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Is Russia on the Brink of Nuclear War?
By Author Eli Kittim
Who or What is Gog?
Joseph Stalin——the Soviet Union’s longest serving ruler from 1927 until 1953 (for nearly 3 decades)——was born in Gori, Georgia. Curiously enough, in both English and Russian, the initials of Gori, Georgia would be Gog or ΓοΓ (i.e. Гори, Грузия). If the Bible wanted to symbolize the terror of Communism in the 20th century, as well as the final empire on earth, what better way to do so than by pointing to its cruelest and most infamous leader, who was born in the land of Gog and Magog.
In the Bible, Γώγ or Gog symbolically represents the final leader of the last superpower on earth. The last-days prophecy of Ezekiel 38.1-2 (LXX) reads:
ΚΑΙ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με λέγων·
υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, στήρισον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου
ἐπὶ Γὼγ καὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ Μαγώγ, ἄρχοντα
Ῥώς, Μοσὸχ καὶ Θοβέλ, καὶ προφήτευσον
ἐπ’ αὐτὸν.
Translation (NKJV):
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land
of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and
Tubal, and prophesy against him.
The term Γώγ might actually be an abridged version of the word Γεωργία (Georgia), the country that has a northern border with Russia and was once part of the Soviet Union. Based on both linguistic and historical studies, the rest of the names indicate a Russian connection: prince of Ρώς (Gk. Ρωσία/Russia), Μοσόχ (Gk. Μόσχα/Moscow) and Θοβέλ (Tobolsk). In his book The Footsteps of the Messiah (p. 70), the biblical scholar Arnold Fruchtenbaum provides a supplementary elaboration of Ezekiel 38:
The identification of Magog, Rosh,
Meshech, and Tubal is to be determined
from the fact that these tribes of the
ancient world occupied the areas of modern
day Russia. Magog, Meshech and Tubal
were between the Black and Caspian Seas
which today is southern Russia. The tribes
of Meshech and Tubal later gave names to
cities that today bear the names of
Moscow, the capital, and Tobolsk, a major
city in the Urals in Siberia. Rosh was in what
is now northern Russia. The name Rosh is
the basis for the modern name Russia.
Similarly, according to Wikipedia:
Josephus refers to Magog son of Japheth
as progenitor of Scythians, or peoples north
of the Black Sea [Josephus, Antiquities of
the Jews, Book I, Chapter 6]. According to
him, the Greeks called Scythia Magogia.
The Scythians were a group of nomadic warriors who lived in what is now southern Russia. More importantly, the Bible seems to point to Russia as the birthplace of the last-days Antichrist (see e.g. Ezekiel 38). In order to understand the historical reasons for tying the Ezekiel 38 narrative to Russia, see “The Magog Identity” article by Chuck Missler: https://www.khouse.org/articles/2002/427/print/
The Septuagint Conflates the Biblical References to Gog and Agag
In Numbers 24.7 of the Septuagint, Agag is called Gog (Γώγ), and the LSV translation of the Bible uses the two titles interchangeably in Numbers 24.7 (cf. Amos 7.1 LXX; Rev. 9.3, 7-12):
He makes water flow from his buckets,
‘And his seed [is] in many waters; And his
King [is] higher than Gog [or Agag],’
And his kingdom is exalted.
Here’s the Septuagint version of Numbers 24.7:
ἐξελεύσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος
αὐτοῦ καὶ κυριεύσει ἐθνῶν πολλῶν, καὶ
ὑψωθήσεται ἢ Γὼγ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ, καὶ
αὐξηθήσεται βασιλεία αὐτοῦ.
In Hebrew, the pronunciation of Agag is Ag-awg, similar to that of Gog (gawg). Some scholars think that Agag represented a dynastic name for the kings of Amalek, much like the title Pharaoh that was used for the Egyptian kings. Interestingly enough, according to scholars, the root of the word Georgia (Γεωργία), which, as mentioned earlier, may represent the biblical Gog (Γώγ), is the Persian word gurğ (“wolf”), a possible cognate of Agag. One of Agag’s descendants is Haman the Agagite (Esther 3.1), whose cruel plot against the Jews can only be matched by those of Hitler and Stalin. Thus, the name Agag (or, alternatively, “Gog”) has become synonymous with antisemitism and with evil! It seems, then, that the titles Gog and Agag are interchangeable.
Old & New Testament Prophecies About the Same Cataclysmic Event
Even though in Ezekiel 38 the term Gog is an appellation of rank and status, notice that in Revelation 20.8 Gog and Magog (Γώγ και Μαγώγ) are references to nations (ἔθνη), not titles:
καὶ ἐξελεύσεται πλανῆσαι τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐν
ταῖς τέσσαρσι γωνίαις τῆς γῆς, τὸν Γὼγ καὶ
Μαγώγ, συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν
πόλεμον, ὧν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν ὡς ἡ ἄμμος
τῆς θαλάσσης.
Translation (NRSV):
and will come out to deceive the nations at
the four corners of the earth, Gog and
Magog, in order to gather them for battle;
they are as numerous as the sands of the
sea.
And the next verse (Rev. 20.9) is seemingly talking about the exact same event that Luke 21, Zechariah 14, and Ezekiel 38 are describing, namely, “Jerusalem [being] surrounded by armies” (Lk 21.20), or a gathering of “all the nations against Jerusalem to battle” (Zech. 14.2; cf. Ezek. 38.16):
καὶ ἀνέβησαν ἐπὶ τὸ πλάτος τῆς γῆς, καὶ
ἐκύκλευσαν τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῶν ἁγίων καὶ
τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἠγαπημένην. καὶ κατέβη πῦρ
ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ⸃ καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτούς ·
Translation:
They marched up over the breadth of the
earth and surrounded the camp of the
saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem].
And fire came down from heaven and
consumed them.
This so-called “fire” may refer to a nuclear blast that causes the desolation of Jerusalem (cf. Ezek. 38.19-20; 39.6, 8; Dan. 11.31; 12.11; Zech. 14.11; Mt. 24.15-22).
Notice that the exact same word that is used in Revelation 20.9 to refer to the armies of Gog and Magog that “surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem],” namely, the word ἐκύκλευσαν (derived from the word κυκλόω, meaning to encircle, besiege, or surround), is also used in Luke 21.20 (κυκλουμένην) to describe “Jerusalem surrounded by armies.”
This is presumably the same event prophesied by Jeremiah the prophet (10.22):
Hear, a noise! Listen, it is coming— a great
commotion from the land of the north to
make the cities of Judah a desolation.
For a detailed study on the nuclear implications of the phrase, “the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place” (Mt. 24.15), see my article “What is the Abomination of Desolation?”: https://eli-kittim.tumblr.com/post/651654379241406464/what-is-the-abomination-of-desolation
If experts claim that it wouldn’t be difficult for terrorists to build and detonate an improvised nuclear device, how much easier would it be for an invading army to do likewise?
According to Wiki:
Since 1947, the Doomsday Clock of the
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has
visualized how close the world is to a
nuclear war. As of 2021, the current time to
'midnight,' (midnight representing nuclear
war,) is 100 seconds.
See the following article: “Are we on the brink of nuclear war? Un researcher says yes”: https://www.google.com/amp/s/sofrep.com/amp/news/are-we-on-the-brink-of-nuclear-war-un-researcher-says-yes/
The Septuagint’s Clue to the Identity of Gog of Magog
By Bible Researcher Eli Kittim
The Hebrew Bible
כֹּ֤ה הִרְאַ֙נִי֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה וְהִנֵּה֙ יוֹצֵ֣ר גֹּבַ֔י בִּתְחִלַּ֖ת עֲל֣וֹת הַלָּ֑קֶשׁ
וְהִ֨נֵּה־ לֶ֔קֶשׁ אַחַ֖ר גִּזֵּ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
In the Masoretic Text, the Book of Amos, chapter 7 and verse 1, mentions ham·me·leḵ (the King). It also employs the term gō·ḇay, which means “grasshoppers” or “locusts.”
But let’s not forget that the Masoretic text arrived late on the scene. It began to circulate between the 7th and 10th centuries CE. In fact, the oldest, complete copy is the Leningrad Codex, which dates from the 11th century CE. And we also know that there was not one version but several. This can clearly be shown in the Jewish theological writings of the Talmud and the Mishnah where different versions are being adduced (see the textual history of the Hebrew Bible explained by Drs. Emanuel Tov & Michael S. Heiser).
The Septuagint
By contrast, the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, was translated between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE. So, it’s a much older text than the Masoretic. Not surprisingly, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date back to roughly 200 BCE, corroborate the accuracy of the Septuagint’s translation!
When comparing the Masoretic text with that of the Septuagint (aka LXX), we know from Deuteronomy 32.8, for example, that the LXX has the correct reading (sons of God) as opposed to the Masoretic text which has (sons of Israel), a late theological redaction. We can demonstrate the correct reading by comparing these texts to the older Dead Sea Scrolls, which corroborate the LXX version. The point is that the LXX is a lot older than the Masoretic and we need to pay closer attention to this text!
The Prophetic Book of Amos in the LXX
Amos 7.1 (LXX English translation by L.C.L. Brenton) reads:
ΟΥΤΩΣ ἔδειξέ μοι Κύριος ὁ Θεός, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπιγονὴ ἀκρίδων ἐρχομένη ἑωθινή, καὶ ἰδοὺ βροῦχος εἷς Γὼγ ὁ βασιλεύς.
Translation:
Thus has the Lord God shewed me; and, behold, a swarm of locusts coming from the east; and, behold, one caterpillar, king Gog.
So, the LXX gives us an insight into Bible prophecy and eschatology. The name Γὼγ (Gog) is also referenced in Ezekiel 38.2 ff. (LXX):
υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, στήρισον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου
ἐπὶ Γὼγ καὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ Μαγώγ, ἄρχοντα
Ῥώς, Μοσὸχ καὶ Θοβέλ, καὶ προφήτευσον
ἐπ’ αὐτὸν.
Translation:
Son of man, set thy face against Gog, and
the land of Magog, Rhos, prince of Mesoch
and Thobel, and prophesy against him.
As I’ve mentioned in previous publications, the LXX translates the term “Rosh” (Ezek. 38:2) with the Greek word Ρως, which stands for Ρωσία (the Greek word for Russia). Furthermore, the LXX’s Μοσόχ seems to be a close approximation to the modern-day term Μόσχα (the Greek word for Moscow, the capital and largest city of Russia). The earlier Ezekiel quotation referred to “the land of Magog.” In ancient times, it comprised the lands where the Scythians once lived, and thus represents contemporary Russia. Wikipedia confirms that this view was held by some credible historians of antiquity:
Jewish historian Josephus knew them as
the nation descended from Magog the
Japhetite, as in Genesis, and explained
them to be the Scythians.
Today, most Bible Prophecy scholars identify Magog as a reference to modern day Russia! Moreover, Amos corroborates Gog’s location as “coming from the east” (7.1 LXX).
(For further evidence, see “The Magog Identity” by Bible-prophecy expert Chuck Missler: https://www.khouse.org/articles/2002/427/print/).
The Gog of Amos (LXX)
The prophet’s use of the name Γὼγ (Gog) in the LXX suggests that Amos 7 may be a dual fulfilment of prophecy, that is, it may have both a short-term (prophecy of the northern kingdom of Israel) and a long-term fulfilment (prophecy of the end-times invasion of Israel). Similarly, Ezekiel 38 names a confederacy of nations that will invade many countries, including Israel, in the last days. According to Ezekiel 38 (LXX), the leader of that powerful coalition will be Γὼγ (Gog), the leader of Ῥώς (Gk. Ρωσία = Russia) and Μοσὸχ (Gk. Μόσχα = Moscow). If that’s the case, then Amos’ Gog would suggest that certain Biblical references to “locusts” and “grasshoppers” might have some relevance to Ezekiel 38 and the battle of Gog and Magog (cf. e.g. 1 Kings 8.37; Psalm 105.34; Isaiah 33.4; Joel 1.4; 2.25; Nahum 3.15).
Gog: The King of the Locusts
If Gog (Γὼγ) is the king of the locusts, according to Amos 7.1 (LXX), then the 5th trumpet of Revelation 9, which talks extensively about an invasion of locusts, may be about Gog of the land of Magog. In other words, Amos 7.1 (LXX) would suggest that the king of the locusts in Revelation 9.11 may represent the Russian Gog (Γὼγ) of Ezekiel 38. Perhaps the famous saying in Proverbs 30.27 (ESV) means that the king of the locusts is not a mere mortal:
the locusts have no king, yet all of them
march in rank.
Similarly, in Revelation 9, the king of the locusts is likened to “a star that had fallen from heaven” and who holds “the key to the … bottomless pit.” Later on in the chapter, he’s identified as the king of the locusts, “the angel of the bottomless pit,” whose “name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek … Apollyon,” meaning “destroyer” (i.e. Antichrist)! Revelation 9.1-11 (NRSV) reads as follows:
And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I
saw a star that had fallen from heaven to
earth, and he was given the key to the shaft
of the bottomless pit; he opened the shaft
of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft
rose smoke like the smoke of a great
furnace, and the sun and the air were
darkened with the smoke from the shaft.
Then from the smoke came locusts on the
earth, and they were given authority like the
authority of scorpions of the earth. They
were told not to damage the grass of the
earth or any green growth or any tree, but
only those people who do not have the seal
of God on their foreheads. They were
allowed to torture them for five months, but
not to kill them, and their torture was like
the torture of a scorpion when it stings
someone. And in those days people will
seek death but will not find it; they will long
to die, but death will flee from them. In
appearance the locusts were like horses
equipped for battle. On their heads were
what looked like crowns of gold; their faces
were like human faces, their hair like
women's hair, and their teeth like lions'
teeth; they had scales like iron breastplates,
and the noise of their wings was like the
noise of many chariots with horses rushing
into battle. They have tails like scorpions,
with stingers, and in their tails is their power
to harm people for five months. They have
as king over them the angel of the
bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is
Abaddon, and in Greek he is called
Apollyon.
Conclusion
Thus, if we read the Bible in canonical context and according to the principle of expositional constancy, we will come to realize that both the linguistic and symbolic elements of Scripture with regard to Gog, the king of the locusts, refer not only to the Russian Gog of Magog in Ezekiel 38 but also to the king of the locusts in Revelation 9.11, namely, “the angel of the bottomless pit,” whose “name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek … Apollyon,” meaning “destroyer” or *Antichrist*!
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(P.S. I’d like to offer a supplementary observation of Revelation 9.9-10. The aforementioned images of “iron breastplates” with noisy “wings” and “tails like scorpions” would certainly suggest some type of modern aerial warfare)!
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