p. 5 | Our Bible Reading

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Feb 15, 1910

Our Bible Reading

The Mark of the Beast

The Beast

1. By what term is that combination of apostate powers against God's work characterized? "A BEAST . . . having . . . seven heads, . . . and upon his heads NAMES OF BLASPHEMY. . . . And he opened his mouth for BLASPHEMIES AGAINST GOD, to BLASPHEME HIS NAME, and His tabernacle, even them that dwell in the heaven. . . . And all that dwell on the earth shall WORSHIP HIM, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb that hath been slain." Rev. 13: 1-8.

What Worship Is

2. What does worship imply? Service, obedience. "Thou shalt WORSHIP the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou SERVE." Matt. 4: 10.

3. What mark, or badge, or seal, of service will apostasy seek to enforce? "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads; 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." Rev. 13: 16, 17.

NOTE.—We will not, nor can we in this issue, take the space to define the beast or the image of the beast. See the SIGNS of Feb. 12, 1908. Suffice to say that the beast represents the apostate powers of the Old World, centering in the latter days in the system of the Papacy; and that the two-horned beast and the image it forms are apostate Protestantism in the New World, turning the world itself back to the apostasy of the Papacy. The beast and the image demand worship, obedience, service. God demands worship, obedience, service. The beast is satisfied that the service shall be either willing or nominal, of the mind or of the hand; God demands that His service shall be willing service only. Therefore apostasy stamps its mark on the forehead or in the hand; while God places His seal, or mark, on the forehead alone. Needless to say these are not visible marks, but symbols of worship, service. It is clear, too, that the respective "marks," or distinguishing characteristics of worship or service of God and the beast, will be the difference of conduct, consequent upon obedience to different commands. Obedience to like commands will not distinguish the one class from another. Obedience to opposite commands will distinguish the two classes of worshipers.

4. What have we learned God's distinguishing mark to be? CREATIVE POWER. Ps. 96: 5; Rev. 14: 7.

5. In what part of His law is this recognized? In the Sabbath commandment. Ex. 20: 8-11.

6. What does that commandment require? "Remember the SABBATH DAY, to keep it holy. . . . The SEVENTH day is the SABBATH."

7. How does the teaching of the Papacy differ from this? "Ques.—Say the third [our fourth] commandment. "Ans.—'Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.' "Ques.—What is commanded by the third commandment? "Ans.—To SPEND THE SUNDAY IN PRAYER and other religious duties."—Butler's Catechism.

NOTE.—Now every one knows that nothing of the kind is commanded by the Sabbath precept, Roman Catholics as well as others. God says, the seventh day, and commands its observance. Apostasy says, the first day, Sunday, and commands its observance. It is very easily seen what the mark of distinction is between the worshipers of God and the beast power.

8. What do Roman Catholics claim this change to be which they have sought to make in God's law? The DISTINGUISHING MARK OF HER POWER. Read from their own authorities:

Eusebius, a church Father, friend of Constantine: "All things whatsoever that it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we [Pope Sylvester, Eusebius, Constantine, et al] have transferred to the Lord's day [Sunday]."

From the "Doctrinal Catechism:" "Ques.—Have you any other way of proving that the church has power to institute festivals of precept? "Ans.—Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her,—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority. "Ques.—When Protestants do profane work upon Saturday, or the seventh day of the week, do they follow the Scripture as their only rule of faith?—do they find this permission clearly laid down in the Sacred Volume? "Ans.—On the contrary, they have only the authority of tradition for this practise. In profaning Saturday, they violate one of God's commandments, which He has never clearly abrogated,—'Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.'"

From the "Abridgment of Christian Doctrine:" "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." (See other and Protestant authorities quoted in the SIGNS of Feb. 26, 1908.)

NOTE.—The Papacy boasts of the change she has made in the Sabbath as the mark of her power; that the [Roman Catholic] church has power she declares is proved by "the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday." The Sunday-Lord's day, then, is the mark of the papal system; and if the Papacy be apostate, the Sunday is the mark of apostasy. Apostate Protestantism is acknowledging these claims, not in the quiet acquiescence of ignorance, but in loud demands that this mark of apostasy shall be enforced by law.

From Apostate Protestantism

"This day [Sunday] is set apart for divine worship and preparation for another life. It is the test of all religion."—Dr. W. W. Everts, in Elgin (Ill.) Sunday Convention, November, 1887.

"The sabbath [Sunday] is the corner-stone of Christ's kingdom. Let us recognize each recurring sabbath [Sunday] as the sign of God's covenant. By this sign the world largely judges the depth of our Christian character, and by this sign God judges us."—Mrs. J. C. Bateham, "Sabbath Leaflet" No. 33.

"When the people, through their representative, legalize the first day of the week as a day of rest and of worship for those who choose so to observe it, it is the sign of the Christian nation."—From a sermon reported in the "Christian Oracle," Jan. 12, 1893.

"For nothing were the noble men who planted true Christianity and an evangelical church in the wilderness now constituting the United States, since distinguished than for their reverence for the sabbath [Sunday]. It is quite a prominent feature of their character—a sign between them and the heathen world around; and, to a large extent, it has continued to be a mark of American religion in the present day."—Rev. J. G. Lorimer, in "Christian Treasury."

In a large National Reform assembly at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., Rev. Herrick Johnson, D.D., of Chicago, presided. Rev. Herrick Smith, moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly (1894), presented the following resolution: "Resolved, That the fundamental principles of the National Reform Association . . . are true and Scriptural principles, and that these principles must control our national life, or we shall perish. "Resolved, That the sabbath [the Sunday] is a sign between God and man, and its reverent observance a mark of the nation whose God is Jehovah."

The Michigan Christian Advocate of Sept. 3, 1892, says of this convention: "There were present large numbers of very prominent leaders from different parts of the United States. These representative men from so wide a range of territory were unanimous in their agreement on the principles and measures set forth in the resolutions."

Says the Advance (Congregationalist) of Aug. 2, 1894: "The sabbath [Sunday] serves the same purpose to-day as did the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden; a prohibition is laid upon it that men may not use it for their own pleasure. This prohibition is to test them and train them. It is designed continually to teach them reverence for law. That man is an anarchist at heart who deliberately flaunts at the sacredness of the sabbath [the Sunday], or sneers at any other distinct revelation of the law of God."

In all these references to "the sabbath," the Sunday is referred to. God's Sabbath never sought human legislation, and if its devotees are Christians it never will. To call Sunday "the sabbath" does not make it so.

9. What, then, is the mark of apostasy? There can be but one conclusion—the SUNDAY is the RIVAL OF THE SABBATH, the true Lord's day. Rev. 1: 10; Mark 2: 27; Isa. 58: 13; Ex. 20: 10.

10. What, then, is the mark of the beast, or apostasy clothed with civil power? ### The SUNDAY ENFORCED BY LAW.

11. What is the reception of this mark of apostasy? (a) It is NOT the mere observance of Sunday; for thousands have kept the day, in both Catholic and Protestant churches, believing they were doing God's will; and God will justify the perfect heart and faith, not because they observed Sunday, but in spite of it. (b) It is not the mere keeping of Sunday as an individual, knowing it to be contrary to God's Word. That would be apostasy, but not the reception of the mark of the beast. (c) The reception of the mark of the beast is, in the light of God's Word and the Sabbath truth, to turn from that truth and yield allegiance to a MAN-MADE SABBATH ENFORCED BY MAN-MADE LAW IN OPPOSITION TO THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD. That is the crisis not yet upon us in the sense of the prophecy, but toward which the world is forging with mighty strides. Men in heart are forcing the awful issue and demanding it; and when a foolishly blinded people and corrupt politicians shall grant the power, we will have the enforcement of the mark of the beast.

(Continued on page 9)

Our Bible Reading

(Continued from page 5) 12. What warning has God uttered against this culmination of apostasy? "If any man WORSHIPETH THE BEAST and his IMAGE, and receiveth a MARK on his forehead, or upon his hand, he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of His anger; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment goeth up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, they that WORSHIP THE BEAST and his IMAGE, and whoso receiveth THE MARK OF HIS NAME." Rev. 14: 9-11.

13. How are those described who heed the message? "Here is the patience of the saints, they that keep the COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, and the FAITH OF JESUS." Verse 12.

14. What eternal victory do they thus gain? "And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the