VII

THE CHRISTIAN DUTY TO KEEP GOD'S SABBATH

It is a well known fact that no catholic and very few protestant churches presently observe God's holy seventh day sabbath. Why? The Old Testament is abundantly clear on the issue, and it is a very important obligation of man in our relationship with God as God defines that relationship. Do you know why your specific church does not teach that christians need to observe and keep the seventh day sabbath? There have been explanations offered to explain the non-observance of God's sabbath day by Christians, and the effort has been made to collect and analyze each of the reasons given. None withstand close scriptural scrutiny, and Sunday worship is shown to be what it is, a tradition of man, nothing more. Because sabbath keeping is both a commandment of God and a covenant to God that is either being ignored or willfully disobeyed, a thorough discussion of each argument is presented.

A. GOD'S SEVENTH DAY SABBATH IS NOT "JUST FOR THE JEWS".

Some attempt to justify their non-observance of God's holy seventh day sabbath by saying that the sabbath is meant to be observed only by the Jews. Is that a true statement? Recall, the obligation to keep the sabbath arises from the Fourth Commandment and the everlasting sabbath covenant. Is this obligation to keep and observe God's holy seventh day sabbath meant exclusively for the Jews? Or are all men, Jew and gentile, commanded to keep God's sabbath? Let us look to scripture.

When Jesus' disciples were seen plucking ears of corn on the sabbath, Jesus said to the pharisees, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath". Mk. 2:27. Notice, Jesus did not say, The sabbath was made for the Jew. Jesus said, The sabbath was made for man. Certainly Jesus did not limit the application of the sabbath. And that is entirely consistent with all other scripture on the issue of the sabbath.

"For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off". Isa. 56:4-5 (emphasis added).

I doubt if there were any Jewish eunuchs. But it does not matter. God states no requirement that the eunuch must be Jewish to share in His stated blessings. God only says that if the eunuch will choose the things that please God, take hold of His covenant, and keep His sabbaths, even unto that eunuch will God give a name and place better than of sons and daughters, and an everlasting name. The prophet Isaiah continues:

"[Thus saith the LORD] Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; [7] Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine houseshall be called an house of prayer for all people". Isa. 56:6-7 (emphasis added).

The sons of strangers are us gentiles. A gentile is any one that is not born by flesh a Jew. And so God tells us that we gentiles are invited to join ourselves to Him, to serve Him, and to love His name, to be His servants, and again, to take hold of His covenant. And in return God promises to bring us to His holy mountain, to make us joyful in His house of prayer. He will accept our burnt-offerings and our sacrifices upon His altar. And God's house shall be called a house of prayer for all people. All people. Not just the Jews. And when God said that His house shall be called a house of prayer for all people, what house of prayer is He talking about?

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. [2] And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God". Rev. 21:1-3.

But there is one more requirement for the gentile. The promise is extended to "every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it". Isa. 56:6-7 (emphasis added). So we know that God extends the blessings for keeping His sabbath to all man, not just the Jew. But what about the responsibilities?

Recall our initial discussion of the Fourth Commandment. The death penalty for breaking the sabbath extended to not just the Jews, but to the strangers among them as well. See Num. 15:29-31; Ex. 31:14, 15; (Section IV.E.2., "The Death Penalty For Breaking the Sabbath").

For further scripture that extends the responsibilities of sabbath keeping to all man, not just the Jews, review once again the everlasting sabbath covenant:

"[16] Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant". Ex. 31:16 (emphasis added).

Note that this sabbath covenant is between the "children of Israel" and God. And who are the "children of Israel"? If you have not already reviewed Appendix A, Synopsis - The History of God and Man, you need to do so now. It is important that you understand both the Abrahamic Covenant and God's deliverance of the "seed of Abraham" to and from Egypt. There is an incredibly rich and colorful history between God and man, and it is highly recommended that you read all of Genesis and Exodus for complete understanding. Selected scriptures on these matters are set forth in brief outline form in Appendix A. Scripture citations to the following summation have been omitted, but are set forth in Appendix A.

God made a covenant with Abraham and the seed of Abraham. God promised Abraham and the seed of Abraham a number of things, including: (1) that Abraham would be a father of many nations; (2) that kings will come out of Abraham; (3) that as an everlasting covenant, God would be a God to Abraham and his seed after him; and (4) that God would give to Abraham and hisseed all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. Abraham also made a covenant with God that he, his family and his seed would circumcise the foreskins of every man and child when eight days old.

Abraham was the father of Isaac. And Isaac was the father of Jacob. God renamed Jacob "Israel". Israel [Jacob] and all his seed [relatives] journeyed to Egypt at God's instruction. ThereIsrael [Jacob] and his seed multiplied exceedingly. Eventually, the Egyptians enslaved the children of Israel. Four hundred and thirty years after Israel and his seed located to Egypt, God delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh and Egypt. The children of Israel rejected God's gift of the promised land of Canaan, and because of this rebellion, God kept the children of Israel in the wilderness for forty years until all but 2 of the rebellious generation died. Only then did God allow the children of Israel to settle in the land of Canaan. The land of Canaan was in fulfilment of the promise God made to Abraham and his seed. Wherefore, who are the children of Israel to whom the everlasting sabbath covenant applies? The answer is that the children of Israel are the seed of Abraham.

Recall the everlasting sabbath covenant, the contract between man and God made during the third month after God's deliverance of the people from Egypt.

"[16] Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant". Ex. 31:16 (emphasis added).

Now, who is to "keep the sabbath" throughout their generations? The scripture says the "children of Israel" are to keep the sabbath. And from the above analysis we know that the children of Israel are the seed of Abraham. Besides the Jews, who else are included as the seed of Abraham?

"[26] For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. [27] For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise". Gal. 3:26-29 (emphasis added). See also, Acts 3:25. (11).

By faith in Christ Jesus, we gentiles, are also of Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. What promise? Let us read the entire passage of the promises between God and Abraham.

"[1] And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. [2] And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. [3] And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, [4] As for me, behold my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. [5] Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. [6] And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will makenations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. [7] And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. [8] And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. [9] And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefor, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. [10] This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. [11] And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you". Gen. 17:1-11 (emphasis added).

Recall that the sabbath covenant is everlasting. And here we read another everlasting covenant. God promises to Abraham and the seed of Abraham, as an everlasting covenant, to be a God to Abraham, and to Abraham's seed. Gen. 17:7. And it is by faith in Christ Jesus that we, the gentiles, become the seed of Abraham and therefore are heirs to that promise. Gal. 3:29. Remember the two Isaiah passages we just reviewed? God extended His blessings for keeping the sabbath to eunuchs and gentiles ("sons of the stranger"). In each instance, the benefits flow to every one that keeps His sabbath AND takes hold of His covenant. What covenant? This same everlasting covenant God made to Abraham and his seed. The covenant we are to take a hold of is God's promise to us that He will be a God to us. And that is exactly what the New Jerusalem passage in The Revelation says, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God". Rev. 21:3.

And what did Abraham do that was so special to get all these promises from God? God gave this explanation to Isaac, the son of Abraham,

"Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws". Gen. 26:5.

Abraham lived centuries before God's delivery of the Ten Commandments, the sabbath covenant, the judgments and ordinances to Moses and the children of Israel. Scripture does not tell us what voice, charge, commandments, statutes and laws God had given to Abraham. Do you think God might have told Abraham to keep His seventh day sabbath? After all, it is a very special day to God. He made it holy when He finished His creation. Scripture does not tell us any of the specifics. What we do know though, and what is critically important to understand, is that Abraham "obeyed" God. And it is that obedience by man that pleases God.

Because of Abraham's obedience, God promised to be the God of Abraham and his seed forever. And by faith in Jesus, all believers become joint heirs with the Jews to this promise of God.

Paul offered this explanation to His Jewish brothers about God's justification of the gentiles through faith,

"[6] Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. [7]Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. [8] And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen then through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. [9] So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. [10] For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written in the book of the law to do them. [11] But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. [12] And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. [13] Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: [14] That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith". Gal. 3:6-14.

Wherefore, believers in Christ are the children of Israel by faith together with their brothers, the Jews. And that is exactly what Paul means when He says that we are all one in Christ. Because we are all one in Christ, we are all Abraham's seed and are all joint heirs to the promise of Godto be our God. Gal. 3:27-29.

This promise of God to the children of Israel is an everlasting covenant. And in return, both the Jew and gentile believer in Christ, as the children of Israel, also made an everlasting covenant to God: that we will keep and observe His sabbath throughout all our generations.

"[12] And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, [13] Speak thou also unto the children of Israel saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. [14] Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. [15] Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. [16] Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. [17] It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed". Ex. 31:12-17.

This application of God's everlasting covenant to both Jew and gentile is entirely consistent with scripture. God created the heavens, the earth, the seas, and all that lies therein including man. All man. Not just the Jews. It took God six days for His creation. And He rested on the seventh day from all His works, and sanctified the seventh day as holy. And look what God tells us His sabbath is. "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed". Ex. 31:17 (emphasis added). Here, God tells us that the sabbath is to be our sign between God and us forever, that we recognize that He is our creator and creator of all that is. Evolution did not create us. Probabilities did not create us. Aliens from another planet did not create us. Other gods did not create us. Keeping the sabbath is our sign to God that we know that He, the great I AM, created us when He created the heavens, the earth, the seas and all that lies therein. And we know that He rested on the seventh day.

Now it is through faith in Jesus Christ, son of God, that God gives to all of man, Jew and gentile alike, the necessary spilling of water and blood for the perfect sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of mankind. Remember, the wages of sin is death. Sin can not go unpunished. So Jesus, as our friend, took our sins upon Himself and died for us. Jesus was a Jew, but He died for the sins of all man, Jew and gentile alike. And by our faith in Jesus, God extends His everlasting promise to be a God to Abraham and his seed to us gentiles. Now, Paul tells us that we are all one through faith in Jesus (Gal. 3:28). If God then limited the everlasting promise of the Jews to keep the sabbath forever, that would be inconsistent. If we are all one through Christ, Jew and gentile, and by Christ share in the same everlasting benefits, how could we not also be required to share in the same responsibilities that flow from the promises made? If the responsibility to keep the sabbath were different for Jews and gentiles, then we would NOT all be one in Jesus. Wherefore, keeping the sabbath is intended to be the duty of all men, not just the Jews.

B. THE SABBATH IS A SIGN TO GOD THAT HE IS OUR GOD.

There exists a certain mutuality of promises. God promises to man, as His everlasting covenant, to be a God to both the Jew and his brother gentile believer by faith in Christ Jesus. And we gentile believers by faith in Christ Jesus, together with our brother Jews, promise toGod, as our everlasting covenant, to keep and observe His holy seventh day sabbath throughout our generations.

Why do I say there exists mutuality of promises? Do you see the connection between God's seventh day sabbath and our being joint heirs to God's everlasting promise to be our God? Notice what God tells us immediately prior to stating the everlasting sabbath covenant:

"[13] Speak thou also unto the children of Israel saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you". Ex. 31:13.

Through Ezekial, God confirms for us this mutuality of the two everlasting covenants,

"I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them. [20] 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". Ezek. 20:19-20.

Earlier we reviewed that by faith believers in Christ become the seed of Abraham and therefore are children of Israel. That is how we become joint heirs to the everlasting promise that God will be our God. It would be inconsistent for God to give a sign of forever keeping His sabbaths to the Jews, as the children of Israel, to show Him that they understand that He is their God, but exclude christians from the same sign even though we also are the children of Israel. Remember, the duty to keep the sabbath is perpetual, without interruption and lasts forever.

Through Ezekial, God again tells us that the sabbath is a sign to Him:

"[Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying:] Wherefore I caused them to goforth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. [11] And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. [12] Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them". Ezek. 20:10-12 (emphasis added).

Look again at the two everlasting promises. God promises to forever be our God, and the Jews together with the gentile believers in Christ, as the children of Israel, promise to forever keep God's sabbaths as a sign between us and God that we know that God is the Lord that sanctifies us. God's use of the word "sanctify" is important. Sanctify means "to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate", "to purify or free from sin", "to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing". Webster's at 1265. Through faith, God sanctifies the believers in Christ just as He sanctifies the Jews. The sabbath is to be our sign to God that we know God is the One that sanctifies us. Not our church, not our pastor, not our priest, not our money, not our religion. Nothing sanctifies us but God, and God tells us to keep His sabbaths as our sign to Him that we understand this.

C. THE SABBATH IS NOT "TOO CEREMONIAL OR LEGALISTIC".

Some say that the reason for the sabbath is because God rested on the seventh day, and somehow makes the sabbath just ceremonial, theological or religious. Therefore, or so they reason, christians do not have to observe and keep the sabbath. There is no logic to the argument. Their conclusion is not supported by their premise. We know God rested on the seventh day from His creation. That is fact. Gen. 2:2. We also know that God made keeping ofthe sabbath one of His Ten Commandments. Ex. 20:8-11. We know that all children of Israel have promised God that they will keep His sabbath forever. Ex. 31:16. And we know that the penalty for breaking the sabbath is death. Ex. 31:14, 15. Num. 15:29-36. How does any of that make the sabbath just ceremonial? It doesn't. And what about God's promise to be a God to us, the children of Israel through our faith in Christ? Gen. 17:7; Gal. 3:26-29. Is this everlasting covenant of God just ceremonial, theological or religious? We better hope not.

Do we know why God decided to make His seventh day holy? He tells us He made the day holy because He rested from His creation on the seventh day. Do we need to know more? No. We could speculate that God was very pleased with His creation, and wanted to memorialize the event forever by making His seventh day a holy day of rest. But we do not know that, nor is it our business to know. The fact is that God made the seventh day holy, and He tells us to keep His sabbath. That is all we need to know.

The description of the sabbath as being "only" ceremonial, is related closely with another justification given for breaking sabbath. Some say that observing the sabbath is too legalistic, rigid and wrong. This excuse is just plain rebellion against God. For whatever reason, man does not want anyone to tell him what to do, including God. For man to define keeping the seventh day sabbath as being too "legalistic" second guesses God's judgment on the issue. And God did not give us the right to do that. Some say that "my God" would not want me to be rigid in my observance of the sabbath. They would also say, "My God" wants me to be happy, joyous and free and I get to do anything I want so long as I love others. Why then, does Jesus say,

"And when he had called the people unto him, with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and followme." Mk. 8:34.

Jesus recognizes that living your life in obedience to the Word of God will result in certain inconveniences and sacrifices a person might not otherwise impose upon himself. Jesus knows our human nature. You say you want to do work on the seventh day because you only have the weekend to get all your work done? Take up your cross and follow Jesus. You say you want go buy things (which makes other people work) on the seventh day because that is when the really good sales are? Pick up your cross and follow Jesus. You say that nobody but the Seventh Day Adventists and Jews keep the seventh day sabbath? Pick up your cross and follow Jesus. You say that people will think you are strange, nuts or off your rocker because none of the christians you know keep the seventh day sabbath?

"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels". Mk.8:38.

We need to be less concerned about what others will think, and a lot more concerned about the will of God. Man has no right to define away a commandment of God, and that is exactly what we are doing if we do not keep God's sabbath because we think it is too rigid, legalistic or ceremonial.

The people that want to view keeping the sabbath as some archaic and outdated ceremony miss the whole point. God made His seventh day holy. Gen. 2:3. God commands us to keep His seventh day holy, to hallow it. Ex. 20:8. Ezek. 20:20. The holiness of God's seventh day has not gone away. The everlasting and perpetual sabbath covenant has not gone away. The seventh day sabbath is what God made it to be, just as His commandments are what He made them tobe. God gets to define His relationship with man because He is God. Man was never given the right to pick and choose the likes and ignore the dislikes of that relationship. Any attempt to justify non-observance of the sabbath by trying to label it "too rigid, legalistic or ceremonial", is an affront to God. God is God. He gets to make the rules. And obedience is doing what God tells us to do.

D. THE SABBATH IS FAR MORE THAN "JUST A DAY OF REST".

In an effort to justify breaking the sabbath, some advance the argument that God created the sabbath only as a humane day of rest for man and beast, nothing more. This "day of rest only" argument misapplies two versus of scripture in an effort to support the assertion. The first scripture is when Jesus says,

"[t]he sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath". Mk. 2:27. (12).

First of all, how does this statement by Jesus in any way tell us that we can now ignore a commandment of God? It doesn't. Jesus tells us that the sabbath was made for man in response to the pharisees inquiry about Jesus' disciples gathering and eating corn. Jesus referred the pharisees to scripture telling of when David and his men ate bread lawful only for apriest. Jesus explains this was acceptable to God because David and His men were hungry. Look at the rebuke Jesus gave the pharisees:

"But I say unto you, that in this place is one greater than the temple. [7] But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. [8] For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day". Mt. 12:6-8.

When Christ says that He is "Lord even of the sabbath day," Jesus is telling the pharisees that they can no more tell Him the "right" interpretation of sabbath observance than they can tell God, His Father, who created the sabbath day and made it holy in the first place. And God says He wants mercy, not sacrifice.

Let us review the two great commandments stated by Jesus,

"[35] Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, [36] Master, which is the great commandment in the law? [37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets". Mt. 22:35-40. See Also, Mk. 12:29-31; Lk. 10:27; and Lev. 19:18.

In the next Section, we will discuss these verses more in depth. For now, understand that Jesus is telling us that we must view all our actions in light of these two great commandments, love thy God and love thy neighbor. Mercy is love. If someone is hungry, you let them eat. If someone is sick, you care for them and try to heal them. If life is in danger, you save it. We will discuss how keeping God's sabbath commandment is love for God. But Jesus is trying to teach us that our love for God should not impair the second great commandment to love thy neighbor. God wants us to have mercy, love and compassion. The pharisees were blind to this and put unmerciful restrictions on the commandments never intended by God. Jesus teaches us how to be obedient to God in all ways.

Therefore, Jesus' statement that, "the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath," (Mk. 2:27), offers no basis to conclude that the sabbath is given only for the humane rest of man. And it is from this false premise that some jump to the inference that the duty to keep the sabbath went away once man no longer needed the rest. God gave no such discretion. Man's duty to keep the everlasting sabbath covenant is forever (Ex. 31:16-17), not just until man decides he does not need it any longer.

The second scripture used by some in support their "day of rest only" argument is found in the Book of Deuteronomy.

"And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm:therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day". Dt. 5:15.

This statement by God has nothing to do with providing the sabbath only as a day of rest. First of all, God also referenced the fact that He delivered the Israelites from bondage immediately before telling them that they shall have no other gods. Ex. 31:6-7. No one argues that the First Commandment was "just temporary". Secondly, God is saying that He is the One that delivered the Israelites from bondage, honoring His promise to Abraham to be their God. In return, He commands the children of Israel to keep His sabbath in recognition that He is the God that delivered them. If it was the cruelty of slavery that motivated God to share His sabbath day of rest, as some argue, then the Israelites probably no longer had need of rest once they were delivered out of slavery, and certainly not after their deliverance to the promised land forty years later. But God did not give them the sabbath as a temporary day of rest. God said that they will keep His sabbath as a perpetual covenant forever. That is anything but temporary.

The point God is making to the Israelites is that He delivered them. He will be their God, and they will be His people. But they have to do what He says. And He has a day, His seventh day, that He made holy when He finished creation. And God commands man to keep His sabbath day, keep it holy. The sabbath is to be our sign forever to Him that He is our God. Under any analysis, scripture is clear that God's holy seventh day sabbath is far more than "just a day of rest".

E. FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST REQUIRES KEEPING THE SABBATH.

That is right. Faith in Jesus Christ requires keeping the sabbath. There is nothing that Jesus said or did, including His resurrection, that eliminates the duty to keep God's holy seventh day sabbath. In fact, faith in Jesus Christ extended the duty to keep God's holy seventh day sabbath commandment to all men, both Jew and gentile. If faith in Jesus Christ requires keeping the sabbath, then that would mean that practically every organized christian religion has been falsely teaching people to break a commandment of God for nearly 1,700 years. This author is aware of the gravity of that conclusion, and so we will thoroughly discuss all points of contention on both sides of the issue.

Please take the time to study this sabbath issue and look on the Word of God instead of just accepting the conclusions from the "experts" and other "authoritative sources". And don't take my word for it. Really read the scriptures anyone cites to support of their conclusion. Is the conclusion merited? Look to what the Word of God tells you, not the man. If you will do that, and are not blinded to the truth, you can only reach one conclusion. We gentiles really made a mess of this one. Fortunately, it is not too late to change, and God is merciful. But do not take theostrich approach. Open your eyes and your ears. Pray for understanding. God wants us all to get it right while there is yet still time.

There are a number of arguments advanced as justification for not keeping God's sabbath. These arguments primarily point to something Jesus or His Apostles did or said that is somehow interpreted as eliminating the sabbath commandment. The effort has been made to find, present and analyze all the known arguments against sabbath keeping. If not previouslyaddressed, you will most likely find the excuse discussed in this Section. For example, many argue that christians do not observe the sabbath, instead they worship on Sunday to celebrate the day of Christ's resurrection. Did you know that the Bible does not tell us that Christ rose on Sunday? It only says that the women found him already gone on Sunday. He could have risen on Saturday. And what about replacing the seventh day sabbath rest with Sunday or the "Lord's Day" because of the resurrection of Christ? Do you know that scripture says that if Jesus were to have given believers rest, he would have spoken of another day? The Fourth Commandment ("Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy") was never extinguished, annulled, amended or in any way revised by Jesus Christ or His resurrection. The only thing Jesus did was to correct the false teachings of the pharisees on keeping His Father's sabbath. Let us now review these and other arguments in detail.

1. The Love of God Is That We Keep His Commandments.

Any analysis of the duties man owes to God requires an analysis under both the Old and New Testaments. It is a grave error for any christian church to never preach nor read from the Old Testament. When it comes to a discussion of keeping the sabbath, the knee jerk response of most protestant christians is that "we are no longer under the law", and we will get to that. But first, let us look first to the teachings of Jesus regarding the applicability of the Old Testament to His followers. Remember, Jesus Christ is the Word of God. As we review the sabbath issue, it is of utmost importance that you realize that Jesus Christ wrote and inspired both the New and the Old Testaments. Everything. Jesus Christ is the Word of God. If you are in any way unclear on this, review Section IV.C., "JESUS CHRIST IS THE WORD OF GOD".

Jesus tells us the preaching of the New Testament:

"[16]The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. [17] And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail". Lk.. 16:16-17.

Does Jesus say that the law went away after John? No. Not one tittle (a tiny minute ornament over a Hebrew letter) of the law will fail. The law and the prophets were preached before John the Baptist, and afterward, the kingdom of God was preached. This is important, so Jesus elaborates for us in more detail:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. [18] 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. [19] Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven". Mt. 5:17-20.

Jesus again clearly tells us that not one letter from the law will pass until it is fulfilled. And Jesus is directing His comments specifically to the commandments so there can be no question or dispute. No commandment or other part of the law shall pass until all be fulfilled. This is entirely consistent with scripture in the Old Testament: "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever". Isa. 40:8. And Jesus twice repeats this enduring quality ofthe Word of God in the New Testament: "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away". Mt. 24:35; Lk. 21:33. To summarize, nothing in the law, including the commandments, was destroyed or changed by Jesus, and the Word of God shall stand forever and never pass away.

Because Jesus did not change the law, we need to know what the law is regarding God's commandments. Few grasp how historically significant God's delivery of the commandments, statutes, judgments and ordinances is. It is how God presented Himself to us, and He wants to make an eternal impression upon all mankind. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever". Ex. 19:9 (emphasis added).

Picture if you will the setting in which God delivered His Words to man. At God's instruction, Moses spends two days sanctifying the children of Israel. They even wash their clothes in preparation for this meeting with God. The people and animals must be kept away from the border of the mountain because to touch it is to die. There is thunder, lightning and the sounds of trumpets. The mountain is smoking and moving. And then the Lord descends upon mount Sanai in fire, the smoke is like that of a furnace. The whole mountain quakes greatly. All the people are trembling. Ex. 19: 9-19. It is God's stated intention to put the fear of death in the people so they will not sin. Ex. 20:20. What does sin have to do with it? "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law". 1 Jn. 3:4. " ... that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful". Rom. 7:13.

Why should we care about how God delivered His Word, including the Ten Commandments, to mankind? Think about it. God presented His commandments in such a manner that man would remember it for ever. The Ten Commandments and the covenant were written in stone by the hand of God not once, but twice. And I ask a simple question. Why don't christians have to observe the Fourth Commandment and keep God's seventh day sabbath? And no one can point to a scripture anywhere that says christians do not have to keep the sabbath. This is incredible. Don't you think God would have made a point in telling us if one of His Ten Commandments vanished? Forget about trumpets, smoke and earthquakes announcing the change. At a minimum, is it not reasonable to expect God to have at least given us one scripture that says we no longer have to keep His sabbath? Don't you think that if God was going to allow man to break the one and only everlasting, perpetual, without interruption, forever covenant that man made to God (the everlasting sabbath covenant), that God would have mentioned it to us ? But there is not one scripture anywhere that tells us it changed, went away or was replaced. Not one scripture, nor anything even close. Not one.

Perhaps the protestants should listen to their own advise given to the catholics:

"What the Catholic must prove, and cannot, is that the God who deemed it so important for the faith and morals of the faithful to inspire the inscripturation of 27 books of apostolic teaching would have left out some important revelation in these books. Indeed, it is not plausible that He would have allowed succeeding generations to struggle and even fight over precisely where this alleged extrabiblical revelation is to be found. So, however authoritative the apostleswere by their office, only their inscripturated words are inspired and infallible (2 Tim. 3:16-17; cf. John 10:35)". CRJ at p. 7 of 15 (See endnote7, for citation).

Let us now review some of the scriptures in the Old Testament regarding obedience to God's commandments: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope". Rom. 15:4.

"And [the LORD] said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee". Ex. 15:26.

"Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him". Dt. 8:6.

"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; [27] A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: [28] And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known". Dt. 11:26-28.

"These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth". Dt. 12:1.

"[1] Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. [2] The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. [3] His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever. [4] He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. [5] He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. [6] He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen. [7] The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. [8] They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. [9] He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. [10] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever". Psalm 111: 1-10.

"Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments". Psalm 112:1.

There can be no question to the fact that the scriptures in the Old Testament require the children of Israel to obey all the commandments of God. However, many wrongly assume that the duty of man to obey God's commandments was somehow extinguished because of Christ'ssacrifice and atonement for our sins. That is dangerous thinking, and contrary to the Word of God. Nowhere does the New Testament tell us that we may disobey any of God's commandments. Jesus told us to keep all God's commandments, and did not tell us of any exceptions. And neither did the writings of the Apostles. As we proceed in our analysis of eachof the reasons offered as justification for the christian non-observance of God's sabbath, ask yourself these questions: Does Jesus tell us anywhere in the New Testament that we do not have to obey all God's commandments? Why am I not keeping God's sabbath? Where is the sabbath exception to obeying all God's commandments? If you are not keeping the sabbath, these are questions that you must be able to answer. If you were standing today before Jesus at judgment, what would you tell Him if He asked you why you did not keep His Father's sabbath?

Jesus told us that the first and great commandment was, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Mt. 22:35-40. It is this first and great commandment that defines how our relationship with God is to be. What can we do to obey this command repeated by Jesus? Obedience to all the commandments of God is a good start. When Jesus told us the two great commandments (love thy God and love thy neighbor), He said, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets". Mt. 22:40. The first great commandment incorporates all that is within the first four of the Ten Commandments:

1."Thou shalt have no other gods before me". Ex. 20:3.

2."Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments". Ex. 20:4-6.

3."Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain". Ex. 20:7.

4."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". Ex. 20:8-11. (13).

Notice that the Fourth Commandment of keeping the sabbath is the only commandment of the first four requiring any type of affirmative act on our part. The other three commandments tell us what not to do. If a person loves God with all their heart, soul and mind, why would that person intentionally want to disobey any of God's commandments? Do you remember the reason God told Isaac, son of Abraham, that He made all His promises to Abraham? (14).

"Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws". Gen. 26:5.

Abraham obeyed God long before the Ten Commandments were delivered by God to man on mount Sanai. Scripture does not say what commandments Abraham obeyed, just that He obeyed. If we really love God, should we not also want to be obedient? Should not the child obey the parent without question?

"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein". Mark 10:15.

"And [Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become like little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven". Mt. 18:3.

What does obedience have to do with the first and great commandment, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind"? Mt. 22:37. It is important to understand that Jesus gave us no new revelation when He spoke of this first and great commandment. The Old Testament states this commandment to love the Lord our God many times:

"[4] Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: [5] And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might". Dt. 6:4-5.

"[12] And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve thy LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, [13] To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? [14]Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. [15] Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day". Dt. 10:12-15.

"Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway". Dt. 11:1.

"If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:" Dt. 19:9.

"[6] And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. [7] And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. [8] And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. [9] And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: [10] If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes, which arewritten in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

[11] For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. [12] It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? [13]] Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? [14] But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

[15] See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; [16] In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. [17] But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; [18] I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over the Jordan to go to possess it. [19] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: [20] That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them". Dt. 30:6-20.

Do you notice that in nearly every scripture cited above the first and great commandment to love God is given in conjunction with the requirement that we keep God's commandments? It is this obedience to His commandments that God expects from us as a part of our love for Him.

Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments". Jn. 14:15. Some no doubt will say, But Jesus never told us to keep the sabbath commandment. Didn't He? What did Jesus tell us to do?

"[21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. [22] Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? [23] Jesus answered, and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. [24] He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. [25] These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. [26] But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you". Jn. 14:21-26.

What did Jesus say? The word we hear is not Jesus', but God's. Remember, Jesus is the Word of God. See Section IV. C., "JESUS CHRIST IS THE WORD OF GOD". So if Jesus said it, God said it. Read the passage again. The commandments of Jesus are the commandments of God. They are one in the same. If we love Jesus and God, we keep their commandments and words. If we do not love Jesus and God, we do not keep their sayings.

Is there any special significance to God's commandment to keep His sabbath? I would argue, Yes, there is very special significance to God's sabbath commandment. Look at the everlasting sabbath covenant which is tied to God's everlasting promise to be our God, and that keeping His sabbath is a sign that we know that He is our God. See VII.B., "THE SABBATH IS A SIGN TO GOD THAT HE IS OUR GOD". Look at the fact that God sanctified the sabbath holy unto Himself and told us to keep it holy. See IV.E.1., "The Holiness of God's Seventh Day Sabbath". God is telling us that if we want Him to be our God, then we need to show Him the sabbath sign. If God says that He wants His sabbath to be a sign that He is my God, I will obey. Why? Because I love Him. And what does it say if you do not keep and observe His sabbath? Theimplication is that you do not know that God is your God. He asks us for one visible, affirmative act and sign. Keep and observe His seventh day sabbaths. Never mind if you understand it or if you really don't see what the big deal is. Is it not enough that God wants us to keep His one holy day, a day that binds us to Him as our creator? God wants our obedience, and He wants us to obey all His commandments, including keeping His seventh day sabbath. If you love God, you will keep His seventh day sabbath.

Are you thinking, "But, I love God and keeping His sabbath has nothing to do with it". Doesn't it?

"[5:1] Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. [2] By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. [3] For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous". 1 Jn. 5:1-3.

Jesus tells us the first and great commandment in the law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind". Mt. 22:37. And the First Epistle of John tells us that the love of God is that we keep his commandments. You can not get any clearer than that. Anyone that continues to believe that keeping the sabbath commandment is not included in the love for God has their eyes closed to the truth.

2. The Will of God Is That We Keep His Seventh Day Sabbath.

We have established that the love of God is that we keep His commandments. 1 Jn. 5:3. Alright, you say, but I have lived my entire life for Jesus, having done many wonderful works in His name. Is not that enough? Is keeping the seventh day sabbath really all that important?

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity". Mt. 7:21-23.

But if these people were doing "many wonderful works" in His name, how will Jesus be able to say to them, "I never knew you"? Look at what Jesus is telling us. He is limiting the class foradmission to heaven. He says that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. You must do the will of God. But how do we know God's will? Look at His commandments. God tells us His will when He commands us to do or not do something. He tells us that keeping and observing His seventh day sabbath is our sign that He is our God. See Section VII.B., "THE SABBATH IS A SIGN TO GOD THAT HE IS OUR GOD". That is the will of God. Does God ask us to go to church as our sign that He is our God? No. Does God ask us to sing songs as our sign that He is our God? No. Does God ask us to put a bumper sticker on our car as our sign that He is our God? No. Is there any affirmative act other than keeping His sabbath that God says is our sign to Him that He is our God? No. It is God's will that we keep His commandments, and that includes His sabbath. But man is so stiffnecked and hardheaded that we refuse obedience to God in this one simple act. "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked". Dt. 10:16.

Jesus tells us point blank that you will not enter the kingdom of heaven no matter how manydevils you have cast out, no matter how many wonderful works you have done in His name, no matter how many times you have prophesied, UNLESS YOU DO THE WILL OF GOD. And if you refuse because you know better, or your preacher knows better, or the man on television knows better, then you can not enter the kingdom of heaven.

"For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother". Mt. 12:50. In accord, Mark 3:35. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". Rom. 12:2.

Jesus says that to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must do the will of our Father in heaven. Mt. 7:21. And if we do God's will, we become as brother, sister and mother to Jesus. And we are not to be conformed to this world, but transformed to prove the perfect will of God. So how do we know what the will of God is? Look to the Word of God. That is why God gave it to us. We have to read the Word of God to learn about the will of God. But do we know for certain that keeping His seventh day sabbath is the will of God? What does scripture say?

"Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. [2] 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". Isa. 56: 1-2.

"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, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words: [14] 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 hath spoken it". Isa. 58:13-14.

Are you willing to bet your eternity in heaven that keeping His sabbath is not the "will of God?" I'm not. This entire paper contains nothing but scriptures telling me to keep His seventh daysabbath, and no one can show me a scripture that says christians no longer need to keep it. If it be the will of God for us to keep His sabbath, and we do not do it, then if follows that we are not doing the will of God. Jesus said you have to do the will of His Father to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Mt. 7:23.

Define the sabbath as you will, from the most to the least important commandment of God. How you classify it matters not. Keeping the sabbath is still a commandment of God. How better could God tell us His will than to command us to do something? We have to assume that God would not have told us to do something unless it was His will.

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. [14] For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil". Eccl. 12:13-14.

3. Christ Did Not Eliminate The Duty To Keep God's Sabbath.

We now turn to the heart of the sabbath debate. Every remaining argument not previously discussed, that asserts that christians do not have to keep the sabbath is in one wayor the other based upon either an action, a statement or an effect of Jesus Christ or His resurrection. All catholic and nearly every protestant denomination, teach that somehow Jesus Christ changed the duty of man to keep the sabbath. All remaining reasons offered as justification for ignoring the sabbath commandment of God will be discussed in detail in this section. The conclusion? None of the reasons offered for breaking the sabbath withstand scriptural scrutiny.

Catholics admit they changed the sabbath day, but believe that their pope and bishops are given the authority to do such things direct from God. See Section VI.A.1., "Catholic Doctrine on Authority". Protestants, on the other hand, base their division from the catholic church by reason of their doctrine of sola Scriptura. That doctrine provides that: (i) scripture alone is the primary and absolute source of all doctrine and practice in faith and morals, (ii) the Bible is sufficient and is all that is necessary for faith and practice, (iii) scriptures possess final authority on all doctrinal and moral matters, (iv) the Bible is clear, and (v) scripture interprets scripture. See Section VI.B.1., "The Doctrine of Sola Scriptura".

It is scripture itself that makes it impossible for protestants to advocate and believe that somehow the duty to keep God's seventh day sabbath was eliminated or changed in any way by Christ's statements, actions or resurrection. Furthermore, there is absolutely no scripture that either requires or even suggests the celebration of the Lord's resurrection on Sunday, the "Lord's Day", whether viewed as a replacement for keeping the sabbath obligation or as a christian day of obligation. The bottom line is that the "Lord's Day" is a tradition of man and nothing more. Sunday worship or rest in lieu of God's seventh day sabbath has absolutely no basis in scripture. In no uncertain terms, the failure of christians to teach and keep God's holy seventh day sabbath is sin. Let's move now to the scriptural analysis of these and other issues.

a. The Sabbath Covenant Requires Uninterrupted Sabbath Keeping For Ever.

We have already touched on these words of Jesus (p. 36), but this scripture is of great importance and warrants further discussion. Read closely what Jesus is telling us:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. [18] 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. [19] Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven". Mt. 5:17-20.

If there were to be only one scripture that should settle the seventh day sabbath dispute, this would be it. Jesus tells us everything we need to know. Christ did not destroy the law, He fulfilled it. He tells us that absolutely nothing shall pass from the law until "heaven and earth pass". When will that be?

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea". Rev. 21:1.

This new heaven and new earth will be after Christ's return, after the battle of Armageddon, after Christ's one thousand year reign on earth, after the final defeat of satan, and after the final judgment of every man. Until that day, Jesus says, nothing in the law shall pass away till all be fulfilled.

i. The everlasting sabbath covenant.

Let us turn to the sabbath covenant man made to God. See Section V.A., "THE SABBATH COVENANT AS STATED BY GOD", Section V. B., "A CONTRACT BETWEEN MAN AND GOD", and Section V.C., "THE TERMS OF THE SABBATH COVENANT". Jesus says nothing in the law shall pass away till all be fulfilled. What needs to happen to fulfill this sabbath covenant? Eternity.

"Wherefore, the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." Ex. 31:16-17.

The keeping of the sabbath can never stop. The children of Israel shall keep the sabbath for a perpetual covenant. A sign forever. Jesus tells us that nothing shall pass from the law till all be fulfilled. By its very terms, the sabbath covenant requires man to keep the sabbath continuously and without interruption forever. We know this promise is not just for the Jews. It applies to believers in Christ because by faith we become the seed of Abraham and therefore we also are the children of Israel. See Section VII.A., "GOD'S SEVENTH DAY SABBATH IS NOT 'JUST FOR THE JEWS'".

ii. God can not lie.

If, as some propose, the resurrection of Jesus somehow eliminates the obligation to keep the sabbath, then the keeping of the sabbath "by the children of Israel" becomes interrupted and no longer perpetual. If God says something is perpetual and ever lasting, that is exactly the way it is going to be. God does not give conflicting instructions to man. His word is truth. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth". Jn. 17:17. Jesus says absolutely nothing, not one jot or tittle, will pass from the law until all be fulfilled. Jesus is truth. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ". Jn.1:17. The very words God chose for our sabbath covenant with Him, ("perpetual", "throughout their generations" and "for ever"), require nothing short of the continual observance of the sabbath for all of time. Any other interpretation would imply that the Word of God is false. And God can not lie:

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good"? Num. 23:19.

"I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God". Ezek. 24:14.

"Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strongconsolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:". Heb. 6:18.

"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever". Ps. 119:160.

Wherefore the obligation of the children of Israel, including believers in Christ, is to keep and observe God's holy seventh day sabbath non-stop, without interruption, continuously and for ever. Keeping the sabbath is an everlasting covenant from man to God. And to argue that the resurrection of Christ somehow eliminated that duty to keep the sabbath, is contrary to the Word of God as stated in the everlasting sabbath covenant.

iii. Sola Scriptura requires perpetual sabbath keeping.

Another flaw in the argument that the resurrection of Christ somehow eliminated the need to keep the sabbath is that it is contrary to scripture, and by the doctrine of sola Scriptura, must be rejected. See Section VI.B.1., "The Doctrine of Sola Sciptura". Sola Scriptura says the Bible is clear, the Bible is the best interpreter of the Bible, and clear texts of scripture should be used to interpret an unclear one. First of all, there is no scripture that says the duty to keep the sabbath is eliminated because of the resurrection of Christ or anything Jesus said or did. By the doctrine of sola Scriptura, anything of faith, morals or practice not supported by scripture is to be rejected. The best argument that can beadvanced for breaking the sabbath is that Jesus never specifically said that His followers must continue to keep the sabbath, or words to that effect. But if sola Scriptura requires clear scriptures to interpret unclear ones, then certainly it should be acceptable to use clear scriptures to interpret a non-existent one.

To argue that christians are not obligated to keep the sabbath ignores clear scripture reading. First, we have established that the sabbath covenant requires the continuous, non-stop and everlasting keeping of the sabbath. Second, other scripture is entirely consistent with the everlasting and continuous attributes of the sabbath covenant. Let's take a look at this consistency:

a. Tribulation Period.

Jesus gives this tribulation period instruction,

"[15] When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)." Mt. 25:15. "[19] And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! [20] But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: [21] For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor shall ever be. [22] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" Mt. 25:19-22 (emphasis added).

Jesus tells His believers to pray that their tribulation flight during the last days be not on the sabbath day. There is no rationale explanation why Jesus would have said this except that the sabbath is to be observed during the time of tribulation. And the tribulation period may have already begun. See endnote 3. Some proponents of sabbath breaking concede that the sabbathwill be observed in the tribulation period and after, but maintain, without explanation, that the duty to keep the sabbath is eliminated only in the period between Christ's resurrection and tribulation. This period is called the "Church Age". This position makes no sense. What will change to suddenly require christians to observe the sabbath once tribulation begins? There is no explanation, nor can there be, because this phantom change from Saturday sabbath to Sunday and back to Saturday sabbath is nowhere to be found in scripture. It is a fallacy of the tradition of man. And what justification do proponents of Sunday substitution give us to explain the "intermission" of sabbath keeping only during the Church Age? Absolutely none. Additionally, these "intermission" interpretations are contrary to God's clear statement of the everlasting sabbath covenant (Ex. 31:16, "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant."). God can not lie. Truth be told, there is no pause or elimination of man's duty to keep the sabbath after the resurrection of Christ. We are to keep the sabbath continuously and without interruption forever.

b. Millennial Reign of Christ.

The next confirmation of future sabbath observance is found in Ezekial's vision of the Millennial Temple during Christ's one thousand year reign. This period begins after the return of Christ and the battle of Armageddon. In Ezekial's vision, God tells us that the Levite priests will hallow His sabbaths,

"And they [the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok] shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. [24] And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths [saith the LORD God]". Ezek. 44:23-24 (emphasis added).

It is therefore contrary to clear scripture to argue that the duty to keep the sabbath was somehow eliminated by Christ or His resurrection. We have scripture that tells us that the sabbath will be kept during tribulation, and now we read that the sabbath will be kept during Christ's millennial reign. Proponents of sabbath breaking can offer no scripture to explain why christians are not obligated to keep the sabbath, but yet sabbaths are kept during Christ's millennial reign.

c. Kingdom Age.

Yet another confirmation of future sabbath keeping is found in the Book of Isaiah. God tells us, through the prophet Isaiah, that sabbaths will also be kept during the Kingdom Age. The Kingdom Age is after the one thousand year reign of Christ, the final defeat of satan, and the final judgment of man. The Kingdom Age begins with the new heaven, the new earth and the new Jerusalem and will last for ever:

"[22] For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, sayeth the LORD, so shall your seed and name remain. [23] And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. [24] And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh". Isa. 66:22-24.

Each of these scriptures tells us clearly that the sabbath will be kept during tribulation, the millennial reign of Christ, and then into the Kingdom age and forever thereafter. Furthermore, each scripture is entirely consistent with the everlasting and perpetual sabbath covenant man made to God. Look again at the covenant:

"Wherefore, the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." Ex. 31:16-17 (emphasis added).

Within the protestant doctrine of sola Scriptura, scripture interprets scripture. See VI.B.1., "The Doctrine of Sola Scriptura". Here, we have four very clear scriptures, each one consistent with the other. But there is not one scripture, clear or unclear, to support the assertion that christians do not have to keep the sabbath. If there were even one "unclear" scripture that implied non-observance of the sabbath, sola Scriptura tells us to use these four very clear scriptures to interpret the unclear one, and we would have to conclude that keeping of the sabbath is not interrupted by the Church age. Therefore, the doctrine of sola Scriptura, the very doctrine upon which the protestant reformation is based, demands the conclusion that the everlasting and perpetual sabbath covenant requires the keeping of God's seventh day sabbath by believers inChrist.

b.Jesus Teaches Us Not To Break Any of God's Commandments.

Let us return to our review of the following Words of Christ,

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. [18] 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. [19] Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven". Mt. 5:17-20.

Let us summarize our previous discussion. Jesus makes it clear that nothing shall pass from the law until all be fulfilled, and we know that the sabbaths are to be kept continuously and forever by reason of the everlasting sabbath covenant. We further know that by application of the doctrine of sola Scriptura, the everlasting sabbath covenant can only be interpreted as requiring uninterrupted sabbath keeping forever. That is the only interpretation consistent with scripture.

Jesus' statement that nothing shall pass from the law until all be fulfilled is followed by a specific warning not to break even one of the least commandments, or teach any one else to do so. Classify the sabbath commandment as you will, it is a commandment of God. And Jesus gives us specific instructions not to break it, whether it be the least or the greatest of all commandments. Jesus makes no exception for the breaking of any commandment. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy". Ex. 20:8.

Recall our previous discussion wherein the conclusion was reached that the love of God is that we keep His Commandments. We based this conclusion upon a number of teachings by Jesus,including the first and great commandment to love God. And, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous". 1 Jn. 5:3. See Section VII.E.1., "The Love of God Is That We Keep His Commandments". We then reviewed Jesus' teaching that not everyone who calls Him Lord, and who does many wonderful works in His name, will enter the kingdom of heaven. Entry into the kingdom of heaven requires that we must do the will of God. Mt. 7:21-23. See Section VII.E.2., "The Will of God Is That We Keep His Seventh Day Sabbath". We concluded in that discussion that the will of God included keeping His sabbath because that is a commandment of God. And immediately above in Matthew 5:19, Jesus tells us that if we break one of the least commandments of God, and teach others to do so, you will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. There can be but one conclusion: Jesus teaches us not to break any of God's commandments.

Now Jesus gives us another warning, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven". Mt. 5:20. This scripture is similar to Jesus' warning about doing the will of God, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; buthe that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven". Mt. 7:21. Therefore, to get into heaven, we must not only do the will of God, but our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees. What does the Word of God teach us about righteousness?

"And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us". Dt. 6:25.

There it is. Clear scripture telling us that it is righteous to do ALL God's commandments.

i.Beware the traditions of men.

Jesus says, that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and pharisees to get into heaven. Mt. 5:20. Did the scribes and pharisees keep all the commandments of God? Let us look to a very specific rebuke by Jesus' against the scribes and pharisees on this topic:

"Then the Pharisees, and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? [6] He answered and said unto them, Well, hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. (15) [7] Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. [8] For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such things ye do. [9] And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: [11] But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. [12] And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; [13] Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye". Mk. 7:5-13 (emphasis added).

In accord, Mt. 15:1-9. What is Jesus telling us in the above scripture? The Pharisees wanted to know why His disciples did not wash their hands to eat bread according to tradition, which wasone of the oral interpretations of the law. Jesus rebukes them, saying that their heart is far from God. He tells them that they are teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, which are traditions. Jesus uses as a specific example God's Fifth Commandment, "Honour thy father and thy mother". Ex. 20:12. Apparently the pharisees had created a loophole in the Fifth Commandment by their tradition. Jesus calls them hypocrites, and tells them that through their tradition they have made the Word of God of no effect. In other words, their teaching of their own doctrine, a tradition of man, canceled out God's Fifth Commandment to "Honour thy father and thy mother". Jesus does not limit his teaching to only the Fifth Commandment, saying, "and many such like things do ye". Mk. 7:13.

Do these words of Jesus apply to the catholic and protestant practice of failing to obey God's Fourth Commandment by keeping His seventh day sabbath and instead replacing it with worship on Sunday, the "Lord's Day"? Absolutely His words apply. And if Sunday worship is a"tradition of man", both the catholics and protestants have a very serious sin problem. The very words of Jesus give us this warning, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven". Mt. 5:20. It is imperative that we truthfully determine whether the "Lord's Day" is based in scripture or on tradition in order to determine if our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and pharisees in this regard.

ii. God's Fifth Commandment.

In Jesus' rebuke (Mk. 7:5-13), He uses God's Fifth Commandment, honour thy father and mother, as one example of the unrighteousness of the scribes and pharisees. Is there any significant difference between God's Fourth Commandment (keeping the sabbath) and God's Fifth Commandment (honour thy father and mother)? No there is not. These two commandments have close parallels to one another.

Let us look first to the Fifth Commandment. There is not a great deal of scripture regarding this commandment, far less than given us regarding the sabbath. The commandment itself is, "Honour thy father and thy mother", and is found at Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16. See Section IV.D.2., "The Ten Commandments". And we know the Fourth Commandment, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" is found at Ex. 20:8-11.

Is there anything to be learned from the Fifth Commandment that might help us better understand God's Fourth Commandment? Look at what Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians,

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. [2] Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) [3] That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth". Eph. 6:1-3.

Paul says, "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right". Id. So we now know that obedience to our parents is righteous. What else is righteous? We just read it. "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us". Dt. 6:25 (emphasis added). So it is righteous to obey our parents and it is righteous to do all the commandments given to us by God.

Should this duty to obey our parents under the Fifth Commandment be limited to just our biological parents? Jesus tells us, "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven". Mt. 23:9. And look at what God tells us in the last book of the OldTestament through the prophet Malachi,

"A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?" Mal. 1:6.

"Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? ..." Mal. 2:10.

God is our Father in heaven. He created us. And as part of that creation He rested on the seventh day from all He made, and made His seventh day holy. God gave us His sabbath day, told us to keep it holy, and said that it is to be our sign to Him for ever that we know He is our God. In the Fifth Commandment, God tells us to honour our parents here on earth, but asks us in Malachi, if He is our father, where is our honour to Him? Mal. 1:6. Paul tells us in Ephesians that it is righteous to obey your parents. We previously concluded that the love of God, the first and great commandment, requires that we keep all God's commandments. See Section VII.E.1., "The Love of God Is That We Keep His Commandments". There, we posed the question whether the child should obey the parent. Here, Paul answers that question for us in the context of the Fifth Commandment, telling children to obey their parents. God asks us as our Father in heaven, where is our honour to him?

Do you agree that God, as our Father in heaven, should be given at least the same honor of obedience that we are told to give our parents in the Fifth Commandment? We come full circle back to the first and great commandment, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Mt. 22:37. To love God is to obey God. Once again, Jesus gives us specific warning about our entry into the kingdom of heaven:

"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein". Mark 10:15.

"And [Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become like little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven". Mt. 18:3.

What is Jesus trying to teach us? We have to become like little children or we shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Mt. 18:3 (emphasis added). Children are told to obey their parents, that to do so is righteous. Eph. 6:1. God is our Father in heaven, and asks where is mine honour? Mal. 1:6. If we love God, we are to obey Him just as we are taught to obey our parents under the Fifth Commandment. "And it shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us". Dt. 6:25 (emphasis added).

The pharisees and scribes rewrote God's Fifth Commandment with their own loophole, making the word of God of none effect through their tradition. Mk. 7:5-13. Jesus teaches us that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the pharisees and scribes, we shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Mt. 5:17-20. "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven". Mt. 7:21.

Do you see how everything Jesus teaches is connected? Nothing stands alone. Jesus teaches us that everything we do is to be weighed against the two great commandments: Love our God and love our fellow man. In the specific Fifth Commandment example Jesus gives us, the pharisees failed on both counts. They failed to love God because they did not obey His FifthCommandment. And they failed to love their neighbor because they taught other men to break God's commandment as they did. Their teaching made God's Fifth Commandment ofnone effect. And we have done the exact same thing with God's Fourth Commandment. We teach our children to observe the "Lord's Day", Sunday, because that is the way we were taught. It has nothing to do with scripture. Go ahead. Look for it. It is not there.

Instead of obeying God's Fourth Commandment, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy, man invented his own day. In effect, we say to God, We know better than you. Our Lord's Day is better than your seventh day, even though it was made holy by You at creation, because we think Jesus rose on a Sunday. If we call our day the "Lord's Day", and say it is holy, that is better than your Fourth Commandment. After all, we say, the "Lord's Day" celebrates the resurrection of Christ, and we think that is more important than your creation. We say, had you thought about it God, we know you would have canceled your Fourth Commandment and told us to observe the Sunday "Lord's Day" in its place. Because we know better than You, we decided not to do that sabbath thing anymore. We do not want to listen to what You say on the sabbath subject.

May God have mercy on us. Jesus warned us. He told us to be obedient like little children. He told us to learn from the errors of the pharisees and scribes and make certain our righteousness exceeds theirs. He told us that it does not matter how many wonderful works we do in His name, we have to do the will of God to enter the kingdom of heaven. Do we listen? Of course not. We blindly follow the "Lord's Day" tradition passed down to us by our fathers, and our fathers' fathers, and their fathers before them. And we have been doing this for 1,700 years. Why do we refuse to look to the Word of God for truth?

On the test of the two great commandments, we fail just like the pharisees and scribes. We do not keep all of God's commandments because we do not observe God's seventh day sabbath. We haven't for 1,700 years. If we love God, we keep all His commandments. If we are obedient to God, we will not ignore any of His Commandments. Our "Lord's Day" tradition makes God's Fourth Commandment of none effect just as the tradition of the scribes and pharisees regarding His Fifth Commandment. No difference whatsoever. And we fail the second great commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, because we teach our children and our neighbors to break God's Fourth Commandment. If we truly love them, we would not be teaching our neighbors to sin.

Jesus warns us that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and pharisees or we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. If the "Lord's Day" and our non-observance of God's Fourth Commandment, is just a tradition and not based on clear scripture, then the following rebuke is completely justified:

Catholics and protestants, Why do you transgress the seventh day sabbath commandment of God by your tradition of the "Lord's Day"? Well has Isaiah prophesied of you, hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do the catholics and protestants worship God, teaching for doctrines the "Lord's Day", a commandment of man. For laying aside the Fourth Commandment of God, catholics and protestants hold the tradition of men, as the worship on Sunday. Full well ye reject the Fourth Commandment of God, that ye may keep your own Sunday tradition. For Moses said, Remember the sabbath day, to keep itholy. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh isthe sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. But you, catholics and protestants say, if a man observes Sunday, the "Lord's Day", he shall be free of God's seventh day sabbath commandment. And you suffer him no more to keep the sabbath; making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

This rebuke is based on a reading of Mk. 7:6-13; Ex. 20:8; and Ex. 31:14-15. Let us pray it is not too late to correct our ways. Let us begin to teach others to be obedient to ALL God's commandments. And let us seek forgiveness for this grave sin committed by us generation upon generation. God is merciful, but once you know the sin, you have to repent of it. If you can't see that we must keep God's sabbath day by now, I doubt that there is anything else that could be written to help you. Yes, all remaining arguments that are made to try to justify breaking God's seventh day sabbath will be addressed, refuted and dismissed as being totally without merit. But that is simply defending God's Word, and God does not have to defend anything. All scripture we have reviewed up to this point in this paper is very, very clear. We must keep God's seventh day sabbath. Do what you want on your Lord's Day, there is nothing wrong with worshiping everyday of the week. But you have to keep God's seventh day sabbath, Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset.

Why this has happened, I do not know. I am certain that God has purpose in all things. But, hopefully, you now see the truth, and it is up to you to do what you can to correct the sin, the disobedience, and the unrighteousness. If it helps, the Lord laid the following scriptures on my heart, and perhaps He will also speak to you through His Word the way He has with me:

"Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth"? Luke 18:8.

"Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. [17] If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. [18] He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. [19] Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?" Mt. 7:16-19.

"[4] Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. [5] And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. [6] Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. [7] Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. [8] He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested so that he might destroy the works of the devil. [9] Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. [10] In this children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. [11] For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another". 1 Jn 3:4-11.

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: [19] And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book". Rev. 22:18-19.

"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. [12] Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. [13] And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them". Rev. 14:11-12.

"[9] And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: [10] To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, [11] According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:". Eph. 3:9-11.

"[Thus saith the LORD] I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. [5] Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed". Isa. 66:4-5.

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: [4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them". 2 Cor. 4:3-4.

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him. [2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. [3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. [5] Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? [6] And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. [7] For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. [8] And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: [9] Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, [10] And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shallsend them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: [12] That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure inunrighteousness.

But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: [14] Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [15] Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. [16] Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work". 2 Thes. 2:1-17.

And if you do not turn from this sin, but continue to follow the way of the world, may the Lord have mercy upon you.

"[6] Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; [7] With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: [8] Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free". Eph. 6:5-8.

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