te a period of captivity in which the papacy would be deprived
of its great power, after which it would be finally destroyed; and
this agrees with Paul's description of the papacy in 2 Thessalonians
2, where he speaks of that Wicked "whom the Lord shall consume with
the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming" (verse 8). And Daniel, speaking of the end of the 1,260-year
reign of the same papal beast, points out a reformation time when
"they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto
the end" (Dan. 7:26).

There is no doubt that these references point out the work of the
Reformation which broke the power of Rome's universal supremacy and
her long reign of tyranny over the earth. Humanism, discovery of the
art of printing, the revival of learning, and other causes contributed
to this result. But the real revolt came in 1517, when Luther in
Saxony nailed to the church door in Wittenberg his ninety five theses
against the papal traffic in indulgences. The Reformers made their
appeal from the decisions of Councils to the inspired Word of God,
and this was the secret of their success. With wonderful power and
boldness they proclaimed truth that had been neglected or discredited
for ages. The holy fire spread over Western Europe. Men became
agitated as if moved by a mighty unseen power, until the papacy was
shaken from end to end.

[Sidenote: Protestantism in prophecy]

We regret that the true work of reformation did not long continue.
A.D. 1530 marks a new epoch--the rise of organized Protestantism;
marks the end of the 1,260-year period, and the introduction of
another ecclesiastical power. The historian D'Aubigne recognizes
the distinction between the Reformation as such and organized
Protestantism. In his well-known work, History of the Reformation, he
says: "The first two books of this volume contained the most important
epochs of the Reformation--the Protest of Spires and the Confession of
Augsburg.... I determined on bringing the reformation of Germany and
German-Switzerland to the _decisive epochs_ of 1530 and 1531. The
History of the Reformation, properly so-called, is then in my opinion
almost complete in those countries. The work of faith has there
attained its apogee: that of conferences, of interims, of diplomacy
begins.... The movement of the sixteenth century has there made
its effort. I said from the very first, It is the History of the
Reformation, and