Satan is adept at repeating God’s Words while affecting a seemingly insignificant change. In Eden he inserted the word “not” into God’s threat of death for disobeying His Words. In his Sabbath declaration he changed the day. Just as in Eden, that one seemingly insignificant change was deadly–a fact that neither Adam and Eve nor their spiritual descendants have learned.

The Almighty laid down His Sabbath rules in the beginning in the Garden of Eden. Let us now determine when Satan formulated his rules and where. When we do so we find that his rules are identical to God’s rules. The only difference is the day each creator declared to be his Sabbath. We know when God created His Sabbath. Now let us determine when Satan chose his Sabbath. The first time the sun worshipers’ Sabbath is mentioned historically was when a church/state meeting took place in 323 A.D. in the city of Nicea. At this meeting Roman Emperor Constantine, at the behest of the Catholic hierarchy, decreed that the church would no longer celebrate the Biblical Passover. Rather, all within the Roman Empire would pay homage to Easter, the mother of Tammuz the sun god, and would do so on “the venerable (worthy) day of the sun.” It was also at that meeting that the “trinity” was created. Initially the triune godhead consisted of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Why was the “trinity” created? We find that the religions of some of the church’s new “converts” involved the worship of a three-headed god. The church fathers created the “trinity” in order to unite Catholicism and sun worship, thereby pleasing both sides. See the series titled The Trinity for more information.

In order to appease the numerous sun worshipers it was decreed that there could be no working, buying or selling on Sunday in order to appease the newly “saved” “Christians.” Those within the Roman Empire who refused to go along with the church’s new Sabbath would be dealt with harshly. This marked the informal beginning of the persecution that would eventually evolve into what would become known as the Inquisition. Over the following 1200 years the church’s persecution of “heretics” would claim an estimated 50,000,000 to 150,000,000 lives as the church, empowered by the Roman Government, claimed ever more control over the spiritual lives of the people within the Empire. Many of those whom the church/state consortium put to death were God’s people, who were killed, often by being burned alive, IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.

Now let us fast forward to the Book of Revelation that reveals to us what will take place in the name of the Lord at the end of the age. Recall that Jesus warned of a future time when Satan’s people would kill God’s saints believing that they are doing God a service (Jn. 16:2)–in His name. He was referring to the Catholic Inquisition of the past and the Great Tribulation of the future. Notice that there is one factor that unifies the two murderous time periods: THE SABBATH. One’s Sabbath was the “mark” that distinguished God’s people from Satan’s people in the past. It is also the distinguishing factor in today’s world. During the Great Tribulation the Sabbath will once again have life and death significance. God created His seventh day Sabbath in the Garden of Eden, wrote it in stone on Mt. Sinai and recorded it in His Holy Bible. The seventh day Sabbath is the “mark”/”sign” that has distinguished God’s people from Satan’s people from the Garden of Eden until this time and will do so until the end of the age.

Everyone wears a “mark” or “sign” that declares the identity of his god. All other spiritual characteristics are internal and known only to the individual. The day one gathers with like-minded people to honor one’s deity places one’s beliefs in the public sector for all to see. Our choice of Sabbath observance proclaims to the world who is our God, who we believe and obey and who we depend on for our salvation.

So why do we have two Sabbath days? Why is the “church world” divided by these two days? Because Satan would have it so. The same Serpent who convinced Adam and Eve that they could reject God’s Words and not die has convinced modern religionists that they can defy God and eternal life. Jesus warned that many would be called to salvation, but few would answer His call (Mat. 7:13,14). Few, He warned, would love Him enough to obey His Law (Jn. 14:15,23; 15:10/1 Jn. 4:7/ 2 Jn. 1:6). James 2:10 tells us that to break one of the commandments in that Law disqualifies us from being saved. That Law commands man to “Remember THE (God’s) Sabbath and keep (only) IT holy.” This is God speaking down through the ages. Who’s listening? L.J.