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[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Why Keep Christmas?

Many people know that Christmas is pagan. The origins of this popular December holiday are not hidden. In fact, when Christmas comes around each year, we usually see magazine articles or Internet blogs explaining where these traditions came from. Many people are not confused about that.

The bigger question for some is, why does it matter? Should anyone even care where Christmas traditions came from? After all, isn’t the big issue about honoring Christ? Maybe the other details are trivial.

If you’ve ever wondered, “What should I do about Christmas?”, then stay tuned.

No Longer a Christian Holiday—Or Never Was?

Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where we help you make sense of your world through the pages of the Bible.

Some people don’t keep Christmas. That may not come as a shock to you. You might be one of them. You might have come to that conclusion through your own study, in looking into the pagan origins of Christmas. And it might have caused you to think twice about keeping this popular holiday. If you have, you’re not alone.

Of course, many people still do keep Christmas. In fact, the vast majority of people in our Western nations do. According to the Gallup organization, as of December, 2019, 93% of Americans celebrate Christmas in one way or another. And that figure has been more or less consistent for decades (“What Percentage of Americans Celebrate Christmas?”, News.Gallup.com, December 23, 2019).

In Great Britain as well,  93% of the population celebrate the Christmas season (“18.12.2019 Christmas and New Year’s Survey amongst 1,000 British people reveals habits,” Statista.com, December 12, 2019).

In Canada, it’s a little less, 92% (“In Canada, Christmas traditions change as fewer people see religion as the reason for the season,” AngusReid.org, December 19, 2019).

In Mexico, 93% of those surveyed were planning to keep Christmas (“Plans to celebrate Christmas in Mexico in 2020,” Statista.com, October 11, 2022).

What about Russia? About two-thirds of their population celebrate Christmas. (“How is Christmas Celebrated in Russia?”, Russia Beyond, RBTH.com, December 9, 2019).

And in Germany, the figure stands at about 78% of the population (How Germany celebrates Christmas,” Deutschland.de, December 21, 2021).

These are just a few countries around the world. The point is, Christmas is widely celebrated.

And yet, many people know that its origins are not Christian at all. You probably do as well. If you don’t, or if you’re not sure, just pick up virtually any encyclopedia, or look online. Here is a quote from the online Encyclopedia Britannica, under the heading, “Does Christmas have pagan roots?”:

In ancient Rome, December 25 was a celebration of the Unconquered Sun, marking the return of longer days. It followed Saturnalia, a festival where people feasted and exchanged gifts. The church in Rome began celebrating Christmas on December 25 in the 4th century during the reign of Constantine, the first Christian emperor… (“Christmas,” Britannica.com, April 18, 2023).

December 25? Feasting? Exchanging gifts? That’s describing pagan holidays observed under the Roman Empire. And this date was only adopted by the mainstream Christian church in the 4^th century. But why? Why was December 25 chosen as a date to celebrate Christmas?

Note this CBS News article from 2018 for the answer:

Though December 25 is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the date itself and several of the customs we’ve come to associate with Christmas actually evolved from pagan traditions celebrating the winter solstice. “Christmas is really about bringing out your inner pagan,” historian Kenneth C. Davis told “CBS This Morning.” According to Davis, Christmas was celebrated as early as the fourth century, suggesting that it had almost nothing to do with Jesus Christ (“The unexpected origins of popular Christmas traditions,” CBSNews.com, December 25, 2018).

Christmas is about “bringing out your inner pagan” and Christmas has “almost nothing to do with Jesus Christ”? These are remarkable quotes. Again, this probably doesn’t surprise you. Especially if you are a regular viewer of Tomorrow’s World. You’ve probably seen articles and videos explaining the pagan origins of the Christmas traditions before. And not just from our material at Tomorrow’s World—it’s out there in the world at large. Such as this article from the CBS News website. It’s not a secret.

But that raises another question: What do we do with this information? Should it matter at all?

You see, most people who know the origins of Christmas have somehow rationalized to themselves why they should still keep it. Perhaps they think, “Well, it’s not really a religious observance, it’s just a fun, relaxed time to be with friends and family—it’s a social event.” That’s what a lot of people think. A 2013 survey of American millennials—that is, those born from 1981 to 1996—revealed that although 9 in 10 of them observe Christmas, only 4 in 10 do so for religious reasons (“Many Millennials see Christmas as more cultural than religious holiday,” PewResearch.org, December 18, 2015).

So, more and more people are coming to see Christmas as just a social and secular observance. On the other hand, for those who are religious, many of them also know the origins are pagan. But some of them convince themselves that it’s not a problem, arguing, “Well, as long as I do it for Christ, it’s ok.”

But is it ok? Should we stop and think if this line of reasoning even makes sense?

As one source says,

Christmas makes no sense… the basic facts of the annual ritual just seem to defy logic and meaning. What do brightly lit trees and mistletoe have to do with the birth of a prophet in Bethlehem thousands of years ago? What does a jolly, portly man in red and white garb have to do with Christianity? What’s the meaning behind the Yule log? … Many people have a general inkling about the way old pagan traditions and celebrations fed into Christmas as we know it today… (“The Pagan Roots of Christmas,” History.co.uk).

What Is God’s View of Christmas?

Many people really do know the roots of Christmas are pagan. But they keep it anyway. What should YOU do about Christmas? To help you answer that, let’s consider our first fundamental question:

1. Does God condone lies?

Everyone knows that Santa Claus does not really come down our chimneys on Christmas Eve. Or, at least everyone knows except our children. Thalia Goldstein is the assistant professor of applied developmental psychology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Ms. Goldstein notes that about 85% of American 5-year old kids believe Santa is real:

Children’s belief in Santa starts when they’re between 3 and 4 years old. It’s very strong when they’re between about 4 and 8. Then, at 8 years old is when we start to see the drop-off in belief, when children start to understand the reality of Santa Claus (How many kids still believe in Santa?”, CNN Health, CNN.com, December 19, 2017).

So, a high percentage of kids in the United States are still taught to believe, at a young age, in something that is not true. What about children outside of the United States? According to a research paper presented in 1999 in Finland, at the European Early Childhood Education Research Association:

Of 161 parents in the United Kingdom, 92.5% thought Father Christmas was real for their children up to the age of 8….

But it’s not just the Santa myth. In addition, there is no proof that December 25 was the date of the birth of Christ. In fact, Luke 2:8 records that the shepherds were out in the fields at his birth, and that would never have happened in the rainy, cold winter months. And what about the three kings from the east, visiting the baby Jesus in the manger? That didn’t happen, at least not in the way the Christmas story tells it. The book of Matthew says they were wise men, not kings. And it doesn’t mention how many there were. And it says “when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother.” That’s in Matthew 2:11.

The Christmas traditions are riddled with errors, misspeaks, and outright lies. The context shows He was upwards to two years old here, and in a house, not a manger. Now, with an open mind ask yourself, would God really be behind such a convoluted tradition? Notice what Titus 1:2 says:

In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began (Titus 1:2).

God cannot lie. God will not lie. God never lies. And yet, we are made to believe He condones millions of parents telling their children outright lies and convoluted myths, supposedly about His Son?

Think about it. One of the Ten Commandments specifically forbids being a false witness. You can find that in Exodus 20:16,

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16).

The specific topic here in Exodus 20:16 is bearing false witness against your neighbor. But certainly the principle is that we must tell the truth in all circumstances.

It’s sobering that the Apostle John records the following, in Revelation 21:7,

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 21:7–8).

So, who is standing up and warning our parents, to stop the lies of Christmas? Almost no one.

Instead, we have experts like Jacqueline Woolley, professor and  department of psychology Chair at the University of Texas at Austin. Here is what she says:

Some parents wonder whether they are harming their children by engaging in the Santa myth. Philosophers and bloggers alike have mounted arguments against perpetuating the “Santa-lie,” some even claiming that it could lead to permanent distrust of parents and other authorities. So, what should parents do? (“Why children believe (or not) that Santa Claus exists,” The Conversation, TheConversation.com, December 18, 2016).

Yes, what SHOULD parents do? If they know Christmas comes from error, and falsehood, and even outright lies, maybe parents should tell their children the TRUTH, instead of perpetuating the lie. But that’s not Ms. Woolley’s conclusion. Notice her next statement:

There is no evidence that belief, and eventual disbelief in Santa, affects parental trust in any significant way.

Stop and think about this for a moment. Have you ever had someone lie to you? How did it feel? When you found out, did it affect your ability to trust them? Even if it was for a so-called good reason, did it make you stop and think the next time they told you something—are they telling me the truth, or is this another lie?

If it affects us that way as adults, why wouldn’t we think it would affect our children? One more statement from Ms. Woolley:

Furthermore, not only do children have the tools to ferret out the truth; but engaging with the Santa story may give them a chance to exercise these abilities. So, if you think it would be fun for you and your family to invite Santa Claus into your home at Christmas time, you should do so. Your children will be fine. And they might even learn something.

What an amazing statement. Perpetuating the Santa and Christmas lie will actually be good for your children, at least according to her.

I hope you are seeing that what’s good for your children is teaching them truth and to be truthful. And what is the foundation of truth? God’s word is truth. That’s from John 17:17.

God cannot lie—we already saw that in Titus 1:2. But there is a being, a powerful evil spirit who not only lies but is described as the father of lies. We find that in John 8:44. Jesus was being confronted by the Pharisees. They were hypocritical, selfish and seeking to destroy Him. And notice what He told them:

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

Satan the devil is the father of lies. We don’t want any part of him. So we shouldn’t want any part of a tradition that is based on lies, no matter how we sugar coat it.

We can either be for the truth, or for the lie. We can be seeking to live the way of truth—the way that God reveals in His word, seeking to follow His Spirit and be conformed to His righteousness and the righteousness of His Son. Or, we can fall into living the way of the lie—following error, falsehood, lies, often masquerading as good traditions and holidays. And we can pass on those errors to our children.

So, we might know that the origins of Christmas are not Christian at all. What should we do about it? Well, let’s let the Bible speak for itself. You won’t ever find a word of the Bible where God tells you to do something deceitful or dishonest or promoting error. And that should give us guidance on how we judge what to do about Christmas.

The Deception of “Christianizing” Paganism

Let’s move on to our second fundamental question:

2. Does God ever say “keep any day” as long as you honor Christ?

This is a reason some use to explain their holding on to Christmas in spite of its error. Well, they reason, as long as we honor Christ in it, it’s ok. But is it ok? We find some powerful principles in the Bible that give us the guidance we need. One is found in the history of Israel.

The ancient nation of Israel was led by God out of enslavement from Egypt about 3,400 years ago. But before they went into what was called the Promised Land, God gave them a serious warning. He said don’t mix worship of Me with the worship of the nations around you. We’ll pick it up in Deuteronomy 12:30,

Take heed… that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way… (Deuteronomy 12:30–31).

Notice, the principle is not just “don’t worship idols,” it’s “don’t worship the true God with idolatrous practices.” Can you see the difference?

But in the history of the Christian church, that is what exactly happened. Worship of Christ was mixed with traditions of the pagans. In the book The Battle for Christmas, author Stephen Nissenbaum writes this:

It was only in the fourth century that the Church officially decided to observe Christmas on December 25. And this date was chosen not for religious reasons but simply because it happened to mark the approximate arrival of the winter solstice, an event that was celebrated long before the advent of Christianity…. The Puritans were correct when they point out—and they point it out often—that Christmas was nothing but a pagan festival covered with a Christian veneer (The Battle for Christmas, 1996, p. 4).

He then refers to the Puritan minister Increase Mather, from the early days of colonial America:

[Increase Mather] accurately observed in 1687 that the early Christians who first observed the Nativity on December 25 did not do so “thinking that Christ was born in that Month, but because the Heathens Saturnalia was at that time kept in Rome, and they were willing to have those Pagan Holidays metamorphosed into Christian [ones] (The Battle for Christmas).

So, Christmas was not put on December 25 to reflect the birth of Christ. It was put there to absorb the worshippers of Saturnalia and easily bring them into the church. Precisely the opposite of God’s instructions back in Deuteronomy.

How did the expanding, visible church deal with the traditions of the pagans around them? Well, it accommodated them. Notice this statement from the book, The Pageantry of Christmas:

… Most of the Christian missionaries who moved into Central and Western Europe as the Roman Empire crumbled, followed the advice of [Pope] Gregory the Great. He wrote, in 597, that they should not try to put down pagan customs “upon the sudden,” but adapt them “to the praise of God” (The Pageantry of Christmas, 1963, p. 10).

Adapt the pagan customs? But that is exactly what happened, and that’s why we have the strange mix of pagan rituals, with the mention of Christ, in Christmas today. But is that what God wanted? No. Notice God’s instruction in Jeremiah 10:1,

Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the LORD; “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles… For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are upright, like a palm tree…” (Jeremiah 10:1–5).

Remarkable parallels with the customs of Christmas that jump right off the page. God told ancient Israel through Jeremiah, don’t learn how to worship Me by watching how the nations around you do it. But in the Christian era, that’s exactly what some did. They transformed the worship of Christ into a mix of the true God with the worship of Saturn, Mithra, and others.

God’s standard is truth, as defined by the Bible. Not traditions. Not customs. Notice John 4:23,

… The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him (John 4:23).

When we show honor to God, we have to do it His way. We have to honor Him on the days He wants us to honor Him.

Reject Christmas and Follow Christ’s True Teachings

So, what should we do about Christmas? Simple. God offers something better. We don’t have to settle for a festival steeped in pagan traditions. We can be different. God outlines His days—His biblical holy days—which teach us about Him and His plan of salvation. You might have heard of them. Passover. Pentecost. The Feast of Tabernacles. The Day of Atonement. These are just a few.

The Apostle Paul took the Gospel message primarily to a Gentile world. Meaning, the brethren he worked with and wrote to were coming out of pagan practices. He worked in the Roman world of the 1^st century. And the people in that world were keeping the Saturnalia. Many of them were worshiping Mithra, and other false gods. And they had to come out of it, to become part of the body of Christ, the Church of God.

But he had to encourage them, to not fall back into their former practices. He had to tell them, don’t get discouraged if people don’t understand what you’re doing. Even if that means friends, neighbors or family. Notice what he said in the book of Colossians to the church at Colosse. Colossians 2:16, and I’m reading from the King James Version:

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ (Colossians 2:16–17).

The word “is” is in italics. It’s not in the original text. It should read, “but the body of Christ.” The church is the body. We ARE to let the church teach us, to guide us, and show us how to keep the holy days as outlined in the Bible. And we should not be discouraged if the world judges us for not keeping worldly days.

So, don’t let the world judge you, if you walk away from Christmas. If you make the determination, “I’m done following the traditions of man, and I want to learn the ways of God.” Don’t be discouraged. Your friends and even relatives may not like it. But God is looking for those who are willing to follow Him, come what may.

Christmas does not lead us to truth. It only obscures the truth. It’s not enough to know the origins of Christmas. We have to act on what we know. And that means, follow the truth.

That’s what we should do about Christmas.

Hey everybody, thanks for watching! We hope you enjoyed this video. We here at Tomorrow’s World want to help you make sense of this world through the pages of your Bible. If you found it helpful and want to learn more about this subject, be sure to get your free copy of our study guide Is Christmas Christian?

Just click the link in the description, it’ll be sent to you completely free of charge. And remember to like and subscribe to our channel so you can watch more videos on different Bible topics.

See you next time!

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

The Mysterious Mark of Revelation…Solved?

The biblical book of Revelation tells us that there is a time coming when everyone will be compelled to receive a mark on his forehead or on his hand. Without that mark, you will not be able to buy or sell. But God’s wrath will be poured out on those who accept it. What is that mark? Do you know?

Many people look in all the wrong places to understand this mysterious Mark of the Beast. Speculations abound. The U.S. Social Security Number was once thought to be that mark. As was the Canadian Social Insurance Number with its acronym S.I.N. The bar code and the quick response code have also been contenders. Others expect tattoos of the number 666, or a computer chip to be placed on the hand or the forehead. And how can we forget the COVID-19 vaccine? But, none of these are the Beast’s mark.

On today’s Tomorrow’s World program, I’ll discuss from the pages of the Bible what that mysterious mark is.

I’ll be right back in five seconds to show you what the Bible reveals about the mysterious Mark of the Beast.

Daniel’s Prophecies Reveal the Beast

A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World, where today I’m sharing with you what the Bible says about the mysterious mark of the Beast. The subject of a mark that controls whether one can buy or sell arises from the biblical book of Revelation, so we must look to that source to discover what that mark is. Here is the passage in question:

He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name (Revelation 13:16–17).

Now before we go running off into the sunset looking for this mark, let’s stop and consider the obvious and most fundamental point in understanding this mark.

The Mark is of the Beast.

Yes, it’s the Beast’s mark! Any mark from any other source, cannot be his mark. While it is popular to focus on bar codes, Social Insurance Numbers, tattoos and computer chips, we must first focus on identifying this Beast if we are to understand his mark.

So, who or what is this Beast? We begin our study in the biblical book of Daniel. There we read how King Nebuchadnezzar had an unusual dream, and how God revealed its meaning to the prophet Daniel. We’ll begin in Daniel 2:31:

You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 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 (Daniel 2:31–33).

You might be thinking right now, how can a king’s dream 2,500 years ago have anything to do with me? Isn’t this just a child’s bedtime story? This thought could not be more wrong.

Daniel explained to the king that this figure of a man represented four kingdoms. The head of gold was his Chaldean Empire. History shows that the three that followed were the Medo/Persian, the Greco/Macedonian, and the Roman Empires. Notice that this prophecy covers the time from Nebuchadnezzar all the way down to the second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the setting up of His Kingdom.

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this (Daniel 2:44–45).

Understanding the Beast of Revelation and Its Fate

Let’s now go to Daniel 7, where it elaborates further on these four worldly empires. This time, rather than an image of a man made of different materials, we find these same empires described as four wild beasts. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings, the second like a bear, the third was a four headed leopard, and the fourth was… as we see in Daniel 7:7:

… dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns (Daniel 7:7).

Verses 17 and 23 clearly show that the words king and kingdom are used interchangeably, and as in chapter 2, this fourth kingdom ends at the return of Christ when He sets up His kingdom. Notice it in vv. 26–27:

But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him (vv. 26–27).

We need not speculate about the meaning as the Bible interprets its own symbols. Nebuchadnezzar’s image is explained as four kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s and ending with God setting up a kingdom on earth. We are told that the four beasts of Daniel 7 represent four kings or kingdoms, and the fourth ends with God’s Kingdom. So, these beasts clearly represent the same four kingdoms as those mentioned in Daniel 2.

The Stone cut out of the mountain without hands is clearly a reference to the future, when the returning Jesus Christ sets up an everlasting kingdom. At that time, He destroys mankind’s empires by smiting the king’s great image on the feet and toes. Therefore, the feet and toes of iron and clay must be in existence at Christ’s return. Notice Daniel’s God-inspired explanation of the feet and toes, in Daniel 2, beginning in verse 41:

Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay (Daniel 2:41–43).

That’s the state of the Roman kingdom at the end of the age. As we shall see, there will be ten nations that do not adhere to one another, but they do so for a very short time out of necessity, and they have the strength of iron. But how can this be when Rome, the fourth kingdom, fell more than 1,500 years ago?

For the answer, we must turn to the book of Revelation, in the thirteenth chapter. Here we find another creature, but this time a single beast with the characteristics of those found in Daniel 7. Those characteristics are all combined into a single creature. Why? This is because John recorded this vision in the late 90s A.D.—at the time of the Roman Empire, which had absorbed the other three kingdoms. Notice this description:

Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority (Revelation 13:1–2).

But again, Rome fell more than 1,500 years ago. How can it then be in existence when Christ returns? Note that this Beast has seven heads. Compare this with Daniel 7, where the four creatures also had a combined seven heads. Revelation 13:3 and 5 explain that one of the heads had a deadly wound that was healed. Since the only empire in existence at this time was Rome, the head with a deadly wound that is healed is that of Rome. A deadly wound and healing of the Roman empire is exactly what we find in history.

Rome fell in 476 A.D., but the empire was restored (or healed) by Justinian in 554 A.D. We now turn to Revelation 17, where the “healed” Roman Empire continues. There we find another seven-headed beast, but this Beast is different. It only refers to Rome after the healing, and it has one very significant difference. It is Rome ridden by an immoral woman. Beginning in verse 1:

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 17:1–3).

The Mark of the Beast—A False Holy Day for a Counterfeit Christianity

In the Bible, a woman is sometimes used as a symbol of a church. Concerning the marriage of a man and woman, we read in Ephesians 5:32,

This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

In Revelation 19:6–9, it describes the saved as the “bride of Christ.” But in the case of Revelation 17, we see a fallen woman, an apostate church, a “mother church” with her harlot daughters.

Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. … And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (Revelation 17:1, 5).

This Roman Empire, whose deadly wound was healed in 554 A.D., has seven heads and is ridden by an apostate religious system. Furthermore, we learn that, after the healing, it would continue 1,260 years:

And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. … and he [that is, this Roman Beast] was given authority to continue for forty-two months (Revelation 13:3, 5).

A prophetic month is made up of 30 days. Thirty days times 42 months comes to 1,260. Now, the Bible sometimes uses what is called a day for a year principle. In this case, the beast would continue after its healing for a period of either 1,260 days or 1,260 years. The context and history shows us it is the latter—1260 years.

History reveals that the Roman Empire, now ridden by an apostate church, was restored by Justinian in 554 A.D. The empire diminished and was revived four more times. The second restoration came in 800 A.D. when:

On Christmas Day, as Charlemagne… knelt before St. Peter’s altar in prayer, [Pope] Leo suddenly produced a jeweled crown, and set it upon the King’s head (Will Durant, The Story of Civilization: Charlemagne the King, pp. 468–469).

After Charlemagne, the Empire again deteriorated, but was revived a third time under Otto I.

Like Charlemagne, Otto received his throne through the Papal claim that the Roman Church had been the only Imperial elector since the early fourth century…. The Holy Roman Empire was thus to a large extent German in its ethnic and political base, [apostate] Christian in its moral justification, and Roman in its claim to legitimacy and universality (The Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages, ed. Herzstein, 1966, p. viii).

Charles V and Napoleon constituted the fourth and fifth restorations. From the healing under Justinian in 554 to the fall of Napoleon in 1814, we have [get this] exactly 1,260 years as foretold in Revelation 13 and verses 3 and 5. Revelation 17 tells us that there would be two more revivals after the five during the 1,260 years.

Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits [Rome is built on seven hills]. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen [that was between 554 and 1814], one is [that’s Hitler and Mussolini], and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time (Revelations 17:9–10).

The one to come will be made up of ten kings or nations with the strength of iron and the fragility of clay. This will take place in the near future and when it does, remember where you heard this!

God is not happy with those who take the Beast’s mark. It’s a sign of disobedience. It cannot simply be a computer chip or barcode. It’s the Beast’s mark and the beast fights against Christ at His return.

The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. … These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings (Revelation 17:12, 14).

It may surprise you to know that the Bible speaks of another mark. Few people realize that God gave a sign that identifies His people. Read it for yourself in Exodus 31:13.

Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: “Surely 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 who sanctifies you [sets you apart]” (Exodus 31:13).

Some wrongly reason that Jesus changed the Sabbath to the first day of the week, but the Bible and early church history show that Jesus, His apostles, and the first century church of God continued to observe the day God sanctified at creation, long before Moses. As we read in Genesis 2:3,

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made (Genesis 2:3).

And Jesus declared to those who were misapplying the Sabbath that:

The Sabbath was [not done away with, but it was] made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27–28).

Now think about this: You are not Lord of something that does not exist!

The Devil is a great counterfeiter. Speaking of false ministers, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11,

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness… (2 Corinthians 11:13–15).

The True Sabbath Day Identifies God’s People

We’ve seen that God has a sign that identifies His people—the seventh day Sabbath. But Satan also has a sign, a mark, that identifies those who are his. Daniel 7 speaks of a stout horn, which can be connected to the woman who rides the beast of Revelation 17. Here’s what Daniel 7:25 reveals about this horn:

He shall speak pompous words against the Most High … and shall intend to change times and law (Daniel 7:25).

Notice that it says, “intend to change times and law.” It was not Jesus, or the Apostle Paul, who changed the day of rest set aside by God at creation. It was Roman Emperor Constantine who changed the Sabbath to Sunday. From Eerdman’s handbook to the history of Christianity,

The Christian Sunday was not made a “day of rest” until Constantine decreed it in AD 321 (Introduction to the History of Christianity, ed. Dowley, p. 123).

Constantine was a sun worshiper:

When in 321 Constantine made the first day of the week a holiday, he called it “the venerable day of the Sun” (Sunday) (p. 140).

But what about the mark being placed on the hand and in the forehead?

Doesn’t this suggest some kind of visible mark or computer chip? We must not read into the Bible our own ideas. We must let the Bible explain its own symbols. A sign in the hand and forehead does not suddenly appear in Revelation. Far from it. This symbolism is used as an identifying sign of obedience to God. Referring to an annual festival given by God and later kept by Jesus and the early church, we read in Exodus 13:9…

… [To] be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD’s law may be in your mouth…” (Exodus 13:9).

And after repeating the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5, we read in chapter 6:

You shall bind them [that is, God’s Commandments, note this] as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes (Deuteronomy 6:8).

Just as God places His sign on our hand and forehead, so the great counterfeiter’s Beast has his mark.

I hope you enjoyed this video.

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