THE LAST INTERNATIONAL WAR IN THE LIGHT OF BIBLE PROPHECY-DANIEL 11:40-45
EXPOSING AND CORRECTING THE KING OF THE NORTH ERROR MADE BY HISTORICAL TEACHERS OF SDA CHURCH
JAMES WHITE VERSUS URIAH SMITH VERSUS THE TRUTH
In addressing the subject of which power will fulfill Daniel 11:45, Adventist teachers believe that the truth lies with either James White view or Uriah Smith’s. In Seventh-day Adventist church circle, the two opposing views have been dubbed THE EASTERN QUESTION. But what will surprise many is that neither of the two held the ultimate truth. But of the two, James White was the closest to the truth. To his credit, Uriah Smith did identify the war as a TRIANGULAR WAR, meaning that the HE, HIM, HIS power is attacked by the alliance of King of the North and King of the South. But he failed to correctly identify the HE, HIM, HIS power that was attacked by both King of the South and King of the North. These points will be more evident and clear as we go further in this study.
JAMES WHITE’S CORRECT ARGUMENT
James White noted that in Uriah Smith’s interpretation of Daniel 11, Babylon the Great is left out. This observation is very significant because Daniel 11 is a vision that delineates Great Controversy events down to the end of time, and Babylon the Great(and hence Papacy) has to be seen in this line of prophecy, in harmony with the books of Daniel and Revelation. However James White made the error of seeing Babylon the Great power(Papal Roman power) as King of the North. The problem with Uriah Smith’s interpretation is that it does not line up with the vision of the Great image of Daniel 2, 7 or even 8. This presents the perfect proof that James White got it right that Papacy and the Pope fulfill Daniel 11:45. Of particular note is a phrase that was used to describe the final demise of the last power,
“Thou sawest till that A STONE WAS CUT OUT WITHOUT HANDS, which smote the image UPON HIS FEET that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces”. Daniel 2:34 KJVS
Let’s take careful note of the phrase, WITHOUT HANDS, which we know refers to God’s supernatural power as against or in contrast to human power(military conquest). This power is never to be defeated by any other earthly power, meaning that it will continue to, in the words of Angel Gabriel, “practice and prosper”, until Christ comes(Dan 8), and is the power that Daniel continues to observe till it was given to the burning flame(Dan 7). Here are Angel Gabriel’s words,
“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace(non-military treaties – diplomatic, economic, commercial) shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken WITHOUT HAND”. Daniel 8:25 KJVS
Do you notice that same phrase, “without hands”? In Daniel 2, the feet of the image clearly describes the last power(s) that will be ruling on earth when Jesus comes, which therefore means the power(s) that will be ruling when Michael(Christ) stands up(Daniel 12). Revelation 13 and 17 and 19 then adds that superimposing over these kings of nations will be a ruler, a King of kings, if you may, albeit not like or the same as Jesus’ King of kings status. Revelation 17 is clear that in the last days there will be a power that will superimpose over the national or regional kings of the world, a world ruler. We read in verse 12,
“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These shall have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them(“without hands”): for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful”(Paraphrase and emphasis mine).
The picture is quite clear, Daniel and John saw the same picture of this last counterfeit King of kings versus the true King of kings, Jesus Christ, the Lamb, engaged in a battle in the very last day of this Great Controversy, Jesus being the stone cut out without hands, the non-human, divine power that Daniel saw strike the feet of the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and the non-human hand power that Daniel was told by Angel Gabriel that he will destroy this power. This power that is described to Daniel in Daniel 8 that will stand up against the Prince of princes(Christ), we know to be Rome, and Rome did this was when it crucified Jesus with the help of Apostate Jewish church-nation. The fact that Daniel, as well as John, saw that this power, Rome, is to be destroyed WITHOUT HANDS just as he saw with respect to the FEET OF THE IMAGE, shows a clear connection between Rome and the feet of the image. By easy deduction therefore, we know that Rome is the VERY LAST POWER that will be active when Michael(Christ) stands up, and when Michael(Christ) comes.
Therefore the idea and view promoted by Uriah Smith, that Turkey is the power that will plant the tabernacle of his palace on the glorious land(Daniel 11:45), at the time when Michael will stand up(Daniel 12:1), is very clearly false. The reason Uriah Smith came to this conclusion is not hard to find, because if the standing and coming of Michael(which is Jesus Christ) will bring an the end of the world, and to their understanding this event was to occur on October 22, 1844, and there is no indication of Papal Rome coming back to power as at this time, Uriah Smith and the Millerite Adventist scholars are left scrambling and scratching their heads as to who else will fulfill the prophecy. But instead of this red-alerting them to the possible error they were entering into, instead of this opening to them the possibility that October 22, 1844, may not be the date of Christ’s second coming as it was not aligning with other clear prophecies, they closed their eyes, and simply chose Turkey as the power that will fulfill Daniel 11:45, against all plain evidences of scriptures. This is the power of one leaven that leaveneth the whole lump. The error of traditional interpretation of sanctuary as the earth completely influenced virtually all their interpretations of other prophecies of scriptures, especially those of Daniel and Revelation.
James White, therefore, is the one who had been right all along on the matter of the power that will fulfill Daniel 11:45. His reasoning on the subject was perfect and bold, a depiction of how scriptures and prophecies should be approached in order to get to the truth. Even though he knew that Papal Rome was nowhere near coming back to world power, he simply could not dispense with what is plainly stated. This one important principle of discovering and arriving at truth; hold tightly to what is so plainly evident that it cannot be reasonable controverted, and seek more light, believing that God will reveal harmony in His word. But for Uriah Smith, October 22, 1844, date and what they perceived will happen on that date proved too strong.
ELLEN G. WHITE AND URIAH SMITH SHARED THE SAME(BUT FALSE) SENTIMENT
Both Ellen G. White and Uriah Smith shared the sentiment that Jesus will come on their day. Based on this sentiment, they made some wrong conclusions on prophecy. Their reasoning was: If Jesus will come in their generation, then Daniel 11:45 must fulfill in their generation. Now, if, as James White was presenting, the power that will fulfill Daniel 11:45 is Rome(and by Rome, he meant Papal Rome), when then will Papal Rome arise again and reach that level of power, having been demised in 1798 by French General Berthier, not even having any state or army? This was the dilemma that Uriah Smith faced, which led him to suppose that it cannot be Rome, but instead Turkey, which at the time was prominent and powerful enough. But he forgot or completely dispensed with the fact that Daniel 11 has been reporting about a world power and not a regional or national power such as Turkey was. So, their decision on Turkey was based not on what scriptures say, but on their own desire and presumption that Jesus will come in their generation.
But James White based his assertion on scriptures, on what prophecy was saying, even though he did not know how God would accomplish it. If Uriah Smith had meditated more on the subject and had been free from the bias of expecting Jesus’ second coming in his generation, he would have seen that Daniel 11:45 is actually saying that Papal Rome will arise again in agreement with Revelation 13. James White must have decided that since evidently Rome is the power that will fulfill Daniel 11:45, may be it will experience a fast and miraculous rise back to power, evidently still believing, like his colleagues that Christ will come in their days. But at least this deduction and conclusion made more sense than Uriah Smith’s.
This truth that Rome will arise a second time was not fully appreciated by Uriah Smith, and it also led him to wrong conclusion about when TIME OF THE END will begin. Here is what Uriah Smith wrote(while trying to prove TIME OF THE END began in 1798), which shows that the truth of a second rise of Papacy was not fully appreciated by him:
“The natural conclusion would be that when the time of the end should come, this power which the Church of Rome had possessed to punish heretics, which had been the cause of so much persecution, and which for a time had been restrained, would now be taken entirely away; and the conclusion would be equally evident that this taking away of the papal supremacy would mark the commencement of the period here called the “time of the end.” If this application is correct, the time of the end commenced in 1798; for there, as already noticed, the papacy was overthrown by the French, and has never since been able to wield the power it before possessed. That the oppression of the church by the papacy is what is here referred to, is evident, because that is the only one, with the possible”(Uriah Smith’s commentary on Daniel 11:35). As is clear in his commentary above, Uriah Smith’s basis for concluding that TIME OF THE END began in 1798 A.D., is that Papal Roman power was entirely taken away in 1798, and therefore the truth of Papal Rome’s SECOND EMERGENCE was not fully appreciated by Uriah Smith at all. As we can now show, it led him to make two grave errors, namely:
1.Choosing alternative powers(France and Turkey) to fulfill Daniel 11:36-45.
2. Concluding that TIME OF THE END began in 1798 A.D.
ROME IS NEVER KING OF THE NORTH
One of the most exasperating teachings by SDA theologians, is this false view that it is king of the north that emerges victorious in the Daniel 11:40-45 conflict, and therefore the power that plants its tabernacle in the glorious land(Daniel 11:45). What is not realized is that Daniel 11 is dealing mostly about world empires, except, and until the Grecian power broke up into regional powers, described, based on the four winds criteria, as King of the North, King of the South, King of the East(even though it is not stated but it is alluded) and King of the West(also even though it is not stated but it is alluded). Eventually through inter regional conflicts and conquest, two regional powers became dominant, the King of the North and King of the South. Eventually, King of the North overrun King of the South, and was poised to become the world power, but God’s word cannot lie or fail to be fulfilled, and so out of the Western region of the Grecian empire, Rome emerged and conquered King of the north, and became the next world empire after Greece. Rome became the center of and focus of Daniel 11 all the way to the end, just as Daniel 7 and Daniel 8 visions of Daniel and John’s visions of Revelations 13-19 also indicate clearly. Rome, therefore, and unquestionably, has to be the power that is in place in Daniel 11:45 when Michael, whom Adventist know as Christ stands up and eventually come back to earth.
So, even though James White was right that Papal Rome will fulfill Daniel 11:45, he is however wrong in describing Papal Rome as KING OF THE NORTH. The misconception about this conflict, and with accurate identification of the parties involved, stems from the manner the male pronouns are employed by Daniel. Of especial consideration is the matter of who or what power is described as the HE, HIM, HIS, by Daniel. So, let us identify the HE, HIM, HIS power.
THE POWER DANIEL DESCRIBED WITH MALE PERSONAL PRONOUNS- ”HE”, “HIM”, “HIS”: In literature, a writer does not just introduce a new character with personal pronouns, without having first or previously having identified that power or person to the reader. First, the writer will introduce the character by name and qualifications. Then, the subject is subsequently addressed with personal pronouns. The reader will then be able to know whom the pronouns refer to. This is a basic principle of literature and narratives.So, let us find out where and when the power addressed with the pronouns was first introduced by Daniel. It will be noted that the subject that Daniel kept describing as HE, HIM, HIS, began all the way back at Daniel 11:15,16:
“So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the w most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand” But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed” – Daniel 11:15-16 KJVS.
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There is consensus that it is Rome that is introduced here, for the first time, in verse sixteen. Here Rome makes an end to King of the North, and begins to rise to prominence. From this point on, it is the power Daniel kept referring to with the personal pronouns of HE, HIM, HIS, all the way to verse forty, when the last conflict is seen by Daniel to commence. It is this HE, HIM, HIS power that emerges victoriously in the conflict that starts in verse forty, and not King of the North. Let us take a close look at verse forty, adding verse thirty-nine for proper context:
“Thus shall HE do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom HE shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and HE shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain . And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at HIM: and the king of the north shall come against HIM like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and HE shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over” – Daniel 11:39-40 KJVS.
Again, recalling the point made earlier that a writer does not suddenly introduce a character by a pronoun, it is therefore inconceivable that the HE, HIM, HIS is King of the North or King of the South. How can a power be introduced by a pronoun before being named and identified? This is what historical interpreters of this section of Daniel 11 are saying, by concluding that the HIM that King of the south attacked is King of the North. It is against basic rule of literature and literary narrative. When therefore this fact is realized, namely, that it is the HE power that Daniel has been seeing all the way from verse sixteen, that encounters both King of the South and King of the North, and emerges victorious, the harmony is easy to see. The truth emerges that Papal Roman army(which is the armies of America, NATO, and other Western-Christian nations), participates in this TRIANGULAR WAR, where it is attacked by another alliance and coalition formed by King of the South and King of the North, and other kings of the Far-Eastern and Far-Northern regions. It is the last world war, and as was the case with the previous world wars, it is a war of Alliance of nations against the other coalition of nations. Here we see The Beast with its Western alliance of nations, the nations that will give their power and strength to the beast and rule with it for an hour, against the other coalition of nations that begin to see that they are being marginalized, recolonized-Islamic nations, Russia, China, North Korea etc.
Therefore what we see from Daniel and revelation is that the Beast, with the strength of America, and the EU-NATO powers will one day soon, through the workings of the False Prophet, the power of Satan and his angels, enter into agreement to allow the Beast to rule the world. Events will so shape themselves that these nations will surrender their national sovereignties to the beast and his western alliance. Either by miracles that Satan will inspire the beast to do, in combination with disasters and devastations that will leave their power degraded, these Islamic nations and their Russian and Chinese and North Koreans allies will ceded their sovereignty and autonomy to he beast in good faith, seeing the MAN OF SIN as God on earth.
This BEAST THAT ASCENDED FROM THE BOTTOMLESS PIT(See Revelation 17 and 11), Rome in its first imperial glory will rule the world the last time. But at a point, the ISLAMIC NATIONS realizing that they have been deceived, marginalized, and their religion cast aside as dung, and their people enslaved and their wealth plundered, wake up from the Satanic spell the MAN OF SIN and FALSE PROPHET had cast on them. They then rise up in rebellion against Roman power, and the Man of sin. This is what the conflict of verses 40-45 is about.
Thus, Papal Roman army is attacked by both King of the South and King of the North, who are allies in this war, but Papal Roman army emerges victorious and eventually plants the tabernacle of its SPIRITUAL PALACE in Palestine, specifically JERUSALEM. Satan continues his impersonation of Christ, and it will be falsely claimed and said(Evangelical and False Protestant theology) that Jehovah and Messiah have come and are sitting on the throne of David. This is the masterful deception of Satan which the Jewish nation will fall for. At this time, as Daniel saw, Michael will stand up(Daniel 12).
FRANCE IS NEVER IN DANIEL 11 PROPHECY
The idea of France in Daniel 11 prophecy came out of Uriah Smith’s(and other historical teachers’) mistaken belief that Papal Rome came to its final end in 1798. So, naturally Uriah Smith had to look for a power(s) to fulfill verses 36-40. He latched onto France. So much wrestling of scriptures went into the attempt to prove that France fulfilled this part of Daniel 11. Josiah Litch’s interpretation of Revelation 9 was used to give legitimacy to this wrong interpretation of Daniel 11:36-39. Unfortunately, Josiah Litch interpretations are not accurate. He manipulated a lot of prophetic narrative to support his conclusions.
In the book of Revelation, the idea of France in prophecy is completely dismissed. We find this to be the case in especially chapters 10-11, where not only is it evident that the 1260 DAYS are literal and future, but equally, the SEVEN TRUMPETS are still future. Josiah Litch’s (and Uriah Smith’s) view about France and Ottoman empire are based on the historical view about the SEVEN TRUMPETS. Therefore, if we can prove that the seven trumpets are still future, it dismisses the France and Ottoman empire view.
THE SEVEN TRUMPETS-PROOF OF FUTURE FULFILLMENT
THE SEALING OF THE 144000: The timeline of the sealing of the 144000 provides a strong evidence that the seven trumpets are yet in the future. We find this proof in the FIFTH TRUMPET. Here we read:
“And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads” – Revelation 9:4 KJVS
In view of the fact that John had been shown that the sealing of the 144000 will occur after the sixth seal, there is clear evidence that the command in the fifth trumpet is in the context of the sealing of the 144000. In other words, the command is to hurt everyone that is not among the 144,000 that have the seal of God in their foreheads. Conversely, the command is to hurt or torment everyone that have the mark of the beast in the forehead or in their right hands. With this converse rendering of the divine command, the future timing and fulfillment of this trumpet is undeniably established. Seventh-day Adventists know that the sealing of the 144000 is still future. There are those who will place the sealing further back to October 22, 1844, but this has no scriptural basis. Even if those who had died in the Advent faith, such as E.G. White and Mrs. Hastings, are to be among the 140000, they will not be sealed before the rest who will not die. They will be resurrected and sealed at the same time as the rest of the 144000. Their resurrection(partial resurrection) is falsely placed at the time Michael stands up. There is no scriptural support for this. They need to be resurrected in time to go through the persecution of the Mark of the beast along with their fellow 144000 saints. This is the only way they can know and sing the song that only the 144000 saints will know and sing.
But even if we allow for this view that the sealing of the 144000 began October 22, 1844, it still proves that the FIFTH TRUMPET is later than Josiah Litch’s and Uriah Smith’s historical view, thus eliminating any involvement of France and Ottoman empire in the fifth and sixth trumpets. If the fifth trumpet is still future as is clear, giving that it is related to the sealing of the 144000 saints, that automatically and unquestionably gives the last three trumpets that are yet to be fulfilled. It is hard to reconcile this with Urian Smith and Josiah Litch’s views of the seven trumpet.
THE 1260 DAYS AND ITS INSEPERABLE CONNECTION TO THE SEVEN TRUMPETS: Historical interpretation of the seven trumpets is inseparably interrelated to the historical view of the 1260 DAYS as being 1260 YEARS, and this is because it spans the 1260 days prophetic period. Expectedly, historical interpretation of the seven trumpets spans the presumed 1260 YEARS that began in 538 A.D. Therefore, if it is proved that the 1260 DAYS(42 MONTHS) in Revelation 11 is literal and future, this will provide proof that the seven trumpets are also future. Notice that the sixth trumpet does not actually come to a close until 3.5 DAYS after the 1260 DAYS has ended(Revelation 11:1-14), thus linking it inseparably to the 1260 days. Also notice that the fifth trumpet and sixth trumpet span a total of (5 months + 1 year, 1 month, 1 day = Approx. 1 year, 5 months). Counting back from the 1264th day when the sixth trumpet ended, we will come down to the approximately 749th year from the beginning of the 1260 days. Therefore the first four trumpets must have occupied this first 749 days of the 1260 days. The inseparability of the 1260 days from the seven trumpets can thus be appreciated.
Uriah Smith had sought to disassociate the 1260 DAYS from the sixth trumpet by presuming that it ended in Chapter 9:21. This is a big flaw with the historical view of the seven trumpets(or at least the sixth trumpet). But as is clear in Revelation 11, the end of the sixth trumpet was not announced until after the interlude events are fulfilled up to where they met with the sixth trumpet(Revelation 10 – Revelation 11:14)
Now that we see how intertwined the sixth trumpet is with the 1260 DAYS, let us go ahead and prove, beyond any doubt at all, that the 1260 DAYS are literal and future, and by so doing establish that the seven trumpets are not past and fulfilled. Revelation 11 says that the two witnesses will prophecy for 1260 DAYS. Now, note what prophecy says will happen to them at the end of the 1260 DAYS, and by whom:
“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them” – Revelation 11:7 KJVS
Notice who John saw will kill the two witnesses, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit. Where else is John shown this power? Answer is, in Revelation 17. In Revelation 17, the time of the bottomless pit ascendancy of this power is revealed to John and the church. In other words this beast has not always arisen originally out of the bottomless pit. This ascendancy is a later existence and phase of this beast, which we know is the Roman beast. This extremely important point and fact to note. We read:
“And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful”.
Revelation 17:10-14 KJVS
So, we see from the above text that the ascendancy of the beast from the bottomless pit(not from the sea which was the place of its first ascendancy-See Revelation 13:1), is still future. This is very clearly evident because it is the EIGHTH HEAD, which in the evident chronology of the heads of the beast, is the VERY LAST OF LAST, in that it does not even arise until after the SEVENTH ORIGINAL HEAD on the beast. It is indisputable therefore that the beast’s ascendancy out of the bottomless pit is still future. Since it will kill the two witnesses 3.5 days after the 1260 DAYS of their prophesying, and it has not even ascended yet from the bottomless pit, we therefore have indisputable evidence that the 1260 DAYS is still future, and therefore literal. Therefore, knowing that the sixth trumpet will end 3.5 days after the 1260 DAYS, when the two witnesses are resurrected, we can see that Uriah Smith and company’s historical view of the seven trumpets is false. Knowing therefore that the seven trumpets are future, we have clear evidence that France and the Ottoman empire are not involved in the seven trumpets or in Daniel 11:36-45. The pioneers had these prophecies wrong.
CONCLUSION
The criteria used to assign Papacy the description of “king of the north” is simply based on poor literary application and understanding of the use of pronouns in literature. There is therefore no just criteria to be found in this prophecy at all for that conclusion. There is no indication whatsoever that the king of the north ceases to be, or has been, changed from the same regional(not world empire) power it represented in the early part of Daniel 11. It remains the nation(s) north of Palestine, which is Türkiye and Syria. Also based on that criteria, Rome(Papal Rome in the last days) is “KING OF THE WEST”, a Western power, just as Greek metropolis and people was, having come out of that region as a little horn before it grew to become the next world empire after Greece, in line with Daniel’s prophecies. Daniel and the Angel of vision refrained from employing any regional description for Rome because, like Grecian, Babylonian, and Medi Persian, it is a WORLD POWER. So, instead of seeing and referring to Rome as a regional power, Daniel and Angel Gabriel consistently described it as the “HE””, “HIM”, “HIS” power that does according to its will, a phrase that consistently describe world power and dominion and not regional power. This employment of male personal pronouns was intended to differentiate Rome from the regional powers, “king of the North” and “king of the South”. This important distinction applies importantly in verse 40, to indicate what power conquered and “OVERFLOWED” and eventually planted his palace in the glorious land in verse 45. It is the “HE” power. It overruns and overpowers the king of the North and king of the South, the two main powers that were in alliance against him.
This war is a literal, physical warfare between the ROMAN BEAST WORLD POWER(with its ally nations of America, EU, NATO) versus the ISLAMIC NATIONS and their allies, Russia, Turkey, China, North Korea(to mention just the prominent ones), and it is based on differences of religious ideology. It occurs at the TIME OF THE END, when reemerged Rome would have been ruling the world for 1290 + 1260 = 2550 days(7 years) -Daniel 12. It is a war that results from ISLAMIC states feeling betrayed by the Beast power by taking over the temple mount site and making it the “CHRISTIAN” TEMPLE SITE. This breaks the terms of peace that the Beast(Man of sin) will give the ISLAMIC states to convince them that he, as the God of Justice, will not favor Jews and Christians against the Muslims. But as history has always shown, The Western power never has any intention of making other than the western power the sole ruler and controller of world power. So, it is only a matter of time, the 1260 days, and the Beast power will renege and marginalize the Islamic world and allies. At the end of this conflict, Michael will stand up to end all nation against nation and international wars for good. The time of trouble then commences in which God’s wrath in the seven plagues will be poured out against those who have been destroying the earth.