of the King of the North or the King of the South. So in verse 16, pagan Rome becomes the King of the North and holds that title until it gives way to the next power that is going to control and dominate Babylon. Now, perhaps the most important rule in Bible prophecy, and some people just flat say it is the most important rule, and I hate to be that dogmatic about it, although I think it probably is, but it's not anything that seems worthwhile to argue about, is the rule that before the time period of the cross, when prophecy is applied, it's to be understood in its literal setting. I mean, if there was a prophecy about Israel or Jerusalem that was going to be fulfilled before the time period of the cross, then the fulfillment of that prophecy you would understand as identifying either literal Jerusalem or literal Israel. But in the New Testament, in the writings of Paul particularly, you find set forth that after the time period of the cross, that no longer is literal Israel Israel, is spiritual Israel. No longer is a Jew a descendant of Abraham after the time period of the cross. A Jew is one that has the faith and the beliefs of Abraham. He is a spiritual Jew, not a literal Jew. So there's a transition in the New Testament time period. No longer is Jerusalem in Bible prophecy after the time period of the cross literal Jerusalem. It's Jerusalem above. And this rule impacts prophecy in a profound way. If you're unfamiliar with this rule, this is the rule, this is how the Protestant Reformers were applying Bible prophecy, and it's with this rule that allows you to identify the Pope of Rome as the Antichrist of Bible prophecy. And every Reformer that was raised up by the Lord ultimately at some point in their movement away from the Roman Church arrived at the conclusion that the Pope of Rome was the Antichrist of Bible prophecy, and they did that through using this rule. And during the time period that is called the Counter-Reformation, when Rome went to work to try to undermine what was happening in the Reformation, they purposely sent two scholars away and said, figure out a biblical prophetic rule of interpretation that allows us to argue against the Protestants' prophetic interpretation of identifying the Pope as the Antichrist.