In previous issues we have noticed some of the remarkable current events that herald the approach of the coming storm, even the "consumption... determined upon the whole earth." For that time, Israel must have their own government in their own land; this they now have, and each month their strength increases. The Western powers must unite under one head at Rome; this they are being prepared to do by preliminary moves in that direction under the threat of the Russian menace.
There are to be two other powers directly connected with that time of trouble, and with the land of Palestine; they are the "king of the north" and the "king of the south." They are often mentioned in the Old Testament and were the determined and avowed enemies of Israel; but while they agreed (and will agree) in their hostility to Israel, they were (and will be) enemies of each other. Generally speaking today, these are the followers of Mohammedanism, under which banner they have a fanatical zeal to frustrate the hope of the Nation of Israel.
In Dan. 8 the prophet was given a vision of a "ram which had two horns" (the kingdom of Media and Persia) which was subdued by a "he goat" which had a "notable horn between his eyes" (the Grecian Empire under Alexander the Great). After the "notable horn" was broken (Alexander died) there arose four notable horns toward the four winds (the four generals who divided Alexander's Empire). Two of these four horns (the "king of the north" and the "king of the south") became especially interested and involved in Palestinian matters. Their territories lay to the north and to the south of the "pleasant land."
In Dan. 11 the prophet was permitted, to see what these two kings would do in their frequent quarrels between themselves. In their incursions into each other's country they made the land of Palestine their roadway, and often their battle ground.
In both Dan. 8 and 11 the Spirit of God takes us in thought from the (then future but now past) doings of these enemies of each other and of their hostilities to the Jews on down to the "time of the end"—that time now so near at hand. In Daniel 8 the transition from the part which was fulfilled long ago to that time now approaching is at the 23rd verse, and in the 11th chapter the change is at the 36th verse—"the king" of the 36th verse being the apostate Jewish king, the antichrist, for which the stage is all set. And while this willful king will have the backing of the revived Roman Empire—yes, even of Satan himself—he will have the bitter enmity of the Moslem kings both north and south of Palestine; the king of the south will push at him from his side, and then the king of the north will invade from that direction, conquer partly, and go on to the south (Egypt) to attack his rival.
Isa. 28; 29, and 30 give some prophetic pictures of this enemy of Israel coming as a hailstorm from the north; Mic. 5:5 speaks of the same enemy coming into the land. The Assyrian of old was used as a type of the scourge that will come from that same quarter against an idolatrous Israel. The details recounted of the Assyrian in those chapters in Isaiah could not apply to the Assyrian of the past, but they look forward to the "time of the end."
Now as the end approaches we see the Moslem world opposing the revival of an Israelitish state, but these people are by no means united. Egypt, as in former times, has pushed at Israel from the south, and other enemies have come in from the east and north, but it is• plainly evident that Egypt and these other countries are not in: agreement nor working in unison against Israel. If they had been truly united they could have made Israel's position much more difficult.
Today Egypt, south of Palestine, has gained much of her independence, and is ready to become a major actor in the development of the "time of Jacob's trouble."
Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran are all under Russian pressure of one kind or another. The governments in these countries are becoming unpopular with the masses because of the realization that the new Israel has been established in spite of their opposition. It seems that turmoil is brewing in that part of the world and often such turmoil brings forth a dominant leader who can rally the forces behind him. The people are there in the same relative position to Palestine as before, and with the same hatred of the Jews; what they now lack is a coordinating head which Dan. 8 says will understand dark sentences, or perhaps a dealer in oriental mysticism—the occult. This man will come forth as somewhat supernatural and will exert a powerful influence over the Moslem hordes. He will use deceit and craft to accomplish his ends, and he will be backed by another power, or powers, hostile to the Jewish state and the backers of it—the Western powers.
Christian reader, the coming events are casting longer and longer shadows across the landscape as the darkness approaches. Israel is ready for their apostate head; Western opinion is being crystallized into thoughts of an alliance of powers, with the Americans at their back; they are largely committed to assisting the Jew to have their land; Egypt has its own government and is just awaiting the time to enact their pushing at the antichrist from the south; the peoples of the countries north of Palestine, formerly known in Scripture as the "Assyrian" and later as the "king of the north" are in increasing fomentation awaiting their occult leader and the signal to invade Palestine from the north on their way to fight the Egyptians. But, remember, long before these events take place each of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior will be safely housed in the Father's house. There is nothing that has to take place before our Lord calls us home, and everything is shaping up for what will take place after we leave this scene of strife and conflict.