PAGE 1
“WHAT ABOUT RUSSIA, TURKEY, SYRIA, & IRAQ?”
Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq—all four are mentioned in Bible prophecy. Each country fits into the prophetic
puzzle and timeline. By looking at each country, along with its prophecy, the
big picture begins to take focus. A number of articles have been written on
each of these individual countries, but my purpose is to give an overall
synopsis of biblical prophecy that includes all four.
THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF ISRAEL
Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe the Russian invasion of Israel, along with an
alliance of primarily Islamic nations. Russia is described as “Gog of the land of Magog” (Ezekiel 38:2). “Gog” refers to a leader. “Magog” refers to the territory from which he comes. Gog is also referred to as the “prince of Rosh” (Ezekiel 38:3). “Rosh” is the root word for Russia. It seems to be the land referred to in Scripture
as the “remote parts of the north” (Ezekiel 38:6, 15; 39:2). Russia is the land directly north of Israel.
Russian Allies
The Russian allies, with their ancient names, include modern-day nations, or
regions that include nations. Not everyone agrees on the exact boundary lines,
since some of the lines have changed over time. There is agreement on some of
the major countries. They are:
1. Iran (Persia).
2. Black African Nations (Cush) [May also include Sudan and Northern Ethiopia].
3. North African Nations (Put) [Includes Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, and
Mauritania].
4. Turkey (Gomer).
5. People north of the Caucuses Mountains and eastward (Beth-togarmah).
There are five names listed. Two are specific countries (Iran and Turkey). The
other three are regions that include several countries. This is a large
confederation of Islamic nations. We are not just looking at the Islamic
nations that are led by an atheist country, i.e., Russia. Russia is rapidly
moving toward becoming an Islamic nation. When one considers the composition of
the Russian invasion, Islam plays a major role.
Russian Demographics
In order to maintain a culture (not the population) for over 25 years, the
fertility rate needs to be 2.0 births per woman or couple. 2.0 births per woman
[assuming no deaths in delivery] is the exact replacement fertility rate needed
to keep the population of a given country at the same number. It is more
reasonable to assume 2.11 births per woman as a minimum required fertility
rate. Most western nations and the industrialized nations, especially Western
Europe, have the lowest fertility rates, way below the minimum required
fertility rate of 2.11 [CIA World Factbook 2009]. Within 25 years, these
countries will fail to maintain their culture. Some nations, such as the U.S.,
have a cultural fertility rate of 1.6 per woman. The population fertility rate
is higher due to immigration. With the influx of Latino nations this rate
increases to 2.05. This fertility rate is at the bare minimum for population
maintenance, but is below that for cultural maintenance.
The cultural fertility rate is usually in line with the population fertility
rate. This is not the case with the U.S., Russia, and many of the European
Union countries. The fertility rate of the European Union [31 countries] is a
1.38 fertility rate. Yet, the population of Europe is not declining. This is
due to the Islamic immigration.
“Seven out of ten Russian pregnancies are aborted; by contrast, in Muslim
communities, the fertility rate is 10 babies per woman. If a Muslim military
coup occurs, Russia will become another Muslim nuclear power (the first with a
permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council)” (The Toronto Star, StayOnline.com, National Review, December 8, 2006) [Also,
see The Last Generation: Prophecy, Current World Events, and the End Times]. A
2009 updated fertility rate for Muslims (using the fertility rate of the top 10
Muslim countries) would range from 6.12 to 7.75 according to the CIA World
Factbook 2009.
In 2008, the death rate in Russia was 14.7/1000 (much higher than average due to
alcoholism). The birth rate was 12.1/1000 and net migration was 1.7/1000. This
gives an overall population growth of -0.9/1000 (Rite of Spring: Russia’s Fertility Trends, Charles Ganske, Editor, authored by Anatoly Karlin, April
29, 2009, Russia Blog). Since 2006, the Muslim fertility rate has dropped. The
Muslim countries have the highest fertility rates worldwide. For example, the
country of Niger (the highest) has a 7.75 fertility rate [Source: CIA World
Factbook 2009].
Bottom Line
In a relatively short period of time, Russia will become a Muslim nuclear power.
In regards to the spread of Islam in Europe, “there are signs that Allah will grant victory to Islam in Europe without swords,
without guns, without conquest. We don’t need terrorists; we don’t need homicide bombers. The 50+ million Muslims [in Europe] will turn it into a
Muslim continent within a few decades” (Muammar al-Gaddafi). This is a reasonable assumption when viewed from a human
viewpoint. When viewed from biblical prophecy, we know that there will be
several major conflicts in the near future. A major one is the Russian/Islamic
Confederacy invasion of Israel.
WHAT ABOUT TURKEY?
Turkey [referred to as “Gomer” in Ezekiel 38:6] is one of Russia’s allied countries listed in Ezekiel 38:6 that has to be included for this
invasion to take place. Historically, Turkey has attempted to join the European
Union, but has never been accepted. It would seem that this treatment by the
E.U. would be implying that Turkey just isn’t good enough to be accepted. The resentment building in Turkey could be driving
them into the arms of another country like Russia. This is exactly what has
happened. Over the past decade, Turkey seems to be moving toward friendlier
ties with Russia.
Turkey sits at the crossroads of the energy rich Middle East and the former
Soviet Union. Turkey has a unique leverage as a transit hub for gas. It has
used this energy card to promote its membership in the European Union. This
requires cooperation with Russia. One of the bigger tests of Turkey’s stance came in the Russia-Georgia war of August 2008. Turkey carefully
implemented the Montreux Convention, which governs traffic through the Bosporus
[entrance to the Black Sea], so only a handful of American warships could enter
the Black Sea. “Neither Turkey nor Russia wants the Americans meddling in their back pond.” (Russia + Turkey = A “Natural” Alliance?
http://www.current.com/items/90745608_turkey-a-natural-alliance.htm)
Consider the fact that Russia is Turkey’s biggest single trading partner and provides 68% of its gas. Turkish
construction firms are active all over Russia. Millions of Russian tourists
flock to Turkish resorts every year. Turkey is also one of the few countries
with which today’s Russia feels comfortable.
Once Turkey allies itself with Russia, everything is in place from a prophecy
standpoint for the Russian-led invasion of Israel [see chapter 7 of my book, The Last Generation: Prophecy, Current World Events, and the End Times].
WHAT ABOUT SYRIA?
Syria is not among the allies listed in the Russian led invasion of Israel.
Syria is probably one of Russia’s favorite allies, at least in a geographical sense. Syria is known as a
training ground for terrorists. It is believed to be the base of operations for
a number of terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda, Hamas, and the
Hezbollah. Syria is directly linked to Iran, Russia, and Iraq.
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) were never found in Iraq, but not because
they did not exist. They were smuggled out of Iraq and into Syria. Satellite
pictures showed them being transported to Syria, smuggled out by fifty-six
commercial planes with the seats removed. The claim by Iraq was that they were “planes of relief to Syria for a tragedy,” but in actuality, they were Weapons of Mass Destruction. [See The Last Generation: Prophecy, Current World Events, and the End Times for more detailed information, including the sources of this information and
their credibility.]
The big question is, “Why isn’t Syria included among the allies in the Russian-led Muslim/Confederacy
invasion? The most likely answer is found in the Bible. It concerns a prophecy
about the destruction of Damascus [Syria].
The Demise of Damascus [Syria]
“… Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and will become a
fallen ruin … The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim …” (Isaiah 17:1-3).
The city of Damascus is the capital of Syria and is “reputed to be the oldest continuously existing city in the world.” It has been conquered by other countries but never destroyed. As a result, we
know that this prophecy has not been fulfilled.
Because of the total devastation described in Isaiah 17, the destruction will
probably be nuclear. The most likely country to destroy Damascus is Israel.
Damascus would likely use WMDs or a dirty bomb against Israel. Israel’s leaders have already stated that they would react with a nuclear bomb. This
could happen any day. We don’t know the timing of this event, but we can assume that it is prior to the
Russian invasion. Otherwise, Syria would likely be allied with Russia.
RUSSIA, ISRAEL, IRAQ, AND THE MIDDLE EAST
A major turning point in Russia’s diplomatic relations with Israel followed the 1967 Six-Day War. At that point,
Russia severed diplomatic relations with Israel. Russia then aligned itself
with Arab Nationalist regimes and provided financial support to the Palestinian
militants. During the Soviet era, there was a dramatic resurgence of
anti-Jewish sentiment. When Putin took power in 1999, he fueled this
anti-Semitism.
After the Russians lost the Middle East foothold provided by Iraq under Saddam
Hussein’s leadership, the Russians built a new axis of power based on its ties with
Turkey, Iran, and Syria. Russia has strengthened its ties with Iran by
supplying nuclear-related technologies. Russia and Syria have increased
diplomatic and military cooperation. In the arms arena, Russia plans to sell
SS-26 and SS-18 missiles to Syria. The SS-26 is highly mobile. “With a range of 180 miles, it can carry a 1,000 pound warhead to most targets in
Israel.”
Many experts believe that a large-scale confrontation between Syria and Israel
could be on the near horizon, which makes Syria’s growing relationship with nations such as Iran and Russia a reason for great
concern.
Syria has recently accumulated more rockets and placed them on Lebanon’s southern border. Estimates range from 1,000 to 3,000 rockets financed by Iran.
The Syrians and Hezbollah are also strategically placed in Syria and Lebanon.
Could it be a possibility that Israel will do a preemptive strike on Syria as
well as Iran? After all, Syria and Iran are joined at the hip. A preemptive
strike against Iran alone would cause major retaliation from Syria. It appears
to me (personal opinion) that any preemptive strike by Israel would have to be
a two-pronged attack against Iran and Syria.
