The Last Final Conflict on Planet Earth

The Sabbath is on of the twin institutions given by God to humans at creation along with marriage. We have witnessed how the marriage has been under assault in recent times which precedes the final struggle over worship and God’s authority. God’s authority is represented by His law which has been disputed since the great controversy began in heaven (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28; John 8; Revelation 12).

Here is an overview of the Sabbath institution and its observance throughout time.

Before the Jews

Genesis 2:1–3 (KJV) 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 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. 3 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.

Before the Giving of the Law at Mount Sinai

Exodus 16:25–30 (KJV) 25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day [is] a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, [which is] the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27 And it came to pass, [that] there went out [some] of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

As Part of God’s Law

Exodus 20:8–11 (KJV) 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 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: 11 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.

For the Gentiles

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

The Condition Upon Which Israel Would Have Remained Forever

Jeremiah 17:24–27 (KJV) 24 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; 25 Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever. 26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD. 27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

Jesus Didn’t Abolish it

Matthew 5:17–19 (KJV) 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For Mankind

Mark 2:27 (KJV) And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

The Lord’s Day

Matthew 12:8 (KJV) For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day

Mark 2:28 (KJV) Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Luke 6:5 (KJV) And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Revelation 1:10 (KJV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

After the Cross

Matthew 24:20 (KJV) But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

Kept by Apostles and Gentile Believers

Acts 13:42 (KJV) 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 13:44 (KJV) And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God

Acts 16:13 (KJV) 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 17:2 (KJV) And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

Acts 18:4 (KJV) And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks

The Rest That Remains for the People of God

Hebrews 4:9 (KJV) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

(rest from Greek “sabbatismos” g4520 which means “a keeping sabbath”)

Sabbath Will be Kept in Heaven

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

The Origins of Sunday Observance

Why most Christians believe that Sunday is the day we should keep holy? It is a tradition inherited from the Catholic church which changed it from Saturday/Sabbath to the day of the sun or Sunday. It was predicted that the papacy will attempt to make a change in God’s holy law.

Daniel 7:25 (KJV) And he 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.

According to the Bible, sin is defined as breaking God’s law.

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

Since the pope attempted to change God’s law which defines sin, in the Bible he is called the man of sin and the lawless one.

2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 (KJV) 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

There is no higher insult to God, than to claim power to change His law.

Here are direct Catholic quotes which admit the change.

“Sunday is our mark of authority …. The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact” [The Catholic Record of London, Ontario, Sept. 1, 1923]

The Council of Leodicea Assembled about in 363 A. D. the Roman Catholic Church leaders made the following law referred to as canon 29.

“Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” [https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3806.htm]

St. Caesarius of Arles, Roman Catholic Bishop. in the sixth century, said that the following:

“…the holy Doctors of the Church had decreed that the whole glory of the Jewish Sabbath had been transferred to the Sunday, and that Christians must keep the Sunday holy in the same way as the Jews had been commanded to keep holy the Sabbath Day.”[ https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/sunday]

“The [Roman Catholic] Church changed the observance of the Sabbath to Sunday by right of the divine, infallible authority given to her by her founder, Jesus Christ. The Protestant claiming the Bible to be the only guide of faith, has no warrant for observing Sunday. In this matter the Seventh-day Adventist is the only consistent Protestant.” [The Catholic Universe Bulletin, August 14, 1942, p. 4.]

“It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church.” [Priest Brady, in an address, reported in the Elizabeth, NJ ‘News’ on March 18, 1903.]

“Protestants … accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change… But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that … in observing Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the Church, the pope.” [Our Sunday Visitor, February 5th, 1950.]

“Of course these two old quotations are exactly correct. The Catholic Church designated Sunday as the day for corporate worship and gets full credit — or blame — for the change.” ]This Rock, The Magazine of Catholic Apologetics and Evangelization, p.8, June 1997]

Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her; —she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.” [Rev. Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism; New York in 1857, page 174.]

The mark of the beast issue is going to urge people to break one of God’s commandments under the threat of not being able to buy or sell and finally there will be a death decree for noncompliance.

Revelation 13:16–17 (KJV) 16 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: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

On the other hand God’s unmingled wrath is threatened against those who worship the beast (sea beast mentioned in in Revelation 13:1–10) which represents Roman Catholic Papacy and his mark which is Sunday observance when enforced by law by the second beast (Revelation 13:11–18) representing the United States.

Revelation 14:9–12 (KJV) 9 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, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

The third angel’s message is the most fearful warning ever given to mortals in the entire Bible. The wine of God’s wrath represents His judgments called the seven last plagues that will be upon those who rejects God’s commandments.

Even now, the “man of sin” is insisting that “…we must also celebrate rest, especially from buying and selling, by returning to a focus on keeping the sabbath.” (Charles C Camosy, “Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ v. the Green New Deal”, Religion News Service, 26 April 2019. https://religionnews.com/2019/04/26/pope-francis-laudato-si-v-the-green-new-deal/).

God’s final call to mankind is in Revelation 14–6–12 and. Revelation 18:1–5.

It is a call to worship God the creator by keeping the forth commandment (Exodus 20:8–11) which is true worship.

The true Sabbath constitutes God’s seal which is the only sure protection against the mark of the beast.

Isaiah 8:16 (KJV) Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

To learn more about the seal of God, visit sabbathtruth.com