Even now, perhaps, the stage is being set for this impending persecution. On June 6, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI made this urgent appeal to more than 15,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome that Sunday must be a day of rest for everyone, so people can be free to be with their families … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 14:9 and compare it to Revelation 14:12. Where is the mark of the beast placed? (See Deuteronomy 6:8, Deuteronomy 11:18.) What two characteristics contrast God’s people from those who receive the mark of the beast? One group worships the beast, and one keeps the commandments of God (which included the fourth, the one commandment the beast power thought to change) … Continue reading –>
Surveys reveal a deep lack of trust in institutions and governments. Millions wonder, “Where is there someone who is morally fit to lead the world?” Revelation’s prophecies identify the beast power as the one who, under the auspices of a religious/political union, will be the power believed to fill this role. Read Revelation 17:12-14. How does … Continue reading –>
Read 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. What does Paul predict about the last days? What identifying marks does he give for the beast, the antichrist power? The apostle Paul warns the Christian community of a “falling away” from the truth of God’s Word. He is concerned about the seeds of apostasy already present in the New … Continue reading –>
As we have already studied, the beast powers of Revelation 13:1-18 and 14 represent a worldwide system of false worship. But there’s more. Read Revelation 13:5; Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14; and Daniel 7:25. How long would this power dominate the religious landscape in the previous centuries? The beast would continue for a period of specific duration of time in … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14; Daniel 7:25; 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Daniel 7:25; Deuteronomy 6:8; Deuteronomy 11:18; Exodus 20:8-11. Memory Text: “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:10, NKJV). In the fifteenth century, the … Continue reading –>
“I Can’t Do This” By Andrew McChesney The party sounded perfect. A table was booked at a club in Harare, Zimbabwe. Alcohol was purchased, and people were invited. But Elder didn’t come. “What happened?” Hubert asked when he later saw his friend. “I can’t do this,” Elder replied. “I’m an elder.” Hubert had heard the … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “From the very beginning of the great controversy in heaven it has been Satan’s purpose to overthrow the law of God. It was to accomplish this that he entered upon his rebellion against the Creator, and though he was cast out of heaven he has continued the same warfare upon the earth. To … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 13:4-5. What identifying marks of the beast power do we discover in these verses? The beast of Revelation is an apostate religious power that rises out of pagan Rome and grows to become a worldwide system of worship. According to Revelation 13:5, it is a blasphemous power. In the New Testament, blasphemy is equated with … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 13:1-2. Where does the beast come from, and who gives the beast his authority? The first beast power of Revelation 13:1-18 receives his power, seat, and great authority from the dragon. Revelation 12:9 and Revelation 20:2 identify the dragon as Satan. Satan is a cunning foe and works through earthly powers. Revelation 12:3-5 says this “dragon” — the devil — … Continue reading –>
