God from the South vs. the Uttermost North

UTTERMOST NORTH is an English translation of the Hebrew phrase yarkete tsaphon, which actually refers to cosmic north—the location of the palace of Baal.

Mount Zaphon is today called Jebel al-Aqra, a mountain in southern Türkiye near the city of Antakya (ancient Antioch). But given that it was believed to be the home of the king of the pantheon worshiped by the pagans of Canaan, references to tsaphon (“north”) in the Old Testament carry a supernatural meaning.

This is where the army of Gog of Magog will assemble (Eze. 38:6, 15; 39:2), and it’s where the rebel in Eden wanted to build his “mount of assembly” (Isa. 14:13), which is the Hebrew phrase (har moʿed) from which John transliterated the name Armageddon.

So, the idea that Christ’s return may echo the Exodus, coming from the south, may convey a deeper meaning of reversing the evil that came from “cosmic north” in ancient Israel.