While no one knows the exact location of this area, going far north from Israel will eventually land you in the heart of Russia. Even if this is argued and said that Turkey is the one, it doesn’t rule out the possibility of those areas being conquered by Russia in the coming years or even after the Rapture. So Russia is a sure participant. She is the one called ‘Gog, of the land of Magog’ throughout the Bible and she will lead many nations in the war against Israel and the Jewish people. The Kings of the South, according to Ezekiel (Ezek. 38:5) will control Persia (modern-day Iran, the present incubator and disseminator of militant Islam), Cush (Ethiopia, could represent more than the one country that now bears it’s name), Put (the modern terrorist state of Libya). Also conspiring with the coalition of the Kings of the North and South are (Ezek. 38:13) Sheba (modern day Yemen), Dedan (a territory is southern Edom, located in southern Jordan) and Tarnish (which is traditionally identified as being on the coast of southern Spain or the Mediterranean Island of Sardinia. Here in Ezekiel 38:13, Sheba(Yemen), Dedan(Jordan) and Tarnish(sardinia) won’t agree with the the king of the North and his plunder. But they will be with him and with the king of the south (the king who will control Ethiopia,Iran & Libya having behind them all the support of the Islamic nations)and march towards Israel. Coming back to our world, did you know that Islam is the largest growing Religion in the United States today? With the church Raptured Islam will also play a great part in Africa. This has already started by the Islamic countries of Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Somalia. As far as Israel and the arabs go, the Arab Palestinians by Israel’s 1947 gain of land feel displaced. They have certainly been defeated lots of times and they have a great hatred for Jews. One other factor for their hatred is also the question of religion.
In some parts of the middle East it is against the law to carry a Bible. There is much persecution and a convert is considered a traitor. Even though there are Muslims who sincerely want peace there are Extremist Muslims like HAMAS, who believe in absolute violence to achieve their aims .. putting on pressure on all Muslims. The late Imam Hassan al-Bana of their resistance movement had said “Israel will exist and it will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it just as it obliterate others before it.” All Muslims are bound by religion and they are all pressured to act according to Allah. The Quran declares ( 2:190) ” Fight is the cause of Allah against those who fight against you…and fight them until aggression is no more, and religion is for Allah”. The Quran further advises “if you fear treachery from any group throw back (their treachery) to them on equal terms.” As Ezekiel had prophesied, the King of the North (Gog-Russia), with the King of the South (a king who will control the Islamic nations: Iran, libya and Ethiopia) will march against the holy city, Jerusalem. But why would the reborn Russia join hands with the Islamic nations and attack the Jews? Well the main reason open here, is because she would want to become a superpower once again. But for this she would need to have control over the main industrialized world’s oil-The Persian Gulf. If the Islamic Nations cede some control of their oil to Russia in return for her co-operation in the invasion of Israel and destruction of the hated temple, what better reason could there be to join? The Islamic Nations on the other hand gain another nations strength of army.
The AntiChrist had signed a treaty protecting Israel and this might worry the Islamic nations over their success in attacking Israel. Russia here could also serve by threatening to use her Biological, Chemical or Nuclear Bomb on the AntiChrist or should the west intervene. The King of the South might not have seen Russia as a threat as he might think they could easily get rid of Russia once she served her purpose, just like in Afghanistan (in Afghanistan 1970, the Muslim forces had got rid of the invading Russians). Now the two kings feel strong enough to go to war on Israel, from all corners and they surround the holy city. But this attack will greatly fail as God himself will strike them down. Ezekiel describes it… Ezek. 38:14-16 “this is what the sovereign lord says: In that day when my Israel are living in safety, will you (Gog-Russia) not take notice of it? You will come from your place in the far North, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.