The Missing Link – Part 3
TimeWatch Editorial
January 19, 2017
We continue our look at the missing link that explains the present condition we find ourselves in with regard to the events that took place after the fall of the Roman Empire and its subsequent division. So let’s begin with a look at how Stephen Haskell describes the transition from the political to religious control.
“Rome was dropping into ruin; her cities had been sacked, her government broken. As from the decaying log of the marsh the mushroom springs up in a night, gaining its life from the decay, so there arose in the Roman Empire a power which was nourished by this national decay. This power was the little horn known as the papacy.” Stephen N Haskell, “The Story of Daniel the Prophet,” page 110.
This little horn, the papacy, took control of the area that was previously covered by the Roman Empire. In fact the Roman Catholic Church claimed that the Emperor Constantine had “given” them the authority to. They claimed and still do, that a document called “The Donation of Constantine” records the gift. This is how the Encyclopedia Britannica explains it.
“Donation of Constantine , Latin - Donatio Constantini and Constitutum Constantini, the best-known and most important forgery of the Middle Ages, the document purporting to record the Roman emperor Constantine the Great’s bestowal of vast territory and spiritual and temporal power on Pope Sylvester I (reigned 314–335) and his successors. Based on legends that date back to the 5th century, the Donation was composed by an unknown writer in the 8th century. Although it had only limited impact at the time of its compilation, it had great influence on political and religious affairs in medieval Europe until it was clearly demonstrated to be a forgery by Lorenzo Valla in the 15th century.” “The Donation of Constantine,” the Encyclopedia Britannica
Notice that the “document” was indeed a forgery. But the claim that the church made upon territory and influence, was real. Listen to how Haskell continues the story.
“Rome in the days of Christ was the center of the world. Paul and others preached the gospel in that city. A church was organized there and for years this Church of Rome ranked with the churches of Jerusalem, Constantinople, and others. Gradually but surely, worldliness took the place of the Spirit of Christ, and Roman bishops became exalted. The mystery of iniquity of which Paul wrote in his letter to the Thessalonians, was at work in Rome. At the time of the division of the empire the bishops were greedy for civil power, and in the time of national distress the church grasped the reins of government; the little horn had received power. This was in A.D. 538, when the last of the three horns was plucked up, and the decree made by Justinian in 533, recognizing the bishop of Rome as head over all the churches, went into effect. (See Gibbon, chapter 41.) Paganism on the throne had been cruel enough, but when those pagan principles which had lived since the days of Babylon took the name and outward form of Christianity, the power which bore sway was still more cruel. Not only would the little horn speak stout words against the Most High, but it would "presume to change the appointed times and the law." Stephen N Haskell, “The Story of Daniel the Prophet,” page 110.
The rulership of the Papacy continued for 1260 years, from 538 to 1798 when Napoleon Bonaparte interrupted the flow of its power. According the History.com website, “Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), also known as Napoleon I, was a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution (1789-1799). After seizing political power in France in a 1799 coup d’état, he crowned himself emperor in 1804. Shrewd, ambitious and a skilled military strategist, Napoleon successfully waged war against various coalitions of European nations and expanded his empire.” Listen to how Stephen Haskell describes the appearance of Napoleon.
“Then appeared Napoleon; with the rapid movements of a master mind he carried victory for the French arms throughout Europe. The army was the controlling element; nobles and clergy were alike powerless, and the common people had exhausted themselves without avail during the terrors of the past few years. He defeated the Austrians and captured Milan; he forced the pope, and various cities of Italy, to purchase peace by giving up their art collections. He organized a republic in Northern Italy, and compelled Austria to cede its Belgian provinces to France. He conducted an expedition to Egypt, hoping to gain control of the eastern Mediterranean. On the way he captured Malta, and then gained a victory over the Mohammedans of Egypt near the pyramids.” Stephen N Haskell, “The Story of Daniel the Prophet,” page 276.
What followed was what we today describe as the French Revolution. From the extreme of Papal Dominance, France then moved to a period of atheistic abandonment. The atheistic system developed was complete in its turn away from God. Bartleby.com describes the enthronement of The Goddess of Reason.
“The Goddess of Reason was enthroned by the French Convention at the suggestion of Chalmette; and the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was desecrated for the purpose. The wife of Momoro the printer was the best of these goddesses. The procession was attended by the municipal officers and national guards, while troops of ballet girls carried torches of truth. Incredible as it may seem, Gobet (the Archbishop of Paris), and nearly all the clergy stripped themselves of their canonicals, and, wearing red nightcaps, joined in this blasphemous mockery. So did Julien of Toulouse, a Calvinistic minister.” The Goddess of Reason (Aug. 10, 1793), Bartleby.com
But the installation of the Goddess of Reason was not the only change that took place. Listen to what the Weekend Historian Website says in its publication entitled, “The Revolutionary Work Week,” dated September 24, 2008.
“The French had experimented with the length of their work week once before in their history, although not in a way you might expect. The revolutionaries who began separating head from aristocrat in 1784, wanted liberation from all the old ways. The scientists and rationalists among them held a particular peeve for the antiquated and often conflicting systems of measurement that hobbled their Age of Reason. With universal divisibility by the number 10 as their sworn goal, these visionaries had, by 1793, introduced the most telling contribution of the French Revolution to the world – the metric system. And they applied it not just to distances and volumes, but also to time. For in the new land of liberty, equality and fraternity, there was to be no place for the 7 day week. In addition to not being a factor of 10, the 7 day week had too many Biblical associations for the religiously neutral revolutionaries (as did the Notre Dame Cathedral, which like other churches was re-christened a ‘Temple of Reason’). With a quick stroke of a reforming quill, on October 24th 1793, the French National Convention replaced the 7 day week with a 10 day one.” “The Revolutionary Work Week,” Weekend Historian Website, dated September 24, 2008.
We will continue in our next editorial.
Cameron A. Bowen
