India’s Biblical Identity

God identifies the members of an end-time Asian alliance in Ezekiel 38 and 39. In Ezekiel 38:2-3, God identifies the key players as Russia and China. Verse 5 mentions these nations: “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet.” Ethiopia and Libya come from the Hebrew words Cush and Phut. These are descendants of Noah’s son Ham (Gen. 10:6). Secular and Bible history show that some of these people migrated west, into eastern Africa, and some migrated east, into south Asia—inhabiting parts of India and Pakistan.

Phut, also spelled Put in the Bible, means warrior. The warrior-rulers of India have often been referred to as the “rajahs” or “rajputs.” Rajput means king or chief of Put.

Cush, or Kush, also settled both in eastern Africa and in India—once inhabiting the area known as Hindu Cush.

The Parsees, among the wealthiest class in India, are known to be descendants of the ancient Persians (named in verse 5). This explains why some of the Indians are lighter skinned, like the Persians, while many are darker skinned, like the Cushites of Ethiopia.

Shem, father of the more fair-skinned races, had a great-great-grandson, Ophir, whose descendants founded the great Indus Valley civilization in India. India was where Ophir first settled. Solomon’s ships traveled into this land, where they brought back “gold, and silver, ivory [margin: elephants’ teeth], and apes, and peacocks” (i Kings 10:22). India is one of few lands where peacocks are native. (Incidentally, Ophir eventually ascended the mountains past the land of Kashmir to Afghanistan and Tajikistan.)

The peoples of the Indian subcontinent, most likely much of Pakistan included, will comprise a major part of this end-time Asian alliance.