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ASK GOD ABOUT THE SABBATH? |
On this page is a conversation between a Sunday keeper and the Lord. It is a VERY powerful evangelistic tool for those Sunday keepers on the verge of making that final decision as to whether or not to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath as the Christian God has prophecied His children will do. I pray you are blessed by this wonderful compilation of Scriptures. I know I was the first time I read it.
Q. Tell me, Lord, Do you
have a special day of rest for Your followers?
A. "I was in the
Spirit on the Lord's day." Rev. 1:10
Q. But which day is the
Lord's Day? Which day are You Lord of?
A. "The Son of man
is Lord even of the Sabbath day." Matt. 12:8
Q. There are seven days in
the week. Which day is the Sabbath day?
A. "The seventh day
is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." (Fourth Commandment) Ex. 20:10
Q. Which day, according to
our reckoning, is the seventh day, Saturday or Sunday?
A. "And when the
Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James,...very early in
the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the
rising of the sun...And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man...And
he saith unto them, be not affrighted; Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was
crucified; he is risen." Mark 16:1-6. (Note: everybody
knows that Sunday was the resurrection day. The Sabbath was past when it
dawned. Thus it is evident that the Sabbath is Saturday, the day before
Sunday.)
Q. But, Lord, didn't you
abolish the law which contains the Sabbath commandment?
A. "Think not that
I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfill." Matt. 5:17
Q. Well, at least, didn't
you change one of the commandments so that today your followers may keep
another day than the seventh day?
A. "For verily I
say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or tittle shall in no wise
pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matt. 5:18
Q. But, Lord, isn't
Saturday a Jewish day? Isn't the seventh day the Sabbath of the Jews?
A. "The Sabbath was
made for man." Mark 2:27 (The Sabbath was made and given to man 1500 years
before the existence of a Jew. See Gen. 2:1-3)
Q. Someone told me that
after Your crucifixion, Lord, your followers no longer kept the seventh-day
Sabbath according to the commandment. Is this true?
A. "And that day
was the Preparation day and the Sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came
with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the Sepulchre, and how His
body was laid. And they returned and prepared spices and ointments; and rested
the Sabbath day according to the commandment." Luke 23:54-56
Q. But didn't the apostle
Paul always meet with the early Christians on Sunday in honor of the
resurrection? What was his manner in regard to a day of worship?
A. "And Paul, as
his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them
out of the Scriptures." Acts 17:2
Q. Did he meet with the
Gentile converts on the Sabbath, too? Perhaps he met with the Jews on the
Sabbath and the Greeks on Sunday. What about that?
A. "And he reasoned
in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks."
Acts 18:4
Q. What did Paul teach in
regard to Sabbath keeping?
A. "There therefore
remaineth a keeping of the Sabbath (margin) to the people of God. For he that
is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works as God did
from His." Heb. 4:9,10
Q. But, which day did Paul
mean when he spoke of resting as God did?
A. "For He spake in
a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, 'And God did rest the seventh
day from all His works'" Heb. 4:4
Q. Is this, then, your
instruction in regard to Sabbath keeping?
A. "For I have not
shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." Acts 20:27 (In the New Testament there are no less than 59 references to the
Sabbath. The book of Acts records 84 Sabbaths on which the Apostle Paul and his
associates held religious services. Yet there is not one word in the entire
Bible authorizing Sunday keeping.)
Q. Then why is it so many
people keep Sunday instead of Saturday? If the Bible teaches Sabbath keeping,
how and by whom was Sunday keeping introduced into Christianity?
A. "And he (the
'little horn' power) shall speak great words against the Most High,...and think
to change times and laws." Dan. 7:25
Q. The Roman Catholic
Church is the little horn of Daniel 7; Do you mean that it should think to
change the law of God?
A. "Ask now the
priests concerning the law." Haggai 2:11
Q. Very well, I will ask
Stephen Keenan, a Catholic Priest: Does your church think it has the power to
change the law of God?
A. "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 of the week, a
change for which there is no Scriptural authority." Doctrinal Catechism,
page 174
Q. When was this change made?
A. "We observe
Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church in the Council of
Laodicea (364 A.D.) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."
The Converts' Catechism, Peter Geirmann, page 50. (This catechism received the pope's
blessing on Jan. 25, 1910.)
Q. Do you feel this is your
MARK of authority?
A. "Of course the Catholic Church claims that the
change (Saturday Sabbath to Sunday) was her act... And the act is a MARK
of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things." H.F. Thomas,
Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons
Q. Is this Rome’s way of counterfeiting your mark? Do you
have a mark too?
Ezekiel 20:12 & 20, "Moreover also I gave them my
sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the
LORD that sanctify them. And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign
between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God." (Note:
the word “sign” is the same as the word “mark.” In fact you can use the words,
sign, seal, mark, or stamp interchangeably in almost every instance. In fact,
it’s confirmed in Romans 4:11 where it says, "...he received the sign
of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith ")
Q. Do Protestant ministers
agree with this?
A. Congregationalist:
"It is quite clear that however rigidly or devotedly we may spend Sunday,
we are not keeping the Sabbath." Dr. R.W. Dale, The Ten Commandments, page
106.
Methodist: "Sabbath in the
Hebrew language signifies rest and is the seventh day of the week,...and it
must be confessed that there is no law in the New Testament concerning the
first day." Buck's Theological Dictionary.
Baptist: "There was and
is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not
Sunday. It will be said, however, and with some show of triumph, that the
Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week...Where
can the record of such a transfer be found? Not in the New Testament -
absolutely not...Of course, I quite well know that Sunday did not come into use
in early Christian history...But what a pity that it comes branded with the
mark of paganism, and christened with the name of the sun god, when adopted and
sanctioned by the Papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to
Protestantism." - Dr. E.T Hiscox, author of the Baptist Manual.
Click here for more comments of other denominations. (Will open in new window. It's a large page so give it time to load)
Q. Since all the protestant
religions agree the Sabbath was never changed, why do they do as Rome does?
A. "...all the world wondered after the beast. And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book
of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Revelation
13:3,8
Q. What difference does it
make which day I keep? A day is a day isn't it?
A. "Know ye not
that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye
obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans
6:16
Q. Then what shall I do,
obey the Sabbath of God's commandment or keep the Sunday of man?
A. "We ought to
obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29
Q. Well, Lord, what do You
think of Sunday keeping?
A. "Thus have ye
made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition...But in vain they
do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew
15:6,9
Q. But surely the millions
of people who keep Sunday can't be wrong, can they?
A. "Enter ye in at
the strait gate: for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to
destruction and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate
and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it." Matt. 7:13,14
(Only a few obeyed God in the days of
Noah, in the days of Lot, in the days of Christ. The majority were lost.)
Q. But Dr. So-and-so is a
very wise man: Why doesn't he and all the great preachers keep the
Sabbath?
A. "For ye see your
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty,
not many noble, are called; but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world
to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty." 1 Cor. 1:26,27. (Note: The great religious teachers in Christ's day rejected the truth
also. His followers were of the common people.)
Q. But I have accepted
Jesus; I know He is my Saviour; I know He has accepted me and I have been
keeping Sunday. Surely I would not be lost if I did not keep the Sabbath now,
would I?
A. "A time of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent."
Acts 17:30
Q. I know you, Lord. You
wouldn't condemn me for breaking the Sabbath, would you?
A. "He that saith,
I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not
in him." 1 John 2:4
Q. But isn't it sufficient
that I love the Lord and live by the law of love?
A. "If ye love Me,
keep My commandments." John 14:15
Q. Does that mean all ten
of them?
A. "For whosoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of
all." James 2:10
Q. Well, I think that if we
try to follow Jesus, that is all that is necessary. Isn't that right,
Jesus?
A. "He that saith
he abideth in Him, ought himself also so to walk even as He walked." 1
John 2:6
Q. How did you walk, Lord,
what was your custom?
A. "And He came to
Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and, as His custom was, He went into
the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read." Luke 4:16
Q. But, Lord, that was over
1900 years ago. Wouldn't you keep some other day than Saturday if you should
come to earth today?
A. "I am the Lord,
I change not." Mal. 3:6 "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today,
and for ever." Heb. 13:8
Q. Does my salvation depend
upon my obedience to this Sabbath injunction?
A. "And being made
perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey
Him." Heb. 5:9
Q. Do you think it would be
absolutely necessary to keep the commandments to receive eternal life?
A. "If thou wilt
enter into life, keep the commandments." Matt. 19:17
Q. But I still can't see
why You insist on the seventh day, Lord. Isn't Sunday as good as Saturday?
A. "God blessed the
seventh day and sanctified it." Gen. 2:3 "He hath blessed and I
cannot reverse it." Num. 23:20. "For Thou blessest, O Lord, and it
shall be blessed for ever." 1 Chron. 17:27
Q. Well, it seems to me
that if I keep one day in seven, regardless of which one, that ought to be good
enough.
A. "There is a way
that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death."
Prov. 16:25 "Spiritual things...are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor.
2:13,14
Q. But, Lord! Lord! Can't I
do something else? Won't my profession get me to heaven?
A. "Not every one
that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven." Matt. 7:21
Q. But I pray.
A. "He that turneth
away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."
Prov. 28:9
Q. But, Lord, look at the
people who work miracles in Your name. Some heal the sick, others talk in
tongues and do many wonderful things; yet they do not keep the Sabbath. What
about them?
A. "Many will say
to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? And in Thy
name have cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: Depart from Me." Matt. 7:22,23
Q. Yes, I know the Sabbath
is right; but my business would suffer if I closed on Sabbath. I might lose my
job. I wouldn't get ahead in the world!
A. "For what shall
it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
Mark 8:36
Q. Well, for myself I
wouldn't care; but what about my family? Wouldn't it be better for me to work
on the Sabbath than to let my family starve?
A. "Your heavenly
Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things; but seek ye first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you." Matt. 6:32,33. I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed
begging bread." Ps. 37:25
Q. My friends will laugh at
me and ridicule me.
A. "Blessed are ye,
when men shall revile you,...and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely for My sake; rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward
in heaven." Matt. 5:11,12. "If the world hate you, ye know that it
hated Me before it hated you." John 15:18
Q. But suppose my own
family does not agree with me. Should I go against their wishes, which would
mean in some cases a division in the home?
A. "He that loveth
father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: And he that loveth son or
daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me: And he that taketh not his cross,
and followeth after Me is not worthy of Me." Matt. 10: 37,38. "So
likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot
be My disciple." Luke 14:33
Q. I am afraid I won't be
able to withstand all these trials. I am too weak.
A. "My grace is
sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness....When I am
weak, then am I strong." 2 Cor. 12:9,10. "I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me." Phil. 4:13
Q. Then, Lord, what is the
reward for being faithful to You and the commandments?
A. "There is no man
that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the
kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present
time, and in the world to come, life everlasting." Luke 18: 29,30.
"Blessed are they that do His commandments that they may have a right to
the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev.
22:14
Q. Lord, I'm looking
forward to a home in the earth made new, will we keep the Sabbath there
too?
A. "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; 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." Isa. 66: 22,23
Q. Then, Lord, Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. With Your help, I will keep the
Sabbath.
A. "Well done, good and faithful servant." Matthew 25:21
Author - Erling Calkins (Additions were added by Nicholas of Presents of God ministry)
