Pastor's Comments November 23 through December 07, 2012

November 23 through December 07, 2012

Dear Brethren,

In this writing I am posting the ‘Fourth Commandment’ from The Ten Commandments Booklet that is in its final stages of being completed by me.

Your friend,

Don Billingsley

Chapter Four

The Fourth Commandment

To be continued with the 5th Commandment.

View Archived Pastor's Comments from 2003 to Present: CLICK HERE

The quotes and pictures above are intended for educational purposes only. Entire contents copyrighted. The Church Of God. All Rights Reserved. The copyright subsisting in material quoted in this publication and trademarks appearing in this publication belong to the respective owners thereof and no claim of ownership therein is made by The Church of God.

“Remember the Sabbath Day, to Keep It Holy. Six Days you shall labor and do all your work, BUT the Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In IT you shall do NO work: . . .”

Exodus 20:8-11

Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you [Magill’s Linear School Bible:“mayest”,] shall labor and do all your work, but the Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do NO work [no customary work, Leviticus 23:25; Exodus 16:5, 23]; you, nor your son, 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 the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and RESTED the Seventh Day. Therefore the LORD BLESSED the Sabbath day and HALLOWED it.”

“REMEMBER” – has the meaning of bringing back to mind the Sabbath Day as already being in place and had been since Creation Week, as the following Scripture makes known:

Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all of the host of them, were finished (1:31). And on the Seventh Day God RESTED (setting mankind an example), and ended His work (of the six days of creation) which He had done.

Then God BLESSED the Seventh Day and SANCTIFIED it (set it apart from the previous six days for holy time and use), because in it He RESTED from all His work which God had created and done.

God needed NO REST for He is living energy—He is God, the eternal ever-living God. He rested only to set an example for all of mankind that they should also do the same on His Day.

Isaiah 40:28 “have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. . . .”

The Sabbath Made for Man

The Sabbath was created by God following the creation of man and woman; and He set it apart for mankind’s use, as Jesus Christ said:

Mark 2:28-29 “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

The Sabbath Day is the Lord’s Day—not the first day of the week! Further, it was NOT made just for the Jews, but for all Israel and mankind. There were no Jews when the Sabbath was created—only Adam and Eve.

God’s Sabbath Day

The Sabbath is referred by the religions of this world as – the ‘Jewish Sabbath’ – one reason for this is they are the only major religion who continues to observe it. Another reason is the effort of justifying themselves from observing it.

God makes known the Sabbath Day is ‘MY Sabbath’ not the Jews or anyone else – it is HIS Sabbath:

Exodus 20:8 “. . . but the Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God . . .” (Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 19:3, 30; 23:2, 3; 26:2).

The Old Marriage Covenant

Chapters 19 through 24 of the Book of Exodus comprises the Marriage Covenant God had proposed to Israel and their acceptance of it as His wife and was ratified.

There are also those who try and justify themselves for not recognizing and observing the Sabbath by saying it was part of the Old Covenant and has been replaced by the New Covenant.

It is true the Sabbath of necessity was part of the Old Covenant because of the judgments and statutes, as outlined in chapters 19-24, were based on the Ten Commandments. However these judgments and statutes are nothing more than special applications of laws that already existed from creation. Abraham knew and obeyed God’s laws (Genesis 26:5).

Israel had been in Egypt for over 200 years and for the most part knew little if anything regarding the laws of God.

Since God would be using Israel, after becoming His wife to be the ‘center-piece’ of His Master Plan of Salvation for all of mankind, it was necessary to teach them the laws of God that had been in force since creation week and were taught by God to both Adam and Eve before they sinned by choosing the fruit from the tree of good and evil.

God’s plan was to use the nation of Israel to teach His laws to the Gentile nations that would point out to them the way to life, peace, and happiness (Exodus 19:4-6).

Sacrificial Rites and Rituals

Excerpts from the book: United States and Britain in Prophecy by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, Pages 163-164:

“True, Old Testament Israel was given certain sacrificial rites and rituals which served merely as a reminder of sin (Hebrews 10:1-4; 9:10), only as a temporary substitute for Christ—until He should come. When the realty came, the substitute was dropped. But God’s TRUTH and way remain eternally! Therefore God was revealing to Israel what His way is for all people of all time—including TODAY!”

The ceremonial and ritualistic laws were added later because of transgressions and served as a reminder of sin (Jeremiah 7:22-23). They also served as a school master or tutor to teach Israel obedience to God’s laws (Galatians 3:24).

The law of Moses was composed of two parts:

1) Civil laws

2) Ritualistic laws

The Apostle Paul wrote of these two different classes of laws. The one is holy and Spiritual (Romans 7:12, 14). The other is sacrificial and ritualistic laws and were added later as a penalty with a time limit until the Messiah would fulfill them by His death by crucifixion (Daniel 9:26-27).

Exodus 24:7-8 Then he (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people (God’s proposal). And they said, “All that the LORD has said we will do and be obedient.” Then Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the Covenant, which the LORD has made with you according to all these words (God’s proposal).”

It was at this time the Old Covenant was completed.

A Sabbath Covenant of Identity

Seven chapters later, God made “A Special Sabbath Covenant” with the people of Israel; and it would also apply to His Church, and include all the Gentile people as they would come to be part of the Church of God.

Exodus 31:12-17 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak also to the children of Israel: “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is ‘A SIGN’ between Me and you THROUGHOUT your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who SANCTIFIES you.

Notice which day is “the Lord’s day (Mark 2:28).” The LORD calls the Sabbaths “My Sabbaths.” They are God’s Sabbaths—they do not belong to Israel, or the Jews, but only to God! In addition, there is much more involved than just observing the Sabbath Day, a need for true knowledge, a good understanding, and with both heart and mind.

God gave man His Sabbath for the purpose of keeping mankind in the true knowledge and true worship of the true God.

“You shall KEEP the Sabbath therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes (puts it to a physical use, by working on it or using it unlawfully) it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.

“Work shall be done for six days, but the Seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath Day, he shall surely be put to death.

Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as ‘A PERPETUAL COVENANT’.

“It is A SIGN between Me and the children of Israel FOREVER; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the Seventh Day, He rested and was refreshed.”

The Sabbath is a very special Identifying SIGN between God and His true faithful and enduring people who worship Him in Spirit and in truth; men and women who have been begotten by God our Father in heaven as His sons and daughters (John 6:44).

A Totally Different Covenant

Excerpts from the book: United States and Britain in Prophecy by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong—

Page 175 > “Yes, it is a COVENANT! It is a separate, totally different covenant.

Even if one tries to argue that the Old Covenant is ‘abolished’ and therefore the Ten Commandments are abolished, he cannot argue that the covenant was to last only until the cross. The covenant is binding ‘throughout your generations’ (verse 13; ‘a perpetual covenant’ (verse 16) and ‘forever’ (verse 17).

Pages 168-169 > “CREATION is the proof of God—of His existence. It—the act of creating—identifies Him! So God took the most enduring, lasting, imperishable thing that man can know—a recurring space of time—the only day that is a memorial of the act of creating. He took the only day which points, constantly, every seventh day of the week, to God resting on the seventh day of creation week from CREATING, which points to the existence of the Almighty, All-Powerful, All-Ruling God the Creator!

“And God set that particular day apart as His day—God made that particular day sacred and holy to Him—designating it as the very day on which He commands His people to assemble for WORSHIP—the day man is commanded to REST from his own work and physical pleasure (Isaiah 58:13-14)—and to be refreshed by assembling with other obedient worshipers in spiritual fellowship!”

Another argument for SUNday Observance:

Page 169 > “Satan has deceived a deluded world into supposing Christ’s resurrection occurred on a Sunday morning at sunrise [including the Seventh Day Adventists, etc.]—the very time which has always been the time of pagan SUN worship (Ezekiel 8:15-16).

The resurrection actually occurred on the Sabbath, not on Sunday! Please read the booklet: The Resurrection Was Not on Sunday.” This can be read or downloaded from our website: www.cog-ff.com.

Proof: When Mary and the disciples went to where Christ was entombed while it was yet dark on the first day (SUNday) of the week, He had already risen from the dead; He was not there (Matthew 28:1-6; Luke 24:1-3; John 20:1-2).

Page 164 >This special identifying COVENANT, then ordained FOREVER, applies to all Christians today—to all who are reconciled to God as His people!”

Catholic Church Changed the Sabbath to SUNday

There are no Scriptural proofs in the holy Bible where it can be found that Jesus or the apostles changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.

And interesting enough the Catholic Church affirms this to be true as we can see in the following quotes from them. In actual fact they make known they were the ones who changed the Seventh Day Sabbath to a SUNday observance—solely based on their own authority, not by Scripture:

Catholic Virginian, Oct. 3, 1947.

"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 sanctified."

James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917 ed.), pp.72,73.

"If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church."

"If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day, that is Saturday. In keeping Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church." Albert Smith, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, replying for the cardinal in a letter of Feb. 10, 1920.

The Calendar Changed

Another argument presented is that the calendar was changed in past centuries so it cannot be known what day is the seventh day.

True, the calendar has been changed, but the consecutive order of the days of the week was never affected. This can be determined by Encyclopedias on the internet. Also, look at any calendar and one can see the days of the week remain as God designed them (Genesis 1. 2.), without the attachment of the pagan names.

Another observation: Catholics, Protestants, and all other Sunday observers have no difficulty of knowing what day of the week is SUNday.

Proof positive: In addition, the Jews are scattered around the world and they have no problem of determining which day is the Seventh Day Sabbath; and they observe it.

Scriptural Proof

The Ten Commandments Were Not Abolished

with the Old Covenant

The Ten Commandments Were Taught and Obeyed in New Testament Times as can be seen in the following Scriptures:

1) Romans 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.”

Romans 3:20 “. . . for by the law is the KNOWLEDGE of Sin.”

Romans 7:7 “. . . I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet’” (10th Commandment).

Romans 4:15 “. . . where there is NO law there is NO transgression.”

Romans 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.”

Romans 7:22 “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.”

Romans 7:14 “. . . the law is spiritual . . .”

I Corinthians 7:19 “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but KEEPING the commandments of God is what matters.”

2) The clincher is found in the very last book of the New Testament, where God makes known the vital importance of the observance of His commandments:

Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (New Jerusalem, Revelation 21).

Proof Scriptures for Sabbath Observance

There are several proofs that the Seventh Day of the week remains God’s holy Sabbath in New Testament time today, and not just any one day of the week:

1) Christ made known the Sabbath is still to be observed in the very end-time:

a) Matthew 24:20 “And pray that your flight may not be in winter time OR on the Sabbath Day”

2) The Apostle Paul made known the Sabbath is yet to be observed by Christians of the New Testament:

Hebrews 4:9 “There remains therefore a keeping of a Sabbath” (Companion Bible: Greek verb Sabbatizo to keep Sabbath – as verse 4). A literal translation: “So then a Sabbath rest is left behind for the people of God.”

3) Jesus Christ observed the Sabbath and said we were to follow His example (John 3:15; Luke 4:16). The Apostle Paul observed it as well (Acts 17:1-2;18:4).

The Crucial Sabbath Command

Excerpts from the book: United States and Britain in Prophecy by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong—

Pages 170-171 > “The Sabbath is God’s SIGN, which identifies not only God as CREATOR-RULER, but it also identifies those who are truly His people. . . . The Sabbath command is the ONLY one of the ten which is a SIGN identifying WHO are the real and true Christians today! It is the real test command!

Pages 172 > “The people of the world are willing to acknowledge the other nine commandments—but the Sabbath command is the one they positively REBEL against! It is the one that is the crucial test of obedience! It IDENTIFIES those who have surrendered their wills to God—who obey God, regardless of persecution or cost.

Page 173 > God’s SIGN is one you accept voluntarily—of your own volition, or not at all.

But the “beast” (symbol of the coming Roman Empire in Europe) has a MARK, which is soon going to be BRANDED ON, by physical FORCE! And it has something to do with “buying or selling”—trading, business, earning a living, having a job (Revelation 13:16-17; Revelation 13 and 17).

Yes, this is the TEST COMMAND—the one on which YOUR VERY SALVATION and ETERNITY DEPEND!”

The Day of Preparation for the Sabbath

Further, the Seventh Day Sabbath is so holy, the LORD God made known that preparation for the food to be eaten on the Sabbath is to be prepared on the previous day; the sixth day of the week (Exodus 16:4-5, 14-30; Nehemiah 10:31; 13:15-21).

The Wages of Sin is Death

And just like the other nine commandments, to violate the Sabbath commandment is sin and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)!

To refresh our minds of this very important commandment, God in heaven above, says: