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To be born again means to receive the gift of Jesus’ divine nature. (In the Scriptures, this nature is variously called life, power, seed or spirit.) How can we receive this new nature? "As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:3,4.
Unless we are "eating" the Word of God, through Bible study and prayer, can we have Jesus’ life (or nature) abiding in us? "Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.’ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." John 6:53,63.
When we are born again, what must happen to the sinful habits in our life? "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." Romans 6:4-6.
What is sin? "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." 1 John 3:4.
How will God know that we have been born again? By what standard will He judge us on the Day of Judgment? "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do no murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:10-12.
When Jesus gives us anew
beginning (new birth) by imparting to us His Spirit (or nature), what does He write on our hearts? "’For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ says the LORD: ‘I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’" Hebrews 8:10.
What motive should prompt us to keep God’s law? "If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15.
Are God’s commandments burdensome to those who are truly born again? "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world¾ our faith." 1 John 5:3,4.
Why will many that think they are born again be disappointed on the day of judgment? "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.
How does the Bible summarize the answer to our question, "By what standard will we be judged on the Day of Judgment?" "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
Who will be admitted into heaven? "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14.
Is it your desire to be among this group of people who have surrendered their sins and evil natures to Him (1 John 3:5) and allowed Him to write His laws on their hearts (Hebrews 8:10)? God’s requirements are plain and unequivocal. We will be judged according to God’s law, for our works show whether we have been born again (1 John 2:29). "Let no one deceive you" on this point (1 John 3:6,7). He is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:. His standard is the same as it was in the Garden of Eden, at Sinai, and in Paul’s day, it never changes.
But just as His standard is forever the same, so are His mercy and love and power to save. He can change your heart. He can change your life (Hebrews 7:25). Do you desire Jesus to give you that new-birth experience, which involves a total, growing change of character, habits and thinking? "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." Hebrews 3:15. Today is the day of probation. Today is the day of salvation.
THE SABBATH, A SIGN OF ALLEGIANCE TO GOD
How is the "man of sin" (sometimes called the "Beast" power in Scripture) described by Paul? "Let no one deceive you by any means, for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called god or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God . . . And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming." 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 8.
The people who receive the mark of the Beast (unknowingly, of course) will actually think they are saved through faith in Jesus and will be astounded to find, too late, that they are lost! How did Jesus describe these professed Christians in the last days that follow the "lawless" Beast power? "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.
How many commandments may we disregard without being considered "lawless" by God? "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:10-12.
What commandment in God’s law do most Christians disregard? "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God." Exodus 20:8-10.
When does the biblical Sabbath begin and end? "From evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath." Leviticus 23:32.
What day does Jesus claim as His day, the Lord’s day? "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." Mark 2:27,28.
What right does Jesus have to claim a day as His? "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible." Colossians 1:16.
When did Jesus make the Sabbath? "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which he had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it." Genesis 2:1-3.
How did Jesus relate to the Sabbath when He was on earth? "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read." Luke 4:16.
On what day did Paul, long after the crucifixion, worship with both the Jews and Gentiles? "So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of god." Acts 13:42-44.
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures." Acts 17:1,2.
"And he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks . . . And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." Acts 18:4,11.
Was this Paul’s custom? "Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures." Acts 17:2.
On what day did John, the last apostle, have a vision while in exile? "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day." Revelation 1:10.
The Bible describes a people who will repair the broken-down law of God that has been trampled on for many generations. What commandment is it? "Those from among you shall build up the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the repairer of the breach. The restorer of streets to dwell in. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord." Isaiah 58:12-14.
On what day will the redeemed worship God in the new earth? "’For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘so shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the Lord." Isaiah 66:22,23.
While all the commandments show our allegiance, which one is a special sign of allegiance that we may know we are truly following God, as His people, and that He is our God? "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20.
Unless we are "eating" the Word of God, through Bible study and prayer, can we have Jesus’ life (or nature) abiding in us? "Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.’ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." John 6:53,63.
When we are born again, what must happen to the sinful habits in our life? "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." Romans 6:4-6.
What is sin? "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." 1 John 3:4.
How will God know that we have been born again? By what standard will He judge us on the Day of Judgment? "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do no murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:10-12.
When Jesus gives us anew
What motive should prompt us to keep God’s law? "If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15.
Are God’s commandments burdensome to those who are truly born again? "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world¾ our faith." 1 John 5:3,4.
Why will many that think they are born again be disappointed on the day of judgment? "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.
How does the Bible summarize the answer to our question, "By what standard will we be judged on the Day of Judgment?" "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
Who will be admitted into heaven? "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14.
Is it your desire to be among this group of people who have surrendered their sins and evil natures to Him (1 John 3:5) and allowed Him to write His laws on their hearts (Hebrews 8:10)? God’s requirements are plain and unequivocal. We will be judged according to God’s law, for our works show whether we have been born again (1 John 2:29). "Let no one deceive you" on this point (1 John 3:6,7). He is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:. His standard is the same as it was in the Garden of Eden, at Sinai, and in Paul’s day, it never changes.
But just as His standard is forever the same, so are His mercy and love and power to save. He can change your heart. He can change your life (Hebrews 7:25). Do you desire Jesus to give you that new-birth experience, which involves a total, growing change of character, habits and thinking? "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." Hebrews 3:15. Today is the day of probation. Today is the day of salvation.
THE SABBATH, A SIGN OF ALLEGIANCE TO GOD
How is the "man of sin" (sometimes called the "Beast" power in Scripture) described by Paul? "Let no one deceive you by any means, for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called god or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God . . . And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming." 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 8.
The people who receive the mark of the Beast (unknowingly, of course) will actually think they are saved through faith in Jesus and will be astounded to find, too late, that they are lost! How did Jesus describe these professed Christians in the last days that follow the "lawless" Beast power? "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.
How many commandments may we disregard without being considered "lawless" by God? "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:10-12.
What commandment in God’s law do most Christians disregard? "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God." Exodus 20:8-10.
When does the biblical Sabbath begin and end? "From evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath." Leviticus 23:32.
What day does Jesus claim as His day, the Lord’s day? "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." Mark 2:27,28.
What right does Jesus have to claim a day as His? "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible." Colossians 1:16.
When did Jesus make the Sabbath? "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which he had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it." Genesis 2:1-3.
How did Jesus relate to the Sabbath when He was on earth? "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read." Luke 4:16.
On what day did Paul, long after the crucifixion, worship with both the Jews and Gentiles? "So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of god." Acts 13:42-44.
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures." Acts 17:1,2.
"And he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks . . . And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." Acts 18:4,11.
Was this Paul’s custom? "Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures." Acts 17:2.
On what day did John, the last apostle, have a vision while in exile? "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day." Revelation 1:10.
The Bible describes a people who will repair the broken-down law of God that has been trampled on for many generations. What commandment is it? "Those from among you shall build up the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the repairer of the breach. The restorer of streets to dwell in. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord." Isaiah 58:12-14.
On what day will the redeemed worship God in the new earth? "’For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘so shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the Lord." Isaiah 66:22,23.
While all the commandments show our allegiance, which one is a special sign of allegiance that we may know we are truly following God, as His people, and that He is our God? "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20.
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you have clearly shown that you will not hesitate to condemn and slander either which does not please God so IF you truly want answers for the sake of understanding and not slandering or trying to prove you are somehow more righteous with your interpretation of scripture, than you will genuinely read the study I am presenting you and I have many more as well 
P
THE MARK OF DISOBEDIENCE
What sign, or mark, reveals allegiance to God? "Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always . . . Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess . . . Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." Deuteronomy 11:1,8,18.
People look at outward marks, but where does God look? "For a man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b.
Everyone will one day receive a mark. What mark will God’s people receive? "Then I looked, and behold, a lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, have His Father’s name written on their foreheads." Revelation 14:1.
Anciently a name represented one’s character. God wants to write His name¾ or character¾ in us. God’s character is described in His law. Where will God’s character, or law, be written? Will this writing be visible to mankind? "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." Hebrews 10:16.
Which one of God’s laws especially identifies God’s people, marking them as those who accept His authority? "Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them . . . Hallow My Sabbath, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:12,20.
Will the Beast power acknowledge God’s authority? "Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
What will the Beast boast that he can do to God’s law? "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand." Daniel 7:25.
What is it that identifies and marks the Beast power? "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition . . . For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders." 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 7-9.
When Jesus comes, all will have accepted God’s mark or the Beast’s mark. How are those who have received the mark of the Beast described? "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.
How are those who receive God’s mark (Revelation 14:1) described? "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.
What will Satan do to those who refuse to receive the mark of the Beast’s authority by keeping Sunday? "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17.
How will Satan make war with them? "And 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.
In 321 A.D. the Roman Emperor Constantine passed the first Sunday law forcing all men, pagans and Christians, to worship on Sunday.
The Roman Emperor Constantine passed the first Sunday law forcing Christians and pagans to worship on the same day. "All judges and city people and the craftsmen shall rest upon The Venerable Day of the Sun." History of the Christian Church states, "Constantine reverenced all the gods as mysterious powers, especially Apollo, the god of the sun."
Pagan Rome then changed to Papal Rome which embraced the same idea of Sunday worship.
The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine states: "Q. Which is the Sabbath day? A. Saturday is the Sabbath day. Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." "Sunday is our mark of authority. The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact." The Catholic Record, London Ontario, Sept. 1, 1923. "The observance of Sunday by Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] church." Monsignor Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, 213
The Bible mentions this religious/political power that would attempt to change the law of God.
"He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law…." Daniel 7:25. The pope is said to claim to be God on earth and have the power to forgive sins. For 1260 years, from 538 A.D. when the papacy took over Rome, to 1798 A.D. when the pope was imprisoned, 50-100 million faithful Christians where burned at the stake, tortured, and beaten to death for refusing to follow the papacy. The papacy changed God's Ten Commandment Law. "For that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thes. 2:3,4. Also read Rev. 13 and 17.
While God’s followers receive God’s name in their foreheads, the Beast’s followers receive the Beast’s name (his character of lawlessness), signified by a number. What is the number of the Beast? "Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666." Revelation 13:18. The official title of the pope is VICARIUS FILII DEI. When you add up the Roman numeral equivalents to each letter in his title, it adds up to 666.
What warning has God given against receiving the mark of the Beast? "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ " Revelation 14:9-11.
GOD SAYS THAT THE SABBATH MARKS HIS PEOPLE AS HIS, , and that the Beast would make war on them. The Beast is that "lawless" one who would try to "change" God’s law; specifically the law involving "times"-i.e., the Sabbath. Thus, when Sunday-keeping is enforced by law it will constitute the mark of the Beast. "You are that one’s slaves whom you obey." Romans 6:16. Today God is calling us to receive His mark (or seal). Will you acknowledge His authority by keeping His Sabbath?
What sign, or mark, reveals allegiance to God? "Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always . . . Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess . . . Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." Deuteronomy 11:1,8,18.
People look at outward marks, but where does God look? "For a man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b.
Everyone will one day receive a mark. What mark will God’s people receive? "Then I looked, and behold, a lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, have His Father’s name written on their foreheads." Revelation 14:1.
Anciently a name represented one’s character. God wants to write His name¾ or character¾ in us. God’s character is described in His law. Where will God’s character, or law, be written? Will this writing be visible to mankind? "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." Hebrews 10:16.
Which one of God’s laws especially identifies God’s people, marking them as those who accept His authority? "Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them . . . Hallow My Sabbath, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:12,20.
Will the Beast power acknowledge God’s authority? "Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
What will the Beast boast that he can do to God’s law? "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand." Daniel 7:25.
What is it that identifies and marks the Beast power? "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition . . . For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders." 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 7-9.
When Jesus comes, all will have accepted God’s mark or the Beast’s mark. How are those who have received the mark of the Beast described? "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.
How are those who receive God’s mark (Revelation 14:1) described? "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.
What will Satan do to those who refuse to receive the mark of the Beast’s authority by keeping Sunday? "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17.
How will Satan make war with them? "And 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.
In 321 A.D. the Roman Emperor Constantine passed the first Sunday law forcing all men, pagans and Christians, to worship on Sunday.
The Roman Emperor Constantine passed the first Sunday law forcing Christians and pagans to worship on the same day. "All judges and city people and the craftsmen shall rest upon The Venerable Day of the Sun." History of the Christian Church states, "Constantine reverenced all the gods as mysterious powers, especially Apollo, the god of the sun."
Pagan Rome then changed to Papal Rome which embraced the same idea of Sunday worship.
The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine states: "Q. Which is the Sabbath day? A. Saturday is the Sabbath day. Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." "Sunday is our mark of authority. The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact." The Catholic Record, London Ontario, Sept. 1, 1923. "The observance of Sunday by Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] church." Monsignor Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, 213
The Bible mentions this religious/political power that would attempt to change the law of God.
"He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law…." Daniel 7:25. The pope is said to claim to be God on earth and have the power to forgive sins. For 1260 years, from 538 A.D. when the papacy took over Rome, to 1798 A.D. when the pope was imprisoned, 50-100 million faithful Christians where burned at the stake, tortured, and beaten to death for refusing to follow the papacy. The papacy changed God's Ten Commandment Law. "For that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thes. 2:3,4. Also read Rev. 13 and 17.
While God’s followers receive God’s name in their foreheads, the Beast’s followers receive the Beast’s name (his character of lawlessness), signified by a number. What is the number of the Beast? "Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666." Revelation 13:18. The official title of the pope is VICARIUS FILII DEI. When you add up the Roman numeral equivalents to each letter in his title, it adds up to 666.
What warning has God given against receiving the mark of the Beast? "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ " Revelation 14:9-11.
GOD SAYS THAT THE SABBATH MARKS HIS PEOPLE AS HIS, , and that the Beast would make war on them. The Beast is that "lawless" one who would try to "change" God’s law; specifically the law involving "times"-i.e., the Sabbath. Thus, when Sunday-keeping is enforced by law it will constitute the mark of the Beast. "You are that one’s slaves whom you obey." Romans 6:16. Today God is calling us to receive His mark (or seal). Will you acknowledge His authority by keeping His Sabbath?
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BIBLE FACTS CONCERNING THE SEVENTH DAY
After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, the great God rested on the seventh day, blessed and sanctified it. (See Genesis 2:1-3.)
It was made before the fall; hence it is not a type, for types were not instituted until after the fall of man.
Jesus says it "was made for man" Mark 2:27; that is for the race as the word man is here unlimited; hence for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
It is a memorial of Creation. (See Exodus 20:11; 31:17.) Every time we rest upon the seventh day as God did at Creation, we commemorate the grand event.
It is not a Jewish institution, for it was made 2300 years before there was a Jew.
The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath, but always "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Men should be cautious how they stigmatize God’s holy rest day.
It was part of God’s law before Sinai. (See Exodus 16:4, 27-29.)
God placed it in the heart of His moral law. (See Exodus 20:1-17.)
The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by the voice of the living God. (See Deuteronomy 4:12,13.)
He wrote the commandment with His own finger. (See Exodus 31:18.)
He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature. (See Deuteronomy 5:22.)
It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the Holy of Holies. (See Deuteronomy 10:1-5.)
God forbade work upon the Sabbath even in the most hurrying times. (See Exodus 34:21.)
God destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Sabbath. (See Ezekiel 20:20.)
It is the sign of the true God, by which we are to know Him from false gods. (See Ezekiel 20:20.)
God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who keep it. (See Isaiah 56:6,7.)
This blessing is in the prophecy that refers wholly to the Christian dispensation. (See Isaiah 56.)
God has promised to bless every man who keeps the Sabbath. (See Isaiah 56:2.)
The Lord requires us to call it "honorable." (Isaiah 58:13.) Beware, ye who take delight in calling it the "old Jewish Sabbath," "a yoke of bondage," etc.
After the holy Sabbath has been trodden down for "many generations," it is to be restored in the last days. (See Isaiah 58:12,13.)
All the holy prophets kept the seventh day.
When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life. (See Luke 4:16, John 15:10.)
The seventh day is the Lord’s day. (Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13; Exodus 20:10.)
Jesus was the "Lord of the Sabbath." Mark 2:28.
He vindicated the Sabbath as a merciful institution designed for man’s good. (See Mark 2:23-28.)
The pious women who had been with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day after His death. (See Luke 23:56.)
Thirty years after Christ’s resurrection, the Holy Spirit expressly calls it "the Sabbath day." (See "Acts 13:14.)
Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, called it "the Sabbath day" in A.D. 45. (See Acts 13:27.) Did not Paul know? Or shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ?
Luke, the inspired Christian historian, writing as late as A.D. 62,
calls it "the Sabbath day." Acts 13:14.
The Gentile converts called it the Sabbath. (See Acts 13:42.)
In the great Christian council in A.D. 52, in the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James called it the "Sabbath." (See Acts 15:21.)
It was Paul’s custom to preach upon that day. (See Acts 17:2.)
The book of Acts alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day. (See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4, 11.)
There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Sabbath day. This fact is proof that the Christians still observed the same day that the Jews did.
In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Sabbath day. Why not if he did not keep it?
But Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law. "Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended in any thing at all." Acts 25:8. How could this be true if he had not kept the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament 59 times and always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Old Testament, "the Sabbath day."
Not a word is said anywhere in the New Testament about the Sabbath’s being changed, done away with or anything of the kind.
God has never given permission to any man to work on the Sabbath. Friend, by what authority do you use the seventh day for common labor?
As the Sabbath was kept in Eden before the Fall, so it will be observed eternally in the new earth after the resurrection. (See Isaiah 66:22, 23.)
HOW TO KEEP THE SABBATH
What are we to remember to do on the Sabbath day? "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8.
What makes the Sabbath day holy? "Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:11.
What is it that makes something holy? God’s presence in it. (See Exodus 3:5; 29:43-46; Joshua 5:13-15.) "In order to keep the Sabbath day holy, men must themselves be holy" Desire of Ages, 283. We must have God’s presence within.
When, according to the Bible, does a day begin? "And the evening and the morning were the first day." "And the evening and the morning were the second day." Genesis 1:5, 8, "For even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." Leviticus 23:32. (Evening signified sunset.) a MEMORIAL OF CREATION AND WHO WE WORSHIP AS CREATOR
When are we to do our own work? "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work." Exodus 20:9. NOTE: All through the week the keeping holy of the Sabbath day is to be remembered. No business plans or contracts are to be made which will interfere with keeping the Sabbath holy. The Sabbath commandment includes more than merely keeping one day holy, but encompasses holy living throughout the week. The commandment should be obeyed throughout the week and the Sabbath kept when it comes.
How does the Lord indicate whose work we are to do on the Sabbath? "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honorable; and shall honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." Isaiah 58:13, 14. NOTE: Whether the Sabbath becomes a delight or a burden depends upon the spirit with which a man
meets it. Indeed
, the spirit of the man settles the question as to the benefits to come from any duty he may perform. It should be noted that the Sabbath is not to be a day of inactivity, but we are to do God’s work on the Sabbath and our work during the rest of the week.
What is the Sabbath a sign of? "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20.
What does the "psalm for the Sabbath day" suggest as proper acts and themes for thought and meditation on the Sabbath? "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: to shew forth Thy loving-kindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp
with a solemn sound. For Thou, Lord, has made me glad through Thy work." Psalm 92:1-4.
What do the works of God declare? "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard." Psalm 19:1-3. NOTE: God designed that the Sabbath should direct the minds of men to His created works, and through these to Him as the Creator. Nature itself speaks to our senses, telling us that there is a God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. The Sabbath, ever pointing to God through nature, was designed to keep the Creator constantly in mind.
Was the Sabbath designed to be a day for public worship? "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation." Leviticus 23:3. NOTE: It was Christ’s practice to worship at the synagogue (or church) every Sabbath. (See Luke 4:16.)
Besides attending church, what else did Jesus do on the Sabbath? "And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes." John 9:14. NOTE: Acts of mercy are proper on the Sabbath, for this is God’s work. Many of Jesus’ miracles were performed on the Sabbath.
After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, the great God rested on the seventh day, blessed and sanctified it. (See Genesis 2:1-3.)
It was made before the fall; hence it is not a type, for types were not instituted until after the fall of man.
Jesus says it "was made for man" Mark 2:27; that is for the race as the word man is here unlimited; hence for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
It is a memorial of Creation. (See Exodus 20:11; 31:17.) Every time we rest upon the seventh day as God did at Creation, we commemorate the grand event.
It is not a Jewish institution, for it was made 2300 years before there was a Jew.
The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath, but always "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Men should be cautious how they stigmatize God’s holy rest day.
It was part of God’s law before Sinai. (See Exodus 16:4, 27-29.)
God placed it in the heart of His moral law. (See Exodus 20:1-17.)
The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by the voice of the living God. (See Deuteronomy 4:12,13.)
He wrote the commandment with His own finger. (See Exodus 31:18.)
He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature. (See Deuteronomy 5:22.)
It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the Holy of Holies. (See Deuteronomy 10:1-5.)
God forbade work upon the Sabbath even in the most hurrying times. (See Exodus 34:21.)
God destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Sabbath. (See Ezekiel 20:20.)
It is the sign of the true God, by which we are to know Him from false gods. (See Ezekiel 20:20.)
God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who keep it. (See Isaiah 56:6,7.)
This blessing is in the prophecy that refers wholly to the Christian dispensation. (See Isaiah 56.)
God has promised to bless every man who keeps the Sabbath. (See Isaiah 56:2.)
The Lord requires us to call it "honorable." (Isaiah 58:13.) Beware, ye who take delight in calling it the "old Jewish Sabbath," "a yoke of bondage," etc.
After the holy Sabbath has been trodden down for "many generations," it is to be restored in the last days. (See Isaiah 58:12,13.)
All the holy prophets kept the seventh day.
When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life. (See Luke 4:16, John 15:10.)
The seventh day is the Lord’s day. (Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13; Exodus 20:10.)
Jesus was the "Lord of the Sabbath." Mark 2:28.
He vindicated the Sabbath as a merciful institution designed for man’s good. (See Mark 2:23-28.)
The pious women who had been with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day after His death. (See Luke 23:56.)
Thirty years after Christ’s resurrection, the Holy Spirit expressly calls it "the Sabbath day." (See "Acts 13:14.)
Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, called it "the Sabbath day" in A.D. 45. (See Acts 13:27.) Did not Paul know? Or shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ?
Luke, the inspired Christian historian, writing as late as A.D. 62,
calls it "the Sabbath day." Acts 13:14.
The Gentile converts called it the Sabbath. (See Acts 13:42.)
In the great Christian council in A.D. 52, in the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James called it the "Sabbath." (See Acts 15:21.)
It was Paul’s custom to preach upon that day. (See Acts 17:2.)
The book of Acts alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day. (See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4, 11.)
There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Sabbath day. This fact is proof that the Christians still observed the same day that the Jews did.
In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Sabbath day. Why not if he did not keep it?
But Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law. "Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended in any thing at all." Acts 25:8. How could this be true if he had not kept the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament 59 times and always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Old Testament, "the Sabbath day."
Not a word is said anywhere in the New Testament about the Sabbath’s being changed, done away with or anything of the kind.
God has never given permission to any man to work on the Sabbath. Friend, by what authority do you use the seventh day for common labor?
As the Sabbath was kept in Eden before the Fall, so it will be observed eternally in the new earth after the resurrection. (See Isaiah 66:22, 23.)
HOW TO KEEP THE SABBATH
What are we to remember to do on the Sabbath day? "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8.
What makes the Sabbath day holy? "Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:11.
What is it that makes something holy? God’s presence in it. (See Exodus 3:5; 29:43-46; Joshua 5:13-15.) "In order to keep the Sabbath day holy, men must themselves be holy" Desire of Ages, 283. We must have God’s presence within.
When, according to the Bible, does a day begin? "And the evening and the morning were the first day." "And the evening and the morning were the second day." Genesis 1:5, 8, "For even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." Leviticus 23:32. (Evening signified sunset.) a MEMORIAL OF CREATION AND WHO WE WORSHIP AS CREATOR
When are we to do our own work? "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work." Exodus 20:9. NOTE: All through the week the keeping holy of the Sabbath day is to be remembered. No business plans or contracts are to be made which will interfere with keeping the Sabbath holy. The Sabbath commandment includes more than merely keeping one day holy, but encompasses holy living throughout the week. The commandment should be obeyed throughout the week and the Sabbath kept when it comes.
How does the Lord indicate whose work we are to do on the Sabbath? "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honorable; and shall honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." Isaiah 58:13, 14. NOTE: Whether the Sabbath becomes a delight or a burden depends upon the spirit with which a man
meets it. Indeed
What is the Sabbath a sign of? "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20.
What does the "psalm for the Sabbath day" suggest as proper acts and themes for thought and meditation on the Sabbath? "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: to shew forth Thy loving-kindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp
What do the works of God declare? "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard." Psalm 19:1-3. NOTE: God designed that the Sabbath should direct the minds of men to His created works, and through these to Him as the Creator. Nature itself speaks to our senses, telling us that there is a God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. The Sabbath, ever pointing to God through nature, was designed to keep the Creator constantly in mind.
Was the Sabbath designed to be a day for public worship? "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation." Leviticus 23:3. NOTE: It was Christ’s practice to worship at the synagogue (or church) every Sabbath. (See Luke 4:16.)
Besides attending church, what else did Jesus do on the Sabbath? "And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes." John 9:14. NOTE: Acts of mercy are proper on the Sabbath, for this is God’s work. Many of Jesus’ miracles were performed on the Sabbath.
P
What day is especially indicated as the day to prepare for the Sabbath? "And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man." Exodus 16:22. NOTE: The Sabbath should not be a day of either ordinary labor, idleness or amusement, but one of rest, reflection, holy joy, worship and helpfulness. It should be the happiest, the brightest and the best of all the week. Such it should be made for young and old. Very early the children can be taught the stories of creation and redemption, and taken with Him through nature. Preparation for the Sabbath, therefore, is an essential to its proper observance. God’s blessing is upon the first moments of the Sabbath as well as upon the last; and, as far as possible, everything should be made ready so that the entire day may be devoted to God and humanity.
In the new Covenant, where does God want the Sabbath commandment to be written? "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." Hebrews 10:16.
THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT
Isn’t it interesting that the only part of the Bible specifically written by God’s own hand, His Law, is the part man wants to do away with? And isn’t it interesting that the only part of that Law they say is for the Jew only, is the one commandment that states it was for the "stranger," too? And isn’t it interesting that the only one of the commandments that specifically states it was instituted at Creation, long before sin or Jews or ceremonies? And isn’t it interesting that the only commandment man wants to forget is the one God specifically says to "remember?"
The Sabbath commandment is God’s official seal of authority: It contains the three essential elements of any official seal or mark. It contains His name ("The Lord your God" ), title and authority ("Creator" ) and domain ("heaven and earth" ). The fourth commandment has been especially designated to be a sign or mark of loyalty to God. "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20.
A MESSAGE FOR TODAY
The Bible says that a Man of Sin would arise who would seek to change God’s law, and that a period of time would be given for him to reign. But before Jesus comes again He will once more have a faithful people ready for Him to come, who will be identified as "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12. In the days of ignorance when truth has been hidden and unperceived, God says He overlooks transgression, but now He "commands all man everywhere to repent." Acts 17:30. Before the Second Coming, the Bible assures us that this everlasting Gospel, which includes the worship of the Creator as found in the fourth commandment, will once again go to all the people of the world.
"Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth¾ to every nation, tribe, tongue and people Saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Revelation 14:6, 7.
This is the message that is going forth to the world today to prevent those who will heed its message from receiving the Mark of the Beast.
Today there is a testing truth to show whether we truly believe what God says or not. Some people want to know, "What’s the difference which day I keep?" And that’s just the point. If the days are the same anyway, why not keep the one God said to? If we keep a day, why not God’s day? The only reason we don’t is that someone, the Beast power, has openly set himself up in opposition to God and has established another law. No, we did not initiate the change, but by keeping that day once we realize the change was made, we show our allegiance to that person or power that made the change, and we will eventually receive his mark. (See Romans 6:16.)
Yes, what difference does it make? The difference is that by keeping the Sabbath we are obeying God and showing allegiance to Him. But the other difference is that it is also unpopular. There has always been a cross in following Jesus.
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24.
The Sabbath itself is a great blessing (See Isaiah 58:12-14), but there is a cross in keeping it because it is unpopular. "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep your also." John 15:18-20.
It is no more popular to follow Jesus today than when He was here on earth. Many people suppose that if they were alive when Jesus was here, they would have gladly followed Him, but the truth is just as plain today as it was then. We can know whether we would have followed then by whether we follow Him now. The choice is ours.
"Now by this we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."
Friend, I have simply presented what I believe from the Word of God (in this lesson). I have tried not to present my interpretation. I have not presented some church doctrine or creed. But these statements are from the Word of God. I urge you to search out the truth. If what I have presented is wrong, don’t follow it. You will be none the worse for searching it out. But if the Holy Spirit convicts you in the reading of the Word, then follow Him. I don’t have any followers. What I want is for each one of us to be followers of God.
I believe that most of you desire to follow God. That is why you are students of the Word¾ that is why you are studying. Though I believe in the Sabbath and try, by God’s grace, to keep it, that does not earn me "merit points" or secure my salvation. What really counts is how much we love and trust Jesus. Is Jesus abiding in our hearts? All God wants is for us to follow Him step by step.
Jesus put it simply, "If you love me, keep my commandments."
In the new Covenant, where does God want the Sabbath commandment to be written? "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." Hebrews 10:16.
THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMANDMENT
Isn’t it interesting that the only part of the Bible specifically written by God’s own hand, His Law, is the part man wants to do away with? And isn’t it interesting that the only part of that Law they say is for the Jew only, is the one commandment that states it was for the "stranger," too? And isn’t it interesting that the only one of the commandments that specifically states it was instituted at Creation, long before sin or Jews or ceremonies? And isn’t it interesting that the only commandment man wants to forget is the one God specifically says to "remember?"
The Sabbath commandment is God’s official seal of authority: It contains the three essential elements of any official seal or mark. It contains His name ("The Lord your God" ), title and authority ("Creator" ) and domain ("heaven and earth" ). The fourth commandment has been especially designated to be a sign or mark of loyalty to God. "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20.
A MESSAGE FOR TODAY
The Bible says that a Man of Sin would arise who would seek to change God’s law, and that a period of time would be given for him to reign. But before Jesus comes again He will once more have a faithful people ready for Him to come, who will be identified as "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12. In the days of ignorance when truth has been hidden and unperceived, God says He overlooks transgression, but now He "commands all man everywhere to repent." Acts 17:30. Before the Second Coming, the Bible assures us that this everlasting Gospel, which includes the worship of the Creator as found in the fourth commandment, will once again go to all the people of the world.
"Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth¾ to every nation, tribe, tongue and people Saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Revelation 14:6, 7.
This is the message that is going forth to the world today to prevent those who will heed its message from receiving the Mark of the Beast.
Today there is a testing truth to show whether we truly believe what God says or not. Some people want to know, "What’s the difference which day I keep?" And that’s just the point. If the days are the same anyway, why not keep the one God said to? If we keep a day, why not God’s day? The only reason we don’t is that someone, the Beast power, has openly set himself up in opposition to God and has established another law. No, we did not initiate the change, but by keeping that day once we realize the change was made, we show our allegiance to that person or power that made the change, and we will eventually receive his mark. (See Romans 6:16.)
Yes, what difference does it make? The difference is that by keeping the Sabbath we are obeying God and showing allegiance to Him. But the other difference is that it is also unpopular. There has always been a cross in following Jesus.
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24.
The Sabbath itself is a great blessing (See Isaiah 58:12-14), but there is a cross in keeping it because it is unpopular. "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep your also." John 15:18-20.
It is no more popular to follow Jesus today than when He was here on earth. Many people suppose that if they were alive when Jesus was here, they would have gladly followed Him, but the truth is just as plain today as it was then. We can know whether we would have followed then by whether we follow Him now. The choice is ours.
"Now by this we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."
Friend, I have simply presented what I believe from the Word of God (in this lesson). I have tried not to present my interpretation. I have not presented some church doctrine or creed. But these statements are from the Word of God. I urge you to search out the truth. If what I have presented is wrong, don’t follow it. You will be none the worse for searching it out. But if the Holy Spirit convicts you in the reading of the Word, then follow Him. I don’t have any followers. What I want is for each one of us to be followers of God.
I believe that most of you desire to follow God. That is why you are students of the Word¾ that is why you are studying. Though I believe in the Sabbath and try, by God’s grace, to keep it, that does not earn me "merit points" or secure my salvation. What really counts is how much we love and trust Jesus. Is Jesus abiding in our hearts? All God wants is for us to follow Him step by step.
Jesus put it simply, "If you love me, keep my commandments."
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SATAN’S ARGUMENTS AND GOD’S ANSWERS
Today, Satan is coming upon the world as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, by quoting and misapplying Scripture. He quotes it out of context in such a way as to teach error and to lead people away from the law of God. What are his arguments?
Satan’s Argument #1: "You are under grace, not under the law, therefore you can sin and break the law all you want to."
God’s Answer: "Sin is transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4 (NKJV). Does God’s grace permit us to sin and break the law all we want to? "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin [breaking the law], that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer in it . . . What then? Shall we sin [break the law], because we are not under the law, but under grace? Certainly not!" Romans 6:1,2 15.
Because we have all sinned, we are all condemned under the law as guilty. Jesus frees us from this condemnation by grace. Suppose someone is on death row in the state penitentiary for killing a policeman. He is "under the law," (our courts still use the same legal terms as the Bible uses). The governor gives the condemned man grace, and frees him and takes him out from under the law. Does that mean that the law has been abolished? Does it mean that this man under grace can now break the law all he wants to? Can he now go and kill all the policemen he wants to?
God puts us under grace when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Does that mean the law has been done away with now? Does that mean we can sin all we want to now? Does that mean we can now kill and steal and commit adultery? Let Paul answer this question: "Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." Romans 3:31.
Satan’s Argument #2: "Jesus fulfilled the law, thereby doing away with it, so you don’t need to worry about it anymore."
Jesus’ Answer: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17. You also are to fulfill the law by following My example, just as Paul said: "fulfilled in us." Romans 8:2-4.
When you fulfill a prediction, as Jesus did by dying on the cross, the prediction is no longer needed. Jesus fulfilled the sacrifice predictions, which pointed forward to His death. When He died, they were no longer needed. These predictions were part of the ceremonial law of the old-covenant sanctuary. But when you fulfill a moral law, such as "Thou shalt not kill," that has nothing to do with abolishing the law. When you fulfill a marriage vow, does it do away with the marriage? When you give your spouse total fulfillment, does it do away with your spouse? When you fulfill the requirements of the speed-limit law, is the law thereby destroyed?
Satan’s Argument #3: "No one can keep the law of God anyway, so don’t worry about it."
God’s Answer: "Sin is lawlessness, and you know that He [Jesus] was manifested to take away our sins [our lawlessness] . . . Little children, let no one deceive you, he who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins [breaks the law] is of the devil . . . Whoever has been born of God does not sin." 1 John 3:4, 5, 8, 9.
Jesus came down to give us the power to keep the law.
Satan’s Argument #4: "You are now under the new covenant of grace, not the covenant of works, so you don’t have to keep the law anymore."
God’s Answer: "This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." Hebrews 10:16.
Far from making the law non-applicable for us, the new covenant can only be received if we are wiling to keep God’s law. No one who refuses to keep the law of God is under the new covenant. Many people who think they are under the new covenant today are merely under the condemnation of sin.
Satan’s Argument #5: "The letter of the law kills, but the spirit gives life." 2 Corinthians 3:6. Therefore the law is not applicable to us who have the Spirit.
God’s Answer: The reason the law kills is that "all have sinned." All have broken the law. And the wages of sin is death. The reason the Spirit gives life is that it enables us to keep it. As Paul said, "I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died [that is, the law condemned him as a sinner]." "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is . . . not subject to the law of God." Romans 7:9; 8:6, 7.
Satan’s Argument #6: "All you need to keep is Jesus law, not God’s law."
Jesus’ Answer: There is only "One lawgiver" (James 4:12), not two, for "I and My Father are one . . . The words that I speak to you I do not speak to you on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." John 10:30; 14:10.
Satan’s Argument #7: "The law was nailed to the cross."
God’s Answer: "My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips." Psalm 89:34.
There was a law that was nailed to the cross, and that was the law of ordinances, which pointed forward to Jesus. These were Jewish ceremonies, such as circumcision and animal sacrifices, that God gave to them in the old covenant sanctuary service. The Bible says, "He abolished in His flesh . . . the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Ephesians 2:15. But this was not referring to the moral law of God. It is still wrong to worship other gods. It is still wrong to steal. One other point: Besides the ceremonial law there was something else nailed to the cross, and that was our sins along with their penalty. Thus the penalty of the law was nailed to the cross. (The previous "Remember The Sabbath Day" segment taken from the Steps to Life calendar.)
Today, Satan is coming upon the world as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, by quoting and misapplying Scripture. He quotes it out of context in such a way as to teach error and to lead people away from the law of God. What are his arguments?
Satan’s Argument #1: "You are under grace, not under the law, therefore you can sin and break the law all you want to."
God’s Answer: "Sin is transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4 (NKJV). Does God’s grace permit us to sin and break the law all we want to? "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin [breaking the law], that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer in it . . . What then? Shall we sin [break the law], because we are not under the law, but under grace? Certainly not!" Romans 6:1,2 15.
Because we have all sinned, we are all condemned under the law as guilty. Jesus frees us from this condemnation by grace. Suppose someone is on death row in the state penitentiary for killing a policeman. He is "under the law," (our courts still use the same legal terms as the Bible uses). The governor gives the condemned man grace, and frees him and takes him out from under the law. Does that mean that the law has been abolished? Does it mean that this man under grace can now break the law all he wants to? Can he now go and kill all the policemen he wants to?
God puts us under grace when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Does that mean the law has been done away with now? Does that mean we can sin all we want to now? Does that mean we can now kill and steal and commit adultery? Let Paul answer this question: "Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." Romans 3:31.
Satan’s Argument #2: "Jesus fulfilled the law, thereby doing away with it, so you don’t need to worry about it anymore."
Jesus’ Answer: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17. You also are to fulfill the law by following My example, just as Paul said: "fulfilled in us." Romans 8:2-4.
When you fulfill a prediction, as Jesus did by dying on the cross, the prediction is no longer needed. Jesus fulfilled the sacrifice predictions, which pointed forward to His death. When He died, they were no longer needed. These predictions were part of the ceremonial law of the old-covenant sanctuary. But when you fulfill a moral law, such as "Thou shalt not kill," that has nothing to do with abolishing the law. When you fulfill a marriage vow, does it do away with the marriage? When you give your spouse total fulfillment, does it do away with your spouse? When you fulfill the requirements of the speed-limit law, is the law thereby destroyed?
Satan’s Argument #3: "No one can keep the law of God anyway, so don’t worry about it."
God’s Answer: "Sin is lawlessness, and you know that He [Jesus] was manifested to take away our sins [our lawlessness] . . . Little children, let no one deceive you, he who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins [breaks the law] is of the devil . . . Whoever has been born of God does not sin." 1 John 3:4, 5, 8, 9.
Jesus came down to give us the power to keep the law.
Satan’s Argument #4: "You are now under the new covenant of grace, not the covenant of works, so you don’t have to keep the law anymore."
God’s Answer: "This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." Hebrews 10:16.
Far from making the law non-applicable for us, the new covenant can only be received if we are wiling to keep God’s law. No one who refuses to keep the law of God is under the new covenant. Many people who think they are under the new covenant today are merely under the condemnation of sin.
Satan’s Argument #5: "The letter of the law kills, but the spirit gives life." 2 Corinthians 3:6. Therefore the law is not applicable to us who have the Spirit.
God’s Answer: The reason the law kills is that "all have sinned." All have broken the law. And the wages of sin is death. The reason the Spirit gives life is that it enables us to keep it. As Paul said, "I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died [that is, the law condemned him as a sinner]." "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is . . . not subject to the law of God." Romans 7:9; 8:6, 7.
Satan’s Argument #6: "All you need to keep is Jesus law, not God’s law."
Jesus’ Answer: There is only "One lawgiver" (James 4:12), not two, for "I and My Father are one . . . The words that I speak to you I do not speak to you on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." John 10:30; 14:10.
Satan’s Argument #7: "The law was nailed to the cross."
God’s Answer: "My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips." Psalm 89:34.
There was a law that was nailed to the cross, and that was the law of ordinances, which pointed forward to Jesus. These were Jewish ceremonies, such as circumcision and animal sacrifices, that God gave to them in the old covenant sanctuary service. The Bible says, "He abolished in His flesh . . . the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Ephesians 2:15. But this was not referring to the moral law of God. It is still wrong to worship other gods. It is still wrong to steal. One other point: Besides the ceremonial law there was something else nailed to the cross, and that was our sins along with their penalty. Thus the penalty of the law was nailed to the cross. (The previous "Remember The Sabbath Day" segment taken from the Steps to Life calendar.)
P
The Beginning of Joy
"As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes; but the hills and mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps and frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp, ragged edges of earth's rocky framework were buried beneath the fruitful soil, which everywhere produced a luxuriant growth of verdure. The angelic host viewed the scene with delight, and rejoiced at the wonderful works of God.
"After the earth with its teeming animal and vegetable life had been called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator, and the one for whom the beautiful earth had been fitted up, was wrought upon the stage of action. To him was given dominion over all that his eye could behold; for 'God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over...all the earth....So God created man in His own image;...male and female created He them.' Here is clearly set forth the origin of the human race; and the divine record is so plainly stated that there is no occasion for erroneous conclusions. God created man in His own image. Here is no mystery. There is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved by slow degrees of development from the lower forms of animal or vegetable life. Such teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man's narrow, earthly conceptions. Men are so intent upon excluding God from the sovereignty of the universe that they degrade man and defraud him of the dignity of his origin. He who set the starry worlds on high and tinted with delicate skill the flowers of the field, who filled the earth and the heavens with the wonders of His power came to crown His glorious work, to place one in the midst to stand as ruler of the fair earth, did not fail to create a being worthy of the hand that gave him life.
"As man came forth from the hand of his Creator, he was of lofty stature and perfect symmetry. His countenance bore the ruddy tint of health and glowed with the light of life and joy. God Himself gave Adam a companion. He provided 'an help meet for him'--a helper corresponding to him--one who was fitted to be his companion, and who could be one with him in love and sympathy. Eve was created from a rib taken from the side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control him as the head, nor to be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him.
The great Jehovah had laid the foundations of the earth; He had dressed the whole world in the garb of beauty and had filled it with things useful to man; He had created all the wonders of the land and of the sea. In six days the great work of creation had been accomplished. And God 'rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.' God looked with satisfaction upon the work of His hands. All was perfect, worthy of its divine Author, and He rested with the fruits of His wisdom and goodness and the manifestations of His glory.
"After resting upon the seventh day, God sanctified it, or set it apart, as a day of rest for man. Following the example of the Creator, man was to rest upon the heavens and the earth, he might reflect upon God's great work of creation; and that as he should behold the evidences of God's wisdom and goodness, his heart might be filled with love and reverence for his Maker.
In Eden, God set up the memorial of His work of creation, in placing His blessing upon the seventh day. The Sabbath was committed to Adam, the father and representative of the whole human family. Its observance was to be an act of grateful acknowledgment, on the part of all who should dwell upon the earth, that God was their Creator and their rightful Sovereign; that they were the work of His hands and the subjects of His authority. Thus the institution was wholly commemorative, and given to all mankind. There was nothing in it shadowy or of restricted application to any people.
"God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise. He needed to lay aside his own interests and pursuits for one day of the seven, that he might more fully contemplate the works of God and meditate upon His power and goodness.
"He needed a Sabbath to remind him more vividly of God and to awaken gratitude because all that he enjoyed and possessed came from the beneficent hand of the Creator.
God designs that the Sabbath shall direct the minds of men to the contemplation of His created works. Nature speaks to their senses, declaring that there is a living God, the Creator, the Supreme ruler of all. 'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.' Psalm 19:1,2. The beauty that clothes the earth is token of God's love. We may behold it in the everlasting hills, in the lofty trees, in the opening buds, and the delicate flowers. All speak to us of God. The Sabbath, ever pointing to Him who made them all, bids
men open the great book of nature and trace therein the wisdom, the power, and the love of the Creator."
I ask you to read this and study this in depth not with an opposing eye but with an open heart seeking for truth. I am not here to offend anyone but to reveal truth as God has revealed it to me to understand it. I am here to make friends in Christ Jesus and share. I ask that you study this in depth both historically and biblically. Pray earnestly for the Holy Spirit to guide you on your evergrowing journey with Him to understanding truth and doing His will. Despite our differences, we all have to work out
our salvation with fear and trembling and we all need to be still and listen to God Thank you for reading
I also suggest a 7 series of videos concerning this subject called "The Seventh Day" hosted by Hal Holbrook. It explores both histirical and biblical views and the videos can be brought up on youtube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 1 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 2 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 3 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 4 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 5 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 6 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 7 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 8 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 9 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 10 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 11 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
"As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes; but the hills and mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps and frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp, ragged edges of earth's rocky framework were buried beneath the fruitful soil, which everywhere produced a luxuriant growth of verdure. The angelic host viewed the scene with delight, and rejoiced at the wonderful works of God.
"After the earth with its teeming animal and vegetable life had been called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator, and the one for whom the beautiful earth had been fitted up, was wrought upon the stage of action. To him was given dominion over all that his eye could behold; for 'God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over...all the earth....So God created man in His own image;...male and female created He them.' Here is clearly set forth the origin of the human race; and the divine record is so plainly stated that there is no occasion for erroneous conclusions. God created man in His own image. Here is no mystery. There is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved by slow degrees of development from the lower forms of animal or vegetable life. Such teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man's narrow, earthly conceptions. Men are so intent upon excluding God from the sovereignty of the universe that they degrade man and defraud him of the dignity of his origin. He who set the starry worlds on high and tinted with delicate skill the flowers of the field, who filled the earth and the heavens with the wonders of His power came to crown His glorious work, to place one in the midst to stand as ruler of the fair earth, did not fail to create a being worthy of the hand that gave him life.
"As man came forth from the hand of his Creator, he was of lofty stature and perfect symmetry. His countenance bore the ruddy tint of health and glowed with the light of life and joy. God Himself gave Adam a companion. He provided 'an help meet for him'--a helper corresponding to him--one who was fitted to be his companion, and who could be one with him in love and sympathy. Eve was created from a rib taken from the side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control him as the head, nor to be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him.
The great Jehovah had laid the foundations of the earth; He had dressed the whole world in the garb of beauty and had filled it with things useful to man; He had created all the wonders of the land and of the sea. In six days the great work of creation had been accomplished. And God 'rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.' God looked with satisfaction upon the work of His hands. All was perfect, worthy of its divine Author, and He rested with the fruits of His wisdom and goodness and the manifestations of His glory.
"After resting upon the seventh day, God sanctified it, or set it apart, as a day of rest for man. Following the example of the Creator, man was to rest upon the heavens and the earth, he might reflect upon God's great work of creation; and that as he should behold the evidences of God's wisdom and goodness, his heart might be filled with love and reverence for his Maker.
In Eden, God set up the memorial of His work of creation, in placing His blessing upon the seventh day. The Sabbath was committed to Adam, the father and representative of the whole human family. Its observance was to be an act of grateful acknowledgment, on the part of all who should dwell upon the earth, that God was their Creator and their rightful Sovereign; that they were the work of His hands and the subjects of His authority. Thus the institution was wholly commemorative, and given to all mankind. There was nothing in it shadowy or of restricted application to any people.
"God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise. He needed to lay aside his own interests and pursuits for one day of the seven, that he might more fully contemplate the works of God and meditate upon His power and goodness.
"He needed a Sabbath to remind him more vividly of God and to awaken gratitude because all that he enjoyed and possessed came from the beneficent hand of the Creator.
God designs that the Sabbath shall direct the minds of men to the contemplation of His created works. Nature speaks to their senses, declaring that there is a living God, the Creator, the Supreme ruler of all. 'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.' Psalm 19:1,2. The beauty that clothes the earth is token of God's love. We may behold it in the everlasting hills, in the lofty trees, in the opening buds, and the delicate flowers. All speak to us of God. The Sabbath, ever pointing to Him who made them all, bids
I ask you to read this and study this in depth not with an opposing eye but with an open heart seeking for truth. I am not here to offend anyone but to reveal truth as God has revealed it to me to understand it. I am here to make friends in Christ Jesus and share. I ask that you study this in depth both historically and biblically. Pray earnestly for the Holy Spirit to guide you on your evergrowing journey with Him to understanding truth and doing His will. Despite our differences, we all have to work out
I also suggest a 7 series of videos concerning this subject called "The Seventh Day" hosted by Hal Holbrook. It explores both histirical and biblical views and the videos can be brought up on youtube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 1 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 2 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 3 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 4 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 5 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 6 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 7 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 8 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 9 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 10 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
THE SEVENTH DAY PART 11 OF 11, ENGLISH VERSION - YouTube
P
That concludes this one particular study that should more than suffice anyones curiousity on those of us who keep the biblical Sabbath and why. I have many more studies as well for those who are interested. If after genuinely reading the study, you still do not agree than that is your free will choice. I ask nothing more than for anyone to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in all things and follow the convictions of that guidance. Lastly, the Holy Spirit never leads one into backbiting or in the tearing of others down. That I am certain of! Let us all follow the Lord Jesus with all our heart and might and trust in Him with how He chooses to mold people in His likeness. God bless
A
Although the late first and early second century gave birth to a variety of heretical movements, the set of (Christological) core beliefs known as orthodoxy was considerably earlier, more widespread, and more prevalent than the proponents of cults like Oneness, SDA, etc... falsely assert.
Historical scholars assert that the proponents of second-century orthodoxy were not innovators but mere conduits of the orthodox theology espoused already in the New Testament period. Orthodoxy preceded heresy. The following timeline summarizes and clarifies the relationship between orthodoxy and heresy in the patristic era:
And while the early church continued to set forth its doctrinal beliefs in a variety of creedal formulations, the DNA of orthodoxy remained essentially unchanged.
Now cults like the SDA like to play games. Here's an example: The Adventist Sabbath Paradox - The Astronomical Data and 31AD. - Blogs - Christian Discussion Forums | CARM Christian Forums | Christian Chat
When they brush reality away and simply say the Sabbath is not objective but subjective to their own interpretation which does not correlate with the material universe that God created, we know they have a real problem.
They are in great denial about the heresies of their own false theologies the point of denying reality itself.
Historical scholars assert that the proponents of second-century orthodoxy were not innovators but mere conduits of the orthodox theology espoused already in the New Testament period. Orthodoxy preceded heresy. The following timeline summarizes and clarifies the relationship between orthodoxy and heresy in the patristic era:
- AD 33: Jesus dies and rises from the dead.
- AD 40s-60s: Paul writes letters to various churches; orthodoxy is pervasive and mainstream; churches
- are organized around a central message; undeveloped heresies begin to emerge.
- AD 60s-90s: the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament are written and continue to propagate the orthodoxy that preceded them; orthodoxy continues to be pervasive and mainstream; heresies are still undeveloped.
- AD 90s-130s: the New Testament writers pass from the scene; the apostolic fathers emerge and continue to propagate the orthodoxy that preceded them; orthodoxy is still pervasive and mainstream; heresies begin to organize but remain relatively undeveloped.
- AD 130s-200s: the apostolic fathers die out; subsequent Christian writers continue to propagate the orthodoxy that preceded them; orthodoxy is still pervasive and mainstream, but various forms of heresy are found; these heresies, however, remain subsidiary to orthodoxy and remain largely variegated.
- AD 200s-300s: orthodoxy is solidified in the creeds, but various forms of heresy continue to rear their head; orthodoxy, however, remains pervasive and mainstream.
- Heresy arose after orthodoxy and did not command the degree of influence in the late first and early second century that revisionists like Ehrman and others claim. Moreover, the orthodoxy established by the third- and fourth-century creeds stands in direct continuity with the teachings of the orthodox writers of the previous two centuries. In essence, when orthodoxy and heresy are compared in terms of their genesis and chronology, it is evident that orthodoxy did not emerge from a heretical morass; instead, heresy grew parasitically out of an already established orthodoxy just like it continues to do today with the rise of modern heretical cults like SDA.
And while the early church continued to set forth its doctrinal beliefs in a variety of creedal formulations, the DNA of orthodoxy remained essentially unchanged.
Now cults like the SDA like to play games. Here's an example: The Adventist Sabbath Paradox - The Astronomical Data and 31AD. - Blogs - Christian Discussion Forums | CARM Christian Forums | Christian Chat
When they brush reality away and simply say the Sabbath is not objective but subjective to their own interpretation which does not correlate with the material universe that God created, we know they have a real problem.
They are in great denial about the heresies of their own false theologies the point of denying reality itself.
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Lastly, the Holy Spirit never leads one into backbiting or in the tearing of others down>>
Of course not. However, the context that you say this, as in, "if you have any words that are disagreeable and harsh then you do not have the holy spirit," is high brainwashing technique. That is why you are getting such a resounding response of criticism. We always know God's words which are true in our hearts because they are holy - his words are not manipulations or scare tactics, they are threads of visible truth we see unfolding around us. Now, the only reason I responded was I had a question and that was never answered. And now I am only here to tell you that where I come from, we are focused wholly on the Gospel and the teachings of Christ. Whereas the old testament clearly has some value, the idea of the focus of the whole church based on it seems to be something other than Christianity.
Of course not. However, the context that you say this, as in, "if you have any words that are disagreeable and harsh then you do not have the holy spirit," is high brainwashing technique. That is why you are getting such a resounding response of criticism. We always know God's words which are true in our hearts because they are holy - his words are not manipulations or scare tactics, they are threads of visible truth we see unfolding around us. Now, the only reason I responded was I had a question and that was never answered. And now I am only here to tell you that where I come from, we are focused wholly on the Gospel and the teachings of Christ. Whereas the old testament clearly has some value, the idea of the focus of the whole church based on it seems to be something other than Christianity.
A
I dare not call myself a follower of Jesus Christ, who was slain for my wretchedness, and not properly qualify what He said so that I am accurately following Him and not the lies of a cult or a false prophet as so many do today.
People who indirectly try to lead people astray by telling them NOT to "examine everything carefully" so they can hold onto their false theology and continue to mislead people into their error are sickening and self-righteous.
False prophets like Ellen G. White can look like the real article but in the end, their words always out them in time.
Your argumentum ad passions is logically fallacious.
People who indirectly try to lead people astray by telling them NOT to "examine everything carefully" so they can hold onto their false theology and continue to mislead people into their error are sickening and self-righteous.
False prophets like Ellen G. White can look like the real article but in the end, their words always out them in time.
Your argumentum ad passions is logically fallacious.
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Now you are calling people sickening and self righteous. I am calling you a fraudulent in your intent. If you were here to attract people to this church, you wouldn't be so angry when you do it. People seeking God aren't seeking him through those with anger and conflict, people who are seeking angry, hypocritical proselytizers maybe, haha. I've seen enough...
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Amen brother. Hersey always follows orthodoxy, even to this day. Yet it claims things are the other way around. The Mormons claim to have restored the gospel by implementing plural marriage, celestial marriage, baptism of the dead and we can become Gods.
The claims of SDAists are the same. They claim to restore Sabbath observance and a healthy kosher diet. I posted statements from early church sources which prove the early Church did not observe Sabbath--yet they simply claim it is the other way around!
The claims of SDAists are the same. They claim to restore Sabbath observance and a healthy kosher diet. I posted statements from early church sources which prove the early Church did not observe Sabbath--yet they simply claim it is the other way around!
I am speaking too the statement about the line in red. The Bible is my text book and even in her writings she advised never to take her writing above the bible. But there are many posting here that have never read anything she wrote so that makes you such authorities.
It is just plain wrong to attack people just because you don't believe the way they do. It is wrong to tell someone they are going to hell because of the denomination they belong to. Are you God? Do you know the person's heart, their prayer life, there bible study habits, the way they relate to their fellow man? I believe that if anyone on this thread had their church attacked would feel the same as I do and go on the defense. John 3:17 God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
I pray for my brothers and sisters on CC, I pray for the atheists that visit and chat with us on CC, I believe there will be many people in heaven representing multiple denominations that were attended on earth. It is an individual walk with Jesus and we are to follow Him where He leads. He said other sheep have I that are not of this fold. We can't know what is on each others hearts and each personal relationship with God. God only knows that. So I continue to pray for us all as we walk with the Savior, that we will have and show the brotherly love He asked us to have for one another.
It is just plain wrong to attack people just because you don't believe the way they do. It is wrong to tell someone they are going to hell because of the denomination they belong to. Are you God? Do you know the person's heart, their prayer life, there bible study habits, the way they relate to their fellow man? I believe that if anyone on this thread had their church attacked would feel the same as I do and go on the defense. John 3:17 God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
I pray for my brothers and sisters on CC, I pray for the atheists that visit and chat with us on CC, I believe there will be many people in heaven representing multiple denominations that were attended on earth. It is an individual walk with Jesus and we are to follow Him where He leads. He said other sheep have I that are not of this fold. We can't know what is on each others hearts and each personal relationship with God. God only knows that. So I continue to pray for us all as we walk with the Savior, that we will have and show the brotherly love He asked us to have for one another.