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by Israel and Egypt bring an end to decades of Mideast hostility? Or will it simply
leading? Can we know what líes ahead in this foremost of trouble spots?
the Persians. He would die without
"posterity" to rule on his throne.
His kingdom would be "divided
toward the four winds" (by his four
generals).
T hen we come to the very detailed
prophecy concerning a prolonged
struggle between lhe Seleucid kings
of "the north" (in Syria) and the
Ptolemaic kings of "the south" (in
Egypt). History shows how accurate–
ly the detai led prophecies of verses
5-39 were fulfilled. (For a descrip–
tion of the historical fulfillment of
these verses, write- for our free article
entitled "The Middle East in Proph–
ecy.") But verses 40-45 are yet to be
fulfilled. They reveal that startling
events are yet to take place in the
Mideast.
As foretold, after the death of Al–
exander the Great his four generals
divided up his kingdom. Cassander
ruled Greece and Macedonia . Lysi–
machus was given Asia Minar. Sel–
eucus (N icator) ruled Syria and
Babylonia as far as India. Ptolemy
(Soter) ruled Egypt, part of Ethiopia
(including the modern Sudan), Judea
and part of Syria.
The
PLAIN TRUTH Augusl 19o79
The kings of the north and south
. referred to in this chapter were the
Greek rulers of Egypt and Syria who
for centuries struggled over control
of Palestine. T be Bible always speaks
from the focal point of the Holy
Land. Syria was north of Palestine;
Egypt was south.
The "king of the
north"
continued
to be Syr ia up unti l 65 B.C. From
tha t time on the "king of the north"
represents the Roman Empire.
Rome is the fourth and last of the
world-ruling empires which Daniel
prophesied would domínate this
world (Daniel 2 and 7). The Roman
Empire would meet catastrophe and
be revived again and again. l t would
continue to reappear until the Mes–
siah appears on the scene and de–
stroys all human kingdoms and gov–
ernments, and establishes the King–
dom of God.
The Seven Heads
The ancient Roman Empire fell to
the Heruli and their allies in A.D.
476. Then Justinian revived the Ro–
man Empire in the West in A. D. 554.
l t was, in our time, revived by Beni to
Mussolini.
JI
Duce,
the leader, ruled
the sixth major reviva) of the Roman
Empire.
According to the propbecies of
your Bible, there were to be seven
majar "heads" {leaders) or seven re–
vivals of the Roman Empire, begin–
ning A. D. 554 when the "deadly
wound" was healed by J ustinian
(Rev. 13:3-5). T he other "resurrec–
tions" of the Roman Empire include
those of Charlemagne, O tto the
Great, Charles the Great (of the
Hapsburgs), Napoleon and Mussol–
ini- Hitler. The seventh and final revi–
va! is yet to occur.
Students of biblical prophecy
generally understand that the fourth
kingdom mentioned by Daniel (de–
picted by the legs of iron and feet
part of iron and part of clay) is the
Roman Empire (Dan. 2:32-45).
"And in the days of these kings [ten
kings represented by the "ten toes"]
shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be de–
stroyed: and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces [smite the image on
its feet and toes of iron and clay]
13