Can you REFUSE the Mark of the Beast?
(lengthy, read at your convenience) ~

In vision, John was projected forward in time, forward into our century and beyond - into the time of the Great Tribulation, the Heavenly Signs, and the Day of the Lord.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of Revelation, John records his visions of the salvation of the saints of God, and the outpouring of God's wrath on sinning mankind during the seven last plagues.

Notice the description of the saints:

"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image , and over his mark , and over the number of his name , stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints . . ." (Revelation 15:2-4).

Who are these? Why, they are the resurrected saints! They are the "firstfruits" of the earth, the last living generation of Christians, together with all those who had died previously, but who are resurrected at Christ's coming! (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). They represent ALL TRUE, GOD-FEARING, BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIANS. This vision is not portraying just a small PART of the saints of God, but is showing ALL the saints!

And what is their description? They are those who have gotten the victory over the BEAST, and over his IMAGE, and over his MARK, and over the NUMBER OF HIS NAME!

If you do not know who, or what this beast really IS; if you are ignorant of what is his IMAGE; if you do not know what is his MARK, then HOW CAN YOU GET THE VICTORY OVER IT?

How many Christians do you know who are truly AWARE in a daily, workaday sense, of just WHAT IS THE BEAST, who or what is his image, what is his mark, or the number of his name?

As shocking as it may seem, there are MILLIONS of professing, church-going "Christians," who believe they have salvation, but who are actually PART OF THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST; who joyously receive his MARK as part of their very life's fabric, but who are completely deceived; who do not KNOW they are locked into a Babylonish MYSTERY religion!

How was the Image of the Beast formed?
The BEAST of prophecy will soon loom up in Europe!

Notice that the world WORSHIPS this supranational, powerful economic, political, military union:

" . . .and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshiped the dragon [SATAN! Revelation 12:9] which gave power unto the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:3, 4).

The beast John saw was a counterfeit Christ-like creation. It APPEARED like Christ! Yet, it spoke like SATAN! Let's continue:

"And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast [Rome! And the successive revivals of the so-called "Holy Roman Empire" down through history] before him, and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed" (Revelation 13:11, 12).

The "deadly wound" was received when Rome fell, in A.D. 476. It was "healed" when Emperor Justinian sent General Belisarius to Carthage, and later to Rome, to overthrow the Ostrogothic king, in A.D. 543. The "little horn" (Daniel 7:8, 20) which had "plucked up three horns by the roots" was the growing universal church, in the person of Justinian, as well as successive "holy" Roman emperors. Three lesser rulers were ejected from Rome over a long period - the Vandals, Ostrogoths (by Justinian and Belisarius), and the Heruli.

Now, notice:

"And he [this "lamb-like" beast, which spoke as a dragon, Satan] doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. [Rome!] And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Revelation 13:11-15).

From the beginning, the Roman Catholic Church was organized along the pattern of the Roman Empire! It was an hierarchy , which, at the absolute pinnacle of power, was worshiped, as if divine. The ancient Roman emperors proclaimed themselves "gods," and were commonly addressed as "divinity," a BLASPHEMOUS assertion attached to some of the most obscenely depraved, demented, degenerate, cruel human beings who have ever lived!

The Roman Catholic Church developed over centuries, and was never a cohesive, unified church under one pope until the time of Constantine, in A.D. 325. There were periods in history where there were two or more popes, each excommunicating each other! Malachi Martin has documented a great deal concerning the Roman Catholic Church not commonly known. (Books written by Malachi Martin include: Rich Church, Poor Church [subtitle] The Catholic Church and its Money, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Church and The Final Conclave.) Another author has documented the incredible chicanery, power politics, and strife that has characterized the succession of prelates of the Roman Catholic Church. One book, In God's Name: An Investigation Into the Murder of Pope John Paul I, by David A. Yallop, alleges that Pope John Paul I was assassinated. It includes much documentation and thirty-two pages of photographs to substantiate its claim.

History proves that the church which emerges from the dark shroud of the second century (during which there is comparatively little written information available) is in most respects TOTALLY DIFFERENT from the church of the apostles.

Remember, the church Jesus Christ said He would build (Matthew 16:18) was the "assembly" (Greek: ekklesia) of the early apostles, including Paul, who described himself as "one begotten out of due season," Barnabas and others, besides the original eleven, together with Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot.

They observed the Passover exactly as did Christ. But thousands of gentiles were coming into the ranks of the church over the centuries. They were attracted to a church which was increasingly "accommodating," and which easily adapted to various gentile customs and practices.

Study the book of Romans carefully where Paul addresses the large church at Rome. Note, however, that Peter is never mentioned in the book! Peter is not mentioned in the salutation, or in the body of the text, or in the many personal salutations at the close, which include references to more than twenty-seven persons by name! WHY? Because Peter was in Babylon, where there was a colony of Jews. Peter was the apostle to the "circumcision," while Paul was the apostle to the gentiles! (see 1 Peter 5:13).

By the time the curtain raises over church history in the beginning of the second century, a completely different church begins to emerge. Paul spoke of what was happening to the Thessalonians. He said:

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
Eventually, an "image" of the Beast had been created! Now, a great universal CHURCH was emerging. It had the Roman Curia, the "College of Cardinals," like the old Roman "Collegia," and it ruled according to the principal of the ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY OF ONE MAN - a hierarchy ruled from the top down, with NO checks and balances. History is replete with the gross abuses of many such leaders, a subject so vast it could fill a whole set of encyclopedias. This "image" of the old Roman Empire appeared, to ignorant, uninformed people, "Christ-like," like a lamb. But its message was satanic, the voice of the dragon!

The Mysterious Number 666
The number 666 has been attached to a great diversity of person, places and things - from the Titans of ancient Greek mythology to U.S. President Ronald Reagan, from Nero to the pope, from the "secret symbol" of the ancient "mysteries" to the intricate circuitry of some modem "super computer."

Conspiracy theorists try to link 666 with the "New Age Movement." In her book, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow," Constance Cumbey alleges the infamous number is a "distinguishing characteristic of the New Age Movement." New Agers, she insists, "consider the 666 a sacred number." However intriguing, Cumbey's imaginative attempts at seeing triple six formations in pictures in New Age publications - along with an obvious lack of genuine evidence supportive of her theories - do little for the credibility of her book.

According to some sources, both the Hebrew and Greek names of Romulus, the legendary founder and first king of Rome, add up to 666. This, to some, indicates that everyone called "Roman" has the "name" of the man for whom Rome was named.

The Greek word for Romulus is Lateinos, which signifies "Roman," and yields a numerical value of 666. Interestingly, "Lateinos" is mentioned by second century theologian Irenaeus (in his work, Against Heresies) as one of several possible solutions to the numerical riddle.

But the problems of transliteration and the fact that we don't know for sure whether a man named Romulus ever even existed - not to mention the fact that literally thousands of names, titles, and words can be made up to add up to 666 - leaves the argument standing on a quavering foundation.

Romulus and Nero are not the only Romans branded with triple sixes. Adventists claim that the letters of the Pope's Latin title - Vicarius Filii Dei - add up to 666. However, we must realize that the more titles an individual has, and the more ways there are of "counting," the more likely it is that at least one of his titles will yield the numerical value of 666 - and the pope is not short of titles; nor are the interpreters of prophecy short of ways with which to count. Moreover, Vicarius Filii Dei is apparently not an officially acknowledged title.

But what does the Bible say about the "number of the beast"? What is the purpose of the number? Is "666" the number of a computer? Of a church? Of a religious leader?

Turn to and read Revelation 13:15-17, and notice these important points:

The number of the Beast is the "number of HIS NAME"!

The number is the "number of a MAN"!

No one can buy or sell unless he has the mark or name of the Beast, or the number of his name.

The number can be "counted" by those with wisdom and understanding.

The number is "six hundred threescore and six" - 666.

The number of the Beast is the number of a man, and the number of his name - NOT the number of a computer, the number of "the New Age," or former President Reagan, or the number on the label of a can of soup.

The BEAST is both the revived ROMAN EMPIRE and the MAN who presides over the revived military and political system. The "image" of the Beast is the great universal ecclesiastical system patterned after the ancient Roman Empire, which was, under its Catholic leaders, called "Holy."

When he appears, those who have wisdom and understanding will recognize him, and will find that his name (or epithet) will, by some numerical system, yield the figure 666!

And, just because national identity cards or computer chips forcibly inserted beneath the skin are NOT the "Mark of the Beast" does not mean the Beast power will not resort to some form of checking up on all its citizens! The fact that "no man may buy or sell" who does not receive the Mark of the Beast is definitely significant.

Remember! The saints of God are those who have gotten the victory over the Beast, his image, his mark, and the number of his name. Those who willingly receive it in their minds (foreheads), who cooperate with it (with their right hand), will suffer the WRATH OF GOD and the SEVEN LAST PLAGUES.

Those who resist it, who overcome it - who refuse to worship the Beast and his image - may be martyred for their beliefs! Yet, they inherit eternal life; they receive SALVATION, as a result! God commands you and me, "COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE."

Written by: Garner Ted Armstrong
edited by BibleStudy.org