The Beast & His Mark

Perhaps there is no other question in the field of religion that has excited so much uncertainty and consternation. The theories, as varied as their founders, on this intriguing subject, have arisen, been given prominence and then sunk into obscurity again. Some place the beast power as some historical figure who came and then went again. Others, taking the completely opposite approach, place the beast and his mark as future events that have not begun to transpire as of yet. If we are listening to human ideas and opinions, we shall never arrive at the message God is trying to give to us; for they are always changing and always disagreeing with other’s propositions. Some have given up trying to understand this subject, but God’s Word has placed the subject of the beast and his mark as of paramount importance for the days in which we are living. Who is the beast? What is the dreaded mark of the beast? How can we conclusively identify these from God’s Holy Word?

Revelation 14:9-12  Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “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. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Probably no other message is so clear and stern in its warning. All who receive the mark of the beast are doomed for destruction. There is no halfway work in this crisis. You are either worshipping the Creator (vs. 7) or worshipping the beast. It is essential for us to know today who the beast is and what his mark is. Our eternal destiny depends upon it. Because this is such an important subject, God has clearly revealed who this power is and what his dreadful mark is. The Lord, as in all other prophecy, has used signs and symbols to identify this power; but by comparing the Scripture with Scripture, truth stands out in its clarity.  This is not an easy subject to study because frequently people become agitated, or even upset, by the tracing of these prophetic lines; but it is enjoined by the Word of God that we study for ourselves so that we shall not be deceived in the crisis.

Who is the Beast?

The beast of Revelation 13, immediately takes our minds back to Daniel 7 because the beast of Revelation is a composite beast of these four beasts. In Daniel 7 there was a lion, a bear, a leopard and a dreadful and terrible beast. In Revelation 13, the beast has a mouth like a lion, feet like a bear and is itself like a leopard with a dragon giving it its power, throne and great authority. Another obvious parallel can be seen between the little horn of Daniel 7 and the beast of Revelation 13. The parallels are so obvious that it can be concluded that they are in reality the same power. The little horn arises from Rome (Daniel 7:8), so does the beast of Revelation 13 (Revelation 13:2). The beast speaks blasphemies (Revelation 13:5) while the little horn speaks pompous words against the Most High (Daniel 7:8, 25). The prophecy states that both the little horn and the beast make war upon God’s people (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:7). Both powers exercise dominion over the rest of the world (Revelation 13:7; Daniel 7:20). There are other points which show that they are the same power, but this is enough of a sampling to see this clearly. Having already studied and seen that the little horn is clearly the medieval church of the dark ages, we will quickly get into the subject of who the beast is and what his mark is.

Revelation 13:1, 2  Then I stood upon the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

Daniel 7:17, 23  Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. Thus he said: The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth which shall be different from all other kingdoms…

Revelation 12:4  …And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

1) The beast power arises from Rome. A beast is clearly identified in prophecy as a kingdom or nation, and thus the beast power is a nation; but a nation that arises specifically from the Roman Empire. The prophecy stated that “the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” The dragon, while primarily representing Satan, also represents the power through whom Satan was working to destroy Jesus Christ. The prophecy has said that the dragon was ready to devour the Child as soon as it was born, and this is exactly what happened—Herod the Roman governor killed the babies of Bethlehem, attempting to kill Jesus; but God protected Him. It was Rome that condemned Jesus to die; it was Rome that executed Him; it was Rome that sealed and guarded the tomb; it was Rome that Satan was working through. Thus Rome was to give this beast its power, its throne or seat of government and its great authority. This point alone is sufficient to identify which power this is. There is only one power which received its seat of government and power from Pagan Rome and it corresponds exactly with the little horn of Daniel 7—the medieval church.

“To the succession of the Caesars came the succession of the Pontiffs in Rome. When Constantine left Rome he gave his seat to the Pontiff.” Labanca, Professor of History at the University of Rome.

“The popes filled the place of the vacant emperors at Rome, inheriting their power, their prestige, and titles from paganism. Constantine left all to the bishop of Rome. The papacy is but the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon its grave.” Stanley’s History, page 40.

While we want to have love and Christian kindness and tenderness toward all people and all groups of people. Jesus manifested no prejudice or disdain toward any group of people. In fact, Jesus showed greater tenderness and interest in those whom the Jews despised. This does not negate the fact that we must face what Bible prophecy says. When Bible prophecy identifies a particular power in prophecy we must study and understand the warning that the Lord is attempting to give us. We must remember that prophecy talks about political-religious systems and not individual people. The fact remains and the historians are very clear—there is only one power to which Rome gave its seat of government and authority—the Papacy of Rome, or the system of the Roman Catholic Church.

Revelation 13:8  And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

2) It is an international system of worship. Not only is it a political power, but it is a religious power also. A fit description of the Papacy, which is the one largest religious groups in the world and also meets regularly with Presidents, Prime Ministers, Diplomatic officials and other influential politicians. This power regularly has an international political agenda and influences major decisions on a world scale. It is without a doubt a religious-political power.

It solicits the worship of the whole world. This is one of the major aspects of this prophecy and something that we definitely see taking place around us today. It is a worldwide system of worship.

Revelation 13:5, 6  And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.

Luke 5:20, 21  When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, you sins are forgiven you.”And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

John 10:33  The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

3) The beast speaks blasphemies. God’s Word elsewhere defines blasphemy as claiming to be able to forgive sin or as being a man and claiming to be God. (The accusation of blasphemy against Jesus was false, because He is God and can forgive sins; but for a mere man it would be blasphemy of the highest degree.) What Roman religious-political power seeks international worship and claims to be able to forgive sins and claims the prerogatives of God alone?

There is only one power which matches these points—the Papacy. The twofold definition of blasphemy in the Bible is a mere man claiming to be able to forgive sins and claiming to be God. Both of these points are fulfilled by the common clergy of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pontiff himself.

“Seek where you will, through Heaven and earth, and you will find but one created being who can forgive the sinner… That extraordinary being is the priest, the Catholic Priest.” The Catholic Priest, pages 78, 79.

“God Himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of His priest, and either not to pardon or to pardon, according as they refuse or give absolution… The sentence of the priest preceded, and God subscribes to it.” Dignity and Duties of the Priest, vol. 12, page 2.

“The pope is of so great dignity, and so exalted, that he is not a mere man, but as it were God and the vicar of God.” Ferraris’ Ecclesiastical Dictionary, articles on the Pope. (A Roman Catholic Dictionary.)

“But the supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore, requires, together with a perfect accord in the one faith, complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself… We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII pages 193, 304. New York: Benziger Bros., 1903.

Revelation 13:7  And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

4) It makes war on God’s people. When the records of history are cracked, it is readily seen that millions of Christians died for no other crime than having a Bible or keeping the Sabbath. The Papacy has been responsible for more deaths than Hitler and Stalin combined. An estimated fifty million Christians lost their lives during the period of Papal supremacy. In March of 2000, Pope John Paul II publicly asked forgiveness for the wrongs of the Catholic Church. The Columbus Dispatch, March 13, 2000, commented, “The church burned heretics at the stake during the Inquisition. Armies of the faithful slaughtered Muslims during the Crusades. And during the Holocaust, some Catholics [Pope Pius XII being one of them] stood silent in the face of Nazi genocide.” But the official documents of the church, still claim that this is perfectly acceptable, despite the apology.

“The church may by divine right confiscate the property of heretics, imprison their person and condemn them to the flames… In our age the right to inflict the severest penalties, even death belongs to the church…  There is no greater offense than heresy… therefore it must be rooted out.” Public Ecclesiastical Law, vol. 2, page 142.

“The church has persecuted. Only a tyro in church history will deny that.” Western Watchman, December 23, 1908.

Revelation 13:5  And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.

Revelation 12:6  Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

5) It was to continue for forty-two months. There are three time periods mentioned in conjunction with this prophecy: forty-two months (Rev. 13:5), one thousand two hundred and sixty years (Revelation 12:6) and a times, time and half a time (Daniel 7:25). When calculated out all three of these periods are the same. In forty-two months there are one thousand two hundred sixty days. (Calculating with the Biblical month of 30 days—see the account of the flood, Genesis 7:11; 8:3, 4) One thousand two hundred sixty days is the same period as three and a half years (times, time and half a time). Thus all these periods point to a period of one thousand two hundred sixty prophetic days, or according to Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34, one thousand two hundred sixty years. Does the Papacy fit this description?

The Papacy, while stemming from the early church at Rome, did not become a political power until around AD 538. This occurred when it uprooted three of the ten original divisions of Rome as predicted in Daniel 7:8, 20, 24. One of the ten tribes, the Heruli had a different belief on the Godhead than what the papacy had. Besides that, they reigned in Italy and would give the papacy no political dominion. The elections of the popes even had to be approved by Odoacer, king of the Heruli. So, in 493, through the instigation of the papacy, the Ostrogoths drove the Heruli out of Italy: and thus the first of the three tribes were uprooted. Another Arian tribe, the Vandals, from the vicinity of Carthage, Northern Africa, posed a threat to the politically emerging Papacy. Under the direction of Rome, Justinian, emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire from Constantinople, sent his general Belisarius and took Carthage in 533, and the Vandals disappeared from history—“plucked up.” Theodoric king of the Ostrogoths (the third and final tribe), also an Arian power in Italy, believed in and granted religious liberty to all. Justinian would have none of that. In the name of the “true faith” (Catholicism), he again sent out Belisarius, who through the treason of the Catholic clergy and laity, entered Rome in AD 536. The Ostrogoths tried to reconquer their territory, but in AD 538 they retreated from Rome to Ravena. Belisarius followed them and conquered their last stronghold; the power of the Ostrogoths was broken. The Papacy had, for the first time in its history, gained temporal dominion. In AD 538, the Papacy became, not just a church, but a political power, or a “horn.” The prophecy had been exactly fulfilled.

The Papacy became a political power and could exercise dominion over God’s people starting in 538, when it finally subdued the Arian kingdoms around it. Adding 1260 years to 538 brings us to 1798. Did anything happen in 1798 that ended the political reign of the Papacy, thus bringing the persecution of God’s people to a temporary end?

“When, in 1797, Pope Pius VI fell grievously ill, Napoleon gave orders that in the event of his death no successor should be elected to his office, and that the Papacy should be discontinued.

“But the Pope recovered. The peace was soon broken; Berthier entered Rome on the 10th February, 1798, and proclaimed a republic. The aged Pontiff refused to violate his oath by recognizing it, and was hurried from prison to prison in France .... No wonder that half of Europe thought Napoleon’s veto would be obeyed, and that with the Pope the Papacy was dead.” The Modern Papacy, page 1, London Catholic Truth Society.

“Rome, the 21st of Feb. [1798], Pope Pius VI, has occupied the papal chair for all of twenty-eight years, but the 15th inst. his government in the Papal States was abolished, and five days later, guarded by one hundred French soldiers, he was taken away from his palace and his capital...

“His... property was sold by the French, and among it were seven hundred head of cattle, one hundred fifty horses, and eight hundred cords of wood...

“Poor Pius! He must have felt very sad as he left Rome to go into captivity. When he departed his tear-filled eyes were turned heavenward.” The official Swedish newspaper, Stockholms Posttidning, March 29, 1798.

“The murder of a Frenchman in Rome in 1798 gave the French an excuse for occupying the Eternal City and putting an end to the Papal temporal power. The aged Pontiff himself was carried off into exile to Valence… The enemies of the Church rejoiced. The last Pope, they declared, had reigned.” Church History, 24.

The Papacy continued as a political power for exactly one thousand two hundred sixty years. Then prophecy was again fulfilled to the letter when the Papal lands were declared absolved into the Republic of France. The Papacy matches this point with undeniable certainty.

Revelation 13:3  I saw one 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.

Although the Papacy received a deadly wound in 1798, prophecy predicted that it would be healed and that all the world would acknowledge its authority again. Once again this part of the prophecy has been fulfilled, as well. In February of 1929, the Vatican signed a treaty with Italy granting civil power to the Papacy again. Since this time the Vatican has been a country; although the smallest one by size, it is large with political clout in the world today. Truly the deadly wound is being healed.

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.

6) The number of the Beast is 666. It is not only the number of the beast, but it is the number of a man as well. Is there a man at the head of the Papacy? What is the official title and numeral equivalent of the man that leads the Papacy?

“The letters inscribed in the Pope’s mitre are these: Vicarius Filii Dei, which is Latin for Vicar of the Son of God.” Our Sunday Visitor, April 18, 1915.

Official Title of the Pope: VICARIUS FILII DEI

V =      51        F =       0        D =    500          112

I  =       1        I =       1        E =       0           53

C =    100        L =     50        I  =       1          501

A =       0        I =       1                501          666

R =       0        I =       1

I  =       1                  53

U2=       5

S =       0

         112

1 Roman Numeral Equivalent
2 Originally, U and V were the same letter

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 might buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

7) It claims a specific mark of its authority. The beast power not only has a number, but it also has a mark. Many have confused the number with the mark, but it is clearly two separate identifications. What is the mark that it attempts to force the world to receive?

The Issue: Worship

Revelation 14:7, 9, 10  Saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”… Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and received his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God…

The issue that the mark of the beast revolves around is who are we going to worship? Will we worship the Beast or will we worship the Creator? God asks that we worship Him and Him alone, but the beast power has interposed and attempts to be a worldwide system demanding worship. How does it demand worship? It demands worship through its mark, through obedience to it instead of God. If we obey the beast, then we will be worshiping the beast. If we obey God, then we will be worshiping our Creator.

Revelation 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Those who worship the Creator are described as those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. Those who do not worship the beast, will be keeping all of God’s commandments. Those who worship the beast will be breaking one or more.

James 2:10-12  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

Matthew 7:21-23  Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

If we break one commandment, then we are classified with those who are worshipping the beast. It is not acceptable with God to keep most of His Law. We are not worshiping Him as our Master, unless we do whatever He says if we can understand it or not. When the Lord says to obey Him, we must be willing to believe His Word and obey Him instead of the beast power. Many are going to be lost because they thought that what they said or did, did not really matter that much. They think that God will understand, but the Lord says that only those who obey Him as their Creator will be saved in the last days. It is only those who have the seal of God instead of the mark of the beast.

The Lawlessness Beast

II Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 7, 8  Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in temple of God, showing himself that he is God... For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.

Revelation 13:4-7  So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with Him?” And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Daniel 7:25  He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.

A careful scrutiny bears out that the beast of Revelation 13, the man of sin of II Thessalonians 2, the little horn of Daniel 7, and the antichrist of John’s writings are one and the same. The descriptions focus on different aspects, but the similarities are overwhelming. The chief description from the Old to New Testaments is that the beast power or antichrist is lawless. He is called the “man of sin” (Sin is breaking God’s Law according to I John 3:4). With the description given in Revelation 13, it can be specifically mentioned that he is breaking four of the Ten Commandments (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 6th). The description given in Daniel 7 is even more implicating. Not only was this power lawless, but this power has attempted to change God’s Holy Law! The Law is the foundation of God’s throne and government (Psalms 89:14; 97:2). Today the fulfillment of this prophecy can be seen. By looking around at the churches and world at large, we see that the entire world is disregarding God’s Sabbath day. Not only are they disregarding it, but they think that it has been changed! (Exactly as prophecy foretold.)

The Seal of the Living God

Revelation 7:2, 3  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.”

In order to understand the mark of the beast, it is necessary to understand what the devil is counterfeiting—the Seal of God. The seal is the mark in Revelation that the Lord wants to put upon His people.

Romans 4:11  And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,

Ezekiel 20:12, 20  Moreover 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.

God’s Word declares that the Sabbath is the sign that we are God’s people. Then, as can be seen from Romans 4:11, sign and seal are used interchangeably in the Bible. The Sabbath is the sign, or it is the seal, that we are God’s people. The keeping of the Sabbath is the seal of the Living God. If we do not want to receive the mark of the beast, then we must receive God’s seal and be faithfully keeping His holy Sabbath day.

Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

Exodus 20:8-11  Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, not your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 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.

Not only does God’s Word refer to the Sabbath as the sign of God and then states that sign and seal are synonymous in Scripture, but it gives another identification of the seal. It states that the seal is found in the Law.

With any law, what gives it force, is the fact that it is sealed. A law does not go into effect until the president has signed it. The signing or the sealing of the law is what makes the entire law binding. Without the sign or seal, the law is merely another piece of paper in the stack. With the Presidential seal, as with any seal, there are three essential characteristics—the name, the title, and the dominion. The name states who is making the law, the title gives the authority for making the law, and the dominion states where the law is in effect. Without these three essential elements, a law is meaningless. God’s Word states that God’s Law also is sealed. What is the seal in God’s Law? What is the only commandment that has all three essential elements in a seal? The Sabbath commandment is the only commandment in the entire Law that contains the elements of a seal. In the fourth commandment is seen the name: “the Lord your God”. The Lord’s title is given: “the Lord made”— He is the Creator, the Maker, and that is His authority and why He can give the Law. The Lord’s dominion is also given: “the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them”. (Exodus 20:10, 11) The Sabbath commandment is the only commandment that contains the seal of the Living God. Thus, once again we can see that the seal of God is the seventh-day Sabbath.

The Mark of the Beast

Daniel 7:25  He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.

The most blasphemous of all the identifying points of the beast is that he will intend to change “times and law.” What is the only commandment in God’s Law that deals with time? It is none other than the fourth—the Sabbath commandment. God’s Holy Law is safely preserved in His ark in the heavenly sanctuary. It is safe from change and fraud, but prophecy stated that this power would “intend” to make this change. Has this happened today? Nearly every Christian thinks that the Sabbath is on Sunday, but this is not what God’s Word says.

How did this change occur? All the apostles safeguarded apostasy from coming in, and you do not find anywhere in the records of antiquity that the day of worship was changed while the apostles were alive; but shortly thereafter, just like Paul said in Acts chapter 20, wolves came in, not sparing the flock. There began to be just a little bit of compromise—compromise with the world—because all of the pagans worshipped the sun on the first day of the week. Each year around the Passover there was a wild, solar festival. The compromising church leaders decided to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection once a year. Since He was resurrected on Sunday, they celebrated it on Sunday, calling it Easter. (Easter has no Christian origins. It originated from Ishtar, the goddess that the pagans worshipped at that time.) Every year the Christians had a festival just like the pagans, but they claimed it was in celebration of the resurrection. Gradually, this yearly celebration came to be a weekly celebration. They would keep God’s holy Sabbath, but then they would have this celebration on the first day because they wanted to get more converts. They lowered the standards to attract a crowd. Then, to avoid the stigma of Judaism, they prohibited worshipping God on His holy day. Since Rome was the seat of this compromising, gradually it became the place where the Sabbath was disregarded and Sunday was exalted. This switch from the plain Word of God to the pagan customs took years and centuries to accomplish; but it was finally brought about, until almost the entire world is paying homage to the Papacy in the place of God. Roman Catholic authors acknowledge that they instituted the claim and even use this change as proof of their authority.

“The church took the pagan philosophy and made it the buckler of faith against the heathen. She took the pagan Roman Pantheon, temple of all the gods, and made it sacred to all the martyrs; so it stands to this day. She took the pagan Sunday and made it the Christian Sunday. She took the pagan Easter and made it the feast we celebrate during this season… The sun was a foremost God with heathendom. Hence, the Church, would seem to have said, ‘Keep that old pagan name. It shall remain consecrated, sanctified.’ And thus, the pagan Sunday, dedicated to Balder, became the Christian Sunday, sacred to Jesus.” Catholic World (March 1894), pages 58, 809.

“Have you any other way of proving that the church has power to institute festivals of precept? Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her;—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.” A Doctrinal Catechism, Stephen Keenan, pg. 174.

“From this same Catholic Church you have accepted your Sunday, and that Sunday, as the Lord’s day, she has handed down as a tradition; and the entire Protestant world has accepted it as tradition, for you have not an iota of Scripture to establish it. Therefore that which you have accepted as your rule of faith, inadequate as it of course is, as well as your Sunday, you have accepted on the authority of the Roman Catholic church.” The Papal Controversy, page 179, D.B. Ray, 1892.

“The Catholic Church for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday.” The Catholic Mirror, September 23, 1893.

“Sunday is our mark of authority. The Church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.” Catholic Record, September 1, 1923.

“The Bible says, remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. The Catholic Church says, No! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. And, lo! The entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church.” Father T. Enright, C.S.S.R., President of Redemptorist College, in a lecture given in Hartford, Kansas, February 18, 1884.

God’s seal is none other than His holy Sabbath day. The Lord has chosen the observance of this commandment as the special distinguishing mark of His people, but the beast power has counterfeited God’s precious seal. The counterfeit, just like a counterfeit dollar bill, is not a big difference. It is an ever-so-slight difference, but the difference is between who you are obeying. Are you obeying God or the beast? Does a day really matter? It doesn’t seem like a big difference, but it is the difference between the seal of God and the mark of the beast.