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STUDY ARTICLE 19

“The King of the North” in the Time of the End

“In the time of the end the king of the south will engage with him [the king of the north] in a pushing.”—DAN. 11:40.

SONG 150 Seek God for Your Deliverance

PREVIEW*

1. What does Bible prophecy reveal to us?

Not all Biblical professes have the purpose of predicting the future. However, there are professes of the Bible that help us know that important events will affect us very soon.

There is one in particular that reveals to us what some of the most powerful governments in the world will do. It is found in Daniel, chapter 11, and describes the struggle between two kings: the king of the north and the king of the south.

Much of that prophecy has already been fulfilled, so we can be sure that the rest will also come true.

2. As indicated at Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 11:7 and 12:17, what facts must we keep in mind when studying Daniel’s prophecy?

2 According to these texts we must bear in mind that it refers only to rulers and governments who have had a direct influence on the people of Jehovah, governments that have acted according to Satan’s\’ goal which is to eliminate those who serve Jehovah and Jesus.

Satan\’s primary goal and his entire system is to eliminate those who serve Jehovah and Jesus.

3. What will we discuss in this article and the one that follows?

3 In this and the following article we will discuss Daniel\’s prophecy which is recorded in Daniel chapter 11, in addition to this article we will review who were the king of the north and the king of the south between 1870 and 1991, and we will see why it is logical to change the way we understand a part of the prophecy and, for the next article, it will clarify what the prophecy tells us about the period that begins in the 1990 and culminates in Armageddon.

IDENTIFYING THE KING OF THE NORTH AND THE KING OF THE SOUTH

4. What three factors should we look for when identifying the king of the north and the king of the south?

4 Although the identities of the king of the north and the king of the south over time have been changing, during all this time they have kept three points in common. First, they have greatly influenced the people of Jehovah, second by the way they treat their people, they have shown that they hate the true God, and, third, both kings have become involved in a struggle against each other.

5. Can we identify the king of the north and the king of the south from the 2nd century C.E. to the late 19th century? Explain.

5 No, because if we remember the first two common points of these kings that were mentioned in the previous paragraph, we see that they have to do with the people of Jehovah, although among the second century there were Christians, these should not be considered as the people of Jehovah because they were false Christians, so we can say that during this time there was no organized group of servants of God who could be attacked , on the other hand we cannot be entirely sure as far as the end of the nineteenth century is concerned.

6. When could God’s people again be identified? Explain.

6 It was in 1870, and it was possible to know because it was on this date that Brother Russell and his companions formed a Bible study group. As predicted, this group was the messenger who would clear the way before the Messianic kingdom was established.

WHO IS THE KING OF THE SOUTH?

7. Who was the king of the south well into World War I?

7 Becoming the world\’s greatest empire, Britain was the king of the south until well into World War I.

8. Who has been the king of the south throughout the last days?

8 The king of the south over the last few days has been the alliance that exists between Britain and the United States that, as mentioned in Daniel 11:25, have formed an immensely large and powerful army.

THE KING OF THE NORTH REAPPEARS

9. When did the king of the north reappear, and how was Daniel 11:25 fulfilled?

• This king reappeared in 1817, just after Russell and his companions formed his Bible study group and this king is Germany.

• They have been fulfilled since Germany became a colonial power and began to gather a powerful execution, also defying Britain\’s supremacy.

10. How was Daniel 11:25b, 26 fulfilled?

10 It was fulfilled when officials as generals and military advisers of the emperor began as mentioned in Daniel\’s prophecy plotting evil plans against him, from withdrawing his support for the emperor, disclosing confidential information about the war and even forcing him to resign, followed by this also fulfilled these words when in World War I the German army was razed.

11. What did the king of the north and the king of the south do?

11 First lies began to be told about whether, wishing for peace, lies laid and despite that in 1914 war broke out, also in previous decades the king of the north that is to say Germany began to accumulate wealth, to the point that it became the second largest economy of the world and finally this king decides to fight against the king of the south, but as mentioned in the cited text he was humiliated, that is, he was defeated.

THE KINGS FIGHT GOD’S PEOPLE

12. In the first world war, what did the king of the north and the king of the south do?

12 The two kings redoubled their attacks on each other and also on the people of God. And in World War I, both the German and British governments persecuted God\’s servants who refused to fight, and the United States government also jailed those who led the preaching.

13. In the 1930’s and during the second world war, what did the king of the north do?

13 This king attacked the people of God without any compassion, they not only prohibited our work, but that Hitler and those who supported him killed hundreds of Jehovah\’s servants and also sent thousands to the concentration camps, and even Hitler swore that he would exterminate the God\’s people in Germany.

A NEW KING OF THE NORTH RISES

14. Who took on the role of the king of the north after the second world war? Explain.

14 After the Second World War, the Soviet Union assumed the role of the king of the north, and we know this since both it and its allies showed opposition to anyone who put the worship of Jehovah over the obedience to the state.*

15. What did the king of the north do after World War II ended?

15 What he did was oppose and attack God\’s people, from banning preaching to even sending thousands of Jehovah\’s servants into exile.

16. How did the Soviet Union fulfill Daniel 11:37-39?

16 Read Daniel 11:37-39. These words were fulfilled by wanting to completely end religions, so much so that he even ordered the teaching of atheism in schools, another way in which these words were fulfilled was when huge amounts of money were spent in order to reinforce their I exercise and produce thousands of nuclear weapons to increase their influence.

A RARE ACT OF COOPERATION

17. What is “the disgusting thing that causes desolation”?

17 This disgusting and devastating thing is the United Nations Organization.

18. Why is the United Nations described as a “disgusting thing”?

18 Firstly it is considered as the disgusting thing because it promises to bring world peace, something that obviously will not be able to because it is something that only the Kingdom of God can achieve, on the other hand it is considered as devastating because being the one who plays a very important role in the destruction of all false religions.

WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW THIS HISTORY?

19-20. (a) Why do we need to know this history? (b) What question will we answer in the next article?

19 (a) Because this is how we see a part of Daniel\’s prophecy about the king of the north and the king of the south was fulfilled between 1870 and 1991. Therefore we can have faith that the rest of this prophecy will also come true.

(b) The question is who is the king of the North today?

HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER?

• What three factors help us identify “the king of the north” and “the king of the south”?

Although the identities of the king of the north and the king of the south have changed over time, during all this time they have kept three points in common. First, they have had a significant influence on Jehovah\’s people. Second, by the way they treat their people, they have shown that they hate the true God. And third, both kings have engaged in a fight against each other.

• Who fulfilled the roles of the king of the north and of the king of the south from the 1870’s to 1991?

Let\’s start with the king of the north who since 1871 was Germany, but already after the second world war who assumed this role was the Soviet Union, now the king of the south we can say that until well into the first world war it was Great Britain while throughout the last few days it has been this same with the alliance it has with the United States.

• Why do we need to know this history?

For thus we see how a part of Daniel\’s prophecy about the king of the north and the king of the south have been fulfilled. Therefore we can have faith that the rest of this prophecy will also come true.

SONG 128 Enduring to the End

We are seeing evidence that Daniel’s prophecy about “the king of the north” and “the king of the south” continues to be fulfilled. How can we be so sure? And why do we need to understand the details of this prophecy?

For the reason stated here, it no longer seems appropriate to list Roman Emperor Aurelian (270-275 C.E.) as a “king of the north” or Queen Zenobia (267-272 C.E.) as a “king of the south.” This updates what was published in chapters 13 and 14 of the book Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy!

See the box “The Anglo-American World Power in Bible Prophecy.”

In 1890, Kaiser Wilhelm II forced Bismarck out of power.

They hastened the fall of the empire in a number of ways. For instance, they withdrew support for the Kaiser, leaked sensitive information about losses in the war, and forced the Kaiser to abdicate.

As indicated at Daniel 11:34, Christians living under the king of the north experienced some relief from persecution. This happened, for example, when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.