Restoration of the Papacy.
By J.
In Daniel 7:21, 22, we read: “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” These are the closing words of Daniel’s inquiry of the angel about the truth of the fourth beast, and of the horns which were in his head, and of the other one before whom three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots, and they apply to that one of which he said he had a mouth which spoke great things, and whose look was more stout than his fellows. The specifications that are given in regard to this power are such that they absolutely fix to the Papacy the application of the prophecy. It is established after the development of the ten kingdoms, and upon the ruin of three of them; it speaks great words against the Most High; it wears out the saints of the Most High; thinks “to change the times and the law” of the Most High; and this dominion and power were to be held for “a time and times, and half a time,”—1260 years,—when the dominion should be taken away. But though the dominion was to be taken away “to consume and to destroy it unto the end,” it appears that the power of persecution,—of making war upon the saints,—is only checked, or suspended, for a season, because, says the prophet, “The same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High.” Now, according to Rev. 20:4; 1 Cor. 6:3, and 4:5, judgment is not given to the saints in this life, but in the life to come. Rev. 20:4 says: “I saw thrones, and they [the “much people in Heaven,” chap. 19:1–8] sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; . . . and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” 1 Cor. 6:2, 3 says: “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” 1 Cor. 4:5 says: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God.” From these texts it is plain that the judgment that is given to the saints is a judgment both of the world and of angels (the evil angels); that it does not pertain to this life; that it is with Christ in Heaven, where they reign with him a thousand years; and that it is given to the saints at the coming of the Lord. This is made emphatic by the closing words of Daniel, quoted above: War was made with the saints till judgment was given them and till “the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” As the Papacy has not for some time made, and is not now making, war upon the saints, and as the word of God declares that he does make war upon them at the time when they possess the kingdom, which is at the coming of the Lord, therefore it seems clear according to the prophecy that there is to be a revival of the persecuting power of the Papacy. This view is confirmed by the parallel scripture in Rev. 13. There it is said of this same power: “I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed.” Verse 3. And in verse 10 it is said of him: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity.” In 1798 A. D., at the end of the 1260 years of its supremacy, the Papacy was abolished, and the Pope, Pius VI., carried into captivity, where he died the next year. There was given the deadly wound. In 1800 the deadly wound was healed by the restoration of the Papacy in Pope Pius VII., but with its power greatly reduced; for then began the taking away of his dominion, which never ceased till the last vestige of it was swallowed up by Victor Emanuel in 1870. As the light of the Reformation and its principles of liberty, civil and religious, gained in power among the nations, the persecuting power of the Papacy faded away. In the closing years of the sixteenth century, and the beginning of the seventeenth, the persecuting power of the Papacy was at its height, and was almost resistless. “That England, Germany, and the Scandinavian kingdoms escaped the doom of Italy and Spain is one of the marvels of history.” In the latter part of the seventeenth century, the average yearly number of victims gradually diminished; but as the numbers were enormous, the yearly average could gradually diminish for a great many years before the dreadful work finally ceased. Napoleon crushed the Inquisition, and destroyed its prisons wherever he came across them, but they were afterward renewed. It was after the middle of the nineteenth century before persecution entirely ceased; and it was not till the occupation of Rome, in 1870, drove the Papacy and the Inquisition into the Vatican, that men felt secure. Yet it is after the captivity, after the healing of the deadly wound, after the taking away of his dominion, that the Scripture says, “All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:8. And it is just at the time when this power went into captivity, 1798, that the prophet sees another power arising, of which he says: “He exerciseth all the power of the first beast in his sight. And he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast whose death-stroke was healed.” Thus there was seen a power arising which will exercise the power of the Papacy, in behalf of the Papacy, and which will compel people to obey the Papacy. This power is called “the image to the beast.” Verse 14. He causes the people to worship (obey) himself and the Papacy; in fact, the worship of himself will be the worship of the Papacy. And in the exercise of this power, he declares that no man may buy or sell save he who honors the Papacy, and even goes so far as to cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Verse 15. That this is immediately preceding the coming of the Lord, is plain from Rev. 14:9–15. There it is said: “If any man worship the beast and his image, . . . the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation.” And immediately following this warning, it is said: “I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap; for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.” Jesus himself said, “The harvest is the end of the world.” These scriptures show that just before the end of the world all will be compelled, under pains and penalties, to honor and obey the papal power. And this corresponds exactly with Daniel’s word that the “little456horn” “made war with the saints” “till the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” In view of these prophecies, we deem it certain that there will be a restoration of the Papacy to honor and power among the nations. This we have believed for several years, and certain events which have occurred lately have greatly strengthened this belief. One of these, shown last week, is the voluntary humiliation of Prince Bismarck, and by him of Germany, before the Pope, and the way in which it is viewed, not only by the Papacy, but by others. In addressing him as “Sire,” Bismarck certainly did recognize in the Pope the dignity of a sovereign. This is nothing else than the court address of a sovereign. This piece of diplomacy, followed so soon by the revision of the May Laws, really by the Pope himself, is but the practical demonstration of the truth of Bismarck’s declaration that “In so far as I am concerned, I shall always seize—and with the greatest eagerness—every occasion offered me in the fulfillment of my duty toward my master and my country to manifest toward your Holiness my deep gratitude and my most humble devotion.” And we believe that it is but one step, which will be followed by other nations toward the restoration of the Papacy. Indeed, it has been followed already by our own nation. Mention has been made in these columns of the action of our Government in furnishing the Catholic committee a revenue cutter, flying the papal flag, at the reception of the papal messengers as they bore the papal trappings to Cardinal Gibbons. The request that was sent to the secretary of the Treasury was that the “usual courtesies” should be shown by the Government. In the term “usual courtesies” there was nothing else meant than the usual courtesies which one nation, or one sovereign, shows to the ambassadors of another. And, as before remarked, when our Government extended the usual courtesies to these messengers of the Pope, it did just what Germany has done—acknowledged the sovereignty of the Pope, and placed him on an equality with other sovereigns. This, too, in the plainest way; for mark, these messengers were not from the Pope to this Government; then there might have been some excuse for extending the usual courtesies; but they were simply messengers from the Pope to a private citizen of this country, and at this a Government vessel must be sent off, with the papal flag in the place of honor, and with orders to show “the usual courtesies”! Nor is this all. In Italy itself there is a movement looking to a “reconciliation between the Vatican and the Italian Kingdom.” The example of Germany is appealed to. The champion of the movement, Signor Achill Fazzari, declares that reconciliation with the Papacy “is the only means to make Italy great, and win respect.” He has reason for the declaration too. It was only a short time ago that Bismarck said it was not worth while negotiating with the Italians, for they were “only a race of singers and dancers.” Yet he negotiates with the Pope, thus holding the Papacy above the Italian Kingdom. Now Signor Fazzari argues that if the Italian Kingdom can only come to an understanding with the Pope, and obtain his good offices, then Bismarck will recognize the Italians, and will be willing to negotiate with them as well as with the Papacy. Thus he argues the absolute “necessity of an understanding with the Papacy,” not only on behalf of Italy in itself, but in “its relations to other nations.” He declares that “two hundred members” of the late Italian Parliament “would have lent their aid to an understanding with the Vatican if only some had led the way.” Next week, if the Lord will, we shall pursue this study further. This is an important subject and we ask our readers to give it careful attention. There is that in it which concerns every one.