A. Russia Identified in Ezekiel 38:1-3
A. Russia Identified in Ezekiel 38:1-3.
“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (Ezekiel 38:1)
Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, (Ezekiel 38:2)
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:” (Ezekiel 38:1-3)
1. “Gog and Magog.”
“Gog” is in reference to the leader and “Magog” is referring to the country or nation. In my study, I have found that almost all prophecy teachers universally agree that “Gog” is the Prince of Russia and “Magog” is the nation, itself. This is without question speaking of Russia. One reason is that in Verse 15 we are told that this nation will come against Israel out of the North.
“And thou shalt come from thy place out of the NORTH parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:” (Ezekiel 38:15)
Also in Ezekiel 39:2 we are told again that this nation will come from the North.
“...and will cause thee to come up from the NORTH parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:”
When in connection with Israel, which is the center of the world biblically speaking; North, South, East, and West are always in relation to Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. Check your world map and see for yourself that Moscow, Russia’s capital, lies almost directly north of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.
Our Bible Encyclopedia, concerning “Gog” and “Magog,” says that they are the farthermost northern nations dwelling in the regions of the Caucasus Mountains and the Volga River in Russia.
“Bishop Lowth of England in 1710 wrote, “Rosh” taken as a proper name, signifies the inhabitants of Scythia, from whom the Russians derive their name.”
The Jewish historian of the First Century, Flavius Josephus, in Book 1, Chapter 6 says, “the Scythians were called Magog.” Our History books tell us the Scythians settled in Russia.
Notice in Verse 2, “The chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” The word “chief” is the Hebrew “ROSH.” The translators took “Rosh” to be an adjective, meaning “chief,” instead of a noun; therefore the proper name of a northern nation, that being Russia. Therefore, the proper translation would be as follows:
“The Prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal...”
We might also note that “Rosh” is also the Swedish name for Russia. Meschech would be none other than Moscow, representing the West; and Tubal, present-day Tobolsk, one of the chief cities of Siberia, representing the East. It has a population of a little over 104,000 and houses a major oil refinery.
Whoever heard of Russia 2,600 years ago, as she was non-existent. Only the Lord can name a nation some 2,600 years before it ever existed and state exactly when it will be destroyed. The History Book of the Future is given to mankind to know what is coming next. How gracious the Lord is to tell us in advance.
“Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:9)
Note: Please see the map below:
Map: Russia and Her Five Allies Come Down Against Israel.