The Mark of the
Beast
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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.
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Exodus 13:9
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.
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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.
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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.
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Exodus 31:13,17
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.
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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 «that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you», «a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever».
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Revelation 14:9,10,12
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.
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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.
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Ecclesiastes 3:14
I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it.
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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.
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Five of the eight verses simply report the women's visit to Jesus' tomb:
«Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week
began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.» (MATTHEW 28:1)
«Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the
sun had risen.» (MARK 16:2)
«Now when [Jesus] rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary
Magdalene.» (MARK 16:9)
«Now 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.» (LUKE
24:1)
«On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still
dark.» (JOHN 20:1)
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John 20:19
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,
«Peace be with you.»
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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 «for fear of the Jews».
As for the resurrection of Jesus, they did not believe it yet!
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Acts 20:7
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came
together to break bread (...).
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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.
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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!
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1 Corinthians 16:2
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.
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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.
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Romans 11:13
For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle
to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry.
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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.
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Daniel 7:25
[He] shall intend to change times and law.
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Afterwards, when the papacy came to power, it changed «times
and law» 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.
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The Catholic Church, not the Bible, teaches the observance of Sunday:
«We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church
transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.»
(Peter Geiermann, «The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine», 1977, p.50.)
«It 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.»
(Monsignor Louis Segur, «Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today», 1868 edition,
p.207.)
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The Catholic Church recognizes that the Bible does not sanctify Sunday:
«You 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.»
(Catholic Cardinal James Gibbons, «The Faith of Our Fathers», 1917 edition, pp.72,73.)
«If 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.»
(Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, letter of February 10, 1920.)
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The Catholic Church admits that Jesus and the apostles kept the Sabbath:
«The 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.»
(Archbishop Gaspare de Fosso, «Sacrorum Conciliorum nova amplissima Collectio», 1902,
volume 33, pp.529,530.)
«The apostles, in fact, continued to observe the Sabbath, that is to say Saturday,
(...) from Friday, at sunset, to Saturday at the same hour.»
(Abbot Boulanger, «Catholic Doctrine», p.62.)
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The Catholic Church willingly recognizes going against the Word of God:
«Nowhere 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.»
(Martin J. Scott, «Things Catholics Are Asked About», 1927 edition, p.136.)
«The Catholic Church, (...) by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from
Saturday to Sunday.»
(Catholic Cardinal James Gibbons, «The Catholic Mirror», September 23, 1893.)
«If we consulted the Bible only, we should still have to keep holy the Sabbath Day,
that is, Saturday.»
(John Laux, «A Course in Religion for Catholic High Schools and Academies», 1936
edition, volume 1, p.51.)
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Ezekiel 22:26
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.
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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.
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Mark 7:7-9
[Jesus said,]
«"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.»
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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.
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Deuteronomy 4:2
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.
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Luke 16:17
[Jesus said,] «It is easier for heaven and earth to pass
away than for one tittle of the law to fail.»
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And yet the Bible is very clear: the commandments of God must not undergo any
change, and must be observed just as God commanded.
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Ezekiel 20:18-20
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.
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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.
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Revelation 13:16,17
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...
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The papacy recognizes that Sunday is the mark of its authority:
«We 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.»
(«Catholic Record», September 1, 1923.)
«Of 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.»
(Reply of Chancelor C.F. Thomas to a letter dated October 28, 1894, and addressed to
Cardinal Gibbons.)
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By keeping Sunday as the day of rest, we accept the papacy's authority:
«Sundaykeeping (...) 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.»
(Monsignor Louis Segur, «Plain Talk About Protestantism of Today, 1868, p.213.)
«Protestants do not realize that by observing Sunday, they accept the authority of
the spokesperson of the Church, the Pope.»
(«Our Sunday Visitor», February 5, 1950.)
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Sundaykeeping is a recognition of the authority of the Catholic Church:
«Since 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.»
(Roman Catholic scholar John A. O'Brien, «The Faith of Millions», 1974, pp.400,401.)
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THE CHOICE: the Bible and the Sabbath, or the Catholic Church and
Sunday.
«Reason 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.»
(Catholic Cardinal James Gibbons, «The Catholic Mirror», December 23, 1893.)
«The 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.»
(«The Catholic Universe Bulletin», August 14, 1942, p.4.)
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Acts 5:29
We ought to obey God rather than men.
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Matthew 12:30
[Jesus said,] «He who is not with Me is against Me.»
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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.
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Revelation 13:17
(...) that no one may buy or sell except one who has the
mark.
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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...
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Excerpts of the letter «Dies Domini» of Pope John Paul II, May 31,
1998:
«For 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.»
(«Dies Domini», pp.64-67)
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Revelation 13:12
[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.
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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 «the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast»,
the papacy.
All those refusing to receive the mark of the beast, this false day of rest, will go
through very difficult times.
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Ezekiel 8:16,17; 9:4
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, «Have 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?» (...)
And the Lord said to him, «Go 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.»
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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 «at the door of the temple of the Lord», then
God puts His mark on the foreheads of all those who reject this abomination.
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Revelation 13:8
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.
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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.
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Revelation 3:5
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.
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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.
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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 test of Lesson 71 is waiting for you!