The Bible in Revelation describes the last great conflict between Christ and Satan and this conflict is a conflict of authority. In Revelation 12 it tells us that the dragon would make war on those that keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17). These are two issues that the Evil one will target in particular in the End Times, namely: “The commandments of God” and “The testimony of Jesus Christ.”
In Revelation 11:19 we read:
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament. And there were lightnings, and voices and thunderings and an earthquake and great hail. Revelation 11:19
The prophet John is alerting us to the fact that the issues in the last days will canter around the law of God. The Evil one is going to challenge the authority of the Creator and try and establish his own sign of authority. Revelation 13 identifies who the powers will be that would be involved in the final challenge to God’s authority as embodied in His Law. The commandments of God, and thus the government of God, are targets of the ire of Satan, and the Evil on will do everything in his power to destroy the Commandments of God in the final conflict between good and evil.
...If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture 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 ascendeth up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Revelation 14:9-11
So we see that the Evil one will strive to make everyone worship him instead of God and he will do this by attacking the basis of Gods authority, His Law and those who remain faithful to Jesus Christ and the testimonies which point back to God and the Commandments.
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Revelation 14:12
Many people have been deceived into thinking that Saturday was only the Jewish Sabbath, but that the Christian Sabbath has been changed to Sunday. Changed, but by whom? Who has authority to change an express commandment of Almighty God? When God has spoken and said, 'Thou shalt keep holy the seventh day', who will dare to say, lets change it, and you may go ahead and work and do all manner of worldly business on the seventh day, but thou shalt keep holy the first day in its stead? This is a most important question which I know not how you can answer. If you are a Protestant, and you profess to go by the Bible and the Bible only; and yet, in so important a matter as the observance of one day in seven as a holy day, you go against the plain letter of the Bible, and put another day in the place of that which He has commanded. The command to keep holy the seventh day is one of the ten commandments; you believe the other nine are still binding; who gave you authority to tamper with the fourth? If you are consistent with your own principle, if you really follow the Bible and the Bible only, you ought to be able to produce some portion of the New Testament in which this fourth commandment is expressly altered.
Why is the Sabbath commandment so relevant to God’s law, and why is there such importance attached to the keeping of the particular day? The answer lies in the wording of the commandment which contains the seal of God.
The Sabbath commandment is not only the heart of the ten command­ments, but it is the seal of the commandments. Remove it and the commandments have no authority or official seal.
A seal contains three specifications:
- the name of the writer of the law,
- his office, and
- the name of the territory over which he rules.
Only the fourth commandment has these three items:
- Yhwh God (God’s Name)
- Creator (His office, position)
- Heaven and Earth (His territory)
Remove this commandment and any adherent of any religion could subscribe to the other nine. A change in the seal means a change of rulership, it implies a new authority with power to implement laws. Obedience to new laws ratified by the seal of authority entails submission to that authority. This was ever Satan’s aim - to place his authority above that of the throne of God. By claiming authority as lawgiver, and enforcing his seal, in opposition to the seal of God, Satan shifts the position of authority from God to himself. Obedience to his seal (or mark) of authority means subjection to his government in direct opposition to that of God. This is the ultimate apostasy. When mankind submits to this spurious seal and openly confesses it by the proclamation of laws for the maintenance of Sunday, then man would have fully subjected himself to Satan’s reign. Until such laws are enacted, freedom of choice is still possible. The mark of the beast only leads to ultimate separation from God once individuals are forced to choose whom they wish to obey. If they choose to obey God in this issue, then the penalty is persecution. If they choose to obey the earthly authorities, then the penalty is separation from God. All will have to make this choice.
Throughout the Scriptures, the Sabbath of God is treated with the utmost solemnity. And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God. Ezekiel 20: 20
For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:18
Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? Matthew 15:3.
But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9.
Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up. Matthew 15:13
Choose you this day whom ye will serve. If the Lord be God, follow Him. Joshua 24:15
Sunday worship has no Scriptural authority, and rests solely upon tradition. Protestants have always claimed that the Bible and the Bible alone should be the standard for our religious beliefs. To meet this challenge, the Roman Catholic Church called the Council of Trent in 1545, and proclaimed that tradition stood above Scripture. The archbishop of Reggio, in a speech concerning this issue, maintained that proof for tradition superceding Scriptural authority could be found in the changeover from Sabbath to Sunday.
The Church has changed Sabbath into Sunday, not by the command of Christ but by its own authority. Canon and Tradition, by Holtzman.
Protestants who observe Sunday as the day of worship are honoring the mark of Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholics claim:
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
The Church of Rome claims that Sunday is her mark of authority. Moreover, she claims that it is her right to legislate moral issues and that governments should subscribe to her directives. This is not only a right which she claimed for herself during the middle ages, but is a right which she claims for herself today. The official Catechism of the Catholic Church, has this to say on the issue:
The Church, the pillar and bulwark of the truth, has received this solemn command of Christ from the apostles to announce the saving truth. To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order, and to make judgments on any human affairs to the extent that they are required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls.Moral Life and Magisterium of the Church, 2032, The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
According to this Catechism, moral issues are dictated by the Ten Commandments, but not the Ten Commandments as found in the Bible, but the Ten Commandments as defined by Augustine, the Catholic Church father.
Ever since St. Augustine, the Ten Commandments have occupied a predominant place in the catechesis of baptismal candidates and the faithful. The catechisms of the Church have often expounded Christian morality by following the order of the Ten Commandments. The division and numbering of the Commandments have varied in the course of history. The present catechism follows the division of the Commandments established by St. Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic Church. 2065-2066, The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Not the ten commandments as they occur in the Bible, but as defined by Augustine form the basis for Catholic morality. Since Sunday is also the mark of the Catholic Church’s authority, it follows that this mark is in direct opposition to the declared will of God and that compromise on this issue is thus not possible.
God told His people exactly what blessings they would enjoy should they obey and what curses they would experience if they should disobey. The choice was theirs. God’s law is not designed as a means of punishing the disobedient, but the consequences of disobedience are self-inflicted. God does not ask us to keep His law in order to be saved, but rather the law is given to those who are redeemed to protect them from harm. Obedience to God’s law which Christ points to is an expression of love; it is the means whereby we develop a intimate relationship with Him.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15
What Jesus told those early disciples, He is also telling us. We should read the signs of the times which tell us that the second coming of Jesus is nearer than ever before. When we study the prophetic word, we discover where we are in the stream of time. It is later than we think. It is time for us to wake up from our slumber and get ready for the second coming of Jesus.
Those who follow Jesus Christ will obey the Commandments and in the End Times this will be the ultimate test of obedience. It will determine who will remain faithful to the precepts of Christ at all costs and who will fall under the banner of Satan especially in the Last Days as the Evil one will focus on the Law or God's authority. The keeping of the Law and especially the Sabbath of creation is the greatest signal to the world that we believe that God is our Creator and our Redeemer. It is the signal that we acknowledge His authority and His authority alone in our lives, in terms of religious matters.
In Revelation 11:19 we read:
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament. And there were lightnings, and voices and thunderings and an earthquake and great hail. Revelation 11:19
The prophet John is alerting us to the fact that the issues in the last days will canter around the law of God. The Evil one is going to challenge the authority of the Creator and try and establish his own sign of authority. Revelation 13 identifies who the powers will be that would be involved in the final challenge to God’s authority as embodied in His Law. The commandments of God, and thus the government of God, are targets of the ire of Satan, and the Evil on will do everything in his power to destroy the Commandments of God in the final conflict between good and evil.
...If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture 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 ascendeth up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Revelation 14:9-11
So we see that the Evil one will strive to make everyone worship him instead of God and he will do this by attacking the basis of Gods authority, His Law and those who remain faithful to Jesus Christ and the testimonies which point back to God and the Commandments.
This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Revelation 14:12
Many people have been deceived into thinking that Saturday was only the Jewish Sabbath, but that the Christian Sabbath has been changed to Sunday. Changed, but by whom? Who has authority to change an express commandment of Almighty God? When God has spoken and said, 'Thou shalt keep holy the seventh day', who will dare to say, lets change it, and you may go ahead and work and do all manner of worldly business on the seventh day, but thou shalt keep holy the first day in its stead? This is a most important question which I know not how you can answer. If you are a Protestant, and you profess to go by the Bible and the Bible only; and yet, in so important a matter as the observance of one day in seven as a holy day, you go against the plain letter of the Bible, and put another day in the place of that which He has commanded. The command to keep holy the seventh day is one of the ten commandments; you believe the other nine are still binding; who gave you authority to tamper with the fourth? If you are consistent with your own principle, if you really follow the Bible and the Bible only, you ought to be able to produce some portion of the New Testament in which this fourth commandment is expressly altered.
Why is the Sabbath commandment so relevant to God’s law, and why is there such importance attached to the keeping of the particular day? The answer lies in the wording of the commandment which contains the seal of God.
The Sabbath commandment is not only the heart of the ten command­ments, but it is the seal of the commandments. Remove it and the commandments have no authority or official seal.
A seal contains three specifications:
- the name of the writer of the law,
- his office, and
- the name of the territory over which he rules.
Only the fourth commandment has these three items:
- Yhwh God (God’s Name)
- Creator (His office, position)
- Heaven and Earth (His territory)
Remove this commandment and any adherent of any religion could subscribe to the other nine. A change in the seal means a change of rulership, it implies a new authority with power to implement laws. Obedience to new laws ratified by the seal of authority entails submission to that authority. This was ever Satan’s aim - to place his authority above that of the throne of God. By claiming authority as lawgiver, and enforcing his seal, in opposition to the seal of God, Satan shifts the position of authority from God to himself. Obedience to his seal (or mark) of authority means subjection to his government in direct opposition to that of God. This is the ultimate apostasy. When mankind submits to this spurious seal and openly confesses it by the proclamation of laws for the maintenance of Sunday, then man would have fully subjected himself to Satan’s reign. Until such laws are enacted, freedom of choice is still possible. The mark of the beast only leads to ultimate separation from God once individuals are forced to choose whom they wish to obey. If they choose to obey God in this issue, then the penalty is persecution. If they choose to obey the earthly authorities, then the penalty is separation from God. All will have to make this choice.
Throughout the Scriptures, the Sabbath of God is treated with the utmost solemnity. And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God. Ezekiel 20: 20
For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:18
Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? Matthew 15:3.
But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9.
Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up. Matthew 15:13
Choose you this day whom ye will serve. If the Lord be God, follow Him. Joshua 24:15
Sunday worship has no Scriptural authority, and rests solely upon tradition. Protestants have always claimed that the Bible and the Bible alone should be the standard for our religious beliefs. To meet this challenge, the Roman Catholic Church called the Council of Trent in 1545, and proclaimed that tradition stood above Scripture. The archbishop of Reggio, in a speech concerning this issue, maintained that proof for tradition superceding Scriptural authority could be found in the changeover from Sabbath to Sunday.
The Church has changed Sabbath into Sunday, not by the command of Christ but by its own authority. Canon and Tradition, by Holtzman.
Protestants who observe Sunday as the day of worship are honoring the mark of Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholics claim:
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
The Church of Rome claims that Sunday is her mark of authority. Moreover, she claims that it is her right to legislate moral issues and that governments should subscribe to her directives. This is not only a right which she claimed for herself during the middle ages, but is a right which she claims for herself today. The official Catechism of the Catholic Church, has this to say on the issue:
The Church, the pillar and bulwark of the truth, has received this solemn command of Christ from the apostles to announce the saving truth. To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order, and to make judgments on any human affairs to the extent that they are required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls.Moral Life and Magisterium of the Church, 2032, The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
According to this Catechism, moral issues are dictated by the Ten Commandments, but not the Ten Commandments as found in the Bible, but the Ten Commandments as defined by Augustine, the Catholic Church father.
Ever since St. Augustine, the Ten Commandments have occupied a predominant place in the catechesis of baptismal candidates and the faithful. The catechisms of the Church have often expounded Christian morality by following the order of the Ten Commandments. The division and numbering of the Commandments have varied in the course of history. The present catechism follows the division of the Commandments established by St. Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic Church. 2065-2066, The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Not the ten commandments as they occur in the Bible, but as defined by Augustine form the basis for Catholic morality. Since Sunday is also the mark of the Catholic Church’s authority, it follows that this mark is in direct opposition to the declared will of God and that compromise on this issue is thus not possible.
God told His people exactly what blessings they would enjoy should they obey and what curses they would experience if they should disobey. The choice was theirs. God’s law is not designed as a means of punishing the disobedient, but the consequences of disobedience are self-inflicted. God does not ask us to keep His law in order to be saved, but rather the law is given to those who are redeemed to protect them from harm. Obedience to God’s law which Christ points to is an expression of love; it is the means whereby we develop a intimate relationship with Him.
If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15
What Jesus told those early disciples, He is also telling us. We should read the signs of the times which tell us that the second coming of Jesus is nearer than ever before. When we study the prophetic word, we discover where we are in the stream of time. It is later than we think. It is time for us to wake up from our slumber and get ready for the second coming of Jesus.
Those who follow Jesus Christ will obey the Commandments and in the End Times this will be the ultimate test of obedience. It will determine who will remain faithful to the precepts of Christ at all costs and who will fall under the banner of Satan especially in the Last Days as the Evil one will focus on the Law or God's authority. The keeping of the Law and especially the Sabbath of creation is the greatest signal to the world that we believe that God is our Creator and our Redeemer. It is the signal that we acknowledge His authority and His authority alone in our lives, in terms of religious matters.
