Chapter 3—An Era of Spiritual Darkness
The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold
the great apostasy which would result in the establishment of the papal
power. He declared that the day of Christ should 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.” And furthermore, the apostle
warns his brethren that “the mystery of iniquity doth already work.”
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Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 7
. Even at that early date he saw, creeping into
the church, errors that would prepare the way for the development of
the papacy.
Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly
as it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men,
“the mystery of iniquity” carried forward its deceptive and blasphe-
mous work. Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found
their way into the Christian church. The spirit of compromise and
conformity was restrained for a time by the fierce persecutions which
the church endured under paganism. But as persecution ceased, and
Christianity entered the courts and palaces of kings, she laid aside the
humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles for the pomp and pride of
pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the requirements of God, she
substituted human theories and traditions. The nominal conversion of
Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoic-
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ing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into
the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism,
while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit
controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions
were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers
of Christ.
This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in
the development of “the man of sin” foretold in prophecy as opposing
and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion
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