Table of Contents
The Mark of God
The Lord said, “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” (Ezekiel 20:12). And He added, “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth” (Exodus 31:17). God gave us His Sabbath as a glorious sign of His power to create and His power to sanctify (convert and save) us. In the Bible, the words seal, sign, mark, and token are used interchangeably (Compare Genesis 17:11 with Romans 4:11 and Revelation 7:3 with Ezekiel 9:4).
A seal is what makes a document official, and it normally contains three characteristics: Name, Title, and Territory. An example would be “Cyrus king of Persia” (Ezra 1:1). God’s seal is found in the Sabbath commandment because it is the only commandment that contains all three elements of a seal: (1) “The Lord”–His name, (2) “made”–His title as Creator, (3) “heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is”–His territory. Let’s read that commandment:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11).
Revelation 7:1-3 says the mark of God will be written upon the foreheads (minds, Hebrews 10:16) of His people. It will signify that they are owned by Him and reflect His character. Hebrews 4:4-10 confirms this by saying that when we enter His rest (receive salvation), we should keep His seventh-day Sabbath holy as a symbol, or mark, of salvation. True Sabbath-keeping signifies that a person has surrendered his life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Creator.
The Mark of the Beast
Since the symbol, or mark, of God’s authority and power is His holy seventh day Sabbath, it seems likely that the symbol, or mark, of God’s opposer, the “beast,” might also involve a holy day. Notice the following section from a Catholic catechism:
“Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?”
“Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her – she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.” Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism [FRS No. 7.], (3rd American ed., rev.: New York, Edward Dunigan & Bro., 1876), p. 174.
The papacy is here saying that it changed the observance of the seventh day Sabbath (Saturday) to the first day of the week (Sunday). Thus, the papacy claims that Sunday as a holy day is the mark, or symbol, of her power and authority.
For more on the Sabbath, please check (Lessons 91-102) of the Bible Lessons.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
Disclaimer:
The contents of this article and website are not intended to be against any individual. There are many priests and faithful believers in Roman Catholicism who serve God to the best of their knowledge. They are seen by God as His children. Thus, the information contained herein is directed only towards the Roman Catholic religio-political system which has reigned in varying degrees of power for nearly two millennia. This system has established an increasing number of doctrines and statements that directly go against the Bible.
It is our purpose to lay the clear Word of God before you, the truth-seeking reader, to decide for yourself what is truth and what is error. Therefore, if you find anything here contrary to the Bible, do not accept it. However, if you desire to seek for Truth as for hidden treasure, and find herein something of that quality and feel that the Holy Spirit is revealing Truth to you, please make all haste to accept it.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
