In order to better understand the origin of our interpretation of the papal supremacy in Daniel 7, it is necessary to mention some quotes from recognized Adventist authors, who wrote the following: 1- “In the 6th century the papacy ended up asserting itself… then the 1,260 years of papal oppression, predicted in the prophecy of Daniel 7, began to run.” 2- “The papacy… was an ecclesiastical dictatorship that sought to exercise universal dominion over spiritual and material affairs.” 3- “The papacy had come to exercise despotism over the world. Kings and emperors obeyed the decrees of the Roman pontiff.” 4 – “Romanism maintains the same proud pretensions with which it knew how to dominate over kings and princes. For hundreds of years, the doctrines of Rome had been widely and implicitly received.” From the above quotes, we can infer that papal supremacy represented: A- A despotic power that oppressed the world for 1,260 years. B – An ecclesiastical dictatorship that sought to exercise its power not only in spiritual matters, but also in material affairs. C – A power that exercised dominion over emperors, kings, and princes, who obeyed their orders for hundreds of years.
When reviewing history, we come across interesting events related to the papacy, such as the following: 1- After the year 538, the Ostrogoths took and looted Rome in the years 540, 546, and 550; being definitively defeated in the year 563 by Narses, general of Justinian’s armies. Three years later, the Lombards emerged, the barbarian and Arian tribe that subjected Rome and the papacy for over two hundred years. Pope Gregory I, who held his pontificate between the years 590 and 604 – famous for Gregorian chant -, ironically began to call himself “the payer of the Lombards” because every time this barbarian tribe besieged Rome, it was his job to negotiate with them, offering them tribute to lift the siege of the city. The power of the Lombards was such that in the year 767 they deposed Pope Constantine II and appointed Stephen IV in his place. The Lombards were definitively defeated by Charlemagne, king of the Franks, in the year 774, thus ending the nightmare that the Roman Catholic Church had suffered for two centuries at the hands of the last Arian kingdom. The Pope in office at that time, Adrian I, in gratitude, offered Charlemagne to approve the future appointment of the Popes, as the emperors of the East had done in the past, who appointed or confirmed the proposed Pope in Rome.
Since the appointment of Pope Vigilius in the year 537, the following twenty-three Popes who succeeded him were imposed by the Eastern Emperor. The Catholic Church was so fragile and dependent that on one occasion, the papal seat remained vacant for over a year, awaiting imperial approval. 2- During the 9th century, Rome was invaded and humiliated by the Saracens or Moors, who on several occasions looted the city during the pontificates of Sergius II, John VIII, and Adrian III. Also in that century, Pope Stephen VI was removed from the pontifical office and put in a dungeon, where he was strangled on May 2, 897.
In the 10th century, with the rise of the Holy Roman German Empire, Emperor Otto the Great deposed Pope John XII and appointed Leo VIII in his place. Later, he besieged and took Rome, removing Benedict V from the papal seat, exiling him to Hamburg, where he died. It is important to note that in this century, two Popes suffered a cruel death at the hands of their adversaries: the first, Pope John XIV, was deposed, arrested, and thrown into the dungeons of the Castle of Sant’Angelo, subsequently condemning him to die of hunger. His corpse was displayed in public to intimidate his sympathizers. The second, Leo V, was dethroned and sent to the dungeon, where he was strangled.
In the 11th century, Pope Gregory VII stands out, who was the second major exponent of papal supremacy; who “humiliated” Emperor Henry IV, leaving him for three days in the snow in front of the gates of the castle of Canossa; waiting to receive an audience with the Pope. This story is very popular among our writers and preachers because they use it as evidence of papal supremacy over earthly powers. Unfortunately, this story is incomplete, because although it is true that Henry IV waited three days in the snow, he did so for political reasons, as he had opponents in Germany who aspired to the imperial crown, a situation that Pope Gregory VII took advantage of to excommunicate him in order to weaken his image and support his opponents. Faced with this situation, Henry IV presented himself at the Castle of Canossa requesting the annulment of the excommunication, which he achieved. What we have not mentioned in the previous story, is that three years later, on March 7, 1080, Gregory VII excommunicated Henry IV again. This time, the emperor, already consolidated in power after having defeated his adversaries, went and took Rome and deposed Gregory VII, appointing Clement III in his place. Gregory VII died a year later, exiled in Salerno.
As we come to the end of this first part, we must ask ourselves: Is there historical evidence of papal supremacy, that is, which kings and emperors obeyed the despotic decrees of the Roman pontiff in the first 500 years of the 1,260-year prophecy? Blessings.
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