Islam was founded in the mid 7th Century AD, defending the faith of One God against paganism, including the Christian Trinity and the idols in its churches.
This Back To The One True God faith spread rapidly through most of the Roman Empire in the next 100 years. There is no way this hugely significant world-changing religious and political condition splitting the Roman Empire’s territory into two legs is not included in Daniel’s prophesy of world history.
Seljuq, also spelled Seljuk, ruling military family of the…Turkic tribes that invaded southwestern Asia in the 11th century and eventually founded an empire that included Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and most of Iran. Their advance marked the beginning of Turkic power in the Middle East.
This volatile mix was perfect for making a hero.
Salah ad-Din Yusuf / Joseph ibn Ayyub / son of Job, known in the Western world as Saladin, played a major role is shaping the middle east of the 12th and 13th centuries...
Saladin was the son of a prominent administrator to the Seljuk rule Nur al-Din, which put him in the position to learn the ways of warfare and leadership, forming him into the man that would go on to unit the Muslim peoples of the Levant. At the young age of 32 years Saladin had taken control of the Egyptian Sultanate and formed his own Dynasty, the Ayyubids (named for his father).
“So the king of the south shall come [from the north] into his kingdom, and [then] shall return into his own land.”
At the death of the Seljuk ruler in Anatolia (northern king) Saladin took the opportunity to expand into Syria as sole master of the Middle East. At the height of his power, he ruled a unified Muslim region stretching from Egypt to Arabia. He was successful at uniting the Muslim sects against their common enemy, the Christians, and wresting Jerusalem from the Christians in September of 1187.
After taking the city, Saladin agreed that the Western Christians be allowed to pay a small fee for their freedom, allowed to travel to the city to worship and, all Eastern Orthodox Christians were allowed to remain in the city. This act of [peace-making] would never be shown by a Christian army or that of any earlier or later Muslim forces, during the Crusades.
Back from the Third Crusade Richard the Lionheart would describe him in glowing terms.
His military genius and treatment of Christian prisoners has Saladin as one of the finest knights of his generation, the true embodiment of chivalry.
“But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
At Saladin’s death in 1193, like Alexander he divided his empire among his relations. His sons were “stirred up” by a power struggle in which Saladin’s brother, al-˓Adil with “a multitude of great forces” emerged triumphant by 1202 and “stirred up” reorganized Saladin’s inheritance in favor of his own family / fortress. With so much stirring of the pot the Ayyubid dynasty faded away and completely disappeared in one lifetime.
And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with…the king of the north: and he [the king of the north] shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his [the king of the south’s] hand. And when he [the king of the south] hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up;
By this stage of history we can confidently assign an Islamic identity to Daniel’s king of the south and a Christian identity to the king of the north.
In 1453 Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire finally achieved to the long-cherished dream of conquering Constantinople. Employing newly invented cannon, the Ottomans breached Constantinople’s ancient land wall. This historic event removed what was once a powerful defense for Christian Europe against Muslim invasion.
“and he [the king of the south, the Ottoman emperor] shall cast down many ten thousands:
The first period of Ottoman history was characterized by almost continuous territorial expansion, during which Ottoman dominion spread out from a small northwestern Anatolian principality to cover most of southeastern Europe and Anatolia. The political, economic, and social institutions of the classical Islamic empires were amalgamated with those inherited from Byzantium and the great Turkish empires of Central Asia and were reestablished in new forms that were to characterize the area into modern times.
“but he [the Muslim king of the south] shall not be strengthened by it.
At its peak in the 1500s, the Ottoman Empire was one of the biggest military and economic powers in the world,controlling… territory that stretched from the Danube [in the northern king’s domain] to the Nile [in the southern king’s domain], with a powerful military, lucrative commerce, and impressive achievements in fields ranging from architecture to astronomy…
the Ottoman Empire succumbed to what most historians describe as a long, slow decline…
only between 5 and 10 percent of its inhabitants could read… the empire had a shortage of well-trained military officers, engineers, clerks, doctors and other professions…
“the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army;
Ultimately, the Ottoman empire lost nearly a half a million soldiers, most of them to disease, plus about 3.8 million more who were injured or became ill. In October 1918, the empire signed an armistice with Great Britain, and quit the war…the empire was dismantled by treaty and came to an end in 1922.
but he shall not stand: for they…that feed of the portion of his meat [i.e. his highest ranking government officials] shall destroy him.” (Daniel 11:25-26)
The last Ottoman Sultan was deposed in 1909 by the revolutionary group calling themselves The Young Turks. During WWI a military officer rose to power by thwarting the Allied invasion of the Dardanelles and subsequently negotiating independence for a newly formed state of Turkey after the European powers divided up the shattered Ottoman Empire. He took the name Ata-Turk / Father of the Turks – think Ab-rahim / Father of Many Nations – as the first president of the modern Republic of Turkey. Over the next two decades, Atatürk created a modern state that would grow under his successors.
Given its crucial geographical position straddling East and West, and political connections remaining from its 1,000 year old empire status, the United States promptly established diplomatic relations with the new Republic of Turkey, To curry favor with their new ally, the U.S. and other European nations kept their navy ships at sea while the Moslem Turks asserted themselves by massacring 300,000 Christian inhabitants of Smyrna by sword and fire.
That was the end of Christianity in Turkey. As Trifkovic observes… “The moral disarmament of contemporary post-Christian Europe is now nearly universal.”
“the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.”
Russia and Austria supported rebellious nationalists in the Balkans while the British and the French were eager to carve away territory in the Middle East and North Africa.
- And in those times there shall many [an alliance of nations] stand up against the king of the south:
- also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision [of becoming masters of the holy site of Jerusalem]
Among Muslims, the Temple Mount is called Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary). They believe it was here that the Prophet Muhammad ascended to the “Divine Presence” on the back of a winged horse—the Miraculous Night Journey, commemorated by one of Islam’s architectural triumphs, the Dome of the Rock shrine. A territorial prize occupied or conquered by a long succession of peoples—including Jebusites, Israelites, Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, early Muslims, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans and the British—the Temple Mount has seen more momentous historical events than perhaps any other 35 acres in the world.
He who controls Jerusalem controls the peace process between Arabs and Jews, and is viewed as the Savior From Death of World War and Restorer of World Peace. Just like Augustus of Rome. In other words, the false christ, AKA Antichrist is a Christian.
So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
Continuing chronologically, this has to be the British Empire between WWI and WWII.
But he [king of the north] that cometh against him [arms of the south] shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land [Palestine], which by his hand shall be consumed.
This can only be Field Marshal Edmund Allenby, a British army officer who commanded the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Palestine from June 1917 until the end of the First World War.
The zenith of Allenby’s tenure in command of the EEF came with the Battle of Megiddo, launched on 19 September 1918. Following a hurricane bombardment, British and Indian infantry punched a hole through the Ottoman positions on the coastal plain north of Jaffa…By the end of the month the EEF had effectively pushed Ottoman forces out of the Levant…The British military historian Basil Liddell Hart (1895-1970) declared that Megiddo was among “the most completely decisive battles [consumed] in all history.”
At the Third Battle of Gaza (31 October – 7 November 1917) the EEF destroyed the Ottoman defensive position in southern Palestine…Allenby pursued them northwards…resulting in Jerusalem’s capture on 9 December. The entry of Allenby into the holy city was a carefully stage-managed event, filmed for the world’s cinema audiences to aid the Allied propaganda cause.
He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright / equitable / equal to him ones with him; thus shall he do:
If we acknowledge the singular identity of a spirit taking up residence in multiple bodies, we can easily associate “he shall also” with another one of the famous British heroes of WWI who served in the Middle East at this time. Lawrence of Arabia is certainly equal to Allenby in significance, and important enough to include in an overview of history.
Today, T.E. Lawrence remains one of the most iconic figures of the early 20th century. His life has been the subject of at least three movies—including one considered a masterpiece—over 70 biographies, several plays and innumerable articles, monographs and dissertations. His wartime memoir, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, translated into more than a dozen languages, remains in print nearly a full century after its first publication. As Gen. Edmund Allenby, chief British commander in the Middle East during World War I, noted, Lawrence was first among equals: “There is no other man I know,” he asserted, “who could have achieved what Lawrence did.”
and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
It now appears that he was actually married.
The news will shock many and surprise Lawrence scholars. The ascetic soldier and writer has often been described as a homosexual. He is thought to have shunned close human relationships…
I doubt that this rumor is credible enough to count as validating prophecy, but Lawrence is certainly important enough to include in an overview of history.
After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease;
King George V summoned Lawrence to Buckingham Palace on October 30, 1918…to bestow a knighthood on his 30-year-old subject. Believing that the British government had betrayed the Arabs by reneging on a promise of independence, Lawrence quietly told the befuddled monarch that he was refusing the honor before turning and walking out of the palace.
without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.
Added to this is the poignancy of a man trapped by divided loyalties. It is this struggle that raises the Lawrence saga to the level of Shakespearean tragedy, as it ultimately ended badly for all concerned: for Lawrence, for the Arabs, for Britain, in the slow uncoiling of history, for the Western world at large [for mishandling Arab affairs].
Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
Lawrence was speeding through the English countryside when he died in a motorbike accident at the age of 46 in 1935.
That sounds suspicious.
But his [king of the south’s] sons / followers shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with…the king of the north: and he [king of the south] shall set forth a great multitude;
On 22–26 July 1952…Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew [British supported] King Farouk, whom the military blamed for Egypt’s poor performance in the 1948 war with Israel…and declared Egypt a republic on 18 June 1953.
Nasser evolved into a charismatic leader, not only of Egypt but of the Arab world, promoting and implementing “Arab socialism.”
United Arab Republic[edit]
In 1958 Egypt joined with the Republic of Syria and annexed the Gaza Strip, ruled by the All-Palestine Government, to form a state called the United Arab Republic. It existed until Syria’s secession in 1961, although Egypt continued to be known as the UAR until 1971.
Nasser helped establish with India and Yugoslavia the Non-Aligned Movement of developing countries in September 1961, and continued to be a leading force in the movement until his death.
Regional intervention
Nasser ruled as an autocrat but remained extremely popular within Egypt and throughout the Arab world. His willingness to stand up to the Western powers and to Israel won him support throughout the region. However, Nasser’s foreign and military policies were central in provoking the Six-Day War in 1967.
but [yet] the multitude shall be given into his [the king of the north’s] hand. For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former,
With Western Power’s assistance, the Israelis won the Six-Day War.
and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
After Nasser’s death…Vice President Anwar el-Sadat, was elected President of Egypt…
Sadat engaged in a diplomatic offensive and by the fall of 1973 had support for a war of more than a hundred states, including most of the countries of the Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement, and Organization of African Unity. Syria agreed to join Egypt in attacking Israel.
through his riches he shall stir up all [his Eastern allies] against the realm of Grecia / Europe.
In October 1973, Egypt’s armed forces achieved initial successes in the Crossing and advanced 15 km, reaching the depth of the range of safe coverage of its own air force. After Syrian forces were being repulsed, the Syrian government urged Sadat to move his forces deeper into Sinai. Without air cover, the Egyptian army suffered huge losses..
A UN resolution called for an end to hostilities and for peace talks to begin.
And a mighty king [of the north / European shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
In 1983 Donald Rumsfeld, presidential envoy of US President Ronald Reagan, met with with President Saddam Hussein of Iraq to curry Iraq’s friendship as an ally against Iran, following up with a second visit in 1984 to cemented the US-Iraq relationship.
And the king of the south [alliance of Moslem nations] shall be strong, and one of his [alliance of Western nations] princes;
“Turkey is a key NATO Ally and critical regional partner, and the United States is committed to improving the relationship between our two countries. It is in our interest to keep Turkey anchored to the Euro-Atlantic community [Christian king of the north].
As a vital member of the Defeat ISIS Coalition, Turkey opened its military bases to the United States and Coalition partners in July 2015…
Until the 1960s, Turkish foreign policy was wholly based on close relations with the West, particularly the friendship of the United States. Turkey sent troops to fight in the Korean War and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO; 1952) and the Central Treaty Organization (1955)…from Turkey’s fear of its enormous northern neighbour, the Soviet Union, from its dependence on U.S. military and economic aid, and from its desire to be accepted as a secular, democratic, Western state.
Cracks in Turkey’s relationship with the West emerged when the West failed to intervene in Cyprus after an attempted coup in 1974…
“At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. For the ships [military vehicles on land, sea and air signifying military power in general] of Chittim / Cyprus / Turkey] shall come against him:” (Daniel 11:29-30)
You wouldn’t think such a small piece of territory would merit notice in a 2,500 years-long review of world history, but there it is. And sure enough, Cyprus carries more weight in international relations than one would naturally give it credit for.
Cyprus is located only 80 km from the Anatolian coast…Its location makes the island an ideal base for both protecting Turkey and controlling the Eastern Mediterranean area and the Middle East…Thus, Cyprus plays a manifold role in the foreign and military policies of Turkey.
Turkey broadened its relations…friendship agreement with the Soviet Union in 1978…Cyprus and sovereignty disputes in the Aegean Sea remained major impediments to its relations with the West well into the 21st century.
Following Israel’s imposition of a blockade against the Gaza Strip, beginning in 2007, and its subsequent attack on the territory in 2008–09, Turkey became outspokenly critical of Israeli policies toward Palestinians. After the Israel Defense Forces ambushed Turkish activists who attempted to sail to the blockaded Gaza Strip in 2010, Turkey formally downgraded its relations with Israel…
The wave of Arab Spring uprisings in 2011–12 destabilized several Middle Eastern countries…Turkey began proactively supporting the democratic movements taking hold across the Middle East…providing military and financial support to the Free Syrian Army…Russia, meanwhile, offered support to the Assad regime, helping to prop up an ally critical to Russian interests in the Middle East.
By mid-2016 Turkey’s southern border with Syria was threatened by the rise of militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as well as emboldened Kurdish separatists, prompting a Turkish offensive into northwestern Syria that lasted until March 2017…A brutal conflict to retake the northwest was…staved off through the cooperative efforts of Turkey and Russia to prevent it.
As part of NATO’s nuclear umbrella, Turkey continues to host approximately 50 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons on its territory at Incirlik Air Base…There is ongoing debate in the policy community about whether the United States should continue to station tactical nuclear weapons in Turkey, given political instability in Turkey and the wider Middle East…However…they provide tangible evidence of a continued American commitment to Turkish security.
Taking the nuclear threat to a higher level, in September 2019, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that it was unacceptable for nuclear-armed states to prohibit Turkey from attaining [its own] nuclear weapons…Erdogan’s statement fueled calls for the U.S. to remove its nuclear weapons from Turkey and increased anxieties regarding the development of nuclear power plants in Turkey.
and he [king of the north / European ruler] shall be strong above him [Moslem ruler], and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; [of hegemony]
Kingdom Come 