June 20: IN THE INTERVAL (part 2)

At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with many chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. Daniel 11:40

This verse has three clauses. The first references atheism (the king of the South) which ‘took a swing’ at religion (the king of the North) in a prophetically and historically significant way in 1798. Since that time, the Vatican’s political status has been reinstated. Though it is a tiny nation within the city of Rome, it nevertheless sends and receives ambassadors throughout the world. This reinstatement was made official by Benito Mussolini’s signature on the Lateran Pacts in 1929, marking the beginning of the healing of the mortal wound.

The second clause of this verse tells us that the king of the North shall come against [the king of the South] like a whirlwind. During this interval in which we live, atheism was carried directly into the philosophies of socialism and communism, and was spread over the vast territories of Russia and the Soviet bloc nations.

The second clause continues: with many chariots, horsemen, and with many ships. Let’s pause and allow the Bible to furnish the meaning behind these seemingly archaic terms. Military strength is symbolized by chariots and horsemen (see 1 Kings 20:1; 2 Kings 7:6; Psalm 20:7; Isaiah 31:1; and many others). Economic strength is symbolized by ships (see 1 Kings 9:26-28; 2 Chronicles 9:21; Psalm 107:23; Ezekiel 27:9; and many others).

This second clause speaks of the papacy coming against the Soviet Union with military and economic power. But how could such a tiny state, which has no military or economic strength, possibly go up against this huge conglomerate country? More light is shed upon this verse in Revelation 13*. Such could happen only by the enabling of another power, namely, the USA. In ‘newsy’ terms, it was about two of the three big “Cs” (Catholicism and Capitalism) uniting in a plan for the downfall of the other big “C” (Communism). The first private meeting between Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II took place on 7 June 1982 at the Vatican. Throughout the 80s, a secret intelligence shuttle operated between Washington and the Vatican. Step by step, the Soviets and the communist government of Poland reluctantly gave way to the economic and political pressure jointly imposed by the pope and the president. Their alliance was lauded as a “holy alliance” by the secular media in 1992.

*And he (the earth beast) exercises all the authority of the first beast (the sea beast) in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. Revelation 13:12