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.