North Korea and new leadership.

Last week, North Korea’s 19-year supreme leader, Kim Jong Il, died of an apparent heart attack.  This militarized nation, unable to sufficiently feed its people, will now be ruled by Kim Jong Il’s appointed successor, his third son Kim Jong Un (age 27).

North Korea is known for its extended mourning rituals, so it is not yet known when Kim Jong Un will officially take power.  Many expect Kim Jung Un’s uncle and aunt to act as regents for a couple of years as he prepares to take control (Associated Press, December 21, 2011; Reuters, December 21, 2011).  

North Korea’s leadership is known to place the well-being of its people far behind its focus on its military. What the next couple of years hold for North Korea remains to be seen. 

Although Bible prophecy does not specifically mention North Korea, it does indicate that near the end of the 3.5-year great tribulation, a massive army “from the east and the north” will come in and devastate the European Beast power—the King of the North (Daniel 11:44-45; Revelation 9:16-18).  This 200 million-man army from the east may be a conglomerate of nations that includes Asiatic peoples like the North Koreans.  This army will need the hardware and military-industrial force to support such a massive number of troops, and North Korea’s military experience could assist in the future development of this prophesied force.