Let us look at what the Bible says about the Sabbath. First we should start with Jesus’ teaching and example. "Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’" John 14:6.

Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life." He "suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps." 1 Peter 2:21. "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." 1 John 2:6.

Did Jesus give us an example of Sabbath-keeping? Did He say anything about the Sabbath? Indeed He did. "So He [Jesus] 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 to read." Luke 4:16.

Jesus kept the Sabbath. The Scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus and His disciples of breaking the Sabbath (see Matthew 12:1-14; John 5:1-21; 7:21-240, but Jesus always claimed that He and His disciples were innocent of Sabbath-breaking. Jesus kept the Sabbath according to the Bible, not according to the rules of the Pharisees. Those who accuse Jesus of Sabbath-breaking today are doing the same work as the Scribes and Pharisees did in Jesus’ day.

Jesus not only kept the Sabbath, but He taught His followers to keep the Sabbath also. Before His crucifixion, in predicting to His disciples the fall of Jerusalem, He told them to pray that they might not have to flee on the Sabbath day. Jesus was speaking of an event that was not to take place for another forty years, showing that He expected the disciples to still be keeping the Sabbath then. (See Matthew 24:20.)

Though it is generally acknowledged that Jesus kept the Sabbath during His earthly ministry, some say that since His death, it no longer matters which day a person worships. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:20 disagrees. But to support their idea they quote Colossians 2:16: "Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths."

This important text bears consideration. It should be noted first of all that the text speaks of sabbaths (plural) rather than the Sabbath (singular). In the Jewish economy there were two kinds of sabbaths¾ the seventh-day Sabbath of the Ten Commandments and the yearly ceremonial sabbaths of the sanctuary service. The word "sabbath" means rest, and in the Jewish economy there were several yearly feast days on which all the people rested and worshipped. One of these was the Passover. The Passover came on the 14^th day of the first Jewish religious month each year. Thus, it came on Monday one year, on Tuesday the next year, etc.

You can read about these yearly ceremonial sabbaths in Leviticus 16:31; 23:4-44. These yearly feasts pointed forward to Jesus and His ministry and had no more significance after He came. The Passover Sabbath, for example, was actually a prophecy foretelling the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. He died on the day of the Passover, at the moment of the slaying of the lamb. Jesus is the true Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).

These yearly ceremonial sabbaths were all instituted as part of the sanctuary services and pointed forward to Jesus. The Sabbath of the Ten Commandments pointed back to the Creation: "Remember the Sabbath day . . . for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth . . . and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." Exodus 20:8-11.

Thus there were two kinds of sabbaths¾ the yearly ceremonial sabbaths established at Sinai, and the weekly Sabbath established at Creation and embodied in the Law of God. Paul is very clear in Colossians, which sabbaths he is talking about¾ the ceremonial sabbaths only. Many people read only until the word "sabbaths" and fail to read the rest of the sentence in the next verse. "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ." Colossians 2:16, 17. Paul said not to judge people regarding these ceremonial sabbaths, but the Bible makes plain that the seventh-day Sabbath is a perpetual memorial.

John, the last of the apostles, stated that there was still a day that belonged to the Lord, when he wrote the book of Revelation in A.D. 96. "I was in the Spirit [in vision] on the Lord’s day . . ." Revelation 1:10.

While John here does not say which is the Lord’s day, Jesus tells us plainly that His day is the Sabbath. "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." Matthew 12:8.

That was a very bold statement for Jesus to Make when He claimed to be the "Lord of the Sabbath," for it is taken directly from the fourth commandment which states that "the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord." (When LORD is in all capital letters in the Old Testament it is translated from the Hebrew word "Jehovah.") Jesus was claiming to be the Creator of the fourth commandment. "And He [Jesus] said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.’" Mark 2:27,28.

Notice also that Jesus did not say that the Sabbath was made for the Jews, but for man. It was established and created in the beginning of Creation. Jesus was the Creator. It was He who created the Sabbath in the first place. (See John 1:1-14 and Colossians 1:16.)

Following the example of Jesus, the apostles kept the true Sabbath. There is not a single instance recorded of any of the apostles worshipping on Sunday. Yet there are scores of recorded examples of their keeping the Sabbath. Let us look at some examples:

"And when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. So when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews, and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God." Acts 13:42-44. Not that this second Sabbath worship meeting mentioned was not for the Jews, but for the Gentiles.

"And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there." Acts 16:13. They were in a heathen city where ther was no Jews or Jewish synagogues, but when the Sabbath came they went to the river to worship. This was twenty-two years after the resurrection.

"Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. Then Paul, as his custom was, went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures." Acts 17:1,2.

"And he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks . . . And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." Acts 18:4,11.

Where, then, did the keeping of the first day of the week come from? Since Jesus did not mention Sunday or the first day of the week in the Bible, He did not institute worship on this day. In fact, there are only nine references to the first day of the week in the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. These references are Genesis 1:5; Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1,2; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1; John 20:19; Acts 20:7; and 1 Corinthians 16:1,2. A perusal fo these texts will reveal that nowhere is the first day of the week called "the Sabbath day," "the Lord’s day," "the day of the assembly," or anything like that. None of these references even hint that the sanctity of the Sabbath was transferred to that day. Nowhere is it called the Christian Sabbath or the Christian day of worship.

Let us review these nine texts. The first text tells what God created on the first day of the week. The next six give a simple account of the resurrection of Jesus after resting in the tomb over the Sabbath, with no command of change or example of worship. That leaves just two more texts.

The first is in 1 Corinthians 16:2: "On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collection when I come."

Here Paul is speaking to the believers about special provisions, possibly grain or other food supplies, which he was taking to the saints in Jerusalem. We read in the book of Acts that there was a famine in Jerusalem and Paul wanted to take an offering for their relief. He sent word ahead to get things ready so that he could take these gifts with him. Even if this text had referred to money, it is better to manage our finances on other days than on the Sabbath.

Now let us turn to the only other verse that mentions the first day of the week. "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." Acts 20:7.

This text without careful analysis could support Sunday worship. However, there are two important questions that need to be asked: First, does the meeting on the first day of the week make that day a holy day? Jesus partook of the Lord’s supper on Thursday night before the crucifixion. Even today many churches hold meetings on Wednesday evening and on other days of the week. Now, if this text should call the first day of the week a Sabbath or a Lord’s day, that would be different; but it does not. It merely says he talked until midnight.

Now notice verse 8: "There were man lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together." Notice that this was a night meeting on the first day of the week. If that be the case, on which night was it held? In the Bible, God said the Sabbath day was to run from sundown on the sixth day until sundown on the seventh day. In the Bible, days were always counted from sundown to sundown on the seventh day. In the Bible, days were always counted from sundown to sundown. (See Leviticus 23:32; Genesis 1. Without modern watches, how would people have known when a new day began?) Thus the Jews considered Saturday night to be the first day of the week. That is why the New English Bible translates verse 7 as follows: "On the Saturday night, in our assembly for the breaking of the bread, Paul, who was to leave the next day, addressed them, and went on speaking until midnight."

Now notice what happened Sunday morning. Did he go to church? No: "Now when he had come up, had broken bread [this expression in Bible times referred to any meal, not just the Lord’s supper] and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed." Acts 20:11.

On Sunday morning Paul did not go to church, but hiked 14 miles across the peninsula to Assos to meet the other disciples. He had been there with these people some days before the Sabbath came. As soon as the Sabbath was over, he bade them good-bye, gave a last discourse and left the next morning.

We have looked at all the first day texts and found the obvious; the Bible does not say, anywhere, that Sunday is a sacred day.

Jesus. "But pray ye that your flight be not in winter, neither on the Sabbath day." Matthew 24:20.

Paul. "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures." Acts 17:2.

Paul and the Gentiles. "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the Word of God." Acts 13:42,44.

2^nd Century: Early Christians. "The primitive Christians had a great veneration for the Sabbath, and spent the day in devotion and sermons. And it is not to be doubted but they derived their practice from the Apostles themselves, as appears by several scriptures to that purpose." Dialogue on the Lord’s Day, 189. London: 1701. By Dr. T.H. Morer (Church of England).

3^rd and 4^th Centuries: Orient and Most of the World. "The ancient Christians were very careful in the observation of Saturday, or the seventh day . . . it is plain that all the Oriental churches, and the greatest part of the world, observed the Sabbath as a festival . . . Athanasius likewise tells us that they held religious assemblies on the Sabbath, not because they were infected with Judaism, but to worship Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath; Epiphanius says the same." Antiquities of the Christian Church, vol. 2, Book XX, chap. 3, section 166, 1137, 1138.

Council of Laodicea. "From the apostles’ time until the council of Laodicea, which was about the year 364, the holy observation of the Jews’ Sabbath continued, as may be proved out of man authors; yea, notwithstanding the decree of the council against it." Sunday a Sabbath, John Ley, 163. London: 1640.

5^th Century: Constantinople. "The people of Constantinople and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed in Rome or at Alexandria." Socrates, Ecclesiastical History, Book 7, chap. 19.

6^th Century: Rome. "About 590, Pope Gregory, in a letter to the Roman people, denounced as the prophets of Antichrist those who maintained that work ought not be done on the seventh day." James T. Ringgold, The Law of Sunday, 267.

7^th Century: Scotland and Ireland. "It seems to have been customary in the Celtic churches of early times, in Ireland as well as Scotland, to keep Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, as a day of rest from labour. They obeyed the fourth commandment literally upon the seventh day of the week." Professor James C. Moffat, D.D., Professor of Church History at Princeton, The Church in Scotland, 140.

8^th Century: India, China and Persia. "Widespread and enduring was the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath among the believers of the Church of the East and the St. Thomas Christians of India, who never were connected with Rome. It also was maintained among those bodies which broke off from Rome after the Council of Chalcedon namely, the Abysinians, the Jacobites, the Maronites, and the Armenians." Schaff¾ Herzog, The New Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, art. Nestorians; also Realencyclopadie fur Protestantische Theologie und Kirche, art. Nestorianer.

10^th Century: Church of the East, Kurdistan. "The Nestorians eat no pork and keep the Sabbath. They believe in neither auricular confession nor purgatory." Schaff¾ Herzog, The New Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, art. Nestorians.

11^th Century: Scotland. "They held that Saturday was properly the Sabbath on which they abstained from work." Celtic Scotland, col. 2, 350.

12^th Century: Wales. "There is much evidence that the Sabbath prevailed in Wales universally until A.D. 1115, when the first Roman bishop was seated at St. David’s. The Old Welsh Sabbath-keeping churches did not even then altogether bow the knee to Rome, but fled to their hiding places." Lewis, Seventh Day Baptist in Europe and America, vol. 1, 29.

13^th Century: Waldenses of France. "The inquisitors . . . [declare] that the sign of a Vaudois, deemed worthy of death, was that the followed Christ, and sought to obey the commandments of God." History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, H.C. Lea, vol. 1.

"And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ . . . Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 12:17; 14:12.

15^th Century: Norway. "We are informed that some people in different districts of the kingdom, have adopted and observed Saturday-keeping. It is severely forbidden¾ in the holy church canon¾ one and all to observe days excepting those which the holy Pope, archbishop, or the bishops command. Saturday-keeping must under no circumstances be permitted hereafter further than the church canon commands. Therefore, we counsel all the friends of God throughout all Norway who want to be obedient towards the holy church to let this evil of Saturday-keeping alone; and the rest we forbid under penalty of severe church punishment to keep Saturday holy."" Catholic Provincial Council at Bergen, 1435. Dip. Noverg., 7, 397.

"He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law." Daniel 7:25

16^th Century: Council of Trent. "On the 18^th of January, 1563, the Council of Trent ruled that Tradition is greater than Scripture, after a powerful speech by the Archbishop of Reggio, in which he said that the fact that the Church had changed the Fourth Commandment clearly proved that Tradition was greater than the Scripture." H.J. Holtzman, Kanon und Tradition, 1859 edition, 263.

Jesus replied, "Why do you also transgress the commandments of God because of your tradition? . . . Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:3, 6-9

Holland and Germany. "Barbara of Thiers, who was executed in 1529, declared: ‘God has commanded us to rest on the seventh day.’" Martyrology of the Churches of Christ, commonly called Baptists, during the era of the Reformation, from the Dutch of T.J. Van Bright, London 1850, 1, 113, 114.

Russia. "The accused [Sabbath-keepers] were summoned; they openly acknowledged the new faith, and defended the same. The most eminent of them, the secretary of state, Kuritzyn, Ivan Maximo, Kassian, archimandrite of the jury Monastery of Novgorod, were condemned to death, and burned publicly in cages, at Moscow, December 27, 1503." (Council, Moscow, 1503). H. Sternberf, Geschichte der Juden (Leipzig, 1873), 1117, 1122.

Sweden. "This zeal for Saturday-keeping continued for a long time; even little things which might strengthen the practice for keeping Sunday were punished." Bishop Anjou, Svenska Kirkans Historia efter Motet I Upsala.

Europe. About the year 1520 many of these Sabbath-keepers found shelter on the estate of Lord Leonhardt of Liechtenstein, "as princes of Lichtenstein held to the observance of the true Sabbath." History of the Sabbath, J. N. Andrews, 649.

India. "The famous Jesuit, Francis Xavier, called for the Inquisition, which was set up in Goa, India, in 1560, to check the ‘Jewish wickedness’ (Sabbath-keeping)." Adeney, The Greek and Eastern Churches, 527, 528.

Abyssinia. "It is not therefore, in imitation of the Jews, but in obedience to Christ and His holy apostles, that we observe that day." (Abyssinian legate at court of Lisbon, 1534). Geddes’ Church History of Ethiopia, 87, 88.

17^th Century: England. "Here in England are about nine or ten churches that keep the Sabbath, besides many scattered disciples, who have been eminently preserved." Stennet’s letters, 1668 and 1670. Cox. Sab., 1, 268.

Dr. Peter Chamberlain. Dr. Peter Chamberlain was physician to King James and Queen Katherine. The inscription on the monument over his grave says Dr. Chamberlain was "a Christian, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, being baptised about the year 1648, and keeping the seventh day for the Sabbath above thirty-two years."

America. "Stephen Mumford, the first Sabbath-keeper in America came from London in 1644." History of the Seventh day Baptist General Conference by Jas. Bailey, 237, 238.

England. "It will surely be far safer to observe the seventh day, according to the express commandment of God, than on the authority of mere human conjecture to adopt the first." John Milton, Sab. Lit., 2, 46-54.

18^th Century: Romania. (1760). "Joseph II’s edict of tolerance did not apply to the Sabbatarians, some of whom again lost all their possessions." Jahrgang 2, 254.

Bohemia and Moravia. "The condition of the Sabbatarians [from 1635 to 1867] was dreadful. Their books and writings had to be delivered to the Karlsburg Consistory to become the spoil of flames." Adolf Dux, Aux Ungarn, 289-291, Leipzig, 1880.

America. Before Zinzendorf and the Moravians at Bethlehem thus began the observance of the Sabbath and prospered, there was a small body of German Sabbath-keepers in Pennsylvania. See Rupp’s History of Religious Denominations in the United States, 109-123.

19^th Century to present: America. The Seventh-day Adventist movement was formed in 1844.

China. "The Taipings, when asked why they observed the seventh day Sabbath, replied that it was, first, because the Bible taught it, and second, because their ancestors observed it as a day of worship." A Critical History of the Sabbath and the Sunday.

Sweden. "We will now endeavor to show that the sanctification of the Sabbath has its foundation and its origin in a law which God at creation itself established for the whole world, and as a consequence thereof is binding on all men in all ages." May 30, 1863, p. 169. Evangelisten (The Evangelist) Stockholm, May 30 to August 15, 1863, (organ of the Swedish Baptist Church).

We gratefully acknowledge J. F. Coltheart, who personally consulted old manuscripts and the original sources of many of these quotations in the libraries and museums of Europe, Constantinople and the East.

How can we be absolutely sure that our seventh day today is still the Sabbath? Could the calendar have been changed? In over 100 languages of the world, the seventh day is still called Saturday the Sabbath. In Italy it is called Sabbato, in Spain Sabado, in Portugal Sabbado, in Russia Subbota, in Poland Sobota. All of these names mean "Sabbath" or "rest day" in their various languages. Except for those languages that have adopted the pagan names for the days of the week, the seventh day is still called the Sabbath, as the Lord named it at the time of the creation of the world.

The weekly cycle of seven days comes directly from the Creation week. The heavenly bodies control all the other measurements of time. The year is dependent on the revolution of the earth around the sun. The month has to do with the lunar cycles. The seasons have to do with the revolution and rotation of the earth. Only the weekly cycle has no natural origin, and so only can point back to the Creation week when the Sabbath was instituted.

If the theory of evolution were correct, every nationality would by the law of averages, have come up with different weekly cycles¾ some five days, some ten days, etc. But we all have the same seven-day weekly cycle because God Established it at Creation and it has continued to the present day.

Has the calendar been changed? Yes, but the weekly cycle has never been changed. Pope Gregory initiated a change in the calendar to make up for an error in the Julian calendar by dropping ten days. In October 1582, Thursday the 4^th was followed by Friday the 15^th in Italy and a few other countries. England changed its calendar in 1752 and Russia finally in 1914. Yet the weekly cycle was never affected. During the time that England, Russia, and Italy had different calendars, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were always the same in each country.

History has exact calendar records going back to Julius Caesar, several decades before Christ, and the weekly cycle has always remained intact. We have exactly the same weekly cycle today as was used in Jesus’ day, and Jesus said that the day then called the Sabbath by the Jews, the seventh day of the week, was His day, the true Lord’s Day. Moreover, since Jesus’ day, millions of Jews have continued to keep track of the Sabbath each week. It would be absolutely impossible to mix up a whole nationality overnight and have them all wake up unified and worshipping on another day, thinking it was the Sabbath. Moreover, since it is Jesus’ day, and He has commanded us to worship on that day to show allegiance to Him, don’t you think He would preserve its identity?

From the book Your Amazing Calendar, "The week of seven days has been in use ever since the days of Moses, and we have no reason for supposing that any irregularities have existed in the succession of the weeks and their days from that time to the present."   

Jesus was killed on Good Friday, rested over the Sabbath in the tomb on the seventh day of the week, or Saturday, and arose from the grave on the first day of the week and went back to work. Luke 24:1, Mark 16:9

Can we earn salvation? "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10.

What experience must we have to receive this free gift? "Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’" John 3:3.

To be born again means to receive the gift of Jesus’ divine nature. (In the Scriptures, this nature is variously called life, power, seed or spirit.) How can we receive this new nature? "As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:3,4.

Unless we are "eating" the Word of God, through Bible study and prayer, can we have Jesus’ life (or nature) abiding in us? "Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.’ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." John 6:53,63.

When we are born again, what must happen to the sinful habits in our life? "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." Romans 6:4-6.

What is sin? "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." 1 John 3:4.

How will God know that we have been born again? By what standard will He judge us on the Day of Judgment? "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do no murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:10-12.

When Jesus gives us anew beginning (new birth) by imparting to us His Spirit (or nature), what does He write on our hearts? "’For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ says the LORD: ‘I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’" Hebrews 8:10.

What motive should prompt us to keep God’s law? "If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15.

Are God’s commandments burdensome to those who are truly born again? "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world¾ our faith." 1 John 5:3,4.

Why will many that think they are born again be disappointed on the day of judgment? "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.

How does the Bible summarize the answer to our question, "By what standard will we be judged on the Day of Judgment?" "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.

Who will be admitted into heaven? "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14.

Is it your desire to be among this group of people who have surrendered their sins and evil natures to Him (1 John 3:5) and allowed Him to write His laws on their hearts (Hebrews 8:10)? God’s requirements are plain and unequivocal. We will be judged according to God’s law, for our works show whether we have been born again (1 John 2:29). "Let no one deceive you" on this point (1 John 3:6,7). He is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). His standard is the same as it was in the Garden of Eden, at Sinai, and in Paul’s day¾ it never changes. But just as His standard is forever the same, so are His mercy and love and power to save. He can change your heart. He can change your life (Hebrews 7:25). Do you desire Jesus to give you that new-birth experience, which involves a total, growing change of character, habits and thinking? "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." Hebrews 3:15. Today is the day of probation. Today is the day of salvation.

How is the "man of sin" (sometimes called the "Beast" power in Scripture) described by Paul? "Let no one deceive you by any means, for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called god or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God . . . And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming." 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 8.

The people who receive the mark of the Beast (unknowingly, of course) will actually think they are saved through faith in Jesus and will be astounded to find, too late, that they are lost! How did Jesus describe these professed Christians in the last days that follow the "lawless" Beast power? "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.

How many commandments may we disregard without being considered "lawless" by God? "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty." James 2:10-12.

What commandment in God’s law do most Christians disregard? "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God." Exodus 20:8-10.

When does the biblical Sabbath begin and end? "From evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath." Leviticus 23:32.

What day does Jesus claim as His day, the Lord’s day? "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." Mark 2:27,28.

What right does Jesus have to claim a day as His? "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible." Colossians 1:16.

When did Jesus make the Sabbath? "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which he had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it." Genesis 2:1-3.

How did Jesus relate to the Sabbath when He was on earth? "So 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 to read." Luke 4:16.

On what day did Paul, long after the crucifixion, worship with both the Jews and Gentiles? "So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of god." Acts 13:42-44.

Was this Paul’s custom? "Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures." Acts 17:2.

On what day did John, the last apostle, have a vision while in exile? "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day." Revelation 1:10.

The Bible describes a people who will repair the broken-down law of God that has been trampled on for many generations. What commandment is it? "Those from among you shall build up the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the repairer of the breach. The restorer of streets to dwell in. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord." Isaiah 58:12-14.

On what day will the redeemed worship God in the new earth? "’For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘so shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the Lord." Isaiah 66:22,23.

While all the commandments show our allegiance, which one is a special sign of allegiance that we may know we are truly following God, as His people, and that He is our God? "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20.

What sign, or mark, reveals allegiance to God? "Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always . . . Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess . . . Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." Deuteronomy 11:1,8,18.

People look at outward marks, but where does God look? "For a man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b.

Everyone will one day receive a mark. What mark will God’s people receive? "Then I looked, and behold, a lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, have His Father’s name written on their foreheads." Revelation 14:1.

Anciently a name represented one’s character. God wants to write His name¾ or character¾ in us. God’s character is described in His law. Where will God’s character, or law, be written? Will this writing be visible to mankind? "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." Hebrews 10:16.

Which one of God’s laws especially identifies God’s people, marking them as those who accept His authority? "Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them . . . Hallow My Sabbath, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:12,20.

Will the Beast power acknowledge God’s authority? "Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thessalonians 2:4.

What will the Beast boast that he can do to God’s law? "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand." Daniel 7:25.

What is it that identifies and marks the Beast power? "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition . . . For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders." 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 7-9.

When Jesus comes, all will have accepted God’s mark or the Beast’s mark. How are those who have received the mark of the Beast described? "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:21-23.

How are those who receive God’s mark (Revelation 14:1) described? "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.

What will Satan do to those who refuse to receive the mark of the Beast’s authority by keeping Sunday? "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17.

How will Satan make war with them? "And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:16, 17.

The Roman Emperor Constantine passed the first Sunday law forcing Christians and pagans to worship on the same day. "All judges and city people and the craftsmen shall rest upon The Venerable Day of the Sun." History of the Christian Church states, "Constantine reverenced all the gods as mysterious powers, especially Apollo, the god of the sun."

The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine states: "Q. Which is the Sabbath day? A. Saturday is the Sabbath day. Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." "Sunday is our mark of authority. The church is above the Bible, and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact." The Catholic Record, London Ontario, Sept. 1, 1923. "The observance of Sunday by Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] church." Monsignor Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, 213

"He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law…." Daniel 7:25. The pope is said to claim to be God on earth and have the power to forgive sins.  For 1260 years, from 538 A.D. when the papacy took over Rome, to 1798 A.D. when the pope was imprisoned, 50-100 million faithful Christians where burned at the stake, tortured, and beaten to death for refusing to follow the papacy.  The papacy changed God's Ten Commandment Law.   "For that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thes. 2:3,4. Also read Rev. 13 and 17.  

While God’s followers receive God’s name in their foreheads, the Beast’s followers receive the Beast’s name (his character of lawlessness), signified by a number. What is the number of the Beast? "Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666." Revelation 13:18.  The official title of the pope is VICARIUS FILII DEI.  When you add up the Roman numeral equivalents to each letter in his title, it adds up to 666.

What warning has God given against receiving the mark of the Beast? "Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ " Revelation 14:9-11.

God says that the Sabbath marks His people as His, and that the Beast would make war on them. The Beast is that "lawless" one who would try to "change" God’s law; specifically the law involving "times"-i.e., the Sabbath. Thus, when Sunday-keeping is enforced by law it will constitute the mark of the Beast. "You are that one’s slaves whom you obey." Romans 6:16. Today God is calling us to receive His mark (or seal). Will you acknowledge His authority by keeping His Sabbath?

1. After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, the great God rested on the seventh day, blessed and sanctified it. (See Genesis 2:1-3.)
2. It was made before the fall; hence it is not a type, for types were not instituted until after the fall of man.
3. Jesus says it "was made for man" Mark 2:27; that is for the race as the word man is here unlimited; hence for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
4. It is a memorial of Creation. (See Exodus 20:11; 31:17.) Every time we rest upon the seventh day as God did at Creation, we commemorate the grand event.
5. It is not a Jewish institution, for it was made 2300 years before there was a Jew.
6. The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath, but always "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Men should be cautious how they stigmatize God’s holy rest day.
7. It was part of God’s law before Sinai. (See Exodus 16:4, 27-29.)
8. God placed it in the heart of His moral law. (See Exodus 20:1-17.)
9. The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by the voice of the living God. (See Deuteronomy 4:12,13.)
10. He wrote the commandment with His own finger. (See Exodus 31:18.)
11. He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature. (See Deuteronomy 5:22.)
12. It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the Holy of Holies. (See Deuteronomy 10:1-5.)
13. God forbade work upon the Sabbath even in the most hurrying times. (See Exodus 34:21.)
14. God destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Sabbath. (See Ezekiel 20:20.)
15. It is the sign of the true God, by which we are to know Him from false gods. (See Ezekiel 20:20.)
16. God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who keep it. (See Isaiah 56:6,7.)
17. This blessing is in the prophecy that refers wholly to the Christian dispensation. (See Isaiah 56.)
18. God has promised to bless every man who keeps the Sabbath. (See Isaiah 56:2.)
19. The Lord requires us to call it "honorable." (Isaiah 58:13.) Beware, ye who take delight in calling it the "old Jewish Sabbath," "a yoke of bondage," etc.
20. After the holy Sabbath has been trodden down for "many generations," it is to be restored in the last days. (See Isaiah 58:12,13.)
21. All the holy prophets kept the seventh day.
22. When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life. (See Luke 4:16, John 15:10.)
23. The seventh day is the Lord’s day. (Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13; Exodus 20:10.)
24. Jesus was the "Lord of the Sabbath." Mark 2:28.
25. He vindicated the Sabbath as a merciful institution designed for man’s good. (See Mark 2:23-28.)
26. The pious women who had been with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day after His death. (See Luke 23:56.)
27. Thirty years after Christ’s resurrection, the Holy Spirit expressly calls it "the Sabbath day." (See "Acts 13:14.)
28. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, called it "the Sabbath day" in A.D. 45. (See Acts 13:27.) Did not Paul know? Or shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ?
29. Luke, the inspired Christian historian, writing as late as A.D. 62, calls it "the Sabbath day." Acts 13:14.
30. The Gentile converts called it the Sabbath. (See Acts 13:42.)
31. In the great Christian council in A.D. 52, in the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James called it the "Sabbath." (See Acts 15:21.)
32. It was Paul’s custom to preach upon that day. (See Acts 17:2.)
33. The book of Acts alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day. (See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4, 11.)
34. There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Sabbath day. This fact is proof that the Christians still observed the same day that the Jews did.
35. In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Sabbath day. Why not if he did not keep it?
36. But Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law. "Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended in any thing at all." Acts 25:8. How could this be true if he had not kept the Sabbath?
37. The Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament 59 times and always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Old Testament, "the Sabbath day."
38. Not a word is said anywhere in the New Testament about the Sabbath’s being changed, done away with or anything of the kind.
39. God has never given permission to any man to work on the Sabbath. Friend, by what authority do you use the seventh day for common labor?
40. As the Sabbath was kept in Eden before the Fall, so it will be observed eternally in the new earth after the resurrection. (See Isaiah 66:22, 23.)

What are we to remember to do on the Sabbath day? "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8.

What makes the Sabbath day holy? "Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:11.

What is it that makes something holy? God’s presence in it. (See Exodus 3:5; 29:43-46; Joshua 5:13-15.) "In order to keep the Sabbath day holy, men must themselves be holy" Desire of Ages, 283. We must have God’s presence within.

When, according to the Bible, does a day begin? "And the evening and the morning were the first day." "And the evening and the morning were the second day." Genesis 1:5, 8, "For even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." Leviticus 23:32. (Evening signified sunset.)

When are we to do our own work? "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work." Exodus 20:9. NOTE: All through the week the keeping holy of the Sabbath day is to be remembered. No business plans or contracts are to be made which will interfere with keeping the Sabbath holy. The Sabbath commandment includes more than merely keeping one day holy, but encompasses holy living throughout the week. The commandment should be obeyed throughout the week and the Sabbath kept when it comes.

How does the Lord indicate whose work we are to do on the Sabbath? "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honorable; and shall 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 has spoken it." Isaiah 58:13, 14. NOTE: Whether the Sabbath becomes a delight or a burden depends upon the spirit with which a man meets it. Indeed, the spirit of the man settles the question as to the benefits to come from any duty he may perform. It should be noted that the Sabbath is not to be a day of inactivity, but we are to do God’s work on the Sabbath and our work during the rest of the week.

What is the Sabbath a sign of? "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20.

What does the "psalm for the Sabbath day" suggest as proper acts and themes for thought and meditation on the Sabbath? "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: to shew forth Thy loving-kindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For Thou, Lord, has made me glad through Thy work." Psalm 92:1-4.

What do the works of God declare? "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard." Psalm 19:1-3. NOTE: God designed that the Sabbath should direct the minds of men to His created works, and through these to Him as the Creator. Nature itself speaks to our senses, telling us that there is a God, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of the universe. The Sabbath, ever pointing to God through nature, was designed to keep the Creator constantly in mind.

Was the Sabbath designed to be a day for public worship? "Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation." Leviticus 23:3. NOTE: It was Christ’s practice to worship at the synagogue (or church) every Sabbath. (See Luke 4:16.)

Besides attending church, what else did Jesus do on the Sabbath? "And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes." John 9:14. NOTE: Acts of mercy are proper on the Sabbath, for this is God’s work. Many of Jesus’ miracles were performed on the Sabbath.

What day is especially indicated as the day to prepare for the Sabbath? "And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man." Exodus 16:22. NOTE: The Sabbath should not be a day of either ordinary labor, idleness or amusement, but one of rest, reflection, holy joy, worship and helpfulness. It should be the happiest, the brightest and the best of all the week. Such it should be made for young and old. Very early the children can be taught the stories of creation and redemption, and taken with Him through nature. Preparation for the Sabbath, therefore, is an essential to its proper observance. God’s blessing is upon the first moments of the Sabbath as well as upon the last; and, as far as possible, everything should be made ready so that the entire day may be devoted to God and humanity.

In the new Covenant, where does God want the Sabbath commandment to be written? "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." Hebrews 10:16.

Isn’t it interesting that the only part of the Bible specifically written by God’s own hand, His Law, is the part man wants to do away with? And isn’t it interesting that the only part of that Law they say is for the Jew only, is the one commandment that states it was for the "stranger," too? And isn’t it interesting that the only one of the commandments that specifically states it was instituted at Creation, long before sin or Jews or ceremonies? And isn’t it interesting that the only commandment man wants to forget is the one God specifically says to "remember?"

The Sabbath commandment is God’s official seal of authority: It contains the three essential elements of any official seal or mark. It contains His name ("The Lord your God"), title and authority ("Creator") and domain ("heaven and earth"). The fourth commandment has been especially designated to be a sign or mark of loyalty to God. "Hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:20.

The Bible says that a Man of Sin would arise who would seek to change God’s law, and that a period of time would be given for him to reign. But before Jesus comes again He will once more have a faithful people ready for Him to come, who will be identified as "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12. In the days of ignorance when truth has been hidden and unperceived, God says He overlooks transgression, but now He "commands all man everywhere to repent." Acts 17:30. Before the Second Coming, the Bible assures us that this everlasting Gospel, which includes the worship of the Creator as found in the fourth commandment, will once again go to all the people of the world.

"Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth¾ to every nation, tribe, tongue and people¾ Saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Revelation 14:6, 7.

This is the message that is going forth to the world today to prevent those who will heed its message from receiving the Mark of the Beast.

Today there is a testing truth to show whether we truly believe what God says or not. Some people want to know, "What’s the difference which day I keep?" And that’s just the point. If the days are the same anyway, why not keep the one God said to? If we keep a day, why not God’s day? The only reason we don’t is that someone, the Beast power, has openly set himself up in opposition to God and has established another law. No, we did not initiate the change, but by keeping that day once we realize the change was made, we show our allegiance to that person or power that made the change, and we will eventually receive his mark. (See Romans 6:16.)

Yes, what difference does it make? The difference is that by keeping the Sabbath we are obeying God and showing allegiance to Him. But the other difference is that it is also unpopular. There has always been a cross in following Jesus.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24.

The Sabbath itself is a great blessing (See Isaiah 58:12-14), but there is a cross in keeping it because it is unpopular. "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep your also." John 15:18-20.

It is no more popular to follow Jesus today than when He was here on earth. Many people suppose that if they were alive when Jesus was here, they would have gladly followed Him, but the truth is just as plain today as it was then. We can know whether we would have followed then by whether we follow Him now. The choice is ours.

"Now by this we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." I John 2:3-6.

Friend, I have simply presented what I believe from the Word of God (in this lesson). I have tried not to present my interpretation. I have not presented some church doctrine or creed. But these statements are from the Word of God. I urge you to search out the truth. If what I have presented is wrong, don’t follow it. You will be none the worse for searching it out. But if the Holy Spirit convicts you in the reading of the Word, then follow Him. I don’t have any followers. What I want is for each one of us to be followers of God.

I believe that most of you desire to follow God. That is why you are students of the Word¾ that is why you are studying. Though I believe in the Sabbath and try, by God’s grace, to keep it, that does not earn me "merit points" or secure my salvation. What really counts is how much we love and trust Jesus. Is Jesus abiding in our hearts? All God wants is for us to follow Him step by step.

Jesus put it simply, "If you love me, keep my commandments."

Today, Satan is coming upon the world as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, by quoting and misapplying Scripture. He quotes it out of context in such a way as to teach error and to lead people away from the law of God. What are his arguments?

Satan’s Argument #1: "You are under grace, not under the law, therefore you can sin and break the law all you want to."

God’s Answer: "Sin is transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4 (NKJV). Does God’s grace permit us to sin and break the law all we want to? "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin [breaking the law], that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer in it . . . What then? Shall we sin [break the law], because we are not under the law, but under grace? Certainly not!" Romans 6:1,2 15.

Because we have all sinned, we are all condemned under the law as guilty. Jesus frees us from this condemnation by grace. Suppose someone is on death row in the state penitentiary for killing a policeman. He is "under the law," (our courts still use the same legal terms as the Bible uses). The governor gives the condemned man grace, and frees him and takes him out from under the law. Does that mean that the law has been abolished? Does it mean that this man under grace can now break the law all he wants to? Can he now go and kill all the policemen he wants to?

God puts us under grace when we accept Jesus as our Savior. Does that mean the law has been done away with now? Does that mean we can sin all we want to now? Does that mean we can now kill and steal and commit adultery? Let Paul answer this question: "Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." Romans 3:31.

Satan’s Argument #2: "Jesus fulfilled the law, thereby doing away with it, so you don’t need to worry about it anymore."

Jesus’ Answer: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17. You also are to fulfill the law by following My example, just as Paul said: "fulfilled in us." Romans 8:2-4.

When you fulfill a prediction, as Jesus did by dying on the cross, the prediction is no longer needed. Jesus fulfilled the sacrifice predictions, which pointed forward to His death. When He died, they were no longer needed. These predictions were part of the ceremonial law of the old-covenant sanctuary. But when you fulfill a moral law, such as "Thou shalt not kill," that has nothing to do with abolishing the law. When you fulfill a marriage vow, does it do away with the marriage? When you give your spouse total fulfillment, does it do away with your spouse? When you fulfill the requirements of the speed-limit law, is the law thereby destroyed?

Satan’s Argument #3: "No one can keep the law of God anyway, so don’t worry about it."

God’s Answer: "Sin is lawlessness, and you know that He [Jesus] was manifested to take away our sins [our lawlessness] . . . Little children, let no one deceive you, he who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins [breaks the law] is of the devil . . . Whoever has been born of God does not sin." 1 John 3:4, 5, 8, 9.

Jesus came down to give us the power to keep the law.

Satan’s Argument #4: "You are now under the new covenant of grace, not the covenant of works, so you don’t have to keep the law anymore."

God’s Answer: "This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." Hebrews 10:16.

Far from making the law non-applicable for us, the new covenant can only be received if we are wiling to keep God’s law. No one who refuses to keep the law of God is under the new covenant. Many people who think they are under the new covenant today are merely under the condemnation of sin.

Satan’s Argument #5: "The letter of the law kills, but the spirit gives life." 2 Corinthians 3:6. Therefore the law is not applicable to us who have the Spirit.

God’s Answer: The reason the law kills is that "all have sinned." All have broken the law. And the wages of sin is death. The reason the Spirit gives life is that it enables us to keep it. As Paul said, "I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died [that is, the law condemned him as a sinner]." "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is . . . not subject to the law of God." Romans 7:9; 8:6, 7.

Satan’s Argument #6: "All you need to keep is Jesus law, not God’s law."

Jesus’ Answer: There is only "One lawgiver" (James 4:12), not two, for "I and My Father are one . . . The words that I speak to you I do not speak to you on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." John 10:30; 14:10.

Satan’s Argument #7: "The law was nailed to the cross."

God’s Answer: "My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips." Psalm 89:34.

There was a law that was nailed to the cross, and that was the law of ordinances, which pointed forward to Jesus. These were Jewish ceremonies, such as circumcision and animal sacrifices, that God gave to them in the old covenant sanctuary service. The Bible says, "He abolished in His flesh . . . the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Ephesians 2:15. But this was not referring to the moral law of God. It is still wrong to worship other gods. It is still wrong to steal. One other point: Besides the ceremonial law there was something else nailed to the cross, and that was our sins along with their penalty. Thus the penalty of the law was nailed to the cross.  (The previous "Remember The Sabbath Day" segment taken from the Steps to Life calendar.)