This post is the second in a four-part series on how Bible prophecy relates to current events in January 2025. The subject of this article is how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine relates to the prophecy of Ezekiel 38–39.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Russia launched a massive invasion of Ukraine in response to Ukraine’s attempt to break free of Russian control. This invasion was envisioned as the opening phase of a campaign of conquest, by means of which Vladimir Putin would reconquer the countries of the former Soviet Union, and then go beyond it as far as possible, seeking to install pro-Russia regimes around the world in order to make Russia the world’s dominant superpower. Although the Russian invasion force was sizable, it was unprepared for a major war; the Russian plan was to quickly occupy Ukraine while encountering only minimal resistance. This was to be accomplished by moving long columns of armored vehicles toward Ukraine’s major cities, accompanied by missile strikes and airborne assaults. Russia was surprised by the scale and determination of Ukrainian resistance, which also exposed the vulnerability of armored vehicles to new weapons systems. Though Russia swiftly occupied large swaths of Ukrainian territory, the Russian army had to withdraw from northern Ukraine in early April 2022 due to heavy losses and logistical failures; in November 2022, Russia had to withdraw from territory occupied west of the Dnipro (Dnieper) River for the same reason.

The momentum and character of the war have changed many times since the initial invasion, with Ukraine deploying advanced weaponry from Western countries and their own drones, while Russia has tried to counter these developments and has used missiles, drones, artillery, glide bombs, mines, chemical weapons, conscription, and suicidal attacks to maintain pressure on Ukraine. Both sides have suffered tremendous losses, though Russia’s have been disproportionately larger. With greater U.S. support, Ukraine could have already won the war, and in fact could have turned back the initial Russian invasion in 2014. However, successive American administrations have only offered enough support to keep Ukraine from losing the war, rather than providing the support needed to win a decisive victory and overthrow the Putin regime. At present, Russia is running low on resources and is weaker than is commonly believed, but is trying to maintain pressure and project strength.

At the time of the publication of this post, just before the accession of Donald Trump, it can be said that the conflict is about to change dramatically. While President Zelensky of Ukraine and his advisors are skillfully seeking to win the continued support of the United States during the upcoming Trump administration, in fact Trump and many of his supporters (including J. D. Vance) have been largely pro-Russia (pro-Putin) in their rhetoric. Trump’s pro-Russia stance is rooted in his American nationalism and his penchant for authoritarianism, though his position is not just principled but also personal, as a reaction to Democratic opposition to Russia for Russia’s support of Trump in 2016. Trump no longer sees America as the defender of the free world, and in fact seems to admire the brutality and authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin. Trump believes that national interests should take precedence over international law and the rights of other peoples, and therefore he regards it as “smart” to forcibly seize strategically important countries and territories, even at the cost of hundreds of thousands of human lives. Some American conservatives welcome Russian expansionism, as they oppose European progressivism and view Russia as representing similar right-wing values. Of course, most of these conservatives are quite ignorant of the true character of the Russian regime and the superficiality of its state church. The attitude of the American public toward Russia has also changed significantly since the end of the Cold War; most Americans no longer feel threatened by Russia and do not feel the need to protect other countries from Russian expansionism. Indeed, most Americans would strongly oppose American participation in a major war to defend Europe or Africa from a Russian attack. Trump and many Americans view NATO as an alliance that solely benefits Europe at the cost of the United States, and they do not think Europe is worth defending.

Ukraine is reliant on support from the United States to sustain its war efforts; without American support it is likely that Russia will eventually take all of Ukraine, if Ukraine cannot produce or acquire nuclear weapons. If a country as large and powerful as Ukraine falls to Russia, smaller or more isolated countries will have no chance—Moldova, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, to name a few. Russia will certainly need time to rebuild and modernize its forces after the war, and to recover economically and socially, but with the lifting of U.S. sanctions Russia may be able to make significant strides quickly. As for where Russia may seek to expand next, after the collapse of the Assad regime Russia has shifted military assets to Libya and Sudan, and Russian forces are also heavily involved in conflicts elsewhere in Africa, with the goal of controlling most or all of Africa (outside of Egypt) through Russian-backed regimes. With the African continent’s vast resources and the population of Africa projected to reach 25 percent of the world’s population by 2050, Russian control of Africa would have significant geopolitical implications.

Ezekiel 38–39

Ezekiel 38–39 prophesies the invasion of the land of Israel, along with the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and Kuwait (Ezek 38:13), by the well-equipped armies of a large coalition of countries led by “Gog from the land of Magog.” This is one of the best-known prophecies in the Bible, and many Christians have long identified Gog as Russia. Given the fact that we are currently living in the end times, as shown by the reestablishment of the state of Israel and the rise of Babylon the Great, this identification seems virtually certain. (See the discussion below.)

Ezekiel 38–39 is a lengthy passage, and deserving of a more detailed exposition than what can be achieved in the present article. One of the key interpretive issues is the time when this prophesied invasion will take place (see the comments in my Interpretive Guide to the Major Prophets for other views). Through an analysis of Ezekiel 38–39 and a comparison with other prophetic passages, it is clear that the invasion takes place at the midpoint of the tribulation period, at the conclusion of the sixth trumpet judgment that is described in Revelation 9:13-21. The sixth trumpet judgment is a major war in which a fully mechanized army of 200 million originating in the east (East/Southeast/South Asia) launches a massive invasion of Russia and countries allied with Russia, after which the Russian coalition responds with a powerful counterattack. During this war, which likely lasts between six months and a year, a full third of mankind is killed (Rev 9:18). This can only mean that Russia and its allies will brutally slaughter billions of civilians in the population centers of Asia. At the same time, the Asian countries will respond by massacring the civilian populations of the Russian-allied territories they are able to attack. When both sides decide that the war is too costly, a truce is agreed, and the armies led by Russia withdraw from Asia. On their way back, as the armies of Russia and its allies pass through Iran, rather than taking the highways north toward Russia they make a sudden detour into the Middle East in order to loot the prosperous but now-undefended countries of the Arabian Peninsula as well as Israel. Since the antichrist is treaty-bound to protect Israel (Dan 9:27), this invasion is described in Daniel 11:40 as an attack on the antichrist, though the antichrist reneges on his treaty obligations by refusing to protect Israel. Yahweh then shows Himself to be Israel’s true God and Savior by raining down fire from heaven on the invaders while they are in the land of Israel. The Jewish people respond by believing in Jesus as their Messiah and rejecting the antichrist and the false prophet (Ezek 39:22, 28-29). The antichrist responds by invading Israel, setting up the abomination of desolation in the temple, and savagely persecuting the Jewish people. He proceeds to invade the African countries in Russia’s coalition, since Russia is too weakened to protect them (Dan 11:40-43).

It is clear from Ezekiel 38–39 that Russia will become a great world power once again, and that it will build a strong alliance that is capable of fighting effectively against the China-India alliance, as well as posing a substantial threat to Europe. As for the countries named in Ezekiel 38:2-6, “Gog” is the largest and most powerful country in the coalition, and therefore must be Russia. Gog is also described as a country at the northernmost extremity of the Eurasian landmass (Ezek 38:15; 39:2), which also corresponds to Russia. “North” in the prophecy means “north of Israel,” and Moscow is almost exactly due north of Jerusalem; there is no other country north of Israel that could be considered a superpower. “The land of Magog” (Ezek 38:2) appears to be a reference to territory of Russian-speaking or Russian-influenced peoples. The word “Magog” is related to the word “Gog,” and its prophetic reference may be “Russians” or “Russian-speakers.” Thus, “Gog, from the land of Magog” likely means “Russia, from the region of Russian-speakers,” which indicates that Gog has cultural control over an area much more extensive than its own borders. (It is generally agreed that in Ezekiel’s day “Gog” and “Magog” referred to peoples or regions to the north of Israel, though their exact identities are disputed. However, Ezekiel is prophesying of a day in the far future, so these ancient names really stand as fillers for the names of eschatological entities which will exist in the general vicinity or direction of the earlier entities, or which will consist of their descendants.)

“Rosh,” which appears in some English Bible versions in Ezekiel 38:2-3 and 39:1, is likely a mistranslation. This word (רֹאשׁ) occurs nearly 600 times in the Old Testament and means “head” or “chief.” A nation called “Rosh” is not mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament, which makes a reference to it in Ezekiel 38–39 dubious. Also, the other nations named in Ezekiel 38:2-3 are mentioned in the table of nations (Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5), but Rosh is not. Certainly “Rosh” is not a reference to Russia—Russia is to be identified with Gog, which is the strongest nation of the invading coalition.

Meshech and Tubal (Ezek 38:3) are powerful countries that are closely aligned with Russia. In Ezekiel’s day these countries were located in the mountainous region to the southeast of the Black Sea, but also represented the northern extremity of the world then known. As prophetic entities, they may refer collectively to the Caucasian states (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and possibly Abkhazia and South Ossetia) and the Central Asian Republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan).

Persia, Cush, and Put (Ezek 38:5) correspond to Iran, Sudan, and Libya, respectively, which are countries in which Russia currently has heavy involvement. Cush and Put were the most distant African countries known in Israel or Babylon in the sixth century BC, so they could actually stand for most of the African continent. Since Daniel 11:40 mentions “the king (kingdom/coalition) of the south” as allied with “the king (kingdom/coalition) of the north” in the invasion of Israel at the midpoint of the tribulation period, it appears that Russia will subjugate much of the African continent, with the exception of Egypt (assuming that Egypt is not included with Cush in Ezekiel 38:5). Possibly Egypt will demilitarize with international treaty protection, or possibly Egypt will continue to possess the most powerful military in Africa and so will be able to resist Russian control. It is possible, but less likely, that “Persia” also stands for lands beyond itself, specifically Pakistan and/or Afghanistan.

Gomer and Beth-togarmah (Ezek 38:6) are currently the two most ambiguous references in the prophecy. Possibilities include Turkey, Ukraine, and Belarus. Gomer can be identified with the ancient Cimmerian people on the north shore of the Black Sea, though by Ezekiel’s day the Cimmerians were in Asia Minor (western Turkey). If Russia annexes Ukraine, perhaps Gomer is Turkey and Beth-togarmah “in the far reaches of the north” is Belarus. Alternatively, Ukraine could be Beth-togarmah. The role of Turkey in the tribulation period is unclear, but Turkey is likely part of the coalition led by Russia, rather than the antichrist’s European coalition.

Thus, it is clear from Ezekiel 38:2-6 that Russia will eventually control a large coalition of countries from the former USSR, parts of the Middle East, and Africa. This coalition is already taking shape through Russia’s war in Ukraine and its aggressive foreign policy elsewhere, though the militaries of Russia and its allies are far from being the fearsome force that they will become by the time of the tribulation period. The population of Russia and its allies will also likely greatly increase before the tribulation period, so that the hosts of Gog and the “many peoples” with it will come upon Israel “like a cloud to cover the land” (Ezek 38:9).

How prophecy is being fulfilled

The invasion described in Ezekiel 38–39 will not take place until the midpoint of the tribulation period, which is some distance in the future. However, present events are setting the stage for what will happen during the tribulation period. In the time leading up to the tribulation period, Russia will become the leader of a large and powerful coalition of antisemitic Eurasian and African countries whose expansion is checked in the west by the European Union or its successor body, in the east by China and India, and in the Americas by the United States. The central part of the Middle East will become a partly demilitarized zone whose security is guaranteed by international agreements.

The election of Donald Trump is highly relevant to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38–39. First and foremost, with the outcome of the war hanging in the balance, Trump is likely to curtail or end support for Ukraine and enable Russia to win the war and continue its imperialistic campaign of conquest. Alternatively, Trump may force Ukraine into a peace agreement that is favorable to Russia, that will eventually force Ukraine back into Russia’s orbit and away from Europe. Trump’s view of NATO is similar to Putin’s; he is likely to pull out of NATO and may even invade Greenland, which is a territory of a NATO country and is much larger in land area than Ukraine. All of this will generate deep resentment between Europe and the United States, eventually leading to the destruction of the United States by the European Union or its successor body (Rev 17:16).

Trump also intends to negotiate a comprehensive Middle East peace that will eventually lead to Israeli disarmament (Ezek 38:8, 11), rendering the Middle East defenseless when Russia attacks it.

Trump appears to view Africa as a continent of little value, and will likely enable Russia’s ongoing attempts to bring the African continent under its sway. Trump may also view Russia as a useful counterweight to Chinese imperialism in Africa. Most African countries lack powerful militaries and do not have their security guaranteed by an alliance with a great power, leaving them vulnerable to Russian-backed militias, strongmen, and insurgencies.

Russia’s campaign of conquest is already touching off parallel campaigns of alliance-building, starting with Sweden and Finland joining NATO and Moldova and Ukraine seeking membership in the EU and NATO. If the United States and Turkey (and possibly Canada, which Trump wants to annex) withdraw from NATO, it is likely that NATO would merge with the EU and become a joint European defense force. Additionally, with Russia behaving very aggressively toward the Baltic states and other smaller countries on its border, European countries may consolidate into the ten political entities which become the ten component parts of the antichrist’s kingdom, as larger countries can present a stronger deterrant to attack than smaller ones (Dan 7:7-8, 24; Rev 12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 9-14).

It is clear from prophetic passages that the antichrist’s Europe is at odds with the Russian-led coalition at the time of the tribulation period (Dan 11:40, 44). Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, his threats against Europe, Russian espionage, and European sanctions are driving a wedge between Europe and Russia, forcing Europe to strongly defend its border with Russia and to treat Russia as a hostile adversary.

Though China is currently a wary ally of Russia, the competing nationalistic ideologies of these two great powers will ultimately conflict, as they already are in North Korea. Russia’s campaign of conquest will likely infuriate China, which is competing with Russia for power and influence in the world. When Russia takes control (via proxies) of countries in Africa where China has made heavy investments, this is likely to drive a permanent wedge between Russia and China. The countries of Asia will also realize that they need to band together to protect themselves from Russian aggression and expansion, and some countries could be coerced into an alliance with China. This will eventually lead to the devastating war of the sixth trumpet judgment, in which a third of the world’s population is killed.

Another effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a great increase in military spending worldwide. Russia has transformed itself into a militarized state with a war economy, and the scale of the war in Ukraine has shown that most other countries lack the industry and munitions storage to sustain an all-out war for long. In addition, new weapons systems are rendering old ones obsolete. An arms race will ensue (and has already begun) that is financed by an unparalleled worldwide economic boom and unparalleled technological advancements, with the result that during the tribulation period the world will experience the most devastating wars in all of human history.

Conclusion and response

Russia has already begun the military buildup and campaign of conquest that will result in the large coalition of countries whose armies invade the land of Israel at the midpoint of the tribulation period (Ezekiel 38–39). While this campaign of conquest is extremely destructive and demonically motivated, Christians can nevertheless be encouraged by the fulfillment of prophecy, which shows that God is in complete control, and His plan is driving toward a conclusion—the second coming of Christ. The fulfillment of prophecy also gives believers assurance that the Bible is the Word of God and is worthy of our complete confidence. Also, the way in which events line up with a literal interpretation of prophecy shows that the literal hermeneutic is the correct way to interpret the Bible—the literal meaning is not an allegory meant to teach spiritual principles. As the world in which we live looks more and more like the world described in prophecies of the tribulation period, we can have confidence that the return of Christ is drawing nearer (the second coming will be preceded by the rapture, which occurs seven years earlier).

Some evangelical Christians are pro-Russia, and may view the prophecies of Russia’s expansion as an indicator of God’s blessing on Russia. In fact, however, the Bible also prophesies the rise of the antichrist and his empire, and God has historically raised up wicked rulers such as Nebuchadnezzar and the Pharaoh of the exodus in order to serve a greater purpose or to bring judgment. The fact that Russia is prophesied to greatly expand its military power and political influence does not mean that Russia is doing what is right, or that Russia will be a safe haven for born-again Christians. In fact, the spiritual evaluations of Russia in Ezekiel 38–39 are entirely negative. God is “against” Gog (Ezek 38:3; 39:1) and He will destroy the armies of Gog in His fury, because Gog is “against” God’s people Israel (Ezek 38:12-22). Even apart from that passage, it should be obvious to any Christian who views the reports of the atrocities that the Russian regime commits on a daily basis—both against Ukrainians and against the Russian people themselves—that the Russian regime is wicked and is driven/deluded by a strong Satanic influence. No one should make the mistake of thinking that the Russian government is righteous, or that it is fighting for the cause of Christ, simply because some of Putin’s political viewpoints align with right-wing political viewpoints in the United States and Europe. The book of Revelation describes two times in which major wars were provoked by demons (Rev 9:14-15; 16:13-14; cf. 1 Kgs 22:19-23; 2 Chr 18:18-22; Rev 20:7-10), and Vladimir Putin appears to have launched the invasion of Ukraine under the influence of demons on his mind, deluding him into thinking that victory would come quickly and easily. The way in which Russia continues to throw men and matériel headlong into Ukrainian lines also appears to reflect a destructive Satanic impulse and an irrational compulsion to win the war at all costs.

Aside from these general applications, Christians should also have a biblical understanding of how events in the world will unfold going forward, in order to plan for the changes that will occur. Christians in countries of the former Soviet Union and Africa should be aware that Russia will come to dominate most of the former Soviet Union (with the likely exception of the Baltic states) and large parts of the African continent and may seek to overthrow the governments of non-aligned countries. When and how this will happen and the exact boundaries of the future Russian alliance is not stated in Ezekiel 38; it is not yet known, for example, whether all of Ukraine will fall to Russia or whether part of it might be preserved and integrated into the European Union. Nor is it yet known whether there will be a ceasefire in the current war or whether the fighting will continue unabated. Also, geopolitical events tend to have ups and downs, so it is possible that Russia’s campaign of conquest will include a mixture of failures and successes rather than a straight run of victories. Finally, it is not known to what extent Russia will control the internal policies of the countries in its confederation with regard to evangelical Christianity.

Looking at the larger picture, it is apparent that most countries in the world depend on the goodwill of superpowers to maintain their sovereignty and independence. Increasingly, the superpowers appear inclined to meddle in other countries’ internal affairs and even to disregard the UN Charter by launching invasions of other countries. While Russia is currently the only major power in the world that is using military force to conquer other countries, it should be recognized that the world’s other major powers have imperialistic ambitions. China wants to conquer Taiwan and pull all the countries of Asia into its orbit, while expelling the United States from the region. Europe wants to make other countries adopt its political and economic system and moral values—an effort that will culminate in the antichrist’s demand that the whole world worship him as a god. The left wing in the United States is antichristian and wants to “cancel,” punish, and destroy all who oppose their radical LGBTQ+ agenda. The incoming president, Donald Trump, though center-right, is authoritarian and aggressively nationalistic. While he wishes to avoid major wars due to their financial cost, he is not averse to military operations against smaller countries and also wants to set up the world’s economic and financial system to further enrich the United States. At the start of the tribulation period, there will be four major superpowers/alliances—the United States (Babylon the Great, Dan 11:39; Rev 17:1–19:4), the European Union (the ten horns of the beast/latter-day form of the Roman Empire, Dan 7:7-8, 23-24), the Russian-led confederation (the king of the north + the king of the south, Ezek 38:1-6; Dan 11:40, 43-44), and the Asian confederation (the kings of the east, Dan 11:44; Rev 9:13-16; 16:12), presumably led by China and India. All four of these superpowers/alliances are given a very negative spiritual evaluation in prophecy. The central part of the Middle East appears to be a neutral region which lies between the great powers (Ezek 38:10-13; Dan 11:41-42), and so may be the place in the world where countries have the greatest degree of sovereignty and independence.

While governments in Europe and (currently) the United States are right to oppose Russia’s invasion as a clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, Western countries do not represent the cause of righteousness in a more general sense. At the start of the tribulation period, it appears that nearly the entire world is very wicked and very hostile to evangelical Christianity. Currently evangelical Christians in Russia experience a degree of persecution but the majority of evangelical churches still operate openly and legally. However, life under the rule of a brutal, repressive regime is unpredictable; unsuspecting, innocent people can be conscripted, jailed, or executed at any time. Nationalistic governments and autocratic rulers demand absolute loyalty to the state, which inevitably conflicts with Bible-believing Christians’ absolute loyalty to God.

As a concluding application, Christians should remember that our warfare is not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12), and Christ’s kingdom does not arise from the kingdoms of this world (John 18:36). While Christians in Ukraine and other countries that are attacked by Russia certainly have the right to defend their countries and fight for their freedom, they should not make the mistake of thinking that they will prevail simply because their cause is just; evil and injustice will increasingly prevail in the world until the second coming of Christ. In general, the church should direct its energies toward proclaiming the gospel and the truth of God’s Word, rather than attempting to transform governments and countries through politics and warfare. It is inevitable that Russia’s imperialistic expansion will continue for awhile, within limits; yet this expansion should not be viewed as a positive development, for it is a violent expansion of a regime of violence and lies, whose god is itself.

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