“The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” Revelation 11:19. The ark of God’s testament is in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the sanctuary. In the ministration of the earthly tabernacle, which served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,” this apartment was opened only upon the great Day of Atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Therefore the announcement that the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His testament was seen points to the opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement. Those who by faith followed their great High Priest as He entered upon His ministry in the most holy place, beheld the ark of His testament. As they had studied the subject of the sanctuary they had come to understand the Saviour’s change of ministration, and they saw that He was now officiating before the ark of God.
(HF 268.1)
The ark in the tabernacle on earth contained the two tables of stone, upon which were inscribed the law of God. When the temple of God was opened in heaven, the ark of His testament was seen. Within the holy of holies in heaven, the divine law is enshrined—the law that was spoken by God and written with His finger on the tables of stone.
(HF 268.2)
Those who arrived at an understanding of this point saw, as never before, the force of the Saviour’s words: “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law.” Matthew 5:18. The law of God, being a revelation of His will, a transcript of His character, must forever endure.
(HF 268.3)
In the bosom of the Decalogue is the Sabbath commandment. The Spirit of God impressed those students of His Word that they had ignorantly transgressed this precept by disregarding the Creator’s rest day. They began to examine the reasons for observing the first day of the week. They could find no evidence that the fourth commandment had been abolished or that the Sabbath had been changed. They had been honestly seeking to know and to do God’s will; now they manifested their loyalty to God by keeping His Sabbath holy.
(HF 269.1)
Many were the efforts made to overthrow the faith of Adventist believers. None could fail to see that acceptance of the truth concerning the heavenly sanctuary involved the claims of God’s law and the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Here was the secret of the determined opposition to the harmonious exposition of Scriptures that revealed the ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. Men sought to close the door which God had opened, and to open the door which He had closed. But Christ had opened the door of ministration of the most holy place. The fourth commandment was included in the law there enshrined.
(HF 269.2)
Those who accepted the light concerning the mediation of Christ and the law of God found that these were the truths of Revelation 14, a threefold warning to prepare the inhabitants of earth for the Lord’s second coming. (See Appendix) The announcement “The hour of his judgment is come” heralds a truth which must be proclaimed until the Saviour’s intercession shall cease and He shall return to take His people to Himself. The judgment which began in 1844 must continue until the cases of all are decided, both of the living and the dead; hence it will extend to the close of human probation.
(HF 269.3)
That men may be prepared to stand in the judgment, the message commands them to “fear God, and give glory to him,”“and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea and the fountains of waters.” The result of acceptance of these messages is given: “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:7, 12.
(HF 270.1)
To be prepared for the judgment, men should keep the law of God, the standard of character in the judgment. Paul declares: “As many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law, ... in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.”“The doers of the law shall be justified.” Faith is essential in order to keep the law of God; for “without faith it is impossible to please him.”“Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 2:12-16; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 14:23.
(HF 270.2)
The first angel called upon men to “fear God, and give glory to him” and to worship Him as the Creator of heaven and earth. To do this, they must obey His law. Without obedience no worship can be pleasing to God. “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” 1 John 5:3; See Proverbs 28:9.
(HF 270.3)
The duty to worship God is based upon the fact that He is the Creator. “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” Psalm 95:6; See Psalm 96:5; Psalm 100:3; Isaiah 40:25, 26; 45:18.
(HF 270.4)
In Revelation 14, men are called to worship the Creator and keep the commandments of God. One of these commandments points to God as the Creator: “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: ... for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:10, 11. The Sabbath, the Lord says, is a “sign, ... that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Ezekiel 20:20. Had the Sabbath been universally kept, man would have been led to the Creator as the object of worship. There would never have been an idolater, atheist, or infidel. Keeping the Sabbath is a sign of loyalty to “him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” The message which commands men to worship God and keep His commandments will especially call them to keep the fourth commandment.
(HF 270.5)
In contrast to those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, the third angel points to another class: “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.” Revelation 14:9, 10. What is represented by the beast, the image, the mark?
(HF 271.1)
The prophecy in which these symbols are found begins with Revelation 12. The dragon that sought to destroy Christ at His birth is said to be Satan (Revelation 12:9); he moved upon Herod to put the Saviour to death. But the agent of Satan in making war upon Christ and His people during the first centuries was the Roman Empire, in which paganism was the prevailing religion. Thus the dragon is, in a secondary sense, a symbol of pagan Rome.
(HF 271.2)
In Revelation 13 is another beast, “like unto a leopard,” to which the dragon gave “his power, and his seat, and great authority.” This symbol, as most Protestants have believed, represents the papacy, which succeeded to the power and seat and authority once held by the Roman empire. Of the leopardlike beast it is declared: “There was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.... 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 13:2:5-7. This prophecy, nearly identical with the description of the little horn of Daniel 7, unquestionably points to the papacy.
(HF 271.3)
“Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months”—the three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7—during which the papal power was to oppress God’s people. This period, as stated in preceding chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy, A.D. 538, and terminated in 1798. At that time the papal power received its “deadly wound,” and the prediction was fulfilled, “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity.”
(HF 272.1)
At this point another symbol is introduced: “I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb.” Revelation 13:11. This nation is unlike those presented under the preceding symbols. The great kingdoms that have ruled the world were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when “the four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea.” Daniel 7:2.
(HF 272.2)
But the beast with lamblike horns was seen “coming up out of the earth.” Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the nation thus represented must arise in territory previously unoccupied and grow up peacefully. It must be sought in the Western Continent.
(HF 272.3)
What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength, and attracting the attention of the world? One nation, and only one, meets this prophecy—the United States of America. Almost the exact words of the sacred writer have been unconsciously employed by the historian in describing the rise of this nation. A prominent writer speaks of “the mystery of her coming forth from vacancy,” and says, “Like a silent seed we grew into empire.” A European journal in 1850 spoke of the United States “emerging” and “amid the silence of the earth daily adding to its power and pride.”2
(HF 272.4)
“And he had two horns like a lamb.” The lamblike horns indicate youth, innocence, and gentleness. Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish civil and religious liberty. The Declaration of Independence sets forth the truth that “all men are created equal” and endowed with the inalienable right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The Constitution guarantees to the people the right of self-government, providing that representatives elected by popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted. Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation, the secret of its power and prosperity. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth.
(HF 273.1)
But the beast with lamblike horns “spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed; ... saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” Revelation 13:11-14.
(HF 273.2)
The lamblike horns and dragon voice point to a contradiction. The prediction that it will speak “as a dragon” and exercise “all the power of the first beast” foretells a spirit of intolerance and persecution manifested by the dragon and the leopardlike 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 enforce homage to the papacy.
(HF 273.3)
Such action would be contrary to the genius of its free institutions, to the solemn avowals of the Declaration of Independence, and to the Constitution. The Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” and that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States.” Flagrant violation of these safeguards to liberty is represented in the symbol. The beast with lamblike horns—in profession pure, gentle, and harmless—speaks as a dragon.
(HF 273.4)
“Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast.” Here is presented a form of government in which the legislative power rests with the people, a most striking evidence that the United States is the nation denoted.
(HF 274.1)
But what is the “image to the beast”? How is it to be formed?
(HF 274.2)
When the early church became corrupted, she sought the support of secular power. The result: the papacy, a church that controlled the state, especially for the punishment of “heresy.” In order for the United States to form an “image of the beast,” the religious power must so control the civil government that the state will also be employed by the church to accomplish her own ends.
(HF 274.3)
Protestant churches that have followed in the steps of Rome have manifested a similar desire to restrict liberty of conscience. An example is the long-continued persecution of dissenters by the Church of England. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, nonconformist pastors and people were subjected to fine, imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom.
(HF 274.4)
Apostasy led the early church to seek the aid of civil government, and this prepared the way for the papacy—the beast. Said Paul: “There” shall “come a falling away, ... and that man of sin be revealed.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
(HF 274.5)
The Bible declares: “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.” 1 Timothy 4:1.
(HF 274.6)
All that “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,” will accept “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11. When this state shall be reached, the same results will follow as in the first centuries.
(HF 275.1)
The wide diversity of belief in Protestant churches is regarded by many as proof that no forced uniformity can ever be made. But there has been for years in Protestant churches a growing sentiment in favor of union. To secure such union, discussion of subjects upon which all were not agreed must be waived. In the effort to secure complete uniformity, it will be only a step to the resort to force.
(HF 275.2)
When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.
(HF 275.3)
The beast with two horns “causeth [commands] all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and 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.” Revelation 13:16, 17. The third angel warns: “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.”
(HF 275.4)
“The beast” whose worship is enforced is the first, or leopardlike, beast of Revelation 13—the papacy. The “image to the beast” represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches seek the aid of civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas. The “mark of the beast” still remains to be defined.
(HF 276.1)
Those who keep God’s commandments are in contrast with those that worship the beast and his image and receive his mark. The keeping of God’s law, on the one hand, and its violation, on the other, will make the distinction between the worshipers of God and the worshipers of the beast.
(HF 276.2)
The special characteristic of the beast and of his image is the breaking of God’s commandments. Says Daniel, of the little horn, the papacy: “He shall think to change the times and the law.” Daniel 7:25, R.V. Paul styled the same power the “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3), who was to exalt himself above God. Only by changing God’s law could the papacy exalt itself above God. Whoever should understandingly keep the law as thus changed would be giving supreme honor to papal laws, a mark of allegiance to the pope in place of God.
(HF 276.3)
The papacy has attempted to change the law of God. The fourth commandment has been so changed as to authorize the observance of the first instead of the seventh day as the Sabbath. An intentional, deliberate change is presented: “He shall think to change the times and the law.” The change in the fourth commandment exactly fulfills the prophecy. Here the papal power openly sets itself above God.
(HF 276.4)
The worshipers of God will be especially distinguished by their regard for the fourth commandment, the sign of His creative power. The worshipers of the beast will be distinguished by their efforts to tear down the Creator’s memorial, to exalt the institution of Rome. It was in behalf of Sunday as “the Lord’s day” that popery first asserted its arrogant claims. (See Appendix.) But the Bible points to the seventh day as the Lord’s day. Said Christ: “The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” Mark 2:28. See also Isaiah 58:13; Matthew 5:17-19. The claim so often put forth that Christ changed the Sabbath is disproved by His own words.
(HF 276.5)
Protestants acknowledge “the complete silence of the New Testament so far as any explicit command for the Sabbath [Sunday, the first day of the week] or definite rules for its observance are concerned.”
(HF 277.1)
“Up to the time of Christ’s death, no change had been made in the day”; and, “so far as the record shows, they [the apostles] did not ... give any explicit command enjoining the abandonment of the seventh day Sabbath, and its observance on the first day of the week.”
(HF 277.2)
Roman Catholics acknowledge that the change of the Sabbath was made by their church, and declare that Protestants, by observing Sunday, recognize her power. The statement is made: “During the old law, Saturday was the day sanctified; but the Church, instructed by Jesus Christ, and directed by the Spirit of God, has substituted Sunday for Saturday; so now we sanctify the first, not the seventh day. Sunday means, and now is, the day of the Lord.”
(HF 277.3)
As the sign of the authority of the Catholic Church, papist writers cite “the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; ... because by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the church’s power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin.”
(HF 277.4)
What then is the change of the Sabbath, but the sign, or mark, of the authority of the Roman Church—“the mark of the beast”?
(HF 277.5)
The Roman Church has not relinquished her claim to supremacy. When the world and the Protestant churches accept a sabbath of her creating, while they reject the Bible Sabbath, they virtually admit this assumption. In so doing they ignore the principle which separates them from Rome—that “the Bible, and the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants.” As the movement for Sunday enforcement gains favor, it will eventually bring the whole Protestant world under the banner of Rome.
(HF 278.1)
Romanists declare that “the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] Church.” Enforcing a religious duty by secular power would form an image to the beast; hence the enforcement of Sundaykeeping in the United States would be an enforcement of the worship of the beast and his image.
(HF 278.2)
Christians of past generations observed Sunday supposing they were keeping the Bible Sabbath, and there are now true Christians in every church who honestly believe that Sunday is of divine appointment. God accepts their sincerity and integrity. But when Sunday observance shall be enforced by law and the world shall be enlightened concerning the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God to obey a precept of Rome will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image. Men will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome—“the mark of the beast.” 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.”
(HF 278.3)
The most fearful threatening ever addressed to mortals is contained in the third angel’s message. Men are not to be left in darkness concerning this important matter; the warning is to be given the world before the visitation of God’s judgments, that all may have opportunity to escape them. The first angel makes his announcement to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” The warning of the third angel is to be no less widespread. It is proclaimed with a loud voice and will command the attention of the world.
(HF 278.4)
All will be divided into two great classes—those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark. Church and state will unite to compel “all” to receive “the mark of the beast,” yet the people of God will not receive it. The prophet beholds “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.” Revelation 15:2.
(HF 279.1)