Ellen White was in agreement with all the founding fathers who taught that Turkey (formerly known as the Ottoman Empire) was or is the King of the North, The teaching that the King of the North was the Papacy came about after both Ellen White and Uriah Smith (Author of Thoughts on Daniel and Revelation) had passed away.
Nevertheless, the book of Daniel itself and Thessalonians 2:8 clearly affirm that the Papacy cannot be the King of the North. In addition there are several quotes by Ellen White which insist that she also supported the teaching that Turkey is the King of the North as “truth.” But if Daniel clearly establishes this “truth,” (as E.G. White referred to it) then why should we need look any further? Hence the following paragraphs will present why the King of the North cannot be the Papacey according to Daniel 11:45 – 12:1. Let’s take a look at Daniel 11: 44 & 45
Daniel 11:44-45
44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
Can the Papacy Go Forth to Utterly Destroy Many?
First of all, the Papacy has no army. How can the Papacy go out in great with great fury to utterly destroy many with no army? The Papacy does have a military arm and that is the Jesuits, but the Jesuits do things secretively and they don’t have the capacity nor the temperment to utterly destroy many and plant their tabernacle in between the seas and the holy mountain. If the Papacy had an army then it must be made up of the military of both the Lamb like Beast (USA) and the European powers (the 10 toes with the strength of iron from {Daniel 2:41}).
Will the Papacy command the USA and the European powers to go out with great fury to utterly destroy many before the Sunday law? Is that possible? It says the King of the North will go out with great fury. Is this the way the Papacy operates? No it is not. The message of the Papacy will be peace and safety before the Sunday law. He will not go out with great fury, but will use a message of peace and safety to bring the world under his control. Then he will persecute the saints.
The Papacy operates in an atmosphere of calm, collective, deliberate, premeditated and planned actions to slowly convince the world to give them homage. The Papacy is not going to go out with great fury, but it will send a message of peace and safety. When the King of the North goes out with great fury, he (the King of the North) will come to his end according to the prophecy, and then the Papacy will offer a message of peace and safety by openly uniting with the powers of the lamb like beast (USA) to unite church and state for the purpose of bringing about the Sunday law.
King of the North Must Come to His End
On the other hand, Turkey, ranking in the world as number 8 in terms of military strength, does have the capability and the temperament to go out with great fury to destroy many. In recent news the world witnessed the furious sentiment in Turkey expressed through the assassination of a Russian ambassador. In addition to that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publically stated that he plans to Invade Israel and take Jerusalem back for Islam in an attempt to rally world wide Muslim support. These prophesies are taking place before our very eyes.
Verse 44 shows that the “he” in verse 11:45 is referring to the King of the North. Verse 45 says “he shall come to his end.” Can the Papacy come to it’s end at this time? The answer is no, because Daniel 12:1 reveals that “at that time” the Mark of the Beast will appear and the time of trouble will follow. The Mark of the Beast cannot appear if the Beast has already come to his end.
Let’s take a closer look at these words: “At that time.” These words are not symbolical, but they denote a specific point in time. The Angel is communicating a specific point in prophetic time to Daniel. At what time are these words pointing to? At the specific time when the King of the North comes to his end is the specific time which these words are referring to. Then, at that time, the time of trouble will ensue. The time of trouble cannot happen before the King of the North comes to his end because the Angel says, “at that time Micheal shall stand up,” and not before. Therefore, the King of the North cannot be the Papacy, because the Papacy will not come to it’s end before Micheal stands up, but will continue it’s bid for supremacy throughout the time of trouble and to the very end of the time of trouble by enforcing the Sunday Law.
The Time of Trouble Must Continue After the King of the North Comes to His End
So how do we know that the Time of Trouble will continue even after Micheal stands up, and how do we know that Micheal standing up does not represent the very end and the destruction of the Papacy? The answer is because of the words “there shall be” in Daniel 12:1.
Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.
Now let us look at these words, “there shall be,” in Daniel 12:1, which being future tense also indicates a sequence of events: “At that time THERE SHALL Be (future tense) a time of trouble.” At that time, and not before, but “at that time there shall be a time of trouble.” So once again, the time of trouble cannot begin. let alone end, before the King of the North comes to his end. The time of trouble must continue on and after the King of the North comes to his end. The time of trouble will end at the very same time when the Papacy is destroyed. Therefore the words, “at that time there shall be a time of trouble,” cannot be consistent with the Papacy coming to his end before the time of trouble begins, let alone before it ends.
Daniel 11:2 – 12-13 is One Single, Literal, Sequential Prophetic Discourse.
We have chapters in the bible, but there is no real division between chapter 11 and 12 of Daniel. Chapter 11 and 12 are one single literal prophetic discourse given by the Angel to Daniel starting at Daniel 11:2 and ending at Daniel 12:13.
Many people interpret the progression from Dan. 11 to 12 as some sort of division in the form of a “Repeat and Enlarge,” containing symbolism, but that is not the case. It is a literal sequence of events. Daniel 11:45 lists one set of literal events which are sequential in themselves, and then Daniel 12:1 lists a second sequence of literal events which occur after the events in Daniel 11:45 take place. There is no pause, re-calibration or literary transformation when passing from Daniel 11:45 to Daniel 12:1, but it is all part of a literal, prophetic progression of sequential events as dictated to Daniel by the Angel starting from Daniel 11:2. When the book of Daniel says, “at that time,” it is signifying and specifically spelling out that these are sequential events. The entire chapters of Daniel 11 and 12 are a series of literal and sequential events. The book of Daniel should be read as though Daniel 12:1 is really Daniel 11:46 and so on, and there is no break, pause, prophetic symbolic or literary transfiguration or metamorphosis at the point where Daniel 11:45 transitions to Daniels 12:1.
The Time of Trouble Will End and the Papacy Will be Destroyed in One Self Same Event
You see, the Bible, the Spirit of Prophesy and the Pioneers teach that at the time when the King of the North comes to an end the Papacy and the Lamb like beast will institute the Mark of the Beast and the time of trouble will follow.
2nd Thessalonains 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
2nd Thessalonians 2:8 tells us that the Papacy will continue until the very end of Earth’s history and be destroyed with the brightness of Jesus coming. All of the wicked, including the Son of Perdition, will be destroyed at that time and therefore the time of trouble will come to an end.