WHAT IS THE MARK OF THE BEAST?

In regard to the sign or seal of God we have given the Lord’s own testimony from the Scriptures. So, on the other hand, we shall let the papacy speak for itself as to what it offers as the peculiar evidence, or sign, or mark, of its authority and power. As the Sabbath is the sign that God is Creator of all things, the very highest claim of power would be to assume to set aside that sign, and substitute one of its own. And the evidence would be strengthened if that other sign were in direct opposition to the sign of God. And such we find to be the case in regard to the sign of the beast. The Catholic Church claims that it has the right to make that sinful which God has expressly permitted, and to make that a virtue and a Christian duty which God has expressly prohibited. What higher power can there be in Heaven or on earth than the power to annul the laws of the Most High—to sit in judgment upon the precepts of the Almighty. That these things are so is known to all the world.FEE 219.6

When Leo III. was accused of harboring evil designs against the rights of the people, Charlemagne summoned a court to hear the charges, but they unanimously declared that they dared not judge the apostolical see, the head of all the churches of God. They considered Leo as high priest appointed to judge all, and himself to be judged of no man. The pope then saluted Charles as emperor of Rome. Robinson’s “Ecclesiastical Researches,” recording these transactions (pp. 172, 173), says:—FEE 220.1

“Charles was complimented with the name, but the pope had the thing. The title of emperor is a shadow; to be above law is the substance.”FEE 220.2

This is a correct estimate of the relative positions occupied by emperors and popes for many centuries. But to be above human law and above the judgment of man, was far beneath the ambition of the occupants of the papal chair. They must be superior to all law, human and divine. This might well be considered a harsh judgment did they not openly make the claim, and boast of it as their right?FEE 220.3

In the Council of Trent, the question came up as to how the Church of Rome should meet the Protestants on the subject of tradition and the Scriptures. Holtzman’s “Canon and Tradition” (p. 163) says:—FEE 220.4

“The archbishop of Rhegio declared in a speech, January 18, 1562, at the Council of Trent, openly, that tradition stood higher than the Scriptures. The authority of the church could not be [already was not] bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the church had, not on the authority of Christ, but on its own, changed the Sabbath into Sunday.” Le Plat, I, 309-314, Council of Trent.FEE 220.5

It is recorded that in Eck’s disputations with the Reformers, he said:—FEE 221.1

“Finally, the power of the church over the Scriptures holds good from this fact, that the church, resting on the fullness of power granted to it, has made changes with certain precepts of the Scriptures. For, notwithstanding the Sabbath commandment, Sunday has taken the place of the Sabbath.” Eck’s Loci, I, 15.FEE 221.2

Thus it appears that whenever Catholic authorities wish to give ample proof of the great power of the church, they refer to the act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, contrary to the plain commandment of God. And their testimony is even more direct than that which is here given. In a Catholic work entitled, “Abridgment of Christian Doctrine,” the institution of Sunday is set forth as the evidence of the great power of the church, and as that ordinance in which the Protestants do homage to her power, in spite of their professions. It speaks thus:—FEE 221.3

“Question—How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days?FEE 221.4

“Answer—By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same church.FEE 221.5

“Q.—How prove you that?FEE 221.6

“A.—Because by keeping Sunday they acknowledge the church’s power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin; and by not keeping the rest by her commanded, they again deny, in fact, the same power.”FEE 221.7

Here the Sunday is given as the sufficient evidence that the church has power to make a sin of that which the Lord has not spoken; nay, more, to make it a sin, and worthy of a curse, to do that which the Lord has expressly commanded. The Lord commanded to keep the Sabbath-day; but the Council of Laodicea declared that they who kept the Sabbath in preference to the Sunday, should be accursed from Christ. And thus have we found, in the precepts of that church, an institution the very opposite of the sign of God, set forth as the sign of her power. If this is not that mark of the beast, what could be? And if any act of presumption could call for vengeance from Heaven, why should not this? If we follow her in this presumption against the commandment of God, how shall we meet it at the last day? Let the Third Angel’s Message, of Revelation 14, be our warning in this matter.FEE 221.8

It has been shown in the prophecy of Daniel that this same power should think to change times and laws. Daniel 7:25. And here we behold the fulfillment in that church affirming its power to change the highest laws of the Infinite One. It is this, more than all else, that identifies that power as the “man of sin” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,—that man of lawlessness, that man against all law, setting himself to be above all law. In this he has truly exalted himself above God, as having authority to annul the statutes of God. He is not only a sinful man; there are multitudes of such in the world. He is what the Scripture says, the man of sin. He makes merchandise of sin; he pretends to make wrong right, and to make right wrong; for surely there can be no higher standard of right and wrong than the law of God, and this he essays to reverse. Thus in his hands sin loses its sinfulness, and under his touch virtue is no longer beautiful. Every word of this strong indictment is fully justified by the high claims put forth by that church to be above the Scriptures, and above all law.FEE 222.1