Daniel Unlocked #78

Daniel Unlocked #78. The Great War.

The war between the north and south evokes the battles between powers vying for control of the Promised Land. Located between the confluence of a succession of great empires, the land of Israel was often entangled in the international conflicts of the time. The northern powers (Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks,Seleucids) fought against the southern powers (Egyptians, Ptolemies) for the strategic control of Palestine. Obviously, a war for the control of the Holy Land entails suffering for God’s people. As Gabriel makes clear, the prophecy intended to make Daniel “understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come” (Dan 10:14).

So, the long sequence of kingdoms and the wars they fought are relevant because they make God’s people undergo tremendous suffering. As the prophetic events unfold, the wars between the north and south culminate in an attack against the people of God on Mount Zion. This final battle, together with God’s saving intervention in favour of His people, is the apex of the message of Daniel. Notably, the prophetic timeline passes through Calvary, the prophetic symbols, and the events they represent must be interpreted according to the terms of the new covenant.

In Christ the covenant with Israel is offered to the Gentiles, and the Promised Land is expanded to encompass the whole world.

We must factor in such new realities that the Messiah brought about as we interpret the prophetic events depicted in Daniel 11

Most historicist interpreters understand the king of the north initially as a reference to the Seleucid power located in Syria and the king of the south as representing the Ptolemies, who were ruling over Egypt. Subsequently, the role of the king of the north is taken over by pagan Rome and later by papal Rome. In the same vein, later in the prophetic timeline the south comes to represent Islam, which over-ran the South – Egypt and North Africa, and eastern parts of the Roman Empire. The exact points in Daniel 11 where a transition of power takes place remain a matter of debate. Therefore, we should focus on those matters that are fixed and clear, because they stand in parallel with the other prophetic outlines of Daniel.

Previously we reviewed the 81 identifications of the Little Horn power from Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. As we have progressed through the cycles (and considered information from Revelation 13) it becomes apparent that the antichrist, the little horn, and the king of the North are synonymous terms for the same thing.

Here is a link to my Dropbox that will show the identification verses in Daniel 11 for the Papacy being the King of the North. You are welcome to copy it. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nva98oeqz4mopug60a76a/2_The_King_of_the_North.pdf?rlkey=3od2wgwwte7r4sm5e3y6urwuv&dl=0