The Mark of the Beast Revelation 13: Identifying the Beast with the Number and the Mark

The Mark

of the

Beast

Revelation 13

Identifying the Beast with the Number and the Mark

EZRA CELESTIN

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2014 Ezra Celestin. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Published by AuthorHouse 05/21/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2384-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2382-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2383-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014911850

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CONTENTS

Recognition

A Scriptural Foundation

Who Is the Ancient of Days?

A Quick Review of Daniel 2

Revelation 13

The First Beast of Revelation 13

The Makeup of the First Beast

The Seven Heads

The Wounded Head

The Early Christian Church

Observe These Seven Points of Warning Given to the Early Church

The Disintegration of the Western Roman Empire

The Rise of Papal Power

The Wounding of the Head

The Reformation Movement

Approach to New Light

Ten Crowned Horns

Bottom Line

Worship

Putting It Together

The Acts of the Two-Horned Beast

A Super World Power

Two Horns Like a Lamb

Speak as a Dragon

He Maketh Fire Come Down from Heaven on the Earth

The Aftermath of Tokyo Fire-Bombing Raid

He Deceived Them that Dwell on the Earth

The Mark of the Beast

A Powerful Belief System

Straight but narrow

Regime change

Economic Sanction

The Number of the Beast

Review

The Separation

References

About the Author

When a well-packaged web of lies has been gradually sold to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic.

RECOGNITION

The following images are all the production of Ezra S. Celestin

1. The statue,

2. The lion with wings,

3. The bear,

4. The leopard with four heads and wings,

5. The dreadful beast with ten horns,

6. The dreadful beast with the horn with eyes and mouth,

7. The beast with seven heads

8. The two horned beast

A SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION

Before going into this lesson, it is very important to take time out to pray, giving the Holy Spirit permission to work within so the subject is not rejected simply on the basis that this is not how the church teaches it. It pleases the enemy of our souls for Christians to look in the opposite direction of a true event. They know the event, just like the Jews, in reference to the birth of Christ; yet like the Jews, they misinterpret the event.

Pray earnestly that the Holy Spirit will give you an open mind to embrace truth even if your positions have to shift. E. G. White said, "We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed.¹"

Before we address the subject of the mark of the beast, we must lay a scriptural foundation.

In Daniel 2, the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is brought into view.

This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:32–35)

Interpretation: Daniel 2:38–41

Four great kingdoms shall rise on the earth and a divided kingdom, and the saints will take the kingdom.

1. The head of gold represented Babylon (Daniel 2:37–38).

2. The breast and arms of silver represented Media and Persia (Daniel 2:39).

3. The belly and thighs of brass represented Greece (Daniel 2:39).

4. The legs of iron represented Rome (Daniel 2:40).

5. The feet of iron and clay represented the divided kingdoms, or what is known today as Europe (Daniel 2:41).

6. The next great event is when the saints will take the kingdom (Daniel 2:44).

7 presents the same kingdoms, this time using four beasts coming up out of the sea.

1. The lion represented Babylon (Daniel 7:4).

2. The bear represented Media and Persia (Daniel 7:5).

3. The leopard with four wings and four heads represented Greece (Daniel 7:6).

4. The dreadful and terrible beast with ten horns represented Rome (Daniel 7:7).

5. The ten horns on the dreadful and terrible beast represented the divided kingdoms (Daniel 7:8).

6. The next great event is when the saints will take the kingdom (Daniel 7:18, 27).

The interpretations of these things are found in Daniel 7:17–18.

These four great beasts are four kings that will arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.

Daniel showed great interest in the fourth beast, the dreadful and terrible beast with ten horns, and asked for an interpretation of that beast. This is the interpretation the angel gave to Daniel, as found in Daniel 7:23–27.

Thus he said 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. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. (Daniel 7:23–24)

Daniel was also interested in the horn that came up after the ten horns and before whom three horns fell. He was interested in its special character, having eyes and a mouth that spoke great things. This horn’s look was more stout than his fellows, and he made war with the saints and prevailed against them.

The angel that spoke with Daniel told him that this horn had a term limit to do as it pleased, and it would come to its end, never to rise again to persecute the saints of God.

The saints will be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. In prophetic terms, a time is one year; times, two years; and dividing of time, half a year. Therefore, that horn had three and a half years to do as it pleased.

In prophecy, a day is equivalent to one year. Therefore, three and a half years is equal to 1,260 days or 1,260 years in which that horn had to do as it pleased, and then it would come to its end. At the commencement of the sitting of the judgment, the European nations shall take away his dominion to destroy it unto the end. The scripture says, But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end (Daniel 7:26).

Fittingly, the papacy is seen by most theologians as that horn whose political dominion continued for 1,260 years, and he came to his end right on time when the judgment was set and the books were open.

It is said he will come to his end unto the end. No inference is made as to a reemerging of his power or dominion. His political dominion will be destroyed unto the end, and the next event is that of the saints taking the kingdom. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him (Daniel 7:27).

Again, in Daniel 8, we learn of the ram and the he goat.

The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. (Daniel 8:20)

And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. (Daniel 8:21–22)

The nation of Greece will not remain unified but will divide into four separate and distinct kingdoms. Note, out of one of the horns of the kingdom of Grecia came forth as a little horn, and it became exceedingly great and did according to his will. Therefore, it is very important to consider the acts of that little horn. Observe closely that the scripture says a horn and not a beast. A horn is a political power, and a beast is a nation.

And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced, and prospered. (Daniel 8:9–12)

One of the four horns of Grecia became the Roman Empire, and out of that empire came the little horn. Note that the little horn is to come to prominence in the last part of their kingdom, when the transgressors have come to the full. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up (Daniel 8:23). It is also noteworthy that the little horn came up after the ten horns of the great and terrible beast or after the kingdom was divided.

Thus he said The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all