Spending just a few minutes each day reading the Bible, with the help of a plan and some notes, makes the it easier to understand.
A Russian Czar?
Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin of Russia
Many students of Bible prophecy frequently refer to Gog, the leader of the hostile host described in Ezekiel 38 as the 'autocrat.' In the last century that title was an apt description of the Czar who ruled Russia as almost an absolute monarch. In 1917 the Russian Revolution overthrew the autocratic regime of the Czar, but in its place was established a system that was just as authoritarian and oppressive.
Under leaders such as Stalin and Lenin the term 'autocrat' continued to be appropriate for the ruler of Russia. The reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, with his policy of glasnost, led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Some commentators expressed hopes that this would allow democracy to blossom in Russia and the states which it had formerly controlled. Some of those former satellite states did embrace democracy to a degree, but Russia itself, after some tentative moves in that direction, turned its back on truly democratic reforms.
The chaotic years of Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s gave way in the next decade to the iron rule of Vladimir Putin. Under his rule dissenters have been dealt with ruthlessly; some have been imprisoned, while others have died in suspicious circumstances. The political system has been cynically manipulated to serve the objectives of a ruling clique controlled by Mr Putin.
Constitutional change
Four years ago the Russian constitution limited presidents to two terms in office. That provision obliged Mr Putin to stand down, so in 2008 he swapped jobs with his prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, and bided his time until the constitution could be altered to allow for him to return to the presidency.
From time to time there was speculation as to whether Mr Medvedev would stand aside for Mr Putin, with some in the West cherishing vain hopes that Mr Medvedev would have the strength of character to assert an independent position. Such hopes ignored the reality of the autocrat that pulls the strings in Moscow, and on 24 September came the long-expected announcement that Mr Medvedev would stand aside to make way for the return to the president's office of Mr Putin. In fact, the two men agreed again to swap jobs, returning Russia to the model that existed during Mr Putin's last term in office.
No surprise
None of this surprised many people, in Russia or elsewhere. It has been interesting, however, to see the tone that Vladimir Putin has adopted since the announcement that he would be returning as president. In early October he announced a grand vision to create a new superpower out of the remnants of the former Soviet Union. Significantly, he referred to it as a "Eurasian Union," in that it would stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Mr Putin has been quoted as describing the collapse of the Soviet Union as "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century." The use of the word 'geopolitical' suggests that he sees it as a catastrophe because it thwarted Russia's expansionist ambitions. His new Eurasian Union is clearly designed to reverse that catastrophe.
In an article in the Russian newspaper Izvestia
(reported in The Australian, 6 Oct. 2011), Mr
Putin spoke of the initiative as an "integration
project." He went on to say, "Close integration
based on new political and economic value is
the imperative of our time. We are proposing a
model of a powerful supranational association
that is capable of becoming one of the poles of
the modern world and, within that, to play an
effective linking role between Europe and the
dynamic Asia-Pacific region."
Back to the Bible
Bible students of Ezekiel 38 will recognise Mr Putin's phrase "a powerful supranational association" as a perfect description of the confederacy described in that chapter as invading the Middle East and occupying Israel at the time of the end.
But how do Magog and Gomer, the powers of central and eastern Europe, who Ezekiel says are also confederate with Gog, fit into this scenario?
Mr Putin has not ignored these powers. He argues that his Eurasian Union would grow to become a partner for the European Union. "Membership of the Eurasian Union, apart from direct benefits, will enable its members to integrate into Europe faster and from a much stronger position," he said in his article. Autocrats always have a natural preference for negotiating from a position of strength!
The Byzantine world of Russian politics has presented many unexpected developments, ever since the czars ruled in Moscow and St Petersburg. There might well be other bizarre twists and turns before the Gogian host descends on the Middle East. What we are seeing today, however, is perfectly in accord with our long-standing understanding of Ezekiel 38. Under Vladimir Putin the autocrat rides again!