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King of the North and South
The King of the North and South is an account from Daniel 11 regarding the conflict between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic dynasties. Watchtower claims this account has a secondary modern-day fulfillment, currently referring to the conflict between the USA and Russia. Is this a valid conclusion?
The conflict in Daniel 11 between the "King of the North" and "King of the South" is followed by the rising of Michael in Daniel 12. Jehovah’s Witnesses emphasise this as an end time prophecy, with the tensions between Russia and America leading to Armageddon.
Being aware of why Watchtower thinks Daniel 11 has two fulfilments, and the history of changes to which countries Watchtower has assigned to the north and south shows whether their interpretation has basis.
Daniel 11
Daniel 11 mentions Persia, Greece, and Egypt by name. The level of detail provided regarding the King of the North and South make it clear which kingdoms these were, leading to consensus that they were the Seleucid (king of the north) and Ptolemaic (king of the south) dynasties, as agreed to by Watchtower, and numerous other Christian groups.
"The titles “king of the north” and “king of the south” were initially given to political powers located north and south of the literal land of Israel." Watchtower Study Edition May 2020 p.4
"Describing the start of this dramatic conflict, Jehovah’s angel says: “The king of the south will become strong, even one of his [Alexander’s] princes; and he [the king of the north] will prevail against him and will certainly rule with extensive dominion greater than that one’s ruling power.” (Daniel 11:5) The designations “the king of the north” and “the king of the south” refer to kings north and south of Daniel’s people, who were by then freed from Babylonian captivity and restored to the land of Judah. The initial “king of the south” was Ptolemy I of Egypt. One of Alexander’s generals who prevailed against Ptolemy I and ruled “with extensive dominion” was Syrian King Seleucus I Nicator. He assumed the role of “the king of the north.”" Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy! 1999 dp chap. 13 pp. 210-229
"Upon the death of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I received Egypt and other nearby lands. Since Egypt lay south of the land of Daniel’s people, Ptolemy filled the role of the “king of the south.” Earlier he had been one of the “princes” of Alexander the Great, in fact, one of the most capable generals. Yet the “king of the north,” Seleucus I, was to rule with extensive dominion greater than Ptolemy’s “ruling power.”" Watchtower 1977 Aug 15 pp.489-491
"The age-long conflict between the symbolic king of the north and the king of the south, foretold in Daniel’s prophecy, chapter 11, has now entered the twentieth century of our Christian era. On January 1, 1871, the German Empire was re-established and shortly it formed a Triple Alliance or “Dreibund” with Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy. On the other hand, in 1882 the British Empire established virtual control over the land of Egypt." Watchtower 1960 Jan 15 pp.56-60
This interpretation is similarly provided by other religious groups.
The two major powers that existed to the south and north of Jerusalem after the death of Alexander the Great were Egypt to the south (with its kings referred to as Ptolemy) and Syria to the north (with its kings referred to as Seleucus or Antiochus). lifehopeandtruth.com (as of Aug 2025)
“Daniel 11:1-35 give an account, written years in advance, of the intrigue between the king of the South and the king of the North. In secular history, the king of the South is often referred to as Ptolemy. The Ptolemaic dynasty ruled from Alexandria in Egypt, which is south of Israel. The king of the North ruled from Antioch in Syria, which is north of Israel, under the name Seleucus, or Antiochus.” ucg.ca (as of Aug 2025)
“The “king of the North” mentioned in Daniel 11 is actually a series of Greek kings in Syria of the Seleucid dynasty. Syria is to the north of Israel, so the king in Syria is the “king of the North.” Egypt is to the south of Israel, so the series of Egyptian kings of the Ptolemaic dynasty is the “king of the South” in this passage.” gotquestions.org (as of Aug 2025)
The following map shows how the relationship of the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires as geographically north and south of Israel.
There is no doubt Daniel 11 refers to these kingdoms and events commencing approximately 323 B.C.
SECOND FULFILLMENT
Watchtower claims that Daniel 11 had a second fulfillment in modern times, with the kings of the north and south referring to countries that exist in contemporary times - meaning relating to you, the reader.
Whilst not specifically referring to Daniel 11, Rutherford discussed “the nations of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Scandinavia” in the 1917 book The Finished Mystery, aligning them with Revelation 19 and Ezekial 9.
Over its history, Watchtower has presented the following changes to who the king of the north and south represent.
Regarding the king of the south:
By 1870, Britain had become the largest empire on earth, and it had the most powerful military force. … During World War I, the United States and Britain were welded into a powerful military alliance. At that time, Britain and its former colony became the Anglo-American World Power. As Daniel foretold, this king had amassed “an exceedingly large and mighty army.” (Dan. 11:25) Throughout the last days, the Anglo-American alliance has been the king of the south. Watchtower—Study Edition May 2020 p.5
Regarding the king of the north:
“During the two world wars, Germany had been the chief enemy of the kingof the south—the Anglo-American World Power—and had occupied theposition of the king of the north. After World War II, however, that nation stood divided. West Germany became an ally of the king of the south, and East Germany aligned itself with another powerful entity—the Communist bloc of nations headed by the Soviet Union. This bloc, or political entity, stood up as the king of the north, in strong opposition to the Anglo-American alliance. And the rivalry between the two kings became a Cold War that lasted from 1948 to 1989. Previously, the German king of the north had acted “against the holy covenant.” (Daniel 11:28, 30) How would the Communist bloc act with regard to the covenant?” Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy! (1999) p.72
Being written in 1999, the Daniel book was unable to identify the current king of the north, due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
“With the disbanding of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the king of the north suffered a serious setback. Who will be this king when Daniel 11:44, 45 is fulfilled? Will he be identified with one of the countries that were part of the former Soviet Union? Or will he change identity completely, as he has done a number of times before? Will the development of nuclear weapons by additional nations result in a new arms race and have a bearing on the identity of that king? Only time will provide answers to these questions. We are wise not to speculate. When the king of the north embarks on his final campaign, the fulfillment of prophecy will be clearly discerned by all who have Bible-based insight.” Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy!
In 2020, Watchtower released a series of articles with an updated explanation. These articles outlined the history of Watchtower’s interpretations spanning Germany and the Soviet Union.
“THE KING OF THE NORTH REAPPEARS In 1871, the year after Russell and his associates formed their Bible study group, the king of the north reappeared. That year Otto von Bismarck was instrumental in establishing the German Empire.” “The King of the North” in the Time of the End. .. After the second world war, the Communist government of the Soviet Union took control of the vast territories it had captured from Germany, and it became the king of the north. Watchtower—Study Edition May 2020 pp.6-7
By 2020, Russia under Putin had started to cause turmoil, particularly with the attack on the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in 2014, and the banning of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017. For this reason, Russia was instated as the latest king of the north.
"Who Is “the King of the North” Today? In recent years, Russia and its allies have also entered into “the land of the Decoration.” How? In 2017, this current king of the north banned the work of Jehovah’s people and threw some of our brothers and sisters into prison." Watchtower—Study Edition May 2020 p.14
Courtesy of Watchtower—Study Edition May 2020
As this image is difficult to see due to it’s length, I have truncated it as follows.
Reasons this is incorrect
There are several key reasons why Watchtower’s concept of two modern day kings is unfounded.
Daniel prophecies don’t have two fulfilments
There is no reason to believe that Daniel prophecies had two fulfillments, as Watchtower is inconsistent in this claim. Of the seven main prophecies in Daniel, only two are said to have multiple fulfillments.
- Daniel 2: An immense image representing kingdoms
- Daniel 4: The "seven times" representing what befell Nebuchadnezzar - and 1914?
- Daniel 5: Writing on the wall foretelling Babylon's immediate destruction
- Daniel 7: Four beasts being 4 world powers
- Daniel 9: Seventy weeks and the Messiah
- Daniel 11: Kings of the North and South in 323 B.C. – and Kingdoms after 1870?
- Daniel 12 : Michael stands up – Armageddon
The inconsistent claim that a selection of Daniel prophecies have a second fulfillment is an attempt to give credibility to Watchtower’s claim its was formed in specific special period time and they have a chosen relationship with God.
Located East and West
Daniel used “north” and “south” as the kingdoms were clearly located north and south of Israel. Watchtower’s choice of Britain/Germany and USA/Russia are not north and south, but east and west. Britain/Germany are almost identical in latitude as are USA/Russia.
With Russia’s dominance being depleted by war, and China growing to surpass Russia both economical and militarily, and rival the US in these areas, Watchtower may be inclined to claim China is the King of the North in the future. Likewise with China, it too shares East/West latitudes with the USA.
Shifting Interpretations
There is no basis to claim the king of the north and south would constantly change countries, since Daniel 11 referred to two specific kingdoms. Watchtower has changed their understanding of who the king of the north and south is because the dominate world powers have kept changing after it claimed to know who they were. There is no indication in Daniel these kingdoms would be fluid; it is because Watchtower is wrong to make such connections. At a stretch, Britain could morph into the United States under the concept of an Anglo-American world power, but there is little relationship between Turkey, Germany and Russia.
Watchtower’s image presenting the following timeline isn’t accurate.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Watchtower was unable to identify the King of the North, due to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between President George H.W.Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Hence the image should have a 2 decade period between 1991 to the 2020 Watchtower update, where there was no identifiable king of the north.
Types and Anti-types
It is helpful to understand where the idea of a second fulfillment came from.
This draws on the Christian concept of types and antitypes. Old Testament events were seen as types foreshadowing New Testament antitype fulfillment, relating to Jesus. For instance, at Romans 5:14, Paul refers to Adam as "a type of the one who was to come" foreshadowing Jesus. At 1 Corinthians 10:1–11 – Paul describes events in the Exodus as types for Christians, and Hebrews 8–10 the tabernacle, sacrifices, and priesthood as earthly types of the heavenly realities fulfilled in Christ.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/antitype defines Antitype as “something that is foreshadowed by a type or symbol, as a New Testament event prefigured in the Old Testament.” These include Noah's Ark symbolising baptism, Jonah being in the belly of the sea monster for three days is a type of Christ's burial and resurrection, and Solomon as a type of Christ's future reign, particularly in terms of wisdom, justice, and prosperity.
Watchtower complies with this understanding, such as identifying Jesus with the passover lamb.
Image courtesy of Watchtower 2015 Mar 15 p.18
However, Watchtower extending type/antitype to a contemporary application has roots in the American Puritan movement.
Oxford Dictionary Antitype (as of Aug 2025) explains that usage of antitype in English arose in the 1600s. OED's earliest evidence for antitype is from around 1605, in the writing of John Davies, poet and writing-master.
American Puritans applied Old Testament accounts to themselves, believing they were the chosen ones upon whom Jesus return would be bestowed.
"Applied more liberally and figured more broadly, typology expanded into a more elaborate verbal system that enabled an interpreter to discover biblical forecasts of current events. Thus, the Atlantic journey of the Puritans could be an antitype of the Exodus of the Israelites; and the New England colony, a New Zion, to which Christ may return to usher in the Millennium. The first settlers were conservative, cautious typologists, but as Edward Johnson's Wonder-Working Providence of Sion's Saviour in New England (1654; composed c. 1650) demonstrates, by the 1640s New England's sacred errand into the wilderness and the approaching Apocalypse were accepted antitypes of sacred history." Emory Elliott, "New England Puritan Literature" p.188
Protestantism application of types and antitypes to contemporary events has continued since then, particularly in the early 1800’s among Millerite, Adventist, and Restorationist movements.
William Miller, a Baptist preacher, applied typology and prophetic time periods to predict the Second Coming of Christ in 1843–1844. When Jesus did not appear in 1844, Miller admitted he was wrong and distanced himself from the movement he created, but prominent followers continued to run with his core ideology that Daniel writings included end time prophecies.
After the "Great Disappointment" in 1844, Adventists reinterpreted the event typologically as the High Priest entering the Most Holy Place of Leviticus 16, being a type for Christ entering the heavenly sanctuary on October 22, 1844. Russell founded Watchtower with these teachings as a basis, extending this year to 1914. See Watchtower 1914 Predictions.
The Oxford dictionary has a graph that neatly shows how usage of the term antitype gained prominence in the 19th century.
Oxford Dictionary Antitype as of Aug 2025
Watchtower also borrowed the idea that Daniel 11 has a modern-day fulfillment from Adventists. In the 1878 Review and Herald, Adventist James White wrote:
“There is a line of historic prophecy in chapter eleven… Other verses also show… the king of the North is always the power occupying the territory of which Constantinople is the center.”
Prominent Adventists such as T. Jones, Uriah Smith and W. A. Spicer aligned Daniel 11:40 with the Ottoman Empire and Turkey as the king of the North.
"So, when we come to the fortieth verse of the eleventh of Daniel, we are not reading of affairs away back in the days of the empire of Greece, nor of the affairs of Rome, but of affairs down here at 'the time of the end,' as mentioned in the thirty-fifth verse. Other verses also show the same thing. And bear in mind that the king of the South is always in Egypt, and the king of the North is always the power occupying the territory of which Constantinople is the center. And all the world knows that since 1453 A. D., the territory of which Constantinople is the center, has been held and ruled by the Turks. Then the king of the North at the time of the end is the Turkish dominion." (A.T.Jones, The Marshaling of the Nations, 1900 p.30-31)
“At this time Turkey holds almost the identical dominion of the ancient king of the north … from the Euphrates to the sea, and northward over Asia Minor … Then today Turkey is certainly the king of the north, according to the prophecy of Daniel 11.” Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith pp. 111, 112; 1918
Watchtower draws on these interpretations, labelling the Ottoman empire as the King of the South.
“But what was the identity of the modern-day king of the south? History shows that Britain took on imperial power in the 17th century. Wanting to disrupt British trade routes, Napoleon I conquered Egypt in 1798. War ensued, and a British-Ottoman alliance forced the French to withdraw from Egypt, identified as the king of the south at the onset of the conflict.” Pay attention to Daniel’s prophecy! 1999 ed. p.246
It is interesting to note that an online search about the King of the North and South shows religions promoting a modern fulfilment are smaller outlier Christian sects. Some arrive at different conclusions to Watchtower, such as CHSI, who include the Middle East in their interpretation.
"Daniel wrote about “the king of the North” who would be involved in the Middle East prior to Christ’s return. … Middle East conflict centered on Jerusalem. Why will the “king of the South” attack the “king of the North” to initiate this conflict at the end of the age? Perhaps it will be over economic disagreements. Perhaps it will be over the treatment of Muslims in Europe." lifehopeandtruth.com (as of Aug 2025)
During the 20th century, Watchtower strongly promoted this concept of Old Testament (Hebrew Scripture) antitypes.
“It would be a great mistake to think that all the prophetic pictures that God had recorded in the holy Hebrew Scriptures had their fulfillment in the days of Christ and the apostles. Rather, one should view such fulfilled pictures as tangible evidence that other prophetic pictures foretelling events in our day will likewise come to pass.” Watchtower 1950 Sep 15 pp.323-324
For example, Watchtower 1950 July 15 page 437 included 80 antitypes supposedly representing Watchtower leaders as the faithful slave.
In 2015, Watchtower began backing away from it’s use of antitypes.
“QUESTIONS FROM READERS In the past, our publications often mentioned types and antitypes, but in recent years they have seldom done so. Why is that? “Some writers in the centuries after Christ’s death fell into a trap—they saw types everywhere. … Instead of viewing most of these accounts as finding their application to only one class, whether the anointed or the great crowd, and to only one time period, God’s people of either class and from any time period can apply to themselves many of the lessons the accounts teach us. Thus, for example, we need not limit the application of the book of Job to the experiences the anointed endured during World War I.” Watchtower 2015 Mar 15 pp.17-18
It is yet to be seen how in time this will affect Daniel prophecies regarding 1914 and the Kings of the North and South.
Conclusion
Watchtower was founded on Adventist teachings, adopting the concept of modern-day antitypes. Despite continued prophetic failures, Watchtower still specifically associates cherry picked Daniel prophecies with its founding.
Because an earthly paradise did not arrive as originally expected in 1914, and global world powers have continued to change since that time, Watchtower have been put in the awkward position of changing interpretation of who these Kings represented – Germany - Soviet Union - Russia.
The 2022 invasion of Ukraine has shown Russia’s lack of military might, whilst decimating its economy. In 2025, the two most powerful global countries are the United States and China, not Russia. How will Watchtower’s rewrite its interpretation going forward? It could name China as the King of the north.
Alternatively, it could stop discussing Daniel 11, and hope followers forget this was ever considered to have two fulfilments. In 2015, Watchtower announced it was moving away from its dependence on types and antitypes. Maybe this will be another failed prophecy that will slip into historical oblivion.
Written August 2025, latest update August 2025.
Paul Grundy 2005 - 2025