faith and power of the early church, and the
spirit of persecution will be revived, and the fires of persecution will
be rekindled.

[Illustration: St. Peter's And The Vatican]

St. Peter's And The Vatican

3. THE APOSTASY.

[Illustration: Chapter header.]

The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold the
great apostasy which would result in the establishment of the papal power.
He declared that the day of Christ should not come, "except there come a
falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself
that he is God."(69) And furthermore, the apostle warns his brethren that
"the mystery of iniquity doth already work."(70) Even at that early date
he saw, creeping into the church, errors that would prepare the way for
the development of the papacy.

Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly as
it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, the
mystery of iniquity carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work.
Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the
Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained
for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under
paganism. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts
and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and
His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in
place of the requirements of God, she substituted human theories and
traditions. The nominal conversion of Constantine, in the early part of
the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a
form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now, the work of corruption
rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished, became the
conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies,
and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the
professed followers of Christ.

This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the
development of the "man of sin" foretold in prophecy as opposing and
exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a
masterpiece of Satan's power,--a monu