Mark Hitchcock: Russia Rising: Tracking the Bear in Bible Prophecy

Russia is identified as the king of the north in Daniel 11:40 and is further described in Ezekiel 38–39. Daniel 11:5-35 describes the back-and-forth struggle between Egypt (the king of the south) and the ancient Seleucid empire centered in Syria (the king of the north). Israel was caught between these two ancient powers for centuries.

Daniel 11:40 refers to a king of the north who will rise in the end times. This leader, like the ancient Seleucids, will control a vast swath of territory north and east of Israel. The prophetic counterpart to the historical Seleucid monarchs is Russia. Russia’s identification as the king of the north is confirmed by the parallel passage in Ezekiel 38, which describes a northern alliance that invades Israel in the end times.

We’ll discuss Russia’s role much more in the pages to come, but there’s one final human king who’s part of the end-times game of thrones.

This is the only one of the four power blocs whose leader’s title is plural—“kings,” not “king.” The kings of the east are specifically referenced just one time in Scripture. Revelation 16:12 says, “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.”

The specific nations in this coalition are not listed. All we know is that they come from east of the Euphrates River, since the river must be dried up for their march into the land of Israel.

John Walvoord notes,

The most simple and suitable explanation is to take the passage literally. The Euphrates River then becomes the geographic boundary of the ancient Roman Empire. The kings of the east are kings from the east or “of the sunrising,” that is, monarchs who originated in the Orient…. If the drying of the Euphrates River is to be taken literally, then what can be understood by the reference to “the kings of the east”? Here again the literal view is to be preferred. Inasmuch as it would be most natural in a world war culminating in the Middle East to have the Orient represented, the interpretation that views the kings of the east as the political and military leaders of Asiatic forces east of the Euphrates is a satisfactory solution. [6] John F. Walvoord, The Nations in Prophecy (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1967), 139, 141.

Revelation 16:14 reveals that the movement of the kings of the east into Israel is part of a worldwide gathering of the “rulers of the world… for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.” According to Revelation 16:16, the geographical focal point of the gathering is Armageddon (Mount Megiddo in northern Israel).

This army from the east in Revelation 16 is often connected with the army of 200 million in Revelation 9:16. Some take a further step and associate this massive army with China. If this view is correct, it’s astounding, because when the apostle John wrote these words, 200 million would have been close to the population of the entire world. My view is that the army of 200 million in Revelation is a demonic horde that will come forth in the end times. [7] In the previous verses (Revelation 9:1-12) a demonic invasion is described, so taking the army in Revelation 9:13-21 in the same light is consistent. Also, the way the army is described fits the demonic view. “Fire and smoke and burning sulfur” (Revelation 9:17) are associated with hell in the book of Revelation.

Either way, a great army from east of the Euphrates will be a key part of the wars of the end times.

I hate puzzles and am terrible at assembling them, but early on I discovered a very simple guideline—the key to putting together a puzzle is the picture on top of the box. The assembled pieces must look like the picture. I also learned that you have to begin with the edge pieces to frame the picture. What’s true of putting together a cardboard puzzle is also true of putting together the prophetic picture in Scripture. As we look at our world today, the picture we see is steadily looking more and more like the picture we see in the Bible. The edges seem to be taking form, and some of the picture is beginning to fill in. The rise of the four kings is part of the picture.

Today, many key Western nations are allied in the agreements of NATO. The European Union is a further cementing of Western interests. Radical Islam has ignited the Muslim nations of North Africa, and we can see how they could form into a southern coalition. Russia is emerging and establishing alliances with other nations north and east of Israel. To the east of the Euphrates River are a host of nations that could coalesce into the predicted kings of the east. Certainly, many twists and turns will occur in the days ahead, reshaping and reforming current headlines, but the edges of the puzzle appear to be taking shape.

Putting this final game of thrones together, we see that sometime after the rapture of all believers in Christ to heaven, the first move is made by the king of the west, who will begin the seven-year Tribulation by forging some kind of peace agreement or treaty with Israel. At some point, the kings of the north (Russia and its Islamic allies) and south (likely Egypt and the nations of North Africa) will invade Israel. Their attack will have two objectives: 1) wiping out the Jewish people and stealing their land, and 2) challenging the authority of the Western king (who has a treaty with Israel). Charles Ryrie describes their attack on Israel as a pincer move: “A pincer is an instrument with two claws used to grab something…. The King of the South is situated perfectly: right on the southern doorstep of the land that is up for grabs. Russia will form the northern claw, Egypt the southern claw; put them together… and you have the pincer. The attack will be launched on both fronts simultaneously.” [8] Charles C. Ryrie, The Best Is Yet to Come (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), 69.

After the kings of the north and south are destroyed by God, the king of the west (the Antichrist) will surge to global ascendancy. Finally, at the end of the seven-year Great Tribulation, the kings of the east will make their move as they cross the Euphrates River and pour into the land of Israel along with the remainder of the armies from around the world. The armies will muster at Armageddon in northern Israel. With the kings of the east and the Antichrist gathered in the land, there’s one final King who will make his move.

To make sure we have the full story, the final move in the end-times game of thrones is the return of the King of kings to take back planet Earth. His move will occur at Armageddon when he crushes the forces of the king of the west and the kings of the east, as well as the remaining armies from around the globe. Recently, the United States dropped a bomb on ISIS in Afghanistan called MOAB (the mother of all bombs). Revelation 19 describes the final MOAB—the mother of all battles. Revelation 19:11-21 describes the King who comes to take his rightful throne in a righteous bloodbath. The second coming of Christ will be as different as one can imagine from his first coming as a baby in Bethlehem.