The persecution of the Christian church was brought about at first by pagan Rome, then by apostasy within the church of Rome. This was predicted by Christ, Paul, and John. Although apostasy was already at work in a limited way in Paul’s time, it wasn’t until the bishop of Rome was freed from the control of the Ostrogoths in 538 AD, that church and state were decidedly united in an unholy alliance. JTL22 5.1
Compromises between Christianity and paganism led to the formation of the “man of sin,” a gigantic system of false religion mixing truth and error. Under the leadership of the papacy, pagans joined the church in name only, bringing their pagan practices with them. JTL22 5.2
In a bold move for power and control, the church, with the assistance of the state, tried to force its decrees and teachings on all Christians. The remnant, who held to the authority of the Bible over the traditions of the church, experienced great suffering and many were killed. The grossly distorted view of God’s character by these actions of the church in the Middle Ages, as well as the doctrines of purgatory and eternal torment, led many to reject Christianity altogether. JTL22 5.3
Although the pope of the Roman church is the predicted “man of sin,” there are many faithful believers in Christ within that system. They have accepted Christ as their Savior and are following Him to the best of their ability according to the knowledge they have. With other faithful members in all Christian churches, this group constitutes an invisible remnant. Before the Second Coming of Jesus, they will hear the call of Revelation 18:4 to “Come out of [Babylon], my people” and join the visible remnant church of God described in Revelation 12:17. JTL22 5.4