Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000024
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01:12 Shall we bow our heads?
01:14 Our Father, what a wonderful day You have given us. 01:19 What a privilege it is to be alive 01:23 in these last days of the history of the world. 01:28 We believe that the coming of Jesus is very close, 01:31 very near. And we ask that as we study this very important 01:35 subject today that Your Holy Spirit will help us understand 01:39 so that we might choose to be on Your side 01:43 when Christ's time comes. 01:46 We thank you for hearing our prayer 01:48 for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. 01:53 I'd like to begin by mentioning something which I have 01:57 underlined previously in our studies. 02:01 And that is that when Jesus or God, because Jesus is God, 02:07 created this world 02:10 Adam and Eve were not eye- witness of the work of Jesus. 02:15 In other words, Adam and Eve saw Jesus create absolutely 02:20 nothing. The only way in which Adam and Eve could be certain 02:25 that God was the Creator 02:27 was not because they had 02:28 scientific evidence, 02:30 historical evidence, 02:32 or empirical evidence. 02:34 The only way that they 02:36 could be absolutely certain 02:38 was because they believed God's story 02:41 when He told them: "I was the Creator. " 02:45 They had to accept it by faith. 02:49 Now God put a test in the Garden of Eden 02:52 to see if they actually were willing to believe in His story, 02:57 whether they would show their loyalty to God 03:01 as their Creator and as the only true God. 03:04 And that test, of course, was a tree: 03:08 the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 03:12 Now go with me to Genesis chapter 2 and let's examine 03:16 several important details about this specific tree. 03:21 And we're going to go very quickly because 03:24 we're then going to make an application of what we study 03:27 from primarily Genesis chapter 2. 03:30 Now go with me to Genesis chapter 2 and verse 16. 03:45 Did God first give a positive command 03:49 about what they could do? Yes. 03:52 He said: "All of the trees of the garden are for your personal 03:56 consumption and for your personal, everyday use. " 04:00 But then I want you to notice that the positive command 04:03 is followed by a negative command. 04:06 It says in verse 17: 04:21 So God in this commandment begins with the positive. 04:25 He says: "You can partake and enjoy of any tree 04:29 of the garden BUT I have reserved one tree 04:33 which is off limits which you are not to partake of. 04:38 This is My tree... you are not to use it 04:42 for your own personal use. " 04:46 Positive command... negative command. 04:49 "All the trees you can use except for this one. " 04:53 Now I want you to notice where this tree was located 04:57 in the garden. 04:58 Go with me to Genesis chapter 3 05:01 and let's read verses 2 and 3. 05:03 Genesis 3 and verses 2 and 3. It says: 05:30 Where was the tree which tested the faith of Adam and Eve 05:35 in God as their Creator? 05:36 It was in the center of the garden. 05:40 And so you have a positive command, 05:43 a negative command, and you have the test in the middle. 05:48 Now let me ask you: who chose the tree from which 05:51 Adam and Eve were not supposed to eat? 05:53 Did God tell Adam and Eve: "Now Adam and Eve, 05:57 I'm going to allow you to eat from all of the trees of the 05:59 garden but I want you to reserve one tree 06:03 especially for Me. 06:04 Now you choose which one you don't want to eat from. " 06:07 Is that the way it worked? 06:09 No! Who chose the tree? 06:11 God chose the tree. 06:13 Was God serious about that particular tree? 06:17 Or did God really care? Would He accept Adam saying: 06:20 "Well, Lord, you know I chose not to eat from that tree 06:23 over there instead of the one that You specified. " 06:26 No... God was dead serious. 06:28 God chose the tree and God is the One who said 06:32 "From this tree you will not eat. " 06:35 Now as you read the story about this tree in the book of Genesis 06:39 you get absolutely no impression that this tree was any different 06:43 than any other tree. 06:44 We're not told that the tree was taller; 06:47 that it was surrounded by a glorious light; 06:51 or that the fruit of this tree was different from the fruit 06:54 of any other tree. 06:56 In its outward appearance, we get the impression from the 06:59 story that it looked just like every other tree. 07:03 But what set this tree apart from all of the other trees 07:07 was not its external appearance. 07:10 What set it apart is the fact that God had specified 07:14 that Adam and Eve were not supposed to use 07:17 this particular tree. 07:21 Now let me ask you: to whom did this tree belong? 07:25 It belonged to God. 07:27 How many of the trees of the garden incidentally 07:29 belonged to God? 07:31 Do you believe that all of the trees belonged to God? 07:33 You notice for example Psalm 24 and verse 1. It says: 07:38 "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. " 07:43 In other words, everything on planet earth 07:46 belonged to the Lord. 07:47 ALL of the trees of the garden belonged to the Lord. 07:51 But let me ask you: did this particular tree 07:54 belong to the Lord in a special sense 07:57 over and above all of the other trees? 07:59 Obviously yes. 08:01 All of the trees were God's, 08:03 but this tree was God's in a special sense. 08:07 It was not to be used by Adam and Eve. 08:11 Now what was the purpose of this tree? 08:14 As we read Genesis 3 we discover that the purpose 08:18 was to give Adam and Eve the opportunity to recognize 08:23 by not eating from the tree 08:25 that the Creator was the true God 08:29 and that they were creatures. How do we know that? 08:31 Go with me to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 5. 08:35 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 5. 08:39 Here we find the devil speaking to Eve. 08:42 And he says this: 08:59 What is the devil trying to get Eve to think? 09:02 That she doesn't have to be creature. That she can be what? 09:07 God. And when it says "like God" 09:10 you know the King James version says "you shall be like gods" 09:14 in plural. The Hebrew word is Elohim... 09:17 the same words that's used in Genesis 1 verse 1 09:19 where it says: "In the beginning God created the heavens and 09:22 the earth. " The word should be translated in the singular. 09:25 The devil is saying: "You will be like God. " 09:28 In other words: "You will be God. " 09:29 In other words, the purpose of the tree 09:32 was to test Adam and Eve to see if they recognized that 09:35 they were creatures and that there was only one true God. 09:40 The tree was a sign, a test that God gave them, 09:44 to prove that they believed that He was the true God 09:47 and that they were creatures. 09:50 Of course, Genesis chapter 3 and verse 13 09:54 after Eve ate from the tree 09:57 she complains to God and she says: 10:11 Now we talked about deception in one of our previous lectures. 10:14 Let me ask you: what do you have to do 10:16 in order to deceive someone? 10:18 You have to lie. 10:20 But what kind of lie do you have to tell in order for that 10:23 lie to deceive? It has to be a lie 10:27 which is very close to what? To the truth. 10:30 And by the way, the counterfeit always comes after the genuine 10:36 in time. I want you to remember this 10:39 because we're going to come back to it. 10:41 Eve complains: "He deceived me. " 10:44 Deception is very close to the truth 10:48 and deception always comes after the truth in time. 10:52 And then I want you to notice what the consequence was 10:56 for them eating from this tree which gave them the opportunity 11:00 to show that they believed that God was the true God 11:03 and the only Creator. 11:05 In Genesis chapter 3 we find these words 11:09 about the consequence of their actions. 11:12 Genesis chapter 2 actually 11:14 and let's read verse 17. 11:28 What would be the consequence of disrespecting the tree 11:31 of the Creator? Death. 11:34 Now let's review what we've studied. 11:36 One: God gives a positive command. 11:38 "You can eat of all the trees of the garden. " 11:40 Second: He gives a negative command. 11:42 "Of this specific tree you shall not eat. " 11:44 The tree which tested Adam and Eve was in the very middle 11:48 of the garden. God chose the tree 11:50 from which they were not supposed to eat. 11:52 And God was serious about that 11:54 particular specific tree. 11:56 Furthermore, that tree 11:58 showed no evidence of being 11:59 different from any other tree 12:01 in its outward appearance. 12:03 The only thing that made it 12:04 different is that God had set it 12:07 apart from all of the 12:08 other trees. 12:10 Furthermore, we notice that God 12:12 owned all of the trees of the 12:14 garden, but He owned this tree 12:16 in a special sense. 12:18 The purpose of the tree was to test Adam and Eve 12:21 to see if they recognized 12:22 the Lord as their only God and as their Creator. 12:27 And we notice that the devil deceived Eve 12:31 and as a consequence the Bible tells us 12:34 that because they broke God's commandments they were 12:38 sentenced... sentenced to die. 12:42 Now why have I gone through all of this... 12:44 all of this material as we begin our study today? 12:49 Because we're going to find that God has given another test 12:55 to the world today and particularly to Christians. 12:59 Now before we go and speak about that test 13:02 let me ask you: do we have any more proof today 13:06 that God was the Creator than Adam and Eve had 13:09 in the Garden of Eden? 13:11 Do we have any empirical proof that God was the Creator? 13:14 Do we have any scientific proof that God was the Creator? 13:19 Do we have any historical proof that God was the Creator? 13:23 No! 13:24 In fact, in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 3 13:27 it says: "By faith we understand 13:31 that the worlds were formed by the word of God. 13:35 The things which are seen were formed from that which 13:38 does not appear or from that which cannot be seen. " 13:41 So in Hebrews 11 we are told that the only reason 13:44 we can know that God was the Creator today 13:47 is because God says that He was the Creator in His holy Word. 13:51 We did not see it. We were not eyewitnesses to it. 13:55 We must accept it by faith. 13:58 Now let me ask you: has God given a test 14:02 for us to show whether we believe that He is the Creator 14:05 or not? Yes He has. 14:08 Now go with me to Exodus chapter 20 and let's notice 14:12 some very interesting things here. 14:14 Exodus chapter 20, and I would like to read verses 8 and 9 14:19 first of all. Exodus chapter 20 and verses 8 and 9. 14:24 It says here: 14:29 Now notice that we have a positive command first. 14:37 Did you catch that? 14:43 What is God saying? He's giving a positive command 14:46 He's saying: "Every weekday is... " What? 14:51 "For your own personal use. " 14:54 But now notice that that is followed by a negative command. 14:58 Notice Exodus chapter 20 and verse 10. 15:02 "But... " Do you remember that little word in Genesis 2? 15:26 So God has given a command which is positive: 15:31 "Every day of the week is for your own personal use 15:36 but there is one particular day that is off limits to you. " 15:42 And so the fourth commandment has a positive command 15:45 and it has a negative command. 15:49 Now let me ask you this: where is the fourth commandment 15:54 found in the law of God? 15:56 Do you know that somebody once counted the number of syllables 16:00 that are found in the Ten Commandments in the Hebrew. 16:04 And that person discovered that the Sabbath commandment 16:07 is in the exact center of the law of God. 16:10 It comes with the same number of syllables before 16:14 and after the 4th commandment. 16:16 In other words, the Sabbath commandment is found 16:19 in the heart of the law of God 16:21 just like the tree was found in the heart of the Garden of Eden. 16:27 Now allow me to amplify this point just a little bit. 16:32 Archaeologists several years ago were digging 16:36 in... in a place called Ugarit in Canaan. 16:42 And in Ugarit they unearthed some tablets... 16:46 some very interesting tablets of clay. 16:51 Now I want to tell you a few things about these tablets. 16:54 They were actually covenants between a great king 17:00 and a lesser king. 17:02 I want you to remember that: they were covenants 17:05 that a greater king was making with a lesser king. 17:09 The covenant was on tablets as I mentioned. 17:13 The tablets were written on both sides. 17:18 Now in the PowerPoint presentation we have pictures 17:21 of several of these interesting tablets that were discovered. 17:25 They were written on both sides. 17:27 And interestingly enough, 17:30 on one side of the tablet 17:33 right in the middle of the tablet was the seal 17:38 of the king who was actually writing this covenant 17:42 for the lesser king. 17:44 Now it's interesting, of course, that this tablet 17:47 was made of clay. And when the clay was wet 17:50 the king would take his seal and he would impress the seal 17:54 right in the middle - right square center - of the tablet. 17:58 And of course, when the seal was impressed on the tablet 18:01 the writing where the seal was impressed was obliterated. 18:04 People could not read what was underneath the seal. 18:07 And that's the reason why they wrote the covenant 18:11 on the obverse side or on the back side. 18:14 You see the front side had the seal which showed 18:17 that this was an authentic covenant 18:19 and then the other side allowed people to read 18:22 the contents of this covenant specifically. 18:27 Now the interesting thing is that these covenants 18:30 in the middle in this seal contained 3 items of information 18:36 about the king who was actually giving this covenant 18:40 or forming this covenant with the lesser king. 18:42 Three items of information in the seal. 18:44 Number one: the name of the king who was making the covenant. 18:50 Number two: the territory over which 18:54 that king ruled. 18:57 And number three: the title or the office 19:01 that that king held... which in this case would be 19:05 king of such and such a location. 19:08 The name, the title, and the territory over which that king 19:13 rules or governs. 19:16 Now somebody might say: "Why are you bringing this up? " 19:21 There's a very specific reason, 19:23 and I want you to go with me to study it. 19:25 Go with me to Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 13. 19:28 Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 13. 19:32 This is going to get very interesting. 19:34 Do you know that these covenants were found in the 19:36 same general geographical area? 19:38 They were found in the Middle East 19:41 by the way where the Ten Commandments were given. 19:44 And I want you to notice the characteristics of the 19:46 Ten Commandments. Notice Deuteronomy 4:13. 19:52 It says: 20:21 Were the Ten Commandments a covenant between a great king 20:24 and His followers? Absolutely. 20:26 Were they written on tablets? Absolutely. 20:29 Now there's a detail which very few people know 20:32 and that is that the Ten Commandments were written 20:33 on both sides of the tablets. 20:36 Did you know that? 20:38 Go with me to Exodus 32. Some of you did. 20:41 Exodus 32 and verses 15 and 16. 20:44 Exodus chapter 32 and verses 15 and 16. 20:50 Notice what we're told here. 20:52 It says in verse 15: 21:15 Now the tablets were the work of Moses... 21:19 Thank you very much. "The tablets were the work 21:22 of God and the writing was the writing of God 21:27 engraved on the tablets. " 21:29 On how many places were the 21:31 tablets written? 21:33 On the front side and where? 21:35 And on the back side. 21:36 The reason why the Bible says 21:39 that the Ten Commandments were given in this way 21:41 is because that's the way in which covenants were given 21:44 at that time... which has been discovered by archaeologists 21:47 who have unearthed dozens of tablets that follow 21:51 this same pattern. Now my question is: 21:53 where would you expect to find the seal of God 21:58 in the Ten Commandments? 22:00 You would expect to find the seal of the great God 22:03 in the middle of the tablet. 22:06 Is it in the middle of the tablet? 22:08 Would you expect that seal to have the name of God, 22:13 to have the title, and His territory? 22:17 Absolutely. Go with me to Exodus chapter 20 and verse 11. 22:22 Exodus chapter 20 and verse 11. 22:26 See, God uses archaeology to show things to us. 22:29 Even the stones speak out if we don't. 22:33 Notice Exodus 20 and verse 11. It says: 23:10 By the way, this is the only one of the Ten Commandments 23:14 that has all three necessary elements of a seal. 23:18 The name of the lawgiver, His function or His office, 23:22 and the territory over which He rules. 23:27 Isn't this interesting. 23:30 Now allow me to say something about the Sabbath 23:35 and the reason why God gave the Sabbath. 23:39 Did God give the Sabbath to establish the distinction 23:42 between Himself and His creatures? 23:45 Is that what the commandment says? 23:47 "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy" 23:49 and at the end He said "The reason why is because 23:52 I made the world in... " What? "in six days 23:55 and rested the seventh therefore I commanded you 23:59 to... " What? "to rest on the seventh day 24:03 in recognition that I was... " What? 24:05 "that I was your Creator and you are the creature. " 24:10 By the way, go with me to Ezekiel 20 and verse 20 24:14 where we find this same idea. Ezekiel chapter 20 and verse 20. 24:19 Here we find some very interesting words. 24:22 You see, Israel had apostatized from God 24:24 consistently time and again. And in Ezekiel chapter 20 24:29 God is telling them about their history. 24:32 And He's going to explain the reason why He gave them 24:35 the Sabbath. Notice Ezekiel chapter 20 and verse 20. 24:40 God says: 24:41 Hallow Moses' Sabbaths... Oh, thank you. 25:04 What was the purpose of the Sabbath? 25:06 To show the distinction between the Creator and the creature. 25:09 To show that man believed that God was the Creator. 25:14 Is this the same with the tree in the Garden of Eden? 25:18 Absolutely. The tree and the day are parallel. 25:23 Now let me ask you something: 25:25 Do you suppose the devil loves the Sabbath? 25:28 Go with me to Isaiah 14 and verse 14. 25:32 I want to explain to you why the devil doesn't like the Sabbath. 25:34 Isaiah 14 and verse 14. 25:37 There's a very specific reason. 25:39 You see, the devil was not satisfied with being a creature. 25:45 What did he want to be? 25:47 He wanted to occupy the position of whom? 25:50 Of the Creator... of God. 25:53 Now what do we find in chapter 14 and verse 14? 25:59 Here Lucifer in heaven says: 26:01 "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. 26:07 I will be like the Most High. " 26:12 He's saying: "I will be... " What? "God. " 26:15 It's no coincidence that he says to Adam and Eve - 26:17 to Eve specifically - 26:19 "You will be like God. " 26:23 Because he had already done it where? 26:25 He had already done it in heaven. 26:27 He said: "I will ascend and I will be like God. " 26:30 Let me ask you: "Can the devil love the Sabbath? " 26:34 Why can't he love the Sabbath? 26:36 Because the Sabbath points to the fact that there is only 26:39 one true God, and that is the God 26:44 that created the heavens and the earth. 26:46 The Sabbath denies Satan's right to claim to be God 26:50 because the Sabbath is a sign that God is the Creator, 26:54 that God is the only true God of the universe. 26:58 And if the devil promoted the Sabbath he would definitely 27:01 be promoting God. 27:03 And so the devil said: "I have to find a sign 27:06 that points not to God but points to... " Whom? 27:10 "that points to me and my kingdom. " 27:15 Now let me ask you: who chose the Sabbath as the day of rest? 27:19 Did God say: "Folks, here's seven days. 27:23 I'm a generous God. I want you to dedicate one day 27:26 in seven to Me. You choose which. " 27:30 Lots of Christians would like to believe that. 27:32 That God said: "Any day in seven. 27:34 As long as we take one day to rest that's all right. " 27:37 Who chose the specific day that we're supposed to rest? 27:40 Notice Genesis chapter 2 and verses 2 and 3. 27:43 Genesis chapter 2 and verses 2 and 3. It says here 27:48 in Genesis 2 and verses 2 and 3 the following: 27:53 "And on the... " Notice the number of times seventh day 27:56 is used... "And on the seventh day God ended His work 28:00 which He had done. And He rested on the seventh day 28:03 from all His work which He had done. 28:05 Then God blessed the seventh day... " 28:08 I think He's trying to tell us that the Sabbath is the 7th day. 28:12 "And on the seventh day He rested 28:14 from all His works which He had done and made. " 28:18 And then it says: "He sanctified the Sabbath 28:21 and He rested on the Sabbath. " 28:22 In other words, who chose the day that He expected human 28:25 beings to keep? God chose the day just like 28:29 God chose the what? Just like God chose the tree. 28:35 Now how did the devil 28:40 try and change the Sabbath on this earth? 28:47 He needed a human instrument or a human system 28:50 in order to do it. 28:53 And that system we talked about last night. 28:57 I want to read you a few statements now... 28:59 I'm going to read you particularly one right now 29:02 but we'll be reading several of them. 29:04 This statement is from a Roman Catholic, 29:07 very reputable Roman Catholic encyclopedia 29:11 called Prompta Bibliotheca. 29:14 It's speaking about the authority of the pope 29:17 and this is what it says. 29:19 This is a Roman Catholic scholar writing: 29:21 "The pope is of so great authority and power 29:25 that he can modify, explain, 29:29 or even interpret even divine laws. 29:34 The pope can modify divine law since his power is not of man 29:40 but of God 29:42 and he acts as vice-regent of God upon earth 29:46 with most ample power of binding and loosing his sheep. " 29:52 What does the pope have the power to do? 29:55 To modify, explain, or interpret divine laws. 30:02 And then he says: "The pope can 30:04 modify divine laws. " 30:05 Do you remember what the little horn was going to 30:07 attempt to do? 30:08 He thought that he could what? 30:10 That he could change the law. 30:12 And he did it by eliminating the second commandment. 30:16 It's not in the Catechisms... you can look. 30:19 And by changing the rest day from Sabbath to Sunday. 30:23 You can check the website that I mentioned in our last lecture. 30:26 There are 16 pages of quotations from Roman Catholic 30:30 books where they openly admit that it was the Roman Catholic 30:35 church which changed the day - at least in their mind - 30:38 changed the day from Sabbath to Sunday. 30:40 Allow me to read you just one of them from a Catechism. 30:43 This is Life in Christ, instructions in the Catholic 30:46 Faith page 243. 30:49 It says this: "Why did the church change the Lord's Day 30:53 from the Sabbath to Sunday? " 30:56 Answer: "The church, using the power of binding and loosing 31:02 which Christ gave to the pope, 31:05 changed the Lord's Day to Sunday. " 31:10 And you can look in history. 31:12 Sunday was kept long before Protestants came on the scene. 31:16 Sunday was kept all the way back to the 3rd century 31:20 actually, and it did not come as a result of the study 31:25 of scripture. It came as the result of several 31:28 pressures within the Roman Empire, 31:30 anti-Judaism and other factors. 31:33 It did not come as a result of a direct command of God. 31:37 Now let me ask you this: 31:40 does the pope or does the papacy claim 31:44 that the pope is God's representative on earth? 31:48 There are statements that even say that he is God on earth. 31:51 Let me ask you: who could only be the one who could change 31:53 the law of God? 31:55 It would have to be whom? It would have to be God. 31:58 Would the devil want to use an earthly system 32:01 that claims to have God on earth to attempt to change God's law, 32:07 particularly the commandment that identified the true God? 32:11 You see, how could people ever believe that the pope 32:14 is God on earth if the pope kept the Sabbath as his sign? 32:18 What does the sign of the Sabbath point to? 32:21 It point to the fact that there is only one true God 32:25 in heaven... the Creator of the heavens and the earth. 32:29 You see, if the Roman Catholic papacy claims that the pope is 32:32 God on earth, the pope could not keep the Sabbath 32:36 because then people would say: "Now wait a minute. 32:38 You say that you have the power of God on earth 32:40 but look, the Bible says that the Sabbath points to only one 32:45 true God in heaven. " 32:47 And so did the papacy need to establish a different day 32:51 that would distract sight from God 32:54 and would attract sight to this system? 32:57 Absolutely. 32:59 Now allow me to mention something which is very very 33:02 interesting. And some people might not like what I'm going to 33:06 say now, but it's the truth. 33:08 Do you know that the observance of Sunday as the day of rest 33:13 is really idolatry? 33:16 Now you say: "Well I've been keeping Sunday. 33:18 Have I been an idolator? " 33:20 Well, perhaps not knowingly. 33:24 Let me show you what I mean. 33:26 Let me ask you: who created the sun? 33:30 Who created the sun? 33:31 God created the sun. 33:33 Did He create the sun for worship? 33:36 No. So what happens if you convert the sun 33:39 into an object of worship? What is that called? 33:41 That's called idolatry. 33:43 Now let me ask you: who made the first day of the week? 33:46 God. Did He make it for worship? 33:49 Which day did He make for worship? 33:51 The Sabbath. Did He make the first day for worship? 33:54 No. So what happens if man con- verts it into a day of worship? 33:58 What is that called? Idolatry. 34:00 It doesn't make any difference whether it's an object - 34:03 the sun - or whether it's a day. 34:06 Anything that man makes as a substitute for worship 34:10 in place of what God has established for worship 34:13 is what? It is practicing idolatry. 34:17 Now, allow me to read you some interesting statements. 34:21 See, the statements get even more interesting. 34:25 You know, Protestants believe that they are keeping Sunday 34:27 in honor of the resurrection of Jesus because the Bible 34:30 says that we're supposed to keep Sunday. 34:33 But what they don't realize is that they're really continuing 34:36 the tradition of the Roman Catholic church. 34:39 Of course, they try to find arguments from scripture. 34:41 "Yeah, Jesus resurrected the first day. " 34:43 I'm not going to argue with that. 34:45 But where does the Bible say we're supposed to keep Sunday 34:47 in honor of the resurrection? 34:49 They say: "Yes, but you know Sunday's the day that's been 34:52 kept for centuries. " Yes, but where does the Bible 34:55 say that we're supposed to keep Sunday? 34:57 The fact is that Protestants in the Protestant Reformation 35:00 did not go all the way in establishing the true day 35:04 of worship which the Bible enjoins 35:06 and which Jesus and the apostles kept. 35:08 They simply took the tradition 35:11 that came through the Roman Catholic church 35:13 and continued this as the day of worship. 35:16 Now do you want to hear what Catholics say about this? 35:19 This is what one Catholic scholar says. 35:22 Actually there's two: Reverend Leo J. Trese 35:24 and John J. Castletot. 35:28 "Nothing is said in the Bible about the change of the Lord's 35:31 Day from Saturday to Sunday. 35:34 We know the change only from the tradition of the church. 35:39 A fact handed down to us from the earliest times 35:43 by the living voice of the church. 35:46 That is why we find so illogical 35:49 the attitude of many non-Catholics who say that they 35:53 will believe nothing unless they can find it in the Bible 35:56 and yet will continue to keep Sunday as the Lord's Day 36:00 on the say-so of the Catholic church. " 36:05 Here's another one. 36:06 This one is even more meaningful. 36:09 This one is by H. Canon Cafferata. 36:13 "A word about Sunday. 36:15 God said 'Remember that thou keep the Sabbath day 36:18 holy. ' The Sabbath was Saturday not Sunday. 36:21 Why then do we keep Sunday holy instead of Saturday? " 36:26 He says: "The church altered 36:29 the observance of the Sabbath to the observance of Sunday. 36:32 Protestants who say that they go by the Bible and the Bible only 36:38 and that they do not believe anything that is not in the 36:41 Bible must be rather puzzled by keeping of Sunday 36:46 when God distinctly said 'Keep holy the Sabbath Day. ' 36:50 The word Sunday does not come anywhere in the Bible 36:55 so without knowing it they are obeying the authority 37:00 of the Catholic church. " 37:02 Here's another one. I'll read one more. 37:04 This one is from Father Enright who for many years was 37:10 teacher at the Redemptress College of America. 37:13 He's actually president of the Redemptress College of America. 37:16 He says this: "It was the holy Catholic church 37:19 that changed the day. " See, notice... "changed the day 37:22 of rest from Saturday to Sunday. " 37:24 By the way, does the prophecy of the little horn 37:26 say that the little horn would think that he could change 37:28 the law of God? 37:30 Yes! And so he says: "It was the holy Catholic church 37:35 that changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, 37:37 the first day of the week. 37:39 And it not only compelled all to keep Sunday 37:43 but urged all persons to labor on the seventh day 37:46 under pain of anathema. " 37:48 That's being accursed. 37:49 "Protestants profess great reverence for the Bible 37:53 and yet by their solemn act of keeping Sunday 37:57 they acknowledge the power of the Catholic church. 38:00 The Bible says: 'Remember the Sabbath Day 38:03 to keep it holy' but the Catholic church says 38:06 'No. Keep the first day of the week. ' " 38:09 And now notice this: 38:11 "And lo, the entire civilized world 38:15 bows down in reverent obedience 38:20 to the command of the holy Catholic church. " 38:26 Is this an important issue? 38:28 This is a very important issue. 38:31 You say: "Why is it important? " 38:34 Let me ask you: does the Sabbath look just like any other day? 38:39 Does the Sabbath have 24 hours? 38:41 Does the sun rise and set on the Sabbath? 38:45 Do you get up and go to bed on Sabbath? 38:48 Is Sabbath one of the numbers on the calendar? 38:50 You look at the Sabbath, the Sabbath looks just like 38:52 any other day. What makes 38:54 the Sabbath different? 38:56 Not its outward appearance 38:58 like the outward appearance of the tree was not different. 39:00 What makes the Sabbath 39:01 different is the fact that God 39:04 what? God set it apart. 39:07 Now I want you to imagine that in your pocket you have 39:09 two dollars. One dollar is for you to go to the market. 39:13 And you can't buy much with one dollar I realize. 39:15 One dollar to buy things at the market 39:17 and the other dollar you've set aside for tithe. 39:19 Let me ask you: do those two dollars look exactly alike? 39:24 Yes. Are they printed on paper? 39:27 Are they worth the same amount? 39:28 So they're exactly the same, right? 39:30 There's no difference between the two dollar bills. 39:33 Are they different? Sure they are. 39:36 What makes them different? 39:37 The fact that one is set apart for a holy use 39:41 and the other one is for secular use. 39:44 The Sabbath was set apart by God 39:47 not because it is different than any other day 39:50 but because God simply wanted to set it apart to test 39:56 the faithfulness of man in recognizing Him 39:59 as their Creator and as their God. 40:04 Now you say: "Pastor, does it really make any difference 40:07 which day we keep? " 40:09 If God didn't change the day and the papacy did, 40:11 whose authority are you accepting? 40:14 You know, obedience is the highest form of worship. 40:17 If you say you worship God and you disobey God 40:20 knowing that you're supposed to keep the Sabbath and you don't, 40:24 whose authority are you accepting? 40:26 You're accepting the authority of the individual who changed 40:28 the day. So the final conflict has nothing to do with 40:32 just one day vs. another day. 40:34 The issue is: whose authority do you accept? 40:38 Do you accept the authority of the true God, the Creator 40:42 who made the Sabbath and you keep the Sabbath as a sign 40:45 that you are loyal to Him 40:46 or do you keep the first day of the week, thus accepting 40:50 the authority of the power that changed the day 40:52 from Saturday to Sunday? The issue is whose authority 40:56 do you accept not which day specifically you keep. 41:01 By the way, we have a story in the Bible that shows 41:04 how serious in the mind of God it is 41:07 when we do not respect what He has made holy. 41:11 When we offer God something secular as if it was holy. 41:15 We have in Leviticus chapter 10 the story of Nadab and Abihu. 41:19 I'll tell you very quickly the story. 41:20 In Leviticus 9 it says that God rained fire from heaven 41:23 down on the altar. That was holy fire. 41:26 And God said to Israel: "I want you when you take fire - 41:29 when the priest takes fire into the sanctuary - 41:31 make sure that they use holy fire from this altar. 41:36 Not any kind of fire. This fire because this fire is holy. " 41:40 But the Bible says that Nadab and Abihu - the sons of Aaron - 41:43 they were under the influence of wine. 41:45 By the way, Babylon at the end of time is under the influence 41:47 of spiritual wine... false doctrines... 41:51 that does not allow them to think straight. 41:54 And so under the influence of wine, they actually took 41:57 common fire and they took it into the sanctuary. 42:00 Now let me ask you: if you had looked at the two fires 42:02 would they look alike? 42:04 Sure. If you analyzed the chemical properties of both, 42:07 would the chemical properties be alike? 42:09 If you put your finger in both fires, would the fire 42:12 burn your finger? Of course! 42:14 So the fires were just alike. 42:17 So what distinguished one fire from the other? 42:20 It was not its external appearance. 42:22 What distinguished the two fires was that God had said 42:26 "This fire is holy and this fire is common. 42:30 And you will present to Me holy fire. " 42:33 Of course, God isn't as particular today. 42:36 God today doesn't really mind; He doesn't care. 42:38 "Just bring Me anything. " 42:41 Did God change? The cross changed God. 42:44 He was particular before and now He's really lenient. 42:48 Come on, folks. Does God change His character? 42:51 Does God still expect us to offer Him as holy that which is 42:55 holy? Absolutely! 42:57 The Bible says that Nadab and Abihu brought in 43:00 "strange fire" the Bible says. 43:03 That means common, everyday fire. 43:06 And God said: "Oh, well thank you very much. 43:09 Fire is fire. I don't mind... " 43:10 No. The Bible says that the glory of God came up 43:13 and consumed Nadab and Abihu there 43:16 because they took common fire and they offered it to God 43:20 as if it was holy. 43:22 How do you suppose God feels when we take a common 43:25 working day and present it to God as if it were holy? 43:30 Now most Christians don't realize this. 43:32 The ministers - I might say - to a great degree are to blame 43:36 because God has given them a Bible to study 43:39 and a Bible to preach, to share with their congregations 43:42 the truth... even if it's unpopular. 43:45 Even if everybody leaves the church. 43:48 Ministers should be faithful to God and preach the truth 43:51 though the heavens fall. 43:53 Do you agree with that? 43:55 I'll tell you folks: the blood of many people are going to be 43:57 on me if I don't tell you the truth. 43:59 I might say some things that appear to be hard 44:01 and harsh... but they're the truth. 44:04 And God wants us to know them and to obey them 44:08 because the destiny of souls depends upon it. 44:10 And by the way, we find in Exodus 31 verse 15 that 44:13 God says that whoever tramples upon the Sabbath 44:17 is to be put to death. 44:18 You say: "Well, we don't put people to death anymore today. " 44:20 That's true, because Israel lived in a theocracy. 44:23 But reckoning day will come. 44:26 If we trample upon God's Sabbath knowingly and say 44:29 "I know that the Sabbath is the day I'm supposed to keep 44:32 but I'm going to go ahead and keep on keeping Sunday 44:34 because that's what my church says, that's what my minister 44:37 says, that's why my friends do, that's what my relatives do. " 44:40 If we insist on doing that, 44:42 we might not be destroyed now 44:46 but when Jesus comes it will happen. 44:50 By the way, folks, do you know what the final controversy 44:53 and the final conflict is all about? 44:55 It's not about the oil of the Middle East. 45:00 It is not the Arabs against the Jews. 45:04 It is not a war of East against West. 45:09 It is a war that has to do with two things. 45:12 Number one: worship 45:15 and number two: obedience. 45:17 You say: "How do we know that? " 45:19 Well, let's go to Revelation chapter 13. 45:23 Revelation chapter 13. By the way, do you know that 45:25 worship has to do with the first table of the law, right? 45:29 First table of the law is the one that has to do with 45:31 our relationship with God. 45:34 That deals with the issue of worship. So which table 45:37 is involved especially in the final controversy? 45:40 It's the first table of the law. 45:42 Now notice Revelation chapter 13. 45:45 Revelation chapter 13 and let's read verse 15. 45:49 It says here: "He was granted power to give 45:53 breath to the image of the beast that the image of the beast 45:55 should both speak and cause as many as would not... " What? 45:59 "worship the image of the beast to be killed. " 46:04 What is going to be imposed? False what? 46:07 False worship according to this. 46:11 Now the question is: does the devil hate 46:14 the commandments of God? 46:16 Is the final conflict going to have to do with the commandments 46:18 of God? Absolutely! 46:20 Go with me to Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17. 46:23 We've read this verse before. 46:25 Time and again in Revelation we find this idea. 46:27 Revelation chapter 12 and verse 17. 46:30 It says here: "And the dragon was enraged 46:33 with the woman... " That is, with the church. 46:35 "and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring... " 46:39 Or as the King James says: "With the remnant of her seed. " 46:42 Who what? "Who keep the commandments 46:46 of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. " 46:51 Notice Revelation chapter 14 and verse 12. 46:54 This is the conclusion of the third angel's message, 46:57 God's final message to the world. 46:59 It says there in Revelation 14 verse 12: 47:14 And by the way, if you read the previous verses - 47:17 verses 9 through 11- 47:18 you're going to find that there's a contrasting group. 47:20 That group worships the beast and his image 47:24 and receives the mark of the beast. 47:26 So there's a contrast between those who worship 47:28 the beast and receive the mark of the beast 47:31 and those individuals who keep what? 47:34 Who keep the commandments of God. 47:38 Now the question is: what is the mark of the beast? 47:41 Well perhaps we should let the Catholic church itself explain. 47:45 By the way, what is the beast? Did we study the beast? 47:47 Who is the beast? 47:48 It is the Roman Catholic papacy. Was that clear in your mind? 47:52 Very clearly, scripturally, 47:54 it's the Roman Catholic papacy. 47:56 So must the Roman Catholic 47:57 papacy have a mark or a sign 47:59 of its power? Obviously. 48:01 Now I'm going to read you a couple of statements here. 48:06 This is from The Catholic Record, 48:08 a Roman Catholic journal. 48:10 The date is September 1, 1923. 48:13 It's an old publication. 48:15 Here's what it says: 48:17 "Sunday is our mark of authority. " 48:23 Did you catch that? 48:25 Why would it be a mark of authority? 48:29 Listen, if the papacy claims to be the power that changed 48:32 the law of God, then the papacy must have God on earth. 48:38 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 48:40 By the way, every single prophecy that refers 48:43 to the papacy, there's something concerning the law. 48:46 I'll give you some examples. 48:48 In Daniel chapter 7 it says that he thinks he can change 48:51 the law. In II Thessalonians 2 48:55 it says he's called "the man of lawlessness. " 48:58 "The man of sin. " 49:01 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 49:06 With respect to other places that speak about the antichrist 49:11 you have this same idea coming through 49:14 that there's something happening with the commandments. 49:17 In Revelation chapter 13 you have him imposing what? 49:20 The mark of the beast. 49:22 See, it all has to do with the law of God. 49:25 So it says: "Sunday is our mark of authority. " 49:29 And then comes this comment: 49:31 "The church is above the Bible 49:34 and this transference of Sabbath observance 49:38 is proof of that fact. " That is powerful stuff. 49:44 There was an individual who in 1895 wrote to 49:48 James Cardinal Gibbons. 49:51 I don't know if you've heard of James Cardinal Gibbons. 49:53 Very famous cardinal in the Roman Catholic church. 49:55 This individual wrote to him asking him if the Roman Catholic 49:59 church considered Sunday - the change of the Sabbath 50:03 to Sunday - as a mark of her authority and power. 50:06 And I'm going to read that statement. 50:10 This is the answer from Chancellor H. F. Thomas 50:13 given to this question. 50:15 Does the Roman Catholic church claim the act of changing 50:19 the observance of the Sabbath from the 7th to the 1st day 50:23 of the week as a mark of her power? 50:27 Here's the answer: 50:29 Of course the Catholic church claims that the change was 50:33 her act. It could not have been otherwise 50:37 as none in those days would have dreamed of doing 50:40 anything in matters spiritual and ecclesiastical 50:43 and religious without her. 50:45 And now comes this: 50:46 And the act... that is, the act of changing the day... 50:50 the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power 50:56 and authority in religious matters. 51:00 The beast itself identifies what is the sign or the mark 51:03 of it's power. It's the change in the holy law of God. 51:08 The change of the Sabbath to Sunday. 51:10 And let me ask you: what happens when individuals 51:13 observe the Sunday as the rest day 51:17 knowing who changed the rest day? 51:20 Whose authority are they accepting? 51:23 They are not accepting the authority of God... 51:25 they are accepting the authority of whom? 51:28 The authority of the power that changed the day. 51:31 Once again, the issue is not is Sabbath better than Sunday. 51:35 The issue is: who are you confessing as your authority 51:39 by keeping the Sabbath? 51:41 And who are you confessing as your authority 51:44 by keeping Sunday? 51:45 The issue is: who do you obey 51:48 and who do you worship? 51:49 Do you worship the Creator and the day that He gave 51:52 at the beginning on that day? Or do you worship on the day 51:56 that has been changed? 51:58 By the way, do you remember that in the Garden of Eden 52:02 the devil deceived Eve? 52:06 Is it possible that the devil is deceiving the majority 52:09 of the Christian world? 52:11 You say: "Ah, Pastor, that can't be possible. " 52:13 You don't think so? 52:14 You look at the whole history of the church from the 52:16 Old Testament and New Testament you'll find that the vast 52:19 majority were always wrong. 52:21 How many in the days of Christ were right? 52:26 A handful... and you know it. 52:29 The rest were in apostasy. 52:31 In fact, it was a union of church and state that 52:33 crucified Jesus. 52:35 The church using the power of Rome to crucify Jesus Christ. 52:41 Do you think it's going to be any different at the end of 52:43 time? Do you think that the majority of those who claim 52:45 to be followers of Jesus are really going to be 52:48 followers of Jesus? 52:49 That would totally go against the grain of everything 52:51 that has ever happened in human history incidentally. 52:55 Now allow me to end by mentioning several details here. 52:59 I'm going to have to do it quickly. 53:00 We won't be able to read the verses. 53:03 Do you know in the Bible what it is that God constantly 53:06 writes upon our foreheads? 53:09 By the way, Revelation makes a contrast between the mark 53:12 of the beast which is given on the right hand and on the 53:14 forehead and the seal of God which is given where? 53:18 On the forehead. 53:19 The seal of God and the mark of the beast are opposites. 53:24 Is that clear? Revelation 14:1 speaks of a 53:27 group that has the seal of God on their foreheads. 53:30 The immediately-preceding verse speaks about those who have 53:33 the seal of the beast on their foreheads. 53:35 So the mark of the beast is opposite to the seal of God. 53:38 Now let me ask you: the seal of God is placed where? 53:41 In the forehead. What is it that you have 53:44 behind your forehead? 53:46 Your mind. 53:48 What does God write on our minds? 53:51 Go with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 10. 53:56 Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 10. 53:58 I want you to see that the seal of God has to do with 54:00 His law. With His commandments written on our hearts 54:05 and on our minds. By the way, the only other place that 54:08 something is written on the hand or on the forehead 54:11 is in Deuteronomy chapter 6 where God says: 54:13 "I will write My laws and My statutes and My words 54:17 upon... You should write them on your right hand 54:19 and on your forehead. " 54:23 Which means that your actions should reflect the law of God 54:27 and your thoughts should reflect the contents of the law of God. 54:31 Notice Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 10. 54:35 Hebrews 8 and verse 10. 54:37 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the 54:40 house of Israel after those days says the Lord: 54:45 'I will put My laws in their minds 54:51 and write them on their hearts. 54:56 And I will be their God 54:59 and they shall be... ' What? 55:00 'and they shall be 55:03 My people. ' " 55:05 One final point before we 55:07 draw this to a close. 55:09 I mentioned that in Revelation 14 God gives 55:12 a message to the world 55:15 to counteract the errors of Babylon. 55:18 This message is known as The Three Angels' Messages. 55:22 I want you to notice what the first angel's message says 55:26 in calling the world to renounce the errors of Babylon. 55:30 Chapter 14 of Revelation and verses 6 and 7. 55:34 Verse 6 says: 55:36 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven 55:39 having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell 55:43 on the earth. To every nation, tribe, tongue, and people 55:46 saying with a loud voice: 55:48 'Fear God and give glory to Him. ' " By the way, 55:50 this is in the very end time. God is warning the world 55:55 because He's going to say that Babylon is fallen 55:56 because Babylon did not accept this message. 55:58 And so it says: 56:00 "Saying with a loud voice: 'Fear God and give glory to Him 56:03 for the hour of His judgment has come. ' And now notice: 56:06 'And worship Him who made heaven and earth, 56:10 the sea, and the springs of water. ' " 56:12 Where does that quotation come from: 56:14 "Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the seas, 56:17 and the fountains of waters? " 56:19 It comes from the fourth commandment of the holy law 56:23 of God. The first angel brings attention to the 56:27 fourth commandment to the Creator to worship the Creator. 56:31 And by the way, we have read from Isaiah 66 and verses 22-23 56:38 where when we get to the kingdom when God makes a new heavens 56:41 and a new earth the Bible says that all flesh 56:45 will go from Sabbath to Sabbath 56:49 to worship before the Lord. 56:53 You see, the Sabbath was God's plan at the beginning. 56:57 The Sabbath will be God's plan in the earth made new. 57:02 And the Sabbath has been God's plan in between. 57:06 It is man who has changed the day. 57:09 The papacy has adopted Sunday as its mark of authority 57:13 but we must choose the mark of authority of God, 57:18 the sign between God and His people. |
Revised 2014-12-17