Steps to Life

Prophecy Seminar

Session 9: The Mark of the Beast, Part 1

In our last lesson we studied about the mark of God. In this lesson we are going to study about Satan’s counterfeit mark—the Mark of the Beast. This is the sign of allegiance to his authority. Tonight we will only have time to cover half the subject. We will begin to study the Beast’s "mark," as opposed to God’s mark, while tomorrow night we will study and identify the Beast itself. Some of the most fearful judgments in the Bible are pronounced against those who receive the mark of the Beast:

Revelation 14:9 "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ î

In this same chapter, God describes those who receive His mark as opposed to the Beast’s mark.

Revelation 14:1 "Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. . . . 12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."

It Is A Symbolic Mark

The mark of God, as we studied the last night, is a symbolic mark. Most of Revelation is a book of symbols. The idea of God symbolically marking those who are true and faithful to Him is an old biblical idea.

Psalm 37:37 "Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace."

Note also Ezekiel 9:4 and Jeremiah 31:33 in this regard. Just as God marks those who are faithful to Him, as demonstrated by their obedience to Him and to His law, so there is another group of people who are marked—these are those who, instead of following and obeying God, follow and obey the Beast. In the last days there will only be a few who are found to be true followers of God, while the vast majority will be found to be followers of the Beast:

Revelation 13:3 ". . . And all the world marveled and followed the beast."

Except in symbols, the exact description of the mark of the Beast is not given in Revelation. Yet, by comparing scripture with scripture, we can understand the symbols and it can be positively identified. God would not give us a warning about something that could not be identified. In our next lesson we will see that the Beast is clearly identified in Scripture, which will further help us to verify, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what the Beast’s mark is.

While Revelation does not give the exact description of the mark of the Beast, it clearly, as we have already noted, describes those who do not receive the mark of the Beast. They are described as "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus"—in other words, they are commandment–keeping Christians (see Revelation 12:17; 14:12; 22:14).

Whose Authority Do We Recognize?

By inference, therefore, it would seem to indicate that those who receive the mark of the Beast would be those who keep the Beast’s laws instead of God’s laws. If a king’s authority is his ability to make and execute laws, then the Beast would show his assumed authority by replacing God’s laws with his own. In fact, this is the identifying mark of the Beast power—throughout the Bible he is described as one who sets himself up above God by changing and disregarding His laws (see Daniel 7:25 concerning the attempt to change God’s law and Revelation 13:4–10 in regard to the beast deliberately breaking the commandments, with the breaking of the first, second, third and sixth commandments specifically referred). Paul describes the power that deliberately attempts to change God’s law (deliberately break it) as the "lawless" one.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."

2 Thessalonians 2:7 "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved."

Note, this "lawless" one was already at work in Paul’s day. We will study the whole history of the Beast power tomorrow night. Tonight we will only have time to discover what his mark of authority is.

Not only is the Beast described as the "lawless" one, but his followers, which, when Jesus comes, will be practically the ìwhole world" (Revelation 13:3), are also described as "lawless" ones.

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ î

Note, however, that these people who "practice lawlessness" think they are followers of Christ. They think they are saved. As noted in 2 Thessalonians 2, the Beast power comes with "power, signs, and lying wonders, and with. . . deception."

2 Corinthians 11:13 "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works."

How Many Laws Must You Flaunt to Be Lawless?

We have noted that lawlessness versus law–keeping helps to differentiate between the followers of the Beast and the followers of God. How much of the law does God expect His children to keep in order for Him to put His mark on them? How much of the law must they break in order to be in danger of being classed with the ìlawless" beast power?

James 2:10 "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."

You might notice that the word "point" in your Bible is italicized, which means it is not in the original Greek. The text literally reads as follows in the original language: "Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one, he is guilty of all." If we stumble in one commandment, we are guilty of all, because it shows that we do not accept the authority of God. It shows that we do not have faith in Him, for we only obey Him when He agrees with us. Thus we become our own god. We thus fall for the original deception of Satan, pawned off on Eve in the Garden of Eden when he said: "You will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:5.

In a Nutshell

Let us summarize what we have learned thus far: The Beast power is described as the "lawless one." Most of the world wonders after the Beast. God says that these followers of the Beast, many of whom call Jesus their "Lord," are those who "practice lawlessness." And James tells us that you only have to break one of God’s laws to be considered lawless. If this is the case, let us look at the law to see what could possibly be within the law that might differentiate those who will be followers of the Beast when Jesus comes, from those who will have God’s mark on them.

Are there any of God’s commandments which Satan has been able to successfully attack and cause the whole world to reject? Paul says that the power which Satan was using to bring about this lawlessness was already at work in his day (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7; Daniel 7:25). How has Satan worked? What commandment or commandments has he successfully attacked, beginning clear back in Paul’s day? Let us look at the commandments to find out.

Analyzing the Commandments

Before analyzing what we have just read, let me say that I am not interested in proving some particular point of mine. Nor am I interested in proving or disproving anyone’s particular doctrinal beliefs. I must present what the Bible says, and I want you to study the Bible for yourself. Whatever you decide it says to you, I will respect. Just remember, however, that truth remains the same regardless of what we happen to believe.

When Galileo discovered that the world went around the sun, the professed church of his time said, "If you do not recant that belief and state that the sun goes around the earth, we are going to burn you to the stake." So Galileo recanted. And as soon as he recanted, then the sun started going around the earth—didn’t it or did it? You see, the truth remains the truth whether I believe it or not. Galileo is reported to have said quietly after he recanted that the earth still goes around the sun. The Truth is the truth whether I believe it or not, and the truth is the truth whether anybody believes it or not. The truth is not dependent on numbers. If we are going to be true to Scripture, then it is obvious that some things are going to have to be presented that are universally disregarded. If you choose to believe or not believe some of the things we are going to read, you will not offend me. I will still love you just the same. Let us take a candid look at what we have just read.

By a careful analysis, it will be noted that of all the commandments, there is only one that is universally disregarded by practically all Christians and by the world as a whole, and that is the fourth commandment.

Exodus 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."

The Seventh-Day Sabbath

The seventh-day Sabbath was established by God at the very creation of the earth, even before there was any sin or sin offerings, or Jews, or the need of a Savior. Obviously, it has nothing to do with earning salvation, but merely with obedience to God. Today, like the tree of life versus the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, God has given us a simple test by which we can show our allegiance to His authority.

Genesis 2:1 "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."

Not only was the Sabbath made and observed at Creation, but the Bible also tells us that it will still be kept in the new earth after sin has been done away with.

Isaiah 66:22 " ‘For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the LORD, ‘so shall your descendants and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the LORD.’ î

The Bible says "the seventh-day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God." By merely looking at the calendar it will be noted that the seventh day is Saturday, not Sunday. The Sabbath is the very heart of the Ten Commandments. There was a time when practically all Christians believed and taught the Ten Commandments. They were ardently taught by the Protestant reformers and Catholics as well. But today the Ten Commandments, the only part of the whole Bible written with God’s own finger, are disparaged and disregarded. Through specious and deceptive arguments, theologians have sought to set them aside—but it cannot be done except at the peril of receiving the mark of the Beast, the mark of the "lawless" one.

Why Have People Fought Against God’s Law?

Why have people worked so hard in recent years to contrive arguments to set aside God’s law? Is it that they do not like the commandment that says, "You shall not murder," or the commandment that says, "You shall not steal," or the commandment that says, "Honor your father and your mother?" No. They agree with nine out of ten of the commandments, but it is the fourth commandment, the Sabbath commandment, that they do not want to obey—the other nine are all O.K. To justify breaking the fourth commandment, they are willing to claim that the whole Law has been annulled.

On the other hand, other Christians have never thought about the fourth commandment. James says, "To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." James 4:17. Many Christians have kept Sunday in all good faith, and God accepts their devotion. But in the last days, God says He is going to restore His truth on earth, and He is going to again have a group of people who keep His commandments. These are those who receive His mark and who are protected from receiving the mark of the Beast.

Acts 17:30 "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

Jesus’ Example and Teaching

Let us look at what the Bible says about the Sabbath. First, we should start with Jesus’ teaching and example.

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ î

Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life." He "suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6).

Did Jesus give us an example of Sabbathñkeeping? Did He say anything about the Sabbath? Indeed He did.

Luke 4:16 "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read."

Jesus kept the Sabbath. The Scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus and His disciples of breaking the Sabbath (see Matthew 12:1-4; John 5:1-21; 7:21-24), but Jesus always claimed that He and His disciples were innocent of Sabbath–breaking. Jesus kept the Sabbath according to the Bible, not according to the rules of the Pharisees. Those who accuse Jesus of Sabbath–breaking today are doing the same work as the Scribes and Pharisees did in Jesus’ day.

Jesus not only kept the Sabbath, but He taught His followers to keep the Sabbath also. Before His crucifixion, in predicting to His disciples the fall of Jerusalem, He told them to pray that they might not have to flee on the Sabbath day. Jesus was talking about an event that was not to take place for another forty years, showing that He expected the disciples to still be keeping the Sabbath then.

Matthew 24:20 "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath."

Is the Sabbath Still Applicable After Jesus’ Death?

Though it is generally acknowledged that Jesus kept the Sabbath during His earthly ministry, some say that since His death, it no longer matters which day a person worships on. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:20 disagrees. But to support their idea they quote Colossians 2:16, which says, "Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths."

This is an important text which bears consideration. It should be noted first of all that the text talks about sabbaths (plural) rather than the Sabbath (singular). In the Jewish economy there were two kinds of sabbaths—the seventh-day Sabbath of the Ten Commandments; and the yearly, ceremonial sabbaths of the sanctuary service. The word "sabbath" means rest, and in the Jewish economy there were several yearly feast days on which all the people rested and worshipped. One of these was the Passover. The Passover came on the 14th day of the first Jewish religious month each year, thus it came on Monday one year, on Tuesday the next year, etc. Another yearly sabbath was the Day of Atonement in the fall of the year.

You can read about these yearly, ceremonial sabbaths in Leviticus 16:31 and Leviticus 23:4-44. These yearly feasts pointed forward to Jesus and His ministry and had no more significance after He came. The Passover sabbath, for example, was actually a prophecy foretelling the very day of Jesus’ crucifixion. He died on the very day of the Passover, at the very moment of the slaying of the lamb. Jesus is the true Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). These yearly, ceremonial sabbaths were all instituted as a part of the sanctuary services. They all pointed forward to Jesus. The Sabbath of the Ten Commandments pointed back to the Creation: "Remember the Sabbath day. . . for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth. . . and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8-11).

Thus there were two kinds of sabbaths—the yearly, ceremonial sabbaths established at Sinai, and the weekly Sabbath established at Creation and embodied in the law of God. Paul is very clear in Colossians, that he is talking about the ceremonial sabbaths only. Many people read only until they reach the word "sabbaths" and fail to read the rest of the sentence which is found in the next verse:

Colossians 2:16 "Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ."

Paul said not to judge people regarding these ceremonial sabbaths, but the Bible makes plain that the seventh-day Sabbath is a perpetual memorial.

John, the last of the apostles, when he wrote the book of Revelation in A.D. 96, stated that there was still a day that belonged to the Lord.

Revelation 1:10 "I was in the Spirit (in vision) on the Lord’s Day. . . ."

While John here doesn’t say which is the Lord’s day, Jesus tells us plainly that His day is the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

It was a very bold statement for Jesus to make when He claimed to be the "Lord of the Sabbath," for that is taken directly from the fourth commandment which states, "the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD." When LORD is in all capital letters in the Old Testament, it is translated from the Hebrew word "Jehovah." Jesus is claiming to be the Creator and Lord—the Jehovah of the fourth commandment!

Mark 2:27 "And He (Jesus) said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.’ î

Notice also that Jesus did not say that the Sabbath was made for the Jews, but for man. It was established and created in the beginning at Creation. Jesus was the Creator. It was He who created the Sabbath in the first place (see John 1:1-14; Colossians 1:16).

Has The Calendar Been Changed?

How can we be absolutely sure our seventh day is still the Sabbath? Could the calendar have been changed? In many countries today they still call Saturday the Sabbath. In Italy it is called "Sabbato," in Spain "Sabado," in Portugal "Sabbado," in France "Samedi," in Germany "Samstag," in Russia "Subbota," in Poland "Sobota." All of these names mean "Sabbath" or "rest day" in their various languages. Except for those languages that have adopted the pagan names for the days of the week, the seventh day is always called the Sabbath.

Has the calendar been changed? Yes, but the weekly cycle has never been changed. Pope Gregory initiated a change in the calendar to make up for an error in the Julian calendar by adding 10 days. In Italy and a few other countries, on October, 1582, Thursday the 4th was followed by Friday the 15th. England changed their calendar in 1752 and Russia in 1914. Yet the weekly cycle was never affected.

History has exact calendar records that go back to Julius Caesar, several decades before Christ, and the weekly cycle has always remained intact. We have exactly the same weekly cycle today as was used in Jesus’ day, and Jesus said that the day that was then called the Sabbath by the Jews, the seventh day of the week, was His day, the true Lord’s Day. Moreover, since Jesus’ day, millions of Jews have continued to keep track of the Sabbath each week. It would be absolutely impossible to mix up a whole nationality overnight and have them all wake up unified and worshipping on another day, thinking it was the Sabbath. Moreover, since it is Jesus’ day, and He has commanded us to worship on that day to show allegiance to Him, don’t you think He would preserve its identity?

Have you ever wondered why we have a weekly cycle in the first place? We have the yearly cycle because of the seasons, and monthly cycle because of the moon. But nothing in nature indicates a seven–day weekly cycle. If the theory of evolution were correct, every nationality would, by the law of averages, have come up with a different weekly cycle some five days, some ten days, etc. But we all have the seven–day weekly cycle because God established it at Creation and has continued to preserve it.

The Sabbath in Jesus’ Day

Luke 23:53 "Then he took it (the body of Jesus) down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. 54 That day was the Preparation (Friday), and the Sabbath drew near. 55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment."

Jesus rested in the tomb over the Sabbath, after Good Friday, according to the commandment. Jesus was raised on resurrection Sunday. There is only one day between Good Friday and resurrection Sunday—Saturday, the seventh day.

The thing that puzzles me is how individuals who are asked why they don’t keep the seventh day of the week, "the Sabbath according to the commandment," can say: "Well, I keep Sunday, the first day of the week, in honor of the resurrection." I have to agree that Jesus arose on Sunday morning, but I point out to them that Jesus never told us to keep the resurrection day in honor of that event. (He has given us a memorial of His resurrection, but we will talk about that on another night.) The Bible says the day we should keep holy is the memorial of Creation.

When pointing this out to people who say they keep the first day in honor of the resurrection, they often say: "But time has been lost and we don’t know what day is the Sabbath. Maybe we should be keeping Wednesday or Thursday, if we only knew. We can’t tell which day is the seventh day." I am always puzzled by that. It is a mystery how people can be so sure which day is the first day of the week to keep in honor of the resurrection, but then can never quite tell which day is the seventh day. Sometimes our minds play tricks on us in an effort to avoid obedience to plainly revealed truth. No, Jesus tells us which day to keep and we can’t be mistaken about it.

Nowhere did Jesus say He had changed or annulled the Sabbath. As the Creator of the Sabbath, only He could have changed it. Not even the apostles had the authority to change the Sabbath—only Jesus, for it was "His day." Yet, nowhere did He or the apostles even hint at such a change. When Jesus died, the law was sealed. Nothing could be added to it or subtracted from it. All of the Christian requirements were in place. Such New Covenant ceremonies as Baptism and the Lord’s Supper were all established before the cross, not after.

Hebrews 9:12 "With His own blood He entered . . . 16 for where there is a testament [the same Greek word is translated sometimes "covenant" and sometimes "testament."] there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives."

Galatians 3:15 "Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it."

So if it were possible to change anything in God’s law, it would have had to occur by the death of Christ, the resurrection morning would have been too late.

The First Day of the Week

So where did the keeping of the first day of the week come from? Jesus never so much as even mentioned Sunday or the first day of the week anywhere in the Bible, so Jesus didn’t institute it. In fact, there are only nine references to the first day of the week in the whole Bible, from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. These references are Genesis 1:5, Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1, 2, 9, Luke 24:1, John 20:1, John 20:19, Acts 20:7, and 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2. A perusal of these texts will reveal that nowhere is the first day of the week called "the Sabbath day," "the Lord’s day," "the day of assembly," or anything like that. In none of these references does it even hint that the sanctity of the Sabbath was transferred to that day. Nowhere is it called the Christian Sabbath or the Christian day of worship. It was just a week day, a work day, and not the Sabbath.

Let us quickly review these nine texts. The first text tells about what God created on the first day of the week. The next six give a simple account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ after resting in the tomb over the Sabbath, with no command of change or example of worship. That leaves just two more texts which we will look at:

1 Corinthians 16:2 "On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collection when I come."

Here Paul is speaking to the believers about special provisions he was taking to the saints in Jerusalem. We read in the book of Acts that there was a famine in Jerusalem, and Paul had purposed to take an offering of relief to the famine–stricken Christian believers there. So he sent word ahead to get things ready so that he could take these gifts with him. This was talking about laying aside food and grain that Paul could take with him to Jerusalem. Money would not have been of much help in a place of famine where there was no food to buy. This text indicates work in their granaries and in their fields on Sunday, which would not have been lawful on the Sabbath. Even if it had referred to money, it is also better to manage our finances on other days than on the Sabbath.

Now let us turn to the only other verse in the New Testament that mentions the first day of the week. Here we find the only meeting in the Bible that took place on the first day of the week. The story is told because of some very interesting and wonderful things that happened at that meeting.

Acts 20:7 "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight."

This text, without careful analysis, could support Sunday worship. However, there are two important questions that need to be asked: First, does a meeting on the first day of the week make that day a holy day? If we find that the disciples held a meeting on the first day of the week, does this show that they were keeping it as the Sabbath? Jesus partook of the Lord’s supper on Thursday night before the crucifixion, but no one keeps Thursday holy because of that meeting. Even today many churches hold meetings on Wednesday evening and on other days of the week, but does that mean they are keeping those days holy? Now if this text should call the first day of the week a Sabbath or a Lord’s Day, that would be different; but it does not. It says he talked until midnight.

Now notice verse 8: "There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together."

Notice that this was a night meeting on the first day of the week. If that be the case, on which night was it held? In the Bible, God said the Sabbath day was to run from sundown on the sixth day of the week until sundown on the seventh day of the week. In the Bible, days were always counted from sundown to sundown (see Leviticus 23:32; Genesis 1). Without modern watches, how would people have known when a new day began? Thus the Jews considered Saturday night to be the first day of the week, because their days started at sunset and continued until the next sunset. That is why the New English Bible translates verse 7 as follows: "On the Saturday night, in our assembly for the breaking of the bread, Paul, who was to leave next day, addressed them, and went on speaking until midnight."

This story is recorded in the Bible because of what took place after midnight. The meeting was on the third floor of a building. There was a young man named Eutychus sitting in the window of this three–story building, who, falling asleep, fell to his death. Paul then went down and raised him from the dead. It was after this midnight experience that they went up and broke bread and ate.

Now notice what happened Sunday morning. Did he go to church? No.

Acts 20:11 "Now when he had come up (from raising the boy back to life) had broken bread (this expression in Bible times referred to any meal, not just the Lord’s Supper) and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed."

On Sunday morning, Paul did not go to church, but hiked fourteen miles across the peninsula to Assos to meet the other disciples. This text shows us that Paul was not keeping Sunday. He had been there with these people some days until Sabbath came. As soon as the Sabbath was over he bade them good–bye, gave a last discourse (a rather lengthy one), and left the next morning.

We have looked at all the first–day texts and found the obvious; the Bible does not say anywhere that Sunday is a sacred day. There is not a text anywhere that even hints at it.

The Day the Apostles Kept

Following the example of Jesus, the apostles kept, not Sunday, but the true Sabbath. There is not a single instance of any apostle worshipping on Sunday as a holy day. Yet there are scores of recorded examples of their keeping the Sabbath. While there is a recorded instance of Paul traveling on Sunday, there is no record of any apostle breaking the Sabbath.

Let us look at some of the examples of the apostles keeping the Sabbath.

Acts 13:14 "But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down."

Acts 13:42 "And when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. 43 Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. 44 And the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God."

Note that this second Sabbath worship meeting mentioned was not for the Jews but for the Gentiles.

Acts 16:13 "And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there."

This was in a heathen city where there were no Jews or Jewish synagogues, but when the Sabbath came they went to the river to worship. This was twenty–two years after the resurrection.

Acts 17:1 "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures."

Acts 18:4 "And he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. . . . 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them."

If you will add up how many times Paul kept the Sabbath in these verses it comes out to 84—and not a single mention of Sabbath–breaking or Sunday–keeping.

The Sabbath is Christ’s Holy Day

Not only did Jesus create the Sabbath in the first place, and call it His day while here on earth, but He was also the One who gave the Ten Commandments.

James 4:12 "There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?"

There is only one Lawgiver, the One who can save. The Bible tells us there is only One who can save, and that One is Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

It was Jesus who gave the Commandments in conjunction with His Father. He said, "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30).

How Was the Sabbath Changed?

Well then, with all this evidence, how did the Sabbath get changed? The Bible says that God never changes, nor does Jesus. "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven." "All His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness." "Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever." Psalm 119:89; 111:7, 8; 119:152.

Psalm 89:34 "My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips."

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Luke 16:17 "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."

If God never changed His law, how did the change come about? That is a very interesting question, but it is too big a question to answer in this lesson. In our next lesson we will clearly trace from history and from prophecy the steps taken to change the Sabbath. It took several centuries. The first Sunday law ever passed was in A.D. 321 by the first Christian emperor of pagan Rome—Constantine. However, this law was passed several years before his conversion to Christianity and it was not called the Lord’s Day, but ìThe Venerable Day of the Sun." Sunday was the day on which the pagans worshipped the sun. As more and more pagans became Christians, they retained many of their customs, such as Sunday worship. For centuries, both Saturday and Sunday were called holy days, or holidays. As apostasy began to come into the church, more and more traditions and man–made laws replaced the law of God. Finally, during most of the Dark Ages, the Bible was outlawed and it was a crime punishable by death to own or read the Bible. Sabbath–keeping was also outlawed with the Bible.

It is very interesting history and we will trace the whole development of Sunday–keeping in our next lesson. We will notice that the leading theologians in almost every church are agreed upon these facts—Baptist, Methodist, Lutherans, Episcopalians, etc. You may wonder, if the theologians of all these churches know all these facts, why have we never heard them before. Well, it is kind of hard to preach something you aren’t living. But you owe it to yourself to know the facts. You need to know how the world has been deceived. Be sure and be here tomorrow night. Whatever you do, don’t miss that night. We will also identify positively who the Beast is.

Listen to this statement by Father O’Brian in his recent book, The Faith of Millions, Copyright 1974. "Let me address myself to my dear non–Catholic reader: You believe that the Bible alone is a safe guide in religious matter. You also believe that one of the fundamental duties enjoined upon you by your Christian faith is that of Sunday observance. But where does the Bible speak of such an obligation? I have read the Bible from the first verse of Genesis to the last verse of Revelation, and have found no reference to the duty of sanctifying the Sunday. The day mentioned in the Bible is not the Sunday, the first day of the week, but the Saturday, the last day of the week." Pages 136,137. He then goes on to explain how the change took place.

Somebody, friend, has been tampering with God’s law. The authority of God’s law is based upon the fact that He is God. Somebody has been challenging that authority. Somebody has been setting himself up in the place of God. Does the Bible give any warnings about such an Antichrist?

Daniel 7:25 " ‘He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.’ î

The only commandment in the Decalogue that deals with time is the fourth commandment. The mark of apostasy and the sign of allegiance to Satan and the Beast is to follow their laws as set up in opposition to God’s laws.

Romans 6:16 "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?"

The Most Important Commandment

There are those who think that the Sabbath commandment is the least important commandment. But it is in reality the very most important one of all. Any of the other commandments could have been spoken by anyone—they could have been spoken by Buddha, or Mohammed, or Confucius. But there is one command that could only have been given by One, the Creator, for it is the memorial of His creation. There is one commandment we obey only because we believe in God and have faith in His word.

It does not take any faith to believe the commandment, "You shall not murder." That commandment makes good sense to everyone. But there is no good sense that tells us to keep the Sabbath. We must do that simply and only because God tells us to. This is the commandment that shows our faith in God. This is the commandment that separates the mere professors from the true followers of Christ. This is the commandment we keep only by faith, and it is by faith that we are saved.

Isn’t it interesting that the only part of the Bible specifically written by God’s own hand, His law, is the part man wants to do away with? And isn’t it interesting that the only part of the law they say is for the Jew only, is the only commandment that states it was for the "stranger" too? And isn’t it interesting that the only one of the commandments which they say was a ceremonial law instituted at Sinai is the only commandment that specifically states it was instituted at Creation, long before sin or Jews or ceremonies? And isn’t it interesting that the only commandment man wants to forget is the only one God specifically says to "remember?"

The Sabbath commandment is God’s official seal of authority. It contains the three essential elements of any official seal or mark. It contains His name ("The LORD Your God"), title and authority (ìCreator"), and domain (ìheaven and earth"). This commandment God has especially designated to be a sign, or mark, of loyalty to Him.

Ezekiel 20:20 "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God."

A Message for Today

The Bible says that a "man of sin" would arise who would seek to change God’s law (2 Thessalonians 2:3), and that a period of time would be given for him to reign. We will study about that tomorrow night. Before Jesus comes again, He will once more have a faithful people ready for Him to come who will be identified as "those who keep the commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12). In the days of ignorance, when truth has been hidden and unperceived, God says He overlooks transgression, but now He "commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). The Bible assures us that before the Second Coming, this everlasting gospel, which includes the worship of the Creator as found in the fourth commandment, will once again go to all the people of the world.

Revelation 14:6 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people — 7 saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’ î

This is the message that is going forth to the world today to prevent those who will heed its message from receiving the mark of the Beast.

Today there is a testing truth to show whether we truly believe what God says or not. Some people want to know, "What is the difference which day I keep?" And that is just the point. If the days are the same anyway, why not keep the one God said to keep? If we are going to keep a day, why not God’s day? The only reason we don’t is that some–one, the Beast power that we will study in our next lesson, has openly set himself up in opposition to God and has established another law. No, we did not initiate the change, but by keeping that day, once we realize the change was made, we show our allegiance to that person or power that made the change, and we will eventually receive his mark (Romans 6:16).

Yes, what difference does it make? The difference is that by keeping the Sabbath we are obeying God and showing allegiance to Him. But another difference is that it is also unpopular. There has always been a cross in following Jesus.

Matthew 16:24 "Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ "

The Sabbath itself is a great blessing (see Isaiah 58:12–14), but there is a cross in keeping it because it is unpopular.

John 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also."

It is no more popular to follow Jesus today than when He was here on earth. Many people suppose that if they were alive when Jesus was here, they would have gladly followed Him, but the truth is just as plain today as it was then. We can know for sure if we would have really followed Jesus when He was here by following Him now. The choice is ours.

1 John 2:3 "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."

Friend, in this lesson I have simply presented what I believe from the Word of God. I have tried not to present my interpretation. I have not presented some church doctrine or creed, but these things are from the Word of God. I urge you to search it out. If what I have presented is wrong, don’t follow it. You will be none the worse for searching it out. But if the Holy Spirit convicts you in the reading of the Word, then follow Him. I don’t have any followers. What I want is for each one of us to be followers of God.

I believe that most of you desire to follow God. That is why you are students of the Word—that is why you are here. Though I believe in the Sabbath and try, by God’s grace, to keep it, that does not earn me "merit points" or secure my salvation. What really counts is, how much do we love and trust Jesus? Is Jesus abiding in our hearts? All God wants is for us to follow Him step by step.

Jesus put it simply: "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

(Exodus 20)

I 3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

II 4 You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

III 7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

IV 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

V 12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

VI 13 You shall not murder.

VII 14 You shall not commit adultery.

VIII 15 You shall not steal.

IX 16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

X 17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

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Last Updated: 06/18/03