Still my name in that book.
My family were the Magh/Magho, Magho Radji, Moguls
Panembahan Tulung Agung wrote:
>
> One of David's most beautiful prayers is recorded in Psalm 43:3. "O send
out
> thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy
holy
> hill, and to thy tabernacles."
> This same earnest petition to understand God's Word should be in
the
> heart of every sincere seeker for truth. A willingness to learn and to
obey
> must characterize all of those who expect to be enlightened by the Holy
> Spirit. To such, the beautiful promise of the beatitude will be
fulfilled.
> "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they
> shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).
> But it does no good to pray for the truth if we have no intention
to
> obey it when God answers our prayer. One of the greatest favors God can
> bestow upon us is to give knowledge of His Word. And the most
presumptuous
> thing anybody can do is to pray for an understanding of God's will and
then
> refuse to obey, for any reason whatsoever, when the answer comes.
> Many people are guilty of pulling the Bible down to match their
poor,
> weak experience, instead of bringing their experience up to meet the
> requirements of the Word. There is only one great decisive test of
truth,
> and that is the Bible. Every religious thought, every book we read, and
> every sermon we hear should be measured by the infallible rule of the
> inspired Scriptures. It does not matter what we were taught as children,
or
> what the majority is following, or what our emotions lead us to think or
> believe. Those factors are invalid as a test of absolute truth. The
ultimate
> question must be answered: What does the Word of God say on the subject
> Some people think that if they are sincere in what they believe,
God
> will accept them and save them. However, sincerity alone is not enough.
One
> can be sincere, and be sincerely wrong. I remember driving to West Palm
> Beach, Florida, several years ago. At least I thought I was going there.
It
> was night, and I had not seen any road signs for quite awhile. Suddenly
my
> car lights picked up a sign that read, "Belle Glade 14 miles."
Heartsick, I
> realized that I was traveling in the opposite direction from West Palm
> Beach. I was on the wrong road. No one could have been more sincere than
I
> was that night, but I was sincerely wrong. Now, I could have continued
down
> the road saying that somehow, somewhere up ahead I might find West Palm
> Beach. Instead, I turned the car around and went back to the place where
I
> took the wrong turn and got on the right road leading to West Palm
Beach.
> That was the only right thing to do.
>
> Chapter Two
> Closed Minds and Majority Rule
>
> God's Word has a lot to say to those who are willing to be
corrected.
> The people to be the most pitied are those who have closed minds. They
will
> resist any information that varies from their personal views. Their
minds
> are made up, and they don't want to be bothered by the facts. This is
> especially true concerning the subject of the Sabbath.
> Multitudes have inherited opinions about the day to be observed
weekly,
> and they find it very difficult to look objectively at any other
viewpoint.
> Many of them know that one of the Ten Commandments requires the keeping
of
> the seventh day of the week. They also know that the seventh day is
> Saturday. Yet they tenaciously follow the tradition of observing a
different
> day from the one God commanded. They wor****p on Sunday, the first day of
the
> week, for which there is no biblical command.
> Why do they do it Most Sunday keepers have simply accepted the
practice
> of the religious majority in the community where they were raised;
assuming
> that it has to be right because so many are doing it. Is this a safe
> assumption Has the majority usually been right in religious matters
> The Bible clearly answers these questions in the negative. Every
> available source of information reveals that in religious matters, at
least,
> the majority has always been wrong. Jesus Himself said, "And as it was
in
> the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man"
(Luke
> 17:26). Only eight people went into the ark to be saved from the flood.
> Christ taught that only a comparable few would be saved at the end of
the
> world. Said He, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate,
and
> broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which
go in
> thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth
> unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:13, 14).
> It is very true that the great majority of Christians today,
including
> many famous evangelists and theologians, are keeping Sunday instead of
the
> seventh-day Sabbath. That fact alone should not over impress
anyone.Taken by
> itself, in the light of Christ's words, it should raise a flag of
warning.
> Truth has never been popular with the m*****. And those in the majority
> today, as in all past ages, are not really looking for truth as much as
they
> are looking for a smooth, easy, comfortable religion that will allow
them to
> live as they want to live.
> What, then, should be the test of the Sabbath truth Just one thing,
and
> one thing only-the Word of God. Unfortunately, millions have never
studied
> the Bible for themselves on this subject. I propose that we test the
> Sunday-keeping practice of this majority group and find out if it is
> correct. If it is biblical, then all of us should accept it and
faithfully
> keep every Sunday. If the Scriptures do not sup****t it, then we should
> diligently search the Word until we find the day that our Lord has
endorsed
> for us to keep.
> The most honest way I know to approach this subject is to take a
look
> at absolutely everything that the Bible says about the first day of the
> week. There are only eight texts in the New Testament that refer to
Sunday,
> and by carefully studying these verses we can be certain that all the
> evidence for consideration is before us. If there is any biblical
authority
> for keeping the first day of the week, it will have to be found in one
of
> these verses.
> Are we willing to face the consequences of this kind of exhaustive
> study Here is where our prejudice will be tested! Can we open our minds
> completely to whatever this objective search reveals These are not trick
> questions. Personally, I do not care which day is found to be the
Sabbath.
> If the Bible teaches it, I will gladly keep Monday, Thursday, Friday, or
> Sunday. Long ago, I decided to be a Christian and to follow the Word of
God
> wherever it would lead, regardless of my feelings. It makes no
difference to
> me which day I keep holy, as long as it is the one commanded in the
Bible! I
> hope you feel the same way as we begin our examination of every single
> reference in the New Testament that mentions the first day of the week.
>
> Chapter Three
> Resurrection on Sunday
>
> Let's begin with the first Gospel. Matthew writes, "In the end of
the
> sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary
> Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre" (Matthew 28:1). Here
we
> have some very interesting proof that the Sabbath could not possibly be
the
> first day of the week. According to this recordthe Sabbath was ending
when
> the first day was beginning. They are two successive days. Based on
> Scripture no one could truthfully call Sunday the Sabbath. It would be
both
> confusing and unbiblical.
> The substance of Matthew's testimony is simply that the women came
at
> dawn on the day following the Sabbath and found that Jesus was already
> risen. This harmonizes perfectly with the next Gospel, which adds a few
more
> details. Notice that Mark equates the dawn with "the rising of the sun."
He
> wrote, "And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the
mother
> of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and
> anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week,
they
> came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among
> themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the
> sepulchre" (Mark 16:1-3).
> These parallel Gospel accounts clear up a common misconception that
has
> arisen over the meaning of Matthew's words "as it began to dawn toward
the
> first day of the week." Some have interpreted this to be just before
sundown
> on Saturday evening. Since the Hebrew reckoning would establish the end
of
> the Sabbath at sunset, they assume that the women came just before the
first
> day was ushered in at sundown.
> Here we see the value of comparing text with text. Mark's words
make it
> impossible to hold the view that the women came Saturday night and found
the
> tomb empty. He lists the very same women as coming at sunrise Sunday
> morning, but they were asking the question, "Who shall roll us away the
> stone" Obviously, if they had been there the night before and discovered
an
> empty tomb, they would have known that the stone was already removed
from
> the door. Thus, we can understand clearly that Matthew's "dawn" is
referring
> to the early morning visit at sunrise on Sunday morning.
> The third New Testament reference to the first day is a simple
> narrative statement in Mark 16:9, "Now when Jesus was risen early the
first
> day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had
> cast seven devils." Little comment is needed here, because the verse is
only
> repeating the same story of the resurrection early on Sunday morning.
The
> im****tant thing to note is that nothing is said in any of these texts
about
> the first day of the week being holy. There is no intimation of anyone
> observing the day in honor of the resurrection.
>
> Chapter Four
> Locating the True Sabbath
>
> One of the most complete word pictures of resurrection events is
found
> in the Gospel of Luke, and here we read the fourth reference to the
first
> day of the week. "This man (Joseph of Arimathaea) went unto Pilate, and
> begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen,
and
> laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before
was
> laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on" (Luke
> 23:52-54).
> Before reading further, let us carefully examine the inspired
> description of this crucifixion day. The vast Christian majority agrees
that
> these events transpired on the day we now call Good Friday. Here it is
> called the "preparation" day, because it was a time for making special
> arrangements for the approaching Sabbath. In fact, the text states very
> simply "the sabbath drew on." This means that it was coming up next.
> What else happened on that day Jesus died "And the women also,
which
> came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre,
and
> how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and
ointments;
> and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment" (Verses 55,
56).
> During the rest of that fateful Friday, the devoted women bought
the
> anointing materials and made further preparation for their Sunday
morning
> visit to the tomb. Then, as the Sabbath was ushered in at sunset, they
> "rested the sabbath day according to the commandment." This identifies
that
> holy day as the specific weekly Sabbath of the Ten Commandments and not
the
> Passover or some other feast-sabbath that could have fallen on any day
of
> the week.
> The next verse tells what the women did on the day following the
> Sabbath. "Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning,
> they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had
prepared,
> and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from
the
> sepulchre" (Luke 24:1, 2).
> First, we notice that the women came to do their regular labor on
the
> day of the resurrection. Modern churches refer to that particular first
day
> of the week as Easter Sunday. There can be no doubt that Jesus was
raised
> sometime during the dark hours of that early morning. In none of the
Gospel
> recitals do we have any evidence that the women, or anyone else,
attached
> any sacredness to the day on which the resurrection took place.
> Luke's account of that eventful weekend proves beyond any question
that
> the true seventh-day Sabbath can still be precisely located. He
describes
> the sequence of events over three successive days-Friday, Saturday, and
> Sunday. Jesus died on the preparation day, and the Sabbath was
approaching.
> Christians now refer to it as Good Friday. The next day was the Sabbath
> "according to the commandment." Since the commandment plainly designates
> that "the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord," that Sabbath had to
be
> Saturday.
> It is very interesting to note that Jesus rested in the tomb on the
> Sabbath from His work of redemption, just as He had rested from His work
of
> creation on the Sabbath.
> On the day following the Sabbath, Jesus rose. Today it is referred
to
> as Easter Sunday, but the Bible designates it "the first day of the
week."
> In the light of these indisputable, historical facts to which all
> Christianity subscribes, no one can plead ignorance of the true Sabbath.
It
> is the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Luke's record is such
a
> perfect chronological account of those three days that even the most
simple
> and uneducated can locate the biblical seventh day on our modern
calendar.
> Now we are prepared to examine the fifth New Testament statement
> concerning Sunday. "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene
early,
> when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away
> from the sepulchre" (John 20:1). There is very little new information in
> John's description of the resurrection. Like all the other writers he
gives
> no indication whatsoever that the first day of the week was ever counted
> holy or kept holy by anyone. So far, the significant common thread in
all
> the Gospel stories has been a total absence of such evidence.
>
> Chapter Five
> For Fear of the Jews
>
> John mentions the "first day" again in the same chapter, and this
has
> often been misinterpreted as a reference to Sunday wor****p. "Then the
same
> day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were
shut
> where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and
> stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you" (John
20:19).
> Even though this gathering behind locked doors took place on the
same
> day as the resurrection, was it a special commemoration of that event
The
> cir***stances make it impossible for such to be the case. The text
plainly
> states that they were gathered there "for fear of the Jews." The
frightened
> disciples had already learned that the tomb was empty, and they expected
> shortly to be charged with stealing away the body of Jesus. They huddled
> together in the locked room for protection and reassurance.
> The fact is that they did not believe Christ had been resurrected
from
> the dead. Mark's account reveals that they totally rejected the
testimony of
> Mary and the other disciples who brought word of actually seeing the
> resurrected Lord. "And she went and told them that had been with him, as
> they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive,
and
> had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another
form
> unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they
went
> and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he
> appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with
their
> unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed notthem which had
seen
> him after he was risen" (Mark 16:10-14).
> Based on these words, we must quietly pass over that embarrassing
> Sunday afternoon meeting in the closed room. It was not an occasion of
> unrestrained joy over the resurrection, as some have ****trayed it. In
fact,
> there was not even any recognition on the part of the disciples that a
> miracle had taken place. They were fearful, depressed, and unbelieving.
When
> Jesus appeared to them He spoke words of strong rebuke because of their
lack
> of faith and because they had rejected the testimony of their own
> companions. How misleading it is to make this a happy memorial service
> honoring the resurrection!
> Thus far, we have carefully studied six of the eight New Testament
> references without finding a single instance of Sunday observance. In
fact,
> every one of them reveals a consistent, total ignorance of any
recognition
> of the first day of the week for wor****p, prayer, rest, or honoring the
> resurrection. The Gospels were written several years after the events
> transpired, giving many op****tunities to the Holy Spirit to inspire the
> authors with the full facts. Jesus told His disciples that the work of
that
> Spirit was to "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). If first-day
> observance had been any part of truth, then the Holy Spirit would have
been
> divinely obligated to reveal it to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So
said
> our Lord.
> Now we turn to the two remaining references. If we find no evidence
in
> these texts, we will have to abandon the search, for there is nowhere
else
> to look. Paul and Luke are the final witnesses who mention the first day
of
> the week, and both of them have been grossly misrepresented in what they
> said.
>
> Chapter Six
> No Sunday-keeping in Corinth
>
> In 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2, Paul wrote: "Now concerning the
collection
> for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even
so do
> ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in
store,
> as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come .
> whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring
your
> liberality unto Jerusalem."
> Please carefully notice what the apostle said, and what he did not
say.
> Many have assumed that a religious meeting was held and a collection
plate
> passed. This is not the case. Paul was writing special appeals to the
> churches in Asia Minor, because many of the Christians in Jerusalem were
> suffering greatly for lack of food and daily necessities. Paul asked the
> church at Corinth to gather food, clothing, etc., and store it up at
home
> until he could send men to trans****t it to Jerusalem. The expression
"lay by
> him in store" in the original Greek gives the clear connotation of
putting
> aside at home. Even Sunday advocates agree to this.
> There was no service held on the first day of the week. The
gathering
> up and storing was to be done on that day. Why did Paul suggest that
this
> work be done on Sunday, and what was involved in getting it done
> First, the letter would have been shared with the church on the
Sabbath
> when they were all gathered for wor****p. The first op****tunity to do the
> work would be the next day-the first day of the week. Keep in mind that
> there was an apparent food shortage in Jerusalem, and the need was not
> primarily for money. Such famine conditions were not unusual in areas of
the
> Middle East, as Luke reminds us in Acts 11:28-30.
> The church in Rome gives a clue as to the special needs of those
> suffering Christians. "But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the
> saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a
certain
> contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased
> them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been
made
> partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto
> them in carnal things. When therefore I have performed this, and have
sealed
> to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain" (Romans 15:25-28).
> Here the apostle touches a tender spot in his eloquent appeal. The
> Roman Christians owed a great debt of gratitude to the mother church in
> Jerusalem that had sent teachers to evangelize them. Paul urges them to
> return carnal, or material, gifts in appreciation of the spiritual
truths
> received from them. What kind of gifts did Paul have in mind It is very
> interesting that he describes it as sealing to them "this fruit." The
Greek
> word used here is "karpos," which is the universal term used for literal
> fruit. It can also have the connotation of "fruits of one's labor."
> This throws light on Paul's counsel to the Corinthian Christians to
do
> their work on the first day of the week, "so that there be no gatherings
> when I come." Such work as gathering and storing up produce from garden
and
> field would certainly not be appropriate on Sabbath. In these verses,
Sunday
> is identified once again as a day for secular activities and gives no
> indication of religious observance.
>
> Chapter Seven
> Paul's Longest Sermon
>
> This brings us to the final reference that could provide any
sup****t
> for Sunday sacredness. In Luke's history of the early church, he
describes
> the dramatic farewell meeting, which Paul had with the believers in
Troas.
> Those who grasp for any tiny excuse to justify their disobedience of
God's
> commandments have grievously distorted this account in the book of Acts.
> Because it is the only record in the New Testament of a religious
meeting
> being held on the first day of the week, we should examine it with
special
> care and interest.
> The full context reveals that it was a night meeting. "And we
sailed
> away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto
them to
> Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. In addition, upon the
first
> day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul
> preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his
speech
> until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where
they
> were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man
named
> Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: . and fell down from the third
> loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and
> embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When
he
> therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked
a
> long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the
> young man alive, and were not a little comforted. And we went before to
> ****p, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had
he
> appointed, minding himself to go afoot" (Acts 20:6-13).
> There are some very unusual things about this all-night meeting in
> Troas. First, it had to be a solemn, poignant occasion for the speaker
and
> congregation, as well. In verse 25 Paul declared, "And now, behold, I
know
> that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall
see
> my face no more."
> It is obvious that this farewell meeting was held on the dark part
of
> the first day of the week. There were lights in the room, and Paul
preached
> until midnight. It is im****tant to understand the Jewish way of
reckoning
> time. Days were not counted according to the pagan Roman method, from
> midnight to midnight. In the Bible, the day begins at evening.
> Genesis describes all the days of creation week in the same
way-"The
> evening and the morning were the first day . the evening and the morning
> were the second day," etc. In other words, the evening always comes
first in
> the day.
> This explains why the Sabbath is described in these words, "It
shall be
> unto you a sabbath of rest, ... from even unto even, shall ye celebrate
your
> sabbath" (Leviticus 23:32). But when does the evening begin according to
the
> Bible "And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that
> were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils" (Mark 1:32).
Since
> the Pharisees taught that it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath, the
people
> waited until the Sabbath was over before bringing their sick to Jesus.
> Therefore, they brought them "at even, when the sun did set." Moses
wrote,
> "Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the
sun"
> (Deuteronomy 16:6).
> In Nehemiah, we are given another description of the beginning of
> Sabbath. "And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to
be
> dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and
> charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath" (Nehemiah
> 13:19). This definitely places the first moments of the Sabbath at
sunset,
> when it is beginning to be dark.
> Now we are ready to apply this sound Bible principle to the
first-day
> meeting of Paul in Troas. The night setting would require that it be
held on
> Saturday night. The Sabbath ended at sundown, and the first day of the
week
> began. Paul, who had stayed a full seven days so that he could be with
the
> people over the Sabbath, decided not to leave with the ****p on Saturday
> night. Instead, he fellow****pped all night long with the believers and
then
> walked twenty miles across the peninsula on Sunday morning to join the
boat
> at Assos.
> Incidentally, Paul's missionary companions, including Luke, who
> chronicled the highlights of the carefully scheduled voyage, manned this
> boat. It is very significant that they would not go out to sea until the
> Sabbath was over on Saturday night. Toiling at the oars and sails would
have
> been no more proper for a holy day than Paul's twenty-mile walk across
the
> isthmus on Sunday morning. Neither Paul nor his fellow travelers would
have
> indulged in those secular activities on God's holy Sabbath.
>
> Chapter Eight
> Why Eutychus Dropped Out of Church
>
> The New English Bible actually states that the meeting was held on
> Saturday night. The chief focus of the story seems to be upon the
raising of
> Eutychus from the dead after he fell out the window. The dauntless Paul,
> after ministering on Sabbath and all night Saturday night, walked twenty
> miles on Sunday morning to join his companions in Assos. They had stayed
> with the ****p as it sailed around the peninsula on Saturday night, after
the
> Sabbath was over. That long journey on foot by Paul the next day would
have
> been very inappropriate on any kind of holy day.
> Some have equated the breaking of bread with the communion service,
but
> such a view cannot be sup****ted from the Scriptures. Luke assures us
that
> those early Christians broke bread daily. "And they, continuing daily
with
> one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did
eat
> their meat with gladness and singleness of heart" (Acts 2:46).
> The Bible cannot confirm the contention that Paul celebrated the
Lord's
> Supper with the believers in the upper room. The wording seems to
indicate
> that it was a common meal they shared together. "When he therefore was
come
> up again, and had broken bread, and eaten." (Acts 20:11). Here we find
that
> eating was associated with the breaking of bread. It is unlikely that
the
> communion meal would be referred to in this manner.
> But even if that farewell meeting had included the celebration of
> Christ's suffering and death, it would not lend any credence to Sunday
> observance. We have seen from Acts 2 that bread was broken daily, and
> nowhere is the Lord's Supper linked to any particular day. It is surely
> obvious to anyone that the Troas meeting was not a regular weekly
wor****p
> service. The im****tance of that all-night session appears in the
miraculous
> raising of the young man Eutychus, and in the fact that Paul would never
see
> them again before his death. The particular time frame-all Saturday
> night-has no spiritual significance whatsoever. Luke, the careful
historian,
> does not even record any of the content of Paul's marathon sermon,
although
> he faithfully do***ents the miracle of the resurrected youth.
Apparently, it
> was the way Eutychus dropped out of church, and not the day on which it
> happened that Luke is seeking to establish.
> We have now completed an intensive examination of each one of the
eight
> New Testament references to the first day of the week. Not one of them
has
> offered the slightest evidence that Sunday was ever sanctified by God or
> celebrated by man. God's great infallible test-Book has revealed that
the
> majority is following tradition instead of truth. Millions have been
> deceived into blind adherence to an empty pagan symbol.
> I am reminded of the story of a Russian czar who took a walk one
> morning in the border area of his extensive palace grounds. There he saw
a
> soldier with a gun on his shoulder marching up and down near a deserted
> corner of the courtyard wall. He asked the soldier, who was apparently
on
> sentry duty, what he was guarding. The man replied that he was only
> following orders and did not know why he was assigned to that particular
> spot. The czar asked the captain of the guard what the soldier was
doing,
> but he had no idea either. The general in charge of the palace security
was
> consulted, but he could give no reason for the assignment. Finally, the
king
> ordered a search of the dusty military records, and the mystery was
> unfolded. Years and years before, the queen mother had planted some rose
> bushes in that corner ofthe courtyard, and a soldier had been sent to
> protect the tender plants from being trampled. Later, someone had
forgotten
> to cancel the order, and the daily sentry ritual had continued through
the
> years-soldiers with their guns, guarding nothing but an empty rose plot.
> Today there are millions of sincere Christians who are religiously
> trying to protect the sanctity of Sunday. They don't realize that there
is
> really nothing to guard. The first day of the week is just as devoid of
> holiness as the deserted courtyard of roses. Jesus said, "Every plant,
which
> my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up" (Matthew
15:13).
>
> Chapter Nine
> The Day They Kept
>
> Now that we have exhausted all possible sources for Sunday keeping
> without finding the smallest favorable evidence, let us turn to the
inspired
> history of that early church. If they did not keep the first day of the
> week, which day did they observe The book of Acts establishes a
consistent
> pattern of seventh-day Sabbathkeeping. On one occasion, Paul was
petitioned
> by the Gentiles to hold an exclusive service for them on the Sabbath.
"And
> when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that
> these words might be preached to them the next sabbath . And the next
> sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God"
> (Acts 13:42, 44).
> There are some very interesting points in these dynamic verses that
> validate the Sabbath practices of Paul and his fellow Christians. After
> preaching in the synagogue, where the Gentiles were not permitted to
enter,
> Paul was besieged by the Gentiles with an appeal to preach to them "the
next
> Sabbath." Many have charged that Paul only preached in the synagogues on
the
> Sabbath because he had a ready-made crowd of Jews to work on. This is a
> false claim. In this instance, Paul made an appointment to minister to
the
> Gentiles on the following Sabbath, and according to verse 43, many of
those
> who heard him that day were "proselytes" to the faith. This means they
were
> converts to Christianity, and Paul and Barnabas "persuaded them to
continue
> in the grace of God."
> How interesting it is that their Sabbath wor****p is spoken of in
the
> context of continuing in God's grace! Modern critics of the Sabbath try
to
> label Sabbathkeepers as legalists who are aliens to the grace of the
gospel.
> Not so the writers of the Bible, who constantly associate obedience with
> true salvation by faith.
> In Acts 16:13 we have positive proof that Paul kept the Sabbath
even
> when there was no synagogue and no Jews. He was ministering in Greece,
where
> there were only a few scattered Jews and no synagogue at all. What did
he do
> on the Sabbath "And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river
side,
> where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spoke unto the
women
> which resorted thither."
> Even with no church to attend, the apostle sought out a spot where
> religious wor****p was carried on-a place of prayer by the river-and
preached
> to those who went there. Surely, no one can fail to discern Paul's deep
> commitment to the Sabbath as we follow him in this unusual outdoor
mission.
> Just suppose this Macedonian experience had taken place on the first day
of
> the week instead of the Sabbath. Without question, it would be cited as
> absolute evidence for Sunday wor****p, and we would have to concur. But
what
> possible arguments can one present against this example of Paul in true
> Sabbathkeeping
> Again, we read about Paul's customary practice in these words, "And
> Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days
reasoned
> with them out of the scriptures" (Acts 17:2). "And he reasoned in the
> synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks" (Acts
18:4).
> Finally, we cite the great apostle's personal testimony that he
never
> kept one Sunday holy in his whole life. Just before his death, Paul made
> this emphatic statement to the Jewish leaders, "Men and brethren, though
I
> have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers,
yet
> was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans"
(Acts
> 28:17).
> Think for a moment! If Paul had ever deliberately broken the
Sabbath,
> or kept another day than the seventh, he could not have declared
truthfully
> that he had done nothing against Jewish custom. On the strength of this
> unqualified declaration by a man of unimpeachable integrity, we close
the
> search for Sunday keeping authority in the Bible. It just is not there.
> Had we been able to find it, our religious obligation would,
without
> doubt, be much easier to fulfill. We would have the sup****t and example
of
> most of the great religious institutions of the land, both Protestant
and
> Catholic.
> But we are not looking for the most popular way or the most
convenient
> way; we are looking for the Bible way. And we have found it. In all
honesty,
> we must declare that the prevailing custom of keeping a different day
from
> the one commanded in the great handwritten law of God is contrary to the
> Word which will finally judge us. No amount of popular, majority opinion
can
> annul the weighty testimony of a plain "Thus saith the Lord." We must
stand
> upon the Bible and the Bible alone for our doctrine on this subject.
> The Word of God declares, "The seventh day is the sabbath of the
Lord
> thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work" (Exodus 20:10). Until we find
> some indication in the Bible that God retracted that moral law which He
> introduced to the world with such a fanfare of power and grandeur, we
will
> accept the Ten Commandments as still relevant and binding today. God
said
> what He meant, and He meant what He said.
> Some argue that God exempts us from the fourth commandment because
it
> is impossible to keep the seventh day in the competitive, industrialized
> society in which we have to earn a living. It is undoubtedly true that
Satan
> has manipulated the economic world to the distinct disadvantage of the
> Sabbathkeeper, but Godhas never required the impossible. It is never
> necessary to break one of God's commandments for any reason.
> You may say, "But my employer requires that I work on Saturday, and
I
> can't let my family starve." The answer to that dilemma was given by our
> Lord long ago in the Sermon on the Mount. He said "But seek ye first the
> kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added
> unto you" (Matthew 6:33). The preceding verse defines "these things" as
> food, clothes, and job. Jesus is simply telling us that if there is ever
a
> conflict between obeying Him and obeying our employer, we should put Him
> first. Material considerations should never be made more im****tant than
> doing God's will.
> In every case, God honors the faith of a Christian who decides to
keep
> the Sabbath regardless of what happens to his job. Many times God works
> miracles by making special arrangements for the Sabbathkeeper. In some
> cases, He allows His children to be tested by losing their jobs, and
then
> opens up better ones in response to their faith. Nevertheless, the
"things"
> are always added when we trust Him and obey, regardless of the
> cir***stances.
> The real secret of keeping the Sabbath of the Lord is to have the
Lord
> of the Sabbath in our hearts! It is love that leads God's children to
> choose death rather than disobedience to one of His commandments. Jesus
> said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). The apostle
John
> defined love in these words, "For this is the love of God, that we keep
his
> commandments" (1 John 5:3).
> Thus, it is not so much the question of a day as it is of a way-the
way
> of obedience through love, or of disobedience through lack of love. Mark
it
> down and never forget it! Keeping the Sabbath, even the true seventh-day
> Sabbath, is an operation in futility if it does not proceed from a heart
> full of love and devotion to God. Without love, all law keeping becomes
> mechanical and miserable, but with love, every commandment becomes a joy
and
> delight. Make this kind of personal love relation****p the basis of your
> Sabbathkeeping, and it will be the happiest day of your week, for the
rest
> of your life!
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