Thursday: The Sabbath Test
Even now, perhaps, the stage is being set for this impending persecution. On June 6, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI made this urgent appeal to more than 15,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome that Sunday must be a day of rest for everyone, so people can be free to be with their families and with God. “By defending Sunday, one defends human freedom.” This isn’t, of course, the same thing as demanding that others keep this day, as opposed to the biblical Sabbath, but it does show that the idea of Sunday as the “day of rest” is, definitely, a real issue. Sooner or later, laws will be passed, and those who conscientiously follow the Word of God and keep the true Sabbath will be labeled as opposing society’s best interests.
In this time of crisis, God’s faithful people will, by His grace and through His power, stand firm in their convictions to follow Him. They will not yield to the pressure.
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In contrast to the mark of the beast, they will receive the seal of God. Seals were used in ancient times to attest to the authenticity of official documents. We would then expect to find God’s seal embedded in His law. Ancient seals were a distinctive individualized mark. Isaiah the prophet says, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16, NKJV).
Read Exodus 20:8-11. What elements of a biblical seal do you find in the Sabbath commandment? How is the Sabbath command different from all the other commandments?
The fourth commandment contains three elements of an authentic seal. First, the name of the sealer: “The LORD your God” (Exodus 20:10, NKJV). Second, the title of the sealer: the Lord who “made,” (Exodus 20:11) or the Creator. And third, the territory of the sealer: “the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Exodus 20:11, NKJV). According to Revelation 7:1-3, the seal of God is placed only on our foreheads, a symbol of our minds. Jesus respects our freedom of choice. He invites us to let Him shape our minds by His Holy Spirit so that we cannot be moved from the anchor of our faith in the Word of God (Ephesians 4:30). Thus, we understand that the faithful are those who “keep the commandments of God, and [have] the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12), and included in those commandments is the fourth, the one commandment the beast power thought to change (Daniel 7:25).
| What conditions can you see currently developing that could potentially lead to the restrictions of our religious liberty? What obstacles remain, as well? |
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It is easy for us to talk about "The Sabbath Test". It is part of our name, and it is the one thing that differentiates us from most other Christians. So, when someone suggests that we should have a Sunday law, we immediately react.
The problem is that it is much more than that. In the Australian news this morning they were talking about a drug bust that occurred in Melbourne during the night. They showed many pallets of bottles clearly marked as Canola Oil. Now Canola Oil is a legitimate commonly used cooking oil and the only concern that most people have about Canola is whether the plants were genetically modified or not. But these bottles did not contain Canola Oil. They contained $ 1.7 billion of methamphetamine. The labels were genuine but that is all they were, "genuine labels". The contents were evil.
And herein lies the rub as far as "The Sabbath Test" is concerned. It is easy to wear the label and go to church on Saturday. I may even grit my teeth and say that it is good to go through persecution because if I keep Sabbath, I'm going to be rewarded with eternal life. But for all that it may just be a label.
In terms of the illustration above, the full bottle must be genuine, label, and contents. Anything else is apostate. We claim that most of what was called Christianity through the period from 500AD to 1800AD was not true to label. It was a blasphemous use of the label "Christianity". We still live in the shadow of that lie today.
Make no mistake, any testing is not about the label, but that the contents are true to the label. and in that context is our relationship with God and man on Wednesday a reflection of our worship on Sabbath?
Thank you, Maurice, for the insightful remarks. I've noticed, in some of the recent comments by our blog contributors, a desire to counter any positive remarks about the news media, and a focus on the pope's declared intention to hijack the climate movement in order to promote Sunday observance -- as if we had any reason to believe that climate activists would be interested in working together with him on that, or any actual knowledge as to how things will play out, beyond prophecy's relatively broad outlines.
To my mind, all this business of looking for evil in those around us will only tend to develop that same evil in ourselves. What good will it do us to be super vigilant in watching for every development that could possibly take away any of our freedoms, or work against God's remnant followers of Jesus, unless we are really going to live by His principles?
Do we truly believe that all things work together for good to those who love Jesus? All of this "potluck pontificating" only betrays our lack of faith, not to mention a self-confidence unbecoming to the penitent sinner for whom Christ is his or her only wisdom. If we succeed in resisting the mark of the beast, it will be due to the all-sufficiency of the grace of Jesus, and not to any righteousness or cleverness of our own. So, why not believe the best we can about others, including those climate activists who are working so tirelessly for the common good, and those news agencies who, despite their flaws, provide us with so much valuable information?
Thank you Maurice for this excellent illustration. I was just reading in Desire of Ages the chapter “The Chosen People”. The last sentences read, “Pride obscured their vision. They interpreted prophecy in accordance with their selfish interests”. Dear Father please save me from my pride.
I sometimes believe that we as Seventh-Day Adventists have been persuaded somehow to develop a “persecution complex “. It’s unhealthy and, not only that, it glorifies the devil. I don’t believe this is what God wants for us.
God gave us the Sabbath as a gift.
Psalm 119:14 declares, “I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches.”
A reading of history tempers any persecution complex ideas that cross my mind. The persecuting powers have been fairly indiscriminate in whom they persecute. They have persecuted Jews, Muslims and even one another when they fell out with themselves. We need to remember that persecution does not necessarily validate the persecuted, but it does invalidate the persecutor.
I see a world with many discrepancies, where differences push people to extremes. And it is pretty common to have friends trying to fit you up on either side. There is no more time to play neutral because I must choose whom I want to worship. Do I want to be on the side of Love or evil? May I consciously decide for Love today!
There is no "Mark of the Beast," yet and not until the powers that be make the "False Sabbath," a day to "Keep Holy," as a "Legal Day of Rest," punishable by fines, imprisonment, etc. and etc. And it will not be, even then, until the decree to destroy those that do not comply to this that then we will have to flee away from the large cities and into the mountains etc. and etc. So until then we need to follow Biblical Counsel as per Philippians 4:8 and focus on "Positive and Constructive things."
Whether we choose to fixate on the coordination of the many players in the climate change movement, mark of the beast, or whether we choose to bury our heads in the sand regarding those movements, it doesn't really matter. Because either way Satan is distracting us from our real purpose and that is preparing for Christ's Second Coming. However, to ignore these obvious coordinated collaborations, though it does not benefit our salvation, can cause us to be deceived and lose salvation.
In a war, and we are in a war between Christ and Satan, if the General sends information as to where the enemy is setting up an ambush, and what weapons he intends to use, do we ignore that message?
It should be our purpose with deep humility to seek God's Holy Spirit to guide us in preparation of our characters (the content as well as the label) for whatever might come. That does not mean we should ignore what is happening around us. God gives us these signs for a reason that should help us to know the times, and our need to prepare for Jesus return.
I understand where you are coming from Lloyd. There are many temptations to distract us from the reality of the battle between good and evil, and from the good news that the battle is in fact won.
However, I think we need to be aware too that not everything that goes on is a coordinated evil effort. You mention climate change. While I agree that there are political and consumer-related opportunism taking place, it is undeniable that much of our energy production is dirty and wasteful. We are in a nexus between diminishing fossil fuel supplies and the technology to capture energy from the sun. The situation is ripe for opportunism. But at the same time, we need to make the change.
I have lived long enough to have heard enough sermons about the signs and their fulfillment to grow weary, wary, and somewhat cynical. Not about Jesus coming again, but about the interpretation of events as signs.
Jesus said concerning the time of the end:
... and I believe that even in our own midst we have those who are pointing out signs and wonders, and conspiracies, distracting us from the real thing.
What is the greatest sign of Jesus return?
Hey, we are commissioned to be a part of that. How are we going?
There is only "One Way," that will keep what is inside the bottle the same as what is outside of it and that is to stay connected with God's Holy Spirit, God's Word "The Bible," when we get up in the morning, as we go about our business to live for God and to bless our neighbors etc., and etc. and when we go to sleep at night; And even if others do not see then in us as what is inside of "Our Bottle," as being the same as our "Exterior Bottle," God sees us as just like "The Bottle of His Son, Flawless and Sinless."
Why are we not studying Revelation 7, a chapter on the seal of God? Is this proactive anticipatory intervention before the mark of the beast? Is it fulfilment, in heaven of the prophetic feast of Tabernacles? And what’s with that list of specific Israelite tribal affiliation?….
Maurice:
I always enjoy reading your discussion posts. Everyone here on this forum causes me to "think deeper-read Scripture more." On the note of the climate change-yes, I believe something is happening. I work in the Engineering Dept. of a large automotive company. We are at a crossroads, much as our ancestors were between the horse and carriage and those horseless carriages. Yes infrastructure for the EV is not yet ready-though nor were the roads and passageways during the first transition. We are preparing-shifting from steel to aluminum, looking at wireless charging systems interfaced into the highways...Interstates. It is an exciting time for me. But the one thing which has always been constant is Jesus' words "no one knows the time or the hour..." I think we must focus on HIS words, move forward, and trust in HIM for the outcome. To my next question-since we find it as a matter of faith/and fact in my opinion of the true Sabbath day-is our Jehova Witness friends correct to say "Jehova" as a name for God? Is it that important and should we be following suit on this point??
I have to hand it to you, Maurice Ashton, I love that illustration of the "Bottle" and the label on the bottle and what is inside of it and how sometimes what is inside the bottle is not what the label indicates at all and how there are so called "Christians," that are like those bottles that do not have inside what the label says outside of it.