Spiritual Dictionary Section B - 1
Beast – “It was apostasy that led the early church to seek the aid of the civil government, and this prepared the way for the development of the papacy – the beast.” GC 443
Beast- (Rev 13)- “The beast itself – the papacy.” GC 443
Beast – “The beast” mentioned in this message, (Revelation 13:12-17) whose worship is enforced by the two-horned beast, is the first, or leopard-like beast of Revelation 13 – the papacy.” GC 445
Beast – two horned – “The churches, represented by Babylon, are represented as having fallen from their spiritual state to become a persecuting power against those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. To John this persecuting power is represented as having horns like a lamb, but is speaking like a dragon...” TM 117
Beast – two horned – “Prophecy represents Protestantism as having lamb-like horns, but speaking like a dragon….” 7BC 975
Beast – two horned lamb like of Revelation 13:11-17 – “At this point another symbol is introduced. Says the prophet: “I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb.” Verse 11. Both the appearance of this beast and the manner of its rise indicate that the nation, which it represents, is unlike those presented under the preceding symbols. But the beast with lamb-like horns was seen “coming up out of the earth.” Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the nation thus represented must arise in territory previously unoccupied and grow up gradually and peacefully. It could not, then, arise among the crowed and struggling nationalities of the Old World – that turbulent sea of “people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” It must be sought in the Western Continent.
What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world? The application of the symbol admits of no question. One nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the United States of America.” GC 439-440
Beast – from the bottomless pit – “The period when the two witnesses were to prophesy clothed in sackcloth, ended in 1798. As they were approaching the termination of their work in obscurity, war was to be made upon them by the power represented as “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit.”(Revelation 11:1-8) In many of the nations of Europe the powers that ruled in church and state had for centuries been controlled by Satan through the medium of the papacy. But here is brought to view a new manifestation of satanic power….
“The great city” in whose streets the witnesses are slain, and where their dead bodies lie, is “spiritually” Egypt. Of all nations presented in Bible history, Egypt most boldly denied the existence of the living God and resisted His commands. No monarch ever ventured upon more open and highhanded rebellion against the authority of Heaven than did the king of Egypt….This is atheism, and the nation represented by Egypt would give voice to a similar denial of the claims of the living God and would manifest a like spirit of unbelief and defiance….
According to the words of the prophet, then, a little before the year 1798 some power of satanic origin and character would rise to make war upon the Bible. And in the land where the testimony of God’s two witnesses should thus be silence, there would be manifest the atheism of the Pharaoh and the licentiousness of Sodom. This prophecy has received a most exact and striking fulfillment in the history of France.” GC 268-269. See also GC 584
Beast -Wound – Papal – “Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” And, says the prophet, “I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death.” And again: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.” The forty and two months are the same as the “time and times and the dividing of time,” three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7—the time during which the papal power was to oppress God’s people. This period, as stated in preceding chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy, A.D. 538, and terminated in 1798. At that time the pope was made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prediction was fulfilled, “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity.” (Revelation 13:10) GC 439
Beast -Wound – “For fifteen hundred years and more, Rome had kept as strong a hand as possible in each local community around the wide world. Still, because what might be advantageous for one locale might be detrimental for another, it had always been an essential practice for Rome to make its major decisions on the premise that the good of the geocommunity must take precedence over all local advantages. International politics might be driven and regulated according to the benefit to be derived by certain groups or nations at the cost of others. But geopolitics properly conducted must serve the absolute needs of the whole society of nations.
By and large, and admitting some exceptions, that had been the Roman view until two hundred years of inactivity had been imposed on the papacy by the major secular powers of the world. The Keys of this Blood by Malachi Martin. 1990 Touchstone. New York
Beast -Wound healing – “It has been shown that the United States is the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns, and that this prophecy (Revelation 13:11-16) will be fulfilled when the United States shall enforce Sunday observance, which Rome claims as the special acknowledgment of her supremacy. But in this homage to the papacy the United States will not be alone. The influence of Rome in the countries that once acknowledged her dominion is still far from being destroyed. And prophecy foretells a restoration of her power (or healing of her wound of influence and power. CO) Revelation 13:3 quoted. The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the papacy in 1798. After this, says the prophet, “his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Paul states plainly that the “man of sin” will continue until the Second Advent. II Thessalonians….In both the Old and the New World, the papacy will receive homage in the honor paid to the Sunday institution, that rests solely upon the authority of the Roman Church….And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured. GC 579-581
Beast – image of- (Rev 13)- “When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image to the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” GC 443, 445
Beast – image to – “The “image to the beast” represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas.” GC 445. See papacy.
Bible study – principles of – When studying the Bible please take into consideration the following brief list of concepts that will facilitate your research:
1. God wants to communicate with you. Isaiah 1:18; 2:3; 28:9-13
2. God has chosen to communicate with us through His word. Isaiah 8:20; II Timothy 3:14-17
3. God will illuminate our minds through the study of His word when we seek Him in prayer before our study. Bible study requires supernatural assistance. John 14:16-17,23-26; I Corinthians 2:7-14; GC 132, 599
4. God’s word is built on logical principles; amplified by the principles observed in nature. Matthew 13:1-52; Romans 1:20; Hebrews 6:1
5. The Bible reveals the nature of God; how He thinks, how He acts, and how He feels. Romans 1:20
6. The Bible tells the same truths from Genesis to Revelation for God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8
7. The Bible defines it’s own terms and concepts. GC 173
8. When studying the Bible any text that you do not understand is to be compared with all other similar verses to allow the Bible to answer the question at hand. GC 320
9. All the books of the Bible meet and end in Revelation. AA 585
10. Jesus is the central subject of the Bible and prophecy. John 16:7-14; PP 367
11. Israel in the Bible is to be understood today as referring to the Christian church. I Peter 2:2-9; Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 2;12,19; Hebrews 12:22; PP 447. See Israel.
12. The Bible is to be first understood literally unless some symbol is used in a prophetic setting. GC 599, 320
13. All Bible stories are to be first understood literally and then can be assessed for type and antitype application. CO
14. It is our duty to learn from the Bible what is truth and duty and then to seek to come into harmony with that truth through His power. II Timothy 2:15; II Timothy 3:15-17; GC 598
15. Each soul is to study the Bible for himself; we are not to obtain truth through the medium of another person’s mind. DA 390
16. All truth, whether in nature or in revelation, is consistent with itself in all its manifestations.” PP 114, GC 319
17. The truths in the Bible are generally scattered throughout the Bible and must be studied by comparing all texts, and concepts, until you get the whole picture. Isaiah 28:9-10, 13
Birds – God uses bird in a more spiritual symbolic way for peoples than the word fowl. CO
A symbol of groups of people. Hosea 11:5-12
Babylon is a symbol of a habitation of devils, a hold for every foul spirit, and a cage for every uncleand and hateful bird. Revelation 18:2
False Christians and false prophets. Jeremiah 5:25-31
Heritage of God is like a taloned bird. Jeremiah 12:9
Metaphor to use to escape the captors snare. Psalms 124:7
Nation, or church, from the east. Isaiah 46:11
Sinful men caught in evil. Proverbs 7:1-27 (v. 23); Ecclesiastes 9:12; Daniel 4:33
Souls of God’s kingdom. Matthew 13:31-32
Used for sacrificial cleansing of the air from leprosy. Leviticus 14:6-7,51-53
See cage of birds.
See fowl.
Birth, New- “The new birth consists in having new motives, new tastes, new tendencies.” R&H April 12, 1892
Birth, New- The power of the Holy Spirit transforms the entire man. This change constitutes the new birth.” 2 SP 128
Bitterness – A foolish son. Proverbs 17:25
Affliction of Israel. II Kings 14:26
Association with the strange woman. Proverbs 5:3-4
Babylon. Habakkuk 1:6
Bitter words. Psalms 64:3
Envying and strife in your heart. James 3:14
Israel’s false doctrine. Deuteronomy 32:32-33
Moral confusion. Isaiah 5:20
The woman whose heart is a snare and nets. Ecclesiastes 7:26
Wickedness, backsliding, and forsaking the Lord. Jeremiah 2:19; 4:18
See Gall
Blaspheme - Speaking or doing anything aginst any quality of God. To speak evil, or falsely, of a person or a thing.
David and Bathsheba's sin gave occasion for the enemies of God to speak evil of God because of David's behavior and relationship to Him. II Samuel 12:1-14
People who are connected to God can blaspheme by not living according to His commandments. They also give God's enemies material to blaspheme God's name. Psalms 74:10,18; Isaiah 52:1- 5; Ezekiel 20:27; 35:1-15
Examples of blasphemy:
By worshipping idols. Isaiah 65:1-7
By disobeying God. Isaiah 65:1-7
By attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Matthew 12:22-32; Mark 3:27-30; Luke 12:10
By dishonoring you master and your poor work give occasion for the name and doctrine of God to be spoken of negatively. I Timothy 6:1
Indiscreet behavior by women, or men, who claim to be Christians. Titus 2:3-5
To claim to be the Son of God, or a son of God, when you are not. John 10:30-36; Matthew 26:63-65; Revelation 2:9
To claim to be able to forgive sins when you cannot, or should not. Matthew 9:1-6; Mark 2:5-12; Luke 5:20-26
To speak falsely about God. II KIngs 19:6-22; Acts 18:5-6; 13:45; Luke 22:63-65
Men in the last days will defile themselves by blaspheming God. II Timothy 3:2; Matthew 15:18-20
The dragon and the beast and the false prophet all blaspheme against God, His name, His tabernacle, and against them that dwell in heaven. Revelation 13:1-6,11; Genesis 3:1-5; 16:13-14; 17:3
Satan's followers blapheme God during the plagues. Revelation 16:9,11,21
God can redeem even the worst blasphemer if they want it. Acts 26:9-11; I Timothy 1:13; Acts 9
Blasphemy- “…to charge God with an evil deed that we have done ourselves.” 3T 136
Blind – A state of physical or spiritual darkness where light is not grasped or welcomed. (John 12:34-50) CO
Negatives re. Blindness:
God makes the blind. Exodus 4:11
You cannot be a priest (I Peter 2:9) if you are blind (Revelation 3:14-17). Leviticus 21:16-23
Any sacrifice, which is blind, is not acceptable to God. Deuteronomy 15:21
If you rebel against God He will send blindness. Deuteronomy 28:15-29
Disbelief and rebellion blinds the eyes. II Corinthians 4:4; Romans 11:7-10; Matthew 15:1-14
Idolatry produces blindness. Isaiah 4:17-20
Taking a bribe produces blindness. Exodus 23:8; I Samuel 12:1-3
Licentious living produces blindness. Ephesians 4:17-19
If you don’t have the promises of God you will be blind. II Peter 1:4-7
Positives re. Blindness:
The words of God’s book open the eyes of the blind. Isaiah 29:18
God’s people are eyes for the blind. Job 29:15; Isaiah 42:5-7; Matthew 11:1-6; Luke 4:16-30; Luke 7:19-23; II Kings 6:8-23
He that loves his brother abides in light and is not blind. I John 2:10; Galatians 5:14 & 6:2
Jesus is the light of the world and removes blindness. John 12:34-50
If you accept the promises of God you will have sight and not be blind. II Peter 1:4-7
See Harden
Blind- “The anxious, burdened seekers for worldly gain are blind and insane.” 3T 250
Blindness - "It is not God that blinds the eyes of men or hardens their hearts. He sends them light to correct their errors, and to lead them in safe paths; it is by the rejection of this light that the eyes are blinded and the heart hardened. Often the process is gradual, and almost imperceptible. Light comes to the soul through God's word, through His servants, or by the direct agency of His Spirit; but when one ray of light is disregarded, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned. So the darkness increases, until it is night in the soul. Thus it had been with these Jewish leaders. They were convinced that a divine power attended Christ, but in order to resist the truth, they attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. In doing this they deliberately chose deception; they yielded themselves to Satan, and henceforth they were controlled by His power." DA 322-323
Blossoms- “Faith, patience, forbearance, heavenly-mindedness, trust in your wise, heavenly Father, are the perfect blossoms which mature amidst clouds and disappointments and bereavements.” 7 BC 934
Blot - out - A word in Hebrew that can mean to rub, to erase, to smooth, abolish, blot out, to wipe away. In Greek the word means to smear out, obliterate, and to wipe away. The way the Bible uses the word conveys the idea of removing a record of something. In the Bible the thought focuses on the idea of our sins being blotted out of the record books, our sins being blotted out, or our names being blotted out of the book of life. CO
Moses requests to be blotted out if Israel cannot be forgiven and God says that He will blot out whosoever has sinned against Him. Exodus 32:32-33
God will blot out the remembrance of the evil. Deuteronomy 25:19; 29:20; II Kings 14:27
God desires to blot out the record of transgressions. Isaiah 44:22; 43:25; Acts 3:19; Colossians 2:14; Psalms 51:1,9
The righteous ask God not to blot out the transgressions of the wicked to remember their iniquities, to not cover their sins, let justice be served. Exodus 32:33; Jeremiah 18:23; Nehemiah 4:5; Psalms 69:28; 109:13-14
Jesus states that He that overcometh will not be blotted out of the book of life. Revelation 3:5
See Books.
Body – The church is the body of Christ. Colossians 1:18-24
Bondage- “Ruled by the spirit of evil” DA 466
Book - A device to communicate information or instruction and also to be a testimony about the opportunity to learn select information. CO
Book of Daniel. Daniel 12:4
Command to proclaim to the world. Revelation 10
Lion of tribe of Judah opens. Revelation 5
Sealed until the time of the end. Daniel 12:4
Book of death. EW 52,291, GC 661
Book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 2:6-3:27
Book of Gad the seer. I Chronicles 29:29
Book of Iddo the seer. II Chronicles 9:29
Book of Isaiah. Isaiah 30:8-17
Book of Jasher. II Samuel 1:18; Joshua 10:13
Book of Jehu the son of Hanani. II Chronicles 20:34
Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 25:1-14; 36
Book of Life. Philippians 4:3
Adding to or taking away from prophecy will cause blotting out of your name. Revelation 22:18-19
He who overcomes will not be blotted out of. Revelation 3:5
If not recorded in will be cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12-15