13:6Revelation 13:6

The leopard-like beast is the Papacy, succeeding to the power, seat and authority of pagan Rome, and its opening its mouth is its speaking blasphemy against God, His name, His tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven.GC88 439.1+3 Its blasphemy is self-exaltation above God by claiming authority to change His times and laws, discarding the seventh-day Sabbath as His memorial of creation and exalting a spurious first-day sabbath in its place to demand worship.Ms 139, 1903, par. 22–25+4 Its persecuting rule lasted the forty-two months, the 1,260 days or years from its establishment in A.D. 538 to 1798, when it received its deadly wound with the pope taken captive by the French army.DA 837.3–4+4 That blasphemous work revives and meets its final fulfilment in the last days, when Satan appears as an angel of light claiming to be Lord of the whole earth and presenting the changed Sabbath as a test of loyalty.Ms 153, 1902, par. 8–10+4 The chapter therefore sets before every person a final choice between allegiance to God by keeping His commandments and the faith of Jesus, and allegiance to the beast through observance of the humanly instituted false sabbath.Ms 88, 1897, par. 15–17+4

The leopard-like beast is the Papacy, appearing under the dominant head in the period described as one form through the ages symbolized by its seven heads.DA 837.3–4+3 It represents a power through the ages, appearing under different forms, and under the head dominant at that time it stands for the papal power.DA 837.3–4+2 Its blasphemous speech and war against the saints match the little horn of Daniel 7.GC88 439.1+1

That beast succeeded to the power, seat, and authority once held by the Roman Empire, with pagan Rome giving way to the Papacy.GC88 439.1+2 The dragon, which is pagan Rome, gave the first beast its civil power and its seat at the city of Rome and great authority.4SP 502.4–6+1 After paganism gave way to a professed form of Christianity, Satan continued his opposition to God through the Papacy under a claim of allegiance to God rather than open defiance, empowered by the dragon as an antichrist power.GC88 679.3–680.3

It rose out of the sea meaning peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues and was upheld by many nations.DA 837.3–4+1 It combines the characteristics of the four beasts for Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome as inheritor of the power held by those four empires in succession.4SP 502.2–3 The Papacy became firmly established in the sixth century with its seat in Rome and the bishop of Rome declared head of the church.4SP 57.2+1 It arose when the church departed from the gospel and sought the support of secular power, then used the state to advance its aims and punish dissenters as heretics, and union of church and state made it a persecuting power.DA 837.3–4+2

The first beast is distinct from the two-horned beast of Revelation 13:11-17.4SP 502.4–6 That second beast comes up out of the earth in a different locality outside the dominion of the Old World, representing the United States.4SP 502.4–6 Its two horns mean civil and ecclesiastical power, appearing first with the gentleness of a lamb and afterward with the fierceness of the dragon.4SP 502.4–6

To open the mouth in blasphemy is to speak against God by blaspheming His holy name, His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven, and this is the man of sin opening his mouth against God, His name, His tabernacle, and heaven's inhabitants.GC88 439.1+4 It marks one side of the final division of the world into only two classes in decided opposition, those who worship God and keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus and those who worship the beast and his image, with commandment-keepers standing under the protection of His power while commandment-breakers stand under the man of sin's ensign.Ms 18, 1904, par. 7–10+2 It forms part of a prophecy of conflict in which the whole world will take part, with worship of the beast set against faithfulness to God and refusal of the beast's mark even when church and state unite to compel it.Ms 88, 1897, par. 15–17+1

Its blasphemous self-exaltation is its attempt to change God's times and laws, claiming church authority for the change and placing that authority above God.GC 445.2–446.2+1 That claim to change is only claimed, not successfully done.Ms 1, 1897, par. 28

It blasphemes God by demanding worship of the beast through observance of a humanly instituted false sabbath and by oppressing those who remain loyal to God's commandments, thus exalting its authority above God's law.Ms 7a, 1896, par. 10–12+1 The choice is between allegiance to God, whose creation memorial is the seventh-day Sabbath, and allegiance to the beast through the false sabbath instituted by men who exalt themselves above God.Ms 7a, 1896, par. 10–12+1

The attack centers on God's memorial of creation, the seventh-day Sabbath, discarding it and exalting a spurious first-day sabbath in its place.Ms 139, 1903, par. 22–25+1 It leads people to treat human tradition as more binding than God's commandments, especially by changing the Sabbath to Sunday.Ms 139, 1903, par. 22–25+1 This belongs to a wider rebellion in which religious and civil powers unite, set aside God's law, and put human laws and traditions in its place, applied to Sunday laws imposed by Christian governments while God's people keep holy the day of His rest.Ms 166, 1902, par. 1–2

Near the close of earth's history Satan makes desperate efforts to make himself God by speaking and acting as God and claiming the right to control the consciences of men.Ms 27, 1899, par. 3–5 The opening of the mouth in blasphemy is work under the jurisdiction of the man of sin to place a human institution in the position of God's holy rest day, exalting a false standard in complete opposition to God's enactment.Ms 166, 1902, par. 1–2+1 That human institution is the first day of the week, which has not one particle of sanctity, produced to counterwork God's purposes and set aside God's royal requirement sealed with the name of the Author.Ms 27, 1899, par. 3–5

It is the definite explanation of the apostate power against the law of God.Ms 163, 1897, par. 2–5 It deceives the inhabitants of the earth and causes them to believe fatal lies presented as truth, upon whom the appointed judgment in that great day will be executed.Ms 163, 1897, par. 2–5

The blasphemous rule and oppression lasted the prophetic forty-two months, or 1,260 days, meaning 1,260 years, which are the time and times and the dividing of time, three years and a half, of Daniel 7, reckoned from the establishment of the Papacy in A.D. 538 to 1798.DA 837.3–4+2 The union of church and state made it a persecuting power through those ages under its dominant head.DA 837.3–4 During those 1,260 years, beginning with the Papacy's rise firmly established in the sixth century with its seat in Rome and the bishop of Rome declared head of the church, Christians were forced to accept papal ceremonies and worship or face coercion, imprisonment, torture, and death.4SP 57.2+2 Paganism gave way to the Papacy, which received from the dragon its power, seat, and authority.GC 54.2 Through that persecution the faithful church found refuge in seclusion and obscurity.GC 54.2

Its deadly wound came in 1798, when the Papacy was abolished and the pope was taken captive by the French army.GC 438.1–439.2+1 The verse will meet its final fulfilment in the last days when Satan appears as an angel of light with great power and heavenly glory and claims to be Lord of the whole earth.Ms 153, 1902, par. 8–10+1 He will then declare that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week, and as lord of the first day will present this spurious sabbath as a test of loyalty to him.Ms 153, 1902, par. 8–10+1 That opening of the mouth in blasphemy against God, His name, His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven belongs to that time of worship of the dragon and the beast, war against the saints and overcoming them, power over all kindreds and tongues and nations, and worship by all that dwell on the earth whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.Ms 153, 1902, par. 8–10

The Papacy appears in its power at the borders of the greatest event in the world's history, in the last time.Lt 54, 1906, par. 9+2 Its blasphemous work revives as the time of trouble nears.4MR 330.1 The verse belongs to a chain in Revelation 13 leading to the 144,000's complete redemption, shown as having gained victory over the beast and its image.WLF 10.4

The blasphemous speech and war against the saints by the leopard-like beast identify it as the papal power that succeeded to the power, seat, and authority once held by the Roman Empire, matching the little horn described in Daniel 7.GC88 439.1+1 Its rule and oppression of God's people lasted the prophetic forty-two months, or 1,260 days, from A.D. 538 to 1798, and its deadly wound came when the pope was taken captive by the French army in 1798.GC 438.1–439.2 Revelation 13 brings down to the closing scenes of this earth's history and shows the great and last warfare between those who keep the commandments of God and those who make void the law of God.Ms 55, 1895, par. 14–16 The beast is an earthly government especially engaged in trampling upon God's law and persecuting His people, carrying its war against God and His people forward to the close of time, while the people of God are left greatly in the minority as a remnant in the last days.4SP 275.2–276.1

The verse belongs to the prophecy of Revelation 13 and 14 on which rests the teaching that all classes except the little flock will unite to exalt Sunday and enforce it on all by stringent laws, with the beast of Revelation 13:1-10 being the papal power, a view generally held by Protestants.4SP 501.3–502.1 Revelation 13 brings to view a worship of the beast that the beast and his image will enforce by decree, against which the third angel warns, forbidding worship of the beast and his image and receiving his mark in the forehead or in the hand.Lt 183, 1902, par. 8–9 Revelation 13 belongs to the solemn testimony of the third angel's message now to be proclaimed to the world, which combines the first and the second messages and binds them up with the third.Ms 55, 1895, par. 14–16 Revelation 13 is for all who live in these last days and must be read carefully and prayerfully to be understood, together with the keeping of the commandments as the true marks of those who love God.Ms 55, 1895, par. 14–16

The forehead means the intellect or mind, and the hand means power.4SP 505.2–3 God does not accept compulsory worship, so His servants are sealed only in their foreheads, but wicked powers accept forced worship, and the Romish hierarchy has always craved it.4SP 505.2–3 The mark of the beast is in direct opposition to God's sign and seal, His Sabbath, and is a counterfeit Sabbath on the day of the sun.4SP 505.2–3 The prophecies of Revelation 12 to 18 are being fulfilled now, in the time when the last message of warning is to be heard by all and the very last call of the eighteenth chapter is to be given.Ms 75, 1906, par. 16+1 That giving comes before the taking of the beast and false prophet, the binding of the dragon, the resurrection of the wicked, the final destruction of Satan and all the wicked, and the final triumph and reign of Christ on this earth.Ms 75, 1906, par. 16

The chapter presents a power destined to become prominent in the last days, and its message is to reach God's people plainly, without human wisdom or tradition mixed into it.18MR 33.2–34.1 This conflict stands within the enmity between the serpent and the woman's seed, warning that disobedience to God's known will brings evil and suffering.18MR 33.2–34.1

Revelation 13 concerns every person, for it lays open a prophecy of conflict in which the whole world will take part, setting worship of the beast over against faithfulness to God and demanding a choice between allegiance to God and allegiance to the beast.Ms 88, 1897, par. 15–17+2 Allegiance to God is loyalty to Him whose creation memorial is the seventh-day Sabbath, while allegiance to the beast is observance of a humanly instituted false sabbath, and what the whole chapter reveals will surely take place.19MR 182.4–6+1 The Sabbath question will be the issue in that great final conflict, and the persecuting power that blasphemes God by exalting its authority above His law and oppressing commandment keepers will be prominent in the last days compelling this worship.Ms 88, 1897, par. 15–17+3 That power is bound up with Satan's effort to be received as God and to lead people to treat human tradition as more binding than God's commandments, especially by changing the Sabbath to Sunday.Ms 7a, 1896, par. 10–12+1

The verse marks one side of the final division of the world into only two classes in decided opposition to one another, those who worship God and keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus, and those who worship the beast and his image.Ms 18, 1904, par. 7–10+1 All that dwell upon the earth whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world will worship him, while God's people keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus and refuse the beast's mark even when church and state unite to compel people to receive it.Ms 18, 1904, par. 7–10+1 In the last period of earth's history churches and the world unite in trampling upon God's commandments, threatening with death all who obey His precepts.Ms 18, 1904, par. 7–10+1 The worshipers of the beast will persecute those who keep the commandments of God, with members of the Roman Catholic church and of the Protestant churches uniting against the remnant people of God.Ms 18, 1904, par. 7–10+1

The beast power that opens its mouth in blasphemy against God, blaspheming His holy name, His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven, is given authority for forty-two months and makes war on the saints, and the remnant church is to warn the world against it and against worshiping it.ST Jun 18, 1894 Revelation 13 belongs to the solemn testimony of the third angel's message now to be proclaimed to the world, which combines the first and the second messages and binds them up with the third, bringing down to the closing scenes of earth's history and showing the great and last warfare between those who keep the commandments of God and those who make void His law.Ms 55, 1895, par. 14–16 It is part of God's warning of the perils before His people in the last days, beholding the things which will be in the last days and showing a people working counter to God and a company who have been deceived.17MR 18.2–4 It is for all who live in these last days and must be read carefully and prayerfully to be understood, together with the keeping of the commandments as the true marks of those who love God.Ms 55, 1895, par. 14–16

The Papacy appears in its power at the borders of the greatest event in the world's history, in the last time, and its blasphemous work revives as the time of trouble nears.Lt 54, 1906, par. 9+2 Then Satan seeks power over God's people to cause them to sleep and to cause them to sleep on.Lt 54, 1906, par. 9+2 God's faithful ones must now arouse and search the Scriptures, the churches must have their attention aroused, and all must arouse and search the Scriptures.Lt 54, 1906, par. 9+2 They are to heed the message given by God's appointment which swells into a loud cry calling them to awake to a realization of this, and God will make known to them what shall be in the last time, with the word of the Lord coming to His people in power.Lt 54, 1906, par. 9+2