People often mistakenly see the fulfillment of prophecy in ordinary historical events. The desire to see prophecy fulfilled right now is like a drug. But we are not going to manipulate the events happening in the world these days. The purpose of this article is to answer the question "Who is the King of the North?" using the Bible alone.
What mystery is hidden in the prophecy of Daniel 11:29-45?
29 “He will return at the appointed time, and come into the south; but it won’t be in the latter time as it was in the former. 30 For ships of Kittim will come against him. Therefore he will be grieved, and will return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and will take action. He will even return, and have regard to those who forsake the holy covenant.
31 “Forces will stand on his part, and they will profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and will take away the continual burnt offering. Then they will set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He will corrupt those who do wickedly against the covenant by flatteries; but the people who know their God will be strong, and take action.
33 “Those who are wise among the people will instruct many; yet they will fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder, many days. 34 Now when they fall, they will be helped with a little help; but many will join themselves to them with flatteries. 35 Some of those who are wise will fall, to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed.
36 “The king will do according to his will. He will exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and will speak marvelous things against the God of gods. He will prosper until the indignation is accomplished; for that which is determined will be done. 37 He won’t regard the gods of his fathers, or the desire of women, or regard any god; for he will magnify himself above all. 38 But in his place he will honor the god of fortresses. He will honor a god whom his fathers didn’t know with gold, silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 He will deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. He will increase with glory whoever acknowledges him. He will cause them to rule over many, and will divide the land for a price.
40 “At the time of the end the king of the south will contend with him; and the king of the north will come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships. He will enter into the countries, and will overflow and pass through. 41 He will enter also into the glorious land, and many countries will be overthrown; but these will be delivered out of his hand: Edom, Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42 He will also stretch out his hand on the countries. The land of Egypt won’t escape. 43 But he will have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt. The Libyans and the Ethiopians will be at his steps. 44 But news out of the east and out of the north will trouble him; and he will go out with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many. 45 He will plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. (Daniel 11)
Nimrod As a Prototype of the Devil
The first clue to the mystery of the "Northern King" is found in the ancient city of Babylon.
8 Cush became the father of Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, “like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh”. 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel (Babylon), Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 Out of that land he went into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, (Genesis 10)
Nimrod was a mighty hunter. What does this mean in biblical language?
For example, in Daniel chapter 7, human empires are compared to beasts. A lion, a bear, a leopard... But the fourth ten-horned beast was not like the others.
2 Daniel spoke and said, “I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the sky broke out on the great sea. 3 Four great animals came up from the sea, different from one another.
4 “The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand on two feet as a man. A man’s heart was given to it.
5 “Behold, there was another animal, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth. They said this to it: ‘Arise! Devour much flesh!’
6 “After this I saw, and behold, another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The animal also had four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and, behold, there was a fourth animal, awesome and powerful, and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth. It devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was different from all the animals that were before it. It had ten horns.
23 “So he said, ‘The fourth animal will be a fourth kingdom on earth, which will be different from all the kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, and will tread it down, and break it in pieces. (Daniel 7)
Now compare the verses in Daniel 7 with Revelation 13:
13 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. 2 The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. (Revelation 13)
Now it should be obvious to you, too, that the mighty hunter and adversary of the Almighty, capturing the earthly kingdoms, is none other than "The great dragon ..., the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan" (Revelation 12:9).
For example, at the time of Christ's first coming, the devil claimed the kingdoms were given into his hand. (Matthew 4:8-9)
Brief conclusion: Nimrod, the beastmaster and adversary of the Most High, was the prototype of Satan the devil. After leaving the land of Babylon, he built Nineveh, the capital of the northern kingdom: Assyria.
Assyria as a prototype of the King of the North
In the 8th century B.C., the Assyrian Empire became the most dangerous enemy of the Jewish people. God allowed Assyria to conquer the northern kingdom of Israel. But Sennacherib, king of Assyria, out of pride, decided to seize the city of Jerusalem.
Isaiah 10:5-11:
5 Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation! 6 I will send him against a profane nation Israel), and against the people who anger me I will give him a command to take the plunder and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 However he doesn’t mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations. 8 For he says, “Aren’t all of my princes kings? 10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11 shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? (Isaiah 10)
The Hebrew word Jerusalem literally translates as "Peace from Yahweh"(Judges 6:24) . And the Most High swore that this city would remain as a lampstand in which He would dwell (1Kings 11:36). And when the Assyrian armies approached this city, King Hezekiah was told:
35 ‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’ 32 For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and survivors will escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.’
Then the angel of the Lord struck 185,000 people in the Assyrian camp.
36 Then Yahweh’s angel went out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. (Isaiah 37:36)
Now carefully examine Micah's prophecy about Christ.
2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times. 3 Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel. 4 He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth. 5 He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men. 6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border. (Micah 5)
Obviously, the Angel destroying the Assyrian army is a symbolic model of the future. And Micah used THIS MODEL when he described how Jesus would protect his people by destroying the last Emperor from the Devil (the successor of Assyria).
One hundred and fifty years later, Daniel describes the events of the Last Days using the same prophetic model as Isaiah and Micah.
36 “The king (of the North) will do according to his will. He will exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and will speak marvelous things against the God of gods. ... 41 He will enter also into the glorious land, ... 45 He will plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. (Daniel 11) “At that time Michael (Jesus) will stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people; and there will be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time. At that time your people will be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. (Daniel 12)
The Events of the First Century as a Prototype of the Last Days
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. (Matthew 24)
The Jews of the first century expected a mighty Messiah-King who would deliver them from the oppression of the Roman Empire. But, contrary to their expectations, they saw the poor son of a carpenter. And he did very strange things from their point of view: he performed miracles and told very confusing teachings about spiritual purity. He disappointed them.
41 When he came near, he saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! But now, they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come on you, when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, surround you, hem you in on every side, 44 and will dash you and your children within you to the ground. They will not leave in you one stone on another, because you didn’t know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19)
The apostate Jews were an adulterous generation. With the help of the Gentile Romans, they murdered the Lord Christ and then most of his apostles. Jesus warned the Jews:
34 Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation. (Matthew 23)
Also at that time there were leaders who attracted the people with stories of a warrior Messiah and a deliverer from the invaders. They declared themselves to be messengers of God and incited the people to armed rebellion (Acts 5:36,37).
But the Almighty used their sinful desires to punish and destroy them. In A.D. 66, Roman armies were sent to put down the Jewish rebellion. But then, for reasons unknown, the Roman legions moved away from the walls of Jerusalem.
The apostate Jews thought it was God's help and would not listen to Jesus' disciples who urged them to leave the city.
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountain”(Luke 21:20,21; Matthew 24:15,16).
After 42 months (3.5 years), the Romans returned. But the angel of God did not come to the rescue that time.. The city was destroyed and its people, who had not obeyed Jesus, died in agony.
We have learned how Jesus' prophecy about the abomination of desolation in the first century was fulfilled.
15 “When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation,Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11 which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24)
But these words have prophetic meaning for all who live in the Last days.
Last Days events
The turning point in human history will begin when Jesus receives the authority from God the Father to start a war against the Devil.
7 There was war in the sky. Michael and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war. 8 They didn’t prevail. No place was found for them any more in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 12 Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time.” (Revelation 12)
26 As it was in the days of Noah, even so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man (Luke 17). In Noah's time, the sons of God, later called demons, began to take possession of men. From them the giants (Nephilims) began to appear (Job 1:6, 2:1; Jude 1:6).
4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6)
Because of this, there was an extraordinary increase of evil and violence in those days. The same will happen in the last days (1 Timothy 3:1).
But there will also be differences between the time of Noah and the time of Christ's coming. The prophet Daniel wrote of Satan's last empire:
42 ...so the kingdom will be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 Whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they (demons) will mingle (mix) themselves with the seed of men; but they won’t cling to one another, even as iron does not mix with clay. (Daniel 2:42-44)
Before the flood, the angels (inhabiting people, as in the days of Christ) " mixed through the seed of man" with the wives, and from them were children, giants, like Goliath the Philistine, six cubits and a span tall (1 Samuel 17:4-7. - approximately equal to 3.5 meters - 1 Samuel 17:4-7).
But Daniel 2:43 says that they (the unclean spirits), will mingle through the seed of man - but will not merge with one another. This means that they will act as one. However, the birth of the giant sons (as they were before the flood) will not happen again.
To better understand how events will unfold after the events of Rev. 12:7-9, let's look at another prophecy from Daniel chapter 11. This will help us understand more clearly who the King of the North is.
In the last days the King of the North will enter into an alliance with the Antichrist in order to strengthen his power. Who is the antichrist? The Antichrist is the apostates from the Holy Covenant (Daniel 11:29-32; 2 Peter2:1-3). The apostle John wrote:
11 I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. 14 He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived. (Revelation 13)
Why does this beast have two horns like a lamb? Because it is the Antichrist pretending to be the Lamb-Christ. The two horns are false christs and false prophets who are in alliance with the ten-horned beast (Matthew 24:24; Revelation 19:20).
Thus the dragon-devil, aka "Nimrod the Beastmaster," will give the King of the North great power. This will be the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy: "His power will be mighty, but not by his own power. He will destroy awesomely," (cf. Daniel 8:23-25; Revelation 13:1,2).
The corrupt apostates of the Holy Covenant (2 Peter 2:1-15; Jude.7-16.), will quite successfully lead mankind away from the True God. These will truly be the "wolves in sheep's clothing" of which the Master warned in his Sermon on the Mount. The confrontation between the figurative "two-horned beast" - and the "two witnesses" from Revelation 11 - will be evident. In addition, the totalitarian, highly technologically controlled regime of the "northern king" will make it impossible to maintain a neutral position. From this time on, division will begin in every home.
The prophet Micah wrote about this: 5 Don’t trust in a neighbor. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth! 6 For the son dishonors the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. (Micah 7)
Now, we will examine in detail what the words mean:
15 “When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation,Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11 which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24)
They are directly related to the events described in Daniel 11. The apostle John wrote:
1 A reed like a rod was given to me. Someone said, “Rise, and measure God’s temple, and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don’t measure it, for it has been given to the nations. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months. 3 I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11)
The meaning of this prophecy: "the outer court of the temple" refers to the followers of Christ who remain in the world.The Scriptures say: 19 Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19); 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, which you are (1 Corinthians 3:17).
Faithful followers of Christ will still face an unprecedented historical challenge: total persecution, and purification through suffering. At the same time, so-called Christianity will be offered an alternative: to enter into cooperation with the "King of the north".
We can see something similar as a prototypical parallel in Isaiah 36, when the emperor of Assyria sent his slave to offer a truce to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. But they refused to cooperate with the Gentiles and remained faithful. For this they received help - the Archangel Michael defended his city and destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. But in A.D. 70, the inhabitants of Jerusalem betrayed God and were punished for their unfaithfulness.
15 They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”
The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 15)
Jerusalem at the time of Christ's first coming is a cautionary example for us. It was likened to the " prostitute" in the book of Revelation, sitting on the beast, the King of the North. Will we remain faithful in the last days, even under threat of death, or will we cooperate with God's enemies out of selfishness or fear?
- The apostle John wrote of Christ's followers: "and will leave their corpses in the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified" (Rev.11:8).
- But those who, at the second coming of the Lord, will remain on the side of the apostates from the Holy Covenant and will not heed the call: "come out from her [prostitute - false Christianity], my people, so that you may not participate in her sins and that you don’t receive of her plagues" (Rev.18:4), they will all perish with her - as the Jews of the first century perished.
Daniel 11:45: 45
He [The King of the North] will plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
"The glorious holy mountain" symbolizes the true sons of the heavenly kingdom who remain on earth. Likewise, these people are the figurative "wall" of Heavenly Jerusalem (in the spiritual sense). (Read Zechariah 2:1-8; Revelation 21:10,12-17).
The prophet Isaiah wrote about this time and the heavenly kingdom:
If anyone attacks you, it is not from me; whoever attacks you will fall before you. (Read Isaiah 54:6-8, 13-15).
The following passages of Scripture: Habakkuk chapter 2, Isaiah 30:27-33, Ezekiel chapter 38, reveal additional information about the destruction of the "king of the north" in the future.
Who is the "king of the north" today, now, at the beginning of the 21st century? - some may ask.
We must disappoint you, dear readers: at the time of this writing (2019-2021), the prophecies about the king of the north have not yet been fulfilled. We can only guess that, in a sense, this state will be the successor of the Roman Empire, in spirit. This is confirmed by Daniel 7 about the beast with ten horns, and Revelation 13:1-6; Revelation 1:8. The apostle John wrote: "Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present." (Rev. 17:8).
Conclusion
Even if we do not live during the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, that does not mean that believers in Christ can ignore keeping his commandments. Life is always an examination in which a person shows in his actions the desires and motives of his heart.
Solomon wrote in a parable:
14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit. He who is under Yahweh’s wrath will fall into it. (Proverbs 22:14)
And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.(Ecclesiastes 7:26)
And in a time of persecution and suffering, will we have the right to ask with a clear conscience, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one"?
And if anyone's inner world is unclean, they will be caught up in the mouth of the " prostitute" in Revelation chapter 17, which symbolizes false Christians or apostates from the covenant with God. "That they all might be judged who didn't believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2:12).
There are three characters in the parable of the widow and the unjust judge:
- The judge is a symbol of God Almighty.
- The widow - the church of Christ left without physical protection.
- The adversary - "the king of the north" (see: Luke 18:1-8. Daniel 7:21,22.).
Will our inner world at that time be clean enough to contain the Spirit of God? Will we receive wisdom and faith from the Father in those circumstances? Such questions must be asked by each one for himself (2 Corinthians 13:5.).
May God bless all who are sincere in heart!
Written by Sergey Iakovlev in 2019. Edited and translated from Russian by Sergei Rutkovsky in 2021.