Russia Frightens Europe—and Fulfills Bible Prophecy

Chapter 2
Russia Frightens
Europe—and Fulfills
Bible Prophecy
For over a decade after the fall of the Soviet Union in
1991, Russia was outside the mainstream of world affairs.
But under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, who was
elected president in 2000, things have changed radically.
Putin has called the Soviet Union’s collapse the “greatest
geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century. He has dedicated
himself to reversing that “catastrophe” and restoring
Russia to what he sees as its rightful position as a formidable
world power.
He has already been very successful—and he isn’t finished.
Russia’s return to great-power status has tremendous
prophetic importance. Not only because of the role Russia
is prophesied to fulfill in world affairs, but also because its
aggressive actions are provoking alarm and urgency within
Europe—and that is the power that we really must watch!
The Europeans still remember how violent Russia was in
World War II, and Russia is a close neighbor with massive
piles of nuclear weapons.
Russia’s bold moves are triggering a fear that will hasten the
uniting of the European Union. This fear will cause Germany
and other European nations to want stronger leadership.
12 RUSSIA AND CHINA IN PROPHECY
Throughout history, Germany has often sought a strong leader.
Bible prophecy says it will do so again—for the last time!
These events are about a rapidly approaching World War III.
You can prove this for yourself by writing for our free booklet
Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.
POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE
In parliamentary elections in 2003, President Putin cemented
control over Russia in a way that recalled that nation’s authoritarian
history. We should remember that Mr. Putin was shaped
and molded by the infamous kgb—the ruthless, murderous
secret service arm of the Russian government made famous by
Joseph Stalin.
Clearly, Putin had used his presidential powers to manipulate
the process to ensure a victory for his United Russia party.
His strong-arm moves struck intense fear in Europe.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(osce) complained that the elections “did not meet international
standards” and represented a “regression in the democratization
of this country.” Stratfor wrote, “What bothers the
osce is less the hardball campaign tactics than the size of
Putin’s win. Putin has nearly a two-thirds majority in both
chambers of parliament. The liberal parties have been devastated.
…The shape of Russian politics is shifting as antiauthoritarian
parties disappear. Increasingly, the choice
is between mild or hard authoritarianism” (Dec. 9, 2003;
emphasis added throughout).
The Wall Street Journal reported how the election expanded
Putin’s power. “What the elections foretell is a compliant
Duma [lower house of parliament] implementing the agenda
of an essentially liberal government, albeit one that wants
more control of its single most strategic asset, oil. …This
means that if Mr. Putin wants to take Russia in the direction
of dictatorship (or, as fashionable jargon has it, toward ‘managed
democracy’) the Duma could speed him on his way”
(Dec. 9, 2003).
Russia’s “single most strategic asset” is oil. From the beginning,
Mr. Putin has sought to control that asset, no matter
how much Western powers thundered in protest. The soaring
Russia Frightens Europe—and Fulfills Bible Prophecy 13
price of oil from 2003 through 2008 thrust Russia back on the
world stage as a dominant power.
Just before the 2003 election, the Russian government
arrested the country’s richest man, Mikhail Khodorkovsky,
ceo of the country’s largest oil company, Yukos. That move
eventually led to Yukos declaring bankruptcy and the government
purchasing the private company at a firesale price
(experts called it “scandalous,” “daylight robbery”). These
events dramatically increased the Putin government’s control
over Russia’s oil.
By taking such control over Russia’s vast oil and gas
resources, Putin gained considerable global influence. Russia
is the second-largest oil supplier in the world, and with global
demand for oil increasing even as oil supplies are dwindling,
Putin has a lot of leverage over other nations.
Jane’s intelligence firm wrote shortly after the
Khodorkovsky arrest, “[I]t is becoming clear that Russia is
undergoing a profound political convulsion. This amounts to
nothing less than the birth of the Second Russian Republic….
The new republic will continue to be a mixture of market and
state-controlled economic forces. But it will be a country in
which President Vladimir Putin controls both the political and
economic levers of power. The Russian president has staged his
own coup” (Nov. 5, 2003).
Those were very accurate statements! This article called
Putin’s moves “the birth of the Second Russian Republic”! A
new Russia has been born. Mr. Putin “staged his own coup”!
He took over this new Russia. Now the world has another
major reason to tremble! Russia is indeed “undergoing a profound
political convulsion”—one that will convulse Europe
and many other nations!
Notice more of what Stratfor wrote after the 2003 election:
“[T]hat is why the osce is getting nervous…. Putin is, first
and last, a Russian nationalist, utterly pragmatic (or ruthless)
in the tools he will use to strengthen the Russian state.
He has greater power now than anyone in Russia since
the collapse of communism. He can reshape the regime.
Consequently, the osce and Europe are nervous about where
Putin is taking Russia. They have every reason to be: Putin is
slowly and systematically changing Russia’s direction. When
14 RUSSIA AND CHINA IN PROPHECY
Russia changes direction, the rest of Europe should indeed be
nervous” (op. cit.).
Stratfor used the word nervous three times for special
emphasis. Europe has not forgotten Russia’s recent dictatorial
history. It is nervous for good reason. And it is going to get a
lot more nervous in a few short years.
Europeans are not the only people who should be nervous.
The whole world should be alarmed. Mr. Putin is changing the
course of world history. And Bible prophecy reveals exactly
where it is leading.
PIPELINE POWER
Vladimir Putin went on from the 2003 parliamentary election
to amass more power both at home and abroad. In 2004, he
enacted a law whereby regional governors, rather that being
elected by the people, would be appointed directly by the president.
Sergei Mitrokhin, a former liberal parliamentary leader,
called the move “a step toward dictatorship.”
Putin also took further major steps to consolidate the
government’s control over Russia’s natural resources—most
importantly, oil and gas. Russian firms were absorbed into
state-controlled companies. Foreign companies were forced to
sell out or face heavy fines for imaginary offenses. Russian oligarchs
who resisted were imprisoned or fled the country.
Putin was busy building a powerful weapon. And in the
winter of 2005-06, he unveiled it publicly for the first time.
Early that winter, Ukraine rebelled against Russia: In presidential
elections, the people rejected the pro-Russian candidate
in favor of pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko. It was termed
the Orange Revolution. Yushchenko immediately moved
his country away from Russia’s influence, applying for EU
membership.
Russia was not happy—and it soon demonstrated its new
weapon. In the middle of winter, it cut off gas to Ukraine and
said it would only resume supply when Ukrainians paid a far
higher price. Ukraine had no choice but to cave in. The gas
cutoff also affected Europe—a timely reminder that Russia
could make European states pay if they dared cross the
Kremlin. As of 2006, the EU imported 56 percent of its energy,
Russia Frightens Europe—and Fulfills Bible Prophecy 15
mostly from Russia. Germany, Italy and France imported 90,
91 and 95 percent of their daily oil needs respectively, and the
vast majority of their natural gas needs.
Russia continued to grow bolder and more belligerent. In
2007, strong evidence pointed to Russian involvement behind
a massive and organized Internet attack against Estonia.
For three weeks, the nation’s computer systems were under
constant assault in what some called the first state-to-state
cyberattack in history. In August that year, Vladimir Putin
announced that the Russian Air Force would resume Cold
War-style nuclear bomber flights into international airspace.
That summer, Russian bombers entered UK airspace, and flew
on an intercept course toward the U.S. military base in Guam.
“The message to the West is clear: The days of dismissing
Russia as a spent force are over,” wrote the Washington Times
(Aug. 19, 2007). In February 2008, American fighter jets intercepted
two Russian bombers, one of which buzzed the aircraft
carrier uss Nimitz.
Russia also increased its power through strategic arms
sales, courting nations throughout Asia, South America,
and even the Middle East. “The Russians are not indiscriminately
selling arms,” Dr. Alexey Muraviev, a strategic analyst
at Curtin University of Technology in Australia, said. “Russia
has pursued a policy driven by strategic design. If it creates a
strong client base, that can later be transformed into a larger
relationship.”
Then in December 2007, after a parliamentary election
that consolidated yet more power under Putin, the Russian
president officially rejected the Conventional Armed Forces
in Europe Treaty. Thus, Europeans no longer had any guarantee
that Russia wouldn’t station thousands of tanks on their
eastern borders.
But 2008 looked like the end for Putin—at least to some.
Under the Russian Constitution, the president is limited to two
consecutive terms in office. Putin could not continue as president
beyond the 2008 elections without changing the constitution.
So he switched jobs. He became prime minister, and
kept the power, with Dmitry Medvedev, more or less a puppet,
taking the presidency. Putin remained to continue to push his
belligerent policies and returned to the presidency in 2012.
16 RUSSIA AND CHINA IN PROPHECY
FIRST MILITARY STRIKE!
Another towering indication of the direction Russia is taking
came in August of 2008, when Russia attacked the former
Soviet republic of Georgia. This was the first military strike of
the rising Asian superpower—and there will be more!
Look at a map of the Caucasus region. Much of Russia’s oil
comes from the Baku region on the western Caspian Sea. The
Baku-Supsa oil pipeline cuts right through Georgia, and until
Russia’s invasion it transported oil through this strategic area
free from Russian control. That is no longer the case. Russia not
only owns the oil in the ground, it now controls the pipes distributing
it to Europe, amounting to many billions of dollars’
worth of energy!
Russia is determined to be an energy superpower in an age
when the whole modern world is hungry for energy. If Russia
sees a prime source of oil being threatened, it is going to fight!
We can understand Russia’s violent actions within Georgia
far better in light of some recent history in the Balkans, specifically
Kosovo. There, Russia felt Western nations basically
declared war in 2008. Georgia was Russia’s retaliation.
But even before that, tensions were heating up. “U.S.
Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton had promised
the Russians that nato would not expand into the former
Soviet Union empire,” wrote George Friedman of Stratfor.
“That promise had already been broken in 1998 by nato’s
expansion to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic—and
again in the 2004 expansion, which absorbed not only the rest
of the former Soviet satellites in what is now Central Europe,
but also the three Baltic states, which had been components of
the Soviet Union” (Aug. 12, 2008). Russia was deeply unsettled
by these developments.
President George W. Bush also tried to bring Georgia and
Ukraine into nato, and failed. It seems high unlikely Russia
would ever allow that to happen. Making Georgia a part of
nato would put that Western organization on Russia’s doorstep,
placing the security of Russian oil on the western
Caspian at serious risk. All it would take is 30 minutes of
bombing to knock out this major source of Russian energy!
So as far as Russia is concerned, this is a matter of survival.
Russia Frightens Europe—and Fulfills Bible Prophecy 17
But it’s not really the United States that Russia is afraid of.
The nation the Russians truly fear is Germany.
TURNING KOSOVO OVER TO GERMANY
In February of 2008, Kosovo, a republic in the Balkans,
declared its independence from Serbia. Moscow was against
the move because it didn’t want similar independence movements
in Russian territories getting any stronger. Dr. Friedman
wrote, “The Russians publicly and privately asked [the U.S.
and Europe] that Kosovo not be given formal independence,
but instead continue its informal autonomy, which was the
same thing in practical terms. Russia’s requests were ignored.”
Europe and the U.S. supported the separation anyway.
“From the Kosovo experience, [Moscow] concluded that the
United States and Europe were not prepared to consider Russian
wishes even in fairly minor affairs. That was the breaking point.
If Russian desires could not be accommodated even in a minor
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
TURKEY
SYRIA IRAN
GEORGIA
AZERBAIJAN ARMENIA
ROMANIA
BULGARIA
GREECE
M O L D O VA
S L O VA K IA
HUNGARY
SERBIA
ALBANIA
MAC.
KOSOVO
BOSNIAHERZ.
CROATIA
KAZAKHSTAN
Black Sea
M e d i t e r r a n e a n
Sea
Caspian
Sea
THE BALKANS AND THE CAUCASUS
18 RUSSIA AND CHINA IN PROPHECY
matter like this, then clearly Russia and the West were in conflict.
For the Russians, as we said, the question was how to respond.
Having declined to respond in Kosovo, the Russians decided to
respond where they had all the cards: in South Ossetia” (ibid).
Russia wanted a war—and for an important reason! Kosovo
was the breaking point.
Remember that history. In 1991, Germany supported the
independence of Croatia and Slovenia. All of Europe and
America were openly hostile to Germany’s action at that time,
but Europe caved in when Germany threatened to pull out of
the European Union. Soon, civil war broke out in Yugoslavia.
The U.S. secretary of state at the time said Germany was
responsible for the war in the Balkans—but he quickly shut his
mouth. The “superpower” America fell in step with Germany!
This foreign-policy shift in 1991 enraged America’s traditional
allies Britain, France and the Netherlands. These
nations saw what Germany was doing, not only in Yugoslavia,
but all over Europe. Postwar Europe had hoped to keep powerful
Germany under control—with help from the U.S.! Instead,
America helped Germany enforce its will on Europe!
Once the U.S. released and then supported this European
beast in Croatia and Slovenia, there was no stopping it. It
didn’t cease until all of Yugoslavia was under its strong influence
or control!
Kosovo was a turning point in the Yugoslavia war. After
this state essentially came under German influence and control,
the rest of Yugoslavia was certain to fall. When Germany’s
oppressive influence moved beyond Croatia and Slovenia, the
careful observer could see that Germany’s ambition was to
control all of Yugoslavia.
Germany’s defense minister at the time, Volker Rühe, urged
the use of force against Serbia regardless of backing from the
United Nations. “We must avoid to be dependent on a Russian
veto,” he said at a meeting of nato defense ministers. He said
that the relationship between nato and Russia meant that
“Russia has no veto whenever nato needs to act.” Russia was
going to veto it, and Germany wanted to get around that—and
convinced the U.S. to join in!
So Germany led the U.S. into breaking its promises to
Russia.
Russia Frightens Europe—and Fulfills Bible Prophecy 19
You can read about this history in my free booklet
Germany’s Conquest of the Balkans. In that booklet, I call
Yugoslavia “the first military victim of World War iii”—that is
how significant this was!
Russia rightly blames the U.S. for what happened. We lied
to Russia about expanding nato, and then ignored Russia over
Yugoslavia, which culminated in Kosovo declaring independence
in 2008.
The U.S. allowed itself to be a tool of Germany—and helped
its rise! America bombed Serbia into submission and then
handed it over to a German-led European Union! If you know
Europe’s history and prophecy, you realize what a shameful
act that truly was! America likes to think of itself as squeaky
clean and righteous, driven by only the purest motives. But
this was truly an act of treachery—and incredible weakness.
We have written quite a lot about this issue, and receive
many sympathetic letters from Serbs who were double-crossed
by America. Remember: The Serbs were America’s allies in
World Wars i and ii, and Germany was our enemy! In the
Yugoslav wars, everything was turned around.
America is one of the modern nations descended from biblical
Israel. We have a history with God. We should be setting
the example for the world! When we make a promise,
we should keep it! And we should be placing our faith in God
rather than in our enemies. Today, Yugoslavia is gone because
of our evil.
The Intelligence Digest of August 11-25, 1995, said this:
“Germany’s control of Western Europe is exercised through
the European Union (EU), and American support for German
dominance of the EU has been evident since at least 1990.
…[Washington] is following an intentional policy the purpose
of which is to leave both east and west Europe under
complete German domination. …
“So Germany, with the full backing of America, is to be
the sole great power of Europe.”
In biblical prophecy, God condemns America for treating
the Germans like our “lovers”! He prophesies that this relationship
will end in our destruction! (See Ezekiel 23; you can
read about this prophecy in our free booklet Ezekiel—The
End-Time Prophet.)
20 RUSSIA AND CHINA IN PROPHECY
RUSSIA’S REVENGE
Russia shrewdly evaluated these events and saw an
opportunity.
After watching and not interfering as Germany and the U.S.
sponsored Kosovo’s independence, Moscow reasoned that it
had the right to sponsor the independence of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia from Georgia. Those two breakaway regions
have many Russian sympathizers. And if the U.S. or Europe
objected, Russia could say, Hey—that’s what you did in Kosovo
and the Balkans—you just went in and conquered the whole area!
Don’t accuse us for simply doing what you did!
When Russia made its move in August 2008, the strategy
worked to perfection. “The Russians knew the United States
would denounce their attack,” Friedman wrote. “This actually
plays into Russian hands. The more vocal senior leaders
are, the greater the contrast with their inaction, and the Russians
wanted to drive home the idea that American guarantees are
empty talk” (op. cit.).
Does Russia fear America? Not very much. And it used this
opportunity to make the U.S. look stupid and weak before the
whole world!
Russia had been planning for this invasion for some time.
As Ralph Peters wrote in the New York Post, “Let’s be clear: For
all that U.S. commentators and diplomats are still chattering
about Russia’s ‘response’ to Georgia’s actions, the Kremlin
spent months planning and preparing this operation. Any soldier
above the grade of private can tell you that there’s absolutely
no way Moscow could’ve launched this huge ground,
air and sea offensive in an instantaneous ‘response’ to alleged
Georgian actions. …
“Every one of these things required careful preparations. In
the words of one U.S. officer, ‘Just to line up the airlift sorties
would’ve taken weeks.’
“Working through their mercenaries in South Ossetia,
Russia staged brutal provocations against Georgia from late
July onward. Last Thursday, Georgia’s president finally had to
act to defend his own people.
“But when the mouse stirred, the cat pounced”
(Aug. 12, 2008).
Russia Frightens Europe—and Fulfills Bible Prophecy 21
This was a war of revenge, and it was planned months, perhaps
years, in advance.
Vladimir Putin is really the dictator of Russia. He may not
appear to exercise the kind of brutality of some of his predecessors,
but he certainly is intent on using whatever power is
necessary to secure his country’s resources and make Russia
into a global power! When this former kgb agent calls the
Soviet collapse a “disaster,” you have to believe he is going to
do something about it! Remember how Adolf Hitler told the
world exactly what he was going to do in his book Mein Kampf,
years before he did it? Why will we never heed such warnings?
Friedman concluded, “The war in Georgia, therefore, is
Russia’s public return to great power status” (op. cit.).
That is exactly right. The Bible warns us to expect a great
power rising from the East. It calls it “the kings of the east”
(Revelation 16:12). The attack on Georgia was the first act of
war from the kings of the east!
RUSSIA, GERMANY BEHIND THE SCENES
Things aren’t always what they seem in the world of geopolitics.
Often there is more to an event than most people realize.
Russia’s invasion of Georgia was an example.
Russia has much at stake in the Caucasus and is extremely
sensitive to anyone who gets close to that area. Again, it
doesn’t fear the U.S. much—but it does fear Germany, and will
do what it needs to in order to neutralize it.
Actually, Russia and Germany fear each other. Russia supplies
quite a lot of Europe’s energy—especially Germany’s—
and that gives it power.
By attacking Georgia, Ralph Peters wrote, “The Kremlin is
telling Europe: We not only have the power to turn off Siberian
gas, we can turn off every tap in the region, any time we choose”
(op. cit.).
The Wall Street Journal added, “…Putin’s Russia got its
hands around the energy-needy throats of Germans, the
French, Italians and many other Europeans.” This is a cutthroat
business! “When this crisis ends, Georgia will be
either a model for a world that works or a world whose members
do business with knives,” it said. “If the world’s foreign
22 RUSSIA AND CHINA IN PROPHECY
ministries, ceos, investors and policy intellectuals can’t see
the implications for their world in Georgia’s fate, it’s time
to reorder our best efforts to playing by Mr. Putin’s rules”
(Aug. 14, 2008).
That is the way it is so often in this world! That is reality—
and it is about to get even more fiercely competitive!
But look at history. Every time competition between
Russia and Germany heats up, they form a deal with each
another—just before going to war! A few of these agreements
came before World War i, including German Chancellor
Otto von Bismarck’s Three Emperors’ League with Russia
and Austria. In 1922, four years after the Great War ended,
Germany and Russia stunned the world with a pact signed
in Rapallo, Italy, that opened complete diplomatic relations
between them. Europe’s power balance had shifted overnight.
Through the pact, the German Army could test weapons in
Russia that were forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. Even
when Hitler became chancellor in 1933 and a wave of antiRussianism
gripped Germany, the Nazis made a move that
seemed contrary to their anti-Soviet policy. Hitler’s foreign
minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, secretly flew to Moscow in
August 1939 to sign a non-aggression pact with Russia’s Stalin.
With Russia neutralized, Hitler’s eastern flank was secure.
One week later, Hitler invaded Poland, and Russia took the
Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). Two years later,
Germany violated the pact and attacked Russia.
The history is quite clear. Whenever it has wanted to
expand its empire, Germany has always first removed the
Russian threat through diplomacy. Its fear of Russia drove it to
arm and become strong on the one hand, and seek peace with
Russia until it had finished dealing with the rest of its enemies
on the other.
There is evidence that such a deal was struck before the
Georgia invasion.
When U.S. President George W. Bush was pushing for
Georgia and Ukraine to enter nato, Europe initially supported
the idea. But in April of 2008, Germany’s minister of foreign
affairs, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, suddenly came out against
the plan. He said Georgia wasn’t qualified because of unresolved
territorial conflicts. Berlin officials also argued, off the
Russia Frightens Europe—and Fulfills Bible Prophecy 23
record, that “Russia has no veto, but Russia’s views must be
taken into account”; “Russia is a factor [in decision making]
and this is undeniable,” and “Russian concerns cannot be
ignored if we want a real partnership with Russia” (Eurasia
Daily Monitor, April 1, 2008).
This was opposite what Germany said a year before, when
it wholeheartedly supported these nations’ entrance into nato.
Why the sudden change? What did the German leaders say
privately to the Russians about Georgia and Ukraine?
Germany knows Russia can be very brutal. Perhaps Putin
told Germany, We didn’t do anything about Kosovo and the
Serbs—you’d better stay out of the Caucasus! If you give us problems
over Georgia or Ukraine, we’re cutting off your energy—or
we’re going to war! And we have a lot of nuclear weapons!
Germany may well have been complicit in Russia’s plan to
attack Georgia! If Russia formed an agreement with Germany
over the Georgia situation, then Russia would have known the
only possible other nation to be concerned about was the U.S.
And Russia knew America was too weak to do anything about it!
Russia has Germany—and all of Europe—over a barrel.
Cutting off part of the flow of gas to a country would wreak
havoc on its economy!
Steinmeier’s about-face on Ukraine and Georgia smells
rotten! The U.S. is extremely foolish to trust in Germany—
to treat it as a “lover.” That ignorance is sure to end in the
greatest possible disaster!
The fact that Steinmeier was so quick to dismiss the idea
of nato membership for Georgia and Ukraine tells us something
else: Germany sees that it doesn’t have a future with
nato anyway! Its ultimate plan is to kick nato aside and
stand as an independent power! It doesn’t respect America’s
view on these nations. So America ends up being a dupe all
along the way.
The relationship between Russia and Germany is very
tense right now. Germany ignored Russia over Kosovo—but
Russia will not be ignored anymore. The presence of a deal
between these two nations is not a sign of peace. Like the
Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, and so many others before it, it is a
sign of exactly the opposite. Both of these nations are looking
to secure their shared border—so they can pursue their
24 RUSSIA AND CHINA IN PROPHECY
imperialistic aims elsewhere! It is a precursor to war! That is
the way they operate! And the U.S. has no clue.
Will the Georgia strike actually spark European unification?
Will a crisis occur over Ukraine? That area is the breadbasket
of Russia, and surely it is willing to wage war over that
as well.
The summer of 2008 marked the beginning of a new era!
We saw an extraordinary military strike by one of the kings
of the east! China, another of those “kings,” is also making
inroads all over the world. What power those kings of the east
are amassing—and so quickly! Europe can see it! And it is formulating
a counterstrategy.
The whole world should see this developing and realize:
This will inevitably end in nuclear war!
NUCLEAR ARSENAL
Russia has publicly stated that nuclear weapons remain key
to the nation’s defense strategy—even that it is not averse to
the possibility of launching preemptive strikes, if necessary to
defend its interests!
Experts tell us that once a nuclear war starts, it cannot be
stopped.
Such a monstrous Russian nuclear power is going to impact
this world. The nuclear “genie” is out of the bottle. We have
reached the point of no return.
How can these words and events not strike fear in all of
us? Do we realize this Earth is like a ticking nuclear bomb,
waiting to explode?
This world is in a kind of madness! It is precisely the way
Christ prophesied that it would be almost 2,000 years ago.
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And
except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh
be saved [alive]: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be
shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22). These words should cause us
to tremble—and repent!
If Christ didn’t intervene and stop the madness, there
would be no flesh saved alive. Not one person or animal would
be left alive!
Russia Frightens Europe—and Fulfills Bible Prophecy 25
Do the major media carry more weight with us than
Christ’s own words? Do we listen to our political leaders more
than we heed Christ’s own warnings?
It’s time for plain speaking and writing.
ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN
Europe’s growing nervousness about events in Russia gives us
a flash of light into a terrifying Bible prophecy. It is building
now—at this moment—to a spectacular fulfillment! These
events in Russia and Europe are working out according to
God’s master plan.
Even the Russian people don’t understand why their nation
has returned back to the center of global events. But you can
know. All we need to do is understand the Bible, which tells us
to watch world events—not dates.
World events will date the Bible’s prophecies and reveal
where we are in the overall time frame. A more dictatorial
Russian government is on the scene, and you need to know
where it is leading. That power will be able to challenge
Europe when nobody else can—including the U.S. The EU is
going to become the world’s number-one superpower. So says
Bible prophecy.
The Russian economy is in trouble, and time is running
out on its opportunity to cut itself a position of lasting significance.
Its conventional military and its nuclear arsenal are
both aging quickly. Demographically, birth rates are plunging
precipitously. Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin are running out
of time to restore Russia to great-empire status! “This is Russia’s
moment,” wrote George Friedman. America is squeezing
Russia, hoping nature will take its course, and Russian power
will wane. But prophecy shows that “the Russians will squeeze
back hard before they move off the stage of history” (Stratfor,
July 27, 2009).
Don’t expect Russia to drop from the headlines. In fact,
expect Russia to ramp up its efforts to restore the Soviet
empire. Among other activities, this will likely mean the
forging of a major agreement with Germany and Europe
that will address both European and Russian vulnerability.
Expect Russia to continue to be highly active in defending and
26 RUSSIA AND CHINA IN PROPHECY
enlarging its periphery; Ukraine will likely continue its gravitation
toward Moscow. It’s highly unlikely we will see nato
expand much further eastward.
Behind these developments is an invisible power, assuring
that a master plan is being fulfilled. As Winston Churchill
said, “There is a purpose being worked out here below.” The
nations are blind to where these events are leading. But they
should know, because this message has been proclaimed for
over 70 years. But even though the nations fail to heed, you
can have God’s protection wherever you may live on Earth.
“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push
at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a
whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many
ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow
and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and
many countries shall be overthrown…” (Daniel 11:40-41). The
king of the north is a united Europe, and the king of the south
is radical Islam led by Iran. (Request our free booklet The King
of the South.)
Europe will win this war. But that victory will trigger some
other events. Europe will then ally itself with the moderate
Arabs and attack America, Britain and the nation called Israel.
Many Bible prophecies thunder that truth.
Then Russia will ally with China and other Asian nations.
They know that they are next on Europe’s hit list—the world’s
new number-one superpower, which likes to attack without
warning. Germany has a history of such treachery—and
Germany leads the EU. That is the ideal way to win nuclear
wars. So Russia and China will gather their armies on the borders
of Europe. This move will make Europe intensely nervous!
So much so that it will attack Russia and China.
“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble
him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and
utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles
of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain;
yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him”
(verses 44-45). This is where the rise of Europe and Russia is
leading. It is building now even as you read this.
The “tidings out of the east and out of the north shall
trouble him”—united Europe. That means the frightening
Russia Frightens Europe—and Fulfills Bible Prophecy 27
news comes from the northeast. Look on any world map and
see who is located northeast of Europe—Russia and China,
which will soon unite.
Remember, this is an end-time book (Daniel 12:4, 9). We
must understand who these nations are today, or Daniel will
have prophesied in vain! So God gives us the specific time
factor and the direction of where Europe’s enemy is located!
As you will see in the chapters to follow, these prophecies
get far more detailed. And they are being rapidly fulfilled
before our eyes. It’s all happening just as Daniel and other
prophets prophesied thousands of years ago. Never have we
seen so many prophecies fulfilled so fast. How many people
are going to believe God?
These events are hurtling toward Jesus Christ’s Second
Coming! How magnificent! How wonderful!
Will you believe God?