The Watchtower Society and John and Morton Edgar - A2Z.org

thing stood in the way, until, the hindrance being removed, it could have a free course, and progress rapidly tothe development of the Antichrist. He says. 'Only he that now hindereth will hinder, until he be taken out of theway.' 2 Thess. 2:7. What does history have to show in fulfillment of this prediction? It shows that the. thingwhich hindered a rapid development of Antichrist was the fact that the place aspired to was already filled byanother. The Roman Empire had not only conquered the world and given it politics and laws, but, recognizingreligious superstitions to be the strongest chains by which to hold and control a people, it had adopted a schemewhich had its origin in Babylon, in the time of her greatness as ruler of the world. That plan was, that theemperor should be esteemed the director and ruler in religious as well as civil affairs. In support of this, it wasclaimed that the emperor was a demigod, in some sense descended from their heathen deities. Such he wasworshipped and his statutes adored; and as such he was styled Pontifex Maximus - i. e., Chief Priest or GreatestReligious Ruler. And this is the very title claimed by and given to the pontiffs or popes of the Roman Hierarchysince this Antichrist obtained 'the power and seat and great authority' of the former ruler of Rome." - Rom.13:22.It shows that that which hindered and blocked this counterfeit system from gaining the power was the RomanEmpire, pagan Rome; this is the first point.In regard to the second point, that this great counterfeit system is the workmanship of Satan; we are not toforget that Satan could not have established this great apostate system had not God permitted it. Beforeproceeding further, I wish to emphasize the fact that though the Antichrist is the workmanship of Satan,nevertheless, the chronological features of this system formed no part of his plan. We are to understand thatGod in permitting Satan to accomplish his work, so overrules affairs that events connected with its rise and falloccurred at such times as suited God's purposes. His desire was to show to the world hereafter that He had beenworking all things after the counsel of his own will and has been causing even the wrath of man to praise him,and so our confidence in His wisdom and power is strengthened. Could Satan have had his way, he would havebegun the great papal system much sooner.How do we know this? We know the date of the establishment of this system; it was in A. D. 539. We are tolddefinitely in the book of Daniel that it was God that prevented that system from establishing itself in power untilthat date. (Dan. 11:27.) There we are told that there were two kings sitting at one table telling lies to each other.These represent the clerical and civil powers of Rome. The civil power had the mastery, the clerical power wastrying to get it, but God did not allow their schemes to prosper at that time; because the end was to be at thetime appointed. That was In the 3rd century A. D. If God had allowed this clerical power to gain control in the3rd century, it would have meant that his plan would have been wholly upset; that the 1260 days, beginning inthe 3rd century would have ended two or three centuries before they were due to end. Satan wanted to establishhis system in the 3rd century A. D., but God would not permit him to do so until 539 A. D. God then let Satanestablish himself in power, because it suited God's purpose at that time.Again, it was not Satan's wish that events connected with the fall of Antichrist occurred at the time they did, oroccurred at all for that matter. On the contrary, he did all he could to prevent the overthrow of Antichrist bysending forth the flood, to destroy the reformed church. See Revelation and Dawn 3. But God interfered. So ithas been in God's workings all the way. We are not to understand that God interferes with man's freedom ofwill, but he prevents man from doing evil until the time when it will suit His purposes. Ultimately all men willsee that God has teen causing the wrath of man to praise Him, that He has been overruling all things for theirgood.Having seen that Satan would have established his power much sooner, we also know that Satan would not haveended it in 1799, but would have carried it on much longer. We see them, friends, that while the time featuresare in God's hands, the working out of the various features are performed by man and permitted by God.