“Russia was originally founded by Rus, a Varangian tribe related to the Swedes, Angles and Northmen. Its first koning or prince was Rurik who arrived at Novgorod in 862. At that time Constantinople still retained its independence, as it would for another 600 years

Modern Russia arose under Ivan III, the Great. By 1505 he had not only prepared the ground for future enlargement, but had married Sofia, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor. Ivan therefore regarded himself as the heir of the second or New Rome, the original name of Constantinople

The word czar means ‘Caesar,’ and ever since Ivan’s time Moscow has often thought of itself as third Rome; for it became the most powerful center of the Orthodox Church. For this reason Russia -as well as Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and other countries in Eastern Europe -can perhaps be considered part of the beast depicted in Daniel 7. They may yet play an important part in the future history of the church, especially if Roman Catholicism should reunite with Orthodox Christianity from which it has been separated for over 1000 years.”
(Edwin de Kock, Christ and Antichrist in Prophecy and History, 268)