90    The Bible and the Future of the World 

plans are shattered. The Antichrist will be successful in battles, not only 

because of tactics, weapons, and soldiers, but because of the help of devils. 

    There is also a leader of a federation within the kingdom of the North, a 

political leader who has some power in the North and who opposes the 

Antichrist. This leader of a federation is also quickly defeated.  

      `And, after making friends, he will trick him, and he will go up and will 

overcome with a small people.'   (Dan 11:23). 

    The Antichrist consolidates his power over the kingdom of the North, not 

only by putting down an armed rebellion, but by pretending to make peace 

with other rulers within the North. He deceives one particular such ruler and 

so defeats him without another battle. He uses a small people towards this 

end, to consolidate power in the North. The small people could be the Jews 

of that time period, who are deceived by him. 

      `And he will enter into rich and resourceful cities, and he will do what 

his fathers never did, nor his fathers' fathers. He will scatter their spoils, and 

their prey, and their riches, and will form a plan against the most steadfast, 

and this until a time.'   (Dan 11:24). 

    Antichrist uses wealth and the spoils of war to keep the support of  the 

people in the North, and, later, in other kingdoms that he conquers. Armies 

sometimes plunder a conquered area and keep the spoils for themselves, but 

it is unusual for an army to use the spoils of war as bribes to increase the 

support of the people. The Antichrist takes power in the North (Europe) by 

sometime in the A.D. 2420's (or perhaps even the A.D. 2410's). 

    Now that the Antichrist (in verse 24) has consolidated his power in the 

kingdom of the North, he next forms a plan against the  most steadfast,  

that is, against the South, the last bastion of Christianity in the world, which 

has one of the most powerful militaries in the world. The Antichrist covets 

the power of the South's military. He also sees the South as a natural enemy, 

because the South is the last refuge of steadfast Christians on earth. Also, it 

is easy for him to convince the North to go to war against the South, since 

they have been at war for generations. 

    During this time period, many Christians live in Israel and Jerusalem. 

They flocked to Israel and Jerusalem during the reign of the great monarch. 

This area remained a stronghold of Christianity, even during the time of the 

ten kings. At this time in the future almost all Christians will be Catholics, 

and the one holy Catholic Church will be divided into twelve parts, like the 

twelve tribes of Israel. 

Antichrist Defeats the Christian King of the South 

      `And his strength and his heart will be enraged against the king of the 

South with a great army. And the king of the South will be provoked into