The Mark of the Beast

l. The spirit of lawlessness grew fiercer and fouler each day, it is true, yet there was a supreme authority, a governmental

gy,) Theosophy, Materialism, and other kindred cults. Almost every week some new ode or hymn was produced, every sentiment of which was an applauding of man, for God w

r a gift G

LONE must

ipping himself. Presently, the centre of worship wou

om their services. But this arranged lateness was due to the fact, that there had grown up in all sections of society an ever-increasing lateness of retiring at night, coupled with a growth of indolence caused by every kind of sensual indulgence, not th

thing-plush-covered tip seats, etc.-had taken the place of the old pews and the wooden seats. In many of these

fter the fashion of theatre programmes, and, like them, contained numerous advertisem

services, and fewer-for long, before the Rapture, the unspiritual had clamoured for a single service of the week, that of a late Sunday morning one. Then for years, religious services (those of the Sunday) had grown more and more sensuous, unspiritual. Every real spiritu

t-craft had invented a religion of the Flesh, fleshy to a degree. Every type of indulgence was

luptuousness, debauchery, these were the main features of the newer type of performances. Salome dances, and even the wildest, obsc

at was not openly, shamelessly treated in the bluntest of phraseology. Thousands of penny, two-penny, and three-penny editions of

rcles) to be "an unnecessary restraint upon human liberty." "Women"-it had been written, absolved from shame, shall be owners of themselves." "We believe" (the same writer

e Church, burst into open blossom and fullest fruit when once the re

they watched the rapid march of events, all heading towards ultimate evil, th

when they met

me when no one will be able to trade w

cation that wa

ch, the vessels of my firm had been tentatively chartered for the transport of the various parts of the T

reason?" a

ghtest doubt, myself, that the real reason is this, that I hav

Anti-christ?" Ralph's tones were eager; his e

hat now that the devil and his angels had been cast down from the air, th

nodded

the room in a swift, comprehensive way: "There may be, there probably is, one or more present in this room, at th

which you spoke, Bob, is a Jewish

rts, that it would be financed by Jewish capitalists, religionists,

ely, almost solem

Apleon i

ome idea of what his frie

he cried hoarse

at Lucien Apleon will presently be

now interrupted by a startling call over the tape-wire, and Baring sudd

er. It was only natural, under the new order of life and thought that prevailed, that a daily paper, conducted on the li

tain," (he preferred a pen to a type-writer) "are, I am inclined to believe, the chief purc

before beginning his daily message, he bowed his

en to paper, he wrote with great rapidi

great Dragon, the old Serpent, determined to destroy all lovers of God, that were yet found among mortals. But even Satan himself is a spirit, and 'cannot operate in the affairs of the world e

asphemies, deceits, and bloody spite. The subject is not a pleasant one, but it is an important one. It also has features so startling and extraordinary that many may think it but a wild and f

r of them is ten, and on each horn a diadem. He sees the heads which bear the horns, and these heads are seven, and on the heads are names of blasphemy. Presently the whole figure of the monster is before him. Its appearance is like a leopard or panther

against God, blaspheming His name, His tabernacle, even them that [Transcriber's note: line missing from book here] tabernacle in the Heaven the translated saints), assailing and overcoming the saints on the earth, and wielding authority over every tribe,

How are we to understand it? It would seem to be a symbolic presenta

n. The Beast is said to possess power, a throne, and great authority. He makes war. He exercises dominion over all tribes

and unmistakable, that this monstrous Beast is meant to set before us an image of earthly sovereignty and dominion. And if any further evidence of this i

ence. Daniel's beasts were successive empires, the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Graeco-Macedonian, and the Roman. But the

mbodied in one particular man. Though upheld by ten kings or government

tions, who willingly submit to his rule, being under the

order of things that has arisen in our midst, since the taking away of the church, were wont to say to certain political changes-'at the back

of a master-mind, the 'Man of Sin,' Anti-christ, the Beast who has been energized by Satan, the O

largely returned to the 'Promised land' in unbelief, is being pushed on with the utmost celerity. The fact that, for some years previous to the Translation of

wo remarkable men, who would appear to be Enoch and Elijah of old. Th

ure, had supposed. The allusion to water turned to blood, in the eleventh chapter of Revelation (which treats of God's two wit

e men who have never passed through mortal death. Moses did die, hence it seems to us that he was disqualified from being one of the two witnesses, both of whom have presently to pass th

e the last we shall pen, hence our anxiety to warn all our readers against

l Tape-wire rang him up. He summoned Charley to carry his M.S. sheets to the comp. room. With a word to his Secretar

, by Joseph A. Sei