APPENDIX C

THE TWELVE PILLARS

What happens when a leading churchman and Biblical scholar tells the truth about Sunday sacredness and the Bible Sabbath?

Well, it happened not long ago. And the reaction was a strong one. But more: it was revealing, for it provided the "reasons" advanced by learned clergymen for keeping the first day of the week holy.

Here, in two newspaper items, is the story:

"TORONTO, Oct. 27 (BUP). Rev. Philip Carrington, Anglican Archbishop of Quebec, sent local clergymen into a huddle today by saying outright that there was nothing to support Sunday being kept holy.

"Carrington told a church meeting in this city of straight-laced Protestantism that tradition, not the Bible, had made Sunday the day of worship.

"He quoted the biblical commandment which said the seventh day should be one of rest, and then stated: 'That day is Saturday.'

"He quoted the biblical commandment [Exodus 20:8,11] which said the seventh day should be one of rest, and then stated: 'That day is Saturday.'

" 'Nowhere in the Bible is it laid down that worship should be done on Sunday: the Archbishop told a hushed, still audience.

"Local parsons read his comments today with set, determined looks. They refused comment." News item, The Albertan (Calgary), Canada, Oct. 28, 1949.

The above news item appeared a thousand miles to the west of Toronto. But in Toronto itself, the "Daily Star" was able to obtain those comments. The first sentence of the following news clip quite nicely summarize why Sunday is kept holy in our day:

"Oct 27. Sunday is kept holy by Christians, not because there are any Scriptural injunctions [reasons], but because there are religious traditions associated with that day among Christians, Protestant and Catholic spokesmen said today. They were commenting on a statement of Most Rev. Philip Carrington, Anglican Archbishop of Quebec, that there is no commandment which states Sunday must be kept holy.

 "Rabbi's Recollections

"A rabbi recalled that the first Christians were Jews and celebrated the Sabbath on the last day of the week and it was not until the reign of the Emperor Constantine [321 A.D.] that the day was changed by Christians.

"At a service commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Church of England prayer book, Archbishop Carrington declared that 'the Bible commandment says on the seventh day thou shalt rest. That is Saturday. Nowhere in the Bible is it laid down that worship should be done on Sunday.' Tradition [man-made ideas], he said, had made it a day of worship.

"A spokesman for St. Augustine's, the Roman Catholic seminary for the diocese of Toronto, said: 'Strictly speaking, that archbishop is right. There is no Scriptural evidence for the observance of Sunday. But he doesn't go far enough.

 "Evidence in the Bible”

" 'In the Bible, there is evidence that Christ established a church, to carry on his work. He gave that Church [the Catholic Church] authority to carry out God's rule on earth. Because the resurrection occurred on Sunday, and because of the general acceptance today of Sunday as a day of rest, it's fitting that now Sunday should be observed instead of Saturday, as under the old rule [the Bible rule].

"The [Catholic] Church has a specific church commandment stating Sunday should be observed.

" 'Protestants observe Sunday because for many centuries they had been part of the Roman Catholic Church, and had observed the Church commandment,' he said-

" 'There is no specific command in the New Testament about which day shall be kept holy'  [An error. The truth is that the true Sabbath is found throughout the Bible, but Sunday sacredness is found nowhere within its pages], said Rev. G. H. Dowker of Grace Church-on-the-Hill. 'The simple fact is, we keep holy the first day of the week because it was the day of the resurrection of Christ.'

"Rev. Northcote Burke of Christ church, Deer Park, said he thought the archbishop [Philip Carrington] used the statement merely to illustrate church tradition. 'Certainly the tradition of the sabbath has always been to keep the Lord's day on the first day of the week. The early Christians used it because it was the day Christ arose again.' [The great majority of early Christians did not keep it until they were forced to, in the fifth century and afterward.]

"Jesuit Gives His View "

'Our Lord rose from the dead on the first day of the week,' said Father Hourigan of the Jesuit Seminary. 'That is why the [Catholic] Church changed the day of obligation from the seventh day to the first day of the week. The Anglicans and other Protestant denominations retained that tradition when the Reformation came along.'

"Rabbi David Monson, of Beth Sholam synagogue, said the change was made because of Emperor Constantine [Roman emperor from A.D. 306 to 337] .'He changed the Christian Sabbath to Sunday " he said. 'The original Christians celebrated the Sabbath on Saturday..

"Rev. Herbert Delaney, speaking for the chancery of the Roman Catholic diocese of Toronto, agreed that under the old rule of the Scriptures [the present rule for Christians], the Sabbath was the holy day. But he said Sunday was observed under a specific commandment of the [Catholic] Church, after the coming of Christ, in an 'interpretation' of the original commandment.

"Father Delaney said the reason for the change from Saturday to Sunday under the new rules [of decrees and councils] was that Christ had risen on Sunday.

 "Not Only Tradition

"Dr. E. Crossley Hunter of Trinity United church said the explanation lies not only in tradition, but also in records of the New Testament. " 'Again and again in the New Testament we find references to the Lord's day as the first day of the week, whereas in the Old Testament it refers to the seventh day: he said. [Untrue. There is not one instance anywhere in the Bible in which the first day of the week is called "the Lord's day."] 'However, the archbishop is quite right in the literal meaning of the commandment" [given in Exodus 20:8-11, as applying only to the seventh day of the week] .

"One minister remarked: 'We've become so accustomed to keeping Sunday as our holy day that it isn't likely this belated discovery is going to change our attitude overnight. Certainly not in Toronto.' " News Item, Toronto [Canada] "Daily Star, "Oct. 27, 1949.

Philip Carrington was born in 1892 in England, and earned many degrees (M.A.,D.D., Litt.D.) and later, because of his scholarship, received two honorary ones (S.T.D., D.C.L.). He rapidly rose to important positions in the Church of England and became the Anglican Archbishop of Quebec. Author of many books and articles, he was a leader in his church, as well as an acknowledged authority in religious affairs. And he had a personal integrity that would tell the truth, even when it was not popular to do so.

He recognized that the commandments of God rank higher than the commandments of men.

"And when they had brought them, they set them before the council.. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:27, 29.

Here is what the Bible says about this: "But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 5:9.

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

"But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves." Luke 7: 30.

"And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." Mark 7:9 (Acts 4: 19-20).

"Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isaiah 8: 20.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3: 16-17.

"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." Titus 1:9.

How thankful we can be that we have the Bible—the precious Word of God! What would we do without it! We dare not leave it for the words of men—when those words teach disobedience to the Inspired Word of God. Cling to Jesus and to your Bible all your life, and obey all that it tells you—and you will be safe.

"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto a knowledge of the truth." 1Timothy 1:4. "They received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." 1Thessalonians 1:10.

"God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." 2 Thessalonians 1:13 (1Peter 1:1).

"Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit." 1 Peter 1:11.

"If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-31.

"Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy Word is truth." John 17:1 7.

"Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." Isaiah 16:1.

"And I saw a new heavens and a new earth. .Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they might have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Revelation 11:1; 11:14.

We are told in Proverbs 9:1 that wisdom hath builded her house out of many pillars. Here are the twelve Biblical pillars that undergird the Sabbath Truth. Here are the foundation stones that prove the Bible Sabbath to be the only weekly rest day you should keep today:

PILLAR NUMBER ONE:

The Sabbath was given to mankind at the Creation of this world.

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the Seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the Seventh day from all His work which He had made.

"And God blessed the Seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." Genesis 2:1-3.

 In Pillar Number 1 we have three unanswerables:

 (1) God did three wonderful things to the Seventh day: First, He Himself rested upon it. What an honor that is to any day! Second, He blessed it. How many things—all through the Bible—did God bless? Not very many. But He blessed the Seventh day. And He made it a rest day. Do we dare do our common labor on a day that He blessed and set aside for rest? Third, He sanctified, or hallowed it. How many things did God hallow in the Bible? Very, very few things. How many things did He bless and hallow? Hardly any. Let no man tell you that the Seventh-day Bible Sabbath is unimportant. It is important to your Creator; it ought to be important to you also.

(2) The Bible Sabbath was the first divine institution for mankind in the history of the world, and along with marriage, is one of the only institutions to come down, past Eden, into human history. The Sabbath is as sacred as is marriage and is to be as sacredly guarded.

(3) God dedicated and set aside the Sabbath as a rest day 2,000 years before the first Jew. Abraham is considered by all to have been the first Jew. He lived about 2000 B.C. Biblical records indicate that the Creation of this world took place about 4000 B.C. The Bible Sabbath is not Jewish! It is for mankind; it is for all the world.

"The Sabbath was made for man." Mark 2:27.

PILLAR NUMBER TWO:

The Sabbath is a memorial as well as a symbol.

First, it is a memorial of Creation.

 "It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the Seventh day He rested, and was refreshed." Exodus 31:17.

As a memorial of the Creation of this world, it cannot pass away without first having this world pass away. Our planet could not have a new or different Sabbath day without having it first hurled into oblivion—and then a new planet created from nothing, in the place of Planet Earth which no longer has existence. But no such event has occurred.

Second, it is a symbol of our salvation. When we keep it, we tell all the world that we belong to God and that we serve Him and obey Him. The Seventh-day Sabbath is a sign of our conversion, sanctification and salvation:

"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." Exodus 31:13.

"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." Ezekiel 20:12.

"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." EzekieI20:20.

Nowhere in Scripture were we told to keep any day in honor of Christ's resurrection. To do so is unscriptural. But to set aside the Creation and sanctification Sabbath of the Bible—for another day of the week—and excuse it by saying that we do so "in honor of Christ's resurrection,"—is indeed to do a very daring thing. Who dare presume to set aside the Memorial of Creation and salvation for any reason! To knowingly do so, flies in the face of direct commands by the God of heaven, and thus denies our creation and salvation by Him.

And then having done it, we can, in the Judgment, only plead that we did so because others did so. For there is no other reason for keeping the first day of the week holy instead of the Seventh day.

PILLAR NUMBER THREE:

The people of God kept the Bible Sabbath before the Ten Commandments were given at Mount Sinai.

And this is understandable. The Sabbath Truth was first given to our race in Eden before the fall of man. It was given before sin and apart from it. It was given to mankind to link him to his God. And if Adam needed the Sabbath, we need it all the more today.

It is of interest that when Moses initially returned to Egypt, he told his enslaved people that they must begin keeping the Sabbath again. God was about to do great things for them, and they must identify themselves as His worshipers.

“And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let [keep] the people from their works? Get you unto your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens." Exodus 5:4-5.

Moses had not told them to stop working. But he had told them to keep the weekly Sabbath rest. Pharaoh was angry about this.

And then, four chapters before the Ten Commandments were given on Mount Sinai, the God of heaven spoke in such a way that it is obvious that the Seventh-day Sabbath was already well-known—but not always well-kept:

“Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. .

“And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread . . And he [Moses] said unto them, This is that which the Lord had said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord. .Six days ye shall gather it; but on the Seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the Seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?. .So the people rested on the Seventh day." Exodus 16:4-5, 22-23, 26-28, 30.

There are those who say that the Seventh-day Sabbath was not commanded by God nor kept by man before Exodus 20 and its proclamation on Mount Sinai. But Genesis 2:1-3 and Exodus 16 prove otherwise.

PILLAR NUMBER FOUR:

The Seventh-day Sabbath Commandment lies in the very heart of the Moral law of Ten Commandments.

"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." Exodus 20:8-11.

And here we find still more unanswerables:

(1) The Sabbath Commandment is part of the Moral Law of Ten Commandments. The Apostle James tells us that if we break any part of this law, we have broken it all (James 2:10-12). We cannot tear out the Fourth Commandment without setting aside all the others as well. They all stand together, because the God of Heaven put them all together.

(2) This "sabbath commandment" is not a one-day-a-week-holy commandment, but the Seventh-day-holy commandment. We do not obey this commandment by keeping holy the third day of the week or the first. We only obey the commandment by keeping the Seventh day—the Bible Sabbath. Adam and Eve could not select at random any tree in the garden and call it the "tree of life." They had to go to the one that God had appointed as the Tree of Life. And the same for the "tree of knowledge of good and eviI." God made the decision as to which tree was which. And this He did with the weekly Sabbath;—He choose the Seventh day, and not any other day with it or in place of it. We do not decide which day of the week is to be kept holy unto God; He alone is to do this. It is for Him to command; it is for us to obey.

(3) Some say that Genesis 2:1-3 is not a command for man to keep the Sabbath, and therefore we need not do so. But Exodus 16 and 20 clearly show that man is commanded to keep it holy. And who dare say that the Ten Commandments were only for the Jewish race? Are the rest of us permitted to lie, steal, cheat, and commit adultery. Are only the Hebrews to observe these ten moral principles?

(4) The reason for the commandment is the Creation of this world: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth." This is not something local, merely for a Semitic race;—it is a commandment for all in the entire world who shall bow down and worship their Creator in humble thankfulness for His plan to save them through the life and death of Jesus Christ.

(5) The commandment says to "remember." The people of God were not being told of some new concept. They were to keep in mind that which they already knew.

(6) God wrote these ten commandments with His own finger (Ex 31:18; Deut 9:10). He wrote them on the most enduring thing in the world-rock (Ex 31:18). And He wishes to write them also on our hearts.

"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them." Hebrews I0:16 (Heb 8:10; Jer. 31:33).

And through the New Covenant He will write His holy law upon our hearts, if we will let Him. To have the Ten Commandments written on our hearts means two things: First, to be willing to obey them, and, second, to let God enable us to do so by the grace of Jesus, His Son.

PILLAR NUMBER FIVE:

The weekly Sabbath—the Seventh-day Sabbath—is part of the Moral Law contained in Ten Commandments. It will stand forever. The yearly sabbaths were part of the ceremonial laws that prefigured or fore-shadowed the death and ministry of Christ.

These "shadow laws," such as Passover and the Wave Sheaf, which were a part of the ceremonial or sacrificial law, would not endure past the death of Christ.

"For the (ceremonial) having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? ..But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." Hebrews I 0:1-3.

These ceremonial laws were not written on rock, but were contained in ordinances, written on parchment. The rock was to endure, but the ordinances on parchment that fore-shadowed the death of Christ were to pass away at His death. It is for this reason that we do not today observe the yearly sabbaths of the Passover and the Wave Sheaf.

"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. .Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." Colossians 2:14,16-17.

In the Greek it says, "or of the sabbaths." The weekly Sabbath comes down to us from the Creation of this world and will be kept in the New Earth (Isa 66:22-23). But the yearly sabbaths did not begin until Moses. They typified or explained the coming death of Christ, and at His death were nailed to His cross.

If the ordinances containing the yearly sabbaths had not been set aside at Calvary we would need now to sacrifice animals on various occasions throughout the year. But we are not now to slay lambs, for Christ our Passover and Lamb has been sacrificed for us.

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1 : 29

"For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." l Corinthians 5:7.

"Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 1 Peter 1:18-19.

 PILLAR NUMBER SIX:

Repeatedly, in Holy Scripture, God gave warnings of dire consequences if those who professed to worship Him did not keep His holy Sabbath. Examples of this can be found in Numbers 15:32-36 and 2 Chronicles 36:11-21 (with Jeremiah 17:19-27 and 52:7-14).

God also gave warning against professed Sabbath observers who at the same time engaged in falsehood and wrong-doing. An example of the problem is given in Isaiah 1:2-20. An example of the solution is to be found in Isaiah 58:1-14. The answers are clear, aren't they? If we will seek God with all our heart and by the grace of Christ put away our darling sins, He will remold us into loving, obedient children. He will place His Holy Spirit within us and write His laws upon our heart. And then it will be heart—work to obey Him—an act of genuine, unfeigned love.

Repeatedly, during the earthly life of Christ, we see that the Jewish rabbis had bound heavy burdens upon the people that God had never asked of them. Jesus ignored these man made restrictions. For example, on one occasion He ate a meal with His disciples as they walked along. But according to man-made rules this was wrong to do (Matt 12:1,2). On several occasions He healed people on the Sabbath, but the Jews thought it a terrible thing to be kind and helpful to God's suffering creatures on the Sabbath day (Luke 6:7.11; John 5:16; Mark 2:24; Luke 13:14-17; Matt 12:11-12; Luke 14: 5-6; John 9:16). Never imagine that because others do not obey God according to His requirements, that therefore you need not do so. Just because the Rabbis would not keep the Sabbath properly, many imagine that they need not do so either. But the Sabbath was not given because of the Rabbis or the Jews. It was given at Creation to all the world.

"And the scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on the Sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against Him. .and they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus,"-Luke 6: 7, 11.

"Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. . The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day." John 5:8, 15-16.

PILLAR NUMBER SEVEN:

Throughout His earthly life, Jesus always kept the Ten Commandments. And by so doing, He gave us an example to follow. And His example we are to follow:

"It is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart." Psalm 40:7-8.

"Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth." 1 Peter 2:22.

"[He] was in all points tempted like as we are, yet with- out sin." Hebrews 4:15.

"Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." Hebrews 4:17.

"For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." John 6:38.

"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps." 1 Peter 2:21.

"He that saith He abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." 1 John 2:6.

"As ye therefore have received Christ, so walk in Him." Colossians 2:6.

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Philippians 2 : 5.

"I seek not Mine own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." John 5: 30 (6:38).

There were those who feared that Jesus intended to overthrow the Law of God. But He definitely stated His belief in its eternity. The Law of God will never pass away. Its moral precepts are for all men through all time to come. And would we want it any other way?

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 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." Matthew 5:17-19.

PILLAR NUMBER EIGHT:

There is no doubt but that the actions and attitudes of the disciples of Jesus at the time of His death on Calvary, clearly revealed that which He had been teaching them for the preceding three-and-a-half years. The sacred importance of the Seventh-day Sabbath was of such concern to them that they would not even prepare the body of Jesus properly for burial on Friday, lest they transgress the Fourth Commandment. "And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath. .Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid.

"And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among them- selves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?" Mark 15:42,47-16:3.

"And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how His body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.

"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre." Luke 23:53-24:2.

But there were others who did not so regard the Bible Sabbath. But we would not wish to be reckoned among that company. These were the murderers of Jesus, who cared neither for His life of obedience to the Ten Commandments, nor for His teachings to obey the Ten Commandments:

"And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.

"Now the next day [Sabbath], that followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate. Saving, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night, and steal Him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch [of Roman guards]: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

"In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it." Matthew 27:61-28:2.

On Friday, in the presence of the people, the Jewish rulers refused to enter Pilate's Judgment Hall, lest they be "defiled." And so he had to come outside and speak with them (John 18:28-29, 33, 38). But on the Holy Sabbath, they secretly did business on the Sabbath—and went into the Judgment Hall of Pilate to conduct it! While the evil priests and scribes did weekday business upon the hours of the Sabbath, those who had daily listened to the teachings of Jesus and loved and obeyed His beliefs, carefully refrained from working on those holy hours—even though it would lead them to the impossible situation of how to anoint His body two days later after the tomb had been closed.

And what did Jesus do during those holy hours of that Sabbath? This is also very revealing. God, in His great time clock, had arranged for the exact time when Christ should be born and when He should die. His death took place in A.D. 31, in accordance with the prophecy of Daniel 9:25-27. And it came in the spring of the year—at the Passover time when the lamb prefiguring His death was to be slain. And when did the death come? On a Friday afternoon, so that He could keep the Sabbath rest, free from enemies, in the tomb all through those sacred hours. And then, on the first day of the week, He arose and began working again: He went all the way to heaven and presented His great sacrifice to His Father and received assurance that it had been accepted on behalf of His faithful ones on earth. Prior to this, He asked Mary not to touch Him for He had not yet ascended to the Father (John 20:17). When He returned to earth that evening, He walked with two disciples to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-31), and then spoke with many of the others in the upper room (John 20:19; Luke 24:36). And now He invited them to touch and handle Him, that they might be assured that it was He (Luke 24:39-43; John 20:20). That was a busy first day. But then, it was just another working day, as Scripture tells us.

At the Creation, God used the first day of the week as a working day: Genesis 1 :3-5.

On Mount Sinai, He commanded that it be nothing more than a working day: Exodus 20:8-9.

Our God considers it nothing more than a "working day:" Ezekiel 46:1.

Should we consider it anything more than this?

But there is no such example of Sunday-keeping by the Apostles. The talk that Paul gave on the first day of the week at Troas was on Saturday night (because a night meeting on the, first day would have to be on Saturday night, since according to the Biblical pattern the day begins and ends at sunset), and the next day—Sunday—he chose to walk 28 miles to Assos, while his companions journeyed by ship. This was not Sabbathkeeping. Sunday was just another workday for Paul. And that "first day passage" in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 is only a statement by Paul that the faithful set aside at home each Sunday morning, as they do their weekly accounts and budget-keeping, a donation for the poor in Jerusalem. Paul wanted to obtain it when he later passed through town. They were to set it aside "without gatherings." Modern translations show that this means to set aside the money at home. And Acts 20:6- 14 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 are the only two first-day passages mentioned in Paul's travels or writings.

PILLAR NUMBER NINE:

According to all of the records that we have in the New Testament, the Apostles of Jesus always kept the Bible Sabbath, and never kept Sunday sacred.

"They came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day." Acts 13:14.

"And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." Acts 13:42.

"And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither." Acts 16:13.

"They came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures." Acts 17:1-2.

Paul supported himself by tent making, and then on the Sabbath, he would preach the gospel.

"Because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation, they were tentmakers ..And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. .He continued there a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them." Acts 18:3,4,11.

Paul's manner was the same as Christ's custom: to keep the Bible Sabbath (Acts 17:1; Luke 4:16).

Paul never taught that the Moral Law was or could be set aside. Ever will it govern the conduct of mankind:

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Romans 3:31.

 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Romans 6:1-2.

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." Romans 7:7.

Paul clearly saw that the problem was that we needed to obey the law; there was nothing wrong with the requirements of the law itself.

"Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Romans 7:12.

"Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but [that which is important is] the keeping of the commandments of God." l Corinthians 7:19.

The moral standard that governs mankind was not relaxed or destroyed by the death of Christ, for, indeed, it is through the merits of Christ's sacrifice that we can be empowered to keep that law.

"Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.

Jesus saves us from our sins, not in our sins. And since sin is the breaking of the Ten Commandments, it is obvious that He saves us by enabling—strengthening—us to keep that law.

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3 :4.

The other Apostles saw this same great truth that the moral standard that governs mankind was not relaxed or destroyed by the death of Christ:

"But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass; For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. .For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that saith, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty ..Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." James 1:22-25; 2:10-12, 17-18.

"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:2-3.

PILLAR NUMBER TEN:

God predicted in Scripture that men would later try to change the Law of God-and the "time law" in particular. And we can understand that such a prophecy would be told us, for the Bible Sabbath is very important (it is the very center of our worship of God!), and if men were later to try to change it—we could surely expect a warning of what was to come.

"And he [the little horn power] shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into His hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." Daniel 7:25.

Papal Rome was to rule the world for 1260 years, and during this time would try to tear out God's holy Time Law, and put a counterfeit in its place. Oh, what blasphemy men can dream up, when they are tempted by Satan to gain religious control of their fellow men!

"For that day [the Second Coming of Christ] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped." 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

God said: "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." (Ezekiel 20:20). But the papacy said, "No, you shall trample upon the Bible Sabbath, and in its place you shall honor my counterfeit, and on it alone you shall have your weekly holy day."

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?" Romans 6: 16.

"It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4: 10.

"But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:9.

"How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him." l Kings 18:21.

PILLAR NUMBER ELEVEN:

The Seventh-day Sabbath, instituted by God at the Creation of this world is the seal of His governmental authority, for it alone identifies Him in His basic governmental code for mankind: the Ten Commandments.

Of all the commandments in the Decalogue, only the Fourth Commandment reveals the ( 1) name, (2) authority, and (3) dominion of the Author of this Law:

In six days, (1) the Lord (name) (2) made (office-the Creator) (3) heaven and earth (dominion or territory over which He rules). This commandment alone contains the seal of God.

Examine the notary seal of a notary public, or any other legal seal. They will always contain the above three identifying marks.

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. .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." Exodus 20:8-11.

The Sabbath commandment contains the seal of God, and the Sabbath itself-given in this commandment-is inseparably connected with this seal. For the Sabbath is the basis of all true worship of our Creator. And this worship lies at the heart of all our acknowledgement of His authority as our Creator and our God. The Sabbath is ever to be kept as a sign that we belong to Him. And the keeping of it brings us within the circle of this seal.

The seal is impressed in order that all may know the authority from whence it comes—and that all may know that it is not to be changed. The Seventh-day Sabbath comes from God. Let no man dare to tamper with it—for the seal of God is upon it.

"Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed." Daniel 6:8.

"Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples." Isaiah 8 : 16.

"It [the Sabbath] 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." Exodus 31: 17.

"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." Ezekiel 20:20.

The Sabbath is a vivid sign of God's creative power-not only of this earth, but in our lives as well. It requires the same power to clean our lives and redeem us as it did to create us in the first place.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God." Psalm 51: 10.

'We are. . created in Christ Jesus unto good works." Ephesians 2:10.

But there is to be a special sealing work in these last days, just before the return of Jesus in the clouds of heaven:

 "And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with aloud voice to the four angels, ..saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."-Revelation 7:2-4. (Ezekiel 9:1-6)

"And I looked, and, Lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads." Revelation 14: 1.

The name of the Father is expressive of His character. When Moses asked to see the glory of God, the Lord passed by and told His name—that which He was like: "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." (Exodus 33:18-19; 34:6) And as we look at God's holy law, we see another view of His character. It is a transcript of that character—God's characteristics written out.

When God writes His name on your forehead and right hand—He has written His law on your heart. This is the work of the new covenant (Heb 8:10; 10:16; Jer. 31:33), and that work reaches its climax when God "seals in" His own just before He returns the second time in the clouds of heaven. What are those sealed ones like? They are fully obedient to the Law of God:

"And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God." Revelation 14:5.

But in the final crisis before His return, there will be those who will yield obedience to the beast instead of to God.

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God." Revelation 14:9-10.

"And he [the beast] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads." Revelation 13:6.

In contrast with those who serve the beast and receive his mark, are those who in the last days will serve God and receive His seal. How can they be identified? God has told us in His Word. Here is a description of God's remnant people at the end of time:

"And the dragon [Satan, working through his agents] was wroth with the woman [the true church] , and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17.

And the third angel of Revelation 14, which warns men to not receive the mark of the beast, at the same time tells them how to avoid receiving it—by keeping the commandments of God through the faith of Jesus Christ:

"And the third angel followed them, saying with aloud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture. .Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:9-10,12.

The final crisis will come over a decree by the beast that all men must disobey a commandment of the law of God. The nations and churches of the world will not require men to steal or lie or commit adultery. The growing movement toward national Sunday laws is growing stronger every passing year. It is seen that in this point, and in this alone, will be found the heart of the crisis of Revelation 13 and 14. The first angel of Revelation 14 calls on all men everywhere today to reverence God—by returning to the worship of the Creator of all things.

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people:

"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Revelation 14:6-7.

As the crisis nears, we must prepare for it. "The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] Church." Monsignor Louis Segur, "Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, " page 213.

Already we are facing Sunday closing laws on local levels. Men are prohibited from doing business on the first working day of the week, lest they be fined or imprisoned. And the situation will grow worse in the days just ahead.

"That the image of the beast should both speak, and cause [decree] that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark." Revelation 13: 15- 17.

But there is victory for those who will stand true to the God of heaven. There is overcoming power for those who will "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Rev 14:12).

"And I saw. .them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God:” Revelation 15:2.

PILLAR NUMBER TWELVE: And it is a double-strength pillar:

(1) Even though there are over two thousand denominations today, the remnant people of God, living at the end of time, can be identified. God has identified them for us. After speaking about how the antichrist power (especially papal Rome) has tried to destroy the people of God for long ages of time, we are told how to Identify them In these last days, Just before Christ returns in the clouds for His own:

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17. And the third angel, after warning all men against receiving the mark of the beast, tells us clearly who will be the little group that will stand apart from this almost universal apostasy:

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.

And it will be an almost universal apostasy. All around us can be seen a rising tide of rebellion against the Ten Commandments. The colleges and universities teach, in their science, history , psychology—that man is but an animal descended from worms and amoeba. The churches teach that God destroyed the Ten Commandments at Calvary, and that Jesus died to take sinners to heaven just as they are. Governmental agencies are relaxing moral restrictions, and permitting gambling, abortion, homosexuality, and other vices.

This world is becoming a curse, but soon God will intervene. Prophecy tells us that before the end there will be a small company who will stand true to the commandments of God, by faith in Jesus Christ.

(2) And soon this present evil world will be ended suddenly by the return of Jesus Christ-and heaven will begin for the faithful.

And in that heaven the Seventh-day Sabbath will be kept forever. God's people suffered and died for it down here; they will worship God on that holy day through all ages to come.

Revelation 21 and 22 tells us about this new life with Jesus, when sin has come to an end and the wicked are no longer alive.

"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. .And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.." Revelation 21; 1; 22; 1.

And then we are told who will enter that beautiful new world:

"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Revelation 22; 14.

But more: there is the promise that they will keep the holy Sabbath through all eternity:

"For, behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind ..And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. .The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock; and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the Lord. . "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. 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. Isaiah 65.17,2122,25, 66.22,23.

Now you have seen God's plan for His people. And it is a wonderful one. It can begin for you right now. And it will continue on throughout eternity. Why not begin today—this very week? Ask God to forgive you for the past, and tell Him that by His grace you will worship your Creator on His day.

And next Sabbath—begin that holy walk with God on His day, the holy day of Isaiah 58. Read that chapter and see the blessings He will add if you will but let Him take over your life.

But do not think that there will be no problems or trials. Satan will bring many upon you. He hates the Sabbath and all who will stand loyal to it. But if you will determine to be true to God and His Word, you will have strength from above to go through all that lies ahead.

 And one day soon, if faithful, you with the redeemed of all ages will rejoice on the sea of glass and will receive from the hand of Jesus the overcomer's crown. And you will be given that new name, expressive of a new character. And you will begin a walk with Jesus that will last through all eternity to come.

"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence come they?

"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb.

"Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

"For the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Revelation 7:13-17.