As the year 457 B. C. was an important date in Jewish history, so 538 A. D. is a milepost in the history of the Christian church. The former, dating from the decree to restore and build Jerusalem, marks the beginning of one great prophetic period, the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14. The latter, which witnessed the setting up of the papacy, is the date from which to reckon that other prophetic period, “a time and times and the dividing of time,” or the twelve hundred and sixty days of Daniel 7:25. It is the period during which the little horn, that plucked up three of the ten divisions of the Roman empire, should bear sway. It is to the beginning of this period, the year 538, that the thirty-first verse of Daniel 11 brings the history.SDP 235.1

The fully developed papacy was not the work of one nor of two years any more than the universal power of Babylon, Medo-Persia, or Greece was an immediate acquisition. As those kingdoms grew in power, so papal Rome grew in power. According to Revelation 13:2, the dragon gave the beast his power and his seat and great authority. The work of Constantine and Justinian in gaining power for this new organization was parallel to the conquests of Cyrus, Alexander, and Cæsar in their conquests for their respective nations. The seat of the pagan Roman government was removed to Constantinople, ^{MarginEzra 7:11-26.

And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

Daniel 11:31.

And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, to set up the abomination, etc., that astonisheth, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Daniel 12:11 [margin.]

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped: so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-7.

Revelation 13:2.

Isaiah 44:27, 28.

Isaiah 45:1-5.

Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them.

Ezekiel 7:11.} thereby giving room for the papacy to be seated on the throne in the city on the Tiber. As territory and a capital were gained gradually, so the authority of the papacy was a gradual acquisition. Each of the four universal kingdoms had a distinct policy, which was followed throughout its existence. Likewise the papacy had its policy just as clearly defined. The working of this policy in its inception is best seen in Alexandria. It was there that the two streams, paganism and Christianity, mingled their waters. The papacy had birth on the banks of the Nile: Egypt was the mother who nursed it, and as it grew, it breathed in the miasma of its surroundings. First, Christians interpreted the Bible according to pagan thought, and paganism appearing to be vanquished, in reality became the conqueror.SDP 235.2

Then the teachings of the Word were changed. In order to compromise with pagans, idol worship was introduced into the Christian church; the second commandment was dropped from the decalogue, and the tenth was divided to preserve the number. The fourth, the keystone to the law of God, a memorial of creation and redemption, was so altered as to exalt the enemy of God above God himself. Later, the whole Bible was discarded, and as that detector of sin was suppressed, vileness and iniquity became uncontrollable. This, however, was not the whole policy of the papacy, but only one of the stones in the foundation of the structure that was being reared.SDP 236.1

The head of the church, who was likewise a civil ruler, was exalted more and more above his fellows, until a complete ecclesiastical hierarchy ^{MarginProud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

Proverbs 11:24.

2 Thessalonians 2:4.

Daniel 8:25.

A well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

Song of Solomon 4:15.

Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

Jeremiah 18:4.

Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet: and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.

Ezekiel 34:18, 19.

Isaiah 29:13-15.

Lamentations 4:12.

Psalm 119:142.

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator.

Romans 1:25.

Exodus 20:8-11.

Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

Exodus 31:13.

Ezekiel 20:19, 20.

Romans 7:7.

For thou hast said in thine heart. I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.

Isaiah 14:13.

2 Thessalonians 2:8.} was formed. By decree of a general council the head of the church was declared infallible. But even before, this faith in the new church, and especially in the head of the church, took the place of faith in Christ. The Virgin Mary and saints became mediators for sinful man, and forgiveness was granted by the head of the church. Righteousness by works led to long pilgrimages, penance, and relic worship. Everlasting punishment was held as a threat above the heads of the common people. The darkness deepened. The inquisition was instituted to force men’s conscience. Kings upon their thrones were compelled to recognize the superior authority of the power of Rome, and failure to do so meant the removal of their crowns. Subjects were absolved from allegiance to their sovereigns, and so complete was the obedience of nations to Rome, that no man dared lift his hand in opposition.SDP 236.2

A darkness beyond comprehension settled over all the world. The light had been extinguished when God’s Word was banished. “The noontide of the papacy was the world’s moral midnight.”SDP 237.1

The power which should speak great words against the Most High, and wear out the saints of the Most High, was allotted 1260 years in which to work; but so cruel was that power that the time was shortened, lest none should survive the persecution. It was Egyptian or Babylonian bondage for the Christian church. But even as God had some in Egypt and Babylon who were followers of the light throughout the period of darkness, there was ever a little company of believers who held the Scriptures dear to ^{MarginFor there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:5.

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:9.

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.

Isaiah 60:2.

Hosea 6:9.

In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood.

Ezekiel 22:9.

Revelation 13:7, 8.

Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.

Micah 3:2, 3.

But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 6:23.

Daniel 7:25.

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened. There should no flesh he saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Matthew 24:21, 22.

32. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall be corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

Daniel 11:32.} their hearts, and who obeyed the commandments.SDP 237.2

The Waldenses could trace their ancestry back to the days of Paul, and from Asia Minor, where that apostle first preached, to the wild retreat in the mountains of Italy, there were faithful Sabbath keepers. The power on the throne might change the day of worship, but there were always some who obeyed God rather than man. As Gabriel told Daniel, “They that understand among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil.” Though thousands fell because they dared lift the voice against the powers that be, yet God watched their numbers and counted each one who gave his life.SDP 238.1

There is no more wonderful record of deliverance from bondage than that which God wrought for his church at the close of the period of persecution. Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, when a multitude marched through the Red Sea on dry land, was marvelous; the deliverance from Babylon was a wonder in the eyes of the world; but the birth of Protestantism-the deliverance from the darkness of the Middle Ages-surpassed all others.SDP 238.2

In the twelfth of Revelation, where the same deliverance is mentioned, it is stated that the earth helped the woman-the church. And it did indeed. Powers that were wholly unaccountable for the good they were doing, were used by the Father to break those bands that Satan had placed around the truth. The suppression of the Bible had led to the suppression of all learning. There were no schools for the ^{MarginYet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

1 Kings 19:9, 10, 18.

The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.

Proverbs 15:31.

We ought to obey God rather than men.

Acts 5:29.

33. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

Daniel 11:33.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

Psalm 115:16.

And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of has mouth.

Revelation 12:16.

And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing; fear not, but let your hands be strong.

Zechariah 8:13.

34. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

35. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

Daniel 11:34, 35.

And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power: and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

Exodus 9:16.} masses; there were no books, no papers; physicians were forbidden to practice medicine, lest they should take money which would otherwise go into the coffers of the church. Should any man dare to advocate learning, or cross the beaten paths made by the church, he was led to the stake. But it could not always be so. God made use of the Moors who had accepted Mohammedanism to help deliver his people. Schools were established by them in Spain and western Asia. The sciences were taught, and from these schools the light of learning broke into Egypt.SDP 238.3

Wycliffe, called “the Morning Star of the Reformation,” in the fourteenth century, translated the Bible into English. He wrote tracts showing the fallacy of the papal system. He, in England, like Daniel of old, was in close touch with the king, and the light of the gospel was having its effect. To the ruler on the throne, and the students in the universities, Wycliffe gave the gospel. His followers, known as Lollards, were bitterly persecuted, but never wholly exterminated; and it is their descendants, who, as Puritans, brought Protestantism to America.SDP 239.1

Huss and Jerome in Bohemia lifted their voices against papal dogmas, and later Luther, the German monk, proclaimed liberty of conscience and salvation alone by faith in Jesus Christ. He had found a copy of the Bible chained in a cell of one of the German monasteries, and the spark there kindled, lighted a fire which Rome was unable to extinguish.SDP 239.2

The Word of God became the lesson book for the German nation. Luther was assisted in his ^{MarginSurely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

Psalm 76:10.

A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a lather, where is mine honor? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

Malachi 1:6.

And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.

Isaiah 12:4.

Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion declare among the people his doings. When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

Psalm 9:11, 12.

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Matthew 24:21, 22.

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

Isaiah 58:1.

Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord: and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

Jeremiah 23:29.

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto} work of reform by Melanchthon, the noted teacher in Wittenberg. Other schools were established throughout Germany; teachers were educated, and before the death of Luther the German nation sat at the feet of Protestant teachers; so rapid was the work when the Word of God was opened to mankind. The Reformation marched on to victory. Rome retreated into narrower and still narrower bounds, not before the sword, but before the onward march of truth. Into every nation of Europe the light shone, and America was founded upon the principles which had their birth in Germany.SDP 239.3

The papacy quivered before the blow; and had each nation accepted the Reformation as it came to it, it would have been but a short time until history would have been at an end. God was in the Reformation, offering to modern nations the same deliverance which was held out to the Jews when they were granted an opportunity to return from Babylon to Jerusalem. The everlasting covenant was repeated, but men in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries treated it as the Jews did the decree to leave Babylon. When once the principles of the Reformation-liberty of conscience and the equal rights of all men-were presented to a nation, and were refused, that nation sank back into the arms of the papacy, and carried to its completion the principles of that government.SDP 240.1

Such was the history of France. The experience of that nation stands as an object lesson to the world. Truth had been proclaimed within her borders, but again the papacy rose up to do according to his will. It is in that country that verses 36-39 of chapter 11 were ^{Marginsalvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

2 Timothy 3:15, 16.

Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

Psalm 119:98-100.

Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes.

Deuteronomy 4:5-7.

Deuteronomy 28:13.

Ephesians 6:17.

Zechariah 4:6.

Jeremiah 1:19.

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Proverbs 4:18.

I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.

Isaiah 48:6.

Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Isaiah 49:7.

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

Isaiah 1:3.

36. And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined, shall be done.

Daniel 11:36.

How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

Isaiah 1:21-23.} exactly fulfilled. Having rejected light, the intensity of the darkness into which men fell was beyond description.SDP 240.2

Scott, in the life of Napoleon, speaking of France in the year 1793, just a few years before the expiration of the allotted time (verse 36), says: “The world for the first time heard an assembly of men, born and educated in civilization, and assuming to govern one of the finest European nations, uplift their united voices to deny the most solemn truth which man’s soul receives, and renounce unanimously the belief and worship of the Deity.” “France stands apart in the world’s history as the single state which, by the decree of her legislative assembly, pronounced that there was no God, and of which the entire population of the capital, and a vast majority elsewhere, women as well as men, danced and sang with joy in accepting the announcement. This was atheism-the logical result of the position taken in Alexandria when Christians assumed the garb of pagan philosophers. God’s Word was treated as a product of the human mind. Atheism in the individual is likewise the result of so treating the Scriptures.”SDP 241.1

Still further quotations from the history of those times will show how completely God was rejected, and the worship of the human intellect was substituted.SDP 241.2

One day “the doors of the Convention were thrown open to a band of musicians, preceded by whom the members of the municipal body entered in solemn procession, singing a hymn in praise of Liberty, and escorting a veiled female, whom they termed the ‘Goddess of Reason.’” On unveiling the creature, she was found ^{Margin37. Neither shall he regard the god of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

38. But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

39. Thus shall he do in the most strongholds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and Increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

Daniel 11:37-39.

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Psalm 53:1.

And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

Exodus 5:2.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

1 Thessalonians 2:13.

Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

Amos 8:8.

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew} to be a prostitute opera singer. This was the fittest representation France could find of the reason which they exalted. Perhaps it was hard to understand, when noting the policy of Greece in elevating human reason, what the result of such a course would be. The history of France in the days of the Revolution is a thorough explanation of those results.SDP 241.3

Men to-day exalt reason above God; they deign to give private interpretation to the divine Word; they offer all sorts of theories contradictory to a “thus saith the Lord,” and even professed Christians follow the Greek intellect, studying the philosophy themselves, and teaching it to their children, apparently unconscious of the fact that this is papal and only papal, and that its ultimate result may be read in the awful annals of France.SDP 242.1

Having enthroned the “Goddess of Reason,” France passed laws which clearly reveal the result of such worship. The two institutions which date back to Eden, and which are inseparably connected with the worship of Jehovah, were defamed. The week was changed by a decree so as to completely abolish all resemblance to former times, and for a brief space France rested one day in ten instead of observing the weekly Sabbath. The law of marriage was repealed, and that safeguard to society completely disregarded.SDP 242.2

The papacy in France was fast paving the road to self-annihilation. Human intellect worshiped brings death. The French Revolution of 1798, the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, and the Reign of Terror tell the dreadful story of destruction. The entire history of this period is ^{Marginnot near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves: they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.

Zephaniah 3:1-4.

His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate. I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

Psalm 7:16, 17.

Casting down reasonings and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5 [margin].

Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?

Malachi 3:13-15.

Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.

Ezekiel 20:24.

What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.

Nehemiah 13:17, 18.

Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.

Ezekiel 22:8.

1 Timothy 4:1-3.

In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God. Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the} an object lesson to the world of the final destruction of nations when the Spirit of God is withdrawn, because those in authority refuse to worship Jehovah, choosing rather to exalt the “Goddess of Reason.”SDP 242.3

Complete overthrow stared France in the face until the control of affairs was assumed by the young military officer, Napoleon Bonaparte. Out of chaos he led the nation through bloodshed to a place of honor among the nations of Europe. The cause of the struggle, which cost thousands of lives, was the attempt to suppress both civil and religious rights. The Reformation in Germany in the sixteenth century struck a deathblow to feudalism and the monarchy. France was the battle ground where papal tyranny wrestled with Protestantism and republicanism. Absolute monarchy always accompanies and supports the policy of the papacy, whether in a pagan or a nominally Christian nation. Democracy in principle is the form of government assumed by any nation when the light of truth is accepted.SDP 243.1

When the Reformation was rejected by France, the tyranny of the monarchy knew no bounds. Two thirds of the land of the state was in the hands of the clergy and nobles; the king passed laws taxing his subjects against all protest from Parliament; warrants for arrest and imprisonment were issued by his authority alone; “famine prevailed in every province, and the bark of the trees was the daily food for hundreds of thousands.” The oppression was unendurable, and men, frenzied until they were more demon than human, rose in revolt.SDP 243.2

In America the principles of the Reformation ^{Margindays that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it.

Ezekiel 22:12-14.

James 1:15.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

Ezekiel 21:24.

Jeremiah 25:29-33.

Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.... When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

Psalm 83:9-17.

God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

Psalm 47:8, 9.

Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being in honor abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings.

Psalm 49:11-13.

Deuteronomy 28:53-57.

Job 30:3-8.

Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 29:24, 25.} had been put into practice with comparative ease. But France, having once rejected light, waded through blood in her demand for freedom.SDP 243.3

Then appeared Napoleon. With the rapid movements of a master mind he carried victory for French arms throughout Europe. The army was the controlling element; nobles and clergy were alike powerless, and the common people had exhausted themselves without avail during the terrors of the past few years. He defeated the Austrians and captured Milan; he forced the pope, and various cities of Italy, to purchase peace by giving up their art collections. He organized a republic in Northern Italy, and compelled Austria to cede its Belgian provinces to France. He conducted an expedition to Egypt, hoping to gain control of the eastern Mediterranean. On the way he captured Malta, and then gained a victory over the Mohammedans of Egypt near the pyramids. Near the Nile, however, Bonaparte was met and defeated by Lord Nelson, the greatest of English naval officers. England, jealous of the rapid progress now being made by Napoleon, had opposed his progress in Egypt. Later, he defeated the Turks of Egypt at Aboukir. In 1799 a constitution was adopted in France, and Napoleon was chosen First Consul with two assistants. France had attempted to copy the Constitution of the United States, but the effect failed. The constitution of 1799 established a centralized government, and deprived the people of liberty and self-government. “Equality, not liberty, was all that the cause of France now represented.”SDP 244.1

The reforms of Napoleon are worthy of notice. Says the historian, “He personally participated ^{MarginHe ruleth by his power forever: his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves.

Psalm 59:7.

The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.

Isaiah 13:4, 5.

Isaiah 8:7.

I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so: but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria.

Isaiah 10:6-10.

Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. And he shall cut down the thickest of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

Isaiah 10:33, 34.

When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.

Isaiah 31:3.

For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls and of crying to the mountains.

Isaiah 22:5.

So are the paths of all that forget God: and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish.

Job 8:13.} in the religious ceremonies which attended the formal restoration of the old system of worship where the Goddess of Reason had been enthroned with atheistic orgies.” “Full toleration was secured for non-Catholics.” It was Berthier, who in 1798 made the pope a prisoner, thus fulfilling the prophecy concerning the 1260 years of papal supremacy.SDP 244.2

The reforms of Napoleon, however, tended only toward a monarchy, and while the people pleaded for republicanism, the pride of the man overruled, and he bent his energies toward his own exaltation. He was proclaimed emperor in 1804, and, in imitation of Charlemagne, he received a crown from Pope Pius VII in Notre Dame. Freedom seemed again to be defeated. Partial acceptance of truth brings only tyranny. This is individual as well as national experience.SDP 245.1

The establishment of the principles of the Reformation, as seen in the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, was the result of Puritan faith and courage to follow in that light which led away from the papacy. The struggle of France is a warning to those who see no harm in harboring the principles of antichrist, or those who, having known the truth of civil and religious liberty, turn again to the bondage of error.SDP 245.2

At the time of the end (1798) the kings of the north and the south again contended. From the founding of Constantinople by Constantine in 330, the power which held that city had maintained control of the Mediterranean, for Constantinople is recognized by all nations as the key to both Asia and Europe. In the time of the end, history will again center about this city. ^{MarginAnd he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.

2 Chronicles 25:2.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Revelation 13:3, 10.

Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings; they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Isaiah 59:6-8.

Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.

Isaiah 14:29.

40. And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

Daniel 11:40.} As in times past, so again we are obliged to trace far back to find the source of events which now appear in full view. About the time that the papacy was growing into a full-fledged monarchy, recognized among nations of the earth, another power had birth. This new work of Satan came in the form of Mohammedanism, which to-day holds about one sixth of the world’s population in its grasp. The new doctrine originated in Arabia, from whence it spread as a smoke from the bottomless pit. Syria fell under its power, but Egypt became the center of its influences. Egypt has felt every evil influence, and the banks of the Nile have fed every form of idolatry.SDP 245.3

Mohammedanism is but another form of Egyptian darkness. By the power of the sword the followers of Mohammed strove to enter Europe. The western horn of the Crescent, the Moslem symbol, was extended into Spain in the early part of the eighth century, and for a time all Europe was threatened, but the battle of Tours (732) stopped the progress of the conquerors. In 1453, however, Constantinople was captured, and has since remained in the hands of the Turks, the boldest advocates of the doctrine of Mohammed. As the founding of Constantinople is a guidepost in history, so the capture of that city in 1453 is another landmark. One of the greatest checks received by the papacy was due to the influx into Italy of Greek scholars, driven from Constantinople by the incoming Mohammedans. The discovery of America was due to the closing of the eastern passage to the rich islands of the Indian Ocean by the Mohammedans in Constantinople and ^{MarginHast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it: and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defensed cities into ruinous heaps.

Isaiah 37:26.

And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Revelation 9:2, 3.

And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof: and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 19:3, 4.

The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

Isaiah 17:13.

Will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.

Ezekiel 26:3.

She is broken that was the gates of the people.

Ezekiel 26:2.

Set thee up waymarks, make thee heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest.

Jeremiah 31:21.

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Isaiah 54:2, 3.} Asia Minor, and so in more ways than is usually thought, God worked to advance truth through those who were ignorant of his truth.SDP 246.1

Not only Egypt, but Syria and Turkey in Europe, belonged to the Mohammedans, and he has entered the “glorious land,” and a Moslem mosque occupies the site where once stood the temple of Solomon. Edom, Moab, and Ammon, however, escaped the hand of this conquering power, and these countries receive an annual tribute from the Turks who pass in caravans on their way to Mecca.SDP 247.1

The ambition of Napoleon to establish the authority of Europe in Egypt might have been the beginning of the last struggle between the north and the south. Even in his day Russia and France made friends, but the time had not yet come for the Turk to take his departure from Europe, and England took the part of Egypt against the arms of Napoleon. Napoleon recognized the strength of Constantinople, so also did Russia, and there has been constant jealousy among the nations of Europe lest one should outwit the others, and become the possessor of that stronghold.SDP 247.2

Every eye is centered on that one spot, and has been for years. Turkey is known universally as the “Sick Man of the East,” and the only reason he does not die is because intoxicants are administered, figuratively speaking, by first one nation then another. The time will come when he will remove from Constantinople, and take up his abode in Palestine; that is, plant his tabernacle between the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Time and again the world has been brought to realize that the end of all things is ^{MarginThe one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: what then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

Philippians 1:16-19.

41. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

42. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

Daniel 11:41, 42.

Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession.

Deuteronomy 2:6, 9.

Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us.

Isaiah 8:9, 10.

The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.

Isaiah 42:13.

43. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

44. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go north with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.

45. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain: yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Daniel 11:43-45.

With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. Behold, he breaketh down, and it can not be built again: he shutteth up a man, and here can be no opening.

Job 12:13, 14.} near at hand, for all know that when the Turk steps out of Constantinople, there will be a general breaking up of Europe. They may not name this impending conflict the battle of Armageddon, but God has so named it. In the Crimean war of 1853-1856, the world trembled for Turkey, and, lest the crisis should be precipitated, England and France came to the rescue, and Russia was bidden to stand back. In the Russo-Turkish war of 1877, the powers of Europe united to sustain the life of the sick man.SDP 247.3

“I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth.... And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God; and he cried ...saying, Hurt not the earth ...till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” These angels now hold the winds of strife, waiting for the church of God to prepare for his coming. The sealing angel goes through Jerusalem (the church) to place the seal of the living God on the foreheads of the faithful, and while this work goes forward, Turkey stands as a national guidepost to the world, that men may know what is going on in the sanctuary above.SDP 248.1

God’s eye is upon his people, and he never leaves himself without a witness in the world. No man knows when Turkey will take its departure from Europe, but when that move is made, earth’s history will be short. Then it will be said, “He that is unjust let him be unjust still, ...and he that is righteous let him be righteous still.” To-day is “the day of preparation.” The fate of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome is recorded for the edification ^{MarginAnd the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Revelation 16:12-16.

Revelation 7:1-3.

Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

Ezekiel 9:1-6.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Luke 21:28.

To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Hebrews 3:15.} of the nations of to-day, and the lessons taught by all center in the events just before us. While the world watches Turkey, let the servant of God watch the movements of his great High Priest, whose ministry for sin is almost over. ^{MarginYe can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Matthew 16:3.

Seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25.}SDP 248.2

CHAPTER XVI THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY (Chapter 11:23-31)

CHAPTER XVIII THE CLOSING SCENE (Chapter 12)