What is the future of America? What does prophecy say regarding our nation? The future of major world events was clearly delineated through the nations of antiquity, but what about the present? Does prophecy have a message for our time? Does its light pierce through the dark and cloudy passages of today? A careful study of the prophecies reveals not only passing details, but also a final climatic struggle involving the major powers and players of the world today. It will be a struggle that will involve every single individual upon the globe. As the curtain on the final prophecies is lifted not just today’s news, but tomorrow’s headlines will be graphically displayed.

Revelation 13:15-17  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. 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 or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Prophecy pictures a panoramic view of world history in the book of Daniel. The four great empires, each succeeding the next, are seen stretching for over one thousand years. After the story of these beasts’ reign and fall, the career of the antichrist is foretold. With this outline of history, each successive prophetic vision in both Daniel and Revelation fills in the details described. Prophecy is given for every generation living in this earth’s history, but prophecy is most particularly for our generation. Not only were the rise and fall of ancient empires predicted, but most importantly for us, events, which are transpiring around us, were predicted as well. Prophecy foretells a final superpower that is to bear sway over the entire world in our time. This superpower leads and deceives the world into receiving the mark of the beast. Is this final superpower of prophecy in existence today? Who is this final superpower of prophecy?

The Power Behind the Scenes

Revelation 13:1-7  Then I stood on 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. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And 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. 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. 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.

In order to identify the final superpower in the last great conflict, it is necessary to review who the superpower of the first part of the Christian dispensation is. A previous session has already covered the beast and its mark in depth. There are many points that identify the beast power, and when all these points are put together there is only one power in the entire world that matches every point. God’s last day church is identified by two simple characteristics and by these two characteristics we can arrive at an unmistakable identity; but God wanted to be certain that we knew exactly what the counterfeit religious system is, so He gave detail after detail so that none need be mistaken. The power that alone matches all of the identifying points is the Papacy of Rome. While we hold no animosity or ill-will toward the people of the Roman Catholic Church, if we are going to be loyal to God’s Word, we must identify the system as the beast, antichrist and little horn power.

A brief listing of some (by no means exhaustive) of the identifying points of this power all point to the Papacy. 1) It is a horn or kingdom. Daniel 7:8, 24. 2) When it arose it was a little power. Daniel 7:8. 3) It arose among the ten horns, or in the territory of Western Europe. Daniel 7:8. 4) It arose after the other ten horns, or after AD 476. Daniel 7:24. 5) It was small at first but soon became dominant. Daniel 7:20. 6) It destroyed three of the ten kingdoms. Daniel 7:8, 20, 24. 7) It had eyes like the eyes of a man. Daniel 7:8. 8) It had a mouth speaking blasphemies against God. Daniel 7:8, 25; II Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:5. 9) It made war with the saints and overcame them. Daniel 7:21, 25; Revelation 13:7. 10) It was different from the first horns, being both a religious and political power. Daniel 7:24. 11) It attempted to change times and law. Daniel 7:25. 12) The saints were given into his hand for a time, times and half a time. Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5. 13) It arose from among the early church itself. Acts 20:29, 30. 14) It existed in Paul’s day. II Thessalonians 2:7. 15) Although it existed in Paul’s lifetime it was to continue until Jesus’ second coming. II Thessalonians 2:8. 16) It was going to set itself up in the church. II Thessalonians 2:4. 17) It was a lawless power. II Thessalonians 2:7-9. 18) It was going to rise to power after pagan Rome was taken out of the way. II Thessalonians 2:7, 8; Revelation 13:2. 19) Its number was 666. Revelation 13:18. 20) It was going to receive a deathblow. Revelation 13:3, 10. 21) Its deathblow was to be healed. Revelation 13:3. Although there are other identifying points, these are comprehensive enough to exclude all but one power. It was a religious-political power that arose to political prominence sometime after AD 476 somewhere in the territory of Western Europe. Although it began as a small power, it arose to political supremacy. It relied upon human eyes, or human traditions and ideas instead of God’s Word. It blasphemed the God of heaven by claiming to be of equal authority with God and able to forgive sins such as God alone can do. (Luke 5:20, 21; John 10:33) It arose from the early church, set up its power within the church, and would exist until Jesus comes. Comparing history with every single one of these points identifies the Papacy as the antichrist/beast power of prophecy.

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 significant aspect of this power is that its mark, the mark of the beast, is the counterfeit to God’s seal. In the last days the entire world will make a decision whether to receive the seal of God or the mark of the beast. God’s sign, or seal, is obedience to all of His commandments, especially the commandment that must be taken solely by faith, the Sabbath commandment. (Ezekiel 20:12, 20; Exodus 20:8-11) The counterfeit mark of the beast is its attempted change of God’s Law, particularly the commandment dealing with time. (Daniel 7:25) The only commandment that deals with time is the fourth commandment, the Sabbath commandment. Thus the beast’s mark of lawlessness is the intentional change of the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday, which the Papacy claims as the mark of its authority.

“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.

The mark of the beast is none other than its mark of disobedience to God’s holy Law, observance of Sunday instead of the Sabbath, when it will be enforced by law. The mark of the beast, like the mark of God, is not a brand, tattoo or implant, but is a mark of character. It is a mark that shows to whom we yield our allegiance. Is it to this world or to the God of heaven? The simple test that God has established to reveal to us the condition of our heart is our obedience or disobedience of His Law, particularly keeping or rejecting His Sabbath day.

Revelation 13:3  And 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.

Another primary identifying characteristic is that this power was to continue for one thousand two hundred and sixty prophetic days, or literal years. (Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34) This is specifically mentioned seven times throughout Daniel and Revelation. (Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5) As we have previously studied, the Papacy was established as a political power for the first time in AD 538. This year the third horn was uprooted from Rome and the Papacy was no longer solely a church. It had become a “little horn.” For the next few hundred years it continued to grow to greater prominence until by the turn of the millennium its power extended throughout Europe and the Middle East. During this time, it launched a vicious war on those who held fast to the truth from the Bible. Millions were killed during this Dark Age in earth’s history. The Reformation began to break the power of the Papacy and in 1798 it came to its political end.

“The object of the French Directory was the destruction of the pontifical government, as the irreconcilable enemy of the republic… The aged pope was summoned to surrender the temporal government; on his refusal, he was dragged from the altar… His rings were torn from his fingers, and finally, after declaring the temporal power abolished, the victors carried the pope prisoner into Tuscany, whence he never returned (1798).

“The Papal States, converted into the Roman Republic, were declared to be in perpetual alliance with France, but the French general was the real master of Rome… The territorial possessions of the clergy and monks were declared national property, and their former owners cast into prison. The Papacy was extinct; not a vestige of its existence remained; and among all the Roman Catholic powers not a finger was stirred in its defense. The Eternal City had no longer prince or pontiff; its bishop was a dying captive in foreign lands; and the decree was already announced that no successor would be allowed in his place.” Rome: From the Fall of the Western Empire, page 439, 440, Rev. George Trevor, Canon of York, London: 1868.

The world thought that the Papacy would never again exert the political might that it had wielded through the centuries, but prophecy had predicted that its “deadly wound” would be healed. Today we are living in the time of the fulfillment of that verse. The influence that the Papacy exerted through the armies of the church is being felt more subtlety through its diplomats in nearly every country on the globe.

In the aftermath of the “deadly wound,” the papacy was reduced to a helpless church again. Catholic author John Cornwell recounted, “the dismal scene of oppression” and the “global perspective on the Catholic Church in the world. In Italy, processions and outdoor services were banned, communities of religion dispersed, Church property confiscated, priests conscripted into the army.... The conviction has been widely and confidently expressed by writers, thinkers, and politicians across Europe—Bovio in Italy, Balzac in France, Bismarck in Germany, Gladstone in England—that the papacy, and Catholicism with it, had had its day.” Hitler’s Pope, the Secret History of Pius XII, John Cornwell, pgs. 14, 15, 1999.

Although the nations thought that the Papacy had taken its place among the old and dusty relics of past ages, they had been negligent in their study of Bible prophecy, for prophecy had predicted just the opposite. Bible prophecy had foretold that the “deadly wound” would be healed and all the world would marvel and follow the Papacy. (Revelation 13:3) The media and politicians realize (perhaps unknowingly) the fulfillment of this prophecy and acknowledge the power and empire of the Papacy. “His [Pope John Paul II] power rests in the word, not the sword. As he has demonstrated throughout the 16 years of his papacy, John Paul needs no divisions. He is an army of one, and his empire is both as ethereal and as ubiquitous as the soul.” Time, December 26, 1994, “Empire of the Spirit.”

Perhaps the greatest feat of the Papacy in modern times was the crumbling of the Berlin wall and all that disintegrated with it. “Pope John Paul II has been pursuing a relentless crusade for his vision of how mankind should behave. And that vision has, at least in part, contributed significantly to political changes in various parts of the world.... But in many ways it is a lifelong battle against Communism that truly shapes this pope’s place in history. That battle began in 1979 when, within months of taking office, he visited his native Poland and began to rally a subject nation and helped set in motion sweeping democratic changes. The pontiff stood up for the independent trade union movement Solidarity and helped inspire a revolution of ideas—not just in Poland but across the Iron Curtain—that eventually lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union.” CNN, Brent Sadler, January 21, 1998. With the demise of communism, none could deny the global power that the Pope and the Papacy had reacquired.

Although its power and strength is not seen in military might or political clout, the Papacy is known to be a major player behind the scenes of world affairs. Through the negotiating power of its allies, the billion strong army of adherents and through the vast funds that it wields, world leaders from Gorbachev to Castro to Bush have the recognized the importance of hosting and dialoguing with this world power. From the rallies in Poland to the “people power” of the Philippines, which brought down the then Protestant President, the Papacy is stealthily and surely working behind the scenes to bring about its agenda. Its method of working behind the scenes was demonstrated in a UN Population conference in Cairo in 1994. “For nine days the Vatican delegates, under his direction, lobbied and filibustered; they kept their Latin American bloc in line and struck up alliances with Islamic nations opposed to abortion. In the end, the Pope won.” Time, December 26, 1994, “Empire of the Spirit” (cover article on Pope John Paul II, Time’s “Man of the Year”). After documenting the Papacy’s involvement in precipitating the crisis of World War I, it was summed up, “The Holy See, it is apparent, was no mere spiritual onlooker concerned exclusively with the spiritual welfare of Catholics in Serbia, but a player on the world scene with its own long-term ambitions and goals.” Hitler’s Pope, the Secret History of Pius XII, John Cornwell, pg. 58, 1999.

Revelation 13:9, 10  If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

The papal potentate, who through the centuries had led thousands into captivity, was taken into captivity. The power that had killed millions with the sword now received a deathblow. In 1798, this verse met its striking fulfillment. The subject of this end time chapter now transitions. At this time, when the power that had held almost universal sway over the world for nearly two millennia was being led into captivity, another world power was springing up. It is this new power that will play the most prominent role in the final events. It is this new power who is to lead the world to receive the mark of the beast.

The Final Superpower of Prophecy

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.

At the very time that the Papacy was going down, a new power, “another beast,” was arising from the earth. A Biblical symbol used repeatedly in prophecy is the symbol of a beast. It was first introduced and explained in Daniel to be kings or kingdoms. (Daniel 7:17, 23) So this new beast was a new nation arising right around the time of 1798. What nation was emerging around 1798 that plays a prominent part in world events? Not only was it establishing itself around 1798, but it was also pictured as “coming up of out of the earth.”

Revelation 17:15  Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.”

In order to understand what the earth represents, we must first understand what water represents. Water is the opposite of dry land, or earth, so we would expect the earth to be the opposite of what water represents. According to Revelation 17:15, water is clearly a symbol of nations or civilizations or a populous area. What, then, would dry land, or earth, represent? The opposite—it is basically an uninhabited area, a previously unknown area. All of the previous beasts of prophecy (Daniel 7:2, 3; Revelation 13:1, 2) came up from the water. They arose from already occupied territory. With the strength of arms bathed in blood, they violently subdued the areas around them, but this new nation was different. It was coming up from an unknown, sparsely populated wilderness area.

It was said to be “coming up” out of the earth. The Greek word for “coming up” is anabaino. Anabaino is translated “to go, come, spring or grow up” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance), but can have the connotation “to grow or spring up as a plant.” (See Matthew 13:7) This new superpower was to grow or to spring up like a plant. Like a plant it was to slowly grow to power. A plant does not grow up and come to fruition overnight. A plant slowly and peacefully grows until it might become a mighty oak or fir tree, but it grows slowly.

It is described as having “two horns like a lamb.” In the other twenty-six times that the lamb is referred to in Revelation it always refers to Christ. This reference then could be considered to represent a Christ-like nation—a peaceful, docile, young nation. It had two horns, but there were no crowns on these horns. This was a power that was totally different from the previous powers. It was to be a nation without a king (denoted by a crown). The ruling powers of this nation were to be the great Christ-like principles of Republicanism and Protestantism; the separation of the church from the state, the great principle taught by Christ of religious liberty. (Matthew 22:21)

Identifying points of the final superpower of Bible prophecy:

·         A new nation arising to power around 1798.

·           A nation arising from a sparsely inhabited wilderness area.

·         A nation that slowly grew into its borders and power.

·         A nation founded upon  Christ-like principles found in the Bible.

·         A nation without a king.

 The United States was a young, weak power. America’s military could not even begin to compare with those of the age old countries of Europe. In 1933, the United States’ army was only the sixteenth largest in the world, but after World War II, things began to change. The United States emerged as a major player in world events, but another power arose rivaling the United States—the Soviet Union. Communism spread around the world, the United States engaged in several wars that had no decisive winner (Vietnam and Korea). Prophecy had foretold that the United States would be the major player in final events, and nothing could stand in the way of the destined nation. When the Soviet Union fell in 1989, the United States emerged as the undisputed superpower, just as prophecy had foretold. The Washington Post, August 29, 1991, commenting on the fall of communism said, “America would now determine all major global events.” Speaking of the United States, Time, July 21, 1991, “This worlds sole remaining superpower, no prospect in the immediate future of any power to rival the United States.” “The United States stands alone as the most powerful nation in the world: Its economy, even when it sputters, is a formidable engine. Its military might, as measured by spending on defense, is the equal of the next 25 nations combined. Judged by the sweep of centuries, this position simply is not normal; even after World War II, when the United States achieved superpower status, it was matched by Moscow.” US News and World Report “My way—or the highway?” Thomas Omestad, 12/30/02. Perhaps it is not normal in the sweep of the centuries, but it certainly was predicted nearly two thousand years ago. The events that we see taking place around us today are without a question the fulfillment of Bible prophecy before our eyes, but this is not the end of the story.

A Metamorphosis

Revelation 13:11, 12  Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And 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.

This beast with horns like a lamb was to speak as a dragon. A change was to occur. The Christ-like principles espoused by America were to change and it was to speak with the ferocity of pagan Rome. Although God approved its beginnings, the fire of oppression is to come through the boasted “land of the free.” With the great principles of separation of church and state at the cornerstone of the United States’ government and greatness, a reversal will be seen. No longer do the lamblike horns appear, now is heard the voice of the dragon. Protestant America will actually be instrumental in forcing the world to worship the first beast—the papacy. How will the change take place? How will the world be led to worship the Church of Rome?

Revelation 13:13-17  He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 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. 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. 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 or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

As undesirable and painful to think about as it is, we must recognize and accept the predictions of unfulfilled prophecy. America, which has been the bastion of liberty and a home for the oppressed, will speak like a dragon and coerce the world to follow its lead. It will exercise all the authority of the first beast, the Papacy, which trampled the rights of nations and the consciences of individuals underfoot. Do we see the beginnings of this fulfillment already?

Every other major currency is compared to the US dollar. Why? Because the United States economy is the largest force in the world today. If the United States economy falters, it is felt around the world. Through economic power, the United States is able to force its will upon unwilling neighbors and nations. “A country that produces nearly a third of the world’s gross domestic product and whose military spending tops that of the next 20 countries combined is capable, obviously, of exerting wide influence through both soft power (including everything from MTV to McDonald’s) and hard military muscle.” US News and World Report, “The New American Empire”, 1/13/03, Jay Tolson. This can be seen by the global hunt on terrorism, with virtually every nation of the world falling into line with the United States agenda in its desire for a “regime change” in Iraq. “Says a senior administration official, ‘Iraq is now an example of what happens when the United States puts something on the agenda and then brings the rest of the world to that position by, in this case, reinvigorating the most important multilateral institution, which is the [U.N.] Security Council.’” Ibid. The United States’ agenda becomes the agenda of the world whether the world community likes it or not. Many of the current issues may appear benign, but prophecy predicts where this alarming trend is leading.

America, the sole remaining superpower of prophecy, will lead the world to receive the mark of the beast. Although almost unfathomable, the later part of this prophecy will be fulfilled just as the first part, in every aspect, has taken place. Beginning with mild measures but growing more oppressive, the United States will lead the world to receive the mark of the beast. Through its economic strength the world will be led to bow before the Papacy when the mild measures fail. The mark of the beast is not 666. That is the number of the beast. The mark of the beast is the mark of the Papacy. By acknowledging the mark of the papacy, the world will be bowing before the Pope of Rome instead of the God of heaven. What is God’s sign or seal?

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.

The sign, or seal, of God is obedience to God’s holy Sabbath day. The sign that we really love God is that we meet with Him on the appointment that He has set. Those who do not consider God’s appointment of love important enough to make it part of their week, show that they really do not love the Lord as He desires. Their heart is on the things of the world rather than on our God of love and His Word. Where is your heart? Do you love the Lord enough to meet with Him on the appointment that He has established or are you going to disregard God’s appointment and honor the appointment of the beast power of Rome?

“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.

“It was the Catholic Church which, by the authority of Jesus Christ, has transferred this rest to the Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Thus the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] church.” Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, Mgr. Segur, page 213.

“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.

“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 Mirror, December 23, 1893, James Cardinal Gibbons.

The mark of the beast, seen in Scripture and verified by history is the attempted change of God’s holy Law from the Sabbath to Sunday. This is the mark that the beast power claims as the mark of its authority. It is the proof that Catholics use to show that Protestants are worshipping the Roman Catholic Church.

Prophecy has foretold that the United States will lead the world into worshipping the Papacy through its mark, Sunday observance. The time is coming, sooner than many think, that the populace will urge their rulers to enforce Sunday observance. These laws will at first be mild, but will become stricter and more stringent until the decree will be issued that those who honor God must choose between their lives or their faith. When the law enforces Sunday observance, it will fully have become the mark of the beast. At that time, all who surrender their convictions to the oppressive powers that be will receive the mark of destruction. Does this seem impossible? Sunday laws have already been enforced and many are still on the books today. In Arkansas and Tennessee, people were taken to court for the wicked crime of feeding their cattle on Sunday. They were sentenced to jail and their only crime was worshiping God according to the dictates of their conscience. Could it happen again? Does it sound preposterous? Bible prophecy has been right on every other point. It will not be wrong on this point, either.

Within the past few decades, Christians have become increasingly more political and have spoken with a stronger voice in government. For example, on the Christian Coalition of America’s website we find the following, “You have come to the home of the largest and most active conservative grassroots political organization in America. The Christian Coalition of America offers people of faith the vehicle to be actively involved in shaping their government - from the County Courthouse to the halls of Congress.” (www.cc.org) While we may not disagree with many of the ideas and values that are being promoted, we have an inside glimpse of where this movement is headed from Bible prophecy. Bible prophecy teaches that political-Christian organizations will become stronger and stronger leading to the enforcement of the mark of the beast, and we can see the beginnings of this prophetic fulfillment already.

Not only are the grassroots political-Christian movements gaining rapid strides in the twenty-first century and the religious right is baring its arm with greater and greater strength, but also there are organizations poised to bring about the exact prediction of prophecy. The mission statement of the Lord’s Day Alliance shows this to be so: “The Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States exists to encourage Christians to reclaim the Sabbath–the Lord’s Day [erroneously meaning Sunday] –as a day of spiritual and personal renewal, enabling them to impact their communities with the Gospel.” (www.ldausa.org) From the Lord’s Day Alliance (which was founded in 1888 and involved in the major push for Sunday legislation in the bill introduced into the United States Senate on May 21, 1888 by Senator Blair) to Pope John Paul II, a movement towards a law enforcing Sunday observance is gaining ground and according to prophecy will become a reality.

 “Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy.” Dies Domini, March 31, 1998, Pope John Paul II, on keeping the Lord’s day.

The major players have arrived on the scene and the props are in place, we are only awaiting the enactment. These movements, though behind the scenes today, are preparing to take center stage; and we can be sure that very soon they will come out from the shadows and the final prophecies will be fulfilled. As natural disasters and terrorist attacks wreck our world, a cry will rise that we must “get back to God.” It will grow stronger and stronger until prophecy again becomes the newspaper headlines.

The final part of Revelation 13 is still future prophecy, but it will not be much longer. Are you prepared for that day? Do you realize that you are determining on which side you will stand, right now? The choices and decisions that you are making today will determine whether you receive the seal of God or the mark of the beast. Are you living in obedience to all of God’s Law? Are you keeping God’s holy Sabbath day? Those who compromise and delay will be among the class against whom we are warned.

Revelation 14:9, 10  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.”

They are the majority. It appears as if the entire world is bowing the knee to the beast. It appears as if the world is united in worshipping on Sunday. The arguments sound good, but they are fraught with lies. The Word of God is not their standard. There is a small group, though, who love the Lord so much that they will withstand the ire of the world to obey Him. They will allow nothing to sway their minds from doing whatever God asks them to do. Will you be in that class? These are the ones who are rescued when Jesus comes.

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

They will be a small, hated, boycotted group, but God’s blessing will be with them, and God has promised that if we follow Him, we shall be privileged to stand upon the sea of glass, and sing praises to our God. It will be well worth it all. Will you make the decision to be among that small group of commandment keepers so that you may share in their reward and be ready to meet your Lord with joy?