Sunday, October 28, 2007

IN IGNORANCE OF THE PLAIN TRUTH


Today, thousands are proceeding to their "sunday" services believing it is the instruction of the Lord. They earnestly seek the Lord and His will. But, have erroneously mistaken the Sabbath to be the first day of the week. Among these Sun-day congregations are many 'true' children of God; Many chosen sons and daughters of Jehovah, the God of Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. These honest and consecrated followers of Jesus are truly deceived. But, there is hope for them. The Everlasting Gospel consists not only of Jesus' sacrifice for mankind on the cross, and our need to repent and accept Him as our personal Saviour. But, also of his guidelines, HIS Character, the Ten Commandments. These were given to Moses on MOUNT SINAI, when the children of Israel wandered the desert for 40 years after the Lord delivered them of their slavery of 400 years in Egypt. The LORD ALMIGTHY (Hashem, Elohim, JVHV) wrote these precepts with HIS OWN FINGER. The Commandments are not replaceable or fluctuating:

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8;

'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.' Matthew 24:35

God's will is that His elect come to the understanding that they are to believe HIM only, and not the False 'Profits' who lie, cheat, and deceive them into stumbling over the corner stone, Jesus. Jesus and The Father, are grieved when we break any of his commandments. Count them, they are ten. Not nine?

"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:9

"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Mark 7:7

The Creator gave Man the Sabbath as a "memorial" for a rest in The Garden of Eden. As The Lord rested from creating the heavens and the earth in 6 days. He then rested on the 7th day. He instructed man to do likewise. He did not expect man to invent convoluted formulas for which to change His Sabbath for another day of his whim. God is a jealous God. Not a wavering, temporal God. He means what he says!



Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.


And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Genesis 2:1-3.

All of God's people throughout the ages have know what the true Sabbath is. From Adam through Malachi, in the Old Testament. And from Joseph and Mary (the parents), Jesus Christ, the Apostle John, in the New Testament. All kept the true Sabbath. Jews, Ethiopians, Greeks, Romans, Samaritans, Egyptians, Babylonians, all knew, and some of them kept the real Sabbath. Yet, in the 'Dark Ages', as it had been foretold by the Jesus, and the prophets: that certain men would 'creep in unawares', false prophets, lying children, ravenous wolves, teaching heresy and apostasy; And would lead others to follow them in their folly. Such were the 'early' Roman (pseudoChristian) converts of Emperor Constantine time. Note: Rome was the preferred place to martyr (torture, murder) and imprison true Christian believers. They were slaughtered for their strong devotion to the Truth and their Creator. As the Empire had fallen at Rome, and was in serious condition at Byzantium: To maintain the Empire intact the Emperor Constantine, through ecclesiastical means, craftily devised a mixture of the popular pagan rites; Including near eastern mysticism, Roman paganism (which was an amalgam of many heathen beliefs), Greek Pantheon of gods and philo-sophy (sophisms: as if God can be explained by mortal intellectual thoughts.), and a host of other Babylonian rituals such as Sun Worship. Here began the penchant for sun-day worshiping (by decree of Constantine in AD 321), until this day. Many other Edicts were issued by successive Emperors and Popes; One of them was the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne: in 789 Charlemagne decreed that even normal "servile" work was to be avoided on Sunday so that the day could be set aside for holy worship and thanks to God for His goodness.1

The strongest proponents of Sunday worship, and resisters of the true Sabbath have been the Church of Rome, its Bishop, and her Daughters, the Protestant (now mostly known as evangelicals, a Latinised Greek word few really understand) Churches who have followed her example even after being weened off the teats of the 'Romish Church'. Throughout history many have kept the true Sabbath, such were Jesus Disciples and the first Christians, the Celtic Church (St. Patrick) of Ireland, Russian Reformation Christians, Ethiopian Sabbath worshiping Christians, Christians of Norway and Denmark.2
Churches that held to this faith and practice existed in Central Africa, and among the Armenians of Asia; Also the Waldenses of Europe.3
Many others from the time of the Reformation onward have kept the Bible Sabbath, such were Carlstad, John Frith, John Trask (brought to the infamous tribunal of the Star Chamber). Until the 18th Century when the Seventh Day Baptists first came to the new world, and many others have joined them in this return to full Christian discipleship. My prayer, dear friend is that you can also come to this understanding, and faithfully continue to grow in the sanctifying power of the Truth. May you pray for discernment and conviction from the Lord, whether you should follow God or men? The Truth of God will always cause conflict, for natural man is evil and prone to do the will of their father Satan. Resist the enemy of man's soul and heed God's will is my fervent desire. Prepare ye the way for His return.

For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Matthew 3:3.
And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. Isaiah 58:12

Isaiah 58


1Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.


2Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.


3Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.


4Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.


5Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?


6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?


7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?


8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.


9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;


10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:


11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.


12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.


13If 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, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:


14Then 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.

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Arsenio

3. The Great Controversy, Ellen G. White, pp. 56-58, 1884 Edition.

Acknowledgements:

1. http://www.sabbath-day.com/

2. http://www.sabbath-day.net/

Arsenio

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