The Muslim Bear? - by Mark Hitchcock - www.faith.prayerdiary.com
Ezekiel's prophecy and Russia's changing demographics
The prophet Ezekiel
predicted almost 2,600 years ago that Rosh (modern Russia) would lead an end
time invasion of Israel. The allies of Russia in this invasion are ancient
places that today are Central Asia (Magog), Iran
(Persia), Libya (Put), Turkey (Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Togarmah), and Sudan (Cush)—all of which are Islamic
nations. In previous articles we have speculated about what could possibly draw
Russia into such an alliance against Israel. Several reasons have been
suggested: 1) Russia's desire for regional supremacy, 2) Russia's need to
maintain a counter-balance of power against the West, or 3) Russia's
reassertion of its might after its humiliation in the early 1990s when the
might Soviet Empire disintegrated. All of these are plausible, reasonable
explanations for Russia's involvement in this future attack on Israel.
However, a recent article sheds some fascinating new light on this subject.
Mark Steyn at SteynOnline
recently presented some startling statistics about the rapidly changing
demographics in Russia. Here's what he said.
There are ten million people in Moscow. Do you know how many of them are
Muslim? Two and a half million. Or
about a quarter of the population. The ethnic Russians are older; the
Muslims are younger. The ethnic Russians are already in net population decline;
the Muslim population in the country has increased by 40% in the last 15 years.
Seven out of ten Russian pregnancies (according to some surveys) are aborted;
in some Muslim communities, the fertility rate is ten babies per woman. Russian
men have record rates of heart disease, liver disease, drug addiction and Aids;
Muslims are the only guys in the country who aren't face down in the vodka.
Faced with these trends, most experts extrapolate: thus, it's generally
accepted that by mid-century the Russian Federation will be majority Muslim.
But you don't really need to extrapolate when the future's already checking in
at reception. The Toronto Star (which is Canada's biggest-selling newspaper and
impeccably liberal) recently noted that by 2015 Muslims will make up a majority
of Russia's army. . . . What will happen in Russia? A
remorseless evolution into a majority Muslim state? Bosnian-style
civil war? The secession of a dozen or so of Russia's
89 federal regions? A Muslim military coup? Or
a panicky attempt to arrest decline by selling off your few remaining assets,
including national resources to the Chinese and nukes to anyone who wants them?
None of us knows, but we should know enough to know we don't know. The Russia
of 15 years ago is already ancient history. . . . By 2050, Russia will be the
umpteenth Muslim nuclear power, but the first with a permanent seat on the
UNSC. (Mark Steyn "The Bear
Goes Walkabout," marksteyn.com. 2/2/07).
Imagine that. The great Muslim bear poised to the north of Israel. Assuming the
accuracy of these facts, or even anything close, one can see another
explanation for Russia's participation in the Islamic invasion of Israel in the
end times. Russia will lead this Islamic invading force, because Russia itself
will be dominated by Muslims. This is something that no one could have
envisioned even a decade or two ago. Yet, it appears to be happening right
before our eyes.
No one knows when the battle of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39 will occur, but if it's several
years in the future, this dramatic demographic shift in Russia could very well
play a key part in setting the stage for this major event of the end times.