Matthew 4:10 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.

Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 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: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

It is the image of the beast that causes the people to receive the mark of the beast.

WHAT IS AN IMAGE?

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

In our image, after our likeness.  An image is a likeness.

Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

It is said to the people they should make a likeness of the beast.  If we want to understand what the likeness of the beast is, we must first understand what is the beast.

Revelation 14:9 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,

There is the beast and a likeness of the beast.  Two different things there.  But we want to first find out what is the beast.

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

This is a figure.  A figure of some political power.  The dragon gave him his power and his seat.

Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

We know this is a figure.  A figure of another political power.  This is pagan Rome during the time of the emperors and it was the Roman emperors or a figure of the dragon.  They were the ones who gave the pope political power.  Also the seat or the capital Rome from where the pope ruled.  So the beast represents the papacy

Revelation 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Again this is figurative beast.  Who is this woman?

Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife [see] that she reverence [her] husband.

The woman = a church.  Christ and the church represented as married.

Jeremiah 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate [woman].

Song of Solomon 1:7 Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest [thy flock] to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? 8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.

Revelation 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Isaiah 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. 22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:

Isaiah 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, [and] we should have been like unto Gomorrah. 10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 11 To what purpose [is] the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

Revelation 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, [being] the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

Revelation 18:4 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.

I saw that the women of Revelation 14:4 meant the churches and that we were bid to “come out of her” that we be not defiled, partake of her sins, and receive of her plagues. {5MR 202.3}

A corrupt woman represents an apostate church called harlots or whores but Christ’s church is a pure woman and he is represented as being married to this woman

Revelation 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

This prophecy has more detail. It distinguishes between church and state.  The papacy: a church that controls the power of the state.

THE BEAST = AN APOSTATE CHURCH CONTROLLING THE POWER OF THE STATE.

Revelation 14:9 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,

That is the beast.  Now his image or likeness must be similar.  The other apostate churches that get control over the power of the state.

HIS IMAGE = OTHER APOSTATE CHURHES CONTROLLING THE POWER OF THE STATE

Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

It is the two-horned beast that says they should make the image of the beast.  What or who is the two-horned beast? Beasts are governments as we find in Daniel and the horns of this beast what are they?  There is an example in the book of Daniel.

Daniel 8:7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

The Medes and the Persians were the two powers of this government described as HORNS. When the power of the Medes and Persians was broken this governments fell.  So this beast or government in Revelation must have two powers. What are the powers of this government?

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

There are crowns on these horns.  So these horns or powers must be kingdoms.  The papacy was involved with the kings.  The ten kings, the kings of Europe.  The papacy claimed to have authority over the kings of Europe.  She claimed that spiritual power was over temporal power of kings.  That is a historic fact.

Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Two years later, 1302, this was followed by a confirming bull, unum sanctum, in which Pope Boniface VIII, ex cathedra, declared:

“There are two swords, the spiritual and the temporal: our Lord said not of these two swords, ‘It is too much,’ but, ‘it is enough.’ Both are in the power of the Church: the one the spiritual, to be used by the Church, the other the material, for the Church: the former that of priests, the latter that of kings and soldiers, to be wielded at the command and by the sufferance of the priest. One sword must be under the other, the temporal under the spiritual. . . . The spiritual instituted the temporal power, and judges whether that power is well exercised. It has been set over the nations and over the kingdoms to root up and pull down. If the temporal power errs, it is judged by the spiritual. To deny this, is to assert, with the heretical Manicheans, two coequal principles. We therefore assert, define, and pronounce that it is necessary to salvation to believe that every human being is subject to the pontiff of Rome.” {Ecclesiastical Empire, A. T. Jones, page 421}

Revelation 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Church and state tyranny.  This is what the people in Europe suffered under for centuries.  The tyranny of monarchs and the tyranny priests and popes.  The priests condemned God’s people as heretics and at the insistence of priests kings and magistrates had them put to death.  The people suffered.  The kings claimed their tax.  The priests claimed their tax for every priestly service and when the grinding claims of both became too much to bear the people began revolutions.  Who was overthrown in the French Revolution?  It was the king, his nobles and the priests.  Thus the pope received his deadly wound at the hands of French Revolutionaries.

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Revelation 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

That afternoon [November 2] he [Elder Bourdeau] had us accompany him to the Cathedral [in Valence, France] and look upon the bust of Pius VI who was noted in prophecy, who was led into captivity and died in captivity. Here was the one marked in history who received the deadly wound. {8MR 354.1}

As a result of these two tyrant kings and priests many people left Europe for the shores of a new land.  They founded a new nation in the Americas and what were the two powers they established their nation upon?  They didn’t want the tyranny of monarchs.  So they established a republican form of government. The Constitution laid out a republican form of government in which power resides with the people.

“Thus the Constitution—which began ‘We the people’—created a government with the people, and not the state legislatures, as the constituent power. {United States (History), Encarta Encyclopedia}

No crowns of this horn.  It is not the power of a monarchy but a republican power.  Where power is with the people;

TWO HORNS = 1) POWER WITH THE PEOPLE

AMERICAN CONSTITUTION – WE THE PEOPLE

REPUBLICANISM

When they founded a new nation in the Americas, they also didn’t want the tyranny of priests so they wrote a constitution guaranteeing religious liberty.  The power of the conscience was recognised in the Constitution.

TWO HORNS = 2) POWER OF THE CONSCIENCE

These are the two lamblike horns.  The two powers of this government.  The American Constitution:

“In the famous words of Thomas Jefferson, the Constitution erects a ‘wall of separation’ between church and state. The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause serve as the principle bulwarks against government intrusion in religious life.” {Constitution of the United States, Religious Rights, Encarta Encyclopedia}

PROTESTANTISM

AMERICAN CONSTITUTION – AGAINST GOVERNMENT INTRUSION IN RELIGIOUS LIFE

Original Protestantism: “The principles contained in this celebrated protest of the 19th April 1529, constitute the very essence of Protestantism.  Now this protest opposes two abuses of man in matters of faith: the first is the intrusion of the civil magistrate, and the second the arbitrary authority of the Church.  Instead of these abuses, Protestantism sets the power of conscience above the magistrate; and the authority of the Word of God above the visible church.” {History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, J. H. Merle d’Aubigne, pg 521}

PROTESTANTISM – AGAINST THE INTRUSION OF THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE

Both the Protest at Spires, where Protestantism gets its name, and the American Constitution profess the exact same principle.  They both reject government intrusion in religious life.  This principle, the essence of Protestantism, was revived in the American Constitution.

Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

It is described as coming up out of the earth, springing up like a plant.

TWO HORNED BEAST = UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

It is said to the people, the people of the United States, that they should make a church controlled government.  The Apostate Protestant churches controlling the government.  That must be the image of the beast. Now this beast has a lamblike profession what a contrast in how it speaks.  It speaks like a dragon;

Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

When does it speak like a dragon?

Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

It speaks like a dragon when the image of the beast has been made.  When apostate churches get control of the power of the state then they cause the state to speak like a dragon.  Enforced worship and power of the conscience is set aside.  The churches in America don’t yet have control of civil power but they are seeking to have that power more than ever before.

Daniel 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Daniels three friends would not worship.  Why not?

Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;

They did not want to break the second commandment.  There are some who will not worship;

Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Revelation 14:9 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, 10 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: 11 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. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Those who keep the commandments of God will not worship the beast.  Why?  Some reason involving the commandments of God.

The lamblike horns and dragon voice of the symbol point to a striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus represented. {GC 442.1}

The founders of the nation wisely sought to guard against the employment of secular power on the part of the church, with its inevitable result– intolerance and persecution. The Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” and that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States.” Only in flagrant violation of these safeguards to the nation’s liberty, can any religious observance be enforced by civil authority. But the inconsistency of such action is no greater than is represented in the symbol. It is the beast with lamblike horns–in profession pure, gentle, and harmless–that speaks as a dragon.  {GC 442.2}

Revelation 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

It says that this government will exercise the same power as the papacy and it will cause the people to worship the papacy.  Apostate Protestant churches are causing people to worship the papacy.  How could this be done?

Revelation 14:9 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 BEAST, HIS IMAGE, HIS MARK

Marks were sometimes used by generals and masters in ancient times to distinguish their followers and servants. The mark of the beast must be some institution of the beast which will distinguish its followers? {9BI 104.1}

HIS MARK = AN INSTITUTION OF THE BEAST

Something devised by the beast. What company of people are the followers of the beast distinguished from?

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

The followers of the beast are distinguished from the followers of God.  The followers of God are keeping the commandments of God.  What are the followers of the beast keeping? The commandments of the Papacy. An institution of the Papacy.

Q. Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?

A. Had she not such power . . . she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority. Protestantism sets . . .  the authority of the Word of God above the visible church.” {History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, J. H. Merle d’Aubigne, pg 521}

This is a commandment of the Papacy. An institution of the Papacy with no Scriptural authority. That was original Protestantism.  But what does apostate Protestantism do? The reverse.  Setting the authority of the church above the Word of God.

…the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] Church.’–Mgr. Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, page 213 {GC 448.3}

They trust in the authority of the Catholic Church.

What then is the change of the Sabbath, but the sign, or mark, of the authority of the Roman Church–“the mark of the beast”?  {GC 448.1}

A sign of their authority is that they attempt to change the commandments of God without Scriptural authority.

MARK OF THE PAPACY

Revelation 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and [upon] them which worshipped his image.

19:20 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.

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

If you yield yourself to obey the pope, you are a servant of the pope but if you yield yourself to obey God, you are a servant of God.  Servants are marked by their obedience.

Revelation 14:9 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,

Willing obedience, in the forehead, or you just go along with it, in the hand.  The Seal of God is only in the forehead.  God only wants willing obedience. The mark of the beast is either received in the forehead which signifies willing worship or the right hand which signifies abstinence from labour on the day enforced by the beast.

THE WORLDLY MOLD

What other way can we receive the mark of the beast?

Those who are uniting with the world are receiving the worldly mold and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth these are receiving the heavenly mold and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity.  {5T 216.1}

SUMMARY

THE BEAST = AN APOSTATE CHURCH CONTROLLING THE POWER OF THE STATE

HIS IMAGE = OTHER APOSTATE CHURHES CONTROLLING THE POWER OF THE STATE

TWO HORNED BEAST = UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TWO HORNS =

1) POWER WITH THE PEOPLE

AMERICAN CONSTITUTION – WE THE PEOPLE

REPUBLICANISM

2) POWER OF THE CONSCIENCE

AMERICAN CONSTITUTION – AGAINST GOVERNMENT INTRUSION IN RELIGIOUS LIFE

PROTESTANTISM – AGAINST THE INTRUSION OF THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE

HIS MARK = AN INSTITUTION OF AN APOSTATE CHURCH.