The first persecution of the church came from the Jewish leaders (Acts 4:1-3; 7:59, 60; 8:1-4; etc.). A little later the Gentiles also persecuted Christians (Acts 16:19-24; 19:29; 1 Cor. 15:32), and for nearly three centuries the church suffered intermittently at the hands of pagan Rome. In 538 began the 1260 years of papal supremacy and persecution (see Additional Note on Daniel 7).

 That is, following the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of the Jewish nation. Between the end of the Jewish nation and the end of the world were to be “long centuries of darkness, centuries for His church marked with blood and tears and agony” (DA 630, 631). Beginning with v. 21 the signs foretold point forward exclusively to the end of the world (see DA 630, 631).