Iran IS ‘the King of the South’
Iran IS ‘the King of the South’
In the July 1992 Philadelphia Trumpet, editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote that he expected a power to emerge that would “rule the radical Islamists! Iran is a natural leader for many of them today. Iran also has a goal to lead this group.”
This was an unusual and bold statement. The “Islamic Republic of Iran” was one of the most radical terrorist regimes in the world, an absolute outcast with a weak economy and military that had come to power only in 1979 and barely survived a brutal eight-year war with Iraq.
In December 1994, a few years after Iraq invaded Kuwait and when Saddam Hussein had survived the first Gulf War and was arguably at the height of his power, Mr. Flurry published “Is Iraq About to Fall to Iran?” In it he wrote: “The most powerful [Islamic] country in the Middle East is Iran. Can you imagine the power they would have if they gained control of Iraq, the second-largest oil-producing country in the world?”
These forecasts were well ahead of their time. Mr. Flurry was able to make them not because of keen geopolitical analysis, but because of his understanding of the prophecies of the Bible.
Daniel 2 prophesied centuries ahead of time the main imperial powers that would dominate the world. (Request your free copy of The Proof of the Bible, by Herbert W. Armstrong.) But much of Daniel’s prophecy applies to a time after the ancient eras of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.
Daniel 11:40, for example, is for the time of the end: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.”
The rest of Daniel 11 shows the context of the prophecy is geopolitical control of the Middle East, specifically the Holy Land. Verses 42-43 show the king of the north conquering countries, including Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia, implying these countries are not the king of the south but are allied with it. As Herbert W. Armstrong explained in The Proof of the Bible and elsewhere, biblical and secular history show the king of the north is a united European power. This indicates that the other “king” is located south of Europe.
Because of this, Mr. Flurry watched for a world power to develop south of Europe, commanding a large proxy empire in the Middle East and North Africa, having a fanatical desire to control the land of Israel, and wielding a “pushy,” provocative foreign policy against Europe.
Since the 1990s, Mr. Flurry has identified radical Islam, led by the Islamic Republic of Iran, as fulfilling the king of the south prophecy.
Since Mr. Flurry made those initial predictions, Iran has morphed from an isolated pariah state to a geopolitical power that no country has been willing to confront with strength—until now.
A Fulfilled Prophecy
Mr. Flurry first published his booklet The King of the South in 1996 and completed a major revision and expansion in early 2023. Yet within the last 2½ years, so much has happened that this booklet about a key end-time Bible prophecy required another update and expansion.
A prophecy in Psalm 83 states that in our day, “the Philistines” will break their alliance with Iran and join forces with Germany. (Read “Why the Trumpet Watches an Alliance Between Arab Nations and Europe.”) In the 2023 edition of The King of the South, Mr. Flurry wrote: “The Philistines—the Palestinians of Gaza and even those in the West Bank—will shift their alliance to Germany as well. Iran has led Hezbollah and the Palestinians in their terrorist activities for years. They all share some common enemies—especially America and Israel. But in some religious and political aspects, their views differ. … There may soon be some significant power shifts in Gaza.”
Mr. Flurry writes in this year’s edition of the booklet, “When we printed that version of this booklet, Hamas was still ruling Gaza as an Iranian puppet state. To most people, no signs were apparent of any imminent changes to Gaza’s status quo. But eight months later [after printing our 2023 update], Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, massacre against Israel. …
“Right now Gaza’s immediate future is unclear. But whoever reconstructs the rubble that is the Gaza Strip, it is clear that the main obstacle to Gaza aligning with Germany—Hamas’s undisputed stranglehold on the territory—is now history. Gaza is no longer a part of Iran’s proxy empire. You can be sure that, whatever unexpected developments affect Gaza, Germany, one way or another, will become Gaza’s new master.”
Another significant geopolitical shift in the region has occurred in Lebanon.
More Fulfillments
Mr. Flurry wrote in the 2023 version about another Iranian proxy, Hezbollah: “Gebal, modern-day Lebanon, is home today to the Iranian terrorist puppet Hezbollah. We can expect it also to switch allegiance. … Their alliance with Iran is about to be broken, and Germany will be the main cause.”
After October 7, Hezbollah joined Hamas in attacking Israel. Israel retaliated by destroying Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and decapitating its leadership, including Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said weakening Hezbollah this drastically could enable Lebanon’s anti-Hezbollah factions to take back their country.
Mr. Flurry writes in the new 2025 edition, “In the time since, it seems this has largely happened: The Lebanese people have taken back much control from Hezbollah. After years of not having a president, Lebanon’s legislature backed the election of Joseph Aoun as president. Aoun is an anti-Hezbollah, Maronite Catholic who pledged to honor a ceasefire with Israel. They also nominated Nawaf Salam, an internationalist with strong connections to Europe, as prime minister. A few days after Salam’s election, French President Emmanuel Macron made his first visit to Lebanon in over four years, announcing his support in establishing Lebanon’s ‘new era.’
“Iran’s Hezbollah puppet has lost its power in Lebanon! A Europe-aligned elite is filling the power vacuum, and one of Europe’s top leaders is helping the process. This is exactly what we have been forecasting for years. Expect Europe to consolidate its influence in Lebanon even further.”
At the end of 2024, another dramatic prophecy was fulfilled—this time, in Syria. Mr. Flurry wrote in the Trumpet, in the early days of the Syrian civil war that began in 2011: “Right now, Syria is Iran’s most important regional ally. But that is about to change. … Biblical prophecy reveals that, very soon, Syria will no longer align with Iran. It also shows that Germany will help cause this split.”
Compare that with this update: “Suddenly, in November 2024, Turkish-backed rebels started a lightning offensive against Assad’s forces. The regime’s military crumbled as the rebels captured city after city. By December 7, the rebels had advanced to Damascus. Assad resigned the following day and fled to Russia. …
“Turkey’s support for the Syrian rebellion was strongly assisted by German armaments. Just before Turkey sparked this uprising, Germany resumed major arms exports to Turkey. … One of the main weapons Turkey used to oust Assad was its famous drones. The Turkish company Bayraktar has been one of the world’s leading producers of military-grade drones for years. Bayraktar’s drones were a major reason Ukraine was able to fight off Russia’s initial invasion in 2022. And these drones are made with German parts.”
Mr. Flurry summarized the end of the 14-year Syrian civil war this way: “It was Germany’s backing most of all that caused Syria’s collapse!”
Events in the Middle East are progressing rapidly. Bible prophecy is being fulfilled at a lightning pace. You need the newly updated edition of The King of the South (due to go to press soon) to stay up to date on events in the Middle East and to understand what it means for you.
The prophecy in Daniel 11:40 continues into Daniel 12:1: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time ….” This “time of trouble” all starts with a “push” by the king of the south.
These are dangerous times. You cannot afford to be ignorant of Bible prophecies about the Middle East. You need to know the identity and the prophesied future of “the king of the south.”
