Are Presidents (Biblically Speaking) Also Kings?

Kingdoms and Republics

In modern language, a king is understood to be the head of a royal house (monarchy), whose function is inherited by a family member. Europe, in particular, still has many kingdoms, such as England, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, and of course, the Netherlands. In other parts of the world, this form of government is much less common. The vast majority of countries today are republics, which usually have a president as head of state for a fixed or indefinite term.

Kings in Prophecy

In Daniel 7:24 and also in Revelation 17:12, a federation of ten kings is mentioned, who will ultimately wage war against “the Lamb,” who is “the Lion of Judah,” and they will be defeated. It is clear that this prophecy has not yet been fulfilled. These kings will be directed from the great city of Babylon, which indicates that they must be located in the Middle East. Other prophetic passages also mention kings. Consider “the toes” in Daniel 2:44, which are also identified as kings. Or “the king of the North” (Syria) and “the king of the South” (Egypt) in Daniel 11. Moreover, at the end of the same chapter (starting from 11:36), when “the king” is mentioned, it appears to refer to the king of the land of Israel in the end times (see 11:40).

In the Middle East

In short, Biblical prophecy frequently speaks of kings in an end-time setting. The question is: must we necessarily think of monarchs in the current sense of the word? In some cases, that could very well be, as quite a few Arab countries are indeed kingdoms. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, but also Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates each have a royal house. Interestingly, the Arabic word for ‘king’ (malik) is almost identical to the Biblical Hebrew word (melek).

What Is a King?

However, some of the aforementioned countries do not have a royal house. Consider Egypt and Syria. Likewise, the Jewish state is not a monarchy. These countries have presidents. Does this justify the conclusion that Egypt, Syria, and Israel, Biblically speaking, do not have kings? No, because the term ‘king’ in the Bible is not tied to a specific form of government.

A king is someone who rules over a people—a ruler, regardless of the labels we attach to them, such as president, king, emperor, pharaoh, dictator, junta, sheikh, sultan, emir, tsar, etc. Kingship and dominion are synonymous concepts in the Bible (Gen. 37:8; Ps. 22:28; 105:20). A king is a ruler, and a ruler is a king. This is confirmed by the fact that the Hebrew word for king, ‘melek’ (cf. Elimelech, Abimelech, etc.), is directly related to the Hebrew word for ‘angel’ or ‘messenger’ (malak). The idea behind this connection is that both an angel and a king have something to declare by divine appointment. They bear authority.

From that perspective, one could even question whether modern kingship still qualifies for the Biblical designation ‘king’ at all. In many countries, the office has been so stripped of power that a king no longer has anything to say, let alone rules. His function is purely ceremonial, and the title serves only as an ornament.

Conclusion

When Biblical prophecy speaks of kings, the form of government plays no role. A king is someone who leads a people and exercises dominion.

Delen: