If you are watching the nightly news concerning the devastation Russia is inflicting on Ukraine you may not understand the significance of how these current events point to bible prophecy.
Old Testament names of the invading nations against Israel were different from what they are called today; however they are the same nations which exist today. Meshech and Tubal in verses 2 and 3 were the names of the sixth and fifth sons of Japheth, the son of Noah (Genesis 10:2). These descendants made their way into what is now modern day Russia. Gog is the leader, or their “Chief Prince,” of Meshech and Tubal. Gog, this “Chief Prince,” will lead this army against Israel. Who is Magog? Leading Bible scholars say this is Turkey. The Roman historian Josephus said the “Magogites” were the peoples whom the Greeks called “Scythians.” Scythians were a fierce, blood-thirsty civilization that settled north of the Baltic Sea in what is now Russia and the European republics of the former USSR. In Ezekiel 38:6,15 and 39:2, the prophet makes it clear the attack would come from the “north.” Directly north of Israel is Turkey. Here are the breakdowns of the rest of the names mentioned in Ezekiel 38, which will join Turkey in the attack. These nations are: Persia, which is mainly modern day Iran, parts of northern Iraq, and Afghanistan and Cush, which is Ethiopia and Sudan. Bible history reveals Ethiopia was located to the south of Egypt, extending through the junction of the White and Blue Nile including, and beyond, what is today Sudan. The Hebrew word for Ethiopia is Cush. When you study the table of nations listed in Genesis chapter 10, you will learn Ham’s oldest son was named Cush. We know Ham’s son Cush inhabited Ethiopia, and in our present day, this would encompass both modern day Ethiopia and Sudan.
Turkey: Togarmah was the second son of Gomer; his descendants occupied eastern and northern Turkey, and they occupied Southern Russia, which used to be comprised of many small nations such as Armenia. Present day Armenians still call themselves the house of Togarmah. Keep in mind, Armenia is a former republic of the Soviet Union (Russia) and will come against Israel with Russia and Russia’s allies listed in Ezekiel 38. How does Turkey fit into this coming attack? Turkey has a big dependency on gas from Russia and Iran. An example of one such treaty Turkey signed was a gas pact with Iran in 1996. The gas pact was a snub at the United States since the U.S. had placed sanctions on Iran. The report in The Star newspaper explains how the gas pact snubbed the U.S. “The agreement is in defiance of U.S. legislation which punishes companies investing in the oil or gas industries of Libya and Iran” (The Star Aug. 12, 1996 p.A10).
“The number of casualties is not yet known — and the Kremlin denies targeting civilians — but experts say the incident is an indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned to a familiar and pitiless playbook.
With his troops bogged down in the mud, running out of food and fuel and hemorrhaging casualties, many analysts believe that Putin’s battle plan is in the mire — and in desperation he has pivoted to the brutal tactics used in the Russian republic of Chechnya in 1999 and in Syria in 2015.
In both campaigns, Putin’s missiles and jets bombed and besieged residential areas, reduced apartment buildings to rubble, and targeted schools and hospitals in what watchdogs say could have constituted war crimes.
Now the Russian president is doing these things in Ukraine.
“It’s exactly the same playbook as we’ve seen before in Grozny, in Chechnya and in Homs and Aleppo in Syria,” said Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a military-focused think tank in London.”
Military presence
In 2015, Russia began air strikes in Syria to support Assad’s struggling troops.
It helped pro-regime forces wrest back lost territory in a series of victories against rebels and jihadists involving deadly bombardments and massive destruction.
More than 63,000 Russian military personnel have deployed to Syria, Moscow says.
It is unclear how many are currently stationed there.
Moscow has two military bases in Syria: the aerodrome in Hmeimim in the northwest and the naval port of Tartus, further south.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220228-russia-s-growing-ties-to-syria-amid-military-backing