The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast

A Bible Study for the Arkadelphia Study Group

Revelation describes those that live at the end of the world's history as falling into two
categories. These categories are characterized by a seal or a Mark. The following graph
illustrates the contrast made between them in the book of Revelation:

Those with the Seal of God Those with the Mark of the Beast
Worship God as Creator (14:7) Worship the Beast (13:15)
Keep the Commandments (12:17; 14:12)
Resist Legal Pressure to Disobey (15:2) Submit to the Pressure (13:16)

Those that do not keep God's Law, the "lawless ones", will include “many” that profess to
worship Jesus.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he
who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done
many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23. NKJV

The Seal of God is placed in the forehead. The Mark of the Beast is placed in either the
forehead or the hand.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, Re 14:9

And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God:
and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the
earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have
sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. Re 7:2-3

Anciently, God explained to his people, repeatedly, that their loving obedience to the Ten
Commandments would set them apart like a mark in their foreheads. Additionally, the Ten
Commandments were to be "as a sign" bound on their hands.

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy might. And these words [the Ten Commandments, see Deut 5], which I
command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: . . . And thou shalt bind them for a
sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. De 6:5-8.
See De 11:18; Ex 13:9, 16.

In the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit writes, or binds, the Law of God on the heart of the
believer. This was represented as the sign placed on the ancient forehead. In the Revelation it
is pictured as a seal being placed in the mind, in the forehead.

Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. Is 8:16

 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will
be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: Heb 8:10.

The most solemn warning found in the entire Bible is found in conjunction with the Mark of
the Beast.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into
the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their
torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Re
14:9-11

The Beast, the civil power of the Roman Papacy, is marked, or characterized, as attacking
God's law and trying to change its "times." Dan 7:25.

The Law of God includes a Commandment that honors God as Creator, establishes His
authority on earth, and identifies Him as the Sovereign of the Universe. It is the fourth, the
command related to "times."

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy
work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do
any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore
the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Ex 20:8-11

Jesus clearly indicated that this Commandment would extend beyond His Death. Matt 24:20.

The Apostles and even the Gentile believers clearly observed it. Acts 13; 17; 18

In a future study we will study how the Sabbath is identified by the Bible as the sign of the
Seal of God.

Today we will simply notice that continuing to transgress the Law by keeping it in its
humanly changed form defies God's authority. Such disobedience places men in a camp that
will, when put under pressure in the future, receive the Mark of the Roman beast’s authority.

Let us "Remember" the Command that begins with that word. It does so for a reason.
 The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast II

The Roman beast is against the people of God, even if many of God’s people are found
among her members.

It stomped on “the remnant with its feet.” Dan 7:7, 19. It “made war with the saints, and
prevailed against them.” Dan 7:21. It spoke “great words against the most High, and [wore]
out the saints of the most High, . . . and they [were] given into his hand.” Dan 7:25.

In Daniel 7 the purpose of the judgment is intimately connected with the civil power of the
Church of Rome. The judgment sits to take away that power, to destroy that power, and to
establish in its place God’s Kingdom in the hands of the saints. This marks the end of the
several-thousand-year saga for world dominion.

But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume
and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness
of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints
of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions
shall serve and obey him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. Dan 7:26-28.

In Daniel 8 the Roman power “waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some
of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.” Dan 8:10. These “stars”
and “hosts” are the same “saints” mentioned above. An angel asks how long the Roman
power will be permitted to oppress the “hosts.” The answer is, until the “cleansing of the
sanctuary,” Dan 8:13-14, or, in other words, until the judgment of Daniel 7.

Though prior to this, the beast’s “power shall be mighty . . . and shall destroy the mighty and
the holy people,” Dan. 8:24, yet its judgment is certain. The vision that brings his oppression
to an end “is true.” Dan 8:26.

Later, in the most detailed of Daniel’s revelations, a distinction is made between God’s people
generally, and “they that understand among” them. The understanding ones are the objects of
the wrath of the Roman power.

And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall
fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when
they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to
them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them,
and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is
yet for a time appointed. Dan 11:33-35.

As earlier in Daniel 7 and Daniel 8, this last vision of Daniel 11-12 presents God’s final
intervention as bringing an end to the Roman oppression. The Time of Trouble with the seven
last plagues falls on those not found in the book of life—that is, on those condemned in the
judgment that blotted names from the book. Dan. 12:1.
Revelation 12-16 presents the same picture, but even in greater detail. The saints suffer under
the oppression of the papal power for 1260 years (Rev 11:2-3, 12:6, 14; 13:5). Then they are
relieved by an announcement of the arrival of the hour of Judgment.

There we see that soon the Roman beast will suffer the verdict imposed by the judgment. The
world is warned against honoring the soon-to-be-destroyed power. Nevertheless, many honor
that power to their own everlasting shame.

This is the connection between the first angels’ message and the latter two. The Judgment that
favors the saints also pronounces against the beast. The first angel announces the Judgment.
The second states both the charge and the guilty verdict for the beast. The third announces the
sentence. Here the messages are abbreviated.

“The hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of
the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his
forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God . . .
and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: . . . and they have no rest day nor night,
who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name.” Re 14:7-12 selected

All four lines of prophecy (Dan 7; 8; 10-12; Rev 12-16) present the same picture in ever
increasing magnification. The judgment relieves the saints, pronounces against the beast, and
proceeds at once to the execution of the sentence. This is followed by the establishment of
God’s kingdom.

Who are these saints? Daniel 7:28 says that those that enter God’s kingdom will “serve and
obey Him.” In Daniel 8 they are the “mighty and the holy people.” In Daniel 11 they are
“those that understand among the people.” In Daniel 12 they are those found “in the book.” In
Revelation 12 they are those “that keep the commandments of God and have the Testimony of
Jesus.” In Revelation 14 they are those that endure persecution and who “keep the
commandments of God.”

Taken together, these four lines of prophecy teach that the final scenes on earth will feature
the beast warring against commandment keepers. The issues will be worship and the Law.
God requires honor as Creator. The Beast offers a sacrifice of its own choosing, denying the
creation story of Genesis 1 and supplanting the memorial of that creation with an ancient
pagan holiday. The Bible story ends as it began, with a command of God being slighted by the
Devil speaking through a medium, then a snake and now the Roman Church.

But this time there are some who refuse to join the woman that fell, despite her affectionate
encouragement to take a bite.
 The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast III

In Daniel the Roman power is characterized as taking special aim at corrupting the covenant. The
covenant is first mentioned in 9:4 where Daniel prays to God who keeps “the covenant and mercy to
them that love him and to them that keep his commandments.” Dan 9:4.

Then, in the prophecy of the same chapter, the earthly work of Jesus is given. He is to “confirm the
covenant with many” during the remainder of the 70 weeks. Dan 9:27.

When Jesus is crucified, in Daniel 11:22, he is styled “the prince of the covenant.” And it is only a
few verses later that we find the Roman power first having a “heart” “against” the holy covenant”
and then becoming indignant “against the holy covenant.” Then he has conspiracy “with them that
forsake the holy covenant.” Finally we find him flattering those who “do wickedly against the
covenant” and corrupting them by his flatteries. Dan 11:28, 30, 32.

In summary, the powers of Christ and of the Roman church-state clash over the issue of the covenant.
The covenant under consideration is that “everlasting covenant” that was ratified by the blood of
Jesus. Heb. 13:20. It is the covenant over which Christ stands as “mediator” Heb. 12:24.It is that
covenant where the Law of God is written in the heart.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith
the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be
to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: Heb 8:10.

The Papacy is going to be destroyed for casting “truth” (Dan 8:12) down to the ground. Specifically,
she will be destroyed for casting down the truth regarding the Holy Covenant. (See above). Namely,
she will pay for thinking to change the Law of God. Dan 7:25.

And men are to come out of her communion, and out from among her daughters who have been
corrupted and duped by her “intelligence against the covenant.” Her sins have been noted in the
heavenly courts where the judgment has been sitting. Those sins have not been forgiven.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be
not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have
reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Re 18:4-5.

The character of her warfare has been to direct wrath against commandment keepers and to unite with
those that forsake the everlasting covenant, corrupting them. The mark of her authority is
demonstrated by submission to a civil law (for it is enforced by civil penalties and is made by a nation
in Re 13) that distinguishes commandment keepers and others.

Now the history of the Roman church furnishes ample evidence of what kind of commandment
keepers she hates. She despises those who keep the commandments that she has changed. She labeled
them judeaizers and pronounced anathema against them in ever stronger language through several
centuries of the early dark ages.
 The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast IV

There are three Bible stories that illustrate the final conflict over the Mark of the Beast and the
Seal of God. These are the stories of the Passover in Egypt, the priestly ambitions of king
Uzziah, and Heaven’s execution of King Herod.

In the latter story, the men of Tyre and Sidon who had formerly been at variance with Herod,
decided to make amends. Through the man in charge of his bed-chamber they arranged to
hear an oration from Herod, their representative of the Roman Empire. At its conclusion they
honored him with words that exalted him as a god on earth.

And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the
glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. Ac 12:22-23

In like manner Revelation 13 describes the world wondering after the beast that is named with
blasphemy. This world includes those Muslims, Chinese, Protestants, and Orthodox persons,
numbering in at three billion people, that have historically felt towards Rome as Herod’s
listeners had formerly felt toward Him and Roman rule.

Tyre and Sidon here typify those that receive the Mark of the Beast. Interestingly, the pope is
also typified by the prince of Tyre in that chapter, Ez 28, where Satan appears as the king of
the same city. In that chapter the prince of Tyrus suffers a fate similar to Herod, and for
similar reason. Both represent that king that establishes his throne between the seas in the
glorious holy mountain. (Dan. 11:45).

Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because
thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in
the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine
heart as the heart of God: . . . With thy wisdom and with thine understanding
thou hast gotten thee riches . . . and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the
heart of God; Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of
the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom,
and they shall defile thy brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and
thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou
yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no
God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of the
uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord
GOD. Eze 28:2-10.

While the prince of Tyre and Herod, the centuries-later Roman king over the same city,
enjoyed the titles of deity in their respective ages, Judah’s own king Uzziah aspired only to
the priesthood.

Prior to Uzziah kings and priests had kept their respective places. Saul, of course, had offered
sacrifice—and was rejected from being king. But Uzziah went further. Perhaps as a reward to
himself for defending the faith, Uzziah took the censor in his own hand, the censor that
represented the mediation of Jesus, the mixing of His righteousness with our prayers. Uzziah
made himself a figure of antichrist.

Notice in the story the object of the king’s rage. Notice the location of the plague that struck
him. Uzziah became a figure of that apostate Christianity that rages against God’s faithful
while trying to unite the position of priest and king that God has put asunder.

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he
transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD
to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after
him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: And
they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee,
Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that
are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast
trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. Then Uzziah
was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth
with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the
house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. 2 Chr. 26:16-19.

While the law was as a sign between the eyes for the faithful among God’s people (De 6),
Uzziah’s leprosy was a sign of a contrary nature. It represented false pretensions to the
priesthood, a heaven-cursed attempt to change the regulations that governed the sanctuary.
Uzziah’s leprosy became typical of the Mark of the Beast.

When Israel was about to be gathered out of Egypt God warned them how to escape the
plagues coming on that oppressive nation. The angel of destruction would spare those only
that had the appointed sign of faithfulness.

The sign involved killing a lamb, bringing everyone in the household into the home and
painting the outside of the door with blood by means of hyssop. Inside everyone was to be
dressed to go and to eat the lamb with bitter herbs.

The angel passing by was not to enter homes covered with the symbol of Christ’s atonement.
All others received the worst plague, the death of their first born. By this it was shown, even
in the plague, that their sin had caused the death of God’s only Son. Those not availing
themselves of the offered mercy, who counted the blood of the covenant as an unholy thing,
were thought worthy of sore punishment.

The Seal of God is easy to see typified in that evening. But the Mark of the Beast seems to be,
in the type, almost passive. It was enough to be Egyptian, in name, or even merely in service.
It was enough to forgo the seal to be marked for destruction.

For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the princes of
Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for
a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of
Egypt. . . .And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in
 the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the
bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the
blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the
door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. .
. And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the
land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the
firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. Ex
12:12-13; 22-23; 29

These three stories highlight the relation of worship to the issue of the mark of the beast.
Those that honor the beast and his image with words or acts that should be rendered only to
the Deity worship the beast. And those that worship the beast receive the beast’s mark.

The third angel speaks twice of those who “worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand.” Rev 14:9, 11. The first plague rests “upon the men
which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.” When the
beast is finally destroyed, it will be with “deceived” ones “that had received the mark of the
beast, and them that worshipped his image.” Re 16:2; 19:20.

A fourth story illustrates this reality. In Daniel 3 the head of Babylon and the image that he
had set up was to be worshipped. In this story the mark of the beast was kneeling. The seal of
God was illustrated simply by refusing to kneel.

Daniel 6 paints the same picture. There the sign of the Seal of God was kneeling. The Mark of
the Beast was illustrated by prayers to a god-king who by law exalted himself above all that is
worshipped.

The mark that was legally pressed on the three friends, and later on Daniel, was an act of
unlawful worship. This was a violation of the very command that contains the terms of the
everlasting covenant – "shewing mercy to thousands of them that love me and keep my
commandments."

We will notice only one more item regarding the Mark of the Beast and the Seal of God in this
section: The seal is read by heaven alone; the mark is read by government also. In Ezekiel 9
those with the seal are spared the plagues that destroy the world. This same idea is implicit in
the holding back of the four winds until the servants are "sealed" in Revelation 7.

The mark, by contrast, is enforced by human agencies in Re 13:16-17. These two facts give us
another significant hint about how to identify the mark and the seal. No truth is more plainly
taught in scripture than:

For the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 1Sa 16:7
 The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast V

We concluded the last section with an observation that God looks on the heart and that man
looks on the outward appearance. If the three worthies, for example, had bowed to the image,
Nebuchadnezzar would have been unconcerned with their insincerity. Conformity was all he
was seeking.

God, on the other hand, utterly refuses heartless worship.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their
lips; but their heart is far from me. Matt 15:8

Worship is the theme and issue in the book of Revelation. Men worship the beast or they
worship their Creator. The word "worship" and its derivatives, is used more times in the book
of Revelation than in any other book of the Bible, Psalms not excluded.

Satan Accepts Third-party Worship

Satan has never been so particular as to require true devotion. In Revelation he is contented to
receive third-party worship. Men that honor the image thus honor the beast. And those that
honor the beast worship "the dragon which gave power to the beast." Re 13:4 The dragon is
Satan. Re 12:9.

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they
worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make
war with him? Re 13:4
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels
were cast out with him. Re 12:9

Satan's willingness to accept whatever kind of service he can get was showcased in the
temptation of Jesus. The devil stooped to bribe Jesus to worship him.

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and
worship me. Mt 4:9

Satan does the same in the case of the Mark of the Beast. Hungry men are offered the things
that money can buy if they will only bow. Re 13:16-17. By bribe, by hunger, by superstition-
inducing miracles, the devil in Revelation draws inadvertent "worship" to himself.

God Requires Direct, Willful Worship without Competitors

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Mt 4:10
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the
Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a
Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John
4:23-24.
Where Satan is willing to accept the ignorant worship of idols as directed to himself (De
32:17; Ps 106:36-37), God cannot. How does He relate to ignorant devotion? In kindness, He
overlooks it as long as possible. He cannot accept it.

For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this
inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship,
him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing
that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands . . .
seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things and hath made of one blood
all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth . . . For in him we live,
and move, and have our being . . . we ought not to think that the Godhead is like
unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of
this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to
repent: Acts 17:23-30

While Satan bribes men to worship himself, God will not even accept men's bribes as
worship. He is not "worshipped with men's hands" Acts 17:25. Here is the reason that the Seal
of God must be placed in the forehead while the beasts' mark can be either in the hand or the
head. God only accepts loving obedience. The beast accepts fearful conformity.

But we can not say that God always overlooks ignorant worship. When light is presented,
Paul teaches, God "now commands all men everywhere to repent." When the Jews sank down
into idolatry their worship was not winked at. Their opportunities to know better prevented
their ignorance from winning them grace. See Jer. 44:18-25.

Honoring Man's Works and Man's Commands is Idolatry

Honoring God's Creative Power and Divine Right to Rule is Worship

This section opened with Matthew 15:8 where Jesus speaks of worshippers who use praise
lyrics but whose heart was far from Him. The next verse shows that a heart that is close to
Him is one that has been engraven with the Law of God. It shows that worship from a heart
filled with man's commands is pointless, hollow, vain.

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men. Mt 15:9

God seeks worship based on two of His attributes. He is Creator and Redeemer.

The . . . elders fall down before Him . . . and worship Him that liveth for ever and
ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy
pleasure they are and were created. Re 4:10-11
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy . . . . for thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred . . . Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory, and blessing." Re 5:9, 12, 14
These attributes are written into the 2nd and 4th Commandment. Jehovah shows us mercy in the
2nd and is Creator in the 4th. It is the latter Command that is alluded to in the command to
worship that introduces the Three Angel's Messages.

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his
judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea,
and the fountains of waters. Re 14:7

In summary, the final conflict will be over worship. Satan will seek worship from misguided
Christians who honor Satan inadvertently by vainly worshipping the image and the beast.
Whether deceived or merely cowed by pressure, the evil one eagerly accepts the submission.

God, quite on the contrary, has a refined taste for worship. He knows what He is looking for
in particular. He will only accept worship that honors Him by obedient submission to His will.

And He will avenge his saints by destroying the beast with those that have united in
worshipping contrary to God's Law. Their judgment hints at their crime.

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no
rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth
the mark of his name. Re 14:11

These are professed Christians. But they mock the idea of a six-day Creation and of a literal
flood. They believe God made the world over ages of time and deny that His judgments are
soon to fall. This class rise in the "last days."

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after
their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the
fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the
creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the
heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store,
reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 2Pe
3:3-7

Yes, Satan accepts whatever kind of honor he can get. This kind of scoffing is honor enough
for him. These scoffers are "ungodly." The Greek is asebaes, "without due reverence,
worshipless." What have they been scoffing at? Very apparently, the First Angel's Message.
They refuse both to acknowledge that the "hour of His Judgment" is come and to "worship
Him" as Creator.

God only accepts heart love and obedience. While men will look at the outward acts to
determine who accepts the mark of the beast, God will look at the heart to perceive who has
been sealed with the covenant Law by the Holy Spirit of Promise.
 The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast VI

When God looks at the heart, what is He looking for? In the day that He will judge the secrets
of men, Judge Jesus will be looking for the works of the law to be written there. Our thoughts
and actions will bear witness whether the Law has been written into the heart.

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained
in the law, these . . . shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their
conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or
else excusing [each of them] in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men
by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Ro 2:14-16

In the period of time when the world is coming to its end, the Ten Commandments receive
greater attention. In the context of the close of human probation, Revelation 22:14 blesses
those that "keep" the commandments of God.

In the context of the final controversy between good and evil the law of Ten Commandments
is revealed in the Ark that housed it. This happens twice. Revelation 11:19; 15:5. This is
further evidence that the Law will have been at issue in the closing scenes of the world.

In Revelation 14:7 the announcement that the hour of “His Judgement has come” begs the
question, “What will be the standard of judgment in this trial?” James 2:8-12 specifies that
we are judge by the “royal law” of the Ten Commandments. During the judgment this
standard receives due attention. And again we point out that it is the Sabbath command that is
partially quoted immediately after the announcement of the judgment.

The Sabbath, as a seal that one is keeping the Commandments of God, fits snuggly into the
puzzle of Revelation.

When Jesus speaks of His coming, He mentions a class that will be bitterly surprised to find
themselves lost. As all lost persons in Revelation receive the Mark of the Beast, and as all
saved persons receive the Seal of God, this class must be the class that has not the Seal of
God. The disappointed ones at the Advent are not the class of 14:12 that keep the
commandments.

But what commandments would it be that professed followers of God could break and still
dare to say "Lord, Lord" to Jesus at His coming?

And of the commandments, the Sabbath seems most like the sign/seal of circumcision. It is
the commandment that does not appeal to unaided moral senses any more than the command
to avoid the Tree of Knowledge. Some authors have rejected it particularly on this ground—
that they could not see the morality in it.

In that respect the sacredness of the Sabbath, like the forbiddeness of the Knowledge Tree in
Eden, is a fit test to separate men into two camps. On one side are the Cains who offer to God
a generous offering of what makes sense to them. On the other are the Abels who do as they
are told by God, human reasoning not withstanding.
The Sabbath has been set apart as a special sign of the work of sanctification, of living our
lives as if "the Lord God [were] in our hearts.” Isaiah 8. Sanctification is the New Covenant
process of writing the Law in the Heart.

Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath
throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me
and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and
earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Ex 31:16-17.

Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them,

that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. Eze. 20:12

And hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye
may know that I am the LORD your God. Eze. 20:20

Why else has the Fourth Commandment been chosen as a sign of sanctification? In Hebrews
4:4-10 the Sabbath is made a symbol of the creative work that God does in the heart. It
emphasizes the Divine gift in writing the law there. We are to cease doing our "own works"
and to rest in blissful dependence on God's inworking power.

A Sign of the Spirit's Work

“You also trusted [in Jesus], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation,” writes Paul. But he adds that there is more. “In Whom also, after that ye believed,
ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” Eph 1:13.

Jesus received the Seal of God. John 6:67. Jesus was, for the record, filled with the promised
Holy Spirit. Jesus, “being full of the Holy Ghost” preached regarding himself, “The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.” Lu 4:1,
18.

Just as Jesus was filled with the Spirit, and thus sealed by God the Father, the last generation
will be. Joel 2; Ezekiel 9; Revelation 7.

Ephesians speaks of the seal being “the earnest” of our inheritance until we receive glorified
bodies. Eph 1:14. In other words, we can be sure that we will be resurrected finally when we
have received the down-payment of the Spirit.

“Now he which stablishes us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
who hath also sealed us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” 2
Co. 1:21-22.

The Bible places the seal of the Spirit "in our hearts." The same idea is expressed in
Revelation where the seal, or the Spirit, is placed in the forehead.

The seal of the Holy Spirit is given to those who meet the qualifications for salvation. In the
time of Noah, for example, it would not be put on anyone who would not get in the ark. If the
seal were given to someone who had not met the conditions of salvation, it would be a false
promise.

Now nothing is clearer in our dear country than that many unsanctified persons have exhibited
what are called the gifts of the Spirit. The Sabbath, as an outward sign, serves to show the
body of believers that are Commandment Keepers, that are New Covenant Christians, and that
are being sanctified by the writing of the Law on the heart.

As a sign of the Spirit's seal, it helps clear confusion regarding what the Spirit is and is not
doing in the world. Today the Commandment Keepers are preparing for Christ's return. They
are not building an ark.

But they are engaged in an activity as distinctive and as significant to the final scenes of this
earth's history. They are being sanctified by the special work of the Holy Spirit. 1 Co 6:11; 2
Thes 2:13; 1 Pe 1:2; Ro 15:16; 1 Thes 5:23. This is the sealing process.

The Sabbath is a sign of the special work of the Spirit on the heart. Or, stated another way, we
could say, “The Sabbath is the seal of the work of the Spirit.” In a shorter term, we would say
that the Sabbath is the sign or seal of the spiritual work of sanctification.

By keeping the Sabbath we confess that God has the right to determine the purpose of His
creation. We were created for his pleasure. This idea carries within it the idea of worship. The
man that feels he can determine which day is honorable is only demonstrating an extension of
another principle. He is his own master, determines his own purpose, makes his own way. He
worships himself. Living to please is an act of worship.

“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased
men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10.

The Sabbath is ideally made to discern between him that serves God and him that serves Him
not. Our relation to the change proposed by man’s will, when the pressure is on, reveals who
we are serving.

An Outline of What We Have Learned So Far

The Lamb The Beast
Prince of the Covenant Heart against the covenant
Confirms the covenant Works, plans, cooperates against the covenant
Stands for the saints Opposes the saints
Helps them Pursues them
Gathers a remnant Scatters the whole
Executes vengeance Executes saints

The Everlasting Covenant

Saints are forgiven
The Law is written in their heart  This is the sealing
They receive the kingdom The Sabbath is the Sign

The Beast’s Arrangement

Claims to give forgiveness
Claims to change the Law
Forces compliance  This is the marking
Holds last earthly kingdom Bowing to Man's Law is the Mark
 The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast VII
Humanity's Foreheads at Stake

The beast introduced in Revelation 13 is often called "a composite beast" for the similarities it
bears to the four beasts of Daniel 7. We are told that this seven-headed beast has the name of
blasphemy on its heads.

As the mark of the beast is called the "mark of his name" (Re 14:11) this blasphemous name
is of particular interest to our study.

The Babylonian head demanded worship through the image of Daniel 3.

The Persian head demanded worship through a law in Daniel 6.
The Roman head, while Pagan, executed saints and accepted honor as a god. Herod illustrates
this in Acts 12:19-24.
The Roman head, while Papal, does all these things in Daniel and Revelation and finally
impersonates Christ in 2 Thes. 2.

Thus various heads of the beast have the name of blasphemy. They claim the prerogatives that
belong to God alone. The mark of the beast is called "the mark of his name" of blasphemy. It
is honoring the papacy with the very authority it claims for itself, the ability to change God's
law.

The battle for humanity's foreheads rages between the beast and the Lamb. The Lamb, gentle
Savior, guides His followers. Re 14:4. The beast coerces. Re 13:15. The Lamb fills with the
power of the Holy Spirit. The beast works miracle to advertise the legitimacy of his power.

Miracles are the reason that many honor the beast and receive the mark.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles
before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast,
and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone. Re 19:20.

Far from being an obscure fact, the relation of miracles to the final deception is spoken of
widely. Miracles in the end of time aid the great deceiver. Matt 7; 24; Mr 13; Lu 21; 2 Th 2;
Re 13; 16; 19.

Miracles fill the beast's arsenal. Men see them and are deceived. Every class of men are
presented as receiving the mark. This is preparatory to their entrance into the lake of fire
mentioned above in Re 19:20.

Love fills the Lamb's followers. Men observe their character, their constancy under
persecution, the cogency of their scriptural reasoning, the spiritual power of their
presentations. Men know that they are right.

They face beheading (Re 20:4) for refusing the combined authority of the powers of earth.
Though decapitated, they are counted victorious (Re 15:2) over their enemies. Like saints
before them (Re 6:11 ) they overcome by their testimony and by Christ's blood while
sacrificing their lives (Re 12:11).

The Battle for the Forehead

We have observed repeatedly that the Law of God is to be written in men's minds. Satan also
has a character that he works to have planted there. It is characterized in scripture as having a
"whore's forehead."

Where men have such a forehead they are nearly impervious to the Spirit's work of
sanctification. They can not be led to the first step of feeling a need for the Spirit's
convictions. They refuse to be ashamed of their sins.

Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain;
and thou hadst a whore‘s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. Jer 3:3

So there is a forehead of a whore and a forehead of a Lamb. Regarding the latter we are to "let
this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who . . . became obedient unto death."
Thus the last-day faithful ones are represented as having foreheads like the Father and the
Son. Re 14; 22.

What both camps have is a hardened forehead. This idea is illustrated in the experience of
Ezekiel who was called to give fearful warnings to a stubborn (literally "stiff-foreheaded")
nation. To preserve his faithfulness God strengthened Ezekiel's forehead to be able to stand
against their opposition.

But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto
me: for all the house of Israel are stiff-foreheaded [Hebrew] and hardhearted.
Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong
against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy
forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a
rebellious house. Eze 3:7-9

These stiff foreheads are similar in their rigidity. They differ widely otherwise. One is the
result of God's transformation of the human heart, the other of conformity to the world.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of

your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God. Ro 12:2

The "mother" of harlots has promoted conformity. The compliance of the masses has deluded
individuals into refusing to be ashamed, duped them into accepting the essence of having a
"whore's forehead." See Re. 17

And so men will range under the two banners—one with a Lamb's forehead, transformed, and
braving death for the faithfulness. The other with the whore's, refusing even to be ashamed.
These classes naturally receive the Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast respectively.
 The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast VIII

The Seal of God is placed, strategically, in the mind. There it is sure to have an impact on the
message given by the sealed one.

And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between
thine eyes, that the LORD’S law may be in thy mouth: Ex 13:9
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Matt 12:34

We noted earlier Christ in His character of Prince of the Covenant (Dan 11:22). The New
Testament identifies Him in a similar fashion.

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that
judgest another? Jas 4:12

The passage indicates a relation between giving Law and being authorized to judge. In a
fascinating turn of events, the very class that have suffered for their loyalty to the "one
lawgiver" eventually sit with the Law-giver on his throne as co-judges.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them . .
. which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his
mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years. Re 20:4

The Activity of those who Escape the Mark

So those who escape the Mark of the Beast and who refuse to worship the Roman power will
at last sit as judges. They will co-reign with their Savior. This is future. But what will they be
doing now? The answer to this question is the subject of Revelation 14:8-12.

First the passage warns the world regarding special future judgments on those that submit to
the beast's authority. Then it points out the class who heed those warnings. Those warnings
are the most solemn given in the entire history of the human race.

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great
city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any
man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in
his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of
the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and
they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and
whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Re 14:8-11

How does this message get to the world? "All nations" are in danger, for all have been
confused by the teachings of the Roman power. (This is what it means to be made drunk with
her wine.) Each man and woman in those nations ought to have a chance to escape such
terrible judgments.

So who will give the message? In Revelation 14 it is given by an "angel." But this angel is a
metaphor for certain of God's people, the ones who understand. They are "here" giving the
warning and enduring opposition.

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus. Re 14:12

The saints are those who have lingered to consider the seriousness of the threatened
judgments. They struggle with their inability to rouse the world to see their danger. Their
position makes them very unpopular. Their simple choice to be loyal to all of "the
commandments of God" places them in opposition to the gods of this world: convenience and
conventional wisdom.

This is our eighth lesson. We are not close to exhausting the Biblical themes of the Mark of
the Beast and of the Seal of God. But we have seen enough to know with Biblical certainty
what we are talking about.

The Mark and the Seal Plainly1

The Sealing is the special work of the Holy Spirit in writing the Law of God into the heart of
God's people. The Sealing is the work of sanctification. The sign of submission to this work is
Sabbath keeping. That sign distinguishes those that reject human authority in religious matters
and thus honor God alone.

The character of the beast is to be unashamed of its violations of God's law. This mindset is,
metaphorically, the whore's forehead. Those that refuse the sealing process are hardened each
time they refuse. Their unwillingness to take up their cross and follow their Savior against the
current of the world marks them as unworthy of eternal life.

By refusing the claims of the Fourth Commandment they honor men above their Creator, the
beast above the Lamb, their comfort above the truth. Their refusal to take up the warning that
the world needs so desperately marks them for the judgments of Revelation 14:8-11. They
have no "rest" during the plagues who have refused the Sabbath rest. Though sincerely
deceived into thinking they are doing right, they are not excused. Their sincerity is rather the
fruit of trusting in men than of loving the truth.

When laws enforcing the keeping of another day than Sabbath, undoubtedly Sunday as all
history declares, the character of these hardened persons will naturally submit to the coercion
of the beast. Heaven is not guided that way. They are unfit to be there. They won't be there.

Just prior to the sealing of God's people in Ezekiel 9 (and just prior to the plagues on those
that are unsealed) the prophecy describes the abominations that have invaded Christendom.

1
The Biblical references for these assertions are the content of the rest of this 18 page study. They are missing here only to make the
summary more readable.
Though, in the metaphor, these abominations are conducted inside God's temple, yet they
savor of paganism. These idolatrous practices are revealed to Ezekiel in ascending order of
magnitude.

The worst item, last in the list, and just prior to the command to seal the faithful servants and
to slaughter the rest, is sun-worship.

Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again,
and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the
inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the
LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with
their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and
they worshipped the sun toward the east. Eze 8:15-16

To be particular, here is worship of the Sun practiced inside Christ's temple by men who have
turned their back on God's Law.

The illustration is particularly interesting because the worshippers might appear, to an

observer, to be worshipping the lamb on the altar.

Ezekiel 8-9, written entirely in figurative speech, indicates that just prior to the end of the
world men will turn their back on the Law of God and on Christ in His temple to rather honor
the sun. All the while they will be in God's church.

Sun-worship is the most ancient kind of false-religion. Job says that had he secretly admired
the sun that he would be deserving of punishment by the Judge of the Earth. Job 31:26-28.
Through Moses God warned his special people regarding worshipping this gift of God to "all
nations under heaven." De 4:19. Josiah's great reformation involved the cleansing of God's
house from horses and chariots dedicated "to the sun." 2Ki 23:5, 11.

And the temple had purposefully been built to prevent the very type of abomination figured in
Ezekiel 8. As worshippers entered the court in the morning, their backs were to the sun. They
faced forward to where they could not see, the Most Holy Place, and imagined what they
knew to be there—the Law of God in a special box built to honor it.

But when a soul persists in ignoring God's requirements He may give them up to honor the
hosts of heaven despite themselves. As the fall into idolatry marked old Israel for captivity in
Babylon (Ac 7:42-43), so the fall of Christianity into the worship of religious men was a fall
that put them into a spiritual state called Babylon in the book of Revelation.

Those that Sigh and Cry

In the pictures of Ezekiel 8-9, who is spared? The Seal of God is placed on those that "sigh
and that cry for all the abominations that be done" in the professedly Christian churches.

And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the
midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and
that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. Eze 9:4

In particular, they mourn over the honor given to the sun and over the dishonor shown to the
covenant. In figure, these faithful souls are in the same place as the 25 sun-worshippers. They
are between the porch and the altar. But they are facing the opposite direction.

Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar,
and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD . . . Joel 2:17
Scripture Index to Study
Re 14:8-11