The appearance of the angel (“And I saw another angel”) that flies in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel sends us to Revelation 11:15 (and also to Revelation 10:5-7). The story about the seventh angel with his trumpet (Revelation 11:15) is the last one with reference to an angel and the reference to Revelation 10 is made due to the cry with a loud voice of the angel who swore by the One Who lives forever and ever that “in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled” (Revelation 10:7) and “that there will be no more delay” (Revelation 10:6). The event that is announced by the seventh angel is of a great importance. It draws attention to an event that takes place in Heaven (Revelation 11:15). The same story is also illustrated in the book of Daniel, chapter 7.

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Rev 11:15

“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven [...] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

Dan 7:13-14

What is being referred to in both the book of Daniel and Revelation about the events which will take place at this time on Earth is impressive and shocking. In Daniel 7:15-25 we are told about the intensification of adversity against the saints, with specific reference to a political-religious power which the second angel in Revelation 14:8 (whose message will be approached in detail further on in this chapter) clearly warns against:

“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.”

Dan 7:25-26

The same context presenting the saints who are given into the hands of this political-religious power and also the vengeance of God, manifestation of His justice against those persecuting His children to death, is also referred to in Revelation 11 by the words:

“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”

Rev 11:18

This is the context and these are the events that will be in progress on Earth while the message: “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come!” is being proclaimed to “every nation and kindred and tongue and people.” Firstly, “the hour of judgment” referred to by the angel with the message from Heaven is primarily the one we live in today, when the judgment in heaven takes place for the last generation, meaning for us. We now have the opportunity by reconsidering our attitude towards “the One who made heaven and earth, and the sea and the fountains of waters”, through reverence for and worship of Him and by respecting His Word, to fully benefit from the pleading of the great Advocate who died for us, thus paying guilt on our behalf. On making Him king on the throne of our hearts, through His atonement we succeed in staying alive in the middle His judgments which will justly fall upon the wicked. Secondly, the phrase “the hour of judgment” also refers to the time when the opportunity to appeal to our Defender before the throne of God will be no more (the last prophetic hour in the history of the Earth).

“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Rev 14:8

The “Babylon” from the message of the second angel represents the political-religious power which has been mentioned above, power that “will attempt to change the times and the law.” “Babylon” represents a mixture of truth and lies, sacred and profane, a mixture of responsibilities belonging to different spheres of power. The verdict “[It] is fallen!” clearly refers to a contemporary power represented by actions, deeds and decisions that best outline this system of “Babylon”. What is the power of the world today which demands both political and religious recognition? The institution which is referred to is the one that for 1,260 years in the Middle Ages has persecuted the servants of God, those who have facilitated the Scripture truth regarding righteousness through faith to come to light and awake at first Europe and then the New World, America. It is the one which shed the blood of millions of saints who “dared” to share the Truth. It is the one which wishes that, by enforcing the recognition of the authority of a vicegerent of God on Earth, it should eventually manage to distract people's attention from the One and Only, represented only by the sacrifice of His Son. It is that institution which very soon (it is worth keeping it in mind) “will attempt to change the times and the law” and “will be speaking great things and blasphemies”: the Papacy.

“And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name [...] And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.” Rev 13:6-5

The words “and there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies” points to a hierarchical system represented by only one leader, seemingly accused by God of speaking blasphemies. But what does actually “to blaspheme” mean? In order to understand this, we should consider an apparently common situation recorded in the Scriptures, taking place one day in Jesus' life, when a man was being brought by his friends to be healed by Him. His friends made a special effort to lower the sufferer through the roof before the Mighty Healer. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” (Mark 2:5). It was God the One Who uttered these words meant to liberate from guilt and the consequences of sin. What was the people's reaction on hearing these words? “But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2:6-7) The accusation of blasphemy was the reason why they finally gave Him to death.

“And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said [...] Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.”

Mat 26:63-66

The Pope self-proclaimed “VICARIUS FILII DEI”, meaning “Representative of the Son of God”, representative of Christ – of “the One who is” Priest and King in the heavenly temple – on forgetting apparently that there is only one representative of Christ on Earth, meaning the Comforter, the everlasting One, not a mortal man, subject to weakness and death, but God Himself, the Spirit of truth who, according to Christ’s promise: “I will not leave you comfortless” (John 14:18), descended on the day of Pentecost and since then has been continually leading the Church, sometimes in the catacombs, the wilds of the mountains or among burning piles of martyrs. The Holy Spirit has been, is and will be (by His distribution of spiritual gifts to every man “as He will” – 1 Corinthians 12:1-11) the Head of the Church as long as there will be a church of His on Earth. He is the One meant to be its Leader, not a man greater or mightier than others, one called either master or father, for Christ at the cross abolished the enmity, making us all one in Him. From that moment on, we were all going to have the same rights, the same merits: His rights and His merits.

Christ has warned us not to call anyone except for Him, our Master: master (Matthew 23:10) or anyone except for our heavenly Father: father (or Pope - Matthew 23:9). The Holy Spirit whom he sent to be with us as our Comforter has not passed away in the meantime so that we should be in need for someone else to take His place, for He is God. He (the Holy Spirit) is both our Master and Father, for it is through Him that our Father has spoken to us and sent His Word; it is also through Him that He explains it to us according to His wisdom, so that we should be able to say just like the apostle:

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: [...] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.”

1Co 2:7-15; 2Co 4:1-4

“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.” Rev 13:7

Throughout the Middle Ages, in opposition to the statements of the Holy Scriptures according to which “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin” (see Hebrews 9:22) and ignoring the “the One who is” High Priest, the only Mediator (see Hebrew 4:15; 7:26; 1 Timothy 2:5), the Pope offered forgiveness of sin by indulgences (see below the definition provided by the Apostolic Constitution - Jan. 1, 1967). Nowhere in the Scriptures is there any word to support such an artful fabrication of man, meant not to win souls but to profit financially as much as possible, as a result of the people's sincere search for salvation.

“An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due for sins already forgiven as far as their guilt is concerned. This remission the faithful with the proper dispositions and under certain determined conditions acquire through the intervention of the Church which, as minister of the Redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasury of the satisfaction won by Christ and the Saints. An indulgence is partial or plenary, according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due for sin. No one, acquiring indulgences, can apply them to other living persons.”

(“Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution Indulgentiarum doctrina, 1967, Normae 1-3”)

By the institution that they represent, the Popes have disregarded, trampled upon and denied the work of “the One who is” High Priest and the one of the Holy Spirit, by interposing themselves between the man and God. Moreover, this political-religious institution has already attempted to change times and laws (see Daniel 7:25) by abolishing the second commandment which prohibits the worshiping of graven images, regardless of their form (either two-dimensional or three-dimensional). And it also dared, without any authorization from the unchangeable One, to modify and counterfeit one of the two greatest blessings offered by God to the man ever since his creation: the Sabbath of the forth commandment (Sunday was chosen as a day of rest in order to mark and celebrate the resurrection of the Lord). Without any hesitation or shred of remorse and in the absence of any biblical fundament, the Papacy “managed” to complete the most serious act of profanation of the sacred laws left by God ever since the creation of man, thus undermining the divine right of the infallible authority, Jesus Christ.

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Rev 13:8-10

God is the One leading all things and nothing happens on Earth without His allowing it to. As God allowed it, according to a preordained plan, that Christ be put into the hands of the scribes and Pharisees of His time (John 18:36, 19:11), He will also allow the Papacy, for a short period of time though, “to make war with the saints”, only to let it add some more burning coal to the fire which has been prepared for it ever since the Middle Ages for the judgment day. But first it is written that “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life […]”. But there will be some (and not few) that will bow to none other, as they have a Friend for whom no sacrifice is too great, not even giving their life.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.”

Mar 8:35

“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Rev 13:3

The papal supremacy covers a period of 1,260 years (538-1798). The year 538 marks the starting point of the Pope’s making use of the powers he had gained five years earlier (533) when emperor Justinian declared him Head of the entire Church. In 1793, Napoleon and his government decide to restrict the influence of the Papacy. The decisive moment in which the Papacy gets its “deadly wound” mentioned in prophecy is represented by the year 1798, when the Pope is taken prisoner as a consequence of the Vatican’s conquest by the French general Berthier.

“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”

Rev 12:6

“Mussolini and Gaspari Sign Historic Pact [...] Heal Wound of Many Years.”

(San Francisco Cronicle, martie 1929)

The information above which appeared in the newspaper (precisely confirming the prophesy made in Revelation 13:3) were written as a consequence of the recognition of Vatican as independent state by the Italian government in 1929, moment marking the Pope's becoming emperor again. On March, 9, 1929 the Pope states: “The whole world is with us.” Therefore, the historic pact having been signed, the deadly wound seems to have been healed that very moment, marking the beginning of a new process of worldwide ascension of the Papacy.

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Rev 13:11

The newly introduced symbol (“another beast”) and the manner in which it appeared and rose, clearly shows us that the force (nation, people) symbolically referred to does not coincide with the one previously mentioned in prophecy, as this new beast has developed peacefully on a territory which had not been occupied beforehand. It is not difficult to go back to 1798 and realize that the only nation that fits the description of all the elements of this prophecy taken as a whole (development perspective – “coming up”, a new force – “another beast”, development without fighting – “out of the earth”) is unquestionably represented by the United States. The fact that it “had two horns like a lamb, and spoke like a dragon” shows the major discrepancy between openly professing freedom of expression in any form it might be (religious freedom included) and its putting into practice, as it will be seen, by manifesting intolerance and persecution in view of imposing a certain type of worship, as an act of homage brought to the Papal Institution.

“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, whose deadly wound was healed.” Rev 13:12

Since 1929 (and especially since 1998) the Papacy has clearly shown that its wound has been completely healed. It is back in the spotlight. Wherever there is an important event (political, social, religious) there it turns up in its universally acknowledged quality of promoter of good and truth. The last years have been an unquestionable proof that the Papacy has continually regained its popularity seriously affected by forcing its own dogmas upon people centuries on end. The role it plays in the development of a universal ecumenical movement and in the process of working out ideological differences between Catholics and Protestants, between the Orthodox church and the Catholic one is now more striking than ever before. But beyond the things which can be seen by us (whose perception may be accused of subjectivity), the Scriptures state that a major role in supporting the Papacy has had and will have the United States of America. The relationship between the two is based on a secret mutual support.

“And he 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. 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.” Rev 13:13-15

The secret mutual support of the two powers mentioned above will eventually lead – as a consequence of a dramatic decrease of the papal authority due to the bringing to light of the truth regarding its villainous actions – to a process of controlling the human conscience with the support of earthly authority (of that authority which has constantly felt throughout history that it has been its responsibility to play the role of mediator of conflicts on any plan these might occur: social, political, religious). This intention to control the conscience awoken by the truth can be put into practice only by creating a favorable legislative framework, since in the absence of such a context, it would appear even more abusive. In view of this fact, there will be made an “image of the beast” (as an act of homage brought to the Papal Institution) which everyone will have “to worship”, under the circumstances of its being supported by a legislative framework. And those who will refuse a voluntary act of “worshipping” will be consequently guilty of breaking the law. Simple, isn't it? Thus, an image of the beast will be perfectly created, the very image of its abusive actions that marked the Middle Ages.

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Rev 13:16-17

Many of the nations of the world will recognize the United States' authority to replicate at a far greater level and wider scale this time (all over the world) that institution forgotten in history, along with everything it represents in the process of imposing its own dogmas. This Institution will be given the authority to decide who is worthy to die or worthy to live; there will be taken an international decision that those who will not comply with the rules and laws of this new Christianity (one lacking the faith of Christ, though) supported by this new and old “Conscience of humanity” Institution, those who will not recognize the authority of the Papal Institution, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity or religious denomination, “might [not] buy or sell” without having a code “on his forehead or on his hand”, a code not of the Creator, but a counterfeit code of the man of sin, a mark clearly described by the words: “the name of the beast” or “the number of his name.”

“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 threescore and six.” Rev 13:18

How could there be known if the mark of the beast is directly connected to the Papacy, as presented above? The Scriptures have all the answers: “Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast” or “the number of his name.” According to the principle that each letter of the Roman alphabet has a numerical correspondent, it is not difficult to observe that by adding all mathematical figures and numbers corresponding to the letters that form the descriptive names of the one declared Supreme Pontiff, the result will be none other than 666.|^a

By these words uttered by an angel in “a loud voice”, God warns humanity of the catastrophic consequences of violating man's religious freedom, the man's right to worship God according to his own conscience enlightened by the Spirit of God, having as foundation the Scripture, the only one in authority to “subjugate” people's conscience.

In a shorter time than we can possibly imagine, mankind will have to make the greatest decision ever: either to bow to worship the Almighty God and His Law, or to bow to worship the man, along with the political power supporting him. God’s eternal interests will be soon put in balance against and compared to the worldly interests of the mortal. Soon the Law of the Universe which recognizes the authority of the Sovereign of heaven over visible and invisible worlds will be put aside, trampled upon and there will be attempted its uprooting of the people’s conscience in favour of a law stained with the blood of martyrs. By casting aside the Law, mankind (just like the Jews of old who rejected its Giver) will sign its death-warrant, no matter if this time the words: “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matthew 27:25) will be uttered or not. What came from heaven over Jerusalem in the year 70 BC will be replicated on a worldwide scale, and of an intensity that can neither be anticipated nor fully imagined.

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

Rev 22:11

By choosing to oppose the divine Law and its Giver, mankind will declare war to Heaven, causing the angel of mercy (who has always protected humanity) to fold her protective wings and thus take the last intimation of hope out of the people’s hearts. The time when probation closes will mark the beginning of a journey without turning back for those who, on being aware of the Truth, have chosen to say “No” to God. It will be too late to reconsider their position towards Him. From that moment on (that of the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit) every man who has decided to stand against the Law and against the Creator it points at, will be left entirely to the hosts of darkness and their destructive influence. God will then successively send upon the Earth one plague after another, one more disastrous than the other. There will be no escape for those who have chosen to worship the beast and its image and receive its mark.

“And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues [...]  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God [...]” “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”

Rev 15:6-7; 16:1

On the other hand, for all those who have acquired the Law of God and respected His desire, those who have written the principles of justice in their hearts, thus expressing their unflinching determination to harmonize with His character and image, the time when probation closes (and consequently the one marking the beginning of the fall of the plagues) will represent the unquestionable pledge for their having been sealed for God, for their soul having been saved, bearing the eternal heavenly stamp of “seven” on it. What is it that this “seven” represents and where is it in the Scriptures that it can be identified as a seal or stamp of His authority?

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

2Pe 1:20-21

A seal basically refers to a distinctive sign, a mark of authenticity of the object to which it is appended. It must necessarily be made up of the three elements that any royal seal embodies: the name of the authority it represents, the domain in which (the territory on which) it exercises authority and the title of its holder. In the Scriptures, as we could see in a previous chapter, we meet very often the number seven referred to as a mark of God's authority over all things, but its being associated with the notion of “seal” can be found only with strict reference to two concepts: the rainbow of the seven colours (memorial of the flood, a sign of God's promise that this unfortunate experience will not be repeated again) and the seventh-day Sabbath (memorial of His created works and a sign of holiness).

The rainbow of the seven colours, a covenant between God and every living creature on Earth (“the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you” – Genesis 9:12) cannot be the mark of God's final sealing, as it lacks the three defining elements of a seal. Furthermore, its being appended on either the forehead or hand is not possible:

“And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant.”

Gen 9:16

However, there is the other sign of seven, the one which is the perfect embodiment of the above-mentioned elements of a seal: the seventh-day Sabbath.

“Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them [...] And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.” “Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. [...] It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”
“And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.[...] And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.”

Eze 20:12,20; Exo 31:13,17; Deu 5:15; Exo 13:6,9

It is written about the Sabbath not only that it was made for the man, but also that it was sanctified at the creation and has been holy ever since. If the man was sanctified then by the honour and responsibility that he was offered to be the bearer of God's divine image, the Sabbath was sanctified by an active and direct action of God (Genesis 2:3). The Sabbath was meant to be an everlasting reminder of both the origin of man and his responsibilities in relation to God. What connection could there be between this sign and man's forehead or hand? To what extent does the Sabbath embody the three elements of a seal? The commandment represents more than an answer:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

Exo 20:8-11

This divine seven contains the three elements which every royal seal is made up of, meaning: the name – “the Lord”, the territory on which the one in question exercises authority – “heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them” and the title of the seal holder – “thy God” (Creator). The action of placing the seal on the right hand or on the forehead (understandably in a symbolical sense) refers to the prohibition of working in the Sabbath, prohibition involving both the practical side (the completion of any work requires at least the use of the right hand) and the ideological one (the awareness on a mental level of the importance of keeping this day holy). The placing of the seal on the forehead, this awareness on the level of the mind, also refers to worship, and consequently to man's actions manifested outwardly by gestures, words or behavioural acts which are nothing but fruits of his faith, ones which, especially on this day, should identify with the fruits of the Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).

If the sign of God's authority is the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, what could possibly stand for the mark of the beast and its authority, of that beast which has attempted and will attempt still to change the times and the Law? We can find out from sources belonging to the Catholic Church:

“The Sunday, as a day of the week set apart for the obligatory public worship of Almighty God, to be sanctified by a suspension of all servile labor, trade, and worldly avocations and by exercises of devotion, is purely a creation of the Catholic Church.”

(John Gilmary Shea, The American Catolic Quarterly Review, January 1883, pag. 139)

“For ages all Christian nations looked to the Catholic Church, and, as we have seen, the various states enforced by law her ordinances as to worship and cessation of labor on Sunday. Protestantism, in discarding the authority of the Church, has no good reason for its Sunday theory, and ought logically, to keep Saturday as the Sabbath […] For their present practice Protestants in general have no authority but that of a Church which they disown, and there cannot be a greater inconsistency than theirs in asking the state to enforce the Sunday laws.”

(John Gilmary Shea, The American Catolic Quarterly Review, January 1883, pag. 152)

“The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Roman Catholic] Church.”

(Mgr. Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, pag. 213)

There are true Christians in every church (including the Roman Catholic Church) who sincerely believe that Sunday is the Sabbath given by God and they observe it truthfully. It would be absurd to believe that those who whole-heartedly and unknowingly worship God on Sunday have the mark of the beast on their forehead or hand. These people have never considered that things might be different from what they have known and that Emperor Constantine was the one who, by the law given on March 7^th, 321 AD, changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday. God accepts their sincerity of observing Sunday, since they believe that Sunday is the Sabbath of the Bible. From the time when Sunday observance is enforced by law and people will have already been made aware of the true Sabbath, given by God, those who will choose to observe Sunday (under the circumstances of their having been made fully aware of God’s will) will be guilty of violating the fourth commandment and consequently of honouring the man (and his law) above God (and His Law).

In the final conflict between truth and error, between the Eternal Law of God and the human law, there will be people belonging to various religious denominations, either Christian or non-Christian, and also clerical and political public figures who will decide to take their position upon the side of the truth. It would be absurd to consider that all the inhabitants of the United States and all the adherents and sympathizers of the Catholic Church are doomed to suffer the judgments that are to come upon a world which has turned its back on God and His authority, expressed by the seal of the fourth commandment. Many people will become aware of the truth and will not allow their being forced to act against their conscience. Therefore, nobody will be considered by Heaven as having the mark of the beast before they have been fully aware of the decision they make against the Law of God.

God expects that, by our understanding of this message, every one of us should decide to stand for Him, on walking by faith towards the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. Nobody will be spared of the responsibility to take a prompt and firm decision either for God, His Law and testimony or against Him, by accepting the human law. The acceptance of Christ and His truth is the only way to salvation. Throughout the judgments that are to come all people are equal and the only ones protected by God will be the saints, “which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17).

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”