Thursday: The Mark of the Beast
Daily Lesson for Thursday 19th of June 2025
As the years have passed and final events—such as the death decree and the enforcement of the mark of the beast—have not yet happened, some have expressed doubt, even skepticism, about our interpretation of final events, including how Sabbath and Sunday could be central to the final conflict.
The book of Revelation is clear: we either worship the Creator or the beast and its image. And because the seventh-day Sabbath is the foundational sign—going back to Eden itself (see Genesis 2:1-3)—of God as Creator, it should not be surprising that, in an issue about worshiping the Creator, the Sabbath would be central. Also, it is no coincidence that the beast power is the same power that claims to have changed the Sabbath commandment from the biblical day to Sunday, which has no sanction in the Bible. With this background in mind, the idea of Sabbath and Sunday being involved in the issue of worship—again, either the Creator (see Revelation 14:6-7
) or the beast—makes good sense. And we have in the New Testament a precursor to the issue of the seventh-day Sabbath versus human law.
Read Matthew 12:9-14 and John 5:1-16. What issue caused the religious leaders to want to kill Jesus?
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
In Matthew 12:1-50, after Jesus healed on the Sabbath the man with a withered hand (Matthew 12:9-13), how did the religious leaders respond? “But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus” (Matthew 12:14, NIV). Death because of the seventh-day Sabbath? In John 5:1-16, after another miraculous healing on the seventh day, the leaders “persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath” (John 5:16, NKJV).
Death because of human tradition (nothing in the Bible forbade healing on Sabbath, just as nothing in the Bible has put Sunday in place of Sabbath) versus the seventh-day Sabbath? Though the specific issue here with Jesus isn’t the same as in final events, it’s close enough: human law versus God’s, and, in both, the contested law centers on the biblical Sabbath.
|
Dying over one of the commandments of God? How could one easily seek to rationalize one’s way out of that? |
(9)
The lesson author has called today’s study “The Mark of the Beast" and then spends most of the time on Sabbath-keeping. I actually think it is a very appropriate switch of focus because unless we understand what Sabbath keeping is, we may very easily wear the mark of the beast.
It is very easy to look like an academic. You can buy a cap and gown online, even a PhD one for a reputable university and nobody would ask you to show your credentials before purchasing. With modern printers you can whip us a testamur with all the right words, and even the embossed bits and wax seal if needed. And while it takes a bit of effort, creating a transcript is not impossible. I know of people who have managed to hold down prestigious jobs simply because they were able to produce all of the above. Unfortunately, they have proved to be phoney and that has been their undoing.
It is easy to look like a Sabbath-keeper. You turn up for church on Saturday, sing, pray put something in the offering and listen to someone preach for 40 minutes, Then you go back home and refuse to talk to the rest of the community until the sun sets. But like the academic cap and gown, that is only the appearance of worship. God knows the difference and makes it quite plain that “appearance” worship does not cut the ice with him.
We have given the impression that Sabbath-keeping is going to be the final test. However, if we think that Sabbath-keeping means that you go to church on Saturday instead of Sunday we may find ourselves a long way from true Sabbath experience.
Isaiah is also very clear about what God wants:
Amen.
Fully agree
What is the most foundational and critical spiritual lesson to be learned from the “mark of the beast”? If we miss this point, our eternal destiny will be in grave danger. Our true allegiance and worship only belong to God who created the heavens and the earth. Any compromise on matters of worship is extremely dangerous with spiritual fatal consequences.
“Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11, NLT).
Worship is not just a duty but a delight that must be built not around ourselves but must be centered on our God who is awesome and worthy having created and redeemed us. With many churches now struggling with worship, going as far as searching for new ways to improve and bring life to their services and thus trying new methods, new styles of music, new formats, and new meeting times. Our greatest need in worship is to know God as true worship lies at the core of who we are as Christians by connecting us with God who is supreme.
There is an urgent need to understand the true God and why we must only worship Him in light of the Scriptural teachings about the end times—particularly the mark of the beast in Revelation 13. At its heart, the mark of the beast is not just about economies or technology, but about worship and allegiance. Revelation presents a conflict in which the beast demands worship from all people, and those who receive his mark are those who yield to to false worship. In contrast, those who belong to the Lamb have the name of the Father on their foreheads—symbolizing true worship and a relationship with God. The mark of the beast represents the ultimate consequence of a failure to know God leading to deception, idolatry, and false worship.
Worship is going to be the battleground of the last days as true worshipers will be those who, not only worship is spirit but also as saints in Revelation 14, "follow the Lamb wherever he goes" and remain faithful to His truth. They know God—not merely as a concept or tradition, but as sovereign Lord who created heaven and earth. If we are devoid of God's knowledge deception of the beast will be monumental during the coming crisis. We must return to the heart of worship, which begins with truly knowing the true God and his son Jesus Christ.
The beast power in prophecy is described as having changed God’s law (Daniel 7:25), particularly the Sabbath, replacing it with Sunday, this historic change from Sabbath to Sunday worship is widely recognized as a development of church tradition, not a biblical mandate.
The "mark of the beast" is often interpreted as a symbol of allegiance to human authority that seeks to change God's law (such as the shift from Sabbath to Sunday). Therefore accepting the mark is depicted as a spiritual act with eternal consequences, signifying a rejection of God’s authority and a willingness to conform to worldly systems that oppose Him.
Jesus argued that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, exposing the Pharisees' hard-heartedness and their elevation of human tradition above God's intent for the Sabbath. The willingness of Jesus to face death over the Sabbath issue and the willingness of early Christians to suffer for their faith, challenges we Adventists to consider the cost of faithfulness to God's commandments. Rationalizing disobedience may be easy but the biblical narrative calls for loyalty to God's revealed will, even in the face of opposition or persecution.
I’ve really enjoyed reading and reflecting on the comments above. The dangers that we individually and corporately face are very real.
As identified above, the key issue relates to worship.
The key question in relation to worship is less about the HOW one worships as much as the WHY one worships.
Indeed, if we were to consider the “Five W’s (and One H)” (Namely, How, When, Where, Why, What, Who), then in the case of worship they could be grouped into two distinct categories:
- HOW, WHEN, WHERE – observable facts surrounding worship (objective)
- WHY, WHAT/WHO – motivational elements surrounding worship (subjective)
The only way we relate to our universe is through observable facts via our five senses, which is a problem when analysing or attempting to understand the second group.
If we get the WHY group right, then the HOW group will eventually fall into place – and there is no evidence to suggest that the HOW will always look the same. While the HOW may change across time and culture, the WHY remains the same.
Oddly enough, it is how we deal with those we perceive to be in the wrong “HOW” group that reveals more about our understanding of the “WHY” group…
Randall, you’ve made a profound point about the heart of worship being rooted in the “why.” However, when it comes to the final crisis—especially regarding the mark of the beast and the seal of God—the “how” of worship becomes a critical test of allegiance. Most professed Christians will claim to worship the true God (the Who), but will do so in a way that contradicts how He has asked to be worshiped. In the end, it is how we worship that will reveal who we are truly worshiping. The showdown will not be about worship in general, but about obedience to God’s specific instructions versus man-made tradition.
Beverley, thanks so much for your thoughtful response. I really do appreciate the push back which provides an opportunity to explore this a little more. (Limited space and fading attention usually derails longer posts.)
Firstly, I wholeheartedly agree with everything you have said.
Emphasising the vital and intrinsic importance of the "WHY group" (which includes WHO) does not deny the importance and even necessity of the "HOW group" in relation to the "critical test of allegiance" during the final crisis.
My concern, reflecting what I see as God's profound focus within us individually and within the church, lies in the motives that drive our actions, which is enclosed within the "WHY" group of words.
Steps to Christ, pp 60-61 details beautifully what I am referring to which is encapsulated in the following statement from Christ's Object Lessons:
"The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely—because he is required to do so—will never enter into the joy of obedience... True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right—because right doing is pleasing to God." (COL, p 97)
The "principle" working within (relating to motives encapsulated in the WHY group), provides the meaning behind "loyalty to our Redeemer". This is a crucial distinction between true worshipers who intelligently know Jesus and act accordingly (the HOW group), and those described and warned about in Matthew 7:21-23.
Doing right for wrong reasons is at least as dangerous as doing wrong for whatever reason!
Since I became an Adventist, I have tried to keep the Sabbath and failed. I don't think I've ever done it "right." I wouldn't know what right looks like, since there are no biblical, hard and fast rules about exactly what to do.
What I am coming to understand is that the day is not what's important. The Jews proved that by attempting to harm/kill Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. What is important is loving and obeying God. I have taken that to mean that He is our focus for worship. Whatever he asks of us, we do it with all our might. If that means making the seventh day Sabbath special, we do everything we know to do to make it special--not for the day, but for God. Making the day special may look different for me than it does for you. We are at different places in our relationship journeys with the Lord.
These days, I worry less about exactly what to do/not do on the Sabbath and more about keeping my eyes on Jesus and strengthening my relationship with Him. I pray every morning for Jesus to keep me near the cross. I don't want to be so focused on the controversy about the Sabbath, that I miss whatever mission God has for me in these last days. Don't get me wrong, I believe keeping God's laws regarding the sabbath will be central to the troubles that are coming, I just want to have my focus on the Son of Man, rather than the controversy surrounding the day of worship.
Just rambling. Praying for God to keep my focus off of the world and on Him.
We are told to keep the Sabbath even by controlling our thoughts and words which is truly an impossibility. That makes the Sabbath a beautiful commandment because it leads us to grace, our true salvation.
Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
We are saved by grace and grace alone. Only by the blood of Jesus.
It is reasonable to conclude that the Sabbath is the seal of God, since the Bible refers to the Sabbath as a sign, and the words sign and seal are used interchangeably in Scripture.
Ezekiel 20:12 states: “I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign... that they might know I am the LORD who sanctifies them.” Also, Exodus 31:13, 17 declares: “The Sabbath is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever.”
A clear example of sign and seal being used interchangeably is found in Romans 4:11:“And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.”
This verse shows that a sign can also function as a seal, confirming their interchangeable nature in Scripture.
In the New Testament, specifically in Revelation 7:2-3, God's servants are sealed on their foreheads.
In Revelation 14:12, the sealed are described as those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.Together, these verses link the seal of God to His people and His commandments—which include the Sabbath.
The fourth commandment, concerning the Sabbath, contains all the elements of a seal:
Name – The LORD
Title – Creator
Territory – Heaven and Earth
These components are found only in the Sabbath commandment (Exodus 20:8–11).
Since sign and seal are used interchangeably in Scripture, and the Sabbath meets the full criteria of a divine seal, it is biblically sound to identify the Sabbath as the seal of God.
You may tire of me echoing the same refrain — Matthew 22:37–40, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27, Deuteronomy 6:5 — but these words are the song my soul keeps singing.
For when a heart is given wholly to God — when love is undivided, and kindness flows not from duty, but from the quiet joy of belonging — we do not need to know every 'how, what, or therefore'.
To know God truly is not to master doctrines, but to love Him alone and call Him Abba. And the Holy Spirit - gentle and fierce - waits for the repentant heart, ready to breathe into it the life of a child who loves the Father with every beat, every breath, and every ounce of being.
Indeed Brigitte! Very good, concise comment you made.
If God gets our heart then He gets our entire being. Man often tries to reach the heart through the head. God wants to reach the head through the heart.
I don't really like the connection the author/editor made between Jesus' healings and the mark of the beast. The religious leaders were zealous for the Sabbath and how they felt it should be kept. They certainly were not against the Sabbath. After all, they went and kept the Sabbath after Jesus death. Their understanding of the Sabbath was very distorted, but it's quite different from the end time persecution.
However, it probably should give us Sabbath keepers pause as we could have the same attitudes about the Sabbath or any other beliefs, the attitude that we can use force to make people comply with what we think is right. We are not much better than anyone else in that regard sometimes.
I do feel there is good evidence for the Sabbath being the test at the end, but I think relating to it as just a matter of days is somewhat faulty. The days will be connected with a certain vision for how the world will be. Sunday will not just be Sunday as a day of worship but a symbol of force and human sovereignty. The Sabbath will represent the opposite. If we don't recognize this, we are at risk of being deceived in many areas. We need to know what God's kingdom is like. That is our only protection against the counterfeit.
Extremes. Human interpretation of the Law of God may lead to either legalism or lawlessness. When my "I think" takes the place of what the "Word of God says", I am probably wrong - this should be of great concern to any person, due to their circle of influence.