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While I was studying the Word of God and the Spirit of Prophecy, the Lord had impressed me in my mind with a truth which placed me in a new view of what it truly means when we say the Sabbath is important to our faith and is a sign of our allegiance to the Lord. While reading the Two Republics, or Rome and the United States of America by A.T Jones, in one of the chapters I was given a vivid reason why Sunday Law is prohibited by God to be worshiped upon. Soon after the death of Constantine, the Christian Churches came under problems in not bringing sufficient adherents to attend Sunday worship services. To resolve this problem, they laid their petitions unto the Roman government to enforce prohibition of work on Sunday. Thinking that it will resolve the issues of Church attendance, they disappointedly saw that the amount of those attending services is the same as before. In seeing where the populace had gone to that day, they discovered that they went to the theaters and circuses. The Bishops therefore enacted laws prohibiting entertainment centers from opening on the weekends. Even when entertainment is prohibited, the populace still did not go to worship services and decided to remain at home.
At the fraught thought of losing influence and status, instead of evaluating the faults and corruption that is evident in themselves, the Catholic Church developed a theory of enforcement of worship and instillment of instruction into the minds of non-believers, later producing the results that is evidently seen in the terror of the inquisition. In 321 A.D, the Sunday Law was enacted by Emperor Constantine which orders the Roman populace on Sunday to vehemently observe the day of the sun god. This was the only instance in which a law was issued by Constantine which enforced religious observance unto non-believers. In this sense, this law was the only perequisite which allowed the Catholic Church to place in practice and authorize their dangerous theory of persecution. This places observance of the day of Sunday as the Lord’s day not just the acknowledgment of man’s traditions, but also the acknowledgment of Satan’s kingdom and his method to rule.
In reading about what took place after 1844, those that delivered the message of the first and second Angel message during the Millerite movement came in view of the tabernacle in heaven. Knowing that the sanctuary on earth is a replica of the heavenly sanctuary, Adventist Pioneers had come to understand the Ten Commandments which are placed inside the Ark of the Covenant in heaven as being perpetual and unchangeable: “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) In having received this light, these Pioneers gladly received the message of the third Angel and kept the sabbath at its fullest. From this account, I came to understand that all the messages of the Three Angel’s are an encapsulation of the full essence of what it truly means to rest on the Sabbath Day.
From Exodus 20:8-11, the passage outlines the Sabbath Day as our acknowledgement of our Creator and a sign of allegiance to his sovereignty: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Our allegiance to the Sabbath in turn places us to accept and confess the first Angel’s message: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:6-7) Because the Sabbath goes in remembrance of God who created heaven and earth, resting on this particular day also exhibits our worship towards him and recognizing him as the one who created all things. When God rested on the Seventh Day soon after he completed his work of creation and commanded us to observe it, he set a precedent for us to imitate him. This example in turn functions like a ceremony, transforming his followers into imitators and living representatives of Christ on earth.
The willful acceptance of the mark of the beast which we know to be an international Sunday Law is a sign that we have wholly accepted a false system of worship. Rather than accepting this false day of worship and instead making the decision to observe the Seventh Day, we make ourselves separate from the rest of the world and its system of false deities and doctrines. In doing so, we heeded the warning of the message of the second angel: “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Revelation 14:8) As described in Isaiah 56:2, keeping the Sabbath also goes hand to hand with keeping ourselves from doing evil: “Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” Through the keeping of this sanctified day, we allow our minds to be reminded that we are made to be distinct and different from the rest of the world, thus allowing our earthly tendacies and indulgences to dissipate when placing ourselves in the presence of God. When there is a dedicated day to spend time with God, we begin to clear our weary mind from the labor we conducted in six days and gain a transparent comprehension of our own fallible opinions when in sight of God’s perfect chracter, giving us a chance to accept his rule and precepts as faultless and unerring.
And finally, with what Jesus had connoted in Mark 2:27-28, the Sabbath is especially purposed to serve the mental wellbeing of mankind, pointing them to the Lord of that sanctified day: “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” What this paasage indicates is that when we rest on the Sabbath Day, we draw into reflection and close communion with our Creator. Seting aside a day for him, we are also arranging time for him to come into our hearts and allow him to mold our characters. It is through this special rest we come more into acquaintance with God’s character, placing our heart to rest in his words and principles. This will subsequently allow us to grow in faith and trust in his goodwill towards us. In connection to our need to grow in faith, the third Angel’s message has a foreboding warning of a severe test that will individually try the loyalty of God’s people once the Mark of the Beast had been officially established: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 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 for ever 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. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”(Revelation 14:9-12) For this reason it is necessary that God’s people continue to keep the Sabbath Day, for within this day of rest we are given able preperation to become capable of meeting this bitter test. The stronger our faith, the more prepared are we to meet the Lord at his Second Coming.
If keeping Sunday as the day of the Lord signifies the acceptance of the doctrine of forced worship, then keeping the Seventh Day as the day of the Lord signifies that we accept the Three Angel’s message. In all of this, the Lord has spoken and shown me in my mind that it is impossible for anyone including Seventh Day Adventists to be able to fully keep the Sabbath Day holy unless they first accept all Three Angels messages in all its truth and glory, placing its principles into daily practicality. Without recognizing the Lord as the Creator of heaven and earth, there is no significance for unbelievers to observe the holy day in the first place. Without abnegation and temperance from erroneous doctrines, the Sabbath has little to no effect in changing our worldly conduct. And without a continual growth in faith and knowledge, the Lord cannot dwell in our heart to purify us while resting on his holy day. Whatever influence we excercise during the six days of the week will be transmitted to the Seventh Day, and whatever influence we exert on the Sabbath Day will be transferred to the rest of the week.
From Joshua 1:15, the Lord specified to Israel that in order to enjoy the promise land they must first allow him to give them rest and take possession of the land: “Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD'S servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.” We again see the same applied principle when connoted to the Sabbath Day in Hebrews 4:9-11: “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Just as the Lord instructed Joshua to allow his brethren to rest in him and possess the land in order to enjoy of its blessings, so also are we to inherit eternal life through a complete holy observance of the Sabbath Day and the spreading forth of the Three Angel’s message to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. These messages are the most solemn message that mortal hands could ever be charged with, for within its precepts are we given the assurance to overcome sin and be called conquerors in the eyes of God. If the truth of the Sabbath Day were to ever shine within this dark world, it is neccesary that the people of God adhere wholly to the Three Angel’s message.
At the fraught thought of losing influence and status, instead of evaluating the faults and corruption that is evident in themselves, the Catholic Church developed a theory of enforcement of worship and instillment of instruction into the minds of non-believers, later producing the results that is evidently seen in the terror of the inquisition. In 321 A.D, the Sunday Law was enacted by Emperor Constantine which orders the Roman populace on Sunday to vehemently observe the day of the sun god. This was the only instance in which a law was issued by Constantine which enforced religious observance unto non-believers. In this sense, this law was the only perequisite which allowed the Catholic Church to place in practice and authorize their dangerous theory of persecution. This places observance of the day of Sunday as the Lord’s day not just the acknowledgment of man’s traditions, but also the acknowledgment of Satan’s kingdom and his method to rule.
In reading about what took place after 1844, those that delivered the message of the first and second Angel message during the Millerite movement came in view of the tabernacle in heaven. Knowing that the sanctuary on earth is a replica of the heavenly sanctuary, Adventist Pioneers had come to understand the Ten Commandments which are placed inside the Ark of the Covenant in heaven as being perpetual and unchangeable: “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) In having received this light, these Pioneers gladly received the message of the third Angel and kept the sabbath at its fullest. From this account, I came to understand that all the messages of the Three Angel’s are an encapsulation of the full essence of what it truly means to rest on the Sabbath Day.
From Exodus 20:8-11, the passage outlines the Sabbath Day as our acknowledgement of our Creator and a sign of allegiance to his sovereignty: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Our allegiance to the Sabbath in turn places us to accept and confess the first Angel’s message: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:6-7) Because the Sabbath goes in remembrance of God who created heaven and earth, resting on this particular day also exhibits our worship towards him and recognizing him as the one who created all things. When God rested on the Seventh Day soon after he completed his work of creation and commanded us to observe it, he set a precedent for us to imitate him. This example in turn functions like a ceremony, transforming his followers into imitators and living representatives of Christ on earth.
The willful acceptance of the mark of the beast which we know to be an international Sunday Law is a sign that we have wholly accepted a false system of worship. Rather than accepting this false day of worship and instead making the decision to observe the Seventh Day, we make ourselves separate from the rest of the world and its system of false deities and doctrines. In doing so, we heeded the warning of the message of the second angel: “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Revelation 14:8) As described in Isaiah 56:2, keeping the Sabbath also goes hand to hand with keeping ourselves from doing evil: “Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” Through the keeping of this sanctified day, we allow our minds to be reminded that we are made to be distinct and different from the rest of the world, thus allowing our earthly tendacies and indulgences to dissipate when placing ourselves in the presence of God. When there is a dedicated day to spend time with God, we begin to clear our weary mind from the labor we conducted in six days and gain a transparent comprehension of our own fallible opinions when in sight of God’s perfect chracter, giving us a chance to accept his rule and precepts as faultless and unerring.
And finally, with what Jesus had connoted in Mark 2:27-28, the Sabbath is especially purposed to serve the mental wellbeing of mankind, pointing them to the Lord of that sanctified day: “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” What this paasage indicates is that when we rest on the Sabbath Day, we draw into reflection and close communion with our Creator. Seting aside a day for him, we are also arranging time for him to come into our hearts and allow him to mold our characters. It is through this special rest we come more into acquaintance with God’s character, placing our heart to rest in his words and principles. This will subsequently allow us to grow in faith and trust in his goodwill towards us. In connection to our need to grow in faith, the third Angel’s message has a foreboding warning of a severe test that will individually try the loyalty of God’s people once the Mark of the Beast had been officially established: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 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 for ever 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. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”(Revelation 14:9-12) For this reason it is necessary that God’s people continue to keep the Sabbath Day, for within this day of rest we are given able preperation to become capable of meeting this bitter test. The stronger our faith, the more prepared are we to meet the Lord at his Second Coming.
If keeping Sunday as the day of the Lord signifies the acceptance of the doctrine of forced worship, then keeping the Seventh Day as the day of the Lord signifies that we accept the Three Angel’s message. In all of this, the Lord has spoken and shown me in my mind that it is impossible for anyone including Seventh Day Adventists to be able to fully keep the Sabbath Day holy unless they first accept all Three Angels messages in all its truth and glory, placing its principles into daily practicality. Without recognizing the Lord as the Creator of heaven and earth, there is no significance for unbelievers to observe the holy day in the first place. Without abnegation and temperance from erroneous doctrines, the Sabbath has little to no effect in changing our worldly conduct. And without a continual growth in faith and knowledge, the Lord cannot dwell in our heart to purify us while resting on his holy day. Whatever influence we excercise during the six days of the week will be transmitted to the Seventh Day, and whatever influence we exert on the Sabbath Day will be transferred to the rest of the week.
From Joshua 1:15, the Lord specified to Israel that in order to enjoy the promise land they must first allow him to give them rest and take possession of the land: “Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD'S servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.” We again see the same applied principle when connoted to the Sabbath Day in Hebrews 4:9-11: “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Just as the Lord instructed Joshua to allow his brethren to rest in him and possess the land in order to enjoy of its blessings, so also are we to inherit eternal life through a complete holy observance of the Sabbath Day and the spreading forth of the Three Angel’s message to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. These messages are the most solemn message that mortal hands could ever be charged with, for within its precepts are we given the assurance to overcome sin and be called conquerors in the eyes of God. If the truth of the Sabbath Day were to ever shine within this dark world, it is neccesary that the people of God adhere wholly to the Three Angel’s message.
