CHAPTER THIRTEEN

 

 

13:ALL:  We know of the True Triune Godhead.  But here in Revelation, Chapter 13, we see the forming of a false trinity being made up of Satanic forces.  It is the “dragon,” Revelation 12:3 & 7 & 9 & 13 & 16 & 17; 13:2 & 4 & 11; 16:13; 20:2; the (leopard-like) “beast,” Revelation 13:2-4; and the “beast coming up out of the earth,” Revelation 13:11; just as is portrayed in Revelation 16:13.  The “dragon” is obviously Satan, equaling Spiritualism, while the next “beast” is Roman Catholicism (Note:  And “paganism”) (see Revelation, Chapter 12, for Roman Catholicism), and the “beast coming up out of the earth,” is “lamb-like,” and as we shall discover, will equal the United States of America, or better, Apostate Protestantism.

 

In verse 14 we have described Satan’s plagues, which occur before God’s plagues in Chapter 16.  This is man’s last chance to repent.  According to Second Thessalonians 2:9-12 (read it as if God is talking, not Paul), Satan is very convincing with his deception to the wicked.  Or better, this is what they want anyway.  They would rather be deceived than obey God. 

 

Keep in mind that there are four beasts mentioned in the Book of Revelation (besides the Godly beasts of Revelation 4:6 & 8 & 9; 5:6 & 8 &11 &14; 6:1 & 6; 7:11; 14:3; 15:7; 19:4).  First comes “The Worship Of The Beast,” Revelation 13:8 & 12; 14:9 & 11, then comes “The Image To The Beast,” Revelation 13:15; 14:9 & 11, then comes receiving “The Name Of The Beast,” Revelation 13:1 & 17, and lastly, “The Mark Of The Beast,” Revelation 13:18.  Knowing that Satan’s greatest achievement is to counterfeit what God does, the First of the Ten Commandments is “Worship To God Alone,” the Second Commandment is “Do Not Worship Images,” the Third Commandment is “Not To Take God’s Name In Vain,” while lastly, the Fourth Commandment deals with “The Mark Of The Beast,” or better, “Which (Day Will You Worship On, Or, Which) Mark Will You Receive” as a result of which day you choose to worship on.

 

Therefore, “The Worship Of The Beast” = Violation of Commandment Number One.

Making “The Image To The Beast” = Violation of Commandment Number Two.

Taking “The Name Of The Beast” = Violation of Commandment Number Three.

While, “The Mark Of The Beast” = Violation of Commandment Number Four.

 

Who will receive the “Mark of the Beast?”  “Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult threatened imprisonment, and death.  The contest is between the Commandments of God and the commandments of men.”  5T:81.

 

“In the Book of the Revelation, under the symbols of a great red dragon, a leopard-like beast, and a beast with lamb-horns, are brought to view those earthly governments which are especially engaged in trampling upon God’s Law and persecuting His people. . . Through the great powers controlled by paganism and the papacy, symbolized by the dragon and the leopard-like beast, Satan for many centuries destroyed God’s faithful witnesses.”  4SP:276.

 

“In [Revelation] Chapter 13:1-10 is described another beast, ‘like unto a leopard,’ to which the dragon gave ‘his power, and his seat, and great authority. . .’ This prophecy, which is nearly identical with the description of the little horn of Daniel 7, unquestionably points to the papacy.”  GC:439.

 

13:1:  “beast. . . out of the sea” = The symbolism of “water” or “waters, “or in this case “sea,” represents “peoples and multitudes, and nations, and tongues,” Revelation 17:15.  Therefore, this must be identified with an area that is already populated.

 

“seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns” = The Papacy (see my Rev. 12:3 Note).  However, in Revelation 12:3, it is stated as having “seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns.”  Here John (Christ, for it is His Revelation) mentions “ten crowns,” as opposed to the “seven crowns” of Revelation 12:3.  Interesting that John backtracks and acknowledges the original “ten kingdoms” before the papacy destroys 3 of them.

 

“the name of blasphemy” = This term, “blasphemy” will be a key term in understanding what is going to become the theme, along with “worship,” for the rest of the Book of Revelation.  The beast is described as carrying “the name of blasphemy,” which means that he claims his name as being the only one worthy of a title; a title, which belongs to God alone.

 

13:2:  “the beast which I saw” = “Through the great powers controlled by paganism and the papacy, symbolized by the dragon and the leopard-like beast, Satan for many centuries destroyed God’s faithful witnesses.  Under the dominion of Rome, they were tortured and slain for more than a thousand years; but the papacy was at last deprived of its strength, and forced to desist from persecution.”  4SP:276.

 

“By this first beast is represented the Roman church.”  4SP:278.

 

“ ‘The beast’ mentioned in this message, whose worship is enforced by the two-horned beast, is the first, or leopard-like beast of Revelation 13, -- the papacy.  The ‘image to the beast’ represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas.”  GC88:445; GC:445.

 

“beast[s]. . . leopard. . . bear. . . lion” = A main thing to note is that this “beast” looks entirely like a “leopard” with the exception of “his feet,” which are “of a bear, and his mouth,” which is “a lion.”  The Key to understanding this is that this beastly power will trample upon God’s Law and blaspheme God’s Name.

 

In the Book of Revelation, “beasts” usually refer to a political power.  However, the “beasts” here in Revelation, Chapter 13 are of a religious persecuting power and have political power.  Identifying them as being a persecuting power tells us that only a political power would have the authority to persecute on a large scale.  This “beast” can only be understood from an understanding of the Book of Daniel, especially Chapter Seven.

 

The answer to whom these “beast” represent is found in Daniel 7:17:  “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings,” or more precisely, four “kingdoms,” Daniel 7:23.  The lion (Dan. 7:4) is Babylon, the bear (Dan. 7:5) is Medo-Persia, the leopard (Dan. 7:6) is Greece, and the fourth beast (Dan. 7:7) is Rome.  The beast described here is none other than the culmination of those kingdoms, with John now going on to continue Daniel’s “closed up and sealed till the time of the end,” Daniel 12:9, vision.

 

Daniel’s order of “beasts” (Lion, Bear, Leopard, Beast) present history as he looked forward.  While John’s order is simply looking backwards.  The FACT that John lists them in reverse order of Daniel’s perspective gives us clear evidence that John must have known that Rome was the fourth “beast” and in typical prophetic language (also to protect his life) he just stays with animals to represent the known kingdoms.  Because the first three are obviously known by now in his time.

 

Notice the “ten horns” and “ten crowns” that remind us of the “ten horns,” i.e., ten “kingdoms” of Daniel 7:7, which both prophets are looking forward to in vision.  We also notice the “seven heads,” which remind us of Daniel 7:8, where the “little horn,” “plucked up,” “three of the first [ten] horns,” leaving us with the seven kingdoms still in existence today as symbolized by the “seven heads” here.

 

“dragon” = The Emperor Justinian, in the sixth century, gave the papacy authority over all other religions.  The dragon (the pagan/papacy Roman Empire empowered by Satan) gave the beast his power, his throne, and his great authority.  Just as the Father has given His Throne and Authority to Christ (Rev. 2:27), so Satan invests in the “beast” as his coregent and representative on earth.

 

“In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. . . Paganism had given place to the papacy.  The dragon had given to the beast ‘his power, and his seat, and great authority.’ And now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and John.”  4SP:57.

 

As such, the “dragon” would equal Satan (see Rev. 12:9; 20:2).

 

13:3:  “wounded to death” = Fulfilled when in 1797, the French revolutionary government wrote Napoleon that the “Roman religion. . . [would always be] an irreconcilable enemy of the Republic. . . [and so it asked him to] destroy, if possible, the center of unity of the Roman Church.”  “Christianity and the French Revolution,” by A. Auland, translated by Lady Frazer, London 1927, p. 151.  Napoleon then sent General Alexander Berthier to Rome, where, on February 15, 1798, he took the pope (Pius 6) captive to Valence, France, (where he soon died in the tower he was confined to) and decreed that he “should no longer exercise any function,” ibid.  This nullifyed any political rule of the Papacy.

 

Popes had been taken captive before this incident but never in an attempt to destroy the Roman Catholic church itself.  Joseph Rickaby, a Jesuit priest, relating on this event of the passing away of this prelate as a French prisoner states, “all Europe thought. . . that with the Pope the Papacy was dead.”  “The Modern Papacy, in Lectures on the History of Religions (London: Catholic Truth Society,” 1910), vol. 3, lecture 24, p. 1.

 

In addition, from the Roman Catholics themselves we read:  “Pius VI, although 81 years old and ill, was seized and taken as a prisoner to France, where he died (Aug. 29, 1799).  On this day the total destruction of the Holy See seemed too many to be accomplished.”  “New Catholic Encyclopedia,” vol. VI, p. 191.  Also, and more to the point, we find, “After stripping Pius VI of his temporal power, the French deprived him of his liberty.  His death while a prisoner marked a low point in papal fortunes not plumbed for centuries and gave rise to a prophecy that the apostolic succession had come to a close with the demise of ‘Pius the Last.’ ”  “ibid.” vol. X, p. 965.  Note the title:  “Pius the Last.”

 

“The infliction of the deadly wound [Rev. 13:3 & 12] points to the downfall of the Papacy in 1798.”  FLB:329.

 

“The infliction of the deadly wound points to the abolition of the papacy in 1798.”  GC:579.

 

“his deadly wound was healed” = Fulfilled in 1929, when Mussolini executed the “Concordat of 1929,” with the Pope, restoring the properties that had been taken away from the Roman Catholic church.  In amazement (see “wondered” below) the Pope was actually made king and Vatican City was set up as a political sovereign power.

 

In a side note, Christians of the first century saw the fulfillment of this prophecy through the re-rising of Nero after he set Rome on fire.  Notice however, that the application is still that of Rome.

 

“all the world wondered after the beast” = “[14] Satan is working to the utmost to make himself as God and to destroy all who oppose his power.  And today the world is bowing before him.  His power is received as the power of God.  The prophecy of the Revelation is being fulfilled, that ‘all the world wondered after the beast.’ Revelation 13:3.

 

“Men in their blindness boast of wonderful progress and enlightenment; but to the eye of Omniscience are [15] revealed the inward guilt and depravity.  The Heavenly watchers see the earth filled with violence and crime.  Wealth is obtained by every species of robbery, not robbery of men only, but of God.  Men are using His means to gratify their selfishness.  Everything they can grasp is made to minister to their greed.  Avarice and sensuality prevail.  Men cherish the attributes of the first great deceiver.  They have accepted him as God, and have become imbued with his spirit.”  6T:14-15.

 

“John saw this multitude.  This demon-worship was revealed to him, and it seemed as if the whole world were standing on the brink of perdition.”  AUCR, January 1, 1901.

 

13:4:  “worshipped [twice in this verse]” = Notice the main and central issue of the entire Book of Revelation.  Who do you “worship,” How do you “worship,” When do you “worship,” What do you “worship?”  This is the issue, this is what is at stake, this is what defines the character of the individual.  Moreover, as we shall see later on in this Chapter, one does not have a choice of being lukewarm at this point in time.  Notice that when “they” “worshipped the beast,” “they” are in essence and in reality, are really worshipping “the dragon,” who is Satan.

 

“Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him” = This rhetorical question is a parody of “who is like God?” (see Exo. 15:11; Psa. 35:10; Mic. 7:18).  Thus, this phrase is as if to say that Satan has obtained the power and position of God upon this earth.

 

13:5:  “a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies” = Notice who these “blasphemies” are directed against, in verse 6:  “against God, to blaspheme His Name, and His Tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven.”  However, Satan only wars against “the saints,” verse 7.  Biblical “blasphemy” is done only against God.  The sea beast seeks to negate Christ’s mediatorial work by attempting to replace it with a human priesthood that claims to administer salvation and the forgiveness of sins.  Does this sound like the Papacy?  We know that these powers only belong to God.  Thus, this is the essence of blasphemy.

 

Blasphemy is just another identifying mark of the Papacy.  Biblical “blasphemy” is:

 

A) Claiming equality with God, or to be God Himself (Mat. 26:63-65; Mark 14:61-64; John 10:30-36).  The Pope claims to be “The Vicar of Christ;”

 

B) Claiming to forgive sins (Mat. 9:2-3; Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21).  The Roman Catholic church claims to be able to absolve one of one’s sins;

 

C) Usurping the authority of God (Mat. 9:3; Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21).  In this case, the Roman Catholic church does this by seeing reasons A and B above;

 

D) To commit a trespass against God by breaking His Law (Eze. 20:27; Rom. 2:22-24).  In this case the Roman Catholic church accomplishes this by the changing of God’s Law, i.e., The Biblical Sabbath to Sunday;

 

E) Unworthy conduct that misrepresents the character of God (2Sa. 12:14; [something Paul attempted to have Christians do in Acts 26:11]; Rom. 2:24; [and possibly 1Ti. 1:20]; 1Ti. 6:1; Tit. 2:5; Rev. 2:9).  The killing, or better, murder of thousands of Christians for not “worshipping” the way Roman Catholicism would have them, constitutes this atrocity;

 

F) Evil-speaking in general (Acts 13:45; 18:6; Col. 3:8; 1Ti. 1:13);

 

G) Evil-speaking of God in general (Lev. 24:11; Num. 21:5; 2Ki. 19:22; Psa. 74:10, 18; Isa. 52:5; Mat. 12:32; Luke 12:10; Jam. 2:7);

 

H) Rejection of God (Mat. 12:31; Mark 3:29);

 

I) Denying Jesus as the Messiah ((Luke 22:65; John 10:36).

 

“forty and two months” = 42 x 30 = 1260 Days/Years = See Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2 & 3; 12:6 & 14; 13:5.  For the Biblical principle of a prophetic “day” equaling a “year” in prophecy see Numbers 14:34; First Samuel 20:6; Psalm 90:10; Ezekiel 4:5; and then see Genesis 6:3.

 

“The forty and two months are the same as the ‘time and times and the dividing of time,’ three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7, -- the time during which the papal power was to oppress God’s people.  This period, as stated in preceding Chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy, 538 A.D., and terminated in 1798.”  GC:439.

 

13:6:  “he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His Name, and His Tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven” = This parallels Daniel 7:25’s “little horn,” and thus should be identified as the same character, which is Rome.  There is a key point given us here in this verse.  The only way anyone could “blasphemy against God” and “His Name” and “them that dwell in Heaven,” while being here on earth, would be to attack His “Tabernacle.” And just what is this “Tabernacle?”  Since, in previous Chapters leading up to this point in time, according to Revelation 11:19, we have moved into the Most Holy Place of the “Tabernacle.”  Thus, by clouding or totally obscuring the ministry of the Sanctuary in Heaven, Satan has succeeded in disguising the path to and understanding of what it takes in order to be saved.  The obedience of God’s Law.

 

Also, according to Revelation 12:17, “the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the Commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ,” it becomes clear that this “beast” commits this blasphemy by acts C and D above (Usurping the authority of God and the changing of God’s Law).  And as we shall see, he has this power to do so:  “and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations,” Revelation 13:7.

 

13:8:  “all that dwell upon the earth” = See my Revelation 3:10 Note.  These are earth dwellers; they love the things of the earth.  Be not an earth dweller, but a Heavenly seeker.

 

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb” = Satan here usurps the worship that is due to God alone.  How does he do this?  Just as Jesus began His ministry by coming out of the water (Luke 3:21-23), so the sea beast begins his ministry by coming from out of the sea.  The beast is described as one with the dragon, as Jesus is one with the Father (John 14:9).

 

As Christ received the authority of the Father (Rev. 2:27), so the sea beast receives its authority from the dragon (Rev. 13:4).  Both Christ (Rev. 19:12) and the beast (Rev. 12:3; 13:1) wear crowns upon their heads.  While Christ has a sword (Rev. 1:16; 2:12 & 16; 6:4 & 8; 19:15 & 21), Satan has “blasphemy” (Rev. 13:1 & 8; 17:3).  Both have horns (Rev. 5:6; 12:3; 13:1; 17:3 & 7 & 12 & 16).  Both receive a mortal wound (Rev. 5:6; 13:3).  Both come back to life (Mat. 28:6; Rev. 13:3) and have greater authority then before they died (Mat. 28:18; 2Th. 2:9; Rev. 13:7).  Both are worshiped after the mortal wound is healed (Mat. 28:17; Rev. 13:4).  Both have followers with inscriptions upon their foreheads (Rev. 13:16; 14:1).  And lastly, and I may have missed some, both Christ (Mat. 28:18) and Satan exercise global authority over “every tribe and people and tongue and nation,” Revelation 13:7.  My point is, Satan is definitely trying to usurp the position of Christ.

 

13:10:  “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity:  he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword” = This is an echo of Jeremiah 15:2; 43:11.  It was also used by our Lord in Matthew 26:52.  The force of the meaning is more towards the actions of the “beast” more than that of believers.  The point is, as the devil leads mankind into sin, sin being the meaning of “captivity,” by worshipping the beast, thus, one “shall go into captivity,” meaning hell.  And if you fight and arm yourself with a sword instead of reasoning powers, you will be killed by a sword.

 

13:11:  “two horns like a lamb” = As far back as 1851 A.D. some Adventists were identifying America as the second beast power of Revelation 13:11-15, which was a very remarkable identification given the status of the United States back then.  In the mid-1800’s, the major players (powers) were still in the Old World -- Prussia, France, Austria-Hungary, and England.  At that time America had a peace-time army of about twenty thousand men, which was about one-tenth the number of combatants at the Battle of Waterloo (1815 A.D.) alone.

 

Also, in 1814 A.D., just 37 years earlier from 1851 A.D., the British invaded and burned Washington, D.C.  In 1867, Sitting Bull’s braves wiped out General Custer’s Seventh U.S. Cavalry regiment.  Thus, even after some commentators identified the United States as being the power that would one day help to enforce the “mark of the beast” on the world, the nation was still fighting native Americans on its own soil, and not always winning either!  Thus, other than its treatment of the Native-Americans, the U.S.A. was “lamb-like,” i.e., Christ centered, in that it was founded upon Christian principles.  The prophecy that it will become a persecuting power is already beginning to take shape in the attack of Christendom through the media, movies, restrictive laws, etcetera.

 

“The ‘two horns like a lamb’ well represent the character of the United States Government, as expressed in its two fundamental principles, Republicanism and Protestantism.”  ST, November 1, 1899; 4SP:277; GC:440-441.

 

 

“beast” = Positive identification of this second “beast” = 

1) It is seen “coming up,” or rather, coming to power after 1798 A.D. when the first beast is “wounded to death” (vs. 3).  The United States Constitution was voted upon and accepted in 1787 A.D.; and the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791 A.D.  America was first recognized by a world power (France) in 1798 A.D.  Coincidence or providential?

 

2) It starts out like “a lamb,” which is a representation of Jesus.  It has “two horns” but has no crowns on those “two horns,” symbolizing not kings, but two powers working together in one kingdom, such as Republicanism and Protestantism.  In other words, this “beast” has no (“horns”) king.  Also, it is seen “coming up out of the earth,” Revelation 13:11, as opposed to “waters” which represent “peoples and multitudes, and nations, and tongues,” Revelation 17:15, meaning it came from an unpopulated area of the earth.  That the United States was a refuse for fleeing pilgrims from Roman tyranny is unquestionable.  This Beast = The false Prophet (see my Note on Rev. 16:13).

 

“What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world?  The application of the symbol admits of no question.  One nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the United States of America.”  GC:440.

 

“The conflict is between the Requirements {Commandments} of God and the requirements of the beast.  The first day, a Papal institution which directly contradicts the Fourth Commandment, is yet to be made a test by the two-horned beast {U.S.A.}.  And then the fearful warning from God declares the penalty of bowing to the beast and his image.”  4bSG:54.

 

13:11-12:  “[11] he spake as a dragon. . . [12] exerciseth all the power of the first beast” = “The prediction that it will speak ‘as a dragon,’ and exercise ‘all the power of the first beast,’ plainly foretells a development of the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by the nations represented by the dragon and the leopard-like beast.” GC:442.

 

That the United States could become a persecuting power has been questioned as not being possible to fulfil this prophecy.  However, its moral behavior and continuous laws against Christianity are being played out to this very day.

 

13:12:  “and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” = The real attach, as we shall see, is against the Law of God.  Here, the U.S.A. joins forces with the Papacy, the “first beast,” forcing “worship” to its dogmas.

 

“As America, the land of religious liberty, shall unite with the papacy in forcing the conscience and compelling men to honor the false sabbath, the people of every country on the globe will be led to follow her example.”  6T:18.

 

“Protestantism will yet stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of Spiritualism; she will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, our country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” 4SP:405.

 

“whose deadly wound was healed” = See my Revelation 13:3 Note.  Also notice in Revelation 13:3, it is stated as:  “his deadly wound was healed.”

 

13:13:  “fire” = The Greek word for “fire” in this verse is “pur,” which is the same Greek word as is found in Acts 2:3, in regard to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  According to Revelation 13:14, this “fire,” or “by the means of those miracles,” is the “he,” that “deceiveth them that dwell on the earth.”  And according to Second Corinthians 11:13-14, “false apostles” will transform “themselves into the apostles of Christ.  And no marvel:  for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”  Therefore, what is depicted as “fire” will probably literally “come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,” but figuratively, in a literal sense, as in Acts Chapter Two, it will be a Satanic spirit being poured out into a counterfeit revival and a counterfeit outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

 

13:14:  “miracles” = See Revelation 16:14.  These miracles help the lamb-like beast (U.S.A.) to persuade the inhabitants of the earth to make an image to the sea beast (Roman Catholicism) that received the deadly wound.

 

“an image to the beast” = That “image” being the changing of God’s Law.  Or better, the “worship” of Satan’s Sunday sabbath as opposed to God’s Holy Seventh-Day Sabbath.

 

“[405] Satan himself is converted, [406] after the modern order of things.  He will appear in the character of an angel of light.  Through the agency of Spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed.  And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and express regard for Sunday, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of Divine power.”  4SP:405-406; GC:558.

 

“Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in the heavens, in token of the power of miracle-working demons.  The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them on to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of Heaven.  By these agencies, rulers and subjects will be alike deceived.  Persons will arise pretending to be Christ Himself, and claiming the title and worship which belong to the world’s Redeemer.  They will perform wonderful miracles of healing and will profess to have revelations from Heaven contradicting the testimony of the Scriptures.  As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ.”  GC:624.

 

“[442] As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will attempt to personate Christ.  The Church has long professed to look to the Saviour's Advent as the consummation of her hopes.  Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has Come.  In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation [Rev. 1:13-15].  The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld.  The shout of triumph rings out upon the air, ‘Christ has come!  Christ has come!’  The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands, and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was personally upon the earth.  His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody.  In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, Heavenly truths which the Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed.  He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the Seventh Day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth.  This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion.  Like the Samaritans who were deceived by Simon Magus, the multitudes, from the least to the greatest, give heed to these sorceries, saying, This is ‘the great power of God.’

 

“[443] But the people of God will not be misled.  The teachings of this false Christ are not in accordance with the Scriptures.  His blessing is pronounced upon the worshipers of the beast and his image, -- the very class upon whom the Bible declares that God’s unmingled wrath shall be poured out.  And, furthermore, Satan is not permitted to counterfeit the manner of Christ’s Advent.  The Scriptures teach that ‘as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the Coming of the Son of Man be;’ [Mat. 24:27] that He ‘cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him;’ [Rev. 1:7] that He will ‘descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God;’ [1Th. 4:16] that He will “Come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him,” [Mat. 25:31] and will “send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect.’ [Mat. 24:31].  Those who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive.  By the testimony of the Scriptures they will detect the deceiver in his disguise.

 

“To all, the testing time will come.  By the sifting of temptation, the genuine Christian will be revealed.  Are the people of God now so firmly established upon His Word that they would not yield to the evidence of their senses?  Would they, in such a crisis, cling to the Bible, and the Bible only?  Satan will, if possible, prevent them from obtaining a preparation to stand in that day.  He will so arrange affairs as to hedge up their way, entangle them with earthly treasures, cause them to carry a heavy, wearisome burden, that their hearts may be overcharged with the cares of this life, and the day of trial may come upon them as a thief.”  4SP:442-443.

 

13:14-15:  “image to the beast” = This is “worship” language.  Remember, Who do you worship is what Revelation wants you to focus upon and understand what is to take place in the end times.  Notice also that it is not until the second beast has the power of the use of “miracles” until it demands the making of “an image to the beast.”  The “image to the beast” is to become a CARBON COPY of the beast in that:

 

“Here is clearly presented a form of government in which the legislative power rests with the people, a most striking evidence that the United States is the nation denoted in the prophecy.”  GC:443.

 

“When the Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for opposing which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution; when the state shall use its power to enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church -- then will Protestant America have formed an image to the papacy, and there will be a national apostasy which will end only in national ruin.”  ST, March 22, 1910; 7BC:976 [stated differently in GC:445].

 

“The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the first test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided. . . In Revelation 13 this subject is plainly presented [Rev. 13:11-17 quoted]. . . This is the test that the people of God must have before they are sealed.  All who prove their loyalty to God by observing His Law, and refusing to accept a spurious sabbath, will rank under the banner of the Lord God Jehovah, and will receive the seal of the Living God.  Those who yield the truth of Heavenly origin, and accept the Sunday sabbath, will receive the mark of the beast.  What need will there be of the solemn warning not to receive the mark of the beast, when all the saints of God are sealed and ticketed for the New Jerusalem?”  15MR:15; 7BC:976.

 

“The people of the United States have been a favored people; but when they restrict religious liberty, surrender Protestantism, and give countenance to popery, the measure of their guilt will be full, and ‘national apostasy’ will be registered in the Books of Heaven.  The result of this apostasy will be national ruin.”  RH, May 2, 1893; LDE:133; Mar:216.

 

“The image is made to the first or leopard-like beast [Re. 13:2], which is the one brought to view in the third angel’s message.  By this first beast is represented the Roman church, an ecclesiastical body clothed with civil power, having authority to punish all dissenters.  The image to the beast represents another religious body clothed with similar power.  The formation of this image is the work of that beast whose peaceful rise and mild professions render it so striking a symbol of the United States.  Here is found an image of the papacy.  When the churches of our land, uniting upon such points of faith as are held by them in common, shall influence the State to enforce their decrees and sustain their institutions, then will Protestant America have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy.  Then the true Church will be assailed by persecution, as were God’s ancient people. . . Persecution always follows religious favoritism on the part of secular governments.”  4SP:278.

 

This is very clear: “And all who will not bow to the decree of the national councils and obey the national laws to exalt the sabbath instituted by the man of sin, to the disregard of God’s Holy Day, will feel, not the oppressive power of popery alone {which equals the Beast}, but of the Protestant world {which is}, the image of the beast.”  2SM:380.1; 12MR:324.2.

 

“The test upon this question does not come until Sunday observance is enforced by law, and the world is enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath.  Not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the Commandments of God and the commandments of men, will those who continue in transgression receive the mark of the beast. . . the warning against this sin is to be given to the world before the visitation of God’s judgments, that all may know why they are to be inflicted, and have opportunity to escape them.”  4SP:282.

 

Speaking of the USA, “the crime which shall fill up the measure of her iniquity is that of making void the Law of God.”  4SP:398.

 

“Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads -- it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved -- just as soon as God’s people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come.”  4BC:1161.

 

“Before the work is closed up and the sealing of God’s people is finished, we shall receive the outpouring of the Spirit of God.”  1SM:111.

 

“I saw that God would in a wonderful manner preserve His people through the time of trouble.  As Jesus poured out His soul in agony in the garden, they will earnestly cry and agonize with Him day and night for deliverance.  The decree will go forth that they must disregard the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment, and honor the first day, or lose their lives; but they will not yield, and trample under their feet the Sabbath of the Lord, and honor an institution of the Papacy.  Satan’s host, and wicked men, will surround them, and exult over them, because there will seem to be no way of escape for them.  But in the midst of their revelry and triumph, there is peal upon peal of the loudest thunder.  The heavens have gathered blackness, and are only illuminated by the blazing light and terrible glory from Heaven, as God utters His voice from His holy habitation.

 

“The foundations of the earth shake, buildings totter and fall with a terrible crash.  The sea boils like a pot, and the whole earth is in terrible commotion.  The captivity of the righteous is turned, and with sweet and solemn whisperings they say to each other, ‘We are delivered.  It is the voice of God.’  With solemn awe they listen to the Words of the voice.  The wicked hear, but understand not the Words of the voice of God.  They fear and tremble, while the saints rejoice.  Satan and his angels, and wicked men, who had been exulting that the people of God were in their power, that they might destroy them from off the earth, witness the glory conferred upon those who have honored the Holy Law of God.  They behold the faces of the righteous lighted up, and reflecting the image of Jesus.  Those who were so eager to destroy the saints could not endure the glory resting upon the delivered ones, and they fell like dead men to the earth.  Satan and evil angels fled from the presence of the saints glorified.  Their power to annoy them was gone forever.”  RH, May 27, 1862.

 

13:14-15:  “worship” = Emperor “worship” began under Emperor Caesar Augustus (B.C. 27 - 14 A.D.) as a way to unite the multiplicity of nations that made up the Roman Empire into a common loyalty and a sense of national destiny. It was, however, toward the end of the first century, during the reign of Emperor Domitian (81-96 A.D.) that the emperor cult posed the greatest threat to the Christian Church.  While Domitian’s father, Vespasian (69-79 A.D.) and his brother Titus (79-81 A.D.), were accorded Divine honor at their death, Emperor Domitian had to seek it during his lifetime.

 

The Roman historian Suetonius informs us that Domitian referred to himself grandiosely as “Dominus et Deus-Lord and God.”

 

Here is Suetonius’ statement:  “And so the custom arose of henceforth addressing him in no other way even in writing or in conversation.  He suffered no statues to be set up in his honor in the Capitol, except of gold and silver and of a fixed weight,” “Suetonius, Domitian,” xiii.

 

The worship of the emperor became for Christians a test of their faith.  In a letter that Pliny, Governor of Bythinia, wrote in 111 A.D. to Emperor Trajan to obtain instructions on how to proceed against Christians, he explains that the procedure he had followed was to ask them if they were Christians.  Those who confessed were executed, but those who claimed that they were no longer Christians, were asked to worship the image of the emperor by offering incense and wine before it.  The worship of “the image of the beast” was an acid test of the Christian faith.  This helps us to understand why John speaks of the land-beast bidding people “to make an image for the beast,” Revelation 13:14, and “to cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain,” Revelation 13:15.

 

13:15:  “speak. . . cause” = This “speak” means laws, legislation. While “cause” means enforcement, persecution.

 

“The ‘speaking’ of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities.”  GC:442.

 

“The decree which is to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther.”  5T:450.

 

“He [Satan] will appear in the character of an angel of light.  Through the agency of Spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed.  And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and express regard for Sunday, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of Divine power.

 

“The line of distinction between professing Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable.  Church-members love what the world loves, and are ready to join with them; and Satan determines to unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of Spiritualism.  Papists who boast of miracles as a certain mark of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded.  Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world, and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.  {Note:  Notice how it is the religious entities who are now in control of the world’s powers}.

 

“Through Spiritualism, Satan appears as a benefactor of the race, healing the diseases of the people, and professing to present a new and more exalted system of religious faith {Note:  The changing of God’s Law}; but at the same time he works as a destroyer.  His temptations are leading multitudes to ruin.  Intemperance dethrones reason; sensual indulgence, strife, and bloodshed follow.”  4SP:406; DD:33; GC88:588-599; GC:588-589.

 

“The dignitaries of church and State will unite,” 4SP:410 & 444.

 

“When secular rulers unite with ministers of religion to dictate in matters of conscience, then it will be seen who really fear and serve God.”  AA:432.

 

“should be killed” = Death Decree will have a set time to be carried out.

 

“The decree that will finally go forth against the remnant people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews.  Today the enemies of the true Church see in the little company keeping the Sabbath Commandment, a Mordecai at the gate.  The reverence of God’s people for His Law is a constant rebuke to those who have cast off the fear of the Lord and are trampling on His Sabbath.”  Prophets and Kings, page 605.

 

“I saw the leading men of the earth consulting together, and Satan and his angels busy around them.  I saw a writing, copies of which were scattered in different parts of the land, giving orders that unless the saints should yield their peculiar faith, give up the Sabbath, and observe the first day of the week, the people were at liberty after a certain time, to put them to death.”  EW:282.

 

13:16:  “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond” = Here is a clear indication of the Bibles last day remarks in regards to there being no middle ground.  You are either for Christ or against Him.

 

“a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads” = The Greek word for “mark” is, “charagma.”  It signifies an imprinted or engraved mark.  It also signified a graven image (see Acts 17:29).  It was also a technical term used for the imperial stamp on commercial documents and the royal impression on Roman coins.  It was also used as a technological term for the branding of animals (see Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, by Ulrich Wilckens, comments on Rev. 13:16).  By contrast, no evidence indicates any ancient practice of placing “charagma” physically on a person, such as might be expected in those times of the branding of slaves.  In those cases the Greek word “stigmata” was used (see Gal. 6:17).

 

Therefore, I believe this “mark” to be a spiritual branding.  The “mark of the beast” in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 13, stands in sharp and direct contrast to the “seal of God,” in Revelation 9:4, and clearly stands as a counterfeit to it.  However, both function as a mark of ownership.  Both are signs of loyalty to God or loyalty to the beast.  And the emphasis in the final crisis is about those who “keep the Commandments of God,” Revelation 12:17 & 14:12, and those who give their obedience to the beast.

 

The sealed person, who belongs to God, is displayed in Second Timothy 2:19:  “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His.  And, Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity.”  See also Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; Second Timothy 2:19; Revelation 7:2-3; 14:1.  By contrast, the symbolic “mark” of ownership and loyalty to Satan is found in the Book of Revelation (13:16-17; 14:9-10; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4).

 

Notice that the children of God are sealed in their “foreheads” ONLY, indicating that their minds are made up and they will only serve God and keep His Commandments.  While the unrighteous are sealed both in their “foreheads” and “hands,” Revelation 20:4, meaning they have chosen to believe they have the correct truth and will serve whom they believe to be right (they believe they are truly worshiping God); and also that they will use their might (“hand,” equaling force) to ensure that they get their way against the people of God.

 

We can cross reference this “mark” to Ezekiel 9:4 & 6, where the “mark” spoken of there is the Hebrew word “tav,” which is a masculine noun meaning, “a mark, a signature.”  It is the name of the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  It indicates a spiritual marking put on a person as an identifying mark or signature, such as in Job 31:35, where his “desire,” or character is implicated.  In the case of The Book of Ezekiel, it was a sign of exemption from judgment.

 

From 4SP:281-282 (see also Ev:234) we read:  “The change of the Sabbath is the sign, or mark, of the authority of the Romish church.  Those who, understanding the claims of the Fourth Commandment, choose to observe the false in place of the true Sabbath, are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded.  The change in the Fourth Commandment is the change pointed out in the prophecy, and the keeping of the counterfeit sabbath is the reception of the mark.  But Christians of past generations observed the first day, supposing that they were keeping the Bible Sabbath, and there are in the churches of today many who honestly believe that Sunday is the Sabbath of Divine [282]

 

“appointment.  None of these have received the mark of the beast.  There are true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion.  The test upon this question does not come until Sunday observance is enforced by law, and the world is enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath.  Not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the Commandments of God and the commandments of men, will those who continue in transgression receive the mark of the beast.”

 

SDA’s NOTE THE GC WRITING IS ACTUALLY QUOTED from (the questionably edited) RH, April 27, 1911 par. 17-18:

 

“The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted.  When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not.  While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the Fourth Commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God’s Law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator.  While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to Divine authority, receive the seal of God.”

 

“Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel’s message have been often regarded as mere alarmists. . . But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before.”  GC:605.

 

HERE IS THE ORIGINAL:  “The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty; for it is the point of truth especially controverted. {422.2.}

 

“Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third message have often been regarded as mere alarmists.  The prediction that church and State would unite to persecute those who keep the Commandments of God has been pronounced groundless and absurd.  It has been confidently declared that this land {U.S.A. NOTICE THIS IS LEFT OUT IN THE CHANGED WRITINGS} could never become other than what it has been, the defender of religious freedom.  But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message produces an effect which it could not have had before.”  4SP:423.1.

 

From Mar. 211, we read:  “The living righteous will receive the seal of God prior to the close of probation.  The sign, or seal, of God is revealed in the observance of the Seventh-Day Sabbath, the Lord’s memorial of creation. . . The mark of the beast is the opposite of this -- the observance of the first day of the week.  Sunday keeping is not yet the mark of the beast, and will not be until the decree goes forth causing men to worship this idol sabbath.”

 

From 7BC:968; 21MR:52, we read:  “What is the seal of the living God, which is placed in the foreheads of His people?  It is a mark which angels, but not human eyes, can read; for the destroying angel must see this mark of redemption.”

 

From ST, November 1, 1899 (4ST:72), we read:  “In the issue of the great contest two parties are developed:  those who ‘worship the beast and his image,’ and receive his mark, and those who receive ‘the seal of the living God,’ who have the Father’s Name written in their foreheads.  This is not a visible mark.”

 

From 19MR:182, we read:  The mark of the beast “is in direct contrast with the mark of God (Exo. 31:12-17 quoted).”

 

And from GC:604, we read: “Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought.  The powers of earth, uniting to war against the Commandments of God, will decree that ‘all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond’ (Revelation 13:16), shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath.  All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death.  On the other hand, the Law of God enjoining the Creator’s Rest Day demands obedience and threatens wrath against all who transgress Its Precepts.  With the issue thus clearly brought before him, whoever shall trample upon God’s Law to obey a human enactment receives the mark of the beast; he accepts the sign of allegiance to the power which he chooses to obey instead of God.”

 

“in their right hand” = That this is referring to “work,” or the action taken by oneself, here is Ecclesiastes 9:10:  “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”  See also Ezekiel 9:6; First Peter 4:17.

 

“in their foreheads” = That this is referring to the “choices” we make in life, here is Hebrews 8:10:  “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My Laws into their mind.”  See also Revelation 20:4, then Exodus 13:9 & 16; 11:18; Ezekiel 9:4.

 

According to Revelation 7:3 & 13:16; 14:9, the “seal” of God and the “mark” of the beast is “in” the “forehead” and “in” the hand; not “on” the “forehead” or on the “hand.”  In other words, we are discussing one’s character; what one believes (“forehead”), and what one will do (“hand”).  This is the truth expressed throughout the entire Word of God; our characters.

 

It is according to Deuteronomy 6:8, that we still see devout Jews today with visible symbols upon their bodies:  “And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.”  Just as the spiritual application of this verse is lost on the Jewish people today, so it will be lost upon all those who worship the “image to the beast.”  Just earlier our Lord explained this spiritual application to them in Deuteronomy 6:5:  “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul [this implies the mind, or forehead], and with all thy might [and this is their hand; what they will do].”  Thus, the Jewish people miss its true meaning.  Going above and beyond the Law of God is to misrepresent It.

 

13:17:  “buy or sell” = Just in case you missed it, this entire Chapter of Revelation 13, is pointing out that God and Satan are in a battle for the minds of the people.  In other words, this is an intellectual battle.  One where the stupid, or careless (couldn’t care less) will automatically side with the opposition in order to be able to continue to be able to “buy and sell,” James 4:13, which you cannot do if you decide to keep God’s Commandments.  Revelation 13:17:  “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

 

Therefore, there may very well be some type of identification mark upon individuals, such as the Nazis, during World War Two, who made the Jews where a yellow star upon their clothes.  And in some cases, until it was understood for the real reason of identification, the Jews were proud to do so.  However, the Lord’s people will be identified once a week when they insist upon worshipping on the Biblical Sabbath Day.

 

From 5T:152, we read: “We ought now to be heeding the injunction of our Savior:  ‘Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the Heavens that faileth not.’ [Luke 12:33].  It is now that our brethren should be cutting down their possessions instead of increasing them.  We are about to move to a better country, even a Heavenly.  Then let us not be dwellers upon the earth, but be getting things into as compact a compass as possible.  The time is coming when we cannot sell at any price.  The decree will soon go forth prohibiting men to buy or sell of any man save him that hath the mark of the beast.”

 

There are 3 conditions upon which one “might” be able to “buy or sell.”

 

1) Receive “the mark.”  The “mark” is placed “in their right hand, verse 16, meaning compliance with it but not necessarily in full agreement.  In other words:  “lukewarm;” careless (couldn’t care less); indifferent; disinterested; unconcerned; apathetic; insensible; unmindful.  While on the other hand, when “the mark” is “in their foreheads,” verse 16, they ARE mindful (notice again the location) of the issues to be imposed by accepting, or rather, not in agreement with those who will not receive “the mark.”  These are those of whom could be ascribed the second condition, for they are nearly of the same mindset.

 

2) These receive “the name of the beast.”  They are in agreement, or have the same understanding, and come to the same consensus in that they make a contract with the beast, to the point that they even will “make,” or honor “an image to the beast,” verse 14, going so far as to “worship,” verse 12, the beast.

 

3) Those that have “the number of his name,” are obviously already members.  They do not need to receive the mark, as in conditions one and two, because they already have received it; such as Roman Catholics.

 

13:18:  “it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” = This statement seems to suggest that the original readers had an ability to break the code.  See my Bible Study:  “666, WHO DOES IT REPRESENT.”  Which in essence concludes:  “Spiritualism, Apostate Protestantism, and Roman Catholicism,” which is, the dragon, the sea-beast, and the land-beast of Revelation, Chapter 13, each “6” standing for one of them (see 4SP:405; GC:588; LDE:131; Mar. 187; for collaboration of this belief).