QUESTION: With the recent troubles in Ukraine and the Russian invasion of Crimea, is it possible that Russia is reemerging as the king of the north, as the Watchtower suggested might happen?
ANSWER: Bluntly, no. And the reason Russia is not “reemerging” is because Germany and the Soviet Union never were the king of the north.
It can be fairly easily demonstrated that the Watchtower’s interpretation of the prophecy of the kings of the north and south is badly flawed by reason of the fact that the prophecy itself reveals that the king of the north ultimately subjugates the rival king. And that is why after the point in the timeline when “Egypt” is made subservient to the king of the north there is no further mention of the king of the south. (In verse 42-43 “Egypt” symbolizes the king of the south by virtue of the fact that that Egypt was the original king of the south following the break-up of Alexander’s empire.)
To put a finer point on it, the concluding verse of Daniel 11 states: “and he will come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him.”
Obviously, the pronouns “he,” “his” and “him” are in reference to the king of the north. The prophecy does not say ‘and they will come all the way to their end and there will be no helper for them.’
The Watchtower has hoodwinked Jehovah’s Witnesses into assuming that the king of the south is also on hand when Michael stands up and destroys the king of the north. They apparently assume that the omission of the king of the south from the final scene is merely a trivial detail the angel did not consider was important enough to include, after having given a detailed account of the rivalry between the two kings down through the centuries.
But let’s assume for the sake of argument that the Watchtower’s interpretation is correct.
If Russia has been the king of the north since the end of World War Two and the only aspect of the prophecy left unfulfilled before Michael stands up is the king of the north going forth in a great rage to annihilate many and devote the masses to destruction, before planting his palatial tent in God’s earthly domain, then are we to expect Russia to launch global genocide? Is that what the prophecy is indicating for the future? After all, the prophecy states that the king of the north will prove to be successful until the denunciation is concluded.
Furthermore, would any competent observer of world events consent that Russia has designs on global domination?
From the standpoint of the typical Westerner whose mind has been deceived by the propaganda coming through the mainstream media over the years, and now it seems the propaganda floodgates have been opened wide, it may seem that Russia is the aggressor. It is not.
In reality, since the collapse of the USSR both Russia and China have been the targets of an imperial scheme of encirclement. The recent London-orchestrated Nazi putsch in Ukraine is intended to allow NATO to place armies and a missile defense shield right up to the border of Russia.
Back in 1962 the roles were reversed. Russia had engaged in a scheme to install nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 70 miles off the coast of Florida. It was what was known as the Cuban missile crisis. The showdown supposedly came within a few days of a nuclear war, but Moscow backed down and their ships enroute turned back and disaster was averted . Now, though, Russia is expected to roll over while NATO installs ABM systems on Russia’s border.
Actually, I think it is discreet on the part of the Watchtower that they have left off even commenting on the subject. Their entire framework for understanding the events portrayed in the prophecy is unworkable. The primary flaw in interpretation is not that Bethel does not recognize that the king of the south is subjugated by the king of the north, but rather, that Jehovah’s Witnesses have been deluded into believing that the time of the end began in 1914. We have to reset where we are in the timeline in order to use the prophecy to foresee the future, which is what I have done in the chapter entitled King of the North in Jehovah Himself Has Become King. I am convinced the “pushing” associated with the time of the end is either just beginning or it will soon.
