Russia and the Ukraine
Christadelphians as Bible students, do not engage in Politics, however we are interested in world events which are relevant to Bible prophecy. We hope for the personal return of Jesus Christ to the earth and for the establishment of a kingdom which will bring world peace. We do however very much sympathise with the human suffering that results from war.
We believe the Ukraine form part of a powerful Northern confederacy, that will invade Israel and the middle east in the time of the End, prior to the return of the Master to the earth, when he will establish his world wide kingdom from Jerusalem, with Righteous and Just laws.
The prophet Ezekiel foretold the return of the Jews to their own land after a long captivity. Ezekiel 38:8. The Jewish nation were led into captivity by the Romans in AD70 after a Jewish revolt against the authority of Rome. This was a long time ago: however after many days Israel have returned to their own land. They have restored the land from being desolate under the rule of the Turkish empire, and now the land of Israel which had always been waste is thriving in terms of agriculture, commerce, and economic success. It is therefore as the prophet Ezekiel foretold a land that has become peaceful and prosperous despite the Arab Israeli conflicts. This is increasingly the case as Israel has made peace with several Arab nations and is a successful economic power in the Middle East.
Ezekiel foretold that during this period of peaceful resettlement, Israel will be invaded Ezekiel 38:10-12. The invasion is unprovoked,it arises because the invading power seeks wealth and power.
In Ezekiel 38:2 the invading power is identified. It is referenced by the names of ancient peoples extant in the days of Ezekiel. Gog is the prophet’s name for the leader of the confederacy. But which nation does Gog lead?The verse in the RV reads “Son of man, set thy face against Gogue, of the land of Magogue, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal”. Samuel Bochart was a French Protestant biblical scholar and an authority on Biblical geography. In his book Geographia Sacra seu Phaleg et Canaan (1646) he identifies Rosh as the ancient name for Russia, and Meshech as the ancient name for the Moscovites. Similarity between the ancient names Rosh and Meshech and the modern names Russia and Moscow lend credence to this view.
Wikipedia comments on the name Russia are also helpful “Originally, the name Rus' referred to the people, regions, and medieval states (9th to 12th centuries) of the Kievan Rus'. In Western culture, it was better known as Ruthenia from the 11th century onwards,[2] Its territories are today distributed among Belarus, Northern Ukraine, Eastern Poland, and the European section of Russia. The term Россия (Rossija), comes from the Byzantine Greek designation of the Rus', Ρωσσία Rossía—related to both Modern Greek: Ρως, romanized: Ros, lit. 'Rus'', and Ρωσία (Rosía, "Russia").”
The nations which will join Russia in the invasion of Israel are numerous, and the description in Ezekiel 38:6 endorses the view that this is essentially a northern confederacy of nations, from the standpoint of Israel.
For the invasion of Israel to take place in this way there would have to be a united confederacy of nations to the North of Israel. As Bible students we envisage that Russia will become the master of the Ukraine, and that the Ukraine will form part of Russia’s expanding power base.
The present ruler of Russia has launched a war of conquest, which aligns with the characteristics of the leader foretold in Ezekiel who thinks an evil thought, and seeks to invade Israel on an opportunist basis to increase his wealth and power.
In a parallel prophecy Dan 11:40, which will also take place at the time of the end, Daniel foresees that the invasion of the glorious land (v41), which is a Biblical name for the land of Israel, will be achieved through both land and naval strike forces. Dominance of the northern shore of the Black Sea and of the Crimea will give Russia improved access to warm water ports. There are Reports that Turkey is seeking to restrict Russian access to the Mediterranean through the Bosporus and Dardanelles in line with the Montreux Convention 1936. (Which permits unrestricted access for civilian vessels, but which permits the access of military vessels to be blocked in times of war) This is very likely to lead to a deterioration in relations between Turkey and Russia. It seems that if Russia wishes to guarantee access to the Mediterranean it must seek to possess control of the Bosporus and Dardanelles as a strategic objective.
The extent of the confederacy described by Ezekiel indicates Russian dominance over many nations to the North of Israel. We anticipate the Russia will achieve its objectives in dominating significant territories to the geographic North of Israel.
The EU relationship with Russia is likely to change. For instance the Gomer and Magog, of Ezekiel 38, are thought to be Western European powers. It is likely that Russia will forge an alliance with the EU leading to the break up of NATO and the emergence of a new military pact, based on mutual interests.
The nation of Israel is the centrepiece of Bible prophecy concerning the time of the end and the return of Jesus Christ. God has revealed through his prophets what will happen in this period of the latter days. If you find the subject of Bible prophecy interesting, and would like to hear more about what the Bible foretells about world events, please feel free to request further information using our Contact us page.