Does Putin have “hooks in his jaws”?
Bible prophecies written 2,500 years ago declare that a leader from the nation of Russia would lead a group of European nations, complicit with him, against the city of Jerusalem. In the prophecies, a number of factors were identified so that people could determine who that leader would be. Since that time, it is certain that tyrants have arisen that Bible students thought would be the likely villain, but so far, none have been correctly recognized. Now in our day a new candidate has come to the forefront, and he may not be the one the God of Israel has chosen either, but Vladimir Putin is by far the closest match Bible students have ever witnessed! That evidence has given rise to the thought that the God of Israel has put the legendary hooks in his jaws to perform His will.
Vladimir Putin wrote an article, still readily available on the internet, where he lays out his understanding of Russian history and shows his Russian Orthodox roots in the vision he has for Ukraine and the city of Kyiv. He wrote:
“Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians are all descendants of Ancient Rus, which was the largest state in Europe. Slavic and other tribes across the vast territory—from Ladoga, Novgorod, and Pskov to Kiev and Chernigov—were bound together by one language (which we now refer to as Old Russian), economic ties, the rule of the princes of the Rurik dynasty, and—after the baptism of Rus—the Orthodox faith. The spiritual choice made by St. Vladimir, who was both Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Kiev, still largely determines our affinity today.
The throne of Kiev held a dominant position in Ancient Rus. This had been the custom since the late 9th century. The Tale of Bygone Years captured for posterity the words of Oleg the Prophet about Kiev, “Let it be the mother of all Russian cities.”
His connections with the Russian Orthodox Church not only distinguish him from his predecessors of the godless Soviet era but also puts him in the crosshairs for more critical observation. His desire to identify himself as a baptized member of Orthodox Christianity while committing acts of vengeance, overt lying, threatening, murder, even genocide, suggest that he has ‘hooks in his jaws,’ being used by the God of the Bible as he has used men like him in prior ages. Consider the example of the hard-hearted Pharaoh, King of Egypt.
Pharaoh the King of Egypt
The God of Israel took this man captive, i.e., put hooks in his jaws, to perform His will as it is stated in the divine record.
“But indeed for this purpose, I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now” (Ex. 9:16-18 NKJV).
The Pharaohs had proven to be cruel and savage masters over the people of Israel.
They had ordered the slaughter of all the Israeli male children at birth, ordered the Israeli captives to labor for them with rigor assigning them tasks they couldn’t possibly fulfill. They were beaten with whips without mercy, thus the Israelis recognized Egypt as the “iron furnace”! But Pharaoh’s pride and arrogance finally got the better of him as is explained in the citation below.
“Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So, he made ready his chariot and took his people with him” (Exodus 14:4-6 NKJV).
Yes, it does say that the God of Israel hardened his heart, but that is the point of putting ‘hooks in his jaws.’ Pharaoh was a tyrant who was quick to harden his heart, and close his eyes to the punishment he was inflicting on Israel and even the damage his decrees were having on his own people, when he repeatedly changed his mind and refused to let the people of Israel go. So, the God of Israel took the hard-hearted man, and with ‘hooks in his jaws’ led him to the waters of the Red Sea to make him an everlasting example of the futility of ‘clay’ refusing to comply with the Potter’s will.
Sennacherib the King of Assyria
In another similar case, where the Bible uses the phrase “hook in your nose” we find the following:
“But I know your dwelling place, your going out and your coming in, and your rage against Me. Because your rage against Me and your tumult have come up to My ears, therefore I will put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came” (Isaiah 37:28-29 NKJV).
The phrase “hook in your nose” and “bridle in your lips” comes from the practices of the Kings of Assyria who were known for the very cruel practice of putting hooks or rings in the facial parts of their captives when dragging them out of their homeland.
The subject of the above words of the God of Israel was the proud and arrogant Sennacherib, King of Assyria, who came up to Jerusalem from his abode in the land of Shinar, to capture the city and take away its citizens to another land. But the God of Israel stopped him, destroyed his army of 185,000 men when in just one night, they all died. Then the evil one who ordered his men to put a hook in the nose of his captives became a subject of the same torture.
He was forced to return home alone, with the utmost embarrassment of having to report the humiliating defeat and death of his entire army and be assassinated at the hands of his own sons.
The Gog of Russia, possibly, Vladimir Putin himself
In this last example, the Bible again uses the expression, “hooks into your jaws” and reveals how the God of Israel, the living God, will take a leader of the nation of Russia with a reputation for ruthless behavior and cause him to come against his people, the nation of Israel, to meet his end upon the mountains of Israel. The prophet Ezekiel was commanded to say the following:
“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords” (Ezekiel 38:2-4 NKJV).
What is critical to the understanding of the timing of this event is that the God of the Bible is referring to a leader of the nation of Russia, who must be living at a time when the nation of Israel is back in its homeland. This means, therefore, that the events could not happen before 1948, and likely not before 1967 when the city of Jerusalem was captured by Israel. It is clearly stated that this leader of Russia will have “hooks in his jaws” for the God of Israel will “turn him around,” and “lead you out.” The fact that identifiable nations are complicit with him is understood by the names of other nations revealed in verses 5 and 6 of the same prophecy.
That point is further supported by other articles in this publication.
“Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes” (Ezekiel 38:15-16 NKJV).
The Gog of this prophecy, a leader of Russia, and possibly Putin himself is shown to be amply prepared with weapons of war and who uses them against other nations to guard, threaten and decimate them. His evil vision is based on a covetous plot to take the land of Israel and their spoil, so the God of Israel will take this hard-hearted man, put a ring in his nose, and make him an age-lasting example of the futility of the clay to refuse to comply with the Potter’s will.
“It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore, they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog” (Ezekiel 39:11 NKJV).