Monday: The Beast and False Worship
Read the following texts. What do they teach us about how important it is to avoid “the mark of the beast”? Rev. 13:17; Rev. 14:9-10; Rev. 16:2.
Receiving the undiluted wrath of God, punished by the seven last plagues, and, in the end, cast into the lake of fire. What a contrast to those who refused the mark of the beast and stand on the sea of glass triumphantly singing praise to God and the Lamb!
Image © Stephen Creitz Goodsalt.com
What is this mark that no one would want to receive? Clearly, the above verses connect it with false worship. Also, as we saw in a previous lesson, the fourth beast power of Daniel chapter 7, in its latter phase (also depicted as the sea beast of Revelation chapter 13), would “think to change times and laws” (Dan. 7:25). One law that it thought to change was the Sabbath, the fourth commandment — the only one of the ten that refers to time and points directly to God as the One who “made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” (Exod. 20:11) .
Significantly, the first angel’s message points us back to this commandment that the beast power tried to change and makes it clear that we are to worship the Lord alone as the Creator. In fact, of the seven verses referring to worship in Revelation chapters 12-14, this (Rev. 14:7) is the only one about true worship; the other six warn against falsely worshiping the beast and his image (Rev. 13:4, Rev. 13:8, Rev. 13:12, Rev. 13:15; Rev. 14:9, Rev. 14:11) . Immediately after the third angel’s description of the fate of those who engage in this false worship, the true worshipers of God are described: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
In other words, proclamation of these three messages separates all of humanity into two groups: those who worship the Creator by keeping all of His commandments, including the seventh-day Sabbath command, and those who worship the beast and his image. This false form of worship, then, offers an alternative to worshiping the Creator by keeping the Sabbath commandment.
| Think more about the connection between worship and loyalty. What aspects of worship are essential in order to show our loyalty to God? |
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Our best worship is obedience in love. Submission to the love of God for us! One example is perfectly seen in the beginning of man's history, Abel and Cain. Cain wanted to worship in his way, not to please God, but to please his will. Our lives were created also to be a blessing not only for ourselves, but for those around us too, and to reflect God's love for us...
Amen
With submission it means obeying his will perfectly, to obey what God said without mixture of malice, Cain obey but supplanted the lamb with fruits and vegetables. He was deceived by his own reasoning. Likewise in the end time, all people will worship and will choose their allegiance, many will think that they are obeying God’s will but actually obeying the traditions of men because doing so is more convenient than obeying God in full submission, the one who created the heaven and the earth and commanded to remember the true Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Yes, the Creator made the Sabbath Rest a commandment, because we are so benefited from following His example of resting from His works. All His commandments are blessings, especially in a world of sin, where we are prone to injure ourselves with wrong motives and their resulting actions. The world has proven that no rest one day out of the week shortens the life and has other adverse effects.
Yet, with His commandments, God does not force the will, and leaves it to every person to chose whether or not they wish to be a part of His great plan. We can opt out if we wish, and most will choose to opt out it seems. Look at how many were NOT on the ark, or how many would NOT leave the cities of the plain when God came to see how great the wickedness was. Most of Adam's race will be outside of the City of God when the fire falls. How tragic.
Cain's descendants were distinct as idolaters and Abel's Descendants were also distinct as true worshippers of God. In Cain's offering is depicted human depency and in Abel offering is depicted man's depency upon God.
Great lesson! The time is at hand when the mark of the beast will be enforced and by our actions now we are choosing which side we will be when that time testing our faith and allegiance to God comes. Let's us be faithful and pray God to keep us from falling and preserve us from compromising the truth in this short time of peace.
Esther Moran
As with the very first sin on this earth, worship is involved and is the result of trusting one over another. In the taking of the fruit, Eve was worshiping her own will, desire, and reasoning over the clear instructions and will of God, her creator and fount of every blessing she enjoyed, including the forbidden fruit.
While the last test will be over a day of worship, it's really about who we trust most to save us in a situation that holds no way to avoid a threatened sentence of death unless complying with those making the threat or trusting God above life itself. Many who now know the correct day of worship will receive the mark to preserve life, not trusting God whom they don't really know. It will be no different than the disciples, who after spending over 3 years with Jesus while believing He was the Christ, abandoned Him when threatened by the authorities.
Do we trust God enough to accept death rather than disobey? Are we certain of what is truth? Is the will of God as He has revealed it, our greatest joy? Do we follow the Lamb wherever He leads? Knowing the meaning of the mark and understanding the results of receiving it will not save us from accepting it under the circumstances that will attend it's enforcement. Only faith will prevail in that hour of greatest distress.
Praise the lord,a distinshon is made to identify each person and that’s worship,many today are not looking at that but are instead looking at the mark or the seal but the bottom line is our worship will ultimately determine our destiny.
One of the first aspects of loyal worship to God is belief and trust in His word that leads to reliance on Him (Psalm 33:18, Romans 8:1)
I’m talking about belief that leads to surrender. The kind that results in the fulfillment of the promise in Phillippians 2:13. It is God Who will give us the desire and transformation. Through Him we become like Him.
We receive strength directly from God to share in His suffering and glory in His victory.
Is this lesson saying that those who worship on Sunday have taken the mark and will be burned in the lake of fire with the beast? I know many Sunday worshipers and they love Jesus. They do not understand the commands properly but they recognize that they are sinners saved by grace and preach the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Acts 17:30 says, “in times of ignorance God winked, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.”
God isn’t spiteful or cruel. When we do what we know to be right He accepts us covered in the blood of Christ. When we learn and understand to do more, He wants us to surrender our traditions and habits and do His will in the strength He imparts to us thru His Spirit.
Sabbath keeping is important for those of us who understand that it is a commandment and the seventh day has not changed but more importantly, it is about allegiance. In the last days, will one have allegiance to Man/Satan or to the Creator God and which will they worship/trust to save them. We should leave the worrying about who/when/ if someone needs to be convicted of sabbath worship in the last days up to God.
At the moment there is no one that has the mark of the beast and it's image until when the decree shall go forth to the whole world that they should obey and observe the false sabbath which the papacy has instituted and substituted the true
Authority –
Dragon gives authority to the beast on this earth,
God - All authority in HEAVEN and EARTH is given unto me
War
Who can overcome this beast?
God – The dragon was not strong enough and the great dragon was hurled down
Book of Life
Worship belong to the beast from those not found in Christ
There is no middle ground. Our name must be found in the Lamb’s book of life
Second beast pays homage to the first beast
Instead of promoting religious freedom the second beast forces worship of the first beast.
Worship in the last days will be deciding factor on being found in Christ. Those who lose their life for Christ will find it
The second beast was given power to give breath
The first beast is mortally wounded with no life but the second beast gives it power and gives it breath. Now the gap is closing between the protestant reformers and Catholic Church. The reformed churches claim there is no clear demarcation between protestants and Catholic church.
God’s call is come out of her my people and do not take park in her sin.
Judgment
Those who worship the beast will be burnt up in the hell fire.
Those worship the Lord will remain with him forever.
There is one thing satan will never ever duplicate the creatorship of God. I am God there is none beside me. I declare the end from the beginning and my purpose will stand.
Cayla, John 10:16 simply underscores the fact that Christ gave His life for all humanity. The Lord alone has the prerogative to determine who are His. Sabbath-keeping/being a SDA is no guarantee that we will not accept the mark of the beast at that time. The position of the Church is clear: "We recognize those agencies that lift up Christ before men as a part of the divine plan for evangelization of the world, and we hold in high esteem Christian men and women in other communions who are engaged in winning souls to Christ."—General Conference Working Policy (1999-2000), p. 494. We must not labour under the misapprehension that non-SDAs will not be saved. To do so will be to play God. EGW says "God has children, many of them, in the Protestant churches, and a large number in the Catholic churches, who are more true to obey the light and to do [to] the very best of their knowledge than a large number among Sabbathkeeping Adventists who do not walk in the light."—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 3, p. 386. All over the globe,Christ has faithful followers, who worship Him according to the light they have. Our task is to do our very best to reach and lead them to the light of Jesus. They need to know the truth we bear. The rest is up to the Lord to determine.
Thanks Bulumko.
The quote from 3SM p 386 is certainly reason to take a 'humility-check' Ps 139:23-24.
Thank you for your thoughtful input.