***** Continuing from yesterday..
XXXV - 2 (2002)
“Watchman, what of the night?” William Grotheer
"The hour has
come, the hour is striking and striking at you, the hour and the end!"
Eze. 7:6 (Moffatt)
"The Seal of
God or the Mark of the Beast"
Any discussion of
Ezekiel 9 involving "the mark" is then associated with Revelation 7
involving the "sealing" of the 144,000. The text in Revelation reads:
I saw another angel
ascending from the east having the seal of the living God: ... And I heard the
number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty
and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel (vs. 2, 4).
The antithesis of
the "seal of God" in Revelation is the "mark of the beast"
(14:9).
Because of little
study and much less reflection on the Scriptures, many in Adventism give an
elementary answer to what this "seal" and "mark" is. These
quickly respond that the "seal" is keeping the Sabbath, and the
"mark" is keeping Sunday. It is true the Roman Church claims in their
catechisms, and other publications, that the change in the day of worship from
Saturday to Sunday is an evidence of her power "to institute festivals of
precept." Further, they boast that this change accepted by Protestants
"is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the
[Roman] Church." However, these admissions and boastings carry the
"imprimatur" and "nihil obstat" of that Church. This is not
the case when dealing with the single quotation from a papal source which
designates this act as a "mark" of "her ecclesiastical power and
authority in religious matters," and which is then used to define Sunday,
as "the mark of the beast." Simple handling of truth demands that we
have more substantial evidence than this, to so interpret Biblical symbolism
which is given such prominence in prophecy.
First, let us
consider the letter which is the basis for the documentation of the conclusion
drawn. It was written in 1895 by J. F. Snyder of Bloomington, Illinois, to
James Cardinal Gibbons, the leading Roman prelate in America at that time. H.
F. Thomas, the office manager of the Diocesan office in Baltimore replied.
Currently, the only
source available to me of this exchange is in the book, Facts of Faith (pp.
292-293), One part of Snyder's letter, quoted verbatim is the phrase, "as
a mark of her power" in reference to the change of the Sabbath. The Chancellor's
reply is quoted (in full, or in part is not indicated) and reads:
Of course the
Catholic Church claims that the change was her act. It could not have been
otherwise, as none in those days would have dreamed of doing anything in
matters spiritual and ecclesiastical without her. And the act is a mark of her
ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.
The word,
"mark" used by Thomas, was suggested by Snyder. However, the
Chancellor's letter does not carry the official imprimatur of the Papal Church.
To base a concept of what is "the mark of the beast," which is so
pointedly discussed in the book of Revelation, on this single letter in which
the idea of "mark" was suggested by the questioner is itself open to
question.
In 1995, the first
825 page English edition of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church was
published by Doubleday, to be followed in 1997 by a 904 page second edition
revised in accordance with the official Latin text promulgated by Pope John
Paul II. Both editions carried the Apostolic Constitution, Fidei Depositum in
which the Pope declared the Catechism "to be a sure norm for teaching the
faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion"
(p. 5, 2nd Edition).
Nowhere in this new
Catechism do you find stated as is to be found in The Convert's Catechism of
Catholic Doctrine. It read:
Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because
the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (AD. 336), transferred the
solemnity from Saturday to Sunday (p.50)
This Catechism not
only carried a double imprimatur as well as a nihil obstat, but also its
author, Peter Geiermann, received a letter of commendation from the Vatican
bestowing the Apostolic Blessing of Pius X, expressing the Pope's appreciation
of his "zealous efforts ... for the spread of the knowledge of the True
Faith" (p.3).
Nor can there be
found as stated in A Doctrinal Catechism by Stephen Keenan which read:
Q. Have you any other way of proving that the
Church has power to institute festivals of precept?
A. Has 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. (p. 174).
This catechism
carried the imprimatur of Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of New York (circa
1876).
The new Catechism of
the Catholic Church holds:
The celebration of
Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart to
render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular worship "as a sign
of His universal beneficence to all." Sunday worship fulfils the moral command
of the Old Covenant, taking up the rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration
of the Creator and Redeemer of His people. (#2176, 2nd Edition)
Prior to this
conclusion, it sets for the Sabbath as "the seventh day" giving
Scriptural reference, noting that it not only recalled the creative acts of
God, but that it also serves as "a memorial of Israel's liberation from
bondage in Egypt" (#2170, 2nd ed.; emphasis theirs). Further, it is
stated: "God entrusted the sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of the
irrevocable covenant. The Sabbath is for the Lord, holy and set apart for the
praise of God, His work of creation, and His saving actions on behalf of
Israel" (#2171, ibid.) Following this section on the Sabbath is a section
on "The Lord's Day." How is its observance in place of the Sabbath
justified? As an edict of Rome to show the power of the Church to change the
day? Does it become a "mark" of her authority in religious matters?
No! Note carefully:
Jesus rose from the
dead "on the first day of the week." Because it is the first
day," the day of Christ's Resurrection recalls the first creation. Because
it is the "eighth day" following the sabbath, it symbolizes the new
creation ushered in by Christ's Resurrection. For Christians it has become the
first of all days, the first feast of all feasts, the Lord's Day (he kuriake
hemera, dies dominica) - Sunday (#2174, sec. ed.)
They reason further
- "Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows
chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces
that of the sabbath. In Christ's Passover, Sunday fulfils the spiritual truth
of the Jewish sabbath and announces man's eternal rest in God" (#2175).
[It is of interest
to observe that "sabbath" is never capitalized in these sections of
the Catechism, while "Sunday" and "the Lord's Day" are. It
is also of interest to observe that the text of Scripture used to preface the section
on "The Lord's Day" is from the Psalms (118:24) - "This is the
day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" - a text
frequently used by Protestants in their justification of Sunday, especially the
Church of Christ. In his encyclical, Dies Domini, John Paul II declares,
"Rightly, then, the Psalmist's cry is applied to Sunday" and quotes
this text. (#2)]
The next section in
the Catechism is captioned - "The Sunday Eucharist." It dare not be
overlooked. The first sentence reads - "The Sunday celebration of the
Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life"
(emphasis supplied). Then the Codex luris Canonici is quoted: "Sunday is
the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic
tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the
universal Church" (#2177). This same Codex is quoted further as "the
law of the Lord" stating that "On Sundays and other holy days of
obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass." "The
Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian
practice" (#2181). It is on this point that the Catechism calls for
legislation:
In respecting
religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek
recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays. They have
to give to everyone a public example of prayer, respect, and joy and defend
their traditions as a precious contribution to the spiritual life of society.
(#2188).
This objective,
officially stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, reflects the plans
of Rome as stated in The Liberal Illusion by Louis Veuillot in 1866 which read:
When the time comes
and men realize that the social edifice must be rebuilt according to eternal
standards, be it tomorrow or centuries from now, the Catholics will arrange
things to suit said standards. ... They will make obligatory the religious
observance of Sunday on behalf of the whole of society, and for its own good,
revoking the permit for free-thinkers and Jews to celebrate incognito, Monday
or Saturday on their own account. (p.63; the author's emphasis).
Observe closely the
wording - "revoking the permit ... to celebrate incognito" (in
secret) the Sabbath. This gives an enlarged perspective to the whole question.
It will not only be what is perceived as necessary for the good of "the
whole of society" - "the religious observance of Sunday" - but
also what you individually will be forbidden to do, even secretly, that which
God commands to done - "Keep my sabbaths" (Lev. 26:2). The test will
not be a Sunday closing law which forbids work on Sunday such as could be
termed a "National Sunday Law" but what is perceived by Rome as
"the religious observance" of Sunday. This "religious
observance" is clearly defined in the Catechism - the celebration of the
Mass!
Another factor in
this picture needs to be considered. As noted above, the Catechism declares
"the Sunday Eucharist" as "the foundation and confirmation of
all Christian practice." (par. 2181) Further, participation in the Sunday
Eucharist "is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and
to his Church" (par. 2182). In light of the fact that the Scripture
indicates that the "mark" can be received in the forehead, or in the
hand (Rev. 14:9), the significance of how the Mass is received needs careful
consideration. In a section captioned - "How to Receive Communion" -
the first sentence reads, "Holy Communion may be received on the tongue or
in the hand ..." (Handbook for Today's Catholic, p.42). The desired
response is then indicated:
When the minister of
the Eucharist addresses the communicant with the words, "The Body of
Christ," "The Blood of Christ," the communicant responds,
"Amen."
What is the meaning
and significance of this mental assent?
When the minister
raises the eucharistic bread or wine, this is an invitation for the communicant
to make an Act of Faith to express his or her belief in the Eucharist, to
manifest a need and desire for the Lord to accept the good news of Jesus'
paschal mystery.
A clear and
meaningful "Amen" is your response to this invitation. In this way
you profess your belief in the presence of Christ in the eucharistic bread and
wine as well as in his Body, the Church. (ibid.)
Whether the
"bread" rests in my hand, or in my mouth, my mind, literally my
fore-head gives consent, and I am a member of the Body of Rome. However, I have
also given consent recognizing the blasphemous assertion of Rome that a man
(the priest) can create the Lord Jesus Christ and offer him in sacrifice. This
is truly "in place of," the significance and meaning of the Greek
word, AntiChrist (anticristoV), in place of Christ. [The Greek preposition,
anti, means "in place of " rather than our English usage of
"anti" - against.]
The Three Angels'
Messages place in direct contrast two calls "to worship." One, in
connection with the "everlasting gospel," is "to worship
Him" who has the genuine power to create (Rev. 14:7). The other is a dire
warning of judgment for "any man" who worships "the beast and
his image" (v. 9). It must be clearly understood, that one does not
worship a day, but he worships on a day some Person, or object Who or
which is declared
worthy of adoration.
There can be no
question but that the Sabbath is the memorial of the creative action of God,
blessed and sanctified by His resting thereon (Gen. 2:3). Further, in the
irrevocable Ten Words, God asked that this day be remembered and kept holy,
because He did create the "heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them
is" in six days, and "rested on the seventh day" (Ex. 20:8, 11).
When this law was repeated to Israel before they entered the Promised Land, the
Sabbath was prefaced with a second call to "remember" another and
different manifestation of the power of God. Moses said:
And remember that
thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt and that the Lord thy God brought thee
out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord
thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day" (Deut 5:15).
Pope John Paul II in
his encyclical, Dies Domini, picks up on this factor and uses it as the basis
for the change from Sabbath to Sunday. He wrote, "The connection between
the Sabbath rest and the theme of 'remembering' is found also in the Book of Deuteronomy
where the precept is grounded less in the work of creation than in the
liberation accomplished by God in the Exodus" (#17). After quoting
Deuteronomy 5:15, he adds - "This formulation complements the one we have
already seen [creation], and taken together, the two reveal the meaning of 'the
Lord's Day ' with a single theological vision which fuses creation and
salvation" (ibid.) Then he concludes:
What God
accomplished in creation and wrought for his People in the Exodus has found its
fullest expression in Christ's Death and Resurrection. . . It was in the
Paschal Mystery that humanity, . . came to know its new "exodus" into
the freedom of God's children who cry out with Christ, "Abba,
Father!" In the light of this mystery, the meaning of the Old Testament
precept concerning the Lord's Day is recovered, perfected and fully revealed in
the glory which shines on the face of the Risen Christ. We move from the
"Sabbath" to the "first day after the Sabbath," from the
seventh day to the first day: the dies Domini becomes dies Christi! (#18).
We must never forget
that connected with the First Angel's Message to "worship Him who
made," is the "everlasting gospel" (Rev. 14:6), with its
deliverance from sin. On Friday, Jesus finished the work given Him to do, and
"rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment." On the first
day, He arose to begin a new phase of His saving ministry - a Heavenly
Priesthood - which will end when He comes again the second time "without
sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28).
The Seal of God
involves not only the observance of the Sabbath as the memorial of God's
creative work, but also the Gospel of God's redemptive work in and through the
Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the Mark of the Beast involves the first
day of the week of Rome's sanctification and the false gospel in the worship
and sacrifice of a wafer-god created by man.
What is the seal of
the living God, which is placed in the foreheads of His people? It is a mark
which angels, but not human eyes, can read; for the destroying angel must see
this mark of redemption. The intelligent mind has seen the sign of the cross of
Calvary in the Lord's adopted sons and daughters. The sin of the transgression
of the law of God is taken away. They have on the wedding garment, and are
obedient and faithful to all God's commands. (Letter 126, 1898)
We would suggest to
all that in reading the issues of WWN beginning with XXXV-1(02) until we
complete our search of that which we need to both "learn and unlearn"
that you check each reference carefully in your Bible.
*******
This whole thing
truly is about a lot more than just the simple - mark of the beast is Sunday
and the seal of God is Sabbath. You can
say it and it's true, but it is true on a level much more deeply than we can
imagine at surface level.
The truth is we
know, we do know because God had brought up this far, this deep into His word,
his truth!
We can be blessed if
we keep the things written in the book of Revelation- we are to read and keep.
We must keep the
truth through our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! By the power of the Holy Spirit we can
live. With CHRIST in us we can live!
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