If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 71

The Mark of the Beast

Lesson 71	Screen 1
The Mark of the Beast

Let's pray together:

Our Lord,

There are hundreds of hypotheses about the nature of the mark of the Beast. But the Bible says that this subject is so important that we cannot venture to play with hypotheses!

We need a clear answer coming straight from the only reliable source of truth: Your Word. Our Father, please open our hearts and spirits, that we may understand Your teaching.

In Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.

Lesson 71	Screen 2
The Mark of the Beast

Exodus 13:9	Comments
It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord's law may be in your mouth.	In our last lesson, we have seen that God puts His law as a seal on the hand and forehead of His servants. The mark of the beast, also placed on the hand and forehead, is therefore opposed to the law of God.
Revelation 13:16
And [the beast coming up out of the earth] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads.

Lesson 71	Screen 3
The Mark of the Beast

Exodus 31:13,17	Comments
Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. (...) It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever.	More specifically, the seal of God is placed in the heart of the Ten Commandments: it is the fourth commandment, requiring the observance of the seventh day as the day of rest. In fact, God gave the Sabbath to His people as a distinctive sign, a sign Ťthat you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies youť, Ťa sign between Me and the children of Israel foreverť.

Lesson 71	Screen 4
The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 14:9,10,12	Comments
If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God. (...) Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.	God's final warning clearly confirms that it is by keeping His commandments, including the fourth commandment about the Sabbath, that we will avoid receiving the mark of the beast. Opposed to the Sabbath, which is the seal of God, the mark of the beast is therefore the observance of Sunday as the day of rest.

Lesson 71	Screen 5
The Mark of the Beast

Ecclesiastes 3:14

Comments

I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever.

Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it.

But, where does the observance of the first day - Sunday - come from? Some people claim that the Word of God well and truly confirms this change of the day of rest. Is it true?

To get an answer to this question, let's look at all the verses in the New Testament mentioning the first day of the week.

There are only eight of them, and we will study them one by one to see if they really teach a change in the day of rest.

Lesson 71	Screen 6
The Mark of the Beast

Five of the eight verses simply report the women's visit to Jesus' tomb:

ŤNow after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.ť (MATTHEW 28:1)

ŤVery early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.ť (MARK 16:2)

ŤNow when [Jesus] rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.ť (MARK 16:9)

ŤNow on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.ť (LUKE 24:1)

ŤOn the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark.ť (JOHN 20:1)

Lesson 71	Screen 7
The Mark of the Beast

John 20:19	Comments
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ŤPeace be with you.ť	Here again, there is no indication of a change of the day of rest. Some people say that the disciples were assembled to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. However, we see that they were actually assembled Ťfor fear of the Jewsť. As for the resurrection of Jesus, they did not believe it yet!

Lesson 71	Screen 8
The Mark of the Beast

Acts 20:7	Comments
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread (...).	The seventh of the eight verses mentioning the first day of the week reports a meeting in which the disciples broke bread. Some people claim that breaking bread is an act certifying that Sunday was the new day of rest. However, we see in the second verse that the disciples were gathering and breaking bread every day!
Acts 2:46
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness.

Lesson 71	Screen 9
The Mark of the Beast

1 Corinthians 16:2

Comments

On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

Finally, in this verse, some people see a collection of offerings during a religious meeting held on the first day of the week.

But Paul does not speak of a meeting. He actually advises the Christians in Corinth to store up offerings, each one at home, for a future collection.

So, none of the eight verses mentioning the first day of the week confirms the replacement of the Sabbath with Sunday as God's day of rest.

Lesson 71	Screen 10
The Mark of the Beast

Romans 11:13

Comments

For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry.

So, how did Sundaykeeping begin in the Church?

As the apostolic Church was growing, more and more Gentiles joined it, bringing with them some pagan customs which slowly mixed with the Christian form of worship.

Among these customs was the observance of the day of the Sun, the first day of the week, Sunday.

Around the third century, Sunday gained ground on Saturday which was increasingly associated with the Jewish religion, and thus the Sabbath was gradually abandoned.

Lesson 71	Screen 11
The Mark of the Beast

Daniel 7:25

Comments

[He] shall intend to change times and law.

Afterwards, when the papacy came to power, it changed Ťtimes and lawť exactly as foretold in the book of Daniel.

In fact, by formally designating Sunday as the new day of rest, in replacement of the Sabbath, the papacy tampered with the only commandment related to time: the fourth commandment, the seal of God's law.

Besides, the Catholic Church willingly and openly acknowledges that it bears sole responsibility for the change of the day of rest, as the following statements prove.

Lesson 71	Screen 12
The Mark of the Beast

The Catholic Church, not the Bible, teaches the observance of Sunday:

ŤWe observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.ť
(Peter Geiermann, ŤThe Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrineť, 1977, p.50.)

ŤIt is curious to recall that this observance of Sunday, which is the only principle of Protestantism, not only does not rest upon the Bible, but is in flagrant contradiction with the letter of the Bible requiring the rest of the Sabbath, or Saturday. It was the Catholic Church which, by the authority of Jesus Christ, has transferred this rest to Sunday.ť
(Monsignor Louis Segur, ŤPlain Talk About the Protestantism of Todayť, 1868 edition, p.207.)

Lesson 71	Screen 13
The Mark of the Beast

The Catholic Church recognizes that the Bible does not sanctify Sunday:

ŤYou may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.ť
(Catholic Cardinal James Gibbons, ŤThe Faith of Our Fathersť, 1917 edition, pp.72,73.)

ŤIf protestants were following the Bible, they would worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church.ť
(Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, letter of February 10, 1920.)

Lesson 71	Screen 14
The Mark of the Beast

The Catholic Church admits that Jesus and the apostles kept the Sabbath:

ŤThe Sabbath, the most glorious day in the law, has been changed into the Lord's day. (...) These and other similar matters have not ceased by virtue of Christ's teaching (for He says He has come to fulfill the law, not to destroy it), but they have been changed by the authority of the church.ť
(Archbishop Gaspare de Fosso, ŤSacrorum Conciliorum nova amplissima Collectioť, 1902, volume 33, pp.529,530.)

ŤThe apostles, in fact, continued to observe the Sabbath, that is to say Saturday, (...) from Friday, at sunset, to Saturday at the same hour.ť
(Abbot Boulanger, ŤCatholic Doctrineť, p.62.)

Lesson 71	Screen 15
The Mark of the Beast

The Catholic Church willingly recognizes going against the Word of God:

ŤNowhere in the Bible is it stated that worship should be changed from Saturday to Sunday. (...) Now the Church instituted, by God's authority, Sunday as the day of worship.ť
(Martin J. Scott, ŤThings Catholics Are Asked Aboutť, 1927 edition, p.136.)

ŤThe Catholic Church, (...) by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday.ť
(Catholic Cardinal James Gibbons, ŤThe Catholic Mirrorť, September 23, 1893.)

ŤIf we consulted the Bible only, we should still have to keep holy the Sabbath Day, that is, Saturday.ť
(John Laux, ŤA Course in Religion for Catholic High Schools and Academiesť, 1936 edition, volume 1, p.51.)

Lesson 71	Screen 16
The Mark of the Beast

Ezekiel 22:26	Comments
Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean. And they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.	The papacy was not the first to attack the seventh-day Sabbath. Throughout history, there have been all kinds of religious leaders influencing people to disobey the commandments of God and to profane the Sabbath.

Lesson 71	Screen 17
The Mark of the Beast

Mark 7:7-9	Comments
[Jesus said,] Ť"And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men. (...) All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.ť	Very often, people have chosen to follow the tradition of men, rather than the commandment of God, a thing which Jesus openly condemned. The choice of Sunday as the day of rest, rather than the Sabbath of the fourth commandment of God, is another sad example of this.

Lesson 71	Screen 18
The Mark of the Beast

Deuteronomy 4:2	Comments
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.	And yet the Bible is very clear: the commandments of God must not undergo any change, and must be observed just as God commanded.
Luke 16:17
[Jesus said,] ŤIt is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.ť

Lesson 71	Screen 19
The Mark of the Beast

Ezekiel 20:18-20	Comments
Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them. Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.	God calls us to reject the tradition of men which is honored all around us, in order to come back to His commandments, and to observe the day of rest which He designated from Creation: the seventh day, the Sabbath.

Lesson 71	Screen 20
The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:16,17	Comments
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark.	We are living the last days of history. Each of us must choose between the tradition of men and the commandment of God: - between Sunday (the mark of the beast's authority); - and the Sabbath of the fourth commandment (the mark of God's authority). Moreover, the papacy willingly recognizes that the institution of Sunday as the day of rest is the mark of its authority...

Lesson 71	Screen 21
The Mark of the Beast

The papacy recognizes that Sunday is the mark of its authority:

ŤWe have in the authoritative voice of the Church the voice of Christ Himself. The Church is above the Bible; and this transference of Sabbath observance from Saturday to Sunday is proof positive of that fact. Deny the authority of the Church and you have no adequate or reasonable explanation or justification for the substitution of Sunday for Saturday in the Third - Protestant Fourth - Commandment of God.ť
(ŤCatholic Recordť, September 1, 1923.)

ŤOf course the Catholic Church claims that the change [from Sabbath to Sunday] was her act (...). And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.ť
(Reply of Chancelor C.F. Thomas to a letter dated October 28, 1894, and addressed to Cardinal Gibbons.)

Lesson 71	Screen 22
The Mark of the Beast

By keeping Sunday as the day of rest, we accept the papacy's authority:

ŤSundaykeeping (...) not only does not rest on the Bible, but also is in flagrant contradiction with the letter of the Bible that prescribes the rest of the Sabbath or Saturday. It was the Catholic Church which (...) transferred this rest to the Sunday (...) Thus the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Church.ť
(Monsignor Louis Segur, ŤPlain Talk About Protestantism of Today, 1868, p.213.)

ŤProtestants do not realize that by observing Sunday, they accept the authority of the spokesperson of the Church, the Pope.ť
(ŤOur Sunday Visitorť, February 5, 1950.)

Lesson 71	Screen 23
The Mark of the Beast

Sundaykeeping is a recognition of the authority of the Catholic Church:

ŤSince Saturday, not Sunday, is specified in the Bible, isn't it curious that non-Catholics who profess to take their religion directly from the Bible and not from the Church, observe Sunday instead of Saturday? Yes, of course, it is inconsistent. The custom of Sunday observance rests upon the authority of the Catholic Church and not upon an explicit text in the Bible. That observance remains as a reminder of the Mother Church from which the non-Catholic sects broke away - like a boy running away from home but still carrying in his pocket a picture of his mother or a lock of her hair.ť
(Roman Catholic scholar John A. O'Brien, ŤThe Faith of Millionsť, 1974, pp.400,401.)

Lesson 71	Screen 24
The Mark of the Beast

THE CHOICE: the Bible and the Sabbath, or the Catholic Church and Sunday.

ŤReason and sense demand the acceptance of one or the other of these alternatives: either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is impossible.ť
(Catholic Cardinal James Gibbons, ŤThe Catholic Mirrorť, December 23, 1893.)

ŤThe Church changed the observance of the Sabbath to Sunday by right of the divine, infallible authority given to her by her Founder, Jesus Christ. The Protestant, claiming the Bible to be the only guide of faith, has no warrant for observing Sunday. In this matter the Seventh Day Adventist is the only consistent Protestant.ť
(ŤThe Catholic Universe Bulletinť, August 14, 1942, p.4.)

Lesson 71	Screen 25
The Mark of the Beast

Acts 5:29	Comments
We ought to obey God rather than men.	In the battle between God and the beast, the issue is our worship. It is impossible for us to remain neutral in this struggle: if we don't take a stand for God, we will automatically be numbered with the worshippers of the beast.
Matthew 12:30
[Jesus said,] ŤHe who is not with Me is against Me.ť

Lesson 71	Screen 26
The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:17

Comments

(...) that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark.

At present, nobody has the mark of the beast.

However, after an alliance between the papacy and the United States of America led by the Christian Religious Right Wing, Sundaykeeping will soon become mandatory for everybody.

The mark of the beast will then be placed on all those who, for fear of reprisals, will reject the Sabbath to observe Sunday.

In a document issued in 1998, Pope John Paul II proposed to pass a law making Sunday the official day of rest. Let's look at some excerpts of this document...

Lesson 71	Screen 27
The Mark of the Beast

Excerpts of the letter ŤDies Dominiť of Pope John Paul II, May 31, 1998:

ŤFor Christians it is not normal that Sunday, the day of joyful celebration, should not also be a day of rest, and it is difficult for them to keep Sunday holy if they do not have enough free time.

By contrast, the link between the Lord's Day and the day of rest in civil society has a meaning and importance which go beyond the distinctly Christian point of view. (...)

When, through the centuries, she has made laws concerning Sunday rest, the Church has had in mind above all the work of servants and workers, certainly not because this work was any less worthy when compared to the spiritual requirements of Sunday observance, but rather because it needed greater regulation to lighten its burden and thus enable everyone to keep the Lord's Day holy.

In this matter, my predecessor Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical Rerum Novarum spoke of Sunday rest as a worker's right which the State must guarantee.

In our own historical context there remains the obligation to ensure that everyone can enjoy the freedom, rest and relaxation which human dignity requires, together with the associated religious, family, cultural and interpersonal needs which are difficult to meet if there is no guarantee of at least one day of the week on which people can both rest and celebrate. (...)

Therefore, also in the particular circumstances of our own time, Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy.ť (ŤDies Dominiť, pp.64-67)

Lesson 71	Screen 28
The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:12	Comments
[The beast coming up out of the earth] exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.	The religio-political alliance between the papacy and the United States will very soon lead to the Sunday law, and this is precisely how the United States will cause Ťthe earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beastť, the papacy. All those refusing to receive the mark of the beast, this false day of rest, will go through very difficult times.

Lesson 71	Screen 29
The Mark of the Beast

Ezekiel 8:16,17; 9:4

Comments

And there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.

Then He said to me, ŤHave you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here?ť (...)

And the Lord said to him, ŤGo through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.ť

Sunday is the day of the sun.

It is very interesting to note that, when men turn against God and worship the sun, while they stand Ťat the door of the temple of the Lordť, then God puts His mark on the foreheads of all those who reject this abomination.

Lesson 71	Screen 30
The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:8	Comments
All who dwell on the earth will worship [the beast rising from the sea], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.	Likewise, as in the future all the inhabitants of the earth worship the beast and its day of rest in honor of the sun, God exhorts us to reject this abomination. By refusing to worship the beast and receive its mark, our foreheads will be marked with the seal of God, and our names will remain written in His book of Life.

Lesson 71	Screen 31
The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 3:5	Comments
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.	Let's put our trust in Jesus Christ. If we desire it, He will give us the strength we need to remain faithful to Him, especially when we have to choose between worshiping the beast and keeping its day of rest, Sunday, or worshiping God and keeping His day of rest, the seventh day, the Sabbath.

Lesson 71	Screen 32
The Mark of the Beast

Let's pray together:

Our Father,

Although nobody has yet received the mark of the beast, we can see the danger appearing on the horizon.

Soon, the observance of Sunday will be imposed on everybody, and those refusing to honor it will experience difficult times.

Please help us to prepare ourselves for that day, and, from now on, to keep Your holy day of rest, the seventh-day Sabbath.

Through Your grace and the power of Your Spirit, we know that we can remain faithful to You in all circumstances, in order that our names may not be blotted out from Your Book of Life. In Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.

The Mark of the Beast

The test of Lesson 71 is waiting for you!

Click here to send us your questions or comments about our Web site and products.
Copyright Š2002 Cyberspace Ministry

The Mark of the Beast

The test of Lesson 71 is waiting for you!

Click here to send us your questions or comments about our Web site and products. Copyright Š2002 Cyberspace Ministry

Click here to send us your questions or comments about our Web site and products.
Copyright Š2002 Cyberspace Ministry