Global War - The times of the end Part 4 - The overthrow of the Russian power

 In parts 2 and 3 of this series, we laid out the likely participants in the battle that will rage over the land of Israel. 

We separated these into two groups:  

Against Israel - Russia and a confederacy of nations, styled in Daniel 11 as the King of the North 

For Israel - The English speaking powers and some of the nations of the Arabian peninsula, styled in Daniel 11 as the King of the South 

We showed how the north and south references came from the people occupying the territories north and south of Israel during the times of the Ptolemies and Seleucid empires and that these terms were then used to describe the nations that will occupy that same ground at the time of the end foretold in Daniel.   

In Daniel 11 we have the following quote.   

And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. (Daniel 11 v 40-45)  

Daniel 11 closes with a picture of a victorious Russian host, triumphing over the Allied powers and having overrun the land of Israel and surrounding areas. For reasons not yet clear to us in 2025, the Allied powers cannot resist the Russian advancement but be in no doubt that it will work out how it has been foretold.  

Russia sits then in a position of power and authority, seemingly impregnable. However, the last sentence of v45 gives hope. "He will come to his end and none shall help him".   

The state of Israel at that time

"Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts". 

Thus writes Ezekiel in chapter 37 v 11. This shows the state of despair in which Israel and Jews more generally find themselves after the Russian invasion.  We mentioned earlier in this series that the Russian invasion is considered to be the third overturning of the city of Jerusalem and the throne of David. 

The first was under Nebuchadnezzar, completed when he took Zedekiah and the remnant of the Jews captive to Babylon. 

The second was the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD70 which ranks amongst the most horrific sieges of any age in human history. Both were traumatic, violent and bloody. Why should we imagine this third to be any different?   

This is what Zechariah has to say about these events of the end times, chapter 13 v 7 onwards.  

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. (v7,8)  

Two thirds of the inhabitants of the land will be wiped out. That's an incredible number of people and would not take into account the casualties on the Allied powers as well. Note also that this judgement is of God as a final punishment upon his people for their disobedience to him. 

At this time they will feel again the fear and terror that was prophesied of them in Deuteronomy chapter 28 v 66-67.  

And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.  

These will be dark times indeed. All hope will seem lost. And yet hope is not lost. This is all part of God's plan to redeem his people and to establish his Kingdom on this earth. When we quoted above from Zechariah 13, we didn't include the last verse of the chapter, verse 9 which reads as follows..  

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.  

God will then intervene in world affairs directly and we know this from the continuation of the story in Zechariah 14 v 1-3  

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.  

Help is coming. 

The time is at hand. Daniel 12 v 1,2 speaks similarly to Zechariah  

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  

Ezekiel takes up a similar refrain to Daniel and Zechariah and adds more detail about the impending destruction of the Russian force.   

Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog (Russia), Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? 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: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.  

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.   

And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.  (Ezekiel 38 v 14-23). 

The terrors that will be visited upon the Russian host will be similar to and possibly exceeding anything visited upon other nations of the heathen who God has used to punish his people. The Russian host will be completely vanquished by the terror and awe of the host of God's army, led by Jesus and the saints who will overwhelm them. Michael, in Daniel 11 is a prefiguring of Christ himself, the preeminent captain over God's host and the saviour of his people.   

Israel is not saved by human hand. 

At the battle of Armageddon, it is the Lord who saves and who redeems the remnant of Israel. The Allies are powerless to stop the Russian host but not so the Holy army that will be unleashed at this time. God told Job to consider the power even in nature itself that he would unleash in times of war   

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? (Job 38 v 22,23)   

Just as God rained great hailstones on the Amorites, so will the Almighty harness the power of the forces of nature to inflict punishment upon the Russian host until it is completely destroyed. The Power of God vested in Jesus and the Saints will be too much for the antagonist. But, who is in the exalted company accompanying Jesus and what happens next? Find out in Part 5.