Part 35 (2/2)

And while the closing judgment work is proceeding in heaven, this message of the judgment hour lifts up on earth the standard of truths trodden underfoot, and the Lord utters His last warning against sin and apostasy. It is a terrible word that He speaks. Bengelius described it as--

”that threatening p.r.o.nounced which is the greatest in all the Scriptures, and which shall resound powerfully from the mouth of the third angel.”--_”Introduction to Apocalypse,” Preface xxix (London, 1757)._

The Lord is in earnest with men in this hour when the judgment, now pa.s.sing on the dead, must also soon seal the eternal destiny of all the living. Hence the message challenges every soul to a decision.

Looking forward to the time when this message should be due, John Wesley wrote:--

”Happy are they who make the right use of these divine messages.”--_”Notes on New Testament,” on Revelation 14._

These warnings are part of the ”everlasting gospel.” Whosoever, therefore, preaches the full gospel of Christ in these last days must sound this solemn call.

3. A Call to Loyalty to G.o.d

”Fear G.o.d,” is the call, ”Wors.h.i.+p Him.” In the preceding vision of the thirteenth chapter, the Lord had shown the prophet the work of an ecclesiastical power, symbolized by a leopardlike beast, that was to speak great things, and that was to persecute believers through long centuries, warring against G.o.d's truth and His sanctuary. ”All the world wondered after the beast.” The prophet said,

”All that dwell upon the earth shall wors.h.i.+p him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb.” Rev. 13:8.

While worldly influence and the voice of popular religion exalt this ecclesiastical power and give glory to it, the gospel message calls all men to wors.h.i.+p G.o.d.

”Fear G.o.d, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and wors.h.i.+p Him.... If any man wors.h.i.+p the beast and his image, and receive his mark,[I] ... the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of G.o.d.”

The issue, it is clear, involves the question of authority. Shall G.o.d be recognized as supreme? or shall this ecclesiastical power, whose rise and work were foretold in the prophecy, be recognized as the great authority?

The Work of the Papal Power

Any comparison between this leopard beast of Revelation 13 and the ”little horn” of the fourth beast of Daniel 7, shows plainly that the same power is represented in each. The same voice is heard ”speaking great things,” the same persecuting spirit is shown, the same warfare against G.o.d's truth. It is the Roman Papacy, in its exaltation of human authority above the divine, that ”lawless one” of Paul's prophecy, setting itself forth as G.o.d in the temple of G.o.d, treading underfoot the word and the law of the Most High, as foretold by Daniel:

”He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws.” Dan.

7:25.

Against the recognition of the a.s.sumed authority of this power, the gospel message of Revelation 14 sounds its solemn warning: ”If any man wors.h.i.+p the beast and his image, and receive his mark.”

The Image to the Papacy

What is this image? Plainly an image to the Papacy must be some religious authority or federation not organically of the Papacy itself, but adopting papal principles and seeking to enforce these principles by civil power, just as the Papacy has ever done, where possible. This development in likeness of the Papacy was shown the prophet in the latter part of the vision of Revelation 13. He saw the image formed, and in vision witnessed its determined efforts to enforce upon men the mark, or sign, of the Papacy:

”He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to wors.h.i.+p the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.... 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.” Rev. 13:12-17.

The Mark, or Sign, of Papal Authority

The Roman Papacy sets forth the Sunday inst.i.tution as the mark of the authority of the church to subst.i.tute ecclesiastical tradition and custom for the Word of G.o.d. Thus, Monsignor Segur, in ”Plain Talks about the Protestantism of Today,” says:

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