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Now someone is accusing Scofield of actively encouraging the destruction of Russia. That is complete nonsense and absolutely untrue. I have been a dispensationalist for 60 years, and a teacher among them for more than forty years, and have never, even once, heard even one dispensationalist advocate the destruction of Russia.
For those who actually know ancient history and geography, there can be no doubt whatsoever that the Gog of Ezekiel 38 and 39 comes from what is now called Russia.
Ezekiel 38:2 clearly says that Gog is "of the land of Magog." At the time this was written, Magog was inhabiting the area now known as Russia.
Gog is explicitly stated to be the "prince of Rosh, Meshech, And Tubal."
In the Septuagint Rosh is Ros. These are simply the Hebrew and Greek forms of the name of the ancient Rus people, the people for whom Russia is named. Meshach is simply the Hebrew name of the people of Muscovy, the area around Moscow, And Tubal Is the Hebrew name of the Tobol people, for whom Tobolisk is named.
While this understanding is unimpeachable, it does not originate with any dispensationalist, much less Scofied/
The Patriarch Proclus, who served from 434 to 447 A.D. preached a sermon in which he linked Ezekiel 38 with invaders coming out of what is now Russia. The church historian Socrates Scholasticus reported on that sermon in these words:
On this occasion, Proclus the bishop preached a sermon in the church in which he applied a prophecy out of Ezekiel to the deliverance effected by God in the late emergency, and was in consequence much admired. This is the language of the prophecy:
And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog the prince of Rhos, Mosoch, and Thobel. For I will judge him with death, and with blood, and with overflowing rain, and with hail-stones. I will also rain fire and brimstone upon him, and upon all his bands, and upon many nations that are with him. And I will be magnified, and glorified, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
This application of the prophecy was received with great applause, as I have said, and enhanced the estimation in which Proclus was held. Moreover the providence of God rewarded the meekness of the emperor in various other ways, one of which was the following.
(The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus, Book VII, chapter 143, tran. A.C. Zenos, D.D., from Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, ed. Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. and Henry Wace, D.D., Edinburgh, 1884, American Edition by A. Cleveland Coxe, D.D., Peabody, 1994, vol 2.)
This sermon was also cited in the first volume of George Vernadskys highly reputed work A History of Russia," as the oldest known written reference to the ancient name Rus, for the Russian people did not have a written language until lng after that. (A History of Russia,"pp. 138-139. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1943. Vernadsky said the patriarch Proclus cited Ezekiels prophecy in a sermon on the Hunnic invasion. He cited his source for this as Nicephorus Kallistus, XIV, 37.)
But there is an even older reference to this. For in the year 378 A.D., he Bishop Ambrose wrote the following:
"137. For Ezekiel, in those far-off days, already prophesied the minishing of our people, and the Gothic wars, saying: 'Prophesy, therefore, Son of Man, and say: O Gog, thus saith the LordShalt thou not, in that day when My people Israel shall be established to dwell in peace, rise up and come forth from thy place, from the far north, and many nations with thee, all riders upon horses, a great and mighty gathering, and the valour of many hosts? Yea, go up against my people Israel, as clouds to cover the land, in the last days.'
138. That Gog is the Goth, whose coming forth we have already seen, and over whom victory in days to come is promised, according to the word of the Lord: 'And they shall spoil them, who had been their despoilers, and plunder them, who had carried off their goods for a prey, saith the Lord. And it shall be in that day, that I will give to Gog'that is, to the Goths'a place that is famous, for Israel an high-heaped tomb of many men, of men who have made their way to the sea, and it shall reach round about, and close the mouth of the valley, and there [the house of Israel shall] overthrow Gog and all his multitude, and it shall be called the valley of the multitude of Gog: and the house of Israel shall overwhelm them, that the land may be cleansed.'"
(Exposition of the Christian Faith, by Ambrose, book II, chapter XVI, sections 137-138, tran. by H. De Romestin, M.A., asst. by E. De Romestin, M.A., and H. T. F. Duckworth, M.A. from Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, ed. Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. and Henry Wace, D.D., Edinburgh, 1884, American Edition by A. Cleveland Coxe, D.D., Peabody, 1994, vol 10.)
It is well known that the Goths were coming out of what is now Russia. So even the interpretation that this passage speaks of Russia is itself ancient.
Thus, the accusation against Scofield is conclusively proved to be wholly false.
For those who actually know ancient history and geography, there can be no doubt whatsoever that the Gog of Ezekiel 38 and 39 comes from what is now called Russia.
Ezekiel 38:2 clearly says that Gog is "of the land of Magog." At the time this was written, Magog was inhabiting the area now known as Russia.
Gog is explicitly stated to be the "prince of Rosh, Meshech, And Tubal."
In the Septuagint Rosh is Ros. These are simply the Hebrew and Greek forms of the name of the ancient Rus people, the people for whom Russia is named. Meshach is simply the Hebrew name of the people of Muscovy, the area around Moscow, And Tubal Is the Hebrew name of the Tobol people, for whom Tobolisk is named.
While this understanding is unimpeachable, it does not originate with any dispensationalist, much less Scofied/
The Patriarch Proclus, who served from 434 to 447 A.D. preached a sermon in which he linked Ezekiel 38 with invaders coming out of what is now Russia. The church historian Socrates Scholasticus reported on that sermon in these words:
On this occasion, Proclus the bishop preached a sermon in the church in which he applied a prophecy out of Ezekiel to the deliverance effected by God in the late emergency, and was in consequence much admired. This is the language of the prophecy:
And thou, son of man, prophesy against Gog the prince of Rhos, Mosoch, and Thobel. For I will judge him with death, and with blood, and with overflowing rain, and with hail-stones. I will also rain fire and brimstone upon him, and upon all his bands, and upon many nations that are with him. And I will be magnified, and glorified, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations: and they shall know that I am the Lord.
This application of the prophecy was received with great applause, as I have said, and enhanced the estimation in which Proclus was held. Moreover the providence of God rewarded the meekness of the emperor in various other ways, one of which was the following.
(The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus, Book VII, chapter 143, tran. A.C. Zenos, D.D., from Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, ed. Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. and Henry Wace, D.D., Edinburgh, 1884, American Edition by A. Cleveland Coxe, D.D., Peabody, 1994, vol 2.)
This sermon was also cited in the first volume of George Vernadskys highly reputed work A History of Russia," as the oldest known written reference to the ancient name Rus, for the Russian people did not have a written language until lng after that. (A History of Russia,"pp. 138-139. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1943. Vernadsky said the patriarch Proclus cited Ezekiels prophecy in a sermon on the Hunnic invasion. He cited his source for this as Nicephorus Kallistus, XIV, 37.)
But there is an even older reference to this. For in the year 378 A.D., he Bishop Ambrose wrote the following:
"137. For Ezekiel, in those far-off days, already prophesied the minishing of our people, and the Gothic wars, saying: 'Prophesy, therefore, Son of Man, and say: O Gog, thus saith the LordShalt thou not, in that day when My people Israel shall be established to dwell in peace, rise up and come forth from thy place, from the far north, and many nations with thee, all riders upon horses, a great and mighty gathering, and the valour of many hosts? Yea, go up against my people Israel, as clouds to cover the land, in the last days.'
138. That Gog is the Goth, whose coming forth we have already seen, and over whom victory in days to come is promised, according to the word of the Lord: 'And they shall spoil them, who had been their despoilers, and plunder them, who had carried off their goods for a prey, saith the Lord. And it shall be in that day, that I will give to Gog'that is, to the Goths'a place that is famous, for Israel an high-heaped tomb of many men, of men who have made their way to the sea, and it shall reach round about, and close the mouth of the valley, and there [the house of Israel shall] overthrow Gog and all his multitude, and it shall be called the valley of the multitude of Gog: and the house of Israel shall overwhelm them, that the land may be cleansed.'"
(Exposition of the Christian Faith, by Ambrose, book II, chapter XVI, sections 137-138, tran. by H. De Romestin, M.A., asst. by E. De Romestin, M.A., and H. T. F. Duckworth, M.A. from Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, ed. Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. and Henry Wace, D.D., Edinburgh, 1884, American Edition by A. Cleveland Coxe, D.D., Peabody, 1994, vol 10.)
It is well known that the Goths were coming out of what is now Russia. So even the interpretation that this passage speaks of Russia is itself ancient.
Thus, the accusation against Scofield is conclusively proved to be wholly false.