and invasion against Israel in Ezekiel 38 and 39, I was drawn to similar battles where God intervened on Israel’s behalf:
Joshua’s battle against the Five Kings that Attack Gibeon (Joshua 10)
“The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, because I have given them into your hand; not one of them shall stand before you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, [surprising them] by marching [uphill] all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord caused them to panic and be confused before Israel, and He struck them dead in a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goes up to Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones [of hail] from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. More [Amorites] died because of the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.”
Jehoshaphat defeating Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir (2 Chronicles 20)
“0 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.” 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewellery, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. 26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah[e] until this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.”
Gideon’s win over the Midianites (Judges 7)
“19 Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the enemy camp. It was about ten o’clock at night. It was just after the guard had been changed. Gideon and his men blew their trumpets. They broke the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three fighting groups blew their trumpets. They smashed their jars. They held their torches in their left hands. They held in their right hands the trumpets they were going to blow. Then they shouted the battle cry, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Each man stayed in his position around the camp. But all the Midianites ran away in fear. They were crying out as they ran. 22 When the 300 trumpets were blown, the Lord caused all the men in the enemy camp to start fighting one another. They attacked one another with their swords.”
What is interesting about these three battles is the outcome of Israel’s enemies, first Israel is outnumbered, the Lord confuses their enemies, caused large hailstones to fall on and the people worshipped God. In the case of Joshua’s battle, Joshua knew that they only had few hours of daylight and they needed more time. Joshua requested the sun and moon to stand still and his request was answered (Joshua 10: 12-13).
Back in 2013 a meteorite exploded over Russia, local residents witnessed extremely bright burning objects in the sky in Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, and Orenburg Oblasts, the Republic of Bashkortostan, and in neighbouring regions in Kazakhstan, when the asteroid entered the Earth's atmosphere over Russia. Amateur videos showed a fireball streaking across the sky and a loud boom several minutes afterwards. Some eyewitnesses also felt intense heat from the fireball.
The last time a similar phenomenon was observed in the Chelyabinsk region was the Kunashak meteor shower of 1949, after which scientists recovered about 20 meteorites weighing over 200 kg in total. The Chelyabinsk meteor is thought to be the biggest natural space object to enter Earth's atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event. These events will be nothing compared to the what God will do.
In Ezekiel 38: 18-23 God fights with earthquake, hailstone, brimstone, pestilence, confuse them so they start fighting each other:
18 It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My wrath will rise and show on My face. 19 In My zeal and in My blazing rage I declare that on that day there will most certainly be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, 20 so that the fishes of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, all the creatures that crawl on the earth, and all the men that are on the face of the earth will tremble and shake at My presence; the mountains will crumble, the steep places will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man’s (invading soldier’s) sword will be against his brother (ally) [in panic and confusion]. 22 With pestilence and with bloodshed I will enter into judgment with Gog; and I will rain on him torrents of rain with [great] hailstones, fire and brimstone on his hordes and on the many nations that are with him. 23 Thus I shall magnify Myself and demonstrate My greatness and sanctify Myself, and I will be recognized and will make Myself known in the sight of many nations; they will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.”’
It is not God's people who will fall, but the enemies who come against them. Pharaoh's armies drowned in the Red Sea. The Midianites fled from 300 Israelites. Goliath fell. Elijah called down fire. God is able to defeat his enemies who come against His people, no matter how overwhelming they are. Never fear.
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