A dramatic fire at Børsen, Copenhagen's iconic old stock exchange building, which erupted on 16th April 2024, saw Denmark’s very first listed building partially burned to the ground, despite a quick and massive effort from the fire brigade. The Renaissance masterpiece had been built by a much-loved Danish king, and the destruction of its ornate facades and picturesque dragon spire is now mourned by many in the country.

However, some Danish Christians have held an ambivalent attitude to the otherwise beautiful and historic building because of theThe old Copenhagen stock exchange iconic dragon spire engulfed in flames on 16th April 2024. © H. Nielsen tower's spire that is composed of four dragons, which in the Christian faith represent demons and the devil. The sudden and total destruction of these suggest the fire may be a message from God, which then raises questions about what our Lord may be saying to us.

A closer look at what happened shows many apparent coincidences or signs that point to the supernatural, but the interpretation of these is not straightforward. The suggested take on this must therefore be judged by the reader.

What happened?

The old Copenhagen stock exchange — known as Børsen — was a key element to Danish King Christian IV's efforts during the 17th century to modernise his combined Denmark-Norway-Southern Sweden realm from an agricultural peasant state to an international trading power. The glamorous monarch was a drunkard and adulterer, but was outwardly pious and instituted prayer holidays to protect the nation. Denmark's last prayer holiday was abolished by the current government on 1st January 2024 to provide extra tax revenue for purchasing fighter jets; this was enacted through a law that was ratified by Danish Queen Margrethe II on the day after she announced her imminent abdication of the throne.

The building was completed in 1624 (the spire in 1625), and was burned down 400 years later on the now retired Queen Margrethe’s birthday.

King Christian had chosen a mythical motive to cap his important building; its spire consisted of four dragons, which are considered in pagan tradition to provide protection, especially over treasure (e.g. in The Hobbit, but note that the dragon only protects its own gold). On their intertwining tails hung the crowns of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The building was completed in 1624 (the spire in 1625), and was burned down 400 years later on the now retired Queen Margrethe’s birthday.

That morning of 16th April, a fire alarm sounded at 07.36; the first ten firemen appeared in four trucks at 07:40 The ruined half of Børsen. Picture taken on 25th May. © P. Clarkebut they saw no smoke, and at least one of the many workers on the roof thought it was a false alarm. Two minutes later, flames and smoke poured out of Børsen, and at 08.30 its iconic spire collapsed as a huge blast of fiery smoke suddenly shot up out of the building. Over half of Børsen was reduced to a ruin, while a bit less than half was unscathed (apart from some smoke and water damage), thanks to an internal firewall.

Two days later, at around 5 pm on 18th April, a large part of the walls that had survived the fire came crashing down on the anniversary of the Battle of Dybbøl in 1864, when Denmark's defences collapsed against Prussian attack and the Danish military suffered its biggest defeat in recent times.

What the Bible says

God sometimes speaks to us through signs that are parallelled in the Bible (Matt 16:4), in the timing of events (Luke 21:25), and in blood, fire, and smoke (Joel 2:30; Acts 2:19). Interpreting various other signs is strictly forbidden (Deut 18:10).

• Dragons in the Bible are associated with evil government power (Ezek 29:3), demons (Ps 74:13) and the devil (Rev 12:3 and 20:2). In the latter verse, the dragon is cast into the lake of fire.
• The tail in Deuteronomy 28 is an allegory for being controlled (by the head, where crowns are normally placed).
• Smoke like smoke from a furnace, i.e. lots of fiery smoke, is mentioned three times in Scripture: when the Lord descended in fire on Mount Sinai (Ex 19:18), when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed (Gen 19:28), and when the Abyss was opened and locusts emerged that were tasked with harming those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev 9:1-5).
• 400 years refers to the time that elapsed before God intervened to save His people from slavery in Egypt. However, they had to be obedient to His commands to receive His salvation.
• Royal birthdays were occasions when the fate of captives or subjects was announced – either liberty or execution (Gen 40:20-22; Matt 14:6-11; Mark 6:21-28; see also Luke 2:11, c/f Luke 4:18).
• In 2024, April 18th coincided with the 10th day of the first month of the biblical year. This is the holiday Yom HaAliyah in Israel, which celebrates the arrival of the Israelites in the promised land (Josh 4) which is God's land (Jer 2:7). It was also the day when the Passover lamb was brought into people’s homes (Ex 12:2-3) and its blood protected them from the Angel of Death.
• 5pm our time corresponds to the 11th hour of the biblical day, just before it ends at 6pm. The 11th hour is a well-known idiom that means the last moment.
• An hour as a length of time only occurs ten times in the Bible, three of which are in Revelation 18. This chapter is about 'Babylon the Great', which is ‘a dwelling for demons...', 'where the kings of the earth committed adultery... and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries’. That city is considered symbolic of our worldly power and financial system, and Revelation reveals that it will be ‘in one hour… brought to ruin' by God.

They have kept its people in 400 years of spiritual slavery through financial greed and the rule of state powers that are — like Christian IV — outwardly Christian, yet do not submit to the Lord.

What is interpreted?

The sight of fire engulfing the Børsen spire’s Børsen was being renovated as part of its 400-year anniversary celebration when the disaster struck. dragons that control the crowns on their tails, and these then being thrown down in a blast of furnace-like smoke within an hour after the flames first erupted, gives a strong image of God intervening and quickly destroying the demonic powers over Denmark, Sweden and Norway. They have kept its people in 400 years of spiritual slavery through financial greed and the rule of state powers that are — like Christian IV — outwardly Christian, yet do not submit to the Lord.

The fire’s outbreak on the birthday of Denmark’s recently abdicated, yet living, monarch appears significant, but is hard to interpret. It could indicate an imminent change of power in the country, announce the fate of its subjects, or indicate divine displeasure over the recent removal of Denmark’s ‘Great prayer day’ public holiday that was ratified by that regent.

When the disaster struck, the part of Børsen under the dragons was totally destroyed, together with the part that faced towards the government (i.e. the Danish parliament building Christiansborg). By contrast, the part that faces Our Saviour(‘s church) survived.

In the Bible, we Statue of Børsen’s builder, the flamboyant Danish King Christian IV situated just outside the buildingsee that only those who turn towards, and are subject to our saviour Jesus Christ, will stand, while all else will fall and perish. Therefore, it is useless to seek protection and security in money, military power or government welfare. Only in our Lord can we find true shelter from the storms of life and the coming Day of Judgment. We must then choose whether we will serve the dragon or the lamb — the crucified and resurrected Jesus who is also the Lion of Judah and who will soon return to rule the world.

God's warnings should not be considered a false alarm, even when we see no evidence of what He warns of, for its fulfilment may be imminent, sudden and quick. The collapse of part of Børsen’s wall on the anniversary of the military defeat at Dybbøl indicates that Denmark is not able to withstand every attack unless the nation turns to Christ and receives God's protection. That it happened at 5pm, at the biblical eleventh hour, on the day that remembers both entering God's land and taking in the Passover lamb to escape the Angel of Death, gives further cause for reflection.

Conclusion

The dramatic burning down of the old Copenhagen stock exchange appears to be a strong and urgent warning from God to Denmark and perhaps also to the Nordic region and beyond. It seems like an alarm that calls for a complete turning to the Lord in greater fear and obedience in order to survive what is coming. Therefore, we must repent and seek forgiveness for our sins, and fully submit to the grace of the Almighty through Jesus Christ before it is too late.

It seems like an alarm that calls for a complete turning to the Lord in greater fear and obedience in order to survive what is coming.

Regardless of how one interprets the drama that took place in central Copenhagen on 16th-18th April 2024, one cannot ignore the multiple and strong symbolism that is connected to the destruction and survival of the respective halves of Denmark's iconic Børsen building.

Phil Clarke is an elder of a church in central Copenhagen. This article is translated and updated from a Danish version that was published as a letter in the Danish Christian newspaper Udfordringen on 12th May 2024.