THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE.
The Place of Sunday Legislation in the Making of the Image of the Beast.
THE BEAST was made in the Roman Empire. It was made in the union of an apostate Church with the Roman State. In our studies of this subject, we have seen that the only place where the Image of the Beast could be made, is in the United States; and the Image of the Beast, when made, will be a union of an apostate Church with this American State. In last week's study we saw that in that apostate Church in the Roman Empire, there had “arisen in the Church a false theocratical theory,” which aimed at “the formation of a sacerdotal State, subordinating the secular to itself in a false and outward way,” and that the bishops who held this false theocratical theory were determined “to make use of the power of the State for the furtherance of their aims.” For the past thirty-seven years there has been, in the United States, an organization of Church leaders holding precisely this same “false theocratical theory;” and, precisely as those of old, determined “to make use of the power of the State for the furtherance of their aims.” This organization, from its beginning, has been known as the National Reform Association. They hold that— “Every government, by equitable laws, is a government of God; a republic thus governed is of him, through the people, and is as truly and really a theocracy as the commonwealth of Israel. The refusal to acknowledge this fact is as much a piece of foolish impiety as that of the man who persists in refusing to acknowledge that God is the author of his existence.” The qualifying phrase “equitable laws” in that statement signifies only laws that conform to the will of these National Reformers. They declare that “a true theocracy is yet to come, . . . and humanity's weal depends upon the enthronement of Christ in law and law-makers;” and that “Christ shall be this world's king,—yea, verily, THIS WORLD'S KING in its realm of cause and effect,—king of its courts, its camps, its commerce,—king of its colleges and cloisters,—king of its customs and its constitutions. . . . The kingdom of Christ must enter the law through the gateway of politics.” In a previous study we saw that, in the making of the Beast, when the bishops had succeeded in getting the power of the State fully under their control for the furtherance of their aims, they held that the kingdom of God had come. The Church leaders in this nation to-day, who hold this same “false theocratical theory,” hold, likewise, that, when they succeed in getting the power of the State under their control, to be used at their will, for the furtherance of their own aims, the kingdom of God will be come. For, they hold that: “When we reach the summit, . . . the train will move out into the mild yet glorious light of millennial days, and the cry will be raised, ‘the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ.’” These leaders in the false theocratical movement of to-day, also, like those in the fourth century, are determined “to make use of the power of the State for the furtherance of their aims.” Consequently, from the inception of their movement, they have called for, and worked for, an amendment to the United States Constitution that would place all of what they call “Christian laws, institutions, and usages, upon an undeniable legal basis in the fundamental law of the land;” and then, having “inscribed this character on our Constitution,” by the national power “enforce upon all who come among us the laws of Christian morality.” And while calling for a Constitutional amendment, by which to make their purposes effective, they have been ready at all times to secure the recognition and the power of the government, by whatever means, Constitutional or unconstitutional, it could be accomplished. Accordingly, when, in 1892, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that “this is a Christian nation,” the National Reform combination instantly and gladly seized upon it, and made use of it in every possible way, for the furtherance of their aims. They declared, with glee, “This is a Christian nation.” That means Christian government, Christian laws, Christian institutions, Christian practices, Christian citizenship.” As in that original apostasy and false theocracy that made the Beast, the chief thing ever held in view was the exaltation of Sunday; so in this modern apostasy and false theocracy, the exaltation of Sunday has ever been the one chief aim. And as in the making of the Beast, Sunday legislation was the means by which the Church secured the power of the State by which to enforce upon all, even those that were not of the church, submission to the doctrine and discipline of the Church; so, in this making of the Image of the Beast, Sunday legislation is employed for precisely the same purpose, and in precisely the same way. Accordingly, when, by the Supreme Court declaration that “this is a Christian nation,” the national government was brought so entirely into accord with their will, they exclaimed at once: “This decision is vital to the Sunday question in all its aspects. . . . And this important decision rests upon the fundamental principle that religion is imbedded in the organic structure of the American government—a religion that recognizes, and is bound to maintain, Sunday as a day for rest and worship.” As in our previous study, we saw that, in the original false theocracy, no sooner was there made sure to the Catholic Church the recognition and support of the State, than she pushed herself upon the State with her demands for the establishment and enforcement of Sunday by law, and all in opposition to the Sabbath of the Lord; so, in this modern false theocracy, no sooner was published the declaration of the Supreme Court that “this is a Christian nation,” than these pushed themselves upon the national government, and under threats of political perdition upon all who refused, this false theocracy secured here the recognition and establishment of Sunday, and all in opposition to the Sabbath of the Lord. FOR, July 10, 1892, in the regular proceedings of the United States Senate, the Fourth Commandment was read from the Bible, as giving “the reasons” for the legislation under consideration, with respect to the Chicago World's Fair: “for the closing of the Exposition on the Sabbath day.” The proposed legislation was that day adopted. But, for fear that the Exposition would be really closed on the Sabbath, instead of on Sunday, two days afterward that which had been adopted was amended, so that the words, “Exposition on the Sabbath day,” were stricken out, and, in their place, were inserted the words, “the mechanical portion of the Exposition on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday.” And this was done expressly, in the words of the legislation, that in the application of the fourth commandment to the closing of the Exposition on the Sabbath, this amendment was to decide that they should close the Exposition, not “on the last day of the week, in conformity with that observance which is made by the Israelites and the Seventh-day Baptists;” but “should close it on the first day of the week generally known as the Christian Sabbath.” This legislation passed into law by the approval of the House of Representatives and the executive of the nation. Thus, as in the work and establishment of that false theocracy of the fourth century, Sunday was by legislation, and by law, substituted for the Sabbath of the Lord; so in the work and establishment of this false theocracy of the nineteenth century, there has been, by legislation and by law, the substitution of Sunday for the Sabbath of the Lord. That, in the fourth century, and in the Roman State, was the making of the Beast. This, in the nineteenth century, and in this American State, is, step by step, and point by point, precisely like that of the fourth century: the very repetition of it; and is, therefore, nothing else than the making of the Image of the Beast. At the beginning of this article we stated that “the Image of the Beast, when made, will be a union of an apostate Church with the American State.” And now that all may see for themselves how certainly it is apostasy for Protestants to be engaged in this which we have related, we quote the following authoritative statements as to what Protestantism truly is in “the very essence”:— The principles contained in the celebrated Protest of the 19th of April, 1529, constitute the very essence of Protestantism. Now this Protest opposes two abuses of man in matters of faith; the first is the intrusion of the civil magistrate; and the second, the arbitrary authority of the church. Instead of these abuses Protestantism sets the power of conscience above the magistrate, and the authority of the word of God above the visible church. In the first place, it rejects the civil power in divine things, and says with the apostles and prophets, “We must obey God rather than man.” In the presence of Charles the Fifth it uplifts the crown of Jesus Christ.”—D'Aubigné, “History of the Reformation,” Book XIII, chapter 6, par. 18.