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THE REIGN OF POPERY...
We will again return to 2 Thessalonians 2. Simultaneously with falling away—apostasy—" that man of sin, " " the Son of perdition," would he revealed; "who oppposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. " Verses 3, 4. This man of sin refers to the church of Rome, and especially to her bishop, or poke. In these every specification of the prophecy is fulfilled. The pope was exalted to be the head of the so-called church. In the previous chapters we have traced the church from the time of the humble equality of her ministers, as seen in the days of the apostles, to the time when this order was changed and a third office was created—a bishop raised over the common elders, or overseers—and then to the time when archbishops were appointed over other bishops. This exalting of man kept right on, lifting the archbishop higher and higher, until the whole thing ripened into popery.
This exaltation was the work of darkness, He "exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped. " This certainly was fulfilled in popery. The pope, it is said, claimed power to remit the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost—something that neither Christ nor the Father claimed to do. The pope was exalted above every object of adoration; God and Christ were secondary. The pope became the source whence emanated every institution relative to divine worship, all the doctrines of religion, and all rites and ceremonies. He held the highest authority and place in the church, setting himself up as the universal head of the church. He acted as God, taking upon himself God's titles and attributes, and arrogating to himself the authority that belongs to the Most High. The pope claimed infallibility; power to damn and to save. Such titles were conferred upon him as "Vicegerent of the Son of God " "Most Holy Pope," etc. 2 Thess. 2:9, 10 describes this awful reign of deception and darkness, which continued over one thousand years.
Popery was foretold in the prophecy of Daniel. "Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a hear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo, another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. " Dan. 7: 2-8.
This vision troubled Daniel, so he asked an angel its meaning. The reply was, " These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth." Verse 17. These were the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman kingdoms. The first—the one like a lion—represented Babylon. At first the lion had eagle's wings, denoting the rapidity with which Babylon extended its conquests under Nebuchadnezzar. After a time the wings were plucked, and a man's heart was given to it. It no longer flew like an eagle upon its prey. The boldness and spirit of the lion was gone; a man's heart, weak, timorous, and faint, had taken its place. This was the case during the closing years of its history, when it became enfeebled and effeminate through wealth and luxury.
The second beast—the one like a bear represented the Medo-Persian kingdom—a kingdom composed of two nationalities. The beast raised itself on one side. This was fulfilled in the Persian division, which came up last and attained the higher eminence, for it became the controlling power in the kingdom. The three ribs in its mouth may signify the three provinces Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt, which were especially ground down and oppressed by this power. By the overthrow of these provinces, a stimulus was given the Medes and Persians to undertake further conquests. Thus they said, "Arise, devour much flesh."
The third beast—the one like a leopard—signified the Grecian empire. The four wings upon its back, like the two wings of the first beast, denote rapidity of conquest. The conquests of Grecia under Alexander have no parallel in historic annals for suddenness and rapidity. The four heads of this beast represent the four divisions into which Grecia was split. The Grecian empire maintained its unity little longer than the life of Alexander. Within fifteen years after his brilliant career ended, the kingdom was divided among his four leading generals.
Concerning the fourth kingdom, Daniel wanted a more explicit explanation. "Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; and of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows." Dan. 7:19, 20. "Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of the kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. " Dan. 7: 23, 24.
This was Rome. She was the fourth universal kingdom which reigned over the world. She devoured, broke in pieces, and crushed the nations with her iron rule. The ten horns are ten kings. These were the ten divided kingdoms which grew out of the Roman empire. Next came up a " little horn. " This was popery. Popery grew out of heathen Rome. Three of the ten were plucked up by this one. These were Heruli, Ostrogoths, and Lombards.
"And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. " Dan. 7: 25. All this was fulfilled under the reign of popery. Speaking words against the Most High was fulfilled in the great assumptions of the pope. Wearing out the saints was fulfilled in the long period of martyrdom, when millions were slaughtered because they would not accept the doctrines of the papacy. Changing times and laws had a fulfillment when the papists discarded the LXX, the old apostolic Bible, and substituted in its stead the Hebrew version. The original Septuagint Bible makes the world almost two thousand years older than does the modern version.
This horn—power grew out of paganism. Though clothed in a Christian garb, it was the same persecuting power. Where heathen Rome slaughtered her thousands, Christian ( ?) Rome slaughtered her millions. The reign of this power is limited to "a time and times and the dividing of time. ' This is the exact time the woman was to continue in the wilderness (Rev.12: 14). These must be the same. This time prophecy will be considered in a later chapter.
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev. 12:17. The dragon, being conquered, cast down, and bound by Christianity, was wroth at the woman, or church. Hence he made war with the remnant of her seed. But this he could not do himself, for his power was broken. He accomplished his purpose, however, through his son " the beast. " A son was born unto this dragon, and he was called "the beast." Through this beast, war was made against the remnant of the seed of the woman—the few who stood true to God during the Dark Ages.
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." Rev. 13: 1, 2. It will be seen that the beast resembles his parent, the dragon. The dragon had seven heads (12: 3), so had the beast. The dragon had ten horns, so had the beast. But there was a difference. The dragon had his crowns upon his heads, while the beast had his crowns upon his horns. This beast is popery. Popery is a child of pagan Rome, the dragon. During the reign of the empire the seven heads, or forms of government, were the ruling powers; hence the crowns were upon his heads: but when popery arose, the ten kingdoms were the ruling power—the crowns were upon his horns.
This beast is identical with that of Rev. 17: 3 and the little horn of Daniel 7. This beast was "like a leopard." A leopard is a spotted animal, a type of sin. This shows that this power was very sinful, and such was popery. His feet were as the feet of a bear. This signifies its crushing power. Its mouth as the mouth of a lion, signifies the devouring nature of the papacy. But where did popery get her power? "And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." The ten kingdoms of Rome gave " their power and strength unto the beast" (Rev. 17:13). lnstead of popery receiving her power from above, she received it from paganism. The seat of pagan government—Rome—became the seat of papal rule.
"So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. " Verse 3. The solution of this will be given in our exegesis of Rev. 17: 10, 11. The Roman empire had seven heads, or forms of government. The sixth of these was the imperial. This was the form of government under the heathen Caesars. The time came when the hordes of savages from the North swept over the empire and overthrew the imperial government (A. D. 425). It was wounded to death. This lasted about fifty one years, during which time the patriciate ruled the empire. After this the imperial power revived in the form of popery. The wound was healed. Imperial Rome was the same under priestcraft and popery that it was under the Caesars. Under the Caesars it was clothed in heathen garb; under priestcraft, in Christian garb. Thus the beast (popery) constituted the eighth head of Rome and yet was one of the seven. All the world wondered after the beast. Popery swayed universal dominion.
"And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him ?" Verse 4. This was fulfilled by the continuance of the pagan worship in the papal age. The high priest of the Roman pagans was called their pontiff. It was customary among the pagan Romans to deify their great men after their death and to make images to them and worship them. So also was it customary among the papists to make saints of their great men after their death by canonizing them, and their saints are the same to them as the gods of the pagans were to them. Papists pray to their saints, make images to them, and bow to them as the pagans did to their gods. Papists sprinkle their holy water as the pagans sprinkled their holy water. Papists advocate celibacy as did the pagans. In many other ways Roman Catholics have practised the heathen worship. Thus they have caused the people to worship the dragon.
"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. " Verses 5, 6. This was fulfilled in popery by the blasphemous claims of the pope, who claims various prerogatives of God. These we have already considered.
"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. " Rev. 13: 7, 8. This was fulfilled in the great persecutions of the Christians under the reign of popery. Papal Rome glutted herself on the blood that heathen Rome only tasted. It is hardly necessary to refer to the bloody reign of the Dark Ages, for nearly all are well acquainted with the facts. I would simply refer the reader to such histories as Fox's Book of Martyrs, Christian Heroes and Martyrs, Martyr's Mirror, etc. All people worshiped popery except those whose names were in the hook of life. These latter were the ones who suffered martyrdom at her e cruel hands.
"And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. Rut the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth." Rev. 11:1-4. This temple, as clearly seen in previous chapters, is the church of God. Those who worship in this temple are God's people. The altar is Christ ( (Heb. 13: 10). The measuring reed is tile Word of God. The holy city also signifies tile church. Almost the same language is found in Luke 21: 24, where the literal city of Jerusalem is meant. It is said that " Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. " Here in Rev. 11: 2 it is said, "And the holy city shall they [the Gentiles] tread under foot forty and two months." The former was to have a literal fulfillment; the latter, a spiritual fulfillment.
Jerusalem was a type of the church. Its desolating and treading down by the Gentile nations was, and is, a clear type of the great apostasy, which has defiled and trodden under foot the spiritual Jerusalem, the sanctuary of God. The time-limit of this downtrodden condition of the church is " forty and two months." This is the same period already considered in the many time-prophecies that measure the reign of popery. During this same period God says that his two witnesses shall prophesy, clothed in sackcloth. In verse 4 these are called the two candlesticks and two olive trees, standing before the God of the earth. This gives us the key to the prophecy. Zechariah speaks of these in the following words:
" And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked and behold a candlestick all of gold with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of tile bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? T hen the angel that talked with me answered and s aid unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." "Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive-branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." Zech. 4:1-6, 11-14.
Zechariah was one of the prophets who prophesied unto Zerubbabel and the Jews at Jerusalem to build the house of God. These two olive trees, he informs us, " are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth"; and they are interpreted by the angel to be the Word of the Lord, by the Spirit of the Lord, unto Zerubbabel (verse 6). From this we clearly see that these two witnesses, two anointed ones, two olive trees, signify tire Word and the Spirit of God. The Word of God and the Spirit of God are the special witnesses of the Lord here on the earth. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in al] the world for a witness unto all nations." Matt. 24: 14. "Search the Scriptures . . . they are they which testify of me." John 6:39. "The Holy Ghost also is a witness." Heb. 10: 15. See also Rom. 8:16; 1 John 5:6. These are the two prophets that have been given unto the church as the vicars of Christ in the world, and through them God has governed tire church in all ages. They governed victoriously before A. D. 270, which is properly termed the morning light age.
"Then came up the beast, with a man at the head of it claiming to be the vicar of Christ. A contest between the true vicars, the Word and the Spirit, and the false vicar, the pope, followed, which continued 1,260 days. These 1,260 days signify the same 1,260 years of the papal age which lie between 270 and 1530. In this age the Word and Spirit of God never surrendered their vicarship, but there were always found true witnesses of Christ, who were determined to be governed by the Word and Spirit of God, like the saints in the morning light. These the pope was constantly causing to be put to death. This is doubtless what is signified by the sackcloth with which these two prophets were dressed during that age, sackcloth being an emblem of melancholy, distress, and mourning."
Turning back to Rev. 13: l0 we read: "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." Ah! the patience and faith of the saints during that long, bloody night of papal darkness, was that tile very beast power which was leading them into captivity and killing them with the sword would sometime itself go into captivity and suffer death from the sword. Thank God, their prayers were answered and their hopes realized. In the sixteenth century, God began to raise up reformers, such as Huss, MeIanchthon, and Luther, who hurled the awful thunderbolts of heaven against the beast power of popery. Truth, so long crushed, began to arise and triumph in the earth. The Reformation spread rapidly in every direction. Watch fires were kindled throughout all Germany and almost all Europe. Thousands threw off the galling yoke of popery and came out into clearer light. God's kingdom, which was to conquer every opposing power, conquered popery.
The Reformation spread so rapidly and its power became so great that it east its influence upon the rulers of nations, who turned Protestant. The very rulers and kings that had so long upheld the Catholic sect now turned against her and gave their support to Protestantism. The sword was turned against the beast. There were thirty years of bloody war in Germany. Finally the papal power was broken and the beast sheared of its temporal power. That beast which had ruled the earth for 1,260 long years was left bleeding and wounded, and it has been growing weaker ever since. Thus the prayers of those millions who were slain during its long reign were answered; and the words of God in Rev. 17: 16 were fulfilled, where he says that the very kings and rulers who supported the great harlot "shall hate her, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."
THE DARK AGES--NIGHT...
Compared with the clear morning glory of the church, this awful period is well expressed by night. The clear light that shone so brilliantly in the apostolic age was eclipsed by the darkest superstition and errors that men and devils have ever invented. The earth was flooded with false doctrines of every kind. Image worship. prayers offered to the Virgin Mary, licentious popes regarded as infallible, prayers offered for the dead, the Bible chained to the pulpit, martyred saints branded as heretics, and a thousand other things of like character were rife during that time.
"What are termed the Middle Ages commenced with the fifth and terminated with the fifteenth century. Of these the first six are denominated the Dark Ages. But throughout the whole period Christianity suffered a long eclipse of a thousand years."—Goodrich's Church History, page 478. This period was thus foretold in prophecy: "Watchman, what of the night?" The watchman said, ''The morning cometh, and also the night." Isa. 21: 11, 12. AS before observed, the morning here referred to was the ushering in of the Christian era, the clear, transplendent light of the gospel and the church of God in the beginning of this age. But it was foreseen that night would follow the morning. "The morning cometh and also the night." In the natural day night does not follow the dawn of morning; but in the day here referred to— the gospel day—night was to come immediately after the morning. And true to prophecy, "the people of God's holiness, possessed it but a little while." The morning glory of the church was early eclipsed by the great apostasy, and there followed a long dark night of more than one thousand years.
THE LENGTH OF THE PAPAL REIGN AS MEASURED BY INSPIRATION...
"And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." Dan. 7: 25. The power here referred to was the papacy. The saints were to be given into his hand; that is, that power was to rule over them for " a time and times and the dividing of time. " In Dan. 12: 7 the same period is allotted to this beast power, which was to scatter the power of the holy people "a time, times, and a half." What does a "time" signify? By turning to the fourth chapter of Daniel we find an answer. Here is given an account of King Nebuchadnezzar's being driven from men and living with the beasts of earth. The period of his humiliation is called seven times, in verses 23 and 32. That was seven years. So a time signifies a year. Times would be two years. It can not be less, and if more, the numerals would be given, as three times, four times, etc. The dividing of time, or a half time, would be one half of a year. So time, times, and a half equal three and one half years. This equals 42 months, or if reduced to days, counting 30 days to the month, according to the Jewish reckoning, 1,260 days.
In Rev. 12: 14 we see the woman—church—fleeing from the dragon into a wilderness, "where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. " This wilderness signifies the obscurity into which the true church went, and in which she remained during the dark reign of the papacy. Thus during the reign of popery the woman—church of God existed in the place prepared of God. She was nourished and kept alive for a time, times, and half a time; hut during this period she was largely in obscurity, symbolized by a wilderness. Here again we have the paper reign or supremacy over God's people measured by inspiration. The wilderness state of the church is the same period as that in Daniel's prophecy—three and one half times— years. This reduced to months equals 42 months, or 1,260 days. "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Rev. 12: 6. Here again we have the same period— 1,260 days—of the beast—popery. It was said he should continue " forty and two months " (Rev. 13:5). This reduced to days gives us 1,260. "And the holy city [church] shall they tread under foot forty and two months" (Rev. 11: 2), or 1,260 days. "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." Rev. 11:3. Here are other texts giving the same period, or measurement—1,260 days. This can not refer to natural days, for then the period would cover only three and one half years. The language of prophecy in Revelation is largely symbolic. These, then, must be symbolic days, each day for a year.
Under the law there was a week of seven days and a week of seven years. This was common among the Jews. In Num. 14: 34 this thought is presented. "After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years. " Again, in Ezek. 4: 6: "And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of >Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. " Applying this rule, the 1,260 days in which the church was to remain in the wilderness state equals so many years.
A careful consideration of all the foregoing time prophecies reveals the fact that the mere reign of the papacy from the time of its establishment to its overthrow is not the central thought, but how long that power would hold down God's people and keep the Word and Spirit of God in sackcloth. How long the church was to continue in a state of apostasy—that is the thought. The 1,260 years were to measure the time from which the church went into real darkness until she came out in the clear light. Some have supposed that this period must have dated from the time when popery became fully established. Such, however, could not be the case, although the time period includes that event; for the power of apostasy was greatly developed centuries before the final supremacy of the pope was established, and it was necessary to prepare a way for their exaltation. Popes obtained their authority by degrees. In A.D. 606 the Emperor Phocas conferred the title Universal Bishop upon the pope of Rome. In A. D. 756 the pope became a temporal sovereign, but the power of papal usurpation did not reach the summit until the reign of Hildebrand, who succeeded the pope in A. D. 1073 under the title of Gregory the Seventh.
I will give a number of quotations from history which clearly locate the time in which the church really went into apostasy. Some of these are extracts from " The Revelation Explained," by F. G. Smith. "The living church retired gradually within the lonely sanctuary of a few solitary hearts. An external church was substituted in its place, and all its forms were declared to be of divine appointment. Salvation no longer flowing from the Word, which was hence forward put out of sight, the priests affirmed that it was conveyed by means of the forms they themselves invented, that no one could obtain it but by these channels. The doctrine of the church and the necessity of its visible unity which had begun to gain ground in the third century favored the pretensions of Rome." D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation, book I, chap. I.
"At the end of the third century almost half of the inhabitants of the Roman empire and of several neighboring countries professed the faith of Christ. About this time endeavors to preserve a unity of belief and of church discipline occasioned numberless disputes among those of different opinions and led to the establishment of an ecclesiastical tyranny. "—Encyclopedia of Religious knowledge. Concerning the Roman diocese the Encyclopedia Britanica gives the following:
" Before the termination of the third century the office was held to be of such importance that its succession was a matter of interest to ecclesiastics living in different sees. "—Vol. XIX, page 488.
"Almost proportionate with the extension of Christianity was the decrease in the church of vital piety.. A philosophising spirit among the higher and a wild monkish superstition among the lower orders fast took the place in tile third century of the faith and humility of the first Christians. Many of the clergy became very corrupt and excessively ambitious. In consequence of this there was an awful defection of Christianity."—Marsh's Church History, page 185.
"We have found it almost necessary to separate and indeed widely to distinguish, the events of the two first from those of the third century, for nearly at this point we are disposed to place the first crisis in the internal history of the church. "Waddington's Church History.
"This season of external prosperity was improved by the ministers of the church for the exertion of new claims, and the assumption of powers with which they had not been previously invested. At first these claims were modestly urged, and gradually allowed; but they laid a foundation for the encroachments which were afterwards made upon the rights of the whole Christian community, and for lofty pretensions to the right of supremacy and spiritual dominion.... Several alterations in the form of church government appear to have been introduced during the third century. Some degree of pomp was thought necessary.... An external dignity of the ministers of religion was accompanied by a still greater change in its discipline. .
Many of the Jewish and pagan proselytes . . languished in the absence of ceremonies which were naturally adapted to the taste of the unreflecting multitude, while the insolent infidel haughtily insisted upon the inanity of a religion which was not manifested by an external symbol or decoration. In order to accommodate Christianity to these prejudices, a number of rites were instituted; and while the dignified titles of the Jewish priesthood were, through a compliance with the prejudices of that people conferred upon the Christian teachers, many ceremonies were introduced which coincided with the genius of paganism. The true Gospels were taught by sensible images, and many of the ceremonies employed in celebrating the heathen mysteries were observed in the institutions of Christ, which soon, in their turn, obtained the name of mysteries and served as a melancholy precedent for future innovations and as a foundation for that structure of absurdity and superstition which deformed and disgraced the church."—Rutter's History of the Church, pages 52-56.
This " season of external prosperity" mentioned by Rutter began with the accession of Gallienus to the imperial throne in A. D. 260. Up to this time the hand of persecution had been raised against the church almost incessantly, and from 260 until the reign of Diocletian persecution ceased, during this space of almost forty years. But this period also marked the greatest decline in spiritual things and marvelous development of the hierarchy. Speaking of the bishop of Rome in these times, Dowling says: "He far surpassed all his brethren in the magnificence and splendor of the church over which he presided, in the riches of his revenues and possessions, in the number and variety of his ministers, in his credit with the people, and in his sumptuous and splendid manner of living."—History of Romanism, page 34.
Speaking of the period now under consideration, Eusebius, "father of church history," "mentions one Paul, who was at this time bishop of Antioch, who lived in luxury and licentiousness, and who was a teacher of erroneous doctrines, and usurped such great authority that the people feared to venture to accuse him. In the conclusion of the same chapter in which this is found, he shows that after a general council was held at Antioch, this Paul was excommunicated and robbed of his bishopric by the bishops of Rome and Italy. Frorn this it appears that they possessed a power and authority still greater than that usurped by Paul." The following are his words: "Paul. therefore. having thus fallen from the episcopate, together with the true faith as already said, Domnus succeeded in administration of the church at Antioch. But Paul being unwilling to leave the building of the church, an appeal was made to the emperor Aurelian, who decided most equitably on the business, ordering the building to be given up to those whom the Christian bishops of Italy and Rome should write. "—Ecclesiastical History, book VII, chap. 30. The Encyclopedia Brittanica says that this council at which Paul was excommunicated was held "probably in the year 268," and that "Paul continued in his office until the year 272, when the city was taken by the emperor Aurelian, who decided in person that the church building belonged to the bishop who was in epistolary communication with the bishops of Rome and Italy."—Vol. XVIII, page 429.
The above extracts show not only the developrnent of error in the church, but also the great power already obtained by the hierarchy. Geo. Fisher says: " The accession of Constantine [A. D. 312] found the church so firmly organized under the hierarchy that it could not lose its identity by being absolutely merged in the state."—History of the Christian Church, page 99.
"In the year A. D. 270 Anthony, an Egyptian, and founder of the monastic institution, fixed his abode in the deserts of Egypt and formed monks into organized bodies. Influenced by these eminent examples [Anthony, Hilarion, et al.] immense multitudes betook themselves to the deserts, and innumerable monasteries were formed in Egypt, Ethiopia, Lybia, and Syria. Some of the Egyptian abbots are spoken of as having had five, seven, or even ten thousand monks under their personal direction; and Thebias, as well as certain spots in Arabia, are reported to have been literally crowded with solitaries. Nearly a hundred thousand of all classes, it is said, were at one time to be found in Egypt. .. . Although the enthusiasm might be at a lower ebb in one country than in another, it actually affected the church universally' so far as the extant materials of ecclesiastical history enable us to trace its rise and progress.... The more rigid and heroic of the Christian anchorets dispensed with all clothing except a rug or a few palm leaves around the loins. Most of them abstained from the use of water for absolution; nor did they usually wash or change the garments they had put on. Thus St. Anthony [the founder of this order] bequeathed to Athanasius a skin in which his sacred person had been wrapped for half a century. They also allowed their beards and nails to grow, and sometimes became so hirsute as to be actually mistaken for hyenas or bears. "—History of Romanism, pp. 88, 89. Reader, what was the condition of the church in A. D. 270, that the introduction of such abominations was possible?
Although many more examples of this might be added, I will conclude with two extracts from Joseph Milner:
" We shall, for the present, leave Anthony propagating the dispensation, and extending its influence not only into the next century, but for many ages afterwards, and conclude this view of the state of the third century, with expressing our regret that the faith and love of the gospel received towards the close of it a dreadful blow from the encroachment of this unchristian practice."—Cen. III, chap. 20.
"Moral, and philosophical, and monastic instructions will not effect for men what is to be expected from evangelical doctrine. And if the faith of Christ was so much declined (and its decayed state ought to be dated from about the year 270), we need not wonder that such sins as you see Eusebius hints at without any circumstantial details took place in the Christian world."—Cen. IV, chap 1.
I have thus quoted at considerable length to show the reader that the real decline of the church and its rapid drift into the apostasy took place about the middle or during the third century. Taking this century as our starting point, the 1,260 years would reach into the sixteenth century somewhere; and when we come to consider the statements of history, as Milner puts it, it is not hard to place a definite date—the year 270 A. D. Measuring forward from this date, the 1,260 years brings us to the exact date of the first Protestant creed—the Augsburg Confession in A. D. 1530. To this date we must point both for the end of Rome's universal supremacy and for the rise of Protestantism. True, the work of reformation began before this time, but the adopting and the forming of the Augsburg Confession marks a clear dividing line between the age of Romanism and the real rise of Protestantism. And this is the date and period at which God's people who had been held captive in the darkness of the papacy came out into clear light. Thus unmistakably inspiration has marked out the exact time that God's people were held fast during the dark night of popery. [ End of Part 9 ]
