Hello Brakelite.
Noticed in the post above a reference to a time period 538 to 1798 of Papal Rule?
There is indeed some doubt on this time period you mentioned. A Professor of theology at
Andrews University casts doubt on this time period you mentioned. First some background.
S Bacchiocchi was a Seventh Day Adventist author and theologian, best known for his work on the Sabbath in Christianity,
particularly in the historical work "From Sabbath to Sunday". S Bacchiocchi taught in the religion department of Andrews University
from 1974 till his retirement in 2000. He served as professor of theology and church history.
Concerning the Catholic Papacy established in 538 AD.
In the 1888 edition of "The Great Controversy", Mrs White wrote:
"The 1260 years of Papal supremacy began with the establishment of the Papacy in 538 AD, and would therefore terminate in 1798." (p. 266)
"This period, as stated in the preceding chapters, began with the establishment of the papacy, A. D. 538, and terminated in 1798.
At that time, when the papacy was abolished and the pope was made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound,
and the prediction was fulfilled, 'He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity." (p. 439)
In his newsletter, Dr. Bacchiochi points out that the supremacy of the papacy was actually established centuries prior to 538 A.D!
In my dissertation "From Sabbath to Sunday", I have shown that the development of the papal primacy began already in the second century,
when the Pope exercised his ecumenical authority by imposing on Christian churches at large, Easter Sunday, weekly Sunday, and by condemning
various movements like the Montanists.
Dr. Bacchiocchi is certainly not the first Adventist historian to question the 538 date. For years Adventist historians and theologians have searched
in vain for any evidence that anything significant happened to the papacy in 538.
To this point in time, nothing has been found. However, one thing is certain, the papacy was not established in 538.
When did the supremacy of the papacy begin? Dr. Bacchiochhi writes.
"The development of the 'supremacy of the papacy' began long before 538. In his book on "The History of the Christian Church", which had served for many years as the standard text book for church history classes. Williston Walker devotes chapter 6 to the 'Growth of the Papacy' during the fourth and fifth centuries. He points out that during this period there were influential popes like Damasus (366-384), Innocent I (402-417), and Leo I, called 'the Great' (440-461), who greatly advanced both the spiritual and temporal power of the papacy.
I have no argument with the fact the the development of the papacy began even as early as the 2nd century, and during that time exercised religious and civil authority, although as I will shortly explain, in a limited capacity. We all know that the Roman empire disintegrated, what isn't recognised because of the deceptive nature of futurism is how that disintegration so accuratly reflected prophecy. The fourth beast of Daniel 7 depicted 10 horns growing from its head, with an eleventh little horn growing up after, but among them. Rome was overun by ten Garmanic tribes, 7 becoming the foundation of modern Europe, 3 now extinct. It was the little horn which instigated their demise, that little horn being the papacy.
The story goes like this: (the following courtesy of Pastor S Bohr.
Seven of the ten Barbarian kingdoms were converted to Christianity and submitted to the authority of the Bishop of Rome. However, three of the kingdoms converted toChristianity but embraced the heretical teachings of Arius. Arius (who was presbyter in Alexandria around the year 320 A. D.) taught that Christ was created out of nothing as the first and
greatest of all creatures(Loraine Boettner, Bakers Dictionary of Theology, pp. 64-65).
The teachings of Arius were condemned in two great church councils, Nicea (325 A. D.) and Constantinople (381 A. D.). These three Arian kingd\oms were a threat to the supremacy of the
Bishop of Rome [later called the Pope]. To make a long story short, these three kingdoms eventually were uprooted by the imperial power acting under the influence of the Bishop of Rome. The Ostrogoths (originally from Yugoslavia), by order of the emperor, dealt the heretical Heruli a devastating defeat in 493.
It happened like this: The Pope requested the emperor to do something about the unorthodox Heruli. In response, the emperor sent Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths to do battle with Odoacer,
king of the Heruli. Odoacer was slain by Theodoric and the Heruli disappeared from history. Then the Vandals were crushed (in 534 A. D.) by Belisarius, general of emperor Justinians armies.
But there was one remaining horn which needed to be uprooted, and it was the most formidable of all: the Ostrogoths. After the Ostrogoths conquered the Heruli, they became extremely powerful.
They were also Arians, so the Bishop of Rome [the Pope] implored Justinian to uproot the Ostrogoths. Justinian, in turn, implored the Franks to help him in his holy enterprise:
When Justinian first meditated the conquest of Italy, he sent ambassadors to the kings of the Franks, and adjured them, by the common ties of alliance and religion, to join in the holy enterprise against the Arians.
Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume 4 [chapter 41, paragraph 32] (New York: Harper & Brothers), p. 175.
.
There were several battles between Belisarius and the Ostrogoths. The decisive battle, however, was in February (remember the month, we will come back to it later) of the year 538. The armies
of Justinian, as well as the ravages of disease, decimated the armies of the Ostrogoths, they were expelled from Rome and in short order, disappeared from the historical scene in Europe. The third
horn had been uprooted once and for all!
It is of great significance that in 533 A. D. Justinian proclaimed a decree which recognized the Popes headship over all the churches of east and west.
This decree was actually a letter written by Justinian to Pope John. The letter was included in
The Code of Justinian which is a collection of Justinians laws. It must be remembered that this letter had the force of law. In effect, theCode of Justinian was the standard law of all Europe for over one thousand years until it was replaced in the late 1700's by the Code of Napoleon. Part of Justinians decree reads as follows:
Therefore, we have exerted ourselvesto unite all the priests of the East and subject them to the See of Your Holiness, and hence the questions which have at present arisen, although they are manifest and free from doubt, and, according to the doctrine of Your Apostolic See, are constantly firmly observed and preached by
all priests. . . because you are the head of all the Holy Churches, for We shall exert Ourselves in every way(as has already been stated), to increase the honor and authority of your See. . .
(S. P. Scott, The Civil Law, vol. 12, pp. 11-13).
The significance of this decree is that the Roman Emperor was legitimizing the spiritual authority of the Pope. The state was using its clout to proclaim that only the Pope was the authentic spokesman for orthodox Christianity. Though this decree was given in 533 A. D., it was not fully implemented until the rebel Ostrogoths were devastated in 538 A. D.
On the devastating defeat of the Ostrogoths in 538 A. D., Thomas Hodgkin remarks:
Some of them [the retreating Goths] must have suspected the melancholy truth that they had dug one grave deeper and wider than all, the grave of the Gothic monarchy in Italy.
(Thomas Hodgkin, Italy and Her Invaders, book 5, chap. 9, last par. [vol. 4, p. 285]).
Most historians agree that the decimation of the Ostrogoths in Italy marked the beginning of the Middle Ages. Notice the comment by George Finlay:
With the conquest of Rome by Belisarius, the history of the ancient city may be considered as terminating; and with his defense against Witiges [A. D. 538], commences the history of the Middle Ages.
(George Finlay, Greece Under the Romans, p. 295)
It is important to remember also that historians mark 538 A. D. as the transition between old Imperial Rome and the Rome of the Middle Ages. Notice the words of C. F. Young:
It was the last time [when Belisarius entered in 536] that Imperial Rome the old imperial Rome of Italy as distinguished from the new imperial Rome by the Bosporus, the Rome created by Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Vespasian, Domitian, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, Severus, and Caracalla was to be seen by mankind. . .
Rome when it was entered by Belisarius was the Rome that mankind had known for centuries. . . But this Rome was to be seen no more. When eighteen years later the Gothic war was ended, a battered ruin was all that remained; classical Rome had passed away forever, to be succeeded after a time by the squalid and miserable city which is the Rome of the middle Ages.
(C. F. Young, East and West Through Fifteen Centuries, Vol. II, p. 222)
The Ostrogoths did not disappear in 538 A. D., but the decisive battle had been won, the handwriting was on the wall. In 540 A. D. Witiges (king of the Ostrogoths) was dealt a further blow by Belisarius at Ravenna. And in 550 A. D.,what was left of the Ostrogoths was totally wiped out and the Ostrogoths were history. It is of great significance that today no trace can be found of the Heruli anywhere in Europe. There is nomemory of the Vandals in North Africa. And all that remains of the Ostrogoths is King Theodoris Mausoleum (built in the early 6th century) in Ravenna. Theodoric was buried in this mausoleum in 526 A. D., but today his body is gone. When Belisarius conquered Ravenna in 540 A. D., Theodorics body was removed from the casket and discarded. So it is literally true that the three horns were uprooted!!
. But focussing on the RCC too much can also lead to the same problem. Don't forget that many secular nations came out of the former Roman Empire and there is a world wide government comprised of secular anti-religion governments, and led by those more powerful than any Pope. So I believe when the anti-Christ appears even the Pope will look like an angel from heaven in comparison and he will be suppressed.
