THE POWER IDENTIFIED - Rev.13:11.

At the time of the end, when the papacy was going

into captivity (1798), this power would be coming up
out of the earth. Inasmuch as “seas” in symbolic
prophecy signify “peoples and nations and tongues
and kings” (Rev.17:10), we would infer that the
“earth” should signify the less thickly populated
parts of the globe. The papacy arouse in the midst of
the great populations of the earth, but this “lamb
like” beast must be looked for in another direction.
And so we ask, “what nation was growing up out of
the earth in the year 1798?” Only the United States
fits the specifications for she had just declared her
independence and was embarking upon her voyage of
nationhood.

John Wesley, in his notes on Revelation 13, written in

1754, says of the two horned beast, “he is not yet
come, though he cannot be far off; for he is to appear
at the end of the forty-two months of the first beast.”
It was in 1776 that America gained her independence.
In 1799 that nation adopted its National Constitution.

The Greek word, anabainon, from which is translated

the expression, “coming up out of the earth” means
to grow silently as a plant, quietly and almost
imperceptibly. Such was the situation regarding
American development. It was not by great wars of
conquest, but by continuous migration, that the
populace multipled.

The uncrowned horns could denote her policy of a

“government without a king, and a church without a
pope.” Or as Jesus indicated should be our attitudes
to governments, “Render unto Caesar the things
which are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are
God’s.” Or, in other words, complete separation of
church and state. On this foundation the American
nation was to be built.

We may expect that in fulfillment of this prophecy,

Protestantism in the United States of America will
unite with other religious bodies to prevail upon
Congress to enforce religious dogmas. Just in what
area this will take place is made clear and plain by
the statement that this power will make an image to
enforce the MARK of the BEAST. Just as Sabbath-
keeping is claimed by God as a mark or seal of His
authority, so the Great Apostasy claims Sunday-
keeping as a clear mark of her authority. Many
quotations could be given. We will have space for but
one example.

In a letter written in November 1895, Mr. H. F.

Thomas, chancellor to Cardinal Gibbons, replying to
an enquiry as to whether the Catholic Church claims
to have changed the Sabbath, said, “Of course the
Catholic Church claims that the change was her act. . .
and the act is A MARK OF HER ECCLESIASTICAL
AUTHORITY IN RELIGIOUS THINGS.”

Already we have heard many threatenings of boycott

against all who oppose the mark of the beast. A
sample is the following from the Rev. Bascom
Robbins, in a sermon preached in Burlington, Kansas.

“In the Christians Decalogue the first day of the week

was made the Sabbath by divine appointment. But
there is a class of people who will not keep the
Christian Sabbath unless they are forced to do so.
But this can easily be done. . . . If we would say we
will not sell anything to them, we will not buy
anything from them, we will not work for them, or
hire them to work for us, the thing could be wiped
out, and all the world would keep the Christian
Sabbath.”

THE DRAGON’S VOICE – Rev.13:11.

The innocent-looking, lamb like beast will speak as a

dragon. The dragon’s voice has been heard in
decrees and laws against the saints during the Dark
Ages and before. Revelation 13:14-17.

THE DRAGON’S VOICE – WHAT DOES IT SPEAK?

First - That the people of earth should make an

image to the Papal Beast.
Second - Kill those who will not worship the image
of the Papacy.
Third - Persecute all who oppose.

THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST. (A likeness to the Papacy).

1. How was the Papal Beat developed?
1. – By a “falling away” – apostasy.
2. - A series of church councils uniting the
churches of Christendom with state support.
3. From the Emperor Constantine (4th cent.),
onward, a union of church and state.

We would expect that an image would be formed by

the same process among the Protestant Churches.

First, there comes backsliding and worldliness, then

follows a great movement for unity among the
leading churches. The aid of the civil arm is sought to
strengthen and hasten the movement and make it
impossible to resist. The inevitable result is Religious
Laws enforced by the Civil Power.

“The image of the beast represents that form of

Apostate Protestantism which will be developed when
the protestant churches seek the aid of the civil
power for the enforcement of their dogmas. Great
Controversy page 445.

EVIDENCES OF FULLFILMENT.

At a time when there were no visible evidences of

such a situation, Seventh-day Adventists, in 1850,
commenced to proclaim the meaning of Revelation
13:11-18. Since that time numerous bodies have
been formed for the express purpose of prevailing
upon the Civil powers in the United States of America
to legislate in favor of Sunday laws.

The first Sunday bill to come before the U.S. Congress

appeared in 1888. In 1889, in a letter dated June 3,
the Rev. M. A. Gault of the National Reform
Association, said, “We propose to incorporate in our
national constitution, the moral and religious
command, “In it (Sunday), thou shalt do no work”
except the works of necessity, AND BY EXTERNAL
FORCE OF SHERRIFS we propose to ARREST AND
PUNISH ALL VIOLATERS OF THIS LAW.”

One of the presidents of the National Reform

Association said, “Those who oppose this work now,
will discover when the religious amendment is made
to the Constitution, that if thy do not see fit to fall in
with the majority, they must abide the consequences
or seek some more congenial clime.”

Dr. David McAllister.

From the secretary of the Lord’s Day Alliance, we

have these words, “We mean to put the American
Sabbath upon exactly the same basis as the American
flag.” Dr. H. L. Boothby.