The King of the South Is Ethiopia
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Once again, only Ethiopia continued and remained independent in East Africa from the time of the Roman Empire. Therefore, no other country or government could fit as the king of the south—i.e., by having been a part of the ancient land controlled by the “king of the south.” Remember, verse 40 explains that the setting is the time of the end. The king of the south “push[es]” toward the north—or Rome. This occurred in 1895. At that time, about 10,000 men, under the Ethiopian King Menelik, came against the Italian army led by General Baratieri. It should be noted that Eritrea (north of Ethiopia) belonged to Italy, while southeast of Ethiopia was Italian Somaliland.
One year later, in 1896, the Italian General Baratieri attempted to defend Eritrea against the Ethiopian attack. Over 11,000 soldiers were either killed or taken prisoner. The greatly outnumbered and inexperienced Italian army was virtually destroyed in a battle fought over rugged, mountainous terrain. Italy never forgot this defeat and vowed revenge.
In 1927, Mussolini determined that he would attack Ethiopia in eight years (1935), at a point forty years after the defeat. He followed through, and this did occur in 1935! Again, notice Dan 11:40, in its reference to Mussolini’s attack: “…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.”
A whirlwind is the equivalent of a tornado, which is a powerful storm that drops out of the sky. Mussolini did, in fact, bring a large air force to attack Ethiopia. Of course, his “chariots” were modern tanks and other armaments. The “many ships” were part of an armada carrying over 100,000 soldiers to the battle. Dan 11:40 ends with an amazing statement—it describes this great force as “pass[ing] over.”
Just as God foretold, Mussolini withdrew and did not completely finish his attack. This is because God has reserved one final great leader who will arise in Europe and complete this prophecy! We have now arrived at our precise point in time when the verses that follow dan 11:40 are those that are yet to be fulfilled—while all verses preceding and through Dan 11:40, are already fulfilled and have become established facts of history!
May all who read the next five verses understand their message for our time!