The Sabbath Day

WHAT IS THE SABBATH DAY?

One very controversial subject among Christians today is God’s Seventh Day Sabbath. Some Christians are not even aware that the Sabbath is Saturday.

The Bible tells us clearly in Daniel that a persecuting power would change God’s laws which it did – the Seventh Day Sabbath became the first day sabbath without God’s approval. The book of Daniel also refers to this change of God’s law by the antichrist power as reaching to the host of heaven and trampling the heavenly sanctuary under foot. We find the same expression used in Hebrews chapter ten in reference to wilful sin.

Hebrews 10:26-29 “For if we sin WILFULLY after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth NO more sacrifice for sins, … He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”

This passage warns us that there remains no sacrifice to cover wilful sin and to continue in wilful sin is to trample the Son of God under foot and to treat Christ's work on the cross as an unholy thing despite being under grace. This is a warning we should take very seriously.

The change to the Sabbath day came about over hundreds of years and by the death of millions of Christians. This is another fact that most Christians are unaware of. Select the following to watch a typical true story of the death of a Sabbath keeper by burning.

WHY DO SOME DO NOT TEACH THIS TRUTH?

If these points are true, why don’t we hear more pastors teaching them? If the Sabbath is Saturday, then why don’t the majority keep the true Sabbath day? How could the majority be wrong and even more to the point, do we still have to keep the Seventh day Sabbath at all? Revelation 13 tells us that Satan would give position and authority to the persecuting power described in Daniel that changed God’s law. Why do you think Satan did this? This power that persecuted the saints for 1260 dark years murdered anyone found keeping the Seventh day Sabbath according to the Commandment of God. Anyone that had a different view to this persecuting power was considered a heretic and heretics were to be burned. As a result, the Sabbath truth was nearly murdered out of existence and since most Churches originated from this persecuting power, most Churches now ignorantly keep the wrong day they instituted. The final change to the Sabbath day was in the fourth century but note that the change originated from Satanic and pagan Sun worship as early as 2000 B.C. Remember that Satan was responsible for all of this and did not go to all this effort for no reason.

Since the majority grow up with Sunday worship as their custom, it becomes very much a mind set and people are also very reluctant to accept change or alter their lifestyle. Saturday is also a day that is not convenient for most Christians and so sadly, most would rather not know truth and go into denial. Because of these factors, even when a pastor is presented with the Sabbath truth, it becomes difficult to both accept and see. This instantly gives the enemy the upper hand as he now just whispers in your mind, “the day does not matter. If it mattered everyone would know about it and would be keeping Saturday.” Sadly, all too many listen and never investigate and Satan continues to be victorious in keeping Christians ignorantly breaking one of the Commandments of God. Billy Graham was said to have acknowledged the Sabbath truth but stated, “If I were to teach this truth, I would lose most of my listeners.” Jesus said we are to both obey and teach the law and one cannot sacrifice truth at any cost. The enemy has gone to extreme lengths to make sure the Sabbath truth is not taught or believed and continues to go to extreme lengths and deceptions to keep us ignorant of this truth. Knowing he has done this, Christians should realise that it is very relevant and extremely important we know why. For example, how important is sin to God?

Many say the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in honour of the resurrection and others say it was nailed to the cross. Others will tell you any day can be kept as the Sabbath day as long as you keep one. And still others say as long as you do everything to the glory of God the Sabbath is as good as kept. And yet still others will say it is legalism. Worst of all, and this is becoming more popular by the decade, some say the Ten Commandments are gone. Never underestimate the enemy’s ability to slowly and subtly bring heresy into the Church and make those with the most Biblical truth to get labelled falsely as cults or legalists. It should be obvious that Satan will always attack truth the hardest and sadly he has no trouble finding those he can deceive to accomplish his task very convincingly. The fact of the matter is that what is popular is not always truth and what is truth is not always popular.

Since the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments that defines what sin is, why wouldn't Satan attack this one Commandment that is the easiest one to attack and do everything in his power to ensure that it does not get recognized or taught so he can get many to live in lawlessness? If one truly studies this and checks it with unbiased history, you will in fact find that Satan has achieved this goal and because most Christians do not study the Word and tend to rely on what their friends or pastor tells them, the lie continues to perpetuate.

WHAT IS THE SABBATH ANYWAY?

Our Creator God starts off the fourth Commandment with the word “Remember.” This is because He knew it would be lost and forgotten. God asks that we keep the Sabbath set apart for Holy purposes so we can draw nearer to Him. The Fourth Commandment to remember the Sabbath concludes the section of the Ten Commandments that specifically helps define a proper relationship with God, how we are to love, worship and relate to Him. It explains why and when we need to take special time to draw closer to our Creator. It is also a special sign between us and God forever, that it is Him that sanctifies us; Him alone who we belong to and worship. The Sabbath, the Seventh day of the week was set apart by God as a time of rest and spiritual rejuvenation. So why is this Commandment so frequently ignored, attacked and explained away by so many Christians? Could it be because the challenges to the Sabbath Commandment are views generated by the ruler of this present evil world? After all, this being wants us to accept these views because he hates God’s law. He does all he can to influence us to ignore, avoid and reason our way around it. On our calendar the Sabbath begins at sunset Friday evening and ends at sunset Saturday evening.

Those that keep the true Sabbath day say that it is a blessing and their favourite day of the week. The Sabbath is quality time with family and relaxing and fellowshipping with God and other Christians. Jesus said we are to not only obey the Ten Commandments but teach them also yet some people are doing the opposite. Why are these people so determined to take this blessing from those who keep the Sabbath properly, and in the way Jesus intended and not like the Pharisees who turned it into a legalistic burden? What spirit is behind this? Why do so many professed Christians try so desperately hard to avoid this special time with their Creator God on His Holy day? The Sabbath should be our favourite day of the week and it is for those who have searched for the Sabbath truth and found it. God says we are to find this day a delight and a blessing. God did not say we should call it legalism or a burden!

Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a DELIGHT, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shall honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shall you delight thyself in the LORD...”

Like all the other nine Commandments, IT IS a Commandment of love and thus loving God with all your heart includes all the first four Commandments. We know this for a fact because right after the second reading of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy chapter 5, we are shown in Deuteronomy 6:5 that LOVING God with all our heart, might and soul is to keep ALL the Ten Commandments that had just been read in the previous chapter only 17 verses earlier. That of course makes ALL Ten Commandments eternal. Our God is not a God of confusion that mixes a law that defines what love and sin is with something that is not love or not sin. Whether we understand it or not, to try and find reasons as to why the Sabbath is changed or ended is no different from trying to find excuses as to why it is now acceptable to worship idols or commit murder etc. There is another law found in the Old Testament that was only for the Jews and had ceremonial sabbaths but God did not place His Sabbath in this law. He placed it in the Ten Commandments because that is where it belongs.

The Ten Commandments were written in stone while the ceremonial law was written in a book and hence it was also called the “Book of the Covenant.” Have you ever heard the expression “it is not written in stone?” Written in stone means forever. On paper and in a book is temporary. So basically God had two specific laws. One was temporary, written in a book, was not love, only for the Jews, practised because of sin before Christ and why it was nailed to the cross. The other was eternal, written in stone, was love, for everyone, was sin to break and hence was NOT nailed to the cross. Now consider this question very carefully. If the Sabbath of the Lord was temporary and only for the Jews, which law would you place it in? In the temporary law or the eternal law? And is that where God placed His Sabbath? No! God placed His Sabbath exactly where it belonged. He placed it in the law that was love and eternal and for everyone along with the other Nine Commandments that obviously will never and can never end. Since God is not a fool or the author of confusion, then this alone reveals the truth. God makes a distinction between the ceremonial sabbaths and His Sabbath found in the Ten Commandments by exhorting, “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God:” (Exodus 20:10, Deuteronomy 5:14). It is the Lord’s Sabbath! It did not belong to Israel. God further clarifies this by calling His Sabbath, “My Sabbaths,” as in His weekly Sabbaths, (Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:20) while calling the ceremonial sabbaths that were only for Israel, “Her Sabbaths.” Her as in Israel. (Hosea 2:11, Lamentations 1:7)

If God sent an Angel to tell you that He loves you and sent His only Son to die for you and that He wants you to spend quality time with Him on a specific day that He blessed and sanctified, would you send the Angel back to God with the message, “sorry God, that day is not convenient for me” or “no God, I can't spend that time with you on your Holy day, that's legalism” or even, “tell God that it does not have to be on His Holy day and I will spend time with Him on that day that was used for Sun worship that He detested instead.” Is that what we would really say? Why is it so hard for us to rest in Jesus on His Holy day?

Many believe that there are only one or two denominations or groups that keep the true Sabbath day when there are in fact over five hundred different denominations of Sabbath keeping Churches that that keep the true 7th day Sabbath and the count is growing. Whole chains of Churches are changing back after attending Prophecy seminars run by people that have not been deceived by Satan's attempt to keep Christians in the dark on the Sabbath truth or Bible prophecy believing it cannot be understood. Do these hundreds of different Church denominations with millions and millions of members know something that we don’t?

WHY IS THE SABBATH DAY SO IMPORTANT?

We have already noted that God intended the Sabbath to be a blessing to us and has asked us to call His Sabbath a DELIGHT, but what else makes the Sabbath so important to God?

Most people understand that it is morally wrong to lie, steal, murder and to worship idols or take the Lord's name in vain etc, but the reason Satan is so successful in keeping so many from the Sabbath truth is because it is easy for him to convince the multitudes it is not important. Sadly, most do not see the Sabbath as important as on the surface breaking the Sabbath does not appear to be morally wrong. The question is; does God see the Sabbath day as being important? If it is important to God then it has to be important to us. Since God made His Sabbath part of the Ten Commandments, it becomes sin to break the Sabbath as sin is breaking any of the Ten Commandments. Sin is the reason Jesus died on the cross for us and it does not get more serious than that. We should know how much God detests sin but what are some other reasons that make the Sabbath so significant?

Exodus 31:13-17 “Speak you also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths you shall keep: for it is a SIGN between me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am the LORD that does SANCTIFY you. … 15 Six days may work be done; but in the Seventh is the Sabbath of rest, Holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a PERPETUALcovenant. 17 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.”

Ezekiel 20:20 “And hallow my Sabbaths; and they shall be a SIGN between me and you, that you may know that I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD.”

The Sabbath is a special SIGN that defines that we are God’s children and He is our God that sanctifies us and makes us Holy. It also defines therefore that it is God who we worship and love and give our allegiance to. It is not a SIGN when we keep a secular day and profane God’s Sabbath. There is a lot more that could be cited but this should be enough to help you understand why this day is important to God and why it is a sin against God for us to not keep His Sabbath day Holy. Is there anyone who does not want to be part of this SIGN?

Some will say that this perpetual covenant that is a SIGN forever, (Exodus 31:13-17) applies only to the Israel of God and this is correct. The question is; who is the Israel of God? Today there is an Israel of the flesh (1 Corinthians 10:18) and an Israel of God, Galatians 6:16. The Israel of the flesh consists of those who are Jews by birth. The Israel of God is anyone who belongs to Christ and is under the New Covenant. Many do not understand that if we are Christ’s then we are spiritual Jews and the Israel of God. If we reject this truth then we cannot be under the New Covenant. Observe who the New Covenant was ONLY made with. This came into effect when the Jews rejected God’s message from Stephen (Acts 6:8-7:60) and stoned him. See also Romans 2:28-29, Romans 9:6-8 and Galatians 3:28-29. See alsoDaniel's 70 weeks or 70 weeks of Daniel.

Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:”

Since the Sabbath is a SIGN that we are God's children, if we reject His Sabbath, then aren’t we rejecting God as our Father? And since the Sabbath is a SIGN that it is God that sanctifies us, if we reject His Sabbath, then aren’t we also rejecting His sanctification? All God asks from us is one single solitary day in seven. We still have the other six secular days to do as we please. Is one day an unreasonable request from our Creator God? Christians claim to love God with all their heart, might and soul, yet how do most respond? The number seven represents completion and perfection to God and this is the only reason we do have a seven day week. If not for this very special Sabbath day God has given us, we would only have a six day week. If we do not use this Seventh day Sabbath which God blessed and sanctified for this one and only use, what point is there in having this Seventh day of the week? God added this one and only day with this one and only purpose, so we could spend Holy time with our Holy God that is a most beautiful SIGN that He is our God and we are His children. Again, despite this blessing, how do most respond? Believe it or not, I have had enough excuses now to fill an entire book. An appropriate name for this book would be, “The book of excuses for not having to spend time with your Creator God on His Holy day.”

How God must grieve every time someone chooses one of these 1001 excuses. Does God know our heart? If we use one of these excuses will God know? Does God know if we don’t want the truth about His day because it would be an inconvenience to us? If we use one of these 1001 excuses, can we truly say we love God with all our heart, might and soul? If we do not love God with all our heart, will God accept us into His kingdom?

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT KEEPING THE SABBATH?

The book of James tells us if we break one Commandment we have broken them all. So if the Sabbath is Saturday and if we are supposed to be keeping the true Sabbath day then most Christians are guilty of breaking God’s law. The Bible tells us that only a few will find the straight and narrow gate. Was this referring to Christians specifically?

Noah preached for 120 years that a great flood was coming and only 8 were saved. Jesus said that at the time of His second coming it is going to be like in the days of Noah. Why do we only acknowledge what we want to see? God pleads with us as to why we would perish.

Hosea prophesied that God’s people would perish for a lack of knowledge which does not sound fair but then he explains it is because they would reject knowledge in regards to the Commandments of God, so He in return would reject them. Considering how many people have rejected knowledge on the Sabbath Commandment, this sadly makes perfect sense.

Hebrews 10:26-29 says there is no sacrifice to cover wilful sin and it is to trample the Son of God underfoot and count the blood of the New Covenant as an unholy thing despite being under God’s grace. Jesus says to those who practice lawlessness, He will deny access to the kingdom. So if we are supposed to keep the Sabbath day and are ignorant of this fact, how will we be judged? Would God burn someone in Hell for being ignorant? What about denial?

It appears that everyone has a different idea about this issue of the Seventh day Sabbath truth. When there is so much confusion and conflicting information you know that deception reigns and one seriously needs to investigate to find what the truth really is and especially when the consequences for deliberate sin is to be left out of the kingdom.

ARE ALL THE TEN COMMANDMENT STILL VALID?

If something as important as the Ten Commandments were to change by even the smallest amount we would be told with crystal clear scriptures. Most Christians will not debate that nine of the Ten Commandments need to be obeyed but so many freely sweep one under the carpet that becomes too much of an effort for them. Denial of truth of any of the Ten Commandments has only one outcome as far as God is concerned and we do not want that path. Unless black and white scriptures can be produced that says the day has changed or been abolished, then the Sabbath is just as valid as the other nine Commandments and the consequences are the same for deliberately breaking any one of them. Does anyone believe they can freely murder as they please and still enter the kingdom of God?

So do all the Ten Commandments still stand or does the Bible indicate that we can live in wilful deliberate sin? We certainly are saved by God’s Grace through faith in Christ, but is this a license to continue in sin? Did Jesus die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin or so we could go on living in sin? What does the only source of truth that we can trust have to say on this very important topic that nailed our loving Saviour to the cross? Here are the answers put simply by scripture alone while covering the main areas of confusion.

What is the Bible definition of sin? 1 John 3:4. So where there is sin, there has to be a law.Romans 4:15. If there is no law then there can be no sin and if there is no sin then there is no need for a Saviour.

Did Paul say we can sin now that we are under Grace which would therefore show the law had ended? Romans 6:1-2, Romans 6:14-15.

Paul taught on the law and Galatians in chapters 2, 3 and 4 and Romans 3 that no flesh is justified by the works of the law and that righteousness comes by FAITH. Does this therefore mean that the Ten Commandments are made null and void through FAITH? Romans 3:31. So who is justified before God? Romans 2:13.

Did Jesus say He came to do away with the law? Matthew 5:17. Did Jesus say He was going to change the law by even so much as one single letter? Matthew 5:18, Luke 16:17. Did Jesus say we have to teach the law as well as obey it? Matthew 5:19.

Does Jesus say that those who practise lawlessness, which is the breaking of the Ten Commandments, will enter the kingdom? Matthew 7:21-23, 1 John 2:4. So what does Jesus say that one has to do to inherit eternal life? Matthew 19:16-19.

Can we keep just nine of the Ten Commandments and are we judged by obedience to the law? James 2:10-12, Matthew 5:18, Luke 16:17.

So what are the consequences for wilful sin, which is wilfully disobeying even ONE of the Ten Commandments? Hebrews 10:26-29, Ephesians 5:3, 5.

What are the blessings for not living in wilful sin, which is obeying the Ten Commandments in loving obedience? Revelation 22:14.

The passage in Matthew chapter 5 alone proves that not one letter of the law has changed which means that all scriptures used as arguments for ending or changing the Sabbath truth are being abused or misunderstood. The answers are indisputable and any other arguments would be in total contradiction to the words of Jesus, Paul and James just to name a few. I think Solomon summed it up well with his final conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

DID JESUS AND THE EARLY CHURCH KEEP THE SABBATH?

If the Sabbath is an unchanged Commandment, then we should find Paul and the early Church keeping the Seventh day Sabbath. If this can be demonstrated, this would also prove that the Sabbath was not changed or abolished. So can we demonstrate this? We can of course and do in fact find Paul keeping the Sabbath as his CUSTOM was since childhood in a Jewish Synagogue.

A custom is something you do religiously and without failure. What was Paul’s CUSTOM and EXAMPLE while establishing the early Christian Church? Notice in the following verse that this is a Jewish synagogue and that Jews have all through history, without change, worshipped on Saturday as they still do today. Acts 17:1-2. The Jews and Pharisees which Paul was since CHILDHOOD have ALWAYS kept Saturday as the Sabbath. Acts 26:4-5.

This is proof conclusive of Saturday Sabbath keeping AFTER the cross and undoubtedly applies to both Jews and Gentiles if wondering. Acts 13:42-44; Acts 18:4. It was not only Paul’s custom and example but that of Jesus also and He is our perfect example. Luke 4:16. And unless Jesus is into making meaningless and nonsensical statements, He also clarified beyond all doubt that the Sabbath would definitely NOT end at the cross by His reference to the future destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, when he said, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath” Matthew 24:20. See also New Testament Sabbath.

WHAT DAY IS THE SABBATH DAY, WHO CHANGED IT FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY?

Below are statements from the Roman Catholic Church which give the simple answer as to why most Churches now keep Sunday as the Sabbath. Most Christians have no idea that this even happened or how it happened. Revelation 13 tells us that Satan gave his power and authority to the Catholic Church. Why? It was Satan's plan to have this Church change the Sabbath to Sunday. Why did Satan do this? The Sabbath is about who we give our allegiance to. If we obey God and keep His Sabbath day Holy, we give our allegiance to God. If we obey the Commandment of the Catholic Church and keep their day Holy, who do we give our allegiance to then? The Catholic Church answers this question below with two of their quotes. But looking deeper, who gave this Church power so God’s true day of worship could be changed? Read Catholic Church Statements about the Sabbath or Sabbath Statements by the Catholic Church for more quotes.

Does the Bible support the change to Sunday?
  “Most Christians assume that Sunday is the biblically approved day of worship. The Catholic Church protests that it transferred Christian worship from the biblical Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday, and that to try to argue that the change was made in the Bible is both dishonest and a denial of Catholic authority. If Protestantism wants to base its teachings only on the Bible, it should worship on Saturday.” Rome’s Challenge
www.immaculateheart.com/maryonline Dec 2003

  “For example, nowhere in the Bible do we find that Christ or the Apostles ordered that the Sabbath be changed from Saturday to Sunday. We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the 7th day of the week, Saturday. Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the [Roman Catholic] church outside the Bible.” Catholic Virginian, October 3, 1947, p. 9, article “To Tell You the Truth.”

Who Made Sunday Holy?
  “Perhaps the boldest thing, the most revolutionary change the Church ever did, happened in the first century. The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday. ‘The day of the Lord’ was chosen, not from any direction noted in the Scriptures, but from the (Catholic) Church’s sense of its own power...People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority, should logically become 7th Day Adventists, and keep Saturday holy.” St. Catherine Church Sentinel, Algonac, Michigan, May 21, 1995.

  “Question - Which is the Sabbath day?
“Answer - Saturday is the Sabbath day.
“Question - Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
“Answer - We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 364), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” Peter Geiermann, C.S.S.R., The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, 3rd edition, 1957.

Whose Day of Worship is Sunday?
  “They [the Protestants] deem it their duty to keep the Sunday holy. Why? Because the Catholic Church tells them to do so. They have no other reason...The observance of Sunday thus comes to be an ecclesiastical law entirely distinct from the divine law of Sabbath observance...The author of the Sunday law...is the Catholic Church.” Ecclesiastical Review, February 1914.

  “It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church.” Priest Brady, in an address reported in The News, Elizabeth, New Jersey, March 18, 1903.

Who Do We Reverence by Keeping Sunday Holy?
  “It was the Catholic church which...has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) church.” Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, p. 213.

  “I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to anyone who can prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. The Bible says, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’ The Catholic Church says: ‘No. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.’ And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in a reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church.” father T. Enright, C.S.S.R. of the Redemptoral College, Kansas City, in a lecture at Hartford, Kansas, February 18, 1884, printed in History of the Sabbath, p. 802. 

WHO WAS REALLY BEHIND THE CHANGING OF SABBATH TO SUNDAY?

We know the Sabbath was changed by the Roman Catholic Church, but who was really responsible and why? Many of you have probably already worked this out but let’s go through it anyway. Beginning with the early Church, Satan failed in his attempt at stopping the son of God so he turned his attention to the Church. He initially tried to destroy the Church by having all Christians killed, but martyrdom just made the Church grow faster and stronger. Satan soon realised that he could do more damage from within the Church, so he gave the Papacy its power, seat and position. Even though most Christians do not know the importance of the Sabbath day, Satan knows the Sabbath truth all too well and he also knew that it was the easiest of the Ten Commandments to attack, and so put his long term plan into effect. How successful was his plan and who is responsible for his success?

Satan fell from his position because of pride and because he wanted to be worshipped as God. Since no one in their right mind would worship Satan, he knew he could only obtain this worship from within the Church. The Seventh day Sabbath is about whom we worship and it is not a sign that we worship God or belong to Him when we keep the wrong day. Satan’s goal was therefore to have his own day of worship instituted in place of God’s and while achieving the primary goal of getting Christians away from a very significant Commandment and living in lawlessness. Using the Papacy as his agent, Satan changed God’s Seventh day Sabbath to a day in honour of pagan Sun worship, hence the pagan name Sunday. Satan also knew that sun worship was something that God detested and was one of the reasons why God allowed His people to fall into the hands of the Babylonians. Satan no doubt had great pleasure in this accomplishment as he would have Christians breaking God’s law and not fulfilling the sign of the Sabbath, as well as further upsetting God by taking away His day of worship in place of Satan’s and in favour of sun worship which is idolatry. How Satan must clap his hands in glee over this victory that so many people have given him.

Christians now assume that Sunday is the correct day and it becomes a mind set as this is what their custom was growing up, and anything different does not feel right and seems foreign. This was Satan’s plan from the beginning and sadly, he has been very successful. Today the ruler of this world works very hard at feeding our minds with thoughts that this Commandment is insignificant and Christians who are not wanting to be inconvenienced by change are all too happy to listen. It’s time for Christians to stop being deceived and wake up to the fact that Satan was responsible and return to all Ten Commandments of God and this precious SIGN that we are His children and it is our Creator God that we worship. Jesus laid down His life for you, how much of a sacrifice is it for you to change your day of worship?

For a very detailed account of the Sabbath to Sunday change, and how it actually begun 2000 years B.C. with the worship of Satan and the sun, and involves the origin of that mysterious number 666, see who changed the Sabbath to Sunday.

THE SABBATH DAY TRUTH FROM CREATION TO ETERNITY

The Sabbath has existed since creation when God added the Seventh day to the week with the one and only purpose of a Sabbath rest. This is the only reason we have a seven day week today. God also blessed and sanctified this day for Holy use. This was done before sin had entered the World and was part of God’s perfect plan. Most Christians do not know that the word translated “rested” in our English Bibles in Genesis 2:3 is actually “shabath” in the Hebrew and means Sabbath. Here is the word Sabbath right at creation. In reference to the future destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Jesus states in Matthew 24:20, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” This ONE statement alone PROVES that Jesus expected the Sabbath to be kept subsequent to His death. The gospel of Luke states in Luke 23:56 that when the body of Christ was being prepared, “they rested the Sabbath day according to the Commandment.” Luke’s gospel was written 30 to 50 years after the cross and Luke still shows that the Commandment is unchanged. If it were changed, Luke would have undoubtedly told us since it is one of the Commandments. Isaiah also prophesied in Isaiah 66:22-23 that, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make … and from one Sabbath to another, shall ALL flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.”

In Genesis 4:3-7, Cain brought an offering from the ground which represents righteousness by works and so God was angry with him but Abel brought the firstborn of his flock as a sin offering which represents righteousness by faith. You cannot have a sin offering unless there is a law. (1 John 3:4) In verse 7, we also see God speak to Cain about sin lying at the door. The Bible also says where there is no law there is no transgression (Romans 4:15) so the Commandments although not yet codified had to exist from the very beginning or Cain could also not have been guilty of murder. See also Genesis 26:5. Besides the Seventh day being called the Sabbath in the Hebrew in Genesis 2:3, God also said the Sabbath “is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever” because “in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” Exodus 31:17. Here God further confirms that the Sabbath existed from the beginning when it was added as the Seventh day of the week at creation. For even more proof, we also know that the Sabbath existed back in Genesis chapter 11. In over 105 languages in the world where the Sabbath has not taken on the Pagan name Saturday, it is still called the Sabbath in each of these languages as it was named at creation. This proves that when these 105 languages originated at Babel in Genesis 11, Saturday was recognized as the Sabbath day and was incorporated into the very name of the day. Since the Sabbath was sanctified and made Holy before sin at creation and the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments which is also seenbeing kept before the giving of the Commandments, it had to be kept by Adam and Eve.

It was also kept by Abraham, it was kept in the exodus from Egypt before the Ten Commandments were given when God tested His children to see if they would keep THESeventh day as per the Commandment. It was kept by the Jews, it was kept by Jesus, it was kept by Paul, it was kept by the Apostles, it was kept by the early Church by both Jews and Gentiles, and this is also verified by Jesus who showed it would be kept in 70 AD when the temple was destroyed. History also further proves this by the fact that reliable unbiased history sources show that it was still being kept until around 90-120 AD where some Christians first changed to Sunday to avoid persecution for Judaism. History shows that the final part of the day change began with Constantine in 321 AD in favour of Sun worship, and was made law by the Catholic Church around 363-364 AD. The Sabbath was almost murdered out of existence through the dark ages when the Roman Catholic Church ruled as Church and state for those terrible 1260 dark years, and Revelation 12:17 speaks of a remnant of God’s original Church that would arise after these dark ages that Satan would hate and make war with because it would start keeping all of the Ten Commandments of God once again. To finish this all off, God showed Isaiah that we will still be keeping the Sabbath in the new Heaven and the New Earth. Here is the Sabbath being kept from creation beginning and throughout all eternity. The Sabbath is eternal as the other nine.

SHOULD WE DESIRE THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SABBATH DAY?

Would it surprise you to know that Jesus never once even mentioned the first day of the week? As Christians, we should always be seeking after the truth, as Jesus is the truth. If we really love Jesus with all our heart, soul and might, we will always strive to find what the truth is at absolutely any cost.

However, with so many people saying so many different things, how can we possibly know what the truth really is? There is only one guaranteed way, and that is the inspired Word of God – The Holy Bible. The Bible is and should always be our final authority and not the advice of our Pastor or our most trusted friend. If we can find unbiased information on man’s knowledge of History on the Seventh day Sabbath truth, that can also be used to help us determine the truth but ultimately, we need to go by the Word of God.

The intention of this web site was not to cover all the excuses and truth about the Sabbath but to point you to a choice of sites that will help you find more on what the truth really is. In the top left column and at the bottom of this page, you will find links to many good web sites, not only on the Sabbath, but also on other topics that relate to the Sabbath day such as the ceremonial law and the Ten Commandments. If you want all the facts on the Sabbath, select God’s Sabbath Truth or Sabbath Truth. Select to find the proof of Who is the Antichrist. For real eye-opening information that reveals that sun worship started with Satan worship, see the full history of Sun-Day worship and how it entered the Church.

The Top Ten excuses used to avoid the Sabbath Day truth

It is absolutely incredible how many excuses are given by Christians who claim to truly love God come up with to justify why they do not need to obey one of the Ten Commandments that defines what sin is, and is a precious SIGN and blessing from God. As stated earlier, I have been given enough excuses to write an entire book. This is extremely dangerous and the many Christians who have deliberately sought out an excuse as to why they can disobey God are in for a very rude shock. Jesus says that to even those that do miracles in His name and call Him Lord but break any of the Commandments, He will say, “depart from me I never knew you.” Can you imagine the shock of so many Christians in the end that thought they could make excuses to disobey one of God’s Commandments and get away with it?

The words of Jesus on fulfilling the law are all we need to know the Sabbath truth. Jesus said that not even a letter of the Ten Commandments will pass as long as heaven and earth are still here. On the words of Jesus alone it is Ten unchanged Commandments and it is just as serious to worship idols or murder as it is to not keep the Sabbath Holy. This is far too serious an issue not to fully investigate. It is one thing to be ignorant of the truth but to not want to investigate if you are ignorantly living in sin will still condemn you. We must have a love of the truth as Jesus is truth and the Word is truth. Jesus means what He says and says what He means and we are not free to manipulate the words of any of the Ten Commandments to suit ourselves and still enter the kingdom. The Sabbath Commandment says we have six days to do our work but THE Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord and we are to keep THE Seventh day Holy. The other six days are secular and are not Holy and the Commandment is very clear that we cannot choose our own day. See also Exodus 16.

Here are fifteen of the most popular excuses used that all contradict the words of Jesus. Select each link to find the real Sabbath truth for each excuse or misunderstanding.

1. The Sabbath was changed in honour of the resurrection.
2. The Calendar was changed.
3. We don't know which day is the true Sabbath.
4. We keep the Sabbath everyday.
5. We keep the Lord's day.
6. The Sabbath was only for the Jews.
7. The Sabbath was Made for Man.
8. The Ten Commandments were abolished.
9. Jesus is our Sabbath rest now.
10. The Sabbath was abolished.
11. We are not under Law but under Grace.
12. Jesus broke the Sabbath.
13. You are Placing us under the Old Covenant.
14. The majority can't be wrong.
15. The Sabbath was changed to Sunday. Part two.

The above links are from Sabbath and Antichrist truth revealed for those who would like to read the entire web site. Each of the above links will open in a new window. See page two for historical information on the Sabbath and to view sample videos of a documentary hosted by TV actor Hal Holbrook on the History of the Sabbath day. See also the mark of the beastfor more on the importance of this Commandment and the origin of that mysterious number 666 or read 666 number of the beast just to discover the origin.

SABBATH

  
666 The Number of the Beast

What is the origin of 666 the Number of the Beast?

666 The Number Of The Beast

As the origin of 666 and the real truth on the number of the beast continues to become more widely known through sites such as this one and others discovering the truth, Satan has begun a counter attack by throwing other numbers into the equation as a diversionary tactic. Numbers like 606 and 616 are now emerging, but these numbers have no significance and are incorrect as you shall soon see from the real truth on 666 the number of the beast. Theextraordinary truth on this mysterious number 666 and its origin is about to reveal just how wrong so many can be on Biblical topics, and how Satan can and does keep many deceived and in the dark on extremely important issues such as the number of the beast. This should be a well known truth such as the origin of this solar seal with the number 666 on it.

Who is the Antichrist?

Shocking Facts about a Misunderstood
Prophecy, and now the real truth…

An internet search today on “who is the antichrist” will reveal anything from the star of the Baywatch TV series to the president of the USA. God’s Word does not instruct us to make ridiculous wild guesses or any guesses for that matter as to what we think Bible prophecy says, in fact we are specifically told in 2 Peter 1:20 “...that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” One good key to understanding Bible prophecy is laid out in the principle of the following verse: Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

In this document we are going to do something totally different from the majority. We are going to discover the truth about who is the antichrist using the Word of God and support it with many sound historical quotes. None of what we cover will be speculation and none will be private interpretation. When you finally realize how to understand the symbols of Prophecy and how to comprehend it, you will be surprised how simply it comes together.

The contents of this document contain some of my own writings as well as many excerpts from the works and writings of the late Christian Edwardson. He is a much respected author with his work well supported by scripture and historical quotes for credibility. All the sections in “gray” are his writings.

The Basic prophetic timeline

Understanding how Daniel and Revelation work together is a crucial part of understanding Bible prophecy and who is the antichrist, and in the following studies you will see how Daniel helps unlock the book of Revelation. It would be advisable to read Daniel 2 before beginning as this gives the basic prophetic timeline from Babylon to the second coming of Christ. In the book of Daniel, the principle of repetition and enlargement is used. Daniel 2 gives the whole basic prophetic timeline of history in brief and then each chapter enlarges with more detail and information etc. Unlocking Daniel’s symbols makes the prophecies of Revelation come clear.

In Daniel 2, we find a king who dreamed of world events that spanned over 2,500 years. Those events have come to pass with such precision that only the hand of God could have been involved. It is a prophecy that’s almost been totally fulfilled. Daniel 2:1 says: “In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.”

This was the king who ruled the great Babylonian Empire 600 years before Christ and who built the Hanging Gardens which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which seemed of great significance, but when he awoke, he could not remember what he had dreamt. So he called his wise men who claimed to see into the future and asked them to tell what he had dreamt. When they admitted that they could not, Nebuchadnezzar condemned them to death.

Young Daniel, though a prisoner in Babylon, was counted among the “wise men” for his gifted intelligence and understanding. When the king’s captain came to execute Daniel, he asked for time to pray for God to reveal the dream which of course God did. Then Daniel, taking no credit to himself, went before Nebuchadnezzar and told the king that no mortal man could reveal the dream. “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has revealed ... what will be in the latter days.” Daniel 2:28. The dream starts with Nebuchadnezzar and marches through history to God’s final kingdom.

So Daniel told the king what he had dreamed: “You, O king, were watching: and behold, a great image! This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” Daniel 2:31-35.

The King was excited. “That’s exactly what I saw! But Daniel, what does it mean?” Daniel continued: “You, O King ... are this head of GOLD.” Daniel 2:37-38. The Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar (which made more lavish use of gold than any kingdom since) was secure as the dominant world power from 605 B.C. to 538 B.C., but he was to be overthrown by a kingdom represented in Daniel 2:32 as “the breast and arms of SILVER.” In Daniel 5:28, the next world ruling power is named, the joint empire of the Medes and the Persians. Again a fitting symbol, the two arms joined at the chest to show two kingdoms being the Medes and Persians. They ruled the world for two centuries, from 538 B.C. to 331 B.C., but they also were overthrown by a third kingdom.

This third kingdom, depicted in verse 32 as the “belly and thighs of BRONZE,” was the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great which was taken over by his four Generals after he died. And what did Alexander’s men wear into battle? Bronze - Bronze breastplates, bronze helmets, bronze shields, bronze swords. Once again, God chose a fitting symbol to describe the kingdom that would rule the world from 331 B.C. to 168 B.C.

But history doesn’t end with this third kingdom. Greece did not rule the world forever, for there was a fourth metal after the gold of Babylon, and the silver of the Medes and Persians, and the bronze of Greece. The next kingdom is represented by IRON. Daniel 2:40 says, “The fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron.” The iron monarchy of Rome was the last world kingdom, which in 168 B.C. overthrew the Greeks. Just as legs form the longest part of the body, Rome had the longest reign of any other of the world powers. For more than 500 years, half a millennium, Rome was invincible. But what did the Bible predict would happen next? Daniel 2:41-43 says, “Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom.”

History confirms that this seemingly unconquerable Roman Empire crumbled from within and without. From within wealth poured into Rome through taxes collected from all over the world and the simple Roman life was replaced with luxury and pomp. The political world brewed with corruption, crime infiltrated the streets, the work ethic was lost, sexual immorality was rampant. And as the mighty Roman Empire weakened from within, Rome was attacked from without and divided into ten smaller kingdoms.

Today we are living right down in the toenails of history! Every part of this prophecy has come to pass except one. Daniel told the king in verses 34 and 44, “You watched while a STONE was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. ... The God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. ... It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” That Rock cut out without hands symbolizes Jesus Christ who will come to establish His everlasting kingdom.

God through the prophet Daniel foretold the break-up of the Roman Empire into ten toes of the Image, representing the ten kingdoms into which Rome was divided when barbarian tribes carved up the empire.

The Ten Barbarian tribes and their modern day names
Anglo-Saxons:	England	Lombards:	Italy	Heruli:	Destroyed
Alamanni:	Germany	Suevi:	Portugal	Vandals:	Destroyed
Burgundians:	Switzerland	Visigoths:	Spain	Ostrogoths:	Destroyed
Franks:	France

These last three have no modern names for they originally took over parts of the Roman Empire but were eventually destroyed, “plucked up by the roots” as Daniel 7:8, 20, and 24 foretold. Daniel 2:41-43 says, ten toes, ten kingdoms, and just as IRON and CLAY won’t mix together, so the ten kingdoms will not be joined. No matter how many battles are fought, no matter how many Hitler’s or Napoleons or Charlemagne’s seek to conquer, the Bible says the world will never be united under one ruler again.

Only one kingdom is left to be established. Soon Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages, who paid a remarkable visit to this planet 2000 years ago, is going to pay us another visit. Jesus is going to make quite an entrance the second time. The heavens will rumble with a great shout as the trumpet blasts and angels sing. Then Jesus and the angelic host will swoop down in a cloud of glory to gather all His faithful ones!

Daniel 7 enlarges on Daniel 2
How do we know this? Remember that Daniel 2 gives us the whole basic time line from Babylon to beyond the second coming of Christ. Keeping that in mind, Daniel 2 informs us the fourth kingdom is the legs and feet of IRON with ten toes (divided Europe) and Daniel 7 says the fourth beast has IRON teeth and ten horns (divided Europe). In both chapters we have a consistent theme and we are most significantly told that these represent the “fourth kingdom” on earth and that they both “break in pieces.” The Bible is not inconsistent and therefore this fourth kingdom is one and the same. Starting with the iron legs:

Daniel 2:40 “And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall itbreak in pieces and bruise.”
Daniel 7:7 “...and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.”
Daniel 7:23 “...The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.”

So inescapably did Daniel’s prophetic portrayal correspond to its historical fulfilment that the great English historian Edward Gibbon (1737-1794), though not a Christian or Bible believer himself, wittingly or unwittingly used Scriptural language in his monumental History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire when he wrote: “The images of gold, or silver, or brass, that might serve to represent the nations and their kings, were successively broken by the IRON monarchy of Rome.” Historians mark 168 B.C. as the starting point of the “IRON Monarchy of Rome.” On June 22 at the battle of Pydna, the Greeks fell to the Romans who ruled the then known world to about 476 A.D. Let’s give one more example using the first kingdom.

Since Daniel 7:23 tells us “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth” and Daniel 7:17 says “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings...”, then the first beast is of course the first kingdom which Daniel 7:4 says, “The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings...” In Daniel 2:37-38, speaking of the metal man, Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar, “You, O King ... are this head of GOLD.” This lion on the Ishtar gate from the ancient ruins of Babylon is one of many and is not coincidence. The evidence is overwhelming from both the Bible and history that Daniel 7 is indeed enlarging on Daniel 2 and so on.

So what does this all tell us?
Again using the principle of repetition and enlargement, we now know from Daniel 2:37-38 that Babylon is the first kingdom. “You, O King ... are this head of GOLD.” From Daniel 5:28; 8:1-7, 8:20, we know that Medo-Persia conquered Babylon. Daniel 5:28 “Your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” Daniel 8:20 “The ram which you sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.”

From Daniel 8:1-7, 21 we know Greece conquered Medo-Persia. Daniel 8:21 “And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.” God did not name the fourth kingdom directly as He knew the Bible would be in the hands of a very powerful Church for a very long period of time and would be prone to editing if they knew that they were described in these prophetic books of the Bible. However, there is no mistaking that history reveals Rome conquered Greece and is the fourth kingdom and is described as having IRON legs (Daniel 2:33), IRON teeth (Daniel 7:7) and that Rome is known as the IRON monarchy that fell and was divided into ten kingdoms. (Daniel 7:23-24)

APOLOGY: If you belong to the Church we are about to discuss, please allow me to apologize up front for what may hurt or offend you. We very much love people from all denominations and have no vendetta against any Church as this would be contrary to Christian teaching, but this truth has to be preached. If it were not in God's Word we would be silent about it, but it is Bible truth and the truth of who is the antichrist must be revealed or many will perish in the end times.

Brief overview on who is the Antichrist

Let’s start with a brief summary of points that establish what and who is the Antichrist and then steadily go into more detail while using a large number of historical quotes to corroborate what is presented here.

Some are surprised to know that the word antichrist does not appear even once in the whole book of Revelation. The word Antichrist occurs only five times and only in the books of 1st and 2nd John.

• 1 John 2:18-22 – He is antichrist that denies Jesus is Christ. In John’s time there were many antichrists and he says they went out from them (the Church) but were not of them or they would have continued with them. This tells us the Antichrist came from God’s true Church but they went out on their own.
• 1 John 4:1-3 – Test the Spirits. Every spirit that denies Jesus came in the flesh is the spirit of antichrist.
• 2 John 1-11 – Those that deny Jesus came in the flesh are a deceiver and antichrist.
• Antichrist = “against or in place of Christ”, attacking Christ’s character (Gnosticism), specifically with regard to love expressed in obedience to God’s Ten Commandments.

What is one method Satan uses to “deny” Christ?2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15 – Appear as “apostles of Christ” but preach a “different Jesus”

Does the Bible give us a way to identify who is the Antichrist?Review Daniel 2 to get a prophetic blueprint of history: Babylon −−> Medo-Persia −−> Greece −−> Rome −−> 10 Divisions of Rome −−>> Kingdom of the Stone.

Now apply the principle of repetition and enlargement to Daniel’s next vision.

Prophecy Symbols:

• Beasts – Kings/kingdoms (political powers). Daniel 7:17,23
• Horns/heads – Subdivisions of political powers. Daniel 7:24, 8:21-22
• Wings – Speed or swiftness.
• Winds – War/Strife. Jeremiah 49:35-37
• Sea – Multitudes of people. Revelation 17:1, 15

Daniel 7:1-8 – Daniel’s vision of four beasts

• The Lion - Babylon. Wings represent conquering speed. King Nebuchadnezzar.
• The Bear - Medo-Persia. One shoulder raised above the other represents the dominance of the Medes over the Persians. The three ribs represent the three kingdoms overthrown by this kingdom - Egypt, Lydia, and Babylon. (Daniel 8:20)
• The Leopard - Greece. Four wings representing great conquering speed. The four heads represent Alexander the Great’s four generals who ruled Greece after his death – Seleucus, Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Cassander. (Daniel 8:21-22,Daniel 7 Quote, Daniel 8 Quote)
• The different beast - Rome. The ten horns - the divisions of Rome (Same as the toes of Chapter 2) The ten horns are the 10 divisions of the Roman Empire as it fell apart. These were the Anglo Saxons (England), Alemanni (Germany), Heruli (x493AD), Vandals (x534AD), Ostrogoths (x538AD), Visigoths (Spain), Suevi (Portugal), Lombard’s (Italy), Burgundians (Swiss) and the Franks (France).

What nine characteristics help us to identify the little horn power?

• Location: out of 4th beast and among the ten horns (v.8) - The Papacy arose out of Rome among the ten tribal divisions of Rome
• Timing: after the ten were established (v.8) - the Papacy became a political power by decree of the Roman emperor Justinian in AD 538 which was after the emergence of the ten tribal divisions that emerged as the Roman Empire fell apart in AD 476.
• Uprooted three of the ten horns (v.8) - As the Papacy came to prominence, it influenced Pagan Roman armies to destroy three of the tribes which opposed its Christian doctrines. These three were the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Heruli. The last of these was destroyed in AD 538 when Justinian’s decree went into effect.
• Eyes and mouth of a man (v.8) - the Papacy has a man as its visible head.
• Persecutes the saints (v.21, 25) - Ever hear of the Papal persecution during the dark ages - Inquisition, etc. More than 50 million Protestant Christians tortured and killed by the Catholic Church.
• Different from the other ten horns (v.24) - the Papacy was a religio-political entity different from the kingdoms before it.
• Speak out against God (v.8, 11, 20, 25) - Verse 8 says it will utter boastful or blasphemous things. One quote of many like it from Prompta Bibliothea Canonica Juridicia Moralis Theologica appearing in the Catholic Encyclopedia Volume VI, pp. 25-29, “The Pope is of so great dignity, and so exalted, that he is not a mere man, but as it were, God and the Vicar of God. The Pope is, as it were, God on earth, chief king of kings, having plentitude of power.”
• Little Horn attempts to change God’s times and laws (v.25) - The Papacy deleted the second commandment of the Decalogue on idolatry, changed the Sabbath to Sunday in favour of sun worship and divided the tenth commandment on coveting into two parts to get back to Ten Commandments.
• Have power for a time, times, and half a time (or three and a half years, forty two months, or 1260 days - see Revelation 12:6, 14) (v.25) - Applying the prophetic day for year principle established in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 that equals 1260 years. The Papacy lasted in primary power from AD 538 to 1798 in which year Napoleon’s general Berthier marched into Rome, deposed the Pope, and carried him into exile where he died.

How does Daniel’s vision compare with John’s vision in Revelation 13?
The table below demonstrates how Daniel 7 unlocks Revelation 13. A lot of Bible prophecy can be understood by comparing Revelation with the Old Testament and the book of Daniel in particular. Almost two thirds of Revelation can be found in the Old Testament and this is a key for unlocking Bible prophecy and revealing who is the antichrist.

Antichrist Power - Daniel 7	Antichrist Power - Revelation 13
Four beasts from the Sea. vs.3	Four Beasts in one from sea. vs.1, 2
Lion. vs.4	Lion vs.2
Bear. vs.5	Bear. vs.2
Leopard. vs.6	Leopard. vs.2
Ten horned beast vs.7	Ten horned beast. vs.1
Mouth Speaking great things. vs.8	Mouth Speaking great things. vs.5
Makes war with the Saints. vs.21	Makes war with the Saints. vs.7
Power for 3.5 years = 42 Months. vs.25	Power for 42 Months. vs.5

These perfect parallels are not coincidental. God deliberately concealed many things like this so that they would not be seen until the time of the end. This applies to most prophecies involving the book of Daniel.

Daniel 12:4 “But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

History reveals only one power that has persecuted Christians for 1260 years and only one power that had the privilege of taking out three of the ten kingdoms from the collapse of the Roman Empire. It can be no other than the Papacy on these two points alone, and as we have seen there are far more identifying points. The enemy will always have someone he can find to dispute truth and this is no exception so further into this document we will cover the history in greater detail with a large number of historical quotes proving in fact that the Papacy did rule for this very significant 1260 year period from 538 to 1798 and uprooted three of the ten kingdoms from the collapse of the Roman empire that opposed them.

The 1260 years of Persecution

A very important rule for understanding symbolic Bible prophecy is what is known as the day for a year rule. This is a well proven and established rule by the fact that all symbolic prophecy that uses this rule is proven by the evidence that when applied, the Prophecy concerned lines up with history perfectly in all cases. Here are three scriptures that gave light to this rule in understanding prophetic time periods.

Ezekiel 4:6 “And when you have accomplished them, lie again on your right side, and you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed you each day for a year.”

Numbers 14:34 “After the number of the days in which you searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall you bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you shall know my breach of promise.”

Luke 13:32-33 “And he said unto them, Go you, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 33Nevertheless I must walk to day, and tomorrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.”

The most significant time period in Bible Prophecy is the dark ages where God’s true Church was persecuted for 1260 years. An estimated 50-100 million Christians were tortured and murdered as heretics falsely. Most historians agree this period is from 538AD to 1798AD which = 1260 years. During this period, God’s hand was over the Church, preserving it from total extinction. When prophecy is symbolic the day for a year principle is applied so 1260 days = 1260 years. This is a very significant time period as you can see from the verses below that all refer to the same period of time.

42 Months = 3.5 Years or 1260 Days (Jewish calendar = 360 days, Lunar month = 30 days)
Revelation 11:2 “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”

Revelation 13:5 “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”

1260 Days = 3.5 Years or 42 Months
Revelation 11:3 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy athousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Revelation 12:6 “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”

Time = 1 Year, times = 2 Years and half a time = .5 Year = total 3.5 Years which = 42 Months or 1260 Days
Daniel 7:25 “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.”

Daniel 12:7 “And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”

Revelation 12:14 “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, andtimes, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”

Other important Symbols
Beast = Kingdom/Government/Political power. Daniel 7:23 “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth...” And the third beast would be the third kingdom and the second beast the second kingdom etc. Daniel 7:17 “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.”

Dragon = Satan or his agency. Ezekiel 29:3 “Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which has said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.” See also Jeremiah 51:34

Serpent/Dragon = Satan. Revelation 12:9 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 20:2 “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,”

The story so far (brief overview)

In Daniel 7:3, Daniel sees “four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.” These four beasts were like a lion (Babylon), a bear (Medo-Persia), a leopard (Greece) with four heads (Alexander's four generals who took over when he died suddenly) and some dreadful, terrible beast (Rome) with iron teeth and ten horns. Verse 23 says, “The fourth beast (Rome) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” Verse 24 tells us that “the ten horns out of this kingdom (Rome) are ten kings (divided Europe) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.” The king that subdued three kingdoms is called the little horn in verse 8 and it destroyed the Vandals the Heruli and the Ostrogoths. Verse 25 says this little horn power would “speak great words against the most High” (God) and oppress God’s people and states that he will “think to change times and laws.”

Remember that the image from Daniel 2 represents the same time line as the four beasts. The head of gold the lion, chest of silver the bear, belly and thighs of brass the leopard, legs of iron the bizarre beast with iron teeth and the ten toes the ten horns which represent divided Europe. As we have seen, this is the principle of repetition and enlargement and occurs right through the book of Daniel.

In Revelation chapter 13, John is shown exactly the same thing that Daniel saw in his vision as a composite beast. Note the perfect parallel to Daniel chapter seven. It says that a beast (kingdom government or political power) with seven heads and ten horns rises out of the sea with a crown upon each horn (ten kings) and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. The crowns now being upon the horns indicates that the kings of divided Europe are now ruling. See Revelation 12:3. Verse 2 states the beast was like unto a leopard, had the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion (same four beasts) and that the dragon (Satan through Pagan Rome) gave this beast his power, his throne, and his great authority. Revelation 17:15 explains the meaning of the sea from which the beast emerges, “And he saith unto me, The waters which you sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”

Verses 3 to 6 then states that one of the seven heads (the Papacy head) received a fatal wound (causing death) but his deadly wound was healed and all the world would wonder after the beast and they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast and they worshipped the beast also. The beast was allowed to make proud claims which were blasphemous to God, and it was permitted to have authority for 42 months. Daniel 7:25says, “a time (1 year) and times (2 years) and the dividing of time (half a year = total 3.5 years * 12 Months = 42 months)” which of course is the same period of time. (Bible time works in lunar months which = 30 days * 42 months = 1260 days and using the day for a year rule = 1260 years). It opened its mouth and uttered blasphemies against God and blasphemed his name and his residence, that is, those who are living in heaven. Verse 7states that it was also allowed to fight against God’s people and defeat them, and it was given authority over every tribe, nation, language and race.

Every criterion mentioned in the Bible is met by this Antichrist power. The Bible says that this beast would receive a deadly wound to one of its heads (the Papacy head). The Pope took over Rome and rose to power in 538 A.D. under the military protection of Belisarius when Emperor Justinian’s decree was given. The Bible says he would have power for 1260 years which takes us to 1798. What happened in 1798? Precisely on time as prophesied in the Bible, in 1798 Napoleon’s General Berthier was sent down to Rome to kidnap the Pope and exiled and imprisoned him in France. The Encyclopaedia Americana, 1941 edition says. “In 1798 he (Berthier) made his entrance into Rome, ABOLISHED THE PAPAL GOVERNMENT and established a secular one.” In 1799 the Pope got sick and died. For a while there was no head of the Roman Church but the Bible says the deadly head wound would be healed and in 1800 they elected a new Pope and the healing of the deadly wound began.

However, this new Pope had no real power until 1929. At that time a man in Italy called Benito Mussolini signed a concordat in Rome giving back to the Pope, not the whole city but about 108 acres called the Vatican and so the deadly wound began to be healed even further. As a result, the Bible says, “the whole world wondered after the beast” (vs. 3). In this picture, Benito Mussolini reads his credentials prior to signing the Lateran Treaty on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III. Cardinal Gasparri (seated), signed on behalf of Pope Pius XI. American Presidents have bowed before the Pope but they have never bowed before the head of any other Church.

Verses 5 and 6 stress this Antichrist power makes blasphemous claims which the Pope does firstly by declaring to be God on Earth and therefore also puts himself in place of Christ which matches the definition of antichrist; against or in place of. Here are some quotes made by the Roman Catholic Church.

“The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ, Himself, hidden under the veil of human flesh.” — Catholic National, July 1895.

“The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.” — Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, “Cities Petrus Bertanous.”

“We hold upon this earth the place of God almighty.” — Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, June 20, 1894.

Please note that what is written here is not intended to offend anyone and applies to the Papal system and not the many wonderful Christians in this Church. Verse 7 says “it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.” The Catholic Church murdered an estimated 50 and 100 million saints as heretics. Below is what they say they can do to anyone they consider a heretic, which is anyone not in their Church. They demonstrated this for 1260 years by burning millions of innocent Christians.

“The church may by divine right confiscate the property of heretics, imprison their person, and condemn them to flames. In our age, the right to inflict the severest penalties, even death, belongs to the church. There is no graver offense than heresy, therefore it must be rooted out.” — Public Eccliastical, Vol. 2, p.142.

Claiming to be God on earth is not the only criterion for blasphemy. Luke 5:21 reads, “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” Today the Roman Catholic Church still alleges that every Priest can forgive sins.

“Seek where you will, through heaven and earth, and you will find but one created being who can forgive the sinner...That extraordinary being is the priest the Catholic priest.” — Michael Muller, The Catholic Priest, page 78.

“To pardon a single sin requires all the omnipotence of God...The Jews justly said: ‘Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ But what only GOD can do by His omnipotence, the PRIEST can ALSO do by saying ‘Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis’ [I absolve you from your sin].” — Alphonsus de Liguori, Dignity and Duties of the Priest, pages 34-35.

As for power, besides the persecution of the saints, (vs. 5) Elizabeth I defied the Pope and he sent word to all Catholics in England not to obey the Queen. Henry of Germany offended the Pope and he had to stand barefoot in the snow for three days to pay penance to the Pope before he would forgive him.

Tables identifying who is the Antichrist

The following table shows the common elements that help identify who is the Antichrist.

Characteristics	The Little Horn (Daniel 7)	The Man of Sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3)	The Sea Beast (Revelation 13)	Woman on Beast (Revelation 17-18)
Source	Comes out of the head of the 10 horned fourth beast (Rome)	Owes his rise to removal of a hindering power	Comes from the “sea” meaning many people (densely populated Europe)	Arises in a city with seven hills (Rome) and rules over many waters (peoples, and multitudes, and nations and tongues)
Time of Origin	Comes up among 10 horns (the divided successors of the Pagan Roman Empire)	Revealed only after the fall of the hindering Pagan Roman Empire	Receives power, seat and authority from the Dragon (Satan working through Pagan Rome)	Arises among the ten horns (divisions of Rome) that will hate her
Religio-political Church-State Power	Diverse power, blasphemes God, exercises authority over the saints, changes times and laws of the most high	Political characteristics not mentioned, but demands and receives worship	Composite of Daniel's beasts, which are kingdoms, and wear crowns, that demands and receives worship	The woman is an apostate church the beast is the power of the state hence this is a religio-political power having a priest-king ruler
Blasphemous Presumption	In this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things and words against the most high	Exalts himself above God.	Has a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies	Full of names of blasphemy
Time of Dominance	Given power over the saints for a time, times and a dividing of time. (1260 years)	---	Given power forty and two months (1260 years)	---
Warring against God's people	Made war with the saints and prevailed against them	---	Makes war with the saints and overcomes them	This woman (apostate church) is drunk with the blood of the saints - in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Great Power	Looks more stout than his fellows	Has all power, signs and lying wonders	Who is able to make war with him?	The woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Demands Divine Homage	Sets himself over the saints, times, and laws of the most high	Sets himself up as God, above all that is worshipped	Causes multitudes to worship him	This woman is the apostate "mother" of harlot churches
End	They shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end (the second coming)	The Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:	Cast into the lake of fire	Utterly burned with fire

The Empires of Daniel and Revelation

As already demonstrated, Bible prophecy quite often uses the principle of repetition and enlargement. This is a very simple principle that so many do not understand which is why Satan succeeds in having so many interpretations of Bible prophecy in the world. You can see from the table below that interpretations are not required. Besides the fact that history shows the order of kingdoms to be Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece, we are also told directly in Daniel 8 that Medo-Persia conquered Babylon and Greece them.

Empire	Daniel 2	Daniel 7	Daniel 8	Revelation 13
Babylon Until 538 B.C.	Head of Gold vs. 32, 38	Lion from Sea vs. 4, 17	---	Mouth of a Lion v. 2
Medo - Persia Until 331 B.C.	Chest of Silver vs. 32, 39	Bear from Sea vs. 5, 17	Ram vs. 3, 20	Feet of a Bear v. 2
Greece Until 168 B.C. Alaxander’s four Generals	Belly of Brass vs. 32, 39 −−−	Leopard from Sea vs. 6, 17 Four Leopard Heads vs. 6, Quote	He-Goat vs. 5, 21 Four notable ones vs. 8, Quote	Body of a Leopard v. 2 −−−
Pagan Rome Until 476 A.D.	Legs of Iron vs. 33, 40	4th Diverse Beast from Sea, Iron Teeth vs. 7, 17	---	World power of John's time Rome / Dragon v.2
Europe Divided (Ten Kingdoms)	10 Toes (kingdoms) Iron & Clay vs. 33, 41	10 Horns (kingdoms) vs. 20, 24	---	10 Horns (kingdoms) Beast from the Sea v. 1
Papal Rome Begins 538 A.D. Head Wound 1798 A.D.	Clay & Iron Church & State Jeremiah 18:1-6	Diverse Little Horn vs. 8, 11, 24-25	Little Horn vs. 9-12, 23-25	Composite of previous Empires 7 headed 10 horned Beast from the Sea vs. 1-3
Judgment Begins 1844 A.D.	---	Judgment scene vs. 9-10, 22, 26	Sanctuary Cleansed v. 14	---
United States	---	---	---	Lamb-like 2 Horned Land Beast v. 11
Papal Head Wound Healed Lateran Treaty 1929	---	---	---	Head Wound to Sea Beast Healed vs. 3, 12
God's Kingdom	Stone – Mountain vs. 35, 44	God's Kingdom vs. 13-14, 27	---	---

Daniel's Prophecy proves the Day for a Year Rule.
The following is another example that shows the day for a year rule is correct when prophecy is symbolic. The Book of Daniel was written while the Jews were in Babylon in exile because of their sins. Daniel 9:24-27 contains a prophecy from the angel Gabriel to encourage the Jewish people that they would be given a “second chance” to return to Jerusalem, rebuild their temple and ultimately receive Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Thus we have a prophecy of “seventy weeks.” Gabriel subdivides the period into three smaller periods of seven weeks (verse 25), sixty-two weeks (verse 25), and one week (verse 27). 7+62+1=70. Seventy weeks = 490 days and on the day for a year rule is actually 490 years. The prophecy starts with a “commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” (verse 25) after the Babylonian captivity and reaches down to the first coming of Jesus Christ. After 69 weeks (483 years), “shall Messiah be cut off” (verse 26), i.e. the Messiah would die. So after the 69 weeks and in this final week it says “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease” (verse 27.) The sacrifices and offerings ceased of course when Jesus became the final perfect sacrifice for us. Here we see the day for a year rule fits history absolutely perfectly. If we did not apply this rule, Jerusalem would have been rebuilt in 49 days (impossible) instead of the true 49 years and Jesus’ ministry would have been 3.5 days instead of the true 3.5 years. Daniel was told to seal up the 2300 day prophecy as it applied to a long time in the future which the angel called the “time of the end” (Daniel 8:17; 12:4, 9) and 2300 days into the future would not have even made 400 BC. Hardly what one could call the time of the end in which we now live.

The Counter Reformation

With the arrival of the printing press in the 15th century and the resulting explosion of Bibles accessible in the common language from Protestant sources, it became readily apparent to those who could now study the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation in particular, that Bible prophecy identified by symbols a persecuting apostate entity generally known as Antichrist. If we list the main characteristics of Antichrist, the following becomes readily apparent and who is the antichrist becomes unmistakable fact.

1. It will rise to be a great power after the fall of the pagan Roman Empire (after 476 AD)
2. It would uproot three of the ten kingdoms the Roman Empire collapsed into
3. It will be a geographically small nation (a little horn)
4. It will rule over many people, nations and tongues (it will be universal)
5. It will be headquartered in the city of seven hills, Rome
6. It will be a religio-political entity - a political city-state ruled by a priest-king
7. Its priest-king will make great and blasphemous claims
8. It will claim authority over all kings
9. It will claim its power to change the holy times and laws of God as its mark of authority
10. It will be an apostate Church that makes the nations drink her cup of apostate doctrine
11. It will be a “mother” Church, with apostate daughters coming from her
12. It will be a persecuting power, killing the faithful saints of Jesus Christ as heretics
13. It will hold power and authority for 1260 years following the fall of pagan Rome
14. It will suffer a deadly wound that will end 1260 years of dominance and persecution
15. It will be revived after the deadly wound, and all the world would wonder at its revival

In this the “Historical” interpretation, the Antichrist was clearly not merely a single individual, it was a system of apostasy and persecution that would hold control for over twelve centuries. The inevitable conclusion of those who studied these prophecies in scripture, before and during the Protestant Reformation, was that there was only one entity that fit all these characteristics and perfectly: the Papal dynasty of the Roman Catholic Church. Is it any wonder that the Catholic Church was so violently opposed to the scriptures being available for everyone to read for themselves? There was such a stir created during the reformation that the Fifth Lateran Council (1512-17 A.D.) resorted to strictly forbidding anyone to publish a book without prior censorship, and also prohibited anyone from preaching on the subject of antichrist. The intent of both Futurism and Preterism was to be diversionary, to counter or offset the Protestant Historical interpretation, and present alternatives, no matter how implausible they might be.

The result is evident from the following chart, which illustrates the three schools of interpretation regarding antichrist. Ribera’s futurism puts the antichrist into a future three and one-half literal years. Alcazar’s preterism identifies the antichrist as Nero. Both of them put antichrist outside the middle Ages and the reformation period, identified by Protestant Historicists as Antichrist’s dark reign of 1260 prophetic years.

Now the truly amazing part of all this is that the Futurist theory dominates Protestant teaching today. About all you hear or read about today is the yet to appear Antichrist, who will be unveiled in the last 3 1/2 years of Daniel’s 70th week, when he declares himself to be God in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. That scenario, as you can now see, is directly traceable back to the pen of the Jesuit Francisco Ribera who manufactured this theory for the sole purpose of diverting attention from the Papacy. Note what one Protestant writer had to say over one hundred years ago:

“Accordingly, towards the close of the century of the Reformation, two of her most learned doctors set themselves to the task, each endeavouring by different means to accomplish the same end, namely, that of diverting men’s minds from perceiving the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Antichrist in the Papal system. The Jesuit Alcasar devoted himself to bring into prominence the Preterist method of interpretation, which we have already briefly noticed, and thus endeavouring to show that the prophecies of Antichrist were fulfilled before the Popes ever ruled in Rome, and therefore could not apply to the Papacy. On the other hand the Jesuit Ribera tried to set aside the application of these prophecies to the Papal Power by bringing out the Futurist system, which asserts that these prophecies refer properly not to the career of the Papacy, but to that of some future supernatural individual, who is yet to appear, and to continue in power for three and a half years. Thus, as Alford says, the Jesuit Ribera, about A.D. 1580, may be regarded as the Founder of the Futurist system in modern times.”

“It is a matter for deep regret that those who hold and advocate the Futurist system at the present day, Protestants as they are for the most part, are thus really playing into the hands of Rome, and helping to screen the Papacy from detection as the Antichrist. It has been well said that ‘Futurism tends to obliterate the brand put by the Holy Spirit upon Popery.’ More especially is this to be deplored at a time when the Papal Antichrist seems to be making an expiring effort to regain his former hold on men’s minds.” — From Daniel and the Revelation: The Chart of Prophecy and Our Place In It, A Study of the Historical and Futurist Interpretation, by Joseph Tanner, published in London by Hodder and Stoughton, 1898, pages 16, 17.

In what could only be described as a stunning reversal, Protestants have over time actually become the Papacy’s greatest ally by spreading its Jesuit spawned propaganda. What irony that Protestants, who originally broke away from what they clearly recognized to be the mother of all harlots who is the antichrist led Church of prophecy, now champion the Futurist interpretation from high profile ministries. Futurism has without doubt, been successful beyond the wildest dreams of its Jesuit authors. The same applies to the Preterist interpretation of Luis De Alcazar, although to a lesser degree. Satan of course is the catalyst of these perpetuated lies.

The vast majority of you have probably heard of a supposed seven year tribulation period and a secret rapture. It should totally shock you to know that there is no scripture that specifically mentions seven years of tribulation! It simply does not exist. This was part of the Counter Reformation from the Papacy and was manufactured by the Jesuit Francisco Ribera who was responsible for the futurist view just explained. For more information, read “Secret Rapture” and “Futurism Truth.”

We must without failure check everything taught against scripture and where relevant history also. Do not use biased Christian sources. They must be unprejudiced, unbiased historical sources or the enemy can and will deceive us. For example, Satan has many counter deceptions out there to come against truth including the lie that the Ten Horns of the beast of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 are ten consecutive kings. This is all it would take to throw you from the real truth of these Bible passages. The Ten horns are ten kings and this is Bible truth as we have already seen and is unmistakably clear from the scripture below.

Daniel 7:24 “The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.”

But as for them being ten consecutive kings, here is just one Biblical reason why this is just not possible.

Daniel 7:8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.”

You will note that the verse says, “a little one, which came up among them.” In order for another kingdom to come up AMONG them, they all have to exist at the same time. This matches history perfectly. Again as we have already seen, the Papacy uprooted the Vandals, Heruli and the Ostrogoths as they opposed them from coming into full power. None of these kingdoms or equivalents exists now today as a result.

The rebuilt Jewish Temple - Fact or Fiction

Almost every one of our early Church fathers as well as the translators of the KJV Bible had no trouble understanding that the man of sin referred to in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 was none other than the Pope.

2 Thessalonians 2:4 “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

It is from this verse that the conclusion comes that the Jewish temple must be rebuilt so that the Antichrist can sit in the temple of God. Well here comes some more shocking truth. This was part of Jesuit Francisco Ribera’s manufactured prophecy to make us think that the Antichrist power was some individual at the end of time. The fact that this was manufactured as part of the Papacy’s Counter Reformation and that all the early Church fathers knew this was referring to the Pope should be enough, but I will touch on it lightly. Again, large percentages of the Christian populous still believe this perpetuated lie.

The Greek word Paul used for temple in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 is “nah-os”. Here are some other scriptures that use this same Greek word.

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

We are the temple of God now. That is the Church. Here are two more using the same Greek word;

1 Corinthians 6:19 “What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?”

Matthew 26:61 “And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.”

We know that it is not possible for Jesus to be talking about an earthly temple in the above verse. There are many other verses that could be quoted but this should be enough to see what Paul was speaking of here. Paul is a Christian Jew and knows that the temple is now the Church and if Paul were to call a rebuilt temple “the temple of God” then he would be denying what Jesus did on the cross. There is no way that someone like Paul would ever call a rebuilt temple the “temple of God” because it would never be God’s temple! Observe what Jesus says in the following verses about the temple of God.

In Matthew 21:13 Jesus expresses His anger to those for desecrating God’s temple, “And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.”

But in Matthew 23:38 Jesus now declares, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”

Why would Jesus assert it will soon be their house, i.e. no longer the temple of God?

Matthew 27:51 “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”

Jesus ended the temple sacrifices when he became the final perfect sacrifice for us. At this point it ceased to be the temple of God as Jesus showed in Matthew 23:28. Paul received the Gospel by revelation knowledge (Galatians 1:11-12) and would never call this soon to be destroyed temple God’s. Paul would know this better than anyone. We are the temple of God now! If Paul called it God’s temple he would be declaring to God that Jesus’ work on the cross was incomplete and further sacrifices were required.

The Pope will be seated [sitteth] in a position of power in the Church “showing himself that he is God.” Remember the Pope claims to be God on earth now. All the early Church fathers and Protestants knew this and were not deceived by Ribera’s manufactured writings because they knew who he was. Yet another truth that Satan has slowly drawn from the Church over the centuries. That is how he does it, slowly and subtly.

More Proof of who is the Antichrist

There are many that find it hard to imagine that the antichrist power could be the most powerful Church on earth, but with a quick look at some other chapters of Revelation we will see that the Antichrist system is in fact a Church and can be none other than a Church that ruled as Church and State for 1260 years called the dark ages. A study of history and the inquisition would also reveal who this persecuting Apostate Church is. You can observe that a large percentage of Revelation deals with this power that persecutes the saints and God’s resulting judgment. To help demonstrate this, it needs to be shown that a woman in prophecy does represent a Church. It is very important to understand all this symbolism in order to understand the many references in Revelation and this Church’s part also as mystery Babylon. You will also see solid evidence from the passage below that there were many Antichrists in John’s time and that they came out of God’s true Church and went out on their own. This was the beginning of the Church apostatizing.

1 John 2:18-19 “Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19 They went out from US, [the Church] but they were not of US; for if they had been of US, they would no doubt have continued with US: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of US.”

God’s true Church is represented as a woman
Understanding that a Woman in Bible prophecy represents a Church is an extremely important point that must not be overlooked as it proves that a “WOMAN” (includesmystery Babylon) has to be a “Church.” God also refers to “Israel” as a “Woman” (HER) as it represents the Old Testament Church that brought forth the Man child (Jesus Christ) in Revelation 12. Do not miss that God called “Israel” a “Harlot” because she worshipped other gods and committed spiritual adultery. Which Church deleted the Commandment on idolatry and worshipped the SUN and has many pagan traditions? Which Church changed the Sabbath to SUNday in favour of SUN worship? Which Church has the statue of St Peter in St Peters Cathedral which was originally the statue of the pagan god Jupiter? This statue has had its foot kissed away and replaced several times because of the multitude that have bowed down to this statue and kissed its foot.

When the Church apostatized it was compared with a corrupt Woman
This next verse refers to Israel’s temporary ceremonial law. Note how God calls them HER sabbaths and HER feast days etc. Israel is frequently through the Old Testament referred to as a “Woman” (HER) as the Old Testament Church and when she worshipped other gods etc, she was called a “Harlot” and a “Whore.”

Hosea 2:11 “I will also cause all HER mirth to cease, HER feast days, HER new moons, and HER sabbaths, and all HER solemn feasts.”

Ezekiel 16:26-32 “You have also committed FORNICATION with the Egyptians your neighbours, great of flesh; and have increased your whoredoms, to provoke me to anger... 28 You have played the WHORE also with the Assyrians, because you were unsatiable; yes, you have played the HARLOT with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. 29 You have moreover multiplied your FORNICATION in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet you were not satisfied herewith. 30 How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing you doest all these things, the work of an imperious WHORISH WOMAN; 31 In that you buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and have not been as an HARLOT, in that you scornest hire; 32 But as a wife that committeth ADULTERY, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!”

Jeremiah 3:1-25 “...If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? ...but you have played the HARLOT with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2 ...you have polluted the land with your WHOREDOMS and with your wickedness. 3 ...you hadst a WHORE'S FOREHEAD, you refusedst to be ashamed... 6 The LORD said also unto me... Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the HARLOT... 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the HARLOT also... 20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.”

Revelation 17:1-5 “...I will show unto you the judgment of the great WHORE that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed FORNICATION, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3 ...I saw a WOMAN sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the WOMAN was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her FORNICATION: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON the great, the MOTHER of HARLOTS and abominations of the earth.”

God’s true Church is represented as a Woman
Isaiah 54:5-6 “For your Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. 6 For the LORD has called you as a WOMAN forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when you were refused, saith your God.”

Jeremiah 6:2 “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate WOMAN.”

2 Corinthians 11:2 “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

Ephesians 5:31-32 “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning CHRIST AND THE CHURCH.”

Christ is represented as the Bridegroom and the Church is the bride which of course is a Woman.

Matthew 9:14-15 “Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but your disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.”

Revelation 12:1 “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a WOMAN clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:”

Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his WIFE has made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

How much of Revelation references the Antichrist?
Revelation 12 shows God’s true Church represented as a woman clothed with the sun and a crown with twelve stars that brings forth the man child Jesus. This woman represents the Old Testament Church as Israel and later in the chapter as the New Testament Church. First we see Satan trying to stop the Old Testament Church (Israel) bringing forth the man child being Jesus and then later Satan pursuing God’s true Churchthrough the Papal system shown also by the two references to the 1260 dark Papal years.

Revelation 13 We saw previously that the first composite beast represented the Papacy and was unlocked by Daniel 7 and revealed who is the antichrist that shed the blood of millions of innocent Christians which we will see mentioned many times. As we have also seen, this first beast received a deadly wound in 1798 but we are told that the wound will be healed and so the Catholic Church will be in full power once again. The second beast will give power back to the first beast and the mark of the beast will be enforced.

Revelation 14 The three angel’s messages are given and we are told that we should worship God only and not the antichrist beast power. Those who worship the beast get their mark and incur the wrath of God and those that do not go through another time of tribulation under the Papal system (as in the dark ages) because they refused to worship the beast and they do this by keeping the Commandments of God by the faith of Jesus.Revelation 14:7-12. Here we see the first reference to the beast being referred to as Babylon.

Revelation 15 We see seven angels with the seven last plagues preparing to deal with the antichrist beast power, those that received their mark and the false prophet. We also see those that “had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name.”

How Babylon Fell
Before going into the next chapter we must first study some Bible history about ancient Israel and literal Babylon. In 605 B.C., “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon” came “to Jerusalem, and besieged it” Daniel 1:1. Jerusalem was conquered and Judah was taken captive for 70 years Daniel 9:2. After 70 years, an amazing set of circumstances occurred. The Euphrates was dried up, Babylon was conquered from the east and God’s people were delivered. Ancient Babylon sat on the Euphrates River which ran through Babylon entering and exiting through two spiked gates whose bars reached down into the riverbed. When these twin gates were shut and all other entrances were closed, Babylon was virtually impregnable. In 538 B.C. when ancient Babylon fell, her king and subjects were drunk with wine (see Daniel 5) and so were the guards who forgot to fully close the double doors. Over 100 years earlier, God had predicted concerning Babylon and the Euphrates, “I will dry up your rivers” Isaiah 44:27. The Lord also spoke about “Cyrus” the man who conquered Babylon saying, “I will...open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut” Isaiah 45:1. Moreover God called Cyrus “my shepherd” and “his anointed” Isaiah 44:28; 45:1. Thus Cyrus was a type of Jesus Christ and he ALSO came “from THE EAST” Isaiah 46:11.

The Two Babylon’s
The first kingdom in Daniel 2 is Babylon which Nebuchadnezzar built and was king of. From this came Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. In the world today you can see the evidence of paganism and traditions from all these first four kingdoms which is why the beast power in Revelation 13 is a composite beast made up of all the beasts that represented these first four kingdoms shown by the same individual corresponding beasts found in Daniel 7. This first beast in Revelation 13 which is Papal system is the result of all the paganism and traditions that date right back to Babylon. In the Old Testament Babylon was a pagan nation who took God’s people into captivity and defiled the Temple of God. They worshipped idols and their king, and trod the Word of God underfoot. This great city was finally destroyed just as the prophets predicted. This is going to happen again spiritually. As this Apostate Church has taken on all the paganism and traits of what came from literal Babylon, God refers to this Apostate Church also as “BABYLON.”

Now, in Revelation 16 the angels commence pouring out the punishment from God as we draw very close to the second coming of Christ. We are told that “great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” The “sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of THE EAST might be prepared.” Remember there is a lot of symbolism and PARALLELS here to literal Babylon and so this is not the literal river Euphrates that Babylon was built upon which was dried up to defeat Babylon.

Revelation 17 shows “the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” This “woman is drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” This is referring to spiritual Babylon. She also sits upon the river Euphrates that is dried up as mentioned in Revelation 16 but this is not referring to the literal river. Literal Babylon sat upon the literal river Euphrates but spiritual Babylon sits upon a spiritual or symbolic river Euphrates. We are not left to guess what this symbolic water represents. Verse 17 says that the water that spiritual Babylon sits upon represents “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” So what is dried up is the support of the people for this antichrist Papal system. God opens people’s eyes so that they realize they have been deceived and they “shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” Literal Babylon was defeated by Cyrus drying up her literal water (the Euphrates) and spiritual mystery Babylon will be defeated by God drying up her symbolic water (the support of many people). For more information, see this page of the Battle of Armageddon.

Revelation 18 We are told that Babylon is fallen that made “all nations drank nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of HER fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with HER.” “In HER was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth” through the dark ages. We also see a call for “God’s PEOPLE” to come out of “HER” so they do not partake of HER sins or plagues. Revelation 18:2-4. God knows that there are many of His true children innocently caught up in this antichrist Papal system that do not understand what this Church is truly all about or has done.

Revelation 19 The punishment is complete and the Papacy is destroyed, “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he has judged the GREAT WHORE, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand... And her smoke rose up for ever and ever... And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

As you can see, the Papal system is the major theme in Revelation as well as Daniel because since not long after Christ, SHE has continued to have a massive impact on what truly does matter to God, i.e., His Church. She is the root of many false doctrines, has changed God’s law and shed the blood of millions of innocent Christians they called heretics etc. Now for more evidence on who is the antichrist by proving the Beast power is also Mystery Babylon. When Israel committed spiritual adultery, God called His Old Testament Church a “WHORISH WOMAN”, a “HARLOT” and a “WHORE” and accused her of “FORNICATION” and “ADULTERY.” The Catholic Church is guilty of much worse than Israel. In a recent address to the nations, Pope Benedict caused a major uproar among many Churches as he referred to the Catholic Church as being the “MOTHER” Church and called for all the daughter Churches to come back to HER. A large percentage of the Churches today are called daughter Churches because they originally came from the Catholic Church, eg: Martin Luther, who had been a Catholic priest established the Lutheran Church. Sadly, many of the daughter Churches have also ignorantly inherited various false doctrines and this is why SHE is called the “MOTHER OF HARLOTS” as is Mystery Babylon.

God’s True Church versus the False apostate Church
In Revelation 12, God’s true Church is described as a “great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars” in strong contrast to the “great whore” of mystery Babylon; “the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.” Revelation 17:4. God likens His Church to a “wife” (woman) that “has made herself ready” for “the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Revelation 19:7-9, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready. ... 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Here Christ is the bridegroom and the Church is the bride (woman). The Babylonian woman who has “fallen” (Revelation 14:8; 18:2) therefore has to signify that “Mystery Babylon” represents a globally supported Church that has “fallen” away from her true lover, Jesus Christ, and from Bible truth and God’s law. The woman “clothed with the sun” (vs. 1) on the other hand is God’s true Church bringing light into the world and still keeps God’s Commandments (vs. 17) in loving obedience the same way the early Church did, hence the term remnant. Note how the 12 stars constitute the crown (vs. 1). The crown denotes rulership and organization. In the Old Testament you had 12 tribes of Israel and 12 judges and in the New Testament you had 12 Apostles and the final remnant Church that will be translated is symbolised by the number 144,000 which is a multiple of 12. Note God’s true Church having to flee for the 1260 years from the same seven headed, ten horned beast described in Revelation 13 and Daniel 7 representing the Papacy. (Revelation 12:6, 14.) Compare Daniel 7:25.

As one can see from the above comparison, in Revelation 17 we have the absolute opposite to God’s true Church. Here we find the WOMAN representing a Church described as the GREAT WHORE which is an apostate Church drunk on the blood of the saints and is absolutely and unquestionably the Papal Church.

Revelation 17:1-6 “...Come hither; I will show unto you the judgment of the GREAT WHORE that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed FORNICATION, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a WOMAN sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, the MOTHER OF HARLOTS and abominations of the earth. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.”

Make a note of the scripture below that informs us the colour blue represents God’s Ten Commandment law and also remember that the Antichrist (little horn) would think to change God’s law. Daniel 7:25

Numbers 15:38-39 “Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that you seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you use to go a whoring:”

Besides blue, the other colours of the garments that the priests were to wear had the colours purple, scarlet and gold. Remember that theblue represents God’s law and that the Papacy thought to change God’s law. Note in the picture here that the robes of the Catholic Priests are missing the colour blueas is the great whore, (Rev 17) who is the Papacy and has the same colours.

Exodus 28:3-6 “And you shall speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.”

In John’s vision in Revelation 17, we are shown the judgment that must come upon the mother of all Churches, Mystery Babylon. The judgment is because she thought to change God’s law and has the blood of millions of Christians the Papacy called heretics on her hands etc. You will note many of the same identifying marks as the Antichrist beast power described in Revelation 13:1 being Papal Rome. Since a woman in Bible Prophecy represents a Church and a beast a kingdom, what we symbolically have is a woman riding and in control of a beast. This literally would be a Church in control of a kingdom or more specifically, a Church in control of state as was the Roman Catholic Church for 1260 dark years. This is why America had in their constitution that Church should remain separate from state so that such a dreadful thing as those 1260 years of Papal persecution could not happen again, but unfortunately the Bible tells us it will happen again with the Mark of the Beast issue. Note that the woman riding the beast, like the Catholic Priest robes, is missing the colour blue. Here is a Church in control of state that has forgotten and changed the Commandments of God, and any wonder when the dragon (Satan) gave her the power and great authority. The Papacy is especially famous for changing God’s Sabbath and they say that it is a MARK of their authority that they could do this and have the whole protestant world follow her.

Giving full credibility to the above information on who is the antichrist
There are always those opposing truth as long as the deceiver is in this world. A thorough study of Bible prophecy reveals that the Antichrist can be none other than the Papacy even without the information provided on the next two pages, but sceptics are not prepared to accept it unless it can be fully verified by history. For those who require more proof, here it comes with all the historical quotes including those that prove the 538 AD to 1798 AD uninterrupted rule of the Papacy as Church and state. Be prepared for some good reading. For those with a strong stomach that would like to know more about the persecution under the Papal rule,