PCG gives three erroneous ‘reasons’ for why it claims Iran is the King of the South

Iran’s ‘Supreme Leader’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

The improperly named Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) posted the following:

Three Reasons Why Iran Is the ‘King of the South’ of Bible Prophecy

The king of the south is stirring up trouble today and it’s critical that you know the identity of this prophesied power!

Could this prophesied king of the south be linked to modern Iran?

The Trumpet identifies the king of the south as radical Islam, led by Iran. Editor in chief Gerald Flurry first made this connection in 1994, just six years after Iran emerged from its devastating eight-year war with Iraq—a time when few paid any attention to this rogue Islamist nation.

Here are three reasons why Iran is the king of the south prophesied in the Bible.

1. Iran Is the King of Radical Islam…

2. Iran and Its Allies Are Located to the South…

3. Bible Prophecy Eliminates Every Possibility Except Iran…

Daniel 11:43 shows that the king of the north will also conquer Libya and Ethiopia, which will also be allied with the king of the south.

PCG has long been wrong on this. Before going through why its three reasons are wrong, let’s first look at the verses in the Bible related to the King of the South:

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. 43 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. (Daniel 11:40-43)

Now, let’s look at PCG’s three reasons:

1. Iran Is the King of Radical Islam

Some would perhaps point out that the Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood that formed in the 1920s predated it. Also, the 9/11 terror attack against the USA was mainly from Saudi Arabians associated with radical elements of the Sunni Muslim faith (Iran is primarily Shi-ite Muslim). As the religion of the specific nations listed in Daniel 11:40-43 is Sunni Islam, combined with the fact that many Sunnis question if Shi’ite Islam is truly Islam, unless a massive conversion takes place, those nations would not support Iran this way. The rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria also shows that there are strong militaristic Islamic groups that are not with Iran.

2. Iran and Its Allies Are Located to the South

By being south, this is a reference to being south of Jerusalem. While most of the nations listed as being aligned with the King of the South in Daniel 11:40-43, as well as the related account in Ezekiel 30:2-8, are mainly south of Jerusalem, Iran itself is basically due east.

3. Bible Prophecy Eliminates Every Possibility Except Iran

No, Bible prophecy does not eliminate every possibility except Iran. Iran is not even listed in Daniel 11:40-43. Also, when one looks at the parallel account of the King of the South in Ezekiel 30:2-8, one sees that this is an alliance that is tied to Egypt and is mainly an Arabic confederation.

Furthermore, notice something that PCG improperly claims:

The PCG is the only Church that holds onto ALL of what Christ established through Mr. Armstrong (Flurry, Gerald and Leap, Dennis. Ezra and Nehemiah: Building God’s Temple. Booklet. 1997. p.29).

Did the late Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) teach that Iran was the King of the South?

No.

Under HWA’s leadership, notice he had taught that the King of the South would be an Arab-Moslem confederation:

But who is the ‘king of the south’?…in verse 40 we skip to ‘the time of the end’…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…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, the European-Arab alliance will prove short-lived…the ‘king of the north’ will ultimately turn against the Arab ‘king of the south’…The Arab-Moslem Confederation will, of course, be thrown into chaotic disarray in the fact of invasion (The Arab World in Prophecy. Plain Truth. December, 1979).

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. (Seeing the World Through Islamic Eyes. Plain Truth, June 1983, p.44).

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! (“And when you see the Abomination…” Plain Truth, July, 1963, p. 22).

So under HWA, the old WCG taught that the King of the South would be a Arab-Muslim confederation. I do not recall seeing anything in the old WCG literature indicating that Iran would be the king of the South.

What was taught about Iran was:

Iran will eventually become linked with the Soviet Union. This is not to say that Iran…will be incorporated into the Soviet Union…Rather, there will generally be only political linkage in the form of alliances or vassal states dominated by Moscow” (Why Russia Will Not Attack the United States, reprint 1980, p. 11).

Those who want to understand more of this matter should read the article titled Is there a Future King of the South?

Notice the claim that Gerald Flurry wrote the following in the October-November 2012 edition of the Philadelphia Trumpet:

Egypt Unites With Iran and Fulfills a Bible Prophecy…

Over the last 20 years, I have been explaining the prophecy in Daniel 11 which says that Egypt would fall to radical Islam, ally itself with Iran, trash its peace treaty with Israel, and become a violent enemy of Israel and the United States.

In August, that prophecy was fully and totally fulfilled! It is now reality!

Egypt and Iran are now allies…

A Fulfilled Prophecy

In a January 2006 letter to co-workers, I wrote: “We have said for years that Egypt has been a friend to the West, but because of this prophecy [Daniel 11:42], we also said that could change. … As the MB grows more popular it will strengthen its ties with Islamic powers throughout the region—especially Iran. … [W]atch for Cairo to distance itself from America. Should the MB ever take control, there is no doubt that a strong alliance between Iran and Egypt will be built.”

That is a fulfilled prophecy.

That was NOT a fulfilled prophecy, but yet another where Gerald Flurry has been proven to be a false prophet.

Egypt and Iran are not now strong allies. Simply do a google news search and you will find many articles explaining that Egypt is still a rival to Iran and that they are not strong allies. “Egypt is the only Arab country without an embassy in Iran” (Wikipedia, viewed 06/26/14), hence that relationship is not that close. Also, according to a 2013 BBC World Service poll, only 15% of Egyptians view Iran’s influence positively, with 48% expressing a negative view.

Gerald Flurry may disagree about their connections, but he is ignoring reality. The Iranians mainly support Shi’a Islam and the Egyptians still mainly support Sunni Islam–and the two groups are not close enough together to consider them “strong” allies.

Furthermore, the meeting Gerald Flurry referred to in August 2012 between leaders of those two nations did not fulfill any biblical prophecies in Daniel 11. Plus, the Egyptian leader (Dr. Morsi) that Iran met with has been deposed.

PCG may wish to reconsider that what it teaches about Iran is in clear error. Iran is NOT the final King of the South.

Some items of related interest may include:

Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself ‘Philadelphia’ does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself “that prophet” make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which tries to look faithful.
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 is also a YouTube video titled Iran in Prophecy. Here is a related video Iran 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.
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.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them. Here is a related article in the Spanish language ¿Por qué estar preocupado acerca de falsos y heréticos líderes?.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?