The Review and Herald
April 27, 1911
A Study of Principles—No. 8
Who Will Receive the Mark of the Beast
D. E. Robinson
A careful study of the writings of Mrs. E. G. White will bring to the student convincing evidence that she has consistently taught through the years that the receiving of the mark of the beast involves a serious transgression of God's law, not a mere refraining from ordinary labor on the first day of the week. In many places in her writings it is so clearly pointed out that the sin is in the disregard of the true Sabbath, or a wilful disobedience to the law of God, that it is manifestly unfair for any one to single out a few instances where “Sunday observance” is mentioned by itself as the mark of the beast, and make these passages appear to be contradictory to other statements which more fully and clearly state the issue. RH April 27, 1911, par. 1
We have endeavored to group a sufficient number of references to the great conflict over the binding claims of the law of God, so that the reader may see how, when, and by whom the mark of the beast will be received. The first reference is from an unpublished manuscript written in 1899: RH April 27, 1911, par. 2
“It is for the interest of all to understand what the mark of the beast is, and how they may escape the dread threatenings of God. Why are men not interested to know what constitutes the mark of the beast? Exodus 31:12-17. The Sabbath question will be the issue in the great conflict in which all the world will act a part. Revelation 13:4-17. RH April 27, 1911, par. 3
“Christ died to save sinners, not in their sins, but from their sins. The warning given in Revelation shows us the terrible consequence of transgression. By lips that will not lie, God's law is declared to be holy, just, and good. Our duty to obey this law is to be the burden of the last message of mercy to the world. God's law is not a new thing. It is not holiness created, but holiness made known. It is a code of principles expressing mercy, goodness, and love. It presents to fallen humanity the character of God, and states plainly the whole duty of man. RH April 27, 1911, par. 4
“‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.’ This command contains the principles of the first four precepts. And ‘thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ Upon these two great principles, the Word of God declares, hang all the law and the prophets. RH April 27, 1911, par. 5
“These principles are made known by the third angel's message, which declares that the Creator has always required and always will require obedience to his royal law. But this law has been disregarded and transgressed, and is now being ignored by the churches. Human enactments are placed where God's law should be. Sunday, a child of the Papacy, has taken the place of God's holy Sabbath. As Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image, and set it up to be worshiped by all, so Sunday is placed before the people to be regarded as sacred. This day bears not a vestige of sanctity, yet it is held up to be honored by all. RH April 27, 1911, par. 6
“By doing this, men are doing just what Satan wishes them to do. When those who claim to love God refuse to obey his word as plainly stated in the fourth precept of the decalogue, and accept a common working-day as the Sabbath, they show respect to a day exalted by the enemy of God. But notwithstanding this, God's law still stands firm. The man of sin has thought to change this law; ... but not while God holds his throne will he be able to change one jot or tittle of his law.... RH April 27, 1911, par. 7
“God gave the Sabbath to man as a memorial of the work of creation; and the Lord of heaven will not hold him guiltless who sets aside his commands, and teaches others in their place. He will reward every one according to his works.” RH April 27, 1911, par. 8
The following from Testimonies for the Church 1:353, 354, also clearly points out that the real test will involve the “disregard of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment:” RH April 27, 1911, par. 9
“I saw that God will in a wonderful manner preserve his people through the time of trouble. As Jesus poured out his soul in agony in the garden, they will earnestly cry and agonize day and night for deliverance. The decree will go forth that they must disregard the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and honor the first day, or lose their lives; but they will not yield, and trample under their feet the Sabbath of the Lord, and honor an institution of Papacy.” RH April 27, 1911, par. 10
Again, we read, in Testimonies for the Church 8:117: RH April 27, 1911, par. 11
“The sign, or seal, of God is revealed in the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, the Lord's memorial of creation.... The mark of the beast is the opposite of this,—the observance of the first day of the week. This mark distinguishes those who acknowledge the supremacy of the papal authority from those who acknowledge the authority of God.” RH April 27, 1911, par. 12
“A refusal to obey the commandments of God, and a determination to cherish hatred against those who proclaim these commandments, leads to the most determined war on the part of the dragon, whose whole energies are brought to bear against the commandment-keeping people of God. ‘He causeth all, both small and great, ... to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.’” Not only are men not to work with their hands on Sunday, but with their minds are they to acknowledge Sunday as the Sabbath. “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.” RH April 27, 1911, par. 13
A Fearful Issue
The reader will find the issue clearly stated in The Great Controversy, 604, 605: RH April 27, 1911, par. 14
“Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought. The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that all, ‘both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,’ shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath. All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death. On the other hand, the law of God enjoining the Creator's rest-day demands obedience, and threatens wrath against all who transgress its precepts. RH April 27, 1911, par. 15
“With the issue thus clearly brought before him, whosoever shall trample upon God's law to obey a human enactment, receives the mark of the beast; he accepts the sign of allegiance to the power which he chooses to obey instead of God. The warning from Heaven is: ‘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.’ ... RH April 27, 1911, par. 16
“The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty; for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve him not. While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of an allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God's law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other, choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God. RH April 27, 1911, par. 17
“Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel's message have been often regarded as mere alarmists.... But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before.” RH April 27, 1911, par. 18
This last statement being true, it is clear that at such a time, when the proclamation of the third angel's message will be especially effective, such a course should be pursued as will not arouse unnecessary prejudice; and every loyal believer should be aroused to act a part in sounding the warning. The following statements indicate that the height of the controversy is not reached by the mere passage of Sunday-rest laws. We read further, on page 607: RH April 27, 1911, par. 19
“As the controversy extends into new fields, and the minds of the people are called to God's downtrodden law, Satan is astir. The power attending the message will only madden those who oppose it. The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light, lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these vital questions. The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and in this work papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment-keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence and other rewards and advantages as inducements to renounce their faith.... Conscientious obedience to the Word of God will be treated as rebellion.” RH April 27, 1911, par. 20
Again, in The Great Controversy, 448, 449, we read: RH April 27, 1911, par. 21
“The enforcement of Sunday-keeping on the part of Protestant churches is an enforcement of the worship of the Papacy—of the beast. Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, choose to observe the false instead of the true Sabbath, are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded.... RH April 27, 1911, par. 22
“When Sunday observance shall be enforced by law, and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God.... As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of his authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome—‘the mark of the beast.’ And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive ‘the mark of the beast.’” RH April 27, 1911, par. 23
The receiving of the “mark of the beast” is thus defined in an article by Mrs. E. G. White, entitled “God's Holy Sabbath,” published in the Review and Herald for July 13, 1897: RH April 27, 1911, par. 24
“To receive this mark means to come to the same decision as the beast has done, and to advocate the same ideas, in direct opposition to the Word of God.... RH April 27, 1911, par. 25
“If the light of truth has been presented to you, revealing the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and showing that there is no foundation in the Word of God for Sunday observance, and yet you still cling to the false sabbath, refusing to keep holy the Sabbath which God calls ‘my holy day,’ you receive the mark of the beast. When does this take place?—When you obey the decree that commands you to cease from labor on Sunday and worship God, while you know that there is not a word in the Bible showing Sunday to be other than a common working-day, you consent to receive the mark of the beast, and refuse the seal of God. If we receive this mark in our foreheads or in our hands, the judgments pronounced against the disobedient must fall upon us. But the seal of the living God is placed upon those who conscientiously keep the Sabbath of the Lord.” RH April 27, 1911, par. 26
The following words from Testimonies for the Church 5:81, are worthy of consideration, as we seek to prepare ourselves for the great test: RH April 27, 1911, par. 27
“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands, and conformed to worldly customs, will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men.” RH April 27, 1911, par. 28
For a further study of this phase of the subject, see “The Seal of God,” in Testimonies for the Church 5:207-216; “The Coming Crisis,” Id., pages 449-454; and “Mark of the Beast,” Early Writings, 64-67. RH April 27, 1911, par. 29
Sanitarium, Cal.