THERE IS no doubt that Russia is to invade Israel in the Last Days and that she will do this in association with four Muslim countries actually named in Ezekiel chapter 38.
But there is some confusion among some Bible teachers as to when this invasion will occur. Some teach that the Russian invasion could occur before the Rapture, others teach that it will occur in the first half of the Tribulation while others place it at the end of the seven years of the Tribulation at the time of the battle of Armageddon.
If we rightly divide the Word of Truth there can be absolutely no doubt that the Russian invasion must occur in the first half of the Tribulation.
It Cannot Occur at the End of the Tribulation
- It cannot occur at the end of the Tribulation because only five nations are involved in the Russian-led invasion whereas the battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation involves ALL nations (Compare Joel 3:2 with Ezek.38:1-6).
- The Russian invasion is led by Gog the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Russia) whereas the battle of Armageddon is led by the Beast (Antichrist) who is the leader of the Revived Roman Empire.
- The Russian invasion concludes with the land of Magog (Russia) being burned and 1/6 of the invading army will escape to Siberia (Joel 2:20) whereas none of the invading armies that attack Jerusalem in the Battle of Armageddon will escape. They, together with Antichrist will be all destroyed and cast into the lake of fire (Dan.7:11, Rev.19:20).
- Israel must be a converted nation waiting for Messiah to return when Jesus comes (Isa.25:9) at the end of the Tribulation. At the beginning of the Tribulation there will be 144,000 Jews preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom “in all the world”. They are the “firstfruits” of the nation and will be persecuted by fellow Jews at first (Matt.10:16-23). The 144,000 are all martyred by the mid-point of the Tribulation and are in heaven around the throne in Rev.14.
- Israel is converted at the time of the Russian invasion (Ezek.39:22-29) and in the midst of the Tribulation, Israel will be singing praises “from the utmost parts of the earth” (Isa.24:16) and will give thanks for having “a refuge from the storm” (Isa.25:4). If the Russian invasion was the battle of Armageddon then Israel would not sing praises during the Tribulation.
- It will be too late for anybody, Jew or Gentile, to repent when Christ returns “in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God” (2Thess.1:8).
- During the Tribulation Israel will have great victories over her enemies “like a torch in a sheaf” (Zech 12:6). This cannot happen while she is rejecting Messiah. The Palestinian Covenant promises victories only when Israel seeks the Lord (Deut.30:1-10).
It Cannot Occur BEFORE the Rapture
i) If the Russian invasion must occur before the Rapture that would remove the doctrine of imminence. We should be looking for the Russian invasion and not the Lord to call Christians home. The Bible clearly teaches that nobody knows the day or hour when the Son of man will come. The angels don’t know and even Jesus does not know when the Rapture will happen (Mark 13:32).
ii) When the Russian invasion occurs “the whole house of Israel” receives mercy from the Lord (Ezek.39:25; Jer.31:34).
If this occurred before the Rapture every Jew would be raptured and there would be no Jews here for the Tribulation but the whole purpose of the Tribulation is to bring Israel to repentance. Israel cannot reign with Christ in the Kingdom while unrepentant.
iii) The Tribulation is the “Time of Jacob’s trouble” but if they are saved before the Rapture they would become part of the Gentile Church and there would be no Jews here for the Tribulation! The Tribulation is determined upon Jerusalem and Daniel’s people i.e. the Jews (Dan.9:24) therefore Israel cannot turn to the Lord BEFORE the Rapture.
Acts 15:14 tells us that God will “visit the Gentiles” to “take out of them a
people for His name” BEFORE the Lord returns to rebuild Israel. We cannot mix the Church Age with Israel’s 70th “week”.
It MUST occur BEFORE Antichrist begins to Reign at the Mid-point of the Tribulation
a) The Book of Revelation is a chronological outline of the events occurring during the seven years of the Tribulation from chapter 4 to chapter 18.
Chapters 6 to 9 describe the first half when the seal and trumpet judgments are poured out and chapters 10 to 14 describe events occurring at the mid point while chapters 15 to 18 describe the “seven last plagues” (Rev.15:1) which are the seven Vial (Bowl) judgments.
At the mid-point of the seven years Satan is cast down from heaven to the earth (Rev.12:12) and Antichrist is demon possessed. Antichrist reigns for 42 months (Rev.13:5).
Then at the mid-point of the Tribulation, Satan is wroth with Israel and persecutes those who “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev.12:17). Daniel describes this:
“Therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many” (Dan.11:44).
Since Israel has the testimony of Jesus Christ when the Beast takes universal control, Israel must be converted before the mid-point of the Tribulation!
b) During the second half of the Tribulation God will provide protection for Israel from the attacks of Antichrist.
Isaiah speaks of this:
“Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth” (Isa. 26:20-21).
John wrote about this in Rev.12:6. He states that Israel would flee from Jerusalem when Antichrist moved into the Temple. She would go into the wilderness, where she
“hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days” (Rev.12:6, 14).
Jesus told Israel in the Olivet Discourse that when they saw the
“abomination of desolation…stand in the holy place…then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains” (Matt.24:15-16).
Somewhere in the Judean wilderness there are caves “prepared of God” where redeemed Israel will be able to find refuge from the attacks of Antichrist for the last 1,260 days before the Lord returns. God would not be providing a place of refuge for Israel if they were still rejecting His beloved Son and Antichrist would not be attacking Israel if they were not repentant.
At the time of the Rapture Israel makes a covenant with Antichrist as the head of the EU and the reason for his hatred at the mid-point is because Israel has turned to Jesus Christ. Therefore the Russian invasion must occur in the first half of the Tribulation.
The 144,000 Jewish men from the 12 tribes of Israel will no doubt be responsible for leading Israel to seek the Lord in the first half of the Tribulation and Joel prophesied that when the “northern army” comes into the land like a plague of locusts, that
“THEN will the Lord be jealous for His land, and pity His people” (Joel2:18).
Furthermore it is when the “northern army” is removed that God pours out His Spirit upon the nation (Joel 2:28).
This conversion of Israel will be accompanied by
“wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, BEFORE the great and terrible day of the Lord come (Joel2:30-31).
These signs occur at the Russian invasion which is the 6th seal Judgment (Ezek,38:19-23; Rev.6:12-14).
And after this Joel describes the battle of Armageddon and the second advent of Christ:
“In those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will ALSO gather all nations, and will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people…” (Joel3:1-2).
Chapter three of Joel’s prophecy describes the second half of the Tribulation and the return of Christ “immediately after” the Tribulation (Joel 3:15-16) so it is perfectly clear that the conversion of Israel that occurs when Russia invades must be BEFORE the second half of the Tribulation.
In the first half of the Tribulation God deals with Israel and brings them to repentance but in the second half He judges the nations.
John R Ecob