LESSONS FOR BIBLE CLASSES.
By G. H. Bell
LESSON XII.—PAGAN AND PAPAL DOMINION.
1. What period of the world's history is covered by the vision of Dan. 8? 2. For what part of this time was paganism the prevailing religion? 3. At what time did the papal religion gain the ascendancy, and suppress the pagan forms of worship? 4. When was the papacy fully established? 5. How long did it continue to exercise both spiritual and temporal power? 6. What took place at the end of this time? 7. In what year was this? 8. When was another pope placed in power? 9. What may be said of his temporal power since that time? 10. What scripture has thus been fulfilled? 11. How long will the papacy continue? 12. How will it be destroyed? 13. What do we mean by “pagan Rome”? 15. In the vision of Dan. 2 is there any distinction made between pagan and papal Rome? 16. What distinction is made in the seventh chapter? 17. What does the little horn itself denote? 18. How is pagan Rome represented in Rev. 12? 19. How is papal Rome represented in Rev. 13? 20. How are the pagan religion and forms of worship represented in Dan. 8: 11-13? 21. What may be said of the word “sacrifice” as found in this passage? 22. In the same passage, what term is applied to the papacy? 23. How is the suppression of the pagan forms of worship represented? The vision of the eighth chapter covers that period of the world's history embraced by the kingdoms of Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome. Paganism was the prevailing religion during the reign of Medo-Persia, of Grecia, and of Rome till A. D. 508. At this time the papacy gained the ascendancy, and pagan forms of worship were suppressed. In A. D. 538 the papacy was fully established, and continued to exercise not only spiritual but temporal power for 1260 years. At the end of this time the pope was taken prisoner and died in captivity. This was in A. D. 1798. Two years later, another pope was instated, but from that time the temporal power of the pope has been gradually taken away. Dan. 7: 26. The papacy is to continue till our Lord comes, when those who adhere to it will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming. 2 Thess. 2: 8. By pagan Rome, we mean the Roman kingdom during the earlier part of its history, when the pagan religion prevailed, and was sustained by the government. By papal Rome, we mean the Roman kingdom under papal rule, when the papacy was upheld by the civil power. In the vision of Dan. 2, no distinction is made between pagan and papal Rome, but in that of the seventh chapter, pagan Rome is represented by the fourth beast in its first form, before the little horn came up; while papal Rome is represented by the same beast in its second form, after the little horn came up, the little horn itself denoting the Roman church, the papacy. In Rev. 12: 3-6, pagan Rome is represented by the great red dragon; and in Rev. 13, papal Rome is represented by the leopard beast. In Dan. 8: 11-13, pagan Rome, or rather the pagan form of worship, is represented by the term “daily sacrifice,” or, more properly, the “daily”; for the word sacrifice, like all other italicized words in the Bible, is not found in the original, but was supplied by the translators. In the same verses, the papacy is called the “transgression of desolation.” The suppression of pagan worship is represented as “taking away the daily.” Verse 11.