SOP quotes on the Mark of the Beast for those that would like to know how to better
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For the Seventh day Adventist |
SOP quotes on the Mark of the Beast for those that would like to know how to better
prepare...
"The commencement of that time of trouble," here mentioned does not refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out, while Christ is in the sanctuary. At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming on the earth, and the nations will be angry, yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel. At that time the "latter rain," or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out. {EW 85.3}
The sign or seal of God is the observance of the
seventh-day Sabbath, the Lord's memorial of His work of creation. "The
Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of
The mark of the beast is the observance of the first day of the week.
This mark distinguishes those who acknowledge the supremacy of the papal authority,
seen in the man of sin,--thinking to change times and laws,--and those who
acknowledge the authority of God....
Manuscript 1,
And I saw that if God had changed the Sabbath, from the
seventh to the first day, He would have changed the writing of the Sabbath
commandment, written on the tables of stone, which are now in the ark, in the
Most Holy Place of the Temple in heaven; [REV. 11:19.] and it would read thus:
the first day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. But I saw that it read the same as when
written on the tables of stone by the finger of God, and delivered to Moses in
Sinai, "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." [EX.
20:10.] I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall
between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the
great question, to unite the hearts of God's dear waiting saints. And if one
believed, and kept the Sabbath, and received the blessing attending it, and
then gave it up, and broke the holy commandment, they would shut the gates of
the
I saw all
that "would not receive the mark of the Beast, and of his Image, in their
foreheads or in their hands," could not buy or sell. [REV. 13:15-17.] I
saw that the number (666) of the Image Beast was made up; [REV. 13:18.] and
that it was the Beast that changed the Sabbath, and the Image Beast had
followed on after, and kept the Pope's, and not God's Sabbath. And all we were
required to do, was to give up God's Sabbath, and keep the Pope's, and then we
should have the mark of the Beast, and of his image. {WLF 19.1}
In the time of trouble, we all fled from the cities and villages, [EZE.
20
mountains shook like a reed in the wind, and cast out ragged rocks all around.
The sea boiled like a pot, and cast out stones upon the land. [HAB. 3:8-10.
ISA.
"The
importance of the Sabbath as the memorial of creation is that it keeps ever
present the true reason why worship is due to God," because he is the
Creator, and we his creatures. "The Sabbath therefore lies at the very
foundation of divine worship; for it teaches this great truth in the most
impressive manner, and no other institution does this.
438
The true ground of divine worship, not of that on the seventh day merely,
but of all worship, is found in the distinction between the Creator and his
creatures. This great fact can never become obsolete, and must never be
forgotten." It was to keep this truth ever before the minds of men, that
God instituted the Sabbath in
In contrast to those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of
Jesus, the third angel points to another class, against whose errors a solemn
and fearful warning is uttered: "If any man worship the beast and his
image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God." [REV. 14:9, 10.] A correct
interpretation of the symbols employed is necessary to an understanding of this
message. What is represented by the beast, the image, the mark?
The line of prophecy in which these symbols are found, begins with Revelation
12, with the dragon that sought to destroy Christ at his birth. The
dragon is said to be Satan; [REV. 12:9.] he it was that moved upon Herod to put
the Saviour to death. But the chief agent of Satan in making war upon Christ
and his people during the first centuries of the Christian era, was the
439
In chapter 13
[VERSES 1-10.] is described another beast, "like unto a leopard," to
which the dragon gave "his power, and his seat, and great authority."
This symbol, as most Protestants have believed, represents the papacy, which
succeeded to the power and seat and authority once possessed by the ancient
"Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." And,
says the prophet, "I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to
death." And again, "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into
captivity; he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword."
The forty and two months are the same as the "time and times and the
dividing of time," three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7,--the
time during which the papal power was to oppress God's people. This period, as
stated in preceding chapters, began with the establishment of the papacy, A. D.
538, and terminated in 1798. At that time, when the papacy was abolished and
the pope made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly
wound, and the prediction was fulfilled, "He that leadeth into captivity
shall go into captivity." {GC88 439.2}
At this point another symbol is introduced. Says the prophet, "I beheld
another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a
lamb." [REV. 13:11.] Both the appearance of this beast and the manner of
its rise indicate that the nation which it represents is unlike those presented
under
440
the preceding symbols. The great kingdoms that have ruled the world were
presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when the "four
winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea." [DAN. 7:2.] In Revelation
17, an angel explained that waters represent "peoples, and multitudes, and
nations, and tongues." [REV. 17:15.] Winds are a symbol of strife. The four
winds of heaven striving upon the great sea, represent the terrible scenes of
conquest and revolution by which kingdoms have attained to power. {GC88 439.3}
But the beast with lamb-like horns was seen "coming up out of the
earth." Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the
nation thus represented must arise in territory previously unoccupied, and grow
up gradually and peacefully. It could not, then, arise among the crowded and
struggling nationalities of the
What nation of the
"And he had two horns like a lamb." The lamb-like horns indicate
youth, innocence, and gentleness, fitly representing the character of the
But the beast with lamb-like horns "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,
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.] {GC88 441.2}
The lamb-like horns and dragon voice of the symbol point to a striking
contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus
represented. The "speaking" of the nation is the action of its
legislative and judicial authorities. By such action it will give the lie to
those liberal and peaceful principles which it has put forth as the foundation
of its policy. The prediction that it will speak "as a dragon," and
exercise "all the power of the first beast," plainly foretells a
development of the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by
the nations represented by the dragon and the leopard-like beast. And the
statement that the beast with two horns "causeth the earth and them which
dwell therein to worship the first beast," indicates that the authority of
this nation is to be exercised in enforcing some observance which shall be an
act of homage to the papacy. {GC88 442.1}
Such action would be directly contrary to the principles of this government, to
the genius of its free institutions, to the direct and solemn avowals of the
Declaration of Independence, and to the Constitution. The founders of the
nation wisely sought to guard against the employment of secular power on the
part of the church, with its inevitable result--intolerance and persecution.
The Constitution provides that "Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," and
that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any
office of public trust under the
"Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an
image to the beast." Here is clearly presented a form of government in
which the legislative power rests with the people; a most striking evidence
that the
But what is the "image to the beast"? and how is it to be formed? The
image is made by the two-horned beast, and is an image to the first
beast. It is also called an image of the beast. Then to learn what the
image is like, and how it is to be formed, we must study the characteristics of
the beast itself, --the papacy. When the early church became corrupted by
departing from the simplicity of the gospel, and accepting heathen rites and
customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences
of the people she sought the support of the secular power. The result was the
papacy, a church that controlled the power of the State, and employed it to
further her own ends, especially for the punishment of "heresy." In
order for the
Whenever the church has obtained secular power, she has employed it to punish
dissent from her doctrines. Protestant churches that have followed in the steps
of
It was apostasy that led the early church to seek the aid of the civil
government, and this prepared the way for the development of the papacy,--the
beast. Said Paul, There shall "come a falling away, . . . and that man of sin be revealed."
[2 THESS. 2:3] So apostasy in the church will prepare the way for the image to
the beast. And the Bible declares that before the coming of the Lord there will
exist a state of religious declension similar to that in the first centuries.
"In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." [2 TIM.
3:1-5] "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils." [1 TIM. 4:1.] Satan will work "with all power and signs and
lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness." And all
that "received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,"
will be left to accept "strong delusion, that they should believe a
lie." [2 THESS. 2:9-11.] When this state of ungodliness shall be reached,
the same results will follow as in the first centuries. {GC88 443.4}
The wide diversity of belief in the Protestant churches is regarded by many as
decisive proof that no effort to secure a forced uniformity can ever be made.
But there has been for years, in churches of the Protestant faith, a strong and
growing sentiment in favor of a union based upon common points of doctrine. To
secure such a union, the discussion of subjects upon which all were not
agreed--however important they might be from a Bible standpoint--must
necessarily be waived. {GC88 444.1}
Charles Beecher, in a sermon in the year 1846, declared that the ministry of
"the evangelical Protestant denominations" is "not only formed
all the way up under a tremendous pressure of merely human fear, but they live,
and move, and breathe in a state of things radically corrupt, and
appealing every hour to every baser element of their nature to hush up
the truth, and bow the knee to the power of apostasy. Was not this the way
things went with
When the leading churches of the
The beast with two horns "causeth [commands] 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] The third angel's warning is, "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God." "The beast" mentioned in this message, whose worship is enforced by the two-horned beast, is the first, or leopard-like beast of Revelation 13,--the papacy. The "image to the beast" represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas. The "mark of the beast" still remains to be defined. {GC88 445.2}
After the warning against the worship of the beast and his image, the prophecy
declares, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith
of Jesus." Since those who keep God's commandments are thus placed in
contrast with those that worship the beast and his image
446
and receive his mark, it follows that the keeping of God's law, on the
one hand, and its violation, on the other, will make the distinction between
the worshipers of God and the worshipers of the beast. {GC88 445.3}
The special characteristic of the beast, and therefore of his image, is the breaking of God's commandments. Says Daniel, of the little horn, the papacy, "He shall think to change the times and the law." [DAN. 7:25, REVISED VERSION.] And Paul styled the same power the "man of sin," who was to exalt himself above God. One prophecy is a complement of the other. Only by changing God's law could the papacy exalt itself above God; whoever should understandingly keep the law as thus changed would be giving supreme honor to that power by which the change was made. Such an act of obedience to papal laws would be a mark of allegiance to the pope in the place of God. {GC88 446.1}
The papacy has attempted to change the law of God. The second commandment,
forbidding image worship, has been dropped from the law, and the fourth
commandment has been so changed as to authorize the observance of the first
instead of the seventh day as the Sabbath. But papists urge, as a reason for
omitting the second commandment, that it is unnecessary, being included in the
first, and that they are giving the law exactly as God designed it to be
understood. This cannot be the change foretold by the prophet. An intentional,
deliberate change is presented: "He shall think to change the times
and the law." The change in the fourth commandment exactly fulfills the
prophecy. For this the only authority claimed is that of the church. Here the
papal power openly sets itself above God. {GC88 446.2}
While the worshipers of God will be especially distinguished by their regard
for the fourth commandment,-- since this is the sign of his creative power, and
the witness to his claim upon man's reverence and homage,--the worshipers of
the beast will be distinguished by their efforts to tear down the Creator's
memorial, to exalt the institution
447
of Rome. It was in behalf of the Sunday, that popery first asserted its
arrogant claims; [SEE APPENDIX, NOTE 9.] and its first resort to the power of
the State was to compel the observance of Sunday as "the Lord's day."
But the Bible points to the seventh day, and not to the first, as the Lord's
day. Said Christ, "The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." The
fourth commandment declares, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the
Lord." And by the prophet Isaiah the Lord designates it, "My holy
day." [MARK 2:28; ISA. 58:13.] {GC88 446.3}
The claim so often put forth, that Christ changed the Sabbath, is disproved by
his own words. In his sermon on the mount he said: "Think not that I am
come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so,
he shall be called the least in the
It is a fact generally admitted by Protestants, that the Scriptures give no
authority for the change of the Sabbath. This is plainly stated in publications
issued by the American Tract Society and the American Sunday-school
Another says: "Up to the time of Christ's death, no change had been made
in the day;" and, "so far as the record shows, they [the apostles]
did not give any explicit command enjoining the abandonment of the seventh-day
Sabbath, and its observance on the first day of the week. ["THE LORD'S
DAY" PP. 185, 186, A $1,000 PRIZE ESSAY.] {GC88 447.3}
Roman Catholics acknowledge that the change of the Sabbath was made by their
church, and declare that Protestants, by observing the Sunday, are recognizing
her power. In the "Catholic Catechism of Christian Religion," in
answer to a question as to the day to be observed in obedience to the fourth
commandment, this statement is made: "During the old law, Saturday was the
day sanctified; but the church, instructed by Jesus Christ, and directed
by the Spirit of God, has substituted Sunday for Saturday; so now we sanctify
the first, not the seventh day. Sunday means, and now is, the day of the
Lord." {GC88
448.1}
As the sign of the authority of the Catholic Church, papist writers cite,
"the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow
of . . . because by keeping Sunday strictly they acknowledge the church's power
to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin." ["ABRIDGMENT OF
CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE."] What then is the change of the Sabbath, but the sign
or mark of the authority of the Romish Church--"the mark of the
beast"? {GC88
448.2}
The Roman Church has not relinquished her claim to supremacy; and when the
world and the Protestant churches accept a sabbath of her creating, while they
reject the Bible Sabbath, they virtually admit this assumption. They may claim
the authority of tradition and of the Fathers for the change; but in so doing
they ignore the very principle which separates them from
Romanists declare that "the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an
homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic]
Church." ["PLAIN TALK ABOUT PROTESTANTISM," P. 213.] The enforcement
of Sunday-keeping on the part of Protestant churches is an enforcement of
the worship of the papacy--of the beast. Those who, understanding the claims of
the fourth commandment, choose to observe the false instead of the true
Sabbath; are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is
commanded. But in the very act of enforcing a religious duty by secular power,
the churches would themselves form an image to the beast; hence the enforcement
of Sunday-keeping in the
But Christians of past generations observed the Sunday, supposing that in so
doing they were keeping the Bible Sabbath, and there are now true Christians in
every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion, who honestly believe
that Sunday is the Sabbath of divine appointment. God accepts their sincerity
of purpose and their integrity before him. But when Sunday observance shall be
enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation
of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey
a precept which has no higher authority than that of
The most fearful threatening ever addressed to mortal is contained in the third
angel's message. That must be a terrible sin which calls down the wrath of God
unmingled
450
with mercy. Men are not to be left in darkness concerning this important
matter; the warning against this sin is to be given to the world before the
visitation of God's judgments, that all may know why they are to be inflicted,
and have opportunity to escape them. Prophecy declares that the first angel
would make his announcement to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people." The warning of the third angel, which forms a part of the same
threefold message, is to be no less widespread. It is represented in the
prophecy as proclaimed with a loud voice, by an angel flying in the midst of
heaven; and it will command the attention of the world. {GC88 449.2}
In the issue of the contest, all Christendom will be divided into two great
classes,--those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and
those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark. Although church
and State will unite their power to compel "all, both small and great,
rich and poor, free and bond," to receive "the mark of the
beast," [REV. 13:16.] yet the people of God will not receive it. The prophet
of
"Heretofore
those who presented the truths of the third angel's message have been often
regarded as mere alarmists. . . . But as the question of enforcing Sunday
observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is
seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it
could not have had before." {RH,
THIS
LAST STATEMENT BEING TRUE, IT IS CLEAR THAT AT SUCH A TIME, WHEN THE
PROCLAMATION OF THE THIRD MESSAGE WILL BE ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE, SUCH A COURSE
SHOULD BE PURSUED AS WILL NOT AROUSE UNNECESSARY PREJUDICE; AND EVERY LOYAL
BELIEVER SHOULD BE AROUSED TO ACT A PART IN SOUNDING THE WARNING. THE FOLLOWING
STATEMENTS INDICATE THAT THE HEIGHT OF THE CONTROVERSY IS NOT REACHED BY THE
MERE PASSAGE OF SUNDAY-REST LAWS. WE READ FURTHER, ON PAGE 607:-- {RH,
Those
who compose our churches have traits of character that will lead them, if they
are not very careful, to feel indignant, because on account of
misrepresentation their liberty in regard to working on Sunday is taken away.
Do not fly into a passion over this matter but take everything in prayer to
God. He alone can restrain the power of rulers. Walk not rashly. Let none boast
unwisely of their liberty, using it for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the
servants of God, "Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the
king" [1 Pet.
This advice is to be of real value to all who are to be brought into
strait places. Nothing that shows defiance or that could be interpreted as
maliciousness must be shown.--2MR 193, 194 (1898).
"The enforcement of Sunday-keeping on the part of
Protestant churches is an enforcement of the worship of the Papacy--of the
beast. Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, choose to
observe the false instead of the true Sabbath, are thereby paying homage to
that power by which alone it is commanded. . . . {RH,
To defy the
Sunday laws will but strengthen in their persecution the religious zealots who
are seeking to enforce them. Give them no occasion to call you lawbreakers. . .
. One does not receive the mark of the beast because he shows that he realizes
the wisdom of keeping the peace by refraining from work that gives offense. . .
. {LDE 140.1}
Sunday can be used for carrying forward various lines of work that will
accomplish much for the Lord. On this day open-air meetings and cottage
meetings can be held. House-to-house work can be done. Those who write can
devote this day to writing their articles. Whenever it is possible, let
religious services be held on Sunday. Make these meetings intensely
interesting. Sing genuine revival hymns, and speak with power and assurance of
the Saviour's love.--9T 232, 233 (1909)
"When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the
world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then
whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no
higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. . . .
As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of his
authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of
her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome--'the mark
of the beast.' And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the
people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the
commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive 'the
mark of the beast.'" {RH,
THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH
THE GENUINE OFFSPRING OF THE
"To receive this mark means to come
to the same decision as the beast has done, and to advocate the same ideas, in
direct opposition to the Word of God. . . . {RH, April 27, 1911 par. 25}
"If the light of truth has been presented to you, revealing the
Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and showing that there is no foundation in
the Word of God for Sunday observance, and yet you still cling to the false
sabbath, refusing to keep holy the Sabbath which God calls 'my holy day,' you
receive the mark of the beast. When does this take place?-- When you obey the
decree that commands you to cease from labor on Sunday and worship God, while
you know that there is not a word in the Bible showing Sunday to be other than
a common working-day, you consent to receive the mark of the beast, and refuse
the seal of God. If we receive this mark in our foreheads or in our hands, the
judgments pronounced against the disobedient must fall upon us. But the seal of
the living God is placed upon those who conscientiously keep the Sabbath of
the Lord." {RH,
The time is not far distant when the test will come
to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step
by step yielded to worldly demands, and conformed to worldly customs, will not
find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject
themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest
is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men." {RH,
Sundaykeeping
is not yet the mark of the beast, and will not be until the decree goes forth
causing men to worship this idol sabbath. The time will come when this day will be the test, but that time has not come yet. 7BC 977
(1899).
On which side
are we ranging ourselves?--on the side of the dragon, who was wroth with the
woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the
commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ? "I saw three
unclean spirits like frogs," writers John, "come out of the mouth of
the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the
false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go
forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the
battle of that great day of God Almighty" [Revelation 16:14].
On which side are you standing?--on the side of those that worship the
beast and his image?
"The sins
of Babylon will be laid open. The fearful results of a union of Church and
State, the inroads of Spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the
papal power,--all will be nmasked. By these solemn warnings the people will be
stirred. Thousands upon thousands have never listened to words like these.In
amazement they hear the testimony that Babylon is the church, fallen because of
her errors and sins, because of her rejection of the truth sent to her from
Heaven. The people go to their former teachers with the eager inquiry, Are
these things so?
The
ministers present fables, prophesy smooth things, to soothe their fears, and
quiet the awakened conscience. But many refuse to be satisfied with the mere
authority of men, and demand a plain 'Thus saith the Lord.'The popular
ministry, like the Pharisees of old, are filled with anger as their authority
is questioned; they denounce the message as of Satan, and stir up the
sin-loving multitudes to revile and persecute those who proclaim it. "As
the controversy extends into new fields, and the minds of the people are called
to God's down-trodden law, Satan is astir.
The power attending the message only maddens those who oppose it.
The clergy put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light, lest it
should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they endeavor
to suppress the discussion of these vital questions. The church appeals to the
strong arm of civil power, and in this work, papists are solicited to come to
the help of Protestants. The movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold
and decided. The law is invoked against commandment-keepers." Spirit of
Prophecy, vol 4, p 424-425
In
different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a
majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of
God given by John in the Revelation. [REV. 1:13-15.] The glory that surrounds
him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of
triumph rings out upon the air., "Christ has come! Christ has come!"
The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his
hands, and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed his disciples
when he was upon the earth.
His
voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones
he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Saviour
uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed
character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and
commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares that those who
persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing to
listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth. This is the strong,
almost overmastering delusion. Like the Samaritans who were deceived by Simon
Magus, the multitudes, from the least to the greatest, give heed to these
sorceries, saying, This is "the great power of God." [ACTS.
8:10.] -Great Controversy 624.1
Satan will … accuse God's people as the cause of the fearful convulsions of nature and the strife and bloodshed among men which are desolating the earth. -Spirit of Prophecy Vol 4 p44
"In Revelation 14, men are called upon to worship the Creator; and the prophecy brings to view a class that, as the result of the threefold message, are keeping the commandments of God. One of these commandments points directly to God as the Creator. The fourth precept declares: "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: . . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:10, 11. Concerning the Sabbath, the Lord says, further, that it is "a sign, . . . that ye may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20. And the reason given is: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed." Exodus 31:17.
Brethren
and sisters, would that I might say something to awaken you to the importance
of this time, the significance of the events that are now taking place. I point
you to the aggressive movements now being made for the restriction of religious
liberty. God's sanctified memorial has been torn down, and in its place a false
sabbath, bearing no sanctity, stands before the world. And while the powers of
darkness are stirring up the elements from beneath, the Lord God of heaven is
sending power from above to meet the emergency by arousing His living agencies
to exalt the law of heaven.
Now,
just now, is our time to work in foreign countries. As America, the land of
religious liberty, shall unite with the papacy in forcing the conscience and
compelling men to honor the false sabbath, the people of every country on the
globe will be led to follow her example. Our people are not half awake to do
all in their power, with the facilities within their reach, to extend the
message of warning. {6T 18.2}
3
frogs.... Dragon = Satan
Beast = Roman Catholicism (The whore)
False Prophet = Apostate Protestantism (Daughters of the whore)
Further study:http://www.remnantofgod.org/books/LDE/LDE10.htm
To
defy the Sunday laws will but strengthen in their persecution the religious
zealots who are seeking to enforce them. Give them no occasion to call you
law-breakers. If they are left to rein up men who fear neither God nor man, the
reining up will soon lose its novelty for them, and they
164
will see that it is not consistent nor convenient for them to be strict
in regard to the observance of Sunday. Keep right on with your missionary
work, with your Bibles in your hands, and the enemy will see that he has
worsted his own cause. One does not receive the mark of the beast because he
shows that he realizes the wisdom of keeping the peace by refraining from work
that gives offense, doing at the same time a work of the highest importance.--Testimonies,
vol. 9, p. 232. {ChS 163.4}
When we devote Sunday to missionary work, the whip will be taken out of the
hands of the arbitrary zealots who would be well pleased to humiliate
Seventh-day Adventists. When they see that we employ ourselves on Sunday in
visiting the people and opening the Scriptures to them, they will know that is
useless for them to try to hinder our work by making Sunday laws.--Testimonies,
vol. 9, pp. 232,233. {ChS
164.1}
Sunday can be used for carrying forward various lines of work that will
accomplish much for the Lord. On this day open-air meetings and cottage
meetings can be held. House-to-house work can be done. Those who write can
devote this day to writing their articles. Whenever it is possible, let
religious services be held on Sunday. Make these meetings intensely
interesting. Sing genuine revival hymns, and speak with power and assurance of
the Saviour's love. Speak on temperance and on true religious experience. --Testimonies,
vol. 9, p. 233. {ChS 164.2}
Let the teachers in our schools devote Sunday to missionary effort. I was
instructed that they would thus be able to defeat the purposes of the enemy.
Let the teachers take the students with them to hold meetings for those who
know not the truth. Thus they will accomplish much more that they could in any
other way.--Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 233. {ChS 164.3}
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. 13:17.
The time is coming when we cannot sell at
any price. The decree will soon go forth prohibiting men to buy or sell of any
man save him that hath the mark of the beast. {Mar 183.1}
In the last great conflict of the controversy with Satan those who are loyal to
God will see every earthly support cut off. Because they refuse to break His
law in obedience to earthly powers, they will be forbidden to buy or sell. {Mar 183.2}
Religious powers, allied to heaven by profession, and claiming to have the
characteristics of a lamb, will show by their acts that they have the heart of
a dragon and that they are instigated and controlled by Satan. The time is
coming when God's people will feel the hand of persecution because they keep
holy the seventh day. {Mar 183.3}
There is a time coming when commandment-keepers can neither
buy nor sell. Make haste to dig out your buried talents. If God has intrusted
you with money, show yourselves faithful to your trust; unwrap your napkin, and
send your talents to the exchangers, that when Christ shall come, He may
receive His own with interest. In the last extremity, before this work shall
close, thousands will be cheerfully laid upon the altar. Men and women will feel
it a blessed privilege to share in the work of preparing souls to stand in the
great day of God, and they will give hundreds as readily as dollars are given
now. If the love of Christ were burning in the hearts of His professed people,
we would see the same spirit manifested today. Did they but realize how near is
the end of all work for the salvation of souls, they would sacrifice their
possessions as freely as did the members of the early church. They would work
for the advancement of God's cause as earnestly as worldly men labor to acquire
riches. Tact and skill would be exercised, and earnest and unselfish labor put
forth to acquire means, not to hoard, but to pour into the treasury of the
Lord. {Mar 183.4}
