In Micah 5:2 it is written that the One Whom God would send to earth would “RULE MY PEOPLE ISRAEL” (Mat. 2:6). The Apostle Paul tells us that the true New Covenant Church is “THE ISRAEL OF GOD”–MEANING SPIRITUAL ISRAEL—GOD’S PEOPLE WHO OBEY HIM (Gal. 6:16). Jesus told the church at Philadelphia that there were those in that church who claimed to be (spiritual) Jews (true Christians), but were liars (Rev. 3:9). Jesus told the woman at the well that “Salvation is of the Jews.” Jews are Israelites. Therefore true Christians are spiritual Israelites/spiritual Jews because they obey His Ten Commandment Law. Most of them do not know they are Israelites. Read Who And Where Is Israel Today? Key word–Today. How is this possible?

We are told that when Israel came out of Egyptian slavery “a mixed multitude (Gentiles) came out with them (Exo. 12:38). Notice that when God spoke to them at Mount Sinai He spoke to them as one group–Israelites. Gentiles became spiritual Israelites (“My people”) by obeying the Ten Commandments. In Luke 1:33 the angel told Mary that the Child she would bear would “… rule over the House of Jacob (Israel) ….” Nothing has changed as the “Today” series confirms. All true Christians are spiritual Israelites–part of the group mentioned in Micah 5:2. God’s people obey Him. So what is it that they are commanded to obey? This series points out that the answer is–THE LAW, WHICH INCLUDES COMMANDMENT #4.

The Word “RULE” creates an issue for the vast majority of salvation seekers who go to great extremes to find any word or statement in the Holy Bible they can wrest (twist) (2 Pet. 3:16) in order to make the words mean whatever they want them to mean. Peter says that such people are “unlearned and unstable.” It is such church leaders whom the vast majority of parishioners listen to in order to know what God should have said in all of those offensive, My-way-or-the-highway statements that kings are prone to make. The Biblical Kings (Father and Son) rule by Their Law which has been twisted, edited, ignored or discarded for thousands of years.

The tendency to reject what one does not want to hear began in Eden. Noah later dealt with the human fault in those to whom he preached, all of whom God drown because of their rejection of Noah’ righteous preaching. Later the Old Testament prophets dealt with Israel’s weakness, as did the New Testament apostles who also dealt with the Gentiles who were afflicted with the same spiritual disease. One of the apostles–Jude–spoke to this Truth in verse four as did the Apostle Paul in his letter to the churches of Galatians (1:6-9) and Corinth (2 Cor. 11:4). In verse four Jude notes that ungodly and condemned men in the church had turned the grace of God into the right to sin and get away with it, and in so doing, were causing the people to deny the Lordship of God and Christ over their lives. At about the same time Paul accused the Galatians of obeying a perverted Gospel. He told the Corinthians that if someone presented another Jesus they would embrace him.

Nothing has changed. Church people are still rejecting God’s Holy Word, still embracing a perverted Gospel and still rejecting the Godhead’s rule over their lives. Jesus tells us that such people are WORSHIPING HIM IN VAIN by not obeying Him (Mat. 15:6-9). They love His promised salvation but hate His rules for attaining that salvation. In doing so they prove that they DESPISE BOTH HIM AND HIS FATHER (Lk. 10:16). This is the same mind-set expressed by those who shouted “crucify Him, crucify Him” so long ago. Today their religious descendants are proclaiming the same message when they, like sheep to the slaughter, file into Satan’s church each Sunday in order to worship the sun. And Satan smiles.

Earthly kings rule those within their kingdoms by their own laws. The Biblical Kings are no different in that regard. God and Christ RULE Their people by Their Law which They recorded and preserved for thousands of years so as to be used to teach those of us who are in the true church now at the end of the age (1 Cor. 10:11). Relative to the Holy Scriptures and the Godhead, most of those in the modern church insist on self-governance while claiming to believe what is written in the Bible. In most cases the Bible contradicts what they believe and practice which consists of each denomination’s list of do’s and do not’s known as “church doctrine” which was formulated by their cult’s creator. Church doctrine is always the loudest spiritual voice they hear when making spiritual decisions. Their spiritual ears are attuned to the voice that tells them what they want to hear, which is always the loudest voice, which is their church doctrine, which they pay their hirelings to teach them.

In terms of what God tells us in His Holy Bible: GOD WHISPERS–SATAN YELLS. For example, I silently write God’s Truths that whisper to readers from a screen. Satan yells from pulpits, from screens and radios. As a result, Satan gains 99% of the attention. My words are received just as God’s Words were received in Eden. He told Adam and Eve His rules of eternal life. Then Satan told them his rules of eternal life. The rest is history. The last thing religious people want to hear is God’s Truth.

A basic problem relative to understanding what God tells us in His Word revolves around the supposed death of the Old Testament Law. The church believes the devil’s lie in spite of Jesus saying plainly that He did not come to destroy the Law and the writings of the prophets, but to fulfill them–to fulfill their intended purpose which is to reveal to man what is necessary for salvation (Mat. 5:17). The Prophet Isaiah declared that the Messiah would come to earth to magnify the Law and return it to its honorable status (42:21). Through Paul, Jesus also stated that the New Covenant Church was founded on the words of both the Old Testament PROPHETS and the New Testament apostles (Eph. 2:20). In Galatians the Scripture (Word–Jesus–Jn. 1:1-4,14) preached the Gospel to Abraham long before the first Israelite existed (3:6-8).

Satan’s intent is to give man what man wants–self-determination in all areas of life, including his spiritual life. Jesus spoke this Truth to Satan when He stated that he does not care about the things of God. Rather, he cares only about what man wants. He then makes certain that man has access to exactly what he wants–self-rule in all areas of life (Mat. 16:23). Man’s insistence on self-satisfaction resulted in sin arising on the earth. Man’s craving for self-rule later led to the creation of the Catholic and Protestant religions which have legitimized sin, making it a foundational principle in church teachings. To understand how sin supposedly became mankind’s basic characteristic from the instant of conception read Selective Faith. Key word–Selective. For other people he created all of the other heathen religions known to mankind. Satan has a religion for everyone. The word “Catholic” means UNIVERSAL. Read Simon of Samaria: The Legacy. Key word–Simon.

Those who chose or were forced to embrace Simon Magus’ Catholic religion were not allowed to own, read or listen to the reading of the Holy Bible. The teaching of the priests was proclaimed to be the voice of God being heard by the laity who believed what they heard. The only difference now is that man has a choice between God’s Word and man’s various versions of God’s Word. One researcher found 843 different Protestant denominations, each with its own version of what God says to those who call themselves by His name.

The basic problem is that Church people are led to believe that all preachers are called of God. These people are supposedly able to hear His Words, which they themselves cannot hear. These church leaders present themselves as “ministers of righteousness” and their leader (Satan) as the “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:13-15). God says this about the vast majority of church leaders: “I have not sent them” (Jer. 14:14,15; 23:21,23:32;27:15;29:9). For this reason God commands us to “test the spirits” of those who lead us to see what spirit they–the leaders–are hearing (1 Jn. 4:1). Most people choose to hear and heed their hireling’s voice while refusing to “PROVE ALL THINGS,” embrace the right and reject the wrong (1 Thes. 5:21).

Returning to the original focus of this series–the Lord’s Sabbath–we will now turn to the favorite passage used by Sabbath-deniers–Romans 14:1-6. Here Paul, who received his Gospel from Jesus Himself through revelation (Gal. 1:12), notes that God does not tell us what to eat and what not to eat. That rule was part of the “handwriting of ordinances that were nailed to the cross” of Christ. Read First Timothy 4:1-5. In the Romans passage Paul is addressing the consumption of food and the observance of special days, both of which man himself chooses. Evidently there were some in the Rome church who were still adhering to the “law that was added” because the Israelites would not obey the Ten Commandments (Gal. 3:19). The added law consisted of physical rules concerning physical things such as the sacrificing of animals, the washing of pots, placement of items, eating of certain foods and abstaining from others, etc. The added law was indeed “nailed to the cross” and done away with at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. That law was temporary and was designed to be enforced on the disobedient Israelites until their Messiah would come. to show them another, much better way.

However, THE TEN COMMANDMENT LAW WHICH GOD WROTE IN STONE WITH HIS OWN FINGER WAS NOT NAILED TO THE CROSS. Jesus presented to His followers a different way to obey His and His Father’s eternal Law. As Paul noted, THE LAW IS HOLY, JUST AND GOOD.” The apostle John tells us that THE LAW IDENTIFIES SIN (1 Jn. 3:4). Notice that both statements are written in the present tense, meaning that they applied to God’s people then and apply now. Where there is no Law there is no sin. Man wants to do away with the Law so that he can concoct his own sins. Sound familiar? It should, for that is what Adam and Eve did. The believed that they could become as gods, which is what Satan told them would happen if they disobeyed God and partook of the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:5,6), which God said in Genesis 3:22. Law rejecters, like Adam, believe that they can determine good and evil.

With that in mind, we will return to Romans 14 which is used by ungodly church leaders to “prove” that man can reject the Lord’s commanded Sabbath, can change it to whatever day or days he desires and that God will approve of the change. But before we go delve into that darkness, I will remind the reader of some Biblical statements that tell us how important the seventh day of the week is to its Creator.

In Genesis 2:3 we are told that “GOD BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY AND SANCTIFIED IT (MADE IT HOLY) because on THAT DAY HE RESTED (WAS REFRESHED–EXO. 31:17). Notice that He blessed and sanctified only one day of the week. Note the Words “THE” AND “IT” relative to THAT SPECIFIC DAY OF THE WEEK. Note in the Ten Commandments that He COMMANDED HIS PEOPLE TO REMEMBER “THE” SABBATH DAY AND KEEP “IT” HOLY. The Word “KEEP” is a military term meaning to surround in order to protect. Again, note the Words “THE” AND “IT” RELATIVE TO GOD’S SABBATH (REST) DAY. The Word “REMEMBER” refers to his blessing and sanctifying THE SEVENTH DAY OF THE WEEK FOLLING HIS CREATION OF IT. Note in Exodus that God made a special covenant with Israel concerning the seventh day Sabbath (31:12-18). Could He have known that Satan would use the fourth commandment to lure the masses unto himself? I am betting my eternity on it.

In Isaiah 58:13 the prophet tells us that God called THE seventh day “MY HOLY DAY” AND “THE HOLY OF THE LORD.” When did God change the day He declared holy to unholy. Only man does that. Man has the power to join God (become holy–1 Pet. 1:15,16) and remain with Him, or to join Him and leave Him (become unholy). Supposedly, God’s love seals man so that he cannot be separated from Him. This lie is referred to as “once saved–always saved” which is the anthem of those who call themselves “sinners saved by grace.” Paul lists a number of things that cannot separate man from God’s love (Rom. 8:35). But note that He does not include man in that list. Read the parable of the ten virgins. Key word–Virgins. Carefully read the following passages which contain the Words spoken and written by Jesus and the Apostle John (Jn. 8:31; 14:14; 15:10/ 1 Jn. 2:3-5/ Mat. 19:17).

Now back to Romans chapter fourteen. Here Paul notes that MAN can choose to make special any day, or all days, to do whatever he wants to do (as long as he does it as unto the Lord). For example, I dedicate every day to God. However, I have a certain day of the week on which I fast, neither eating nor drinking for that 24 hour period. That day is special to ME. I can change the day of my fast if I so desire. However, I know that only God has the power to declare Biblical Sabbaths. Nowhere does God give man the right to change the day He calls “MY HOLY DAY” and “THE HOLY OF THE LORD.” In the Roman four reference Paul is placing man’s choice of food in the same category as man’s choice of a special day. In verse five the word “esteem” in the Greek language means “to decide.” In verse six the Word “observe” means “to regard.” These are days that MAN DECIDES ARE SPECIAL TO HIM. Man cannot make such decisions for God. Neither can man force God to accept whatever day he (man) chooses as his sabbath. NOTICE THAT THE WORD “SABBATH” IS NOT USED IN THE PASSAGE. WHY? BECAUSE THE STATEMENT DOES NOT INVOLVE THE SABBATH. GOD DECLARED WHAT DAY WAS THE SPECIAL DAY OF REST TO HIM AND COMMANDS THOSE WHO WOULD BE HIS TO EMBRACE THE SAME DAY OF REST. As the King of Kings, He has the right to do as He pleases and to command man to do as He (God) pleases. HE MAKES IT PERFECTLY CLEAR WHAT DAY HE COMMANDS HIS SAINTS TO REST. As is the case in so many Biblical matters, man has a better idea. And in every case, it is Satan who provides him with that “better idea.”

Concerning His Law, God commands that not a jot or tittle can be changed, added to or removed from it (Mat. 5:15). Not so, says churchman who claims the right to remove an entire commandment and to replace it with one more to his liking. However, the only choice God gives man is the choice TO OBEY HIM OR NOT TO OBEY HIM. The vast majority of the world’s population has chosen not to obey Him. Knowing the end from the beginning, Jesus prophesied that FEW salvation seekers would join Him in His true church. He noted that THE MANY would join Satan in his counterfeit church (Mat. 7:13,14; 22:14). As I have stated before, to determine the level of Satan’s success, look in any telephone book under CHURCHES–AND COUNT. L.J.