Is the Ukraine-Russia war prophesied in the Bible?

Introduction

One of the things that is tempting to do is to try and fit every conflict, every war, and every current event into Bible prophecy and this latest conflict is no different.  It’s got people worried because it is the first major conflict in Europe since World War 2.  Could it be the next World War 3?  A legitimate question.  It’s interesting in the days and weeks leading up to the conflict there were many warnings and rumours of an impending attack on Ukraine by Russia and it reminded me of Matt. 24:6 where Jesus tells his disciples when talking about the end times, He talks about wars and rumours of wars.  This especially fits into this category and as Jesus says, “Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”  We don’t want to try and read into things and be pushed from pillar to post every time something bad happens.  I think the world is also hypersensitive to disaster at the moment as well as what has happened in the last two years with the Covid-19 pandemic.  It is a small picture of the kinds of emergencies and disasters that will keep hitting the earth during the tribulation period.  It will be one thing after another like a boxer who keeps getting hit by his opponent one connecting jab to the face and jaw after another.  But we have not seen the knock-out blow by any stretch of the imagination.  We haven’t even arrived at the beginning of birth pains described in Matt. 24:4-8.  The parallels to this period which is the first half is in Rev. 6:1-8 and the first four seal judgments.  The parallel between these two Bible passages is uncanny and accepted by many prophecy teachers.

This Russian war is not the Gog war

As bad as this conflict is with the loss of life and the collateral damage that occurs with war, I have confidence that this war does not mark the beginning of the Tribulation period.  You ask me what gives me that confidence?  My studies have given me the confidence to understand, like the early church fathers who believed in chiliasm, that there will be 6000 years from creation to when Christ returns.  As discussed in my post, “Discrepancy between Jewish and Protestant chronology” we are not quite there yet.  In fact, we more than likely have around 14 years (as of 2022) to go before that 6000 years is complete.  Of course, we don’t know exactly the day or the hour but we can know within a few days according to Jesus.¹  In fact that phrase was Hebrew code for the Jewish New Year’s Day because of the uncertainty of the lunar calendar.²

Anyway, part of the reasoning for seeing Russia in Bible prophecy is an incorrect translation of “rosh” in Eze. 38:2 NKJV and Eze. 38:2 NASB.  These translators see “rosh” as the country Russia just because it sounds similar whereas in fact most commentators including well-known end times commentator John F. Walvoord correctly see that this should be translated as “chief” or “head.”  It is similar to its use in the phrase “Rosh Ha shanah” meaning head of the Jewish year or New Year’s Day.  So Gog from the land of Magog is not the prince of Russia (i.e. Vladimir Putin) but merely the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.  In Gen. 10:2, Magog, Meshech, and Tubal are the names of the sons of Japheth.  So what it is saying is that this future battle described in Ezekiel will be led by a descendant of Japheth.  The countries named in Eze. 38:2,6 are located to the far north of Israel probably meaning in modern-day Turkey around the south coast of the Black Sea.  They are joined by countries to the east and the south.  There is much controversy around the timing of the battle of great Gog of the land of Magog because of Rev. 20:8 which uses the same two names, the timing of which is after the 1000 years of peace.  But this should not be confused with the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog of Magog because they are in fact two different battles separated by 1000 years.

Reasons for the two different Gogs and Magogs

There are several reasons why these events are at different times separated by 1000 years.

1. Firstly Eze. 39:11 says that Gog will be buried in the Valley of Hamon Gog (literally the Valley of the hordes of Gog) whereas Rev. 20:10 says that the devil will be thrown straight into the Lake of Fire after that Gog and Magog episode.  Eze. 39:11 uses the phrase, “On that day,” which usually always refers to the Day of the Lord.
2. Eze. 39:17 says that the Lord calls out every bird and animal to come and feast on the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel–the bodies of those who die at the final Battle of Armageddon.  This is remarkably similar to Rev. 19:21 which is placed at the end of the Tribulation at the final battle.
3. Eze. 38:8 says that the mountains of Israel had long been desolate.  We know that during the Millennial Kingdom the river of Life flows out from the throne of God in the city of God and restores everything in its path.^3 4  There will be no desolation in the millennial kingdom.
4. There will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel at that time⁵ which seems to match up to the great earthquake at the end of the tribulation at the seventh seal judgment.⁶

Ezekiel 38-39 war occurs during the tribulation

The conclusion is that this incursion and invasion by Russia into Ukraine is not the Gog of Magog war described in Ezekiel 38 and 39.  In fact, it seems as though the Ezekiel war occurs probably in the latter half of the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation and continues right up until the end of the seven years.  It will involve many nations from all around.  Joel Richardson says that all the clues point to the countries and places listed in Ezekiel 38, Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and Togarmah being primarily in Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey.⁷  Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia), and Put (Libya) are self-explanatory.  He explains six reasons why Gog is simply another name for the Antichrist spoken of in the New Testament and that the Ezekiel 38 war is none other than the Antichrist (Gog) and his armies fighting against Israel just before the messianic kingdom is established.⁸