The religious forces at work as the world draws to its end. As we study the different religious forces at work both for good and evil we want to draw a picture so that we can find our place on the right side of the religious forces.

Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Here are religious forces working towards the end of the world and as we study these, the frogs that come out of the mouth of the dragon (pagan religion), the beast (papacy) and the false prophet (apostate protestantism), we want to identify the three religious forces that are gathering the world to destruction.

In Revelation chapter 12 we read about the gospel church which is represented as a pure woman and in verse 5 we read that the gospel church brings forth a man child which we know is Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads, and seven crowns upon his heads

We know this great red dragon represents Rome and it was Rome that was about to devour the child (Jesus) as soon as it was born in verse 4.

Revelation 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

We know that Herod was the representative of Rome in Judea who sought to destroy Jesus.

Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought for the man child.

The Roman Empire is represented as a dragon persecuted the gospel church. Whenever you read about a dragon in scripture it represents a persecuting power.

In the first century of the Christian era Rome, of all the pagan nations, was Satan’s chief agent in opposing the gospel, and was therefore represented by the dragon. {gc88 679.4}

Pagan Rome is the dragon and the dragon represents the pagan nations that persecute God’s people.

Revelation 13:1And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Here we have another prophetic symbol. Notice it was the dragon, the persecuting power of Rome which gave him his seat and power.

The city of Rome was the seat of the dragon which is here is here represented as transferred to the beast. It is well know that the seat of the Emperor Constantine was removed to Constantinople and that Rome itself at a later period was given to the Popes by Emperor Justinian. Manuscript Releases p77

The dragon gave Rome its seat and great authority. The decree of Justinian that went into effect that gave the Popes temporal power in Rome. The beast it has ten horns. What are these crowns upon the ten horns? After the division of the Roman Empire there were various kingdoms that it broke up into and there were various royal lines established in Europe, various kingdoms, various crowns. The ten horns of this beast correspond to the kingly powers that arose in Europe and the ten horns although they are distinct from each other have some commonality because they belong to the one beast. The commonality that existed between the kingly powers of Europe was that they all belonged to Christendom. The papacy claimed to have authority over all of Christendom. Furthermore the papacy claimed to have authority over the kings of Christendom. She claimed that by virtue of her spiritual power she had the authority over temporal kings, the kings of Christendom.

The Papacy and What She Claimed

There are two swords, the spiritual and the temporal, both are in the power of the church, the spiritual to be used by the church, the other the material for the church. The former that of the priest, the latter that of kings and soldiers to be wielded by the command and the sufferance of the priest. One sword must be under the other, the temporal under the spiritual. Ecclesiastical Empire 1302 A T Jones

This is their claim; the spiritual sword should be above the temporal.

The spiritual instituted the temporal power and judges whether that power is well exercised and it has been set over the nations and over the kingdoms to root up and to pull down. Ecclesiastical Empire 1302 A T Jones

So the papacy was claiming to have power over the kingdoms of Christendom.

If the temporal power errs it is judged by the spiritual we therefore assert, define and pronounce that it is necessary to salvation to believe that every human being is subject to the pontiff of Rome. This is what they claimed. Ecclesiastical Empire 1302 A T Jones

Thus it was that the so called successors of Peter who took up the sword. They claimed to be the successors of Peter and here they were wielding the sword when our Lord had said to Peter “Put away your sword.”

Mathew 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

The papacy took the sword. Did she perish with the sword? The popes took the sword and they urged crusades against the Muslims. There were also crusades in Europe to destroy heretics, the Protestants. The popes took the sword against our Lord’s command. Did they likewise perish with the sword? The answer is yes.

We read about the papacy beast in Revelation 13:1-2 and then it continues on to verse 10.

Revelation 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Our Lord’s words were fulfilled when the French Revolution took place. The revolutionaries invaded Italy and they took up the sword against the church, against the Pope and the revolutionary armory attacked the Papal States and the temporal power of the Pope was reduced to zero. The Popes took up the sword and they received the deadly would as depicted in the Revelation 13:3 when one of the heads was wounded to death.

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

The French revolutionary army in 1798 invaded France and the papacy went into decline as depicted in Revelation 13:10. But how was the deadly wound healed so that all the world wondered after the beast? In 1929 the Popes took up their temporal power again and were given a little state by Mussolini. But another significant event unfolded in at the time the papacy lost its power in 1798 and this is described in Revelation 13:11.

This is Ellen White writing that in the afternoon of November 2 1886:

That afternoon [November 2] he [Elder Bourdeau] had us accompany him to the Cathedral [in Valence, France] and look upon the bust of Pius VI who was noted in prophecy, who was led into captivity and died in captivity. Here was the one marked in history who received the deadly wound. His heart is encased in the marble monument beneath where the bust is located. We felt rather solemn as we looked upon the monument of this man noted in prophecy.–Letter 110, 1886, p. 2. (To W. C. White and wife, November 4, 1886.)

Pious VI went into captivity and was killed with the sword.

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

He speaks as a persecuting power. Now there is another beast coming up out of the earth about the time of 1798 and we want to identify it. We know from Revelation 16:13 that the three powers we are trying to identify comprise of:

The dragon (paganism)

The beast (the papacy)

The false prophet (Apostate Protestantism).

Who Is The False Prophet?

Revelation 19:20 And the beast (papacy) 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 into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

What does the false prophet do? He performs miracles before the beast. He deceives by his miracles and he deceives those that receive the Mark of the Beast. He causes them to worship the image of the beast.

Revelation 13:11 And I behold another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, (he exercises all the power of the papacy) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

What does the second beast/power do?

1) It performs miracles before the beast and deceives by its miracles.

2) It causes those who do not worship the beast to be killed.

3) It causes people to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads.

This beast in Revelation 13 is the same as the false prophet. In Revelation 13:11 this second beast is distinguished by its two lamblike horns. The horns of the previous beast represent the kingly powers of Christendom and the Papacy in collusion with these kingly powers. They became a persecuting power and the result of that was that for centuries (1260 years) people suffered under the tyranny of both monarchs and priests.

The French Revolution

There were two tyrannical powers in Christendom, one secular, one religious. For instance in France there was what we call ‘free estates’. The first estate was the king and the nobility, the second estate was the church and the priest, the third estate was that of the common people. To show you the oppression that the common people suffered at the hands of the first two estates in France we read:

Writers in referring to the horrors of the Revolution say that these excesses are to be charged upon the throne and the church. (See Appendix) In strict justice they are to be charged upon the church. Popery had poisoned the minds of kings against the Reformation. The genius of Rome inspired the cruelty and oppression which proceeded from the throne. { HF 172.5 }

The priests incite the Kings to oppose Protestantism. The church taught the people how to be cruel oppressors.

In many provinces the estates were held by the nobles, and the laboring classes were only tenants; they were at the mercy of their landlords and were forced to submit to their exorbitant demands. The burden of supporting both the church and the state fell upon the middle and lower classes, who were heavily taxed by the civil authorities and by the clergy. “The pleasure of the nobles was considered the supreme law; the farmers and the peasants might starve, for aught their oppressors cared. {GC 279.4}

When the grinding claims of the first and second estate became too much, the third estate rose in revolution. The third estate was supporting the second and first estate and not only were the nobility sent to the guillotine, but so were the priests. The churches were closed and the nation of France embraced atheism.

Another result of these two tyrannical powers, priests and kings throughout Europe, was that many people left for the shores of a new land. They founded a new nation in the America’s and they established this nation on two very different powers, they refused the tyranny of monarchs and kings, instead they formed a republican form of government where the power resides with the common people.

This is one of the lamb like horns, power with the people. They refused the tyranny of priests, instead they wrote a constitution guaranteeing religious liberty and setting the power of the church, above the civil magistrate. The two powers are gentle innocent lamb like horns and they arose in this new land. One power was secular, the other was religious. These two lamb like horns that arose represent republicanism and Protestantism. Why do I say Protestantism?

The principles contained in the celebrated protest of 19th April 1529 constitute the very principles of Protestantism. Now this protest opposes two abuses of man in the matter of faith. The first is the intrusion of the civil magistrate (because they were punishing the heretics) and the second the arbitrary authority of the church. Instead of these abuses Protestantism sets the power of the conscience above the magistrates and the authority of the word of God above the visible church. The American Constitution in the famous words of Thomas Jefferson constitutes a wall of separation between church and state. The first amendment is the establishment clause and free exercise clause and serve as the principle barrier against government intrusion in religious life. History of the Reformation

A Persecuting Power

The power of the conscience is one horn and the power of the people is the other. Remember these are kingly powers because horns represent powers. Prophesy predicts that Protestantism will apostatize and begin to persecute. Remember the two horned beast is the false prophet so apostate Protestantism is the false prophet. If you look around the world today at Protestantism where is it in its most corrupt condition? The United States of America with the gay priests and so forth, Protestantism is corrupt and fallen. We want to be original Protestants, and not fallen Protestants. This is one of the religious forces at the end of the world, apostate Protestantism. When a church becomes corrupt, what does it do?

When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences of the people, she sought the support of the secular power. The result was the papacy, a church that controlled the power of the state and employed it to further her own ends, especially for the punishment of “heresy.” {GC 443.2}

The papacy itself became a persecuting power which was described as dragon like, and the prophesies predict that this is what will happen to Protestantism. This is what the Bible is saying to us. Innocent, gentle, lamb like, peaceful but speaks like a dragon and becomes a persecuting power and it becomes the very image of the papacy.

Spiritualism

In Revelation 16:13 the three unclean spirits – The papacy, Apostate Protestantism and paganism are at work. In the non Christian world are Christians persecuted by the pagan religions? Yes absolutely, so they constitute one of the three unclean spirits. Why are the three unclean spirits like frogs?

Isaiah 29:4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Where do frogs speak from? The ground. See that word “Whisper out of the dust?” In the margin it says peep or chirp. The sounds of frogs range from birdlike chirps to rasps, croaks, grunts and peeps. What do these frogs represent? Familiar spirits.

Isaiah 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter, should not a people seek unto their God for the living to the dead?

They have a pretended communication with the dead but as the bible reveals they are actually communicating with the spirits of devils. These three unclean spirits like frogs represent spiritualism coming into the churches.

How is spiritualism coming in to the churches? Let’s refer to Martin Luther the founder of Protestantism. He is quoted in the following book;

The theory of the immortality of the soul was one of those false doctrines that Rome, borrowing from paganism, incorporated into the religion of Christendom. Martin Luther classed it with the “monstrous fables that form part of the Roman dunghill of decretals.” Commenting on the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, that the dead know not anything, the Reformer says: ” . . . Solomon judgeth that the dead are asleep, and feel nothing at all. For the dead lie there, accounting neither days nor years, but when they are awakened, they shall seem to have slept scarce one minute.” {FLB 175.2}

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

We know that the Catholic Church is acting contrary to what the word of God says because they have instituted prayers to the dead as part of their religious practices and prayers for the dead but we know from the scriptures that the dead know and feel nothing at all. People say that their dead relatives are watching over them, but it is the spirits of devils. People actually think that they can communicate with their dead relatives and so they go to communicate with them through mediums with familiar spirits which are virtually witches and wizards. This kind of thing is coming into Christianity from paganism. Another way that spiritualism is coming into the churches.

A belief in spiritual manifestations opens the door to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and thus the influence of evil angels will be felt in the churches. {GC 603.2}

Spiritual manifestations – magic coming into the churches. There are true miracles but there are false miracles. When Moses threw his rod down and it became a snake the Egyptian magicians replicated what God had done. How shall we tell a true spiritual manifestation from a false one? The Egyptian sorcerers did it by the power of the devil and Moses did it by the power of God. It’s interesting that this miracle was performed just prior to the seven plagues of Egypt. As pharaoh magicians were able to perform the miracle also, pharaoh hardened his heart and didn’t listen to Moses. He was deceived by the miracles. What are people going to be deceived by in the churches at this time? They will be deceived by false miracles and this will cause the people to harden their hearts against the truth and the people will harden their hearts just before the coming of the plagues.

As Spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is converted, after the modern order of things. (Satan himself decides I will become a Christian, a modern Christian performing miracles.) He will appear in the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of Spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed.(And these miracles will harden the people against the truth) And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power. {GC88 588.2}

The line of distinction between professed Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. (We see this in the churches of America and other places). Church-members love what the world loves, and are ready to join with them; and Satan determines to unite them in one body, and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of Spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power (The Catholics have the apparitions of the virgin Mary and bleeding images and the papacy loves this because it draws the people.); and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world, and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium. {GC88 588.3}

Little by little he has prepared the way for his master-piece of deception in the development of Spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time. Says the prophet: “I saw three unclean spirits like frogs; . . . they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” [REV. 16:13, 14.] Except those who are kept by the power of God, through faith in his Word, the whole world will be swept into the ranks of this delusion. The people are fast being lulled to a fatal security, to be awakened only by the outpouring of the wrath of God. {GC88 561.2}

The Wrath of God

When are the people going to wake up? When the wrath of God comes. I now want to talk about the other religious forces at the end of the world. The woman is the gospel church during the persecution.

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, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

In the above scripture we have the ear of papal persecution. The earth helping the woman symbolizes the protestant reformation coming up to help the gospel church by restraining the spirit of papal persecution. At this time the papal church is behaving as a dragon and a persecuting power.

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

What do these religious forces do? They make war! What sort of war? It’s a war of persecution against commandment keepers, Sabbath keepers. This predicts that the papacy, apostate Protestantism and paganism begin to war against the church that keeps the commandments. In this conflict, what will be the outcome? Some may lose their way, but this is the outcome that we want in Revelation 15.

Revelation 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

There is a group of people that win this war. It’s a spiritual war because we don’t fight with weapons and we don’t take up the sword. It’s a war upon the gospel church, a war of persecution, a war against the truth, a war of deception and miracles to deceive. Satan is marshalling his forces for what? The last great struggle to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. If we would be true to God we cannot escape the conflict.

Only Two Parties Upon Earth.–There are only two parties upon this earth–those who stand under the bloodstained banner of Jesus Christ and those who stand under the black banner of rebellion. In the twelfth chapter of Revelation is represented the great conflict between the obedient and the disobedient [Rev. 12:17; 13:11-17 quoted] (MS 16, 1900). {7BC 974.8}

It’s a conflict between those who accept the beast and his mark and those who keep the commandments of God.

The Battle Ground

But those who fear God, cannot accept an institution that violates a precept of the Decalogue. On this battlefield will be fought the last great conflict in the controversy between truth and error. And we are not left in doubt as to the issue. Today, as in the days of Esther and Mordecai, the Lord will vindicate His truth and His people. {CC 245.5}

This is the battleground – when apostate Protestantism and Catholicism are trying to do away with religious liberty, we will have a battle to fight.

Instead of becoming like the world, we are to become more and more distinct from the world. Satan has combined and will continue to combine with the churches in making a masterly effort against the truth of God. Everything that is done by God’s people to make inroads upon the world will call forth determined opposition from the powers of darkness. The enemy’s last great conflict will be a most determined one. It will be the last battle between the powers of darkness and the powers of light. Every true child of God will fight bravely on the side of Christ. Those who in this great crisis allow themselves to be more on the side of the world than of God will eventually place themselves wholly on the side of the world. Those who become confused in their understanding of the Word, who fail to see the meaning of antichrist, will surely place themselves on the side of antichrist. There is no time for us to assimilate with the world. Daniel is standing in his lot and in his place. The prophecies of Daniel and of John are to be understood; they interpret each other. They give to the world truths which everyone should understand. These prophecies are to be witnesses in the world. By their fulfillment in these last days, they will explain themselves. {PH135 5.1}

This will be a mind battle not a physical battle.

Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.

The conflict is between the requirements of God and the requirements of the beast. The first day, a Papal institution which directly contradicts the fourth commandment, is yet to be made a test by the two-horned beast (American Protestantism). And then the fearful warning from God declares the penalty of bowing to the beast and his image. They shall drink the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. {4bSG 54.3}

Will God’s people escape the penalty? Yes Will we escape the conflict? No.

They will try to compel men to obey the laws of their own creation, laws that are directly opposed to the law of God. . . . The law for the observance of the first day of the week is the production of an apostate Christendom. . . . In no case are God’s people to pay it homage. {AG 59.4}

This sets the scene for the next study. There is a difference between the spiritual battle and the seven last plagues. Two sides will be formed in the battle. The side we take will determine whether we suffer the wroth of God or whether we escape it.

A book has been given us to guide our feet through the perils of this dark world to heaven. It tells us how we can escape the wrath of God, and also tells of the sufferings of Christ for us, the great sacrifice that has been made that we might be saved and enjoy the presence of God forever. And if any come short at last, having heard the truth as they have in this land of light, it will be their own fault; they will be without excuse. The word of God tells us how we may become perfect Christians and escape the seven last plagues. But they took no interest to find this out. Other things diverted the mind, idols were cherished by them, and God’s Holy Word was neglected and slighted. God has been trifled with by professed Christians, and when His Holy Word shall judge them in the last day, they will be found wanting. That word which they have neglected for foolish storybooks, tries their lives. That is the standard; their motives, words, works, and the manner in which they use their time are all compared with the written word of God; and if they come short then, their cases are decided forever. {1T 125.3}

Although we cannot escape the battleground of the last great conflict we have to fight ahead of us, we can escape the punishment of the plagues. There is no need to be involved in them. We don’t need to suffer the penalties of corrupt churches that have deceived the people. We can escape.

Amen.