OK! We accept that the Roman Catholic Church changed the time of worship from Saturday to Sunday in the third and fourth centuries, and onwards. But now since almost all churches in Christendom have accepted this change, albeit unknowingly, and have worshipped God for hundreds of years on Sunday, and since God has accepted the worship of these Christians, what makes you think that God will act differently today, and demand that we return to Sabbath, or Saturday worship? Pt. 4

Dear reader,

        This is a very good and precise question. My response is as follows. It all has to do with the time in which we are living. We are now living in the time just prior to the return to Jesus to this earth; this is the time of the end. More light is now shining forth from the Word of God; and if we reject this light it will be at our own peril. Even though Christians have worshipped God for hundreds of years on a false day, does not in anyway indicate that it was not God’s intention to have them return to the correct day of worship some time later. Let me expand on this view.

        When God made man and woman in the beginning, He actually ‘performed’ the first marriage, and intended that a man should have just one wife, and not several. We arrive at this conclusion because we find that when Adam and Eve left the Garden, and had children who married each other, each man took one woman and the earth, according to the Bible, soon began to be populated.  It was only until Lamech took two wives that the practice of polygamy was born; and because this was not the norm, the Bible sees fit to bring it to our notice.  In Genesis we read, (Gen 4:19 KJV) And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. The text give us the idea that the taking of more than one wife was not practiced before Lamech introduced it.

        In fact, when God made Adam and Eve, He also admonished them with the following admonition in Genesis, “(Gen 2:24 KJV) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” God said that the two, not the three, or the four, shall become one flesh. However, during the passage of time, men did like Lamech and practiced polygamy. Eventually God permitted this practice to continue. Today, however, the call is for us to return to the biblical norm of one man one woman. 

        The Lord Jesus himself, reiterated this position when He said to those rulers who tried to trick Him into sinning, “(Mat 19:4 KJV) And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, (Mat 19:5 KJV) And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? (Mat 19:6 KJV) Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”  Similarly with Sunday worship; God in His permissive will allowed it, but now, with light shining from His Word, the call is to return to the original day of worship.

        Here is another example of God’s permissive will allowing an undesirable practice to continue until the right moment when He can call for men to do the right thing. It has to do with the marital relationship once more. It was never God’s intention that men should divorce their wives unless it was for unfaithfulness. But due to the wickedness of men God allowed Moses to issue a certificate of divorce (as a protection for the woman) to the man who desired to leave his wife. 

        Here is how Jesus comments on this subject, “(Mark 10:2 KJV) And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. (Mark 10:3 KJV) And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? (Mark 10:4 KJV) And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. (Mark 10:5 KJV) And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. (Mark 10:6 KJV) But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. (Mark 10:7 KJV) For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; (Mark 10:8 KJV) And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. (Mark 10:9 KJV) What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

        We find that while God never intended divorces, he allowed it due to the ‘hardness’ of the hearts of men. Now He calls for us in the Judeo-Christian world not to return to this type of behaviour.  So also with Sunday worship. Men were falsely led into Sunday worship; human laws were enacted to maintain this false practice, and continued so until God revealed more light from His Word, changed the political climate, and now calls all men to worship on the right day.

        Revelation 13 and 14 clearly tell us that the whole world will arrive at a position where they will have to either stand for the Law of God or face death by the hands of the rulers of this world, who apparently will reject this lawof God. And in rejecting this law they will be rejecting the Sabbath commandment, which is the fourth commandment in the law. In fact, it appears that the bone of contention in the last days will be over God’s Sabbath day, as against man’s day of choice, the Sunday.

        We believe that the central issue may be Sabbath worship as against Sunday worship because in verses 15-17 of chapter 13 we find that those who oppose the law keepers are themselves worshippers, only they reject the law of God. We know that they oppose the law of God because Rev. 14:12  tells us, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” These law keepers are the very one who refuse to worship the beast and his image which chapter 13 speaks about.

        In closing then, we say, yes, God did accept worship on a false day once; but now He reveals light from His Word, and therefore calls upon all men to worship Him on the proper day now. Depending on the choice that one makes of this command, one will either be rejecting the authority of God over him, or submitting himself to God’s rule in his life.  That choice will determine his or her destiny.  And according to the Bible, this will be the last message to go to everyone on earth before Jesus returns to this world for his saints. And this is why, reader, it is vital to accept the right day when confronted with the choice, as everyone will be. May God help us to make the right decision for Him, demonstrating that our loyalties lie with God and not man.

        Pastor Ron is a retired Adventist pastor. Reach him at ron.hende@gmail.com. with your comments.