Practica Prophetica

Kings of the North and South

As a result of our study of the brilliant light opened up to our minds in the great books of Daniel and the Revelation, we saw that we were rapidly approaching the termination of the reign of the King of the South, whose forces are made up of those powers which deny the existence of the true God.

The most powerful and typical of these is Communism as found in the nations of eastern Europe and China. This development would open the doors for the ascendancy to power of the King of the North to universal dominion over every nation on the earth.

We understand that the King of the North is made up of those forces which claim allegiance to God, but who, like Cain, seek to build God’s kingdom, man’s way. The offering is unacceptable to God, for it leads to fearful oppression, deprivation of human rights, and incredible suffering.

We saw that the next major event would be the quite sudden fall of Communism both in the eastern European nations, and in the far eastern powers of which China is the greatest.

We were not taken by surprise therefore when, just a few short years ago, Communism in its heartland collapsed and became subject to the King of the North. It is true that the same virtually total collapse has not overtaken China, but this does not indicate any failure of the prophecy, for, though lagging behind a little, China and the other powers making up the King of the South, will fall as surely as have the first.

It is no surprise to us to observe great changes coming into China in particular, changes leading that superpower in the direction of total identification with the King of the North. It is all but a matter of time.

Loss of Confidence in Leaders

There is also another development which we have been expecting for quite some time. We have been awaiting the loss of confidence by the masses of the people in their political leaders. Now comes information that this state of affairs has advanced far beyond what we realized. It is contained in Time International, July 12, 1993.

On the cover is written the question:

“What’s Happened to Leadership?”

Inside the magazine, the report on the situation is titled:

“Where Have All The Leaders Gone?”

This report was written on the eve of the annual meeting of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations, and proceeds to demonstrate that the approval rating of these seven important, supposedly strong men, was at an all-time low or very nearly so, and this at the very time when leadership is highly necessary to give mankind new direction and the power to accomplish these objectives. It is a certainty that nothing will become better, but will only develop into a decidedly worse state of affairs as time passes by.

It may be objected that these are only the judgments of the masses and do not therefore really amount to much. On the contrary, this is exactly what will matter from now on until the end of the earth’s history, for the men who will attempt to control the collapsing world then, will be there because the people will have sufficient confidence in them to vote them into power. The democratic or voting system is the way of the King of the North, so that, as surely as he is in power, the election of leaders will be by the vote of the people.

We have watched the deterioration of the capacity of the leading men of this earth to solve the multiplying crises which are springing up everywhere. Men and women in every land are looking more and more in another direction than previously to find a leader with the supposed ability to unite the world under one flag. Politicians, military men, and divided religion have all failed. There is but one mighty leader waiting to be recognized and installed in the position of supreme authority and power throughout the entire world When he is, he will be the one head—the papal head—of a world united in rebellion against the almighty Ruler of the universe.

Testimonies to the Church, vol. 7, p. 182:
The world is filled with storm and war and variance. Yet under one head—the papal power—the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses.

Not yet have the churches united, though in some areas great progress has been made. Scattered divisions of apostate Protestantism have come together under the name, “The Uniting Church”, while the Roman Catholic Church is gaining respect.

What will bring about this union under one head?

It will be the increasing absence of real leadership among politicians, in a context of fearful crises defying either containment or dissolution. Political leaders will come to the place where they will be utterly powerless to find a solution to their woes. There will be no successful problem solvers found amongst them. It is then that the united churches will say to the heads of civil governments:

“Give us your power and we will solve your problems!”

In their desperation, the political leaders will accept the offer and the image of the beast will be set up as the religious leaders of the world impose their will on mankind, not by their own power, but by the power of the civil authorities, who will have ceased to be problem solvers, and will be nothing more than law enforcers.

Jezebel in the Dark Ages

This coming situation is pictured very clearly in Bible prophecy under the symbol of that wicked woman Queen Jezebel. What she was and what she did will be repeated in these last dark days of human history.

There is no doubt that the story of Jezebel is a detailed description of one aspect of the work of Babylon in the last days. The following reasoning will establish this.

We are already familiar with the fact that the papal Church of the Dark Ages is called Babylon. This is not an arbitrary labeling. The name is applied for very good reasons. Babylon is a descriptive name as all Biblical names are. It is not only applied where there is confusion but also where there is oppression and desolation, and the Dark Ages was certainly a time of unrivaled oppression and desolation in human history. Of course, wherever you have confusion you also have the resulting oppression and desolation.

But another name has also been associated with the corrupt Church of the Dark Ages, and that name is Jezebel. This is found in Revelation 2:20 where the Church of Thyatira, which is the Church of the Dark Ages, allows “that woman Jezebel…to teach and beguile.” In Revelation 2:21 this Church is given time to repent of Jezebel’s teachings and if they do not, then comes the result in Revelation 2:22 which is “great tribulation”; in other words, oppression and desolation. And where you find oppression and desolation, there you find Babylon.

In fact, as we look closer at the work of Jezebel, it will be seen that, to one degree or another, her ways are always practiced against God’s true people wherever Babylonian principles are in operation. Jezebel’s ways are really just a specific form of persecution.

Jezebel in History

So let us now look at the details of Jezebel’s work and see how it ties in with the work of Babylon the Great in the last days as well as what is happening to us at the present time.

The story is told in 1 Kings 21:1-29.

Naboth owned a beautiful vineyard close by Ahab’s palace. The King came to the place where he wanted that vineyard at any price, and offered Naboth another vineyard in its place or its worth in money, but Naboth refused to sell. His reason was that, in order to do so, he would have to break God’s law.

1 Kings 21
³ And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto you!

Prophets and Kings, p. 205:
Naboth valued his vineyard highly because it had belonged to his fathers, and he refused to part with it. “The Lord forbid it me,” he said to Ahab, “that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.” According to the Levitical code no land could be transferred permanently by sale or exchange; every one of the children of Israel must “keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.” Numbers 36:7.

Naboth’s refusal to sell to the king under very favorable terms was due to his very great respect for the divine law, and it was his unswerving allegiance to that law which made it impossible for the king himself to acquire the vineyard. The king was so frustrated, that his disappointment made him ill. He went back to the palace where he lay on his bed, turned his face to the wall, and declined all food. The king was obviously lacking the power to solve this problem, and naturally was losing the confidence of those of his subjects who were aware of his weakness.

Then Jezebel enters the scene. Perceiving that her husband was in a very depressed state of mind, she questioned him to learn the cause. On finding this out, she went into immediate action. She advised Ahab to arise and eat food, for she would give him the vineyard of Naboth.

Please take note that she did not act merely as adviser to the king. She did not adopt the role of his instructor as to what he should do, but, instead, took over the king’s power and in the strength of that, she solved his problem in a cruel, brutal manner.

To the elders and nobles of the place where Naboth dwelt, she wrote letters in the king’s name, and sealed them with his seal, instructing that a fast was to be proclaimed during which Naboth was to be accused by false witnesses of blaspheming God and the king. Then Naboth was to be dragged out of the city and stoned to death. The execution of the plan was carried out with deadly efficiency and Naboth died for his faithfulness to the law of God.

In these events we are to see the future which awaits us. Jezebel symbolizes the religious forces in the world which are virtually powerless to destroy God’s people until they have the civil power at their command which is represented by Ahab. The elders and nobles are the law-enforcement officers who carry out the orders handed down to them.

The Final Drama

We are now entering upon the final enactment of this drama. The men occupying the highest positions of authority in the world are becoming more and more frustrated as they find themselves less and less able to solve the succession of crises plaguing mankind. What makes things worse for them will be their inability to hide their incompetence from the public view.

As the multitudes of earth in whose hands are the millions of votes which will make or break the politicians, perceive the worsening ineffectiveness of the men in power, they will progressively lose confidence in their leaders whose ratings will fall away completely.

When that happens, the whole world will be ripe for the dramatic entry of another source of “problem-solving genius” to take the place of the discredited political leaders. This need will be recognized with special force and clarity when it is viewed in the context of the incurable nature of the problems to be solved. Consider a very short list of these.

The first I will mention is the explosion of the world’s population. There is a terrible over supply of workers, which results in increasing unemployment, which leads to lower living standards and fierce competition between applicants for any positions vacant, and which leads to violent confrontations. It is a highly explosive situation. The pressure is building every day, and soon will reach the bursting point.

The second I will mention is rampant diseases which defy the world’s best medical scientists to produce a cure. More and more diseases are being added to the list labeled incurable.

And I might add the fearful threat to all life on the planet contained in the possession by more and more nations both large and small, of weapons of mass destruction. Were these to be triggered over the shelterless earth’s surface, the few who might survive the initial holocaust would soon perish through radioactive pollution of all water and food supplies.

Next I will include the weather which, for a long time, has been increasingly unpredictable, but there has been nothing to match what is taking place now. As I write these words, incredible flooding is destroying the Mississippi valley and northern India at the same time. These kinds of troubles will increase.

The mounting desperation which men in leadership are experiencing, requires only some trigger to bring about a complete change in world government. It will be readily accepted that only the earth’s greatest spiritual leader whom they believe is in direct contact with the Almighty has the capacity to cope with the awful situation. So, as in the days of Jezebel, again, for one last time, the churches will say in effect to the civil powers,

“Give me your power and I will solve your problems.”

Gladly will they comply, relieved to have been delivered from so hopeless a situation. As the churches then turn to the civil powers to enforce their solutions, the image of the beast is formed and the end will soon follow. It is evident that, in the present loss of confidence by the people in their leadership, we have already come to the advanced state where, very soon, that image will be set up. May we be ready for it when it comes!

The Acts of the Apostles, p. 431:
God desires His people to prepare for the soon-coming crisis. Prepared or unprepared, they must all meet it; and those only who have brought their lives into conformity to the divine standard, will stand firm at that time of test and trial.

When secular rulers unite with ministers of religion to dictate in matters of conscience, then it will be seen who really fear and serve God. When the darkness is deepest, the light of a godlike character will shine the brightest. When every other trust fails, then it will be seen who have an abiding trust in Jehovah.

And while the enemies of truth are on every side, watching the Lord’s servants for evil, God will watch over them for good. He will be to them as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

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Other articles by F. T. Wright:

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