Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.
—Jer. 6:22
5171 Statistics On Russia
Russia in area is the largest country on earth, stretching across two continents from North Pacific to Baltic Sea. It occupies the northern part of Asia and the eastern half of Europe.
This territory of the USSR occupies 1/6 of the earth’s land surface. In land area, it covers 8,647, 173 square miles and has a population of 258 million people in 1977.
The USSR is extremely rich in natural resources. It claims to possess 57% of the world’s coal deposits, 58% of its oil, 41% of iron ore, 88% of the manganese, 54% of potassium salts, 30% of phosphates and 25% of all timberland.
Gold production is estimated at more than 50% of production of the rest of the world. It produces about 25% of world iron ore output and 19% of steel.
Illiteracy has been reduced to 1.5%. It has universal compulsory free education.
5172 Potential Success
If you combine important natural resources with hard work by the entire population, austerity in the consumption of consumer goods, and substantial savings with heavy investment in plant and equipment, you have the basic reasons why the authorities in the Kremlin believe they will inevitably attain economic and political leadership of the world.
—Herbert V. Prochnow
5173 Consumerism Comparisons
A close look at the Russian economy shows that in overall living standards the Soviet Union today compares with the U. S. of the 1920s, not the 1980s. Consider some of the items which are basic to the American way of life:
—In the U. S., there is about 1 car for every 2 persons. In Russia, fewer than 1 in 1,000 own a car.
—For every Russian family with a refrigerator, there are 8 American families who own one.
—In the U. S. there is a television set for every 2 persons. In the Soviet Union, it is 1 for every 5.
—In housing each American has on the average 2½ times more living space than his Russian counterpart. The average Russian lives in a cramped apartment. But two-thirds of all American families own their own homes.
—US News and World Report
5174 Etymology Of Words
Tim LaHaye in his The Beginning of the End brings out the following facts:
—The nouns in Ezekiel 38 and 39 have been held for years to be Russia: “Rosh” or “Gog” for Russia; “Meshech” for Moscow; and “Tubal” for Tobolsk, the largest state.
—Genesis 10 is of help in establishing the identity of these names. Magog was the second son of Japheth who settled north of the Black Sea. Tubal and Meshech were the 5th and 6th sons of Japheth, whose descendants settled south of the Black Sea. These people intermarried and became known as Magog, the dominant tribe.
—The name Moscow comes from the tribal name Meshech. The noun Gog is from the original tribal name Magog, which gradually became “Rosh,” then “Rus,” and today as “Russia.”
—These make up the modern Russian people.
5175 Straight Line From Jerusalem
If you will draw a straight line from Jerusalem to the North Pole on your map, you will find that this line will pass right near the city of Moscow. Both Moscow and Jerusalem are located near the same meridian, Jerusalem being 35°10´ and Moscow 37°40´ east of Greenwich.
See also: Horses in Warfare ; War ; Weapons ; Jer. 1:14, 4:6; Ezk. 38:4–6, 9, 14–16; Dan. 11:40.
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