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Putin's Vision: A "Eurasian Union,"
The Supremacy of Russia Foretold
October 8, 2011 - Audio, 6.50 MIN
(Links at bottom of page to download free viewers.)
Reuters headline on the Yahoo news website this week was truly remarkable. It read: "Russia's Putin says wants to build Eurasian Union.'" This is Paul Billington commenting on the Bible in the News - and this headline introduces a news story that many will recognize as a long-expected development in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. For over 150 years prophetic watchmen have looked for the day when Russia would rise to dominate and control all Eurasia. That is now Vladimir Putin's stated goal.
Putin has said, according to Reuter's report, that his envisioned Eurasian Union "would be the European Union's partner in talks over the creation of a common economic space."
The Daily Telegraph (London) said: "This week he (Putin) has unveiled a grand vision to create a "Eurasian Union" linking old Soviet neighbours, foreseeing a 'powerful, supranational union, capable of becoming one of the poles of the modern world'... The Eurasian Union could provide an 'economically sound and balanced partnership' with the European Union."
This basic idea was put forward in 1989 by the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev when he spoke of a "Common European Home," and Putin himself floated the concept at an EU-Russia summit held in Rome November 2003. At that summit the EU President said:
"The west (EU) and the Russian Federation have become engaged, and I hope one day we will have a marriage."
Certainly Russia sees herself as the power to guarantee the security of all Europe—from the Atlantic to the Ural mountains. It is a view that answers to the prophecy of Ezekiel 38:7, where the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal is addressed by the words:
“Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them” (Ezekiel 38:7). The names of the nations which are given to us through Ezekiel represent the military “company” that is to gather against “the mountains of Israel” and the people of God in the latter days (chapter 38:7,8 and 16). These names—Magog, Tubal, Meshech, Gomer, Togarmah—are all taken from Genesis chapter 10, being the nations that are descended from Japheth (verses 2 and 3). Assembled with these there will be “Persia, Ethiopia and Libya” (Ezek. 38:5).
It was on the basis of this prophecy and that of Daniel that John Thomas published his book in 1854 entitled "Anatolia: Russia Triumphant and Europe Chained." In his introduction he wrote:
"That Russia should be triumphant with such powers against her as France and England is amongst the impossibilities of those who put confidence in princes, and make flesh their arm. But their thoughts are not the purposes of 'the Most High who ruleth over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will,' He has decreed the triumph of Russia over the east and west, previous to his final overthrow..."
Another writer, Robert Roberts, wrote of the same matter in his 1862 book entitled Christendom Astray:
“...the supremacy of Russia is foretold...She is to vanquish many countries, and hold a protectorate over them as indicated by the words, “Be thou a guard unto them.” Those countries include all the nations of the Continent. “Gomer and all his bands, the house of Togarmah of the north quarters,” will be found, on reference to ancient geography, to embrace nearly every country in Europe; and, in addition to these, there are “Persia, Ethiopia, and Lybia with them,” showing that at the time, Russia will have attained to something like universal dominion.”
 And again, in 1905 Charles C. Walker wrote a comment in The Christadelphian Magazine about Russian aggression. He said:
“...in 1885 there was another agitation over Russia, and I well remember at that time that Punch had a magnificent cartoon entitled “What of the Night?” — Europa on a battlement, looking out in the dark sky with a beacon fire at her side, and a sword in her hand, while high in the sky shone the constellation of the great Bear! Brother Roberts lectured on the subject of this cartoon several times, up and down the country. It arose over Russian aggression in the direction of Afghanistan”
We reproduce this cartoon from Punch magazine in the print edition.
As the Russian Bear was in the news during the 19th century, so we see it again and again. It is there today, telling us that God's word will come to pass, that Russia will be triumphant over Europe before she meets her doom upon the mountains of Israel.
All these signs of the times that we see in the news are telling us that we are now living in the days when Christ will return and restore again the kingdom to Israel. Or, in the words of Daniel 2:44,
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."
Join us again next week for more Bible in the News. www.bibleinthenews.com
Bible in the News provides a weekly analysis of world politics and events
in the light of Bible prophecy — the Bible in the News!
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