(Daniel 2:44)
See the series here
At the time of this writing, the independent nation of Ukraine is under relentless attack by Russia, its next door neighbor. This invasion represents the most significant military event in Europe since World War II. This post seeks to articulate the spiritual framework within which this event can be considered.
Some Bible scholars erroneously opine that the above verse speaks of The Lord’s spiritual kingdom, established in the first century A.D., shortly after His resurrection and ascension/return to Heaven. Such opinions seem to ignore the very clear predictions given to Daniel concerning successive major hegemon nations after Babylon. 1 These predictions conclude with the remnant nations of The Roman Empire, colloquially referred to today as ‘the west’. 2 These principally include the nations of western Europe and other nations that have embraced various aspects of The Roman Empire’s political, legal, socio-cultural and economic systems. Among these nations, the U.S. is currently the most dominant, economically, militarily, and socio-culturally. Thus, through the prophet, Daniel, The Lord clearly signals the remnant nations of The Roman Empire are not only on His mind, but they will play a significant role in the timing of His plan to establish His everlasting physical Kingdom on Earth. This prophecy speaks not only of His physical, millennial kingdom, referred to as The Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ and His saints from across the ages – an event examined in many posts in this blog, but ALSO of the eventual, eternal continuation of that physical kingdom, as predicted in the closing 3 chapters of The Book of Revelation. Another interpretation of the reference to “…these nations” is to those nations (initially 10, reduced to 7) that will choose to be closely allied with the anti-Christ government. (See: Daniel 7:24)
There is considerable speculation concerning what event(s) might trigger actualization of this prophecy. Perhaps the most often event that is cited is the predicted resurrection and rapture of all 3rd and 4th ages saints, dead and alive, since Christ was raised. 3 This event will be followed by the predicted revealing of the final anti-Christ, a man who will exhibit the full powers as the son of satan – a sleight mimicking Jesus, The Son of God. Through deception and intrigue, he will accrue global powers over nations whose populations will have missed the first-resurrection, and who will, thus, experience The Lord’s longest-lasting, worst-ever judgments poured on Earth – the great tribulation. 4 The culmination of the anti-Christ kingdom will be the War of Armageddon. 5 That’s a summary of the physical dimension of several linked Bible prophecies.
Insights into the spiritual dimension of these events are sprinkled throughout the Old and New Testaments of The Bible. A pivotal insight is provided in Ezekiel 38, in which The Lord declares He is ‘against gog and magog,’ likely satan’s deceiving demon spirits assigned over the nation ‘in the far north’, presumably of Israel, currently The Russian Federation. Why is this insight so pivotal?
There are 15 recorded statements in 3 books of The Old Testament in which The Lord emphatically declares, ‘I am against you…’, before pronouncing and executing judgments on the accused, and declaring, ‘Then they/he will know I AM The Lord.’ 6 One of these declarations is against a mountain, namely Mt. Seir, the land inhabited by the descendants of Esau/Edomites. Very uniquely, 2 such declarations are against two demon spirits, gog and magog. (Ezekiel 38 and 39). So the operative question is, WHY would The Lord interrupt His declarations against various individuals, people groups and the land of the Edomites, to single out these two demon spirits??
Posing this question to the average Christian who might be somewhat familiar with the topic, the answer may well be, ‘Because they will have attacked Israel someday.’ The problem with this answer is that Ezekiel 38 cites that predicted attack occurring AFTER The Lord declares He is against these spirits, not before! This should not be discounted. The clear message in this chapter is that, because He is against them, He will personally prompt them to catalyze a military attack against Israel, and use this attack as an opportunity to (a) wipe out the multi-national, invading Armageddon army, and (2) later during His Millennial Reign (the 5th age of history), He promises He'll ‘seek to destroy’ the soldiers’ home nations. 7
So we’re still left to ponder why does The Lord, in His string of ‘I am against you’ declarations, single out these demon spirits. What will they be so guilty of, notably un-related to Israel, to provoke such fierce wrath as never displayed anywhere on Earth? 8 Of course, only He knows.
Could it be the invasion of Ukraine, and all that it signifies?
Ponder this:
--Land-wise, the largest nation in Asia/Eurasia is invading the largest nation, land-wise, in Europe.
--Ukraine has a small, declining Jewish population. The president is Jewish.
--The invasion is widely regarded as the largest/worst military event in Europe since World War II, allegedly significantly disrupting the world order The Lord allowed to be established in October 1945, when the United Nations opened for business. 2022 will be the 77th year of its establishment.
--It is clearly occurring ‘in the days of these kings’, i.e., during this time when the remnant nations of The Roman Empire are collectively stressed, unlike any time since WW II.
--Both Ukraine and Russia are renown for their sinful corruption, for which both have received The Lord's long-term Grace to repent. As confirmed in Jeremiah 9:23-24, when our response to Grace is refusal to repent, The Lord promises to send harsh judgments, the purpose of which is to extract a more righteous remnant group from among those who are judged. As confirmed in Ezekiel 14:12-23, The Lord promises to use His four judgment henchmen as instruments of His judgment, His tactical agents -- famine, wild beasts attacks, warfare, and pestilence. (See also: Leviticus 26 and Numbers 32.) The wise reader will perceive the synergy among these judgment instruments, as each one can easily trigger several others. To trigger warfare on the nation being judged, The Lord uses another sinful nation, since all nations are sinful. The Bible is replete with examples in which that nation sent to initiate The Lord's warfare judgment on another nation is, itself, later judged by one or more of The Lord's judgment henchmen. As if to confirm The Lord's judgment strategy, the leader of Russia, himself, said the western nations have declared 'economic warfare' on his nation!
--Thrice, The Lord affirms, 'Vengeance is Mine...' (Deuteronomy 32:5, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30), and once He promises the righteous will see the reward of un-repentant wicked people and nations. (Psalm 91:8)
--As if to console Ezekiel (and folks like us, today) who will witness His harsh judgments on persistent sinfulness/unfaithfulness, The Lord affirms:
Yet behold, there shall be left in it (the nation judged) a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you (i.e., internally displaced people and refugees), and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God. (Ezekiel 14:22-23)
--A total of 68 times in The Bible, The Lord declares ‘Then [you, he or they] will know I am The Lord,’ 57 of which (over 83%) are recorded in The Book of Ezekiel, where in chapter 38, He also reveals His plan for the first of three future attacks in Israel, the predicted 1st War of Gog and Magog, a precursor to the more massive Armageddon War, described in Revelation 19. Ezekiel 38 describes the 1st War of Gog and Magog:
It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 38:16)
“And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am The Lord. So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am The Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says The Lord God. “This is the day of which I have spoken. (Ezekiel 39:6-8)
In essence, He will use the 1st War of Gog and Magog as His open introduction to the non-believing world, before the Armageddon War which will end the great tribulation at the end of the tribulation age, the year, 4th age of history. (See: Human History Ages (Series))
Conclusion
To people, The Lord’s revealed strategy initially gives long-term Grace, intended to lead us to repentance; followed by short-term corrective Judgments, intended to produce Righteousness in our lifestyles. 9 Let’s watch ‘n wait to see how the invasion of Ukraine, significant as it is, may ultimately pan out in His unfolding strategic plan for humanity.
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1 Medo-Persia/Persia, Greece, Rome and finally, nation remnants of The Roman Empire, representing the toes of mixed clay and iron in the statue vision given in Daniel chapter 2.
2 See: When Westward Becomes Eastward and Iron and Clay Won’t Mix (Poem)
3 See: The Rapture - When? Part 1 and Part 2 and also Ponder This... (First Resurrection, Second Death, Hell)
4 See: The Worst of the Worst (Poem) and Tribulation Precursors: Lawlessness (Poem)
5 See: Armageddon, Tribulation Age Journalists (Series), and Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel
6 See: Then They Will Know (Series)
7 See: A Forced Reconciliation (Poem) and also footnote 5
8 See: Gog and Magog (Q&A). Zechariah 14:12-15 paint a particularly gruesome picture of the plague The Lord will unleash on soldiers and mixed livestock in the 1st War of Gog and Magog. (Ezekiel 38) Don’t believe Armageddon will involve livestock for transportation and food as The Lord predicts?? See: Armageddon, Low Tech?! (Poem)
9 See: What’s Really Going On …(Inside), God’s Self-Proclaimed Job Description, and also For Readers in Russia…
