The Sabbath and other truths to be poured out at the end

[Hobie]

At the end, many will say 'why didnt anyone tell us the truth' with much anguish and sorrow as they see their lost condition.  Ellen White drew a picture of how at the end the truths of the Sabbath and other truths would be poured out and made clear to all of the people on earth, the wicked and Gods people. We must spread this truth to everyone as their eternal life is at stake, here is what she wrote..

"..In the time of the end every divine institution is to be restored. The breach made in the law at the time the Sabbath was changed by man, is to be repaired. God's remnant people, standing before the world as reformers, are to show that the law of God is the foundation of all enduring reform and that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is to stand as a memorial of creation, a constant reminder of the power of God. In clear, distinct lines they are to present the necessity of obedience to all the precepts of the Decalogue. Constrained by the love of Christ, they are to co-operate with Him in building up the waste places. They are to be repairers of the breach, restorers of paths to dwell in. Prophets and Kings Chapter 57 Page 678. .."

[Hobie]

A lot of people say that the Sabbath is not important, and that Gods 10 Commandments dont matter anymore. But is that true and what does scripture say, as we read much news about how the Ten Commandments are being forcibly removed from schools, government institutions and other public places. Having no Moral law taught or displayed cannot be without repercussions and we now find sex, pornography, violence and crime have become accepted as normality in television, movies, music and the internet. If all this moral decay isn't disturbing enough, we now observe Christian organizations with their internet sites exhorting that we no longer have to observe the Ten Commandments. Some of these web sites not only attack the validity of Gods Ten Moral laws but also condemn other Churches that teach obedience to the Ten Commandments in love as Jesus Christ instructed. What spirit would be behind this? A few decades ago, if anyone said to you that the Ten Commandments were abolished they were accused of antinomianism. Yet today, we see more and more Christians embracing the thought of not having to obey the Ten Commandments at all. To keep or not to keep? This has become the pivotal issue as we approach the closing crisis of Earth's history.

To the grievousness of God, most people today are no longer looking for truth, but instead they are looking for a smooth, easy, comfortable religion that will allow them to live the way they please and still give assurance of salvation. There is indeed no true religion that can do that for them. One will say the Ten Commandments are a law of love guiding us in how to love God and man. Another will say there is now a new law in Christ and all we have to do is love one another. And yet still others will say the Ten Commandments were nailed to the cross. If all we have to do is love one another and God, does loving God mean we can take His name in vain? Does it allow for worshipping idols or even denying God the quality time of praise and worship He wants from us on His Holy day? What about people; does it mean we can lie to them, steal from them, murder them, disrespect our parents or sleep with another mans wife? It seems if you love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself you are obeying all Ten Commandments. This is no doubt why Jesus said in Matthew 22:40 after quoting these Old Testament words that ALL the law (Ten Commandments) hang on these two Commandments.
Jesus also used these plain and very easy to understand words. In John 14:15 He said,“If you love me, keep my Commandments.” and in John 15:10,“If you keep my Commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's Commandments, and abide in his love.” Jesus obeyed the Fathers Commandments and He asks us to demonstrate our love for Him by doing the same.

[Hobie]

We also find in 1 John 2:4,“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his Commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

We need the searchlight of God's Word to shine into our Moral darkness and reveal His truth to us. Were the Ten Commandments nailed to the cross? Is the very sin that started with Adam and Eve and nailed our loving Saviour to the cross no longer an issue? Did Jesus die so we could continue living in lawlessness? Is this what the Bible really says about the Ten Commandments, or are these just lies from the enemy, fighting to steal everyone he can from God's kingdom, especially as we draw closer to this Earths final days? Romans 6:23 says Jesus died to redeem us from the penalty of sin which is death by taking the penalty for our sin upon Himself, not so we could continue living in sin which is breaking the Ten Commandments. 1 John 3:4.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

[Hobie]

Hebrews 10:26-29 exhorts to continue in wilful sin is to tread the son of God under foot and count the blood of the covenant by which we are sanctified as an unholy thing despite God's grace. See verse later below. What does the Bible say the response of Jesus will be to those who worship Him and do miracles in His name but had the opinion they could ignore the will of God and practice lawlessness by wilfully disobeying the Ten Commandments?

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them,'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'”

We know now what Jesus will declare to those who do not obey the Ten Commandments but what does He say in regards to those who teach the law is abolished yet alone condemning others that love and teach the law. The words of Jesus are unambiguous. He informs us that He did not come to destroy the law and we are not only to obey the Ten Commandments but TEACH them also. Again we are told the consequence is not entering the kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 5:17-29 reads,“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.(See Verses for more detail on fulfil and this passage and also Luke 16:17 for what Luke had to say about the eternal nature of the law) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least Commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least [by those] in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire … You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.”

[Hobie]

Could Jesus be any clearer than this? Not only are the Ten Commandments here to stay but Jesus raises the bar a little higher and magnifies the law. See Isaiah 42:21. He also informs us the result of living in deliberate sin is “Hell Fire.” Jesus says that it is better that one of your members should perish than for you to burn in the Hot Fires of Hell. My question is,“Why would any Christian try to justify disobedience to God's Ten Commandment law anyway?” It instructs us on the fundamentals on how to love God and man. If we don't desire in our hearts to do this now, why would we be any different in the kingdom of God? God is love and His Ten Commandments are ten great laws of love. To abolish or attack God's Ten Commandments is to attack God and His character. This does not mean having to live a perfect life as God's grace covers our fleshly failures. See Romans 7:14-25. God's grace however does not and cannot cover deliberate and wilful sin.

Hebrews 10:26-29 says,“For if we sin WILFULLY after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth NO more sacrifice for sins,… He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of Grace?”

[Hobie]

The Bible tells us how much sorer the punishment shall be for wilfully breaking the Ten Commandments. It is my heartfelt prayer that one does not take that path. Our Lord and Saviour will give us strength to love and obey Him when we struggle if we just ask. All things are possible through Christ who can renew your heart and mind and make you a new creature. See 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Philippians 4:13.

We cannot be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, but we cannot be saved if we do not desire keep them either. Sound confusing? To put this more simply, if we relied on keeping the law to be saved we would be eternally lost as only One could and did keep them perfectly. This is why we are saved though faith in Christ's redeeming sacrifice and the grace of God. But does this mean the Ten Commandments are made null and void through faith? Using the NKJV, Paul leaves no room for misunderstanding and says,“Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” Romans 3:31. God's grace is preceded by the act of genuine repentance. See also Romans 6:1-2 and Romans 6:14-15. And what was the Bible definition of sin? 1 John 3:4.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 says,“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

[Hobie]

Jesus exhorts again and again to “let no man deceive you.” We are also explicitly warned that in the end days Satan will have false prophets doing many signs and wonders and miracles and if possible even the elect will be deceived. Satan can and does counterfeit most miracles of God including healing and tongues and more and more Christians are seeking aimlessly after these signs and wonders without testing the source.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:4,“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.”

If your Church teaches the Ten Commandments are abolished and have a large emphasis on miracles, how do you know that Satan is not responsible for any of these miracles in an attempt to keep one sidetracked and deceived on the real important issues such as truth about obedience to God in love regarding the Ten Commandments? If Satan's grand finale is to deceive the multitudes by signs and wonders as explained in Revelation, wouldn't he be working on the lusts of the human heart now to get us thinking in this manner so his final master deception will be like lambs to the slaughter for those who do not diligently study the Word like the Bereans and know what to expect?

Acts 17:11 “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures EVERY DAY to see if what Paul said was true.”

[Hobie]

The eternal nature of the Ten Commandments can also be seen from John's vision of the time of the end where he sees the temple in heaven open and very particularly he sees “the ark of his testament.” This is the true ark of which the earthly one was only a copy and where in the sanctuary is the depository for the original Ten Commandments, God's immutable moral law for all men of all ages. This is very significant when you consider that God's Ten Commandments are still in place in the heavenly sanctuary. They have not been discarded, destroyed or rewritten.

Revelation 11:19 “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”

One of the most severe warnings in the Bible regarding 666 and the mark of the beast is sandwiched between the following two verses that describe those who do NOT get the mark of the beast which is Satan's counterfeit for the Seal of God being God's mark. Those that do not get the mark worship God only and keep all Ten Commandments and have the faith of Jesus. Note that verse seven references the second and primarily the fourth Commandment which is to do with who we do and don't worship.

Revelation 14:7 “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”(Greek Lexicons state this verse is a reference to the fourth Commandment),“…for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea…”

Revelation 14:12 “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the Commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

With so many people telling us so many different things, how can we possibly know what is false and what is truth? There is only one way and it is called the Word of God. God's Spirit will never guide us into truth that is contrary to His Word. The Holy Spirit of God will always be in harmony with the Holy Word of God. The Bible is and should always be our final authority. The following verse tells us quite clearly who enters the city gates of heaven and eats from the tree of life.

Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are they that do his Commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

[Hobie]

So was the Sabbath just for the Jews as some say...?

1) Adam and Eve were not Jewish. "God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it" (Genesis 2:3) before sin entered. "Sanctified" means "to be set apart for holy use." The only ones in the Garden of Eden for whom the Sabbath was “set apart” were Adam and Eve, who weren’t Jewish.

2) "The Sabbath was made for man." Mark 2:27. Jesus said this. It was "made" in the Garden of Eden before it was "written" down on Mount Sinai. The Sabbath was "made" for "man," not just Jews.

3) The other nine commandments are not "just for Jews." God wrote "Ten Commandments" on stone, not just nine (See Deut. 4:12, 13; Ex. 20). Does “Do not commit adultery,”“Do not murder,”“Do not steal,” and “Do not bear false witness” apply "only to Jews"?

4) "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Exodus 20:10. God calls the Sabbath, "my holy day." Isaiah 58:13. The Bible never calls it "the Sabbath of the Jews." It isn’t their Sabbath, but God's.

5) The Sabbath commandment is for the "stranger" too. The fourth commandment itself says the "stranger" is to rest on the Sabbath. Exodus 20:10.“Strangers” are non-Jews, or Gentiles. Thus the Sabbath applies to them too. Read also Isaiah 56:6.

6) Isaiah said Gentiles should keep the Sabbath. "Also the sons of the stranger ... every one that keeps the Sabbath ... for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people." Isaiah 56:6, 7. Thus the Sabbath is for Gentiles and “all people,” not just for Jews.

7) "All" mankind will keep the Sabbath in the New Earth. In "the new earth ... from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the Lord." Isaiah 66:22, 23. Here God says that “all flesh” will be keeping the Sabbath in “the new earth.” If this is the case – and it is – shouldn’t we start now?

8) Gentiles kept the Sabbath in the Book of Acts. "The Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath ... Paul and Barnabas ... persuaded them to continue in the grace of God."' Acts 13:42, 43. Here saved-by-grace Gentiles kept the Sabbath (see also verse 44).

9) "The law" [of Ten Commandments] is for "all the world," not just for Jews. Paul wrote these words. Read Romans 2:17-23; 3:19, 23.

10) Luke was a Gentile who kept the Sabbath. Luke was the only Gentile who wrote any New Testament books (he wrote The Gospel According to St. Luke and The Acts of the Apostles). Luke traveled with Paul and wrote, "On the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side." Acts 16:13. It was the seventh-day Sabbath, the memorial of the creation (see Ex. 20:11). Both Luke and Paul knew it....

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