The King of the North is mentioned in Daniel 11. He is depicted as a power who begins during the Greek empire and lives until the end. As you will see, the role of the King of the north changes from one power to another as one power takes over the next.
The northern direction refers to the physical direction of this power in relation to Israel when it first appeared. There were several powers who became the king of the North:
[*]
Seleucid Empire - took control after the death of Alexander the Great.[*]
Rome - conquered the Seleucid and the Egyptian empire and became the new power.[*]
Papacy - was handed the power over the region by Justinian.[*]
Papacy and the United States - The two beasts of Revelation 13 who would control the world at the end. Through the occupation and control of Iraq by the United States and the control of the European Union by the papacy, we have these two powers finally fulfilling the last stages of their role as the King of the North. [/ul]
The Origin of the King of the North[/align]Daniel 11: 3-4 describes this division of the kingdom after the death of Alexander among those who were not his descendants.
3 "And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and do as he pleases. 4 "But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four points of the compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, for his sovereignty will be uprooted and given to others besides them.
Location
Four Divisions
Two Major Divisions
After the early death of Alexander the Great without an heir, the Greek empire was divided among his four generals. After a while, the empire was reduced to a northern and southern kingdom.
The Seleucid empire took over the eastern and northern empires and started the dynasty in the north.
In the south, the Greeks started a new dynasty of kings (Ptolemies) in Egypt. They came to an end when Augustus Caesar defeated Cleopatra and Mark Anthony in the battle of Actium in 31 B.C.
East
Cassander
North
Seleucid Empire
North
Lysimachus
West
Seleucus
South
Ptolemy
South
Ptolemies
Seleucid Empire[/align]We first meet the king of the North in Daniel 11: 6
6 "After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to carry out a peaceful arrangement. But she will not retain her position of power, nor will he remain with his power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who sired her as well as he who supported her in those times.
Around 250 B.C., King Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt (King of the South) and King Antiochus II Theos of Syria (King of the North) tried to guarantee peace by having King Antiochus II marry the daughter (Bernice) of Ptolemy II. Antiochus II divorced his existing wife, Laodice, in order to make this marriage. A baby boy was born to Antiochus II and Bernice. When Ptolemy II died, Antiochus divorced Bernice, and took back Laodice. Laodice, however, was bitter. She had Antiochus, Bernice, their son, and Bernice"™s attendants killed. This fulfilled what the angel had told Daniel some 300 years in advance.
Rome[/align]Daniel 11: 24-25 - 24 " In a time of tranquility he will enter the richest parts of the realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers never did, nor his ancestors; he will distribute plunder, booty and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 "He will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him.
Prophecy states that Rome would remain only for a "time" (verse 24). A "time" in prophecy is one year or 360 prophetic days.
For 360 years (31 B.C. to 329 A.D.) the capital of the Roman empire remained in the north. By 330, Constantinopole was the new capital. Verse 25 shows the fall of the Egyptian empire to Rome at the battle of Actium. Cleopatra and Mark Anthony were defeated by Augustus Caesar. From this time on Egypt would no longer be a great kingdom.
Papacy[/align]
How is the Papacy King of the North?
There is an objection that claims that the papacy cannot be the king of the north because the prophecies in Daniel were about nations. And the papacy was not a nation.
This is my response.
Powers. The prophecies were about powers who controlled His church. They generally took the form of nations. This is why the Bible calls it a "little horn". Although it was small in geographical size it was still a mighty power that controlled the church.
Global Control. It controlled other nations just as if it was their civil power.
Different. The prophecies said that it would be different. Therefore, we should not look for the normal profile of the powers that conquered Israel.
Repetition and Enlargement. The interpretation is consistent with the repetition in other prophecies.
Northern Direction. The argument says that Rome is not directly north of Israel. Rome is north of Israel in a line drawn east to west. But God did something better. The United States became "Babylon the Great" and "King of the North" by actually taking over Iraq. Our argument is that the Papacy has picked up the title in a similar way. It has also carried out the actions of this person in every way. And we should see a greater role of the church in that region to conform this. We correctly called the United States "Babylon the Great" for over 150 years, based on following all prophecies. The added reality of the control of old Babylon is just icing on the cake.
See the
harlot named Babylon.
See the creation of
Babylon. Daniel 11: 31. 31 "Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.
Rome sets up the new king of the North (the Abomination of Desolation). This abomination destroys the continual ministry of Christ by setting up a substitute. This new king has these characteristics:
[*]Corrupts the covenant (verse 32). The papacy changed the sign of the covenant (the Sabbath), replaced the prince of the covenant (Jesus Christ) with the priests, mass, penance, indulgence, mariolatry, saint and image worship, tradition, rosary and auricular confessions.[*]Persecution by sword, flame, captivity and plunder (theft) (verse 33). Over 100 million were killed, many more were tortured. They used burning at the stake, war, imprisonment,
torture, granted indulgences and the property of the persecuted to the murderers.
[blockquote]He is a heretic who does not believe what the Roman Hierarchy teaches. ... A heretic merits the pains of fire. ... By the Gospel, the canons, civil law, and custom, heretics must be burned." - Directory of the Inquisitors 148, 169
The church may by Divine right confiscate the property of heretics, imprison their persons, and condemn them to the flames." - Vatican II [/blockquote][*]Then the king will do as he pleases (verse 36).[*]He will speak monstrous things against the God of gods (verse 36).
[blockquote]her Son, the Judge of the world, cannot bring Himself to condemn the criminals whom she defends", and that (page 193) "when God is angry with a sinner whom Mary takes under her protection, she restrains her Son, that He may not inflict chastisement, and saves the sinner". The Glories of Mary, by of Alphonsus Liguori (page 282).
"Sometimes we shall be heard sooner by invoking the intercession of Mary than by praying to Jesus our Saviour" (page 209). [/blockquote][*]He will exalt and magnify himself above every god (verse 36).
[blockquote]The pope is the supreme judge of the law of the land ... He is the vicegerent (replacement) of Christ, who is not only a Priest forever, but also King of kings and Lord of lords." - La Civilia Cattolica, March 18, 1871, quoted in Leonard Woosely Bacaon, An inside view of the Vatican Council (American Tract Society ed.), page 229 [/blockquote][*]He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all (verse 37).
Since this section talks about his perceived superiority above any other gods and gives a list of Gods, the term "desire of women" probably does not refer to their doctrine of priestly celibacy but to Jesus Christ. The Messiah was the hope of every Jewish mother who wanted to give birth to the Christ. So this king does not regard any god.
[*]
Trinity - Gods of his fathers. The true God YHWH.[*]
Jesus Christ - the desire of women. All women wanted to be the mother of the promised child.[*]
False gods - any other god [/ul][*]He will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures. (verse 38). [/ul]
[blockquote][/blockquote]
Papacy and the United States[/align]From Daniel 11 and Revelation 13, we know that the final powers will be:
[*]
The King of the North - In the last part of Daniel 11, the papacy had taken over this role.[*]
The Two Beasts of Babylon - Revelation 13 describes the revival of the medieval religious system which received a deadly wound after being in power for 1260 years. When this wound is healed, it would join forces with a new power that would arise in a new place that was not among the nations of Europe. This new power would carry out its commands, just as the governments of Europe did in the middle ages. This revived medieval power would also control the divided nations of Europe one more time. At the end, it is the European nations that will try to destroy it (Revelation 17: 16). [/ul]
If the King of the North is the last power before Jesus resurrects the saints (Daniel 12), then it means that the last power described in Revelation must be the same power. This is an enlargement of prophecy. The king of the North is actually two great powers. One is the church without an army and the other is the government with the military capability to force the world to do what the church wants.
The combined powers would be called Babylon the Great. And Babylon will fall (Revelation 18).
The Rise of Babylon the Great - The defeat of Iraq (the former nation of Babylon) in 1991 had tremendous prophetic implications. I referred to it as the new Babylon's symbolic conquest of the old Babylon. A prophetic transfer of power. God placed it in the heart of Napoleon to go and defeat and occupy Egypt at the time France was supposed to be the king of the South.
In a similar manner, He has caused the United States to physically occupy and control the nation of Iraq in March 2003. Together with the support of the strong Catholic nations of Spain and Poland, we can see the Vatican foot print increasing in the region as these nations help to maintain the peace and spread the agenda of the Papacy.
The King of the South[/align]Similarly, the King of the South has changed hands. It is any country who rules over the nation of Egypt. Egypt was the part of the Roman empire that was south of Israel. These are the kings of the south.
[*]
Egypt - this was the first kingdom that was south of Israel.[*]
France - ruled Egypt during the Napoleonic conquests. Their brief career became significant to prophecy because they were used to end the 1260 year persecution and they tried to eliminate Christianity. This brief but significant event is captured in Revelation 11. Verse 8 calls it a "Spiritual Sodom and Egypt". During this period, God allowed France to defeat and temporarily control Egypt in 1798.
The question is, does France remain the king of the south or is Egypt now the king of the south since they are no longer under French rule? The answer is Egypt is now the king of the south - until is comes under foreign control again.[*]
Muslim Alliance - Other interpretations might classify all Muslim nations in the region as the "king of the South". There is no basis for this. However, there is logical and historical reason to assume that if Egypt was threatened by a power that was unfriendly to the Muslims, then all the other Muslim nations might support it. Saudi Arabia is also south of Israel, fifteen of the nineteen suicide bombers were Saudi. Osama Bin Laden is a Saudi prince. These nations hold telethons to collect reward money for the families of suicide bombers. They cooperate in their hatred of Israel. They believe that the United States is the Great Satan. Therefore, the activities of Egypt may be indistinguishable from the combined actions of all these nations in their mission to destroy Israel and spread Islam.
But as far as prophecy is concerned, the power that controls the region of Egypt when the prophecy is being fulfilled is the king of the South. [/ol]
Daniel 11 - 12[/align]Now that we have studied the beast and the whore of Revelation, we can take another look at Daniel 11 in the light of repetition and enlargement.
Daniel 11 and 12 were visions given to Daniel to show him what will happen to his people in the latter days (Daniel 10: 14). Therefore, it is not unreasonable to assume that the last part of Daniel 11 (40 - 45) may relate to what happens to the Jewish people during the persecution and that this might only describe what happens in that region. However, Revelation enlarges this prophecy and shows what happens to the entire world - the global Israel.
If you read verse 40 in isolation you may conclude that there are three main players
[*]King of the south[*]King of the north. He is described in military terms.[*]"Him". - the king who does as he pleases in verse 36 is described in religious terms. However, as you read all of Daniel 11, especially verses 27- 45, you will realize that there are only two principal powers and that this potential third person is the king of the North.
Now that we are actually seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy, we can see the interpretation much clearer as we look at the enlargement of prophecy in Revelation 13.
Revelation 13 describes two main powers. The medieval beast who survived a deadly wound and a new beast who performed all these actions by its authority and in its presence.
Daniel 11 interchanges this "him" with the king of the North. Could it be that this "him" is the activity of the papacy and the king of the north is the United States?
Together, they are actually one power, the King of the North in Daniel and Babylon the Great in Revelation. [/ol]
The Spiritual Powers - A Global Interpretation[/align]Spiritual means from God's comprehensive view point.
There are two possible lines of interpretation for Daniel 11: 40 to Daniel 12. One involves the physical nations that exist in the region, the other looks more closely into the reason for prophecy and what happened after the cross.
Prophecy is given to show the ordeal of the people of God. After the crucifixion, Israel (or the people of God) became anyone, anywhere who submitted to Christ. Revelation 11: 8 seems to "spiritualize" the nations when the prophecy shifts its interpretation to powers who act like the old nations.
Sodom becomes any popular acceptance of immorality.
Egypt becomes any popular acceptance of false gods and slavery to sin.
[*]
Beautiful Land - verse 41. (The People of God) - the final persecution of the people of God during the events of the distribution of the mark of the beast.[*]
Egypt - verse 42. Those who worship other gods. The new age movement will not control Christianity as the secular designers of the new world order hope. It will continue to corrupt Christianity but it will be defeated by it.[*]
Other Countries - verse 42. The rest of the world.[*]
Edom, Moab and Ammon - verse 41. These are relatives of Abraham and so are heirs of the promise. This might refer to the church of Laodicea which was in danger of being abandoned by God. They finally woke up and put on their clothes as a result of the persecution and were saved.
These might be people who are part of Babylon, who escaped some of the persecution because they initially belonged to the system. However, they will eventually turn against it.[*]
Libya and Ethiopia - verse 43. In the old testament, these nations were condemned for forming an alliance against Israel. They will be at the heels of the king of the north. This could mean that they will follow the king as a friend, or pursue him as an enemy. If we look at the condemnation of the old testament and the rest of verse 43 which deals with the things controlled by the king. We can assume that Libya and Egypt will be controlled by the king.
In Revelation, the dragon, beast, false prophet and the kings of the earth form and alliance against the people of God. [/ul]
The Physical Powers - A Local Interpretation[/align]
Comes to an End Without Help
The prophecy says that "he will come to an end with no one to help". This has repeatedly been fulfilled for us.[*]
End of War. In September 2003, the president asked the European nations for financial assistance. None did.[*]
End of Coalition Government. Formal power was handed back to Iraq on June 28, 2004. At the same time a meeting of NATO was occuring in Turkey. The president again asked for financial and military assistance. He got none. He only got the offer of trainers that would work outside Iraq.[*]
European Tour. On a tour through Europe in February 2005, the president again appealed for help. The entire union pledged four million dollars for the year. The war costs five billion dollars each day. Again this is more of an insult than help. Several countries are mentioned by name in the last struggle between the king of the north and the king of the south. All the countries mentioned are predominantly Muslim. After watching this prophecy unfold for two years we can be more certain about some of the meaning.
[*]
Beautiful Land - verse 41. Israel and Palestine will be controlled by the Papacy and the United States.[*]
Egypt - verse 42. They will be defeated and controlled.[*]
Other Countries - verse 42. We can assume that these are the other Muslim countries in the region. They will also be controlled.[*]
Edom, Moab and Ammon - verse 41. The current nation of Jordan will survive this attack.[*]
Libya - verse 43. On December 19, 2003 the Libyan government simply gave up under pressure from the United States. It is cooperating by abandoning their nuclear weapons programs. So "at his heels" means following in submission.[*]
Ethiopia - verse 43. This might refer to the region of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. [/ul]
So, the Muslim nations will be defeated in the struggle with the king of the North. However, Jordan will escape and Israel will be run over. But we will also come to an end without help. This precipitates a great time of trouble. I believe with all my heart that God is using these local events to indicate that the ultimate fulfillment is upon us. Think of them as the outward sign of what is being done in secret.
This appears to be a war between Egypt and the nations of Europe that are controlled by the church. Using the enlargement of prophecy from Revelation, we can also assume that this includes the United States.
The nation of Jordan will survive the attack of the king of the north. Therefore, Jordan must support the American alliance or it is spared by the allies for some reason. But, Egypt and "other countries" will not escape. The mention of this region and other countries who are against the western forces might logically lead us to conclude that these are other militant Muslim countries.
The War on Terrorism[/align]40 "At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through.
41 "He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. 42 "Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 "But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. - Daniel 11: 40-43.
In fighting this war on terrorism, we have now attacked Afghanistan and Iraq. It is apparent that we have threatened Syria into submission. We had suppressed terrorism by Libya and its leader years ago. We had military action in Somalia and Ethiopia. We have been talking to Somalia, supposedly for their persecution of Christians. We are making threats against Iran. We have military bases in other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Kuwait.
September 11, 2001 - It is conceivable that we might have done all of the actions described in Daniel 11: 40, If you interpret it as the activities of September 11, 2001 and the United States response. In this action, a combination of Arab men from all over the region joined forces to attack the United States.
The King of the South attacked the king of the North.
I would not be surprised if we learned that Egypt was more involved with Al-Qaeda. Some of the suicide bombers were Egyptian.
We have entered the Beautiful Land and many countries are falling, either through war or threats. As of May 2003, we still have more specific activities to see in Egypt and other countries according to verse 42.
A Message to Israel
Peace and safety?
Do not feel secure. All your enemies and friends will turn against you.
You must go back to the Torah. Study the book of Daniel. Prepare yourself for the day when you will be afraid. The last verse (Daniel 12: 13) prophecies that in the last days, Daniel will be understood.
The
Messiah can be recognized through Daniel 9.
As you are experiencing these problems, turn to the Messianic Jewish congregations or the Seventh Day Adventist churches, they will help you to understand. Do not lose your Sabbath keeping heritage to a disobedient Christian church who will be rejected by God.
Here are
Bible Studies for Israel.
The Destiny of Israel[/align]44 "But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go out with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. - Daniel 11: 44, 45
Israel is surrounded by nations who want to see her destroyed. She has some comfort in the knowledge that the United States is on her side. This might be due to the support of Protestants in the United States. They believe that Israel has a special status with God and no one who is against Israel will ultimately survive. They hold these beliefs despite their antisemitism.
The destiny of the church will we mirrored in the destiny of Israel. God sees the faithful in both groups as the true nation of Israel.
Daniel 11: 45 seems to suggest that the king of the North will take up residence in Israel. The pope is on a mission to be declared the
ruler of Jerusalem under the United Nations Resolution 181.
Therefore, Israel will be under pressure from the United States and the Catholic church, not Russia and China. Simultaneously, we will see persecution of Sabbath keepers on a global scale.
Rumors from the east and north - One event that will disturb the beasts of Revelation is the success of the message of the three angels. This threatens their religious power. Another event is any threat to their global political power. Either event will cause the great persecution which leads to the mark of the beast.
Therefore, at the time that Jerusalem comes under control of the king of the North, there will be problems for the global church and for Israel. The nation of Israel will no longer feel protected by the United States. Possibly, in an effort to make peace and to avoid terrorism, the United States will be forced to give in to the demands of the Vatican and the Arab nations on the status of Israel. Probably, because of the global astronomical threat or fearful event, even the supporting Protestants will turn against Israel.
This will be our physical evidence that God considers the Battle of Armageddon has been declared. At this time we should see simultaneous movements to suppress the church everywhere.
Revelation 17 also gives us a clue as to what this might be. The European alliance is described as turning against the beast power. They are north of Israel. Therefore, this prophecy might coincide with the collapse of their control over Europe (Revelation 17: 16). This is the rumor from the north.
But what is the rumor from the east? It could be the reaction by the nations of Islam which are mostly east of Israel. It could also be the acceptance of the spread of the gospel. This results in further erosion of their power.
Local Fulfillment. The local fulfillment is turning out to be information about a nuclear program in Iran and a possible alliance between Syria and Iran to fight United States agression.
"Look up Our Redemtion darws near" !
Shalom
Who Is The King Of The North ?
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