{"id":1730,"date":"2022-02-25T22:51:39","date_gmt":"2022-02-26T04:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/?p=1730"},"modified":"2022-02-25T22:51:44","modified_gmt":"2022-02-26T04:51:44","slug":"are-we-living-in-the-biblical-end-times-what-scripture-says-about-gog-magog-and-russian-chaos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/25\/are-we-living-in-the-biblical-end-times-what-scripture-says-about-gog-magog-and-russian-chaos\/","title":{"rendered":"Are We Living in the Biblical End Times? What Scripture Says About Gog, Magog, and Russian Chaos"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Whether or not it is the End Times who can really say? \u00a0One thing we can say, though, is that we condemn the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin and Russia.<\/p>\n

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and for all the people of Ukraine (and Russia) to be safe and to put a stop to this authoritarian, expansionist attack which shows no respect for international rule of law!<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"As Russia continues an unprovoked invasion into the sovereign nation of Ukraine, political warnings abound.<\/p>\n

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told<\/a> the United Nations on Wednesday an outright war with Russia would be the \u201cend of the world order.\u201d Others are pondering what Russian President Vladamir Putin\u2019s obstinate and dangerous acts mean for the future of international affairs more broadly.<\/p>\n

Amid all this dismay, though, is a lingering theological conversation that has unfolded for decades around the biblical end times and Russia\u2019s theoretical involvement in it.<\/p>\n

Are the end times upon us? Are Russia\u2019s actions part of the eschatological landscape? What does it all mean?<\/i> These are just some of the pressing questions before us.<\/p>\n

Is Russia a key end-times player?<\/h2>\n

Most Bible experts carefully discuss these issues and are cautious not to overstate or definitively make proclamations about nations and events, though viable theories have emerged that are worth exploring.<\/p>\n

Author Joel Rosenberg has been among those who have vocally explored Old Testament prophecies about the biblical end of days, discussing Russia\u2019s potential placement in the mix.\u00a0He published a blog post<\/a>\u00a0a few years ago in which he discussed world events as they pertain to the writings of Ezekiel, a biblical prophet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote 2,500 years ago that in the \u2018last days\u2019 of history, Russia and Iran will form a military alliance to attack Israel from the north,\u201d Rosenberg\u00a0wrote<\/a>. \u201cBible scholars refer to this eschatological conflict, described in Ezekiel 38\u201339, as the \u2018War of Gog & Magog.’\u201d<\/p>\n

The text discusses a \u201cGog, of the land of Magog\u201d and points to not only a battle but a victory for the Lord before the world\u2019s eyes. Ezekiel 38:14-16 (NIV) reads<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: \u2018This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read the rest here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is Gog and Magog?<\/h2>\n

There are undoubtedly many opinions surrounding Gog, Magog, and the intensely complex themes in these biblical texts. GotQuestions is one of the outlets that has provided an explainer regarding Russia, among other facets.<\/p>\n

\u201cGog is a person. Whoever Gog is, he is from the land of Magog and is the leader of Tubal and Meshek (some translations add \u2018Rosh\u2019 to the list) and a confederacy of other nations: Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth Togarmah (Ezekiel 38:5\u20136),\u201d the outlet notes<\/a>. \u201cAnd, whoever he is, he will have plans to \u2018attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people,\u2019 viz., Israel (verses 11, 14, and 18). But, regardless of Gog\u2019s plans, the Lord God is against him and will defeat him soundly (Ezekiel 38:4, 19\u201323; 39:3\u20135).\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a pretty concise recap of what is believed to be happening in this text. But you might have a lingering question: Why is Russia believed to be Magog by so many?<\/i><\/p>\n

If you take out a map and look to the north (these Scriptures note Gog comes from the \u201cfar north\u201d), you\u2019ll find Russia and former Soviet territories. So, it\u2019s not surprising to see so many Bible experts point to this region.<\/p>\n

One other note worth mentioning here is \u201cPersia,\u201d a nation listed as being in alliance with Magog, is modern-day Iran. Considering current affairs and trajectories, that piece is raising a lot of eyebrows.<\/p>\n

You can read more about it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No one knows the day or hour<\/h2>\n

Again, these themes are complicated. Dr. Roger Barrier, a retired teaching pastor from Casas Church in Tucson, Arizona, has given us something essential to remember when we explore<\/a> the end of days: \u201cGod has not chosen to give us all of the details regarding the end times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus, some of the details are murky, and there\u2019s much to distill.<\/p>\n

And sometimes, we won\u2019t be able to have definitive answers about what is unfolding, specifically when it comes to events like Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. That said, Barrier has noted that understanding to the best of our abilities what the Bible says about eschatology can help us fully understand Scripture and live holy lives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Plainly stated: it\u2019s incredibly fruitful<\/i> to explore these Scriptures and have an understanding of what the biblical texts are pointing toward.<\/p>\n

As noted, Rosenberg, author of \u201cThe Kremlin Conspiracy<\/a>,\u201d along with a host of other novels and nonfiction books, has explored these issues in national and international interviews for this very reason: to help believers navigate and understand God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n

He has repeatedly affirmed that no one knows<\/i> when the end of days will come but that some biblical signs are worth exploring.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know when, I don\u2019t have a date \u2026 but if you look at all the prophecies \u2026 one wonders,\u201d he told Pure Flix<\/a> in a 2018 interview. \u201cYou see a lot of global chaos .. more Christians have been slaughtered in the last century than at any other time in human history \u2014 and that\u2019s saying something, because we\u2019ve been often slaughtered.\u201d<\/p>\n

The re-emergence of Israel<\/h2>\n

One of the critical end-times prophecies he believes is present in Ezekiel 36\u201339 is the re-emergence of Israel, something that unfolded in 1948, when the Jewish state ended up back on the map.<\/p>\n

Ezekiel 36 speaks about Israel\u2019s restoration after the Hebrews were scattered throughout the world \u2014 something God prophesies He will do for His Holy name. Verses 24-32 (NIV) read<\/a>:<\/p>\n

For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While many Bible experts believe Israel\u2019s re-emergence has been fulfilled, Rosenberg and others contend the Gog and Magog prophecy remains unfulfilled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one-day, future evil leader of Russia is going to form an alliance with Iran, Turkey, and some other hostile countries to come and surround and attack Israel in the last days,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Some might wonder if Putin and contemporary Russia fit this bill, but Rosenberg was again<\/a> cautious and said it\u2019s possible these events are hundreds of years away \u2014 or closer. The Bible doesn\u2019t specify, and Christians are implored not to date-set.<\/p>\n

That said, Rosenberg delivered a warning about Putin back in 2018 that is incredibly fascinating considering the events we\u2019re watching unfold this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cVladimir Putin is more dangerous to the United States and our way of life than radical Islam,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t think most Americans process it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, is the chaos in Ukraine part of the end times? No one knows, but considering ongoing international issues surrounding Israel, Iran, and Russia, you can bet many Christians and theologians will be closely watching.<\/p>\n

You can read more about this topic in my book, \u201cThe Armageddon Code: One Journalist\u2019s Quest for End-Times Answers<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for\u00a0<\/strong><\/i>Faithwire\u2019s daily newsletter<\/strong><\/i><\/a>\u00a0and download the\u00a0<\/strong><\/i>CBN News app<\/strong><\/i><\/a>, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n

This content was originally published here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether or not it is the End Times who can really say? \u00a0One thing we can say, though, is that we condemn the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin and Russia. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and for all the people of Ukraine (and Russia) to be safe and to put […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8kHU7-rU","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/russia-1024x682.jpg?fit=1024%2C682","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1730"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1734,"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1730\/revisions\/1734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thelight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}