Increasing Light | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 10, 1875

Increasing Light.

(Continued.)

We think we have conclusively proved that the Judgment message of Rev. 14:6–8 was due to the world in 1844, and has been given; that the rejection of that message has caused the moral fall of the religious world, as described by Paul in 2 Tim. 3:1–10, and also by the second angel of Rev. 14:8; and that the third angel follows them, with a message of warning against the worship of the beast and his image. It now becomes a matter of solemn moment to inquire what the worship and mark of the beast are, against which there is uttered so terrific a warning. No warning more terrible is found in the Bible. The sin against which it is uttered must therefore be a most heinous and Heaven-daring one, and will the world never know what this sin is? Impossible! God does not so deal with his creatures. He does not punish the wicked without their knowing, or having a full opportunity to know, for what cause the punishment is inflicted. Hence we argue that all may know, if they choose, what constitutes the worship of the beast and the reception of his mark.

The beast whose mark men are here warned against receiving is the one brought to view in Rev. 13:1–10, also in Dan. 7:25. That the reader may see that Daniel and John are speaking of the same power, we will notice six points of identity, as follows:—

	The little horn	The leopard beast
1.	The little horn was a blasphemous power.	The leopard beast of Rev. 13:6 was also a blasphemous power.
2.	The little horn made war against the saints and prevailed against them. Dan. 7:21.	The leopard beast also made war against the saints and overcame them. Rev. 13:7.
3.	The little horn had a mouth speaking great things. Dan. 9:8–20.	Of the leopard beast we read, Rev. 13:5: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.”
4.	The little horn arose, on the overthrow of the pagan form of the Roman empire.	The dragon, pagan Rome, gave the leopard beast his power, his seat, and great authority.
5.	Power was given to the little horn to continue for “a time and times and the dividing of time,” or 1260 years. Dan. 7:25.	To the leopard beast also power was given for 42 months, or 1260 years. Rev. 13:5.
6.	At the end of that definite period the dominion of the little horn was to be taken away. Dan. 7:26.	At the end of the same period the leopard beast was to be led into captivity. Rev. 13:10.

Bonaparte fulfilled both prophecies in 1798, by capturing the pope. These points prove identity. For when we have in prophecy two symbols, as in this instance, representing powers that come upon the stage of action at the same time, occupy the same territory, maintain the same character, do the same work, exist the same length of time, and meet the same fate, those symbols represent the same identical power. Now all the particulars above specified do apply alike to the little horn of Dan. 7 and the leopard beast of Rev. 13, showing that these two symbols represent the same power. Hence, we understand that Papal Rome is the power brought to view. For a more full and extended view of this subject, we refer the reader to “Thoughts on Revelation,” published by the Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association, Battle Creek, Mich.

Daniel says, chap. 7:25, that the power symbolized by the little horn shall think to change times and laws. The papal church fulfilled this specification. As proof, we offer the following testimony from the catechism called the “Catholic Christian Instructed,” chap. 23:—

“Ques. What are the days which the church commands to be kept holy?”

“A. The Sunday, or our Lord’s day, which we observe by apostolic tradition, instead of the Sabbath.” Then follows the appointment of ten other feast days besides the feast of all saints.

“Q. What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday preferable to the ancient Sabbath which was the Saturday?”

“A. We have for it the authority of the Catholic Church and apostolic tradition.

“Q. Does the Scripture anywhere command the Sunday to be kept for the Sabbath?” “A. The Scripture commands us to hear the church. . . . But neither [Paul, Luke or John] tells us that the first day of the week was to be henceforward the day of worship and the Christian Sabbath; so that truly the best authority we have for this is the testimony and ordinance of the church. And, therefore, those who pretend to be so religious of the Sunday, whilst they take no notice of other festivals ordained by the same church authority, show that they act by humor, and not by reason and religion; since Sundays and holy days all stand upon the same foundation; viz., the ordinance of the church.”

“Q. What was the reason that the weekly Sabbath was changed from the Saturday to the Sunday?”

“A. Because our Lord fully accomplished the work of our redemption by rising from the dead on a Sunday and by sending down the Holy Ghost on a Sunday. As therefore the work of redemption was a greater work than that of creation, the primitive church thought the day on which this work was completely finished was more worthy their religious observation than that in which God rested from the creation, and should be properly called the Lord’s day.”

“Q. But has the church power to make any alterations in the commandments of God?”

“A. The commandments of God, as far as they contain his eternal law, are unalterable and indispensable, but as to whatever was only ceremonial, that ceases to oblige, since the Mosaic law was abrogated by Christ’s death. Hence, as far as the commandment obliges us to set aside some part of our time for the worship and service of our Creator, it is an unalterable and unchangeable precept of the eternal law, with which the church cannot dispense, but forasmuch as it prescribes the seventh day in particular for this purpose it is no more than a ceremonial precept of the old law, which obligeth not Christians, and therefore instead of the seventh day and other festivals appointed by the old law the church has prescribed the Sunday and holy days to be set apart for God’s worship, and these we are now obliged to keep in consequence of God’s commandment instead of the ancient Sabbath.”

From the “Abridgement of Christian Doctrine,” we give the following question and answer:—

“Ques. How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days?”

“Ans. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and therefore they fondly contradict themselves by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same church.”

Now we ask the candid reader, Does not this look like thinking to change the law of the Sabbath, or the obligation of the fourth commandment? Here, then, we have the mark of the beast, an institution put in the place of the original Sabbath of Jehovah, and brought forward by the Romish church itself as the badge and token of its power to change the law of the Most High. And he who, with this plain fact before him, deliberately yields to the claims of this antichristian power in opposition to the plain requirements of the fourth commandment of the Creator, thereby acknowledges the supremacy of the beast, worships him instead of the great Jehovah, and receives the mark of the beast instead of the seal of the living God.

Let me here remind the reader that Paul says, “Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?” Rom. 6:16. Then how plain it must appear to all candid minds that if we, with this testimony before us, still continue to keep the first day of the week, or Sunday, we are obeying the papal church, and not the Lord, and therefore are subjects of the wrath of God.

John says, “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. . . . And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword and did live.” Rev. 13:11–14.

John here introduces a symbol of the United States. The two-horned beast must symbolize a separate and distinct power; for it is another beast. This is too evident to call for proof. The two-horned beast acts in the sight of the first beast, and in reference to him, not in connection with him. This is perfectly answered in the United States. For a more extended view of this subject, see the work entitled the “Three Messages, or the Two-Horned Beast,” published at the REVIEW Office, Battle Creek, Mich.

Reader, is it not a fact that in this government there is now a strong party arising, with the avowed object of securing an amendment to the Constitution, for the purpose of bringing about a Sunday-Sabbath reform? The organ of this party is the Christian Statesman, published at Philadelphia. As it is a fair exponent of the opinions and intentions of the leading spirits in the movement for the amendment, we give the following extract, which we think shows the real object of the party:—

“Two years ago, we printed the following telegram, dated at Washington, Dec. 4, and commented on it in the following terms, which we now emphatically repeat: ‘The trains yesterday and to-day brought large accessions to the number of congressmen and visitors already here. And by to-morrow morning it is expected that nearly every senator and member will have arrived.’ Thus the fact is heralded over the whole country that a large number of the members of the national Congress openly and wantonly indulge in common travel on the Sabbath. . . . And there are other reflections suggested by their conduct. Not one of those men who thus violated the Sabbath is fit to hold any official position in a Christian nation.

“. . . The interests of a nation can never be safe in the hands of Sabbath-breakers, and every one of these congressmen has done that for which, if our laws were right, he ought to be impeached and denounced.

“The sin of these congressmen is a national sin, because the nation has not said to them in the Constitution, the supreme rule for our public servants, We charge you to serve us in accordance with the higher law of God. These Sabbath-breaking railroads, moreover, are corporations created by the State and amenable to it. The State is responsible to God for the conduct of these creatures which it calls into being. It is bound therefore to restrain them from this as from other crimes, and any violation of the Sabbath by any corporation should work immediate forfeiture of its charter. And the Constitution of the United States, with which all State legislation is required to be in harmony, should be of such character as to prevent any State from tolerating such infractions of fundamental moral law.

“Give us in the national Constitution the simple acknowledgment of the law of God as the supreme law of the nation, and all the results indicated in this note will ultimately be secured. Let no one say that the movement does not contemplate sufficiently practical ends.”—Christian Statesman, vol. 6, No. 15.

Thus the amendment party are preparing to make the image to the beast, or to pass a Sunday law which will clothe the churches of America with authority to compel people to rest on Sunday. When this shall be accomplished, the image of the beast will be formed; for the papacy was a church clothed with civil power, and those who obey will be worshipers of the beast and his image.

But while this is being done, God is sending forth the third angel’s message; thereby bringing about a reform on the true Bible Sabbath, and warning the people everywhere against the worship of the beast and his image. He is also bringing out a people in every place where the warning goes, who keep all the commandments of God—and who, if faithful to the end, will stand at last with the Lamb on Mount Zion, having the Lamb’s Father’s name in their foreheads. Rev. 14:1. This name is found in the fourth commandment, which describes him as Creator of heaven and earth. Therefore, God says the Sabbath is a sign between him and the children of Israel, the people of God, forever.

(To be continued.)