Mark of the Beast - 1

A couple of days ago in my study I wrote the following which I'd like to expound upon a bit-

'The idea of this (A NATIONAL SUNDAY LAW) happening today seems ludicrous, but at that point in time as God's spiritually chosen people were on the right tract things were falling into place for the return of our Savior. Again I have to mention the apostasy of God's people delaying that glorious return. Will there be this same exact mark? In some way it will happen, it's not ludicrous. People would say that a lot of things that go on in our world are ludicrous, but nonetheless they are going on.  God's will be done, and it will! We don't have to wonder how, only know by faith that God will accomplish all He says he will.'

Having said all that I have to talk more about this because it is SO IMPORTANT!

Honestly as I sit here in my chair, living in the year 2014, 137 years after J.N. Andrews wrote 'Three Messages of Revelation 14',  170 years after 1844 and so on, I cannot fathom a law going into effect in the United States making it against the law to worship on any other day than Sunday.  I can't imagine a law making Sunday the day of worship and it being mandatory for everyone to attend that worship on the risk of losing their livelihood, the ability to buy and sell. I just can't see this happening yet it was all set to happen back then.

The Mark of the Beast and the Seal of God have not changed.  If the Mark of the Beast is worshipping on the false sabbath, a sabbath created by the Papacy then it can't be changed. How can you change a mark?

Let's do a more in-depth study on the Mark of the Beast here, this is something we truly need to know and be convicted on. First PRAY for wisdom, for understanding, for only the truth as it is known in our Savior to be given to us! Please, Holy Spirit guide us!

The Mark of the Beast.

We are going to take our study from the  book- Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith, written in 1897. And we are going to study GOD'S WORD hand in hand with this. We are going to go to history with this. We need the truth and ONLY the truth by the grace of our LORD.

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'The mark of the beast is enforced by the two-horned beast, either directly or through the image.

The penalty attached to a refusal to receive this mark is a forfeiture of all social privileges, a deprivation of the right to buy and sell.

The mark is the mark of the papal beast. Against this worship of the beast and his image, and the reception of his mark, the third angel's message of Rev. 14:9-12 is a most solemn and thrilling warning.'

Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

'This, then, is the issue, which, according to this prophecy, we are soon to be called upon to meet: namely, human organizations, controlled and inspired by the spirit of the dragon,

p 596 -- are to command men to do those acts which are in reality the worshiping of an apostate religious power and the receiving of his mark; and if they refuse to do this, they lose the rights of citizenship, and become outlaws in the land; and they must do that which constitutes the worship of the image of the beast, or forfeit their lives.

On the other hand, God sends forth a message a little before the fearful crisis is upon us, as we shall see under chapter 14:9-12, declaring that all who do any of these things "shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation." He who refuses to comply with these demands of earthly powers exposes himself to the severest penalties which human beings can inflict; and he who does comply, exposes himself to the most terrible threatening's of divine wrath to be found in the word of God.

THE QUESTION WHETHER THEY WILL OBEY GOD OR MAN IS TO BE DECIDED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE PRESENT AGE UNDER THE HEAVIEST OF PRESSURE, FROM EITHER SIDE, THAT HAS EVER BEEN BROUGHT TO BEAR UPON ANY GENERATION.

The worship of the beast and his image, and the reception of his mark, must be something that involves the greatest offense that can be committed against God, to call down so severe a denunciation of wrath against it.

This is a work, as has already been shown, which takes place in the LAST DAYS; and as God has given us in his word most abundant evidence to show when we are in the last days, that no one need be overtaken by the day of the Lord as by a thief, so, likewise, it must be that he has given us the means whereby we may determine what the receiving of the mark of the beast is, which be has so strongly condemned, that we may avoid the fearful penalty so sure to follow the commission of this act. God does not so trifle with human hopes and human destinies as to denounce a most fearful doom against a certain sin, and then place it out of our power to understand what that sin is, so that we have no means of guarding against it.

We therefore now call attention to the very important inquiry, What constitutes the mark of the beast?

The figure of a mark is borrowed from an ancient custom. Bishop Newton (Dissertations on the Prophecies, Vol. III, p. 241) says:

p 597 -- "It was customary among the ancients for servants to receive the mark of their master, and soldiers of their general, and those who were devoted to any particular deity, of the particular deity to whom they were devoted. These marks were usually impressed on their right hand or on their forehead, and consisted of some hieroglyphic character, or of the name expressed in vulgar letters, or of the name disguised in numerical letters, according to the fancy of the imposer."

Prideaux says that Ptolemy Philopater ordered all the Jews who applied to be enrolled as citizens of Alexandria to have the form of an ivy leaf (the badge of his god, Bacchus) impressed upon them with a hot iron, under pain of death. (Prideaux's Connection, Vol. II, p. 78.)

The word used for mark in this prophecy is Caragma (charagma), and is defined to mean, "a graving, sculpture; a mark cut in or stamped." It occurs nine times in the New

Testament, and with the single exception of Acts 17:29, refers every time to the mark of the beast. We are not, of course, to understand in this symbolic prophecy that a literal mark is intended; but the giving, of the literal mark, as practiced in ancient times, is used as a figure to illustrate certain acts that will be performed in the fulfilment of this prophecy. And from the literal mark as formerly employed, we learn something of its meaning as used in the prophecy; for between the symbol and the thing symbolized there must be some resemblance.

The mark, as literally used, signified that the person receiving it was the servant of, acknowledged the authority of, or professed allegiance to, the person whose mark he bore. So the mark of the beast, or of the papacy, must be some act or profession by which the authority of that power is acknowledged. What is it?

It would naturally be looked for in some of the special characteristics of the papal power. Daniel, describing that power under the symbol of a little horn, speaks of it as waging a special warfare against God, wearing out the saints of the Most High, and thinking to change times and laws. The prophet expressly specifies on this point: "He shall think to change times and laws." These laws must certainly be the

p 598 -- laws of the Most High. To apply it to human laws, and make the prophecy read, "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change human laws," would be doing evident violence to the language of the prophet. But apply it to the laws of God, and let it read, And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and laws of the Most High," and all is consistent and forcible.

The Hebrew has the word (dath), law, and the Septuagint reads, nomoV (nomos), in the singular, "the law," which more directly suggests the law of God.

The papacy has been able to do more than merely "think" to change human laws. It has changed them at pleasure.

It has annulled the decrees of kings and emperors, and absolved subjects from allegiance to their rightful sovereigns. It has thrust its long arm into the affairs of nations, and brought rulers to its feet in the most abject humility.

But the prophet beholds greater acts of presumption than these. He sees it endeavor to do what it was not able to do, but could only think to do; he sees it attempt an act which no man, nor any combination of men, can ever accomplish; and that is, to change the law of the Most High. Bear this in mind while we look at the testimony of another sacred writer on this very point.'

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And we will pick up this study tomorrow by the grace of our God.  To put in too much at once is never good. We have a lot to study, a lot to comprehend. May the Savior open up our understanding as only He can through the promised Holy Spirit guiding us here and now.

Let God's truth prevail in our lives always!

My the Savior's grace and mercy, through His amazing love!