The facts just stated are well illustrated by the following circumstances.  A few years ago a brother in the ministry went into a certain town to find a place to conduct a series of holiness meetings.  He was directed by a Presbyterian lady to their pastor, who, she said, was a believer in the doctrine of holiness.  When he called on the minister and made known his errand, the first question asked him was this, “Are you a member of the Presbyterian church?” The brother answered in the negative.  He did not have the name of the beast.  The next question that greeted him was this, “Do you believe the Westminster Confession of Faith to be orthodox?” He answered, “No, sir.”  He did not have the mark of the beast.  The last question asked was, “Do you belong to any of the various orthodox Protestant denominations?” The brother said, “No.”  He did not have the number of his name.  The answer was, “You can not have our house.”

While on a missionary trip in the Near East, the writer, in company with another brother, attended a Seventh-Day Adventist service in Bucharest, Roumania.  After the sermon another brother requested that we be given the opportunity to speak a little, but the request was absolutely refused.  It was explained that we would say nothing against them or their work but only speak about salvation; but we were not permitted even to testify in a few words.  The difficulty was that we did not have either the “mark of the beast” or its “name.”

CHAPTER XIV.

    And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with
    him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name
    written in their foreheads.

    2.  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters,
    and as the voice of a great thunder:  and I heard the voice of
    harpers harping with their harps: 

3.  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders:  and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

4.  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.  These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.  These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

    5.  And in their mouth was found no guile:  for they are without
    fault before the throne of God.

There is no difficulty in identifying this company on Mount Sion as the true people of God in marked contrast with the worshipers of all corrupt and false religion.  As to the chronology of the event, it is evident that we have here a continuation of the same series of prophecy beginning with the apostolic period in chapter XII, describing alternately the true church and the false church.

At the beginning of this series the true church, symbolized by the star-crowned woman, fled into the wilderness and was there lost to view; while the leopard beast and the two-horned beast of chapter XIII, symbolizing the two leading forms of organized Christianity, were brought into prominent view.  It is therefore fitting that the true church should again appear and be given her proper position and work in the world before the end of all earthly things.