TESTIMONY OF APOSTATE, PERSECUTING POWERS
By George I. Butler
TESTIMONY OF APOSTATE, PERSECUTING POWERS.
In the first article of this series we spoke of the testimony of earthly governments relative to the nearness of the end of the world. Babylon, Media and Persia, Grecia, and Rome, and the ten kingdoms of modern Europe, in whose hands the dominion of the world has been for hundreds of years, testify, by their successive appearance in the time and manner that the prophet of God declared 2500 years ago that they would appear, that we have reached the time of the end. This same succession of kingdoms is presented again in Dan. 7, under the symbols of various beasts: The first, a lion with an eagle's wings, representing Babylon; the second, a bear with three ribs in its mouth, symbolizing Medo-Persia; the third, a leopard with four heads and four wings, representing Grecia with her four divisions, which appeared after the death of Alexander the Great; the fourth, the dreadful and terrible beast, too ferocious to be properly symbolized by any actual creature that God ever made, with great iron teeth and with ten horns, symbolizing Rome—the most powerful, cruel, and destructive of all kingdoms—and the ten kingdoms which came from that power. These ten kingdoms received their territory, civilization, laws, religion, and language largely from Rome. A large part of the Anglo-Saxon language is derived from the Latin; which is more or less true of the French, Spanish, Italian, and other languages. Hence these ten kingdoms are represented as growing out of this fourth beast, Rome. Then comes the time when the Ancient of days does sit, and ten thousand times ten thousand holy angels minister before him, when the Judgment is set, and the books are opened. In verse 11, we have an account of the destruction of the papal power in the “burning flames” of the last day. If any doubt the application of these symbols to earthly governments, we quote verses 17, 18: “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings [or kingdoms] which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” And verse 23: “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth.” Daniel lived in Babylon. Rome was the fourth in succession. There is no guess-work about this. The great and terrible beast appears in two different characters: First, as a heathen power; secondly as a professedly Christian power, with three of the ten horns plucked up, and a little horn with eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things, taking their place. Rome certainly appeared in these two characters. Every pope of Rome is represented as wearing a triple crown, three crowns in one, as if to represent its conquest of the three kingdoms. These were the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths, whose religion was Arianism, opposed to Catholicism. This made it necessary that these be put out of the way before the pope could become supreme. In verses 25–27, the papacy is thus described: “And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hands until a time, times, and the dividing of time. But the Judgment shall set, and they shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” A wonderful amount of information is condensed into these few words. The papacy was the result of a great apostasy in the church. In the passing of centuries, the purity of apostolic religion was lost. Heathen doctrines were blended with the religion of Jesus. The bishops became proud, and contended for the superiority. After Constantine's nominal conversion, the Bishop of Rome, as the bishop of the greatest city of the empire, rapidly assumed power; and his pretensions as head of the church, were generally acknowledged among the Catholics throughout Western Europe. In A. D. 538 Justinian's decree making him head over the church, went into effect; and from that time to this his “great words” have continued to be spoken. He is called “Lord God the Pope,” “a God on earth,” “the Vicegerent of the Son of God,” etc., etc. He has destroyed by his power and influence many millions of God's saints. More have been put to death for religious opinion by this power than by all the rest of the world for six thousand years. He has dared to place his impious hand upon the law of God and his holy Sabbath,—“the time and the law of the Most High,”—virtually leaving out the command against worshiping images, and claiming directly to have changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week, which change is accepted by nearly all Christendom. He was to wield this power for a “time, times, and a half.” A “time” is one Jewish year, 360 prophetic days; “times,” plural, 720 days; “half a time,” 180 days, making in all 1260 years. Commencing in A. D. 538, they would end in 1798, when the French general, Berthier, entered Rome, and carried the pope away prisoner. Since then we have been in the “time of the end,” when they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it. To-day we see the Pope without troops, territory, or political power, all these having been taken from him. The king of Italy holds Rome as his capital city, and the pope has to pay taxes like a private citizen. Much of his riches and many of his fine buildings have been confiscated. What is the next step? The kingdom and the dominion under the whole heaven (which must include the whole earth) is to be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. How could a prophecy be more clearly fulfilled? Verse 11 speaks of the close of this power: “I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” These great words were heard in the last great Council held in Rome, 1868–70, when the church voted that the pope was virtually infallible,—that a weak, mortal man could not err! Were ever greater and more blasphemous words uttered by man? The next step the beast is to be slain, and his body (the subjects) given to the burning flame. How clear that we are just before the burning day. We know that these events have transpired in our time. We know they are so. We know that Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and pagan Rome are gone long ago. We know that papal Rome has stood its allotted 1260 years, and that its dominion has gone in our own time. Once the pope had power to humble kings. Sovereigns led his horse, and helped him into his saddle like common servants, yea, and kissed his toe. Nations were absolved from their allegiance to their rulers by his dictation. Now how changed! He himself has to pay his taxes, pleads for help, even for a castle in which to exercise his sovereignty! Cannot we see the difference? What does it mean? That we have reached the last days, and that the next event is the setting up of the kingdom of God, the great burning day, the destruction of this great, apostate, so-called Christian power, and the triumph of God's people. We are just before the end. May God prepare us for these solemn scenes.