Whatever happened to the Lord's day?

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The Lord's day has been done away with, according to most of today's religious world. God, in His love for His people, has forewarned us of this very sad time when His people would be led away from true worship. He tells us, through His prophet Daniel, how there would come a false system of worship that would think to change His law and His time. This false system of worship would misrepresent God's loving and forgiving nature and speak all kinds of things against Him.

Daniel 7:25 The Beast shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.

You will soon learn that the one who is behind this false system of worship is a very powerful angelic being who, at one point, was very close to God until sin was found in him. He was the anointed cherub who had access to the throne of God. He was the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect beauty.

Ezekiel 28:14-15 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.

These are some powerful words used to describe this angel. This created angelic being was, and still is, very beautiful and because of his perfection and beauty, pride has caused him to fall into sin.

Ezekiel 28:16 Your great wealth filled you with internal turmoil and you sinned. Therefore, I cast you out of the mountain of God like a common sinner. I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

The sin that caused this angel to be cast out from the presence of God was his desire to be worshiped as God.

Isaiah 14:12-14 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

This fallen angel known as, Lucifer or light bearer, has a lustful desire to be worshiped. In order for him to accomplish this, he must first draw us away from worshiping the true God of creation. How he does this is very cunning. But drawing us away from God through his cunningness is nothing new to him.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

Satan knows that true worship entails faithful obedience.

Romans 6:16-17 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? Thank God that though you once chose to be slaves of sin, now you have obeyed with all your heart the teaching to which God has committed you.

In order for Satan to draw us away from worshiping God he must first distort the truth that God has already spoken.

John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

Satan's false system of worship is symbolized in the Bible as a beast or a kingdom. This false system of worship will have tremendous power to deceive the whole world.

Daniel 7:23 "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces.

Revelation 12:9 This great Dragon--the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world--was thrown down onto the earth with all his angels.

This deception of Satan draws worship away from the one true God. The God who loves us and calls us to worship Him in spirit according to truth. If Satan can deceive us, as he did Eve, then we too will fall away from worshiping the true God.

Revelation 13:2 This beast looked like a leopard but had bear's feet and a lion's mouth! And the Dragon (Satan) gave him his own power and throne and great authority.

Satan has set up this powerful system of false worship in the world today. It lures us with its religious appearance and subtly deceives us into following after it.

Revelation 13:3-4 I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?''

Remember how Daniel said this false system of worship will attempt to change God's law and God's time. Satan knows that God's law is eternal and represents God's character. He knows the power behind godliness is manifested when God's law is kept. This is why if Satan can deceive us, as he did with Eve, by saying, "Has God really said that?" or if he can use man to distort or change the eternal and unchanging law of God, then he can cause true worship to become vain worship.

Mark 7:6-9 He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: `This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.'' And He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

Worship is sacred to God because through worship we give our lives to that which we worship. We draw pleasure, life and security from who or what we worship. We give our time and allegiance to who or what we worship. True worship gives glory to God and brings great joy to Him. True worship allows God freedom to bless His people and answer their prayers. True worship is a sign to all the world that we are God's people. Do you see why Satan is bent towards drawing people away from true worship?

It all boils down to one question, who will you worship?

CONTINUE

 

[maco]

God's people love Him and desire to worship Him in spirit and in truth, we know this is what He longs to see in His people. We also know that having a form of godliness, without keeping the law of God, is a false system of worship. For the power of true godliness is manifested when God's people keep His commandments through loving Him and our neighbor.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Knowing these things, do we find a religious system in the world today that has a form of godliness but attempts to do away with God's law? Jesus tells His people to stay away from them. For He Himself has said He did not come to do away with the law or the prophets.

Matthew 5:17 Do not think I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy them but to give them their full meaning.

Some will say that now that faith has come we no longer have to keep God's law. This too is a crafty ploy of Satan. Our precious faith draws us to keep God's eternal law of liberty.

Romans 3:31 `Well then, do we cancel law through faith?'' Certainly not! On the contrary, we uphold law.

Keeping the law for God's people brings true freedom and happiness and is not to be a burden to them because they love God and know Him. They are His peculiar people.

James 1:25 But the person who looks closely into the law (the perfect law of freedom) and holds on to it is not the one who hears it and forgets about it. He is the one who really practices the law. He finds happiness in doing it.

Satan has completely distorted this truth to his personal gain and to the destruction of God's people.

We know that all of God's law is holy and good. There is not one of the Ten Commandments that is more esteemed than another. If we transgress at even one, we have transgressed them all.

James 2:10-12 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.

Satan knows this all to well and uses it to his advantage. But God's people are not unaware of Satan's devices. We know that true worship is motivated by love and love will express itself through keeping God's whole law.

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

I say all this to bring you to the seventh day Sabbath. This one commandment of God has been forgotten by most of today's religious world. God's people have been falsely taught to call the first day (Sunday) God's Holy Sabbath day rather than the seventh day. Satan is rejoicing in this because he knows that when a person keeps the seventh day Sabbath Holy he is saying to the whole world, "I worship the God of creation and Him only."

Ezekiel 20:19-20 I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.'

We know that all of God's law is holy and pure but the seventh day Sabbath is special to God and His people because it reminds us of how much God loves us and how He has given us all things. The Sabbath is a memorial of God's beautiful creation, which He has made for our pleasure. Not only that, His blessing is upon the Sabbath and all who remember to keep it holy.

Exodus 20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it Holy.

Some say that the seventh day Sabbath day was made because of sin but this is not true. The seventh day Sabbath was made before sin came into the world and is to be a blessing to God's people. Sin is never a blessing to God's people.

Some may tell you that the seventh day Sabbath is a Jewish day. This too is false. God made the seventh day Sabbath for mankind, not Jewish people. As a matter of fact, there were no Jewish people when God made the seventh day Sabbath.

Mark 2:27 "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27 And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Jesus predicted the fall of Jerusalem forty years into the future. He told His disciples to pray that when this happened they would not have to flee Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

Matthew 24:19-20 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those with nursing babies in those days! "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

Jesus Himself always honored and kept the Sabbath holy.

Luke 4:16 Jesus came to Nazareth, the town where he grew up. On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue. That is what Jesus always did. He stood up to read.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, which makes it the Lord's day.

Mark 2:28 "Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.''

Did you know that Jesus never once changed the Sabbath day from the seventh day to the first day?

Did you know that thirty years after the resurrection of Jesus every New Testament church in the Bible continued to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Acts 13:44 And the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.

Did you know that for a year and half the Apostle Paul gathered every Sabbath with his New Testament church at Corinth (Jews and Gentiles) to teach God's word?

Acts 18:4 And Paul reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

Acts 18:11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Did you know that everyone who wrote the Bible was a Sabbath keeper?

The New Testament teaches us that there still remains this seventh day Sabbath rest for God's people.

Hebrews 4:9-11 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.

Let us remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy for in this, we are truly worshiping the true God in spirit and in truth.

Exodus 20:8-10 "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...

Leviticus 23:3 "For six days work may be done; but the seventh day is the sabbath rest, a day for sacred assembly, on which you shall do no work. The sabbath shall belong to the LORD wherever you dwell.


Let me know your thoughts?


Many blessings,
John