Question 12 (point 5)
Point 5 says the Beast rules for 42 months. Does the Papacy fit this description?
Bible
Revelation 13:5
"And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."
Answer
In the Bible there were 30 days in each month. In prophecy, a day equals a year (see Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:5-6, Daniel 9:24-27). So 42 months in Bible prophecy would equal 1260 literal years. In order to see if the Papacy fits our point number 5 we need to find out when the Papacy began it's rule, then find out if that rule extends for a period of 1260 years.
Does the Roman Catholic Papacy fit point #5? When did it begin it's rule and did it last for 1260 years?
Yes!
The popes (also known as the Bishops of Rome) began their rule in the year 538 AD.
"In 538 AD Emperor Justinian set a legal decree making the Bishop of Rome head over all the churches, the definer of doctrine and the corrector of heretics." "Vigilius (first pope) ascended the papal chair (in 538 AD) under the military protection of Belisarius." History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3, p. 327