The Third Angel's Message—The Closing Conflict

Notes

1. The beast of Rev. 13:1-10 is a symbol of Rome, at the time when the religion of Rome became professedly Christian, or what we call the Papacy. "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity." Rome, during the reign of the Papacy, led the people of God into captivity. In A. D. 1798 that power, which had held sovereignty over the kings of earth for 1260 years, herself went into captivity, and received a deadly wound. In that year the pope was taken prisoner by the French, and, for a time, some thought that the end of the papal power was at hand.

2. The whole question of the change of the Sabbath will be studied later, so we notice it but briefly here. The following from Doctrinal Catechism, page 174, shows the claims of Rome: "Question.—Have you any other way of proving that the church has power to institute festivals of precept?" Answer.—Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no scriptural authority."

3. The Papacy went into captivity in A. D. 1798. At that time John saw this other power "coming up out of the earth." Other symbolic beasts of prophecy had been seen coming up from the sea, denoting their rise as the result of war and conquest among the nations and peoples of the earth. This one coming up out of the earth indicates that about the year 1798 we should look for a nation just coming into prominence, not among the nations of the world, but occupying new territory. The nation, and the only one in the world, meeting these and other specifications of the prophecy is the United States of America. The influence of this nation for the first hundred years of its history, standing as it did for the great principles of religious freedom, held in check religious intolerance in the nations of the old world. But when this nation repudiates those principles herself, then it will be that by her influence she will say "to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast."

4. Men will be threatened with death by an earthly power for refusing to worship the beast; while, on the other hand, the Lord threatens the seven last plagues and eternal death upon all who do render such worship. The choice will then be between the worship of the true God, as revealed in this great threefold message, or the worship of Satan, as revealed in the beast and his image.

5. Wrath without mixture of mercy has never as yet fallen upon the inhabitants of this world. Such can never be the case until Christ, our great High Priest, steps down from the mediatorial throne.

6. "The song of Moses" was a song of mighty deliverance of God's people, when, from a human point of view, there was no escape from death at the hand of Pharaoh and his proud hosts. That song was one of experience, and can only be sung by those who pass through a similar experience.