UNDERSTANDING THE CAMPAIGN OF ARMAGEDDON

II. The Invasion And Destruction Of The Russian Federation

(Daniel 11:36-40a with Ezekiel 38-39)

I. Introduction

A. Due to unsettling conflicts between nations today, many people, including some Christians, are concerned about facing Russia's invasion of Israel that was predicted in Ezekiel 38-39 and/or Armageddon.

B. We thus study the whole subject of Armageddon in Bible prophecy, what includes the Russian federation's invasion of Israel and God's supernatural destruction of it for our insight and edification (as follows):

II. The Invasion And Destruction Of The Russian Federation, Daniel 11:36-40a with Ezekiel 38-39.

A. The comprehensive timeline of Daniel 9:24-27 that we studied in our previous lesson in this series included the "seventieth seven" that is composed of seven Jewish years that comprise the future Tribulation Period.

B. Since the antichrist is revealed in that Tribulation Period (according to 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12), and that 7-year period is also described in Daniel 11:36-40a, we view that passage for its information:

1. Daniel 11:36-39 describes the rise of antichrist in the first half of the Tribulation Period.

2. However, at Daniel 11:40a, "at the time of the end," the king of the north, the Russian federation, and the king of the south, what is always Egypt in Scripture, will come up against antichrist's protectorate in Israel with great force, what is also predicted in Ezekiel 38-39. (J. D. Pentecost, Things To Come, 1972, p. 326)

C. We thus view the details of this invasion in Ezekiel 38-39, noting it comes in the middle of the Tribulation:

1. We identify the northern, alias the Russian federation of nations, that will invade Israel (as follows):

a. The lead invader is "Gog" of the land of "Magog" that is composed of "Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" (Ezek. 38:1-2; Ibid., p. 326-327). [The KJV term "chief prince" (v. 2) is actually the formal name "Rosh," Ibid.]

b. Several of these names appear in the Genesis 10 table of ancient nations, and scholars identify "Rosh" as Russia while the other names comprise people groups that make up what is now Russia, Ibid., p. 327-328.

c. Many other people groups will come from the north with Russia (Ezek. 38:15), including Iran, northern Arabia, people near Iran, Germany, and Turkey [what may also include tribes of Central Asia and Siberia] (Ezek. 38:5-6; Ibid., p. 328-330), together with Egypt that invades Israel from the south, Daniel 11:40a.

2. We identify the time when this invasion will occur (as follows):

a. Ezekiel 38:8 claims the invasion is in "the latter years" and Ezekiel 38:16 that it is in the "latter days," and it is connected to Israel's returning to the Lord (Ezek. 39:22), all of which point to God's working with the nation Israel during the Tribulation Period that comes after the rapture of the Church, Ibid., p. 346.

b. More specifically, Israel will then be in her land (Ezek. 38:8) living in peace (Ezek. 38:11), and since war and desolations occur for Jerusalem between Messiah's execution in Daniel 9:26 and the start of the Daniel 9:27 "seventieth seven" when antichrist makes a 7-year protection treaty with Israel, and since that treaty gives Israel peace, the Russian federation's invasion must occur just before the middle of the Tribulation Period right before the antichrist breaks his treaty with Israel and tries to destroy her, Ibid., p. 346-352.

c. The traumatic last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation Period are caused by Satan's being cast out of heaven so that he goes forth in fury to destroy Israel (Rev. 12:7-13). Evidently, Satan's first effort to destroy Israel is his prompting the Russian federation and Egypt to invade Israel, Dan. 11:40a; Ibid., p. 352.

3. We note the results of this northern [with Egypt from the south] or Russian federation's invasion:

a. Some Arab peoples will complain about the arrival of the invaders to take spoil from Israel, Ezekiel 38:13.

b. God's fury at the invaders will erupt, and He will cause them to start to kill each other (Ezek. 38:21), He will give them a lethal disease and rain down hailstones with fire and brimstone (Ezek. 38:22) on them, what will cause the world to realize that Israel's God is involved, what glorifies the Lord. (Ezek. 38:23)

c. Five-sixths of the invaders will die, God will send a fire on their homelands (Ezek. 39:1-6), Israel will use the fallen armies' weapons as firewood for 7 years and need 7 months to bury the slain (Ezek. 39:9-12).

d. This event will cause Israel to start to turn back to the Lord for His final, lasting blessing, Ezek. 39:25-29.

Lesson: The Russian federation from the north and Egypt from the south will invade Israel just before the antichrist breaks his treaty with Israel in the middle of the Tribulation Period, but God will supernaturally destroy the invaders to glorify Himself before the nations of the world and thus cause Israel to begin to turn back to Him.

Application: May we realize that any war Russia fights before the rapture is NOT the Ezekiel 38-39 invasion of Israel, for that event occurs after the rapture. May we therefore be settled in continuing to do God's will.