Rabbi Yekutiel Fish, a respected mystic rabbi from Jerusalem, published in his recent Hebrew-language Kabbalah blog titled Sod HaChashmal that based on Jewish sources, it is “probable” that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the reincarnation of Armilus and US President Joe Biden is the reincarnation of the Biblical King Gog.

Twin brothers

Rabbi Fish begins by explaining that Armilus and Gog are twin brothers. As Gog is not mentioned in the Torah, his genealogy is unknown. Rabbi Fish cites Jewish esoteric sources that claim Armilus and Gog’s mother was named Gasha, which may have hinted at her sons’ names. Rabbi Fish noted that Armelus (ארמילוס) contains the letters of Russia (רוסיא). Rabbi Fish pointed out that the gematria (Hebrew numerology) of ‘Putin’ (פוטין) equals the gematria of the name Yosef, putting the two at odds with each other.

The anti-messiah

Armilus is an anti-messiah figure in medieval Jewish eschatology who will conquer the whole Earth, centralizing in Jerusalem and persecuting the Jewish believers until his final defeat at the hands of the Jewish Messiah. His believed destruction symbolizes the ultimate victory of the Jewish Messiah in the Messianic Age. Armilus is described in Sefer Zerubavel, written at the beginning of the 7th century CE. The book is written in the style of biblical visions placed into the mouth of Zerubavel, the last descendant of the Davidic line to take a prominent part in Israel’s history, which laid the foundation of the Second Temple in the 6th century BCE. The visions reveal personalities and events associated with the restoration of Israel, the End of Days, and the establishment of the Third Temple.

The book tells of Armilus, the offspring of Satan, who will rise to power as the leader of Esav (Edom), which is understood to be Rome and Christianity. Midrash Vayosha depicts Armilus as “the least of the kings, the son of a bond-woman, and monstrous in appearance”; bald, partially deaf, partially maimed, and partially leprous.  It is believed the name may have been derived from Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome, the seat of Catholicism. 

They will fight over Jerusalem.

Armilus presents himself to the nations, and many accept him as their ruler. He will come to Israel with ten kings, and together they will fight over Jerusalem. He attempts to rule over the Jews, but they reject him, but they rise in a battle against him as the army of the Messiah ben (the son of) Joseph, the first of two stages in the Messianic era. According to Sefer Zerubavel, the Messiah ben Joseph is defeated and dies in the conflict. Thousands of Jews are killed, and the survivors will flee into the wilderness. There will be increasing famine, and they will survive on grass for forty-five days. 

Armilus will lead a revival of idolatry, worshipping statues of his mother.

The Messiah from the House of David reveals himself to the Jews in the wilderness. Uniting in the Judean desert,  five hundred men of Israel, with Nehemiah and Elijah at their head, will defeat 500,000 of the host of Armilus. The Jews will go to Jerusalem to crown the king and begin the service in the Third Temple. 

Voice of the turtle dove

It should be noted that the subject of Armilus is dealt with in the book Kol HaTor (voice of the turtle dove) written by Rabbi Hillel Rivlin of Shklov, a disciple of Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, the preeminent 18th century Torah scholar known as the Vilna Gaon. Rabbi Rivlin cited esoteric sources that explain the Messianic implications of the verse “Yosef is still alive; yes, he is ruler over the whole land of Egypt” (Genesis 45:26). Rabbi Rivlin explained that this verse refers to the Messiah from the House of Joseph. 

“The Mashiach (Messiah) ben Yosef is still alive and will live because, as it is written, every aspect of the beginning of the Redemption is dependent on him. Thus the decree regarding his murder by Armilus the Wicked will be canceled. It will be canceled by extending the period of the exile, by afflictions that the Mashiach ben Yosef will suffer and diseases he will bear, and by deeds that he will accomplish with great devotion, such as gathering in exiles, which is his mission. What will also help are Messianic pangs and afflictions connected with Eretz Israel and our regular, daily prayers for the life and success of Mashiach ben Yosef.”

“The purpose of gathering in the exiles is to wage God’s war against Amalek, which was the main mission of Joshua, in line with Mashiach ben Yosef. The war against Amalek includes every aspect, against all the enemies of Israel, including Armilus, the prince of the mixed multitude. It is also intended to remove the spirit of impurity from the Land….”

The gematria of Joseph Biden

Rabbi Fish describes the role the president of the United States will play in the final pre-Messiah war. He explains that the gematria of Joseph Biden (גיוזף בידן) equals Gog the king of the Magog (גוג מלך המגוג). Also, Biden (ביידן) is equal to the gematria of Ben David (בן דויד, hinting at his eventual attempt to overcome the Messiah. Rabbi Fish explained that despite being equivalent numerically to the Messiah from the house of David, Joe Biden offers the appearance of good but advocates for anti-Messiah evil. 

Rabbi Fish cited the book Maayanei HaYeshua (the wellsprings of salvation), a commentary on the Book of Daniel, by Rabbi Don Isaac Abarbanel written in Amsterdam in 1647. Rabbi Abarbanel explained that God will arouse the nations of Edom to conquer the lands of the Sons of Ishmael (usually understood to be the Arabs). Many of the Sons of Ishmael will be killed, but when the war reaches Jerusalem, the Sons of Ishmael will emerge victoriously. At that point, the Messiah from the House of David will appear, and Israel will destroy all of its enemies. 

Israel365 is currently undergoing efforts to provide aid and bring Jews trapped in Ukraine to Israel. Please help by clicking on the image below.