In the United States we have been blessed over the last few years in that we have not engaged in any new wars, rather we have seen many of our troops abroad returned home under the Trump administration. While peace is indeed a blessing it can lead to us sitting back comfortable in our situation and blinded to events in other parts of the world. While we as a nation have been in large part a peaceful period, in another part of the world a relatively small war has been waging. Even though this war is seemingly small in the worlds eyes, it actually is laying the ground work for the fulfillment of biblical prophecies found in the book of Ezekiel.
During the rise of the Soviet Union several nations in the Middle East were rolled under the control of the Soviet Union, among these were the nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the late 1980s a conflict arose between these two Soviet territories and the discord centered around the control of a region called Nagorno-Karabakh. While the territory was technically part of Azerbaijan the population of Nagorno-Karabakh was a majority Armenian. The population of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to leave the nation of Azerbaijan and join Armenia, this of course sparked a war which later ended in a ceasefire in 1994. Since the ceasefire in 1994 there have been other instances of violence between the two nations, all centered in Nagorno-Karabakh.
War again broke out on September 27th, 2020 with both sides claiming that the opposition had fired the first shots. In the midst of this conflict for land allies formed on both sides. Armenia received support from Iran as well as the Russian government, which sent in a peacekeeping force of around 2,000 troops. On the other side of the conflict is Azerbaijan, which received support from Turkey, as well as the nation of Israel. A large part of this conflict was fought with drone strikes by Azerbaijan. The Azeri army received Israeli drones, which were used a dive bombers to attack Armenia forces.
This conflict for the time being has been resolved by a Russian organized peace deal signed in November, however tensions remain high. What is key for us as believers to observe from this war is the alliances that are taking place. In real time we are seeing Russia and Israel lining up on opposite sides of a war. This is of vital importance when it comes biblical prophecy, and the Lords return.
“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:”
Ezekiel 38:1-4
The prophet Ezekiel speaks of a coming war between a ruler Gog, from the land of Magog. By studying history it is clear that the land of Magog is that of Russia. The prophet says that God will put hooks in the jaws of Russia, and draw them down to attack the nation of Israel. While some scholars and pastors teach that this event is synonymous with the battle seen in Revelation 20, the war prophesied in Ezekiel 38 is actually a separate war. In Revelation 20 we see the same verbiage in Gog, and Magog and we see God have a great victory over them, similar to what is seen in Ezekiel. The difference lays in the verses following the wars. In Revelation immediately following Gods victory we see the destruction of the earth, and the Great White Throne judgement. God’s victory over Magog is the final event on this present earth. Contrast that with Ezekiel 38-39 which speaks of 7 months the people of Israel will be burring the dead following Gods victory. These two events are clearly not the same. The war spoken of in Ezekiel is a coming attack on the nation of Israel, that could very well happen in our lifetime. The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is just one piece in Gods divine plan to draw Russia down to attack the nation of Israel. Christian Jesus is coming soon! We must be active in our preaching of the gospel now more than ever before because time is running out. If you are reading this and you are not saved, Scripture says that today is the day of salvation! To find out how you can be saved today please see our article here.
Links for more information on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54324772
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/what-s-iran-s-role-in-the-armenia-azerbaijan-clash-40114
https://www.jpost.com/blogs/news-from-arye-gut/why-did-israel-choose-azerbaijan-504474
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/europe/russian-troops-to-secure-armenias-border-town-syunik