Revelation

The Seven Churches, Part I

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We are living in the last days of earth’s history. We can see the signs all around us. Everywhere we look there is an increase of knowledge, men running to and fro, and distress of nations. (Daniel 12:4; Luke 21:25.)

In the Bible, special books have been given for these last days—the Book of Revelation and the Book of Daniel. I like to preach from the Gospels more than from any other place, but when I preach to people who do not know the Lord, I usually preach from Daniel and Revelation about the prophecies of the end. Jesus specifically said we are to read and understand Daniel, the only book He mentions by name. (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14.) Revelation is the only book in the Bible that begins with a special blessing upon those who hear and understand. Certainly there is a message in these books for those who do not know the Lord, but there is also a special message in them for God’s people. We need to better understand them. We are told that if we understand these books, a revival will come.

As one who had a deep knowledge of the Scriptures wrote, “Those who eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God will bring from the books of Daniel and Revelation truth that is inspired by the Holy Spirit. They will start into action forces that cannot be repressed.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 116.

Before Jesus comes, there is going to go forth a message that will cut through prejudice, break through barriers, and reach the hearts and ears of all the people of the world.

We are told, in Revelation 14, that the Gospel will go to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. Of course, not all will respond. Not all will surrender, because it requires a humbling of self and an infilling of Jesus and His Spirit. Not all are willing for that to happen. The Gospel, though, will go forth.

Child Preachers

Ellen White wrote that the “lips of children will be opened to proclaim the mysteries that have been hidden from the minds of men.” Ibid. In some countries, during the Protestant Reformation, when all the preachers were put in jail, 5- and 6-year-old children at times were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to preach from the Bible things that were beyond their understanding. I believe that the children the Holy Spirit used were children who loved the Lord, even though they did not understand all the things that they were preaching.

Some day God is going to use children in that way again, children who love the Lord. They may not understand everything in Revelation or Daniel or in the entire Bible, but God will be looking into their hearts. Young children can give their hearts to the Lord just as adults do. They can choose to serve the Lord. Jesus, when He was 12 years old, taught the priests and Pharisees in the temple for three days, until His mother found Him. He loved God and the Scriptures. This is the character we need to be developing today.

Quick Fulfillments

“We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession.” Ibid. Jesus said, in Matthew 24, that the time—referring to the last days—will be cut short, and we will see prophecies fulfilled. Many of these prophecies will be fulfilled in quick succession. We are going to see one event after another taking place rapidly.

Life is in a faster mode today than it was 20 years ago. If you were to look at the time span of 1869 to 1889, you would not see much change there. People thought there was a lot of change because many small inventions had resulted, but from 20 years ago until today there has been a revolution in technology. There has also been a revolution in the morality and the thinking of the people. In America, people are different today than they were 20 years ago. Some obvious differences are drugs, abortions, homosexuality and same-sex marriages, business fraud, and the programs dominating television.

In the last days, we are going to see not only things in the world speeding up but things in prophecy as well. Every element of power is about to be set to work. Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God’s people.

Intensity Building

On every side, intensity is taking hold of the human family; it is permeating everything upon the earth. Intensity is taking hold of humanity, of country, of people, of family, and of industry. We are living in the last inning of the seventh game of the World Series, you might say. When you get to the last inning of the last game of the World Series, you do not hold anything back for another day. You do not rest a pitcher for tomorrow, for there is no tomorrow. You do not save someone who may have a sore shoulder so that they can be better for tomorrow’s game. You use whatever you have.

As we look back in history, we find that Satan has held certain forces in reserve. He does not want to show all of his cards at one time. He has some game plans, and he is willing to wait years and years in order to fulfill them. For instance, consider the French Revolution and the Communist Manifesto—the groundwork was laid but results were not immediate. The French Revolution in the 1700s was not successful, so the game plan went underground, and for over 100 years people labored at developing the communist system. Finally, in 1917, there was the Bolshevik Revolution, and communism was born. Satan waited and waited, but there is no waiting in the last days. The wait-ing is over. There is nothing to hold in reserve for tomorrow. As we get closer and closer to Jesus’ Second Coming, Satan is going to put everything he has on the line. God is going to do the same.

The great controversy between Christ and Satan will become more acute, both in the world and in God’s church. We will see the old controversy reviving, because there is no tomorrow. We are told the reason in Daniel 12:1: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” I praise God that His people are going to be delivered.

Intensity is taking hold of the human family. Every temptation that has ever been wrought to cause people to be lost is being repeated today—whether it is in the area of drugs or sensuality or music or activity of any kind. Every temptation will surround us in the last days. Whatever happened in Jesus’ day is going to be repeated again—the same prejudices. Whatever happened during the Dark Ages that worked for Satan, he will try again; the same controversies will be repeated.

Heathenism Increases

“As we near the close of time, there will be greater and still greater external parade of heathen power; heathen deities will manifest their signal power, and will exhibit themselves before the cities of the world.” Ibid., 117, 118.

Today, we are finding heathenism taking control of even Christian countries. The heathen system of astrology was used in the time of Daniel. (Daniel 2:10.) Today, over 60 million people in America read their horoscope every day. Do you suppose that over 60 million people read their Bibles every day?

We see today a movement that began developing in the 1960s. We may think it began slowly, but it was something that had been well planned—the Age of Aquarius. A song was even written about it. The New Age movement sprang upon the world. It is simply Buddhism and Hinduism. It is nothing else but heathenism.

Part and parcel of the New Age is reincarnation. When Satan has gained enough converts, he will also display his power. He is taking captive the people of the world. Many people of the world say that Christianity has not brought desired results; Westernism has been ineffective; and they will turn to India or Tibet or Burma thinking that these heathen beliefs have worked there. I do not know why they would think that is so. My dad was a missionary in Burma and in India. Conditions are desperate there. Go and see how they live! Oh, it has left its mark, because they teach people not to worry about the sufferings of others, to just get into some kind of trance and you will not worry about being hungry or anything anymore—you can live with your suffering.

A Real Foe

In the last days, we are going to see Satan. Ministers do not like to preach about Satan. You do not hear much about Satan anymore, but Jesus spoke of Satan often in the Gospels. Satan was and is a real foe, and we need to know whom it is we are fighting.

Satan is going to pull out all the stops. Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusions that will take the world captive. By the Bible testimonies, these will detect the deceiver in his disguises. To all, the testing time will come. By resisting deceptive temptations, the genuine Christian will be revealed. Are the people of God so firmly established upon His Word that they will not yield to their carnal senses? Will they, in such a crisis, cling to the Bible and the Bible only? Satan will, if possible, prevent them from obtaining a preparation to stand in that day. He will so arrange affairs as to hedge up their way and tangle them with earthly treasure, causing them to carry a heavy, wearisome burden.

Daily Study

Are we allowing anything to keep us from the study of God’s Word? Do we know the Bible, or is it gathering dust? Seventh-day Adventists have been known as the people of the Book. The Seventh-day Adventist Church was started through the diligent study of the Bible. All of its beliefs are based upon the Bible. Protestants used to be known as people of the Book, but until about the 1920s, members of the Catholic Church were taught not to study the Bible, that it was a sin. Now they are allowed to study the Bible, and I am so thankful for that.

It is easy to become involved in too many things or to allow one thing or another to occupy our time so that we do not find time for God’s Word. Have there not been times when you fully intended on spending time with the Bible and the phone rang and then something else happened and then the kids needed something and pretty soon the day was gone, and the Bible had never been opened? We need a greater determination than we have ever had before to make time spent studying the Bible our highest priority. Most of us, no matter how many interruptions come, find time to eat our breakfast or our dinner during the day. Even with phone calls and everything else, we find some time to eat.

If we have to choose between spiritual food and physical food, we would be better off to choose spiritual food, would we not? Every temptation, every trick, every deception that has ever been used is going to be tried again. Making and taking time to partake of spiritual food is the only way we are going to survive in the last days and be found among those whom the Bible calls the remnant—those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

Daily study of God’s Word is the only way we are going to keep from being among those who think they are saved when they are not saved, as it says in Matthew 7:21–23—those who, when Jesus comes, are found to be followers of the beast when they think they are followers of the Lord. You see, Satan is a deceiver. People are not going to believe that they are followers of the beast. The Bible says that in the last days, all of the world will follow the beast, but no one is going to believe that it applies to him or her; they are all going to be deceived. (Revelation 13:3.) The only way we are going to keep from being deceived is by being students of the Bible, by studying it with humility and prayer, asking the Lord to lead us and guide us in our studies.

When the shaking comes, when the introduction of false theories is given, surface readers, anchored nowhere, will be as sifting sand. Daniel and Revelation must be studied, as well as the other prophecies of the Old and New Testaments.

“Let us give more time to the study of the Bible. We do not understand the word as we should. The Book of Revelation opens with an injunction to us to understand the instruction that it contains. . . . When we as a people understand what this book means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival.” Ibid., 113. What will the study of Daniel and Revelation do for us? It will cause a great revival.

I want to see a revival, do you? I want to see a revival in my heart, in my family, in my church. I want to see a revival, because if we do not have a revival, souls will be lost. Satan has a revival going, I guarantee you. He has all of his pegs lined up. We are too often sleeping, but he is not sleeping.

I have one great goal; being saved is not my greatest goal. That is a great goal, but that is probably my second goal. My great goal is to be saved with a few other people. I want to see all my family in heaven. I want to see everyone with whom I work in heaven. I want to see every member of my church in heaven. I do not want to see anyone deceived or lost. I know the only way that can happen is by revival. We are told revival will happen by the study of Revelation. At the very beginning of Revelation, God pronounced a blessing upon its study.

Seven Churches

John heard a voice behind him “saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send [it] to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’ ” Revelation 1:11. These were seven churches that were in existence in John’s day. They were located in what we call Turkey, then known as Asia Minor.

These seven churches bore characteristics of various churches that would exist in all ages. We can find churches similar to each of these churches today. These seven churches characterize various periods of earth’s history.

What is a Church

As we think of these seven churches and the message that God has given to the church, perhaps we should first ask and answer the question, What is a church? To whom is God speaking? Sometimes God has a message for what the Bible calls the world—that is not my terminology; that is what the Bible calls it. The Bible talks about the world and the church, and sometimes it talks about the world getting into the church. The church is to be in the world, but the world is not to be in the church.

At times, the Bible talks about the world coming into the church, but the Bible uses the term world to be the carnal—the world that is under the carnal influence of fallen humanity that has not been regenerated or converted by the Word of God.

What does a church mean? The word church comes from the Greek word ekklesia, which means “called out.”

In Revelation 18:1 and 2, we read, “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 . . . .” Sometimes the Bible calls the world Babylon.

What does God say to His people in verse 4? “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people . . . .” The words come out are actually the word church, ekklesia, come out, called out. The church is simply those people who have been called out of Babylon and who are united in the family of Jesus Christ. The church is those who have heeded the invitation. We think of a church as an organized group of people, and certainly God wants His people to be organized. They were in the New Testament, and they were in the Old Testament. They will be when Jesus comes again, but the organization is not the church.

The church is those people who spiritually come out of the world. Jesus does not ask that they should be taken out of the world but that they be saved from the sins that are in the world. The church is those people that have come out of the world emotionally and spiritually.

Paul defines the church in 1 Corinthians 1:2: “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints . . . .” He addresses the church as those who are living in Corinth who have been sanctified.

So, we have to ask ourselves, are we part of the church? Are we a part of the real church, the church of God that has been called out, that has been sanctified or called saints?

In Colossians 1:18, Paul said: “And He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” The church is that group of people who uplift Jesus before the world, who make Jesus first. It is His hands and feet on earth that do good to others, that heal the sick, and that preach the Gospel; it is His mouthpiece on earth. The church is simply the body of Jesus to do His work. It is the tool in the hand of Jesus, but Jesus is to always remain preeminent.

In the Jewish day, the church became preeminent and God became secondary. The church became more important than God. When Jesus, Who was sent from God, came, He was God, too. He was from God and He was God, the Bible says. (See John 17:21.) When Jesus came, the church decided to preserve the church and to crucify Him. The church was more important than God.

When Jesus comes, God’s church is not going to be uplifting the church. They are going to be uplifting God. Jesus is to be preeminent.

To be continued November 2004 . . .

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

Editorial – Pre-Advent or Investigative Judgment

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I [Ellen White] have been shown that many who profess to have a knowledge of present truth know not what they believe. They do not understand the evidences of their faith. They have no just appreciation of the work for the present time. When the time of trial shall come, there are men now preaching to others who will find, upon examining the positions they hold, that there are many things for which they can give no satisfactory reason. Until thus tested they knew not their great ignorance. And there are many in the church who take it for granted that they understand what they believe; but, until controversy arises, they do not know their own weakness. When separated from those of like faith and compelled to stand singly and alone to explain their belief, they will be surprised to see how confused are their ideas of what they had accepted as truth. Certain it is that there has been among us a departure from the living God and a turning to men, putting human in place of divine wisdom.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 707.

Friend, how is it with you? Do you know what you believe? Do you know what the landmark doctrines of Adventism are, and can you substantiate them from the Scriptures?

Here are the landmark doctrines: “The passing of the time in 1844 was a period of great events, opening to our astonished eyes the cleansing of the sanctuary transpiring in heaven, and having decided relation to God’s people upon the earth, [also] the first and second angels’ messages and the third, unfurling the banner on which was inscribed, ‘The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.’ One of the landmarks under this message was the temple of God, seen by His truth-loving people in heaven, and the ark containing the law of God. The light of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment flashed its strong rays in the pathway of the transgressors of God’s law. The nonimmortality of the wicked is an old landmark. I [Ellen White] can call to mind nothing more that can come under the head of the old landmarks.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 30, 31.

Another term for the cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven is the judgment or the investigative judgment. Can you substantiate this from the Bible alone?

This doctrine is under attack both within and without God’s professed remnant people.

Any judgment, even in human courts, has three phases: the first or investigative phase is when hearings and court trials occur; the second phase is the sentencing; the third phase is the execution of the sentence. If you are acquitted in the first phase, you do not have to participate in receiving the second and third phases of the judgment. The same is true of God’s judgment.

Before Jesus comes, it will be determined who will be saved and who will be lost. (See Revelation 22:11, 12.) If you have not been acquitted in the first phase of the judgment, you will be sentenced during the millennium. (See Revelation 20:1–6.) The sentence will be executed upon you after the end of the millennium. (See Revelation 20:7–15.)

Contrary to what our adversaries thrust against us, the Bible clearly predicts a pre-advent or investigative judgment. In fact, the Bible even tells us who the prosecuting attorney is in this judgment. It is the devil. (See Zechariah 3:1–10.) The defending advocate of His people is Jesus Christ. (See Zechariah 3 and 1 John 2:1.)

If you are a beginning Bible student and want to study scriptures that clearly teach a pre-advent investigative judgment, following is a list of Scriptures to help you get started: (1) Daniel 7. Notice especially the language in verses 9, 10, 25, and 26. (2) Daniel 8. The continuance in rebellion and the depopulating or desolating rebellion are descriptions of the first major rebellion against God’s Law, which was paganism or heathenism and was continual for the first 4,500 years of human history. The second rebellion, the desolating rebellion, is a description of the apostasy of the latter times, which began to develop in the days of the apostles and became worldwide in scope 500 years later. It will continue until the Second Advent of Christ. (3) Zechariah 3; (4) Isaiah 2, 3, and 4; (5) Micah 4; (6) Matthew 22:1–14; (7) Hebrews 8, 9, 10, and 12; and (8) Revelation 11.

If the Foundations be Destroyed, Part IV

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Our heavenly Father has told us that the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. The Bible further tells us that spiritual things are spiritually discerned and that the Holy Spirit teaches us. (See 1 Corinthians 2:14.) We should daily plead and ask that the Holy Spirit will be our divine teacher and watcher to guide our minds that we may have an answer for every man who asks of us for the reason of the hope we have. We should, as well, pray that God will help us to be on firm footing, so the devil will not be able to sweep our feet away by the winds of doctrine that are blowing around us.

Identifying Marks

One of the texts that is under attack today, and that is being denied, is Revelation 13:18. It is one of two texts in Revelation that calls for wisdom, the other being Revelation 17:9. Revelation 13:18 says, “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.” We know that this number is an identifying mark of the papacy and especially of the pope himself, but it is only one of many.

Through a study of three Bible chapters (Revelation 13, 11 Thessalonians 2, and Daniel 7) I found 44 identifying marks of the papacy. There could be well over 100 identifying marks of the papacy given in the Bible, as my study did not include Daniel 8 and 11 or Revelation 17 and 18, but this text gives only one.

I do not think we should make a big issue about having numerous identifying marks, but I am always concerned when we start to compromise on what the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have discovered. They laid a foundation, and we know from Psalm 11:3 that, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” What should we do? What do we need to do? We need to stick with the original foundation. So, in this article, we will study Revelation 13:18 and this number of the beast.

A Parallel

Daniel 3 is a parallel to Revelation 13; an image is described in both chapters. Daniel 3 is a real, live illustration of what is going to happen to God’s people at the very end of time when the image to the beast is established. They are going to go through the same experience as did the three Hebrews.

You may wish to read Daniel 3 again to refresh your memory of how King Nebuchadnezzar set up an image, and all the world was commanded to worship the image. Your study of this chapter should reveal that the people were not just giving their homage to a statue; they were giving their allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar – the one who had set himself in the place of God and who wanted to be worshiped. It was not enough for Nebuchadnezzar to see everybody bow down; he wanted them to give him their allegiance. It is going to be the same way at the end of time.

Take notice of the first verse. It says, “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height [was] threescore cubits, [and] the breadth thereof six cubits.” What is “threescore cubits”? It is sixty cubits. And then there is “six cubits.” Are you starting to see a pattern of sixes here? How many instruments were used in verse 5? There were six of them. Indeed we have a parallel between Daniel 3 and Revelation 13!

In Babylon, the number six was one of the favorites of the sun god. You will notice, in the figure on this page, that these amulets contain the triple sixes. Whichever way you add them, horizontally or vertically, they add up to 666.

Donation of Constantine

Let us trace the history of this number and how it entered into papal Rome. We know that the Catholic Church adopted all its practices out of paganism. Constantine, in the fourth century, gave the Pope a statute which bears an inscription that reads, in Latin, Vicarius Filii Dei. Today, it is still in the Vatican in Rome. The English translation of those words is, “The Vicar [or Representative] of the Son of God”; the actual full Latin of the inscription is “Vicarius Filii Dei on Earth.” The Donation of Constantine in the fourth century to the papacy of this title, which, by the way, was a forged document, was retained by the papacy for six centuries.

We will now follow the history of this throughout the Catholic Church’s own writings. The Donation of Constantine is the most famous forgery in European history. Its “original” was discovered in the Pseudo-Isadorian Decretals, which are now also recognized to be forgeries – a complete fabrication of Church history in the ninth century. Parts of the Donation of Constantine were later incorporated into most of the medieval collections of Catholic canon law. Did you take note of that? They were instituted into Catholic canon law.

For centuries, this forged document, the Donation of Constantine, was held to be genuine. The Catholic Church continued to use it for hundreds of years. As one example of Constantine’s Donation being incorporated into Catholic canon law, it was incorporated into Anselm’s Cardinal Deusdedsit’s in a.d. 1087 and into Johannes Gratian’s Decretum in a.d. 1148, also known as Concordia Discordantium Canonum. The Decretum was intended as a collection of everything that Gratian could find which could give historical precedent to the teaching of papal primacy, and therefore the authority of tradition, which could then carry the force of law in the Church. It had such success that it became the standard work of the law of the Roman Church and, thus, the basis of all canon law and Scholastic theology.

Gratian’s Decretum

“In this work [Gratian’s Decretum] the Isidorian forgeries were combined with those of the other Gregorian (Gregory VII) writers . . . and with Gratian’s own additions. His work displaced all the older collections of canon law, and became the manual and repertory, not for canonists only, but for the scholastic theologians, who, for the most part, derived all their knowledge of Fathers and Councils from it. No book has ever come near it in its influence in the Church, although there is scarcely another so chokeful of gross errors, both intentional and unintentional (Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger, The Pope and the Council (Boston: Roberts, 1870), pp. 76−77, 79, 115−116).” William Webster, “Papal Forgeries,” <http://po67.ezboard.com/fthetruth11187frm2.showMessage?topicID=1028.topic> (May 18, 2007).

In his writings, Gratian stated that the blessed Peter in the earth is the Vicar of the Son of God, so the Church retained this. In the Catholic Encyclopedia, it states that Gratian is the true founder of the science of canon law. Popes who have claimed infallibility made some of the statements presented here. They would read through this man’s work (Gratian, founder of Catholic canon law) and would say that it was without flaw, and continued to use the forgery for centuries. Again Pope Pius V, appointed in a.d. 1566, commissioned to prepare a new edition of the Corpus Jurus, which is the Catholic canon law, and its gloss (comments of canonists). (See The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. VI, 392.)

It must be admitted that the work of Gratian was as near perfection as was then possible. For that reason, it was adopted at Bologna and soon elsewhere, as the textbook for the study of canon law. Today the Church will deny that this work was ever valid. They tell us that they are infallible, but Gratian’s words are still found in their encyclopedias, in their canon law, and in the Corpus Jurus.

Religion of Human Nature

Ellen White, the prophet of the Lord, sanctioned the book Daniel and Revelation (Uriah Smith, Pacific Publishing Association, 1897). She said that the book should be circulated throughout the world: “Daniel and Revelation, Great Controversy, Patriarchs and Prophets, and Desire of Ages should now go to the world. The grand instruction contained in Daniel and Revelation has been eagerly perused by many in Australia. This book has been the means of bringing many precious souls to a knowledge of the truth. Everything that can be done should be done to circulate Thoughts on Daniel and Revelation. I know of no other book that can take the place of this one. It is God’s helping hand.” The Publishing Ministry, 356. Uriah Smith’s book, Daniel and Revelation, was the first to be published containing the words Vicarius Felii Dei adding up to the number 666.

Before we look at some Seventh-day Adventist sources, I would like to show you a few things from other writings.

Lucius Ferraris, in about 1755, revised this canon law of the Catholic Church in his book, Prompta Bibliotheca. (Vol. VI, 43, col. 2, Rome, 1890.) He quotes from the Donation of Constantine, including the phrase Vicarius Felii Dei. On the fifth line of the original article, it says, “blessed Peter in the earth is the vicar of the Son of God – Vicarius Felii Dei.” This was later revised, and each one of the revisions also contains that same title within it as an official title of the pope. The revision in 1890 still contained the title, Vicarius Felii Dei.

In the February 19, 1894, issue of The Signs of the Times, an article written by Ellen White, entitled “Romanism the Religion of Human Nature,” was published. In part, it says, “Popery is a religion of human nature, and the mass of humanity love a doctrine that permits them to commit sin, and yet frees them from its consequences.” Popery is the religion of human nature!

The Bible says, in 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.” It is a number of a man. That is why you read, in Daniel 7:8, that the fourth beast had eyes like the eyes of a man. In 11 Thessalonians 2:3, he is called the “man of sin.” So, I am convinced that the number 666, since it can be traced in many ways, does represent humanity, and I believe that is only a part of it.

The following quote is from a 1911 newspaper. I found it in newspaper achives.com, which contains 39 million copies of newspapers dating back to 1756. Wondering whether or not anyone else was talking about Vicarius Filii Dei, I did a search on this website. In the Sandusky Register (Sandusky, Ohio) of March 13, 1911, a Pastor Russell, a non-Adventist, was asked what the words on the pope’s triple mitre – Vicarius Filii Dei – mean. He answered from the Bible that those words are the pope’s official title and that they add up to the number 666, meaning he is the antichrist.

The Challenge

The story begins at Loma Linda University Hospital, Loma Linda, California, in 1941, where a night nurse was taking care of the General Conference Treasurer, J. L. Shaw. The nurse could tell one night that his patient was troubled, and when asked why he was so restless, he replied: “I am very worried. For many years we have been preaching that the Pope has the title Vicarius Filii Dei, which adds up to 666, and now we have been challenged officially by the Catholic Church to prove this allegation by producing not some Protestant testimony, but reliable Catholic sources.”

Then Elder Shaw told how it all started with Elder [Francis D.] Nichol, who had written an article in The Signs of the Times that stated that someone in Rome saw the title Vicarius Filii Dei on the Pope’s tiara. No sooner was this published, than Elder Nichol was challenged by an editor of a Jesuit paper (by letter and by editorial) who wrote that Adventists for years had maintained that the Pope had this undocumented title, and now the Catholic Church demanded proof be presented or we desist from preaching such preposterous assumptions. Elder Nichol, who was known as a great defender of the faith, did not take this challenge lightly. He immediately wrote to scholars around the world to share with him any information they might have on this subject. He received no response.

Eventually, it was put into the hands of a special General Conference committee. Francis Nichol was a member of a committee of many scholars who wrote the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. The committee had been working on this for a long time, but could not find any official paper from the Catholic Church stating that the pope’s official title was Vicarius Filii Dei. This night nurse decided that he was going to go to the General Conference and ask if he could help in this search. Upon receiving permission to join in the search, he commenced an exhaustive research in the religious deck of the Library of Congress.

Joined in the search by a fellow student from Washington Missionary College (now Columbia Union College), who spoke Italian, it was learned that some years previous to this time a minister in Huntington, Indiana, was able to get a photocopy of an article that appeared in the April 18, 1915, issue of Our Sunday Visitor (the largest Catholic weekly in America), which stated that the Pope’s tiara had the title Vicarius Filii Dei. When this information was presented to the General Conference Committee, they were informed that one of their influential members insisted that this source was unreliable, because in the very next issue of Our Sunday Visitor, the editor published a denial indicating that he was mistaken about what was mentioned in the previous issue regarding the Pope’s title. In order to check on this alleged denial, it was necessary to review the back copies of Our Sunday Visitor which were available only at the publishing house in Indiana.

So the night nurse, along with his college buddy, dressed in black suits and traveled to Huntington, Indiana. Arriving at the publishing house of the paper, their entrance was denied, as it was just closing for the weekend. However, they pleaded with the doorman and told him they were seminarians doing a research paper, and they needed some help. The doorman ushered them to the secretary to the editor, where they once again explained their situation. The secretary, noting that they were both Latino seminarians in black suits, took them to the vault where they were able to look through bound volumes of back issues of the publication only to discover that the particular volume for which they were searching was missing.

When asked about the missing volume, the secretary responded that there had been a lot of problems with that volume, so it was kept in a secret vault. They asked if she would allow them to look at that year’s volume, and she complied with their request. The secretary retrieved from the vault a stack of papers with this particular issue of interest being at the very top. By coincidence, the young man’s birth date was April 18, 1915, the date of the publication, and when he told the secretary, she said she would love to make his day by giving him the original copy of the publication.

The two young men returned to the General Conference with the original copy of Our Sunday Visitor that states, “The letters inscribed in the pope’s mitre are these: Vicarius Filii Dei which is the Latin Vicar of the Son of God.” (See http://biblelight.net/vicarious-filii-dei-documentation.htm.)

In the November 15, 1914, issue of Our Sunday Visitor, the following was printed in response to a reader’s question: “The title of the Pope of Rome is Vicarius Filii Dei. This is inscribed on his mitre; and if you take the letters of his title which represent Latin numerals and add them together, they come to 666.” The author, who repeated the claim later in 1915, withdrew it. Among the errors he said he made was to mix up tiaras.

Denials

Notice what was happening. The Catholic Church began to deny the fact that the statement was ever written. Though the magazine itself discussed the topic again in September 1917 and August 1941, it never denied the claim published in the 1915 article that the title appeared on the mitre. Critics of the Seventh-day Adventist’s interpretation of the comment have argued that if there was some secret Catholic title that it was denying, it would have been unlikely to publish the secret in a magazine widely read by peoples of all faiths.

So, first of all they said that there was a mix-up on the tiaras. Then they argued that if the question asked about papal tiaras was such a secret, why then would the present author have proceeded to answer a question he was not asked about supposedly secret mitres? When questioned, the magazine wrote to the Seventh-day Adventist Church to inform them that the contributing priest had gotten his facts wrong.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church no longer regards the magazine article as anything other than an error and no longer promotes belief in the claim that Vicarius Filii Dei is a papal title. The Seventh-day Adventist Church abandoned its quest for the evidence after years of searching; however, some minority groups within the church still hold onto the belief that such a tiara with a title existed. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicarius_Filii_Dei.) Well, I believe such a tiara did exist.

Search Continued

Now, the two men who went to Our Sunday Visitor also went to the Jesuit University in Washington, D.C. Again, both dressed in black, as if they were from the seminary, and they said, “We need some help.” They were told that help would be given with whatever they needed. They then shared that they were doing a research paper and wanted to know if Vicarius Filii Dei was an official title of the pope. They were told that there was someone who could talk to them about it, and they were ushered into a man’s office who was an expert on canon law. The gentleman, a Monsignor, referred them to a man named Dr. Johannes Quasten, whom they could not see that day, but they were assured they would be called when he was available. A few days later they received the anticipated call and rushed to Dr. Quasten’s office, where they repeated the purpose of their visit their quest to learn whether or not the pope’s official title was Vicarius Filii Dei. Dr. Quasten responded verbally, but also, upon request, in writing. “Dr. Quasten pulled out his pen and in his own handwriting wrote on official Catholic University stationary the following: ‘The title Vicarius Christi, as well as the title Vicarius Filii Dei is very common as the title of the Pope’ and signed his name.” <http://biblelight.net/vicarius-filii-dei-documentation.htm> May 20, 2007.

Bible Commentary

These two young men went directly back to the General Conference Committee, got two notaries to sign it, seal it, and date it. These two men risked their lives to get that information in 1941. Because of the two strong evidences of support they secured, the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary came out very strongly with the fact that Vicarius Filii Dei is the official title of the pope.

“This interpretation [that 666 stood for Vicarius Filii Dei, meaning ‘vicar of the Son of God,’ one of the titles for the pope of Rome] was based on the identification of the pope as the Antichrist, the historic Reformation concept. The principal exponent of this interpretation was Andreas Helwig (c. 1572-1643; See L. E. Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2, pp. 605-608). Many since his day have adopted this interpretation. Inasmuch as this commentary identifies the beast as the papacy, it also accepts this view as being the best thus far presented, though recognizing that there may be more implied in the cryptogram than this interpretation provides.

“Regarding the title Vicarius Filii Dei, the Catholic journal Our Sunday Visitor, of April 18, 1915, reported in answer to a query, ‘What are the letters supposed to be in the Pope’s crown, and what do they signify, if anything?’ ‘The letters inscribed in the Pope’s mitre are these: Vicarius Filii Dei, which is the Latin for Vicar of the Son of God.’ . . . The issue of November 15, 1914, admitted that the Latin numerals added together total 666. . . . The Catholic Encyclopedia distinguishes between the mitre and the tiara by describing the tiara as a non-liturgical ornament and the mitre as one worn for liturgical functions. Whether the inscription Vicarius Filii Dei appears on the tiara or the mitre is really beside the point. The title is admittedly applied to the pope, and that is sufficient for the purposes of prophecy.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 823, 824.

2002 Bible Study Guide

In the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for April, May, June 2002, Great Apocalyptic Prophecies, 85, 86, the following note is presented: “Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar of the Son of God). Since the Reformation, this papal title has been used to calculate the number 666. But there are several questions that should make us cautious. First, it is not clear that this title is an official one.” As shown previously, this information was received from doctors of canon law. We have seen the evidence. “Second, there is no clear indication in Revelation 13 that the number is based on the numerical value of the letters of a name.” The Catholic Church supports that view, but we cannot! “The phrase ‘it is the number of a man’ (vs. 18, NIV) could be translated ‘it is the number of [humanity]’; that is, of humans separated from God. Third, those who insist in counting the numerical value of letters confront the problem of deciding which language will be used. Because the text does not identify any language, the selection of a particular one will be somewhat arbitrary. At the present time, the symbolism of intensified rebellion, six used three times, and total independence from God seem to be the best option. Time will reveal the full meaning of the symbol.” <www.ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/02b/> May 20, 2007.

It should concern us that there is a compromise on these issues. What is next? Is a complete denial going to come out in one of the church’s publications? It is going to lead to an effect upon Protestants today; they are going to forget about history; they are going to forget what it means to be a real Protestant.

The Catholic Church, over the past few years, has made numerous pronouncements in defense of religious liberty. Does this truth affect in any way what Revelation 13 says? Does it impact how we witness regarding Rome? Does the Catholic Church love religious freedom? That is not what Revelation 13 tells us, nor is that what the Spirit of Prophecy tells us. The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy tell us that the papacy never changes. It is the same cruel, despotic power that it was during the Dark Ages.

“Protestants are losing the mark of distinction that distinguished them from the world, and they are lessening the distance between themselves and the Roman power. They have turned away their ears from hearing the truth; they have been unwilling to accept light which God shed upon their pathway, and are therefore going into darkness. They speak with contempt of the idea that there will be a revival of the past cruel persecution on the part of Romanists and those who affiliate with them. They do not recognize the fact that the word of God fully predicts such a revival, and will not concede that the people of God in the last days shall suffer persecution . . . .” The Signs of the Times, February 19, 1894.

The Future

From Revelation 13:16, 17, we read: “And he causeth 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.” We will not be able to buy or sell if we do not have those qualifications. In Nebuchadnazzer’s day, he not only wanted people to bow down, he wanted people to reverence him, to pay him homage. In the Dark Ages, when people were asked, “Do you accept the pope as the vicar of the Son of God on earth?” what would happen if they said, “No”? It was a death decree. I believe it is going to be the same today, because it says that we cannot buy or sell unless we have the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. “Vicar of the Son of God” means that the pope has absolute control over everything – governments and churches.

Ellen White tells us that, “Under one head – the papal power – the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 182. A time will come when we will be required to give our allegiance to the pope. But, “I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and 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. These are the people who will not accept that the pope is the ruler of the world.

Pope Benedict XVI has made an appeal to all churches to recognize him as the head of all churches, including Protestantism. (See http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_060612pope.shtml.) An appeal by the Pope to non-Catholic Christians to recognize papal primacy risks reinforcing divisions between churches, according to an Italian Protestant theologian. “Pope Benedict asserted that Jesus himself had entrusted the leadership of the Church to his apostle Peter.

“ ‘Peter’s responsibility thus consists of guaranteeing the communion with Christ,’ said Pope Benedict. ‘Let us pray so that the primacy of Peter, entrusted to poor human beings, may always be exercised in this original sense desired by the Lord, so that it will be increasingly recognised [sic] in its true meaning by brothers who are still not in communion with us.’ ” This is what the pope is calling for.

Do you want to recognize that the pope is the vicar, the one who takes the place of Christ on earth? The Bible tells us that there is only one head of the church, and that is Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 5:23.) If we are going to make it to the end, Jesus must be all in all in us.

Pastor Mike Bauler serves as pastor of the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mbauler@earthlink.net.

Purified and Refined

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One of the mysteries of the Bible that is interesting to study is when God swears. The highest form of taking an oath or judicial swearing is when a man swears by God. He swears that God is his witness, and that what he is saying is the truth. There are many instances in the scriptures where holy men swore by God concerning an important issue. (See Genesis 24:3; II Chronicles 36:13; Nehemiah 13:25; Psalm 15:4.)

Although it is awesome when a human being takes an oath with God as his witness, it is much more awesome when the Creator of the heavens and the earth decides to say something under oath. When God swears, He swears by Himself. (See Jeremiah 22:5 and Exodus 32:13.)

Any time God swears, something exceedingly important is being communicated, and especially important when it is recorded that God swore not to a human being, but to another member of the Godhead.

In the latter part of the book of Daniel, God the Son swore something in the name of His Father. This is recorded in Daniel 10:6: “I lifted my eyes and looked and behold a certain man clothed in linen whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.” Ellen White says in The Sanctified Life, 49, 50, after she quotes Daniel 10:2–6: “This description is similar to that given by John when Christ was revealed to him upon the isle of Patmos. No less a personage than the Son of God appeared to Daniel.”

Daniel received this great vision which describes and predicts what would happen from the time in which he received the vision up until the time of the end, and even beyond. Daniel 11:32–34 describes the great Papal persecution. In verse 35, he says, “And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end.” This Papal persecution was to go on until the time of the end—the last epochal period in earth’s history. Daniel is told in Daniel 12:4: “Shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end.” Until the time of the end, these prophecies were not going to be comprehended, especially the prophecy in regard to time.

Let us look at this vision more deeply starting with Daniel 12:5, 6: “Then I, Daniel, looked. And there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. And one said to the man clothed in linen [Jesus Christ], who was above the waters of the river, ‘How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?’ ” What wonders is he talking about? He is talking about all that has been described in this vision that started clear back in chapter 10 and goes all the way through chapter 11. He wants to know how long it is going to be until the time of the end.

This is an important enough question that the Son of God answered it by taking an oath. “Then I heard the man clothed in linen [Jesus Christ], who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time, and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.” Daniel 12:7.

Notice what Daniel then says in Daniel 12:8, 9: “Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, ‘My lord, what shall be the end of these things?’ And He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.’ ”

Daniel understood chapters 10 and 11, but he did not understand about the three and a half times or three and a half years. But this period of time was important enough in the plan of salvation and in working out the mystery of God that the Lord Jesus swore in the name of His Father.

If it was that important, then we need to understand this time period, the 1260-day prophecy. In the Jewish calendar, a month had 30 days, and a year had 12 months. So a year was 360 days. Three and a half years would be 1260 days.

This 1260-day period of time is so important that it is mentioned over and over again in the books of Daniel and Revelation. It is even referred to by Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 24 and in Mark 13. Without this time period, many of the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation would be impossible to comprehend or interpret. It is extremely important!

We are going to go over a number of facts concerning the 1260-day prophecy. First of all, this prophecy is in prophetic time because it was to extend until the time of the end. It could not possibly be literal days. This period of time anchors the events in Bible prophecy, and it forces only one type of interpretation of Bible prophecy, the historical interpretation. If you understand the 1260-day prophecy, you cannot be led astray by futurism or by any of these other interpretations of Bible prophecy.

In Daniel 7, Daniel has been enumerating and explaining the characteristics of the little horn power which makes war against the people of God. He says: “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.” Daniel 7:25.

Notice, this little horn power is going to have the power to persecute for three and a half times, or 1260 literal years. For that period of time, the little horn power is going to have the power to persecute the saints. Other characteristics of the little horn power can be seen in the prophecy of Daniel 7. Daniel has been describing the four world empires in the beginning of the prophecy—Babylon was represented by a lion, Medo-Persia by a bear, Greece by a leopard, and the Pagan Roman Empire by a great and dreadful beast.

These were the four great empires of the world, and the Bible teaches all the way through the Book of Daniel that there is not going to be another world empire. It teaches that the fourth kingdom would be divided or broken up. This is exactly what it teaches in Daniel 7, where this dreadful beast has ten horns. Notice what it says in verse 8: “I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.”

What does a horn represent? It represents a king or a kingdom. (Daniel 7:17, 24.) So the Western Roman Empire was to be divided up into ten kingdoms. This happened between A.D. 351 and A.D. 476. The Bible also predicted that a little horn was to arise that would uproot three of these ten kingdoms.

This little horn power could not arise until the ten kingdoms were in place, which was not until A.D. 476. It is interesting to note that the little horn power could not possibly be Antiochus Epiphanes, as many believe. He existed 600 years before that time.

Somebody may question, how then do you understand this power applying to the papacy, because it existed long before the sixth century, or long before A.D. 476? That is not hard to explain. What is a horn? A horn is a king, someone who has civil, governmental authority. The papacy existed before these ten horns existed, but it did not exist as a horn; it did not have a civil government.

In the days of the apostle Paul, the bishop of Rome did not have a kingdom. Caesar was the king, and anyone else who claimed to be king would be crucified. The apostle Paul talks about this very thing in II Thessalonians where he talks about the papal power, the man of sin. Notice what he says in II Thessalonians 2:6: “And now you know what is restraining, that he [the papacy] may be revealed in his own time.” What was then restraining? The Pagan Roman Empire. The papacy could not develop its real power until the Caesar was taken out of the way. You see, II Thessalonians 2 agrees perfectly with Daniel 7. The mystery of lawlessness already existed, the antichrist power was already there, but Paul says that he could not really be revealed yet.

Even when the Roman Empire was divided up, and there were no more Caesars, there was still someone who had civil authority in Rome. His name was Odoacer, and he ruled the kingdom of the Heruli, who were Arians. They controlled the whole country of Italy. No one could even be chosen as Pope without his permission. This power kept the papacy in check.

Something had to be done to get Odoacer out of the way. So an alliance was made, and Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, came down with his army and defeated Odoacer in A.D. 493. Actually though, that did not help very much, because Theodoric and the Ostrogoths were Arians too. The Pope still could not have his way, because he was still under the control of the Ostrogoth’s power right there in Rome.

One Down, Two to Go

Now the Ostrogoths were in control. They had enemies in northern Africa called the Vandals. These people built great ships, and every year they would go to one of the port cities in the Roman Empire and loot the city, taking its wealth. One year they looted the city of Rome for 14 days and took all the wealth that they could find and many prisoners. Understandably, this made the people in Rome very unhappy.

The papacy could never exert its power as long as the Vandals and the Ostrogoths were in control of Italy. Something had to be done. The papacy contacted Justinian, the head of the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople. They needed help. Justinian sent the armies of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Vandals were destroyed around A.D. 534.

There was still one kingdom left, and that was the Ostrogoths. They were driven from the city of Rome in A.D. 538. That was the earliest time that the papacy could exert civil power and authority and be called a little horn power. It now had become the little horn that would persecute the saints for 1260 years.

From A.D. 538, if you extend the 1260-year period, you come to 1798. A few decades before that, John Wesley was preaching the gospel, both in America and in England. He realized that something important was about to happen, and he wrote and taught that the time of papal persecution was about to end.

Persecuted and Broken

We learned from Daniel 12:6, 7, that during this period of time, the power of the holy people would be broken, or graphically translated, shattered and destroyed.

This is a mystery that I cannot explain and do not understand. Why would God allow His people to be persecuted, and broken? We will not fully understand this until we get to heaven, but we have been given a few hints in the Spirit of Prophecy as to why and how God allowed this to happen. In The Desire of Ages, in the chapter “It Is Finished,” Ellen White says that Satan was not then (at the cross) totally destroyed. She said that both for the sake of angels and for men the devil must be allowed to live to more fully develop his principles so that both angels and men could understand what his character was like.

That is an incredible statement. The devil must be allowed to develop the true principles of his government, of his character. The 1260-year period of persecution was the period of time when that happened. The Bible says in Nahum 1:9, “What do you imagine against the Lord? affliction will not rise up the second time.” Why will affliction not rise up a second time? Because all humanity will have seen the consequences of sin, and it will be abhorrent to them.

We also cannot explain why it took so long. Daniel could not understand it, neither could Adam and Eve. They thought that the Messiah would come quickly. They did not realize that it was going to take thousands of years. God knew that the people of past ages could not bear to comprehend all of this, so He said, “The words are going to be sealed until the time of the end.”

Measuring the Temple

There is an amazing prophecy in Revelation 11 which some people think is still in the future. Notice, right in the middle of the prophecy, we are given some specifications. “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God.’ ” Revelation 11:1.

What is the temple of God? Paul said over and over that it is the church. You can see that clearly if you study the following chapters: Ephesians 1, 2, 4, and I Corinthians 3, 6.

“Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.” What altar is this? You remember Paul said in Hebrews 13:10: “We have an altar from which those who minister in the temple [that is, in the earthly sanctuary] have no right to eat.” This is the altar of the New Covenant.

“But leave out the court.” Revelation 11:2. In the New Covenant, where is the court? The court is this world, in the New Covenant. The altar was where the sacrifice was slain. Where was the sacrifice slain in the New Covenant? It was slain in this world. And then, after you come to the altar, before you come into the sanctuary, you come to the laver, and the laver is where people are washed and purified.

If you are going to be purified at all, you must be purified in this world. You are not going to be taken up to heaven and be purified there, like some people think. If you are ever going to be purified, you are going to be purified right here. The laver is in the court. Only the pure will see God. (Matthew 5:8.) Only the sanctified, only the holy, will dwell in His presence. (Hebrews 12:14.)

You must be washed, you must be purified. “Everyone who has this hope in him must be purified even as He is pure.” I John 3:3. Friend, do not let anyone talk you out of your birthright. Jesus died on the cross so that you could have eternal life, but He cannot give it to you unless you are purified.

“Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles.” Who are the Gentiles? It is not talking about Jews and Gentiles by blood; it is talking about spiritual Israel versus those who are not part of spiritual Israel.

These Gentiles are professed Christians. They are professed Jews. Remember, a curse is pronounced twice, in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9, against those who say that they are Jews, but they really are not.

“It has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.” Here again you have the 1260-day period. What is the holy city? If you belong to Jesus, if you have given your heart to Him, your name is written down there already. The holy city is a representation of the church. They will tread it down, persecute it, for forty-two months.

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” Revelation 11:3. This is a mystery. I cannot tell you why God determined that it was going to take this period of time in order for the whole universe to see the full development of the character of Satan.

This is the period of time also when the woman would have to flee into the wilderness for 1260 days, prophesied in Revelation 12. We cannot explain the mystery of the 1260 days; it is one of the great mysteries of Bible prophecy.

In Daniel 12:9, 10, we are told something about this mystery: “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” None of the wicked shall understand these things that we are studying. However, there will also be many people who, despite the persecution and tribulation and the treading down of the city, will be purified and made white and tried. Many people will have washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb.

This is a number so great that the Bible says that it will be like the sands of the sea, like the stars of heaven. That number is not yet made up. God wants to use the young people of the present generation to help make up this number that will be as the sand of the sea and as the stars of heaven.

God wants to use you. Do you want to be a part of that group that will be purified and made white and tried? Do you want to receive an eternal inheritance, a birthright where there will not be anymore tribulation or pain? Do you want to be part of that?

[Emphasis supplied.]

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Question – What does it mean when the Bible says: you know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked? Revelation 3:17.

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What does it mean when the Bible says: you know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked? Revelation 3:17. I cannot see how a person can be in such a condition as this and not know it.

Physically speaking, in order for a person to be in any one of these conditions and not know it, he would have to be asleep, anesthetized, intoxicated, or in a coma.

In the Bible when it talks about these conditions it is referring to us spiritually. It compares our spiritual condition to conditions in physical life. Physical terminology is being applied to a spiritual condition. This aptly describes the true condition of our present church. Spiritually speaking, many are asleep or blind or unconscious of the seriousness of the times in which we live. Satan has lulled us to sleep. We can hear the most stirring messages about the end of time, and then hear, “Get ready, get ready, get ready,” and then go right on with our life as usual without giving it a second thought to prepare for our last day on earth.

God’s word has described our situation in several different places in the Bible. Paul tells us, “It is high time we awake out of sleep.” Romans 13:11. If we are asleep, we are not aware of our condition. Jesus said, “If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Matthew 15:14. And in cautioning the Israelites, He said, “Beware lest thou forget the Lord.” Deuteronomy 6:12.

There is a mental blindness that often goes unrecognized. You can be blinded spiritually by looking at so many things of the world that you can no longer see the spiritual. For instance, if you fill your time and mind with novels and fiction, TV and other media, the appreciation of the Bible or other spiritual tools is lost. The desire leans toward temporary thrills or excitement. Spiritual awareness is blinded, and the beauty of the words in the Bible are unseen.

And, as the Bible says, the blind leading the blind causes them both to fall into the ditch. People speak more of the media and other trivial topics than those of a spiritual nature. I’m sure you have seen it—a group of people laughing till there sides hurt, and you find out it is over something they saw on TV, usually of an immoral nature. These are situations where the blind are leading the blind, and unless they open their eyes they will all fall into the ditch.

Spiritually speaking, we can also be anesthetized by the cares of this life, by covetousness for the things of this world, or even just making a living and working too many hours a day, pushing out time for prayer and study. Jesus warned us when He said, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares.” Luke 21:34.

Then there are people who are intoxicated or who are in a state of drunkenness. When we pay heed to vain philosophy and so-called “science,” we are actually drunk with nonsense and can no longer comprehend the simple truths of the Bible. As to how this wonderful earth could be created in six days … you cannot reason that out. It has to come by faith. But science tries to show that that was impossible, not bearing in mind that they are contending with the creator of science. They are drunk with vain philosophy. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8.

Bible Study Guides – God’s People Delivered, Part 111 – The Fall of Babylon (The Sixth Plague)

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August 21, 2005 – August 27, 2005

Memory Verse

“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” Revelation 16:12.

Suggested Reading: Revelation 18:5–24; Daniel 5:1–31; The Great Controversy, 654–656.

Introduction

In the last lesson, we learned that the sixth plague begins on the date that has been set to slay the saints, the same day that the fifth and seventh plagues begin. Some may ask, “Just what is the sixth plague?” In this lesson, we will study the symbolism and meaning of Revelation 16:12, the sixth plague.

1 What happened when the angel poured out his bowl on the Euphrates River? Revelation 16:12. For Old Testament type, see Jeremiah 51:28–39; Isaiah 11:15.

2 What event in history is used to symbolize this plague? Daniel 5:25–31; Isaiah 13:17–19; Jeremiah 51:1–14, 24–26.

note: “The guardsmen were indulging in merriment and revelry, and the city [Babylon] was left without defense. Before the officers were aware, the enemy had entered the city, and escape was impossible. Those in one part of the city were slain or captured before those in another part knew that the city was invaded. No alarm was sounded, no cry could be raised to warn the people that the forces of Cyrus were upon them.

“The monarch, his princes, and guardsmen, were given up to feasting, and, intoxicated with strong drink, they knew nothing of the peril of the kingdom. There was a noise at the palace gates, the doors were forced open, the troops of Cyrus rushed in, and in a short time the king and his guests were lying mangled in the heaps of the slain, and the drunken slept a perpetual sleep. Thus was the prophecy of Isaiah and Jeremiah fulfilled to the letter.” The Signs of the Times, December 29, 1890.

3 What ingenious thing did Cyrus do to effect the fall of Babylon in one night? Jeremiah 50:38; Isaiah 44:28–45:1.

note: “The destruction of Babylon pictures to some degree the final destruction of the world, of which the prophet writes, ‘Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.’ Destruction came upon Babylon while the king and his lords were engaged in feasting and revelry. Cyrus and his army marched up the bed of the river Euphrates; for trenches had been dug, and the river turned from its course, so that there was no obstruction to their entering the city, provided the gates were opened.” The Signs of the Times, December 29, 1890.

comment: Cyrus lowered the water level of the Euphrates River by digging a channel to divert the flow of the river. This procedure lowered the river level sufficiently to allow his army to reach the city gates by the bridge that crossed the river, which he thought would be open on this night of revelry. The gates were open, and in a few hours Belshazzar, the king, and his army were slain, and the city fell into the hands of the Medes and the Persians. The Median and Persian nations were located toward the east from Babylon; thus when the river was “dried up,” “the way of the kings of the east” was prepared. Revelation 16:12.

4 What does water represent in Bible prophecy? Revelation 17:15.

note: “The great kingdoms that have ruled the world were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when ‘the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.’ Daniel 7:2. In Revelation 17 an angel explained that waters represent ‘peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.’ Revelation 17:15. Winds are a symbol of strife. The four winds of heaven striving upon the great sea represent the terrible scenes of conquest and revolution by which kingdoms have attained to power.” The Great Controversy, 439, 440.

5 Who is represented by spiritual Babylon in the end times? Revelation 17:1–5.

note: “The woman (Babylon) of Revelation 17 is described as ‘arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness: . . . and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots.’ Says the prophet: ‘I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.’ Babylon is further declared to be ‘that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.’ Revelation 17:4–6, 18. The power that for so many centuries maintained despotic sway over the monarchs of Christendom is Rome. [Emphasis supplied.] The purple and scarlet color, the gold and precious stones and pearls, vividly picture the magnificence and more than kingly pomp affected by the haughty see of Rome.” The Great Controversy, 382.

“Babylon is a symbol of the world at large. When its doom was made certain, its kings and officers seemed to be as men insane, and their own course hastened its destiny. When the doom of a nation is fixed, it seems that all the energy, wisdom, and discretion of its former time of prosperity, deserts its men of position, and they hasten the evil they would avert.” The Signs of the Times, December 29, 1890. [Emphasis supplied.]

6 Who else is represented as part of Babylon in the last days? Revelation 17:5; 14:8. See reference below for an explanation of these verses.

note: “Babylon is said to be ‘the mother of harlots.’ By her daughters must be symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world. The message of Revelation 14, announcing the fall of Babylon must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the judgment, it must be given in the last days; therefore it cannot refer to the Roman Church alone, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries.” The Great Controversy, 382, 383.

“Not yet, however, can it be said that ‘Babylon is fallen, . . . because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’ She has not yet made all nations do this. The spirit of world conforming and indifference to the testing truths for our time exists and has been gaining ground in churches of the Protestant faith in all the countries of Christendom; and these churches are included in the solemn and terrible denunciation of the second angel.” Ibid., 389.

7 What does the term “Babylon” mean in the spiritual realm? For literal type, see Genesis 11:7–9.

note: “Many of the Protestant churches are following Rome’s example of iniquitous connection with ‘the kings of the earth’—the state churches, by their relation to secular governments; and other denominations, by seeking the favor of the world. And the term ‘Babylon’—confusion—may be appropriately applied to these bodies, all professing to derive their doctrines from the Bible, yet divided into almost innumerable sects, with widely conflicting creeds and theories.” The Great Controversy, 383.

8 What happens to Babylon when God turns the captivity of His people on the day that has been set to slay the saints? Revelation 18:6–24. (See The Great Controversy, 653–656.)

note: “The enemies of God’s law, from the ministers down to the least among them, have a new conception of truth and duty. Too late they see that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the seal of the living God. Too late they see the true nature of their spurious sabbath and the sandy foundation upon which they have been building. They find that they have been fighting against God.” The Great Controversy, 640.

“Now they are stripped of all that made them great and are left destitute and defenseless. They look with terror upon the destruction of the idols which they preferred before their Maker. They have sold their souls for earthly riches and enjoyments, and have not sought to become rich toward God. The result is, their lives are a failure; their pleasures are now turned to gall, their treasures to corruption. The gain of a lifetime is swept away in a moment. The rich bemoan the destruction of their grand houses, the scattering of their gold and silver. But their lamentations are silenced by the fear that they themselves are to perish with their idols.” Ibid., 654.

9 What is the Lord’s assessment of the ministers at this time who have sacrificed truth for the favor of men? For Old Testament parallels, see Jeremiah 8:11; 23:1, 2; 25:34, 35; Ezekiel 13:22.

note: “The minister who has sacrificed truth to gain the favor of men now discerns the character and influence of his teachings. . . . Every emotion of the soul, every line written, every word uttered, every act that led men to rest in a refuge of falsehood, has been scattering seed; and now, in the wretched, lost souls around him, he beholds the harvest.

“Saith the Lord: ‘They have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.’ ‘With lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life.’ Jeremiah 8:11; Ezekiel 13:22.

“ ‘Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! . . . Behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings.’ ‘Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for your days for slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; . . . and the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.’ Jeremiah 23:1, 2; 25:34, 35, margin.” The Great Controversy, 654, 655.

10 When Babylon falls, what do the ministers and people understand about their attitude toward God and His law? For Old Testament examples, see Lamentations 1:18; 3:42. See also Ezekiel 34; Isaiah 56:8–12.

note: “Ministers and people see that they have not sustained the right relation to God. They see that they have rebelled against the Author of all just and righteous law. . . . This is the view that now appears to those who rejected truth and chose to cherish error. No language can express the longing which the disobedient and disloyal feel for that which they have lost forever—eternal life. Men whom the world has worshiped for their talents and eloquence now see these things in their true light. They realize what they have forfeited by transgression, and they fall at the feet of those whose fidelity they have despised and derided, and confess that God has loved them.” The Great Controversy, 655.

11 What attitude and action do the people take toward the ministers and pastors that result in the collapse of all church organization? Revelation 18:9, 10, 14–20.

note: “The people see that they have been deluded. They accuse one another of having led them to destruction; but all unite in heaping their bitterest condemnation upon the ministers. Unfaithful pastors have prophesied smooth things; they have led their hearers to make void the law of God and to persecute those who would keep it holy. Now, in their despair, these teachers confess before the world their work of deception. The multitudes are filled with fury. ‘We are lost!’ they cry, ‘and you are the cause of our ruin;’ and they turn upon the false shepherds. The very ones that once admired them most will pronounce the most dreadful curses upon them. The very hands that once crowned them with laurels will be raised for their destruction.” The Great Controversy, 655, 656.

12 How are the swords now used that were once employed for the destruction of God’s people? Jeremiah 25:31; Isaiah 13:13–15; Haggai 2:22.

note: “The swords which were to slay God’s people are now employed to destroy their enemies. Everywhere there is strife and bloodshed.” The Great Controversy, 656.

13 Where does the work of destruction begin? Ezekiel 9:1–6.

note: “The mark of deliverance has been set upon those ‘that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done.’ Now the angel of death goes forth, represented in Ezekiel’s vision by the men with the slaughtering weapons, to whom the command is given: ‘Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.’ Says the prophet: ‘They began at the ancient men which were before the house.’ Ezekiel 9:1–6. The work of destruction begins among those who have professed to be the spiritual guardians of the people. The false watchmen are the first to fall. There are none to pity or to spare. Men, women, maidens, and little children perish together.” The Great Controversy, 656.

Bible Study Guides – God’s People Delivered, Part 11 – Events Related to the Second Coming of Jesus

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August 14, 2005 – August 20, 2005

Memory Verse

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2.

Suggested Reading: Early Writings, 285–288; The Great Controversy, 653, 654.

1 What event occurs soon after the deliverance of God’s people? Daniel 12:2.

note: “Graves are opened, and ‘many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth . . . awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.’ Daniel 12:2. All who have died in the faith of the third angel’s message come forth from the tomb glorified, to hear God’s covenant of peace with those who have kept His law. ‘They also which pierced Him’ (Revelation 1:7), those that mocked and derided Christ’s dying agonies, and the most violent opposers of His truth and His people, are raised to behold Him in His glory and to see the honor placed upon the loyal and obedient.” The Great Controversy, 637.

2 From the Bible, list the groups of people who are raised in this resurrection. Daniel 12:2, first part; John 19:33–35; Matthew 24:30; 26:63, 64; Mark 14:62; Revelation 1:7.

3 How extensive are the lightning and thunder during the seventh plague (Revelation 16:18, first part)? For a similar situation, see Matthew 24:27; Luke 17:24.

note: “Thick clouds still cover the sky; yet the sun now and then breaks through, appearing like the avenging eye of Jehovah. Fierce lightnings leap from the heavens, enveloping the earth in a sheet of flame. Above the terrific roar of thunder, voices, mysterious and awful, declare the doom of the wicked.” The Great Controversy, 637, 638.

4 Above the roar of the lightning and thunder, what is heard and who distinctly understand what is said? For Old Testament illustration, see Psalm 29:3–5, 7–9.

note: “Above the terrific roar of thunder, voices, mysterious and awful, declare the doom of the wicked. The words spoken are not comprehended by all; but they are distinctly understood by the false teachers. Those who a little before were so reckless, so boastful and defiant, so exultant in their cruelty to God’s commandment-keeping people, are now overwhelmed with consternation and shuddering in fear. Their wails are heard above the sound of the elements. Demons acknowledge the deity of Christ and tremble before His power, while men are supplicating for mercy and groveling in abject terror.” The Great Controversy, 638.

5 Where do men desire to hide during this time of destruction, during the seventh plague? Revelation 6:15–17; Isaiah 2:10–12, 20, 21.

note: “Said the prophets of old, as they beheld in holy vision the day of God: ‘Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.’ Isaiah 13:6. ‘Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty, and upon everyone that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low.’ ‘In that day a man shall cast the idols of his silver, and the idols of his gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth.’ Isaiah 2:10–12, 20, 21, margin.” The Great Controversy, 638.

6 What is the next event that is described? What does it do for the people on the earth? For Scripture types, see Joshua 8:33–35; Matthew 25:31–46.

note: “Through a rift in the clouds there beams a star whose brilliancy is increased fourfold in contrast with the darkness. It speaks hope and joy to the faithful, but severity and wrath to the transgressors of God’s law. Those who have sacrificed all for Christ are now secure, hidden as in the secret of the Lord’s pavilion. They have been tested, and before the world and the despisers of truth they have evinced their fidelity to Him who died for them.” The Great Controversy, 638, 639.

7 Describe the change that has come over the people of God since their deliverance. For Old Testament type, see Esther 8:16, 17.

note: “A marvelous change has come over those who have held fast their integrity in the very face of death. They have been suddenly delivered from the dark and terrible tyranny of men transformed to demons. Their faces, so lately pale, anxious, and haggard, are now aglow with wonder, faith, and love. Their voices rise in triumphant song: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.’ Psalm 46:1–3.” The Great Controversy, 639.

8 What is the next scene that appears through the black, angry firmament? Revelation 21:10–12.

note: “While these words of holy trust ascend to God, the clouds sweep back, and the starry heavens are seen, unspeakably glorious in contrast with the black and angry firmament on either side. The glory of the celestial city streams from the gates ajar.” The Great Controversy, 639.

9 Describe the next amazing scene to appear in the heavens. Exodus 20:1–19; Psalm 50:6.

note: “Then there appears against the sky a hand holding two tables of stone folded together. Says the prophet: ‘The heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself.’ Psalm 50:6. That holy law, God’s righteousness, that amid thunder and flame was proclaimed from Sinai as the guide of life, is now revealed to men as the rule of judgment. The hand opens the tables, and there are seen the precepts of the Decalogue, traced as with a pen of fire. The words are so plain that all can read them. Memory is aroused, the darkness of superstition and heresy is swept from every mind, and God’s ten words, brief, comprehensive, and authoritative, are presented to the view of all the inhabitants of the earth.” The Great Controversy, 639.

“The law of God in the sanctuary in heaven is the great original, of which the precepts inscribed upon the tables of stone and recorded by Moses in the Pentateuch were an unerring transcript. Those who arrived at an understanding of this important point were thus led to see the sacred, unchanging character of the divine law. They 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. . . . Says the psalmist: ‘Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.’ ‘All His commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever.’ Psalms 119:89; 111:7, 8.” Ibid., 434.

10 How do the transgressors of God’s Law react to its revelation in the heavens? Revelation 6:15–17.

note: “It is impossible to describe the horror and despair of those who have trampled upon God’s holy requirements. The Lord gave them His law; they might have compared their characters with it and learned their defects while there was yet opportunity for repentance and reform; but in order to secure the favor of the world, they set aside its precepts and taught others to transgress. They have endeavored to compel God’s people to profane His Sabbath. Now they are condemned by that law which they have despised. With awful distinctness they see that they are without excuse. They chose whom they would serve and worship. ‘Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not.’ Malachi 3:18.” The Great Controversy, 639, 640.

11 What do the enemies of God’s Law see too late? Exodus 31:12–17; Malachi 3:18.

note: “The enemies of God’s law, from the ministers down to the least among them, have a new conception of truth and duty. Too late they see that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the seal of the living God. Too late they see the true nature of their spurious sabbath and the sandy foundation upon which they have been building. They find that they have been fighting against God. Religious teachers have led souls to perdition while professing to guide them to the gates of Paradise. Not until the day of final accounts will it be known how great is the responsibility of men in holy office and how terrible are the results of their unfaithfulness. Only in eternity can we rightly estimate the loss of a single soul. Fearful will be the doom of him to whom God shall say: Depart, thou wicked servant.” The Great Controversy, 640.

12 What is the main subject of Revelation 18?

note: “ ‘Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. . . . In the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, . . . saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.’ Revelation 18:5–10.” The Great Controversy, 653.

13 What Old Testament prophecies predict the fall of Babylon at the end of time, just the same as Revelation 18? See Jeremiah 25; Zephaniah 1; Isaiah 24 and 34; Zechariah 14.

note: “Such are the judgments that fall upon Babylon in the day of the visitation of God’s wrath. She has filled up the measure of her iniquity; her time has come; she is ripe for destruction.” The Great Controversy, 653.

14 When the sixth plague is poured out, what happens? Revelation 16:12.

note: “When the voice of God turns the captivity of His people, there is a terrible awakening of those who have lost all in the great conflict of life.” The Great Controversy, 654.

15 What does God promise regarding the delivering of His people? Psalm 37:12–15, 40.

note: “When the protection of human laws shall be withdrawn from those who honor the law of God, there will be, in different lands, a simultaneous movement for their destruction. As the time appointed in the decree draws near, the people will conspire to root out the hated sect. It will be determined to strike in one night a decisive blow, which shall utterly silence the voice of dissent and reproof. . . .

“It is now, in the hour of utmost extremity, that the God of Israel will interpose for the deliverance of His chosen.” The Great Controversy, 635.

The Seven Churches, Part IV : The Church of Pergamos

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Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. I suppose that we have all memorized these seven names at some time. These churches represent the different periods of the church from Jesus’ death until His Second Coming. The names of the first and last churches, Ephesus and Laodicea, are always easy to remember, of course—like Genesis and Revelation. We have trouble remembering the ones in between.

Ephesus

The first church, Ephesus, started when Jesus ascended into heaven in 31 a.d. and continued until about the death of the last apostle. This was the apostolic church, and its timeframe was 31–100 a.d. The Bible says that these were the ones who were faithful to the truth. They were hardworking, but they were lacking one thing. (See Revelation 2:2–4.) The Scripture mentions about six good things about this church and one bad thing. What was it? They left their first love, that fervent love. For that and that alone, the Bible says, they would be removed from being a church before the Lord.

You see, no doctrine in the entire world is as important as love. As it says in 1 Corinthians 13, you can have faith to remove a mountain; you can understand all prophecy, but if you do not have love, you are worth nothing. It does not say nearly nothing; it says nothing. It says you can give all your goods to feed the poor and leave nothing for yourself; you can give even your body to be burned, but if you have not love, it does not do one bit of good—nothing. That should cause us all to stop and analyze our lives.

How would you like to give your tithes and offerings to a church and find out that it is worth nothing? I do not want to try to be earning my way to heaven. We cannot do that. But if I get to the end of my life and I find that I am lost, after trying to serve the Lord all my life, simply because I have not allowed Jesus’ character of love to come into my heart, that would be so sad.

Self Interferes

Jesus talked with His disciples about this love for three years, but they just could not seem to comprehend. They would not be broken from self. They thought they were pretty good, because they were doing a lot of work, and they were doing what was right and preaching the truth. But in Luke 22 is recorded the very last weekend Jesus had with His disciples. At the Last Supper, “He took bread, gave thanks and broke it.” This is the last night Jesus had with His disciples. In less than 24 hours from this time, He would be dead. But what does it say in verse 24? “Now there was also a dispute among them . . . .”

Jesus was giving His life for them, and we read that there was rivalry. Can you imagine? When Jesus was getting ready to give His life for them, they were striving as to who was the greatest! Who was the greatest? Who was going to be the first? What led to this rivalry, this seeking for position, this arguing over who was the greatest and climbing the ladder? It was a lack of love. They had a lot of love for themselves, but the dispute was caused by a lack of love for one another and for Jesus.

Jesus told them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so [among] you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who [is] greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? [Is] it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.” Verses 25–28. So Jesus said, “I come as a servant, and if you want to really be great, become a servant.”

Desire to be First

No one will ever get to heaven by being first. You cannot get into heaven by crowding in ahead of someone else. The Bible says the last shall be first, but the first shall be last. (Matthew 19:30.) Yet the selfish, sinful human nature seeks to be first. That is what it means to be broken—when we learn to put self out of sight and put God first and others before ourselves. We cannot do that of ourselves, can we?

The disciples did not. It only happened when they saw Jesus bruised and bleeding and dying for them. Jesus told them, when He left, “This is how you will know that you are My disciples, when you have love for one another.” (John 13:35.) They had not yet developed that love. This was the hardest thing in all the world for them to do. No matter what Jesus said, it seemed to make no difference. He could change their thinking on theology; He could get them to go out and work; He could counsel them on a lot of other things, but no matter what He said about being broken or about learning to love one another, it never worked. Jesus’ own example did not work until they saw Him bleeding on the cross; then their hearts were broken.

Just as the disciples had not learned from Jesus, so the converts the disciples brought into the church had the same problem as had the disciples. No matter what they said, it did not seem to make any difference. The disciples could get the converts to work; they could get them to understand theology; they could get them to be firm for the gospel, but they could not get the converts to really love one another and to love the Lord with all their hearts. They could not seem to understand it. Of course, if you had asked them about love, they would have said they had love. Why else would they be doing all this work?

Smyrna

It took persecution to finally convert the church of Ephesus. That separated the chaff and the wheat; the unconverted left the church. The church was left pure, and that began the next church. That church was called the church of Smyrna, and it existed from 100 a.d. until 323 a.d. when, at the conversion of Constantine, persecution ceased. For over 200 years there was serious persecution at the hands of the Roman emperors. You have surely read or heard the stories of the amphitheater of Rome and how Christians were cast to the lions, and some were dipped in tar and then placed up on posts and set ablaze to provide light for the emperor’s garden in the Coliseum.

The church of Smyrna was the opposite of the last church, the church of Laodicea. Not one good thing was to be said about the church of Laodicea. There is not one bad thing said about the church of Smyrna. They were told to be faithful, and they would receive the crown of life. This was a church at the purest state. As long as they were pure, Satan could not destroy them no matter what he did. He tried everything to destroy them, but nothing worked. So Satan developed a different plan.

“Although Satan rejoiced because of the sufferings of the saints, yet he was not satisfied.” Early Writings, 210. As the saints were being clawed and chewed to death by the lions there in the amphitheaters, Satan rejoiced, but it was not a very good rejoicing. He was not satisfied, because they went down to their graves as champions, as conquerors. He could not get them to relinquish their faith and their love for one another. “He wanted control of the mind as well as the body. The sufferings that they had endured only drove them closer to the Lord, leading them to love one another.” Ibid. What is it that finally brought the church to love one another? Suffering and persecution. What a shame it took that! Could they not learn it without that suffering? But that is what it took.

“[The sufferings caused] them to fear more than ever to offend Him. . . . Although thousands were slain, yet others were springing up to supply their places. Satan saw that he was losing his subjects. . . . Satan therefore laid his plans to fight more successfully against the government of God and to overthrow the church.” Ibid. Satan found that persecution did not work, so what did he try? “He led the heathen idolaters to embrace a part of the Christian faith.” Ibid.

Constantine’s “Christianity”

Constantine was one of the great heathen idolaters who was led to embrace Christianity. Constantine, in 321 a.d., made the first Sunday law, but he was not a Christian. It was to honor the venerable day of the sun. Two years later, he embraced Christianity. He did not change any habits; he declared that all of his soldiers were now Christians—after he marched the whole army through the river and then proclaimed they were all baptized Christians! How wonderful! Everyone was a Christian! It was suddenly popular to be a Christian.

These Christians professed to believe in the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ. They proposed, without a change of heart, to unite with the followers of Jesus. Oh, the fearful dangers of the church at this time. This, then, began the third period of the church. There was first the apostolic period; that was the church of Ephesus. Then, the church, during the first persecution period, was the church of Smyrna. Then came the popular period and the church of Pergamos. It went from 323 a.d. until about 538 a.d.

Pergamos

Our study about the church of Pergamos in prophecy begins with Revelation 2:12:

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.’ ”

In the church of Smyrna, the church about which God had nothing bad to say, who was carrying the sword to that church? The devil was carrying the sword of persecution. In verse 10, we read the message sent to the church of Smyrna: “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw [some] of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

The Bible says the devil was carrying the sword of persecution to the church of Smyrna. But now Jesus has the sword of the Word. Things have changed a little bit. Would you rather suffer from Satan’s sword or from God’s sword? That is a question everyone will have to answer in the last days before Jesus comes, because in the last days, it is not going to be Satan’s sword and then Jesus’ sword; they will both be here on the earth at the same time. We could read a number of verses in this respect, but in Revelation 12:9, we read, “The great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan.” Then verse 17 says, “The dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

The next chapter tells how the people who do not receive the mark of the beast or worship his image will be killed (Revelation 13:12–15), and how they will not be allowed to buy or sell (verses 16, 17), unless they have received this mark in their right hands or their foreheads.

Chapter 14 goes on to explain what God says about those who do receive the mark. Man will kill those who do not receive the mark of the beast. Verses 9 and 10 tell us what will happen to those who do receive the mark: “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.’ ”

Whose Sword?

Oh, what a predicament the people in the last days are going to have. They will all be under a sword; it is just a matter of whose sword. It will either be man’s sword or God’s sword. They will have to choose whether they fear God or whether they fear man, whether they have respect to God or whether they have respect to man. They are either going to be condemned to death by the human tribunals or they are going to be condemned to death by a divine tribunal. Who do you fear, God or man? By whom do you want to be condemned, God or man? It is going to be one or the other. If you have to choose, who are you going to choose to offend, God or man?

The disciples had to choose whom they would respect and obey. They said, “We must obey God or man; we cannot do both, because they are going in two different directions. Who are we going to obey, God or man?” They decided they should obey God rather than man. (Acts 5:29.) That is the choice that all of us have to make before Jesus comes.

The church of Smyrna pleased God, and they came under persecution by man. The church of Pergamos pleased man, and they came under God’s condemnation.

Satan’s Throne

Why was it that God said He was going to fight against the church of Pergamos? Well, He does say a few good things about them, before He tells us why He was going to come at them with a sword.

In Revelation 2:13, we read: “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne [is].” Where is Satan’s throne in prophecy? From the prophecy of Revelation 12:4 and 13:2 we know that Satan’s throne is Rome.

We find, in chapter 13:2 that Satan—the dragon—gave his throne to the next power that came along. In the chapter before, we find that that throne was the capitol of the pagan world. It was from pagan Rome that Satan ruled the world for centuries. Then, again, it was from Rome where, through false Christianity, Satan wielded the sword throughout the Middle Ages. At the time after Constantine’s conversion, Rome very quickly became the predominant Christian center of
the world. For a long time, it was Alexandria and Rome, but because Constantine was from Rome and had been the head of the pagan church, he was the pontificate maximus; that was his title. That title, of course, was taken over by the bishop of Rome some years later, and he became the pontificate maximus. Constantine was called the pontificate maximus, and he was used to being in charge of the church. After he became a Christian, he did not see any reason why he should quit. He immediately declared that the church in Rome was to have predominance, preeminence, above all the churches of Christianity. The Council of the Bishops settled questions of doctrine in Rome. The church in Rome began to bear rule over all the churches.

Papa and Antipas

The head of the church of Rome began to be called papa. In fact, all of the bishops began to be called papas. Today, the term is used to refer to the pope.

Jesus had something to say about this title of papa. Papa in Latin is father. In Matthew 23:9, Jesus said, “Do not call anyone on earth your father [or your papa]; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.” Not all of the Christians readily assented to calling the head of the church papa or the bishops papas. Some of those who did not immediately give reverence to these leaders were martyred. Now, instead of the pagans martyring the Christians, it was the Christians martyring their fellow Christians who would not come under the authority of the leadership of the church.

Revelation 2:13 says, “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne [is]. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas [was] My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells” there in Rome. Who was Antipas? The historians have searched and searched for someone by the name of Antipas, perhaps someone who was martyred. They have never found anyone.

Remember that these books are symbolic, and each symbol has meaning. When it says, “where Satan’s throne is,” we have to compare Scripture with Scripture to find “where Satan’s throne is.” Antipas comes from two words, anti and pa or papa, which in the plural would be pas. William Miller, in his lectures, stated: “It is supposed that Antipas was not an individual, but a class of men who opposed the power of the bishops, or popes, in that day, being a combination of two words, anti, opposed, and papas, father, or pope; and at that time many of them suffered martyrdom in Constantinople and Rome, where the bishops and popes began to exercise the power which soon after brought into subjection the kings of the earth.” Miller’s Lectures, 138, 139. That is what William Miller believed Antipas meant.

There was a faithful remnant who refused to compromise in order to have peace. This verse indicates that the core of those who refused to compromise were the church. Neither Satan nor his throne was ever considered in these prophecies to be the church any more than Ahab was the church in the Old Testament. However, these false leaders affected the church.

“From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” The Acts of the Apostles, 11.

(I want to tell you, though, that faithful souls are often influenced by leadership, by those around them, and by society.) Who were these faithful souls, many of whom were martyred such as Antipas was—not Antipas as a person but, as the Bible indicates here, by the symbolic Antipas? A little bit of the history that took place during this time has been given to us by Ellen White:

“It required a desperate struggle for those who would be faithful to stand firm against the deceptions and abominations that were disguised in sacerdotal garments and introduced into the church.” The Great Controversy, 45.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

A Better Place

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Why have our cities become so dangerous? Is it because of foreign terrorism, or does the fault lie a little closer to home? Why has the moral standard seen such a rapid decline? It was not so long ago when children could safely go to play on the playgrounds and women could walk city streets at night with little personal risk.

An elderly woman once reminisced on a friendlier time while growing up on the family ranch in Oklahoma. Doors were seldom locked. Indeed, people would leave their homes unlocked while traveling so others who may be passing through the area could make themselves at home. A note of thanks would be left, along with some money to pay for food and any other incurred expenses.

This describes the world in which we used to live. Unfortunately, a cloud of turmoil has passed over this lovely scene. We have beautified our buildings and our streets, upgraded our transportation and communication systems, and skyrocketed in the world of technology, yet we have regressed terribly in ethics. Because of this, people have become the most dangerous threats in our world.

In a civilized country, when driving on the road, each person depends on the other drivers to abide by laws of traffic. Disobedience to these rules endangers the lives of others on the road. A yellow traffic light warns a moving vehicle that it will have to stop, but what if there were no brakes? What if there were no yellow lights—nothing to indicate that it is time to stop?

This is the condition of today’s society. God gave humanity laws by which to abide and “yellow lights” of warning to assist us in walking in His path. God did not provide any disclaimers to the law, yet people have felt at liberty to add some themselves, teaching that it is okay not to keep the Ten Commandments under certain conditions. People who add ifs, ands, or buts to the law leave the law open to the interpretation of each person’s faulty conscience and perception of right and wrong. Thus the result is all around us in crime and chaos and fear.

What is the cause of the depravation that we hear so much of on the news and see all around us? The answer is plain and simple—ignoring God’s law of love. This disregard of divine guidance is not just found in the lives of individuals, but also in churches and schools. People discount the Ten Commandments and add their own disclaimers—a practice which is known as “situation ethics.” The effect on our society is that there is no more right or wrong. Since nothing is defined as absolutely wrong, or absolutely right, young people growing up today do not have a clear idea at all about standards.

When young people in high schools and colleges have been quizzed about subjects such as cheating, e.g. cheating on your taxes, or cheating at school, they define it as being right or wrong, depending on what kind of a situation you find yourself in because there are no absolute rules, and in short, you become your own god. In this sort of society, moral comforts are lost, there is no sense of moral direction, and there is nothing anymore that is absolute.

The Bible uses very strong language to describe people who try to figure out what is right and wrong on the basis of their own conscience: “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” Proverbs 28:26. And yet society has turned over the decision of right and wrong to the sinful individual rather than trusting in the moral outline provided by a perfect God. God defined morality; something He would not have had to do were we able to do so on our own accord. Not once did He ever give human beings the right or the authority to decide what is right or wrong.

History demonstrates the result of people, churches, or a government deciding what is right or wrong. Some of the most awful crimes ever recorded are the result of human beings taking this authority.

Repeatedly, when church and state unite, the rights of the minority are trampled upon. In the early days of the United States of America, the citizens of this country were well acquainted with this because many people had fled to the United States of America to escape the religious persecution in Europe and other countries.

God Governs His Territory

The only dependable moral standard of right and wrong is found in God’s word. The word of God contains a simple and complete standard for determining ethics. This is what the Bible says about the commandments of God:

“The works of his hands [are] verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and [are] done in truth and uprightness.” Psalm 111:7, 8.

Notice in these two verses, that God’s commandments have the following characteristics:

They are sure. In other words, they are certain and solid. There is no guess work. It says that they are eternal. They will last forever—a million years from now the law of God will still be in force.

They are true. There is no deceit or falsehood.

They are right.

They have stood the test of time, having been given thousands of years ago. The effects of both obedience and disobedience to the commandments have been demonstrated repeatedly over the course of earth’s history.

“Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin [is] a reproach to any people.” Proverbs 14:34.

The United States is one of the leading nations today, not because of natural resources but because people came here to find happiness and freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience. This country, more than any other country on the earth, has the largest percentage of the population attempting to keep the law of God.

God’s Law Has No Flaws

God’s law is not of human composition. It was first given by God to His people. If they would obey, it would be a safeguard, a protection against all kinds of crime. “The law of the Lord [is] perfect.” Psalm 19:7. If something is perfect, can you improve on it?

God’s law is one law but it contains ten sections. It was written on two tables of stone by the finger of God and given to Moses. Remember, it was one law, it had ten sections, and it was written on two tables of stone.

Men make laws too and it is essential to have laws. Anyone who has been in a foreign, developing country that does not have enforced traffic laws and has gotten into a traffic jam where nobody keeps any kind of traffic laws will know what a terrible thing it is to not have law and order. However, it has been estimated that there have been 35 million laws to control human behavior. The Almighty has given us just ten, and these ten precepts in His law cover everything having to do with morality.

The Principles of God’s Law are Eternal

Nothing can be done morally wrong without breaking one of the Ten Commandments. God wrote them on two tables of stone with His own finger—they are immutable. “This covenant that I gave, I am not going to change it. And what’s gone out of my lips I won’t alter.” Psalm 89:34. His law is of imperishable obligation. It will be in effect as long as God exists, not only in this world, but throughout the universe for eternity. There will never be a time when this law is not in force.

God Writes His Law Himself

When God gave this law, He did not entrust it to be written down by a human being, even Moses. Moses did write the Pentateuch, and we have prophets who wrote the rest of the Old Testament, and apostles who wrote the New Testament, but God’s law is so holy and eternal, it was not entrusted to any human being to write it down. It was written with His own finger on tables of stone.

God has a government, and there is a territory over which He rules. The children of Israel were told: “All the world [is] mine.” Exodus 19:5. No government can exist without law. God has a government also, and His law is the basis of His heavenly government.

A War Broke Out in Heaven

There came a time though when an intelligent being decided that he did not need to be governed by God’s law and rebellion broke out in heaven. It was Satan’s claim that the angels did not need restriction—that they were wise enough to decide by their own intelligence, what was right and wrong. In Isaiah 14:12–14, it says that this rebellious angel wanted to be like God. This was the same as asking God to change the first commandment which says, “You shall not have any other gods beside me.” Exodus 20:3.

This angel was a leading angel and the highest of all the created beings. When he rebelled he attempted to deceive all the angels into rebelling with him. He succeeded in persuading one third of the angels to fight against the law of God. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, But they did not prevail; nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:7–9.

Rebellion Not Tolerated

This passage of Scripture gives us, in panoramic view, the history of the great controversy between Christ and His angels, and Satan and his angels. The dragon is Satan. God could not tolerate rebellion in heaven—it would threaten the happiness and peace of every being, thus they were cast out.

God is not going to tolerate rebellion in this earth anymore than He tolerated a rebellion against His government in heaven. The rebellion on this earth is temporary and is going to be brought to an end. If we rebel against the authority of the law of God, we rebel against the government of God. It is the same as if one was to rebel against the laws of the United States, they would be rebelling against the government.

When the devil was cast into this world, not only was he successful in the destruction of one third of heaven’s angels, he also succeeded in deceiving the human race and beginning a rebellion on the earth. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, God visited them in the Garden of Eden saying that because they had eaten of the forbidden fruit, they would die and return to dust.

Satan Claims His Own Territory

Adam and Eve had to leave their beautiful home, but before they left the Garden of Eden, God gave them the single most wonderful promise in the Bible. He promised them that a descendant of Eve would destroy the serpent that had deceived her. (Genesis 3:15.)

Although this was foremost in their minds, Adam and Eve had a divided family. Their two sons, Cain and Abel were very different in character. Abel worshipped God in the way that God had told them, through the sacrifice of a perfect lamb. The lamb represented the coming Lamb of God, the Son of God who would come and offer His life for the sins of the world. It was necessary for mankind to keep in focus the coming Redeemer who would give His life to save them from their sins. The way to keep this in mind was by offering animal sacrifices. At that time they had no idea it would take another four thousand years for that promise to be realized.

Cain worshipped the Lord too, but he did so in a way that a lot of people worship the Lord today, according to his own rules and beliefs of what was right. He did not bring a lamb, but a bloodless offering. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:22, “That without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.” God did not have respect for Cain and his offering. The elder brother became so irate over the favor shown to Abel for his obedience that Cain killed him.

God’s Law Eternal

There are some people who are very confused and say that the law did not exist until Mt. Sinai. However, it says in Romans 4:15, “Where there is no law, [there is] no transgression.” If there had been no law, there could be no transgression for Adam and Eve or Cain. I John 3:4 says, “Sin is the transgression of the law.”

Adam and Eve broke the first, the fifth, and the tenth commandment in the Garden of Eden. In addition to that, Cain broke the sixth commandment. Had there been no law to break, there would have been no sin. It is clear here that the law existed from the time of creation. It was formally given to the children of Israel from Mt. Sinai when they had forgotten it. However, it has existed for eternity. The angels followed God’s commandments out of love and devotion until one angel questioned them and rebelled. Had there been no law, Satan would have nothing to rebel against.

A careful study of the book of Genesis will find every one of the principles of the Ten Commandments before it was written in stone.

In the Bible, Abraham is called the father of the faithful. The reason is given in Genesis 26:5:

“Because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” He is a prototype of all sinners who find salvation. If you are accounted as a descendant of Abraham, then according to the New Testament, you will be an heir of the world.

God’s law has always been the standard of right and wrong. Adam and Eve broke the first, the fifth and the tenth commandment in Eden. Cain broke the sixth. Joseph refused to break the seventh commandment. Joseph also knew about the eighth and ninth commandment as shown when you read in Genesis 44 about the cup he had placed in his brother Benjamin’s sack in Egypt. Adam and Eve also knew about the fourth commandment according to Genesis 2:1–3. Jacob knew about the second commandment. All of these people knew and understood all of the Ten Commandments. Joseph knew that it was wrong to commit adultery and because he refused the advances of Potipher’s wife, he was put into prison for many years. Jacob knew that it was wrong to worship idols (Genesis 35:2), referring to the second commandment.

God’s servants know His law and abide by it. They know that His law, His word, is the same yesterday, today and forever. Yet people today argue against this, saying that we are not living in Old Testament times now but in New Testament times. However, in response, Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law, or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For assuredly I say to you that till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle (a jot is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and a tittle is just part of a letter) will by no means pass from the law, till all is fulfilled.” Matthew 5:17, 18.

Actually, Jesus stated it even stronger in Luke 16:17: “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear, than for the least stroke of the pen to drop out of the law.”

Think about that and remember Who is talking. The One who the Bible says created everything in the universe, and Who upholds everything by the word of His power. He has the authority to make it pass away. He could decide to destroy the whole universe and there is nothing anybody could do to stop it. And He said that it would be easier for the whole universe to pass away than for a part of a letter of the Law to fail. This leaves no doubt in the immutability of His commandments.

Jesus Fulfilled the Law

Did you ever wonder why Jesus had to die on the cross? He said to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane, “All things are possible with you, so if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39.)

God the Father said, “No. You have to go to the cross.” In I Corinthians 15:3 we are told that Christ died for our sins. If He had not gone to the cross of Calvary, there would be no hope for you and me and we would face eternal death.

Some may argue that the law was abolished at the cross using Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:15 as support for their claim: “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances; so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.”

Here it talks about “the commandments contained in ordinances.” What commandments were those? At the cross, the ceremonial system of sacrifices came to an end. There is no more need for ceremonial sacrifices or the Levitical priesthood since there is no more earthly sanctuary. God’s sanctuary today is in heaven, not on earth.

But did the moral law come to an end at that time also? Absolutely not! The handwritten ordinances came to an end but the moral law remained intact in its entirety. Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” John 8:11. [If the moral law had been abolished, there would be no definition of sin.]

“Go and sin no more”

If Jesus says, “Go and sin no more,” that means, go and abide by the law.

Some say that they cannot do that. We live in a pessimistic age, but the Bible says. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” II Corinthians 12:9.

Everyone who is struggling with sin in their life, can say, “Lord, I want to go and sin no more, but I am helpless.” And in response, the Lord says, “I have enough grace for you. The weaker you are, the more grace you are going to receive.” (II Corinthians 12:9.)

The devil is still in opposition to God’s law though. He is trying with all his might to lead every descendant of Adam and Eve to eternal destruction. A powerful method by which to do this is through discounting the same law that he rebelled against in heaven. Rebellion against God’s commandments does not happen just by deliberate action against them, but also in taking the unwarranted authority to change any single precept of His divine commands.

Jesus always leads people to obedience. He never ever told anybody to go and sin another day. He never said to go and try to work on it and see if you can slowly quit. Jesus said, “Go, and don’t sin any more.” The Lord can give strength to live a new life. You don’t have to wait and go through some program for months or years. Jesus said to the woman, “Go, and don’t sin any more.” That experience was the beginning of her new life of purity.

Jesus offers new life today. He says go and sin no m ore and He has enough grace to give you the power so that you will not have to sin anymore. He says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15. According to Jesus, keeping the commandments is a test of love and faith to Him. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love; just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” John 15:10.

A question was sent to Billy Graham asking which of the Ten Commandments still apply to us today. The answer: “The Ten Commandments are never out of date. They express the unchanging will of God for our lives, regardless of changes in human society. If you look at them closely, you will see that the first few commandments deal with our relationship with God. [That’s the first four.] The other commandments deal with our relationship with other people and with things. Our lives would be much happier if we followed God’s commandments.” The Ten Commandments are never out of date; they are eternal. The law of God and the love of God are not two separate things. This is love for God—to obey His commandments.

The Commandments Are About Relationships

Many people today do not understand the relationship between the law and love that the Bible teaches.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37, 38.

Everything in the Bible, everything in the law and the prophets hang on those two principles. You see, love always leads to obedience—never leads to disobedience. We cannot be saved if we persist in disobeying God’s law and live lawless and rebellious lives. If we refuse to keep God’s law, we are placing ourselves on the devil’s side of the great controversy.

This is not to be mistaken for the law being the basis of our salvation. If you could earn salvation by keeping the law, then Jesus would not have needed to come and die on the cross. “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9. These are the merits that give you the gift of eternal life. Salvation is by grace alone and grace always leads to obedience, never to disobedience.

Consider what the apostle Paul says: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? Certainly not.” Romans 6:15.

There are many who read this verse and do not get the main point. Notice what it says: “You are not under the law but under grace.” Then it says, “What then, shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace?” Who would take the gift of grace without showing due gratitude through the obedience of the law also? For if it were not for the transgression of the law, there would be no need for grace and the price that grace cost heaven.

To be under the law means to be under the law as a system of salvation. Since I have broken God’s law, this means death. How can I escape that?

“Now, we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God, therefore by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:19, 20.

This verse says that the whole world was under the law, and we are all guilty before God. The law condemns and “the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23.

The only way to pay the price for your sins is to die. The death of Jesus upon the cross, however, can forgive you of your past sins, but it does not give you the license to sin in the future. That is not the purpose of the death on the cross.

Forsaking the law of God is the root cause of the loss of law and order in the world today. Jesus died in the sinner’s place on the cross of Calvary so that by His blood our sins can be forgiven and we have the opportunity to live in Paradise. To be under grace means to accept God’s grace as a means of salvation. By faith I accept Christ’s death in the place of my sins.

Being under grace, does not do away with the law, meaning that I do not have to keep it. Notice what Paul says: “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not, on the contrary, we establish the law.” Romans 3:31.

If the law could have been changed, Jesus would not have had to die on the cross. If the law could have just been suspended for a few minutes, or a few hours, in the Garden of Eden, then Jesus would not have had to die on the cross. But the law is of eternal, imperishable obligation. That is why Jesus had to die on the cross. The law is so sacred and holy, that even the penalty for breaking the law cannot be remitted. The penalty had to be paid and Jesus paid that penalty so the human race would not have to.

“But the person who says, I know God, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.” I John 2:4.

On the Isle of Patmos, John the beloved disciple was given visions that are written down in the book of Revelation. He was shown things that would happen from that time until the end of the world. Concerning the time of the end he writes:

“And the dragon, (the devil) was enraged with the woman (the church, a harlot woman is symbol of a corrupt church, and a pure woman is symbol of a true and faithful church.) The dragon was enraged with the woman,” (a pure woman, Revelation 12, first part; in other words, the devil was enraged with the church) and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring. He went to make war with the last people on the face of the earth who were following God.

Who would these people be? The last of the woman’s offspring would be the Christians who would be alive at the close of the age, when Jesus comes back to this world and takes His people to be with Him. This last generation of Christians will be those “who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. They will not be part of the lawless element in society. They will not be a part of the terrorists and the violence in society. They will be people who will be keeping God’s commandments, and people who have the testimony of Jesus.

Again in Revelation 14:12, John says, “Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

Our purpose on earth is to get ready for Jesus’ second coming. For what good is our life if we cannot go home with our Creator in the end? Acceptance of God’s grace in our lives is the starting point from which we prepare ourselves for His arrival. We must be a part of the people who keep God’s commandments and have the faith of Jesus. Jesus died to pay the price of our sins. If we love Him, our love for Him will compel us to obey Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

Pastor John Grosboll is director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

The Significance of 666

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The number of the beast power in Revelation 13:1–10 is 666, and it is also the number of a man. (Revelation 13:18.) As explained in the Catholic Bible in the note under Revelation 13:18: “The numeral letters of his name shall make up this number.”

  1. The beast power was to be a superpower over all the nations and tribes and languages of the earth. (Revelation 13:7.)
  2. It was to receive its seat of government or throne from the dragon power, (Revelation 13:2) which represented in its celestial sense the devil, (Revelation 12:9) but in its human or terrestrial form the pagan Roman Empire. (Revelation 12:4.)
  3. It was to be a religious power because all would worship it. (Revelation 13:8.)
  4. It was to persecute God’s saints (Revelation 13:7) and to overcome them.
  5. It was to make great claims against the God of heaven (Revelation 13:5) that is blasphemy. Blasphemy in the Bible was understood to refer to a man claiming to be God (John 10:33) and a man claiming the authority to forgive sins. (Matthew 9:2,3.)
  6. It was to have persecuting power, or authority, to continue for forty-two months or 1260 days or 1260 literal years. In the Douay Bible Father Reaves says: “The prophet’s weeks are, by all interpreters of the Holy Scriptures, understood to include years for days.” Bible History, 345.
  7. This power was to have a number. His number is 666. (Revelation 13:18.)

Is there a power whose official title has a numerical value equal to 666, and who also fulfills all the identifying marks of the beast described in Revelation 13:1–10?

In an early collection of canon law first published in 1148 (the “Decretum of Gratian” we read (latin) “Beatus Petrus in terris Vicarius Filii Dei videtur esse constitutus.” Translated into English this is, “Blessed Peter is seen to have been constituted vicar of the Son of God on the earth.” Gratian is considered the founder of the science of canon law.

In the Corpus of Canon revised and published by order of Gregor XIII it was stated by Pope Gregory XIII to be corrected by “the plenitude of apostolic power,” so that it is “entirely freed from faults,” we find the same statement: “Beatus Petrus in terris vicarius Filii Dei esse videtur constitutus.”

  1. Lucii Ferraris, another Catholic writer states, “Ut secut Beatus Petrus in terris vicarius Filii Dei fuit constituts, ita et Pontifices eius successores in terris principatus potestatem amplius, quam terrenoe imperialis nostroe serenitatis mansuetudo habere videtur.” Translated: “As the blessed Peter was constituted Vicar of the Son of God on earth, so it is seen that the Pontiffs, his successors, hold from us and our empire the power of a supremacy on the earth greater than the clemency of our earthly imperial serenity.”

Philippe Labbe, a Jesuit writer, in his historical work Sacrosancta Concilia and Regiam Editionem Exacta, vol. 1, 1534 (Paris 1671), used “Vicarius Filii Dei” as the official title of the pope.

“What are the letters supposed to be in the Pope’s crown, and what do they signify, if anything?

“The letters inscribed in the Pope’s miter are these: Vicarius Filii Dei, which is the Latin for Vicar of the Son of God. Catholics hold that the Church which is a visible society must have a visible head. Christ, before His ascension into heaven, appointed St. Peter to act as His representative. Upon the death of Peter the man who succeeded to the office of Peter as Bishop of Rome, was recognized as the head of the Church. Hence to the Bishop of Rome, as head of the Church, was given the title of ‘Vicar of Christ.’

“Enemies of the Papacy denounce this title as a malicious assumption. But the Bible informs us that Christ did not only give His Church authority to teach, but also to rule. Laying claim to the authority to rule in Christ’s spiritual kingdom, in Christ’s stead, is not a whit more malicious than laying claim to the authority to teach in Christ’s name. And this every Christian minister does.” Our Sunday Visitor, April 18, 1915, thirteenth question under “Bureau of Information,” on page 3.

In addition to these Catholic sources there are a number of Protestant eye-witnesses to this official title being inscribed on tiaras (crowns) which were worn by the Pope.

Count the number of: Vicarius Filii Dei

I=1; V or U=5; L=50; C=100; D=500

” Vicarius Filii Dei “

V=5 I=1 C=100 A=0 R=0  I=1 U=5 S=0    F=0 I=1 L=50 I=1 I=1    D=500 E=0 I=1

      5 + 1  +  100   +  0  +   0 +  1  +  5 +  0           0 + 1   +  50 + 1  + 1          500 +   0  +  1
        
             = 112                                                                   = 53                                   = 501

              112 + 53 +  501 = 666

Who is Antichrist?

 

The Bible teaches that there are many antichrists 1 John 2:18. Although there are many antichrists, the Bible speaks of “the antichrist.” 1 John 2:18. The Greek word ‘anti” is equivalent to the latin word “vicar.” It means primarily, one who stands in the place of another. The antichrist, then, is a person who stands in the place of Christ. If a person claims to be the vicar of Christ, he is claiming to be the antichrist. Since God says that He will not give His glory to another, (Isaiah 42:8) if a human being claims to stand in the place of Christ he places himself against Christ. This is the common understanding of antichrist. (See Matthew 23:8–12.)

The antichrist, in its celestial form is the devil—he is the ultimate antichrist or false Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 11:13–15) However, the antichrist has a human or terrestrial form also and is identified in several places in the scriptures. (See Daniel 7; 2 Thessalonians 2; Revelation 13.)

The identifying marks given are:

  1. He “will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple [church] of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
  2. It is described three times in this chapter in association with breaking God’s law and teaching men to break God’s law.
  3. This power had it’s roots, or beginnings, in the time of the apostles. (2 Thessalonians 2:7.)
  4. It will continue until the second coming of Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:8.)
  5. It will work miracles and deceptive wonders.
  6. It will deceive everybody in the world who did not receive the love of the truth.
  7. It ill arise among the ten nations which divided up the Western Roman Empire. (Daniel 7:8.)
  8. It will persecute the saints. (Daniel 7:25.)
  9. It will arise to political authority after 476 A.D. (Daniel 7:8, 24.)
  10. In the process of arising to power it will destroy three of the original ten nations that divided up the Roman empire.
  11. It will persecute the saints of God for 1260 prophetic days, or 1260 literal years.
  12. It will speak great words against the Most High.
  13. It will intend to changed times and laws.
  14. It will have eyes like the eyes of a man.
  15. This power does not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh (2 John 7; 1 John 4:1–3. Compare with Galatians 5 and Romans 8 and 1 John 2:15–17 for the technical meaning of the world “flesh” in Scripture.)
  16. Would receive a deadly wound at the end of the 1260 year period.
  17. This deadly wound would be healed
  18. It will be worshipped by all the world in the end of time except those who are saved.
  19. It would have worldwide influence and authority during the 1260 year period and again at the end of time.
  20. It would have a number, and this number would be the number of a man.

The number would be 666.

 

What is the Mark of the Beast?

 

  1. It must be something that is a characteristic of the beast power for which the identifying marks have already been listed. (One of the main identifying characteristics of the beast power or the antichrist power is its intention to change God’s law thereby setting itself up above God. (Daniel 7:25; 2 Thessalonians 2:4–8.)
  2. If you receive it you will receive the wrath of God. (Revelation 14:9–11.)
  3. The only people who receive the wrath of God are those who obey unrighteousness. (Romans 2:8.)
  4. All unrighteousness is sin. (1 John 5:17.)
  5. Sin is the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4.) Therefore the mark of the beast must involve breaking the law of God.
  6. This breaking of the law of God is deliberate—“shall think to change times and laws.” Daniel 7:25.
  7. It will be enforced by human law, and all who do not receive it will not be able to buy or sell. (Revelation 13:15–17.)

The Bible uses the symbol of a beast to represent a nation or a kingdom in Bible prophecy. We use this symbolism in our everyday speech. Just think of the bald eagle, the bear, the elephant and the donkey.

The only power that meets all the identifying marks found in Revelation 13:1–10, is the papacy. What part of God’s law has been deliberately changed by the papacy? And what change is spoken of as a mark of her power and authority?

Lucius Ferraris, in his Prompta Bibliotheca, an official Catholic book, declares: “The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God . . . Moreover the superiority and the power of the Roman Pontiff . . . are even over angels, than whom he is greater . . . The pope is as it were God on earth . . . (and) is of so great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws.”

In the 18th General (or Ecumenical) Council of the Catholic Church, the Council of Trent, held from 1545 to 1563, the church officially stated: “It pleased the church of God, that the religious celebration of the Sabbath day should be transferred to ‘the Lord’s day’ [meaning Sunday].” Catechism of the Council of Trent, 4.

The Catholic Church admits that she changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Reverend John A. O’Brien of Notre Dame University, wrote: “Let me address myself to my dear non–Catholic reader: You believe that the Bible alone is a safe guide in religious matters. You also believe that one of the fundamental duties enjoined upon you by your Christian faith is that of Sunday observance. But where does the Bible speak of such an obligation? I have read the Bible from the first verse of Genesis to the last verse of Revelation, and have found no reference to the duty of sanctifying the Sunday. The day mentioned in the Bible is not the Sunday, the first day of the week, but the Saturday, the last day of the week.” The Faith of Millions, 136, 137, published by Our Sunday Visitor, Copyright 1974.

The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, a catechism that received the “apostolic blessing” of Pope Pius X, also speaks of this change in a question–answer form:

“Question: Which is the Sabbath day?

“Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day?

“Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?

“Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 364), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.”

History shows that the Catholic Church is the one that changed the day. The Catholic Church herself admits to it. In fact, this is what she claims as the proof of her power. God’s authority is based upon His ability to make laws. The pope claims to be equal with God, and claims to be in effect above God, when he claims that he can change God’s law.

The mark of the beast is enforced Sunday observance which will become a worldwide oppressive law just before the end of the world. (See Revelation 13:15–17.)

What is the Seal of God?

The terms “seal” or “sign” or “mark” are synonymous (though not identical) terms. A seal is something that gives a law, reality, force and legality. It shows (1) who gave the law, (2) their jurisdiction or territory governed and (3) their title or office or authority.

God does have a seal, (Revelation 7:1–3) and it will be received by the 144,000 before the end of the world. (Revelation 7.) Although this is a special seal or mark is placed on a special group of people, God has always had a seal or mark that He placed on His children. (See 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13.)

God’s seal or mark has always been the Sabbath. (See Exodus 31:12–17; Ezekiel 20:12, 20.) The Sabbath commandment is the seal of God’s law (Isaiah 8:16). God’s seal shows who gave His law, His jurisdiction or territory governed and His title and authority. (See Exodus 20:8–11.)

The special sign of God’s people in the last days is that they keep the commandments of God (Revelation 12:17; 14:12; 22:14) and this could not be said of them if they were not Sabbath-keepers. Because, if you keep the whole law, and yet break one you are not a commandment-keeper. (James 2:8–12.)

The Sabbath commandment above all other commandments, points out a person as a worshipper of (1) the God who created the heavens and the earth in six days (2) that this person is under the authority of this creator as His subject,. (3) that this person will keep all other commandments of God’s law since he cannot keep the Sabbath “holy” unless he is holy (Romans 7:12.) To be holy one must be in harmony with all of God’s law which is holy.

The Sabbath is the seal or mark that a person is a subject of God’s government and not under the authority of any antichrist power.

 

What does it mean to receive the Holy Spirit?

 

  1. When a person receives the Holy Spirit He will overcome sin in his life. (Romans 8:1–14.)
  2. When a person receives the Holy Spirit He will witness for his faith. (Acts 1:8.)
  3. Only those who choose to obey can receive the Holy Spirit. (John 14:15–18; Acts 5:32.)
  4. The Holy Spirit is given only to those who desire and request Him in their life. (Luke 11.)
  5. The Holy Spirit has nothing to do with the bedlam and noise and gibberish which has come into many Christian churches today. (See 1 Corinthians 14:40.) No church can receive any gifts of the Holy Spirit if it is in open and deliberate violation of God’s law.

“The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions. And this is called the moving of the Holy Spirit.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, 36.

“Some of these persons have exercises which they call gifts and say that the Lord has placed them in the church. They have an unmeaning gibberish which they call the unknown tongue, which is unknown not only by man but by the Lord and all heaven. Such gifts are manufactured by men and women, aided by the great deceiver. Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises have been considered gifts which God has placed in the church. Some have been deceived here. The fruits of all this have not been good. ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits.’ Fanaticism and noise have been considered special evidences of faith. Some are not satisfied with a meeting unless they have a powerful and happy time. They work for this and get up an excitement of feeling. But the influence of such meetings is not beneficial. When the happy flight of feeling is gone, they sink lower than before the meeting because their happiness did not come from the right source. The most profitable meetings for spiritual advancement are those which are characterized with solemnity and deep searching of heart; each seeking to know himself, and earnestly, and in deep humility, seeking to learn of Christ.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 412.