666
and the Mark of the Beast
Screen
1
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.
Screen 2
Hebrews 5:14
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that
is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
If you have not yet studied the previous lesson «The Beast of Revelation», we strongly encourage
you to do it before going on, otherwise it could be difficult to grasp the content of this
lesson.
Screen 3
Revelation 13:1,3,10
I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns. (...)
I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded. (...)
He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity.
In our last lesson «The Beast of
Revelation», we saw that the little horn (in Daniel 7) and the beast (in Revelation
13) both symbolize the same power: the Papacy.
Having led thousands of people into captivity during his reign, the Pope was himself
captured in 1798 by French general Berthier. This is how the beast received a deadly
wound.
Screen 4
Revelation 13:3
I saw one of of his heads as if it had been mortally
wounded, and his deadly wound was healed.
And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
We also saw that the beast's deadly wound was healed.
Indeed, after having lost its political power in 1798, the papacy recovered it in 1929
when Mussolini, by the Lateran Treaty, made the Pope a political ruler again.
Since then, the Pope reigns over Vatican, a little country within the city of Rome.
Screen 5
Revelation 13:10,11
He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity.
(...)
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and
spoke like a dragon.
The prophecy links the pope's captivity (which happened at the end of the 18th
century) with the appearance of another beast. As we have seen in previous lessons, a
beast symbolizes a kingdom, a political power.
Unlike the first beast, this second beast comes up out of the earth, not the sea.
Who is this beast which arose at the end of the 18th century, and why does it come up out
of the earth?
Screen 6
Revelation 17:15
The waters which you saw (...) are peoples, multitudes,
nations, and tongues.
In Bible prophecy, waters symbolize people.
So, the beast rising from the sea represents a power coming out of a populous place (as
was the case with the papacy, which appeared in Europe).
But what about the beast rising from the earth? The only important power which arose out
of a sparsely-populated place, at the end of the 18th century, was the United States of
America, which came out of the New World in 1776.
Screen 7
Revelation 13:11
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and
he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
But does the United States really fit the other criteria of the beast coming up
out of the earth?
The beast displays lamb-like features, appropriately representing the Christian tradition
of the United States which stands up for principles of civil and religious liberty.
But the beast also speaks like a dragon: in spite of an outward gentleness, this nation
remains a fearsome power, ruling the roost throughout the world.
Screen 8
Revelation 13:13
He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come
down fron heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
First, the United States' influence over the other nations is significant,
especially since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the break-up of the Soviet Union
in 1991.
The «fire coming down from heaven» indicates the
extraordinary power of the United States, which became, with the bombing of the Japanese
cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the first nuclear power of the earth.
Screen 9
Revelation 13:12
He 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 Word of God foretells that shortly before the return of Jesus Christ, we
will see an alliance between the Papacy and the United States, leading men to worship the
Papacy.
But how could this be possible?
Screen 10
Revelation 13:14
And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those
signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the
earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
Very soon, the worldwide influence of the United States will also be felt at
the religious level, by the creation of an image to the first beast, that is, a system
reminiscent of the Papacy.
Therefore, we can expect the United States of America to create an alliance between Church
and State. This alliance will produce a religio-political power, in the image of the
Papacy.
Screen 11
Revelation 13:15
He was granted power to give breath to the image of the
beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not
worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Of course, alliances between political and religious powers inevitably lead to
intolerance and persecution.
That persecution will soon begin due to an alliance between the United States of America
and the Papacy. We will see in a moment how this will happen.
Screen 12
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.
Once set up, the religio-political American government, with the papacy's
approval, will cause men to receive a mark: the mark of the beast, which is the subject of
our lesson.
But before identifying this mark, let's take a moment to solve an enigma which has
mystified many students of Bible prophecy: the meaning of 666.
Screen 13
Revelation 13:18
Here is wisdom.
Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a
man: his number is 666.
The Bible doesn't tell us to seek the inscription «666», but rather to
calculate in order to get to 666.
In the apostle John's time, there was a well-known game named «Gematria», in which one
calculated the number of a name by adding up the numerical value of the letters of this
name, according to the Roman numeral system: V=5, X=10, C=100, etc.
Now, the Pope's official name is «VICARIUS FILII DEI», meaning «Vicar of the Son of
God».
Screen 14
Screen 15
Revelation 13:18
Here is wisdom.
Let's remember that, the number 666 alone would not be enough to identify the
papacy as the beast of Revelation.
This is simply an additional clue, completing all the other identifying marks which we
have already studied.
Screen 16
Revelation 14:9,10
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, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.
Now, let's return to the mark of the beast.
According to these verses, it is crucial to know the nature of the mark of the beast, for
the punishment of those receiving it will be eternal destruction.
Screen 17
Revelation 7:1-3
After these things I saw four angels standing at the four
corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow
on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And
he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and
the sea, saying,
«Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God
on their foreheads.»
The mark of the beast is in direct opposition to the seal of God, because both
must be put on men's foreheads.
By understanding the seal of God, we will discover the nature of the mark of the beast.
Screen 18
Ezekiel 9:4
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.»
According to the Bible, the mark of God is put on the foreheads of those who
refuse to take part in abominations, in practices going against the will of God.
But the Word of God is even more precise...
Screen 19
Deuteronomy 6:6,8
And these words which I command you today shall be in
your heart. (...)
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your
eyes.
After giving the Ten Commandments to Moses, God clearly indicated that these
commandments must be a mark on the hand and the forehead, thus meaning that we must keep
them in mind (mark on forehead), and put them into practice (mark on hand).
But the beast too wants to put its mark on our hands and foreheads: so the mark of the
beast is opposed to the commandments of God.
Screen 20
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.
Knowing that the mark of the beast is opposed to the law of God, let's try to
discover the exact nature of this opposition.
Screen 21
Esther 8:8
A letter which is written in the king's name and sealed
with the king's signet ring no one can revoke.
To be official, a legal document must bear the seal of the legislator. The
three components of a seal are:
(1) the name of the legislator;
(2) the title of the legislator;
(3) the territory covered by his legislation.
Now, what is the seal of God's law? Where can we find it?
Screen 22
Exodus 20:10,11
The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In
it you shall do no work. (...)
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
and rested the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Among the Ten Commandments, the fourth one, requiring the observance of the
seventh day as day of rest, bears the three components of a seal:
(1) the name of the legislator: «the Lord»;
(2) His title: Creator, «the Lord made»;
(3) the territory covered by His legislation: «heavens, earth, sea,
etc.»
Screen 23
Romans 4:11
[Abraham] received the sign of circumcision, a seal of
the righteousness of the faith which he had.
According to the Word of God, a seal can also be a sign.
Is the fourth commandment - the seal of God's law - also a sign?
Screen 24
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.
Ezekiel 20:12,20
I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them
and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies 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.
Yes indeed, the Sabbath is a sign between God and His people.
Screen 25
Screen 26
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, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. (...)
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 our conclusion: it is by keeping the
commandments of God, including the fourth commandment regarding the Sabbath, that we will
avoid receiving the mark of the beast.
Screen 27
Daniel 7:25
[He] shall intend to change times and law.
We had seen that the little horn, symbolizing the Papacy, would seek to change
«times and law».
Indeed, by formally designating Sunday as the new day of rest, in replacement of the
Sabbath, the papacy tampered with the only commandment which affects time: the fourth
commandment, the seal of God's law.
Therefore the mark of the beast will be the observance of Sunday as the day of rest,
instead of the Sabbath of God's fourth commandment.
Screen 28
The papacy admits 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.)
Screen 29
Keeping Sunday as the day of rest is accepting 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», 5 February 1950.)
Screen 30
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.
Luke 16:17
[Jesus said,]
«It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.»
The Word of God is clear: the Ten Commandments, including the fourth one, must
not be changed.
We must keep them exactly as dictated by God.
Screen 31
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.
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.
Screen 32
Mark 7:7-9
[Jesus said,] «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 (...).»
And He said to them, «All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep
your tradition.»
Each one of us must choose between the tradition of men and the commandment of
God: between Sunday, the mark of the authority of the beast, and the Sabbath of the fourth
commandment, the mark of the authority of God, which He instituted at the very beginning
of the history of mankind.
Screen 33
Acts 5:29
We ought to obey God rather than men.
Matthew 12:30
[Jesus said,]
«He who is not with Me is against Me.»
God and the beast struggle one against the other in order to obtain our
worship.
It is impossible for us to remain neutral in this battle: if we do not take a stand for
God, we will automatically be numbered with the worshippers of the beast.
Screen 34
Revelation 13:17
(...) 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 is made 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.
Screen 35
Revelation 13:8
And all who dwell on the earth will worship [the beast],
whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.
By refusing to worship the beast and to receive its mark, we will take a stand
for God.
Our foreheads will thus be marked with the seal of God, and our name will remain written
in the Book of Life.
Screen 36
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.
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.
Screen 37
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.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: «Mounts Drum and Sanford highlight Wrangell-St.
Elias National Park and Preserve.» In: «Deluxe Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia CD -
2000 Edition», Compton's Home Library, 1999. Screen 2: In: «The
Watchtower» magazine (June 15, 1985), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.9.
Screen 3: «Taking the Pope prisoner». In: «Our Day in the Light of Prophecy»
(SPICER, W.A.), Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1918, p.139. Screen 4: AP/Wide
World Photo. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (August 1997), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, p.3. Screen 5: BISHOP, Tom. «Beasts of Revelation 13». In:
«New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study» (BREADEN, Frank), Australian Division of Seventh-Day
Adventists, 1970, chart #41. Screen 6: In: «Photo Gallery 25,000» by
Media Graphics International, CD #4, WASHD081.JPG. Screen 7: In: «The
Watchtower» magazine (February 1, 1986), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.6.
Screen 8: Photo by BLAISE, Olivier. «Nevada Test Site», Gamma Liaison. In:
«Microsoft Encarta 98 Deluxe». Screen 9: Photo by Reuters/Bettmann, New
York. «President Bill Clinton chats with the Pope». In: «John Paul II» (EDWARDS,
Patrick), Bison Books, London, 1995, p.68. Screen 10: THORKELSON, Gregg.
In: «Signs of the Times» magazine (October 2000), Pacific Press Publishing Association,
p.1. Screen 11: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est
proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.195. Screen 12: Picture
from: Generation of graphics on CoolText.com (http://www.cooltext.com/). Screen
13: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #21 («La
Babylone Mystique - la Courtisane»), p.4. Screen 14: In: WHITE, Ellen
G., «The (New, Illustrated) Great Controversy», Laymen for Religious Liberty Inc., 1990,
p.288-42. Table of Screen 14: First picture: In: WHITE, Ellen G., «The
(New, Illustrated) Great Controversy», Laymen for Religious Liberty Inc., 1990, p.288-66.
Second picture: In: WHITE, Ellen G., «The (New, Illustrated) Great Controversy», Laymen
for Religious Liberty Inc., 1990. p.288-57. Screen 15: In: «The
Watchtower» magazine (October 15, 1991), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.8.
Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 16: In: «La Révélation -
le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988,
p.233. Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 17: MANISCALCO, Joe.
In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software,
JM256.BMP. Screen 18: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (April 15, 1987),
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.10. Screen 19: HARLAN, Russell.
In: «The Bible Story, volume 2» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1954, p.152. Screen 20: In: «The Watchtower» magazine
(September 15, 1988), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.15. Screen 21: BISHOP,
Tom. «Seal of God and mark of the beast 1». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study»
(BREADEN, Frank), Australian Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #43.
Screen 22: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #10
(«Le Sceau de Dieu In l'Apocalypse»), p.1. Screen 23: ANDERSON, Harry.
In: «Uncle Arthur's Bible Book» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Review and Herald Publishing
Association, 1968, p.93. Screen 24: ANDERSON, Harry. In: «Uncle Arthur's
Bedtime Stories, volume 5» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Review and Herald Publishing Association
and Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1976, p.142,143. Screen 25: MANISCALCO,
Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software,
JM221.BMP. Table of Screen 25: First picture: In: «Revelation
Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #10 («Le sceau de Dieu In l'Apocalypse»),
p.3. Second picture: PADGETT, Jim. In: «God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn),
Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.350. Screen 26: CRUZ, Nery.
In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (August 1984), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.14.
Screen 27: Unknown source. Screen 28: In: «Revelation
Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #19 («La Marque de la Bête»), p.1.
Screen 29: In: «Awake» magazine (February 8, 1989), Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society, p.1. Screen 30: LEE, Elfred. In: «Revelation Seminars»,
Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #11 («L'Observation du Dimanche et l'Apocalypse»), p.3.
Screen 31: In: «Prophecy Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1989, Daniel lesson #11
(«How the Little Horn Changed God's Law»), p.1. Screen 32: In: «The
Watchtower» magazine (September 1, 1998), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.1.
Screen 33: BISHOP, Tom. «Truth or tradition». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible
Study» (BREADEN, Frank), Australian Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #28.
Screen 34: In: «Canadian Adventist Messenger» magazine (January 1995), SDA
Church in Canada, front cover. Screen 35: ZINGARO, Charles. In: «Votre
Bible et Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Press Publishing Association, p.125. Screen
36: In: «Questionnaire Adulte de l'Ecole du Sabbat», Pacific Press Publishing
Association, First Quarter, 2000, front cover. Screen 37: «Smoky
Mountains National Park of Tennessee.» In: «Deluxe Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia CD
- 2000 Edition», Compton's Home Library, 1999.
Any copyrighted images not bearing a statement of permission, are used
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The test of Lesson 36 is waiting for you!