Against the worship of the beast, and the reception of his mark. Rev. 14:9, 10.

Nearly the whole world. Rev. 13:8.

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12.

"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. " Rev. 15:2.

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with Him a hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads." Rev. 14:1.

"And I hear the number of them which were sealed; and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." Rev. 7:4.

"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God." Rev. 7:2.

NOTE: God has a seal; for so He says in the above quotation. A seal is a "mark, sign, figure, or image." "That which confirms, ratifies, or makes stable; assurance; that which authenticates." - Webster.

"Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." Rev. 7:3.

"Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed." Dan. 6:8.

NOTE: That is, affix the signature of royalty, showing who it is that demands obedience, and his right to demand it."A seal is used always in connection with some law or enactment that demands obedience." - Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, page 448.

"Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples." Isa. 8:16.

"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." Ex. 20:3.

NOTE. - Who the "Me" here spoken of is, the commandment does not state. That prohibition might come from almost any source. Any heathen could claim it as a command from his god, and so far as commandment itself goes, no one could disprove His claim.

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." Ex. 20:7.

NOTE: The Lord thy God may mean, to one nation, one being, and to another nation another being. The statement, of itself, is not definite enough to be generally accepted. The same is true of any or all of the other commandments with one exception.

"But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Ex. 20:10, 11.

NOTE: The fourth commandment alone gives the name of the Author of the law in that way which shows Him to be the Creator of all things: hence His undisputed right to command. It is His sign of authority.

"Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." Eze. 20:12.

NOTE. - Every time the weekly Sabbath came round, their minds would revert to the commandment which enjoined its observance, and the reason for it. As often as this occurred, they would call to mind the creative power of God. And as long as they should do this, they could never forget God, or become idolaters. Had the Sabbath been faithfully kept by all from the first, there could never have been an idolater, because God would have been remembered weekly.

"Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12.

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev. 12:17.

"And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God." Rev. 14:5.

"And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, ...and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." Rev. 14:3.

"And them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints." Rev. 15:2, 3.

NOTE: "Nothing is seen more plainly than the fact that the happy souls, which are here spoken of, have believed and obeyed the third angel's message; for it is stated in so many words, that they have gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark. This is the great cause why they praise God after His judgments have been made manifest in the earth. Is it possible to imagine that an army on earth would march into a city with song and music, singing of a glorious victory which they had gained, and then, if any one should ask where the battle was and who their enemies were, they would answer, that they knew nothing about it? -- No, far from it. Man has never been so foolish. But how much less can we imagine that any such thing ever could happen in heaven! Let us, for a moment, conceive that we see these souls before the throne of God, and hear their charming music and. their songs of victory. We step forward and inquire of one what beast it is over which they have gained such a glorious victory. He turns and answers, 'I do not know. I have never examined that matter, and can give you no information about that matter.' How astonished we should be!

"Again the heavenly courts are filled with the glorious songs of salvation, the music sounds to the praise of God, and every soul is filled with heavenly joy. There is a short pause, and we ask another what image they have warred against and gained the victory over. He replies: 'Sir, I do not understand what. you mean. I know that once I was a child of God, and that is sufficient. I want nothing more, and what more could I have? I have never troubled myself to look into those secret things which pertain only to God.' If it ware possible that we could receive such an answer, would we not marvel greatly that mortal beings endowed with reason could sing in heaven before the throne of God, of some things which they did not understand and never had heard anything about?

"Once more the heavenly arches are filled with song and music. The redeemed sing that they have gained a glorious victory over the mark of the beast, and over the number of his name. They praise God because His righteous judgments have been poured out upon those who would not heed the warning message of God in the last days, but who worshiped the beast and his image, and received his mark. Every face is lighted up with heavenly joy. Peace and love radiate from every eye. They take off their crowns, and worship humbly before the throne of God. Once more we endeavor to get some information concerning this wonderful song of victory, and we ask one of the happy singers who seems to look more noble than the rest, if he can tell us what the mark of the beast was, over which they have gained the victory. Let us suppose that he answers in a similar way, 'My dear friend, I do not know what you are talking about. You are, no doubt, one of those foolish Adventists, who attempted to read and explain the prophecies, and thought to obtain light from God through them. We have never been so foolish. Sects and heretics deal with such things. We have been saved, because we belonged to the true church, and once, without our choice or consciousness, we were born again, through the proper ceremonies of a regularly ordained pastor, who was properly called and paid by the State. Thus we became members of the true orthodox church, and after that time to the day of our death our spiritual life was nourished by the Lord's supper.' Such scenes could not be enacted on earth, much less in heaven. Away with a religious system which sets aside the Word of God, and exalts men instead of God and His living Word," - Jesu Profetier (Prophecies of Jesus), by J.C. Matteson, pages 280-282.

THE LAW OF GOD

I
Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

II
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.

III
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.

IV
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid. servant nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh day: Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

V
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

VI
Thou shalt not kill.

VII
Thou shalt not commit adultery.

VIII
Thou shalt not steal.

IX
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

X
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

Exodus 20:3-17.

THE LAW OF GOD
AS CHANGED BY MAN

I
I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.

[The Second Commandment has been left out]

II [actually III]
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

III [actually IV]
Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
[The Sabbath Commandment has been changed]

IV [actually V]
Honor thy father and thy mother.

V [actually VI]
Thou shalt not kill.

VI [actually VII]
Thou shalt not commit adultery.

VII[actually VIII]
Thou shalt not steal.

VIII [actually IX]
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

IX [actually X - First Part]
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.

X[actually X - Second Part]
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

The General Catholic Catechism.

THE LAW OF GOD
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

I
"Thou shalt worship the lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Matthew 4:10.

II
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols." "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." 1 John 5:21; Acts 17:29.

III
"That the name of God and His doctrine be not blasphemed." 1 Timothy 6:1.

IV
"Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath." "For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works." "There remaineth therefore a keeping of a Sabbath to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His." "For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth." Matthew 24:20; Mark 2:27, 28; Hebrews 4:4, 9, 10; Colossians 1:16.

V
"Honor thy father and thy mother." Matthew 19:19.

VI
"Thou shalt not kill." Romans 13:9.

VII
"Thou shalt not commit adultery." Matthew 19:18.

VIII
"Thou shalt not steal." Romans 13:9.

IX
"Thou shalt not bear false witness." Romans 13:9.

X
"Thou shalt not covet." Romans 7:7.

CATHOLICISM SPEAKS

"Sunday is a Catholic institution, and its claims to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles... From beginning to end of scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first." Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, August, 1900.

"Protestantism, in discarding the authority of the [Roman Catholic] Church, has no good reasons for its Sunday theory, and ought logically to keep Saturday as the Sabbath." John Gilmary Shea, in the American Catholic Quarterly Review," January 1883.

"It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church." Priest Brady, in an address, reported in the Elizabeth, N.J. "News" of March 18, 1903.

"Reason and common sense demand the acceptance of one or the other of these alternatives: either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is impossible." "The Catholic Mirror," December 23, 1893.

"God simply gave His [Catholic] Church the power to set aside whatever day or days, she would deem suitable as Holy Days. The Church chose Sunday, the first day of the week, and in the course of time added other days, as holy days." Vincent J. Kelly, "Forbidden Sunday and Feast-Day Occupations," p. 2.

"Protestants... accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change... But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that In accepting the Bible, in observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope." "Our Sunday Visitor," February 5, 1950.

"We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty." --Pope Leo XIII, in an Encyclical Letter, dated June 20, 1894.

Not the Creator of the Universe, in Genesis 2:1-3 , -- but the Catholic Church "can claim the honor of having granted man a pause to his work every seven days." --S.C. Mosna, "Storia della Domenica," 1969, pp. 366-367.

"The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ Himself, hidden under veil of flesh." --"The Catholic National," July 1895.

"If Protestands 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." --Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, replying for the Cardinal, in a letter dated February 10,1920.

"We define that the Holy Apostolic See [the Vatican] and the Roman Pontiff holds the primacy over the whole whold." --A Decree of the Council of Trent, quoted in Philippe Labbe and Gavriel Cossart, "The Most Holy Councils," Vol. 13, col. 1167.

"It was the Catholic Church which, by the authority of Jesus Christ, has transferred this rest [from the Bible Sabbath] to the Sunday. . . . Thus the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] Church." --Monsignor Louis Segur, "Plain Talk about the Protestantism of Today," p. 213.

"We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." --Peter Geiermann, CSSR, "A Doctrinal Catechism," 1957, p. 50.

"We Catholics, then, have precisely the same authority for keeping Sunday holy instead of Saturday as we have for every other article of our creed, namely, the authority of the Church . . . whereas you who are Protestants have really no authority for it whatever; for there is no authority for it [Sunday sacredness] in the Bible, and you will not allow that therre can be authority for it anywhere else. Both you and we do, in fact, follow tradition in this matter; but we follow it, believing it to be a part of God's word, and the [Catholic] Church to be its dively appointed guardian and interpreter; you follow it [the Catholic Church], denouncing it all the time as a fallible and treacherous guide, which oftern 'makes the commandments of God of none effect' [quoting Matthew 15:6 ]." --The Brotherhood of St. Paul, "The Clifton Tracts," Vol 4, tract 4, p. 15.

"The Church changed the observance of the Sabbath to Sunday by right of the divine, infallible authority given to her by her founder, Jesus Christ. The Protestant claiming the Bible to be the only guide of faith has no warrant for observing Sunday. In this matter the Seventh-day Adventist is the only consistent Protestant." --"The Catholic Universe Bulletin," August 14, 1942, p. 4.

The Bible is your only safe guide. Jesus can help you obey it.

PROTESTANTISM SPEAKS

Baptist: "There was and is a command to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday. It will however be readily said, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week, with all its duties, privileges and sanctions. Earnestly desiring information on this subject, which I have studied for many years, I ask, where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament, absolutely not. There is no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week." Dr. E. T. Hiscox, author of the "Baptist Manual."

Congregationalist: "It is quite clear that however rigidly or devotedly we may spend Sunday, we are not keeping the Sabbath... The Sabbath was founded on a specific, divine command. We can plead no such command for the observance of Sunday ... There is not a single line in the New Testament to suggest that we incur any penalty by violating the supposed sanctity of Sunday." Dr. R.W. Dale, "The Ten Commandments," p. 706-707.

Lutheran Free Church: "For when there could not be produced one solitary place in the Holy Scriptures which testified that either the Lord Himself or the apostles had ordered such a transfer of the Sabbath to Sunday, then it was not easy to answer the question: Who has transferred the Sabbath, and who has had the right to do it?" George Sverdrup, "New Day."

Protestant Episcopal: "The day is now changed from the seventh to the first day... but as we meet with no Scriptural direction for the change, we may conclude it was done by the authority of the church.""Explanation of Catechism."

Baptist: "The Scriptures nowhere call the first day of the week the Sabbath... There is no Scriptural authority for so doing, nor of course, any Scriptural obligation." "The Watchman."

Presbyterian: "There is no word, no hint in the New Testament about abstaining from work on Sunday. The observance of Ash Wednesday, or Lent, stands exactly on the same footing as the observance of Sunday. Into the rest of Sunday no Divine Law enters." Canon Eyton, in "The Ten Commandments."

Anglican: "And where are we told in the Scriptures that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day." Isaac Williams, "Plain Sermons on the Catechism," pp. 334, 336.

Methodist: "It is true that there is no positive command for infant baptism. Nor is there any for keeping holy the first day of the week. Many believe that Christ changed the Sabbath. But, from His own words, we see that He came for no such purpose. Those who believe that Jesus changed the Sabbath base it only on a supposition." Amos Binney, "Theological Compendium," pp. 180-181.

Episcopalian: "We have made the change from the seventh day to the first day, from Saturday to Sunday, on the authority of the one holy, catholic, apostolic church of Christ." Bishop Seymour, "Why We Keep Sunday.

Southern Baptist: "The sacred name of the Seventh day is Sabbath. This fact is too clear to require argument [ Exodus 20:10 quoted]... On this point the plain teaching of the Word has been admitted in all ages... Not once did the disciples apply the Sabbath law to the first day of the week, that folly was left for a later age, nor did they pretend that the first day supplanted the seventh." Joseph Judson Taylor, 'The Sabbatic Question," pp. 14-17, 41.

American Congregationalist: "The current notion that Christ and His apostles authoritatively substituted the first day for the seventh, is absolutely without any authority in the New Testament." Dr. Lyman Abbot, in the "Christian Union," June 26, 1890.

Christian Church: "Now there is no testimony in all the oracles of heaven that the Sabbath is changed, or that the Lord's Day came in the room of it." Alexander Campbell, in "The Reporter," October 8, 1921.

Disciples of Christ: "There is no direct Scriptural authority for designating the first day 'the Lord's Day." Dr. D. H. Lucas, in the "Christian Oracle," January 23, 1890.

Baptist: "To me it seems unaccountable that Jesus, during three years' discussion with His disciples, often conversing with upon the Sabbath question, discussing it in some of its various aspects, freeing it from its false [Jewish traditional] glosses, never alluded to any transference of the day; also, that during the forty days of His resurrection life, no such thing was intimated. Nor, so far as we know, did the Spirit, which was given to bring to their remembrance all things whatsoever that He had said unto them, deal with this question. Nor yet did the inspired apostles, in preaching the gospel, founding churches, counseling and instructing those founded, discuss or approach the subject.

"Of course I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history as a religious day, as we learn from the Christian Fathers and other sources. But what a pity that it comes branded with the mark of Paganism, and christened with the name of the sun-god, then adopted and sanctified by the Papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism." Dr. E. T. Hiscox, report of his sermon at the Baptist Minister's Convention, in "New York Examiner," November 16, 1893.

Sunday sacredness is not commanded
or practiced in the Bible.

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