Sunday, December 10, 2006
What does Stewardship encompass?
The second aspect of stewardship is related to investing to make the resources that God gives to us grow, so that we can sow more back into the Lord’s work. In the parable that Jesus told about the three servants who were given gold coins. Two of them invested the money and gave their master more than He had entrusted them with. The third servant went and buried it for safekeeping – and the master was angry at that servant for not putting the money He had been entrusted to use.
The third aspect of stewardship is giving. We have been commanded to “Give tithes and offerings to the Lord”.
We have been instructed us to be good stewards and to use what God gives us wisely.
I believe that God wants to bless his children and to bless them abundantly.
Don’t we want the best for our own children? We don’t want them to struggle financially and have the pressure of trying to make ends meet.
I am sure that our Father in Heaven is exactly the same. He wants us to put Him first in our lives, and in turn wants to bless us.
God wants us to be financially secure not just so that we don’t have to struggle with financial pressures – but also because prosperity allows us to bless others more.
When we wisely invest our finances we will have more available to effectively support the missionaries in the field, to finance Christian satellite TV stations and to support the needy in our local community.
A wealthy person has far more power to aide the needy financially than the best-meaning poor person.
I believe God is calling us to embark on the road to financial security so that we can be in the position to fund the resources needed to assist in the great revival.
Some Christians believe that it is wrong to desire wealth, but at the same time they try to give whatever they can. They fail to see that they would be able to give far more generously if they possessed invested what they had and increased their finances.
We need to remember that our finances belong to God. He is our master and we are just the caretakers. We should do our utmost to carefully manage and increase what He has given us, and be open to Hearing from the Holy Spirit to guide us in the direction that He leads us to sow these finances back into.
God is calling us to be proactive with investing. He wants us not only to have faith and believe that He wants to bless us, and to openly and joyfully accept what He wants to give us, but to also seek the wisdom and knowledge that are required both to create and to manage wealth.
With more wealth comes more responsibility. But I believe that as we take care of the little that God has given us, and are faithful in giving as He directs – He will Help us learn what we need to know and will Help to point us in the right direction so that we can continue to create more and use it wisely.
He wants us to become wise investors, and to find out as much knowledge as we can to enable us to make wise, well informed decisions.
At school we were taught skills to enable us to leave school and get a job and earn a wage. But we were never taught how to manage our finances or how to build wealth. We were not taught how to invest.
As good stewards, we need to self-educate ourselves about how-to and where-to invest our resources for the most effective growth.
Debra Lohrere is the author of Christian Prophecy and Investment books http://www.investmentpropertybooks.com/christianbooks.html
Monday, November 13, 2006
Are all the dead Christians in Heaven?
What did Jesus say about his friend Lazarus who had died? John 11:11-14 “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead”.
Jesus clearly showed us that the dead sleep. If Lazarus had gone to heaven Jesus would have said that he was in heaven with the Father. Also, after Jesus raised Lazarus, did anyone ask Lazarus “What was it like in heaven? Tell us about it”. No one did, because it was the belief of the day that when someone died they slept until the resurrection on the last day.
This is further clarified in Psalms where we are told that when we die our thoughts perish Psalms 146:4 “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish”.
We are also told that we will not rise again until the heavens are no more (when Jesus returns) Job 14:12 “So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep”.
Paul reinforced this understanding 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first”:
Many Christians believe that when they die they go directly to heaven, even though the day of judgment has not even occurred yet. They visualize themselves in heaven with the angels praising God. But what does the Bible say? Psalms 115:17 “The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence”.
It is clear that the Bible writers all believed that the state of the dead is like sleeping, to be awakened the moment after they closed their eyes at the final trumpet at the coming of Jesus on the day of redemption. 1 Corinthians 15:52 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”.
Job made it clear that we return to dust and are no more until the resurrection Job 7:21 “And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be”.
There are many deceptions of Satan going on in these end times and spiritism is on the increase. If people realized that the dead are all asleep and can’t communicate with us, then they would start to question who exactly it is that they are communicating with. There are many deceptive demonic spirits in the invisible world around us, who take every opportunity they can to lead people astray. It is time that we recognized that when mediums are speaking to the ‘other side’ it is actually the evil angels that they are talking to and not dead beloved relatives.
How can we help those who have been tricked by these deceptive spirits, if we don’t demonstrate to people from a Biblical perspective that the dead are asleep and have no thoughts, so it can’t be them doing the communicating?
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more info visit Truth about Death
By Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books
How long will Hell Fire burn?
Jesus said Matthew 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” He also said John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. In the one verse it would seem that the wicked will live forever in everlasting fire and yet the other verse tells us that only those who belong to Jesus will not perish. This means that wicked will perish.
The only conclusion we can come to is that the everlasting fire, is not actually fire that is everlasting, but rather fire which consumes with everlasting consequences.
Are there other places in the Bible where it says forever, but the event mentioned has finished? There are actually many examples of this. Just as today people will often say things like “The show was so boring it went on forever” and “It took forever to get the house painted”. These same type of expressions were also used in the Bible for events that lasted a long time, but not actually eternally or for events that had everlasting consequences. For example the Bible describes the fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha as eternal fire. Jude 1:7 “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”. This fire is not still burning today. It had eternal consequences, as the cities were forever destroyed and the fire was not extinguished. This fire was allowed to burn until it had consumed everything away and then it went out.
This is the same type of fire that “death and hell” will be thrown into and the same type of Fire from Heaven that will consume the wicked after the judgment. Depending on their sentence they will be either consumed quickly with little pain, or else have to suffer longer for more severe sins. The Bible shows us that they will not live forever burning in Hell, because we are told that they will be as ashes under our feet. Malachi 4:3 “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts”.
Many Christians think that Satan will be thrown into eternally burning hell fire and yet the Bible shows that he too will be consumed and will be no more. Ezekiel 28:18-19 “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more”.
The Bible further clarifies that fate of the wicked Malachi 4:1 “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch”.
Our awesome and loving God who abounds in mercy is not going to torture and torment the wicked forever and ever in the agony of an eternally burning Hell. He will justly deal with them and they will perish for their sins. For the Wages of Sin are death.
For more info visit Truth about Hell
By Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books
Is anyone burning in Hell today?
In the New Testament there are three different Greek words that are translated into “Hell” in English. They are “Tartarus,” “Gehenna,” and “Hades.” Tartarus is used only once in 2 Peter 2:4 “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” Tartarus means “dark abyss” or “place of restraint.” Notice also that it says the evil angels are reserved unto judgment, meaning that the day of judgment has not occurred yet, and they are not currently in the red hot fiery underworld. We know that in fact they are busy roaming the earth, actively tempting and attacking the people of God as well as the lost.
The second word used for Hell is “Gehenna” which is derived from Hinnon, a rubbish dump outside of Jerusalem where trash and dead animals were burned. It continually smouldered during Bible times. Jesus used this word when He warned about the danger of Hell Fire at the ‘end of the world’ Matthew 13:40-42 “The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the weeds are gathered in burned in the fire, so shall it be at the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This word does definitely relate to fire and being burned up or consumed away.
In the above verse you will notice that Jesus spoke of the Hell Fire being at the end of the world. Peter further clarified the timing of the Hell Fire to be at the day of judgment, not in the present time 2 Peter 3:7 “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men”.
The Bible clearly shows that ungodly men will be burned up by Hell Fire after the millenial reign of Christians in Heaven. Noone’s loved ones are burning in Hell today. Our just and loving God does not sentence anyone to Hell Fire before they have been judged on the day of judgment.
The third Greek word translated to Hell is “Hades” which means the grave. Revelation 20:14-15 “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”. This verse clarifies that “Hades” itself is not a fiery place, but will be cast into “the lake of fire.” This verse is really saying that death and the grave will be consumed by fire and will be no more. There will be no longer be any more death and no more graves.
For more info visit Truth about Hell
By Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books
Monday, October 23, 2006
What is the Beast of Revelation and its Mark?
There are several prophecies in the book of Revelation that tell us about the very last days and the signs to look for and with these comes a severe warning of the consequences of taking the Mark of the Beast Revelation 14:10-11 “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture 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 ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name”.
It also tells us that those who take the Mark were deceived Revelation 19:20 “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast…”.
This shows clearly that the Mark of the Beast will not be something obvious. Those who take the Mark of the Beast on their hand (depicting their actions) or on their forehead (depicting their decisions) will do it unknowingly, because they have not studied the prophecies and have not known what to look out for.
Many people don’t realize also that there are two marks, the mark of the beast and the mark or seal of God, and that both of these marks revolve around worship. Revelation shows that those who love and worship God, honouring Him in the way He has requested will be sealed with His Mark by the angels.
The Bible shows that the difference between the two groups of people is that the followers of God are the ones who keep all of His Ten Commandments Revelation 14:11-12 “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus”.
This proves then that the Mark of the Beast cannot be a microchip or a tattoo of 666 as some have suggested. The Mark of the Beast, in line with the rest of the book of Revelation is symbolic.
The mark on our forehead reflects our conscious decisions to either follow God, or to disobey Him. When it speaks about Christians living forever in the New Heaven and New Earth it says that we will have His name on our foreheads, again being symbolic not literal Revelation 22:4-5 “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads…”
The Beasts (prophetically a political or religious ruling power) have been identified as political-religious governments that follow apostate (non-Biblical) doctrines and inflict persecution on the true followers of God, who obey His commandments.
The First Beast is a historical figure and was identified by many of our early church founders as the Roman Catholic Church, as she met all of the prophetic criteria given in the books of Daniel and Revelation. Martin Luther aptly conveyed the sentiments of the Protestant reformers when he said “We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist...personally I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist.” (Aug. 18, 1520) Taken from The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, Vol. 2., pg. 121 by Froom.
The Second Beast, which is yet to emerge has been acknowledged by many leading Bible scholars as being a merging of State and Religion in America at some stage in the future.
What was the Mark of the First Beast? The Catholic Church in much of its literature claims that changing the Sabbath to Sunday is the “Mark of her authority”.
The Seal of God, His Name (Lord), Title (Creator) and Realm (Heaven and Earth) are referenced within His Fourth Commandment to keep His Seventh Day Sabbath and as we are clearly shown those who are true to God will be keeping ALL of His commandments.
Revelation also speaks of the First Beast as a Mother, meaning that she has daughter churches and in effect the Protestant churches who follow the apostate teaching of observing Sunday as the day of worship instead of the “Friday evening to Saturday evening” Sabbath of the Bible, are making themselves the daughters of the ‘Harlot Woman riding the Beast’ of Revelation unawares.
This does in no way mean that God does not have His faithful people in many denominations today. To the contrary, there are many true and faithful believers who are simply ignorant to the fact that they are breaking one of God’s sacred commandments by not upholding His true Sabbath day. But Revelation tells us that God will call these people out of the apostate churches and into His final remnant church Revelation 18:4 “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues”.
For more information please visit
By Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Is the Secret Rapture Biblical?
We know from Paul’s writings that at the last trump, when the trumpet sounds the dead in Christ will rise first and those believers on earth will be changed in an instant and receive our new immortal bodies 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
This raises the question, if there had already been a Christian rapture seven years earlier, why would Paul be telling them that he expects them to still be on earth (remembering that Paul did not know the timing of the Lord’s return and wrote with the expectation that perhaps it would be during his lifetime)?
Paul states clearly that these events takes place “at the last trump,” not seven years before it. He shows that, “the trumpet shall sound.” So it will be loud, not quiet or secret.
Some teach that Jesus Christ will return secretly in the twinkling of an eye, but Paul actually says it is the changing of the bodies of believers from mortality to immortality that happens in the twinkling of an eye. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 does not teach of Christians mysteriously vanishing at all. Rather, it reveals an extremely loud, audible return of Jesus Christ during the final sounding of the last trumpet and the instant transformation of believers into their new immortal bodies at the end of the world.
Paul also wrote 1 Thessalonians 4:16 - 5:4 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write to you. For yourselves know that the day of the Lord so cometh like a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then cometh sudden destruction upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief”
So as well as again telling the people that they will be on earth when Jesus comes, he is also telling them that they should be ready for his return, so that it will not be unexpected the way it will be for the unbelievers. It describes a loud audible return of the Lord and the Christians meeting him in the air. He says that Jesus comes down from heaven, true believers are caught up together, and sudden destruction comes upon the lost. Again this does not depict a secret rapture in any way, and he is saying that the Christians will still be on earth at the final trump.
We need to study the Word of God so that we are prepared for what will happen in the final events of Earth’s history.
For more information on this topic please visit Secret Christian Rapture
By Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books
Are Christians Raptured before the Tribulation?
Is this what the Bible really says?
After describing the “persecutions and tribulations” which the early believers where enduring, Paul wrote: 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”
This shows that Paul was expecting that the church would be enduring persecution and tribulation right up until the coming of Jesus at the very end of the world.
The idea that the church will be raptured away before the period of tribulation sounds good, because no one wants to go through persecution or hardship, but the fact is that throughout history Christians have suffered for their faith, and there will be no relief from that until the end of the world.
Almost every time the word tribulation is used in the New Testament it is referring to things that Christians go through, not that they escape from.
Matthew 24:21-22 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”
Revelation 2:10-11 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death”. Paul is showing clearly that Christians must ‘overcome’ the tribulation and remain faithful even unto death.
Revelation 7:14 “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.
These verses and many others all clearly indicate that the church will have to endure and overcome the time of tribulation.
The thing that the church will be protected from though, are the seven last plagues, because the angels seal all of God’s people before the plagues are unleashed. It will be just like the time of the ten plagues in Egypt, where God did not allow His angels to harm any of His people, and where the angel of death passed over the Jews who had marked their doorposts with the blood of a lamb in obedience to God’s instructions.
We need to study the Word of God so that we are prepared what will take place in the final events of Earth’s history.
For more information on this topic please visit http://www.rapturetruth.org/
By Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books
Monday, September 04, 2006
Is there really a Secret Rapture?
It also teaches that during this seven-year period the Antichrist is going to come into power, sit in a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God. It says that the war of Armageddon is a literal war of nations against literal Israel, which occurs near the end of the seven years and is ended abruptly by Christ’s return with His Church. It says that literal Israel accepts the Lord as the Messiah and enters with Him as His covenant people into the 1000-year reign on earth. Those who ultimately reject Christ’s rule will be judged and destroyed at the end of the Millennium.
Is this what the Bible really shows?
In Matthew 28:20 Jesus said “…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Why would He promise to be with the church until the ‘end of the world’ if He intended to come seven years before the end to take them out of the world?
The Bible shows clearly that God’s church will still be on earth when Jesus returns. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
It shows that when Jesus returns His angels will gather His people from the earth. Matthew 24:31 “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” How could they gather the church from the earth if the church had come back with Christ?
Every eye will see Jesus when He returns. This includes all of the non-believers and all of the believers. Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
The Bible shows that His return will be sudden, and unexpected for unbelievers and those who have not studied His prophecies. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 says “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” This verse also shows that the unbelievers will be destroyed when Jesus returns.
When the Lord returns there will be nothing secret about it. The dead in Christ will rise first, those of us who have overcome the time of tribulation and persecution and are still alive will be caught up to meet Him in the sky. All of the unbelievers will be destroyed and the earth will melt. 2 Peter 3:12 “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”
We will then go with Him to heaven where we will reign for a thousand years and the books will be opened and we will judge the nations. Revelation 20:4-5 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus (definitely shows that they were on earth during the tribulation), and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
The Bible shows that Jesus comes and gathers His people and that the unbelievers are all destroyed and are not raised again until the end of the millennium. The believers reign in heaven for a thousand years, as the earth has been destroyed. At the end of the millennium God makes a “new heaven and a new earth”.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this topic please visit http://www.secret-rapture.com/
Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire and Christian Investing and Money Management
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Mark of the Beast Revealed.
You will notice from this text that there is more than just taking the mark. It also refers to worshiping the beast or his image or receiving the mark of his name.
There has been a lot of speculation about the mark of the beast and whether it will be a computer chip implanted under the skin, or a bar code or some sort of tattoo. These ideas revolve around the concept that whoever does not receive the Mark of the Beast will not be able to buy or sell, so therefore it has to be something that will be used to track those who pledge allegiance to the beast. There is a hole in this theory however, because even though some sort of technology may play a part in the prevention of commerce, there is more to the mark than just the buying and selling issue. As you can see from the verse above, the real issue with taking the mark, worshiping the beast or his image or receiving the mark of his name, is that it will doom you to eternal damnation.
The spiritual aspect of the mark, is also highlighted by the fact that everyone gets a mark, not just those who worship the beast, the true believers are also marked, Revelation 7:3 “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads”.
Also the distinction between those who take the mark of the beast and those who get the seal or mark of God is shown to be directly related to obedience to the Ten Commandments. Straight after the warning about not taking the mark of the beast it shows the difference. Revelation 14:12 “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus”.
The mark of the beast will not be obvious, because it will deceive many. Revelation 19:20 “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone”.
All of the symbols used in Revelation are explained elsewhere in the Bible, for instance a Beast represents a kingdom or a political or religious power.
Daniel 7:23 “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces”.
Therefore the beast described in Revelation 13:1, which also correlates to the fourth beast of Daniel 7 relates to an apostate religious system, one that blasphemes God, puts the rules of men above the Word of God, and one that claims to have the authority of God on earth.
All of the early Protestant reformers clearly identified the first antichrist beast of Revelation to be none other than the false system of religion, and persecuting power found within the Roman Catholic Church. During the dark ages millions of people were tortured and killed as ‘heretics’ for not bowing down to all of the precepts the church.
The Catholic Church say that the mark of their authority, is the fact that without scriptural support they changed the Seventh Day Sabbath of God to Sunday. Therefore, by their own admission, Sunday keeping (which is worshiping on a counterfeit day of worship, on the day that the pagans worship the Sun god) is the “Mark of the Beast”.
Note again that those who are saved and sealed by the angels are those that obey the Ten Commandments and that the seal (Name, Title and Realm) of God is listed in His fourth commandment, the one the Catholic Church changed. Exodus 20:10 –11 “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” This shows that God (name) is the Creator (title) of Heaven and earth (realm).
For more information on this topic please visit http://www.666Mark-Of-The-Beast.com
By Debra Lohrere Christian Investment and Prophecy Books
Saturday, June 17, 2006
The Sabbath Blessing
In Christian circles, even among those who do believe in keeping the ten commandments, there has still been confusion over the fourth commandment and whether we should be keeping the Sabbath on the seventh day that was ordained, sanctified and made Holy by God at the time of creation.
To be able to develop a close relationship with God, we need to spend quality time with Him. He set aside this day as a special time of communion with Him. It is a time where we can study His Word, and let His Holy Spirit speak to us through it. A time that we can spend in earnest prayer, talking to Him, praising and worshiping Him.
It is also a time that we can look at nature and reflect on all the wonderful creations that He has made. And finally, it is a time that we can spend with fellow believers, to worship together in song and have fellowship with each other, encouraging one another and building up each other’s faith by our testimonies.
God also gave us this special day as a day of rest. In this hectic world with our busy lifestyles it is so easy to get so engrossed in other things that we never have time for God and never have time to just stop all our work and let our bodies recuperate.
Some Christians spend a couple of hours of a Sunday morning attending church, but then the hum drum of the rat race catches up with them and they start doing household chores like mowing lawns. Others go to the footy, or do other secular activities where God is just not a part of it.
With stress related diseases like cancer and heart attacks on the increase every year, the necessity to take a days break, and bask in the presence of our all mighty father in Heaven, has never been so important. We need to spend time with Him to be replenished and rested.
God gave us His Sabbath day as a blessing to all mankind. A day on which we could spend time with Him to get to truly know Him and fellowship with Him. A day on which we do not have to do any work or labour. A day to rest, away from the worries and cares of this world.
God also ordained the seventh day Sabbath as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Bible says, Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…”.
The scriptures also show us the true spirit of the Sabbath. Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight..”
This shows that the Sabbath is a delight and a blessing. It is a wonderful day and something to look forward to each week.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this subject please visit http://www.Sabbath-Day.net
The Christian Sabbath.
So if God ordained Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday, the seventh day as the Sabbath, why do most Christians go to Church on Sunday?
Who changed the day to Sunday, and when? Did Jesus? Is it spoken of in the scriptures? Was there a new commandment written to amend the fourth commandment after Jesus died? Do we keep Sunday in honor of his resurrection?
It has been firmly established by numerous historians and theologians that the books of Matthew and Luke were written between 60 and 80 AD. This means that if the Sabbath had changed to Sunday after Jesus death, then it should have been recorded by these Bible writers. Instead though we see that rather than inform us of any change to the day, Luke instead he states in Luke 23:56, “…And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”
Jesus Himself in His prophecy about the destruction of the temple, which occurred in about 70 AD, when He was talking to His Disciples said Matthew 24:20, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” This shows conclusively that Jesus knew that the Sabbath would still be in existence many years after the cross.
Historians also confirm that the seventh day Sabbath was kept by both Jews and Gentiles, until around 120 AD. At this time the persecution of the Jews became so great that many Christians in some areas decided to start keeping Sunday, so as to try to differentiate themselves from the Jews, who were still faithfully keeping the Sabbath of the Lord. Some Christians began to use the excuse that it was in honor of the resurrection, as there was no scriptural basis for this change. At that time Christians in areas outside the Roman empire continued to keep the true seventh day Sabbath of God.
In 321 A.D. Constantine, who was a pagan, became Caesar in Rome. As he began to see the balance of power shift from paganism to the Church he passed the first law enforcing Sunday worship in 321 AD. Sunday of course was the day that the pagans kept holy in their worship of the Sun god. Two years after passing this law Constantine joined the Roman Catholic Church and began mingling paganism with Christianity. The pagans were very involved with idolatry, so he took many of the statues of their gods and gave them Christian names, like St Peter and Mary. It was well after 400 AD before Sunday eventually took on the name of the Lord’s Day.
In many documents, papers and books written by the Roman Catholic Church, they openly take credit for moving the sanctity of the Seventh day Sabbath to Sunday, by their own authority, which they believe is above that of the scriptures. Here are some examples.
"Protestants...accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change...But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that...In observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope." Our Sunday Visitor , February 15, 1950.
"From this we may understand how great is the authority of the church in interpreting or explaining to us the commandments of God - an authority which is acknowledged by the universal practice of the whole Christian world, even of those sects which profess to take the holy Scriptures as their sole rule of faith, since they observe as the day of rest not the seventh day of the week demanded by the Bible, but the first day. Which we know is to be kept holy, only from the tradition and teaching of the Catholic church." Henry Gibson, Catechism Made Easy, # 2, 9th edition, vol. 1, p. 341-342.
"It was the Catholic church which...has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) church." Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, p. 213.
"Sunday is our mark or authority...the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact." Catholic Record of London , Ontario, September 1, 1923.
“The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed...the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.” Canon and Tradition, p. 263.
So it seems that if Christians keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, we are following the commandment of God, but if we keep Sunday, we are following the traditions of man. Does that really matter?
The Bible says in Mark 7:6-9 “Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’ “You put aside God's command and obey human teachings.” And Jesus continued, “You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own teaching.”
It seems clear that Jesus wanted us to stand firm on the teachings of the scriptures, and not on any religious traditions instituted by man.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this subject please visit http://www.GodsBibleTruth.com
Saturday, May 27, 2006
The Law of Love.
When Jesus quoted these two commandments He was not giving a ‘new’ law to replace the Ten Commandments of God, He was in fact quoting an Old Testament scripture on the importance of keeping the Ten Commandments. Deu 6:5-8 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: … And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes”.
Jesus was reinforcing the sentiment that the Ten Commandments were a law of love. The first four commandments showed us how to love God, and the last six how to love our fellow man. This is why He said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”.
Another verse showing the nature of the Ten Commandments is John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love”.
Paul wrote Rom 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law”.
James showed that we should view the law as a law of liberty, like a mirror that shows us our sinful nature. Jam 2:11-12 “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” He goes on and shows more importantly that we need to seek to follow the law to the best of our ability. He demonstrated that even though we are saved through Grace, it does not mean that we can be disobedient to the law of God. He says we cannot be saved by faith alone – because the result of true faith will be seen in our actions (works), by the life we are leading. Jam 2:13 “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone”. This shows that in New Testament times it is still important to keep the ten rules of love that God laid down for the benefit of mankind.
God’s Ten Commandments truly are His ten magnificent rules of love. They show how to love Him and people, but the fourth commandment, the Sabbath, is perhaps the real test of Love. The other nine say what not to do, but the Sabbath tells us what we should do to demonstrate our love and obedience to God. He has told us to devote every seventh day to Him. He instituted this at the beginning of the world, as both a memorial to His creation and a time for man to commune with Him.
Jesus and His disciples all faithfully kept the Sabbath day their entire lives, and Jesus made it clear that there would be no changes to the law, or the day to keep the Sabbath on when He said, Mat 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this topic, please visit: http://www.gods10Commandments.com
Were the Ten Commandments Abolished?
In Colossians 2:16 it reads “Let no man therefore judge you in meat (offering), or in drink (offering), or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:”. Many people who have read this verse out of context have concluded that this means that the fourth Commandment, which says “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy….”. was abolished at the cross.
Is this really what the Bible is teaching? What do the preceding verses say? Can they shed any light on the validity of this conclusion?
Colossians 2:14 states, “blotting out the handwriting (the only laws written by hand were the ceremonial laws, written by Moses -) of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.”
The ceremonial and sacrificial law was a rigorous system of rites and ceremonies and feasts that were put in place as a shadow of things to come. They pointed to the coming of the Messiah. Whenever an animal was sacrificed and it’s blood was shed, it served as a reminder to the onlookers that someday a Saviour would come and die for their sins. The ceremonial law was symbolically placed in the side of the Ark of the Covenant, to show that it was temporary, and ‘against’ the people. The Ten Commandment law on the other hand, was written in stone by the finger of God, and placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, symbolising its eternal nature.
Luke further clarifies that there is a distinction between the Ten Commandment and Ceremonial laws. Luke 1:6 “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”
James described the Ten Commandment law as a “law of liberty”.
Jesus showed that they were a law of love. John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love”.
As well as being about love, the first four showing us how to love God, and the last six how to love our fellow man, the Ten Commandments also depict aspects of the character of God. In many places the same words are used to describe the nature of God and the nature of the law. For example:
Romans 16:26: God is Eternal - Psalm 111:7-8: The law is Eternal
John 4:24: God is Spiritual - Romans 7:14: The law is Spiritual
Psalm 145:17: God is Righteous - Psalm 119:172: The law is Righteous
Matthew 5:48: God is Perfect - Psalm 19:7: The law is Perfect
Luke 18:19: God is Good - Romans 7:12: The law is Good
Deuteronomy 32:4: God is Just - Romans 7:12: The law is Just
1 John 3:3: God is Pure - Psalms 19:8: The law is Pure
I John 4:8: God is Love - Romans 13:10: The law is Love
I John 1:5: God is Light - Proverbs 6:23: The law is Light
Psalms 48:1: God is Great - Hosea 8:12: The law is Great
Deuteronomy 32:4: God is Truth - Psalm 119:142: The law is Truth
Isaiah 5:16: God is Holy - Romans 7:12: The law is Holy
It seems obvious from the very nature of both the Ten Commandment law and the ordinances, that it was only the Ordinances that were made obsolete at the cross, through the death and resurrection of our Lord.
The Ten Commandments remain as an eternal law of love. Jesus Himself said about the commandment law. Mat 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this topic, please visit http://www.colossians2-16.com
What’s the difference between Ordinances and Commandments?
There seems to be a lot of confusion among Christians about the need to follow the Ten Commandment law of God. Many have been unable to differentiate between the ceremonial law, also called the Ordinances, that were done away with at the cross, and the Ten Commandments, which are eternal. This misunderstanding has led some to conclude that all Ten of the Commandments have been abolished and that we are now “Under Grace not the Law”.
What actually did change at the cross? Were all of the commandments and ordinances abolished? Can we now commit any actions we desire and have them not called sin? The Bible, after all, defines sin as transgressing of the law. As ludicrous as this sounds, many are today preaching that we no longer have to keep the Ten Commandments. This implies that murdering, stealing, committing adultery etc are all okay. They may say in response to such an argument that we should only keep the laws of the land – a view that would explain why over 50% of Christian marriages are today ending in divorce and sex before marriage and adultery are almost as common among Christians, as they are in the secular world.
We need to be able to distinguish between the ceremonial law that was given to the Jews to follow until the coming of the Messiah, and the Ten Commandment law, which God wrote in stone, as an eternal covenant between Himself and man.
All of the ordinances (ceremonial law) were written in Moses’ handwriting and were placed in a pocket at the side of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ten Commandments were written in stone and placed inside the Ark. The Ceremonial law included many special feasts and Holy days, which were all a representation of the work that Christ would do.
The Ceremonial Law, with its sacrificial system, pointed the people to the coming of the Messiah. Every time an animal was sacrificed and it’s blood was shed in the old Jewish temple, it was a reminder to the onlookers that someday a Saviour would come and die for their sins. Hence, John the Baptist pointed to our Lord Jesus Christ and declared, “Behold the Lamb of God”.
When Jesus died on Calvary’s cross, the veil of the great temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, signifying that the entire ceremonial and sacrificial system was forever finished. No longer did the priests have any need to offer up sacrifices. The One great and perfect Sacrifice was offered that day, when the true Passover Lamb bowed His head and died. When He cried out, “It is finished”, the old Ceremonial Law, that pointed the people to His sacrificial death, was nailed to the cross.
This had also been foretold in Bible prophecy by the prophet Daniel, over six hundred years before the birth of Christ. He wrote Dan 9:27 “And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (seven literal years, according to prophetic terms): and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease…”.
In relation to the Ten Commandment law, Jesus Himself said Mat 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
A site with more information on this subject is http://www.ceremoniallaw.com
Are there only Nine Commandments?
One of the most controversial subjects among Christians today, is whether or not the Ten Commandments are still valid today. While many concede that Nine of them are still valid, but the 4th one concerning keeping of the Sabbath on the day ordained and sanctified by God is no longer necessary, some even go as far as to say that all Ten have been abolished and that we are now “Under Grace not the Law”.
How do these view points line up biblically?
Perhaps the best place to start is at the very beginning. After all it was at the time of creation that God implemented the Sabbath day, as a memorial to his wondrous work. The bible says, Gen 2:2-3 “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”.
When Moses was given the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, the fourth Commandment was written stating Exo 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it”. Using the word “remember” reiterated the fact that the Sabbath was already in existence, it was not created when the Ten Commandments were written as many seem to think.
What the people who are today of the view that none of the Commandments are valid anymore seem to fail to recognize is the fact that they are all about Love. The first four show us how to love God, and the last six how to love our fellow man.
For those who have forgotten them, here is a quick rundown of the Ten Commandments:
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…….
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy………
5. Honour thy father and thy mother:…….
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
It is easy to see from looking at these Commandments that they were all implemented for our own benefit. They show so beautifully how we should treat God (with all reverence and love) and how we should treat everyone else. How much better and safer would this world be if everyone obeyed these wonderful rules? There would be no more murders, rapes, robberies, unwanted pregnancies etc.
To obey these Commandments is the real test of our love for God. This is why they are so necessary in the experience of a true believer. Jam 2:20 “Faith without works is dead.” Jesus said, Mat 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”. Words and profession are not enough. The true evidence is our obedience.
I think the strongest evidence there is about the validity today of these Commandments is the words of our Lord Jesus himself. He said, John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
One of the most powerful texts in the Bible on this subject is found in 1 John 2:4. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” John could write this with such assurance because it is one of the most deeply established truths in the Bible. Jesus spoke of those who said, “Lord, Lord,” but did not do the will of the Father. He then described many who would seek entrance to the kingdom claiming to be workers of miracles in the name of Christ. But He would sorrowfully have to say, Mat 7:21-23. “I never knew you: depart from me.” This is serious because Jesus is saying is “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven”. God’s grace does not cover deliberate disobedience, because this shows that there was no genuine repentance of our sinful act, because had there been, we would not have kept on doing it.
To know Christ is to love Him, and to love Him is to obey Him. The valid assumption of the Bible writers is quite clear and simple: If you are not obeying Christ, you don’t love Christ. And if you don’t love the Master, then you don’t know Him. So we can see that knowing and loving and obeying are all tied closely together and are absolutely inseparable in the life of God's faithful people. The beloved disciple John summed it up in these words: 1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
Debra Lohrere is the author of several books. Her website is http://debra.lohrere.com/home.shtml
For more information on this topic, please visit http://www.godsbibletruth.com
The Sabbath Blessing
To be able to develop a close relationship with God, we need to spend quality time with Him. He set aside this day as a special time of communion with Him. It is a time where we can study His Word, and let His Holy Spirit speak to us through it. A time that we can spend in earnest prayer, talking to Him, praising and worshiping Him.
It is also a time that we can look at nature and reflect on all the wonderful creations that He has made. And finally, it is a time that we can spend with fellow believers, to worship together in song and have fellowship with each other, encouraging one another and building up each other’s faith by our testimonies.
God also gave us this special day as a day of rest. In this hectic world with our busy lifestyles it is so easy to get so engrossed in other things that we never have time for God and never have time to just stop all our work and let our bodies recuperate.
Some Christians spend a couple of hours of a Sunday morning attending church, but then the hum drum of the rat race catches up with them and they start doing household chores like mowing lawns. Others go to the footy, or do other secular activities where God is just not a part of it.
With stress related diseases like cancer and heart attacks on the increase every year, the necessity to take a days break, and bask in the presence of our all mighty father in Heaven, has never been so important. We need to spend time with Him to be replenished and rested.
God gave us His Sabbath day as a blessing to all mankind. A day on which we could spend time with Him to get to truly know Him and fellowship with Him. A day on which we do not have to do any work or labour. A day to rest, away from the worries and cares of this world.
God also ordained the seventh day Sabbath as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Bible says, Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…”.
The scriptures also show us the true spirit of the Sabbath. Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight..”
This shows that the Sabbath is a delight and a blessing. It is a wonderful day and something to look forward to each week.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this subject please visit http://www.Sabbath-Day.net
The Christian Sabbath.
God sanctified the seventh day Sabbath as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Bible says, Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…”.
So if God ordained Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday, the seventh day as the Sabbath, why do most Christians go to Church on Sunday?
Who changed the day to Sunday, and when? Did Jesus? Is it spoken of in the scriptures? Was there a new commandment written to amend the fourth commandment after Jesus died? Do we keep Sunday in honor of his resurrection?
It has been firmly established by numerous historians and theologians that the books of Matthew and Luke were written between 60 and 80 AD. This means that if the Sabbath had changed to Sunday after Jesus death, then it should have been recorded by these Bible writers. Instead though we see that rather than inform us of any change to the day, Luke instead he states in Luke 23:56, “…And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”
Jesus Himself in His prophecy about the destruction of the temple, which occurred in about 70 AD, when He was talking to His Disciples said Matthew 24:20, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” This shows conclusively that Jesus knew that the Sabbath would still be in existence many years after the cross.
Historians also confirm that the seventh day Sabbath was kept by both Jews and Gentiles, until around 120 AD. At this time the persecution of the Jews became so great that many Christians in some areas decided to start keeping Sunday, so as to try to differentiate themselves from the Jews, who were still faithfully keeping the Sabbath of the Lord. Some Christians began to use the excuse that it was in honor of the resurrection, as there was no scriptural basis for this change. At that time Christians in areas outside the Roman empire continued to keep the true seventh day Sabbath of God.
In 321 A.D. Constantine, who was a pagan, became Caesar in Rome. As he began to see the balance of power shift from paganism to the Church he passed the first law enforcing Sunday worship in 321 AD. Sunday of course was the day that the pagans kept holy in their worship of the Sun god. Two years after passing this law Constantine joined the Roman Catholic Church and began mingling paganism with Christianity. The pagans were very involved with idolatry, so he took many of the statues of their gods and gave them Christian names, like St Peter and Mary. It was well after 400 AD before Sunday eventually took on the name of the Lord’s Day.
In many documents, papers and books written by the Roman Catholic Church, they openly take credit for moving the sanctity of the Seventh day Sabbath to Sunday, by their own authority, which they believe is above that of the scriptures. Here are some examples.
"Protestants...accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change...But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that...In observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope." Our Sunday Visitor , February 15, 1950.
"From this we may understand how great is the authority of the church in interpreting or explaining to us the commandments of God - an authority which is acknowledged by the universal practice of the whole Christian world, even of those sects which profess to take the holy Scriptures as their sole rule of faith, since they observe as the day of rest not the seventh day of the week demanded by the Bible, but the first day. Which we know is to be kept holy, only from the tradition and teaching of the Catholic church." Henry Gibson, Catechism Made Easy, # 2, 9th edition, vol. 1, p. 341-342.
"It was the Catholic church which...has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) church." Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, p. 213.
"Sunday is our mark or authority...the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact." Catholic Record of London , Ontario, September 1, 1923.
“The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed...the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.” Canon and Tradition, p. 263.
So it seems that if Christians keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, we are following the commandment of God, but if we keep Sunday, we are following the traditions of man. Does that really matter?
The Bible says in Mark 7:6-9 “Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’ “You put aside God's command and obey human teachings.” And Jesus continued, “You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own teaching.”
It seems clear that Jesus wanted us to stand firm on the teachings on the scriptures, and not on any religious traditions instituted by man.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this subject please visit http://www.GodsBibleTruth.com
Friday, May 19, 2006
The Sabbath Day Blessing.
He also ordained it as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The scriptures say, Exo 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it”.
I love this scripture. It shows how important God sees us spending time with Him is.
I was a Sunday keeping Christian for most of my life, until the Holy Spirit impressed on me nearly 12 months ago, that I should be keeping the seventh day – the one that He sanctified and hallowed and made holy. It was a huge change, and I wrestled with God for some time over it, but now I look forward in anticipation to every Sabbath – where I can spend quality time with Him and in fellowship with other believers. The Sabbath truly is a blessing from God.
For more info on the Sabbath visit
Is the Seventh day really the Sabbath?
This shows clearly that at the beginning of time the seventh day was the day set apart by God as His Sabbath. This was later reiterated on Mount Sinai when He wrote the Ten Commandments in stone and gave them to Moses. The fourth commandment plainly states Exo 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it”.
This means that in Moses time the Sabbath day was still the seventh day, but did it change after the cross?
Undoubtedly a lot of things changed when Christ died and was resurrected. All of the old Jewish ordinances, with their feasts, fast days, sacrifices and ceremonies (which had been written by Moses in his handwriting and placed in the side of the Ark of the covenant) were abolished. They were no longer necessary as they had all been pointing to the coming of the Messiah, and with His one perfect sacrifice that allowed forgiveness of sins for all time through grace, they were no longer needed. However Jesus never said anything to in any way even imply that the Sabbath day would be changed or altered, and in fact if He had, He would have been contradicting what he had previously said about the Law of God, which included the Sabbath commandment, and that was Mat 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.
Why does God want us to keep the Sabbath, and how do we do it?
The biblical Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday night and ends at sunset on Saturday. The Bible describes how to keep it as follows. Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight...not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth…” This means we are not to do any kind of real work on the Sabbath like our normal occupation, personal business, housework or any laborious activity. Of course, preparing or cleaning up after a light meal would be all right as we find a number of occasions when Jesus enjoyed a Sabbath meal with others. He never condemned acts of hospitality on the Sabbath (see Luke 14:1-6). Since Jesus said in Matthew 12:10-12 “…it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath”, such as healing the sick or rescuing an animal, obviously performing medical services is fine.
The point of the Sabbath is that, whatever we do, God must be an intrinsic part of it. Taking a walk with your family through a natural setting is a wonderful way to get in touch with God who made the beautiful creations we see. To keep the Sabbath in the true spirit, we have to focus our minds on God and those things He wants us to be concerned with during His holy time. Then, as God promised, we will be truly blessed. As it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, it is a great time to make encouraging phone calls or visit the sick. The Sabbath is also a Leviticus 23:3 “…sabbath of rest, an holy convocation” and is an ideal time for worship services. When we fellowship with others in whom God dwells, we are also fellowshipping with Him (see 1 John 1:3, 7). We should view the Sabbath as a very special day, a period when we can take time to deeply study and thoughtfully analyse the scriptures. It is a time when we can sit quietly, meditating over and contemplating the truly big issues of life and eternity. In addition, the Sabbath is the perfect time for heartfelt prayer to our Father in heaven to commune with and worship Him, to get to know Him intimately. This is why we can call God’s Sabbath a delight.
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this topic, please visit http://www.seventh-day-sabbath.com
Did the Sabbath change to Sunday?
In over 105 languages Saturday translates to Sabbath. In Italy it is called Sabbato, in Russia Subbota, in Portugal Sabbado, in Spain Sabado and in Poland Sobota. All of these names mean “Sabbath” or “rest day” in the various languages.
The fourth commandment of the Bible says Exo 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God…”
So if Saturday, or more accurately Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday, is the true Sabbath of the Lord, then why do people go to church on Sunday?
Who changed the day to Sunday, and when? Did Jesus? Do we keep Sunday in honour of his resurrection?
It has been established by many historians and theologians that the books of Matthew and Luke were written between 60 and 80 AD. Luke does not tell us of a day change, but instead he states in Luke 23:56, “…And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”
Jesus also showed that the Sabbath would still be kept after the cross when He was talking to the Disciples about the forthcoming destruction of the temple in about 70 AD. Jesus says in Matthew 24:20, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.”
Historians also confirm that the seventh day Sabbath was kept by Jews and Gentiles alike, until about 120 AD when the persecution of the Jews for Sabbath keeping became so great that many Christians decided to start keeping Sunday, so as to distance themselves from the Jews. Some began using the excuse that it was in honour of the resurrection, as there was no biblical basis for the change.
In 321 A.D. Constantine, who was a pagan, became Caesar in Rome and when he began to see the balance of power shift from paganism to the Church he passed the first law enforcing Sunday worship in 321 AD. Two years later he joined the Roman Catholic Church and began mingling paganism and Christianity. It was well after 400 AD before Sunday eventually took on the name of the Lord’s Day.
In many papers and documents the Roman Catholic Church openly take credit for moving the sanctity of the Seventh day Sabbath to Sunday, by their own authority, which they say is above that of the scriptures.
“The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed...the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.” Canon and Tradition, p. 263.
So it seems that if we keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, we are following God’s commandment, but if we keep Sunday, we are following the traditions of man. Does that really matter?
The Bible says in Mark 7:6-9 “Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’ “You put aside God's command and obey human teachings.” And Jesus continued, “You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own teaching.”
All Bible references are from the King James Version.
For more information on this topic, please visit http://www.godssabbathtruth.com
