Wars and Rumors of War: What about Russia and Ukraine?
… A war between #Russia and #Ukraine would have major impact on global trade and the financial losses would impact everywhere. Them more essentially great losses of life and turmoil. pic.twitter.com/nS8dOAJ3YO
— Gotno Gizmo (@GotnoGizmo) February 5, 2022
Notice the following:
French, German leaders to visit Russia and Ukraine amid tension
5 February 2022
The French president and the German chancellor will head to Moscow and Kyiv in the coming weeks, adding to diplomatic efforts to try to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from launching an invasion of Ukraine and find a way out of the growing tensions.
France’s Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit Moscow on Monday and Kyiv on Tuesday, while Germany’s Olaf Scholz will travel to Kyiv on February 14 and Moscow on February 15. …
Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s northern and eastern borders, raising concern that Moscow might invade again, as it did in 2014.
The troop presence and uncertainty have unnerved Ukrainians and hurt the country’s economy.
The Kremlin has denied that an invasion is planned and has demanded guarantees from the West that Ukraine will never join NATO, deployment of the bloc’s weapons near Russian borders will be halted, and the alliance’s forces will be rolled back from Eastern Europe. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/5/french-german-leaders-to-visit-russia-ukraine-amid-tension
Jesus foretold “wars and rumors of war” before the very end of this age:
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:6-8).
There are major tensions in Europe related to troop build-ups and rhetoric related to Russia and Ukraine.
Could there be any prophetic ramifications?
Yes.
But first some background.
We have seen economic, religious, and military concerns particularly over the past 9-10 years.
In 2013, The government of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had decided to suspend the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement and seek closer economic ties with Russia. Then were was a several-months-long wave of demonstrations and protests known as the Euromaidan, which later escalated into the Revolution of Dignity that led to the overthrow of Yanukovych and the establishment of a new government. It took steps like no longer considering Russian an official language, even though that was the predominant language in eastern Ukraine.
This led to issues in the east in regions such as Donbass and Crimea which supported stronger ties with Russia.
In 2014, Russia sent troops to Crimea where it had a naval base. Later the electorate there voted to become part of Russia, and Russia accepted Crimea. The West has been upset about that for some time.
So were many in Ukraine. In 2018 the Ukrainian Orthodox petitioned the Patriarch of Constantinople to be separate from and no longer under the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church. That was granted in 2019.
Now, let’s go much further back in history.
In the first century, Josephus wrote:
Japhet, the son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the mountains Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along Asia…they called the nations by their own names…Now as to Javan and Madai, the sons of Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who are called Medes, by the Greeks… Thobel founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberes; and the Mosocheni were founded by Mosoch…And so many were the countries that had the children of Japhet for their inhabitants. (Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. VI, 1).
Those in the Ukraine seem to have some ties to the Medes.
Herodotus wrote that the Medes were beginning to settle in the Ukraine even in his time. He maintained that there were people who ‘dressed in Median fashion’ that live ‘north of Thrace . . . beyond the Danube.’ (Slytie P. The Three Edens. Xulon Press, 2011, p. 784)
Pliny mentions “the river Don, where the inhabitants are … said to be descended from the Medes” (book 6, sec.11) (UKRAINE). (Hunt K. The Biblical Prophets for Today. iUniverse, 2011, p. 7)
Isaiah mentions a chariot drawn by {donkey}s, xxi. 7 ; and Herodotus, that the Medes used wild {donkey}s to draw their war-chariots; both apparently referring to the dun variety, which can be traced even now in the Ukraine, (Lizars WH. The Natural History of Horses. W.H. Lizars, 1866. Original from the New York Public Library, Digitized Dec 4, 2009, p. 110)
Let’s look at what Isaiah wrote:
… Besiege, O Media! … 7 And he saw a chariot with a pair of horsemen, A chariot of donkeys, and a chariot of camels, And he listened earnestly with great care. (Isaiah 21:2,7, NKJV)
Some of the Russians themselves appear to have been from the Medes. Notice the following account:
But how are we to explain the name Russia? The old-fashioned view was to derive the word from the Rhoxolani. This, however, has long been abandoned. One thing is certain, namely, that these Rhoxolani were of Oriental descent, a Medic or Iranic tribe. They disappear from history, having, like so many other tribes — as, for instance, the Pechenegs and the Khozars—been swallowed up by the huge waves of immigration which overflowed the country (Morfill WR. Russia. Published 1890 by T.F. Unwin, London).
There are many disputes among academics as to who derived from whom, thus it is not completely clear, for example, that the Rhoxolani were Medes who went to Russia. The Bible has several end time prophecies concerning the Medes (Isaiah 13:17-19) and the kings of the Medes (Jeremiah 51:11, 28-29) that involve military action. Various ones in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russia, and elsewhere are part of the descendants of the Medes, as likely are some in Moldova.
If the Rhoxolani were Medes, then it would seem to be consistent with certain biblical prophecies.
As far as names go, the historian Herodotus claimed that there were six different tribes/families of Medes. Herodotus identified the tribes of the Medes as Busae, Parataceni/Paratakeni, Struchates/Strukhates, Arizanti, Budii, and the Magi (Herodotus: A New and Literal Version with a Geographical and General Index by Henry Cary. Histories, book 1, chapter 101, p. 46).
The late Dr. Herman Hoeh srote:
In Genesis 10:2 we have Madai, the son of Japheth listed. Now check in an exhaustive concordance. You will find the original Hebrew word translated into English as “Mede” or “Median” is always Madai. Madai is the father of the Medes. The Medes used to be associated with the Persians. … Today there are no Medes left in Persia. The Medes are gone. Certainly a great branch of the human family could not suddenly vanish from the earth! Indeed they did not. Throughout South Russia — in the Ukraine — four centuries before Christ the Medes were beginning to settle. Here is what the historian Herodotus wrote of these people: “They say that they are a colony of the Medes. …” (Terpsichore, 9). (Hoeh H. The TRUTH about the Race Question! Plain Truth, July 1957)
Yes, there are still Medes on the earth today.
It should be pointed out that at least one historian, George Rawlinson, identified those in Ukraine as not necessarily descended from the Medes, but from the Gimri or Alani, who were possibly Medes or possibly not:
The nations of Japhetic stock which were developed at an early date are:
1. The Gimiri, (Gomer) or Kiramerians, who possessed the Ukraine ; (Rawlinson G. Ancient History Volume 1 of A sketch of universal history. C.W. Deacon, 1887, p. 21)
The Alani…in the south of Russia in Europe, in modern Ukraine…Some regard them as Medes, others as Teutons…(Rawlinson G. The sixth great Oriental monarchy; or The geography, history, & antiquities of Parthia. Spottiswoods, 1873, p. 291)
Now, while I am not certain, it is possible that the Ukrainians in the western portion of that country are not predominantly Medes.
So, there may be some type of split involving Ukraine.
You’ve got people in Western Ukraine who want to be part of the European Union, and you’ve got people on the Eastern side who have economic ties to Russia, often speak Russian, and see Russia as a more reliable partner than the EU, the Russians pay more attention to us, the Russians supply oil to us, etc. So, yes, there are modern reasons why we may see more of a split with Ukraine.
Back in 2013 I said I believed at least some of the Ukrainian territory would be under Russian control, and that happened with Crimea the next year.
That being said, what about biblical prophecies?
1 The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. …
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, Like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The LORD of hosts musters The army for battle. 5 They come from a far country, From the end of heaven–The LORD and His weapons of indignation, To destroy the whole land. (Isaiah 13:1-8).
The above is a prophecy involving a confederation of many.
Furthermore, a “far country” also seems to be tied to the powers of the east elsewhere in Isaiah:
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it. (Isaiah 46:11)
Notice, also, who Isaiah says is involved against Babylon:
17 “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. 18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. 19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. (Isaiah 13:17-19)
Babylon, the end time beast power will be destroyed. That was also the position of the old Worldwide Church of God:
With millions being slain by nuclear war, … this destruction be wrought by the descendants of the Medes and their allies, who are living to the northeast and east of modern Babylon … {Isaiah 13:} Verses 17-18. (Lesson 28 – Feast Of Trumpets – Why World Won’t End in Cosmocide. Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, 1984)
Now, let’s see what Jeremiah was inspired to write:
11 Make the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is the vengeance of the Lord,
The vengeance for His temple. (Jeremiah 51:11)
As far as Jeremiah 51 goes, a Roman Catholic priest wrote:
Jeremiah 51 … Reverberations of Babylon’s punishment will echo in Revelation. There the seer will describe the punishment of his “Babylon” the Roman Empire (Kurz W. What Does the Bible Say About End Time? A Catholic View. Nihil Obstat: Hilarion Kistner, Imprimatur: +Carl Moeddel, July 19, 2004. Servant Books, 2004, pp. 48-49)
That empire is a coming European one. Those who stay associated with it will be destroyed by an assembly of nations led by a northern power–Russia:
8 “Move from the midst of Babylon,
Go out of the land of the Chaldeans;
And be like the rams before the flocks.9 For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon
An assembly of great nations from the north country,
And they shall array themselves against her;
From there she shall be captured.
Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior;
None shall return in vain. (Jeremiah 50:8-9)
Notice that the Bible clearly states there is a group from the far north:
3 O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal…6 from the far north and all its troops–many people are with you (Ezekiel 38:3,6).
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog…15…you will come from your place out of the far north… (Ezekiel 38:14-15).
1 O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; 2 and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north (Ezekiel 39:1-2).
Ezekiel, however, speaks specifically of Togarmah “in the uttermost parts of the north” (38:6, Amplified). This is a clear reference to the Siberian branch of Togarmah. (Stump K. South Asia in Prophecy. Plain Truth, May 1980, pp. 13-14)
So, Siberia is pointed to for part of Togarmah. The “far north” must include Russia as Siberia is part of it.
A Russian confederation is that only place on the planet that is in the far north and currently has massive military power. A northern confederation (that appears to be led by Russia and probably includes the far north and far east/Pacific coast portion of Asia) will destroy the European Babylon.
Gog, Rosh, Meshech and Tubal are associated with Russia.
27 Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts. 28 Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion. 29 And the land will tremble and sorrow; For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant. (Jeremiah 51:27-29)
Notice also:
41 “Behold, a people shall come from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance;
They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.43 “The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in childbirth…”(Jeremiah 50:41-43).
The book of Daniel had the following:
40 … the king of the North … 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, … 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him (Daniel 11:40,43-45).
The final King of the North is European.
The powers from the north and east include Russia and at least some in Ukraine.
But that prophecy is probably at least six years away.
Furthermore, it should be pointed out that no nation is any further east than Russia. Why mention that? Notice the following:
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. … 16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon (Revelation 16:12, 16).
Russia will be a nation involved in the coming to Armageddon–but that is at least seven years away from now.
That being said, right now, people in Ukraine are frightened. They worry about war, government, poverty, freedom, and economic matters.
Those affected by wars and rumors of wars in that region should be in our prayers.
The Bible shows war is in the future for Russia and Ukraine, yet not all is hopeless.
The Bible also shows that God will call all who ever lived, and that will include all Russians and Ukrainians. We have a free online book that covers that: Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation.
That being said a more immediate prophetic reality is that the time will come when the kings of the Medes will rise up in a confederation, which will include Russia, and will one day destroy the coming European Babylonian beast power.
What we are now seeing is NOT that.
But what happens now is helping set the stage for what will happen later.
Yes, there are biblical prophecies involving Russia and Ukraine and Europe.
Believe them because they will come to pass.
This is a region of the world to “watch” (Mark 13:37).
UPDATE 02/07/22: We recently uploaded the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
The situation between Russia and Ukraine has again heated up, although it has been tense since the Euromaiden protests and Russia’s annexation of Crimea. There was later a separation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church fro the Russian Orthodox Church. Is war prophesied for Russia and Ukraine? Are prophecies in the Bible associated with the ‘kings of the Medes’ and a power from the “north country” related to any in Russia and Ukraine? Is a confederation of powers from the north, east, and central Asia prophesied to destroy the coming end time European Babylon? Will the destruction be reminiscent of what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? How is the King of the North and who will destroy him? Do those in Russia and Ukraine have a hope of salvation? Will Russia and powers of the east be involved in the gathering in Armageddon as prophesied in Revelation 16? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues.
Here is a link to our video: Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy and a video sermonette available: Ukraine in Prophecy?
The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy Is there a Eurasian union that will be formed? Is one being formed right now? Are any leaders working on that in the 21st century? Does the Bible teach that there will be a Eurasian union? If some type of Eurasian union is formed, who might it benefit and who will it destroy? A related video would be Is The Eurasian Union Rising?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? A related video is available titled Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
The Times of the Gentiles Has there been more than one time of the Gentiles? Are we in it now or in the time of Anglo-America? What will the final time of the Gentiles be like? A related sermon is available and is titled: The Times of the Gentiles.
Armageddon Who is involved and when will this gathering happen? Here is also a video from Dr. Thiel, from Tel Megiddo in Israel: Armageddon. Other videos include: Armageddon Will it come on Trump’s watch?, Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy, Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome, Is China paving roads to Armageddon?, and Jordan, Petra, and Armageddon.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection. A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.
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