Will Russia invade Israel someday? If so, when?

Yes, we read of Russia's invasion of Israel in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Russia is identified there as "Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince Meshech and Tubal" (Ezekiel 38:2,3). There are three reasons for believing that Magog is Russia:

• A detailed study of the table of nations (Genesis 10), and where the different tribes settled would show that Magog, a grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:2), settled in the area which today is occupied by Russia.
• The direction from which the invasion comes is from the "north parts" or "the uttermost north" (Ezekiel 38:15; 39:2). The country farthest north of Israel is Russia.
• A better translation of Ezekiel 38:2 is "Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal." It is not difficult to see that Rosh is Russia, Meschech is Moscow, and Tubal is Tobolsk. Other nations also will join Russia in this invasion of Israel. They are Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, Libya, and Gomer (East Germany) (Ezekiel 38:5,6). These nations will come like a storm, like a cloud to cover the land of Israel, a great army against the people whom God calls "My people of Israel" (Ezekiel 38:16).

Although the exact time that Russia will invade Israel is difficult to determine, two references in Ezekiel 38 do help us decide generally when this invasion will occur. It will occur "in the latter years" or "days" (Ezekiel 38:8,16) and when Israel is dwelling safely (Ezekiel 38:11,14).

The "latter days" would most certainly seem to refer to the tribulation period. And this becomes clearer when we ask the question, "When will Israel be dwelling safely?" They surely are not dwelling safely today nor will they be during the first half of the tribulation period. Israel will not dwell safely until her enemy to the immediate north of her, called in Scripture the King of the North, and known today as Syria, is taken out of the way. This will occur sometime after the middle of the tribulation period. Israel also cannot dwell safely until she has received the Lord Jesus Christ as her Messiah. We find from Zechariah 13 that the inhabitants of Jerusalem do repent and own the Lord as their Messiah. It is then that the King of the North is judged by the Lord and is taken out of the way as recorded in Zechariah 14 and Joel 3. Israel will finally be dwelling safely and it is at this time, I believe, that Russia will invade Israel. This would probably place the time of this invasion at the end of the tribulation period just prior to the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Israel will not have to fight Russia in this invasion. Instead, God will fight for them and His weapons will be an overflowing rain, great hailstones, fire and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:22). Russia and her allies will fall upon the mountains of Israel and only a sixth part of those armies will survive. So great will be the numbers of the dead that it will take Israel seven months to bury them. (Ezekiel 39:2-16). As a result of this awful judgment, God will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that He is the Lord (Ezekiel 38:23).

When we think of God's judgments, it is good to remember that judgment is called "His strange work" (Isaiah 28:21). God delights in mercy (Micah 7:18), and "is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). When people refuse to repent of their sins and by faith receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, then God, being holy as well as loving, must bring them into judgment.