The Mark of the Beast and the Seal of the Living God
By GEORGE I. BUTLER
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God; . . . and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Rev. 14:9-11. We see in this scripture the terrible threatenings of the third angel’s message against those who worship the papal beast, and against the worship of the image made to the beast, and against those who receive the mark of the beast. They shall drink the unmingled wine of the wrath of God; that is, wrath with no mixture of mercy in it. The judgments of God are now often witnessed in the land; yet while probation lingers, mercy is mixed with these judgments upon fallen men. But in the dreadful day before us, the probation of sinners closes just before Christ comes. Our great High Priest ceases his ministrations in behalf of man. The cry goes forth, “It is finished.” No longer will mercy plead. Then wrath is visited without mercy upon incorrigible sinners who turned a deaf ear to mercy’s many calls to repentance. They all perish, as the wicked antediluvians did at the flood. This fact is positive proof that these last messages mark the close of human probation, just before Christ comes. Such a terrible threatening as this—of the unmingled wrath of God upon those who have the mark of the beast—makes evident that the people exposed to this danger will have an opportunity of knowing what it is to receive that mark. It would be entirely contrary to the character of the God of mercy to inflict such a punishment upon a people who could have no chance to know why it was sent. The mark of the beast must be some institution antagonistic to God’s law, very generally accepted among mankind; something belonging peculiarly to the beast—the papacy—and owing its existence to that power. The words mark, sign, and seal are synonymous terms. In Revelation, chapter 7, we have a sealing work brought to view: “And I saw another angel ascending from the east [“sun-rising,” American Revised Version], having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand.” Rev. 7:2-4. This is surely a last-day work among the people of God, corresponding to the work brought to view in the third angel’s message. Why do we so conclude?—Because it occurs under the sixth seal. The seven seals of Revelation 6 and 7 are successive, the sixth seal bringing to view and embracing the signs of Christ’s coming and the end of the world. The opening of that seal was marked by the great earthquake which destroyed Lisbon, Portugal, and shook a large portion of the earth; probably one hundred thousand perished because of it. Then came the darkening of the sun and moon, and falling of the stars, signs of the great day of wrath. Introducing the opening of the seventh seal, this sealing of God’s people takes place. The one hundred forty-four thousand who are sealed are next seen standing on Mount Zion, with the harps of God in their hands. Rev. 14:1-4. These are the ones living when Christ comes, and are translated without seeing death. We see, then, that the sealing of the people of God, and the solemn warning against the worship of the papal beast and the receiving of his mark, are going on at the same time, and that the work is being done by the same people. While the loud cry is going forth to all the earth, warning the people against the worship of the papal beast and the receiving of his mark, these faithful believers who are engaged in giving the warning message are being sealed with the seal of the living God. The seal of the living God and the mark of the papal beast are set opposite—the one antagonistic to the other. What is the significance of the “seal”? “A seal is an instrument used by individuals for making impressions upon wax or wafer attached to instruments of writing, as an evidence of authenticity.” To seal is to secure to any one; to make sure; to set a seal or mark upon anything in token of its being genuine or approved. The seal of God, as brought to view in our text, is to be applied to the servants of God. We are not to suppose that it is some literal mark to be made in the flesh. It is evidently some institution having special reference to God, which will serve as a mark of distinction between God’s true worshipers and those who are not. A seal is used always in connection with some law which demands obedience. The idea of law is always inseparable from a seal. The seal gives validity to enactments and laws, and shows what power gives them. God’s law has a seal: “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.” That is, Place the seal in the law from which it has been taken; restore the seal to its proper place or position. The seal of God forms a part of his law; it is that part of it which contains his name, or official title. The law of God is summed up in the decalogue, or ten commandments. It contains his name, his position, and his right to rule. Which of his commandments reveals these to us? The first three precepts mention the name of God, but do not tell who he is. “There be gods many, and lords many.” The fifth precept mentions the name of Lord and God, but fails to reveal his identity. The last five precepts do not even mention his name. Returning to the fourth precept—the one requiring the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath and giving the reason for the requirement—we find the great Lawgiver saying: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Ex. 20:8-11. What are the facts here brought to view? God is the Creator of all things. The Sabbath is the memorial of his works as Creator. The Creator is greater than all things created. Here his right to rule and make laws for his creatures is indisputable. This right of Creator is higher than that of any other being. The Sabbath is the seal or sign of the10living God, as shown in Ex. 31:13-18. Verse 13 reads as follows: “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign [i. e., seal] between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” God, in his own words, states the Sabbath to be his seal or sign. The man who keeps it most forcibly states (for actions speak louder than words), I recognize the Creator of all things as my Sovereign and Lord. God set the example of resting at the creation of the world, before sin had ever marred its beauty and glory; of resting from his work of creation. It then became God’s rest day, because he rested upon it. The word Sabbath in the Hebrew language simply means rest. Had the word Sabbath been translated by the translators, the precept would have read, “Remember the rest day of the Lord thy God.” The seventh day was the rest day. He then blessed it by making it the most blessed day of the weekly cycle. Then he sanctified it, that is, set it apart to a holy and religious use. In other words, he commanded the first pair in their sinless state to use that day as a religious day, and thus imitate and honor God by their obedience. Gen. 2:1-3. Here, then, we have the deliberate statement of God himself that the seventh-day Sabbath is his seal or sign. This statement is repeated in Ex. 31:17: “It is a sign [that is, a seal] between me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” The Sabbath is not Jewish. The Lord made the rest day by resting upon it twenty-five centuries before ever a Jew existed. It might more truly be called a Gentile Sabbath than a Jewish Sabbath. It is true he made it known to Israel just as he made himself known to them. He honored them by making his holy rest day known, that they might keep it. Every Gentile has as much reason to regard God’s rest day as has any Jew. In Ezekiel 20 this fact is repeated twice, in verses 12 and 20. We have therefore found the most explicit statements of Jehovah himself that the seventh-day Sabbath is the sign or seal of his holy law. The statement is explicitly made at least four times, which ought to be sufficient.