You know we have to ask ourselves some important things here. Do we try to incorporate common sense into the things we read or do we try to ignore common sense and go for cunningly devised fables that sound pleasing to our ears?
2Pe 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Cunningly devised fables. These exist and in such a great number it's made it very hard for people to tell truth from lies. We need to pray first and foremost and then let the Lord guide us as we delve into His prophecies for us.
Yesterday we talked more about the 1260 days- the time, times, and dividing of time. We touched on a few things and now we need to touch on a few more. Such as we know from the first vision given in Daniel that there would come a time when things would become mingled when there would no longer be one ruling kingdom over the former Roman Empire that the one ruling kingdoms would break up and never again be ruled by one man, one government- no matter how many tried and we know some have tried.
We know from our Bible that as we are thrusted into that mingling time moving from the dominating Roman power that ten main smaller powers would come up and then three powers would be removed by yet another smaller, different sort of power. And we know that our Savior will return again while some of those powers and that strange little power were still in existence.
SO that means we know that little power, different from the others would still exist today, and it does. The Papacy still exists today, in fact it's larger than life but in a different way than it once was. Looking at the history of the Papacy we can find out a few amazing facts. Let's go through it a bit so we can catch the picture of things more clearly. Remember reading this is reading history, it's reading of the past and we can connect prophecy fulfilled with history.
• October 28, 312: Emperor Constantine leads the forces of the Roman Empire to victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Tradition has it that, the night before the battle, Constantine had a vision that he would achieve victory if he fought under the Symbol of Christ; accordingly, his soldiers bore on their shields the Chi-Rho sign composed of the first two letters of the Greek word for "Christ".
• 325: The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, convened as a response to the Arian controversy, establishes the Nicene Creed, declaring the belief of orthodox Trinitarian Christians in the Holy Trinity.
• February 380: Emperor Theodosius I issues an edict, De Fide Catolica, in Thessalonica, published in Constantinople, declaring Catholic Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire.
• 391: The Theodosian decrees outlaw most pagan rituals still practiced in Rome, thereby encouraging much of the population to convert to Christianity.
• 400: Jerome's Vulgate Latin Bible translation is published. This remained the standard text in the Catholic world until the Renaissance, was used in Catholic services until the late 20th century, and remains an influence on modern vernacular translations.
• 452: Pope Leo I (the Great) meets Attila the Hun and dissuades him from sacking Rome.
• 455: Sack of Rome by the Vandals. The spoils of the Temple of Jerusalem previously taken by Titus are allegedly among the treasures taken to Carthage.
• September 4, 476: Emperor Romulus Augustus is deposed in Rome, marked by many as the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The focus of the early Church switches to expanding in the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, with its capital at Constantinople.
• 502: Pope Symmachus ruled that laymen should no longer vote for the popes and that only higher clergy should be considered eligible.
• January 2, 533: Mercurius becomes Pope John II. He becomes the first pope to take a regnal name. John II obtains valuable gifts as well as a profession of orthodox faith from the Byzantine emperor Justinian.
• 536: Belisarius recaptures Rome.
• 590: Pope Gregory the Great. Reforms ecclesiastical structure and administration. Establishes Gregorian Chant. Was also elected. (To be Pope)
• 596: Saint Augustine of Canterbury sent by Pope Gregory to evangelize the pagan English.
• 664: The Synod of Whitby unites the Celtic Church in England with the Catholic Church.
• 718: Saint Boniface, an Englishman, given commission by Pope Gregory II to evangelise the Germans.
• 756: Popes granted independent rule of Rome by King Pepin the Short of the Franks, in the Donation of Pepin. Birth of the Papal States.
• December 25, 800: King Charlemagne of the Franks is crowned Holy Roman Emperor of the West by Pope Leo III in St. Peter's Basilica.
• 966: Mieszko I of Poland converts to Catholicism, beginning the Baptism of Poland.
• July 16, 1054: Liturgical, linguistic, and political divisions cause a permanent split between the Eastern and Western Churches, known as the East-West Schism or the Great Schism. The three legates, Humbert of Mourmoutiers, Frederick of Lorraine, and Peter, archbishop of Amalfi, entered the Cathedral of the Hagia Sophia during mass on a Saturday afternoon and placed a papal Bull of Excommunication on the altar against the Patriarch Michael I Cerularius. The legates left for Rome two days later, leaving behind a city near riots.
• November 27, 1095: Pope Urban II preaches a sacrum bellum (holy war), a Crusade, to defend the eastern Christians, and pilgrims to the Holy Land, at the Council of Clermont.
• 1099: Retaking of Jerusalem by the 1st Crusade, followed by a massacre of the remaining non-Christian inhabitants, and the establishment of the Crusader kingdoms, in Latin bishops are appointed to dioceses still largely populated by the Orthodox.
• October 2, 1187: The Siege of Jerusalem. Ayyubid forces led by Saladin capture Jerusalem, prompting the Third Crusade.
• April 13, 1204: Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade. Beginning of Latin Empire of Constantinople.
• November 30, 1215: Fourth Ecumenical Lateran Council is closed by Pope Innocent III. Seventy decrees were approved, the definition of transubstantiation being among them.
• 1229: Inquisition founded in response to the Cathar Heresy, at the Council of Toulouse.
• 1245: First Ecumenical Council of Lyons. Excommunicated and deposed Emperor Frederick II.
• 1305: French influence causes the Pope to move from Rome to Avignon.
• August 17–20, 1308: The leaders of the Knights Templar are secretly absolved by Pope Clement V after their interrogation was carried out by papal agents to verify claims against the accused in the castle of Chinon in the diocese of Tours.
• 1370: Saint Catherine of Siena calls on the Pope to return to Rome.
• 1387: Lithuanians were the last in Europe to accept the Catholic faith.
• c. 1412–1431: St. Joan of Arc, a peasant girl from France, has visions from God telling her to lead her countrymen to reclaim their land from the English. After success in battle she is captured by the English in 1431 and is condemned as a heretic and was executed by burning at the age of 19. Later investigation authorized by Pope Callixtus III would conclude she was innocent and a martyr.
• 1440: Johannes Gutenberg completes his wooden printing press using moveable metal type revolutionizing the spread of knowledge by cheaper and faster means of reproduction. Soon results in the large scale production of religious books including Bibles.
• May 29, 1453: Fall of Constantinople.
• 1492: Christopher Columbus discovers the New World.
• 1493: With the Inter caetera, Pope Alexander VI awards sole colonial rights over most of the New World to Spain.
• October 31, 1517: Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses, protesting the sale of indulgences.
• January 3, 1521: Martin Luther finally excommunicated by Pope Leo X in the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.
• 1521: Baptism of the first Catholics in the Philippines, the first Christian nation in Southeast Asia. This event is commemorated with the feast of the Sto. Niño.
• October 17, 1521: Pope Leo X confers the title Fidei Defensor to Tudor King Henry VIII of England for his defense of the seven sacraments and the supremacy of the pope in Assertio Septem Sacramentorum against Protestantism.
• October 30, 1534: English Parliament passes Act of Supremacy making the King of England Supreme Head of the Church of England. Anglican schism with Rome.
• December 17, 1538: Pope Paul III excommunicates King Henry VIII of England
• December 13, 1545: Ecumenical Council of Trent convened during the pontificate of Paul III, to prepare the Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation. Its rulings set the tone of Catholic society for at least three centuries.
• February 24, 1582: Pope Gregory XIII issues the Bull Inter gravissimas reforming the Julian Calendar.
• October 4, 1582: The Gregorian Calendar is first adopted by Italy, Spain, and Portugal. October 4 is followed by October 15 – ten days are removed.
• September 28, 1586: Domenico Fontana successfully finished re-erecting the Vatican Obelisk at its present site in St. Peter's Square. Hailed as a great technical achievement of its time.
• April 19, 1622: Pope Gregory XV makes Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu a cardinal upon the nomination of King Louis XIII – becoming Cardinal Richelieu. His influence and policies greatly impact the course of European politics.
• 1685: Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes, and large numbers of Huguenot refugees leave France.
• 1691: Pope Innocent XII declares against nepotism and simony.
• April 28, 1738: Pope Clement XII publishes the Bull In Eminenti forbidding Catholics from joining, aiding, socializing or otherwise helping in any way shape or form the organizations of Freemasonry and Freemasons under pain of excommunication. Membership to any secret society would also incur the penalty of excommunication.
• 1789: John Carroll becomes the Bishop of Baltimore, the first bishop in the United States.
• 1798: Pope Pius VI taken prisoner by the armies of Napoleon I, dies in captivity in France.
• 1800–1823: Pope Pius VII
• July 16, 1802: French Concordat of 1801. The Catholic Church re-established in France.
• December 2, 1804: Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of the French in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, in the presence of Pope Pius VII.
• 1850: The Archdiocese of Westminster and twelve other dioceses are set up, re-establishing a Catholic hierarchy in the United Kingdom against intense political opposition.
• 1852: The First Plenary Council of Baltimore is held in the United States.
• 1854: Dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX
• December 8, 1869: Pope Pius IX opens the First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican
Okay I'm going to stop here for a moment so we can talk about all this for a bit. This is just a touch of Papal history. First let's note that the history continues right up until today and anyone who disagrees with that just has to check the news- the Papacy is in the news quite often and not just for the recent bad press, but for much more. So we do have a power - different from the other strictly governmental powers- that came up and continued on and on and on. However the Bible tells us this…
Dan 7:25 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.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev. 12:6 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
This power would prevail over God's TRUE people 1260 days. That's only 3 1/2 years and if you read back through all this history you know for a fact this power has endure much longer AND… persecuted God's people, God's truth for many, many more years than 3 1/2. So…seriously we have to think about this carefully. Let's look at prophecy, let's look at the Bible...
….tomorrow because it's late here and this is already a lot to take in. By the grace and mercy of God we will study more and understand as HE would have us understand.
In His LOVE!
Amen.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Prophecy - 10 Time, times, dividing of time
Let's do a recap here of what we've learned so far.
Daniel 2 tells of a prophetic dream and in that dream is a giant statue that portrays various ruling kingdoms of the Middle East and parts of what is now Europe. At the time of the dream the kingdom in control of Jerusalem was Babylon. Then the Medes and Persians took control of Babylon, after the Medes and Persians the Greeks took control then after that Romans. We then have the ten major areas that Roman was split into.
After that we find in Daniel 7 more information on this same prophetic message. We learned that out of the ten areas that three of them would be plucked up- their rule over the territories they'd taken from Rome would be taken away from them completely and they'd no longer have any power whatsoever to control what they once controlled. Not only that, we learned that a rising power different from every power up to that point in time would have influence over those three powers being displaced. The only logical power that was rising up at the time was the Papacy and that was most assuredly different than all the other military powers that had any sort of control by the governments- the ruling parties and their armies. This new influence came from the rise of Christianity and unfortunately its corruption. It was clear that Papacy was corrupt- God NEVER intended His true people to merge with the government in any way. Jesus wasn't of this world, and as a result those who are His are not of this world. Governments, those whose interest lies in ruling land and the people of it would flourish and even in our greatest democracies we have those who feel the need to be in control of the worldly power because even democracies are a controlling interest for the people of the land they are in.
Jesus did NOT set up a worldly kingdom for His people. Jesus KNEW that from the time of His life on earth bringing salvation to all who would be His, that there would NEVER again be any worldly kingdom that would be God's people. There would be Spiritual Israel and those of Spiritual Israel would be from all over- never congregated into a world power of any sort. Worldly power was not of God and will never be of God no matter how convincing the sheep's clothing the wolf is wearing may be and believe me… no… don't believe me… believe GOD, the evil will take on the appearance of good, the evil will be so incredibly deceptive that only those who would be God's will be kept from succumbing to that evil. If you doubt me that's fine, but don't doubt God.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
We've talked before about deception but it bears discussing again because the Papacy today comes across as being reformed from their evil but in truth that can't happen, it won't happen. Prophecy remains true to the end. That *little horn* power rises corrupt and stays corrupt until it is destroyed.
Dan 7:25 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 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan 7:27 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.
Once we understand the truth of this as a reality there is much more that falls into place. We've had a couple thousand years of history between the first kingdom, Babylon, and God truly did map things out for us in so many ways.
I'm not a Biblical scholar and will never claim to be one. I'm not a historian and will never claim to be one of those either. I'm just a simple, average person praying for understanding, praying for guidance, praying for forgiveness, praying for God's leading in all I do, praying to have the Holy Spirit's enlightenment as God wills.
Remember we talked of a time, times, and dividing of time, just a brief note on studying it later, we're going to start that now because we are told that the saints would be given into the little horn's hand for a time, times and the dividing of time. Just how long would that be? We're going to find out.
There is another place we read about a time, times, and dividing of time.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
It make sense doesn't it. Right off we know that the saints of God would be under the rule of and oppressed by the little horn power for a time, times, and dividing of time, so… here we have a woman who is given two wings of a great eagle so she could fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is kept safe for a time, times, and half a time (dividing of time).
A woman in the Bible can signify God's people- a church.
Jer 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
God's people would be oppressed, the woman- God's people - would be in the wilderness, nourished there in the wilderness while the little horn power was in charge.
We have one prophecy in Daniel, the other prophecy in Revelation- but they are speaking of the exact same thing. There is little doubt here. They're both saying that God's people would be oppressed for this period of time that we still have to determine beyond knowing it is for a time, times, and a dividing of (half of) time.
Let's jump to Revelation 12:6
Rev. 12:6 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
1260 days.
Now that's not a long period of time in the grand scheme of things, remember we have had thousands of years between Babylon and now.
We need to look at more facts here.
There are 30 days to a Biblical month-
Gen. 7:11 17th day of 2nd month (Flood came)
Gen. 8:4 17th day of 7th month (Waters subsided)
Flood continued from 2nd to 7th month= 5 months
Gen. 7:24 'waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days'
150days/30days = 5mos.
So with 30 days to a month we have 360 days to a years.
A time is a year-
Antiquities of the Jews - a highly respected book by Josephus has this to say…
The day is coming when the wicked shall be cut down, and no hope will be left them. No mercy will be mingled with their punishment. They shall be destroyed both root and branch.
"Let seven times pass over him," was the decree. This simple expression is evidently to be understood literally. But how long a period is denoted by the words "seven times"? This may be determined by ascertaining how long Nebuchadnezzar, in fulfillment of this prediction, was driven out to have his dwelling with the beasts of the field. This, Josephus informs us, was seven years. [2] A "Time," here, then, denotes one year.
[2] Flavius Josephus, "Antiquities of the Jews," book 10, chap. 10, sec. 6, Works of Flavius Josephus, p. 316.
Dan 4:23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
Dan 4:32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
History records that seven times- was seven years.
So…
A time being a year would be… time= 1 year, times = 2 years, and dividing of time = 1/2 a year so that gives us 3 and 1/2 years.
1 year = 360
2 years = 720
1/2 year = 180
Total = 1260
Amazing isn't it?! Seriously amazing!
The time, times, and dividing of time is the same as the 1260.
This isn't all, we also have mentioned 42 months in bible prophecy.
Rev 13:5 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.
What does 42 months amount to? 1 year- 12 months, 2 years- 24 months, 1/2 year- 6 months= 42 months!
These are NOT coincidences, not at all! We have to pay attention to this, we really do. It all goes together in the way God intended it to do and for the serious Bible student, for the sincere Bible student God will enlighten. We have to study this so much more but not all in one night that's for sure.
So, leaving it all here for the night it is my prayer that God bless us all so much. We need His blessing, we need His enlightenment. We need His love, His forgiveness, all He has to give to us we need so desperately.
Thank you Lord for your love and all that entails.
By the grace and mercy of God always!
Amen.
Daniel 2 tells of a prophetic dream and in that dream is a giant statue that portrays various ruling kingdoms of the Middle East and parts of what is now Europe. At the time of the dream the kingdom in control of Jerusalem was Babylon. Then the Medes and Persians took control of Babylon, after the Medes and Persians the Greeks took control then after that Romans. We then have the ten major areas that Roman was split into.
After that we find in Daniel 7 more information on this same prophetic message. We learned that out of the ten areas that three of them would be plucked up- their rule over the territories they'd taken from Rome would be taken away from them completely and they'd no longer have any power whatsoever to control what they once controlled. Not only that, we learned that a rising power different from every power up to that point in time would have influence over those three powers being displaced. The only logical power that was rising up at the time was the Papacy and that was most assuredly different than all the other military powers that had any sort of control by the governments- the ruling parties and their armies. This new influence came from the rise of Christianity and unfortunately its corruption. It was clear that Papacy was corrupt- God NEVER intended His true people to merge with the government in any way. Jesus wasn't of this world, and as a result those who are His are not of this world. Governments, those whose interest lies in ruling land and the people of it would flourish and even in our greatest democracies we have those who feel the need to be in control of the worldly power because even democracies are a controlling interest for the people of the land they are in.
Jesus did NOT set up a worldly kingdom for His people. Jesus KNEW that from the time of His life on earth bringing salvation to all who would be His, that there would NEVER again be any worldly kingdom that would be God's people. There would be Spiritual Israel and those of Spiritual Israel would be from all over- never congregated into a world power of any sort. Worldly power was not of God and will never be of God no matter how convincing the sheep's clothing the wolf is wearing may be and believe me… no… don't believe me… believe GOD, the evil will take on the appearance of good, the evil will be so incredibly deceptive that only those who would be God's will be kept from succumbing to that evil. If you doubt me that's fine, but don't doubt God.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
We've talked before about deception but it bears discussing again because the Papacy today comes across as being reformed from their evil but in truth that can't happen, it won't happen. Prophecy remains true to the end. That *little horn* power rises corrupt and stays corrupt until it is destroyed.
Dan 7:25 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 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan 7:27 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.
Once we understand the truth of this as a reality there is much more that falls into place. We've had a couple thousand years of history between the first kingdom, Babylon, and God truly did map things out for us in so many ways.
I'm not a Biblical scholar and will never claim to be one. I'm not a historian and will never claim to be one of those either. I'm just a simple, average person praying for understanding, praying for guidance, praying for forgiveness, praying for God's leading in all I do, praying to have the Holy Spirit's enlightenment as God wills.
Remember we talked of a time, times, and dividing of time, just a brief note on studying it later, we're going to start that now because we are told that the saints would be given into the little horn's hand for a time, times and the dividing of time. Just how long would that be? We're going to find out.
There is another place we read about a time, times, and dividing of time.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
It make sense doesn't it. Right off we know that the saints of God would be under the rule of and oppressed by the little horn power for a time, times, and dividing of time, so… here we have a woman who is given two wings of a great eagle so she could fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is kept safe for a time, times, and half a time (dividing of time).
A woman in the Bible can signify God's people- a church.
Jer 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
God's people would be oppressed, the woman- God's people - would be in the wilderness, nourished there in the wilderness while the little horn power was in charge.
We have one prophecy in Daniel, the other prophecy in Revelation- but they are speaking of the exact same thing. There is little doubt here. They're both saying that God's people would be oppressed for this period of time that we still have to determine beyond knowing it is for a time, times, and a dividing of (half of) time.
Let's jump to Revelation 12:6
Rev. 12:6 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
1260 days.
Now that's not a long period of time in the grand scheme of things, remember we have had thousands of years between Babylon and now.
We need to look at more facts here.
There are 30 days to a Biblical month-
Gen. 7:11 17th day of 2nd month (Flood came)
Gen. 8:4 17th day of 7th month (Waters subsided)
Flood continued from 2nd to 7th month= 5 months
Gen. 7:24 'waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days'
150days/30days = 5mos.
So with 30 days to a month we have 360 days to a years.
A time is a year-
Antiquities of the Jews - a highly respected book by Josephus has this to say…
The day is coming when the wicked shall be cut down, and no hope will be left them. No mercy will be mingled with their punishment. They shall be destroyed both root and branch.
"Let seven times pass over him," was the decree. This simple expression is evidently to be understood literally. But how long a period is denoted by the words "seven times"? This may be determined by ascertaining how long Nebuchadnezzar, in fulfillment of this prediction, was driven out to have his dwelling with the beasts of the field. This, Josephus informs us, was seven years. [2] A "Time," here, then, denotes one year.
[2] Flavius Josephus, "Antiquities of the Jews," book 10, chap. 10, sec. 6, Works of Flavius Josephus, p. 316.
Dan 4:23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
Dan 4:32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
History records that seven times- was seven years.
So…
A time being a year would be… time= 1 year, times = 2 years, and dividing of time = 1/2 a year so that gives us 3 and 1/2 years.
1 year = 360
2 years = 720
1/2 year = 180
Total = 1260
Amazing isn't it?! Seriously amazing!
The time, times, and dividing of time is the same as the 1260.
This isn't all, we also have mentioned 42 months in bible prophecy.
Rev 13:5 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.
What does 42 months amount to? 1 year- 12 months, 2 years- 24 months, 1/2 year- 6 months= 42 months!
These are NOT coincidences, not at all! We have to pay attention to this, we really do. It all goes together in the way God intended it to do and for the serious Bible student, for the sincere Bible student God will enlighten. We have to study this so much more but not all in one night that's for sure.
So, leaving it all here for the night it is my prayer that God bless us all so much. We need His blessing, we need His enlightenment. We need His love, His forgiveness, all He has to give to us we need so desperately.
Thank you Lord for your love and all that entails.
By the grace and mercy of God always!
Amen.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Just Going to Get Dirty Again
Today as I was scrubbing the floor something I rarely do… hey before you think I don't mop the floor I do, but to get down on my hands and knees and scrub it hard getting all the little hard caked on dirt that has accumulated in the linoleum design over the *coff* years, well, let's just say it doesn't happen often. Then again it takes awhile for all that to accumulate, right? Sounds bad, but truthfully, I wash the floor quite a bit but unfortunately the mops (and I've had several) don't seem to keep it from happening. Maybe if I hands and kneed it once a month or so then it wouldn't happen, but I'm just a lazy person. My house is LIVED in, but not disgusting or anything if you know what I mean. I have a collection of dust bunnies that like to be moved around once in a while and sucked up into the vacuum cleaner on occasion but for the most part they enjoy their accommodations under various beds, dressers, couches and such and I don't like to disturb them.
So why am I talking about all this? Well, while I was scrubbing my son comes in and says why are you doing all that, it's just going to get that way again. I chuckled to myself and said because it needs to be done. Then I got to thinking how blessed we are that God doesn't feel that way about us sinners. I can picture the Devil saying, 'Why bother God, they're just going to get dirty again.'
They are just going to get dirty again, so why bother.
We can say this about any number of things in life can't we? Yet, we need to be clean, we need things to be cleaned. We can't live our lives surrounded by dirt, can we? Some people do, and we label them in a lot of bad ways.
We weren't meant to be stained with sin. When we were created we were created sinless and we weren't meant to have to live with sin in our lives. We were created perfect, we were created good. No... we were created VERY good.
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Very good. We were not created for sin. We were NOT created with the intent that we would be born, grow to adult hood, and then slowly deteriorate over time until our bodies could no longer survive. We were created very good. Death was NOT supposed to be a part of our lives, not in any way. The stain of sin was not supposed to cover us but that is as they say… water under the bridge. It happened and now we live this way and some might be inclined to say that we're sinners so that's that, why bother cleaning the sin from our lives if we just remain sinners.
We sin and we ask for forgiveness, then we sin again and we ask forgiveness again- this is how it must be because to just allow ourselves to sin unchecked without feeling any need for forgiveness is to allow that sin to accumulate. The accumulation of sin weighs heavy on our lives, on our spirit. We can't pretend that sin isn't there, or rather we can pretend but that won't make it true. Sins don't just magically slip away, sins don't just disappear, they don't vaporize, they don't have no effect on us. Sin has a lot of effect on our lives but quite often people don't even notice that it does. People don't want to think about the effects of sin in their lives.
Sin is real, but people will encourage others not to believe that sin is real. Whether you believe sin is real or not, it is. Whether you believe you're a sinner or not, you are. We are stained by sin and only the cleansing blood of our Savior can clean that stain.
Odd isn't it, to think about how our human blood stains and isn't always easy to get out. Blood gets into things and often it takes a strong chemical like bleach to destroy all traces of it. From the various crime shows I've seen on tv bleach is one of the only means of getting blood out and off of things and it isn't easy. Blood stains, yet it's the Blood of Christ that frees us from the stain of sin. It's Christ's blood that makes us white as snow.
Isa 1:18 ... though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
1Jn 1:7 ... the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Our sins are as scarlet, our sins are red like crimson- when we ask for forgiveness with genuine repentance then it's Christ's blood that washes over us- cleansing the blood of our sin. Christ's blood washes away the blood of our sins, but if we do not ask for forgiveness then Christ's blood cannot wash away our sins. We remain filthy, we remain covered in sin.
Christ forgives us over and over again, praise God! Yes, we might sin over and over again, just as so much in our lives gets dirty over and over- very little ever stays clean and that's a fact. We spend a lot of time cleaning things in our lives, daily we clean things- ourselves and all that is around us. If we don't clean things, or have others clean them for us we would live in filth and be filthy. We cannot clean sin from ourselves but we can set the cleaning in motion by asking for forgiveness and the mercy of our Savior will clean us by His grace, His love, His righteousness.
So yes, we will get dirty again, just as kitchen floors get dirty over and over, just as so much in life gets dirty and it takes someone's effort or something's effort to clean(look at all the effort we are saved from expending by our washing machines, our dryers, our dishwashers, our self-cleaning ovens, etc). The only one who can clean us spiritually is Christ, there is no other and there will never be another. We must seek cleansing from Christ often, whenever we knowingly get dirty by sin we have to purposely- knowingly ask for forgiveness, this is real, this is a fact, this is necessary and we cannot forget it, we just can't.
Tomorrow we'll pick up more on prophecy, but today this needed to be said.
By the grace of our Lord we may be saved, only by His grace!
In His love always!!! Forgive us Lord, forgive us! Cleanse us!
Amen.
So why am I talking about all this? Well, while I was scrubbing my son comes in and says why are you doing all that, it's just going to get that way again. I chuckled to myself and said because it needs to be done. Then I got to thinking how blessed we are that God doesn't feel that way about us sinners. I can picture the Devil saying, 'Why bother God, they're just going to get dirty again.'
They are just going to get dirty again, so why bother.
We can say this about any number of things in life can't we? Yet, we need to be clean, we need things to be cleaned. We can't live our lives surrounded by dirt, can we? Some people do, and we label them in a lot of bad ways.
We weren't meant to be stained with sin. When we were created we were created sinless and we weren't meant to have to live with sin in our lives. We were created perfect, we were created good. No... we were created VERY good.
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Very good. We were not created for sin. We were NOT created with the intent that we would be born, grow to adult hood, and then slowly deteriorate over time until our bodies could no longer survive. We were created very good. Death was NOT supposed to be a part of our lives, not in any way. The stain of sin was not supposed to cover us but that is as they say… water under the bridge. It happened and now we live this way and some might be inclined to say that we're sinners so that's that, why bother cleaning the sin from our lives if we just remain sinners.
We sin and we ask for forgiveness, then we sin again and we ask forgiveness again- this is how it must be because to just allow ourselves to sin unchecked without feeling any need for forgiveness is to allow that sin to accumulate. The accumulation of sin weighs heavy on our lives, on our spirit. We can't pretend that sin isn't there, or rather we can pretend but that won't make it true. Sins don't just magically slip away, sins don't just disappear, they don't vaporize, they don't have no effect on us. Sin has a lot of effect on our lives but quite often people don't even notice that it does. People don't want to think about the effects of sin in their lives.
Sin is real, but people will encourage others not to believe that sin is real. Whether you believe sin is real or not, it is. Whether you believe you're a sinner or not, you are. We are stained by sin and only the cleansing blood of our Savior can clean that stain.
Odd isn't it, to think about how our human blood stains and isn't always easy to get out. Blood gets into things and often it takes a strong chemical like bleach to destroy all traces of it. From the various crime shows I've seen on tv bleach is one of the only means of getting blood out and off of things and it isn't easy. Blood stains, yet it's the Blood of Christ that frees us from the stain of sin. It's Christ's blood that makes us white as snow.
Isa 1:18 ... though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
1Jn 1:7 ... the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Our sins are as scarlet, our sins are red like crimson- when we ask for forgiveness with genuine repentance then it's Christ's blood that washes over us- cleansing the blood of our sin. Christ's blood washes away the blood of our sins, but if we do not ask for forgiveness then Christ's blood cannot wash away our sins. We remain filthy, we remain covered in sin.
Christ forgives us over and over again, praise God! Yes, we might sin over and over again, just as so much in our lives gets dirty over and over- very little ever stays clean and that's a fact. We spend a lot of time cleaning things in our lives, daily we clean things- ourselves and all that is around us. If we don't clean things, or have others clean them for us we would live in filth and be filthy. We cannot clean sin from ourselves but we can set the cleaning in motion by asking for forgiveness and the mercy of our Savior will clean us by His grace, His love, His righteousness.
So yes, we will get dirty again, just as kitchen floors get dirty over and over, just as so much in life gets dirty and it takes someone's effort or something's effort to clean(look at all the effort we are saved from expending by our washing machines, our dryers, our dishwashers, our self-cleaning ovens, etc). The only one who can clean us spiritually is Christ, there is no other and there will never be another. We must seek cleansing from Christ often, whenever we knowingly get dirty by sin we have to purposely- knowingly ask for forgiveness, this is real, this is a fact, this is necessary and we cannot forget it, we just can't.
Tomorrow we'll pick up more on prophecy, but today this needed to be said.
By the grace of our Lord we may be saved, only by His grace!
In His love always!!! Forgive us Lord, forgive us! Cleanse us!
Amen.
Prophecy - 9
I hope you're not tired of prophecy because there is a long way to go yet. There is so much involved in all this. We don't want to get it wrong though. We don't want to imagine things or make up pieces to fit our own suppositions. The Bible speaks. The Bible gives us clues and such clues that enable us to piece things together.
Do you remember when Jesus talked of speaking in parables?
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Prophecy is meant to be understood- why else would it be given? Many prophets throughout the Old Testament would prophesize and then within the time allotted their prophecy would come to pass. This happened over and over again. God used His prophets to warn people, to encourage people to have faith. Prophets served God's purpose. We can't forget that prophecies are a reality with God, not fables as so many would love to believe. Shove away the prophecies that are too hard to comprehend, that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Hide those things we can't readily understand spoken in plain language. We can't do that. We have to understand that God has a purpose in all He does. Making prophecies hard for us to decipher is for a reason. The prophecies we are studying in Daniel right now reach all the way to the end of time. As long as we are alive and the end has not come this prophecy applies to us.
Like it or not, we are a part of this prophecy. People from the moment it was given were living in prophetic time. Watching things take place, seeing them unfold. Nebuchadnezzar had been told His kingdom would fall and it fell. The Medes and Persians fell. The Greeks fell. Rome was diminished and divided but still exists. Political kingdoms warred and had for many, many years warred against each other fighting, conquering and being conquered. What came into play in the last kingdom prophesized as it was being divided was a new force at play, a different force, a man-like force. Is this to say men were NOT behind the force of those other horns that came up first? They were, but, and this is something we have to really considered- they were not using any religious power to gain their conquered kingdoms, a religious power such as this one did not exist. This religious power was NOT the common pagan priest, not a soothsayer, not a magician that men were making a part of their entourage. This was a NEW power that hadn't existed before and the power came into being under our SAVIOR. This power became a counterfeit to our Savior's truth. This power put on a form of godliness. This power took the things of God and warped them from their pure simple truths into something to serve man, not God. And as they became corrupt, claiming God as their High Authority, they put themselves in league with the warring factions. They submitted to the kings and rulers, bowing to them, and agreeing to pervert their truths in order to gain power, to gain prestige, to gain acceptance, to stop their persecution. These men became as guilty as the Pharisees themselves that Jesus condemned. As they perverted Christianity into their own selfish ideas they aligned themselves with others and used their influence to rid themselves of their worst distracters desiring to make themselves more powerful and their enemies less powerful, destroying them if possible to further their own ambitions.
I need to jump back to history again here and bring up a few bits and pieces of the rising Papacy of the day as recorded as put forth from the Catholic Encyclopedia.
PLEASE read them if you can, it's NOT easy to read history if you've no inclination to do so but to catch these points here means bringing to life the reality of the time. The rising of that Little Horn displacing other Horns through its MOUTH, its EYES, not through its beasts strength, not through military power.
*
POPE St. Agapetus I
(Also AGAPITUS.)
Reigned 535-536. Date of birth uncertain; died 22 April, 536... Meanwhile Belisarius, after the very easy conquest of Sicily, was preparing for an invasion of Italy. The Gothic king, Theodehad, as a last resort, begged the aged pontiff to proceed to Constantinople and bring his personal influence to bear on the Emperor Justinian.
Pasted from
POPE St. Silverius
(Reigned 536-37).
The Empress Theodora, who favoured the Monophysites sought to bring about the election as pope of the Roman deacon Vigilius who was then at Constantinople and had given her the desired guarantees as to the Monophysites. However, Theodatus, King of the Ostrogoths, who wished to prevent the election of a pope connected with Constantinople, forestalled her, and by his influence the subdeacon Silverius was chosen.
However, the pope committed himself to nothing and Theodora now resolved to overthrow him and to gain the papal see for Vigilius. Troublous times befell Rome during the struggle that broke out in Italy between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines after the death of Amalasuntha, daughter of Theodoric the Great. The Ostrogothic king, Vitiges, who ascended the throne in August, 536, besieged the city. The churches over the catacombs outside of the city were devastated, the graves of the martyrs in the catacombs themselves were broken open and desecrated. In December, 536, the Byzantine general Belisarius garrisoned Rome and was received by the pope in a friendly and courteous manner. Theodora sought to use Belisarius for the carrying out of her plan to depose Silverius and to put in his place the Roman deacon Vigilius, formerly apocrisary at Constantinople, who had now gone to Italy. Antonina, wife of Belisarius, influenced her husband to act as Theodora desired. By means of a forged letter the pope was accused of a treasonable agreement with the Gothic king who was besieging Rome. It was asserted that Silverius had offered the king to leave one of the city gates secretly open so as to permit the Goths to enter. Silverius was consequently arrested in March, 537, roughly stripped of his episcopal dress, given the clothing of a monk and carried off to exile in the East. Vigilius was consecrated Bishop of Rome in his stead.
Silverius was taken to Lycia where he was went to reside at Patara. The Bishop of Patara very soon discovered that the exiled pope was innocent. He journeyed to Constantinople and was able to lay before the Emperor Justinian such proofs of the innocence of the exile that the emperor wrote to Belisarius commanding a new investigation of the matter. Should it turn out that the letter concerning the alleged plot in favour of the Goths was forged, Silverius should be placed once more in possession of the papal see. At the same time the emperor allowed Silverius to return to Italy, and the latter soon entered the country, apparently at Naples. However, Vigilius arranged to take charge of his unlawfully deposed predecessor. He evidently acted in agreement with the Empress Theodora and was aided by Antonina, the wife of Belisarius. Silverius was taken to the Island of Palmaria in the Tyrrhenian Sea and kept their in close confinement. Here he died in consequence of the privations and harsh treatment he endured. The year of his death is unknown, but he probably did not live long after reaching Palmaria. He was buried on the island, according to the testimony of the "Liber pontificalis" on 20 June; his remains were never taken from Palmaria. According to the same witness he was invoked after death by the believers who visited his grave. In later times he was venerated as a saint. The earliest proof of this is given by a list of saints of the eleventh century (Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire, 1893, 169). The "Martyrologium" of Peter de Natalibus of the fourteenth century also contains his feast, which is recorded in the present Roman Martyrology on 20 June.
POPE Vigilius
Vigilius is said to have agreed to the plans of the intriguing empress who promised him the Papal See and a large sum of money (700 pounds of gold). After Agapetus's death on 22 April, 536, Vigilius return to Rome equipped with letters from the imperial Court and with money. Meanwhile Silverius had been made pope through the influence of the King of the Goths. Soon after this the Byzantine commander Belisarius garrisoned the city of Rome, which was, however, besieged again by the Goths. Vigilius gave Belisarius the letters from the Court of Constantinople, which recommended Vigilius himself for the Papal See. False accusations now led Belisarius to depose Silverius. Owing to the pressure exerted by the Byzantine commander, Vigilius was elected pope in place of Silverius and consecrated and enthroned on 29 March, 537. Vigilius brought it about that the unjustly deposed Silverius was put into his keeping where the late pope soon died from the harsh treatment he received. After the death of this predecessor Vigilius was recognized as pope by all the Roman clergy.
Vigilius refused to acknowledge the imperial edict and was called to Constantinople by Justinian, in order to settle the matter there with a synod. According to the Liber pontificalis on 20 November, while the pope was celebrating the feast of St. Cecilia in the Church of St. Cecilia in Trastevere, and before the service was fully ended, he was ordered by the imperial official Anthimus to start at once on the journey to Constantinople. The pope was taken immediately to a ship that waited in the Tiber, in order to be carried to the eastern capital, while a part of the populace cursed the pope and threw stones at the ship. Rome was now besieged by the Goths under Totila and the inhabitants fell into the greatest misery. Vigilius sent ships with grain to Rome but these were captured by the enemy. If the story related by the Liber pontificalis is essentially correct, the pope probably left Rome on 22 November, 545. He remained for a long time in Sicily, and reached Constantinople about the end of 546 or in January, 547.
Thus at the end of a sorrowful residence of eight years at Constantinople the pope was able, after coming to an understanding with the emperor, to start on his return to Rome in the spring of 555
Pasted from
*
Reading those few bits of historic information we can see how the Pope's entered into alliances with the military powers- the emperors, the empresses, the kings, the queens, the generals- rather than fight in the sense of retaining a pure alliance to God- they chose compromise with the world, they chose mammon, they chose the broad path and we know where that leads. It'd be great to be able to say this changed- but the Little Horn only continued to fit more and more into the prophetic picture as the Papal System.
More tomorrow by the grace of God.
May we pray with a sincere heart for His guidance in all things, in all truth. We need His guiding love, we need the Holy Spirit desperately so that we are not deceived as all but the very elect will be. Only through the righteousness of our Savior will we be saved by His grace.
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Do you remember when Jesus talked of speaking in parables?
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Prophecy is meant to be understood- why else would it be given? Many prophets throughout the Old Testament would prophesize and then within the time allotted their prophecy would come to pass. This happened over and over again. God used His prophets to warn people, to encourage people to have faith. Prophets served God's purpose. We can't forget that prophecies are a reality with God, not fables as so many would love to believe. Shove away the prophecies that are too hard to comprehend, that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Hide those things we can't readily understand spoken in plain language. We can't do that. We have to understand that God has a purpose in all He does. Making prophecies hard for us to decipher is for a reason. The prophecies we are studying in Daniel right now reach all the way to the end of time. As long as we are alive and the end has not come this prophecy applies to us.
Like it or not, we are a part of this prophecy. People from the moment it was given were living in prophetic time. Watching things take place, seeing them unfold. Nebuchadnezzar had been told His kingdom would fall and it fell. The Medes and Persians fell. The Greeks fell. Rome was diminished and divided but still exists. Political kingdoms warred and had for many, many years warred against each other fighting, conquering and being conquered. What came into play in the last kingdom prophesized as it was being divided was a new force at play, a different force, a man-like force. Is this to say men were NOT behind the force of those other horns that came up first? They were, but, and this is something we have to really considered- they were not using any religious power to gain their conquered kingdoms, a religious power such as this one did not exist. This religious power was NOT the common pagan priest, not a soothsayer, not a magician that men were making a part of their entourage. This was a NEW power that hadn't existed before and the power came into being under our SAVIOR. This power became a counterfeit to our Savior's truth. This power put on a form of godliness. This power took the things of God and warped them from their pure simple truths into something to serve man, not God. And as they became corrupt, claiming God as their High Authority, they put themselves in league with the warring factions. They submitted to the kings and rulers, bowing to them, and agreeing to pervert their truths in order to gain power, to gain prestige, to gain acceptance, to stop their persecution. These men became as guilty as the Pharisees themselves that Jesus condemned. As they perverted Christianity into their own selfish ideas they aligned themselves with others and used their influence to rid themselves of their worst distracters desiring to make themselves more powerful and their enemies less powerful, destroying them if possible to further their own ambitions.
I need to jump back to history again here and bring up a few bits and pieces of the rising Papacy of the day as recorded as put forth from the Catholic Encyclopedia.
PLEASE read them if you can, it's NOT easy to read history if you've no inclination to do so but to catch these points here means bringing to life the reality of the time. The rising of that Little Horn displacing other Horns through its MOUTH, its EYES, not through its beasts strength, not through military power.
*
POPE St. Agapetus I
(Also AGAPITUS.)
Reigned 535-536. Date of birth uncertain; died 22 April, 536... Meanwhile Belisarius, after the very easy conquest of Sicily, was preparing for an invasion of Italy. The Gothic king, Theodehad, as a last resort, begged the aged pontiff to proceed to Constantinople and bring his personal influence to bear on the Emperor Justinian.
Pasted from
POPE St. Silverius
(Reigned 536-37).
The Empress Theodora, who favoured the Monophysites sought to bring about the election as pope of the Roman deacon Vigilius who was then at Constantinople and had given her the desired guarantees as to the Monophysites. However, Theodatus, King of the Ostrogoths, who wished to prevent the election of a pope connected with Constantinople, forestalled her, and by his influence the subdeacon Silverius was chosen.
However, the pope committed himself to nothing and Theodora now resolved to overthrow him and to gain the papal see for Vigilius. Troublous times befell Rome during the struggle that broke out in Italy between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines after the death of Amalasuntha, daughter of Theodoric the Great. The Ostrogothic king, Vitiges, who ascended the throne in August, 536, besieged the city. The churches over the catacombs outside of the city were devastated, the graves of the martyrs in the catacombs themselves were broken open and desecrated. In December, 536, the Byzantine general Belisarius garrisoned Rome and was received by the pope in a friendly and courteous manner. Theodora sought to use Belisarius for the carrying out of her plan to depose Silverius and to put in his place the Roman deacon Vigilius, formerly apocrisary at Constantinople, who had now gone to Italy. Antonina, wife of Belisarius, influenced her husband to act as Theodora desired. By means of a forged letter the pope was accused of a treasonable agreement with the Gothic king who was besieging Rome. It was asserted that Silverius had offered the king to leave one of the city gates secretly open so as to permit the Goths to enter. Silverius was consequently arrested in March, 537, roughly stripped of his episcopal dress, given the clothing of a monk and carried off to exile in the East. Vigilius was consecrated Bishop of Rome in his stead.
Silverius was taken to Lycia where he was went to reside at Patara. The Bishop of Patara very soon discovered that the exiled pope was innocent. He journeyed to Constantinople and was able to lay before the Emperor Justinian such proofs of the innocence of the exile that the emperor wrote to Belisarius commanding a new investigation of the matter. Should it turn out that the letter concerning the alleged plot in favour of the Goths was forged, Silverius should be placed once more in possession of the papal see. At the same time the emperor allowed Silverius to return to Italy, and the latter soon entered the country, apparently at Naples. However, Vigilius arranged to take charge of his unlawfully deposed predecessor. He evidently acted in agreement with the Empress Theodora and was aided by Antonina, the wife of Belisarius. Silverius was taken to the Island of Palmaria in the Tyrrhenian Sea and kept their in close confinement. Here he died in consequence of the privations and harsh treatment he endured. The year of his death is unknown, but he probably did not live long after reaching Palmaria. He was buried on the island, according to the testimony of the "Liber pontificalis" on 20 June; his remains were never taken from Palmaria. According to the same witness he was invoked after death by the believers who visited his grave. In later times he was venerated as a saint. The earliest proof of this is given by a list of saints of the eleventh century (Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire, 1893, 169). The "Martyrologium" of Peter de Natalibus of the fourteenth century also contains his feast, which is recorded in the present Roman Martyrology on 20 June.
POPE Vigilius
Vigilius is said to have agreed to the plans of the intriguing empress who promised him the Papal See and a large sum of money (700 pounds of gold). After Agapetus's death on 22 April, 536, Vigilius return to Rome equipped with letters from the imperial Court and with money. Meanwhile Silverius had been made pope through the influence of the King of the Goths. Soon after this the Byzantine commander Belisarius garrisoned the city of Rome, which was, however, besieged again by the Goths. Vigilius gave Belisarius the letters from the Court of Constantinople, which recommended Vigilius himself for the Papal See. False accusations now led Belisarius to depose Silverius. Owing to the pressure exerted by the Byzantine commander, Vigilius was elected pope in place of Silverius and consecrated and enthroned on 29 March, 537. Vigilius brought it about that the unjustly deposed Silverius was put into his keeping where the late pope soon died from the harsh treatment he received. After the death of this predecessor Vigilius was recognized as pope by all the Roman clergy.
Vigilius refused to acknowledge the imperial edict and was called to Constantinople by Justinian, in order to settle the matter there with a synod. According to the Liber pontificalis on 20 November, while the pope was celebrating the feast of St. Cecilia in the Church of St. Cecilia in Trastevere, and before the service was fully ended, he was ordered by the imperial official Anthimus to start at once on the journey to Constantinople. The pope was taken immediately to a ship that waited in the Tiber, in order to be carried to the eastern capital, while a part of the populace cursed the pope and threw stones at the ship. Rome was now besieged by the Goths under Totila and the inhabitants fell into the greatest misery. Vigilius sent ships with grain to Rome but these were captured by the enemy. If the story related by the Liber pontificalis is essentially correct, the pope probably left Rome on 22 November, 545. He remained for a long time in Sicily, and reached Constantinople about the end of 546 or in January, 547.
Thus at the end of a sorrowful residence of eight years at Constantinople the pope was able, after coming to an understanding with the emperor, to start on his return to Rome in the spring of 555
Pasted from
*
Reading those few bits of historic information we can see how the Pope's entered into alliances with the military powers- the emperors, the empresses, the kings, the queens, the generals- rather than fight in the sense of retaining a pure alliance to God- they chose compromise with the world, they chose mammon, they chose the broad path and we know where that leads. It'd be great to be able to say this changed- but the Little Horn only continued to fit more and more into the prophetic picture as the Papal System.
More tomorrow by the grace of God.
May we pray with a sincere heart for His guidance in all things, in all truth. We need His guiding love, we need the Holy Spirit desperately so that we are not deceived as all but the very elect will be. Only through the righteousness of our Savior will we be saved by His grace.
In His amazing love!
Amen.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Prophecy 8 The Little Horn Revealed
The Little Horn-- (Yes, all in capital letters because these are the verses of the little horn out of Daniel 7 and we need to recap them once again, and maybe again and again.)
Dan 7:8 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.
Characteristics-
Little horn
Three of the ten horns plucked up by the roots
Eyes like a man
Mouth speaking great things
Dan 7:11 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.
Characteristics-
Voice of the great words which the horn spoke
Dan 7:20 AND OF THE TEN HORNS THAT WERE IN HIS HEAD AND OF THE OTHER WHICH CAME UP, AND BEFORE WHOM THREE FELL, EVEN OF THE HORN THAT HAD EYES, AND A MOUTH THAT SPAKE VERY GREAT THINGS, WHOSE LOOK WAS MORE STOUT THAN HIS FELLOWS.
Characteristics-
Before whom three of the ten horns fell.
Horn that had eyes
Horn that had a mouth speaking great things
Horn whose appearance was more stout than the other horns
Dan 7:21,22 I BEHELD AND THE SAME HORN MADE WAR WITH THE SAINTS AND PREVAILED AGAINST THEM. UNTIL THE ANCIENT OF DAYS CAME AND JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN TO THE SAINTS OF THE MOST HIGH AND THE TIME CAME THAT THE SAINTS POSSESSED THE KINGDOM.
Characteristics-
Little horn made war with the saints
Dan 7:24,24 AND THE TEN HORNS OUT OF THIS KINGDOM ARE TEN KINGS THAT SHALL ARISE AND ANOTHER SHALL RISE AFTER THEM AND HE SHALL BE DIVERSE FROM THE FIRST AND SHALL SUBDUE THREE KINGS. 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.
Characteristics-
Another kingdom different from the others
Subdues three of the other kingdoms
Speaks great words against the Most High
Wear out the saints of the Most High
Think to change times and laws
In control for a time and times and dividing of time
This is all stuff we've reviewed over the last few lessons but we can't get this wrong, we have to study it deeply and prayerfully. We aren't going to find this kingdom quite so easily as we were able to understand that Babylon was overthrown by the Medes and Persians, or that the Medes and Persians were overthrown by the Greeks, or that Greek would be overthrown by the Romans. How much more simpler it would all be if yet another came in and over threw the Romans, but that's not how it happened. The Roman empire wasn't just over thrown by one entity but many. Out of those many there was going to come up a SPECIAL entity, a very special entity from what the Bible tells us.
Daniel 7 isn't the only chapter that speaks of this power, how could it be when this power was going to exist until the very end of time? Let's go on to Daniel chapter 8 and catch yet another picture of this power with even more details added to this entire picture of history.
Dan 8:1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.
Dan 8:2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.
Dan 8:3 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
Sound familiar? Remember this--
Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, 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.
Raised itself up on one side- two horns one higher than the other.
Yes, this is yet another representation of Medes and Persians.
Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
So with that in mind lets keep reading- not at this point to note even more details on the kingdoms we are sure about, but to keep things in context until we learn more of that little horn which we have yet to put a name to.
Dan 8:4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
Dan 8:5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
Dan 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Dan 8:6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
Dan 8:7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
Dan 8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
Dan 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Dan 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Dan 8:11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Dan 8:12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
A LITTLE HORN
Waxed exceeding great
Waxed great even to the host of heaven
Cast down some of the host of the stars to the ground and stamped upon them
Magnified himself to the prince of the host
By him the daily sacrifice was taken away
The place of his sanctuary was cast down
A host given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of sin
Cast down to the ground-
And PRACTISED and PROSPERED.
Dan 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Dan 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
Dan 8:15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
Dan 8:16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
Dan 8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
Dan 8:18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
Dan 8:19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
Dan 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Dan 8:22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
Dan 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
Dan 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 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 shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
Dan 8:26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.
Dan 8:27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
Magnify himself in his heart
By peace shall destroy many
We know for a fact when Rome takes over Greece that out of Rome comes this LITTLE HORN, which if you ask me seems like the biggest horn of them all but in the disguise of being a little horn. Remember the old wolf in sheep's clothing? This seems like the exact same principle here. We have a seemingly little power that has more power than all the other kingdoms, more power than all the kingdoms before it but it's a power wielded in a much different manner. It's a power that gets control and keeps some form of control, keeps living despite any future opposition, and never stops living in some manner until all is said and done in our world. This power exists TODAY. This same power that began coming out of the Roman power and entering into existence fully when it subdued, overthrew, caused to fall down three other powers.
So that seems to be a bit of a keynote there in all this doesn't it? Those three kingdoms being disposed of. So who disposed of them?
If we look at history it tells us this…
Under Constantine, Christianity did not become the exclusive religion of the state, but enjoyed imperial preference, because the Emperor supported it with generous privileges. Constantine established the principle that emperors should not settle questions of doctrine, but should summon general ecclesiastical councils for that purpose. The Synod of Arles was convened by Constantine, and the First Council of Nicaea showcased his claim to be head of the Church.[25]
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Constantine the Great (Latin: Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus;[3] c. 27 February 272[2] – 22 May 337), also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine,[4] was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity,
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As the emperor who used his government to empower Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and moved the capital to the banks of the Bosporus, Constantine was a ruler of major historical importance, but he has always been a controversial figure.[6]
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In 321, Constantine instructed that Christians and non-Christians should be united in observing the venerable day of the sun, referencing the esoteric eastern sun-worship which Aurelian had helped introduce, and his coinage still carried the symbols of the sun cult until 324. Even after the pagan gods had disappeared from the coinage, Christian symbols appeared only as Constantine's personal attributes: the chi rho between his hands or on his labarum, but never on the coin itself.[205] Even when Constantine dedicated the new capital of Constantinople, which became the seat of Byzantine Christianity for a millennium, he did so wearing the Apollonian sun-rayed Diadem.
Constantine burning Arian books
The reign of Constantine established a precedent for the position of the emperor as having some influence within the religious discussions going on within the Catholic Church of that time, e.g., the dispute over Arianism. Constantine himself disliked the risks to societal stability that religious disputes and controversies brought with them, preferring where possible to establish an orthodoxy.[206] The emperor saw it as his duty to ensure that God was properly worshiped in his empire, and that what proper worship consisted would be determined by the Church.[207] In 316, Constantine acted as a judge in a North African dispute concerning the validity of Donatism. After deciding against the Donatists, Constantine led an army of Christians against the Donatist Christians. After 300 years of pacifism, this was the first intra-Christian persecution. More significantly, in 325 he summoned the Council of Nicaea, effectively the first Ecumenical Council (unless the Council of Jerusalem is so classified). Nicaea was dealt mostly with Arianism. Constantine also enforced the prohibition of the First Council of Nicaea against celebrating the Lord's Supper on the day before the Jewish Passover (14 Nisan) (see Quartodecimanism and Easter controversy).[208
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This bit of history is laying the groundwork of that little horn. This Roman Emperor was the first to bring Christianity into an acceptable place among the mainstream of the time. Constantine led an ARMY of CHRISTIANS- against other Christians. Government and the Christian religion mingle here for the first time with the government of the time on the side of the Christians.
Why is this important? Because from here on in politics mingling with Christian religion plays a HUGE part in the goings on of the overthrow of the Roman rule. Anyone that wants to ignore this is foolish because religion is what God is all about, yes? God gave the vision to Nebuchadnezzar , it was by God's design that Nebuchadnezzar have a kingdom such as he had. God could see the grand picture and in that grand design He knew the succession that would take place. The Medes and Persians would follow Babylon, the Greeks would follow the Medes and Persians and yes, then the Roman rule would follow. God's son was born into the world under the Roman rule. Christianity came into existence because of Christ, which should go without saying but we have to understand how this all fits together. Under the fourth beast's rule our Savior was born and He didn't come as a military force conquering but as a spiritual force conquering over Satan, over sin. Born under the fourth beast, Christ also died under the fourth beast's rule. After His death as His followers began the great mission to spread His word many different groups formed out of those followers. No longer simple followers of Christ much more began to come into play. Christ did not set down a plan of action for His followers other than to spread His message. Christ knew that His Apostles would be natural leaders of those that followed and people would look to them to lead them in their new found beliefs. The church began to grow, but the church not as an organization like we have it today. Jesus had His followers and they spread the word without forming an organization and bringing in worldly politics. In fact Jesus wanted the two to be separate, didn't He?
Mat 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
Jesus didn't tell His disciples to give the things that are Caesar's to God, nor did He tell them to give that which is God's to Caesar.
Did it remain so? No. Not in the way it was intended. Caesar's things and God's things quickly became mingled, but not by the Apostle's or their teachings. Satan wouldn't stand still and let God's people flourish without trying to destroy them. Satan had to infiltrate God's people and using His influence get them to turn from God while believing they are doing no such thing. Satan had to corrupt things and if you think otherwise then you aren't reading your Bibles and understanding by the grace of God. Satan is a destroyer, a deceiver, and he will remain so right until the end of time and his destruction in the lake of fire.
Satan didn't take time off when Christ died to allow Christ's followers to flourish. Satan was right there from the start.
Paul said this….
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 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:
The mystery of iniquity doth ALREADY WORK!
Satan wasn't sleeping. Satan was going to be right there and you can bet your life that his deception was near to perfect in deceiving all but the very elect as it is today.
Now this LITTLE HORN power was going to be DIFFERENT than all the rest, right? Well, let's think about it for a moment, seriously think about everything that's transpired.
Until the Roman kingdom Christians did NOT exist, Christ hadn't lived and died for mankind until the Roman rule. Now this little horn was going to come up out of the Roman rule just as the ten horns before it would.
The MOST striking difference in the overthrow of the fourth beast-- a kingdom that would still continue on in a much LESSER manner but not as a world ruling kingdom (remember the iron and clay mixed in the toes of the statue)-- was the fact the world would be living in a time of Christ! The Babylons did not live in this time, the Medes and Persians did not live in the time of a Messiah realized, the Greeks did not live and rule in the time of our Savior's birth, life, and death, but the ROMAN kingdom did.
Now this Little Horn is a power that opposes Christ, yes? This Little Horn is a power that will speak great things, and think to change times and laws, this little power will speak out against the Most High. This Little Horn would become an immense power that would ultimately throughout all its reign whether in full destroying power, making war with the saints, or as a power seemingly overthrown only to continue on until the end, would be instrumental in the uprooting of three worldly kingdoms that previously took part in some way to overthrow the tremendous Roman Kingdom. We CANNOT be ignorant to the fact that this Little Horn with its strangeness, with it's different power would be a religious power- we are told outright that this power would take part in speaking out against God, would think to change times and laws- whose times? Whose Laws? Gods. Would try to wear out the saints of God completely.
The previous kingdoms had very little to do with God and nothing to do with the saints of God- the Christ followers of which there would always be a few true followers. REMEMBER that path is NARROW!
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Those were Jesus' words! Jesus didn't envision a great mass of true followers. That gate is strait, that way is narrow and FEW will find it compared to the masses. Spreading His message, the gospel of His kingdom, would gain followers yes, but never a majority. It's the truth! This is Christ's truth! This is the truth of the Bible!
It's safe for us to truly be able to say this Little Horn was a power that was different because it would mingle religion with politics. What power did this way back then? What power came into existence that had a part to play in the politics, the wars being waged at the time? Seriously, we cannot ignore this aspect whatsoever! Satan would have us ignore it, Satan wants us left completely in the dark! Satan will gladly tell us anything we want to hear that is soothing to our ears- all to keep us from Christ!
God told us outright that this little power would be DIFFERENT than the others. I can look at all the military powers of the time just as you can and there is no striking difference from one military to the next. Remember the different characteristics of the beasts… eagle's wings, bear like, four wings and so on? Those were traits that each of those conquering armies, conquering kingdoms possessed. The ten horns were all basically alike right? They didn't differentiate between the ten horns with this characteristic and that. They were all similar. Then we have ONE little horn that comes up and it's NOT similar to the others. About the same time all this is going on, the ten horns are conquering bits and pieces of the then Roman Kingdom tearing it apart so that it would no longer ever be a whole Roman Kingdom again, about this time something NEW, something DIFFERENT comes into play, something that would continue on until the end of the world, changing as prophecy depicts throughout time.
Christianity entered politics. You can scoff if you like, but this was much different than the worship of pagan gods. Christianity God's truth, the Salvation of God offered through the sacrifice of His Son. This wasn't the Jewish God minus Jesus that came into play- not at all even though that existed for a long, long, long time before the first advent of our Savior. This was new compared to every other god in existence. Christians were outcast and persecuted by the Roman government for a long, long time. Christians were thrown to the lions, tortured, killed in various ways, this is history. But then something happened- those in charge, those in the government opposed to Christians came to accept it and the persecution stopped allowing Christianity to become part of the politics.
When we read this…
'As the emperor who used his government to empower Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and moved the capital to the banks of the Bosporus, Constantine was a ruler of major historical importance, but he has always been a controversial figure.[6] '
… we have to realize that a NEW power was underway. Now ask yourself what power had these characteristics over time…
Three of the ten horns plucked up by the roots
Eyes like a man
Mouth speaking great things
Another kingdom different from the others
Subdues three of the other kingdoms
Speaks great words against the Most High
Wear out the saints of the Most High
Think to change times and laws
In control for a time and times and dividing of time
Jumping back to the 3 that were subdued--
His general Belisarius swiftly conquered the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, extending Roman control to the Atlantic Ocean. Subsequently Belisarius, Narses, and other generals conquered the Ostrogothic Kingdom, restoring Dalmatia, Sicily, Italy, and Rome to the empire after being under barbarian control for over half a century
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From the middle of the fifth century onward increasingly arduous tasks confronted the emperors of the East in ecclesiastical matters. For one thing, the radicals on all sides felt themselves constantly repelled by the creed adopted by the Council of Chalcedon to defend the biblical doctrine of the nature of Christ and bridge the gap between the dogmatic parties. The letter of Pope Leo I to Flavian of Constantinople was widely considered in the East as the work of Satan; so that nobody cared to hear of the Church of Rome. The emperors, however, had a policy of preserving the unity between Constantinople and Rome; and this remained possible only if they did not swerve from the line defined at Chalcedon. In addition, the factions in the East which had become stirred up and disaffected because of Chalcedon needed restraining and pacifying. This problem proved the more difficult because, in the East, the dissenting groups exceeded supporters of Chalcedon both in numerical strength and in intellectual ability. Tension from the incompatibility of the two aims grew: whoever chose Rome and the West must renounce the East, and vice versa.
Justinian entered the arena of ecclesiastical statecraft shortly after his uncle's accession in 518, and put an end to the Monophysite schism that had prevailed between Rome and Constantinople since 483. The recognition of the Roman see as the highest ecclesiastical authority[60] remained the cornerstone of his Western policy. Offensive as it was to many in the East, nonetheless Justinian felt himself entirely free to take a Despotic stance toward the popes such as Silverius and Vigilius. While no compromise could ever be accepted by the dogmatic wing of the church, his sincere efforts at reconciliation gained him the approval of the major body of the church. A signal proof was his attitude in the Theopaschite controversy. At the outset he was of the opinion that the question turned on a quibble of words. By degrees, however, Justinian came to understand that the formula at issue not only appeared orthodox, but might also serve as a conciliatory measure toward the Monophysites, and he made a vain attempt to do this in the religious conference with the followers of Severus of Antioch, in 533.
Again, Justinian moved toward compromise in the religious edict of 15 March 533,[61] and congratulated himself that Pope John II admitted the orthodoxy of the imperial confession.[62] The serious blunder that he had made at the beginning by abetting a severe persecution of the Monophysite bishops and monks and thereby embittering the population of vast regions and provinces, he remedied eventually. His constant aim now remained to win over the Monophysites, yet not to surrender the Chalcedonian faith. For many at court, he did not go far enough: Theodora especially would have rejoiced to see the Monophysites favored unreservedly. Justinian, however, felt restrained by the complications that would have ensued with the West. But in the condemnation of the Three Chapters Justinian tried to satisfy both the East and the West, but succeeded in satisfying neither. Although the pope assented to the condemnation, the West believed that the emperor had acted contrary to the decrees of Chalcedon. Though many delegates emerged in the East subservient
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During the Early Church, the bishops of Rome enjoyed no temporal power until the time of Constantine. After the fall of Rome (the "Middle Ages"), the papacy was influenced by the temporal rulers of and surrounding the Italian peninsula; these periods are known as the Ostrogothic Papacy, Byzantine Papacy, and Frankish Papacy. Over time, the papacy consolidated its territorial claims to a portion of the peninsula known as the Papal States. Thereafter, the role of neighboring sovereigns was replaced by powerful Roman families during the saeculum obscurum, the Crescentii era, and the Tusculan Papacy.
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Many popes in the first three centuries of the Christian era are obscure figures. Several suffered martyrdom along with members of their flock in periods of persecution. Most of them engaged in intense theological arguments with other bishops.
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Yes, we are going to get a history lesson here and it's important… did you just read that above? Many popes in the first 3 centuries are obscure figures. So AFTER the first 3 centuries something happens and the popes start to play a very prominent role in politics.
Let's read a bit and see if it's easy to spot the fact that the influence of papal authority in politics played a part in the uprooting of kingdoms.
Since the fall of Rome
Pope Simplicius (468-483), the pope during the end of the Western Roman Empire
Pope Simplicius (468-483) was the pope who witnessed the final overthrow of the Western Roman Empire, and fell ill in 483.[3] The papal election of March 483 was the first to take place without the existence of a Western Roman emperor.[4] While the pope still lived, the praetorian prefect, Caecina Decius Maximus Basilius called together the Roman Senate, Roman clergy, and the leading local bishops in the Imperial Mausoleum.[4] Simplicitus had issued an admonitio declaring that no election of his successor should be valid without the consent of Basilius.[4] Basilius was both the leader of the Roman aristocracy and the Chief Minister of Odoacer, the "king of Italy."[4] Simplicius was succeeded by Pope Felix III (483-492), Pope Gelasius I (492-496), and Pope Anastasius II (496-498).
The first schism
The role of the Ostrogoths became clear in the first schism. On November 22, 498, both Pope Symmachus and Antipope Laurentius were elected pope.[5] Symmachus was approved by the Roman Senate,[6] but both Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I and the Gothic King Theodoric the Great originally supported Laurentius, who was installed in the Lateran Palace.[5]
Symmachus and Laurentius resorted to bribing Theodoric for his support, with funds from the Roman aristocrats who supported them.[7] This is the first documented case of papal simony, wherein both candidates attempted to bribe the royal councilors, if not Theodoric himself, to influence his choice.[8] According to DeCormenin and de Lahaye, also influencing Theodoric to side with Symmachus and expel Laurentius from Rome was his fear that the latter was too influenced by the Byzantine ruler,[5] but according to Richards this is "simply not borne out by the evidence."[9] In announcing his decision, Theodoric cited the majority of clerical support and the fact of prior ordination.[10]
On March 1, 499, Symmachus declared to a synod in Old Saint Peter's Basilica his plan for campaign finance reform in future sede vacantes.[7] Laurentius was among those who signed his statute, having been appointed as Bishop of Nuceria in consolation for having lost his claim to the papacy.[7] Symmachus decreed that reigning bishops would be able to designate their own successors, ending the participation of the laity for at least a half-century.[8]
When the supporters of Laurentius tried to depose Symmachus for having celebrated Easter according to the wrong calendar, Theodoric called the pope before him in Ariminum to resolve the matter.[11] When Symmachus arrived, he discovered that the charges against him included unchastity and maladministration of church property, and fled back to Rome.[11] His flight bolstered the Laurentian party, who succeeded in persuading Theodoric to send a visitor to Rome to have Easter celebrated according to the Greek calendar and to convene a synod to consider the charges against Symmachus.[11] Peter of Altinum, the bishop of Istria, came to Rome to oversee the new Easter celebration and took over the administration of the Holy See pending the outcome of the synod.[11]
In the first two sessions, the assembled Italian bishops were unable to agree on the appropriate procedures to settle the matter, but the third session acquitted Symmachus.[12] Theodoric took a rather hands-off approach to the synod, refusing repeated requests for him to travel to Rome and resolve the matter personally.[13] According to Richards:
"There is something really rather shocking about the way in which the assembled bishops of the Catholic church fell over themselves to persuade a heretic barbarian to decide who the pope should be. It makes nonsense of the idea of an articulation of papal monarchial theory in which the church was superior to the lay authorities. Both the Symmachian and Laurentian factions appealed to the king for arbitration in 489 and both sides accepted his convocation of a synod. Symmachus, indeed, finally submitted a decision about his case to God and the king, hardly the sort of behavior one would accept from a champion of papal supremacy. Indeed, the regularity with which both sides invoked the intervention of the king suggests a widely held view of his impartiality."[14]
Despite the synod, Laurentius was able to return to Rome, take over much of the papal patrimony and churches of the city, and rule from the Lateran Palace while Symmachus remained in St. Peter's.[15]
After Symmachus
According to Richards, "the death of Pope Symmachus in July 514 was a crucial test for the election regulations after nearly sixteen controversial years of Symmachian rule."[16] However, the "Symmachian old guard" controlled a supermajority of the priests and deacons and thus were able to elect Pope Hormisdas (514-523) after only seven days.[16] Hormisdas was likely appointed by Symmachus himself, "a procedure which was implicit in the electoral regulations."[16] Hormisdas had prepared complicated written instructions for his envoys to the East long before his election and kept Theodoric well appraised of his negotiations with the Byzantines.[16]
Hormisdas was succeeded by Pope John I (523-526). Theodoric married his daughters to the kings of Burgundy, the Visigoths, and Vandals, fellow adherents of Arianism.[17] However, Clovis, king of the Franks, renounced Arianism in 506, as did Sigismund of Burgundy in 516; acts that could possibly describe the act of having "converted to Catholicism."[17] In 523, Eutharic, king of the Visigoths, ceased persecuting non-Arians, around the same time that the Eastern Church began its persecution of Arians.[17] Theodoric created an Ostrogothic navy and sent an emissary to the East, head by Pope John I himself in 526.[17]
Pope Felix IV (526-530) was the first successor of Symmachus to have trouble designating a successor.
John I was succeeded by Pope Felix IV (526-530). Felix IV was the recommendation of Theodoric and his election was confirmed by Athalaric.[18] He was thus appointed "for all practical purposes" by Theodoric.[19] The process of predecessor appointment was used without serious issue until the death of Felix IV, who had given his pallium to Pope Boniface II on his deathbed in 530 and decreed excommunication of any who refused to accept the succession.[8] The Roman Senate disliked the lack of election and denounced Felix, affirming a decree of Pope Anastasius II, which had prohibited the practice of a pope designating a successor.[8] Boniface II was supported only by a minority of the clergy, with the larger share supporting Dioscorus, with only Dioscorus's death halting the schism.[8]
Boniface II attempted to re-entrench the practice of appointing his successor, but the public outcry was too great, resulting in a highly disputed election in 532 characterized by widespread accounts of bribery and coercion, which resulted in Pope John II (the first to take a papal name).[20] Pope John was chosen by Athalaric to avoid a split between the Byzantine and Gothic factions.[21] Athalaric, the Ostrogoth king, forced John II to approve decrees that banned any private agreements to elect a pope and enacting limits on the amount of money that could be spent during a papal election (an early example of campaign finance reform).[20] In fact, Athalaric himself was able to engineer the election of Pope Silverius, the son of Pope Hormisdas, upon John II's death.[20]
Theodahad threw his support behind Pope Agapetus I and was thus "well placed to coerce the new pope Agapetus, for he had been elected with his support."[22] Theodahad also played a decisive role in the selection of Pope Silverius (536-537), the legitimate son of Hormisdas.[23]
Effects of Justinian's reconquest
Main article: Byzantine Papacy
After Justinian I retook Rome in the Gothic War (535–554), "to interfere in the papacy had been one of the first things Justinian had done as soon as his armies got a foothold in Italy."[24] Long before he had completed his victory over the Ostrogoths, Justinian I had his commander Belisarius depose the pro-Gothic Pope Silverius (536–537), and install Pope Vigilius (537–555), the former papal apocrisiarius to Constantinople, in his place.[24] Silverius died and Vigilius was ordained in 537, while the Goths rallied and laid siege to Rome.[24] In 542, King Totila recaptured Rome and by the time Justinian's new general Narses recaptured the city in 552, Vigilius was no longer in Rome
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Did you read ALL that? I really, really hope you did, because it is CLEAR that the role of the papacy in politics had become very popular and suddenly where never before had this sort of thing happened- the papacy was involved in politics to the point CONQUERING kings were concerning themselves with the Popes in charge because they KNEW the power they were coming to have!!!
Remember the characteristics--
Different than the others
Mouth speaking great things
Eyes of a man
This power wasn't the usual conquering power this was PAPAL power!!!
Tell me you don' t know off the top of your head about the Inquisitions done in the name of the Papacy. Tell me you don't know of the persecution people endured at the hands of the Papacy. Tell me you don't know that Protestantism came out of protesting the Papacy! Tell me the Papacy doesn't exist today. It does!!! From then until now it exists! From then until the end of time it WILL exist.
In fact this was just in the news--
On world stage and behind closed doors, Vatican works diplomatic levers
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Vatican City is the world's smallest state, but it's still considered a diplomatic nerve center, a place where the universal church meets global politics.
*
So tell me this little horn isn't holding true to the prophecy of Daniel! It is! It does! And yet so many don't want to see. So many want to confuse the issue with many, many other things so they don't have to face the truth.
Daniel's prophecy… Daniel's GOD GIVEN prophecy is true and all that was predicted has come and will come to pass!
I'm going to add yet more here and pray that that Holy Spirit moves you to read it all because of the truth it holds, the history it presents in a way that I cannot without access to the same texts of our world's history.
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Challenge of Arianism.--But the fourth century was destined to witness an obstacle thrown across the path of this ambitious dream. The prophecy had declared that the power represented by the little horn would "subdue three kings." In the rise and development of Arianism early in the fourth century and the challenge it presented to papal supremacy, we find the causes leading to the plucking up of three of the kingdoms of Western Rome by the papal power.
Arius, parish priest of the ancient and influential church of Alexandria, promulgated his doctrine to the world, occasioning so fierce a controversy in the Christian church that a general council was called at Nicaea, by the emperor Constantine in A.D. 325, to consider and rule upon its teaching. Arius maintained "that the Son was totally and essentially distinct from the Father; that He was the first and noblest of those be-
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ings whom the Father had created out of nothing, the instrument by whose subordinate operation the Almighty Father formed the universe, and therefore inferior to the Father, both in nature and dignity." This opinion was condemned by the council, which decreed that Christ was of one and the same substance with the Father. Hereupon Arius was banished to Illyria, and his followers were compelled to give their assent to the creed composed on that occasion. [5]
The controversy itself, however, was not to be disposed of in this summary manner. For ages it continued to agitate the Christian world, the Arians everywhere becoming the bitter enemies of the pope and of the Roman Catholic Church. It was evident that the spread of Arianism would check the onward march of Catholicism, and that the possession of Italy and it renowned capital by a people of the Arian persuasion would be fatal to the supremacy of a Catholic bishop. The prophecy, however, had declared that this horn symbolizing the papacy would rise to supreme power, and that in reaching this position it would subdue three kings.
Little Horn Overthrows Three Arian Powers.--Some difference of opinion has existed in regard to the particular powers which were overthrown by the papacy in its rise to power. In this connection the remarks of Albert Barnes seem pertinent: "In the confusion that existed on the breaking up of the Roman Empire, and the imperfect accounts of the transactions which occurred in the rise of the papal power, it would not be wonderful if it should be difficult to find events distinctly recorded that would be in all respects an accurate and absolute fulfillment of the vision. Yet it is possible to make out the fulfillment of this with a good degree of certainty in the history of the papacy." [6]
Joseph Mede supposes the three kingdoms plucked up to have been the Greeks, the Lombards, and the Franks; and Sir
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Issac Newton supposes they were the exarchate of Ravenna, the Lombards, and the senate and dukedom of Rome. Thomas Newton [7] states serious objections to both these suppositions. The Franks could not have been one of these kingdoms, for they were never plucked up. The Lombards could not have been one, for they were never made subject to the popes. Says Albert Barnes further, "I do not find, indeed, that the kingdom of the Lombards was, as is commonly stated among the number of the temporal sovereignties that became subject to the authority of the popes." [8] The senate and dukedom of Rome could not have been one, for as they never constituted one of the ten kingdoms, three of which were to be plucked up before the little horn.
But we apprehend the chief difficulty in the application made by these eminent commentators lay in the fact that they supposed that the prophecy respecting the exaltation of the papacy had not been fulfilled, and could not have been until the pope became a temporal prince. Therefore they sought to find an accomplishment of the prophecy in the events which led to the pope's temporal sovereignty. But evidently the prophecy of verses 24, 25, refers, not to his civil power, but to his power to domineer over the minds and consciences of men. The papacy reached this position, A.D. 538, as will hereafter appear.
The word "before" used in verses 8 and 20 represents the Chaldee {HEBREW CHARACTERS IN PRINTED TEXT}, qadam, with the root meaning "front." Combined with min, meaning "from," as it is in these two verses, Davidson translates it "from the presence of," and Gesenius says it is equivalent to the Hebrew {HEBREW CHARACTERS IN PRINTED TEXT}, lipna, meaning "in the presence of." It therefore has here the meaning "before" in the sense of "place," as it does in the same phrase in verse 10, where it is properly translated in the Authorized Version "from before Him." We have, then, in verse 8 the picture of the
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little horn pressing in among the ten and forcibly plucking up three horns from before it. In verse 20, it is declared that the three horns "fell" from before it, as if overcome by it. In verse 24, we read that another king, representing the little horn, "shall subdue three kings [horns]," evidently by acts of force. While the word qadam is also used in the sense of time, as in the word "before" in verse 7, there can scarcely be a doubt that it is used in the sense of place in the three verses cited above. With this interpretation Edward Elliott clearly agrees. (See page 128.)
The position is here confidently taken that the three powers, or horns, plucked up by the roots were the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths; and this position rests upon reliable historical data. Odoacer, the leader of the Heruli, was the first of the barbarians who reigned over the Romans. He took the throne of Italy, A.D. 476. Of his religious belief Gibbon says: "Like the rest of the barbarians he had been instructed in the Arian heresy; but he revered the monastic and episcopal characters; and the silence of the Catholics attests the toleration which they enjoyed." [9]
The same author says: "The Ostrogoths, the Burgundians, the Suevi, and the Vandals, who had listened to the eloquence of the Latin clergy, preferred the more intelligible lessons of their domestic teachers; and Arianism was adopted as the national faith of the warlike converts who were seated on the ruins of the Western Empire. This irreconcilable difference of religion was a perpetual source of jealousy and hatred; and the reproach of barbarian was embittered by the more odious epithet of heretic. The heroes of the north, who had submitted with some reluctance to believe that all their ancestors were in hell, were astonished and exasperated to learn that they themselves had only changed the mode of their eternal condemnation." [10]
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The Arian doctrine had a marked influence on the church at that time, as will be observed in the following paragraphs: "The whole of the vast Gothic population which descended on the Roman Empire, so far as it was Christian at all, held to the faith of the Alexandrian heretic. Our first Teutonic version of the Scriptures was by an Arian missionary, Ulfilas. The first conqueror of Rome, Alaric, the first conqueror of Africa, Genseric, were Arians. Theodoric the Great, king of Italy, and hero of the 'Nibelungenlied,' was an Arian. The vacant place in his massive tomb at Ravenna is a witness of the vengeance which the Orthodox took on his memory, when on their triumph they tore down the porphyry vase in which his Arian subjects had enshrined his ashes." [11]
Ranke states: "But she [the church] fell, as was inevitable, into many embarrassments, and found herself in an entirely altered condition. A pagan people took possession of Britain; Arian kings seized the greater part of the remaining West; while the Lombards, long attached to Arianism, and as neighbors most dangerous and hostile, established a powerful sovereignty before the very gates of Rome. The Roman bishops, meanwhile, beset on all sides, exerted themselves, with all the prudence and pertinacity which have remained their peculiar attributes, to regain the mastery--at least in their patriarchal diocese." [12]
Machiavelli says: "Nearly all the wars which the northern barbarians carried on in Italy, it may be here remarked, were occasioned by the pontiffs; and the hordes with which the country was inundated, were generally called in by them." [13]
The relation which these Arian kings sustained to the pope is shown in the following testimony from Mosheim in his church history:
"On the other hand, it is certain, from a variety of the most authentic records, that both the emperors and the nations in
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general were far from being disposed to bear with patience the yoke of servitude which the see of Rome was arrogantly imposing upon the Christian church. The Gothic princes set bounds to the power of the bishop of Rome in Italy, permitted none to be raised to the pontificate without their approbation, and reserved to themselves the right of judging concerning the legality of every new election." [14]
An instance in proof of this statement occurs in the history of Odoacer, the first Arian king above mentioned. [15] When, on the death of Pope Simplicius, A.D. 483, the clergy and people had assembled for the election of a new pope, suddenly Basilius, lieutenant of King Odoacer, appeared in the assembly, expressed his surprise that any such work as appointing a successor to the deceased pope should be undertaken without him, in the name of the king declared all that had been done null and void, and ordered the election to be begun anew.
Meanwhile, Zeno, the emperor of the East, and friend of the pope, was anxious to drive Odoacer out of Italy, a movement which he soon had the satisfaction of seeing accomplished without trouble to himself. Theodoric had come to the throne of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Moesia and Pannonia. Being on friendly terms with Zeno, he wrote him, stating that it was impossible for him to restrain his Goths within the impoverished province of Pannonia, and asking his permission to lead them to some more favorable region which they might conquer and posses. Zeno gave him permission to march against Odoacer and take possession of Italy. Accordingly, after a five years' war, the Herulian kingdom in Italy was overthrown, Odoacer was treacherously slain, and Theodoric established his Ostrogoths in the Italian peninsula. As already stated, he was an Arian, and the law of Odoacer subjecting the election of the pope to the approval of the king, was still retained.
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The following incident will show how completely the papacy was in subjection to his power. The Catholics in the East having begun a persecution against the Arians, A.D. 523, Theodoric summoned Pope John into his presence and thus addressed him: " 'If the emperor [Justin, the predecessor of Justinian] therefore does not think fit to revoke the edict which he has lately issued against those of my persuasion [that is, the Arians], it is my firm resolution to issue the like edict against those of his [that is, the Catholics]; and to see it everywhere executed with the same rigor. Those who do not profess the faith of Nice, are heretics to him, and those who do are heretics to me. Whatever can excuse or justify his severity to the former, will excuse and justify mine to the latter. But the emperor,' continued the king, 'has none about him who dare freely and openly speak what they think, or to whom he would hearken if they did. But the great veneration which he professes for your See , leaves no room to doubt but he would hearken to you. I will therefore have you to repair forthwith to Constantinople, and there to remonstrate, both in my name and your own, against the violent measures in which that court has so rashly engaged. It is in your power to divert the emperor from them; and till you have, nay, till the Catholics [this name Theodoric applies to the Arians] are restored to the free exercise of their religion, and to all the churches from which they have been driven, you must not think of returning to Italy.' " [16]
The pope who was thus peremptorily ordered by the Arian emperor not to set foot again upon Italian soil until he had carried out the will of the king, certainly could not hope for much advancement toward any kind of supremacy until that power was taken out of the way.
The feelings of the papal party toward Theodoric may be accurately estimated, according to a quotation already given, by the vengeance which they took on his memory. They tore from his tomb the vase in which his Arian subjects had en-
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shrined his ashes. These feelings are put into language by Baronius, who inveighs "against Theodoric as a cruel barbarian, as a barbarous tyrant, as an impious Arian." [17]
While the Catholics were thus feeling the restraining power of an Arian king in Italy, they were suffering a violent persecution from the Arian Vandals in Africa. [18] Elliot says: " The Vandal kings were not only Arians, but persecutors of the Catholics; in Sardinia and Corsica under the Roman Episcopate, we may presume, as well as in Africa." [19]
Such was the position of affairs, when, A.D. 533, Justinian entered upon his Vandal and Gothic wars. Wishing to obtain the influence of the pope and the Catholic party, he issued that memorable decree which was to constitute the pope of all the churches, and from the carrying out of which A.D. 538, the period of papal supremacy is to be dated. And whoever will read the history of the African campaign, 533-534, and the Italian campaign, 534-538, will notice that the Catholics everywhere hailed as deliverers the army of Belisarius, the general of Justinian.
But no decree of this nature could be carried into effect until the Arian horns which stood in its way were overthrown. A turn came, however, in the tide of affairs, for in the military campaign in Africa and Italy the victorious legions of Belisarius dealt a crushing blow to Arianism, so much so that its final supporters were vanquished.
Procopius relates that the African war was undertaken by Justinian for the relief of the Christians (Catholics) in that quarter, and that when he expressed his intention in this respect, the prefect of the palace came very near dissuading him from his purpose. But a dream appeared to him in which he was bidden "not to shrink from the execution of his design;
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for by assisting the Christians he would overthrow the power of the Vandals." [20]
Mosheim declares: "It is true, the Greeks who had received the decrees of the Council of Nice [that is, from the Catholics], persecuted and oppressed the Arians wherever their influence and authority could reach; but the Nicenians, in their turn, were not less rigorously treated by their adversaries [the Arians], particularly in Africa and Italy, where they felt, in a very severe manner, the weight of the Arian power, and the bitterness of their resentment. the triumphs of Arianism were, however, transitory; and its prosperous days were entirely eclipsed when the Vandals were driven out of Africa, and the Goths out of Italy, by the arms of Justinian." [21]
Elliot summarizes: "I might cite three that were eradicated from before the pope out of the list first given, viz., the Heruli under Odoacer, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths." [22]
From the historical testimony above cited, we think it clearly established that the three horns plucked up were the powers named: the Heruli, A.D. 493, the Vandals, in 534, and the Ostrogoths finally in 553, though effective opposition by the latter to the decree of Justinian ceased when they were driven from Rome by Belisarius in 538, [23] as stated on page 127.
(Daniel and Revelation Uriah Smith) http://temcat.com/L-1-adv-pioneer-lib/USMITH/DANIEL%20AND%20THE%20REVELATION.pdf
Note- I do not agree with everything in this book but for the sheer historical data presented I wanted to include some of this. Go to the link and you can find the footnote sources and search out for yourself if need be at your library or where applicable on the internet. This is a study on Prophecy and prophecy is history fulfilled and unfulfilled. Where history has fulfilled the prophecies we must study the past and let it unfold for us by the grace of God.
This has been a very long study but by the grace of God it will be understood and we are going to study even more and that studying will show even more details that point to the Papacy as this Little Horn power. Many who call themselves enlightened want to refuse to believe. Many want to take these prophecies and make them point to many, many future events yet to take place. Satan stops at nothing to deceive. We cannot allow ourselves to fall to His deceptions, we must pray to God to not be deceived , to be among His elect that will not be overtaken by the awful power of the evil one.
Jesus prayed to the Father for us, asking that we NOT be taken out of this world but to be KEPT from evil. Please Lord, keep us from evil in all its forms!!!
Help us!
In the name of our Savior, our glorious, glorious Savior Jesus Christ. In His righteousness, through His forgiveness, by His grace and mercy, all through love!
AMEN!
Dan 7:8 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.
Characteristics-
Little horn
Three of the ten horns plucked up by the roots
Eyes like a man
Mouth speaking great things
Dan 7:11 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.
Characteristics-
Voice of the great words which the horn spoke
Dan 7:20 AND OF THE TEN HORNS THAT WERE IN HIS HEAD AND OF THE OTHER WHICH CAME UP, AND BEFORE WHOM THREE FELL, EVEN OF THE HORN THAT HAD EYES, AND A MOUTH THAT SPAKE VERY GREAT THINGS, WHOSE LOOK WAS MORE STOUT THAN HIS FELLOWS.
Characteristics-
Before whom three of the ten horns fell.
Horn that had eyes
Horn that had a mouth speaking great things
Horn whose appearance was more stout than the other horns
Dan 7:21,22 I BEHELD AND THE SAME HORN MADE WAR WITH THE SAINTS AND PREVAILED AGAINST THEM. UNTIL THE ANCIENT OF DAYS CAME AND JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN TO THE SAINTS OF THE MOST HIGH AND THE TIME CAME THAT THE SAINTS POSSESSED THE KINGDOM.
Characteristics-
Little horn made war with the saints
Dan 7:24,24 AND THE TEN HORNS OUT OF THIS KINGDOM ARE TEN KINGS THAT SHALL ARISE AND ANOTHER SHALL RISE AFTER THEM AND HE SHALL BE DIVERSE FROM THE FIRST AND SHALL SUBDUE THREE KINGS. 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.
Characteristics-
Another kingdom different from the others
Subdues three of the other kingdoms
Speaks great words against the Most High
Wear out the saints of the Most High
Think to change times and laws
In control for a time and times and dividing of time
This is all stuff we've reviewed over the last few lessons but we can't get this wrong, we have to study it deeply and prayerfully. We aren't going to find this kingdom quite so easily as we were able to understand that Babylon was overthrown by the Medes and Persians, or that the Medes and Persians were overthrown by the Greeks, or that Greek would be overthrown by the Romans. How much more simpler it would all be if yet another came in and over threw the Romans, but that's not how it happened. The Roman empire wasn't just over thrown by one entity but many. Out of those many there was going to come up a SPECIAL entity, a very special entity from what the Bible tells us.
Daniel 7 isn't the only chapter that speaks of this power, how could it be when this power was going to exist until the very end of time? Let's go on to Daniel chapter 8 and catch yet another picture of this power with even more details added to this entire picture of history.
Dan 8:1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.
Dan 8:2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.
Dan 8:3 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
Sound familiar? Remember this--
Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, 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.
Raised itself up on one side- two horns one higher than the other.
Yes, this is yet another representation of Medes and Persians.
Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
So with that in mind lets keep reading- not at this point to note even more details on the kingdoms we are sure about, but to keep things in context until we learn more of that little horn which we have yet to put a name to.
Dan 8:4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
Dan 8:5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
Dan 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Dan 8:6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
Dan 8:7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
Dan 8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
Dan 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Dan 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Dan 8:11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Dan 8:12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
A LITTLE HORN
Waxed exceeding great
Waxed great even to the host of heaven
Cast down some of the host of the stars to the ground and stamped upon them
Magnified himself to the prince of the host
By him the daily sacrifice was taken away
The place of his sanctuary was cast down
A host given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of sin
Cast down to the ground-
And PRACTISED and PROSPERED.
Dan 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Dan 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
Dan 8:15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
Dan 8:16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
Dan 8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
Dan 8:18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
Dan 8:19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
Dan 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Dan 8:22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
Dan 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
Dan 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 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 shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
Dan 8:26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.
Dan 8:27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
Magnify himself in his heart
By peace shall destroy many
We know for a fact when Rome takes over Greece that out of Rome comes this LITTLE HORN, which if you ask me seems like the biggest horn of them all but in the disguise of being a little horn. Remember the old wolf in sheep's clothing? This seems like the exact same principle here. We have a seemingly little power that has more power than all the other kingdoms, more power than all the kingdoms before it but it's a power wielded in a much different manner. It's a power that gets control and keeps some form of control, keeps living despite any future opposition, and never stops living in some manner until all is said and done in our world. This power exists TODAY. This same power that began coming out of the Roman power and entering into existence fully when it subdued, overthrew, caused to fall down three other powers.
So that seems to be a bit of a keynote there in all this doesn't it? Those three kingdoms being disposed of. So who disposed of them?
If we look at history it tells us this…
Under Constantine, Christianity did not become the exclusive religion of the state, but enjoyed imperial preference, because the Emperor supported it with generous privileges. Constantine established the principle that emperors should not settle questions of doctrine, but should summon general ecclesiastical councils for that purpose. The Synod of Arles was convened by Constantine, and the First Council of Nicaea showcased his claim to be head of the Church.[25]
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Constantine the Great (Latin: Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus;[3] c. 27 February 272[2] – 22 May 337), also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine,[4] was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity,
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As the emperor who used his government to empower Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and moved the capital to the banks of the Bosporus, Constantine was a ruler of major historical importance, but he has always been a controversial figure.[6]
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In 321, Constantine instructed that Christians and non-Christians should be united in observing the venerable day of the sun, referencing the esoteric eastern sun-worship which Aurelian had helped introduce, and his coinage still carried the symbols of the sun cult until 324. Even after the pagan gods had disappeared from the coinage, Christian symbols appeared only as Constantine's personal attributes: the chi rho between his hands or on his labarum, but never on the coin itself.[205] Even when Constantine dedicated the new capital of Constantinople, which became the seat of Byzantine Christianity for a millennium, he did so wearing the Apollonian sun-rayed Diadem.
Constantine burning Arian books
The reign of Constantine established a precedent for the position of the emperor as having some influence within the religious discussions going on within the Catholic Church of that time, e.g., the dispute over Arianism. Constantine himself disliked the risks to societal stability that religious disputes and controversies brought with them, preferring where possible to establish an orthodoxy.[206] The emperor saw it as his duty to ensure that God was properly worshiped in his empire, and that what proper worship consisted would be determined by the Church.[207] In 316, Constantine acted as a judge in a North African dispute concerning the validity of Donatism. After deciding against the Donatists, Constantine led an army of Christians against the Donatist Christians. After 300 years of pacifism, this was the first intra-Christian persecution. More significantly, in 325 he summoned the Council of Nicaea, effectively the first Ecumenical Council (unless the Council of Jerusalem is so classified). Nicaea was dealt mostly with Arianism. Constantine also enforced the prohibition of the First Council of Nicaea against celebrating the Lord's Supper on the day before the Jewish Passover (14 Nisan) (see Quartodecimanism and Easter controversy).[208
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This bit of history is laying the groundwork of that little horn. This Roman Emperor was the first to bring Christianity into an acceptable place among the mainstream of the time. Constantine led an ARMY of CHRISTIANS- against other Christians. Government and the Christian religion mingle here for the first time with the government of the time on the side of the Christians.
Why is this important? Because from here on in politics mingling with Christian religion plays a HUGE part in the goings on of the overthrow of the Roman rule. Anyone that wants to ignore this is foolish because religion is what God is all about, yes? God gave the vision to Nebuchadnezzar , it was by God's design that Nebuchadnezzar have a kingdom such as he had. God could see the grand picture and in that grand design He knew the succession that would take place. The Medes and Persians would follow Babylon, the Greeks would follow the Medes and Persians and yes, then the Roman rule would follow. God's son was born into the world under the Roman rule. Christianity came into existence because of Christ, which should go without saying but we have to understand how this all fits together. Under the fourth beast's rule our Savior was born and He didn't come as a military force conquering but as a spiritual force conquering over Satan, over sin. Born under the fourth beast, Christ also died under the fourth beast's rule. After His death as His followers began the great mission to spread His word many different groups formed out of those followers. No longer simple followers of Christ much more began to come into play. Christ did not set down a plan of action for His followers other than to spread His message. Christ knew that His Apostles would be natural leaders of those that followed and people would look to them to lead them in their new found beliefs. The church began to grow, but the church not as an organization like we have it today. Jesus had His followers and they spread the word without forming an organization and bringing in worldly politics. In fact Jesus wanted the two to be separate, didn't He?
Mat 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
Jesus didn't tell His disciples to give the things that are Caesar's to God, nor did He tell them to give that which is God's to Caesar.
Did it remain so? No. Not in the way it was intended. Caesar's things and God's things quickly became mingled, but not by the Apostle's or their teachings. Satan wouldn't stand still and let God's people flourish without trying to destroy them. Satan had to infiltrate God's people and using His influence get them to turn from God while believing they are doing no such thing. Satan had to corrupt things and if you think otherwise then you aren't reading your Bibles and understanding by the grace of God. Satan is a destroyer, a deceiver, and he will remain so right until the end of time and his destruction in the lake of fire.
Satan didn't take time off when Christ died to allow Christ's followers to flourish. Satan was right there from the start.
Paul said this….
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 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:
The mystery of iniquity doth ALREADY WORK!
Satan wasn't sleeping. Satan was going to be right there and you can bet your life that his deception was near to perfect in deceiving all but the very elect as it is today.
Now this LITTLE HORN power was going to be DIFFERENT than all the rest, right? Well, let's think about it for a moment, seriously think about everything that's transpired.
Until the Roman kingdom Christians did NOT exist, Christ hadn't lived and died for mankind until the Roman rule. Now this little horn was going to come up out of the Roman rule just as the ten horns before it would.
The MOST striking difference in the overthrow of the fourth beast-- a kingdom that would still continue on in a much LESSER manner but not as a world ruling kingdom (remember the iron and clay mixed in the toes of the statue)-- was the fact the world would be living in a time of Christ! The Babylons did not live in this time, the Medes and Persians did not live in the time of a Messiah realized, the Greeks did not live and rule in the time of our Savior's birth, life, and death, but the ROMAN kingdom did.
Now this Little Horn is a power that opposes Christ, yes? This Little Horn is a power that will speak great things, and think to change times and laws, this little power will speak out against the Most High. This Little Horn would become an immense power that would ultimately throughout all its reign whether in full destroying power, making war with the saints, or as a power seemingly overthrown only to continue on until the end, would be instrumental in the uprooting of three worldly kingdoms that previously took part in some way to overthrow the tremendous Roman Kingdom. We CANNOT be ignorant to the fact that this Little Horn with its strangeness, with it's different power would be a religious power- we are told outright that this power would take part in speaking out against God, would think to change times and laws- whose times? Whose Laws? Gods. Would try to wear out the saints of God completely.
The previous kingdoms had very little to do with God and nothing to do with the saints of God- the Christ followers of which there would always be a few true followers. REMEMBER that path is NARROW!
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Those were Jesus' words! Jesus didn't envision a great mass of true followers. That gate is strait, that way is narrow and FEW will find it compared to the masses. Spreading His message, the gospel of His kingdom, would gain followers yes, but never a majority. It's the truth! This is Christ's truth! This is the truth of the Bible!
It's safe for us to truly be able to say this Little Horn was a power that was different because it would mingle religion with politics. What power did this way back then? What power came into existence that had a part to play in the politics, the wars being waged at the time? Seriously, we cannot ignore this aspect whatsoever! Satan would have us ignore it, Satan wants us left completely in the dark! Satan will gladly tell us anything we want to hear that is soothing to our ears- all to keep us from Christ!
God told us outright that this little power would be DIFFERENT than the others. I can look at all the military powers of the time just as you can and there is no striking difference from one military to the next. Remember the different characteristics of the beasts… eagle's wings, bear like, four wings and so on? Those were traits that each of those conquering armies, conquering kingdoms possessed. The ten horns were all basically alike right? They didn't differentiate between the ten horns with this characteristic and that. They were all similar. Then we have ONE little horn that comes up and it's NOT similar to the others. About the same time all this is going on, the ten horns are conquering bits and pieces of the then Roman Kingdom tearing it apart so that it would no longer ever be a whole Roman Kingdom again, about this time something NEW, something DIFFERENT comes into play, something that would continue on until the end of the world, changing as prophecy depicts throughout time.
Christianity entered politics. You can scoff if you like, but this was much different than the worship of pagan gods. Christianity God's truth, the Salvation of God offered through the sacrifice of His Son. This wasn't the Jewish God minus Jesus that came into play- not at all even though that existed for a long, long, long time before the first advent of our Savior. This was new compared to every other god in existence. Christians were outcast and persecuted by the Roman government for a long, long time. Christians were thrown to the lions, tortured, killed in various ways, this is history. But then something happened- those in charge, those in the government opposed to Christians came to accept it and the persecution stopped allowing Christianity to become part of the politics.
When we read this…
'As the emperor who used his government to empower Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and moved the capital to the banks of the Bosporus, Constantine was a ruler of major historical importance, but he has always been a controversial figure.[6] '
… we have to realize that a NEW power was underway. Now ask yourself what power had these characteristics over time…
Three of the ten horns plucked up by the roots
Eyes like a man
Mouth speaking great things
Another kingdom different from the others
Subdues three of the other kingdoms
Speaks great words against the Most High
Wear out the saints of the Most High
Think to change times and laws
In control for a time and times and dividing of time
Jumping back to the 3 that were subdued--
His general Belisarius swiftly conquered the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, extending Roman control to the Atlantic Ocean. Subsequently Belisarius, Narses, and other generals conquered the Ostrogothic Kingdom, restoring Dalmatia, Sicily, Italy, and Rome to the empire after being under barbarian control for over half a century
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From the middle of the fifth century onward increasingly arduous tasks confronted the emperors of the East in ecclesiastical matters. For one thing, the radicals on all sides felt themselves constantly repelled by the creed adopted by the Council of Chalcedon to defend the biblical doctrine of the nature of Christ and bridge the gap between the dogmatic parties. The letter of Pope Leo I to Flavian of Constantinople was widely considered in the East as the work of Satan; so that nobody cared to hear of the Church of Rome. The emperors, however, had a policy of preserving the unity between Constantinople and Rome; and this remained possible only if they did not swerve from the line defined at Chalcedon. In addition, the factions in the East which had become stirred up and disaffected because of Chalcedon needed restraining and pacifying. This problem proved the more difficult because, in the East, the dissenting groups exceeded supporters of Chalcedon both in numerical strength and in intellectual ability. Tension from the incompatibility of the two aims grew: whoever chose Rome and the West must renounce the East, and vice versa.
Justinian entered the arena of ecclesiastical statecraft shortly after his uncle's accession in 518, and put an end to the Monophysite schism that had prevailed between Rome and Constantinople since 483. The recognition of the Roman see as the highest ecclesiastical authority[60] remained the cornerstone of his Western policy. Offensive as it was to many in the East, nonetheless Justinian felt himself entirely free to take a Despotic stance toward the popes such as Silverius and Vigilius. While no compromise could ever be accepted by the dogmatic wing of the church, his sincere efforts at reconciliation gained him the approval of the major body of the church. A signal proof was his attitude in the Theopaschite controversy. At the outset he was of the opinion that the question turned on a quibble of words. By degrees, however, Justinian came to understand that the formula at issue not only appeared orthodox, but might also serve as a conciliatory measure toward the Monophysites, and he made a vain attempt to do this in the religious conference with the followers of Severus of Antioch, in 533.
Again, Justinian moved toward compromise in the religious edict of 15 March 533,[61] and congratulated himself that Pope John II admitted the orthodoxy of the imperial confession.[62] The serious blunder that he had made at the beginning by abetting a severe persecution of the Monophysite bishops and monks and thereby embittering the population of vast regions and provinces, he remedied eventually. His constant aim now remained to win over the Monophysites, yet not to surrender the Chalcedonian faith. For many at court, he did not go far enough: Theodora especially would have rejoiced to see the Monophysites favored unreservedly. Justinian, however, felt restrained by the complications that would have ensued with the West. But in the condemnation of the Three Chapters Justinian tried to satisfy both the East and the West, but succeeded in satisfying neither. Although the pope assented to the condemnation, the West believed that the emperor had acted contrary to the decrees of Chalcedon. Though many delegates emerged in the East subservient
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During the Early Church, the bishops of Rome enjoyed no temporal power until the time of Constantine. After the fall of Rome (the "Middle Ages"), the papacy was influenced by the temporal rulers of and surrounding the Italian peninsula; these periods are known as the Ostrogothic Papacy, Byzantine Papacy, and Frankish Papacy. Over time, the papacy consolidated its territorial claims to a portion of the peninsula known as the Papal States. Thereafter, the role of neighboring sovereigns was replaced by powerful Roman families during the saeculum obscurum, the Crescentii era, and the Tusculan Papacy.
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Many popes in the first three centuries of the Christian era are obscure figures. Several suffered martyrdom along with members of their flock in periods of persecution. Most of them engaged in intense theological arguments with other bishops.
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Yes, we are going to get a history lesson here and it's important… did you just read that above? Many popes in the first 3 centuries are obscure figures. So AFTER the first 3 centuries something happens and the popes start to play a very prominent role in politics.
Let's read a bit and see if it's easy to spot the fact that the influence of papal authority in politics played a part in the uprooting of kingdoms.
Since the fall of Rome
Pope Simplicius (468-483), the pope during the end of the Western Roman Empire
Pope Simplicius (468-483) was the pope who witnessed the final overthrow of the Western Roman Empire, and fell ill in 483.[3] The papal election of March 483 was the first to take place without the existence of a Western Roman emperor.[4] While the pope still lived, the praetorian prefect, Caecina Decius Maximus Basilius called together the Roman Senate, Roman clergy, and the leading local bishops in the Imperial Mausoleum.[4] Simplicitus had issued an admonitio declaring that no election of his successor should be valid without the consent of Basilius.[4] Basilius was both the leader of the Roman aristocracy and the Chief Minister of Odoacer, the "king of Italy."[4] Simplicius was succeeded by Pope Felix III (483-492), Pope Gelasius I (492-496), and Pope Anastasius II (496-498).
The first schism
The role of the Ostrogoths became clear in the first schism. On November 22, 498, both Pope Symmachus and Antipope Laurentius were elected pope.[5] Symmachus was approved by the Roman Senate,[6] but both Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I and the Gothic King Theodoric the Great originally supported Laurentius, who was installed in the Lateran Palace.[5]
Symmachus and Laurentius resorted to bribing Theodoric for his support, with funds from the Roman aristocrats who supported them.[7] This is the first documented case of papal simony, wherein both candidates attempted to bribe the royal councilors, if not Theodoric himself, to influence his choice.[8] According to DeCormenin and de Lahaye, also influencing Theodoric to side with Symmachus and expel Laurentius from Rome was his fear that the latter was too influenced by the Byzantine ruler,[5] but according to Richards this is "simply not borne out by the evidence."[9] In announcing his decision, Theodoric cited the majority of clerical support and the fact of prior ordination.[10]
On March 1, 499, Symmachus declared to a synod in Old Saint Peter's Basilica his plan for campaign finance reform in future sede vacantes.[7] Laurentius was among those who signed his statute, having been appointed as Bishop of Nuceria in consolation for having lost his claim to the papacy.[7] Symmachus decreed that reigning bishops would be able to designate their own successors, ending the participation of the laity for at least a half-century.[8]
When the supporters of Laurentius tried to depose Symmachus for having celebrated Easter according to the wrong calendar, Theodoric called the pope before him in Ariminum to resolve the matter.[11] When Symmachus arrived, he discovered that the charges against him included unchastity and maladministration of church property, and fled back to Rome.[11] His flight bolstered the Laurentian party, who succeeded in persuading Theodoric to send a visitor to Rome to have Easter celebrated according to the Greek calendar and to convene a synod to consider the charges against Symmachus.[11] Peter of Altinum, the bishop of Istria, came to Rome to oversee the new Easter celebration and took over the administration of the Holy See pending the outcome of the synod.[11]
In the first two sessions, the assembled Italian bishops were unable to agree on the appropriate procedures to settle the matter, but the third session acquitted Symmachus.[12] Theodoric took a rather hands-off approach to the synod, refusing repeated requests for him to travel to Rome and resolve the matter personally.[13] According to Richards:
"There is something really rather shocking about the way in which the assembled bishops of the Catholic church fell over themselves to persuade a heretic barbarian to decide who the pope should be. It makes nonsense of the idea of an articulation of papal monarchial theory in which the church was superior to the lay authorities. Both the Symmachian and Laurentian factions appealed to the king for arbitration in 489 and both sides accepted his convocation of a synod. Symmachus, indeed, finally submitted a decision about his case to God and the king, hardly the sort of behavior one would accept from a champion of papal supremacy. Indeed, the regularity with which both sides invoked the intervention of the king suggests a widely held view of his impartiality."[14]
Despite the synod, Laurentius was able to return to Rome, take over much of the papal patrimony and churches of the city, and rule from the Lateran Palace while Symmachus remained in St. Peter's.[15]
After Symmachus
According to Richards, "the death of Pope Symmachus in July 514 was a crucial test for the election regulations after nearly sixteen controversial years of Symmachian rule."[16] However, the "Symmachian old guard" controlled a supermajority of the priests and deacons and thus were able to elect Pope Hormisdas (514-523) after only seven days.[16] Hormisdas was likely appointed by Symmachus himself, "a procedure which was implicit in the electoral regulations."[16] Hormisdas had prepared complicated written instructions for his envoys to the East long before his election and kept Theodoric well appraised of his negotiations with the Byzantines.[16]
Hormisdas was succeeded by Pope John I (523-526). Theodoric married his daughters to the kings of Burgundy, the Visigoths, and Vandals, fellow adherents of Arianism.[17] However, Clovis, king of the Franks, renounced Arianism in 506, as did Sigismund of Burgundy in 516; acts that could possibly describe the act of having "converted to Catholicism."[17] In 523, Eutharic, king of the Visigoths, ceased persecuting non-Arians, around the same time that the Eastern Church began its persecution of Arians.[17] Theodoric created an Ostrogothic navy and sent an emissary to the East, head by Pope John I himself in 526.[17]
Pope Felix IV (526-530) was the first successor of Symmachus to have trouble designating a successor.
John I was succeeded by Pope Felix IV (526-530). Felix IV was the recommendation of Theodoric and his election was confirmed by Athalaric.[18] He was thus appointed "for all practical purposes" by Theodoric.[19] The process of predecessor appointment was used without serious issue until the death of Felix IV, who had given his pallium to Pope Boniface II on his deathbed in 530 and decreed excommunication of any who refused to accept the succession.[8] The Roman Senate disliked the lack of election and denounced Felix, affirming a decree of Pope Anastasius II, which had prohibited the practice of a pope designating a successor.[8] Boniface II was supported only by a minority of the clergy, with the larger share supporting Dioscorus, with only Dioscorus's death halting the schism.[8]
Boniface II attempted to re-entrench the practice of appointing his successor, but the public outcry was too great, resulting in a highly disputed election in 532 characterized by widespread accounts of bribery and coercion, which resulted in Pope John II (the first to take a papal name).[20] Pope John was chosen by Athalaric to avoid a split between the Byzantine and Gothic factions.[21] Athalaric, the Ostrogoth king, forced John II to approve decrees that banned any private agreements to elect a pope and enacting limits on the amount of money that could be spent during a papal election (an early example of campaign finance reform).[20] In fact, Athalaric himself was able to engineer the election of Pope Silverius, the son of Pope Hormisdas, upon John II's death.[20]
Theodahad threw his support behind Pope Agapetus I and was thus "well placed to coerce the new pope Agapetus, for he had been elected with his support."[22] Theodahad also played a decisive role in the selection of Pope Silverius (536-537), the legitimate son of Hormisdas.[23]
Effects of Justinian's reconquest
Main article: Byzantine Papacy
After Justinian I retook Rome in the Gothic War (535–554), "to interfere in the papacy had been one of the first things Justinian had done as soon as his armies got a foothold in Italy."[24] Long before he had completed his victory over the Ostrogoths, Justinian I had his commander Belisarius depose the pro-Gothic Pope Silverius (536–537), and install Pope Vigilius (537–555), the former papal apocrisiarius to Constantinople, in his place.[24] Silverius died and Vigilius was ordained in 537, while the Goths rallied and laid siege to Rome.[24] In 542, King Totila recaptured Rome and by the time Justinian's new general Narses recaptured the city in 552, Vigilius was no longer in Rome
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Did you read ALL that? I really, really hope you did, because it is CLEAR that the role of the papacy in politics had become very popular and suddenly where never before had this sort of thing happened- the papacy was involved in politics to the point CONQUERING kings were concerning themselves with the Popes in charge because they KNEW the power they were coming to have!!!
Remember the characteristics--
Different than the others
Mouth speaking great things
Eyes of a man
This power wasn't the usual conquering power this was PAPAL power!!!
Tell me you don' t know off the top of your head about the Inquisitions done in the name of the Papacy. Tell me you don't know of the persecution people endured at the hands of the Papacy. Tell me you don't know that Protestantism came out of protesting the Papacy! Tell me the Papacy doesn't exist today. It does!!! From then until now it exists! From then until the end of time it WILL exist.
In fact this was just in the news--
On world stage and behind closed doors, Vatican works diplomatic levers
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Vatican City is the world's smallest state, but it's still considered a diplomatic nerve center, a place where the universal church meets global politics.
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So tell me this little horn isn't holding true to the prophecy of Daniel! It is! It does! And yet so many don't want to see. So many want to confuse the issue with many, many other things so they don't have to face the truth.
Daniel's prophecy… Daniel's GOD GIVEN prophecy is true and all that was predicted has come and will come to pass!
I'm going to add yet more here and pray that that Holy Spirit moves you to read it all because of the truth it holds, the history it presents in a way that I cannot without access to the same texts of our world's history.
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Challenge of Arianism.--But the fourth century was destined to witness an obstacle thrown across the path of this ambitious dream. The prophecy had declared that the power represented by the little horn would "subdue three kings." In the rise and development of Arianism early in the fourth century and the challenge it presented to papal supremacy, we find the causes leading to the plucking up of three of the kingdoms of Western Rome by the papal power.
Arius, parish priest of the ancient and influential church of Alexandria, promulgated his doctrine to the world, occasioning so fierce a controversy in the Christian church that a general council was called at Nicaea, by the emperor Constantine in A.D. 325, to consider and rule upon its teaching. Arius maintained "that the Son was totally and essentially distinct from the Father; that He was the first and noblest of those be-
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ings whom the Father had created out of nothing, the instrument by whose subordinate operation the Almighty Father formed the universe, and therefore inferior to the Father, both in nature and dignity." This opinion was condemned by the council, which decreed that Christ was of one and the same substance with the Father. Hereupon Arius was banished to Illyria, and his followers were compelled to give their assent to the creed composed on that occasion. [5]
The controversy itself, however, was not to be disposed of in this summary manner. For ages it continued to agitate the Christian world, the Arians everywhere becoming the bitter enemies of the pope and of the Roman Catholic Church. It was evident that the spread of Arianism would check the onward march of Catholicism, and that the possession of Italy and it renowned capital by a people of the Arian persuasion would be fatal to the supremacy of a Catholic bishop. The prophecy, however, had declared that this horn symbolizing the papacy would rise to supreme power, and that in reaching this position it would subdue three kings.
Little Horn Overthrows Three Arian Powers.--Some difference of opinion has existed in regard to the particular powers which were overthrown by the papacy in its rise to power. In this connection the remarks of Albert Barnes seem pertinent: "In the confusion that existed on the breaking up of the Roman Empire, and the imperfect accounts of the transactions which occurred in the rise of the papal power, it would not be wonderful if it should be difficult to find events distinctly recorded that would be in all respects an accurate and absolute fulfillment of the vision. Yet it is possible to make out the fulfillment of this with a good degree of certainty in the history of the papacy." [6]
Joseph Mede supposes the three kingdoms plucked up to have been the Greeks, the Lombards, and the Franks; and Sir
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Issac Newton supposes they were the exarchate of Ravenna, the Lombards, and the senate and dukedom of Rome. Thomas Newton [7] states serious objections to both these suppositions. The Franks could not have been one of these kingdoms, for they were never plucked up. The Lombards could not have been one, for they were never made subject to the popes. Says Albert Barnes further, "I do not find, indeed, that the kingdom of the Lombards was, as is commonly stated among the number of the temporal sovereignties that became subject to the authority of the popes." [8] The senate and dukedom of Rome could not have been one, for as they never constituted one of the ten kingdoms, three of which were to be plucked up before the little horn.
But we apprehend the chief difficulty in the application made by these eminent commentators lay in the fact that they supposed that the prophecy respecting the exaltation of the papacy had not been fulfilled, and could not have been until the pope became a temporal prince. Therefore they sought to find an accomplishment of the prophecy in the events which led to the pope's temporal sovereignty. But evidently the prophecy of verses 24, 25, refers, not to his civil power, but to his power to domineer over the minds and consciences of men. The papacy reached this position, A.D. 538, as will hereafter appear.
The word "before" used in verses 8 and 20 represents the Chaldee {HEBREW CHARACTERS IN PRINTED TEXT}, qadam, with the root meaning "front." Combined with min, meaning "from," as it is in these two verses, Davidson translates it "from the presence of," and Gesenius says it is equivalent to the Hebrew {HEBREW CHARACTERS IN PRINTED TEXT}, lipna, meaning "in the presence of." It therefore has here the meaning "before" in the sense of "place," as it does in the same phrase in verse 10, where it is properly translated in the Authorized Version "from before Him." We have, then, in verse 8 the picture of the
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little horn pressing in among the ten and forcibly plucking up three horns from before it. In verse 20, it is declared that the three horns "fell" from before it, as if overcome by it. In verse 24, we read that another king, representing the little horn, "shall subdue three kings [horns]," evidently by acts of force. While the word qadam is also used in the sense of time, as in the word "before" in verse 7, there can scarcely be a doubt that it is used in the sense of place in the three verses cited above. With this interpretation Edward Elliott clearly agrees. (See page 128.)
The position is here confidently taken that the three powers, or horns, plucked up by the roots were the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths; and this position rests upon reliable historical data. Odoacer, the leader of the Heruli, was the first of the barbarians who reigned over the Romans. He took the throne of Italy, A.D. 476. Of his religious belief Gibbon says: "Like the rest of the barbarians he had been instructed in the Arian heresy; but he revered the monastic and episcopal characters; and the silence of the Catholics attests the toleration which they enjoyed." [9]
The same author says: "The Ostrogoths, the Burgundians, the Suevi, and the Vandals, who had listened to the eloquence of the Latin clergy, preferred the more intelligible lessons of their domestic teachers; and Arianism was adopted as the national faith of the warlike converts who were seated on the ruins of the Western Empire. This irreconcilable difference of religion was a perpetual source of jealousy and hatred; and the reproach of barbarian was embittered by the more odious epithet of heretic. The heroes of the north, who had submitted with some reluctance to believe that all their ancestors were in hell, were astonished and exasperated to learn that they themselves had only changed the mode of their eternal condemnation." [10]
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The Arian doctrine had a marked influence on the church at that time, as will be observed in the following paragraphs: "The whole of the vast Gothic population which descended on the Roman Empire, so far as it was Christian at all, held to the faith of the Alexandrian heretic. Our first Teutonic version of the Scriptures was by an Arian missionary, Ulfilas. The first conqueror of Rome, Alaric, the first conqueror of Africa, Genseric, were Arians. Theodoric the Great, king of Italy, and hero of the 'Nibelungenlied,' was an Arian. The vacant place in his massive tomb at Ravenna is a witness of the vengeance which the Orthodox took on his memory, when on their triumph they tore down the porphyry vase in which his Arian subjects had enshrined his ashes." [11]
Ranke states: "But she [the church] fell, as was inevitable, into many embarrassments, and found herself in an entirely altered condition. A pagan people took possession of Britain; Arian kings seized the greater part of the remaining West; while the Lombards, long attached to Arianism, and as neighbors most dangerous and hostile, established a powerful sovereignty before the very gates of Rome. The Roman bishops, meanwhile, beset on all sides, exerted themselves, with all the prudence and pertinacity which have remained their peculiar attributes, to regain the mastery--at least in their patriarchal diocese." [12]
Machiavelli says: "Nearly all the wars which the northern barbarians carried on in Italy, it may be here remarked, were occasioned by the pontiffs; and the hordes with which the country was inundated, were generally called in by them." [13]
The relation which these Arian kings sustained to the pope is shown in the following testimony from Mosheim in his church history:
"On the other hand, it is certain, from a variety of the most authentic records, that both the emperors and the nations in
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general were far from being disposed to bear with patience the yoke of servitude which the see of Rome was arrogantly imposing upon the Christian church. The Gothic princes set bounds to the power of the bishop of Rome in Italy, permitted none to be raised to the pontificate without their approbation, and reserved to themselves the right of judging concerning the legality of every new election." [14]
An instance in proof of this statement occurs in the history of Odoacer, the first Arian king above mentioned. [15] When, on the death of Pope Simplicius, A.D. 483, the clergy and people had assembled for the election of a new pope, suddenly Basilius, lieutenant of King Odoacer, appeared in the assembly, expressed his surprise that any such work as appointing a successor to the deceased pope should be undertaken without him, in the name of the king declared all that had been done null and void, and ordered the election to be begun anew.
Meanwhile, Zeno, the emperor of the East, and friend of the pope, was anxious to drive Odoacer out of Italy, a movement which he soon had the satisfaction of seeing accomplished without trouble to himself. Theodoric had come to the throne of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Moesia and Pannonia. Being on friendly terms with Zeno, he wrote him, stating that it was impossible for him to restrain his Goths within the impoverished province of Pannonia, and asking his permission to lead them to some more favorable region which they might conquer and posses. Zeno gave him permission to march against Odoacer and take possession of Italy. Accordingly, after a five years' war, the Herulian kingdom in Italy was overthrown, Odoacer was treacherously slain, and Theodoric established his Ostrogoths in the Italian peninsula. As already stated, he was an Arian, and the law of Odoacer subjecting the election of the pope to the approval of the king, was still retained.
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The following incident will show how completely the papacy was in subjection to his power. The Catholics in the East having begun a persecution against the Arians, A.D. 523, Theodoric summoned Pope John into his presence and thus addressed him: " 'If the emperor [Justin, the predecessor of Justinian] therefore does not think fit to revoke the edict which he has lately issued against those of my persuasion [that is, the Arians], it is my firm resolution to issue the like edict against those of his [that is, the Catholics]; and to see it everywhere executed with the same rigor. Those who do not profess the faith of Nice, are heretics to him, and those who do are heretics to me. Whatever can excuse or justify his severity to the former, will excuse and justify mine to the latter. But the emperor,' continued the king, 'has none about him who dare freely and openly speak what they think, or to whom he would hearken if they did. But the great veneration which he professes for your See , leaves no room to doubt but he would hearken to you. I will therefore have you to repair forthwith to Constantinople, and there to remonstrate, both in my name and your own, against the violent measures in which that court has so rashly engaged. It is in your power to divert the emperor from them; and till you have, nay, till the Catholics [this name Theodoric applies to the Arians] are restored to the free exercise of their religion, and to all the churches from which they have been driven, you must not think of returning to Italy.' " [16]
The pope who was thus peremptorily ordered by the Arian emperor not to set foot again upon Italian soil until he had carried out the will of the king, certainly could not hope for much advancement toward any kind of supremacy until that power was taken out of the way.
The feelings of the papal party toward Theodoric may be accurately estimated, according to a quotation already given, by the vengeance which they took on his memory. They tore from his tomb the vase in which his Arian subjects had en-
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shrined his ashes. These feelings are put into language by Baronius, who inveighs "against Theodoric as a cruel barbarian, as a barbarous tyrant, as an impious Arian." [17]
While the Catholics were thus feeling the restraining power of an Arian king in Italy, they were suffering a violent persecution from the Arian Vandals in Africa. [18] Elliot says: " The Vandal kings were not only Arians, but persecutors of the Catholics; in Sardinia and Corsica under the Roman Episcopate, we may presume, as well as in Africa." [19]
Such was the position of affairs, when, A.D. 533, Justinian entered upon his Vandal and Gothic wars. Wishing to obtain the influence of the pope and the Catholic party, he issued that memorable decree which was to constitute the pope of all the churches, and from the carrying out of which A.D. 538, the period of papal supremacy is to be dated. And whoever will read the history of the African campaign, 533-534, and the Italian campaign, 534-538, will notice that the Catholics everywhere hailed as deliverers the army of Belisarius, the general of Justinian.
But no decree of this nature could be carried into effect until the Arian horns which stood in its way were overthrown. A turn came, however, in the tide of affairs, for in the military campaign in Africa and Italy the victorious legions of Belisarius dealt a crushing blow to Arianism, so much so that its final supporters were vanquished.
Procopius relates that the African war was undertaken by Justinian for the relief of the Christians (Catholics) in that quarter, and that when he expressed his intention in this respect, the prefect of the palace came very near dissuading him from his purpose. But a dream appeared to him in which he was bidden "not to shrink from the execution of his design;
Page 128
for by assisting the Christians he would overthrow the power of the Vandals." [20]
Mosheim declares: "It is true, the Greeks who had received the decrees of the Council of Nice [that is, from the Catholics], persecuted and oppressed the Arians wherever their influence and authority could reach; but the Nicenians, in their turn, were not less rigorously treated by their adversaries [the Arians], particularly in Africa and Italy, where they felt, in a very severe manner, the weight of the Arian power, and the bitterness of their resentment. the triumphs of Arianism were, however, transitory; and its prosperous days were entirely eclipsed when the Vandals were driven out of Africa, and the Goths out of Italy, by the arms of Justinian." [21]
Elliot summarizes: "I might cite three that were eradicated from before the pope out of the list first given, viz., the Heruli under Odoacer, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths." [22]
From the historical testimony above cited, we think it clearly established that the three horns plucked up were the powers named: the Heruli, A.D. 493, the Vandals, in 534, and the Ostrogoths finally in 553, though effective opposition by the latter to the decree of Justinian ceased when they were driven from Rome by Belisarius in 538, [23] as stated on page 127.
(Daniel and Revelation Uriah Smith) http://temcat.com/L-1-adv-pioneer-lib/USMITH/DANIEL%20AND%20THE%20REVELATION.pdf
Note- I do not agree with everything in this book but for the sheer historical data presented I wanted to include some of this. Go to the link and you can find the footnote sources and search out for yourself if need be at your library or where applicable on the internet. This is a study on Prophecy and prophecy is history fulfilled and unfulfilled. Where history has fulfilled the prophecies we must study the past and let it unfold for us by the grace of God.
This has been a very long study but by the grace of God it will be understood and we are going to study even more and that studying will show even more details that point to the Papacy as this Little Horn power. Many who call themselves enlightened want to refuse to believe. Many want to take these prophecies and make them point to many, many future events yet to take place. Satan stops at nothing to deceive. We cannot allow ourselves to fall to His deceptions, we must pray to God to not be deceived , to be among His elect that will not be overtaken by the awful power of the evil one.
Jesus prayed to the Father for us, asking that we NOT be taken out of this world but to be KEPT from evil. Please Lord, keep us from evil in all its forms!!!
Help us!
In the name of our Savior, our glorious, glorious Savior Jesus Christ. In His righteousness, through His forgiveness, by His grace and mercy, all through love!
AMEN!
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