Daniel's prophesy of end times. Part 7.
For the first three centuries of the Christian Church the use of images was rare and exceptional. The use of images was an obstacle to the conversion of the Jews, and one of the causes for the progress of Mohammedanism in the East during this period.
Lets take a close look at Dan.12:11, And from the time that the daily (perpetual) sacrifice (blood offering) shall be taken away, and, The abomination that maketh desolate set up (set up here means to be established in ones heart) there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (1290). I understand this to be a spiritual falling away and the thing set up will be found in the heart of all idol worshippers.
The Catholic Church has become like the tree that had suffered excision found in Dan.4. It still subsists, but how does is continue to do so? Its root indeed remain in the earth, with a band of iron and brass around it. Its present condition is not to be envied or coveted, yet the Lord God has chosen to keep it alive.
In both the Catholic Church and Muslim religion I see the feet and toes of potters clay (Catholic Church) and miry clay (Muslims). When the Catholic Church went officially into idol worship (734 A.D.) they left their first love, Jesus Christ and took to their hearts this abomination of desolation of idol worship.
The Lord said, Ex.20:4, Thou shalt not MAKE unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.
This commandment is clear, and should have been easily understood by all. Early in the eighth century, the Roman church had become idolatrous. The Lord and His Holy Spirit had instructed Christians to worship Him in spirit and in truth forbidding men to make any image or likeness of God, man, beast or anything in the creation itself; neither to worship or bow down before any picture or statue made by the hand of man.
But as we have seen in the history of idolatry; men soon change the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man; they worshiping the Host of heaven, and become void of any divine truth. The church lost its soundness of faith and their 1st love and devotion to Jesus Christ. This is the deluded victory Satan achieved, he having successfully divided the body of Christ.
In the early years of the Catholic Church it waged a war of extermination against Gentile and Jewish idolatry in every form. Through the teaching and preaching of the gospel they gained astonishing victories throughout these early years. But in this 8th century, the spirit of the Gospel was about to depart from the church; departing from those who were to care for it.
Amid the gross ignorance and superstition of that age, men in the 8th century rapidly lost sight of the object of their first love, Jesus Christ. The world was preparing for a false fire of devotion; Satan knew his time had come, so he cast the seeds of idolatry into the fertile soil or the Roman Catholic Church and throughout the Gentile world where it held fast.
Yet in all this, the Catholic Church never made an attempt to denounce the faith; neither did they attempt to return to the pagan gods. But the Church was about to unleash the artist and sculptures of that period. Their painting and statues were to be introduced into the Christian community in order, they claimed to aid in the worship of Jesus Christ, the Apostles and most every canonized saint. But all it did accomplish was to drive the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ from the minds and hearts of men.
It began small, but gained momentum quickly. In the year 730 Leo the 3ed the Isaurian, the Byzantine Emperor founder of the Syrian dynasty put out a decree which prohibited under the pain of death, as sinful and idolatrous, all acts of reverence, public or private to images, and directed that, whenever images should be found they should forthwith be removed or destroyed.
In Constantinople there was an image of Christ on the cross. Leo recognized this image of Christ as an object of idolatry; so he sent an officer to pull it down. Certain women there demonstrated against it, calling it a sacrilege. The officer sent by Leo rejected their pleas, climbed a ladder and cut the face to pieces with his hatchet. The women enraged took his ladder down and killed the officer. Leo had the murderers put to death; but yet these women are honored today as martyrs in the Greek Church.
Leo had issued an edict condemning the worship of images throughout the empire. The edict produced many startling effects as rebellion broke out in every corner of the empire, and soon after, Greek possessions in Italy were severed from the empire. Leo became enraged at his losses, determined to take revenge on those who authored the events.
Removed from his spiritual jurisdiction were Greece, Lllyria and Macedonia, subjecting them to the Patriarch of Constantinople; in this was created a permanent breach between the Latin and Greek churches; the year, 734 A.D.
In Rome, a passion for idolatry had begun; and no sooner had the act of defacing the statue of Christ by the officer become known; the whole city rebelled against Leo. Pope Gregory the 2ed, sat as Pope in Rome ruling from 715 731 A.D. he having taken the lead in establishing image worship, and for exalting himself in the place of God. Gregory excommunicated Leo, and made an effort to have a new Emperor elected. A civil war ensued as the Emperor issued orders to have all paintings and statues destroyed; but those in favor of image worship who lived in Rome were as active in multiplying them and bowing a knee to them as their counterparts.
Thus the Christian world was thrown into the most violent contentions; contentions that resulted in horrible crimes and assassinations. From this point forward, image worship grew popular in the Eastern churches and now only needed the sanction of an Emperor to make it universal; and these sanctions would soon came. In 787 A.D. the second council of Nice confirmed idol worship and rendered it equally prevalent in the East, as it was in the West. And now the body of Christ had been divided; Satan had succeeded.
Gregory condemned Leos act, launching the Iconoclastic Controversy and causing Leo to plot against his life; iconoclasm meaning the act of breaking or destroying images. Supported by the Romans and the Lombards, Pope Gregory fought iconoclasm until his death, but as the 8th century advanced, the spirit between Rome and Constantinople worsened. Gregory 3ed sat as Pope from 731 to 741 and was immediately confronted with the Iconoclastic controversy, he also condemning the byzantine emperor Leos destruction of religious images.
Concerning this historic event, idol worship had been established just before 730, Leo began having the images destroyed. In 734 A.D.the Catholic church made idol worship officially part of their law. Here's where it get's interesting, I took the number found in Dan.12:11, 1290 days, which I also understand represents years not days and added 1290 to 730 A.D. = 2020 A.D. and 734 A.D. to 1290 = 2024 A.D. this the year idol worship became law.
This took me to a period between 2020 and up to 2024 A.D. In all my other treads, 2019 would begin the tribulation and 2024 would put in the middle of the seven years of tribulation. We are told the two witnesses of God will be killed by anti-Christ 3 ½ years into the tribulation. 2024 may be the year when the Catholic Church (feet and toes of iron and potters clay) is destroyed by the Islamic armies (the feet and toes of iron and miry clay.) At the end of this period 2026, the Dome of the Rock will be destroyed and all the enemies of the Jews and of Christ will be defeated.
The dates between 2019 A.D. to 2026 A.D. line up with Hos.6:2, Dan.8:14, Dan.12:12. Also I still have one more event that supports all of the above.
Phil LaSpino Taken from seekfirstwisdom
For the first three centuries of the Christian Church the use of images was rare and exceptional. The use of images was an obstacle to the conversion of the Jews, and one of the causes for the progress of Mohammedanism in the East during this period.
Lets take a close look at Dan.12:11, And from the time that the daily (perpetual) sacrifice (blood offering) shall be taken away, and, The abomination that maketh desolate set up (set up here means to be established in ones heart) there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (1290). I understand this to be a spiritual falling away and the thing set up will be found in the heart of all idol worshippers.
The Catholic Church has become like the tree that had suffered excision found in Dan.4. It still subsists, but how does is continue to do so? Its root indeed remain in the earth, with a band of iron and brass around it. Its present condition is not to be envied or coveted, yet the Lord God has chosen to keep it alive.
In both the Catholic Church and Muslim religion I see the feet and toes of potters clay (Catholic Church) and miry clay (Muslims). When the Catholic Church went officially into idol worship (734 A.D.) they left their first love, Jesus Christ and took to their hearts this abomination of desolation of idol worship.
The Lord said, Ex.20:4, Thou shalt not MAKE unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.
This commandment is clear, and should have been easily understood by all. Early in the eighth century, the Roman church had become idolatrous. The Lord and His Holy Spirit had instructed Christians to worship Him in spirit and in truth forbidding men to make any image or likeness of God, man, beast or anything in the creation itself; neither to worship or bow down before any picture or statue made by the hand of man.
But as we have seen in the history of idolatry; men soon change the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man; they worshiping the Host of heaven, and become void of any divine truth. The church lost its soundness of faith and their 1st love and devotion to Jesus Christ. This is the deluded victory Satan achieved, he having successfully divided the body of Christ.
In the early years of the Catholic Church it waged a war of extermination against Gentile and Jewish idolatry in every form. Through the teaching and preaching of the gospel they gained astonishing victories throughout these early years. But in this 8th century, the spirit of the Gospel was about to depart from the church; departing from those who were to care for it.
Amid the gross ignorance and superstition of that age, men in the 8th century rapidly lost sight of the object of their first love, Jesus Christ. The world was preparing for a false fire of devotion; Satan knew his time had come, so he cast the seeds of idolatry into the fertile soil or the Roman Catholic Church and throughout the Gentile world where it held fast.
Yet in all this, the Catholic Church never made an attempt to denounce the faith; neither did they attempt to return to the pagan gods. But the Church was about to unleash the artist and sculptures of that period. Their painting and statues were to be introduced into the Christian community in order, they claimed to aid in the worship of Jesus Christ, the Apostles and most every canonized saint. But all it did accomplish was to drive the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ from the minds and hearts of men.
It began small, but gained momentum quickly. In the year 730 Leo the 3ed the Isaurian, the Byzantine Emperor founder of the Syrian dynasty put out a decree which prohibited under the pain of death, as sinful and idolatrous, all acts of reverence, public or private to images, and directed that, whenever images should be found they should forthwith be removed or destroyed.
In Constantinople there was an image of Christ on the cross. Leo recognized this image of Christ as an object of idolatry; so he sent an officer to pull it down. Certain women there demonstrated against it, calling it a sacrilege. The officer sent by Leo rejected their pleas, climbed a ladder and cut the face to pieces with his hatchet. The women enraged took his ladder down and killed the officer. Leo had the murderers put to death; but yet these women are honored today as martyrs in the Greek Church.
Leo had issued an edict condemning the worship of images throughout the empire. The edict produced many startling effects as rebellion broke out in every corner of the empire, and soon after, Greek possessions in Italy were severed from the empire. Leo became enraged at his losses, determined to take revenge on those who authored the events.
Removed from his spiritual jurisdiction were Greece, Lllyria and Macedonia, subjecting them to the Patriarch of Constantinople; in this was created a permanent breach between the Latin and Greek churches; the year, 734 A.D.
In Rome, a passion for idolatry had begun; and no sooner had the act of defacing the statue of Christ by the officer become known; the whole city rebelled against Leo. Pope Gregory the 2ed, sat as Pope in Rome ruling from 715 731 A.D. he having taken the lead in establishing image worship, and for exalting himself in the place of God. Gregory excommunicated Leo, and made an effort to have a new Emperor elected. A civil war ensued as the Emperor issued orders to have all paintings and statues destroyed; but those in favor of image worship who lived in Rome were as active in multiplying them and bowing a knee to them as their counterparts.
Thus the Christian world was thrown into the most violent contentions; contentions that resulted in horrible crimes and assassinations. From this point forward, image worship grew popular in the Eastern churches and now only needed the sanction of an Emperor to make it universal; and these sanctions would soon came. In 787 A.D. the second council of Nice confirmed idol worship and rendered it equally prevalent in the East, as it was in the West. And now the body of Christ had been divided; Satan had succeeded.
Gregory condemned Leos act, launching the Iconoclastic Controversy and causing Leo to plot against his life; iconoclasm meaning the act of breaking or destroying images. Supported by the Romans and the Lombards, Pope Gregory fought iconoclasm until his death, but as the 8th century advanced, the spirit between Rome and Constantinople worsened. Gregory 3ed sat as Pope from 731 to 741 and was immediately confronted with the Iconoclastic controversy, he also condemning the byzantine emperor Leos destruction of religious images.
Concerning this historic event, idol worship had been established just before 730, Leo began having the images destroyed. In 734 A.D.the Catholic church made idol worship officially part of their law. Here's where it get's interesting, I took the number found in Dan.12:11, 1290 days, which I also understand represents years not days and added 1290 to 730 A.D. = 2020 A.D. and 734 A.D. to 1290 = 2024 A.D. this the year idol worship became law.
This took me to a period between 2020 and up to 2024 A.D. In all my other treads, 2019 would begin the tribulation and 2024 would put in the middle of the seven years of tribulation. We are told the two witnesses of God will be killed by anti-Christ 3 ½ years into the tribulation. 2024 may be the year when the Catholic Church (feet and toes of iron and potters clay) is destroyed by the Islamic armies (the feet and toes of iron and miry clay.) At the end of this period 2026, the Dome of the Rock will be destroyed and all the enemies of the Jews and of Christ will be defeated.
The dates between 2019 A.D. to 2026 A.D. line up with Hos.6:2, Dan.8:14, Dan.12:12. Also I still have one more event that supports all of the above.
Phil LaSpino Taken from seekfirstwisdom
