If only those who claim they know what will happen at the end when it comes to biblical prophecy would look at the plain Word of God, they would see what even a simple schoolboy could tell them, it shows a straight path through history to the End Times. We see the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome as prophecy shows actual events to occur throughout the history of Christianity from the time of Daniel until Last Days and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. If one looks, one will find that this was the viewpoint of almost all Protestant Reformers and their churches from the Reformation into our era, but then something changed, something came in that blinded and distorted what had been plain.
Satan as always the adversary, had his followers bring in seeds of doubt which wiped away the understanding, bringing in false ideas that biblical prophecies concerning the Last Days refer to events which took place in the first century after Christ's birth so thus nothing applies to the true history that prophecy shows. Another seed of doubt is brought in by those who say all or most of the prophecy the Bible gives us is in the future, shortly before the Second Coming, so we have nothing which we can apply it to so can ignore what it shows, and all the truth of history notwithstanding.
If one follows what history gives us, suddenly the events line up, Alexander the Great is shown just when he appears in the flow of events given in prophecy, the Roman Empire comes right after, just as prophecy gave all the way to the Last Days. So why have so many Christians even among the churchs of the Reformers given up the understanding unfolded by the evidence of history, that they once held.
We see what history shows us on the 1260 days in Biblical prophecy for day equals a year principal, that exactly match up and are the 1260 years in which the Roman Catholic Church did in fact "war against the saints". It was one of the major reason for the Protestant Reformation and these 1260 years ended in 1798. The Protestants Reformers and theologians understood and saw that the Catholic Church, from 538 AD to 1798 AD was in fact the antichrist power that Daniel prophesized about. Daniel said that that the saints would be given to his hand for "a time and times and half a time". A time represents a year in the Hebrew 360-day year. So 3 1/2 times is 3 1/2 years. This equals 42 months based on the biblical 30-day month--or 1,260 days. In Thessalonians 2 Paul told us when the 1260 years would begin. It was when the "restrainer" was removed.
So who was the restrainer of this antichrist? Nearly all early church fathers and early Protestant theologians agree that the restrainer was not the Jews at the fall of Jerusalem or a King or the "Holy Spirit" as some try to say. The restrainer that had to be removed before the arrival of that antichrist power was the Roman Empire.
Why this prophesy of Daniel is so important is that it happened exactly as prophesized. The Roman Empire began to disintegrate in the late 4th and early 5th century as invasions overwhelmed the capacity of the Empire to govern and mount a coordinated defense and the Roman Caesar "restrainer" was being removed. The 1260 year period when the antichrist power would preside over the dark ages, with its persecution and inquisitions, etc began a little later in 538 AD after the Roman Empire and the Caesars ruling at Rome had collapsed to allow another power to come in and the eastern empire ruler Emperor Justinian issued his famous decree that made the Pope the legal "Head of all the Holy Churches". This began the prophesized reign of that antichrist power with its false rites, sacrament's, and system of worship and you add 1260 years to 538 AD and we come out to 1798 AD, when this evil system received the 'deadly wound' that seemed to take it down.
So what does history shows us happened in 1798 AD? Napoleon's army under General Berthier entered Rome with his French troops and took down this antichrist power. The Papacy was abolished, the pontifical ring was removed, and the sitting Pope, Pope Pius VI was sent to France, where he died in exile. The Biblical prophecy happened just as given, but many try to hide the truth of the matter or say the Day/Year Principle is not applicable, and yet it fits as said in a trial, 'like a glove'.
Satan as always the adversary, had his followers bring in seeds of doubt which wiped away the understanding, bringing in false ideas that biblical prophecies concerning the Last Days refer to events which took place in the first century after Christ's birth so thus nothing applies to the true history that prophecy shows. Another seed of doubt is brought in by those who say all or most of the prophecy the Bible gives us is in the future, shortly before the Second Coming, so we have nothing which we can apply it to so can ignore what it shows, and all the truth of history notwithstanding.
If one follows what history gives us, suddenly the events line up, Alexander the Great is shown just when he appears in the flow of events given in prophecy, the Roman Empire comes right after, just as prophecy gave all the way to the Last Days. So why have so many Christians even among the churchs of the Reformers given up the understanding unfolded by the evidence of history, that they once held.
We see what history shows us on the 1260 days in Biblical prophecy for day equals a year principal, that exactly match up and are the 1260 years in which the Roman Catholic Church did in fact "war against the saints". It was one of the major reason for the Protestant Reformation and these 1260 years ended in 1798. The Protestants Reformers and theologians understood and saw that the Catholic Church, from 538 AD to 1798 AD was in fact the antichrist power that Daniel prophesized about. Daniel said that that the saints would be given to his hand for "a time and times and half a time". A time represents a year in the Hebrew 360-day year. So 3 1/2 times is 3 1/2 years. This equals 42 months based on the biblical 30-day month--or 1,260 days. In Thessalonians 2 Paul told us when the 1260 years would begin. It was when the "restrainer" was removed.
So who was the restrainer of this antichrist? Nearly all early church fathers and early Protestant theologians agree that the restrainer was not the Jews at the fall of Jerusalem or a King or the "Holy Spirit" as some try to say. The restrainer that had to be removed before the arrival of that antichrist power was the Roman Empire.
Why this prophesy of Daniel is so important is that it happened exactly as prophesized. The Roman Empire began to disintegrate in the late 4th and early 5th century as invasions overwhelmed the capacity of the Empire to govern and mount a coordinated defense and the Roman Caesar "restrainer" was being removed. The 1260 year period when the antichrist power would preside over the dark ages, with its persecution and inquisitions, etc began a little later in 538 AD after the Roman Empire and the Caesars ruling at Rome had collapsed to allow another power to come in and the eastern empire ruler Emperor Justinian issued his famous decree that made the Pope the legal "Head of all the Holy Churches". This began the prophesized reign of that antichrist power with its false rites, sacrament's, and system of worship and you add 1260 years to 538 AD and we come out to 1798 AD, when this evil system received the 'deadly wound' that seemed to take it down.
So what does history shows us happened in 1798 AD? Napoleon's army under General Berthier entered Rome with his French troops and took down this antichrist power. The Papacy was abolished, the pontifical ring was removed, and the sitting Pope, Pope Pius VI was sent to France, where he died in exile. The Biblical prophecy happened just as given, but many try to hide the truth of the matter or say the Day/Year Principle is not applicable, and yet it fits as said in a trial, 'like a glove'.
