Many Bible prophecy students of the pre-trib sort have carefully watched Vladimir Putin over the past years. The Russian president’s demeanor, many believe, demonstrates that this man of relatively short stature exhibits and presents a much larger image, in possible prophetic terms.

I’m referring, of course, to the belief by many that the dictator, a former KGB operative, could be the Gog of Ezekiel 38-39. That is, Mr. Putin could be the leader who will be possessed by the Gog spirit or demon who will think the evil thought described by the prophet Ezekiel. –That Putin might be the leader who will lead the Gog-Magog coalition of nations prophesied to invade toward Israel.

While I find this an interesting, even fascinating prospect, I’m not prepared to totally commit to a definite postulation in that regard.

However, thinking on these strange and troubling times during which we are traversing – times of fortified prophetic progression – a term my partner in raptureready.com, Todd Strandberg, has coined, the possibility of Putin filling that prophetic role is certainly worthy of consideration.

The lateness of these closing days of the age, while Russia threatens to invade Ukraine, brings into focus such prophecies by Jesus Himself as the following.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matt 24: 6).

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Lk 21:25).

With Putin bringing more than one hundred thousand troops and military equipment to the borders of Ukraine and his apparently wanting to invade to bring that former Soviet bloc nation again into Russia’s orb, the rumors of war are rampant. This is perhaps the greatest threat of regional and even worldwide war since the fall of the Soviet Union and the close of the cold war.

With the worldwide protests across Europe and the Canadian/American truckers’ massive protests, and with despot-like leaders facing them and not knowing how to handle it all, the nations are in perplexity, and the people are likened to seas and waves roaring.

So, it is more than understandable why many Bible prophecy observers of the times might strongly point to Putin as the Gog-possessed leader of that invading force predicted by Ezekiel. All stage-setting seems almost complete for these things to begin to come to pass.

This American presidential administration has demonstrated weakness in practically every endeavor in terms of dealing with international problems. They have dealt in evil harshness and dogged determination in confronting American patriots – the prime example being the January 6 peaceful protesters who were seduced into a march on the Capitol, etc., and set up by the FBI and others as terrorists, in my humble opinion. But in facing off with Russia and China – the truly great threats against America — this president has been, as the overused word indicates, feckless.

While in SkyWatch TV studios last week doing a number of programs for Pete Garcia’s and my book The Disappearing: Future Events That Will Rock the World, I was asked the question: Do you think Putin will invade Ukraine?

My answer at that time, just this past week, was, “I really don’t think Putin really wants to invade. He has things going his way without invasion.”

My opinion has changed in that short period of time. His bringing more troops and military assets to Ukraine’s borders isn’t the movement of one who is bluffing. The fact that he won’t talk with American officials and barely will talk with this president is indication enough to know that he intends to fully act out the role of the Russian bear. I would now be surprised if he doesn’t invade. This is due to placating him at every turn and threatening only sanctions of the economic sort.

If Putin were to deliberately attack a NATO nation, then there would be confrontation from the western alliance. But Mr. Biden observably hasn’t the nerve—or whatsoever it takes— to unilaterally face down this voracious dictator.

There is increasing talk among some observers that Gog is not Putin or a Russian leader but very possibly the Turkish leader Erdogan (the most likely) or a future Turkish leader and that Magog is Turkey, not Russia.

While we must never rule out possibilities so far as details are concerned, I can’t, after years of studying the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog-Magog matters, conclude that the head of the coalition against Israel will be other than Russia. It looks very much like Vladimir Putin might well be the man who could lead such a coalition. His appetite for conquest is building, and a time might come soon when Israel and its vast oil and gas reserves, a threat to Putin’s desire to be the lone supplier of Europe and other regions, might give him that evil thought that puts hooks in the jaws of Gog.

By placating this ruthless Russian leader, Biden and company just might be fueling the fires of Putin’s appetite for such conquest as Ezekiel ascribes to the one who will be Gog.

God’s prototype nation continues to point the way into prophesied, troubled times. Jesus said it would eventuate in the worst times of all human history (Luke 21: 25). Jeremiah the prophet called it the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).

Just as the Lord’s dealing with His chosen people throughout millennia past, the cause for His dealing in the future with Israel revolves around the same problem: The people have forgotten Him. They depend upon strange gods–upon others—for their protection and salvation.

While Israel’s modern leadership recognizes only military power as central to the nation’s defense, they nonetheless seem to propose miraculous protective measures that almost mimic Old Testament acts of the God they no longer depend upon for their peace and safety.

The following news item is an interesting development in this regard. I think you will agree.

On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that Israel will be fast-tracking the development of a laser defense system that will be used to defend against attacks from Gaza and Hezbollah. The lasers, using an autonomous detection and tracking system, will superheat drones and rockets which the developers claim will catch on fire within a few seconds. The system will supplement the Iron Dome that operates against short-range projectiles with the lasers concentrating on smaller projectiles.

The Defense Ministry said the laser uses a “highly advanced optical targeting system, with tracking capabilities and artificial intelligence” to locate a target “at highly precise levels of accuracy.”

Israel also uses David’s sling-and-arrow systems against long-range ballistic missiles.

“Within a year already the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will bring into action a laser-based interception system, first experimentally, and later operationally, first in the south, then in other places,” he said in a speech at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies. “And this will enable us, as the years advance, to surround Israel with a wall of lasers which will protect us from missiles, rockets, UAVs and other threats.”

The new laser-based system will drastically reduce the cost of defending against the frequent rocket attacks that target Israeli cities…. The Iron Dome systems deployed around Israel to protect its cities cost $50 million per battery and $100,000–150,000 per interception. Hamas fires low-tech missiles that are inexpensive and inaccurate. (“Wall of Lasers; A ‘Biblical Pillar of fire’ that protected Israelites from Egypt” by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, 2/2/22, Biblical News)

The story of the modern “miracle” continues, with one of Israel’s rabbis weighing in.

When he heard of the innovation, Rabbi Aryeh Weingarten was unsurprised.

“Innovations and inventions are simply the mind of Man reflecting the aspect of God that is in nature,” he said. “Bennett’s vision of a ‘wall of lasers’ is a reflection of the Biblical pillar of fire that accompanied the Children of Israel in their Exodus, protecting the Jews from Egyptian arrows.”

The Israel Bible described the pillar in a manner that modern missile defense systems would do well to emulate:

According to Rashi, the pillar of cloud that led the Jewish people in the desert during the day moved behind the camp, and obscured the Egyptians’ vision as they progressed in their bloodthirsty pursuit of the Jewish people. The cloud protected Israel as they fled and absorbed the arrows shot by the Egyptians at the fleeing nation. Today, the soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces are a pillar of defense, shielding Israel from her enemies. May the God of Israel continue to protect His people through His modern-day pillar of defense, just as He did long ago. (Ibid.)

It might be easy to give God glory for protecting His chosen nation in providing this modern warfare capability. However, the nation as a whole–particularly Israeli governmental and military leaderships—has all but replaced the God of their salvation with their own efforts in producing “miracle” weaponry and defense systems. Sadly, the price will yet have to be paid for the nation’s usurpation of the miraculous power of Israel’s God.

The following is a stunning heavenly opinion of this chosen nation when it casts its God to the side.

“And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.

I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men: Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this. For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste” (Deuteronomy 32:20-35).

This condemnation of Israel is what will bring on the Tribulation. God will call the nation back to Himself through great trouble–Jacob’s trouble. But a remnant will turn to their true Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, and God will restore His people and make them the head of all nations in the Millennial Kingdom.

Just imagine, based upon this condemnation of the fifth Book of Moses turned toward God’s chosen people, what awaits the Tribulation-world of earth dwellers, the rebels totally turned against Israel’s God!

You don’t want to be part of that world destined for God’s wrath and judgment. Here, once again, is how to become right with that God, who sent His Son to die for our redemption.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10: 9-10).