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Brief Idea: The 1260 day prophecy is the most repeated prophecy in the scripture. It is
connected to some of the darkest history. It foreshadows the darkest events of the future.
Christ's coming was not to be thought of as "near", nor were parts of Daniel's prophecies
related to His coming to be understood, until it was completed.
Rome, in both its phases, plays a larger role in Daniel than all previous world empires combined.
It is the subject of 58 verses (of 110 verses regarding the visions) in Daniel 2, 7, 8 and 11. It
receives more attention than Christ's coming, more than His Kingdom. This pattern, though in
this class we will not follow it, also continues in the book of Revelation.
Adventists have historically dated the reign of the papacy from the year 538 AD. This date has
been challenged by detractors for several reasons. Among them are the following:
To these we might reply simply that 538 AD has been understood to be neither the beginning of
the papacy's existence nor the pinnacle of its power nor the Christianizing of the empire.
Rather, 538 was the year that the city of Rome fell into the hands of the papacy as the civil power
that would rule the western (significant) portion of the empire. It was the year the woman began
riding the beast. It was the year that Justinian's decrees went into effect, subjecting Rome to the
demands of the pontiff.
In the book of Daniel God grants power to human governments. The 1260 years during which
power over God's people was given to the papacy must point to civil authority. God never gives
spiritual authority to men to rule over their fellow men.
Adventist have historically dated the end of the reign of the papacy from the year 1798. This date
has been challenged by detractors for several reasons. Among them are the following:
1. The pope didn't die until 1799. So much for a 1798 "deadly" wound.
2. Napoleon wasn't the first king to take a pope captive. Henry IV banished Gregory
VII, who died in exile. Charlemagne took a pope captive. Sigismund imprisoned
a pope and deposed him.
3. A pope was elected to replace the imprisoned pope as soon after he died. There
was no real break in the pontifical line.
To these we might reply simply that 1798 has been understood to be neither the end of the
papacy's existence, nor the low-point of its power, nor the date of the death of a pope. Rather, it
was the death of the beast part of the papacy, the national part. In 1798 Rome became a republic
and the papacy became a church alone, rather than a church ruling a nation.
When we study Daniel 12 we will discuss the reasons for the papacy being given 1260 years. We
will study more about the purposes and parallels of that period of time, also, in Revelation class.
In Conclusion:
The papacy existed for many years as a movement in the church. Paul talked about it existing in
his day. It was the mystery of iniquity that was gaining power among the Christian congregations.
But this papacy does not show up in prophecies of the world's empires until it becomes a world
empire. It does not appear as a beast until it exists as a nation. When did it become an empire? In
538 it did take over the management of Rome and its environs, a very small land area, but
associated with a very large amount of power. In 1798 is lost civil authority over that same land
area.
This was just what the Bible predicted, just what Adventists teach, and points squarely to the
papacy as the little horn of Daniel 7.