Sabbath, May 8, 2021
Lesson 19 – The Little Horn
“… There came up among them another little horn,… and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Daniel 7:8.
A HORN WITH EYES AND A MOUTH
SUNDAY
1. Since the ten horns were all political powers, what power alone could be described as ‘diverse from the first’? How powerful was the papal power to become?
Daniel 7:24, 20, last part And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and an- other shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 20 … even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
“Popery had become the world’s despot. Kings and emperors bowed to the decrees of the Roman pontiff. The destinies of men, both for time and for eternity, seemed under his control. For hundreds of years the doctrines of Rome had been extensively and implicitly received, its rites reverently performed, its festivals generally observed. Its clergy were honored and liberally sustained. Never since has the Roman Church attained to greater dignity, magnificence, or power….
“A striking illustration of the tyrannical character of this advocate of infal- libility was given in his treatment of the German emperor, Henry IV. For presuming to disregard the pope’s authority, this monarch was declared to be excommunicated and dethroned…. In company with his wife and a faithful servant he crossed the Alps in midwinter, that he might humble himself before the pope. Upon reaching the castle whither Gregory had withdrawn, he was conducted, without his guard into an outer court, and there, in the severe cold of winter, with uncovered head and naked feet, and in a miserable dress, he awaited the pope’s permission to come into his presence. Not until he had continued three days fasting and making confession, did the pontiff condescend to grant him pardon.” –The Great Controversy, pp. 60, 57, 58.
MONDAY
2. What happened to the three horns that were in its way? What do the words “eyes like the eyes of man” and “mouth” indicate?
Daniel 7:20, 8 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fel- lows. 8I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, be- hold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
“Another step in papal assumption was taken, when, in the eleventh cen- tury, Pope Gregory VII proclaimed the perfection of the Roman Church. Among the propositions which he put forth was one declaring that the church had never erred, nor would it ever err, according to the Scrip- tures…. The proud pontiff also claimed the power to depose emperors, and declared that no sentence which he pronounced could be reversed by anyone, but that it was his prerogative to reverse the decisions of all others.” –The Great Controversy, p. 57.
SPEAKING BLASPHEMY
TUESDAY
3. Against whom would this power strive and initially conquer? Of what do his blasphemies consist?
Daniel 7:21, 25, first part I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws:
Matthew 23:8, 9 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are breth- ren.9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Fa- ther, which is in heaven.
Ephesians 4:15, 16; 5:23 But speak- ing the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined togeth- er and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the mea- sure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of it- self in love. 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
“Century after century the blood of the saints had been shed. While the Waldenses laid down their lives, upon the mountains of Piedmont ‘for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ,’ similar witness to the truth had been borne by their brethren, the Albigenses of France. In the days of the Reformation its disciples had been put to death with horri- ble tortures. The brave Huguenots, battling for those rights which the human heart holds most sacred, had poured out their blood on many a hard-fought field. The Protestants were counted as outlaws, a price was set upon their heads, and they were hunted down like wild beasts….
“It is one of the leading doctrines of Romanism that the Pope is the visible head of the universal church of Christ, invested with supreme authority over bishops and pastors in all parts of the world. More than this, the pope has been given the very titles of Deity. He has been styled ‘Lord God the Pope,’ and has been declared infallible. He demands the homage of all men.” –The Great Controversy, pp. 271, 50.
ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE GOD’S LAW
WEDNESDAY
4. What did Jesus say about God’s law? Contrary to Jesus’ teaching, what did prophecy state that the papacy would attempt to do?
Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heav- en and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Daniel 7:25, middle part … ,and think to change times and laws:
“The papacy has attempted to change the law of God. The second com- mandment, forbidding image worship, has been dropped from the law, and the fourth commandment has been so changed as to authorize the observance of the first instead of the seventh day as the Sabbath…. An intentional, deliberate change is presented: ‘He shall think to change the times and the law.’ The change in the fourth commandment exactly fulfills the prophecy.” –The Great Controversy, p. 446.
A LONG PERIOD OF SUPREMACY
THURSDAY
5. According to what key is prophetic time calculated? For how long was the papacy to exercise its persecuting power?
Numbers 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniqui- ties, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
Ezekiel 4:6 And when thou hast ac- complished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
Daniel 7:25, last part …and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time..
Revelation 13:5; 12:6 And there was given unto him a mouth speak- ing great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
“The periods here mentioned–‘forty and two months,’ and ‘a thousand two hundred and threescore days’–are the same, alike representing the time in which the church of Christ was to suffer oppression from Rome. The 1260 years of papal supremacy began in A.D. 538, and would therefore terminate in 1798. At that time a French army entered Rome and made the pope a prisoner, and he died in exile. Though a new pope was soon after- ward elected, the papal hierarchy has never since been able to wield the power which it before possessed.” –The Great Controversy, pp. 439, 266.
FRIDAY
6. What did God in mercy do for His people? How does the Lord comfort His people today?
Daniel 11:34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a lit- tle help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
Matthew 24:21, 22 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Daniel 7:9-14, 22 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose gar- ment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thou- sands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.14 And there was giv- en him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting do- minion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 22 Until the An- cient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
“The persecution of the church did not continue throughout the entire period of the 1260 years. God in mercy to His people cut short the time of their fiery trial. In foretelling the ‘great tribulation’ to befall the church, the Saviour said: ‘Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.’ Matthew 24:22. Through the influence of the Reformation the persecution was brought to an end prior to 1798.” –The Great Controversy, pp. 266, 267.
TIME OF THE JUDGMENT
SABBATH
7. To what did the Lord direct the prophet’s attention?
Daniel 7:26, 27 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlast- ing kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
FOR PERSONAL STUDY
“When amid the storms of the migration of nations the empire fell to ruins, the nations looked up in respect to the Roman bish- op’s throne, which alone stood upright in the midst of all the de- struction.” –Emil Staub, A. Zimmermann, Bilder aus der Kirchen- geschichte (Pictures from Church History), p. 43.
“The first pastors or bishops of Rome enjoyed a respect propor- tionate to the rank of the city in which they resided. For the first few centuries of the Christian Era, Rome was the largest, richest, and most powerful city in the world. It was the seat of empire, the capital of the nations. ‘All the inhabitants of the earth belong to her,’ said Julian; and Claudian declared her to be the ‘fountain of laws.’ ‘If Rome is the queen of cities, why should not her pastor be the king of bishops?’ was the reasoning these Roman pastors put forth. ‘Why should not the Roman Church be the mother of Christendom? Why should not all nations be her children, and her authority their sovereign law? It was easy,’ says D’Aubigne, from whom we quote these words, ‘for the ambitious heart of man to reason thus. Ambitious Rome did so’ (from Jean Henri Merle d’Aubigne, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, vol. I, p. 8).” –Uriah Smith,The Prophecies of Daniel and the Rev- elation, pp. 119, 120.
Arius, the Presbyterian from Alexandria, “taught that Christ was not an equal being with God, but was merely His first creation.”–Emil Staub, A. Zimmermann, Bilder aus der Kirchengeschichte (Pictures from Church History), p. 30.
The following claims are made for the papacy: (1) “The pope is the Vicar of God and Christ upon earth.” (2) “As such he is lord of all the earth, and all countries belong to him. The kings and princ- es borrow them from him, and he can, if they do not obey him, dethrone them and give their land to a prince more obedient.”–Textbook of World History, by Prof. F. Noesselt, p. 81.
MISSIONARY REPORT FROM TANZANIA
To be read on Sabbath, May 8, 2021
The Special Sabbath School Offering will be gathered on Sabbath, May 15, 2021
Tanzania is a sovereign country located on the east coast of Africa. It has an area of 947,300 square kilometers (365,756 square miles). It shares borders with Kenya and Uganda on the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the D.R. of Congo on the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozam- bique on the south; and the Indian Ocean on the east. The country has a population of about 60 million people. It gained its independence from England in December 1961. Before British rule, this country was a German colony known as Duetch Oestafrika up until 1918. Under British rule, the name was changed to Tanganyika. In 1964, Zanzibar, the island colonized by Oman Arabs, became free and chose to join Tanganyika to form what is today the United Republic of Tanzania.
This country is composed of 60 percent Christians and 36 percent Moslems, with the rest practicing other traditional religions. The government grants its citizens freedom of worship. The Adventist message came to Tanzania in 1903, while the Reformation message was first introduced in Tanzania in December 1974 by Elder Simon Schmidt, who was then a Secretary of the General Conference. Thanks to God, the message spread throughout the country, and today the Tanzanian Union has 1,302 members.
In addition to church buildings, the Union has three primary schools. Now the main goal of the Union is to establish a standard college to meet local and international needs. Called Kibaha Berea Missionary Institute, the college is intended to provide advanced learning struc- tured to promote the spiritual and moral standards of the students in their chosen fields. The main subjects to be taught will be:
- Missionary Work: This is a series of courses to prepare those who desire to become Bible workers and ministers in God’s
- Medical Missionary Work: This is a series of courses to prepare those students to become Naturopathic Doctors, trained professionals with an accredited
- Languages: English, Spanish, French, and These are widely used languages in Africa. We greatly need language professionals in Africa.
- Information Technology: This will cover computer and media-related
- Polytechnic: This includes technical and art subjects, such as masonry, carpentry, welding, tailoring, art, and
- Business Administration: This covers Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Adver- tising, and Business subjects
This institution will make it possible for us to train professionals who are recruited from the church, as well as to win others from outside the church to enroll as non-member students. We desire to make this college a lighthouse for Heaven’s message. We want the public to believe that we can prepare people to change society. We are dedicated to collaborating fully with the African Division and the General Conference to ensure that this college will benefit the youth in the African Division and elsewhere.
The construction of the facilities is under way, and it is our desire that the work will be sped up by your generous gifts for the Special Sabbath School Offering this coming week. The col- lege will begin operation in phases, and it is our sincere desire that the first phase will begin by the middle of this year 2021. More information about this project will be made available in General Conference publications and media.
“In the highest sense the work of education and the work of redemption are one, for in education, as in redemption, ‘other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ ‘It was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fullness dwell.’ 1 Corinthians 3:11; Colossians 1:19, R.V.…
“Under changed conditions, true education is still conformed to the Creator’s plan, the plan of the Eden school. Adam and Eve received instruction through direct communion with God; we behold the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Christ….
“The great principles of education are unchanged. ‘They stand fast forever and ever’ (Psalm 111:8); for they are the principles of the character of God. To aid the student in compre- hending these principles, and in entering into that relation with Christ which will make them a controlling power in the life, should be the teacher’s first effort and his constant aim. The teacher who accepts this aim is in truth a co-worker with Christ, a laborer together with God…. “Wherever in Israel God’s plan of education was carried into effect, its results testified of its Author. But in very many households the training appointed by Heaven, and the characters thus developed, were alike rare. God’s plan was but partially and imperfectly fulfilled….
“To meet this growing evil, God provided other agencies as an aid to parents in the work of education. From the earliest times, prophets had been recognized as teachers divinely appointed…. For the training of such a class of teachers, Samuel, by the Lord’s direction, es- tablished the schools of the prophets….
“These schools were intended to serve as a barrier against the wide-spreading corruption, to provide for the mental and spiritual welfare of the youth, and to promote the prosperity of the nation by furnishing it with men qualified to act in the fear of God as leaders and counsel- ors. To this end, Samuel gathered companies of young men who were pious, intelligent, and studious. These were called the sons of the prophets. As they studied the word and the works of God, His life-giving power quickened the energies of mind and soul, and the students re- ceived wisdom from above….
“The pupils of these schools sustained themselves by their own labor in tilling the soil or in some mechanical employment. In Israel this was not thought strange or degrading; indeed, it was regarded as a sin to allow children to grow up in ignorance of useful labor. Every youth, whether his parents were rich or poor, was taught some trade. Even though he was to be ed- ucated for holy office, a knowledge of practical life was regarded as essential to the greatest usefulness. Many, also, of the teachers supported themselves by manual labor.” –Education, pp. 30, 45-47.
May God inspire your heart as you support this modern effort to reestablish the schools of the prophets, which were ordained of God.
–Parmenas N. Shirima
College Project Coordinator, Tanzania Union