We focus on Bible prophecy each week for about five-minutes, calling it a “Prophecy Update.”

We are considered futurists. We interpret the unfulfilled prophetic portions of the Book of the Revelation and the Book of Daniel, and all other unfulfilled prophecies, as yet future events in a literal, physical, apocalyptic, and global context.

There are many reasons for being futurists, but I like to point out the most important one: Jesus was a futurist. When He gave His great discourse on prophecy in Matthew 24 & 25, He quoted from Daniel as if the events prophesied were yet future and literal.

In fact, whenever someone in the Bible read unfulfilled prophecies, they understood them to be future and literal.

One important character on the End Times stage in the Bible’s is called the King of the North. Since Jerusalem is the reference point, this king is north of Israel.

For lots of biblical reasons, futurists have for years identified the King of the North with Russia. Russia seems to lead the invasion of Israel from the north by a coalition of nations that are identified in Ezekiel 38 & 39.

In fact, according to Ezekiel, the invading armies come to the land of Israel from “the uttermost part of the north,” or as we would put it from the far north.

Not only is Russia north; there are goings on in the far north – at the Arctic.

I read an article titled, [Russian President] Putin outlines ambitious Arctic expansion program.

Excerpts:

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday put forward an ambitious program to secure Russia’s foothold in the Arctic, including efforts to build new ports and other infrastructure facilities and expand an icebreaker fleet.

The Russian military has revamped and modernized a string of Soviet-era military bases across the polar region, looking to protect its hold on the region, which is believed to hold up to one-quarter of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas.

https://apnews.com/d0c2eb39a3b44b40ac8ddb1749ebe143

As far back as the books of Daniel and Ezekiel, the Bible predicted a powerful King of the North. It may be someone other than Putin, but his expansion in the Arctic is exactly what you’d expect.

Jesus promised He’d return to rapture His church – which entails the resurrection of the dead in Christ of the Church Age, then the translation from earth to Heaven of all living believers.

It is presented in the Bible as an imminent (any-moment) event.

Are you ready for the rapture? If not, get ready, stay ready, and keep looking up. Ready or not, Jesus is coming!