This is part three of the review of the second study article on the king of the north 

Builders know that having a proper foundation is essential in any sort of construction project. If the foundation is faulty the structure will not last.

Jesus used this concept in an illustration to conclude his Sermon on the Mount, saying: “Therefore, everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does them will be like a discreet man who built his house on the rock. And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and lashed against that house, but it did not cave in, for it had been founded on the rock. Furthermore, everyone hearing these sayings of mine and not doing them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and struck against that house, and it caved in, and its collapse was great.”

Using the same analogy, while the Watchtower’s doctrinal foundation is built upon a solid foundation the underlying understanding of prophecy and where we stand in relation to the coming of Christ is built upon shifting sand. Who can deny that the organization’s edifice is based upon the provable lie that Christ returned in 1914? Everything Jehovah’s Witnesses believe based upon the Watchtower’s specious interpretation of prophecy is like a house built upon the sand. Consequently, the Watchtower’s collapse will be great.

The article under consideration poses the question: Will the king of the north conquer the king of the south? Paragraph 10 answers:

The prophecy recorded at Daniel 11:40-45 focuses mainly on the activity of the king of the north. Does this mean that he will conquer the king of the south? No. The king of the south will still be “alive” when Jehovah and Jesus destroy all human governments at the war of Armageddon. (Rev. 19:20) Why can we be so sure? Consider what the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation indicate.

The Watchtower is engaging in a bit of trickery. If we read the concluding section of the 11th chapter of Daniel we cannot help but notice a significant omission. There is no mention of the king of the south after he engages with the king of the north in a pushing. So, it is not that the prophecy focuses mainly on the activity of the king of the north. If the Watchtower were truthful they would acknowledge that the prophecy focuses solely on the activity of the king of the north. And there is a very good reason for that. Contrary to the Watchtower’s baseless assertion, the king of the north will conquer the king of the south. Daniel’s prophecy says so explicitly. Read it for yourself: “The king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt himself and magnify himself above every god; and against the God of gods he will speak astonishing things. And he will prove successful until the denunciation comes to a finish; because what is determined must take place.” — Daniel 11:36

If the king of the north is successful until the denunciation comes to a finish that means he is victorious over the rival king of the south as well as the people of the God of gods. That is why there is no mention of the king of the south. It is the king of the north who comes all the way to his end and stands alone against Michael, also known as Jesus Christ. 

Amazingly, years ago the Watchtower had some valuable insight into the prophecy, correctly surmising that “Egypt” is a symbolic reference to the king of the south. The reason that is so is because the literal kingdom of Egypt was the original king of the south. Hence, this passage below reveals that the king of the north does indeed subjugate the king of the south during the time of the end: “And he will keep thrusting out his hand against the lands; and as regards the land of Egypt, she will not escape. And he will rule over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the desirable things of Egypt. And the Libyans and the Ethiopians will be at his steps.” — Daniel 11:42:43

Originally the Watchtower claimed that the Soviet king of the north ruled over the hidden treasures of the American king of the south during the Cold War by inducing the US to engage in a costly arms race. No doubt now, three decades after the USSR imploded, which some analysts say was because the US bankrupted Moscow by the arms race, the Governing Body realizes the absurdity of such a thing and has simply dropped any mention of what that portion of prophecy may mean. Because the Scriptures do not say what the Watchtower wants them to say, they resort to omitting any comment on them —as if the words of God do not exist in print or have any meaning. Sadly, Jehovah’s Witnesses are not likely to notice anyway.

The reality is, though, the Watchtower’s pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey method of prophetic interpretation doesn’t work. The failure of “Egypt” to escape the grasp of the king of the north as he ‘keeps thrusting out his hand against the lands’ is a significant development —one of the most profound. It is why there is no further mention of the king of the south.

It is not as though the king of the south will not be alive though, as the WT stated above, he will be alive, but he will be ruled over —subjugated by the king of the north —his wealth plundered.

The Watchtower’s reason for insisting that the king of the south is not conquered, even though the 11th chapter of Daniel clearly indicates he will be, is stated in the 12th paragraph:

The apostle John also describes a series of world powers that have had an effect on Jehovah’s people. John depicts these governments as being like a seven-headed wild beast. The seventh head of that beast represents the Anglo-American World Power. This is significant because the beast is not shown as growing any other heads. The seventh head of this beast is still dominant when Christ and his heavenly forces destroy it along with the rest of the beast.

Considering the foundation analogy further, upon closer inspection we may discover the underlying error that prevents Jehovah’s Witnesses from having any insight into the future. Yes, it seems certain that the seventh head of the beast represents the Anglo-American dyad. Is that it though? What about the eighth king that springs from the seven? Not only is there an eighth king who will rule for a brief “one hour,” but the Anglo head of the seven-headed beast is destined to suffer a mortal wound and then miraculously revive.

I have been online at e-watchman.com since 2002 and I have made myself accessible to questioners. I have answered hundreds of questions in the Mailbag, in podcasts and videos, explaining the information presented. What if the Governing Body made themselves available to defend their teachings? Now that the organization is hooked up to Zoom it would be technically feasible for a spokesman of the Governing Body to conduct a Q&A session and allow Jehovah’s Witnesses access to the “faithful slave.” After all, Jesus allowed himself to be questioned by people of all sorts —including the Pharisees whom he knew were often seeking to discredit him. Of course, the princes of Bethel would never allow themselves to be put in that position. They have too much to lose. But, just for fun here are a few questions we might ask them: One question I would suggest would be: Can you add some clarity to what was stated in the Grand Climax book regarding the head of the beast being dealt a mortal blow during the First World War? I remember from elementary school history class that Britain and America defeated Germany and the Hapsburg Empire. Can you explain how the victorious allies may have suffered a catastrophic collapse and then recovered?

Here is another suggestion in our make-believe Zoom session: Since Revelation reveals that everyone who wonders admiringly at the recovered beast will have their names blotted out of the book of life, can you explain why Jehovah’s Witnesses spend millions of hours preaching good news to people if the vast majority of them have already received the irreversible judgment of everlasting death?

As a follow-up question, we might ask: Since the Watchtower has for a long time claimed that the League of Nations was the eighth king, can you explain how an impotent organization like the League forced everyone in the world to worship it? Are you aware that the US was not even a member? Also, can you shed some light upon why a loving and just God like Jehovah would condemn people to permanent death simply because they may have thought the League was a good idea?

And while we are on the topic of the king of the north perhaps this question: Daniel 11:36 states that the king of the north will speak astonishing things against the God of gods. Likewise, Revelation 13:5-6 says of the wild beast after it recovers from death: “It was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and it was given authority to act for 42 months. And it opened its mouth in blasphemies against God to blaspheme his name and his dwelling place, even those residing in heaven.” Are we to suppose that these two prophecies are describing two different kings who speak against God, or are they the same entity?

Of course, as I say, the Governing Body would never allow themselves to be questioned. They are not your servant.

The bottom line is, the seventh head of the beast has not yet received what will appear to be a fatal wound. The dashing of the head of the beast signifies the complete and utter crash of the present Anglo-American political and economic system. This earthshaking disaster is imminent. The reason the Watchtower is committed to the ridiculous idea that Britain and America collapsed during WWI is that they know the head of the beast is slain when Satan is thrown down from heaven. 

Yes, the beast will recover, at which point it will begin speaking as a dragon, blaspheming the God of gods. The subjugation of “Egypt” symbolizes the destruction of the American republic. We may be certain that whatever sort of government that will rise from the ashes will not rule over the Land of the free. America will be ruled over by the tyrannical king of the north —likely in the form of global communism administered through the United Nations. 

What about the land of the Decoration? That will be considered in the final segment of this series.

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