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,
by that title: 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,"
states this: "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
the question: 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.
It states: "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?
God forbid: 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
by the title: 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.
♪