The Image of the Beast

The prophecy of Rev. 13. 14-17 is now about to become a real­ity and that will cause the separation of the righteous class.. The Image comes in power as the consequence of the shortage of food. The card system adopted in Germany will be taken up and used in the other countries and it is already applied in certain cities and districts both in Scandinavia and elsewhere. There will be so many ounces of bread a day, so many ounces of sugar etc., for each indi­vidual, and all must be legitimated in order to receive the card. That card system is the forrunner of "The mark of the Beast."

During the period of the great drought the food will be very scarce, and then the card-system will be closely controlled by the authorities, and the different organized classes will be called upon to help the authorities to keep watch over the food supply, that no stranger or any one that can not be identified and placed within the (by the state or district) acknowledged organizations, may be suppli­ed with the card or given right to receive food. There the Salva­tion Army, which already has gained confidence to receive gifts and to care for the poor and needy, will with the rest be entrusted to take part in the card system policy.

The world mission, that now everywhere is extending its work to unite all the Christian denominations so to become gathered about the Christ as God, puts the last healing plaster on the wound of the Beast of which the prophecy says, that "one of its head (the papal) was wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast." Rev. 13. 3. By the union of the Catholics and the Protestants the wound inflicted by the reformation is again healed up. The religion of the world be­comes complete.

Then they all stand united to point out and persecute such that can not and will not inclose themselves in that image, because they see and understand that it is the god of this world that is behind that movement and that it has its counterpart in the image set up by Nebuchadnezzar in the plain of Dura. Dan. 3.

The true followers of Christ can not believe and by their relig­ious standing confirm that Jehovah, the God of the Old covenant, the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, has given up His god-seat, His honor and power for another god to take His place. He has Himself declared: "I am the Jehovah: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." Isa. 42. 8.

As disciples of Christ they have learnt to know and to love God Jehovah, as "the only true God; and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent." John 17. 3. They, as Paul and the rest of the apostles believe, that though there are many called gods, "but to us there is but one God, the Father." 1 Cor. 8. 5, 6. "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." 1 Tim. 2. 5. Those that proclaim Jesus as God dishonor the Father and put Jesus Christ out of office as the mediator be­tween God and men. Rather die by the persecutor's hand than to become guilty before the living God by bending knees before the image, even if Christ is, by the hand of man, placed on the top of it.

Satan placed Him once on the pinnacle of the holy temple in Jerusalem and said to Him, "If thou be the son of God (mark, he didn't say, if thou art God), cast thyself down: for it is written: He (God) shall give His angels chargeconcerning thee" etc. Satan himself acknowledge that there is a God above the Son and on whom He depended for salvation from the danger which enclosed Him. Jesus gave even then His Father and God the honor and said, "It is written again, thou shalt not tempt Jehovah thy God". Had He obeyed the voice of the tempter, then He would Himself have tempted God on the words Satan quoted.

There is a promise given the righteous which is particularly applicable at the time of the tribulation now pending. It says:

"He shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be the mu­nitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." Isa. 33. 16.

Spiritualism and hypnotism are the religious agencies used by the unclean spirits. They have a magic power over the minds, and when religion is mixed with it, the individual impressed by it believes it to be the spirit of God. And as the display is carried out in the name of Christ, it has the tendency to hide the real source of fascination and leads to the belief, that Christ is in the move­ment and pleased with it.

If we study the religious movements among the heathens we find similar agitations and spiritual manifestations there. The Chaldeans were known to bring on revival meetings and to stir up whole communities by their religious activity.

Hypnotism is used to a great extent at revival meetings. The actor is generally of strong hypnotic power and a spirit influence follows his words, acting first on the subject as depressive impres­sions, which he can remove from their minds by his will-power. Such spiritual impulses on the inexperienced mind stimulates the belief that it is the Spirit of God in connection with true religion that has wrought a change in the mind and heart.

All hypnotizers have generally very strong and large back-brain, the Cerebellum. They are thereby able to concentrate their will-power and apply it both on themselves and on others. The religious hypnotizer has the advantage in affecting the minds of others by using the religion as a means of getting the subjects under his control. He is thereby hid from being suspected and at the same time the minds of his subjects lose their individuality or self-defence because the sounding words of salvation capture them. They are led into, a field where they are overcome by strange words and actions. And, being mixed up with others that give expressions to their wrought up feelings, they are easily brought under the spir­itual impressions and believe that the salvation of God has touched their being.

That is a dangerous play, and the consequences will finally bring sorrow and disaster. Paul tells us in 2 Thess. 2. 8-12 that prior to and at the time of Christ's second coming Satan will work "with all power and signs and lying wonders." And the worst of it is, Paul says, that "God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie."

God's Spirit does not work the way that the spirits of delusion do. That Spirit leads to the word of God and opens the Scripture so that the mind receives light and guidance from it.

And those who come to the light are worked upon by the Spirit without the aid of man. Christ says to the Jews: "He that is of God, heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." John 8. 47. He also said to the disciples: "He that is of God, heareth us." That proves that God works upon the heart and mind of man secretly. All he needs to hear is the gospel of the kingdom, and then the Spirit of truth opens the Holy Scriptures and leads to and into the truth of God. Christ says also that no one can come to the Son except the Father draws him. That shows, that no man can turn another persons heart and mind to God or the Son. It is entirely a work of God independent of man. Man can only preach the word, the rest does the Spirit of God.

Those that the unclean spirits convert are opposed to the word of God when it as a searching light touches them. They turn away from it with disgust. To the man of God, whom the Spirit of truth has led to Christ, the light of God's word is sweet and glorious, and the more it reveals the evil and the works of darkness, the better he likes it, because he then understands that the light comes from God and that it helps him to know God and His wonderful ways of salvation.

"I came as a thief."

Christ puts in the following words in connection with the de­scription of the works of the unclean spirits: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."

Behold, that means, Give attention to; look out! My coming is like a thief's coming in the night, when all are fast asleep. "Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments." That admonition from the Lord indicates that all are in danger of being allured by the surrounding influences. Even those that have be­come cleaned by obeying the truth are in danger of getting their garments, the deeds of righteousness, soiled. It is by the word of God, when it enlightens the mind and the individual develops it in his deeds, that he becomes clothed with it. It environs him as a clean and beautiful garment. That Christ comes like a thief means also that He intends to take away something that the world to its great sorrow will miss. He says in Matt. 24. 40, 41:

"Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

He will gather to Him the righteous wherever they may be found. He has said that "the Son of man shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matt. 24. 30, al.

The angels means messengers, both human and angelic. The sounding of a great trumpet we understand to be a proclamation of "the gospel of the kingdom", for it shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come". Matt. 24. 14.

The gospel of Mithras has led away from the gospel of the king­dom, because Mithras kingdom is in the celestial above. Hence, the same gospel that Christ Himself and His apostles proclaimed will now again sound. And the closer we come to the advent of Christ, the higher will the gospel trumpet sound. And it is that sound that gathers the righteous to Christ as the great King comes to take possession of His Father's estate, the whole earth. And just that proclamation and gathering will bring the nations under the guidance of the unclean spirits to the battle of Armageddon. The field of that battle comprises the world. Christ also says about the harvest of the Son of man, that "the field is the world." Matt. 13. 38.

"And he (Christ) gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Christ gathers those that are controlled by the unclean spirits to the place where the final battle will be fought. This of course can not be carried out everywhere. It must occur, like the battles of the nations, in a certain for the occasion suitable place.

The shadow of this peculiar battle we see in the act carried out by Gideon and his chosen men. They took their position during the night by a hill, and at the time signified by Gideon they all blew their trumpets and cried: "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon". That was a mighty trumpetsound.

They had covered lights,,and as they gave the trumpetsound they uncovered their lights which amazed their enemies. Then the Lord confused the great army of the three heathen nations and they fled horrorstricken and the children of Israel won a great victory.

That is an encouraging shadow to those that are called to take part in the battle of Armageddon. It is of the same battle the Lord speaks in Rev. 17. 14, where He says of the kings of the earth in connection with the beast that arises out of the bottomless pit: "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall over­come them; for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful."

The question: How can the nations be engaged in battle with the Lamb of God? If we carefully consider the history of Christ as subject to the persecution of the leaders among the Jews, we find the answer. They rose up against Him because they did not believe He was the true Messiah. He was to them the Antichrist, an im­postor that falsely claimed to be the Messiah or the anointed king.

In the Messianic movement pending, the very same condition will prevail. Christ is not personally seen, but His followers, chosen from the great crowd, like the men Gideon chose, realize His pres­ence and act under His inspiring spirit. Their gospel-proclamation that the King of heaven shall set up His kingdom, stirs the nations and they look upon the movement as antichristian and hence they unite and go to war against it in order to make an end of it. And the leaders of the churches and the different missions, like the Jewish priests, declare it to be the work of the devil. The "Lamb" signifies the innocent and unspoiled condition of the Lord and His followers. A lamb and a ravenous beast in battle with each other, and the lamb and those with it come out victorious. What a great wonder t

In Rev. 19. 11-21 we find a symbolic description of the same great battle between the nations and the Son of man. John saw heaven opened and a white horse came forth and the Rider thereon comes to judge and make war. The opened heaven signifies that God is about to reveal His judgment on man and the works of his hands.

"The armies of heaven" signifies both the righteous then on the earth and the angels of God, they will all take part in the judg­ment-works of God when He closes His dealings with the Gentiles.

The Rider on the white horse, whose name is called "The Word of God," is enveloped with a vesture dipped in blood. Many of His followers have been killed, but as to the final victory, He has a name written on both his vesture and 'His thigh: "The King of kings and the Lord of lords."

His name is "The Word of God", the word of God united with the human nature, first Christ, and then His followers in the camp for the kingdom which the gospel of Christ sets forth. The prophetic word of God will be accomplished in the ultimate struggle between the powers of the world, led by the deceiving spirits, and the true followers of Christ, who are led by the Spirit of God to understand, believe and to become actuated by the yet unfulfilled prophecies, that Christ can control them in that great act.

He then becomes revealed as the Messiah, the King anointed for the everlasting kingdom, to be raised on the earth. The disci­ples that were with Him at the evening of the day of God, expected to see and to realize that kingly power. But the time was not then come. But at the closing up of the time of the Gentiles, what they then expected will now occur. So that we that now live and stand in the faith, we are favored with the grand kingly work of our blessed Lord, and if we live at the time of the final battle, we will realize a greater salvation then those that followed Christ at His first coming.

If we read on in the 19th chapter we see what will become of those that raise themselves against the fulfillment of the words of the prophecies. The jewish nation and its destruction stand as a warning example. But it will go still worse with the nations, be­cause the judgment of God follows right on the battle of Arma­geddon.

Now by turning to the temple of the New covenant, if we fol­low it up as it is revealed in the prophetic word of God, we find the struggle of the end yet clearer presented. It is that temple that causes the nations to rise in their wrath in order to destroy it.