Many dear Christians sincerely
work to bless others with the message of the Gospel. And with faithful hearts they carry out the Saviour’s commission
bringing glory to His Holy Name. But there is a near universal stumbling block among the mainstream religions of this world.
This clear and present danger dominates the Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu
religions. Sincere as they may be, they all stand united in the most vulnerable ignorance to the one Commandment of GOD that
gives assurance of Utopia’s everlasting return: specifically the 4th Commandment.
An examination of GOD’S Sacred Law needs to be presented that we fully understand the legal right of Jesus Christ to
redeem you and me from the condemnation of sin that we might receive the gift of eternal life. To understand the legal platform
on which our salvation is based is absolutely vital. We must know our standing with GOD. We must know our relationship with
Satan. And we must know Satan’s standing with GOD.
In the religious world’s
rejection of the 4th Commandment, denying it as having any contribution to salvation, Christians, Mormons, and
Jehovah’s Witnesses generally teach that the Sabbath was a part of the Moral Law that God used Jesus Christ to bring
it to an end through the sacrifice of His precious life. One of two proof-texts given is Col.2:13-16: “…Let no
man judge you…of the sabbath days.”
These are beautiful words, but
please consider that Paul’s passage is not discussing the abolishing of the Moral Sabbath of the eternal 4th
Commandment (Isa.66:22,23) but rather the pharisaical rules of worship on the Sabbath: 300 rules that stood outside of GOD‘S
Written counsel, solely designed by prideful men to increase their control over the lives of others in which Jesus declared
that as a result of their version of religious law they “shut up the kingdom of heaven against men;” and all who
follow their religion would share their destruction (Matt.23:13). It is this religion that Paul at one time implicitly obeyed,
but when Christ illuminated his mind he found that the pharisaical rules were nothing more than “dung” (Phil.3:3-8).
Pharisaical Judaism circumvented Jehovah’s simple guidelines for Sabbath observance as His perfect words explain: “If
thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day [this is “the LORD’S
day” the Apostle John spoke of (Rev.1:10)]; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable;
and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou
delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage
of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” “Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a
sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.” Isa.58:13,14;
Ex.31:13. And in Deuteronomy 5:15 the Sabbath represents the seal of our deliverance: “And remember that thou wast a
servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched
out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.”
The Pharisees usurped Jehovah’s authority over men and substituted their own sinful authority, claiming that their religious
laws were the means to sanctify the people when only GOD’S Word and Spirit have the power and ability to sanctify us
(Jer.31:3). Jesus had much to say about their self-serving religion but they would hear none of His reproof.
I do appreciate where most Christians are coming from. I traveled a similar course in my Bible studies and spiritual growth
since the summer of 1990 when I first gave permission for Christ to come and live out the wonders of His law in my heart (Ps.119:97).
And I’ll never demand you to be where I am: in life’s experience, personal talent, or personal burdens that GOD
has laid on my heart to carry out. Each disciple of Christ has their assigned work.
The heart of the theological foundation these dear Christian missionaries share has its source in the words of the Apostle
Paul, where Paul said that we are “not under law but under grace” (Rom.6:15). These words have been given a meaning
the Apostle never intended, and here’s why. In every instance where Paul raises this subject he is always referring
to Christ’s removing the corporate death-sentence imposed on all mankind by our Premier Father, Adam. The fallen nature
and eventual death caused by his sin was passed down to all succeeding generations through the law of inheritance. This is
what is meant to be “under law.” Christ, as the “last Adam” (I Cor.15:45) has removed the inheritance
of condemnation we received without our choice. He has effectively removed our being “under law,” providing all
mankind with the restored freedom to choose eternal life: to one day be restored with the personal presence of GOD and holy
angels. And GOD calls every man and woman to repent of their sins that they not disqualify the salvation offered. Mankind
now has a new probation; but the legal guidelines of salvation have never, nor will ever change, as Jesus said: “if
thou wilt enter in to life, keep the commandments.” “For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day”
Matt.19:17, 12:8.
Our being born into a sinful world without our consent is precisely
why GOD the Father sent “His only begotten Son.” Through obedience to His own Sacred Law humanity has been justified
to everlasting life. The Ten Commandments commanded our salvation! And Jehovah will save all who will believe His Word, and/or
follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, through whose Presence the repentant sinner will receive everlasting life at “the
first resurrection” (Rom.2:13-15, 8:11; Rev.20:6).
With our new inheritance,
Jesus, as the “everlasting father” has the legal right to resurrect the human race (Isa.9:6; Lu.3:38; Rev.22:16):
the first resurrection for the righteous; and a thousand years later the second resurrection for the great judgment of evil
(I Cor.15:22; Rev.20:11-15). But this new inheritance you and I have received through the gift of Christ is not a license
to continue in sin, however small it may seem (Ja.4:17), as it is written, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may
abound? God forbid!” “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” Rom.6:1,
7:12.
The popular theology taught today on the Sacred Law, the state of the dead
and the fate of evil, selfish men has Paul contradicting himself, Peter contradicting Jesus, Jesus contradicting Solomon,
James contradicting Paul, etc. The most basic Bible studies verify how men define many passages in such a way as to disqualify
other plain and clear Bible doctrines. It is these flagrant contradictions that have swayed the religious culture for centuries.
But while some Christian, Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness theologians sincerely work to remove the contradictions between
certain verses of Scripture they take this precious criteria only so far. They refuse as the reformers refused to repent from
the one sin that holds back the completion of the Gospel commission (Matt.24:14), where Christ can come and bring the suffering
of life to an end. He cannot come until His faith and His obedience is complete in the believer (Rev.7:1-3), and Satan’s
mouth can be shut forever, as it is written, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused
them before our God day and night.” “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they might have
right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates in to the city” (Rev.12:10, 14:12, 22:14; Isa.11:6-9,
65:17-25).
Let us review some Bible history on the Holy Sabbath. The Sabbath was
given to Adam and Eve (Gen.2:1-3). Their first full day of life was the Sabbath. It has been held throughout time on Earth
extending down the generations to Abel, Seth, then to Noah, to Moses, then to the prophets, including Deborah the prophetess
(Jud.4:4) and the prophetess daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8,9). A golden thread of Jehovah-faithful Sabbath
keepers has been maintained throughout Earth’s history. Generation after generation, men and women, with the Indwelling
Holy Spirit, obeyed the same Law Christ obeyed to redeem us.
A largely ignored
New Testament fact: The Holy Sabbath was held by the Apostolic Christian church in accordance with Christ’s command
for its continued observance after His ascension to heaven, as He said, “But pray ye that your flight be not in the
winter, neither on the sabbath day” (Matt.24:20). Other texts verifying the Sabbath’s continued observance; Acts
13:14,27,42,44, 15:21, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4: Heb.4:3-13 (where the word “rest” in the Greek is translated,
“Sabbath:” “There remaineth therefore a Sabbath to the people of God”).
Which leads to a hard saying for many, and I say this not to offend, nevertheless it is factual: IF JESUS LIVED UNDER THE
DOCTRINES OF CATHOLICISM, CONVENTIONAL PROTESTANTISM, MORMONISM OR THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESS, HE WOULD HAVE FAILED
TO SAVE THE HUMAN RACE FROM SIN. Jehovah cannot endorse any religion where even one of the Ten Commandments (that
has made provision for man’s salvation) has been discarded as waste.
The
religious notion that Christ’s obedience gives us freedom to disobey any of the Ten Commandments is fundamentally naïve
simply because disobedience to the sacred Law is the sole reason all suffering and death came into being in the first place.
This nominal obedience held by multitudes from all walks of life will account for the eternal loss of countless souls as Jesus
gave prophecy about our religious leaders who betrayed their trust: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not…done many wonderful works?” (Matt.7:22). The key word here is “Many.” In other
words, multitudes of religious leaders will stand condemned before the judgment seat of Christ simply because of
unrepented sin (Prov.28:13). Outside of His Holy Law, GOD has no other criteria to judge evil.
Faith and sin are not partners in salvation. From the beginning Satan despised the Sacred Law; and he leads men to hate it
as well. And he doesn’t care which sacred Law he causes men to stumble over, any one will do. Biblical history teaches
that Satan’s success is achieved through deceiving the leaders. Through them Satan gains control over the masses (Rev.16:14),
herding them by the tens of millions to his slaughterhouse of eternal death (Eph.6:12). This has always been the danger of
men demanding a king, president, prime minister, or pope to rule over them.
Brothers
and sisters in Christ, I ask that you consider the very first consequence of Satan’s sin against his Maker. The first
thing sin did was to remove the universal peace GOD established “In the beginning” of which the Sabbath is the
seal. The first Commandment Satan publicly raped was the sacred Sabbath rest. And the world is blind to
this foundational sin in the great controversy between Christ and Satan, not realizing that all of the unrest in this world
is caused by men disbarring the one Commandment promising our eternal Rest. But GOD’S promise is sure to those who will
obey: “ye shall find rest for your souls.” Jer.6:16. Also, the Bible is unwavering that the seventh day Sabbath
is the seal of our faith in that eternal rest. Every seventh day throughout eternity we will “Remember” that Jehovah
alone has provided mankind with the assurance that fear and death will no more threaten His creatures, whether they be great
or small, as He promised: “they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain;” where “none shall make
them afraid;” and “affliction shall not rise up the second time” (Isa.65:25, 17:2; Na.1:9). Once again,
we see that the Sabbath is the seal of our faith in both GOD‘S Word and His Law being the only source of truth and victory.
The restoration of universal tranquility points every man to the Sabbath command. “The seventh day” and
only “the seventh day” will be held in the new Earth, cherished throughout eternity as the seal of GOD’S
power and provision for the everlasting tranquility of His created life (Isa.66:22,23).
Yours and my danger of forfeiting the free gift of GOD in Christ is when we don’t understand the devil’s
legal defense against the tribunal of heaven (Rev.12:10,17), and how his sole work is to lead you and me to violate the same
Law that condemns him, as Jehovah publicly condemned him through the pen of His prophet, “…Thou hast sinned…”
(Eze.28:14-16). And the Apostle declared that “sin is the transgression of the law” (I Jn.3:4). Therefore, Satan
stands condemned by the same Ten Commandment Law that will judge both angels and man (Jn.12:48, Rom.2:13, I Cor.6:2,3; Ja.2:10-12).
When men refuse to repent of any, (and Scripture is explicitly clear), ANY of the holy Laws that condemn Satan (including
the 4th Commandment), he accuses them before GOD and demands, (and rightly so), that the unrepentant sinner has
no right to eternal life while he is left to perish in “the lake of fire” for the same sin. But within this harsh
legal defiance of the devil, multitudes of GOD loving people are innocent of this sin of Sabbath contravention, which might
include you. And the Bible is clear that the innocent, ignorant sins are covered by the righteousness of Christ as it is written:
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).
This principle of GOD’S Grace was formally inaugurated in Nu.15:27-31: “And if any soul sin through ignorance,
then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that
sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven
him. [This is precisely the work of Jesus Christ as our High Priest, interceding His merits as our merits, His death
our death, and His resurrection our resurrection (Heb.6:17-20).] Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance,
both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. But the soul that
doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall
be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul
shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.”
It is on this
legal basis that Satan demands of GOD that those who hold to their sin, knowing full well the claims of GOD’S Holy Law
on their salvation, that they must share his fate of death. This is verified by Jehovah prophesying to Satan the assurance
of his destruction in “the lake of fire,” along with all who follow him: “I will destroy thee O covering
cherub…I will bring thee to ashes on the earth…and never shalt thou be any more.” “The wicked shall
perish;” “And ye [the righteous] shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your
feet;” “and they shall be as though they had never been” (Eze.28:16,18,19; Ps.37:10; Mal.4:3; Ob.16).
The commonly held view on the Sabbath, upheld by our religious leaders, directly contradicts both GOD’S condemnation
of Satan for his sins as well as GOD’S legal right to redeem those who repent of their sins. For our religious leaders
to teach that taking GOD’S Name in vain, bowing before statues, committing murder, lying, theft and adultery is still
condemned by Jehovah’s Sacred Law but the Holy Sabbath day is no longer binding removes GOD’S legal right to condemn
Satan for his continual sin against the Holy Sabbath of the 4th Commandment. The fact that the human race corporately
violates it: Christians upholding the pagan Sunday as “the LORD’S day;” Muslims holding Friday sacred; Hindus
holding Monday sacred; and even the atheists who hold no day sacred, shows the soul threatening illiteracy to the controversy
between Christ and Satan. This ignorance serves the devil well.
In summation,
the world’s religions demand to be saved in sin instead of from sin. These many mainstream religions blindly
intend to perpetuate sin forever (Lu.23:34). GOD cannot allow this (Gen.3;22-24). Christ can have no partnership within any
human soul who lives in willful sin (Isa.59:2). As a result of this global ignorance, of which Jehovah warned, “My people
are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos.4:6), the Apostle Peter stated that the vast majority of all who claim to
obey GOD will be lost, as it is written, “And if the righteous scarcely be saved [those whose names are on the
church books] where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” I Pet.4:18.
Conventional religious thought is blind to Satan’s 24/7 accusations (Rev.12:10), for Satan wouldn’t waste his
time accusing anyone if he didn’t have the legal right to demand our condemnation for the same sins that condemn him.
The Apostle Paul and every other Bible writer upheld the Ten Commandments as the standard for holy living, as it is repeatedly
written, and in a variety of ways: “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall
be justified” (Rom.2:13). Biblical logic demands that GOD must have legal boundaries to judge between the righteous
and the wicked (Mal.3:18), and the Ten Commandments are Jehovah’s sole criteria of heaven’s examination to determine
who is safe to live forever and who would threaten the restored tranquility, as it is written: “So I sware in my wrath,
They shall not enter in to my rest” (Heb.3:11). Scripture could not be any more clear: “The soul that sinneth,
it shall die,” for, “The wages of sin is death.” Eze.18:4; Rom.6:23.
In closing, I ask you to prayerfully consider the value of these words, “The works of his hands are verity and judgment;
all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness…The fear of
the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for
ever.” Ps.111:7,8,10.
