In this third edition of Gog Rising, I want to deal with the issue, Why would Russia attack Israel? Ezekiel gives the answer:

 “to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.” – Ezekiel 38:12

I want to address Ezekiel’s list in the opposite order he listed them:

1) Who dwell in the midst of the land. Historically, Israel occupies the ‘land bridge’ between Africa and the Mid East. They also control water access to the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Suez Canal, the Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea. As far as travel between Asia and Africa, they are truly in the “midst of the land”.

2) Who have acquired livestock ... This one surprised me because Israel has not been generally known for raising livestock. We know they are leaders in agriculture but not milk production! They recently exported 30,000 dairy cows to Vietnam to help their milk production.

“All of the Israeli’s milk consumption originates from dairy farms within the country with most herds consisting largely of Israel-Holsteins, a high-yielding, disease-resistant breed. Furthermore, sheep milk is exported. In terms of poultry, which makes up two thirds of meat consumption, 85% originate from moshavim (local farming communes).

“Local cows produce the highest amounts of milk per animal in the world, with an average of 10,208 kilograms (around 10,000 liters) of dairy in 2009, according to data published in 2011 by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, outperforming cows in the US (9,331 kg (20,571 lb) per cow), Japan (7,497), the European Union (6,139) and Australia (5,601).” – Wikipedia

The Livestock production index in the United States  was last measured at 105.40 in 2011. In Israel it was 112.13 as of 2011. Also, the Dead Sea region produces more fertilizer needed for food growth than anyone in that region of the world, and Russia needs it for food production.

3) To take Plunder and booty … They are recently becoming a force to be reckoned with in oil and gas production as the following article reveals:    Israel’s Big Gusher

Forget olive oil. Israel’s offshore drilling is about to make it the Middle East’s next energy exporter.

While all of these points would be a thorn in Russia’s side, perhaps the biggest obstacle to Russia and the Muslim nations of the Mid East is Israel’s belief in the God of the Bible and Democracy. When Israel was regathered back to their homeland, it proved the God of the Bible was true and faithful. It also means He will fulfill all the other prophesies in the Bible, which do not sit well with Russia and the Islamic countries of the Mid East.

In the next edition, I will cover the actual war and it’s outcome.