Someone Cares Series
Information Brochure No. 13

The Beast

Introduction

One of God's strongest warnings for the last days is against receiving the mark of the Beast. Before identifying this mark, let us learn the identity of the Beast.

1. What warning does God give against worshipping the Beast?

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:" (Revelation 14:9-10).

The third angel's message has been sent forth to the world, warning men against receiving the mark of the beast or of his image in their foreheads or in their hands. To receive this mark means to come to the same decision as the beast has done, and to advocate the same ideas in direct opposition to the Word of God. If we receive this mark in our foreheads or in our hands, the judgments pronounced against the disobedient must fall upon us. But the seal of the living God is placed upon those who conscientiously keep the Sabbath of the Lord.

The longsuffering of God is wonderful. Men are prone to abuse the longsuffering of God and to presume on His forbearance. But here is a point in human iniquity when it is time for God to interfere; and terrible are the consequences.

2. Why is God opposed to the Beast power?

"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. ... And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations" (Revelation 13:1, 5-7).

The records of the past clearly reveal the enmity of Rome towards the true Sabbath and its defenders, and the means which she employs to honor the institution of her creating. In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly establish. Its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to be head over the entire church. Paganism gave place to the papacy. The dragon had given to the beast "his power and his seat and great authority" (Revelation 13:20). Now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel 7:15 and Revelation 13:5-7. Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death.

3. What does Paul call this power who seeks to exalt himself above God?

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. ... And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:" (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 8).

Paul was warning the people that "the revealing of the man of sin" would happen before the return of Jesus. The man of sin was to arise and do his work of exaltation and blasphemy before the brethren should look for the coming of Jesus. There would be revealed a form of antichrist, and the leaven of apostasy was to work with increasing power to the end of time.

There is one pointed out in prophecy as the man of sin. He is the representative of Satan. Taking the suggestions of Satan concerning the law of God, which is as unchangeable as His throne, this man of sin comes in and represents to the world that he has changed that law, and that the first day of the week instead of the seventh is now the Sabbath. The enemy of all good has turned the sign-post round, so that it points to the path of disobedience as if it were the path of happiness. He has insulted God by refusing to obey a "thus saith the Lord." He has thought to change times and laws.

4. What descriptions in Daniel, compared with what we read in Revelation 13:5-7, show that the "Beast" power is the same as the "Little Horn" of Daniel 7?

"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations" (Revelation 13:5-7).

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time" (Daniel 7:25).

The beast power "shall speak great words against the Most High" (Daniel 7:25) and there was given unto him a "a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies" (Revelation 13:5).

"They shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time" (Daniel &:25) "and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months" (Revelation 13:5)."And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year" (Ezekiel 4:6)."After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise" (Numbers 14:34).

In symbolic or prophetic time a day represents a year."And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. ... And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent" (Revelation 12:6, 14).

A "time" represents a year. A "time, times and half a time" equals 3.5 years or 42 months as denoted in Revelation 13:5.

Revelation 12:14 refers to this period of time when the beast rules as 1260 prophetic days (or literal years). Symbolic time prophecies are based on 30-day months, making 360 days a year. Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before and the world became a vast battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity. The forty and two months are the same as the "time and times and the dividing of time," three years and a half, or the 1260 days of Daniel 7—the time during which the papal power was to oppress God's people. This period began with the supremacy of the papacy in 538 A.D. and was terminated in 1798.

5. Out of what kingdom did the little horn (Beast power) arise?

"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things" (Daniel 7:7, 8).

Daniel was given, in vision, a view of the fourth world empire which was pagan Rome. It was depicted as dreadful and terrible, strong like iron; it conquered and oppressed all others and was different from all the other kingdoms before it.

6. What happened to the Roman empire that made it possible the this new power to arise from its midst?

"And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay" (Daniel 2:40, 41).

Daniel here was told that the kingdom of Rome would be divided into ten, representing the ten kingdoms of Europe. However in the midst of these ten lesser kingdoms, a little horn (beast power) was to arise (Daniel 7:8). This little horn power completely destroyed three of the ten lesser kingdoms that pagan Rome was divided into. This division of Pagan Rome took place between 351 A.D. and 476 A.D.

7. Pagan Rome was divided into ten kingdoms between 351 and 476 A.D. When would the little horn arise from its midst?

"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings" (Daniel 7:24).

It is obvious from this verse that the little horn power arose at the division of the pagan Roman empire, not before as some teachers claim."For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

It arose as a political power after the ten, but Paul tells us that though not rising politically until pagan Rome was "taken out of the way," it was already present in his day (verse 7) and would continue until Jesus' second coming. It would then be destroyed.

8. What happened to three kingdoms before the little horn arose and exercised kingly power?

"I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things" (Daniel 7:8).

Three of the ten kingdoms into which Rome was divided opposed the spiritual supremacy of the papacy. These divisions were the Heruli, destroyed in 493 A.D.; and the Ostrogoths, who were uprooted from Rome in 538 A.D. and destroyed in 553 A.D. The pope began to exercise civil authority in 538 A.D. The Vatican was only ever a city but used the armies of the other divisions to destroy the three divisions who opposed her.

9. Would the little-horn kingdom be like the others?

"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings" (Daniel 7:24).

This little-horn kingdom would be different from all the previous kingdoms in that it would be religious as well as political. It would use the power of the state to enforce its teachings. In other words, it would be a church-controlled kingdom. The Lord says in His teachings to keep the church and state separate (Luke 20:35), giving each one its separate dues.

10. What religio-political power arose out of Rome around 538?

Out of this union of church and state arose the papacy. Emperor Justinian declared the pope to be ruler of Rome in 533 A.D., but he did not begin to reign until 538. The pope was temporal ruler of Rome from 538 A.D. until taken captive by Napoleon's general, Berthier, in 1798—exactly 1260 years from when a pope began ruling.

11. What kind of words does the little horn speak?

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws:" (Daniel 7:25a).

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4).

Once assuming power the pope set himself up as God, claiming that he is God, with the power to change the Law of God. Professing infallibility he claims the right to change the Law of God to suit his own purposes. By so doing he exalts himself above God and leave the world to infer that God is fallible. Although those standing at the head of the papacy claim to have great love for God, He looks upon them as haters of Him. They have turned the truth of God into a lie. The time has come when the truth is to be proclaimed against falsehood and error. The Roman Catholic church claims that the pope "is not a mere man, but as it were God." He is crowned with a triple crown as "king of heaven, earth and the lower regions." He "is of so great authority that he can modify even divine laws" (L. Ferraris in Prompta Bibleotheca).

12 What would this power do to the saints?"and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time" (Daniel &:25b).

In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to be head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the papacy. The dragon had given to the beast "his power and his seat and great authority" (Revelation 13:2). And now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel 7:15 and Revelation 13:5-7. Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship, or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the faggot or the headman's ax.

13. Though the Pope was wounded by losing his political power in 1798, how large an influence will he again exert in the world?

"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast" (Revelation 13:3).

The man of sin has worked with a marvelous perseverance to exalt the spurious Sabbath, and the disloyal Protestant world has wondered after the beast and called loyalty to the Sabbath of God as disloyalty to the laws of the nations. Kingdoms have confederated to sustain a false sabbath institution which has not a word of authority in the oracles of God. The professed Protestant world will form a confederacy with the man of sin, and the church and the world will be in corrupt harmony.

14. Does God have true and sincere followers in spiritual "Babylon?"

"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. ... And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:1, 2, 4).

As God called the children of Israel out of Egypt that they might keep His Sabbath, so He calls His people out of Babylon that they may not worship the beast or his image. A terrible condition of the religious world is here described. In defiance of the warnings which God has given they will continue to trample upon one of the precepts of the Decalogue, until they are led to persecute those who hold it sacred.

"Her sins have reached unto heaven and God hath remembered her iniquities" (Revelation 18:5). She has filled up the measure of her guild, and destruction is about to fall upon her. But God still has a people in Babylon; and before the visitation of these judgments these faithful ones must be called out "that they partake not of her plagues."

COMMITMENT

Protestants arose from "protesting" against Rome, but now even they are "wondering" after the Beast. God has many people in the Catholic Church, but He is saying "come out of her, My people. ..." (Revelation 18:4). As we will see in the next lesson, soon all will have to decide between the traditions of Rome and the commandments of God. Are you willing to follow God all the way, even if all the world acknowledges another authority?