russian communism
by Martin R. DeHaan, M.D., Director, Radio Bible Class 'S TIMETABLE
T h e n a t io n s described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 are called I “ Gog and Magog.” So the primary question we shall answer is the question of the identity of Gog and Magog. Here is the record in Ezekiel 38: “ And the word of the Lord came unto me, say ing, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, 0 Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I w ill turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I w ill bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even h great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.” Ezekiel 38:1-4 In identifying Gog and Magog, we desire to have you notice five definite things mentioned by God in these chapters: 1. The meaning of the words, “ Gog and Magog.” From the very earliest religious writings we find that Bible students have identified Gog as the end-time ruler, or the Prince of Russia, and Magog as the land of Gog, or the land of the Prince of Russia. My pulpit commen tary suggests this interpretation, and the great scholar, Gesenius, makes Gog and Magog to be the Ruler of Russia, and the land of Russia. My Bible encyclopedia definitely identifies Gog and Magog as the farthermost northern nations dwelling in the regions of the Caucasus and the Volga. A more accurate translation, it is pointed out, for the expression, “ Gog and Magog the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal,” would be “ Gog of the land Magog, the Prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.” The word, “ chief” , is the word “ Rosh” in the original, so that Gog is actually called “ the Prince of Russia.” Magog refers to the country of Russia, and Gog is the Prince of the Russia of the last days. History further reveals that Magog (the second son of Japheth in Genesis 2. The regions from which they come. 3. Her allies in this great struggle. 4. Her policy, aims and program. 5. The time of her rise. The Meaning of The Name, Gog
10:1-2) and his descendants migrated early to the north in the region now occupied by Russia. The two other names, Meshech and Tubal, apply to the two chief cities of Magog, namely Moscow and the ancient Tobolsk. This has been the consensus of Bible expositors’ opinion from its very earliest days. Magog is Russia; Gog its ruler of the latter days. Its Location We come now to the second identification of Gog as the prince, and Magog as the land of Russia. The loca tion from which Gog comes in Ezekiel 38 and 39, defin itely describes Russia, and can apply to no other nation. Quoting just a few passages will make this clear. In Ezekiel 39:2 we read that God will: “ Cause thee to come up from the north parts, ana w ill bring thee upon the mountains of Israel.” In verse six of chapter 38, they are said to come from the north quarters. Again, in verse 15 we read: “And thou shalt come from thy place out of tne north parts, thou, and many people with thee, alt of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a m ighty army.” Ezekiel 38:15 Gog will, according to the Word of God descend upon the land of Israel from the extreme north. Remember in this connection, that directions in Scripture are always in relation to Israel and Palestine. North in the Bible is always “North of Palestine.” South is “ South of Pales tine,” and so with East and with West. We now have two identification marks: 1. Gog means Russia. 2. He comes from the extreme north, in the region where Russia today is holding forth. Its Allies
We come now to the third revelation in these chap ters. Russia’s allies are identified and called, “ Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer and Togarmah. The first to strike our attention is Persia. In 1932, only 29 years ago, Mos cow signed a treaty with Persia, providing in the event of war, free access of Russia through the land of Persia to the Middle East and to Palestine. In 1935, three years after this treaty, the name of Persia was changed to Iran, so prominent in the news today. The next nation mentioned is Ethiopia. This evident- t h e s c r i p t u r a l i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f 8 TH E KING'S BUSINESS
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