In a previous blog, I listed several justifications and misunderstandings Christians use to disobey God’s 4th Commandment.  Here’s another one:

John 20:19 shows the Sabbath was changed to Sunday.

This rationalization is terrible…as if going to a worship service on Wednesday evening or any other day of the week would change a Commandment of God.  John 20:19 does not show the apostles celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, as some claim.  The verse says that the apostles were hiding in fear of the Jews. They didn’t even believe Jesus was resurrected.  Mark 16:11-14 shows Jesus rebuking them for their unbelief.  

The Bible does tell us in the book of Daniel about a future persecuting power that would seek to change God’s times and Laws, which it did.  

“He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” (Daniel 7:25 NKJV)

Daniel refers to this change of God’s Law by the antichrist power as reaching to the host of heaven and trampling the heavenly sanctuary under foot.  So why aren’t more pastors and teachers teaching it?

Here are the explicit statements made by the papacy and historians concerning Sun-day worship:

 “The Sun was a foremost god with heathendom. … The sun has worshipers at this hour in Persia and other lands. … The pagan Sunday dedicated to Balder became the Christian Sunday, sacred to Jesus.” — Catholic William Gildea, Doctor of Divinity, wrote in The Catholic World, March, 1894, page 809.

“Reason and sense demand the acceptance of one or the other of these alternatives: either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is IMPOSSIBLE.” — Cardinal James Gibbons, archbishop of Baltimore and noted writer, said in The Catholic Mirror, December 23, 1893.

Doctor Alexander Hislop, in his classic work, The Two Babylons, page 105, says this: “To conciliate the pagans to nominal christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the christian and pagan festivals [that’s the Sabbath and Sunday] amalgamated, and … to get paganism and christianity now far sunk in idolatry in this as in so many other things, to shake hands.” He says further: “A glance at the main pillars of the papal system will sufficiently prove that its doctrine and discipline in all essential respects have been derived from Babylon.”

“In ancient Babylonia the SUN was WORSHIPED from immemorial antiquity.” — Sir James G. Frazer, an authoritative scholar, makes this statement in his book The Worship of Nature, Volume 1, page 529.

“It is interesting to note how often our Church has availed herself of practices which were in common use among pagans … Thus it is true, in a certain sense, that some Catholic rites and ceremonies are a reproduction of those of pagan creeds…” — (The Externals of the Catholic Church, Her Government, Ceremonies, Festivals, Sacramentals and Devotions, by John F. Sullivan, p 156, published by P.J. Kennedy, NY, 1942).

Did Emperor Constantine change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?  

Many ask this question but the answer is No!  However, Constantine’s first Sunday law did play a key role in the final change of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.

Understand that Satan has always attacked the commandments of God. He began his first attack in the garden of Eden.  While the second Commandment defines who and what we should not worship, the fourth Commandment states who it is we worship and there is no shortage of scriptures stating this.  Satan wants to be worshiped like the Most High (Isaiah 14:12-14); so he started his own church and his own day of worship.  When did this begin?

This can be traced back as far as the tower of Babel around 2000 B.C.  Most who are deceived will say something like, it is well documented that the early Church adopted Sunday as their day of worship.  This statement is based entirely on the abuse of two or three scriptures that refer to the first day for the week such as Acts 20:7 and 1 Coriinthians 16:2.  If it was true, then there would have been very clear instruction from God as Jesus made it extremely clear that no change would occur to the Law.  This is the Ten Commandment Law of God.  Something this important just doesn’t change based on assumptions. 

“Do not think that I came to do away with or undue the Law or the writings of the prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke will pass from the Law until all things are accomplished.  So whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:18; Luke 16:17 AMP)

“Yet it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a letter of the Law to fail and become void. (Luke 16:17 AMP)

It’s not hard to understand that Jesus WAS NOT referring to the Ten Laws written by God’s own finger but the Mosaic Law because the apostles and Paul all wrote that the sacrificial law of Moses was nailed to the cross.  What’s more, the apostles sternly rebuked and reprimanded judaizers who demanded that new converts keep the sacrificial law which was done away with at Christ’s death.

Further, there isn’t one single verse showing Christians worshiping in the synagogue on Sunday. But there are quite a few verses where Jesus and his followers worshipped in the synagogue on the Sabbath. See Mark 1:21; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:16; Luke 6:6; Luke 13:10; Acts 13:14; Acts 13:27; Acts 13:42, 44; Acts 15:21; Acts 17:1, 2; Acts 18:4 

So what about Colossians 2:16, Galatians 4:10 and Romans 14:5?  Are these verses talking about the Sabbath of the Lord? No!  Note what The People’s New Testament (1891) by B. W. Johnson states in regards to these scriptures:

“Romans 14:5 – One man esteemeth one day above another. A second difference of opinion is now cited. Some, Jewish converts or Gentiles who did not understand that the old covenant was ended, believed that the Jewish sabbaths and new moons should be kept sacred. Compare Col_2:16, and Gal_4:10.”

This Bible commentary links all three passages but not with the Sabbath of the Lord but the Mosaic Law with all the Jewish ceremonial sabbaths such as Passover and the Day of Atonement as well as the New Moon festivals etc. These were practiced because of sin and that is why they all ended at the cross.  Again we see that all three passages are connected with the ceremonial laws and NOT the Ten Commandments. {See also Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes Commentaries on Colossians 2:14-16, Albert Barnes and People’s New Testament Commentaries on Galatians 4:9-10 and People’s New Testament and Adam Clarke Commentaries on Romans 14:5}.

There are many pastors and teachers claiming these scriptures ended the fourth Commandment, but they quote these scriptures in ignorance.  These verses do not refer to the Ten Commandments or the Sabbath at all, but to the sacrificial law that was practiced before the cross?

This shows us that those forming these erroneous teachings are either deceived by Satan or have just decided what they think these verses mean when in fact they have no idea.  Many teach truth mixed with error; yet so many readily believe what they teach because it sounds good.  

Please don’t believe what tickles your ears.  Carefully examine the scriptures as the Bereans did. (2 Timothy 4:3,4; Acts 17:11)  Jesus says God is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and truth. We have to be ever so sure of what we believe so we’re not deceived by Satan’s lies on crucial topics and salvific issues.

What Really Happened?

In 312 A.D., prior to his pivotal victory over his rival Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine became a “Christian” after claiming to see in broad daylight a vision of “a cross above the sun” with these words emblazoned, “in hoc signo vinces” (by this sign conquer”). After defeating his enemies and becoming Emperor of Rome, Constantine presided in full royal pomp over the “First Council of Nicea” in 325 A.D.

As a shrewd political genius, his scheme was to unite Christianity and paganism in an effort to strengthen his disintegrating empire. Constantine knew that pagans throughout the empire worshiped the sun on “the first day of the week,” and he discovered that many Christians in Rome and Alexandria also kept Sunday because Christ rose from the dead on that day. So Constantine developed a plan to unite both groups on the common platform of Sunday keeping. On March 7, 321 A.D., he passed his famous national Sunday law.

“On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost. (Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time [A.D. 321].)” Source: Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol.3 (5th ed.; New York: Scribner, 1902), p.380, note 1.

Constantine, now a professed Christian, nevertheless remained a devout sun worshiper. “The sun was universally celebrated as the invincible guide and protector of Constantine,” notes Edward Gibbon in his classic Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, ch. xx, par. 3.

Constantine even printed coins which “bore on the one side the letters of the name of Christ, on the other the figure of the sun god.” Arthur P. Stanley, History of the Eastern Church, lect. vi, par. 14.

Again, Constantine’s promotion of Sunday observance was part of his definite strategy to combine paganism with Christianity: “The retention of the old pagan name of dies Solis, or ‘Sunday,’ for the weekly Christian festival, is in great measure owing to the union of pagan and Christian sentiment with which the first day of the week was recommended by Constantine to his subjects, pagan and Christian alike, as the ‘venerable day of the Sun.’” – Stanley’sHistory of the Eastern Church, p. 184.

In spite of the rising popularity of Sunday sacredness, Church historian Socrates Scholasticus (5th century) wrote: “For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries [of the Lord’s Supper] on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this.” – Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, Book 5, ch. 22.

Another historian also confirmed this by stating, “The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria.” – Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, Book 7, ch. 19. Thus even in the 5th century, Sabbath keeping was universally prevalent (except in Rome and Alexandria) along with Sunday keeping.

During this time, many Christians kept both days, but as the centuries wore on, Sunday keeping grew in prominence and especially in Roman Catholic territories.  As the Papal Church grew in power, it opposed Sabbath observance in favor of Sunday sacredness and made the day change official in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 363-364).  This is when the Catholic church outlawed Sabbath-keeping in which they decreed the 59 Canon laws.  The following is a relevant Canon law: 

“Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord’s Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” (Percival Translation).

Four hundred years after the death of Christ and 100 hundred years after Constantine linked church and state by his Sunday law edict, Rome and Alexandria were the only places in the world where many of the Christians kept only Sunday and not the true Sabbath. Why was it that Rome and Alexandria were also the first locations that Sunday worship began? Because this is where the pagan practices of Babylon eventually landed after it was conquered. And what was the dominant pagan practice that the Babylonian priests brought with them? Sun worship which was done on SUNday.

The change of the Saturday Sabbath to Sunday was totally completed by the 7th century as the popes consolidated their enormous power and persecuted all who resisted their law.  It’s clear that sun worship from 2000 B.C. continues today in the Roman Catholic Church, especially in the Vatican.  The mystery Babylonian religion went straight into the church of Rome and that is why God calls her “Mystery, Babylon” to this day.

The Roman Catholic Church goes even further and claims responsibility for the change from seventh-day to Sunday worship.  

The Catechism of the Catholic Church Section 2 Article 3 (1994)

“Sunday – fulfillment of the Sabbath. Sunday is expressly distinguished from the Sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the Sabbath…

The Sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ…

In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church’s holy days as legal holidays.”  

Cardinal James Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (Ayers Publishing, 1978): 108:

“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.”

The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (1957): 50:

Q. Which is the Sabbath day?

A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.

Q. Why Do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?

A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.

Chancellor Albert Smith for Cardinal of Baltimore Archdiocese, letter dated February 10, 1920:

“If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath day by God is Saturday. In keeping the Sunday, they are following a law of the Catholic Church.”

Stephen Keenan, Catholic—Doctrinal Catechism 3rd Edition: 174:

Question: “Have you any other way of proving the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?”

Answer: “Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her, she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the 1st day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the 7th day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.”

Catholic Priest T. Enright, CSSR, Kansas City, MO:

“It was the holy Catholic Church that changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, the 1st day of the week. And it not only compelled all to keep Sunday, but at the Council of Laodicea, AD 364, anathematized those who kept the Sabbath and urged all persons to labor on the 7th day under penalty of anathema.”

Catholic Priest T. Enright, CSSR, lecture at Hartford, KS, Feb 18, 1884:

“I have repeatedly offered $1000 to any one who can furnish any proof from the Bible that Sunday is the day we are bound to keep…The Bible says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” but the Catholic Church says, “No, keep the first day of the week,” and the whole world bows in obedience.”

Catholic Record (September 1, 1923):

“The [catholic] Church is above the Bible, and this transference of the Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.”

Pope Leo XIII, Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae (The Reunion of Christendom), June 20, 1894: 

“We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.”

“Pope,” Ferraris’ Ecclesiastic Dictionary:

The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God.

Our Sunday Visitor (April 18, 1915): 3:

The letters inscribed in the Pope’s miter are these: VICARIUS FILII DEI, which is the Latin for, “Vicar of the Son of God.”

Letter from C.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons on October 28, 1895:

“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act…And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters. It could not have been otherwise, as none in those days would have dreamed of doing anything, in matters spiritual, ecclesiastical and religious without her.  This act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.”

American Catholic Quarterly Review (January 1883):

Sunday…is purely a creation of the Catholic Church.

Catholic American Sentinel (June 1893):

Sunday…It is a law of the Catholic Church alone…

S.C. Mosna, Storia della Domenica (1969): 366-367:

Not the Creator of the Universe in Genesis 2:1-3, but the Catholic Church “can claim the honor of having granted man a pause to his work every seven days.”

“The Question Box,” The Catholic Universe Bulletin (August 14, 1942): 4:

The (Catholic) Church changed the observance of the Sabbath to Sunday by right of the divine, infallible authority given to her by her Founder, Jesus Christ. The Protestant claiming the Bible to be the only guide of faith, has no warrant for observing Sunday. In this matter, the Seventh-day Adventist is the only consistent Protestant.

John A. O’Brien, The Faith of Millions: the Credentials of the Catholic Religion Revised Edition (Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 1974): 400-401:

But since Saturday, not Sunday, is specified in the Bible, isn’t it curious that non-Catholics, who claim to take their religion directly from the Bible and not from the Church, observe Sunday instead of Saturday? Yes, of course, it is inconsistent; but this change was made about fifteen centuries before Protestantism was born, and by that time the custom was universally observed. They have continued the custom even though it rests upon the authority of the Catholic Church and not upon and explicit text in the Bible. That observance remains as a reminder of the Mother Church from which the non-Catholic sects broke away—like a boy running away from home but still carrying in his pocket a picture of his mother or a lock of her hair.

This change from Saturday to Sunday Sabbath was prophesied about in Daniel 7. The great reformer Philipp Melanchton knew this truth five centuries ago. He wrote this:

He changeth the tymes and lawes that any of the six worke dayes commanded of God will make them unholy and idle dayes when he lyste, or of their owne holy dayes abolished make worke dayes agen, or when they changed ye Saterday into Sondaye…They have changed God’s lawes and turned them into their owne tradicions to be kept above God’s precepts

These are the Catholic Church’s own admissions.  Can it be any clearer?  

So What’s the Real Problem?

Why have the majority not seen this?  The Bible says that Satan blinds the light so that unbelievers cannot see it.  It’s interesting that even when these blatant admissions are shown to people, they STILL refuse to believe the proof and change to pure worship. Why is that? It’s simply that most do not want to change because it would disrupt their church, and lifestyle or that their family and friends may reject or disown them.  

Hear the words of our only Lord, Jesus: 

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37 NIV)

What are we afraid of?  Is not our God greater than all?  Our God values and blesses our obedience?  If you’re hesitant or unsure, ask God to show you the path to take.  Ask God to give you an obedient heart.  

“Teach me your way, Yahweh, and I will live by your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear your name.” (Psalm 86:11 HCSB)

Our Lord says:  

This means eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3 ESV)

“Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth.” (John 17:17 ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He will give it to you…. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 17:23, 24 ESV)

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of Yahweh!

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek him with their whole heart.. (Psalm 119:1, 2 ESV)

Here are just some justifications and misunderstandings given by those who avoid honoring God on His consecrated holy day.   I will provide truth from the Bible after each justification.  

If you’re looking for an excuse to avoid obeying God’s fourth commandment, then pick your reason because many others have done so when choosing to believe satanically inspired lies.  Just be prepared for Jesus’ response: 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out many demons and perform many miracles in your name?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21-23)

The Sabbath was NOT made at creation because the word is not used. 

The Sabbath day WAS made at creation.  The word translated rested in Genesis 2:3 is “shabbat” in Hebrew and it means Sabbath.  The first occurrence in English translations may be Exodus 16 but in the original Hebrew text it’s actually Genesis 2:3.  In addition, Saturday is called the Sabbath in more than 100 languages to this day, just as God named it at creation. God also said “it is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever.” Why?  Because “in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested [shabbat], and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:17).   The Sabbath is a memorial of creation, established and made holy by God from the beginning prior to Adam’s sin.  

The Fourth Commandment was not kept until Exodus 16.

Exodus 16 comes before God wrote the Ten Commandments. This chapter does not say they just started keeping the fourth Commandment but shows it was already being kept. So if they were already keeping it when did they start doing so?  God said Cain was guilty of sin for killing his brother but how can that be? The Bible says that where there is no law, there is no transgression. (Romans 4:15; 1 John 3:4)  So if there was no law then how could Cain be guilty of the sin of murder?  Also, Genesis 26:5 says that Abraham kept all of God’s commandments, statutes and laws. So how could Abraham not have known about God’s Sabbath?  It’s not an assumption to say that while the Ten Commandments weren’t officially written down, God’s people knew them and were keeping them.  Cain knew at least one of the Ten Commandments, and Abraham knew all of them. 

The Sabbath is a day of bondage and works. 

God says the Sabbath is a sign that we are His children whom He loves and sanctifies.  

Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, “And you, speak to the Israelites, saying, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, because it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, in order to know that I am Yahweh, who sanctifies you.  And you must keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you.  Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death.  Whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people.  For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy day to Yahweh.  Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death.  The Israelites must keep the Sabbath, it is a permanent covenant for the generations to come.  It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth and was refreshed.  (Exodus 31:12-17)

The words translated “perpetual” and “forever” in Exodus 31:17 are the same Hebrew word (H5769 ‛ôlâm).  The following scriptures also use the same Hebrew word that is used for “perpetual” and “forever” ; Exodus 31:13-17, Genesis 3:22, Genesis 9:16, Genesis 21:33, Psalms 103:17, Psalms 119:142, Psalms 145:13 and Isaiah 40:8.

The Sabbath is a beautiful day of fellowship, worship and rest which God instituted for those who really love Him and are entirely devoted to Him. So what part of this sign of resting for our health and one-on-one time with our Creator legalism or bondage? The Sabbath is a real blessing for the tens of millions who understand what this commandment is all about. It is sad for those who are deceived and have no idea what this day means. 

If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and Yahweh’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in Yahweh, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.  The mouth of Yahweh has spoken. (Isaiah 58:13-14)

The Sabbath is only for the Jews.

God says His Laws are also for the “stranger who is within your gates.” (Exodus 20:8-11)  Moreover, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) It never was for the Jews only, but for all mankind.  In fact, the Jewish nation didn’t even exist until 2,500 years after the Sabbath was made.  

Our God “is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33).  He didn’t just write nine laws for everyone else and then meant the 4th law only for the Jews.  The children of God in Exodus chapter 16 were not just Jews either, many of them were from other nations; so this is an appallingly ignorant excuse which requires no further explanation!

Christ ended the Mosaic Law so the 4th Commandment no longer applies to New Testament Christians.

This one is either deliberate deception or ignorance.  The Mosaic Law and the Ten Commandments are clearly two separate laws.  The truth speaks for itself for those who want it.  God instituted the Mosaic Law because God’s people broke the Ten Commandment Laws and it was added because of sin until Christ came.  

The Mosaic Law, also called the Law of Moses, was stored on the outside of the Ark of the Covenant. (Deuteronomy 31:24-26) The Ten Commandments were written by God in stone and were stored on the inside of the Ark of the Covenant under the mercy seat and under the Shekinah glory represented by the very presence of God Himself. (Exodus 20:1, 22; 31:18; 32:16; Deuteronomy 10:5)  These two separate laws were written two separate times and stored in two different locations.  One was established because man had sinned and the other is the law of God and is a reflection of His very own character.  The Mosaic Law contained all the sacrifices and were introduced because God’s Ten Commandment law was transgressed (broken).

Galatians 4:9-10 says the Sabbath is bondage.

No it does not. The word Sabbath does not occur in the entire book of Galatians. Paul is referring to something that had days, months and years in various seasons. This is the law of sacrifices with its feast days, monthly new moons and yearly sacrificial sabbaths such as Passover and the Day of Atonement.  James states the Commandments are the perfect law of liberty leading to freedom, not bondage. (James 1:25; James 2:10-12) The sacrificial law, on the other hand, meant having to take an unblemished animal to the priest to be sacrificed every time you sinned and that was indeed bondage.

Colossians 2:16 says not to let anyone judge you for not keeping the Lord’s Sabbath.

No, it does not.  It says not to let anyone judge for not keeping the ordinances (vs 14) which was the sacrificial law of Moses, hence sabbath days, which is also definitely plural in the original Greek text and refers to Passover and the Day of Atonement Sabbath and five others.  Luke 1:6 identifies the ordinances and the Commandments as being different. Ezekiel 45:17 is the perfect parallel to Colossians 2:16 and reveals that everything described in this verse is what was done to make reconciliation for sin.  It is also not unclean food or drink as some modern translations imply but meat and drink [offerings] that belonged to the ordinances, or sacrificial law.  How can I be sure?  To begin with, there is no such thing as unclean drinks in the Bible, so that translation has to be wrong.  Compare Galatians 4:10 and Colossians 2:16. 

The New Covenant abolished the law. 

The Bible says no such thing. The Old Covenant was between God and the Israelites.  God said He found fault with the Old Covenant. But what did He say was the fault? (Hebrews 8:6-10) God said the fault was with the people who were not obeying His law. So what did God do in the New Covenant? He said He would write His law in our hearts and minds instead of on stone tablets so we would internalize His law and desire to love and obey it. (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Hebrews 8:10) God did not say some of His law either. He said My Laws meaning all 10 of them!

Every day is holy unto the Lord, and Christians should worship God every day. 

I agree that every day is unto the LORD and I do worship God every day!  And so did everyone else that kept the 4th Commandment in the Old Testament. Perhaps so-called Christians should set God straight and tell Him, “Your Commandment is wrong God because I worship you every day!” It’s not wise to mock God or His Commandment. God blessed only the seventh day and He sanctified only the seventh day, so every day cannot be holy. Only God can make a day holy. His children in Exodus 16 thought that they could keep any day instead of the seventh day and God was so angry with them that as far as He was concerned they were breaking ALL His laws. The Commandment is not just about worship, it’s also a day of rest.  If you kept every day as the Sabbath you would not be holy, you would be lazy! It should be obvious to any truth seeker that it is not possible to keep every day as the seventh day. And when God commands something, He means it.

The Sabbath is not in the New Covenant. 

Not so. The diligent truth seeker will note that scripture actually proves it has to be in the New Covenant. Exodus 24:3-8; Hebrews 9:11-18 and Hebrews 12:24 reveal that the Old and New Covenants were sealed with blood. Hebrews 9:15-17 says that a Covenant requires the death of the testator and has no power while the testator lives. And Galatians 3:15 says a covenant cannot be changed after the death of the testator. So the New Covenant was sealed by the blood of Jesus that afternoon when He died and it cannot be changed afterwards by anyone. 

When Luke was referring to the women preparing spices and ointments for the body of Christ, He said, “…they rested the Sabbath day according to the Commandment.” Luke 23:55-56. This was after the New Covenant was sealed by the blood of Christ and they were still keeping the Sabbath according to how the Commandment instructed. Luke wrote this half a lifetime after the cross and he would have known if it was changed. Some also say it was changed to Sunday in honor of the resurrection but it is impossible for Sunday to belong to the New Covenant for the same reason being that it cannot be changed after it was sealed by the death of Christ. 

Romans 10:4 says Christ is the end to the Law. 

This is true… Jesus was the end to the Mosaic law. He replaced it by His own final sacrifice. This passage and other scripture reveals it was the Law of Moses, the sacrificial law, that ended with Christ and not the Ten Commandments.  Here are a few scriptures that contradict an end to the Ten Commandment Laws. (Matthew 5:17-19; Luke 16:17; Romans 2:13; Romans 3:31; Romans 7:7; Romans 7:12; Revelation 22:14). 

Jesus fulfilled and abolished the law. 

The word “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17 means to give full meaning to the law and does NOT mean to abolish.  The NIRV explains the meaning of fulfill in these words, “I have come to give full meaning to what is written” and the CEV reads, “I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.” How could it abolish the law when Jesus just finished saying that He did not come to destroy the law and that it would last as long as heaven and earth and that we are not only to obey it but teach it also. How do you obey or teach a law that has ended? This particular word “fulfill” does not and cannot mean to bring to an end or destroy.

The Sabbath was a shadow. 

A shadow of what exactly? The shadow Paul refers to in Colossians 2:17 relates to the feast days that were practiced because of sin.  Passover was a shadow of the crucifixion, and all the feast days were instituted because of sin and were all shadows of a future event. The fourth Commandment was made before sin and has nothing to do with sin other than it is a sin to break it, hence, the fourth Commandment cannot be a shadow of anything.  

Revelation 1:10 says the Lord’s Day is Sunday. 

This verse does not even give so much as a hint of Sunday. The Bible does say that Jesus has a special day and all verses say He is Lord of the Sabbath, which is Saturday. (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28 and Luke 6:5) Historical records reveal everyone was still keeping the Seventh day, what we call Saturday, until sometime after the Jewish wars (70-90 A.D.) when some switched to Sunday in fear of persecution for Judaism. It was more than 300 years after the cross when an early Church historian wrote that Rome began calling Sunday the Lord’s Day. “In the year 325, Sylvester, Bishop of Rome (AD 314-337), officially changed the title of the first day, calling it the Lord’s day.” (Lucium, Historia Ecclesiastica, p. 739) Sunday is nothing more than a tradition of man and against the will of God.  Jesus said that those who keep traditions in place of his Commandments are hypocrites. (Mark 7:6-9). 

Galatians say the Ten Commandments were only until Christ. 

All expert theologians agree that the letter from Paul to the Galatians is about judaizing teachers that insisted they should still be observing all the rites of the Mosaic Law, the sacrificial law, such as circumcision, the feast days and sacrificial sabbaths such as Passover. They taught that Paul was inferior to the other Apostles and that the sacrificial law was still binding and necessary for justification. Every chapter except for chapter 6 refers to the sacrificial Law of Moses and NOT the Ten Commandments.

We’ve considered only a few justifications people use to not “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.”  But there’s so much more!  So what’s the real reason Christians today don’t obey the Sabbath Commandment? I will address this in my next podcast.

One of the most controversial subjects among Christians is God’s Seventh Day Sabbath.  Some are not even aware that God’s Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday.  Because many Christians today don’t know that some of what they believe originate from pagan origins and man-made traditions, most don’t know that the current day of worship actually originated from sun worship, which is why it was named SUN-day and that it was NOT in honor of Christ’s resurrection, as some claim.  History confirms that Christ followers worshiped on Saturday until around 120 A.D. when believers were persecuted into changing their day of worship to Sunday in fear of their lives.  Millions died during the inquisition of the dark ages for refusing to worship on Sunday, which was made a law only in the fourth century.  This is why most denominations today worship primarily on Sunday and not Saturday.

A true believer walks as Jesus walked, even though it may go against long held traditions and teachings.  Jesus warned his disciples against holding the traditions of men above the commandments of God.  He called people like that hypocrites.

“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites: as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.  And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commands of men.  You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”  (Mark 7:6-8)

He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3 ESV)

Christians wouldn’t dare argue that we must obey the other nine commandments, BUT they freely disregard the fourth commandment.  I believe that before we go down this path, we should be absolutely sure, as far as God is concerned, before we, as puny humans, null any part of His Laws.

Which Day is the Sanctified Sabbath Day?

Even though most people don’t look to the Bible as the authority, God’s Word is the only place to answer this question, as well as that of every other biblical doctrine.  And the “which day is holy” question is answered at the very beginning of the Bible.

The word Genesis means “beginnings” and Genesis almost immediately addresses the subject of the Sabbath, which is the seventh day of the week.  God must have wanted this issue clearly established early on from the outset.  

In the Bible, God’s days begin at sundown and end at sundown the following day. 

And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. (Gen 1:5) 

And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. (Gen 1:8)

And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.  (Gen 1:13)

And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. (Gen 1:19)

And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. (Gen 1:23)

And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (Gen 1:31)

So did God ever sanctify a specific day as holy?  If so, which day is it?  Further, if God declared a specific day holy, what gives anyone the right to change it?

And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work.  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Gen 2:2-3)

Many Christians have genuine misunderstandings about the Sabbath.  Most of these misunderstandings are from confusion about the Ten Commandments and the sacrificial law, also called the Mosaic Law or the Law of Moses.  The sacrificial law was observed for centuries and it took a while for the gospel to spread to Jews and Gentiles.  It was especially difficult for the Jews to understand that the sacrificial law ended when Jesus died on the cross.  At that time, Christ became our one and final sacrifice.  Paul had to deal with this problem and it took time for the Jews in his day to realize they no longer were to offer up animal sacrifices or keep the Law of Moses, which was the sacrificial law.  However, even today, many Jews, especially those living in Jerusalem, desire to build a third temple and bring back animal sacrifices.

So What’s The Problem?

There are some who don’t understand how the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek Scriptures are connected. Some professing Christians don’t even read or study the Old Testament, at all.  I actually spoke with a woman a few weeks ago who only reads from the New Testament.  She called herself “a New Testament Christian”.  This is absurd!  How can a true believer read only some of the Bible and not all of it?  I’d have to say that they’re NOT really believers at all.  How can I say this with certainty?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness… (2 Timothy 3:16)  

It doesn’t say “some Scripture” or “most Scripture”, but, “ALL Scripture”!  …and that’s from the New Testament!  So how can someone only read a portion of the Bible and claim to have accurate knowledge of the Bible?  They can’t!

Many people make ungodly excuses for not keeping the seventh day Sabbath as God intended. Because Friday evening and Saturday are considered the “weekend”, most people make plans for rest and relaxation or to do what they want after working all week.  Many have jobs which require them to work on the weekend.  And some only have the weekend to engage in recreational activities, household chores, traveling or whatever.  They feel that keeping the Biblical Sabbath is just too much.  

In my next podcast, I will list the justifications, rationalizations and misunderstandings given by those who want to avoid honoring God on His consecrated holy day. 

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)

The Bible tells us that God Himself with His own finger carved the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets and gave them to Moses on Mount Sinai. (Exodus 20:1; 31:18). 

The 10 Commandments of God:

1. I am Yahweh your God, you shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. 
3. You shall not take the name of Yahweh in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4. 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 Yahweh your God.  In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.  For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.  Therefore, Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which Yahweh your God is giving you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal (secretly, openly, fraudulently, or through carelessness).
9. You shall not bear false witness (lie, withhold or manipulate the truth) against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s (selfishly desire and attempt to acquire what belongs to anyone else).

Jesus explained that all the commands given by God are based on His most prominent quality: love.  God gave us the bible to reveal Himself and His way of love to us.  And the bible shows us how to apply love in every aspect of our lives.

Jesus summarized God’s Law in these two commandments:  ““‘You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).  So, the first four commandments tell us how God wants to be loved and the last six tell us how He wants us to love other people.

Jesus explicitly taught that obeying God’s 10 Commandments IS required for entering into eternal life. 

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”  Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied.  “There is only One who is good.  If you want to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments.”  The man asked, “Which ones?”  Jesus answered, “You must not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony; honor your father and mother; and love your neighbor as yourself”.  (Matthew 19:16-19 BSB)

Note that Jesus specifically referenced some of the Ten Commandments when answering this question. Jesus didn’t necessarily have to mention all of them because the man already knew what the commandments were.  So why did Jesus say this?  

1. God’s laws reflect how He thinks.  To disobey God’s commands shows a lack of love for Him, for ourselves and fellow humans.  God will not grant anyone who disregards His laws eternal life into His kingdom because that person would only cause suffering for others and himself.  They would destroy the new heaven and the new earth, and turn it into a filthy parking lot.
2. Sin is disobedience of God’s laws, which include the 10 Commandments.  “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is the transgression of the law”. (1 John 3:4), and the consequence of sin is death: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift God gives is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).

The Bible is clear that every human has sinned and has disobeyed God’s laws.  (Romans 3:23; James 2:10-11).  But because God is so merciful, even He suffered for us when He sent His only Son to pay the penalty for our sin.  And because Jesus loves us he willingly died so we could be reconciled to God.

God wants us to stop doing the things that hurt Him, ourselves and others.  And He has the right to require us to repent of our sinful ways.  

To repent means to feel deep regret and do a complete 180º, turning away from our past way of life.  We believe that we need Jesus and that he died in our place and made the only way for us to be forgiven and no longer be separated from God now and for eternity.  We then decide to commit our lives to God.  Naturally, we will want to be baptized in Jesus’s name to symbolize our death to sin and of our being raised to new life.   

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 2:38 ESV)  

Giving our life to God doesn’t mean we’re no longer tempted to sin or that we won’t ever commit a sin again.  But we will no longer practice sin or live a sinful life.  So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  (Galatians 5:16 NLT)

God promises His forgiveness for all of our sins.  He gives us a new birth, (a spiritual birth). We become born of God and we are spiritually adopted as His children.  God plants within us the seed of Spirit. And by His Spirit we are progressively conformed to the image of Christ Jesus.  (Acts 2:38; Galatians 5:16)  The Spirit (which is the Spirit of God and Christ) guides us and protects us spiritually.  We’re given power from God to combat the natural temptations to sin. And we are commanded to be holy just as God is holy.  

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”  (1 John 3:9 ESV)  

Are We to Obey the Ten Commandments Today?  

Many Christians believe that the Ten Commandments were solely given to the Israelites when God formed a covenant with them on Mount Sinai. However, all Ten Commandments can be found in the Bible before the covenant on Mount Sinai was formed. We have some examples below and this is not an all inclusive list. These verses show that the commandments existed because God mentioned it or that people were aware of their existence.

1. Have no other gods before Him: Gen. 31:30-32, Gen. 35:2-4, Ex. 6:7, 10:7, 12:12
2. Make no graven images/idols (and by extension no other gods): Gen. 31:19, 31:34-35, 35:2-4
3. Not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (this literally means to profane His name): Gen. 4:26, 13:4, Ex. 3:15 (there were those who did not call on/take up His name in vain)
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy: Genesis 2:1-3, 8:10-12,  Genesis 16
5. Honor your mother and father: Genesis 26:34-35, 35:21-22, 49:4-5
6. Do not commit murder: Genesis 4:8-10, 9:5-6, 27:41, 37:19-26, Ex. 1:16, 2:14
7. Do not commit adultery: Genesis. 12:9-20, 19:1-38, 20:1-14, 39:1-12
8. Do not steal: Genesis. 27:15, 30:33, 31:19,30, 44:8
9. Do not bear false witness (do not lie): Genesis 4:9-11, 12:9-20, 20:1-5, 27:1-29, 31:7,41, 37:31-35, 39:13-20
10. Do not covet: Genesis 3:6, Gen. 31:19

These verses make it abundantly clear that the Ten Commandments existed before Mount Sinai and before the Mosaic Law.  Apparently God made these Laws clear to mankind. After all, the world was destroyed by the flood because of the sin and violence people carried out against Him and their fellow humans.

All Christian churches agree that the Ten Commandments are important, BUT they teach that these Ten Laws no longer apply to Christians today. They especially believe that the 4th commandment doesn’t apply because Christians are under the New Covenant.  

Again, according to the Bible, the Ten Commandments were written by the very finger of God on two blue sapphire stone tablets, (Exodus 31:18).  After 40 days when Moses came down from the mountain, he smashed these tablets to pieces when he became enraged at the sight of the Israelites worshiping a golden calf. (Exodus 32:19)  Subsequently God destroyed those rebels, BUT God then had Moses chisel out two more stone tablets and go back up Mount Sinai where He (God) wrote these same ten laws in stone again!  Think about it:  Why would God have done this if it wasn’t really important to Him?  And why did Jesus’ disciples and all the new converts to Christianity in the first century obey these commandments after he ascended to heaven? 

If we are going to disregard God’s laws, certainly they wouldn’t be the very Laws written by God’s own finger.  Remember, the saints who enter the kingdom of God are those who “keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).   Jesus faithfully followed all of God’s laws, including the Ten Commandments. And we are commanded to imitate Jesus.  If something as important as the Ten Commandments were changed, at any point in time, even by Jesus or by the smallest amount, don’t you think it would be crystal clear in the scriptures?  I mean, God took considerable time to write these laws in stone? Is it easy to alter or delete what’s written in stone?  No!  Isn’t the whole Bible necessary for true believers today? Or do we just get to pick and choose for ourselves which of God’s laws we’ll obey?  God’s Spirit will never have us do anything that contradicts His Word.  Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  And His Word is our final authority!  

So What’s the Problem?

Many people today aren’t looking for the truth because they don’t really want the truth.   Instead they look for easy and comfortable religious doctrines that will allow them to live the way they want and still give them the assurance of being saved.  Many people believe and actually SEEK to prove that the Ten Commandments were nailed with Jesus to the cross.  But can’t you see Satan working here?  Why would anyone who really loves God want to abolish any of His laws…unless they just don’t want to obey them?   It all boils down to a heart-issue.  If we really love God with ALL of our heart, we won’t look for ways to get around obeying His Laws.  We’ll exert great effort to obey God in all we think, feel, say and do!

“Then Samuel said: Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22 CSB)

Moreover, the Bible says that we don’t need anyone to teach us.  “And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, remain in Him.”  (1 John 2:27 NASB)

What did Jesus say about those who do not keep his commandments?  “Whoever says, “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,  (1 John 2:4 ESV)

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them….  (Romans 10:1-5 ESV)

We should always examine ourselves to make sure that our zeal for God isn’t misplaced but is according to the knowledge He has given us.  We need to make sure we are not seeking to establish our own righteousness or someone else’s. 

We see from the witness of the Bible, that there are distinctively two beings in hierarchy above everything.  But there is a rank among these two, and there is only one supreme God who is not divisible by parts or divided by three.

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (1 Corinthians 8:6)

Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)

And when all things shall be subdued unto him (God), then shall the Son (Jesus) also himself be subject unto him (God) that put all things under him (Jesus), that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:28)

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:6)

Jesus said unto her, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knows that I lie not. (2 Corinthians 11:31)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3)

And this is life eternal, that they might know you,  the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. (Ephesians 1:17)

But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3)

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:6)

Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that see me sees him that sent me. (John 12:44, 45)

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31)

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. (John 20:21, 22)

Do you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (John 14:10)

He that loveth me not keeps not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. (John 14:24)

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)

He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5)

YES, it is!  Because if you don’t know who or what you worship, that’s a problem!

Throughout the Old Testament the Sabbath and the temple were always regarded by the Jews with great importance.  Nothing was greater than the temple except the God who was worshiped in it.  When Jesus came to his own, they wanted to kill him because they thought he had profaned the Sabbath and wanted to destroy the temple.  But Jesus said to them:

“I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the temple.” (Matthew 12:6 NLT)

Because the Jews failed to recognize the importance of Jesus’ identity and instead chose to continue holding on to their traditions, they killed the Chosen One AND lost their position as the chosen ones.  Because they rejected him, God rejected them.  Their temple and their Sabbath keeping became worthless.  

“Listen carefully: your house is left to you desolate [completely abandoned by God and destitute of His protection].”  (Matthew 23:38 AMP)  

Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun.  Today we see the same things being repeated.  The identity of our God AND our Savior has been replaced with an unscriptural, unreasonable and illogical philosophical idea called the Trinity.  

The Son of God, in whom is eternal life, salvation and redemption (John 10:36, 5:18; Acts 9:20, 5:42; John 3:16; Mark 14:62; Matthew 3:17, 16:16, 17:5, 27:54; Luke 8:28) has been replaced with God the Son (no verses).

The Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2; Matthew 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:11, 3:16, 6:16; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:9; etc… has been replaced with God the Spirit (no verses)

The indwelling of Christ (2 Corinthians 13:5; Galatians 2:20, 4:6: Ephesians 3:17; Colossians 1:26, 27) has been replaced with the indwelling of God the Spirit (no verses).

I find it alarming that when Christ knocks on the hearts of his people today, wanting to reveal his true identity, he is pushed away under the guise of “NOT Important” and “NOT Salvational”.

Today people choose to hold on to their traditions thinking that their denomination, their temple or their Sabbath-keeping is more important than the ONE worshiped in the temple and to whom they keep the Sabbath.  John says:

“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”  (1 John 5:11, 12 NKJV)

Eternal life and salvation is not found in your denomination or your Sabbath-keeping.  It is not found in god the son or god the holy spirit.  It is in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the righteous. 

So is the godhead issue salvific?  My answer is, look at the Jews. What happened to them when they got the identity of their Messiah wrong?  What happened to them when they refused to accept Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, the Son of God?  

The identity of the God you worship IS salvational.  

Jesus said: “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God AND Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”  (John 17:3 NKJV)

According to Jesus, eternal life is based on knowing and having a relationship with only TWO beings, God & His Son. How can you have a relationship with God if you don’t know who He is?  How can you have a relationship with Jesus if you’re not sure who he is to begin with? 

The issue in these last days is not over the Sabbath, the issue is over the God of the Sabbath. The trinity denies the supremacy of the Father and it denies Sonship of Christ. It gives you another Jesus than the one presented in the Bible.  It  gives you another spirit than the one Jesus promised to send, which is his Spirit, (his person).  

The trinity doctrine is the fulfillment of the deception of which Paul wrote:  

“For [you seem willing to allow it] if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or  different gospel from the one you accepted, you tolerate all this beautifully [welcoming the deception].”  (2 Corinthians 11:4 AMP)

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find help in the time of need.”  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

If you’re like me, you may have read this passage many times, but God has helped me to better understand what it means.  And what stands out to me is that Jesus was “in all points tempted as we are”.  

In the past I was never really sure if Jesus was really fully a human being; like us.  However, the Bible plainly states that Jesus was born with the same flesh we have, yet he never sinned.  And if Jesus WASN’T completely human then he couldn’t possibly sympathize with my feelings or the true feelings of any other human.  

Since the Bible is completely truthful, Jesus must have dealt with the same temptations we have; like being tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread when he was hungry after fasting 40 days. It must also be true that, at times, Jesus was tempted with human sexual desires, like we have. After all, he was a real man with testosterone flowing through his body.  Can you imagine Jesus being tempted to haul off and punch someone in the face for the blasphemous things being said about him; or being tempted to have what Satan offered him, wealth, splendor and earthly glory.  Jesus faced real temptations, just like us.  And consider this, after Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan left him ONLY to return at another convenient time…(convenient time for whom?…Satan!). 

I believe since Jesus was “tempted in all points as we are” that he had the same feelings we have.  But the point the scripture brings out is that Jesus NEVER gave into his temptations; He overcame them!  And the good news is, we can, too!

This is why we need Christ to live in us.  “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)

God gave the solution in Christ Jesus to our pervasive and insidious human weaknesses.  We can boldly approach God’s throne and receive help from our Almighty God, Yahweh, just as Jesus did.  Jesus was always praying to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God. (John 20:17)  Jesus relied on the only true God to help him remain faithful throughout all of his temptations. (John 17:3) And Jesus is the one who teaches us how to rely on our Holy God to help us to be faithful, too.

 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”  (Ephesians 1:3).  

Sinful humans can now enjoy the benefits of all that Jesus has accomplished for us, because we are in Him. And this verse adds another extraordinary aspect. Not only are we “in Christ,” but Christ is also in us: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

God wants to make this known among all the nations: The good news He desires to reveal is glorious and rich: “the riches of the glory of this mystery.”   A biblical mystery is something that can only be revealed by God. The mysteries of the Bible cannot be discovered or understood by intellectual investigation or by personal experience. God Himself must make His mysteries known.  And here, the great mystery God wants to reveal to all humankind is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

We are grateful that the Son of God is willing to come and dwell within us to assure us of making it to glory (heaven) when he returns.  Christ wants to reside at the very core of our being: “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (Ephesians 3:17) And Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1)

As we trust in Jesus, He is living in, and working through, our hearts.  And we can have the faith of Jesus.  “…the righteousness of God… by [the] faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all those who believe” (Romans 3:22).  Jesus has strong faith in his Father, and our God and Father is worthy of our complete confidence.  When Christ lives in us, we can overcome sin just as he did.  Jesus Christ gives us the power from God and Christ becomes our righteousness!  

“Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God.  In Christ, we are made right with God, have been made holy, and have been set free from sin.  (1 Corinthians 1:30)   Jesus is the only basis of our acceptance by God.  God clothes us with the perfect righteousness of His Son.  The only way we can conquer sin is for Christ to live in us. 

Consider these verses:

“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in Me and I in you.  (John 14:20)

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

“I in them and you in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”  (John 17:23)

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”  (Ephesians 3:17-19)

“The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in Him.  We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”  (1 John 3:24)  ~~ and that Spirit is Christ! 

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”  (Revelation 3:20)

Why not pray this prayer to God ~ 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path to everlasting life.”   (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT)

Do you have a zeal for God?  I believe all true followers of Jesus do.  However, many people have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge. What does it mean to have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge?  

Knowledge is understanding while zeal is intense excitement or emotion for a person or a cause, in other words, to be on fire.  Zeal without knowledge is like running, but running in the dark; it’s excitement without understanding.  This kind of zeal caused the death of Christ.  Jesus didn’t die because he was a criminal; he never violated the laws of God or man.  But sometimes Jesus violated human tradition.  When a person lacks spiritual understanding but has zeal, they end up promoting everything from legalism to religious terrorism.  Worse still, if the person continues living as an ignorant zealot, they will remain alienated from Christ Jesus and on the path of destruction.

Jesus had zeal according to knowledge because he knew his God.  

“One day when Jesus went to the God’s temple in Jerusalem, he found people selling oxen, sheep and doves and he found the money changers sitting there.  He made a whip out of cords, and drove everyone out of the sheep and temple. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables.  He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here!  Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace.  And his disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:13-17 CSB)

The Pharisees also had a zeal for God and His Law, but they couldn’t see the difference between God’s law and their human tradition.  Human traditions are never equal with God’s law.  Those leaders failed to see that Jesus was the promised Messiah, even though the Holy Writings prophesied his coming fifteen centuries before.  The Jewish leaders wanted to avoid God sending them into exile a second time, so those who returned from exile emphasized the study and practice of God’s law.  This was commendable but they instituted a system of legalist rules.  Many of these leaders became preoccupied with only keeping the right rules and didn’t practice mercy.  They justified themselves before men; made showy displays of their works and claimed to be righteous.  Jesus told those misguided men that they had overstepped the commands of God in order to keep the doctrine of men.  “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”  (Romans 10:3 ESV)   They believed their own pursuit of righteousness was a valid reason for God to declare them as just.  But true zeal for God is based on knowledge of God’s righteousness and will, which is gained by faith in His Son. 

Jesus showed that a person’s zeal can be misdirected or founded in misunderstanding.  Before Saul became a believer in Christ, he was so zealous for God that he persecuted the true followers of Christ.  He really believed he was doing what God wanted.  Saul thought he was passionately serving God but Jesus showed him that he was actually persecuting the one he claimed he loved.  Jesus literally called out to him saying  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me.” (Acts 26: 12-23 CSB)

Paul affirms that Israel can continue to be God’s chosen people, but not because of their fleshly bloodline.  The Jews, as the Gentiles, had to accept Jesus as the Messiah upon the conditions that God established.   

Jesus spoke some of the saddest words in Scripture to the Laodecian church: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were either cold or hot. But because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15, 16 NKJV).  

The Laodicean church knew what was right; they had enlightenment, but they had no excitement, no zeal.  And Jesus is telling them and us, “I wish you were altogether for Me or against Me. I would rather you be completely cold or hot, than lukewarm.”  The person who makes no profession of following Jesus would do less harm to the cause of Christ than the person who says they follow Christ but has no real interest in doing his will.  This is knowledge without zeal. 

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 NKJV). 

It’s absolutely essential that our service to God comes from an honest and sincere heart.  But is honesty and sincerity enough?  Is God obligated to accept our worship just because we are sincere? 

Many people are sincere in their convictions and beliefs but God tries to help us understand from Romans chapters 9 through 11 ,which deals with the unbelief of the Jewish nation as a whole, that sincerity isn’t enough.  Paul goes on to tell us that not all who are physical Israelites are the true Israelites.  The Bible says that the true nation of Israel is a spiritual nation. And to belong to this nation, we must know the correct way to God and keep all of His Commandments.  After having discovered what is right, we must have enough interest in it to continue walking in it.  

“This is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent, ― Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3 CSB)   We owe it to ourselves and to God to search His Word and allow His Spirit teach us what is right.  And once we’re on the road to life, we must:

“Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully guard the path for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.  Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot away from evil.”  (Proverbs 4:25-27)