Untitled article by Percy T. Magan

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 26, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 17.

A REVIEW OF SUNDAY LEGISLATION IN CENTURY NINETEEN. NO. 42.

By Percy T. Magan

BY PERCY T. MAGAN.

STILL bearing in mind the words of Leo XIII., the present incumbent of the pontifical throne, that “what Rome has done for other countries she will do for the United States,” and, with this, bearing in mind all that has been done for “other countries,” and especially for Spain,—keeping all this clearly before the mind,—the true and dreadful meaning of what she “will do for the United States” will be all the more apparent when viewed together with the following passages of Holy Writ.

In Rev. 13: 11, 12 the United States is introduced into the prophetic field of vision:—

“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.”

That the United States did come up “out of the earth,” no one acquainted with her history can deny. She alone, of all the great powers, has grown to greatness without strife, war, or bloodshed. Says Elliot:—

The United States exhibits to the world the first instance of a nation unattacked by external force, unconvulsed by domestic insurrections, assembling voluntarily, deliberating fully, and deciding calmly concerning that system of government under which they and their posterity should live.

The whole structure of the United States governmental genius is permeated with the idea of representation. Says Fiske:—

For this reason, though, like all nation making, it was in its early stages attended with war and conquest, it nevertheless does not require war and conquest in order to be put into operation. . . . Now of the English or Teutonic method [which is preëminently the American method of nation making] I say, war is not an essential part; for where representative government is once established, it is possible for a great nation to be formed by the peaceful coalescence of neighboring States, or by their union into a federal body. An instance of the former was the coalescence of England and Scotland, effected early in the eighteenth century after ages of mutual hostility; for instances of the latter we have Switzerland and the United States. Now federalism, though its rise and establishment may be incidentally accompanied by warfare, is never-less in spirit pacific.

Now the march of the United States from small beginnings to stupendous territorial proportions has been preeminently “in spirit pacific.” Nor has this been mere accident. The genius of the whole governmental fabric,

as it was framed by the fathers,—“a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” was “in spirit pacific.” For any federal government “republican in form and substance” must be built upon the free will and desire of all the States in that federation, and therefore “war is not an essential part.”

It is therefore clear that the United States has been “coming up out of the earth,” and not out of the “sea” of international strife, as have all other great nations before her. And it consequently follows from this that she, and she alone, can be the power referred to in Rev. 13: 11, 12.

This point being settled, note verse 12 again:—

“And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast [the papal power, see verses 3 and 5] before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”

That is that the United States causes the earth to bow down to the principles and practices of Papal Rome. The government of the United States by statute fines and penalties, causes the people of the United States to do this; and by her influence the United States causes all other people to follow in the same train. Still further:—

“And he [the United States] had power to give life unto the image of the [papal] beast, that the image of the [papal] beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the [papal] beast should be killed.” Rev. 13: 15.

This is Rome all over. She always did believe in “image” worship. She has defended that idolatrous doctrine for centuries; but, oh, what could be characteristic of her, or more gratifying to the “MOTHER OF HARLOTS,” than to have all the people of the United States worship an “image” of herself? When this is being carried out to the full she will be at the zenith of her glory. SELF-EXALTATION has ever been her chiefest sin; but how will she not rejoice when “the earth and them which dwell therein” are made to worship herself, or that which is a living “image” of her!

And so great is her power to be that all who do not worship her “image” in the United States are to be “KILLED.” Very good, let her decree it if she will; the God of heaven is able to deliver all them that trust in him out of the jaws of this great behemoth. Let her decree death to those who will not bow down to her if she will, through the United States Government, and let them take the consequences of it.

In the past the Church of Rome has decreed death upon the subjects of all realms of Europe who would not bow the knee to her mandates. And Pope Leo XIII., who stands as the head of that church now, says that “what the church has done for other countries, she will do for the United States.” True enough; we believe it, for the Bible says so too. THE ANTI-AMERICAN, PAGO-PAPAL, APOSTATE-PROTESTANT combination, already existing in the United States, will decree death upon all who will not obey its mandates and keep Sunday, its distinguishing mark. This is all so, just as Leo XIII. has hinted. More than that, we can say now that every soul on earth will bow down to the Sunday mandate of this anti-American, pago-papal, apostate-Protestant combination, save that little insignificant flock of God who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” who, notwithstanding the decrees of man and nations, will continue to keep the

seventh day of the week, the Sabbath of the Lord.

And because they will not and do not observe Sunday, and will not bow to the decree to keep Sunday holy, the whole apostate church and governments will be infuriated at them, and will pass a decree to put all this accursed sect to death. They will arm people to kill the people of the Lord, but they will not be able to kill them; for the God of heaven will cause their swords to fall powerless as straws by their sides. Then, when the sons of the wicked have attempted to do the worst and have been frustrated, there will be fulfilled the words of Isaiah, “Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net.” Isa. 51: 20. These powers will attempt to do this because their ideas of “self-exaltation” have not been fully realized. They will consider themselves insulted as did Haman the Agagite.

This religio-political combination will decree that no man may “buy or sell save he who has the mark,” i. e., who keeps Sunday. This is already being done by means of the Sunday boycott in cities large and small.

I have drawn all these thoughts from Revelation 13, and this last one from verse 17. This apostate power will control trade in the United States to the extent that it will forbid men to buy or sell, save those who worship the papal beast and his image.

Now read this quotation from Rev. 18: 1–20 carefully; it will be a good chapter for study when chapter 13 is finished:—

“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies;

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works; in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: the merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner of vessels of ivory, and all manner of vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and of iron, and marble, and of cinnamon, and odors, and of ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and so many as trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.”

All nations will drink of the “wine of the wrath of her fornication.” The fornication or fornications of the Papal Church, for the Scripture uses the word in both numbers, are “false doctrines.” With false doctrines she intoxicates nations, and when intoxicated, i. e., “drunk,” they are filled with “wrath” against the doctrines or the truth of God and those who obey it.

According to this chapter this great apostate power, by reason of its extravagance, will be the customer for all the luxuries and necessities herein mentioned. It will control all this great trade by reason of which the merchants of the earth are made rich. Then that trade will become stagnated, and ruined, as all trade ever has wherever Rome has been in the political ascendant. In this, also, what the Papacy has done for other countries it will do for the United States.

But in the process, just as the ruin of the United States and the world is completed by this great apostasy, the Lord will visit his wrath upon great Babylon. “In one hour” shall “thy judgments come,” “for strong is the Lord who judgeth her.”

Then according to verse 20, all heaven and the holy apostles and prophets will rejoice over her, and in the light of her fearful record, her awful ruin to the souls, bodies, and trade of men, that she is about to work in these last days, as a fitting finale to her iniquitous career, well they may rejoice.

This is the ruin which awaits the people of the United States and the trade and commerce of the United States. This is what Rome will do for the nation betrayed into her hands by its rulers, urged on by apostate Protestant divines.

No earthly power can save the nation from the impending destruction. But the power of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, can and will save every soul who will turn to the Almighty and heed the call, “Come out of her, my people.”