Rev. 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12 describes Satan’s attacks against God’s faithful people, including persecution by pagan Rome and later papal Rome during the 1,260 days/years (A.D. 538–1798; see Rev. 12:6, 13, 14 and Lesson 7, Tuesday). Chapter 13 describes in more detail Satan’s attacks during Christian history with the help of two allies, both portrayed as beasts. Under Satan’s direction, the dragon and these two beasts will unite at the end of time to oppose God’s redemptive activities and seek to win the allegiance of the world… We must always remember that while these prophecies tell us what will happen at the end, they do not tell us when and exactly how the final events will unfold.
- The Sea beast & the Earth-beast Revelation 13
- The sea-beast
This sea-beast has a number of characteristics that should help us identify it. A beast in Bible prophecy represents a kingdom (Dan. 7:23). This kingdom comes from the sea, (Rev. 17:15), from the people of the Mediterranean Sea area. Italy stands in the central Mediterranean. Recall that Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Imperial Rome came from this same “sea,” the kingdoms of Daniel 2 and 7. It was out of this “dreadful and terrible beast” (Dan. 7:7), that the Little Horn arose (Dan. 7:8) and did dreadful things for “a time, times and half a time,” or 1260 years. This is the same time period that the sea-beast of 13:5, reigns over the people, or forty two months or 1260 years, from AD 538-1798.
This composite beast of Rev. 13 has characteristics of all the beasts of Daniel 7. The body of the beast was like unto a leopard, or expresses the human philosophy of the Greek culture. The feet of the bear, representing Medo-Persia, describes the mysteries of Mithraism and sun-worship. The mouth as a mouth of lion, or the kingdom of Babylon, proclaims the mystery worship of paganism. Each of these beasts/kingdoms contribute their philosophy and teaching to this great sea-beast of Rev. 13. Powering these philosophies and violent behavior of the sea-beast is the dragon, or Satan, (13:4) who gives “him his power, and his seat and great authority.” The sea-beast is the human agency on earth to do Satan’s bidding.
This sea-beast/little horn speaks blasphemies, meaning that it claims to be God on earth and forgive sins, the two blasphemies that the Jews accused Jesus of doing. Just like the Little Horn of Dan. 7:8, 25, reigns for 3 ½ times or 1260 years, the sea-beast holds sway for 42 months or 1260 years. After this kingly and despotic rule of 1260 years, one head of the sea-beast receives a deadly wound and almost kills it. But by an apparent miracle, the deadly wound is healed and the sea-beast rises to new and unparalleled power and all the world wonders after it. (13:3)
There is only one kingdom that fits this sea-beast, that of the medieval Papacy. Rising out of the 10 horns of Daniel 7:8, this kingdom arose out of the nations of Europe, namely on the ruins of the Imperial Roman Empire. The bishop of Rome became the Pontifex Maximus, (great bridge builder) a title inherited from the Emperor Constantine. He became the high priest of Christendom, claiming to be God and to forgive sins. He used the European states in the Dark Ages to persecute those who did not agree with its teachings. Some 50 million people died martyr’s deaths as a result.
As noted in chapter 11, the French Revolution with its emphasis on human rights, nearly destroyed the papacy during the Reign of Terror. The Revolution was a backlash to the corruption of the Christian Church. But on the destruction debris of this history, arose a re-invigorated papacy. On February 11, 1929, Cardinal Gasparri and Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy, signed a concordat with the Vatican, reestablishing the papal state and its authority.
So when will ALL the world WONDER after the sea-beast? With the pontificates of John Paul II and Francis, we see a wonder and an admiration not seen since medieval times. We will talk about this “when” in the next section. There are two periods of papal, worldly supremacy spoken of. Just as everyone worships the sea beast in the A.D. 538–1798 period, in the second part of Rev. 13, the earth beast will cause everyone to worship the beast again, but we are ahead of the story. That these two periods of—(
13:8) “all that dwell on the earth shall worship the beast” and (
13:16) “causes all both small and great to worship the beast”—are different times, is evident from
13:12, where it says the earth beast forces this universal worship AFTER the sea beast’s deadly wound was healed. The first period of persecution is from A.D. 538–1798. The second period of persecution is yet to occur.
Another beast, or kingdom, arises out of the earth! This beast arises out of the unpopulated areas as opposed to the sea-beast arising out of the populous “sea.” Recall that the “earth” opened up its mouth and swallowed the violence and false teachings perpetrated by Satan in Ch. 12? The earth saved the church and protected it. It was to this “earth” in North America that the church fled. There is no other possibility. Looking ahead at the power wielded by this earth beast, it cannot be Australia, Greenland, South America or nations in Africa, only one country fits this “earth” designation, where those persecuted in the Old World came for refuge.
This lamb-like beast has two horns with no crowns. Do the horns symbolize power, kingship or something else? May we suggest that the “two horns represent the civil republican power of this government, and the other horn the Protestant ecclesiastical…these two horns represent the two elements, Republicanism and Protestantism” in America.
[1] We have in America a church without a pope and a state without a king.
[2] This distribution of power makes the United States government unique in world history.
So this earth-beast must have the following characteristics:
[3]
1. It must arise in desolate or wilderness places, or in the Western hemisphere.
2. It must be seen assuming a position of prominence and influence about the year 1798.
3. It must arise in a peaceful and quiet manner, not augmenting its power and expanding its territory, as other nations have done, by wars of conquest.
4. Its progress must be so evident as to strike the beholder with as much wonder as would the perceptible growth of an animal before his eyes.
5. It must be different in its form of government.
6. It must be Protestant in its religion.
7. It must exhibit before the world, as an index of its character and the elements of its government, two great principles, which are in themselves perfectly just, innocent, and lamb-like.
8. It must perform its work after A.D. 1798.
This United States, foretold in Bible prophecy, will do something else. It will end up speaking as a dragon. Satan follows those seeking religious freedom to the New World. In 12:17, Satan is wroth or angry with the woman (church) and goes to make war on the remnant of this church.
“The lamb-like horns and dragon voice of the symbol point to a striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus represented. The ‘speaking’ of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities. By such action it will give the lie to those liberal and peaceful principles which it has put forth as the foundation of its policy. The prediction that it will speak ‘as a dragon,’ and exercise ‘all the power of the first beast,’ plainly foretells a development of the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by the nations represented by the dragon and the leopard-like beast. And the statement that the beast with two horns ‘causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast,’ indicates that the authority of this nation is to be exercised in enforcing some observance which shall be an act of homage to the papacy.”
[4]
- The earth-beast and the sea-beast confederacy
In 13:12, this “he that exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him…,” is the United States, who is going to acquire all the former power of the medieval papacy, via the great red dragon. From 13:11, second part, to verse 18, all the things the United States does in concert with the Papacy happens AFTER Feb. 11, 1929. We should sit up and take notice of the content of this passage.
A brief look at the power of the medieval papacy should convince you that this is no ordinary power, this combination of church and state; the state doing the bidding of the church. Once again the state, the United States, is going to be the enforcer for the church, the papacy. Peering back through the curtain of history, when the church and state unite, bad things happen. Knowing this, we must not lose hope as end time Bible believers but look to Jesus for our shelter in the time of this storm!
In 13:13, we see the United States makes “fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” Briefly, Fire, in the Bible, is a symbol of the divine presence that purges and accepts the believer. When the fires (live coals) were taken from the altar and touched Isaiah’s lips, it purged those lips, and by that act, signaled heaven’s acceptance of the young prophet. When cloven tongues of flame leaped from the brows of those in the Upper Room at Pentecost, their tongues were aflame with the Gospel of salvation. A holy light was kindled on this earth at Pentecost that has never died, even in the darkest moments of this earth’s history.
If the holy fire of God signals His approval, acceptance, and purging, then when the earth beast brings fire down from heaven, it is a sign of false approval, acceptance, and purging, most likely from the dragon. This text predicts a pseudo-Pentecost at the end of time, with the earth beast making an apparently powerful spiritual case for worshiping the sea beast. This earth beast makes it appear that God Himself has approved and accepted this work. What is this work on earth? We find it described in
13:14.
This false revival, powered by Satan, using the United States and the Papacy, is accompanied by great miracles (13:14). Here is the ultimate miracle in this end time, as described in
2 Corinthians 11:14: “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” Satan will appear as a messenger from heaven, posing as Christ Himself.
How can we know truth from error and keep from being deceived by the false trinity? Once again,
Isaiah 8:20 comes to our minds, along with other texts: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” With reference to the truth of the Second Coming in Matthew 24, Jesus says Satan cannot imitate the manner of His coming. Satan may come as an angel of light (
2 Corinthians 11:14) and work great miracles, but he cannot imitate the manner of Jesus’ return. John assures us of this, in
1:7: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
- The Death Decree & The Mysterious Number-666 Revelation 13
- The Death Decree
If persuasion to worship the beast and his image does not work, then force is used to obtain universal worship of the sea-beast. Satan is doing what he has always done, use the state to force obedience to the church. The United States, who becomes an image of the Papacy, will make laws (speak) and enforce laws (cause) on the world to worship the papacy. How is that accomplished? By enforcing Sunday worship instead of the Bible Sabbath. Remember that we are waiting for the lamb-like beast to speak as a dragon. From all appearances in world events, this could happen soon.
We are a bit ahead of the Revelation narrative but this is important in the context of the chapter.
With the enforcement of the decree to honor Sunday as the Sabbath, this requires everyone to make a final decision on worship. Do they worship Jesus by keeping his seventh-day Sabbath, or do they worship Satan by keeping the first day of the week holy? When these decisions are made, Jesus is ready to come. The time of probation on this earth, which is giving people the opportunity to make their choices of worship, is closed. The seven last plagues begin to fall as promised to the souls under the altar in the 5
th seal. During this time the death decree will be passed in the legislative bodies.
“The decree that will finally go forth against the remnant people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews. Today the enemies of the true church see in the little company keeping the Sabbath commandment, a Mordecai at the gate. The reverence of God’s people for His law is a constant rebuke to those who have cast off the fear of the Lord and are trampling on His Sabbath.–PK 605 (c. 1914). {LDE 258.2}
I saw the leading men of the earth consulting together, and Satan and his angels busy around them. I saw a writing, copies of which were scattered in different parts of the land, giving orders that unless the saints should yield their peculiar faith, give up the Sabbath, and observe the first day of the week, the people were at liberty after a certain time, to put them to death.–EW 282, 283 (1858). {LDE 258.3}
If the people of God will put their trust in Him and by faith rely upon His power, the devices of Satan will be defeated in our time as signally as in the days of Mordecai.”–ST Feb. 22, 1910. {LDE 259.1}
In 13:16, the “he” is the United States again. “He” causes or forces ALL, no one is left out, to receive a mark in the right hand, or in their foreheads. John backs up a bit chronologically to describe what is happening. Here is the choice at the very end, the mark of the beast or the seal of God. While the seal of God is clearly ONLY in the forehead, or a deep-seated conviction that God is worthy of worship, the mark of the beast can be in two places. The mark, or loyalty to Satan through Sunday observance can be in the forehead because you believe Satan to be worthy of worship. Or, you may not believe Satan is worth worshipping on Sunday, but you do it anyway because you need to feed your family and make a living. Having the mark in our hand symbolizes you do it but you do not believe it.
This seal of God and mark of the beast is NOT a physical mark, such as the UPC code, or some subcutaneous RFID chip. It is a settling into the truth of what you believe, (forehead) or practice, (hand). If you never knew much about Revelation, it would seem that the consequences of the seal of God or the mark of the beast should merit attention.
As a result of this decision by each person on earth, 13:17 declares that “no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” This is a serious law over a serious issue of worship. Could it be that the United States will stoop this low to enforce the laws and ideas of the papacy? That is what Scripture declares.
- The Mark of the Beast is an end time phenomenon.
Based on our understanding of the timing of the events of Chapters 12 and 13, the following conclusions are made. Or, at what time in history should we expect the mark of the beast to occur? The mark of the beast will be imposed:
1. After the dragon has fought his war in heaven and been cast out (
12:7, 8).
2. After the dragon has attacked the woman’s baby (
12:4).
3. After the dragon has given its power, seat, and authority to the sea-beast (
13:2).
4. After the 1260 years of persecution, or after A.D.1798 (
13:5).
5. After the infliction of the mortal wound in A.D. 1798 (
13:3).
6. After the mortal wound is healed (healing) in A.D. 1929 (
13:3).
7. After the image of the healed sea-beast has been set up (
13:14).
8. After the time when the three angels announce the arrival of the final judgment and deliver
their startling warning about the mark, or after A.D. 1844 (
14:9).
9. Just before the coming of the Son of man for the final harvest (
14:14).
The mark of the beast is an end-time phenomenon!
The “mark” or “mark of the beast” is mentioned in 13:17; 14:11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; & 20:4. Whatever it is, the text lauds those who have gotten victory over the “mark” or the “mark of the beast.” And, the “mark” is associated with those “who can buy and sell,” at the very end, and are cast into the lake of fire at the very end. One does not want the mark of the beast either in the forehead or in the hand.
What is the purpose of a seal? A seal contains the name, title, and territory of the ruler of a country. God has a seal. His name, title and territory are found in the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8-11. His name is God. His title is Creator. His territory is the Universe. When God places his seal on you in 7:3, it signifies ownership, protection and genuineness. We have already discussed how this seal on you describes your character for Him. This Seal of God symbolizes you have His character.
Conversely, the sea-beast of Rev. 13 has a seal. It also proclaims his name, title and territory. His name is the Pope. His title is Vicar of Christ, or one who stands in the place of Christ. His territory is the whole earth. The papacy has proclaimed its divine right to transfer of the solemnity of the Sabbath to Sunday. All are commanded to keep Sunday holy in honor of the papacy. God asks us to obey him and keep all ten of his commandments, including worshipping on the seventh day, or Sabbath.
This end time Seal of God mentioned in 7:3 comes chronologically in the sixth seal, at the end of earth’s history. We are in that time now. We are in the seventh church period (Laodicea) and in the time of the blowing of the seventh trumpet. According to Rev. 7 and 14, God wants to seal all those people to himself that are mentioned in the section on the 144,000. They will keep all ten of the commandments of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath, and have complete faith in Jesus.
After reading these four passages
[5], not one soul should wish to have the mark of the beast but rather, to have the seal of God, which saves you from His wrath when it is poured out. Let us make our calling and election sure in Jesus Christ. Accept His free gift of salvation, live your life within the life of Christ, and be among those who are in the Book of Life and who live and reign with Christ.
“When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome,will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome, and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome,-‘the mark of the beast.’ And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive ‘the mark of the beast.’”
[6]
“If the light of truth has been presented to you, revealing the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and showing that there is no foundation in the Word of God for Sunday observance, and yet you still cling to the false sabbath, refusing to keep holy the Sabbath which God calls ‘My holy day,’ you receive the mark of the beast. When does this take place? When you obey the decree that commands you to cease from labor on Sunday and worship God, while you know that there is not a word in the Bible showing Sunday to be other than a common working day, you consent to receive the mark of the beast, and refuse the seal of God.
[7]
“The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty; for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve him not. While the observance of the false Sabbath in compliance with the law of the State, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God’s law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other, choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.”
[8]
We come to the most controversial text in Revelation. (13:18) “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number
is Six hundred threescore
and six.”
There is one thing for certain, this number is associated with the sea-beast. Notice 15:2. “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark,
and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.” Those standing on the sea of glass have gotten victory over the beast (papacy), his image (USA), over his mark (refuse to worship on Sunday) and over the number of his name (666). It must be a prominent clue to be included in the list of things God’s people overcome.
The beast of
13:18 is the same as the sea beast of
13:1–10. All the activities of the earth beast are in support of, and related to, the sea beast, which we have already identified. Thus, this number 666 has to do in some way with the identity of the medieval papacy. If we know who the sea beast is, then we will be half-way there in understanding the number of his name, or the 666. There are two possibilities here. Is the 666 a name or a title? The text itself suggests it’s “the number of his name,” so we should look for a title that means 666, associated in some way with the name of the beast.
There are two major ways the 666 has been approached. From antiquity, theologians have looked to
gematria to identify the 666. The mystic use of numbers (the rabbinical
gematria) was familiar to the Jews as early as Babylon and was passed from them to the Greeks in Asia. It arose from the employment of the letters of the Hebrew and Greek alphabets for the designation of numbers. On this fact, most interpretations of the apocalyptic puzzle are based. Graffiti in Roman prisons can be found, which reads, “I love her whose number is 72 or 144.”
Secondly, a figurative interpretation has been used. Some revisionist historicists and many eclectic scholars are taking a “symbolical approach to the 666 number of the beast. Arguing that the 666 should be
hex, hex, hex, instead of
six hundred, threescore and six, they say that this 666 is a number which represents human imperfection and rebellion against God, as opposed to the perfection of Christ’s number—777. Yet no number 777 for Christ is mentioned in the Bible that I know of. These scholars would make a figurative application out of a symbol instead of seeking an explanation for the symbol. This most unfortunate turn of events has almost completely obscured the real meaning of the number 666.
Irenaeus used
gematria in the 2
nd century on the word, “LATEINOS” (The Latin Man) to suggest the Latin or Roman Kingdom was the answer.
L = 30 lambda
A = 1 alpha
T = 300 tau
E = 5 epsilon
I = 10 iota
N = 50 nu
O = 70 omicron
S = 200 sigma
_____________
666
Secondly, Protestants identified the 666 with the pope’s title,
Vicarius Filii Dei, in the early 1600’s as the 666. In a book entitled,
The Roman Antichrist, Andreas Helwig showed that
gematria used on this title equaled 666.
[9]
V = 5 F = no value D = 500
I = 1 I = 1 E = no value
C = 100 L = 50 I = 1
A = no value I = 1
R = no value I = 1
I = 1
U(V) = 5
S = no value
112 + 53 + 501 = 666
In the conclusions of the unpublished pamphlet on this subject from the General Conference Archives, “There is no shadow of discoverable evidence, and there is no claim, that the papacy has ever disowned, formally or otherwise, a single assumption found in these fundamental documents. Thus the title VICARIUS FILII DEI has been handed down to us through more than a thousand years, with the silent sanction of 150 popes, as the original title of Peter, and both claimed and used, with variations that are equivalent in meaning, to designate his so-called successors on the papal throne to this day.”
[10] One of the pope’s primary titles,
Vicarius Filii Dei, is likely the best candidate for the 666. He claims to be the Vicar of the Son of God. He stands in the place of Christ on earth. There currently is no second choice.
[1] Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, 580.
[2] J. H. Waggoner,
From Eden to Eden (Oakland, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1893), 165.
[3] Uriah Smith, Daniel and the Revelation, 582.
[4] Ellen G. White,
The Great Controversy, 1888 ed. (Battle Creek, MI: Review and Herald Publishing Company, 1888), 442.
[5] Revelation 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; & 20:4.
[6] Ellen G. White,
The Great Controversy, 1888 ed. (Battle Creek, MI: Review and Herald Publishing Company, 1888), 449.
[7] Ellen G. White,
Evangelism (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1946), 234, 235.
[8] Ellen G. White,
The Great Controversy, 1888 ed. (Battle Creek, MI: Review and Herald Publishing Company, 1888), 605.
[9] See citation 7 for the documentation on Helwig’s work during the Protestant Reformation identifying the name Vicarius Filii Dei as the 666.
[10] Edwin de Kock,
The Truth About 666 and the Story of the Great Apostasy. Three volumes in one. Available on CD from the author: 12916 Los Terrazos Blvd, Edinburg, TX 78541. The unpublished pamphlet, cited from his bibliography, is The Number of the Beast—a 43-page manuscript submitted to the Review and Herald Publishing Association. A photocopy provided by the General Conference archives in 2008, 35–37.
Special thanks to Ken Mathews, MD
