Someone once compared the study of end time Bible prophecy to viewing a large mountain range off in the distance. As you approach this range, and things become clearer in your vision, you begin to see that there is actually a separate range out in front, with other ranges behind it.  From a distance, what appears to be one range, may actually be a series of ranges, one behind the other.

Just so, certain things that many of us who study end time Bible prophecy have believed for years now, are beginning to appear to be much more "multi-faceted" and complex than we originally thought.  As we approach these events, we are beginning to see that they may involve much more than we were at first, aware.

An example of this can be found in the commonly accepted view that the Antichrist will rise to power shortly in EUROPE, and rule the world from there with his 10 kings:  But after a more careful study of the Scriptures that pertain to this; it is becoming apparent that his coming kingdom may include more than just Europe…

RUSSIA MAY BE INVOLVED IN THIS TOO!  The Antichrist may have a "DUAL KINGDOM"? Rome was symbolized in Daniel chapter 2 by TWO LEGS OF IRON; NOT ONE.  Then came TWO FEET, and TWO SETS OF TOES.  Amazingly, history bears this out!   Rome SPLIT IN TWO, and was divided into WEST ROME and EAST ROME; fulfilling this vision.

West Rome became "CATHOLIC," while East Rome became "ORTHODOX".  (The same basic religion started by Constantine.)  As both legs in the vision grew, West Rome expanded it's territory and Catholic rule over all of Europe, including England and Germany; while East Rome expanded it's territory and religious beliefs to eventually include all of RUSSIA, as you can tell by their adoption of the Orthodox religion.

"KAISER" in German, and "CZAR" in Russian BOTH mean "CAESAR!"  This shows that both these countries are part of the "legs" that are "outgrowths" of Rome.  As both legs of the Daniel 2 vision grew down through time, they even carried on this same official title of "Caesar" for their leaders.  The Russian ruling dynasty was even known as "The Romanovs", meaning "of Rome".  (The beast that was, and is not, and yet is?)

So when the Antichrist arises over a "REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE," he may ALSO rule over the "EASTERN" ROMAN SIDE, or MODERN RUSSIA?  Europe may be his ECONOMIC POWER BASE, and RUSSIA his MILITARY APPARATUS?  Also, as many suspect, the UNITED NATIONS could be his "vehicle" for GREATER WORLD DOMINATION.  According to Daniel 11:24, he comes to power deceitfully through the guise of "peace".   Is not this the very "MOTTO" of the U.N?

According to some intelligence reports, the Russians are still putting a brand new "Acula" twin engine submarine off into the ocean every 39 days; armed with 10 to 15 new, presently, unstoppable "cruise" type nuclear warheads; and there is now 11 times the military armament sitting on the runways in Murmansk, ready to go, than there was before the Berlin wall fell.   General Sir Walter Walker of NATO spoke of much of this build up in his book, "The Next Domino".  THE GREATEST MILITARY APPARATUS IN WORLD HISTORY!  (“Who is like unto the beast?” “Who is able to make war with him?”)

So it certainly appears that Russia may be directly involved with the coming Antichrist in some way.  Here are a couple of sets of Scriptures that go together to PROVE THIS: (Ezekiel 39:17-21 and Revelation 19:17-21) They BOTH describe, in vivid detail, the coming BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON, in which the armies of the world come against Israel in the end time; and as God destroys them, they fall on the hillsides of Israel, and are eaten by the vultures and birds of prey.

Ezekiel 39:17-21: (KJV) 17) And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. 18) Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19) And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 20) Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God.  21)And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

Revelation 19:17-21: 17) And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18) That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19) And I saw the BEAST, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20) And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21) And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. (BEAST is capitalized here to highlight that he is the LEADER of the forces that fight against the Lord during this battle.)

Notice how these two areas of Scripture read almost WORD-FOR-WORD in some places? They are obviously describing the SAME BATTLE!  Notice how they ALSO HAVE THE SAME EXACT VERSE REFERENCES?  ( verses "17- 21" in both places... )  It’s almost as if the Lord is "matching" them together so they’ll stand out to us.   Why would He do this?  Well according to Revelation 19 it may very well be to "IDENTIFY" just "WHO" the Antichrist or "beast" and his forces WILL BE in the end time; or will be very closely involved with?

IF THESE TWO AREAS OF SCRIPTURE ARE DESCRIBING THE SAME BATTLE, THEN THEY MUST ALSO BE DESCRIBING THE SAME LEADERS OF SATAN’S FORCES DURING THIS BATTLE?  RIGHT?  Well Revelation 19:19 POSITIVELY IDENTIFIES the leader of this great battle as THE BEAST, or ANTICHRIST!  But Ezekiel 38:1 and 39:1- 4 states that the leader of this battle will be "GOG,” from the land of "MAGOG"; the "PRINCE OF MESHECH, TUBAL, AND THE ROSH".

Ezekiel 38:1,2  (NKJV)  1) Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,  2) Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him.

Ezekiel 39:1- 4  (NKJV)  1) And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal;  2) and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.  3) Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand.  4) You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.  

(The New King James translation is used here as the name "Rosh" is not mentioned in the old King James for some reason; yet it is in the ancient Hebrew text, and also in most other new translations of the Bible. This is imperative in identifying the "Roshian" or Russian peoples.)

Josephus even referred to them in The Antiquities of the Jews as the "Rosh".  He said that the Hebrews called them "the Rosh", while the Greeks called them "the Rus, or Russ".  He said that in his day they lived south of the Black Sea in two principle cities called "Mazaca", (Moscow) and "Tblisi", (Tobolsk).  These Roshian, or Russian peoples then moved their whole cities northward, due to overpopulation and expansion of other peoples coming up into their territory of Cappadocia, into their modern day cities of Moscow and Toblosk in modern Russia.  Mazaca became known as Caesarea, and Tblisi is still there in present day Georgia.  To this day there is a field outside Moscow known as "The Field of Meshech".

But getting back to these two powerful prophecies, which are obviously describing the same event:  ARMAGEDDON; if we put two and two together here, it’s obvious that the two leaders mentioned in both areas of Scripture must either be ONE AND THE SAME, -OR- they are certainly working very closely together in some way, because how could the same battle have two different leaders here on Satan's side?  THE SAME BATTLE SHOULD HAVE THE SAME LEADERS!  RIGHT?  The coming Antichrist may actually BE this mysterious "GOG" himself, or "Gog" may possibly be some sort of great military commander working directly under his authority.

Also, according to Haley’s Bible Handbook, as well as many other sources; Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were the grandsons of Noah that migrated with their people to the furthest northern regions of their day, toward what is now MODERN DAY RUSSIA!

It says that "Meshech and Tubal" are thought to be the ancient names for the modern day Russian cities of MOSCOW and TOBOLSK!   SO HERE IS SOME PRETTY PERSUASIVE EVIDENCE THAT RUSSIA MAY BE INVOLVED SOMEHOW WITH THE COMING ANTICHRIST AND HIS KINGDOM!

In Daniel chapter 10, the Angel Gabriel fights against a demon spirit entity called "the chief prince of Persia."  So whoever "Gog" is, he may well be a demon spirit entity who is over the Russian people.  HE MAY "POSSESS"  EITHER THE ANTICHRIST HIMSELF, OR POSSIBLY HIS TOP MILITARY COMMANDER, who would most likely be a Russian.

In Revelation 13:2 & 4 it sounds like Satan himself possesses the antichrist.  So perhaps the term "chief prince" refers to a lesser "arch-demon" who is directly under Satan’s authority? Princes are usually under kings.  Therefore whoever Gog possesses may be directly under the Antichrist, like a military general?  Then again, "he could be the old boy himself!"  We’ll soon see!  BUT THESE TWO AREAS OF SCRIPTURE HAVE TO HAVE THE SAME SATANIC LEADERSHIP IF THEY ARE DESCRIBING THE SAME BATTLE.  The point here is that THE ANTICHRIST WILL BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED SOMEHOW WITH MODERN RUSSIA, due to these prophecies!

Now the Antichrist could still come from the bloodline of one of the secret "black nobility" families of the ancient European dynasties; some of whom claim to trace their ancestry clear back to the days of Rome, and some even to the house of David, being of Middle-Eastern descent.   Many people think this.  So he could possibly be a Middle-Easterner, as many also suspect; and still rise to power over Europe and Russia:  But whoever he is, he will have at his command THE MOST POWERFUL MILITARY APPARATUS IN WORLD HISTORY!  It DWARFS the West’s by SHEER VOLUME, as well as NEW TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES!

Many prophecy scholars also see China playing a big role in this too, and consider it as part of "Magog."  RUSSIA may provide the technological support for the antichrist’s coming military machine, and CHINA, the MANPOWER?  The Chinese can provide the "overwhelming" amount of troops needed for massive land invasions; and Russia the overwhelming power of "advanced technology" and war machinery.

The Russians also possess secret new technologies that they are not talking about openly.  They boast that they have outdone the West in every area: better fighter planes, newer cruise missiles; some even nuclear capable, better and more quiet submarines, new anti-radar "cloaking" capability that makes their planes literally "invisible" to the radar of the West. 

During a recent "military exercise" off the coast of Iran, where American Naval Vessels were conducting mock "invasion" practices; Vice President Putin of Russia, even boasted that they now had the capability to sink the entire fleet of the West within mere minutes; and that they would be "helpless" against their new technologies.   

Some of our own military brass have "leaked" how the Russians now have space based LAZERS!  The Antichrist will supposedly be able to call down "fire from heaven?"  Maybe some of the "miracles" he will perform may be more "scientific" than he will want people to know?  It says that he worships the god of "forces"?  Could this be scientific wonders like atomic or lazer power?

I mentioned earlier the United Nations, and the role that it may play in all this:  The U.N., and the global socialists who run it, could end up becoming the modern day "Kerenskies," or "interim government," and crumbling when they cannot subdue all the resisters to their "new world order."  Although the Antichrist may initially use this organization to introduce himself to the world, and to begin to try to take over nation after nation; the U. N. has always been notoriously "weak and ineffective", as far as actually entering countries and putting down rebellions and bringing any kind of lasting control.

But there is an alliance mentioned in Ezekiel 38:5,6 that forms under the great Russian leader, "Gog," that he uses for his final attack against America and Israel, that sounds more like an "East Block-Muslim" coalition.  The Russians may end up having to use the more "overwhelming forces" of this coalition, along with the Chinese, for their ACTUAL, FINAL, WORLD TAKE OVER ATTEMPT of the more stubborn "diehards and holdouts" like America and Israel.  These verses mention Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, and Togarmah as joining with Russia in this massive "invasion coalition".

Historians and scholars have traced the modern day identity of these ancient nations named as follows:  Persia represents the modern nation of Iran.  Ethiopia back then meant all of Africa.  Libya today, of course, even has the same name.  Gomer and Togarmah, of the north quarters, and "all their bands" may represent all of Western Europe, as Gomer's offspring once ruled in Italy, France, Britain, Germany and most of Europe.  Togarmah of the far north may have been Turkey back then during the Genesis table of nations in Genesis chapter 10, but they may have went even further north, helping to populate Scandinavia; or if they merely spread among the peoples of Europe around them, this would still fulfill this prophecy. 

This would certainly fit with the idea of Western Europe being the "right leg" on the vision of Daniel chapter two mentioned above; of the two legs of Iron representing what Rome divided into under Constantine; and therefore the feet and toes also in the end of time.

Many of these modern nations have now come under the umbrella of Russian domination, and have made big "arms" deals with them, as well as receiving economic aid; with the exception of Europe, whom the Russians are daily making overtures too now; to form an economic alliance with them, and eventually probably this great "federation" spoken of here.  Almost daily the Russians are offering Western Europe cheap oil, and even to begin to use a common currency with them.  So this great "prophesied coalition" is beginning to form right before our eyes.

Much of Africa has come under control of the Russian led communists, including even the Muslim nations; the East Block, of course, since World War II; Iran for decades, and Libya since the mid 1970’s, when Mohammar Ghaddafy made a 12 Billion dollar arms deal with Russia; the largest ever in history up to that time!  So in the last 50 years we have watched this great end time alliance form right before our very eyes.  What a marvelous fulfillment of Bible prophecy; PROVING that God is real and that the Bible is true!  This was written nearly 3,000 years ago, and accurately forecast what we are watching happen right now in our lifetimes!

Now most people today have been "conditioned" to think that Russian Communism has "collapsed", and is no longer a threat to world peace, or to America in particular.   Nothing could be further from the truth!  As I pointed out before, according to intelligence reports, they are still arming, and building for WAR at a breakneck pace!  With whom?  The Eskimos?

Many who study these things in the Intelligence community believe that the Russians are "playing possum" and actually following a strategy laid out by Dimitri Manuiluski, former head of the Lenin School of Political Warfare; who, in the 1930’s, introduced a long term plan to deceive the West into thinking that Russian Communism had failed, and the West had won.  Then when our "guard is down" and we are not expecting it; by complete surprise, they would attack us with full fury, and "smash us with their clenched fist"!  He talked of how they would have "great peace overtures" and how the "West", "stupid and decadent", would gladly participate in their OWN DESTRUCTION"!

Then in the late 1980’s, a high ranking KGB operative named Anatoly Golitzyn defected and came to the West, "spilling the beans" on how the Russians were ACTUALLY DOING THIS, and following this plan to a tee!  He even spoke of how Russia would appear to "collapse" and then actually have a "President" like America, and a new more Democratic form of Government:  And that this would all be just for public consumption for the West, to fool us and put us to sleep.  He wrote two books exposing all this called, "New Lies For Old," and "The Perestroika Deception."  But no one seems to be listening!  Our Congressmen and big businessmen have all been lulled to sleep with the exciting prospect of all the filthy lucre ($$$)  involved in believing these lies, and developing this new close alliance with Russia! We are falling for it "hook, line, and sinker"!

In 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev, in a speech to the Pulitburo, "comforted" the Russian leaders that they should not be alarmed by the "coming new changes in the Government," which were only for "public consumption to fool the West"!  He reiterated Manuiluski’s ideas, that this was necessary to "lull the West to sleep", and that this was all merely for "cosmetic purposes"!  He said that "nothing would change internally" within the Russian-Soviet power structure; that only the names of certain organizations would change!

A good writer, who is an authority on all this, and explains it in great detail, is Don McAlvany; former undercover intelligence operative; who writes "The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor." In particular, he is an expert on Russia, and what is going on behind the scenes there.  He points out how the top Russian Army officers and former KGB members, almost "religiously", study the writings of Sun Tzu, and his book "The Art of War," written in the 6th century; which states: "When at the pinnacle of your strength, feign weakness, and when your enemies guard is down, attack him by complete surprise with all your might and power."  Don, and others like him believe that this is exactly the strategy that the Russians are presently following.

Don’s newsletter is one of the finest Christian newsletters of our time, and can be ordered from the following address:

The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor

P. O. Box 829

Durango, Colorado 81302

Phone: 1- 800- 525- 9556

I’d like to mention one final note:  Getting back to the "dual kingdom" idea, Revelation chapter 13 also appears to support this view.  As another prophecy writer, John Llayl once pointed out to me, it speaks of a FIRST BEAST which arises and is killed, and then raised back up; and a SECOND BEAST which arises and tells the world to worship the first beast "who’s deadly wound was healed".   Could this also represent Russia and Europe?  In Daniel chapters 7 & 8, "beasts" represented world governments, so this certainly fits.  John has some great charts of this coming great Russian led Federation and those who they are allied with on his excellent website:  http://endtimeupgrade.org/   Please check it out if you have time. 

We may not have to wait long to find out?  We can see that the great end time alliance mentioned in Ezekiel 38:5,6 has pretty much fallen into place.  Now the stage is set for the next great piece of the end time puzzle to fall into place; of Europe and Russia forming a more cozy relationship with each other, and finally a Federation with their own currency and everything.  That would be "The Revived Roman Empire" spoken of by the Bible prophecy teachers; only with BOTH LEGS AND FEET AND TOES, that it has grown into over time.   Let’s all keep our “spiritual eyes and ears” attuned and be watching and listening!  Thank you for your time…

         - John Benjamin