The Kings Of The North And The South

Commentary by Jack Kelley

“The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. (Daniel 11:36)
“At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.” (Daniel 11:40)


Three separate kings are in view in Daniel 11:36 & 40 and their identities must be discovered to fully understand what will happen in the days leading up to the end. They are the King who exalts himself,  King of the North, and the King of the South.   All of Daniel 11:4-35 has been taken up with a discussion of various generations of the King of the North and the King of the South.  The King who exalts himself is neither, and yet subdues them both.  Let’s see if we can identify these three kings.

First, the King who exalts himself. The angel told Daniel this king would exalt and magnify himself above every god.  In 2 Thes. 2:4 Paul said the anti-Christ will exalt himself over everything that is called god or is worshiped.  The angel also told Daniel he would say unheard of things against the God of gods.  In Rev. 13:6 John said the anti- Christ will blaspheme God and slander His name.  So it’s clear that the king who exalts himself is the anti-Christ.

Now for the other two. The vision of Daniel 11 was given in 536BC and begins with an angel telling Daniel what would happen to the Persian Kingdom then in power.  The angel told Daniel that after 3 more Persian Kings, a fourth one would arise, an especially rich and powerful king. This Persian King, who we know as Xerxes I, took as his queen the Jewish woman Hadassah, called Esther in the Persian language (Esther 2:16-17). He put together a mighty army and mounted an unsuccessful attempt to conquer Greece in 480BC.  About 150 years later the tables would be turned and a King from Greece would conquer the Persian Empire. This prophecy was fulfilled by Alexander the Great.

Then the angel said that Alexander’s Kingdom would be divided into four pieces according to the four winds of heaven, not going to his offspring. (After Alexander’s death his four generals divided up the Kingdom among them.) The next 30 verses are devoted to the families of two of the four, Seleucus, known in Daniel 11 as the first King of the North and Ptolemy, the first King of the South. 135 historically confirmed prophecies are contained in the first 35 verses of Daniel 11, most having to do with the descendants of these two men. The other two generals, Cassander and Lysimachus are not mentioned here, but in fact they both eventually lost their portions to Seleucus.

So the first kings of the North and the South were Seleucus and Ptolemy. For territory Seleucus eventually got control of what we now know as Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Turkey. Reigning for a time from Babylon in modern Iraq, he built a new capital city 20 miles to the south east on the Tigris river and named it Seleucia. Ptolemy took Libya, Egypt, the Sudan, Israel and Jordan, and chose Alexandria in Egypt as his capital.

The descendants of these two kings fought each other for control of the known world for the next several hundred years. Then Daniel 11:33-35 brings us to the Macabean revolt when the last important King of the North, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, was defeated.

History To Prophecy

Although it was all in the future when the angel revealed the first 35 verses to Daniel, it’s all history where we’re concerned. But beginning in Daniel 11:36 we fast forward to the time of the end when modern versions of these two kings will go after the anti-Christ. What would make them do that?
Evidence continues to indicate that the dominating End times religion will be Islam. The goal of Islam is to bring about a single Islamic World Empire, or Caliphate, and there’s fierce competition among leaders in the Middle East to see who can make this happen.

I believe the current unrest in the Islamic Middle East will soon result in the re-emergence of these two ancient powers in a final contest for leadership of the Islamic world.  Turkey and Iran are both part of the territory once identified with the King of the North, and are obvious contenders for that title. They will both be involved in the battle of Ezekiel 38, but since Daniel 11 follows Ezekiel 38 in time, this tells us their defeat on the mountains of Israel won’t put them out of contention.

Ezekiel’s phrase “ send down fire” (Ezekiel 39:6), which many believe to be a reference to nuclear warfare, is directed at Magog (Russia), the distant coastlines (somewhere beyond the Mediterranean) and the battlefield in Israel. No mention is made of any such destruction in Persia (Iran) or Turkey (Togarmah). Whatever forces they have in Israel will be decimated, but Iran and Turkey will both survive to fight another day.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia will not participate in Ezekiel 38 but will likely join forces to form the new King of the South. Within the last few weeks, the Saudis have rebelled against US policy and embarked upon an independent course of action, promising to defend the Gulf States against Iranian meddling themselves. This was due partly as an expression of anger over the way the US helped oust Egypt’s Pres. Mubarak, a close friend of the Saudi King, and partly over their frustration with America’s lack of action against Iran.  Saudi Arabia does not want Iran to emerge as the leader of the Islamic Middle East and is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen, even if it comes to war.  So far they’ve backed up their promises by moving troops and weaponry into Bahrain, posing a direct threat to Iran.

Things are currently so fluid in the Middle East it’s hard to know what’s going to happen next. For example, some western intelligence sources are saying it’s already too late to save the Assad regime in Syria, and that Hezbollah has begun moving its long-range missiles and other weaponry out of Syria into Lebanon for protective purposes.  Also, it has been reported that Egypt will open its borders with Gaza to permit more freedom of movement for Hamas.  The unity agreement Palestinian Pres. Abbas has just signed with Hamas in Egypt will provide another clue, since the Palestinian government is secular while Hamas is decidedly religious. It will be interesting to see who winds up with the real power.   If secular governments continue to be pushed aside in favor of Islamic leadership, it could mean the Kings of the North and the South are returning.

Then What Happens?

When the anti-Christ first comes on the scene in the aftermath of the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39, he’ll look to the world like a great peacemaker. He’ll deceive people by distributing gifts of power and influence and will even confirm a treaty allowing Israel to build the third Temple and reinstate their worship of God there.  As he gains public support he’ll start attacking countries who don’t fall into line. He’ll make his close followers into rulers, giving them conquered lands as a reward for their faithfulness (Daniel 11:39).

At the time when he moves to consolidate his grasp on the Earth by going to Jerusalem, the King of the North and the King of the South will both try to stop him (Daniel 11:40).  But he’ll bring them into submission and, after invading many other countries, he’ll arrive in Jerusalem and set up his headquarters there, where he’ll walk into the New Temple and claim to be God.

Daniel 12:1, Matt. 24:15 and 2 Thes. 2:4 confirm that this will all happen right at the threshold of the Great Tribulation. And as Daniel said, the anti-Christ will be successful until the time of wrath is completed because this is the way God has determined it will happen (Daniel 11:36).  No one will be able to stand against him (Rev. 13:4).

But when his time has come to an end, he’ll be defeated. Where the Kings of the North and South will have failed, the King of Kings will be successful and at the end there will be no one to help him (Daniel 11:45).
If this view is correct and the current unrest in the Islamic Middle East is leading to the re-appearance of the ancient Kings of the North and South, then the appearance of the anti-Christ cannot be far behind. And that’s another reason for us to believe that the days of the Church on Earth are truly numbered. You can almost hear the Footsteps of the Messiah. 05-07-11

Competing For The Title “King of the North”

                   Competing For The Title “King of the North” 

This Week's Feature Article by Jack Kelley

"At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood." (Daniel 11:40)

According to Daniel 11 the End of the Age would see two Middle Eastern power blocks, which he called the King of the North and the King of the South, and both of them would challenge the anti-Christ for control of Jerusalem.  Today, although they appear to be allies, two countries from the former Seleucid Empire, the first King of the North, are openly competing for the right to be the Bible's End Times King of the North.  They are Turkey and Iran. 

The vision of the Kings of the North and South in Daniel 11 was given in 536BC and begins with an angel telling him what would happen to the Persian Kingdom, that had just conquered the mighty Babylon. He said after 3 more Persian Kings, a fourth would arise, an especially rich and powerful King. This Persian King, who we know as Xerxes I, took as his queen the Jewish woman Hadassah, called Esther in the Persian language (Esther 2:16-17). He put together a mighty army and mounted an unsuccessful attempt to conquer Greece in 480BC.  About 150 years later the tables would be turned and a King from Greece would conquer the Persian Empire. (Daniel 11:1-3) This prophecy was fulfilled by Alexander the Great.

After Alexander's death in 323 BC, the Greek Empire was broken up into four parts by the generals who had run his army (Daniel 11:4).  Cassander, who was Alexander's brother-in-law,  took the home lands, Greece and Macedonia. Lysimachus took Thrace and Asia minor, which is roughly equivalent to Bulgaria and Turkey today.  Seleucus got the area now occupied by Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Ptolemy took Israel, Jordan, the Gaza Peninsula, and Egypt. 

Within about 40 years Seleucus had  regained the lands of Cassander and Lysimachus and controlled everything but Egypt, Jordan Gaza, and Israel. For the next 200 years or so the history of the known world was composed of the ongoing battles between the Seleucid Empire in the North and the Ptolemies in the South (Daniel 11:5-35).  Looking back through history we can see that these 35 verses contain 135 prophecies, all of which were fulfilled by these two kingdoms just as the angel had foretold. Through out Daniel 11 they're called the King of the North and the King of the South.

                   History To Prophecy

Beginning in Daniel 11:36, the balance of the chapter is devoted to things that are yet future to us as the Kings of the North and South return to the world stage for the grand finale, also known as the Great Tribulation. 

Until recently it seemed like Syria and Iran would combine to take the title King of the North, but now there's a new kid in town due to Turkish PM Erdogan's vision of resurrecting the Ottoman Empire into the leader of the Moslem world. The Ottoman Empire ruled the region from the late 13^th Century until World War 1.

Next to controlling Jerusalem, which is the ultimate prize, there are three qualifications to meet in a bid for this title.   Being seen as the friend to the Palestinians and the enemy of Israel are the first two, and pushing the US around is the third.  That's why Iran muscled Saudi Arabia aside as the major supplier of money and arms for Hamas a few years ago, even though Hamas (Sunni) and Iran (Shiite) are not in agreement from a religious perspective.  That's  why Ahmadinejad makes his outrageous statements against Israel, and that's why Iran has positioned itself as the spoiler in any effort to achieve peace in Iraq and Afghanistan. One unintended consequence of American diplomatic policies toward Iran is that Pres. Ahmadinejad is now correct in saying that the only way for Pres. Obama to solve America's problems in the Middle East is to enlist Iranian support.

This also explains why Turkey has made such a dramatic change of course.  Signs of a coming change first appeared about the time of the war in Iraq when Turkey refused to allow US overflights for aircraft bombing Iraq.  It became more obvious when Turkey criticized Israel's retaliatory incursion into the Gaza strip to shut down the daily barrage of rocket fire into Israel.  Then came several subsequent and highly publicized diplomatic offensives against the Jewish nation. And now there's Turkey's support of the bid to break the Gaza blockade, something that was totally unnecessary given the humanitarian objectives that were used as justification.  Through all of this Turkey has had to defy US wishes and risk losing its long held status as the top western ally in the region, next to Israel. 

According to reports, support for Turkey is now at an all-time high in the Arab world. The last time Turkish flags were carried through the streets of Middle Eastern capitals was during the first world war, as people took to the streets in continued support for the Ottoman sultan-caliph against the western  powers.  Thanks to Turkish government support for the recent blockade-running mission, they are flying once again. Today, no ruling Arab leader is as popular as the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

 

Not to be outdone, Iran immediately announced its intention to provide naval support for the next batch of ships who try to break the blockade.  Warships from Iran have already set sail to meet new blockade runners, due to arrive in the Eastern Mediterranean next week. Maybe the competition is heating up.

                   What About The Others?

At this point, no one is challenging Egypt's position as King of the South, but Arab leaders in the region are very concerned that Turkey and Iran, both non-Arab nations, are enjoying such popularity with the masses.  For several reasons they see Turkey as the lesser of two evils,  so following the Arabic principle that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” Saudi Arabia has taken the unusual step of publicly announcing it has opened an air corridor to help Israeli aircraft execute a bombing run on Iran's nuclear facilities.  The Saudis have even conducted air defense drills to make sure Israeli planes are not accidentally targeted when they pass through Saudi airspace.  They're all but begging the US and/or Israel to attack Iran, because as much as they dislike Israel, they are deathly afraid of a nuclear Iran.

According to Daniel 11:40, the King of the North and the King of the South will team up in an effort to prevent the anti-Christ from taking Jerusalem, which as I said is the ultimate prize. But he'll defeat them both and take up residence in the Lord's city as if to defy His right to it.  It's a losing strategy, of course, and the Lord will have him thrown into the lake of fire for it (Rev. 19:20).

Currently, the world still sees these two countries as part of the same team, and it's still too early to guess which one will come out on top.  But the first time I heard about PM Erdogan's vision of a renewed Ottoman Empire, I knew that Turkey and Iran would eventually be competing with each other for the title of King of the North.  You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 06-12-10