1. What is the special message of the gospel that goes to the whole world just before the coming of the Lord?
“And the Third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,” Revelation 14:9, 10.
2. How do we know that this is the last message of the gospel that goes to the world, and what happens immediately after this message goes forth?
“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle . . . . And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth and the earth was reaped,” verses 14 and 16.
3. As the Third Angel’s Message is directed against the mark of the beast, what is the beast?
“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred three score and six,” Revelation 13:18. NOTE: one score is twenty, therefore this number would be 666.
NOTE: The number of the beast being the number of a man, and his number being six hundred and sixty-six, it is with care that we investigate first the man who was closely associated with the beast power, during the 1260-year period, namely, the pope of Rome. In doing so, our suspicion is not in vain, for we find from the following sources, the name six hundred and sixty-six applying to him, thus the identity of the beast clearly ascertained, we can easily learn what his mark is, against which the Third Angel’s Message is particularly directed.
We find upon the triple crown of the Pope the inscription as follows:VICARIVS FILII DEI. The numerical values of the letters in these words are:
VICARIVS_V is 5, I is 1, C is 100, A and R have no value in the Roman numerals, I is 1, V is 5, and S has no value, making a total from this word of 112.
FILII_F has no value, I is 1, L is 50, II is 2, or a value of 53 in this word.
DEI_D is 500, E has no value, I is 1, or a value of 501 in this word, making a total in the three words of exactly 666.
In the ancient Chaldean name of Italy, which was SATURNIA, Rome was called “The City of Saturn,” The Chaldean numerals in the word Saturn give us the required number. See Chambers’ Ency., p. 171.
SATURNIA_S is 60, A has no value, T is 400; U is 6; R is 200, N, I and A have no values, making the total 666.
King Romulus built Rome 2,600 years ago, his name in Hebrew being ROMIITH.
ROMIITH_R is 200, O is 6, M is 40, I is 10, T is 400 and H has no value, equaling 666.
LATEINOS (Latin man or church)_L is 30, A is 1, T is 300, E is 5, I is 10, N is 50, O is 70, S is 200, equals 666.
The seventh day of the week stands as a monument of God’s power, for it is repeatedly declared that He created the world in six days (Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-10) and rested the seventh wherein He blessed and sanctified it. It is a memorial of His creation. He, therefore, says it is a sign between Him and His people forever, Exodus 31:17, 18.
His memorial continues through all generations, and stands fast forever and ever. As the 4th day of July is a memorial of the Declaration of Independence, so the seventh day of the week a memorial of God’s creation. Keeping it shows obedience to God, and loyalty to Him, while disregarding it is sin and shows a lack of loyalty in our hearts. This is why it is a sign to God, and marks His people in the forehead which is the place of thought and memory, while the hand is what performs the labor, thus with our hands and minds we break or keep the true Sabbath.
