March 14, 2024 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Greetings, friends. We are now in the midst of our journey in the book, The Great Controversy, where we are continuing to look at highlights from Chapter 25, titled “God’s Law Immutable.” This is key as it lays the foundation for what we will be reading in later chapters.
In chapter 25 we have been looking at a “threefold warning,” outlined in Revelation. In a previous video we saw how the first of these three warnings emphasized that “the hour of His judgment has come,” and that we are called to worship the Creator God “who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Rev. 14:7). Later in the chapter we read there will be a people, who, relying fully upon Christ, will “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (vs. 12), and these commandments include the fourth, asking us to “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8).
Ellen White writes in The Great Controversy that “In contrast to those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, the third angel of Revelation 14 points to another class, against whose errors a solemn and fearful warning is uttered” (The Great Controversy, p. 438). She then quotes Revelation 14:9, 10—“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.”
The book of Revelation is full of prophetic symbolism, so to understand this message, we must first have a correct interpretation of the symbols, and we ask, “What is represented by the beast, the image, and the mark?”
Because the Bible is its own best interpreter, we turn to Revelation 12 and 13, to dig deeper in understanding the meaning of these symbols.
In Revelation 12, we see that the dragon sought to destroy Christ at His birth, and Revelation 12:9 tells us that the dragon is Satan. He is the one who inspired King Herod to try and put the Savior to death. “But,” we read in The Great Controversy, “the chief agent of Satan in making war upon Christ and His people during the first centuries of the Christian Era was the Roman Empire, in which paganism was the prevailing religion. Thus while the dragon, primarily, represents Satan, it is, in a secondary sense, a symbol of pagan Rome” (The Great Controversy, p. 439).
Then, moving on to the first 10 verses of Revelation 13, we see another beast, described as “rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name” (vs. 1). Then, in verse 2 we read that “the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.”
We read in The Great Controversy that “This symbol, as most Protestants have believed, represents the papacy, which succeeded to the power and seat and authority once held by the ancient Roman empire” (The Great Controversy, p. 439).
The description of this beast continues in Revelation 13:5,6—“There was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. . . . And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
Remarkably, this prophecy is nearly identical with the description of the little horn of Daniel 7, where we read: “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time” (vs. 25). That period equals 3 and a half prophetic years or 1,260 prophetic days.
Many Bible scholars agree that this undoubtedly points to the papacy, and history confirms this.
Revelation 13:5 tells us that “Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” The prophet, John the Revelator also says, “I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death” (vs. 3).
Again, comparing scripture with scripture, we see that the 42 months of prophetic time given in Revelation 13 matches the time period given in Daniel 7:25 of 1,260 prophetic days.
Interestingly, this fits perfectly with the period of papal oppression and persecution, beginning with the supremacy of the papacy in A.D. 538 and ending in 1798 when the pope was taken captive by the French army. This is what is meant by the “deadly wound” mentioned in Revelation 13:3. We should also notice, however, that the same verse states this deadly wound would be healed and that “All the world marveled and followed the beast.”
My friends, let me be clear in stating that this is not referring to one single person, nor is it condemning all people of a certain religion to eternal loss. Instead, it is speaking of a historical institution that has existed since A.D. 538 and that has been revived today.
So, what does all of this have to do with the threefold warning found in Revelation 14? A lot, as we’ll see as we continue our study through The Great Controversy.
If you have not yet downloaded this marvelous book, I urge you to do so today at the URL shown at the bottom of the screen [Insert: greatcontroversyproject.org].
As we end our time together today, let me pray with you just now.
Prayer:Father in heaven, we ask in a very special way that you will help us to more fully understand the implications of prophetic understanding of prophecy in the Holy Word. Thank you for the Three Angels messages in Revelation 14. Thank you for the understanding that we have from Revelation 12 and 13 about the aspects of Revelation 14. Thank you that you have a people who will keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. We want to be part of those people. Thank you for hearing us in this prayer and for the promise of your soon coming. In Jesus name, we ask it. Amen.