Pastor David Jeremiah declared that in the End Times, Russia will lead the invasion of Israel as predicted in the Bible.
In his article titled "Russia's Role in End-Time's Prophecy," reported by the Christian Headlines, the minister said that alongside Turkey, Russia, leading from the north, will form an alliance that will attack Israel in the last days. Their allies will include Iran from the east, Sudan and Libya from the south, and "possibly" Germany from the west.
Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in California, drew his conclusion from the predictions in the Books of Ezekiel and Daniel.
He said that the Meshech and Tubal, as mentioned in Ezekiel 38:2, are the modern day Moscow and Turkey.
He pointed out, however, that the invasion will not occur "in the immediate future, but perhaps sooner than we think."
For the prediction to happen, the pastor provided "three requirements."
First, Israel has to be "present in her land."
This was fulfilled when the state was "reborn" in 1948 and the Jews who were scattered around the world for a long time finally had a place they now call home.
Next, the country "must be prosperous in her land," as Ezekiel 36:11 says.
Jeremiah noted that today, Israel's economy is thriving, having been ranked as the third most innovative in the world, citing the Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016 - even ahead of the United States and Japan.
Finally, the nation "must be at peace in her land."
The minister said that this condition has yet to be fulfilled, as currently, Israel is always on alert and heavily armed given the risk of being attacked at any moment by its surrounding enemies. In Ezekiel 38:11, Jeremiah said that the aggressor will attack against "a land of unwalled villages" and where people are living safely and peacefully.
"When Russia attacks Israel, the nation will be disarmed!" he emphasized.
"This radical shift in Israel, when she will lower her defenses, will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation or just before it. At the time of the Rapture, the Antichrist will make a seven-year deal with Israel in which he will promise to protect the nation. Israel will become dependent upon the Antichrist, disarm her army, and devote all her energy to increasing her wealth. The nation will be defenseless against the northern coalition," the pastor explained.
At the time of the invasion, Jeremiah said that Israel will have no other recourse but "God's intervention" which Russia "will be blind to." In that moment, God will show his fury towards the aggressor of His beloved people, as stated in Ezekiel 38:18-19.
"God will use the evil tendencies of the allied nations - their greed, their hatred, their bloodlust - to goad them into attacking Israel so that He can execute His judgment against them for their long history of opposition to the Jewish people," he wrote.
The minister went on to say that God's judgment will fall "in a series of disasters" which will be worse "than the plagues of ancient Egypt."
"Israel's impossible odds are no obstacle for her incomprehensible God, and her invisible ally is impossible to overcome," he said.
In conclusion, Jeremiah stressed that this prophecy only reminds people about the greatness of God, adding that in the face of seemingly hopeless situation, "God can come in and change everything."
