As we continue to look at the historical perspective of eschatology, we are going to condense some crucial events that span over a thousand years into just a few paragraphs. This is not giving the historical perspective, or you, real justice, but the point of this study is our present and future purpose in taking our Promised Land as the church. I am only backing up here a bit to cover this because it is necessary to know where the church has been if we are going to understand in much depth where it is and where it is going.
Therefore, this part of the study will be quite superficial and will probably leave you with many questions, which can be a good thing. If you think that some of these are important for you to understand in more depth, search them out. There is an abundance of resources available that corroborate these events. I have written about them in more detail in A Prophetic Vision for the Twenty-First Century, which is published through Thomas Nelson Publishers. This book may still be available in some bookstores or can be ordered from MorningStar directly.
The Great Apostasy
In Protestant Reformation eschatology, the Middle Ages are considered the time of the great apostasy, or falling away, that the New Testament prophesied. The pope was considered the antichrist, who had taken his seat in the temple of God, the church, and declared himself to be god or the head of the church, usurping Christ’s rightful place. This was not directed so much at individual popes as the institution of the papacy. When Martin Luther pointed out that the name of the original Roman who was on the pope’s miter actually added up to 666, this fueled the fire that the pope was the antichrist.
Most Reformers were not declaring the church to be the antichrist by this, but that she was indeed the temple of God, even if she had been defiled and misled for a time. The Reformers were called that because it was not their intent to start new churches or new denominations, but to reform the church. Even so, the Reformers considered the Roman church to be the bride that could not wait for the coming King. The Roman church had become defiled, even becoming a harlot, selling herself to the powers of this present age. They saw the biblical prophecies confirming this view, such as how the harlot in the Book of Revelation set on seven hills; Rome was built on seven hills, and is called "the city on seven hills."
Because the Roman church at that time was using civil governments to persecute all who would not bow the knee to the pope, which resulted in literally millions of those the Roman church called "heretics" being killed, they felt that this well fit the description of how the great harlot of John’s Revelation was drunk with the blood of the saints. Of course, the Reformers considered those the Roman church called "heretics" to be the true saints.
Seeming to confirm this view of the papacy as the man of lawlessness were events that continued to unfold. For example, the prophecy about how one of the heads of the beast would receive a fatal head wound, and then be healed, was believed to be fulfilled by Napoleon. Napoleon had the pope imprisoned, where he died after a few years. Then Napoleon refused to allow another pope to be crowned, and it was believed that the papacy was dead, or had suffered the fatal head wound because the head of the church was dead. Later, when Napoleon had a son and wanted the divine right of kings bestowed upon his son, he allowed the appointment of another pope to do this. This astonished the whole world at the time. It was considered that the fatal head wound had been healed and the papacy had come back to life.
It should also be noted that many consider Napoleon to be the antichrist because of his anti-papacy and anti-church policies. This view was further encouraged by how accurately the campaigns written about in Daniel seemed to perfectly match the campaigns of Napoleon.
Another interesting insight into Reformation eschatology is their interpretation of Revelation 12:13-17, which states:
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (NKJV).
The fulfillment of this was believed to be how the earth "opened" as the New World was discovered at the very height of the persecution of the Roman church against the Reformation, which was called The Inquisition. This swallowed the flood that had been poured out to destroy the Protestants. Of course, many of the first colonists who came to America (which was believed to be "the two wings of a great eagle") were those fleeing the religious persecution in Europe.
This was the mentality that many of the colonists came to America with—thinking that they were fleeing from the antichrist spirit that dominated much of Europe, and that America really was the beginning of the kingdom of God on earth. It was this mentality that can be seen in many of the early colonists, and which helped set the spiritual genetic code of America.
The Reformation considered one of the biggest gates of hell into the church the union between the church and state under Constantine. This is why the founding fathers were so vehement in establishing both the freedom of religion, and a clear separation between church and state. This is why the churches in America arose with such a fierce independence. However, this was never intended to keep the influence of the church out of the state; the writings of the founding fathers actually indicated they did not feel that the young republic could survive long without it. The separation was rather to keep the state out of the affairs of the church.
Even so, the experiences of Europe and America with Christianity are very different. Because of this, both view the church and even religion in general very differently. This is worthy of a more in-depth study than we can address here, but even a cursory glimpse at history makes it hard to fathom that a greater falling away, or apostasy, could ever take place than that which occurred during the Middle Ages. I have never met a single person who has done a serious in-depth study of the historical view that has not come to the conclusion that at least that matter has been fulfilled.
However, even though it is hard to imagine many of the biblical prophecies being fulfilled with more accuracy and detail than they already have, some do feel that the things which have been fulfilled are but a type of the greater fulfillment that will come at the end of the age. Even though it is hard to find a biblical precedence for such multiple fulfillment of prophecies, because we are still in the place of recovering truth that was lost during the great apostasy and we "see in part" and "know in part," in matters of prophecy we might be wise to always remain open and teachable—especially in the light of some current events such as the popularity of such things as The Da Vinci Code, which seem remarkably and ingeniously written to prepare the way for an antichrist.
However, as far as another great falling away, or apostasy, it is hard to fathom anything such as occurred during the Middle Ages ever occurring again, especially with the widespread promulgation of the Bible. In fact, the printing of the Bible on the Gutenberg press that fueled the Reformation more than any other single factor, and it has been, and will continue to be, the greatest liberator of men that the world has ever known. To the Reformers, the Bible was the sword that came from the very mouth of the Lord that began to slay the evil one.
I say above that it is "hard to fathom" another falling away such as occurred during the Middle Ages except for one thing—I have been profoundly shocked by the way that so many otherwise seemingly solid Christians have asked me if I thought there was anything to the doctrines promulgated byThe Da Vinci Code, or if I thought there was any merit to what is taught in The Gospel of Judas.
Spurgeon once lamented that he could find ten men who would die for the Bible for every one that would read it. It is shocking that with all Christians have available to them today—the Bible, a mountain of Christian books, teaching CDs and DVDs, continuous Christian television, and churches on nearly every corner, Christians can continue to be so naive or seemingly devoid of the Spirit of Truth. These are issues that must be addressed, and will be.
Also, let us keep in mind that our reason for looking at the mistakes of the past is not for condemning any group or denomination, but so we do not keep falling over the same stumbling blocks. The Protestant churches went on to make the same basic mistakes that the Roman Catholic Church did. Most churches and movements since have also fallen over many of the same stumbling blocks. It is time for this cycle to stop.