We will now approach the Lord’s Sabbath in terms of historical importance. By beginning the fourth commandment with the word “Remember,” the Lord sets the Sabbath Law apart from the other Laws (commandants) by establishing it as a Law that people from the time of the creation have known. Moses recorded the events of the first Sabbath as related to Him by the One Who created it: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended all His work which He had made. And God BLESSED the seventh day and SANCTIFIED it (declared it holy) because that in that day He had rested from all His work which He had created and made” (Gen. 2:1-3).

God Himself kept the first Sabbath Day by ending His work of creation on THAT day. The Lord declared the seventh day as His Sabbath (rest) Day by resting (“refreshing”) Himself on that day (Exo. 31:17). Common sense tells us that the creation of the Sabbath Day is as important as the creation of anything and everything else the Lord created. So important to Him is that specific day that He created an additional covenant that forever connected Himself, His people and that singular day (Exo. 10:12-18). He declared that the seventh day Sabbath would forever be the “sign” that identified His people amongst all other people. Nowhere in the Holy scriptures do we find Him allowing man to change anything relative to the Law. Contrary to nearly universal opinion, man does not have the authority or the power to uncreate what God has created, nor to replace it with an “improved” version.

However, man does not believe that biblical Truth. Having made a god of himself, man has removed the Biblical God’s special day about which He says: “THE SABBATH IS MY HOLY DAY … THE HOLY OF THE LORD” (Isa. 58:13). Notice that He designates THE Sabbath as HIS Holy Day. Note that He did not mention A Sabbath or the Sabbath of MAN’S CHOOSING, but rather THE SEVENTH DAY OF EACH WEEK which He designated as HONORABLE. In doing away with God’s Sabbath, man declares that God’s will is irrelevant, that man’s will is the only will that matters. God calls such thinking “will worship” (Col. 2:23) in which man proclaims that his will trumps God’s will. He then worships and serves the creator of the new and improved will–man himself. Religious man demonstrates his self-proclaimed godship each Saturday by doing whatever HE WILLS to do and again the following day by again doing whatever HE WILLS to do. Who gave man such power? Satan. Man is so accustomed to obeying Satan’s words and ignoring God’s Words that he (man) believes that he is doing the will of God. In truth, he is. However the god he obeys is the “god of this world” (1 Cor. 4:4). Sadly, the Sabbath is not the only day in which man makes that deadly mistake.

Other acts of idolatry such as the celebration of Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Day and Halloween are also examples of man’s arrogance and spiritual pride. All of those holidays were borrowed from Babylonian mystery religions. Read about Christmas, Easter and Halloween using those words as keys.

Concerning the many reasons church people reject God’s written-in-stone Sabbath, I once had a professing Christian doing some work for me and we were discussing when he could return to finish the job. I mentioned that it could not be on a Saturday because that was the Lord’s Sabbath. He replied that there could be no set day for the Sabbath because people on the other side of the earth have a different seventh day. Therefore, the Sabbath fell on two different days depending on which side of the earth one lived on. Which is true. However, it was God who designed the system that the worker declared is untenable. Therefore, the Lord has it all figured out. Apparently, the Creator of the universe cannot handle the situation but man can. I have found that there is no limit to which church people will not go in order to discredit God and exalt themselves.

One of the most often used Biblical passages to justify defying the Lord relative to the Sabbath is Romans 14:5-8. Here the Apostle Paul is addressing the question of different peoples’ personal food and day preferences. Some ate meat, others ate only vegetables. Some regarded one day, others regarded another day. Some ate all foods and some regarded all days alike. That, Law-haters argue, proves that man can declare any day or no day of the week as God’s Sabbath. God, they would have us believe, will bow to the desires of man as long as he (man) believes in Him (God). Question: who depends for their salvation on a god whom they can overrule? Answer: church people. Question: who can overrule God? Answer: church people. Question: who then is the true God? Answer: Church people. And Satan–man’s ultimate god–smiles.

To show you how far such people will go in their rejection of the Lord, they believe that man can declare EVERY DAY as God’s Sabbath (vs 5). By doing so, one would never have to work. But notice something about the focal passage (vss 5-8): ONE WORD–THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD–IS NOT MENTIONED IN THE PASSAGE. THAT WORD IS “SABBATH.” Law-rejecters point to verse six where it is said that no matter what day one chooses, or what food one chooses, he is to observe (regard) the day or the food as unto the Lord. We are told to do everything we do “as unto the Lord.” That is to say, “as if we are doing it FOR THE LORD.” If I am working on a job, I am to work it as if I am working for the Lord. The same holds true for “whatsoever I do.” The idea that man can equate what food he can eat with the day God chooses as His Holy Day is blasphemous.

Concerning man’s observing one day above another, I do. I have set aside a day each week to fast. To me that is a special day in which I observe Christ’s command to fast (Mat. 6:16). He does not tell us when to fast or for how long. With an occasional exception, I fast one 24-hour period each week. That day is special to ME, NOT TO THE LORD, meaning that I “observe” it (set it aside) as being different from other days of the week. However, I still observe God’s Sabbath on the day He commands me to do so–the seventh day of the week WHICH IS SPECIAL TO HIM. I once fasted 34 days while consuming only water. Each of those days was special to me. However, God’s Sabbath was still HIS SPECIAL, HOLY DAY.

Another Biblical statement that is twisted and misapplied by God-defying church people came from the mouth of Jesus when He said: “THE Sabbath was made for man, not man for THE Sabbath” (Mk. 2:27). Therefore, we are told, man can declare as God’s Sabbath any day he (man) wants it to be. However, Jesus also said: “The Son of Man is LORD of THE Sabbath” (Mat. 12:8). A LORD rules everything and everyone under His jurisdiction. That includes the Sabbath which He created and over which He rules. He makes all rules relative to His personal Holy Sabbath Day. Man, however, says no, that He gave Pope Sylvester I the authority to change the Sabbath Day 1600 years ago. God then bowed to the pope’s dictate and that settled the issue. Mankind, especially churchman, is about to learn a painful lesson about how God views His Holy Scriptures. Read The Soon-coming Global War Against God’s Church and The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. Key words–Global and Tribulation respectively. L.J.