Is Russia Gearing Up For a Fight or Just Propping Up a Scarecrow?

By Michael D. Duty

In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan admonished, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall”. In time that wall did come down. But, some twenty years later, the old Iron Curtain seems to be quickly going up and the old Soviet Union may be reemerging in the midst of international turmoil.

At the helm of this Soviet resurrection is none other than Vladimir Putin, Russia’s perpetual president and prime minister. Putin, himself a former KGB agent seems to have a yearning for the good-old bad-old days of Soviet expansion and control of the citizenry. Yet, he still seems to be quite popular among the Russian people. Particularly those too young to remember the cold war Soviet Union. ¹

Putin seems to be using his popularity with the people to tailor a mentality that will lead the Russian people to a shift to the old ways. For instance, in June 2007, Putin organized a conference for history teachers to promote a high school teachers’ manual called A Modern History of Russia: 1945-2006: A Manual for History Teachers. The text portrays Joseph Stalin as cruel, yet successful. Putin said at the conference that the manual will “help instill young people with a sense of pride in Russia”. He also said that Stalin’s purges paled in comparison to the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ²

Putin has shifted his country towards a system of “state capitalism”, wherein “the entirety of state-owned and controlled enterprises are run by and for the benefit of the cabal around Putin—a collection of former KGB colleagues, St. Petersburg lawyers and other political cronies. ³ According to Russian news agencies, Putin dissolved the government upon the request of Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, in order to give the president a “free hand in the run up to the parliamentary election. ⁴

Of greater concern to the outside world may be Russia’s military build up, her close ties with Iran, and her exertion of influence on other former communist states. As American journalist Ann Applebaum put it, Putin intends to reassert Russian influence in the old communist states whether they want it or not. ⁵ The August 2008 invasion of Georgia stands as a testament to that.

Also, between 1992 and 2000, Russia sold more than $4 billion in weapons technology to Tehran. Among the systems Russia supplied to Iran were Kilo-class attack subs, MiG-29 fighter bombers, Su-24 fighter bombers, tanks and armored personnel carriers.

But what do all of Putin’s emendations mean for the future of the world in general? Is Russia rising to become a serious threat on the horizon, or is it just posturing? Aside from the serious financial gain of Russia’s military-industrial complex, Moscow is seeking to influence Eurasia, including Syria and Libya. Gaining a foothold in Iran will enable this. ⁶ Moreover, Russia and Iran both opposed the US presence in the Persian Gulf in the 1990s as well as the 2003 Invasion of Iraq .⁷ Not only do Russia and Iran oppose US policy in the mid east, Russia has also shown support towards Iran in its anti-Israel stance.

All of this evidence aside, the watchful Christian will be aware that many scholars have asserted that Russia will be one member of the ten-nation coalition to sign a treaty with the antichrist. ⁸ Also, Russia can trace its heritage back to the Magog of the Bible. And the Magog, as predicted in Ezekiel 38-39, will launch an invasion of Israel which will trigger the final stages of the end times.⁹

Many watchers have become overzealous in the past. They have interpreted times to be closer than they actually were. The church needs to be mindful. Vladimir Putin may not actually be the one to lead the charge of Magog into Israel. But he is laying groundwork for what is to come. At best he is raising the Iron Curtain again. At worst, he could lead the world into war.

1. “The New Putin Generation” by Jason Bush Businessweek.com February 28, 2008

2. “Stalin Back in Vogue as Putin Endorses History-Book Nostalgia by Henry Meyer, Bloomberg.com, November 29, 2007

3-4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin

5. Putin is playing a dangerous game, by Ann Applebaum 5/6/07

6.-7 http://www.heritage.org/research/russiaandeurasia/pgfId-1124582#pgfId-1124582 and http://www.theinsider.org/news/article.asp?id=2637

8. http://www.prophecyupdate.com/gog_and_magog_identified.htm