Is the Future King of the South Rising Up?

Does the Bible teach that there will be a future King of the South in Daniel 11? Is this kingdom rising up now?

Did the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) teach that there would be another one? And who is the King of the South? Might the Muslim Brotherhood be involved? This article will answer those questions (and certain information is also in the YouTube videos The Future King of the South is Rising, The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South, What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy, Egypt and End Time Prophecy, Iraq, the King of the South, Armageddon, and Prophecy, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia in Prophecy, and Damascus and Syria in Prophecy).

This article was originally written because of some critical statements that I received from some once part of the Global Church of God (GCG) that disagreed that there would be a future King of the South. Specifically, some stated that Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) did not teach that there would be a future King of the South and/or that the Bible does not require a future King of the South.

Are they correct? If they are not correct, are we in the 21st century seeing the rise of the King of the South?

This article will go through quotes from Church of God (COG) related literature, the Bible, and other sources to answer these questions.

The Bible Teaches About the King of the South

Of course, the main issue is whether or not the Bible teaches that there must be a future King of the South. It is in the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel (the only place where the term 'king of the South' is mentioned) which makes this clear.

Daniel wrote:

25 He [the king of the North] shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South. .. 27 Both these kings' hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time (Daniel 11:25,27).

Notice that these two kings make a deal together, but both sides are lying to each other. Thus, whatever agreement they make is not destined to be permanent.

Now when is the appointed time of the end? Verse 29 states:

29 At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter.

The 'he' in verse 29 is the king of the North. This verse says that the 'appointed time' is not only different than before, but, combined with vs. 27, that it is the appointed time that leads to the final end of both the king of the North and the king of the South (cf. vs. 27).

I state this because there is an ‘appointed time’ (Strong’s word #7150) in both vs. 27 which suggest it is in the future and vss. 29 and 35 which appear to be the specific time. The specific word translated as ‘the end’ is the same word (Strong’s 4150) in vs. 27 and vs. 45 where the king of the North comes to his final end it is also in vs. 40 when the king of the North invades the king of the South (which is the last time the term 'king of the South' is mentioned as this leads to his end).

Daniel 11:35 states:

35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.

Again, Daniel 11:40 states:

40 At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.

Since the king of the South is prophesied in vs. 27 to come to his end at the appointed time, and I believe the Bible is clear that this particular appointed time of coming to his end has not come yet (especially since the king of the North is also supposed to come to his end during that appointed time), the Bible thus demonstrates the need of a future king of the South.

Because we are seeing this is for the appointed time of the end, this is after the third and fourth horsemen of the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:5-8) have begun their rides. The resulting havoc will provide additional support for the King of the South to rise up. Watch also the video: The Rise and Fall of the King of the South.

Notice that the King of the North is going to come into the Arabic portions of the world. And when the final contest between the King of the South vs. the King of the North occurs, the King of the South will lose:

40 At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. (Daniel 11:40-42).

The above shows that certain Arab nations, such as Egypt and Libya will not fair well (for more on Egypt, please see the article Egypt in Prophecy). Some peoples who speak Arabic, but are not ethnically Arabic (like the Nubians) will also not fair well--suggesting that the king of the South is supported by more than just those who are ethnically Arabic. War is Coming Between Europeans and Arabs.

We are getting closer for an Islamic confederation to form consistent with the biblical prophecies about the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40). The King of the South will end up with a great army:

25 And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. 26 Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. (Daniel 11:25-26)

However, somewhat like the final Beast/King of the North power (Daniel 11:41-42), it looks like the Bible teaches that there will be some fragility and lack of total cohesiveness as the King of the South will apparently not be totally unified (cf. Daniel 11:41-42; 11:25-26). The plans devised appear to include the King of the South being 'double-crossed,' by some supporters like Turkey (see also Turkey in Prophecy).

It may be of interest to note that currently, many of the states of the European Union and the states of Northern Africa have gotten together in something that they call the "Union for the Mediterranean." An interesting part of this is that while they do not call them kings, when it formed there was a president of the North (the then president of France) and a president of the South (the then president of Egypt) (for details, please see the article The Bible and the Arab World In History and Prophecy).

If you have any doubts on whether the King of the South could have an immense army, consider the following from 2016:

North Thunder: World’s largest war games takes place in Saudi Arabia

(CNN) Saudi Arabia launched a massive military exercise that will include troops from 20 nations, state media reported Monday.

The drill, dubbed North Thunder, involves Arab and Muslim countries, according to the Saudi Press Agency. It’s taking place in King Khalid Military City in northeastern Saudi Arabia.

The news agency did not provide much information on what the exercise entails but called it “the largest in the region’s history.” The agency said it will involve air, sea and land forces.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, other participating nations include Jordan, Bahrain, Senegal, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Kuwait, the Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Malaysia, Egypt, Mauritania and Mauritius.”North Thunder drills represent a clear message that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its brothers and friends of the participating countries stand united to confront all challenges and maintain peace and stability in the region,” the agency said. http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/15/middleeast/saudi-arabia-military-exercises/

‘North Thunder’ a clear message to Tehran

Military experts have warned that the next probable threat to the Gulf states is likely to come from the northern areas, after Iran demographically occupies Iraq and uses that country as its military arm to meddle in the affairs of neighboring countries and drain Gulf states’ resources.Col. Ibrahim Al-Marie, military and strategic analyst, said the three main goals of the exercise are to protect the joint security of the Gulf, Arab and Islamic states, increase combat readiness and coordinate joint operations between participating forces. http://www.arabnews.com/news/878206

February 17, 2016

HAFR AL-BATIN: North Thunder, the ongoing military maneuver in Saudi Arabia, is a message to the world that the Kingdom will not be a passive observer to the massacres of civilians and mayhem in Syria and Iran’s ambitions in the region, political observers have said.

According to unofficial sources, around 150,000 soldiers, 2,540 warplanes, 20,000 tanks, and 460 helicopters are participating in the largest military exercise in the history of the region.

Twenty Arab and Muslim countries and the GCC-formed Peninsula Shield are participating in the drill, led by Saudi Arabia.

A spokesman for the Arab coalition forces, Ahmad Assiri, said the aim of the exercise is to achieve the highest level of preparedness, exchange expertise and promote coordination among the participating countries.

Political observers and experts said the military exercise aims at delivering certain indirect messages at the regional and international levels, along with reaching a high level of readiness among the participating armed forces. The stage chosen for the exercise, Hafr Al-Batin in northern Saudi Arabia, adjacent to Iraq, near Iran and Syrian is also a strategic move they said. http://www.arabnews.com/news/881886

February 17, 2016

(TRUNEWS) Armed forces leaders from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have arrived in Saudi Arabia to participate in “Northern Thunder”.

It is one of the largest military training operations ever in the region. More than 350 thousand troops, over 2500 warplanes, 20 thousand tanks, and 460 helicopters are expected from over 20 nations. http://www.trunews.com/uae-forces-arrive-in-saudi-arabia-for-north-thunder/#mwJDJsXDf1sF9fkJ.99

Two earlier, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a predominantly Islamic 34 nation military coalition (see ‘Saudi Arabia Announces 34-Nation Islamic Alliance Against Terrorism’ to Protect the ‘Islamic Nation’: Is the King of the South starting to form?).

The end simply was not in the 1930s as some groups (like the Church of the Eternal God, see below) implies that the particular end of the southern King must have been. That is utter nonsense.

Church of the Eternal God and certain other groups with origins in GCG

Before going into more about what the Bible teaches about a future King of the South (and other sources showing how the related kingdom seems to be rising up), perhaps showing the positions of some of those who disagree would make sense.

The Church of the Eternal God (CEG), which once had two of the board members involved in the GCG takeover, wrote this in its July 30, 2004 News Update:

...the prophecy in Daniel 11:40 has ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED. And verse 40 is the LAST TIME where the king of the South is mentioned! Beginning with the second half of verse 40, we read exclusively about the king of the North and his activities, and, in verse 44, about rumors from the east and the west. This means, then, that there DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ANOTHER end-time king of the South. If there were to rise one, following the historical and Biblical records, as set forth in the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel, it would have to be -- mainly -- modern Ethiopia. But, as we said, ALL WHICH STILL NEEDS TO BE FULFILLED (and which the previous king of the North -- under Mussolini -- did NOT fulfill), is the invasion of the Glorious Land by the future and final king of the North (verse 41), including Jerusalem (verse 45), as well as the overthrow of "many countries" (verse 41), including Egypt, and the "Libyans and Ethiopians" following at his heels (verse 43).

Although CEG had referred to a 1972 article by HWA prior to reaching this conclusion, this is NOT what HWA actually concluded.

It should also be pointed out that GCG-UK (a group with ties to CEG) posted about the same thing in August 2004. These statements are similar to those made by Harold Smith of Church of God Fellowship, Northwest (Harold Smith went along with the GCG takeover and is a former GCG member):

If the Menelek/Mussolini scenario is the fulfillment, this verse ends the historical record of the fulfillment of this prophecy; if not, this verse may yet be fulfilled a second time. (Smith H. Exploring the Bible: Daniel & Revelation. 2006, p. 69)

Thus, at least three groups that split off from the GCG takeover now have taken the position that the old WCG and the Bible do not require that there be a future King of the South.

But it perhaps should be mentioned, that although it misunderstands about 'Ethiopia,' in 2018 CEG seemingly admitted that there could be a future King of the South:

The united country of Ethiopia/Eritrea fulfilled an end-time prophecy in Daniel 11, when it, as the “king of the South”, pushed against the king of the North (the emperor of Italy) who then responded via an attack under Mussolini. It will have to be seen whether the prophecy was dual and will find a further fulfillment in the days ahead through a modern king of the North and a king of the South. (CEG Update 836, July 13, 2018)

When I saw that, in this article, I put the following:

It is good that CEG is now at least considering the possibility of a future King of the South. There will be a future King of the South, but it will NOT be an Ethiopian led kingdom.

Yet, on February 1, 2019, in its newsletter, CEG had the following:

How can we know that Christ’s return is near? (Part 9)

When Christ was asked by four of His disciples about the end of the age, He said:

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near–at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:32-35).

It is clarified in the parallel Scripture in Luke 21:31 that Christ was speaking about His Second Coming and the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth. “All these things” refer to the events, which we are describing in this series. The Greek word for “generation,” i.e., genea, refers here to the people in the end time–not the entire race throughout many “generations.”

In Psalm 90:10, a generation is described as lasting 70-80 years. We also read in the Bible that God sometimes shortens or prolongs human life, and that bloodthirsty and deceitful men may not live out HALF their days (Psalm 55:23). We know that men will be so bloodthirsty and destructive in the end time that Christ will HAVE to SHORTEN the days of worldwide warfare, lest NO man would survive (Matthew 24:22).

We have not yet seen the beginning of the Great Tribulation, but we know that it is the next major event to occur in our time. ...

It is revealed however that the European invasion of the Holy Land will occur when animal sacrifices will be brought there by the Jews, apparently during or after the completed construction of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount (Daniel 8:11-14; 11:31; 12:11-12). The beast will invade the Holy Land and conquer countries such as Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia (Daniel 11:41-43).

But note that the countries mentioned in Daniel 11:41-43 are NOT the same as the countries mentioned in Psalm 83 with which the beast will have a temporary alliance. In fact, Daniel 11 specifically mentions that those countries (mentioned in Psalm 83) will “escape” the hands of the beast.

Many believe, based on prophecies contained in the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel, that immediately before the return of Jesus Christ, a powerful Arab leader— a religious “Mullah” or Madhi, many times imagined to be the “king of the South”— will still arise in the Middle East. Daniel 11:40-41 says: “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack [or: push at] him [the king of the North]; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown…”

Historically, and reviewing the entire biblical prophecy in the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel, we can determine that at the time described in verse 40, the king of the North constituted the ninth resurrection of the ancient Roman Empire, or the sixth resurrection of the “Holy” Roman Empire, led by Mussolini and Hitler.

At that time, the modern remnant of the “king of the South” of this prophecy was Ethiopia. The prophecy in Daniel 11:40 WAS FULFILLED in 1896, when King Menelik II of Ethiopia “pushed at” the Italians and defeated Italy at Aduwa. In 1935, Mussolini responded when the king of the South was Emperor Haile Selassie. Mussolini came against Ethiopia like a whirlwind, using airplanes, and conquered it.

There are some things right, but also significant errors in understanding that CEG has in the above.

While there will be animal sacrifices, a third massive Jewish temple is not required (c.f. Ezra 3:6; see also Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).

It is true that the King of the North Beast will have a temporary alliance with nations in Psalm 83. But it is ALSO true that Daniel 11:27 shows a temporary alliance with the King of the North and the King of the South. CEG does not seem to understand that many of the same peoples listed in Psalm 83 occupy the lands listed in Daniel 11.

Furthermore, the invasion by Mussolini of Ethiopia was NOT the fulfillment of Daniel 11:40 in 1935, nor were the actions of King Menelik II in 1896.

Notice what Daniel 11 shows:

40 At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; ...

Additionally, notice what the old WCG taught:

Mussolini did not finish the prophecy. He did not, for example, enter into the "glorious land" or Palestine (verse 41). Its greater fulfillment is yet future! (Stump KW. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979)

Furthermore, CEG referred to Psalm 90:10, so let's look at it:

10 The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10)

Based on that, CEG stated that the end generation would last 70-80 years. Well, even if we use 1935, that is over 80 years ago. There is no way Daniel 11:40 was fulfilled in its totality back then. CEG should review its positions and correct them.

Additionally, this King of the North in Daniel 11:40 is the same one who comes to his end in Daniel 11:44-45. Mussolini has been dead for decades, as well has been Adolf Hitler. The King of the North who fulfills Daniel 11:40, will also fulfill verses 41-45.

Additionally, this King of the North in Daniel 11:40 is the same one who comes to his end in Daniel 11:44-45. Mussolini has been dead for decades, as well has been Adolf Hitler.

As far as the claim that the Great Tribulation is the next major event to occur in our time, I guess it depends on how you define "major." Jesus listed many events prior to that in Matthew 24, and also pointed the abomination of desolation PRIOR to the Great Tribulation. Notice some of what Jesus said:

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:15-21).

If CEG is not looking for the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14, the abomination of desolation, the deal of Daniel 11:27, a coming King of the South, etc. then it may be that the Great Tribulation will be the next major event it notices.

Unless CEG changes, it, like many other groups, will not understand when the Great Tribulation will be here until it is too late. For more details, see also the section on Laodicean errors in prophecy in the article The Laodicean Church Era.

Could the King of the South be an Egyptian?

Who is the 'king of the South' according to history and the old WCG? Most worldly scholars and HWA felt that there were different ones at different times.

Could the final King of the South be an Egyptian? (See also Egypt in Prophecy)

Some who do not believe this is possible have pointed to some of the following from HWA's Middle East in Prophecy booklet:

Here is verse 5: "And the king of the south [Egypt] shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion"...Syria's ruler, the king of the north, at this time was Antiochus II, called Theos. His wife was named Laodice. And, says Rawlinson's Ancient History, page 251, "Her influence ... engaged him in a war with Ptolemy Philadelphus [king of the south], B.C. 260, which is terminated, B.C. 252, by a marriage between Antiochus and Bernice, Ptolemy's daughter"...Verse 25 — Rawlinson, pages 255-256, says, "Threatened with war by the ministers of Ptolemy Philometor [now king of the south], who claim Coele-Syria and Palestine as the dowry of Cleopatra, the late queen-mother, Antiochus marches against Egypt ... B.C. 171" (pp. 277-278). But he was met by his nephew, Ptolemy Philometor, king of the south, with another immense army. But the Egyptian king was defeated through the treachery of his own officers and was outwitted by Antiochus. Verses 26-27 — continuing in Rawlinson, page 278: "After his victory at Pelusium, Antiochus advanced to Memphis, and having obtained possession of the young king's person [Ptolemy Philometor, king of the south], endeavored to use him as a tool for effecting the entire reduction of the country."

...Who is today the "king of the south"? It cannot be the king of Egypt, for in 31 B.C. Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, swallowed up by the king of the north. Today Egypt is a republic ruled by native Arabs. It has no king of its own...(observe that after its conquest by Mussolini, Ethiopia is not again referred to as the king of the south).

Yet, HWA did not teach that Egypt could not become the final King of the South. HWA taught that the King of the South, was not Egypt of 1972, and that after Mussolini's conquest that Ethiopia is not again referred to as the king of the South.

Notice that the position of his old church was that Egypt could very well become the final leader of the King of the South, but it would take time for that to be the case. Notice a quote from the July 1963 Plain Truth article by Garner Ted Armstrong titled "And when you see the Abomination..." which clearly proves that:

Daniel was given specific visions of events to occur in OUR TIME!...Notice! And at the TIME OF THE END (this prophecy, then, is absolutely DATED as pertaining to OUR DAY, NOW) shall the king of the south push at him (the "king of the north") and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over" (verse 40). Bible scholars have recognized the FIRST, TYPICAL fulfillment of this surprising prophecy, but have failed to see its LITERAL application to OUR TIMES!...

But what of the MODERN powers meant by these designations? Remember-the Bible is written, SPIRITUALLY and GEOGRAPHICALLY, from the point of view of PALESTINE! If you were to look on a map, and try to find two powers fitting this description, you would have a fairly easy task...Who else could this be, then, except the coming UNITED STATES OF EUROPE, a resurrection of the ancient ROMAN EMPIRE, Just as we have been fearlessly proclaiming...A rearmed GERMANY, heading up a final union...IN EUROPE -THIS is the Biblical KING OF THE NORTH!

The king of the South? EGYPT, of course. But not Egypt of today. Egypt of a few more years from now--Egypt as she continues to expand the U.A.R., bringing more and more of the North Africa Mohammedan nations into the same Afro-Arabian power block! (p. 22).

Why groups like CEG cannot accept that the COG long taught that there would be a King of the South, that it would be an Afro-Arabian Islamic power block, and that it could be led by Egypt suggests that they need to study relatively recent church history a bit closer.

The late WCG evangelist Raymond McNair (who was also once part of GCG) wrote:

Daniel 11 also mentions some of the Mideast peoples who will be involved in that struggle among the nations at the close of this age. The belligerents will include the “King of the North,” the leader of the European Union (or its final outgrowth, called the “Beast”). The “King of the South” (an Islamic leader—apparently from Egypt {or} some other Muslim state) is also referred to. The following lands/peoples are specifically mentioned: Egypt, the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine), the Ethiopians (modern Cushites, south of Egypt), Libya, Edom, Moab and Ammon. Many descendants of the ancient peoples known as Edomites or Idumeans now live in the West Bank, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Arabia, Yemen, the Persian Gulf states, etc. (McNair R. Solving the Arab-Israeli Impasse! Copyright Raymond F. McNair 2005, Church of God—21st Century).

Notice that Raymond McNair realizes that Egypt or some other Muslim country is where the king of the South will come from and that the term translated as Ethiopians really means the Cushite peoples who live in southern Egypt as well as elsewhere (others have said that the Cushites basically mean dark-skinned people, hence this could include peoples from Sudan, Somalia (sometimes called Eastern Cushites), and many of the other Islam-dominated nations in Africa). Information on Iraq is in the article Iraq, the King of the South, Armageddon, and Prophecy.

It may be of interest to note that the following from the Bible:

6 The burden against the beasts of the South. Through a land of trouble and anguish, From which came the lioness and lion, The viper and fiery flying serpent, They will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys, And their treasures on the humps of camels, To a people who shall not profit; (Isaiah 30:6, NKJV)

7 Egypt is all show, no substance. My name for her is Toothless Dragon. (Isaiah 30:7, THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

Isaiah 30:6-7 seems to tie the "beasts of the South" with "the Egyptians," which is further support that the Egyptians will most likely have significant involvement with the king of the South.

The United Church of God indicated (Sieglie M. Egypt in History and Prophecy. Good News, May-June 2011, p.11) that the following may be related to the King of the South:

4 And the Egyptians I will give
Into the hand of a cruel master,
And a fierce king will rule over them,
Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 19:4)

Additionally, Isaiah 31 lists the destruction of "the Egyptians" (1-3) ahead of "Assyria" (vss. 8-9), just like the Book of Daniel places the destruction of the king of the South (Daniel 11:40-43) ahead of the king of the North (11:45).

Notice more quotes of the scriptures in Isaiah as they point to a time of chaos and then destruction in Egypt:

3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;
And their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out His hand,
Both he who helps will fall,
And he who is helped will fall down;
They all will perish together. (Isaiah 31:3)

1 The burden against Egypt.

Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.

2 "I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. 3 The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers. 4 And the Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them,"

Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 19:1-4)

Interestingly, the Roman Catholic saint Jerome apparently felt that the King of the South was from Egypt as he wrote about Daniel 11:

As for the Antichrist, there is no question but what he is going to fight against the holy covenant, and that when he first makes war against the king of Egypt, he shall straightway be frightened off by the assistance of the Romans... the Antichrist...shall first fight against the king of the South, or Egypt, and shall afterwards conquer Libya and Ethiopia (Jerome. Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 11. Translated by Gleason L. Archer. (1958). This text was transcribed by Roger Pearse, Ipswich, UK, 2004. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/pearse/morefathers/files/jerome_daniel_02_text.htm viewed 06/05/11)

While Jerome is confused on some points (the Antichrist is not the King of the North, but a supporter of that king; and it is more likely that Americans and not Romans frighten him off in Daniel 11:30), he is correct in indicating that the Beast power will over-power the King of the South and conquer Egypt and Libya.

And recently, not only was the Muslim Brotherhood originally established in Egypt, Egypt tried to put together something that possibly could be ruled by the coming King of the South (though it has been pushed aside for a time).

Notice 2011 a report from MSNBC:

Egypt is also widening its gaze beyond Gaza. Egypt wants to lead the Arab world to create a new bloc to counter NATO, to be an alternative to the EU, a Middle East with collective power and bargaining rights. It may sound naive. It may be overly optimistic. It may ring of Egypt’s late president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the champion of pan-Arabism. But Egypt wants to give it a try. (Engel R. Dizzying times in the Middle East: Where are we now? MSNBC, May 13, 2011. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43007360/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/)

NATO has military commanders and any pan-Arabic military confederation would likely have one or more as well. Perhaps this will be the King of the South or someone who will do his bidding. (As far as Gaza goes, see also Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy.)

Plans for an ‘Arab NATO’ gathering momentum

November 14, 2018

With Arab nations’ militaries working more closely together than ever before and the political situation ripe, speculation abounds that we will witness the birth of the so-called “Arab NATO” this month.

The idea for such a security alliance was conceived by the Obama administration. …

Now, because of the second Qatar crisis, the plan to accelerate an Arab solution for a regional military alliance is a key project being pushed for by US National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Importantly, the proposed Arab NATO, tentatively known as the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), is fully supported by senior Gulf officials. At the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate on Sunday, UAE Minister of State Anwar Gargash said: “The UAE, along with Arab states, is increasingly playing a role to address security challenges in the region. We are pushing alongside the US to form a strategic alliance to counter these issues.” Bolton’s meeting with the UAE security leadership on Monday was related to moving toward a greater cohesion on the Arab NATO issue.

An Arab military alliance, and how it begins to coalesce, is going to have to take the lessons of Yemen to heart in terms of its operations and operational capacity. …

Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s naval, air and ground units are conducting ongoing war games in western Egypt, with delegations from Morocco and Lebanon participating as observers. These military exercises, named “Arab Shield 1,” are significant as never before have these six Arab states conducted joint military exercises. It’s an important start that only occurred after Pompeo met with fellow foreign ministers to discuss the launch of the alliance. http://www.arabnews.com/node/1404891

The Obama and Trump Administrations have supported the idea--presumably the Biden-Harris Administration does as well. And yes, according to Bible prophecy and military alliance of nations including Egypt will occur (cf. Daniel 11:40-43; Ezekiel 30:2-8). The leader of this coming alliance is called the King of the South in the Bible.

Related to this Arab-NATO proposal, we put out the following video:

15:19

Arab NATO and the Coming King of the South

For two weeks in November 2018, a joint-military exercise called ‘Arab Shield 1’ took place in Egypt. Some have wondered if this will lead to an ‘Arab NATO.’ Is this something the Obama and Trump administrations have pushed for? Is this consistent with biblical prophesies? What do followers of Islam want? What about a caliphate and the ‘Imam Mahdi? Has this type of Arab unity been promoted by American and European leaders? What territories will support the King of the South of Daniel 11? What peoples are involved in Ezekiel 30? Will Turkey betray the coming King of the South? Will Arab unity turn out well or disastrous for the Arab nations? Will Arab unity be in place by the time of the start of the Great Tribulation? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more.

Here is a link to the sermonette video: Arab NATO and the Coming King of the South.

We are seeing more calls for military cooperation among Arabic armies.

In June of 2022, "Jordan’s King Abdullah has raised the possibility of forming a military alliance in the Middle East similar to NATO" (see TI: Jordan’s king says Ukraine war exposes need for ‘Middle East NATO’).

It may be of interest to note that by late 2012, the influence of the less secular Egypt was starting to be felt in the Islamic world. Here is a report from Reuters:

Egypt, a longstanding U.S. ally now under Islamist leadership after last year's overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, took center stage in diplomatic efforts to halt the carnage, using its privileged ability to speak directly to both sides. "This is a critical moment for the region," Clinton said. "Egypt's new government is assuming the responsibility and leadership that has long made this country a cornerstone for regional stability and peace."...

Egypt has walked a fine line between its sympathies for Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood to which Mursi belongs, and its need to preserve its 1979 peace treaty... (Awad M, al-Mughrabi N. Egypt announces Hamas-Israel ceasefire. November 21, 2012. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/21/us-palestinians-israel-hamas-idUSBRE8AD0WP20121121?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=71&google_editors_picks=true)

Egypt was starting to exert influence, and in a manner, this will help lead to the formation of the King of the South. Despite being forced out of power in 2013, the Muslim Brotherhood remains an influence in Egypt (e.g. see Egypt’s Sissi expects the battle against the Muslim Brotherhood will be a long one: Will it turn out as he hopes?) and other parts of the world (see Taliban gaining in Afghanistan and Russia gaining in Libya? What does the Muslim Brotherhood want?)--despite what happens to that group, some of its objectives will be realized according to biblical prophecy.

Notice another article about that group and Europe:

March 22, 2022

Egyptian TV host Ibrahim Eissa said in a June 3, 2022 show on Al-Kahera Wal-Nas TV (Egypt) that the Muslim Brotherhood controls all the groups in Europe that represent Muslims and that as a result, liberal journalists and politicians in the West believe that this is what Islam is and accept Islamic extremism because they want to respect different cultures. He said that on the other hand, they say that people who oppose the Muslim Brotherhood are Islamophobic, elaborating: “But the Muslim Brotherhood members and Islamists with their ‘Westophobia’ and who talk about a global Crusader conspiracy – that’s all fine and dandy!… The world has gone crazy.” …

Ibrahim Eissa: “[Muslim Brotherhood members] control all the councils and organizations that represent Muslims in Europe.

“They have a monopoly over speaking on behalf of Muslims in Europe. They play a major role in shaping the way that the Western press views Egypt. https://www.memri.org/tv/egyptian-host-ibrahim-eissa-europeans-accept-muslim-brotherhood-extremism-world-gone-crazy

The Muslim Brotherhood looks to be involved in deals involving Europe in the future (e.g. Daniel 11:27; Psalm 83;3-8).

Events in Syria, which are still being influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood, will likely ally with Egypt after there are changes there (see also the YouTube video Damascus and Syria in Prophecy) and again in Egypt.

Yet, also notice that the Bible shows that a time is coming when the confederation with Egypt will be destroyed and it is in the FUTURE as it is near the day of the LORD:

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, prophesy and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

"'Wail and say, "Alas for that day!" 3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near- a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. 4 A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and her foundations torn down.

5 Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.

6 "'This is what the LORD says:

"'The allies of Egypt will fall and her proud strength will fail. From Migdol to Aswan they will fall by the sword within her, declares the Sovereign LORD. 7 "'They will be desolate among desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities. 8 Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I set fire to Egypt and all her helpers are crushed.

9 "'On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten Cush out of her complacency. Anguish will take hold of them on the day of Egypt's doom, for it is sure to come (Ezekiel 30:1-9, NIV).

And this seems to be the destruction of the King of the South by the King of the North in Daniel 11:40-43 as Ezekiel 30:4-5 sound very much like Daniel 11:42-43. Notice a different translation of verse 3:

3 For the day is near,
Even the day of the Lord is near;
It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles. (Ezekiel 30:3, NKJV)

The above is an end time prophecy as it ties in with the final time of the Gentiles, which also ties in with the Great Tribulation (see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?) and the Day of the Lord.

Note that the destruction of Egypt by the King of Babylon mentioned in Ezekiel 30:25-26 may also be an ante-type. (Perhaps it should be pointed out that Libya is mentioned specifically above in Ezekiel 30:5 as well as Daniel 11:43--though the Hebrew word in Ezekiel 30:5 for Libya seems to be the word the NIV translators translated as Lydia (see also Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia in Prophecy). The word translated above as Libya, Puwt, may be referring to some of the peoples of Iran as Puwt was a Persian tribe or possibly the branch that made it to Pakistan.)

Ezekiel 32:2-16, and especially verses 11 & 12, also tells of the destruction of Egypt when it is apparently allied with multitudes, by the King of Babylon:

2 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:

'You are like a young lion among the nations,And you are like a monster in the seas,Bursting forth in your rivers,Troubling the waters with your feet,And fouling their rivers.'

3 "Thus says the Lord God:

'I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people, And they will draw you up in My net. 4 Then I will leave you on the land;I will cast you out on the open fields, And cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens. And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth. 5 I will lay your flesh on the mountains, And fill the valleys with your carcass.

6 'I will also water the land with the flow of your blood, Even to the mountains; And the riverbeds will be full of you. 7 When I put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud,And the moon shall not give her light. 8 All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you,And bring darkness upon your land,' Says the Lord God.

9 'I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known. 10 Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.'

11 "For thus says the Lord God: 'The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. 12 By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of them the most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall.

'They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt, And all its multitude shall be destroyed. 13 Also I will destroy all its animals From beside its great waters;The foot of man shall muddy them no more, Nor shall the hooves of animals muddy them. 14 Then I will make their waters clear,And make their rivers run like oil,' Says the Lord God.

15 'When I make the land of Egypt desolate, And the country is destitute of all that once filled it, When I strike all who dwell in it, Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

16 'This is the lamentation With which they shall lament her; The daughters of the nations shall lament her; They shall lament for her, for Egypt, And for all her multitude, 'Says the Lord God." (Ezekiel 32:2-16)

The above seems to have two fulfillments, and presuming a second one, it would seem to relate to the final King of the South.

If Jeremiah 46:14-24 has future application, this is another set of verses showing problems will hit that King of the South coalition:

14 "Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol;
Proclaim in Noph and in Tahpanhes;
Say, 'Stand fast and prepare yourselves,
For the sword devours all around you.'
15 Why are your valiant men swept away?
They did not stand
Because the Lord drove them away.
16 He made many fall;
Yes, one fell upon another.
And they said, 'Arise!
Let us go back to our own people
And to the land of our nativity
From the oppressing sword.'
17 They cried there,
'Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise.
He has passed by the appointed time!'

18 "As I live," says the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts,
"Surely as Tabor is among the mountains
And as Carmel by the sea, so he shall come.
19 O you daughter dwelling in Egypt,
Prepare yourself to go into captivity!
For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant.

20 "Egypt is a very pretty heifer,
But destruction comes, it comes from the north.
21 Also her mercenaries are in her midst like fat bulls,
For they also are turned back,
They have fled away together.
They did not stand,
For the day of their calamity had come upon them,
The time of their punishment.
22 Her noise shall go like a serpent,
For they shall march with an army
And come against her with axes,
Like those who chop wood.

23 "They shall cut down her forest," says the Lord,
"Though it cannot be searched,
Because they are innumerable,
And more numerous than grasshoppers.
24 The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed;
She shall be delivered into the hand
Of the people of the north." (Jeremiah 46:14-24)

Notice that verse 17 refers to the appointed time and verse 20 and 24 talk about the takeover from a power from the north--this is similar to Daniel 11:40-43.

But even if Ezekiel 32 and Jeremiah 46 have no future fulfillment, the Bible shows that the nations, like the Arab ones, should NOT support the coming confederation. It is doomed to be destroyed per Daniel 11:40-43 and Ezekiel 30:1-9.

Iran and the Philadelphia Church of God, Intercontinental Church of God, and the United Church of God

Other COG-like groups seem to suggest a different geographical position as to the identity of the final King of the South.

For example, who is the king of the South according to Gerald Flurry of the PCG?

Well, Iran.

A non-Arabic (though Muslim) country that is east-north-east of Jerusalem.

As Gerald Flurry wrote:

Daniel 11:42 implies that Egypt will be allied with the king of the south, or Iran...The king of the south, or Iran, is going to “push at him”—that is, the king of the north (the European Union)... The king of the south is about state-sponsored terrorism. That is how Iran became king! Daniel 11:40-43 is an end-time prophecy. It is about a nation that is always pushy in its foreign policy. It pushes until it starts a war. Having such power means that it must be a large oil-producing country. This king is close to Jerusalem, Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya. Who else could it be in this end time but Iran? Iran is extremely radical and the king over radical Islam" (Flurry, G. The King of the South. PCG Booklet).

Notice this prophecy in Daniel 11:40: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.” Iran leads this “king of the south” (Flurry G. From the Editor: Why You Must Watch Europe. Philadelphia Trumpet. Nov-Dec 2006).

Hence, PCG clearly and repeatedly teaches that Iran will be the King of the South. Gerald Flurry also wrote:

Here is what I wrote in the Trumpet magazine, July 1993—nearly 18 years ago: “So when does the king of the south ‘push’ at the king of the north? It must happen after the book of Daniel was revealed to Herbert W. Armstrong in this end time. Daniel 12:9 tells us the time of the end begins when Daniel was revealed. [The book can only be understood in this end time (Daniel 12:4, 9).] So the king of the south must arise after Daniel was revealed to God’s end-time Church—specifically to Herbert W. Armstrong. These verses point to a king of the south that is yet future. And I believe all indications point to radical Islam, headed by Iran, as this king.”

How could I have known so long ago that Iran would be the king of the south and clash with the Holy Roman Empire? Because of what was happening in Iran and the Middle East, coupled with Bible prophecy…

So you need to watch Libya and Ethiopia. They are about to fall under the heavy influence or control of Iran, the king of the south. (Flurry G. Libya and Ethiopia Reveal Iran’s Military Strategy. Philadelphia Trumpet, April 2011)

How could Gerald Flurry know a falsehood about Iran being the final King of the South?

Well, since Iran is mainly east of Jerusalem, it was not from geography or the Bible. Iran might be a king of the East, but it is not the King of the South.

Let me add that the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, referred to Syria which is essentially equal latitude to modern Iran as being associated with earlier kings of the north:

Now, the king of the South will be king south of Jerusalem and the king of the North is the one north of Jerusalem or Syria which was at that time possessing Jerusalem. (Armstrong HW. United States and Britain in Prophecy. Radio Broadcast, May 30, 1979)

The Bible shows that the King of the North will fight the King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43). Iran is NOT the prophesied King of the South!

Since Herbert W. Armstrong believed that king would be Egyptian and/or an Arabic Muslim leader, as that is what was published while he was alive by the church he was the physical leader of, Gerald Flurry did not get this from Herbert W. Armstrong.

So, in my view, Gerald Flurry got it from his own imagination.

Gerald Flurry’s boasting does not make his assertion about Iran correct. Yet, the idea that the King of the South will be involved in terrorism is correct (and I will address that later).

ICG's Mark Armstrong taught:

Even the UN’s IAEA worries in public that Iran is concealing the military ambitions of their nuclear program. There are further reports that Iranian bases involved in training and supplying insurgents in Iraq may soon come under U.S. attack. What should we make of all the talk of war? Is Iran the “King of the South” of Bible prophecy? Would military conflict with Iran by either the United States or Israel signal the beginning of “tribulation”? As many advances as we’ve seen in the overall scenario, it seems that there are major portions of the equation that are simply not yet in place (Weekly update. 6/06/08).

So, ICG believes that Iran may be the future King of the South, but it is not sure.

Like ICG, the United Church of God takes a more guarded position. In a UCG World News & Prophecy article titled Could Ahmadinejad Be Daniel's "King of the South"?:

Because Iran is, to this point, intractable in its demand to develop nuclear power, and because it produces the second highest amount of oil in OPEC, neither it nor its new president can be ignored.

Back to Daniel's enigmatic prediction. He spoke of two geopolitical configurations, kings of the south and north. It's too soon to tell whether Ahmadinejad will become the first "king," but it is possible that the group backing that king of the south could well be some form of the Islamic ummah (community) (Maranville C.E. Could Ahmadinejad Be Daniel's "King of the South"? World News & Prophecy, December 2005).

Hence, UCG's position at least once seemed to be that Iran may be the King of the South. Now, since Cecil Maranville is now with the Church of God a Worldwide Association (COGWA), this also may be COGWA's position.

And although UCG confirmed the idea that Iran could have been the final King of the South in something else I recall reading, two later UCG World News & Prophecy articles stated:

Eventually Israel will become subject to a European-centered superpower (the "king of the North") who will invade the Holy Land as a result of a "push" by the "king of the South" (possibly an Islamic group of peoples) as explained in Daniel 11:40-45. Schroeder JR. New Middle Eastern Conflicts: A Wake-up Call for Mankind. World News & Prophecy, August 2006).

...Daniel 11:40-45. These verses tell of a "king of the South" doing something so provocative to a "king of the North" that he reacts by taking over the region of Palestine. On the basis of what we can observe today, we anticipate that the king of the South will be an alliance of Muslim nations from northern Africa through the Middle East and that the king of the North will be a core of European nations, smaller than the present EU configuration (Maranville C.E. China Looks to Africa. World News & Prophecy, June 2007).

And here is something from UCG's Good News magazine in 2012:

This is not meant to identify Iran as the king of the South—for the southern power may well rise from the majority Sunni Arab nations. (Rhodes M. This is not meant to identify Iran as the king of the South—for the southern power may well rise from the majority Sunni Arab nations. Good News. May-June 2012, p. 15)

UCG tends to be a bit guarded and not very sure of its position.

However, like LCG, at least one in UCG has improperly has taught that the King of the North vs. King of the South battle (Daniel 11:40-43) is the start of the Great Tribulation per https://www.ucg.org/sermons/the-book-of-revelation-part-11-the-tale-of-two-beasts.

The late R.C. Meredith of LCG has specifically stated:

The King of the South is not Iran ... The King of the South cannot be Iran. Iran is north of Jerusalem (Meredith RC. Endure with Faith. Sermon, Charlotte (NC), September 10, 2005).

While Iran is mainly east (and not north) of Jerusalem, it will not be the final King of the South.

I should probably add here that the Iranians are Persian, and not Arabic. They primarily speak Farsi, which is not an Arabic language. While the Iranians tend to be strict Moslems, they are NOT Arabs ethnically, but could provide some support to the King of the South.

I perhaps should also add that one or more Islamic prophecies suggest that the one who may be the final King of the South could be based out of Jerusalem for a period of time (for more details, please see the article The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy).

Factors to Cause the Rise of the King of the South

Here are some comments published by the old Worldwide Church of God related to the coming King of the South:

Just as there is yet to be a final “king of the north” — called in Bible symbolism “the beast” — who will arise as superdictator over an end-time European confederation, there may very well emerge in the same manner a final “king of the south” — an overall leader of an Arab-Moslem confederation, possibly even bearing the very title Mahdi! And these two individuals will eventually find themselves in a head-to-head confrontation — possibly over oil — which will ultimately lead to devastating war in the Middle East! …

King David of ancient Israel, in a prophetic psalm (Psalm 83) provides additional insight into the coming Mideast picture. Germany (Assyria in Bible prophecy) and perhaps the rest of Europe will be in league in the future with a union of Arab nations — a vast confederacy bound together in an effort to crush out the name “Israel” from the face of the earth! This Arab-Moslem confederacy may very well be the previously mentioned “king of the south” of Daniel 11 — a sphere of power encompassing vast portions of the Islamic world. (Stump KW. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979)

Yes, the King of the North will arise after various crises.

The King of the South will arise after various crises.

The King of the South will arise during the time Jesus called the beginning of sorrows. Here are words of Jesus related to those sorrows:

5 ..."Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:5-8)

Many of the sorrows and troubles that Jesus spoke of parallel the ride of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse--who individual rides are preceded by the opening of four separate seals in the Book of Revelation.

False religion will be a factor. Wars and rumors of war will be a factor. Food prices will be factor. Disease will be a factor.

While I do not believe that food shortages because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will be the only factor for the rise of the coming King of the South, it very well could be a factor in getting support for the Muslim Brotherhood and others who want to see a united Muslim world under a strong leader.

The Sequence of Daniel 11 and Teachings of Philadelphia Church of God and Living Church of God

Many may be surprised to realize that both the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) and Living Church of God (LCG) do not understand the proper sequence of Daniel 11 and the timing of the attacks by the King of the North.

Back in the January 2004 issue of the Philadelphia Trumpet, Gerald Flurry wrote:

"“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon” (Dan. 11:40-41). The king of the north is a united Europe, and the king of the south is radical Islam led by Iran...Europe will win this war. But that victory will trigger some other events. Europe will then ally itself with the moderate Arabs and attack America, Britain and the nation called Israel.

Many Bible prophecies thunder that truth. (Flurry G. Personal: Russia Frightens Europe— and Fulfills Bible Prophecy. Philadelphia Trumpet, January 2004).

This sequence is in error, because the coming King of the North will eliminate the USA (the land with the strongest fortresses) in Daniel 11:39, which comes before the destruction of the King of the South in Daniel 11:40-43. For more details, please check out Who is the King of the North?

Similarly, notice what LCG's Dr. Roderick C. Meredith teaches:

This great charismatic “Mahdi” (Messiah) will gather together the forces of Islam in a final jihad (holy war) against the morally corrupt nations of the West, whose religion, lifestyle and values represent a deadly challenge to the Islamic dream.

He will feel emboldened to provoke or attack the European Union (Daniel 11:40). This will anger the fierce “king of the North” and the forces of the king of the South will be completely crushed by this European power. The king of the North will then come down “like a whirlwind” (v. 40) and take over the Middle East, including the Holy Land (vv. 41–42). The king of the North’s armies will seize control of the region’s vast oil reserves (v. 43).

These soon-to-happen events will be awesome to witness. The “king of the North,” a future European Napoleon or Hitler type of powerful, dynamic leader, will react mightily with a blitzkrieg retaliation. This dramatic military response against the king of the South will set off a chain of other events.

“And they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31). As this dual prophecy shows, there will, at the end of this age, either be a temple or a special altar in Jerusalem. The priests of the family of Aaron will again offer the daily animal sacrifices prescribed in the Old Testament until a great military power comes in and places there what is called the abomination of desolation.

The description continues: “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time” (Daniel 12:1). This is talking about the American, British Commonwealth and Jewish peoples. The great Muslim “king of the South” will cause a war, and the European “king of the North” will conquer much of the Middle East. This king of the North also comes west against God’s people at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. This is the same time Jesus described in Matthew 24:21: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Meredith RC. Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ's Return. http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/booklets/fourteen-signs-announcing-christs-return/content viewed online 5/14/14).

So, LCG teaches that after Daniel 11:40-43 is fulfilled, that Daniel 11:31 will be fulfilled. This is a major problem because Daniel 11:31 is the sign that Jesus pointed to to warn that it would be time to flee and that the Great Tribulation was about to begin:

15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:15-21)

For years I tried to work with LCG on this point as they had a publication written by John Ogwyn that agreed with the sequence that I have taught--which is that the King of the North invades the USA and Anglo-Saxon nations prior to the invasion of the King of the South.

LCG also has the Great Tribulation beginning when the King of the North invades the King of the South. Here is what its Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs teachings:

The Bible speaks of a time of great catastrophe, called the "Great Tribulation" (Matthew 24:21-22; Daniel 11:40-45; 12:1; Luke 21:19-36) (viewed 05/14/14)

LCG is teaching that Daniel 11:40 is the first item in the sequence in Daniel 11 to start the Great Tribulation. And this is a FUNDAMENTAL BELIEF, which is in error.

But notice that the old WCG taught something different. The late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote the following in 1979:

What is this abomination? This refers to Daniel 11:31 and Matthew 24:15...That will be a time when the UNITED Europe shall appear--the revival of the medieval "Holy Roman Empire." We shall then be warned, and readied to be taken to a place of refuge and safety from the Great Tribulation. Forty-five days later "the beasts armies" will surround Jerusalem. Thirty days later the Great Tribulation will probably start with a nuclear attack on London and Britain--and possibly the same day or immediately after, on the United States and Canadian cities. The GREAT TRIBULATION, we shall fully then realize, is the time of "Jacob's Trouble," spoken of in Jeremiah 30:7. And Jacob's name was named on Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:16). At that time a third of the people in our nations will die, or shall have died, by famine and disease epidemics; another third will dies of the war--our cities being destroyed (Ezek. 6:6), and the remaining third will be carried to the land of our enemies as slaves (Ezek. 5:12). Armstrong HW. The Time We Are In, Now. Pastor General's Report-Vol 1, No. 15, November 20, 1979, Page 2).

Notice that Herbert Armstrong has Daniel 11:31 first, then the USA and UK getting attacked (Daniel 11:39) (while it is true that the old Radio Church of God misunderstood the sequence originally, it changed decades ago--yet some never have understood the change and prefer to rely on an overridden tradition over the Bible).

From no later than 1979 until the time of his death, Herbert Armstrong correctly taught that the Great Tribulation first begins with an attack by the European King of the North, not that the King of the North first invades the King of the South. Perhaps it should be mentioned that groups like COGWA seem to be very vague on this sequence and hence they too do not seem to know what to expect.

It perhaps should be noted that I tried to work with LCG on this for many years, and although they seem to have agreed (and at least once it was agreed in a meeting by one of their leaders that WCG had changed its view to the position I held), repeatedly, they never fixed it (see also December 2011 Proposed changes to LCG's Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs).

The Apostle Paul taught:

15... I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)

On the prophetic sequence of Daniel 11, as well as on certain points of conduct (see Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God and Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God), neither PCG nor LCG nor COGWA, etc. can be considered the "pillar and ground of the truth," which is part of why they do not hold the Philadelphia mantle. Unless they change their positions, NEITHER PCG NOR LCG NOR COGWA, ETC. WILL REALIZE WHEN THE GREAT TRIBULATION WILL BEGIN AND THEIR SUPPORTERS WILL NOT FLEE TO BE PROTECTED IN A PLACE OF SAFETY IN THE WILDERNESS (Revelation 12:14-16).

We in the Continuing Church of God strive to always rely on the Bible over tradition: " We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).

Will you truly rely on the more sure word of prophecy? The Laodicean churches misunderstand many key aspects of biblical prophecy (a list is included in the article The Laodicean Church Era).

The Old WCG Taught About the King of the South

It is easy to demonstrate that HWA's WCG did teach that there would be a future King of the South and who WCG believed it would be.

Here is a quote from the August 1974 Good News article by Raymond McNair titled Watch the Middle East where he stated:

The longest prophecy of the Bible, the eleventh chapter of Daniel, specifically concerns the Middle East...verses 40-45 are yet to be fulfilled. They reveal that startling events are yet to take place in the Middle East... (p.12).

Thus, WCG was teaching, under HWA for at least the last 22 1/2 years of his life, that at least from verses 40 and on, that portions of Daniel 11 were yet to be fulfilled (also HWA specifically taught that Daniel 11 had final fulfillment of early verses as well; see the also article on the King of the North). Any who teach that HWA did not teach that there were future fulfillments of Daniel 11 simply have not understood the totality of his writings. Notice specifically one of them:

In Daniel 11:21, referring in original, typical fulfillment to Antiochus Epiphanes, there shall stand up a vile person...So once again before the second coming of Christ, a vile leader will stop the daily sacrifices being offered...This same prophecy spoken by Jesus is also reported by Luke...21:20-24 (Armstrong HW. Personal, Plain Truth magazine, June 1967).

Thus, Herbert W. Armstrong clearly taught that starting at least from verse 21, that Daniel 11 had a future fulfillment. He understood prophetic duality.

It is clear that HWA's WCG taught that there would be a future king of the South. Also notice something from 1972:

COMMENT: Then at least a part of Daniel 11 must also be DUAL! And no wonder, for we find the chapter concludes with the "time of the end" (verse 40) - leading up to the resurrection of the saints (chapter 12 :2). (In the original text, there is no chapter break between Daniel 11 and 12.) (Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, Lesson 2, World Peace Coming in Our Time! 1972 edition, p. 14)

Thus, since Daniel 11:40 discusses the King of the South, those who are willing to see the truth will realize that as of 1972, the old WCG did teach that there was a coming future King of the South in 1972.

Garner Ted Armstrong in a May 3, 1975 Plain Truth article titled Watch the Middle East wrote

Prophecy says some sort of a 'shoving match' precipitated by the 'King of the South' will unleash whirlwind lightening-like MILITARY response by a 'King of the North'.

So these quotes from the literature show that WCG did believe in a future 'King of the South', but did not clearly identify who.

In 1966 ande 1979, the old Radio/Worldwide CG taught that the King of the South would arise and make a deal with the King of the North as shown in Psalm 83:

But who is the "king of the south"?...in verse 40 we skip to "the time of the end"...The verse undoubtedly found partial fulfillment in the offensive of 1896...But Mussolini did not finish the prophecy...Just as there is yet to be a final "king of the north"...there may very well emerge in the same manner a final "king of the south"--an overall leader of an Arab-Moslem confederation, possibly bearing the very title Mahdi...a prophetic psalm (Psalm 83) provides additional insight into the Mideast picture. Germany (Assyria in Bible prophecy) and perhaps the rest of Europe will be in league in the future with a union of Arab nations...But in the end, this European-Arab alliance will prove short-lived...And the king of the north shall come against him [the king of the south]...Daniel 11:40-41...The Arab-Moslem Confederation will, of course, be thrown into chaotic disarray in the fact of invasion. (Stump K. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979, pp. 11-12).

They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom [Esau or modern-day Turkey, a non-Arab but Islamic nation] and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; of Moab [part of Jordan] and the Hagarenes [anciently these people dwelt in the land known as Syria today]; Gebal [Lebanon], and Ammon [modern Jordan], and Amalek [part of the Turks]; the Philistines [the modern Palestinian Arabs] with the inhabitants of Tyre [Lebanon]; Assur [whose descendants, the Assyrians, migrated to Germany] also is joined with them: (Stump K. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979).

Turn to the astounding prophecy found in Psalm 83:1-8 ... the coming time when ALL of Israel’s enemies would join together in an effort to crush out even the name “Israel” from the face of the earth! (Verse 4) “For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee…” (verse 5). Notice the nations making up this confederation. “Edom [Turkey], and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; Moab [Jordan], and the Hagarenes [they anciently dwelt in the land known as Syria today]; Gebal {Lebanon}, and Ammon [Jordan] and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur [whose descendants migrated to Germany] is joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot” {Moab and Ammon in modern Jordan). Here we see that the Arab nations mentioned are allied with Germany (Assur) which we know from other prophecies will be the military leader — naturally so — of a United States of Europe...Egypt...will provoke the prophesied United Europe (Dan. 11:40). This European power — called the "king of the north" in Daniel 11 — shall invade and occupy the "glorious land" of Palestine (verse 41). "And the land of Egypt shall not escape"(Boraker R. SYRIA RAIDS ISRAEL – Where Is It Leading? Plain Truth. November 1966)

The above quotes shows that the WCG under the late Herbert Armstrong's leadership taught that there would be a future fulfillment of Daniel 11:40 involving an end-time King of the South and North and that WCG believed it would involve some type of Arab-Islamic confederation. And that is consistent with Ezekiel 30:2-8.

In the 21st century, former WCG member Craig White had a slightly different identification of the nations in Psalm 83:

“Keep not Thou silence O God ...

For lo, Thine enemies make a tumult ...

They have taken crafty counsel against Thy people ...

They have said, ‘Come and let us cut them off from being a nation: that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.’

They are confederate against thee:

The Tabernacles of Edom [Turkey and Central Asia], and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia], Of Moab [Jordan, with some in Syria and Iraq] and the Hagarenes [Saudi Arabia]:

Gebal [in Lebanon] and Ammon [Jordan], and Amalek [Central Asians]: the Philistines [Berbers and possibly the Palestinians] with the inhabitants of Tyre [southern Italians, symbolic also of the United Europe]

Assur [Germany] also is joined with them” (Ps 83:1-8). (White C. : Rise of the King of the North. Email, received September 12, 2015)

Psalm 83 is very likely to involve terrorism--taking "crafty counsel" sounds like plotting terrorism (see also Why Terrorism? Is Terrorism Prophesied?). The Europeans will make a destructive deal with those of the Middle East and North Africa. It would seem that the King of the South will employ some type of warfare and terrorism against the descendants of Israel. The Bible specifically warns about "terror" as a curse for the descendants of Jacob (Leviticus 26:16; Jeremiah 15:8; Deuteronomy 32:25) and since terrorism has often been used by Islamists, this may be part of how they will contribute to the destruction of the nation of Israel and the Anglo-descended peoples that Psalm 83 and Daniel 11:39 alludes to. Some Muslims want a leader called the Imam Mahdi, while others call for a Caliph, to lead them and create some type of Islamic empire in the 21st century (see also The Prophesied 'Islamic' Confederation. This deal in the 83rd Psalm will affect the USA, Canada, UK, and possibly Australia and even New Zealand.

Though not all Muslims expect the Imam Mahdi, many still seem to long for a leader to unify the Arab World. Some Muslims are looking for a political-spiritual leader, sometimes called the Caliph in English, to rise up (Caliph is a shortened version of "Khalifah rasul Allah" meaning "Successor to the Messenger of God"). The title caliph has been given to the head of state in Muslim-governed countries in the past, though the latter ones lacked the power of the earlier ones:

The supreme office of caliph, originally elective, became hereditary...Eventually...caliphs became figurehead or "puppet" leaders...Many Arabs...seek to re-create the political and theological unity of the early Islamic caliphate (Stump K. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979, pp. 9-10).

Today this pattern is repeating itself, as a "third wave" of leaders is sweeping across the Middle East. Rejecting both the capitalism of the West and the discredited Marxism of the former Soviet Union, these would-be "third wave" leaders have emphasized a fundamentalist brand of Islam that leaves no room for compromise. Looking back to the glory days of Arab conquest and dominance in the first centuries after Muhammad, they also dream of a pan-Arab union. This will not be a union under a monarch from one of the old Bedouin dynasties, or a secular-educated army officer turned dictator, but rather a new Caliph who will unify the Faithful under the banner of purified Islam. This, they reason, is the only way that Western influence can be expelled from their region, and that Israel can be subjugated...The yearnings across much of the Middle East for a new Saladin—one who will restore Arab glory by conquering the Jews and expelling Western influence—were foreseen by Bible prophecy. In Daniel 11:40, we read of a future "King of the South" who will ultimately "push at" a coming European superpower at the time of the end. This individual, called in Bible prophecy the King of the South because his center of power is south of Jerusalem, will undoubtedly be a charismatic person who will whip up much of the Muslim Middle East into a frenzy against Israel and Europe. (Ogwyn J. Conflict Over the "City of Peace". Tomorrow's World magazine, March-April 2002).

In the Plain Truth of December 1980--the year that HWA often claimed he now had the Church back on track--another article states:

Bible prophecy reveals the coming emergence of an Arab-Moslem confederation in the Middle East. It is referred to in prophecy as the 'king of the south' (Daniel 11:40). This confederation will play a crucial role in end-time events (Stump, K. Plain Truth. December 1980, p.26).

A related Plain Truth article states:

Bible prophecy reveals the coming emergence of an Arab-Moslem confederation in the Middle East. It is referred to in prophecy as "the king of the south" (Dan. 11:40). This confederation will play a crucial role in end-time events. (Stump K. Seeing the World Through Islamic Eyes. Plain Truth, June 1983, p.44).

Thus, the idea of an Islamic confederation has been in COG literature for some time.

The Rise of Islam and Desire for an Islamic Empire

Some type of transnational Islamic group is likely to be an important factor in the rise of the final King of the South.

Why?

Because in the 21st century, nations that are prophesied to align with the final King of the South are primarily Islamic.

Back in 2009, I wrote the following in a book:

...the Bible predicts that at the appointed time, a King of the North and a King of the South with rise. Various statements that Barack Obama has made suggest that he will implement policies that will likely help lead to the multi-national formations that will ultimately have these kings. (Thiel B. 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect. Nazarene Books, 2009)

When world events started to quickly align with many documented, biblically-understood, predictions in that book, not too much at first seemed to be happening related to the formation of the King of the South.

Years ago, I wondered precisely how a pan-Arabic entity would form as there was not much in the news suggesting that it was. I had known of a couple of possible pieces. One was the Union of Mediterranean States which includes nearly all the Arab nations in somewhat of a pack with Europe. Another was the monetary union that the Gulf-oil states had been working on (later on December 15, 2009 Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar announced the creation of a Monetary Council to come up essentially with their own currency and to get away from the US dollar). So, there was some structure, but that did not seem to be nearly enough.

Notice also the following:

The Saudis are planning to establish themselves as the Arab world's undisputed military superpower.... At this rate, Saudi Arabia will soon replace Egypt as the Arab world's most significant military power.
The Saudi royal family is determined to secure the overthrow of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, one of Iran's most important regional allies, and any attempt by Riyadh to deepen its involvement in the Syrian conflict is likely to result in direct military confrontation with Iran. (Coughlin C. Saudi Arabia: The Region's New Superpower. Gatestone Institute. September 4, 2015 http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6458/saudi-arabia-the-region-new-superpower accessed 091015)

Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia want to rule the Arab world--but biblically, it would seem that since Egypt does not escape the King of the North per Daniel 11:42, that Egypt would be the power more militaristically aggressive against Europe than perhaps Saudi Arabia. Some believe that the Imam Mahdi will be headquartered in Jerusalem, while others believe that its headquarters will be Damascus in Syria (see The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy). If it is Damascus, that could be related to the following prophecy:

1 The burden against Damascus.

"Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city,
And it will be a ruinous heap.
2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken;
They will be for flocks
Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid.
3 The fortress also will cease from Ephraim,
The kingdom from Damascus,
And the remnant of Syria;
They will be as the glory of the children of Israel,"
Says the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 17:1-3)

The reference to the "kingdom from Damascus" could be a reference to Syria, or possibly the confederation then ruled by the King of the South. If it is a reference to the King of the South, then it would geographically be between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, two areas that want to lead the Arab world.

The tie of religion, which has existed for centuries among most of the Arabs, had always been in the back of my mind. There have been supranational groups like the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Islamic State, and the Muslim Brotherhood, but the time was not right for any of them to bring about pan-Arabic unity. The first three groups have tended to be considered too radical, while many have considered that the Muslim Brotherhood was not radical enough (though this seems to be changing--for more on the so-called Islamic State check out the article The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy). The Muslim Brotherhood, which was officially formed in Egypt in 1928, had long been banned in Egypt (which is why its members/leaders are sometimes jailed there), and was when I wrote my 2012 book--but gained power, yet in 2013 was banned again.

The Muslim Brotherhood still wants a transnational Islamic empire.

Here is some of what the official English-language website of the Muslim Brotherhood teaches about its history and goals:

Al-Banna was chiefly responsible for formulating the policies of this association…his effort and works deserved great consideration of Islamic society in the revolution to the revival of Islamic state (Caliphate)…The Muslim Brethren…believe that the caliphate is a symbol of Islamic Union and an indication of the bonds between the nations of Islam. They see the caliphate and its re-establishment as a top priority, subsequently; an association of Muslims people should be set up, which would elect the imam”. (zhyntativ. HASAN AL-BANNA AND HIS POLITICAL THOUGHT OF ISLAMIC BROTHERHOOD. IkhwanWeb, May 13, 2008. http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=17065 viewed 09/22/11)

What is the Muslim Brotherhood?
The world’s largest and most influential Islamist movement. Founded in Egypt in 1928, the group was originally focused on ridding the country of corrupting secular influences brought by British colonial rule. Over the years, it established branches and affiliates in many countries to promote traditional Sunni Islamic morals, social justice, and the eradication of poverty and corruption. “The Islamic nation,” its charter states, “must be fully prepared to fight the tyrants and the enemies of Allah as a prelude to establishing an Islamic state”—ideally a re-established caliphate, stretching from Spain across the Middle East and Central Asia to Indonesia, to be governed according to Islamic sharia law. (Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood. February 14, 2011. © The Muslim Brotherhood. http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=28019 viewed 11/21/2011)

The Muslim Brotherhood wants as its top priority a pan-national Islamic caliphate ruled by an Imam. Many Muslims long for the rising up of a leader called the 12th Imam, often referred to as the Imam Mahdi (see also the YouTube video The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South). This caliphate will not end up with Spain if I understand certain aspects of Bible prophecy correctly, but the confederation of the final King of the South may go from around Western Sahara and/or Mauritania to Oman (with possible involvement and/or coordination with Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and/or Indonesia). See also The Prophesied 'Islamic' Confederation. and/or watch the video titled Will an Arabic Calphiphate Destroy the West?

While, as an Islamic nation, Pakistan may directly or indirectly temporarily support the final King of the South (see Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons, Saudi Arabia, and the King of the South), it is not Arabic nor south per se. Thus it may not be really part of the King of the South (nor is it listed directly in Psalm 83--but it could be alluded to in Ezekiel 30). Since "the beast," who is also the final King of the North will defeat the King of the South, Pakistan will at that time likely suppress its ties to Islam--at least for a while (cf. Revelation 13:3-4,8). Saudi Arabia seems increasingly interested in acquiring nuclear and other weapons, though, from places like Pakistan (see Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Iran, and Middle East War Preparations)--and this could give the King of the South a certain amount of military confidence.

To bring enough Arab nations together, I have felt that some type of “strongman” needed to rise up. One who Arabs would tend to respect. The time may be now and the Muslim Brotherhood, and even some associated with the Islamic State, may play an important role. The Muslim Brotherhood is is the world’s oldest and largest Islamic political group and, in the past, was been called the “world’s most influential Islamist movement” (http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2010/11/2010111681527837704.html)--and it wants a strong leader called a Caliph or Mahdi to rule an Islamic empire.

Interestingly, US President Barack Obama's Administration directly and/or indirectly supported the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in nations such as Egypt, Libya, Syria, Somalia, and others in the Middle East and North Africa (see also Muslim Brotherhood moving ahead with US support in Somalia & Syria and Muslim Brotherhood’s White House Influence and Muslim Brotherhood Showing Strength in Egypt, Kuwait, and Syria–What About the USA?). This is consistent with what I predicted about him and the King of the South back in 2009. Despite setbacks, something like what the Muslim Brotherhood has advocated will form.

Notice also some older reports from Tunisia:

Tunisia’s Islamists hail arrival of the ‘sixth caliphate’

The Islamist politician likely to become Tunisia’s first democratically elected prime minister has alarmed liberals and secularists by claiming the arrival of the “sixth caliphate”, a controversial term for a Muslim empire.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/tunisia/8894858/Tunisias-Islamists-hail-arrival-of-the-sixth-caliphate.html

Leader’s Islamist view sparks secular outcry

Hamadi Jebeli, the secretary-general of Ennahda, the moderate Islamist party that romped to victory in last month’s elections, told a rally in the city of Sousse: ”My brothers, you are at a historic moment in a new cycle of civilisation, God willing. We are in sixth caliphate, God willing.”

http://www.smh.com.au/world/leaders-islamist-view-sparks-secular-outcry-20111117-1nl7s.html#ixzz1dzqtU1Cq

November 17, 2011
Tunisian Pledges a New Caliphate

Secular Tunisians are expressing concerns after a leader of the country’s Islamist Al-Nahda movement said Tunisia’s emerging government marks “the Sixth Righteous Caliphate.”

The fifth caliphate, an Islamic imperial governing system, was abolished by Turkish secular Kemal Ataturk in 1924. http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.10839/pub_detail.asp

The implementation of the sixth caliphate has long been the goal of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Ennahda party is the Tunisian political branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. It should be noted that the expression "United States of the Arabs" as well as the "sixth Caliphate" that some Arab leaders have called for sounds a lot like the King of the South that the Bible foretells (see also the YouTube video The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South). And while the situation in Tunisia has changed, the desire for the Caliphate remains alive among many there.

In 2012, Muslim preacher told thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Egypt:

"We can see how the dream of the Islamic caliphate is being realized, God willing, by Dr. Mohamed Mursi [the movement's presidential candidate]... The capital of the caliphate--the capital of the United States of the Arabs--will be Jerusalem, God willing... Our capital shall not be in Cairo, Mecca or Medina... Yes, Jerusalem is our goal. We shall pray in Jerusalem, or die as martyrs on its threshold."

The Muslim Brotherhood still has influence in many Muslim lands--despite being made illegal again in Egypt. While the final King of the South has personally not risen up and taken control, some apparently believe that his kingdom/empire has started to be formed. A caliphate has been declared within Iraq, but most Muslims do not seem to support that one.

Yet, as far as the Muslim Brotherhood goes, some may point out the Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia (see Are things fine in Saudi Arabia? Or might there be a coup?), and many of the Gulf states do not support the Muslim Brotherhood and are wary of it (see also, the video What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy) and Egypt again outlawed it. And that is true. But as mentioned before, the Bible teaches that the King of the South will be betrayed. Notice, this time from the New Jerusalem Bible, that as well as notice which nations escape the wrath of the invading King of the North:

25...The king of the south will march to war with a huge and powerful army but will not succeed, since he will be outwitted by trickery. 26 Those who shared his food will ruin him...

40 'When the time comes for the End, the king of the south will try conclusions with him; but the king of the north will come storming down on him with chariots, cavalry, and a large fleet. He will invade countries, overrun them and drive on. 41 He will invade the Land of Splendour, and many will fall; but Edom, Moab, and what remains of the sons of Ammon will escape him. (Daniel 11:25b-26a,40-42, New Jerusalem Bible)

Those that escape seem to include Turkey (Edom; see the article Turkey in Prophecy watch also the video What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy), Jordan (Moab and sons of Ammon), and those in the Arabic gulf/peninsula (Moab and sons of Ammon). And while not all in the modern nations may escape, those are the peoples that basically escape. Since 'trickery' is involved, it appears that some who seem to temporarily support the King of the South (which Turkey, Jordan, and the Arab peninsula will likely do), will betray him to the King of the North.

The West and International Community Seem to be Calling for the Formation of an Islamic Coalition

Despite the setbacks of the Muslim Brotherhood, because of the problems associated with Islamic groups such as the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hamas, etc., many are wondering if an international or regional solution is needed for the Arab world.

Here is something from French President Hollande:

August 20, 2014

France said on Wednesday it wanted the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and regional countries, including Arab states and Iran, to coordinate action against the militant group Islamic State, the insurgents who control parts of Iraq and Syria.

“In our minds and we hope that it will be possible … we want not only all the regional countries, including Arab states and Iran, but the five members of the Security Council, also to join this action,” Foreign Minister Faurent Fabius told lawmakers.

Earlier Wednesday, French President Francois Hollande called for an international conference to discuss IS. http://www.voanews.com/content/france-seeks-global-meeting-on-islamic-state-group/2421926.html

Some type of cooperation between Europe (King of the North) and the Arabs (King of the South) will take place (cf. Daniel 9:27; Psalm 83:3-8) and President Hollande was yet another calling for that cooperation.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has proposed regional cooperation as the solution:

August 29, 2014

Libya is in civil war, fundamentalist armies are building a self-declared caliphate across Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan’s young democracy is on the verge of paralysis…The concept of order that has underpinned the modern era is in crisis…

The contemporary quest for world order will require a coherent strategy to establish a concept of order within the various regions and to relate these regional orders to one another. http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-assembly-of-a-new-world-order-1409328075

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, seems to be endorsing the rise of an Arabic and Turkish confederation:

August 25, 2014

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT – U.S. air strikes on Islamic militants in Iraq have blunted their momentum, but defeating them will require a broad regional approach that draws support from Iraq’s neighbors and includes political and diplomatic efforts, the top U.S. military officer said.

The long term strategy for defeating the militants includes having the United States and its allies reach out to Iraq’s neighbors, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday.

“This is not just about us,” Dempsey said.

Such a coalition could “squeeze ISIS from multiple directions in order to initially disrupt it and eventually defeat it,” he said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/08/25/iraq-needs-neighbors-to-help-defeat-isis-militants/14557355/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories

An Islamic confederation or caliphate will not bring peace.

US President Barack Obama and his advisors also were promoting this:

September 5, 2014

“Our goal is to act with urgency but also make sure that we're doing it right, that we have the right targets, that there's support on the ground … that we have a strong political coalition,” Obama said at a news conference...

One major piece of the strategy for weakening the threat from Islamic State, Obama and aides said, will be the support and participation of the neighbors of Syria and Iraq.

“It is absolutely critical that we have Arab states, and specifically Sunni-majority states, that are rejecting the kind of extremist nihilism that we're seeing out of ISIL, that say, ‘That is not what Islam is about,' and are prepared to join us actively in the fight,” Obama said, using one of the acronyms for Islamic State. http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-obama-islamic-state-20140905-story.html

September 13, 2014

Egypt has a key role to play in countering Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on a visit to Cairo.
He met Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi and Egypt's President Sisi as part of his campaign to form a broad coalition to tackle IS militants. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29186686

The Bible shows that the areas that are currently Sunni-majority states in the Middle East and North Africa will compose the final King of the South, and that is something that Barack Obama and his administration was advocating (watch also Obama Administration Pushing for an Islamic Empire?). The Europeans and Americans have called for cooperation in the region in 2015 as well--they are unknowingly pushing for the formation of the final King of the South. Current US President Donald Trump has also advocated something like this (see the book, Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse).

During his May 2017 trip to Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump signed what was hailed as the largest single US arms deal with Saudi Arabia (see Largest single arms deal in US history! Is Donald Trump arming part of the King of the South?).

Notice something else from that trip:

May 21, 2017

King Salman of Saudi Arabia says he is committed to stamping out the Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations.

Salman is speaking at a gathering of the leaders of more than 50 majority-Muslim countries attending the Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh.

He says that “we all, peoples and countries, reject in every language and in every form damaging the relations of Muslim countries with friendly countries and profiling countries based on a religious or sectarian basis.”

He’s also railing against Iran, calling the country “the spearhead of global terrorism.”

President Donald Trump says the U.S. seeks a “coalition of nations” in the Middle East with the aim of “stamping out extremism.” …

Trump is speaking in front of an audience of leaders from Arab and Muslim-majority nations.

He says the U.S. is prepared to stand with those leaders in the fight against extremists, but that those countries must take the lead. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/the-latest-trump-gets-royal-treatment-from-saudis/2017/05/20/ea5fd262-3dc8-11e7-a59b-26e0451a96fd_story.html?utm_term=.5035b9fa6a26

This sounds a lot like Donald Trump is encouraging the formation of the foundation of a confederation that one day will be led by one called the King of the South (cf. Daniel 11:40-43; Ezekiel 30:1-8).

Notice also something from 2018:

April 16, 2018

WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is seeking to assemble an Arab force to replace the U.S. military contingent in Syria and help stabilize the northeastern part of the country after the defeat of Islamic State, U.S. officials said.

John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s new national security adviser, recently called Abbas Kamel, Egypt’s acting intelligence chief, to see if Cairo would contribute to the effort, officials said. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-seeks-arab-force-and-funding-for-syria-1523927888?mod=e2tw

Inadvertently, Donald Trump seems to be helping laying the foundation for the coming prophesied King of the South (see also July 29, 2018 post: Trump Administration pushing for the ‘King of the South’?).

Notice also something related to Russia:

Russia says urging Gulf nations to consider a joint security mechanism

January 15, 2020

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday Moscow has been urging Gulf countries to consider a common security mechanism for the region and it was time the world got rid of unilateral measures such as sanctions. …

“We have been suggesting to the Gulf countries to think about collective security mechanisms … starting with confidence building measures and inviting each other to military exercises,” Lavrov told a security conference in Delhi. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-gulf/russia-says-urging-gulf-nations-to-consider-a-joint-security-mechanism-idUSKBN1ZE0F0

What Sergey Lsvrov is urging sounds a lot like the confederation that the Bible says will support a a militaristic leader the Bible calls the King of the South.

And that King will be in a major conflict with a northern king after the USA is taken over (Daniel 11:40-43).

The Bible shows that King of the North will invade the USA (Daniel 11:39) and in conjunction with the terrorism from King of the South (Psalm 83:3-8) will cause the end of the USA. Notice also the following:

25 The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within (Deuteronomy 32:25).

12 “Cry and wail, son of man; For it will be against My people, Against all the princes of Israel. Terrors including the sword will be against My people; Therefore strike your thigh. (Ezekiel 21:12)

Deuteronomy 32:25 talks about a time of destruction that comes from an outside invasion and internal. That is also consistent with what Ezekiel warned. Because of much terrorism involves people in the lands that are prophesied to be associated with the King of the South, these prophesies are consistent with terroristic actions from those regions in the future.

The old WCG taught:

Many nations make no bones about their connections to terrorist groups. Syria, Libya, Iraq and South Yemen all see no objection in directly aiding terrorism. (Taylor D. TERRORISM the Worst Is Yet to Come! Plain Truth, May 1984)

The old WCG also taught that some of those nations would be part of the King of the South ("And when you see the Abomination..." Plain Truth, July 1963, p.22; The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979, pp. 11-12) as well as the confederacy of the confederacy of Psalm 83 (The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979).

Has the Foundation Been Laid?

Has the foundation for a King of the South been laid?

Well, between the Arab League and certain Islamic groups is seems to have been. Furthermore, notice an additional step announced in December 2015:

Saudi Arabia Announces 34-Nation Islamic Alliance Against Terrorism

December 15, 2015

Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday what it called a new Islamic military alliance made up of 34 countries to fight terrorism.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency published a statement saying the initiative will include an operations center in Riyadh to coordinate military operations.

The statement said terrorism is a "serious violation of human dignity and rights, especially the right to life and the right to security," and that "acts of corruption and terrorism cannot be justified in any way."

Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman said at a news conference there will not be a focus on any one terror group.

"Today there are a number of countries that suffer from terrorism, for example Daesh [Islamic State] in Syria and Iraq; terrorism in Sinai, terrorism in Yemen, terrorism in Libya, terrorism in Mali, terrorism in Nigeria, terrorism in Pakistan, terrorism in Afghanistan and this requires a very strong effort to fight. Without a doubt, there will be coordination in these efforts," he said.

The alliance includes Jordan, Bahrain, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, which are conducting airstrikes in Syria as part of a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State. Others from the Middle East include Tunisia, Lebanon, Libya and Egypt. Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia are also part of the effort, as are a number of African countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Mali and Nigeria.

The Saudi statement said others have "expressed their support," including Indonesia, the home of the world's largest Muslim population. http://www.voanews.com/content/saudi-arabia-announces-34-nation-islamic-alliance-against-terrorism/3103368.html

December 15, 2015

A Riyadh-based “Islamic military alliance” has been formed to fight terrorism, Saudi Arabian state TV has announced. The coalition consists of 34 countries, including the Gulf States, a number of African countries, Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia and Pakistan.

Countries involved in the coalition aside from Saudi Arabia, include Jordan, the UAE, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon, Guinea, the partially-recognized state of Palestine, the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros, Qatar, Cote d’Ivoire, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Yemen.

“The countries here mentioned have decided on the formation of a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations centre based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations,” state news agency SPA quoted an official statement as saying.

The statement added that the coalition has “a duty to protect the Islamic nation from the evils of all terrorist groups and organizations whatever their sect and name which wreak death and corruption on earth and aim to terrorise the innocent,”Reuters quotes. https://www.rt.com/news/325929-islamic-coalition-terrorism-saudi/

Germany welcomes 34-state Islamic military alliance against terrorism

December 15, 2015

Germany's defense minister said on Tuesday she welcomed Saudi Arabia's announcement of the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism.

Ursula von der Leyen told German broadcaster ZDF the alliance would be of help if it joined other countries fighting Islamic State (IS), adding that IS had gained strength from disagreement among various opposition parties on how to fight or who to protect.

"I think it's right that the opposition is forming a group but it needs to be - and this is important - part of the Vienna process that includes all countries fighting against IS like the U.S., Europe, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia but also Iran and China," she said. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-germany-idUSKBN0TY14O20151215

It should set off prophetic bells when we read that the 34 nations have agreed that they have "a duty to protect the Islamic nation." Westerners may be surprised that despite differences, many Muslims believe in the existence of an Islamic nation. The use of the term Islamic-nation is consistent with the view in Islam that there is that the world is divided into two parts: The House of Islam and the House of War (those that the House of Islam fights--all non-Muslim nations), often referred to as the Dar al-Islam and the Dar al-harb.

As far as the members of the Saudi Arabian coalition go, they are consistent with the peoples that the Bible shows will support the final King of the South in Bible prophecy. Though Syria is currently not in that group, it will support the final King of the South.

The foundation for a King of the South seems to have been laid.

What About the Kurds?

There are estimated to be at least 30 million Kurds. The majority of them are Sunni Muslim (which is the predominant form of Islam).

Will they support the King of the South?

Probably, at least for a time. Notice two translations of Ezekiel 30:5:

5 Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt. (Ezekiel 30:5, NIV).

5 "Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all the mingled people, Chub, and the men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword." (Ezekiel 30:5, NKJV)

Why might the Kurds be referred to in Ezekiel 30? The word translated in the NIV as Libya, Puwt, may be referring to some of the peoples of Iran as Puwt was a Persian tribe and the Kurds are an Iranian people with mixed heritage. There are estimated to be at least 30 million Kurds, most of which are in the Middle East with the largest populations in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The Kurds could also be considered to possibly be part of the 'mingled people' as the NKJV translates a portion of Ezekiel 30:5.

Although the Kurds themselves have long wanted independence, they have a history of making many alliances. Despite the fact that the governments in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran have caused problems for the Kurds, they may well support a future Arabic-Turkish alliance (Daniel 11:40-43), especially if they get some protection of autonomy to do so. It is also possible that they could be among those that escape the wrath of the King of the North (Daniel 11:42).

Some Catholic and Islamic Prophecy

Catholic prophecy tells of the rise of an Islamic/Arabic power that that a Catholic leader will put an end to.

Pseudo-Methodius (7th century): This new Muslim invasion will be a punishment without limit and mercy…In France, people of Christians will fight and kill them…At that same time the Muslims will be killed and they will know the tribulation…The Lord will give them to the powers of the Christians whose empire will be elevated above all empires…The Roman King (Great Monarch) will show a great indignation against those who will have denied Christ in Egypt or in Arabia (Araujo, Fabio R. Selected Prophecies and Prophets. BookSurge LLC, Charlestown (SC), 2007, p. 103).

Rudolph Gekner (died 1675). "A great prince of the North with a most powerful army will traverse all Europe, uproot all republics, and exterminate all rebels. His sword moved by Divine power will most valiantly defend the Church of Jesus Christ. He will combat on behalf of the true orthodox faith, and shall subdue to his dominion the Mahometan Empire. A new pastor of the universal church will come from the shore (of Dalmatia) through a celestial prodigy, and in simplicity of heart adorned with the doctrines of Jesus Christ. Peace will come to the world." (Cited in Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p.36).

And while the Church of God and the Bible warn against this leader of the North (Daniel 11:36-38), Roman Catholics apparently will embrace him (see also The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies).

Perhaps it should be mentioned that there are many Catholic prophecies that indicate that the Turks will become Catholic and betray an Arab leader. And that although they will probably for a while support Muslim interest, notice the following one about betrayal:

Nostradamus: The Great Arab shall progress well forward, But betrayed shall be by the Byzantines. (Turks).

Comment on above from Catholic writer Yves Dupont: Here, we are told that Turkey will break its faith with the rest of the Arab world. (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p. 107).

The "Great Arab" is probably supposed to represent the Mahdi. This betrayal is consistent with Daniel 11:26 (see also The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy; see also the article Turkey in Prophecy and/or video What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy).

Some in Islam have taught several things about the Mahdi that suggest that he is the King of the South of the Bible. Notice the following:

Rasaullah [Muhammed] said: "There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans [Christians]. The fourth agreement will be mediated through a person who will be the progeny of Hadrat Haroon [Honorable Aaron -- Moses' brother] and will be upheld for seven years (Richardson J. Antichrist: Islam's Awaited Messiah. Pleasant Word, 2006, p. 48)

The above sounds similar to the seven year (one week in biblical language) agreement discussed in Daniel 9:27 that involves a "prince" who appears to be the one the Bible warns will become the King of the North and apparently the nation of Israel. It certainly would make sense that there would be Muslim representation in a peace deal.

However, the Bible shows that this deal will be broken (Daniel 9:27) and the King of the North will invade Jerusalem (Daniel 11:31) and ultimately the King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43). Notice that this too, however, seems to be consistent with some Islamic prophecy:

...a life of peace as a result of a peace agreement between you and the Banil Asfaar (Romans) which they will break and attack you (Ibn Zubair Ali, Mohammed Ali. The minor signs of Last Days from: The Signs of Qiyamah. http://www.islamawareness.net/Prophecies/minor.html viewed 06/21/09).

More on the Mahdi and Turkey can be found in the article The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy; Turkey is also the subject of the article Turkey in Prophecy and the video What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy.

What Else Did Herbert W. Armstrong Teach About the King of the South?

While Herbert W. Armstrong apparently felt that there was a partial fulfillment of this when Mussolini invaded Ethiopia before the USA entered World War II and that Ethiopia was the "king of the South" then, HWA did not feel that Ethiopia was the final king of the South, but that another would arise.

In addition to being the editor in chief of those official WCG publications previously quoted, HWA himself taught that there would be a future King of the South.

Specifically, RC Meredith told me (in August 2004) that HWA had him teach that there would be a future King of the South at HWA's Ambassador College. Additionally, EnCOG's Charles Bryce told me (also in August of 2004) that he heard HWA personally state that there would be a future King of the South.

The printed quotes and statements cited in this article clearly prove that HWA's WCG did teach that there would be a future King of the South, that it was probably not Ethiopia, that it may EMERGE in the same manner as the King of the North, and that it would apparently involve an Arab-Moslem confederation (Ethiopians are neither predominantly Moslem nor are they predominantly Arabic).

I should also add that in other literature, HWA's himself personally taught that even though there were historical fulfillments, that there would be a future fulfillment of many verses in Daniel 11 beginning with vs. 31 as well as events at least 45 days earlier:

And the abomination that maketh desolate set up." What is this abomination? This refers to Daniel 11:31 and Matthew 24:15...From this time (Daniel 12:11) to Christ's coming will be 1290 days. Now, verse 12, "Blessed is he that waiteth, and comes to the 1335 days." Never before have we understood these periods of 1260, 1290. and 1335 days. But it seems evident, now, a blessing is pronounced on us--GOD"S CHURCH--who wait and endure until the 1335 days--approximately 1335 days prior to Christ's coming. But since no one can know the day or hour of His coming, we probably shall not be able to know the exact day this 1335 days begins. But apparently that is the time when OUR WORK SHALL END. That will be a time when the UNITED Europe shall appear--the revival of the medieval "Holy Roman Empire." We shall then be warned, and readied to be taken to a place of refuge and safety from the Great Tribulation. Forty-five days later "the beasts armies" will surround Jerusalem PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT - VOL.1, NO.15 NOVEMBER 20, 1979 The Time We Are In, Now by Herbert W. Armstrong. Page 2; see also Armstrong HW. Personal. Good News magazine January 1980).

As the above shows, HWA himself admitted that he had questions about some of his earlier writings about the fulfilling of the sequence of Daniel 11. And he also told this to others including Raymond McNair who related that to me through his late brother, Carl McNair a few years ago. Furthermore, the Plain Truth magazine itself publicly admitted some ambiguity on some Middle East-related prophecies (see The Arab World in Prophecy in the Plain Truth, December 1979, p.12)--yet it (and earlier and later editions) clearly did teach that there would be a future king of the South and that it would appear to be an Arab-Moslem confederation of some sort.

And HWA himself clearly wrote that there would be a future fulfillment of Daniel 11:31 and other verses in Daniel. And as the above shows, he taught that something would stop the work forty-five days prior to Daniel 11:31 (more information on that is included in the article Who is the King of the North?.

Does Daniel 11 Refer to Ethiopians or Nubians?

Although Daniel 11:40-42 is mainly mentioning peoples in predominantly Arabs lands, various ones, including Gerald Flurry, have pointed to verse 43 as proof that Ethiopia is involved. Here is what the NKJV, perhaps incorrectly, shows:

He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.

The problem with the above translation is that the word “Ethiopians” is not in the Hebrew in the Old Testament. The word translated as “Ethiopians” is the plural of the word Kuwshiy, which according to Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary means descendants of Cush. Or in other words, people of dark color–and it is commonly translated as Cush or Cushite in many Old Testament passages.

Here is how the Literal Standard Version renders several verses related to the King of the South:

40 And at the time of the end, a king of the south pushes himself forward with him, and a king of the north storms against him, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; 41 and he has come into the lands, and has overflowed, and passed over, and has come into the desirable land, and many stumble, and these escape from his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the sons of Ammon. 42 And he sends forth his hand on the lands, and the land of Egypt is not for an escape; 43 and he has ruled over treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and Lubim and Cushim [are] at his steps. (Daniel 11:40-43, LSV)

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible states:

Hebrew, Cushites – כשׁים kushı̂ym… The reference here, undoubtedly, is to the African Cush or Ethiopia, which bounded Egypt on the south. This country comprehended not only Ethiopia above Syene and the Cataracts, but likewise Thebais or Upper Egypt. A subjugation of Egypt would be, in fact, almost a conquest of this land.

It is not necessarily those from Ethiopia, and likely is NOT referring to the current nation of Ethiopia (though it may include at least some in there). There is one famous person that the Old Testament translated into English refers to as from Ethiopia, the famous Queen of Sheba. Yet, even the term Sheba’ does not usually refer to Ethiopia in the Bible, as it most of the time refers to specific, non-Ethiopian, people. Furthermore, notice the following from two different commentaries (bolding/italics theirs):

Our Saviour calls her the queen of the south, for Sheba lay south of Canaan. The common opinion is that it was in Africa; and the Christians in Ethiopia, to this day, are confident that she came from their country, and that Candace was her successor, who is mentioned Acts 8:27. But it is more probable that she came from the south part of Arabia (from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.).

The queen of Sheba has been identified as the ruler of the Sabeans (Job 1:15), who inhabited Arabia Felix (from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press).

Thus, the fact that Jesus referred to her as “the queen of the South” (Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31), does not prove she was from Ethiopia. And if she was from Ethiopia, Jesus could have clearly stated that, but He did not. Therefore, Jesus did not declared Ethiopia to be the kingdom of the South.

The New International Version translation of the Bible seems to get Daniel 11:43 translated correctly as follows:

He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission.

And while Ethiopians might possibly be indicated here, the reality is that Nubians makes a lot more sense.

Why?

Because the Nubians are Moslems and historically lived amongst the Egyptians and the other Arabs. The Nubians have been in so much contact with Arabs that Nubians speak that some of their peoples have been “Arabized” (http://www.thenubian.net/nubtoday.php 8/05/06).

Interestingly, although it uses the term “Ethiopians” while discussing Daniel 11:43, Matthew Henry’s Commentary says that these are people who anciently lived next to Egypt. Others believe that the Cushites simply refer to dark-skinned people, such as those in certain Islam-dominated nations of Africa.

Notice also the following:

The word Cushi, also spelled Kushi (Hebrew: כושי‎) is a Hebrew term generally used to refer to a dark-skinned person usually of African descent. (Cushi, Wikipedia, accessed 12/15/15)

Here are some other translations of the related passage in Daniel 11:

43 He will control gold and silver treasures and all Egypt’s treasuries. Libya and Sudan will surrender to him. (Daniel 11:43, GOD’S WORD Translation)

43 The gold and silver treasures and all the valuables of Egypt will lie in his power. Libyans and Cushites will be at his feet: (Daniel 11:43, New Jerusalem Bible)

43 and he hath ruled over treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and Lubim and Cushim are at his steps. (Daniel 11:43, Young’s literal translation)

Well, Nubians currently live in Egypt as well as in neighboring Sudan. The Sudanese, like the Nubians, are also Cushites, and are also mainly Moslem (especially since they have killed many of the non-Moslems in the southern portion of what had also been part of their country)–plus Sudan is between Egypt and Ethiopia. Thus, even Daniel 11:43 is not teaching that those now called Ethiopians must be even be involved when the king of the North retaliates against the king of the South. This could have been one of the reasons that HWA changed his position on the identity of the future king of the South. Perhaps I should mention that PCG’s Gerald Flurry does not understand the passages in Daniel 11 about Ethiopia as he repeatedly claims that the current nation of Ethiopia is what is being discussed (e.g. Flurry G. Libya and Ethiopia Reveal Iran’s Military Strategy. Philadelphia Trumpet, April 2011 & Flurry G. Mediterranean Battle Escalating Into World War III! Philadelphia Trumpet, July 2016).

It is also interesting to note that gold, silver, and other riches will be taken from Egypt–Egypt relatively recently reopened an ancient gold mine which may become its largest source of wealth–see the news item Gold of Egypt; Egypt also has some oil resources that are now being developed. Thus even today we are seeing the prophetic scenario being fulfilled before our eyes–Egypt had to have significant amounts of gold, silver, and other wealth for the King of the North to invade it and take its gold, silver, and other treasures for Daniel 11:43 to come to pass. This did not happen in the 20th century. It is also interesting to note that gold will be valuable at this time–gold also apparently will be valuable until sometime after the sixth trumpet, cf. Revelation 9:20 (see also The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold?).

The Final Fulfillment of Daniel 11 Has Not Come to Pass

Anyway, those who teach that the king of the South's 'end' occurred in the 1930s (which is what certain details from CEG, etc., suggest) are simply not being biblically logical.

The king of the North and the king of the South are supposed to come to their end reasonably close to one another (vs. 27). A seventy-eighty year gap between the end of the king of the South and the king of the North (as even they acknowledge that the king of the North has not yet come to his end--which occurs in vs. 45) does not seem to square with the intent of Daniel's writings in the Bible.

HWA's Middle East in Prophecy booklet also taught:

Verse 45 — the coming Roman Empire shall establish its palace, as capital of the revived Roman Empire, and eventually its religious headquarters, at Jerusalem! Zechariah 14:2 says the city shall be taken! "Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him"! This language signifies the end of the "beast" and the "false prophet" at the hand of God! You will find this end described in Revelation 19:19-20 and Zechariah 14:12. And now what is the time of this end, at the close of this marvelous prophecy? The next verse, Daniel 12:1, says at the time of the resurrection of the just — at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! This prophecy begins with the kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, soon after the death of Alexander the Great — 2,300 years ago. But it ends at the time of the resurrection and the Second Coming of Christ to bring peace at last to the region — and to the entire world! It is so plain, there can be no doubt of its right application!

Thus, the end is not yet. Yet, some now doubt its right application.

Jesus told His followers to "watch" (Mark 13:33-37).

This watching of events would certainly seem to include watching who logically could be a King of the South. World events seem to be showing that some type of Arab-Moslem confederation is coming to pass. And that is what HWA's WCG taught as well. Watching for Ethiopia to develop into a military power that others will rally around seems to be a longer, and probably fruitless, watch.

However, watching the Islamic world increase its military capacities and attempt to obtain nuclear weapons of various types (which they will undoubtedly use) seems to be a more biblically appropriate area to watch.

Psalm 83 Shows an Arab and Turkish Confederation

Psalm 83 tells of a time when a confederation will form.

Psalm 83:4-8 states:

4 They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more." 5 For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You: 6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; 7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8 Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot.

Note that this passage of scripture is suggesting that the descendants of Israel (which not only includes the modern state of Israel, but also much of the English-speaking world, cf. Genesis 48:13-16--see a discussion of this in Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel) will be bothered by a confederation of basically Arabic/Islamic peoples from the Middle East (not Ethiopians), who will also somewhat align with a European power (see Germany's Assyrian Roots Throughout History and Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy).

A December 1979 Plain Truth article by Keith Stump's titled The Arab World in Prophecy provides insights into who may be the future king of the South as well as who may be involved in Psalm 83, perhaps in partial fulfillment of Daniel 11:27:

Mahdi, the expected end time messiah who is to cleanse and restore the Islamic faith...to usher in a seven-year golden age just before the end of the world...The expectation of a coming Mahdi (in Arabic, "the divinely guided one") is prevalent among virtually all Moslem sects, though they often differ in the specifics of the concept...

The prophecy of Daniel 11 details events...But who is the "king of the south"?...Just as there is yet to be a final "king of the north"--called in the Bible symbolism "the beast"--who will arise as superdictator over an end-time European confederation, there may very well emerge in the same manner a final "king of the south"--an overall leader of an Arab-Moslem confederation, possibly bearing the very title Mahdi. And these two individuals will eventually find themselves in a head-to-head confrontation--possibly over oil--which will ultimately lead to devastating war in the Middle East!

King David of ancient Israel in a prophetic psalm (Psalm 83) provides additional insight into the Mideast picture. Germany (Assyria in Bible prophecy) and perhaps the rest of Europe will be in league in the future with a union of Arab nations--a vast confederacy bound together in an effort to crush out the name "Israel" from the face of the earth! This Arab-Moslem confederacy may very well be the previously mentioned "king of the south"--a sphere of power encompassing vast portions of the Islamic world.

"They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom [Esau or modern-day Turkey, a non-Arab but Islamic nation], and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; of Moab [part of Jordan], and the Hagarenes [anciently these peoples dwelt in the area known as Syria today]; Gebal [Lebanon], and Ammon [modern Jordan], and Amalek [part of the Turks]; the Philistines [the modern Palestinians] with the inhabitants of Tyre [Lebanon]; Assur [whose descendants, the Assyrians, migrated to Germany] also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot [Jordan and Western Iraq]" (Psalm 83:4-8)...

But in the end, this European-Arab alliance will prove short-lived. As shown earlier, the "king of the north" of Daniel 11--the leader of the German-led European union--will ultimately turn against the Arab "king of the south,"...Daniel 11:40-41: And the king of the north shall come against him [the king of the south]...The Arab-Moslem Confederation will, of course, be thrown into chaotic disarray in the fact of invasion. (Stump K. The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth, December 1979)

So Bible prophecy in the books of Daniel and Psalms suggest that there will be some type of strong Arab-based confederation that will make a deal with a future European power for the purposes of eliminating "Israel." These quotes make it clear that WCG's written position was that there would be a future King of the South--and that it would be mainly an Arabic-Islamic confederation.

As far WCG's position on identities go, here are excerpts from a chart titled Countries and Their Biblical Names with the caption Presented by - The Worldwide Church of God:

Country Biblical Name

Afghanistan Joktan

Arabia Ishmael

Jordan Ammon & Moab

Kashmir Joktan

Liberia Phut

Libya Ishmael & Mizraim

Pakistan

Southern

Joktan

Ishmael

South Palestine
Sudan Philistines
Canaan, Cush, Phut, Mizrain

Syria Uz [Aram]

Tadzhik Joktan

Tunisia Ishmael, Canaan, Lud

Turkey Esau [Edom]

Presented by - The Worldwide Church of God

Now, although the above chart is not necessarily 100%, it can help with the understanding of some biblical identities.

It probably should also be mentioned that some others consider that the Syrians are better identified as Ishmaelites as opposed to being Hagarenes (but either way, Syria is facing problems, see the video Damascus and Syria in Prophecy). Descendants of Ishmael’s eldest son Nabajoth/Nebajoth--Genesis 25:13--seem to have been identified with Syria in the Zenon papyri which dates from 259 B.C. (some consider that the Hagarenes are better identified with Iraq--yet since Ishmael's mother was Hagar--Genesis 16:15--they would all tend to be related). Whether they are identified better as Hagarenes or Ishmaelites, Syria and other Arabic peoples are prophesied (along with others) to be part of a confederation that will decide to eliminate Israel.

Notice also Daniel 11:27 which involves the kings of the North and South:

27 Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time. (Daniel 11:27)

Since Daniel 11:27 suggests some type of deal between the king of the North and the king of the South and Psalm 83 shows an Arabic/Turkish confederation that will make a deal with a northern representative, it appears that the idea of an Arab-Moslem confederacy representing the king of the South also has a biblical basis. The nations in Psalm 83 all tend to be Arabic or Turkish, hence the position that the king of the South is likely to be Arabic has biblical support.

It is of interest to note that Iran is not part of Psalm 83 (and this is something that PCG admits, though it will not change its view because of this). Let me address this:

Since the early 1990s, we have believed and taught that Iran would lead the radical Islamist world and be the king of the south. Today Iran is “king” in the Middle East...

Iraq and Iran are missing in the prophecy of Psalm 83. And clearly, Egypt is not a part of this alliance...

“And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them” (Ezekiel 33:33). They finally learn that there was a prophet of God in their midst after the Tribulation has struck. Not several prophets—only one!

There is only one safe way. We must get God’s perspective—see through His eyes. (Flurry G. The King of the South, PCG booklet. Copyright © 1996, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008).

Now while people should look to God and not Gerald Flurry, too many within PCG are looking to him. Herbert W. Armstrong did not teach that Iran was going to be the future King of the South.

Now, why are these places not mentioned in Psalm 83?

It is because the Psalm 83 is listing the ethnic groups, not physical locations, of the conspirators. The ethnic groups in Egypt have changed over the years and does include the peoples of Psalm 83 (as well as Iraq, but not Iran). To demonstrate this more clearly, note that the land of Iraq would tend to be called Babylon, but end time Babylon will be led by the final King of the North power. Furthermore, Herbert W. Armstrong never taught that Iran would be the final King of the South. Although Gerald Flurry does refer to the fact that in his 1972 Middle East in Prophecy booklet, Herbert W. Armstrong did mention Persia--but never as a potential candidate for the King of the South. And although in the 1972 booklet states that Egypt was not the final King of the South, scriptures (Daniel 11:5, 8, 35-43) other published writings from the old WCG are consistent with this change (apparently that change did not make the editorial process). But Iran really is not.

In addition to its policies supporting the nation of Israel, changes in USA policy to support the homosexual agenda via foreign aid (TW: US Foreign Aid for Homosexual Agenda) is upsetting many Muslims in the Middle East (Egypt and USA’s Homosexual Agenda). These and other factors may well lead to the formation of the temporary confederation in Psalm 83 to destroy the USA, Israel, and their Anglo-allies.

And, as mentioned earlier, both Daniel 11:40-45 and Ezekiel 30:1-9 show that this confederation will be destroyed.

Concluding Comments of the King of the South

It is clear that the position that there will be a future King of the South, and that the King of the South will lead an Arab-Moslem confederation is totally consistent with the Bible, the teachings of HWA's WCG, and HWA himself. The view that the King of the South will most likely be an Arab-Moslem confederation is also consistent with world events--including the actions of the Muslim Brotherhood and similar groups.

It is also clear that the Bible shows, that since the end has not yet come, that there needs to be a future King of the South. Although the Bible does not make it absolutely clear who the King of the South must actually be (contrary to PCG's position), the old WCG's view is certainly not in contradiction of the Bible, and is the position that those who believe the Bible should hold--it is sad that many who once believed these things no longer wish to.

Groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and the 34 nation Saudi Arabia based coalition are attempting to lay the foundation for what could be considered an Islamic caliphate to cover the areas that the Bible shows will align (at least temporarily) with the final King of the South. Since the so-called Arab Spring the Muslim Brotherhood, some of its opponents, and certain others have risen up further and are working to try to make their version of this confederation happen. While the final King of the South has not personally risen up, some apparently believe that his kingdom has started to be formed. A confederation will more fully form--but this will not end as the Islamic supporters tend to want--the Bible shows it will end in destruction (Daniel 11:40-43; Ezekiel 30:1-9).

There will be a future king of the South who will eventually be destroyed by the future king of the North (a European confederation). Those who do not understand will probably not know who to listen to, nor when to flee, to the wilderness for protection as the Bible teaches (please see the articles Laodicean Warning for God's People and There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra).

Furthermore, since groups like PCG and LCG, which do believe that there will be a future King of the South, teach the wrong prophetic sequence relating to the King of the South, they will not understand certain aspects of end time prophecy.

Those that do not have a correct understanding of who the King of the South will be simply will not understand the fulfillment of vital biblical prophecies. World events suggest that steps are being taken to facilitate the rise of this prophesied leader and his kingdom.

Because of its end time role in biblical prophecy, the subject of the king of the South is a matter that should be of vital interest to true Christians.

There is also information on this in these videos The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South and The Rise and Fall of the King of the South.

Two articles of related interest may also include The Bible and the Arab World In History and Prophecy and Who is the King of the North?

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Notice also:

Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century This is a free online book which helps show where biblical and Islamic prophecies converge and diverge.
Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes This article has information from the book, Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century, as well as from the old WCG and other sources.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
The Prophesied 'Islamic' Confederation Where is an Islamic caliphate prophesied? Will one happen? Should you be concerned about it? A related video is Will an Arabic Calphiphate Destroy the West?
How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About? Can humans bring peace to the Middle East? Here is a link to a related video: Middle East Peace? When?
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South The Bible tells of the formation of a power of nations that are in the Middle East and North Africa that are part of the final "King of the South" (Daniel 11:40-43) The Muslim Brotherhood wishes to have an Islamic empire with basically the same nations. This YouTube video explains what to expect from such a confederation.
Egypt in Prophecy Does Egypt have a special role in end time prophecy? Will Egypt rise up and then be defeated. What does God teach will happen to those in Egypt? Here is a link to a YouTube video titled Egypt and End Time Prophecy.
Turkey in Prophecy Do you know the Turkish people descended from? Did the Ottoman Empire possibly fulfill a promise in Genesis? Will Turkey support the European King of the North or Arabic King of the South? Will it betray one of them? Will Turkey be involved in the encouraging the destruction of Israel? Is Turkey going to become Catholic? Is Turkey mentioned in Psalm 83, Daniel 11, and elsewhere in the Bible? A related video is also available: What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy.
Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia in Prophecy What is ahead for North Africa? What does the Bible teach?
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a video.
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
Iraq, the King of the South, Armageddon, and Prophecy What will happen to Iraq? Is it the prophesied Mystery Babylon? What is Armageddon and how does that have to do with Iraq? Here is a related video Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy.
Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There are also two related videos: Iran In Prophecy and Iran and Israel Conflict.
Jordan in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible show will happen to the inhabitants of Jordan? Will they escape and then be punished?
What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy Do you know the Turkish people descended from? Did the Ottoman Empire possibly fulfill a promise in Genesis? Will Turkey support the European King of the North or Arabic King of the South? Will it betray one of them? Will Turkey be involved in the encouraging the destruction of Israel? Is Turkey going to become Catholic? Is Turkey mentioned in Psalm 83, Daniel 11, and elsewhere in the Bible? This video provides answers.
Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi. Some prophecy related to the Arab world in the Spanish language.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Are the major professors of Christianity teachings the Bible or a faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation Will all get a fair chance at salvation? This free book is packed with scriptures showing that God does intend to offer salvation to all who ever lived–the elect in this age, and the rest in the age to come. Here is a link to a related sermon series: Universal Offer of Salvation 1: Apocatastasis, Universal Offer of Salvation 2: Jesus Desires All to be Saved, Mysteries of the Great White Throne Judgment (Universal Offer of Salvation part 3), Is God Fair, Will God Pardon the Ignorant?, Can God Save Your Relatives?, Babies, Limbo, Purgatory and God’s Plan, and ‘By the Mouth of All His Holy Prophets’.

Country	Biblical Name
Afghanistan	Joktan
Arabia	Ishmael
Jordan	Ammon & Moab
Kashmir	Joktan
Liberia	Phut
Libya	Ishmael & Mizraim
Pakistan Southern	Joktan Ishmael
South Palestine Sudan	Philistines Canaan, Cush, Phut, Mizrain
Syria	Uz [Aram]
Tadzhik	Joktan
Tunisia	Ishmael, Canaan, Lud
Turkey	Esau [Edom]

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