One of the most misunderstood, yet important subjects in the Bible to understand. As it says in Revelation 13:16 “Here is wisdom, let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast.” And we are told 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” (Rev 13:18) Therefore, that mark, name or number, is very important to understand. The Bible tells us that we are to know who the beast is, what his mark is, and to let people know about it. (Rev 14:9-12) May the Holy Spirit to grant you an honest and understanding heart as you study this important prophecy.
We understand there is a great controversy in progress between God and the devil. It has raged through the centuries since Lucifer, heaven’s most powerful angel, rebelled against God. With the angels who joined him, he attempted to seize control of the universe. God and the loyal angels had no choice but to eject Lucifer and his angels from heaven. Lucifer, who became known as Satan, was infuriated. His determination to control the universe has only grown since. Amazingly, he has won the support of the majority of earth’s people in his rebellion. (Rev 13:4) The Lord also asks for people’s loyalty and support, but He leaves all free to choose. Soon every person on earth will have aligned with either Satan or God. The final battle between Satan and God is just ahead, and it is described in the book of Revelation. This prophetic book points out that God has an emblem, a mark that will identify His people. Satan also has an emblem, a mark that will identify those who support him. As usual, Satan will work through an earthly power—symbolized in Revelation by a beast—to impose his mark. This Study Guide will reveal the beast’s mark. Unless you know what his mark is, how will you avoid receiving it?
1. In order to know what the mark of the beast is, we must first identify the beast. How does the Bible describe it?
Answer:
A. It rises from the sea (verse 1)
B. It would have 7 heads (verse 1)
C. It is the composite of the four beasts in Daniel chapter 7 (verse 2).
D. The dragon gives it power and authority (verse 2).
E. It would have 10 horns. (verse 1)
F. It would have 10 crowns. (verse 1)
G. It rules for 42 months (verse 5).
H. It receives a deadly wound (verse 3).
I. Its deadly wound is healed (verse 3).
J. It is a strong political power (verses 3, 7).
K. It is a strong religious power (verses 3, 8).
L. It is guilty of blasphemy (verses 1, 5, 6).
M. It wars with and overcomes the saints (verse 7).
N. It has a mysterious number—666 (verse 18).
Do some of these points have a familiar ring? They should! You encountered many of them earlier when we studied about the antichrist in Daniel chapter 7. The “beast” introduced in Revelation 13:1 is simply another name for the “antichrist,” which we learned from Daniel 7 is the papacy. Prophecies in the books of Daniel and Revelation are often presented multiple times, with details added each time to encourage accurate interpretation. So expect to learn some new things about the antichrist from this Study Guide as much is repeated, and more is expanded on. Now let’s consider, one by one, the 14 points that describe the beast…
A. It would rise from the sea (Revelation 13:1).
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea…” (Revelation 13:1)
” The waters which thou sawest… are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” (Revelation 17:15)
The sea (or water) in prophecy refers to people or a populated area (Revelation 17:15). So the beast—antichrist—would arise amid the established nations of the then known world. The papacy arose in Western Europe, so it fits this point.
A Word of Explanation
In harmony with God’s command to honor all people (1 Peter 2:17), we pause here to recognize the papacy for her many good deeds and activities. Her hospitals, orphanages, care for the poor, homes for unwed mothers, and care for the aged are appreciated universally. She can honestly be lauded for many things. But, like all other organizations, she has also made serious errors. God pinpoints some of these errors in Revelation. The Lord, who blesses and comforts, must sometimes chasten and correct. Please ask His Spirit to speak to you as you continue studying this crucial topic.
B. It would have 7 heads.
“…having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” (Revelation 13:1)
“The seven heads are seven mountains” (Revelation 17:9)
The Seven Hills of Rome (Italian: Sette colli di Roma [ˈsɛtte ˈkɔlli di ˈroːma], Latin: Septem colles/ montes Romae) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city.
The seven hills are:[1]
Aventine Hill (Latin, Aventinus; Italian, Aventino),Caelian Hill (Cælius, Celio), Capitoline Hill (Capitolinus, Campidoglio), Esquiline Hill (Esquilinus, Esquilino), Palatine Hill (Palatinus, Palatino), Quirinal Hill (Quirinalis, Quirinale), Viminal Hill (Viminalis, Viminale) Taken From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_hills_of_Rome
C. It would be a composite of the four beasts of Daniel chapter 7 (Revelation 13:2).
“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2)
Study the comparison below to see how it all fits together:
| Daniel chapter 7 | Revelation chapter 13 | |
| Babylon | Lion-like beast (vs. 4) | “Mouth of a lion” (vs. 2) |
| Medo-Persia | Bearlike beast (vs. 5) | “Feet of a bear” (vs. 2) |
| Greece | Leopard-like beast (vs. 6) | “Like unto a leopard” (vs. 2) |
| Rome | Ten-horned beast (vs. 7) | “Having … ten horns” (vs. 1) |
The four beasts of Daniel 7 are depicted as part of Antichrist, or the beast, because the papacy incorporated pagan beliefs and practices from all four empires. She clothed them in spiritual garb and spread them to the world as Christian teachings. Here is one of many supporting statements from history: “In a certain respect, she [the papacy] has copied her organization from that of the Roman Empire, has preserved and made fruitful the philosophical intuitions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, borrowed from both Barbarians and the Byzantine Roman Empire, but always remains herself, thoroughly digesting all elements drawn from external sources.” 1 This point definitely fits the papacy.
D. The beast must receive its power, seat (capital), and authority from the dragon (Revelation 13:2).
“… and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2)
To identify the dragon, we go to Revelation chapter 12, where God’s end-time church is
pictured as a pure woman. In prophecy, a pure woman represents God’s true people or church (Jeremiah 6:2 Isaiah 51:16). Revelation chapters 17 and 18, describes fallen churches which are symbolized by an impure woman or mother and her fallen daughters. (Rev 17:5) The pure woman is portrayed as pregnant and about to deliver. (Rev 12:1, 2) The dragon crouches nearby, hoping to “devour” the baby at birth. (Rev 12:4) However, when the baby is born He evades the dragon, fulfills His mission, and then ascends to heaven. Obviously the baby is Jesus, whom Herod tried to destroy by killing all the babies in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). So the dragon having 10 horns represents pagan Rome, of which Herod was a king. The power behind Herod’s plot was, of course, the devil (Revelation 12:7-9). Satan acts through various governments to accomplish his ugly work in this case, pagan Rome.
We will quote just two supportive references from history, though there are many: (1) “The Roman Church … pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual continuation. …The Pope … is Caesar’s successor.” 2 (2) “The mighty Catholic Church was little more than the Roman Empire baptised. Rome was transformed as well as converted. The very capital of the old Empire became the capital of the Christian Empire. The office of Pontifex Maximus was continued in that of Pope.” 3 So this point also fits the papacy. She received her capital city and power from pagan Rome.
E. It would have 10 horns.
“…having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” (Revelation 13:1)
“the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings” (Revelation 17:12)
The ten horns, as with the dragon represent the divided kingdom of Rome.
Heruli, Visigoths, Anglo-Saxons, Franks, Alemani, Burgundians, Lombards, Suevi, Visigoths, Vandals, Ostrogoths
F. It would have 10 Crowns
“…having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads”(Revelation 13:1)
“ a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads” (Revelation 12:3)
The dragon had 7 crowns, but as it gave the power to the beast or Papacy, and As the Roman Republic fell, Kings began to spring up. This is what is symbolized by the crowns. The crowns symbolize oppressive governments, monarchial systems. The Papacy after gaining power over the state used its power given by the emperor to uproot 3 kingdoms as mentioned in Daniel 7:24.
Visigoths- Rooted up 508AD –
Vandals – Rooted up 533 AD
Ostrogoths – Rooted up 538 AD
Following this, in 538 AD full power and control was had by the Papacy who ruled the entire Roman empire using the kings of the earth. (Rev 17:2) The dragon or state gave the power and seat to the Papacy. (Rev 13:2, 17:3)
G. It would reign for 42 months (Revelation 13:5).
“and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” (Revelation 13:5)
The papacy reigned over the state power for 42 prophetic months, which equals 1,260 years, from A.D. 538-1798.
This same time period is mentioned seven times in the books of Daniel and Revelation (Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5): three times as a “time, times, and half a time”; twice as 42 months; and twice as 1,260 days. Based on the 30-day calendar used by the Jews, these time periods are all the same amount of time: 3½ years = 42 months = 1,260 days.
One prophetic day equals one literal year (Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34).
The rule of the papacy began in ad 538, when the last of the three opposing Arian kingdoms, the Ostrogoths were uprooted. (Dan 7:24) thus giving the Papacy 10 crowns. (Rev 13:2) Its rule continued until 1798 when Napoleon’s general, Berthier, took the pope captive with hopes of destroying both Pope Pius VI and the political power of the papacy. This period of time is an exact fulfillment of the 1,260-year prophecy.
H. It would receive a deadly wound (Revelation 13:3).
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death.” (Revelation 13:3)
The deadly wound was inflicted when Napoleon’s general, Alexander Berthier, entered Rome and took Pope Pius VI captive in February of 1798. Napoleon decreed that at the death of the pope, the papacy would be discontinued. The pope died in France in August of 1799. “Half Europe thought … that without the Pope the Papacy was dead.” 4 So this point also fits the papacy.
I. The deadly wound would be healed, and the entire world would give homage to the beast (Revelation 13:3, 12).
“…his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” (Revelation 13:3)
Since its healing, the strength of the papacy has grown. Today she is one of the most
powerful religious-political organizations and influence centers in the world. She has gained influence with the evangelicals and even came to speak on behalf of the congress of the United States only recently, which years ago seemed impossible.
ABOUT THE POPE:
He is the most well-known person in our world. People of the world see him as a strong moral leader. Thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics throng to him when he visits other countries. In 2015, he spoke before a joint session of the U.S. Congress for the first time in history.
When he spoke to congress it was almost as if he was fulfilling the prophecy when he said ““We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism… The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps.”
fun·da·men·tal·ism- ˌfəndəˈmen(t)lˌizəm/Submit
Noun … Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture.
An American ambassador has said the Vatican is unmatched as a “listening post.”5 Papal structure is already prepared for worldwide control. Most European nations today are seeking to get back to their Christian roots but it seems that many fail to understand that the principles of the Papacy are actually antichrist.
Poland’s leader has recently said he wants to “re-Christianize Europe” and recently Sunday laws have been made in that country outlawing shopping or trade on that day.
Clearly, the wound is healing and the eyes of the nations are upon the Vatican, fitting the prophecy of the Bible.
J. It would become a strong political power (Revelation 13:3, 7).
The Papacy is recognized as the most powerful man in the world. The people and the world leaders want a moral government and many have said that the Pope would fill the role admirably.
K. It would become a very powerful religious organization (Revelation 13:3, 8).
There is no religious power in the world that has more influence than the Papacy. With 1.2 billion Catholics, it certainly has a large sway over many people.
L. It would be guilty of blasphemy (Revelation 13:5, 6).
The papacy is guilty of blasphemy because her priests claim to forgive sins and her popes claim to be Christ.
“We [the popes] hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” (Pope Leo XIII Encyclical Letter, June 20, 1894)
The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.” (Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Cities Petrus Bertanous Chapter XXVII: 218)
M. It would war with and persecute the saints (Revelation 13:7).
The papacy did persecute and destroy millions of saints during the Dark Ages.
That the church did persecute is a well-known fact, and the papacy admits doing so. Historians believe the church destroyed at least 50 million lives over matters of religious conviction. We quote here from two sources:
“That the Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be questioned by no Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history.” [History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, Volume II, p. 32]
N. It would have the mysterious number 666 (Revelation 13:18).
“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (Revelation 13:18)
This verse says, “It is the number of a man,” or “the number of man” and Revelation 15:2 refers to “the number of his name.” Name in Bible prophecy signifies character.
“And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.” (Exodus 33:19)
God’s people will have the Father’s name in their forehead. In other words they will have His character.
“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1)
So just as the world has the name of the beast in their forehead(Mind), so will God’s people have the Father’s name, mind or character, which is the seal of God.
“Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” (Revelation 7:3)
666 is a symbol of man in his fallen state of mind. 777 is a symbol of God’s people when they are truly trusting in God to guide them in all things. It also has to do with the Sabbath as we will come to see. We are told that “they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:11)
Rest, being a symbol of God’s Sabbath. And true rest requires complete trust in the word of God.
“For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.” (Hebrews 4:5, 6)
1Andre Retif, The Catholic Spirit, trans. by Dom Aldhelm Dean, Vol. 88 of The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Catholicism (New York, Hawthorne Books, 1959), p. 85.
2Adolf Harnack, What is Christianity? trans. by Thomas Bailey Saunders (New York: Putnam, 2nd ed., rev., 1901), p. 270.
3Alexander Clarence Flick, The Rise of the Mediaeval Church (reprint: New York, Burt Franklin, 1959), pp. 148, 149.
4Joseph Rickaby, “The Modern Papacy,” Lectures on the History of Religion, Lecture 24, (London: Catholic Truth Society, 1910), p. 1.
5Malachi Martin, The Keys of This Blood (New York, Simon & Schuster, 1990)
6“Answers to Readers’ Questions,” Our Sunday Visitor, Nov. 15, 1914.
2. What is God’s mark, or symbol, of authority?
“Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I [am] the LORD that sanctify them.” (Ezekiel 20:12)
“It [is] a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for [in] six days the LORD 
made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:17)
“And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith …” (Romans 4:11)
Answer: In these texts, God is saying that He gave us His Sabbath as a sign of His power to create and His power to sanctify (convert and save) us. In the Bible, the words seal, sign, mark, and token are used interchangeably.7 God’s sign, the Sabbath, represents His holy power to rule as Creator and Savior.
The seal of faith is to believe the word of God as it reads despite the attempt to change God’s word by the Papacy. (Dan 7:25) And much of the world following in her footsteps worshipping on Sunday.
Revelation 7:1–3 says it will be written upon the foreheads (minds—Hebrews 10:16) of His people. It will signify that they are owned by Him and have His character. Hebrews 4:4–10 confirms this by saying that when we enter His rest (receive salvation), we should keep His seventh-day Sabbath holy as a symbol, or mark, of salvation. True Sabbath keeping signifies that a person has surrendered his life to Jesus Christ and is willing to follow wherever Jesus leads. Since the symbol, mark, of God’s authority and power is His holy Sabbath day, it seems likely that the symbol, or mark, of God’s challenger—the beast—might also involve a holy day. Let’s see if it does.
7Compare Genesis 17:11 with Romans 4:11 and Revelation 7:3 with Ezekiel 9:4
3. What does the papacy say is her symbol, or mark, of authority?
Answer: Notice the following section from a Catholic catechism:
“Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?
Answer: 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.” (Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism [FRS No. 7.], (3rd American ed., rev.: New York, Edward Dunigan & Bro., 1876), p. 174)
“The Catholic Church, … by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday”
(The Catholic Mirror, official publication of James Cardinal Gibbons, Sept. 23, 1893)
“Protestants do not realize that by observing Sunday, they accept the authority of the spokesperson of the Church, the Pope” (Our Sunday Visitor, February 5, 1950).
“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change [Saturday Sabbath to Sunday] was her act… And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things” (H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons)
“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 of London, Ontario Sept 1, 1923)
“Thus the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is a homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) Church.”
Louis Gaston Segur, Plain Talk about the Protestantism of To-Day (London: Thomas Richardson and Son, 1874): 213:
Homage – Synonyms
respect, honor, reverence, worship, obeisance, admiration, esteem, adulation, acclaim;
The papacy is here saying that it “changed” Sabbath to Sunday and that virtually all churches accepted the new holy day. Thus, the papacy claims that Sunday as a holy day is the mark, or symbol, of her power and authority.
The word authority comes from the word “author”. The author of the ten commandments is God. And they do not follow this author by their own admission. Who is your authority?
4. Did God predict such an attempted change?
Answer: Yes. In describing the antichrist in Daniel 7:25, God said it would “intend to change times and law.”
A. How has the papacy tried to change God’s law?
In three ways: In her catechisms she has
(1) omitted the second commandment against veneration of images, and
(2) shortened the fourth (Sabbath) commandment from 94 words to just eight. The Sabbath commandment
(Exodus 20:8–11) clearly specifies Sabbath as the seventh day of the week. As changed by the papacy in its catechism, the commandment reads, “Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.” Written thus, it can refer to any day.
(3) And, finally, she divided the tenth commandment into two commandments.
5. How could anyone in good conscience attempt to change God’s holy day?
Answer: We ask the papacy, “Did you really change Sabbath to Sunday?” She replies, “Yes, we did. It is our symbol, or mark, of authority and power.” We ask, “How could you even think of doing that?” While it’s a pertinent question, the question the papacy officially asks Protestants is even more pertinent. Please read it carefully:
“You will tell me that Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath, but that the Christian Sabbath has been changed to Sunday. Changed! But by whom? Who has authority to change an express commandment of Almighty God? When God has spoken and said, Thou shalt keep holy the seventh day, who shall dare to say, Nay, thou mayest work and do all manner of worldly business on the seventh day; but thou shalt keep holy the first day in its stead? This is a most important question, which I know not how you can answer. You are a Protestant, and you profess to go by the Bible and the Bible only; and yet in so important a matter as the observance of one day in seven as a holy day, you go against the plain letter of the Bible, and put another day in the place of that day which the Bible has commanded. The command to keep holy the seventh day is one of the Ten Commandments; you believe that the other nine are still binding; who gave you authority to tamper with the fourth? If you are consistent with your own principles, if you really follow the Bible and the Bible only, you ought to be able to produce some portion of the New Testament in which this fourth commandment is expressly altered.” (Library of Christian Doctrine: Why Don’t You Keep Holy the Sabbath-Day? (London: Burns and Oates, Ltd.), pp. 3, 4.)
Tragically, both Catholicism and Protestantism stand in error for rejecting God’s Sabbath—His sign of identification.6
6. What solemn warnings has God given regarding His law and His sign, or mark?
Answer:
A. God warns religious leaders against causing people to stumble by saying that some 
commandments do not matter (Malachi 2:7–9). For example, some ministers teach, “It doesn’t matter what day you keep holy.”
B. God warns people who want their ministers to preach smooth fables rather than the truth about His law (Isaiah 30:9, 10).
C. God warns people about hardening their hearts against the truth of His law (Zechariah 7:12).
D. God states that the upheaval, tragedy, problems, and woes of earth come because people refuse to follow His law—and have even tried to change it (Isaiah 24:4–6).
E. God warns religious leaders who refuse to preach the prophecies of the end time (Isaiah 29:10, 11).
F. God warns that leaders who teach there is really no difference between sacred things (such as God’s holy Sabbath) and common things (such as Sunday) will face His indignation (Ezekiel 22:26-31).
7. Revelation 13:16 says people will receive the mark of the beast in the forehead or in the hand. What does this mean?
“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.” 
(Deuteronomy 11:18)
Answer: The forehead represents the mind (Hebrews 10:16). A person will be marked in the forehead by a decision to keep Sunday as a holy day rather than what God’s words specifically state. The hand is a symbol of work (Ecclesiastes 9:10). A person will be marked in the hand by working on God’s holy Sabbath or by going along with Sunday laws for practical reasons (job, family, etc.). And their works will be revealed by their hand. The sign, or mark, for either God or the beast will be invisible to people. You will, in essence, mark yourself by accepting either God’s mark—the Sabbath—or the beast’s mark—Sunday. Though invisible to men, God will know who has which mark (2 Timothy 2:19).
8. According to Isaiah 58:1, 13, 14, what decisive message does God deliver to His people in the last days?
“Cry aloud, spare not; lift up thy voice like a trumpet; and shew my people their transgression. … ‘If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight… “then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD” (Isaiah 58:1, 13, 14).
Answer: He says to tell His people that they are sinning because they are trampling on His holy day, and He asks them to quit breaking the Sabbath so He can bless them. He wants His messenger to speak loudly so the people will hear. Notice that the third angel that gives the warning concerning the mark of the beast in Revelation 14:9–12, who brings the message about the mark of the beast, speaks with a loud voice also (verse 9). The message is too important to treat as ordinary. It’s a life-or-death issue! Jesus says His sheep, or people, will follow Him when He calls them (John 10:16, 27).
9. How do we receive the mark of the beast?
Those who follow Jesus and obey His truth will keep His Sabbath day holy and receive His
mark. Those who expect to refuse the beast’s mark in the future must step under Jesus’ Sabbath banner now. His power is available to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
With Him, all things are possible (Mark 10:27).
Though the mark is to be enforced by law “no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,” (Rev 13:16) and people will be called to take a stand when that time comes. If we fail to obey and trust every word of God, even today, as far as our understanding is concerned, we will be in danger of bowing to the image, similar to those who bowed to the image in the time of Daniel. (Daniel 3)
10. According to the book of Revelation, who did John see in God’s eternal kingdom?
Answer: The answer is threefold and very clear:
A. Those who have God’s mark—sign (His Sabbath)—in their foreheads (Revelation 7:3, 4).
B. Those who refused to identify with the beast or his image and who refused to have his mark or name in their foreheads (Revelation 15:2).
C. The people who—today and for eternity—follow where Jesus leads, trusting Him fully in everything (Revelation 14:4).
11. What is Jesus saying to people today?
“He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Answer: What a fantastic promise! If we follow Him, we will not end up in darkness but 
will, instead, have glorious truth. Further, following Him and keeping His Sabbath will put God’s mark on our foreheads and protect us from the dreadful plagues (Psalm 91:10) that will fall upon the disobedient (Revelation 16). It also marks us as ready for translation at Jesus’ second coming. What blessed protection and assurance God has offered us!
An Urgent Alert
You will discover more astounding information as you study the following studies that deal with the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6–14. These Studies will explain (1) the role of the United States in earth’s final conflict, (2) how churches and religions of the world will be involved, (3) what world conditions will precipitate earth’s final battle, and (4) Satan’s amazing strategy for deceiving billions. If you are wondering what Protestant churches have to say about the papal claim for changing Sabbath to Sunday, quotes appearing on the next two pages will provide the shocking answers.
12. God is asking you to keep His holy seventh-day Sabbath as a sign that you have accepted His salvation and will follow Him wherever He leads. Will you decide now to begin keeping His Sabbath holy?
Answer:
THOUGHT QUESTIONS
Comments from Churches and Other Authorities About the Sabbath
Baptist: “There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday. … It will be said, however, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week. … Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament—absolutely not. There is no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week.” Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual, in a paper read before a New York ministers’ conference held Nov. 13, 1893.
Catholic: “You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which [Catholics] never sanctify.” James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, 93rd edition, 1917, p. 58.
Church of Christ: “Finally, we have the testimony of Christ on this subject. In Mark 2:27, he says: ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’ From this passage it is evident that the Sabbath was made not merely for the Israelites, as Paley and Hengstenberg would have us believe, but for man … that is, for the race. Hence we conclude that the Sabbath was sanctified from the beginning, and that it was given to Adam, even in Eden, as one of those primeval institutions that God ordained for the happiness of all men.” Robert Milligan, Scheme of Redemption, (St. Louis, The Bethany Press, 1962), p. 165.
Congregationalist: “The Christian Sabbath [Sunday] is not in the Scriptures, and was not by the primitive church called the Sabbath.” Dwight’s Theology, Vol. 4, p. 401.
Episcopal: “Sunday (Dies Solis, of the Roman calendar, ‘day of the sun,’ because dedicated to the sun), the first day of the week, was adopted by the early Christians as a day of worship. … No regulations for its observance are laid down in the New Testament, nor, indeed, is its observance even enjoined.” “Sunday,” A Religious Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, (New York, Funk and Wagnalls, 1883) p. 2259.
Lutheran: “The observance of the Lord’s day [Sunday] is founded not on any command of God, but on the authority of the church.” Augsburg Confession of Faith, quoted in Catholic Sabbath Manual, Part 2, Chapter 1, Section 10.
Methodist: “Take the matter of Sunday. There are indications in the New Testament as to how the church came to keep the first day of the week as its day of worship, but there is no passage telling Christians to keep that day, or to transfer the Jewish Sabbath to that day.” Harris Franklin Rall, Christian Advocate, July 2, 1942.
Moody Bible Institute: “The Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. This fourth commandment begins with the word ‘remember,’ showing that the Sabbath already existed when God wrote the law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding?” D. L. Moody, Weighed and Wanting, p. 47.
Presbyterian: “Until, therefore, it can be shown that the whole moral law has been repealed, the Sabbath will stand. … The teaching of Christ confirms the perpetuity of the Sabbath.” T. C. Blake, D.D., Theology Condensed, pp. 474, 475.
Pentecostal: “ ‘Why do we worship on Sunday? Doesn’t the Bible teach us that Saturday should be the Lord’s Day?’ … Apparently we will have to seek the answer from some other source than the New Testament” David A. Womack, “Is Sunday the Lord’s Day?” The Pentecostal Evangel, Aug. 9, 1959, No. 2361, p. 3.
Encyclopedia: “Sunday was a name given by the heathens to the first day of the week, because it was the day on which they worshipped the sun. … The seventh day was blessed and hallowed by God himself, and … he requires His creatures to keep it holy to Him. This commandment is of universal and perpetual obligation.”Eadie’s Biblical Cyclopedia, 1890 ed., p. 561.
QUIZ QUESTIONS
- The mark of the beast is (1)
_____ Your Social Security number.
_____ Sunday as a holy day.
_____ The bar codes for grocery pricing. - The beast organization that has the mark is the (1)
_____ United Nations.
_____ Papacy.
_____ European Union.
_____ Trilateral Commission. - The mark is literal and will be seen by all. (1)
_____ Yes.
_____ No. - God also has a mark, or symbol, of His power and authority. (1)
_____ Yes.
_____ No. - God’s mark of authority is (1)
_____ A secret number that is given to each faithful Christian.
_____ Speaking in tongues.
_____ Sabbath-keeping in commemoration of Creation and sanctification.
_____ Baptism. - How did the “beast” attempt to change God’s law? (2)
_____ Changing Sabbath (of the fourth commandment) to Sunday.
_____ Teaching that it is not a sin to commit adultery.
_____ Removing the commandment against the veneration of images. - In Bible prophecy, how long is 42 months? (1)
_____ 420 literal years.
_____ Three and one-half literal years.
_____ 1,260 literal days.
_____ 1,260 literal years. - Where will the beast’s mark be placed? (2)
_____ In the hand.
_____ On the mouth.
_____ On the cheek.
_____ In the forehead. - Where will God’s mark be placed? (1)_____ In the forehead.
_____ On the person’s tongue. - Which of the three angels’ messages is the warning against the mark of the beast? (1)
_____ First angel’s message.
_____ Second angel’s message.
_____ Third angel’s message. - Jesus gave us the warning message regarding the mark of the beast. (1)
_____ Yes.
_____ No. - Sign, mark, seal, and token are used interchangeably in Scripture. (1)
_____ Yes.
_____ No. - There is no scriptural authorization for observing Sunday as a holy day. (1)
_____ True.
_____ False.
14. I believe I should begin keeping God’s seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) as His holy day.
_____ Yes.
