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IN SEARCH FOR AUTHORITATIVE LEADER TO SAVE OUR DYING WORLD Issue #14 In Search for Authoritative Leader to save our dying world THE MARK OF THE BEAST? CLIMATE CHANGE CORRELATION # LAUDATO SI # GRETA THUNBERG As the world’s politicians, and scientists seems not to get the solution to the whole problem of climate change the papacy has a solutionENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI' OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME “… 68. This responsibility for God's earth means that human beings, endowed with intelligence, must respect the laws of nature... Along these same lines, rest on the seventh day is meant not only for human beings, but also so "that your ox and your donkey may have rest" (Ex 23:12) 71. All it takes is one good person to restore hope! The biblical tradition clearly shows that this renewal entails recovering and respecting the rhythms inscribed in nature by the hand of the Creator. We see this, for example, in the law of the Sabbath. On the seventh day, God rested from all his work. He commanded Israel to set aside each seventh day as a day of rest, a Sabbath… 237. On Sunday, our participation in the Eucharist has special importance. Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others and with the world... The law of weekly rest forbade work on the seventh day, "so that your ox and your donkey may have rest… And so, the day of rest, centered on the Eucharist, sheds it light on the whole week, and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor. …” Clearly in this encyclical the pope refers to the Sunday as the day of rest. His argument is applaudable if the world rest one day in a week that would reduce the greenhouse gases emission and that would bring families together, But as good as that may sound prophecy has declared that this same power will cause men, both great and small to bow down to itself and to worship the image of the beast. But the question now is what is the mark of the beast? Some people are so afraid of it they try to avoid having a Social Security number. Others worry about the bar codes scanned at check-out stands— what could be behind it all? Our topic is the mark of the beast—a subject that’s inspired a lot of speculation— and some strange ideas. But it remains one of the vital subjects in the book of Revelation. We wonder: Who is the beast? Is it a person or an organization? What does 666 mean? What’s the mark of the beast? More importantly, how can I avoid that mark?

IN SEARCH FOR AUTHORITATIVE LEADER TO SAVE OUR DYING WORLD 2 Let’s go to the book of Revelation for answers. That’s where the beast figure is introduced and where we find clues to his identity. In Revelation 13:1 John says, “I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. . ..” We speak of America as an eagle and Russia as a bear. Those are symbols that represent nations, powers in the world. Here Revelation describes a great power rising up out of the sea. The seal in Bible prophecy represents nations or people, for Revelation 17:15 says, “the waters which you saw . . . are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” So, the beast arose out of a populated area. Revelation 13:2 continues, “The beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.” Here is a composite beast. John uses the same symbols Daniel used when he symbolized Babylon as a lion, Medo-Persia as a bear, Greece as a leopard, and the Roman Empire as a dragon-like beast. This beast of Revelation 13 succeeds those four world empires. Let’s look at seven clues which identify the beast power. Sacred Scripture and secular history combine to make the identification sure Clue Number One: The last part of Revelation 13:2 tells us, “The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” The dragon here represents pagan Rome. Revelation 12:9 tells us the dragon is a symbol of Satan, but Satan works through human agencies. In Revelation 12 the dragon tried to destroy Jesus through pagan Rome. A Roman official, Herod, tried to kill baby Jesus (Matthew 2). A Roman governor, Pilate, condemned Jesus. A Roman executioner crucified Him. A Roman emblem sealed Jesus’ tomb. A Roman guard watched that tomb. So, the dragon represents Satan working through pagan Rome. But pagan Rome became papal Rome, for when Emperor Constantine moved his headquarters to Constantinople, he left a power vacuum filled by the pontiff of Rome. Prominent historian Arthur P. Stanley describes the shift from a political power to a religious hierarchy: “The popes filled the place of the vacant emperors at Rome, inheriting their power, prestige, and titles from paganism.” Thomas Hobbes could truly say that the Papacy was “the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon its grave.” Clue Number Two: This power in Revelation 13 would become a worldwide religious power, not a political one. Revelation 13:8 says, “all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” So it’s a universal power that initiates worship. And, of course, the Papacy is a universal religious power that transcends geographic boundaries. This is our second clue. Clue Number Three: Revelation 13:5 says the beast “was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.” Christ Himself was twice accused of blasphemy—once in Luke 5:20-21, because He claimed the power to forgive sins, and again in John 10:30-33, because He claimed to be God. Jesus wasn’t guilty of blasphemy because He really was God, and He really could forgive sins! For a mere man to claim such things is indeed blasphemous. Read blasphemous statements 1. “The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God. . . . The Pope is as it were God on earth.” 1 2. “We [the Popes] hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” 2 3. “Seek where you will, through heaven and earth, and you will find but one created being who can forgive the

IN SEARCH FOR AUTHORITATIVE LEADER TO SAVE OUR DYING WORLD 3 sinner. . . . That extraordinary being is the priest, the Catholic priest.” 3 4. “To pardon a single sin requires all the omnipotence of God. . . . The Jews justly said: ‘Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ But what only God can do by His omnipotence, the priest can also do by saying ‘Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis’ [I absolve you from your sin].” 4 Clue Number Four: Revelation 13:7 says, speaking of the beast: “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” Persecution! A conservative estimate puts those Christians martyred by the state church during the Dark Ages at over 30 million. In the Catholic Inquisition, people were tortured and burned alive at the stake. Whole families or communities were wiped out for no other crime than “heresy”—they dared to believe something other than what the church taught. Interestingly enough, the Roman Church admits to the persecution it inflicted. The Catholic publication Western Watchman, December 24, 1908, makes this admission: “The Church has persecuted. Only a tyro [a raw beginner] in church history will deny that. . . . When the church thinks it good to use physical force, she will use it.” Even more disturbing is this statement from a Catholic textbook: “The church may by divine right confiscate the property of heretics, imprison their persons, and condemn them to the flames. . . . The right to inflict the severest penalties, even death, belongs to the church. . . . There is no graver offense than heresy . . . therefore it must be rooted out.” 5 Clue Number Five: Revelation 13:5 says, “He was given authority to continue for 42 months.” The Bible reckons 30 days to a month. (Genesis 7:11, 24; 8:3-4 shows a five month period stretched 150 days: thirty days to a month.) And a DAY stands for a YEAR in Bible prophecy. Ezekiel 4:6. So 42 months x 30 days = 1260 prophetic days, or 1260 actual years. History books show that A.D. 538 was an important date for the papacy. In that year the decree of Justinian, the Emperor, went into effect making the bishop of Rome head of all the churches. Thus A.D. 538 marked the beginning of papal supremacy. Now adding 1260 years to A.D. 538 we come to the year 1798. In that year Papal power was indeed seriously wounded. In 1798 Napoleon’s army took the pope captive and he later died in exile. Prophecy and history agree perfectly—the 1260 years fit precisely! But had Napoleon consulted Scripture, he’d have realized that the papacy was not finished, only wounded. Revelation 13:3 tells us that “deadly wound” would be “healed.” And all the world would marvel and follow the beast in the last days. Clue Number six: Revelation 13:18 challenges us to “calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.” In the Bible the number seven represents perfection, completeness. On the other hand, the number six represents human error, imperfection. So a triple six represents something very wrong! Revelation 13:17-18 says quite plainly that “the number of the beast . . . is the number of a man.” More specifically, it’s “the number of his name.” Still more to the point, a footnote in the Douay Version of the Catholic Bible says: “Verse 18. Six hundred sixty-six. The NUMERAL LETTERS of his name shall make up this number.” Individual popes have had many different names, but the official title—the umbrella title that covers them all—the title that’s used in coronation ceremonies of each new pope, is VICARIUS FILII DEI, which is Latin for “Vicar of the Son of God.” Since this is a Roman title, we’d expect to use Roman numerals to calculate it.

IN SEARCH FOR AUTHORITATIVE LEADER TO SAVE OUR DYING WORLD 4 Clue Number seven: Revelation 13:16-17 says the beast forces all “to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark. . . .” The mark of the beast is a symbol of rebellion against God, of disloyalty to God’s government. Those allied with the beast receive this mark. But another group receive a different mark. Revelation 7:2-3 says “the servants of our God” will be sealed “on their foreheads” with “the seal of the living God.” They’re God’s faithful people, the remnant. Revelation 14:12 calls them “the saints . . . those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” The seal of God is contained in His law. Isaiah 8:16 says, “seal the law among my disciples.” See brief explanation on the next page (under subtitle "Authority"). God calls the Sabbath His sign or seal, His mark of authority. What does the beast power claim as its mark of authority? “Sunday is our mark of authority. . . . The church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.” 6 “The Bible says, remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. The Catholic Church says, No! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church.” 7 In the last days, two groups, two different marks: The mark of the beast and the seal of the living God. On one side, the divine commandments of God. On the other, the beast proclaiming traditions of men and enforcing a substitute Sabbath—Satan’s counterfeit. Authority: Authority An official seal or authoritative signature always contains three elements: A. The name of the lawgiver. B. His office or title—his right to rule. C. The territory which he rules— his jurisdictional area. For example: Name: George Washington Winston Churchill Title: President Prime Minister Territory: United States United Kingdom God's Seal or signature is found in His Law, specifically in the Fourth Commandment. Exodus 20:8-11 contains all of the three following elements: Name: The LORD Isaiah 42:8; Jeremiah 16:21; Exodus 15:3; Amos 5:8 show that Jehovah’s name is “the Lord..” Title: CREATOR or MAKER Exodus 20:11 declares: “The Lord MADE . . .”! Territory: HEAVEN and EARTH Just as the seals of earthly rulers are found in connection with their laws, so we find the Seal of the living God in His Law of Ten Commandments. The Lord—writing with His own finger— formally signed and sealed His divine Law! The mark of the beast & climate change correlation “While appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, he will bring disease

IN SEARCH FOR AUTHORITATIVE LEADER TO SAVE OUR DYING WORLD 5 and disaster, until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hail-storms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. Destruction will be upon both man and beast. “The earth mourneth and fadeth away,” “the haughty people ... do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” [Isaiah 24:4, 5.] And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon those whose obedience to God's commandments is a perpetual reproof to transgressors. It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday-sabbath, that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced, and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity. Thus the accusation urged of old against the servant of God will be repeated, and upon grounds equally well established. “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.” [1 Kings 18:17, 18.] As the wrath of the people shall be excited by false charges, they will pursue a course toward God's ambassadors very similar to that which apostate Israel pursued toward Elijah. The miracle-working power manifested through Spiritualism will exert its influence against those who choose to obey God rather than men. Communications from the spirits will declare that God has sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday of their error, affirming that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God. They will lament the great wickedness in the world, and second the testimony of religious teachers, that the degraded state of morals is caused by the desecration of Sunday. Great will be the indignation excited against all who refuse to accept their testimony. Satan's policy in this final conflict with God's people is the same that he employed in the opening of the great controversy in Heaven. He professed to be seeking to promote the stability of the divine government, while secretly bending every effort to secure its overthrow. And the very work which he was thus endeavoring to accomplish, he charged upon the loyal angels. The same policy of deception has marked the history of the Romish Church. It has professed to act as the vicegerent of Heaven, while seeking to exalt itself above God, and to change his law. Under the rule of Rome, those who suffered death for their fidelity to the gospel were denounced as evil-doers; they were declared to be in league with Satan; and every possible means was employed to cover them with reproach, to cause them to appear, in the eyes of the people, and even to themselves, as the vilest of criminals. So it will be now. While Satan seeks to destroy those who honor God's law he will cause them to be accused as law-breakers, as men who are dishonoring God, and bringing judgments upon the world. God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan's constant resort—to gain control of those whom he cannot

IN SEARCH FOR AUTHORITATIVE LEADER TO SAVE OUR DYING WORLD 6 otherwise seduce—is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear or force he endeavors to rule the conscience, and to secure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandment-keepers will be misrepresented and condemned. A false coloring will be given to their words; the worst construction will be put upon their motives. As the Protestant churches reject the clear, scriptural arguments in defense of God's law, they will long to silence those whose faith they cannot overthrow by the Bible. Though they blind their own eyes to the fact, they are now adopting a course which will lead to the persecution of those who conscientiously refuse to do what the rest of the Christian world are doing and acknowledge the claims of the papal Sabbath. The dignitaries of church and State will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. In the soon-coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet's words: “The dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” [Revelation 12:17.] “8 References 1 —Lucius Ferraris, “Papa,” article 2 in his Prompta Bibliotheca (Handy Library), Volume 6, pages 26-29. http://biblelight.net/1823-24.htm ( 7, 6, 12 and all of them ) and http://biblelight.net/1827r.gif (column 1828) 2 Pope Leo XIII, The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, page 304. http://w2.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/it/apost_letters/documents/hf_l-xiii_apl_18940620_praeclara-gratulationis.html (paragraph 4 in Italian) 3 Michael Muller, The Catholic Priest, page 78. 4 —Alphonsus de Liguori, Dignity and Duties of the Priest, pages 34-35. 5 —Public Ecclesiastical Law, Volume 2, page 142. 6 —Catholic Record, September 1, 1923. 10. 7 —Father Enright, former President of Redemptorist College. 8 https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/133.2646?hl=while+appearing+to+the+children+of+men&ss=eyJ0b3RhbCI6MzAsInBhcmFtcyI6eyJxdWVyeSI6IndoaWxlIGFwcGVhcmluZyB0byB0aGUgY2hpbGRyZW4gb2YgbWVuIiwidHlwZSI6ImJhc2ljIiwibGFuZyI6ImVuIiwibGltaXQiOjIwfSwiaW5kZXgiOjN9#2685

IN SEARCH FOR AUTHORITATIVE LEADER TO SAVE OUR DYING WORLD Issue #14