Wars among nations did, unfortunately, not stop in 1798. The western Christian world is for the present reasonably undisturbed in terms of religious freedom. In this move the Sabbath/Sunday question among other things would become an important factor.
The papal institution with its allies would resume oppressive power. The historic disregard for the authority of God and the oppression of the true followers of Jesus, which existed for 1,260 years, would be repeated. They predicted, based on prophecies in Revelation, that the papacy in alliance with a major political power in the New World and apostate Christian churches would resume the political dominance that it once had. Seventh-day Adventists in their seminal Bible studies after the 1844 Great Disappointment, found in the prophecies important references to the end of history. The Reformers also found Bible texts that defined a time frame for the dominance of the papal institution in Christendom 1,260 years (usually understood to be from 538 to 1798) was the time prophecy for the Antichristian based on Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 11:2, 12:14, 13:5. The most notable Bible descriptions of the Great Antichrist included (1) it will speak against the Most High, Daniel 7:25 (2) it will oppress the saints, Daniel 7:25 (3) it will change times and laws, Daniel 7:25 (4) it will speak blasphemous words against God and His people, Revelation 13:5-6 and (5) it will exercise power over tribes, tongues, peoples, Revelation 13:7. The reformers had no major problems with interpreting the medieval history of Rome as a fulfillment of prophecy. The Protestant reformers in the late Middle Ages as they studied prophecies in both the Old and New Testament, found passages that pointed directly to the abuses of the papacy, and aptly applied the term The Great Antichrist to the institution.
The expression antichrist has, through the Bible commentaries, interpreters and preachers of various Christian traditions, become a common title used for all forces, religious or secular, who in a visible often violent way go against the Word of God, the plan of God or the people of God.
In other words, the only information we get from John about the antichrist and the many antichrists, is that Jesus is not recognized as part of the Godhead. These texts make it clear that (1) there will not only be one Antichrist, but many antichrists (2) their presence is a warnings about the end of time (3) they reject the Trinity as they do not accept the Father/Son relationship and (4) they do not recognize the incarnation. In 1 John 2:18, 1 John 4:3 and 2 John 7 he reveals that in the end time antichrist and antichristans will appear. The apostle John in his epistles is the only Bible writer who uses the words antichrist and antichristians.
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