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.
