Billions of people in the world are missing out on the New Testament message of abundant living. Human reason, including non-biblical ideas of "human love," continues to lead the world toward suffering, confusion, and disaster. What is the true way to love and peace in the world? Most professing Christians know the answer, Matthew 22:37.
Jesus Christ gave these two principles to be obeyed by every human being: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." My friends, this is the way to true life, meaning, and fulfillment. But why do so few enjoy this true life?
Because human beings do not like to be told what to do. These are "commandments" and humans resist commandments, including the Ten Commandments. But many would rather remain ignorant, because it suits their selfish desires. Aldous Huxley, the famous English author, expressed this perspective well: "Most ignorance is vincible ignorance. We don't know because we don't want to know. It is our will that decides how and upon what subjects we shall use our intelligence."
That's from Ends and Means, page 312. But there is a God, and He commands us to love Him. The First Great Commandment to love God is defined by the first four of the Ten Commandments, and the Fourth Commandment of the Ten emphasizes a weekly action in loving God. Exodus 20:8-10, "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." Which day is the Christian Sabbath?
On today's program we'll be offering a free study guide,
Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? Be sure to write down the contact information to order your free copy. My friends, will you love God? Will you obey the Fourth Commandment? You need to know the true Christian way of life and the true Sabbath of Jesus Christ. Stay tuned. ♪ Billions of people all over the world enjoy holidays. They celebrate secular holidays and religious holy days. Muslims worship on Friday and follow the call to prayer five times a day.
Jews around the world have worshiped for thousands of years on the Sabbath, the day that begins at sunset every Friday evening, and continues through sunset on Saturday. Professing Christians meet for Sunday church services, proclaiming theirs is the true day for worship. The Sabbath controversy has continued for centuries. Did the New Testament change the Sabbath observance to Sunday worship? Should religious people set aside any special day as holy?
Does your Bible command us to observe Sunday, the first day of the week, as a day of worship? Or should Christians observe the seventh-day Sabbath? On today's program, we'll answer that question from the Bible. And we'll be offering you an inspiring free study guide that gives you the biblical answers you need. It's titled: Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? This is a vital question for all professing Christians. This booklet is free of charge.
Just call the number on your screen, or order it online at TWTV.ORG/SABBATH. Just ask for the Christian Sabbath booklet. The most important questions of life are answered in your Bible. And yet, we see religious conflicts and differences even among professing Christian denominations. Why do so many professing Christians keep Sunday, while others keep Saturday as the Sabbath? To answer the question, let's look at the beginning of Christianity as recorded in your Bible.
If you have your Bible, turn to Acts 13:42. In the first century AD, the Apostle Paul had preached on the Sabbath in the Antioch synagogue. His audience consisted of both Jews and Gentiles. Notice that after the Jews left the meeting, the Gentiles made a request. Now, this was years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Surely, if Christians were to keep Sunday, the Gentiles would have met with the Apostle Paul the very next day, Sunday, after they had met in the synagogue on Saturday. But did they? Acts 13:42, "So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them..." When? The next day, Sunday? No. "The Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." Read that again in your own Bible.
"The Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." My friends, the New Testament Church of the first century observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Let's continue reading in Acts 13:43, "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. [Now, listen to this] On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God."
Yes, it was the Apostle Paul's custom to preach on the Sabbath as it tells us in Acts 17:2. Many were converted to Christianity and continued observing the Fourth Commandment. Paul was very effective in his preaching to both Jews and Gentiles as we read in Acts 18:4. He was in Corinth on this occasion: "And he [the Apostle Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks." The Christians of the first century AD observed the seventh-day Sabbath.
But when was it changed to Sunday? And who popularized Sunday observance? The Catholic Encyclopedia, on the topic of "Sunday,"
"Tertullian (202 [AD]) is the first writer who expressly mentions the Sunday rest: 'We, however (just as tradition has taught us), on the day of the Lord's Resurrection ought to guard not only against kneeling, but every posture and office of solicitude, deferring even our businesses lest we give any place to the devil.'" That was not until 202 AD, more than 170 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
And it was not until the fourth century AD that the Emperor Constantine enforced Sunday worship throughout the Roman Empire. Constantine had been a pagan Sunday worshipper. He gave the following edict in 321 AD: "On the venerable day of the sun let all magistrates and people... rest" The sun-worshiping emperor Constantine, declared Sunday to be a day of rest. But what was the justification for that? Even Tertullian, whom we mentioned earlier, cited "tradition" as his authority.
Listen, what is your foundation of truth? What is the source of your religion? Is it tradition apart from the Bible? Is it church authority apart from the Bible? Or, is it the Bible itself? Jesus gave a very strong warning, when human traditions contradict the commandments of God. Turn to Mark the seventh chapter. Many churches have followed the wrong pathway, just as the Pharisees of Jesus' day. Mark 7:7. Jesus said, "In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men.... All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition." That is a warning I hope all of us will heed. Jesus stated He is Lord of the Sabbath. He observed the Sabbath regularly and He did not break the Sabbath commandment as some theologians assert. As He said in John 15:10, "I have kept My Father's commandments." And we as Christians must strive to follow our Savior's example.
He warned us, "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.'" Matthew 7:21. My friends, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and the instructions of your Bible? Or will you follow the tradition of men? Will you obey the Fourth Commandment?
To help you make that decision, I'd like to offer you this exciting, well-documented, free booklet: "Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?" There are eight places in the New Testament that use the expression "first day of the week." Were they Sunday worship services? Were they memorials of Jesus' death? This free booklet will answer those questions.
Here are some of the subheads: "Which Day Is the Biblical Sabbath?" "Christ and His Disciples--Sabbath Breakers?" "Was Jesus Resurrected on Sunday?" "Practice of the Original Apostles." This inspiring free study guide will also give you many biblical references and quotes we haven't had time to include in this program. Did you know that both Roman Catholic and Protestant authorities admit that the Bible itself does not support a Sunday observance?
You need to read those authoritative and historic quotes. You need this free study guide for your personal benefit and Bible study. You need this inspiring booklet. So, pick up the telephone right now, and request your informative free booklet: Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? Just ask for the booklet on the Sabbath. You can also order your free study guide on our website at TWTV.ORG/SABBATH-- or you can write to us at one of our regional addresses. ♪ For today's free offer call...
Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine. Six inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now! Or go to... ♪ In the first part of our program, we saw that the first Christians followed Jesus' practice of keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. Turn in your Bible to Mark 2:27. Jesus stated, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." And notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say, "The Sabbath was made for the Jews."
No, the Sabbath was made for all humanity-- for every man, woman, and child on planet earth. That is what Christ proclaimed. We've seen that Jesus instructed His followers to keep the Ten Commandments. He Himself observed the seventh-day Sabbath, as did the Apostles. But is there other New Testament evidence that Christians should observe the Sabbath? Yes, there is. Turn in your Bible to Hebrews 4.
In this chapter, the Sabbath is pictured as a type of the millennial rest, as well as a memorial of God's rest at creation. Hebrews 4:8. Speaking of the disobedience of the ancient Israelites on their way to the promised land, Hebrews 4:8 states, "For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. [Now, listen, Verse 9] There remains therefore a rest for the people of God."
The original Greek word for the word "rest" in verse 9 is "sabbatismos" which means "a Sabbath-keeping" (according to Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words). Both the Revised Version and the New International Version translate verse 9 as "a Sabbath rest." Yes, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, even to this day. Now, does this mean a symbolic rest--or a literal Sabbath rest?
The Anchor Bible Dictionary cites several secular Greek writings, where "sabbatismos" literally means "Sabbath observance" or "Sabbath celebration." My friends, there's no question that this verse is a New Testament statement on literal Christian observance of the Sabbath. The context of Hebrews the fourth chapter does speak both of symbolic and literal rest. The Greek word "katapausis" is also translated "rest" in this section.
But notice what God says of those who have now entered into God's rest, that is--those who are converted, those who will now follow Christ. Notice this important statement in verse 10 of Hebrews 4. "For he [the individual Christian] who has entered His rest [God's rest] has himself also ceased from his works [notice] as God did from His." If we, as converted Christians, are to cease from our works just as God did from His, we simply need to ask
how did God cease from His works? Verse 4 of Hebrews 4 gives us the answer: "For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: 'And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.'" There's no guessing here. New Testament Christians are supposed to rest just as God rested-- on the Seventh Day. The Bible is very clear. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament give Christians the clear example and instruction to keep the Sabbath Day holy.
The scholarly Anchor Bible Dictionary affirms the responsibility of New Testament Christians to observe the Sabbath.
"Physical sabbath-keeping on the part of the new covenant believer as affirmed by 'sabbath rest' epitomizes cessation from 'works' (4:10) in commemoration of God's rest at creation (4:4 = Gen 2:2) and manifests faith in the salvation provided by Christ." That's quite a plain statement. Do you realize, my friends, that the fourth commandment was not instituted at Mount Sinai during the time of Moses? It already existed at the recreation as we read in Genesis 2:2.
The fourth commandment states: "Remember the Sabbath Day." Exodus 20:8. God established the weekly Sabbath, not during Moses' time, God established the Sabbath more than 2,500 years before Moses. Your Bible proves that fact. The bottom-line question is: who or what is your authority? Is it the Bible? Or some church and religion apart from the Bible?
As we've seen, some religious leaders, including Roman Catholic and Protestant, claim tradition or church administration, apart from the Bible, as their reason for keeping Sunday, rather than the Sabbath. My friends, you need to prove for yourself, from your own Bible, which day is the Christian Sabbath.
To help you in your study, I'd like to offer you this exciting, well documented, free study guide by the title: "Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?" Here on pages 36 and 37 are shocking admissions from Church leaders that the Bible truly teaches Sabbath observance. These leaders admit that their decision to transfer Sabbath observance to Sunday was based on supposed Church authority, not on Biblical authority.
Why do most professing Christians keep Sunday, when God's fourth commandment instructs us to keep the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week? This study guide will give you the historical and biblical information that answers the question. You need this inspiring free booklet for your personal benefit and Bible study. So, pick up the telephone right now, and request your informative free booklet: Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? Just ask for the booklet on the Sabbath.
You can also order your free booklet on our website at TWTV.ORG/SABBATH-- or you can write to us at one of our regional addresses. ♪ This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. Call now! Or go to... ♪ My friends, we can be very thankful that original Christianity, the Christianity of the first century, which observed the fourth commandment, has continued to this day.
Biblical Christianity has continued in spite of persecutions through the centuries. For example, in the seventeenth century, Sabbatarian Christians were persecuted in England and searched for religious freedom in the new lands, the colonies of North America. The royal charter of 1663 granted by Charles II of England, guaranteed religious freedom to the colony of Rhode Island. That charter can be seen today in the Providence, Rhode Island statehouse.
Stephen Mumford and his wife came to Newport, Rhode Island in 1665 in search of religious freedom. They were the first Christian Sabbath keepers in America. As their group expanded and grew, they needed a larger meeting hall. The Sabbatarians built a large meeting hall in 1729. It is now preserved by the Newport Historical Society. If you're ever in Newport, Rhode Island, you'll want to visit this historic building.
In fact, the oldest Jewish synagogue in America is located right next door to the Christian Sabbath meeting hall. In the Newport Sabbatarian meeting hall is a raised pulpit. Behind the pulpit are two large plaques inscribed with the Ten Commandments. At the bottom of the second plaque is the Apostle Paul's bold statement of Romans 3:31 in the King James Version, "Do we then make void the law through faith?
yea, we establish the law." Yes, these New Testament Christians affirmed their allegiance to Christ's statement, "But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" That's Matthew 19:17. Sabbatarian church records, preserved in the Newport Historical Museum, contain members' names and contributions. Most significantly the church describes itself in those records as "keeping the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, and in particular the Lord's 7th Day Sabbath."
In eighteenth century Rhode Island, there were other prominent Sabbatarians, including two governors of the Rhode Island colony, Richard Ward and his son Samuel-- and even the first president of Brown University, James Manning, was a Sabbatarian. Sadly, many over the centuries have chosen human tradition over God's plain teachings.
The noted Catholic theologian, James Cardinal Gibbons, wrote this bold statement: "But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify." That is a quote from Gibbons' The Faith of Our Fathers, first published in 1876. In other words, Gibbons is saying, if the Bible is your authority, you have no basis for observing Sunday.
The Scriptures, as he states, "enforce the religious observance of Saturday." We agree with his statement. What Gibbons and other Catholic authorities state, is that it is the authority of the Catholic Church that changed observance in the Christian world from Saturday to Sunday, not the New Testament scriptures. And that occurred in the Council of Laodicea in the middle of the fourth century.
Furthermore, here is an admission by Harold Lindsell, editor of Christianity Today magazine and Southern Baptist minister (November 5, 1976): "There is nothing in Scripture that requires us to keep Sunday rather than Saturday as a holy day." So, will you keep the seventh-day Sabbath? It is a memorial of the Creation, and points to the true God and true Creator of the Universe.
The book of Hebrews in the New Testament also emphasizes the Sabbath as a foreshadowing of the millennial Sabbath, the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. The seventh-day Sabbath has deep meaning for Christians. To help you learn more about that meaning, I'd like to offer you the exciting, well-documented, free study guide
Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? There are eight places in the New Testament that use the expression "first day of the week." Were they Sunday worship services? Were they memorials of Jesus' death? This free booklet will answer those questions. Here are some of the subheads: "Which Day Is the Biblical Sabbath?" "Christ and His Disciples: Sabbath Breakers?" "Was Jesus Resurrected on Sunday?" "Practice of the Original Apostles."
This inspiring free booklet will also give you many biblical references and quotes we haven't had time to include in this program. Did you know that both Roman Catholic and Protestant authorities admit that the Bible itself does not support a Sunday observance? You need to read those authoritative and historic quotes. You need this free study guide for your personal benefit and Bible study. You need this inspiring booklet.
So, pick up the telephone right now, and request your informative free booklet: Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? Just ask for the booklet on the Sabbath. You can also order your free study guide on our Web site at TWTV.ORG/SABBATH-- or you can write to us at one of our regional addresses. ♪ For today's free offer call... Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine. Six inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective. Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now!
Or go to... ♪ On today's program, we've discussed the Sabbath controversy that has continued over the centuries. Jesus and the first-century apostles, church leaders and Christians, observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Church leaders in the following centuries departed from scriptural authority and substituted tradition and church administration as their authority. But as we've seen, the New Testament enjoins Christians today to observe the seventh-day Sabbath.
When was the seventh-day Sabbath established? It was established at the foundation of the world. As Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). My friends, Christ and the Apostles observed the seventh-day Sabbath, and the biblical holy days. The Scriptures admonish us to follow their example. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" 1 Corinthians 11:1.
The Apostle Peter exhorted us to follow the example of Christ. 1 Peter 2:21, "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps." In observing the New Testament Passover, Jesus instructed His disciples to follow His example, even by practicing the foot-washing service. Jesus said in John 13:15, "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." We look forward to the day when all peoples and all nations will do as Christ says. The Messiah will establish world peace, world government, true education, and the biblical way of truth, love, and life. All nations will observe the ten commandments. They will observe the weekly Sabbath and the biblical holy days.
What a wonderful, peaceful, and prosperous world it will be for all people. Will you obey the fourth commandment? Will you follow our Lord's instructions in Matthew 19:17? Jesus told the young rich man and us: "But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." God's commandments are a joy for true Christians. As the Apostle John wrote, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3)--or "not grievous," as the KJV has it. The seventh-day Sabbath brings joy to those who observe it as God commands. You need this inspiring free study guide, Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? This booklet will give you hope, encouragement, and faith for the future. Be sure to request your free copy.
If you're a longtime student of Tomorrow's World, and you would like to worship with other Christian Sabbath-keepers, we invite you to counsel with one of our representatives. Just call the number on your screen, or you can contact us through our website at TOMORROWSWORLD.ORG. We invite you to join us every week on Tomorrow's World, or watch us online at any time. As our world continues to unravel and decline, you need the encouragement, faith, and truth that come from your Bible.
Gerald Weston, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair, and I will continue to share with you the inspiring teachings of Jesus Christ, the encouraging good news of the coming Kingdom of God, the glorious world to come, and the exciting end-time prophecies and their meaning. So, be sure to join us again next week, right here, at this same time. ♪ For today's free offer call... Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. The preceding program is produced by the Living Church of God. ♪