Does God have a “mark” that His true saints “wear”– a sign that distinguishes His disciples from Satan’s disciples who use the same Rule Book, the same words, the same symbols, etc. as do His (God’s) followers? Is there one “sign” of ownership that identifies one group as real and the other group as counterfeit? Yes there is. God’s sign/mark is His Biblical Sabbath–THE ONE day of each week He blessed (placed His blessings upon), He sanctified (set aside for holy use) and He called “My holy day” (Gen. 2:3/ Isa. 58:13). By using the Word “My,” He placed His name (power) in that day and claimed it for a special purpose. Note that He did not do that for any other day of the week.

The seventh day Sabbath of God is His sure, unchanging sign/mark of ownership. By wearing THAT MARK, those upon whom the mark rests acknowledge that His (God’s) Word is Truth, that the fourth commandment is as sure and binding as the other nine, and that all ten must be obeyed in order to receive eternal life. However, bearing the mark itself is not all one must do in order to save one’s soul. A mark-bearer might also observe Christmas and Easter, might call his church by a name other than “the Church of God,” might have “one thing” that separates him/her from God as did the rich man in written about in Mark 10:17-25. Notice that the man had observed all ten of the commandments all of his life, including #4. Notice also that, upon learning that he was a Law-keeper, Jesus “loved him.” And yet, in spite of Christ’s love for him, the salvation seeker still lacked ONE THING. This Law-keeper had a problem that, unless abandoned, would prevent him from receiving eternal life. It is good to note that he had other “marks” that “proved” his positive spiritual status. For example, He knew that Jesus knew, and would tell him, how to receive eternal life. Also, he did not walk to Jesus when he saw him, he ran, fell down before Him and called Him “Good Master.” And yet, in spite of all of these religious “receipts,” he did not make the cut because of “one thing.”

His spiritual descendants have been walking in his footsteps ever since. Why? The problem involves either ignorance of God’s Word or a lack of faith in God’s Word–or both, which is usually the case. Simply put, faith is taking God at His Word. The church masses have declared their position on the wrong side of church history by refusing to obey the Law of God, which He defines as sin (1 Jn. 3:4). Like Adam and Eve, they have come up with a “better way” to gain salvation, a way which involves idolatry–the worship of self. Sabbath breakers have made gods of themselves, which is exactly what the serpent promised Adam and Eve–THEY WOULD HAVE THE POWER TO DETERMINE RIGHT AND WRONG. Their descendants continue to claim that power today.

Church people study only what they want to know, which is what they have always known. They want to know God’s “headlines.” Like a safe filled with diamonds, a “headline” has no value without the combination, which I call God’s “fine print.” No one wants to study His “fine print” messages. Therefore, only a minutely few church people know about the separate covenant God made with the Israelites 40 days after giving them the Ten Commandment Law at Mount Sinai. Knowing that Satan would use the Sabbath commandment to lure people away from Him, He (the Word Who would later come to earth as Jesus of Nazareth) made a separate covenant with Israel concerning His holy Sabbath. Read The God of the Old Testament. Key word–Old. In Exodus chapter 31, beginning with verse 12 we find the Word (Jn. 1:1-4,14) explaining to Moses that: “… Verily (truly) My Sabbaths you (Israel) will keep, for in IT (that ONE AND ONLY day of the week) is a SIGN (mark) between Me and you THROUGHOUT YOUR GENERATIONS (FOREVER) SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD THAT SANCTIFIES YOU (SABBATH KEEPERS). Read verses14-17 where God commands that the Sabbath Law is to be in effect FOREVER. In the following verses God tells Moses that Israel (today=the church–the “Israel of God”–Gal. 6:16) would keep THE Sabbath BECAUSE IT IS HOLY. WE ARE COMMANDED TO KEEP IT HOLY (Exo. 20:8-11) by not doing our own thing on that day. Notice that the Apostle Paul preached on THE Sabbath and did not once mention that God had changed, or would ever change THE Sabbath to any other day of the week. Read Acts 13:14,32,34; 17:2; 18:4 where we find Paul, who received his gospel directly from Jesus Christ through revelation (Gal. 1:2), preaching on God’s Sabbath twenty years after the founding of the New Testament Church. Note also that THE LORD’S SEVENTH DAY SABBATH WAS OBSERVED FOR OVER 300 YEARS FOLLOWING THE FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH IN 31 A.D. It was not until the fourth century that the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church changed the Sabbath from the seventh day of the week (Saturday) to the first day of the week (Sunday). Why, in all those years, did God not tell His true saints that He had changed THE Sabbath. In Amos 3:7 we are told that God does nothing unless He first reveals His secrets to His servants–the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles. The Almighty did not change His eternal Law.

However, His supposed replacement–Pope Sylvester I–did change it on May 7, 364 A.D. at the Council of Laodicea. When the so-called protesters (“Protestants”) left the mother whore and began establishing their various harlot cults, called denominations/churches, they took many of her heathen teachings and practices with them, including Satan’s sun-worshiping (Sunday) sabbath.

THE Sabbath was made for man (Mk. 2:27)–for his benefit. But God is still the “Lord of the Sabbath” which, in Isaish 58:13, He calls “a delight.” He calls no other day a delight. Read Isaiah 58:13 while remembering that what was written about God’s dealings with ancient Israel was written and preserved “for our admonition (instruction) upon whom the ends of the world have come” (1 Cor. 10:11)–this generation.

Part of that preserved history involves God’s Sabbath. When Israel stopped keeping His Holy Day she went into idolatry (Eze. 20:5,11-13,17-21). It was for Sabbath-breaking that God sent both Israel and Judah into military defeat and slavery. It is for the same reason that He will send America, Britain and the Jews of the Middle East into military defeat and slavery. I believe that over the coming few years He will give the “Christian nations” one last chance to repent of their individual and national sins and return to Him. I believe that we will see a season of “revival,” after which I believe will come the final and total apostasy. We are seeing the beginning of those days now. Then will come the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. Read about that soon-coming time of terror, destruction and death such as the world has never before seen. Use the key word Tribulation. L.J.