“Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, “and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.” Ezekiel 38:1-3 NKJV
Considering the current situation in Europe and the war of aggression being waged by Russia against the Ukraine, many questions have arisen about Vladimir Putin and the possibility that he is the Gog mentioned in this passage by Ezekiel. There have been numerous articles and commentaries written in the past couple of weeks concerning this question, and considering how close we believers feel we are to the rapture, the speculation surrounding Putin is well founded. So for what it is worth, I thought today I would add my two cents to the conversation in the hope that the muddied waters might become a little clearer.
Is Vladimir Putin Gog? No. Why not you ask? I tend to disagree, agreeably, due to something I noticed while studying this passage. If you look at the description we are given you find that Gog is referred to as the “prince” of Magog, as well as Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. Notice he is not the King, but a prince. Although the NKJV translates this phrase as "prince", in the Hebrew as well as in many other translations the title is “chief prince”. Also while being the leader of Rosh, Putin is not the leader of Meshech or Tubal. The word used here for prince is found somewhere else in scripture which is what also caught my attention. Look at what we are told in the book of Daniel about Michael the archangel trying to come to speak with Daniel.
“Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.” Daniel 10:13-14 NKJV
Most scholars agree that what is being described here is a struggle between the angelic forces of God and the demonic forces of Satan. The fact that the title of chief prince is used of Michael, and that the word prince is used to describe the forces behind countries leads me to believe that Gog is simply the name of the satanic force behind Magog, inciting the desire of the leader of Rosh to come up with an excuse to invade Israel. Another fact which seems to support this hypothesis is what we are told later in this narrative by Daniel concerning yet another prince, the prince of Greece.
“Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. “But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.” Daniel 10:20-21 NKJV
If at first this idea seems hard to believe, we would do well to be reminded who has the authority to delegate power on the earth. Look closely at what Satan had to say to Jesus when he appeared and tempted Him in the desert.
“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” Luke 4:5-6 NKJV
Looking at it this way, it’s certainly not farfetched to believe that Satan has appointed demons as “chief princes” to influence the decisions of worldly leaders in order to advance his plan to rule this world. I have always remembered a quote from one of my teachers which went something like, "there are two worlds surrounding us; the one we see and the one we don’t." I believe that statement is a logical conclusion from what Daniel tells us about the battle for this world, which we do not see.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 NKJV
So, Is Vladimir Putin Gog? Possibly. Now I’m not trying to confuse you here but after identifying Gog as a demon angel, we would do well to acknowledge the one simple fact that demons can possess an unbeliever. The Bible gives us many examples of this and as most of us know, Satan himself will possess the antichrist at the midpoint of the tribulation. I have read numerous articles since the war in the Ukraine broke out which question Putin’s mental state, with many offering the observation that lately his personality has seemed to change considerably. Several actually described him as “being a different person”.
One of the reasons this might well be true revolves around the prevailing opinion that what Putin is after is not necessarily the territory as much as it is about the resources of the Ukraine. If that is an accurate assessment, it occurred to me that it seems all too familiar if we remember what Ezekiel tells us the motive behind Gog’s evil plan for Israel is.
“Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: “You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’—“to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.” Ezekiel 38:10-12 NKJV
Russia’s economy is heavily dependent on oil and gas production and export to provide the income for their economy. Estimates run between 40 and 60 percent of their budget depend on this income, which is staggering considering the volatility of oil and gas prices. Simply consider that if the price of oil drops 50%, you immediately lose half of your income. The result is dramatic inflation, a loss of buying power, and a very angry population wanting to know just what the government is going to do about it. Of course, it follows that the volatility of the oil market occurs because too many countries produce the oil at different rates which affect the supply available at any given time. Consider however, the power one government would hold over the world if it controlled the majority of the oil available at any given time?
In doing a little research I found the following figures. Russia produces approximately 38% of the world’s natural gas, and 25% of its oil. The Middle East produces 35% of the world’s natural gas and 45% of its oil. Now if Russia were to control the Middle East production they would suddenly hold sway over almost 75% of the world’s natural gas and oil as well. What kind of power do you think they would then possess over the rest of the world? Is it possible that the presence of Russia in the Middle East is a sign of their intentions to possibly attempt to take control of these resources? If so, where does Israel fit in?
Most are aware that in the past few years Israel has discovered massive fields of natural gas off of the coast of Israel which some estimates have put in the “trillions” of cubic feet. In and of itself, there you have a very tempting “booty and spoil” for someone to consider stealing, but if that were not enough, how interesting it was to hear the announcement around the same time that they have discovered oil in the Golan Heights? Early estimates put that discovery in the “billions” of barrels and could possibly be even higher. Now suddenly Israel finds itself in the position of owning two of the world’s most desirable and necessary resources, and quite possibly the motivation for an invasion by an aggressor. Will these discoveries prove to be the plunder Gog is seeking?
Recent news from the Middle East might prove to be yet another excuse for this attempted invasion. The nations of Western Europe purchase roughly a little under half of their natural gas and approximately a quarter of their oil from Russia. This past week, as a result of their desire to sanction Putin, they reached an agreement to purchase natural gas from Israel via their pipeline to Egypt. Not only would this put a large dent in Russia’s sales, it would also reduce Putin’s power over Europe using natural gas as blackmail by restricting the flow at his whim. One has to wonder how this news is being received by Gog? If Gog's plan to obtain the "spoils" of the Ukraine are somehow foiled, will he turn his attention to Israel? The scenario we read in Ezekiel 38 is becoming more and more likely at a pace few saw coming.
The truth for us as believers though, is none of these events should come as a surprise. Never forget that labor pains accelerate in frequency and increase in intensity over time, and this is the example God chose to use in His Word. Fortunately, I and many others believe the signs we are seeing are proof that our rapture to be with Him in heaven could happen at any moment. If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to allow Jesus Christ to come into your heart, and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I urge you to do so right now. You can do that by simply praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered all of us by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.
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