Crisis in Ukraine in Bible prophecy, Invasion of Israel, Christ's Second Coming

Jeremiah and other prophets predicted a great invasion of Israel "from the north". These 

prophecies had some primary fulfillments which pointed forward to the final denouement of the 

latter days. Around the time of Jeremiah, the Scythians had marauded much of the Middle East, 

including Israel. Although this is barely recorded in Biblical history, it is a well attested 

historical fact. When Jeremiah spoke of an invasion from the North, and Ezekiel spoke of 

marauding bands of Scythian-related tribes attacking the land, everyone would've thought of the 

recent attacks by the Scythians. As John Skinner put it: "In these events, especially the Scythian 

incursion into Palestine, most historians have found the suggestion and background of Jeremiah's 

prophecies of the Foe from the North" (1). Significantly, "Jeremiah's ministry is stated to have 

begun at approximately the time to which Herodotus assigns the Scythian invasion" (2). It could 

be argued that Jeremiah and Ezekiel's prophecies of a northern invader had a primary fulfillment 

in the lives of the prophets in the Scythian invasion, which were then to be understood as a type 

of the latter day invasion "from the north". This would be in keeping with the Mosaic test of a 

true prophet- his predictions must come to pass, otherwise he is to be seen as a false prophet. It 

could therefore be the predictions of the Biblical prophets about a northern invasion had to have 

a short term fulfillment, which had relevance to their ultimate 'fullerfilment' in the events of our 

last days. Whilst the prophecies do have some application to the Babylonian invasion of Judah, 

we must recall that Ezekiel was prophesying after that event, as Israel sat by the rivers of 

Babylon; and Jeremiah's descriptions of the northern invasion have some elements which fit 

better with the Scythian incursions than the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem. Not least the 

sudden, unexpected nature of the attacks is better fitted by far to the Scythians than to the 

Babylonians. It could be that his prophecies had an immediate primary fulfillment in the 

Scythian invasions, and then another dim fulfillment in the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem, 

both of which primary fulfillments look forward to the final denouement in the latter days. 

Who, then, were the Scythians? The question is important to understand because their invasions 

are a shadow of the latter day invasion of Israel. Much Soviet and Eastern European 

archeological research into the Scythians remains only in Russian and has never been released in 

English. If it had been, the Scythian invasions would perhaps have featured more prominently in 

the prophetic thinking of the Western brotherhood. Excavations of Scythian settlements 

throughout Russia and the Ukraine have yielded various objects which have also been found in 

the Middle Eastern areas which the Scythians invaded around the time of the Old Testament 

prophets. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, the USSR's answer to the West's Encyclopedia 

Britannica (although much larger), has a wealth of information about these findings. Here are a 

few examples:

The Scythians had a very specific style of bronze arrowhead. The Soviet archaeologist A.M. 

Leskov discovered many of these in sites around Kakhovka and Lubimovka in the Ukraine- incidentally, the location of thriving Christadelphian ecclesias today. The very same style of 

arrowhead was unearthed in Samaria, Lachish and Amman (Jordan). 

- The same goes for Scythian horse bridles and iron axes.

The Scythians had very specific and distinctive styles of burial. Being horsemen from the 

steppes of Ukraine and southern Russia, the forerunners of the Cossacks, their leaders were 

buried with many horses. Thus there was the mass slaughter of horses, which were then buried 

with the dead leader. Throughout the former Soviet Union, such burial mounds have been 

unearthed- from the southern Ukraine to the frozen Scythian tombs in Pazryk in the Altai 

mountains (in Siberia, central Russia) (3). 

- The layout of Scythian burial chambers from the Ukraine through Russia and down to modern 

day Israel and Iran has been found to be identical (4). 

The various studies also contain the observation that the Scythian remains in Russia and Ukraine 

include not only loot they had taken back with them from the Middle East (e.g. Persian carpets 

preserved in the frozen burial mounds of Scythian villages in Siberia), but also reflect evidence 

of how the Scythians became influenced by Middle Eastern culture. This indicates how the 

Scythians made some alliances with some of the local powers during their time 'down South'. In 

some of the Scythian sites, notably Pazryk in Siberia, there are the motifs of the eagle, gryphon, 

winged lion etc.- which were all associated with Assyria and Babylon (5). This indicates some 

degree of co-operation between the Scythians and the Babylonians, rather than raw conflict 

between them. Indeed, there is both historical and archaeological evidence that the Scythians 

were mercenaries used by Nebuchadnezzar in his attack upon Jerusalem. Yamauchi reports how 

Scythian arrowheads have been found around Jerusalem in the same material which dates to the 

Babylonian destruction of the city and temple (6). That "day of the Lord" was a clear type of the 

final "day of the Lord" when the Northern armies attack God's people. This could well suggest a 

latter day coalition between latter day "Babylon" and the latter day Scythians- the inhabitants of 

Ukraine and Russia. In the early meetings between the Byzantines and the inhabitants of Ukraine 

and Southern Russia in the 9th century, the surviving records show the Scythian leaders (e.g. 

Prince Svetoslav) being addressed as "Prince of Rosh" or Rus by the emissaries from Byzantium. 

Several connections between Rosh / Rus and the Scythians are made by the Byzantine historian 

Leo the Deacon in his 10th century records; at times he uses the terms interchangeably (7). 

Given this background, we can look for the final 'northern invader' to be led by Babylon / 

Assyria, and yet to be supported by the latter day Scythians. We need to remember that most of 

the military achievements of Babylon / Assyria were not achieved by their own forces directly; 

their military and organizational genius was in mustering the support of mercenaries and other 

fighters. The Scythians played a large part in this when it came to Israel, even if Western 

versions of ancient history has been relatively quiet about it. Significantly, Ezekiel 38 speaks of 

the invasion with specific reference to this Scythian element. If we are to interpret the latter day 

Scythians geographically, then this would lead us to search for their latter day equivalent in the 

lands of Ukraine, Russia and the steppes of northern Kazakhstan.