Among Biblical Scholars, "Magog" (given extensive attention in the Book of Ezekiel) has long thought to have been Russia due to the combination of the geographical reference that indicates this military power of the end-times to be due north, and the belief that Russia is derived from "Rosh", which is referenced specifically in Ezekiel Chapter 38. In fact, these scholars are convinced that there can be no doubt that the "Gog" of Ezekiel 38 represents the person in control of the affairs of Russia and is the leader of the forces that will invade Israel during the culmination of the birth pains that leads to the Great Tribulation.
These same scholars also have determined that the Empire that will rise again out of the ashes of that war, and be the empirical seat of the anti-Christ, will be a new Roman Empire, rising from the ashes of the old Roman Empire. Specifically, they believe this great empire the anti-Christ will rise out of is a unified Europe, or a global government directed by an organization like the United Nations.
In fact, it is becoming alarmingly clear in today's political scheme that there are forces working towards a one-world government, guided by liberal principles, and masked by the claim it desires peace, unity and equity among the peoples of the world.
Problem is, a close scrutiny of the Bible does not reveal Russia to be Magog, or the great empire to be centered in Europe. As the world shapes into a new order, the truth of the prophecies are becoming glaringly clear to some, and contradictory to the long held thoughts of prophecy held by the leading minds of Christian apologetics.
Europe and Russia have been forced into the roles they hold in end-times prophecy because they have been the major players on the world stage. Since Christians have been sure the Rapture is just around the corner for the last hundred years, then surely (they have reasoned) the current world stage is what the Bible refers to when it speaks of armies invading Israel, and an empire rising to create a global governance system. Problem is, the Bible is not a Western book, and the players so carefully described in biblical text are not Western in nature, either. The Holy Bible is a Middle Eastern book with Middle Eastern players. Careful study makes the facts glaringly obvious, especially now that the world stage is altering in the direction of what biblical text predicted.
The Bible, when it comes to prophecy, is very different than celebrated "oracles" like Nostradamis, or various other soothsayers. Rather than depend on general prophecy in the hopes it is close enough to be considered truth, and then only accurate a third of the time, Biblical prophecy is very specific and carries a 100% record of accuracy. The prophecies of Christ's birth, life, and death, for example, pinpointed his place of birth (Bethleham, Micah 5:1-2), He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), Jesus would come from the Tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), He would be a descendant of David (Jeremiah 23:5), He would be preceded by a messenger who turned out to be John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:1-5,9), He would be God in the form of man and would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:4-6), Christ would enter Jerusalem on the back of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9), His Ministry would be centered in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1), Jesus Christ would speak in parables (Psalm 78:1-2), Jesus would be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9) for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13), He would be spat upon and beaten (Isaiah 50:6, Psalm 22:16-17, Isaiah 52:14), He would remain silent and not protest the accusations (Isaiah 53:7), the Messiah would be crucified and pierced (Zechariah 12:10), None of His bones would be broken (Psalm 34:20), People would cast lots for His clothing (Psalm 28:12), He would pray for his executioners (Isaiah 53:12), He would be executed with criminals (Isaiah 53:12), The Messiah Would Be Buried In A Rich Man’s Tomb (Isaiah 53:9), .
In fact, that is only some of the prophecies. Note how specific they are, and how they were fulfilled exactly as foreseen. So if the Bible is so specific in prophecy, then why are we scrambling with trying to force prophecy of the end-times into our current political situation?
Sometimes, though specific, the nature of a prophecy is not clear until it is upon us. A great example of that is Daniel 12:4 "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
Many argue that Daniel's prophecy is speaking about a great increase in information technology in the end-times. Others would argue that the scroll of scripture was unrolled on tables, and stretched clear accross the room. In order to compare scriptures, a person had to "run to and fro", therefore, using that line of thinking, the verse in the Book of Daniel may be referring to an increased understanding of scripture.
With the advent of the Internet, of which no scholar could forsee, both are true due to the increase of all information available to everyone.
Sometimes time helps clarify what is coming.
When the Iran hostage crisis erupted in 1979, we were reminded that Islam's beef is not only with Israel. On September 11, 2001 their war against infidels hit home. With the recent rise in Islamic populations, and their brazen attempt to ressurect the Ottoman Empire, it becomes apparent that the world as we see it today may be something drastically different in the days to come. Considering these world events, how can biblical scholars defend their Western view of biblical prophecy when not only world events, but a careful study of scripture, proves them wrong?
The world decribed biblically that will exist in the period of birth pains that approaches the Rapture is forming right now before our eyes, and the reality of it is something that should have been noticed long ago, for the puzzle pieces began to fall into place long before now.
When trying to determine whether or not we are in the phase that will lead to the biblical Great Tribulation, obvious signs are everywhere. But are these signs an indication we are in the end-times? Or are they simply events that would occur anyhow. After all, many of the conditions that would be considered signs we are in the final days were in existence during the time period that led to World War II, as well. And during that time period Christians were convinced they were in the end-times, too.
During the 1930s and 1940s there were many false prophets and christs, of which Hitler could be named among them. The misleading words of false messiahs was foretold in Matthew 24:5 and Matthew 24:11. Then, as is now, there were Wars and Rumors of Wars (Matthew 24:6-7), Famines, Earthquakes and Tribulations (Matthew 24:7-9).
The similarities stop there. Now, more in tune with this age, prophecies indicated that the Gospel would be preached throughout the world (Matthew 24:14), while Godlessness and Apostacy (Falling Away From Faith) would reign (II Timothy 3:1-5,7 and I Timothy 4:1-3). There would be the existence of a 200-million man army in the east (Revelation 9:16) of which both China, and the Islamic Jihad can boast right now (and note that when that was written the number seemed astronomical to those folks because at the time the entire population of the world was about 170 million).
So, the table is set, one could say. But what about the military players? What about Magog and the armies of the anti-Christ? Where will they come from if Magog is not Russia as argued at the beginning of this piece?
The classic Western Christian belief in end-time prophecy says that the Anti-Christ will come to power, promising peace and trying to unite the world. Now, there is nothing wrong with peace, and global unity, except that the Anti-Christ is the great deceiver, and when his true goals are exposed, he will be exposed for what he really is. This will result in a great war. The four horsemen of the apocolypse will ride, the white horse representing the Anti-Christ, the red horse representing war, a black horse representing famine, and a pale horse representing death. End-time scholars state that the unfolding of Revelation will begin with the Antichrist being opposed by three rulers of the south, during which millions will be killed. It will be a short war because of nuclear weaponry, and will be followed by inflation and famine. The rich will get richer, and the poor will starve to death. More millions will then die. The short, killer famine will be followed by a plague that will sweep the entire world. By the time the "fifth seal" is opened, a quarter of the world's population will be dead. 144,000 Jewish witnesses that come to Christ after The Rapture will try to evangelize the world for Christ, and millions of the converts will be martyred by the world leader, and the harlot, which is the name for the one world religion that will be in existence. God's wrath will be poured upon the Earth for the killing of his people, after that, and a worldwide earthquake will occur. The quake will be so bad that people will cry out for rocks to fall on them to put them out of their misery. Then, it gets worse.
Much of that Western interpretation of the end-time prophecies seems in line, or close to what the Bible states. But the Western version of end-times prophecy leaves a lot of questions. Why would three nations from the south move against the Anti-Christ's empire? Why would the new Christians be so readily martyred? What religion is the world religion that denies Christ, and serves as the Anti-Christ's harlot?
The Anti-Christ's empirical realm will be centered in the Middle East. Isaiah 14:25 calls the Anti-Christ the "King of Babylon." He is also referred to, in the Bible, as the Assyrian, Prince of Tyre, and the Pharoah of Egypt. Considering these titles, it seems silly to assume, as many end-times scholars do, that the Anti-Christ would come out of Europe. As the Assyrian, the Anti-Christ will come from the regions of ancient Assyria, which today encompasses an area of several modern Muslim nations. As the King of Tyre, the Anti-Christ will rule over Lebanon, the stronghold of Hezbollah. As the King of Babylon he will rule over Iraq, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula. As the Pharaoh of Egypt, he will rule over Egypt. Notice, these are all Muslim controlled areas. Considering biblical text, then, it would be reasonable to assume that the Anti-Christ will come out of the Islamic World.
Note that the Islamic Mahdi, prophecied by the Muslims, carries the same characteristics as the Christian Anti-Christ.
Knowing that the Muslim World will be the Anti-Christ's empire, which may include many more nations than it currently carries, it is then easy to consider why the new Christians among the Jewish People will be martyred, and who the world religion that hates Christ is.
In clarification, much of the book of Isaiah is devoted to naming the nations of the Anti-Christ that will clash with the Messiah at Armageddon. Babylon (Iraq and Arabia) in Isaiah 13 and 21, Assyria and the Philistines (Palestinians) in Isaiah 14, Moab (Jordan) in Isaiah 15, Damascus in Isaiah 17, Cush (Sudan and Somaliland) in Isaiah 18, Egypt in Isaiah 19, Cush and Egypt in Isaiah 20, Edom (Arabia) in Isaiah 21, Tyre (Lebanon) in Isaiah 23 - for example.
But what about Magog, which is believed by many to be Russia; where does Magog come into the picture?
Is it possible that since all of the nations moving against Israel and the Messiah in Ezekiel and Isaiah are Muslim, that Magog is a Muslim nation as well? The argument that "Rosh", mentioned in Ezekiel, is Russia falls flat. The word Rosh means "head," or "chief prince." Therefore, Rosh is not a place, but a person. The fact that Rosh of Magog is accompanied by Meshech and Tubal, which are regions in, and around Turkey, leads one to believe that the region due north of Israel is not Russia, but the Turkish Penninsula.
A more specific understanding may come from recognizing that during Ezekiel's day, Magog was located in Asia Minor. Even Western scholars recognize that Magog is the land of the Scythians, who came later to inhabit Russia later in history. But, going back to when Ezekiel wrote his Old Testament book, the Scythian territory was the land mass in the southern region of the former USSR. This would place Magog among not only Turkey, but the Muslim states that split from Russia when communism fell. More specifically, Ancient Scythia includes Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the other Muslim states in the immediate area.
Recognizing this, one must assume that Turkey will abandon its secular nature, and move in the direction of becoming a radical Islamic State, of which has already begun.
So, as a political writer, I am keeping a close eye on Turkey, and will be expecting an Islamic Revolution to erupt in that region sometime soon. Very soon the Islamic Caliphate will begin to take shape from Turkey down to Yemen, all points between, and many regions beyond.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
For more information:
Read God's War on Terror by Walid Shoebat, and The Islamic AntiChrist by Joel Richardson
In Turkey, Trial Casts Wide Net of Mistrust - The New York Times
Yemen on the Brink - FrontPageMag.com
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