THE APOSTLE PAUL WARNED THE CHRISTIANS IN THESSALONICA THAT THE 'MYSTERY OF INIQUITY WAS ALREADY AT WORK IN HIS DAY.  HE HAD ALSO WARNED IN ACTS 20 THAT AFTER HIS DEPARTURE, 'GRIEVOUS WOLVES' WOULD ENTER INTO THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 'SPEAKING PERVERSE THINGS' IN ORDER TO 'DRAW AWAY DISCIPLES AFTER THEMSELVES'.

IN SECOND THESSALONIANS HE PLAINLY DECLARED THAT  BEFORE THE 'DAY OF THE LORD' A GREAT FALLING AWAY FROM THE TRUE FAITH WOULD TAKE PLACE, AND ONCE IT SET IN A 'MAN OF SIN' WOULD BE REVEALED WHO WOULD EXALT HIMSELF ABOVE GOD, USURPING GOD'S AUTHORITY AND CLAIMING FOR HIMSELF THE PREROGATIVES OF GOD.  (2 THES. 2:3-4)  HE ALSO REMINDED THEM THAT SOMETHING WAS HOLDING BACK THIS APOSTASY AND THE RISE OF THE 'MAN OF SIN', BUT ONCE THE HINDERING FORCE WAS REMOVED, THESE WOULD BE REVEALED.

IT IS ABSURD TO SUGGEST, AS IS POPULAR IN OUR DAY, THAT PAUL BELIEVED THIS FALLING AWAY AND APPEARANCE OF THE MAN OF SIN TO BE 2000 PLUS YEARS INTO THE FUTURE. THE NEW TESTAMENT IS FULL OF WARNINGS TO SHOW THAT THE APOSTASY WOULD APPEAR SHORTLY AFTER THE APOSTLES DIED, AND WAS EVEN BEGINNING TO WORK IN THEIR DAY.

THE RESTRAINING FORCE WAS THE PAGAN ROMAN POWER WHICH KEPT THE APOSTATE ECCLESIASTICAL POWER IN CHECK.  ONCE REMOVED THE PAPACY QUICKLY ROSE TO POWER, FORMED A CHURCH/STATE EMPIRE, CLAIMED TO SPEAK FOR GOD HIMSELF AND PERSECUTED THE TRUE CHURCH VIA THE MOST CRUEL METHODS IMAGINABLE.

THE PAPACY FULLY CAME TO POWER AFTER THE FALL OF HERULI, THE OSTROGOTHS AND FINALLY THE EXARCHES IN 539 A.D.

BOTH THE APOSTLE JOHN AND THE PROPHET DANIEL SPOKE OF THIS BLASPHEMOUS 'ANTI-CHRIST'  WHICH WOULD RISE TO POWER AND PERSECUTE THE TRUE SAINTS FOR 1260 DAYS.

THE SAINTS OF THE DARK AGES AND REFORMATION UNDERSTOOD THESE 'DAYS' TO EQUAL YEARS, AND BELIEVED THAT PAPACY WOULD BE GIVEN POWER TO PERSECUTE THE TRUE CHURCH FOR 1260 YEARS BEGINNING IN 539 A.D. AND ENDING IN 1799.

THIS PROPHECY CAME TO PASS WITH THE GREATEST ACCURACY (SEE SECTION TO THE RIGHT).  HOWEVER, WHILE MANY HAD PROPERLY DISCERNED THAT THE ANTICHRIST (PAPACY) WOULD INDEED OPPRESS THE TRUE SAINTS FOR 1260 YEARS, MANY FAILED TO DISCERN THAT THIS WOULD SIMPLY FORESHADOW A LITERAL 1260 DAY (31/2 YEAR) PERIOD AT THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE.

GOD USED THIS MISUNDERSTANDING TO BRING ABOUT THE LARGEST WAVE OF EVANGELISM AND THE GREATEST PERIOD OF BIBLE STUDY THE WORLD HAD EVER KNOWN

IN 17998 NAPOLEON CAPTURED POPE PIOUS VI AND TOOK HIM PRISONER IN CHAINS.  THE POPE WOULD DIE IN PRISON THE FOLLOWING YEAR. VIOLENT REVOLUTIONS THROUGHOUT EUROPE SHORTLY AFTER THREW OFF PAPAL POWER. THE REFORMATION HAD TAKEN A FOOTHOLD AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY WAS INCREASING.  THE PROPHECY OF THE 1260DAYS  HAD COME TO PASS WITH THE MOST PRECISE ACCURACY.

THE EXPIRATION OF THE 1260 YEARS, AND THE APPARENT OVERTHROW OF THE PAPACY UNLEASHED THE GREATEST WAVE OF EVANGELISM AND BIBLE STUDY THE WORLD HAD EVER KNOWN.

MANY TURNED THEIR ATTENTION TO PROPHECIES IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL WHICH SPOKE OF TWO MORE TIME PERIODS WHICH MOST BELIEVED WOULD FOLLOW THE OVERTHROW OF THE PAPACY IN 1799. THESE WERE PERIODS OF 3O DAYS, AND THEN A FINAL 45 DAYS.  BELIEVING THESE TO BE YEARS AS WELL, MANY WERE IN EXPECTATION OF THE RETURN OF CHRIST AT ANY TIME WITH A DATE NO LATER THAN 1874 (1799+30+45).  THESE TIME PROPHECIES GAVE RISE TO THE GREAT ADVENTIST MOVEMENT OF THE 1800'S.

WHAT THEY FAILED TO REALIZE IS THAT THE 1260 'DAYS' OF SCRIPTURE ARE GIVEN AS BOTH TYPE AND ANTI-TYPE. IN REVELATION 12 THE DRAGON PERSECUTED THE WOMAN FOR 1260 DAYS (YEARS FROM 539-1799) .  IT WAS THEN ANGRY AND WENT ON TO MAKE WAR WITH 'THE REMNANT OF HER SEED (THE LAST REMNANTS OF TRUE BELIEVERS STILL FAITHFUL DURING THE CONSUMMATION AT THE END OF THE LUKEWARM LAODICEAN CHURCH AGE). IT IS IN THIS CONSUMMATION THAT THE TIME PROPHECIES OF DANIEL FIND THEIR ULTIMATE FULFILLMENT AND WILL TRANSPIRE AS A LITERAL 1260 DAYS, FOLLOWED BY A PERIOD OF 30, AND A FINAL PERIOD OF 45. (SEE BELOW)

THOSE PATIENTLY WAITING OUT THE 75 YEARS AFTER 1799 FOR THE RETURN OF THEIR SAVIOR CONSTITUTE THE GREAT PHILADELPHIA CHURCH AGE; THE ONLY ONE FOR WHICH THERE WAS NO REBUKE GIVEN.  BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITHFULNESS JESUS PROMISED THEM; 'BECAUSE THOU HAST KEPT THE WORD OF MY PATIENCE, I WILL ALSO KEEP THEE FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION, WHICH SHALL COME UPON ALL THE WORLD TO TRY THEM THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH.'

HENCE THE PHILADELPHIA AGE PASSED WITHOUT SEEING THE GREAT COMING PERSECUTION, TRIBULATION, AND THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE IN WHICH THE WRATH OF GOD IS TO BE POURED OUT UPON THE EARTH.  THE LAODICEAN CHURCH, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FAITHFUL REMNANT OF OVER COMERS, BEING THE LAST UNFAITHFUL GENERATION, WILL NOT ESCAPE THIS JUDGMENT