In this episode, we delve into the complexities of Biblical prophecy concerning Russia and its role as outlined in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. We explore the potential invasion of Israel by a coalition led by Russia accompanied by other Islamic nations. These prophecies are juxtaposed with the narrative found in Revelation chapter 20 where the millennial reign and final battle of Gog and Magog occur. Drawing connections between ancient texts and modern geopolitical landscapes, the discussion also addresses the evolving interpretations among theologians about the fate of these nations in our contemporary world.
over and over again in this century especially, Russia has become a key discussion in Bible prophecy. When the Soviet Union collapsed, turned to the Commonwealth of Independent States, it was interesting to me to see how quickly everybody changed their views. But have you become a little concerned with what has happened in Russia? I think myself, the battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39, the invasion of perhaps Russia and an Islamic coalition of nations into the Middle East to especially attack Israel, I think could happen within this year.
SPEAKER 01 :
Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 speak of an invasion, a coalition of powers moving against Israel. And as the global climate turns more volatile, people wonder, could it happen soon? Maybe, but Revelation 20 verses 1 through 10 lifts our eyes beyond the shake of governments to the moment when the Messiah takes his throne. This is hope for today. And in today’s lesson, David Hawking takes us deeper into its inevitable reality with day three of the millennial reign. And we’ll be back in Revelation chapter 20 in just a moment. First, I want to let you know about a free resource we have for you. It’s called Your Quest for God. This is written by our ministry friend, Richard A. Bennett, and Your Quest for God is a free, downloadable, 139-page book available in multiple languages. This is wonderful because it clearly presents how you can know God more personally and grow in your walk with him. Your Quest for God is our free gift to you. Just click on it, download it, you got it, and you can share it with as many folks as you like at no cost. Again, visit davidhawking.org right there on the homepage to download your copy of Your Quest for God. And here’s David with today’s lesson.
SPEAKER 04 :
Chapter 20, verse 1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up, and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God and who had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog. to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the saints about and the beloved city, and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. In verses 1 to 3, you have the binding of Satan during the thousand-year reign. The binding of Satan. Then in verses 4 to 6, you have the blessings which believers will experience, and especially tribulation believers who suffer for their faith. the blessings which believers will experience. Then in verses 7 to 10, you have one of the strangest passages in the Bible, referring to the battle at the end of the thousand years. Well, let’s come to that battle at the end of the thousand years in verse 7. It is a difficult passage, I admit. It says, when the thousand years are expired or ended, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. Just a short time, if you remember back at verse 3, it says he must be loosed, the last phrase, a little season, just a little while. Right at the end, when a thousand years are over, he’s loosed. Then it says he’ll go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth. And can you believe it? It brings up Gog and Magog, which are discussed in Ezekiel 38 and 39, which most Bible teachers believe has already taken place earlier. And it says, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth, compassed the camp of the saints about. And the beloved city, that would be the new Jerusalem, and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast in the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Let me give you three major things to kind of put the passage together. We have, first of all, the deception of the nations. Now the devil’s been doing it all along. When the battle of Armageddon happens, according to Revelation 16, there will be unclean spirits, demons, that will go out and motivate the kings of the earth to gather themselves together against Israel and against the Lord. He’s going to do it again. He’s going to get them all to come against the Lord, to come against the believers, to come against Jerusalem. He’s going to do it again as he’s loosed. the deception of the nations. But the thing that causes a lot of people questions is why does it mention Gog and Magog? Let’s go back to Ezekiel 38. This is not an easy subject. Chapter 38, are you there in Ezekiel? It says in verse 1, And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshach and Tubal, and prophesy against, what’s the next word? Him. This is where we learn that Gog represents a person. Magog represents the people of the land over which he rules. Now verse 3 says, Thus saith the Lord God, behold, I’m against thee, O Gog, the chief prince. of Meshach and Tubal. Verse 5, Persia, ancient Persia is Iran today. Persia, Ethiopia, which is also Cush, was an area including Sudan and Ethiopia. And Put is an ancient word for Libya. Those three countries at least are going to be with him. Gomer, Some identify it with Germany. The House of Togomar. Some say Turkey. Some say tribes between the Caspian and Black Sea. There’s a lot of arguments. As a matter of fact, I have to tell you this. I thought about giving you all that I found out about this. And I thought, boring. Boring. But seriously, there’s a lot of important historical information, even far back as Josephus, that identifies these people very clearly. And there’s a lot of information we have that seems to indicate that a lot of these people settled in what is known today to be Russia. That is why over and over again in this century especially, Russia has become a key discussion in Bible prophecy. When the Soviet Union collapsed, turned to the Commonwealth of Independent States, it was interesting to me to see how quickly everybody changed their views. A lot of people began to say that Gog could represent Iran or a new Pan-Islamic empire, and there were lots of discussions about it. It could also represent just a northern power like Iraq. There were all kinds of views. We could be back with Russia becoming the dominant force and wanting to invade the Middle East. Can you see that? It can be set up so easily. Do you see its ties with Iran? Iran definitely is the central place of the Pan-Islamic Empire. Nine Soviet republics are Muslim, and nine Soviet presidents of those republics have pledged their allegiance to Iran. Can you not see what is happening? And all with an intense hatred of Israel and Christianity, which is called the great Satan. We live so far away, we sometimes lose our perspective, don’t we? I am not going to back off of this being Russia. I think we have not seen the final end of what this is all about. Now the problem is, when does this thing in Ezekiel 38 and 39 happen? It could happen before the tribulation. It really could. It takes the Jews some seven years to clean up the mess. Some people think it happens right. Maybe it’s the thing that ushers in the rapture. a lot of views. Some say it happens at the middle of the tribulation, and that’s why the Antichrist can now have the dominant rulership of the world, because Russia has been knocked down to a third-rate power in the Pan-Islamic Empire, because God’s going to destroy their troops on the mountains of Israel and the Middle East by a giant earthquake. And they’ll return with their tail between their legs, so to speak, defeated. And this will allow the Antichrist to come to power. So some people say the invasion is in the middle of the tribulation. There are others who say, no, it’s the battle of Armageddon. There are many Bible teachers who notice the phrases are used in Armageddon passages also. So it could be that it’s just a description of some great ruler that starts the whole mess we know as Armageddon. There are many others who believe that the connection with Revelation 20, Gog and Magog at the end of the millennium, that that’s what the whole thing is about, and that’s what Ezekiel 38 and 39 is about. I don’t. I’m simply presenting the views. I believe the mention of Gog and Magog in chapter 20 at the end of the millennium is to remind us of what happened long ago, the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39. And it is being used as a historical type, which is all the way through the Hebrew prophets. Giving us an historical situation that happened previously and then using it as a type of a future event or invasion. That’s what I think is happening here. To say Gog and Magog is reminding them that the primary attack was against Jerusalem. And it does say they come and they attack the beloved city. I think… Myself, the battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39, the invasion of perhaps Russia and an Islamic coalition of nations into the Middle East to especially attack Israel, I think could happen within this year. That’s how fast world events are occurring. I pray it doesn’t, but I believe that prophecy could be fulfilled so quickly it would amaze us. After seeing what happened at the Persian Gulf War, I don’t doubt anything happening very rapidly. And it could be a disastrous thing. I think the passage indicates the United States and Western powers, including Saudi Arabia, are going to be standing aloof from it, not getting involved, and questioning them what they’re doing and not doing anything. I think that is indicated clearly in Ezekiel 38. And I can also see that happening. but we don’t stop it. I don’t know when it’s going to happen. Can you imagine that happening? Yeah, it could happen. I would never have believed when I started in ministry and we were in seminary making jokes about prophecy and when it could come to pass and guesswork and all of that and trying to figure out who the Antichrist is. And, you know, I look back at all that and I think, wow, what has happened? In such a short period of time. It’s incredible. It’s like we’re living there. We’re on the threshold of all of this. Exploding in front of our eyes. Hey, the Lord’s coming. And he is gracious giving all these signs to us. To remind us that it is near. In verse 9 of Revelation 20. speaking of that battle at the end of the thousand years, we have not only the deception of the nations, but the destruction of those rebellious nations, very spectacular and coming from the Lord himself. It says, fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. So much for that rebellion.
SPEAKER 02 :
Okay, we got them now, guys. Let’s go. Let’s wipe them out. We got enough people. Let’s do it.
SPEAKER 04 :
And all of a sudden, God dramatically displays his power and reminds all of us again that he’s been in charge all along. Don’t you ever forget it. Don’t you ever forget it. And then as a final note to kind of put a capstone on this, he discusses the final destiny of Satan. The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. Whenever I see the unbelieving world, sometimes in comic strips, painting the devil with a red suit and horns and a forked tail and a pitchfork and ordering people to shovel coal, I think, boy, have they got the wrong picture. He’s the chief prisoner. He’s not ordering anybody around. As a matter of fact, the devil… fallen angel an anointed cherub in the beginning a blessing to the heart of god the devil whose pride led to his downfall his wickedness and his sin his rebellion through all these years he’s going to be cast into the lake of fire with all unbelievers and he’s going to be tormented day and night forever and ever that’s what the bible says You know, in Matthew 25, 41, it says that hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. I kind of like what one old-time evangelist said, if you go to hell, you’re trespassing. But if you reject Jesus Christ, you deserve to go. The demons, can you imagine all the demons? And people being there, no wonder the Bible says there’s weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. No wonder it calls it outer darkness and where the fire is not quenched and where people are tormented every day, every night, forever and ever. Bible calls it everlasting punishment. Do you think the Bible’s trying to rip you and snow you and kid you on this matter? You’ve got to be kidding. Jesus Christ spoke more about hell than he did about heaven. And he warned people to flee the wrath of God to come. I hope, sir, ma’am, you’re not playing around with this. Or you think it’s the ramblings and wild rantings of some fundamentalist preacher. Let me tell you something. It’s in the Bible. It’s the word of God. The Bible says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Father in heaven, we realize according to the prophecies of your word that we’re living very, very close to the end when all history will be wrapped up and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. and we will rule and reign with him. Lord, I pray for those listening right now who are not really sure of their relationship to God through Christ. Lord, by your Holy Spirit, bring them to bow the knee to Jesus, to proclaim with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. You said if we confess our sins, he’s faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God, help us to be ready. I pray for those in our audience who are not really sure. God, you would cause them right now to turn to Jesus before it’s too late. We thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, one of our strong objectives here at Hope for Today is to proclaim the gospel, to make it so clear that people listening to our broadcast want to know, how do you get born again? How do you get saved, as we often hear it said? Well, folks, the first thing I would recommend is to repent of your sin. Confession of sin is a part of getting right with God. And I don’t know what’s going on in your life, but don’t try to hide. Come clean with the Lord. Secondly, understand that a church, an organization doesn’t save you. Hope for the Day can’t save you. Now, we can tell you how to get saved, but the only one who can save you is our Lord. The Bible says, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by me. The one who paid for your sin and will deliver you from sin, death, and hell is is our Lord Yeshua, our Lord Jesus Christ. And right now might be a good time for you to just open your heart to Him. Lord, I know I’m a sinner, and I need to confess my sin to You and to trust what Your Son has done for me. He’s my Savior. I receive him as my Lord and my King, and thank you for loving me as you do, and I give my heart to you. And I want to see you in heaven.
SPEAKER 01 :
God bless you. Well, this is Hope for Today with David Hocking. And if you just prayed to receive Jesus Christ, or maybe you’d like to know more about what it means to be a Christian according to the Bible, we’d love to bless you with two free gifts. The first is David’s booklet called What is Christianity? And the second is a Bible study that we send out by email. Both of these are perfect for helping you understand what it means to start a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and then grow in your knowledge of Him and what He has for your life. And they’re absolutely free if you’re new to the faith or if you’re not yet a Christian but you’d like to know more. Call 1-800-75-BIBLE and ask for What is Christianity? and the Bible Study by Mail. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada to get yours. And just before David returns with some additional teaching, Matt’s here, Matt Hawking, and together we’re going to share a powerful resource that you’re going to get just in time for Christmas. Matt? John tells us that the infinite And even some who call themselves Christians, Matt, struggle with this. You may have heard a preacher proclaiming that Jesus is a sinner and needs to be saved. Mm-hmm. And your dad in his book, Jesus Christ, The Reason, Matt, he recalls one preacher who claims to be preaching the word of God, stating that Jesus needs to be born again. Jesus. There is a not so subtle undermining in this country and in our Christian culture, Jim, of the basic tenet of the gospel, that Jesus is God and the divinity of Jesus Christ is central to the true meaning of Christmas. Yeah, Emmanuel. Amen. The Hebrew word meaning God with us. God with us. Yeah, God with us. It is most famously a name for Jesus Christ foretold of in the book of Isaiah and fulfilled in the Gospel of Matthew, signifying God’s presence with his people. Well, bring the Christ of Christmas, Emmanuel, the greatest gift of all time, powerfully into your holiday this season with the Hope for Today Christmas Package. Yeah, the Hope for Today Christmas Package includes David’s 87-page booklet, Jesus Christ, the Reason. And it’s a beautiful book just to look at, Matt. Plus, a three-message miniseries also titled Jesus Christ the Reason. And with this package, David’s going to take you into God’s Word to discover afresh the wonder of our Savior, whose birth brought the greatest gift of all time to our lost world. Order the Hope for Today Christmas package for just $20. And prayerfully consider adding a donation. And please do pray for us whenever you hear or remember. Hope for Today. Amen. To get your copy of the 2025 Hope for Today Christmas Package, just call 800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. Or make the purchase when you visit our website, davidhocking.org. You’ll also find other books, audio series, and Bible study resources available right there on the website. And by the way, as we approach the end of the year and prepare for a new one, it is very important— that we hear from you. Your year-end gift helps us continue proclaiming God’s Word clearly, faithfully, and without compromise, reaching people all around the world each day through this broadcast on radio and online. Your support at this time makes a real difference. You can send your year-end gift by letter to Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. That’s in the U.S. Or in Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO 7 Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2SHP1. Or make a contribution by phone at 875-BIBLE in the U.S., 888-75-BIBLE in Canada, and online at davidhawking.org. And here’s David.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thanks for listening today. I have sure enjoyed teaching Revelation, and I enjoy your comments. Your wonderful support and your prayers and your gifts are what keep us on the radio station that you listen to. And of course, you can also go to our website, davidhocking.org, and find the one that you may have missed or you want to hear again. and you’re certainly welcome to that. We’re going to keep going in Revelation, and thanks for your prayers, and we appreciate so much your support. God bless you, and thanks for listening to Hope for Today.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, thank you, David. And tomorrow it’s day one of the great white throne from Revelation chapter 20, verses 11 through 15. Imagine standing alone before the throne of God with the earth and heaven fleeing from his face and the books opened on your life or on my life. Wow. It’s the most sobering scene in prophecy. And it’s where we begin next time, right here on Hope for Today. Hope for Today.
