The Sabbath Through the Ages
By Charles L. Taylor
XIII. The Restoration of the Sabbath Predicted
The Change of the Sabbath
THE prediction of the apostle Paul regarding the rise of the power which should usurp the place and prerogatives of God, so that as God he would sit in the church of God, and show himself to be God, was all fulfilled with a most wonderful accuracy. We have seen how the Papacy developed, how it claimed divine authority, and how, according to the prophet Daniel, it made its attack upon the law of the Most High in setting aside the Sabbath of Jehovah and commanding mankind under dire penalty to keep the Sunday instead. And the same prophetic Word that foretold the terrible havoc to be wrought by this apostasy, also made plain the fact that the whole world would be led to endorse its actions and enter into its "worship." See Rev. 13:8. In other words, the change of the Sabbath day as effected by the Roman Catholic, Roman Empire power, would come to be recognized and endorsed as right by the great body of humanity. This, too, has taken place. Sunday is the great holy day and holiday of all nations. But let it not be forgotten that while these dark things were all so vividly portrayed and have all been literally fulfilled, the blessed Word of God, which can never be broken (John 10:35), has drawn also a bright picture of reformation and healing. It declares in no uncertain language that in the very time when the "man of sin," in his warfare against the Sabbath of Jehovah, seems to have obtained an almost absolute triumph, right then shall rise up a people, small but mighty in God, who will once more raise up the standard of truth, and call upon men of all nations and tongues and tribes to refuse the worship of the Papacy and return to the true Sabbath. This, certainly, the prophecies make very plain. And why should it not be expected by the children of God? Does not the Bible show that all through the history of the struggle between truth and error, God has never failed to send His messages of light and life to counteract the work of evil? Was it not so in the days of Noah? Was it not exemplified in the time of Elijah and Jeremiah? Think of the message sent Nineveh. Reflect upon the work of John the Baptist, of Paul, of Martin Luther. If it be true — and it surely is — that in God's great eternal plan of salvation, of universe life, the Sabbath is one of the very masterpieces of righteousness, and fundamental to the kingdom of God, then the only thing which we should normally expect is that our God in this time of Sabbath rejection and apostasy would send to the world a message of reproof, of counsel, of power to turn it back to the path of allegiance and life; and we should expect, too, to see most mighty manifestations of His grace, that His purpose might be accomplished. Every message of reform must be both negative and positive in its character. It must be negative in that it bears strong testimony against prevailing sins, which are to be renounced and put away; it must be positive in that it brings clearly to view the truth which is to be adopted. Turning to the great prophetic announcements of the Revelation, we find that just before the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ a wonderful Gospel message is to be proclaimed to all the world, "to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Rev. 14:6. That this message is due in the closing days of time, is very evident; because one of its prominent features is the proclamation of the judgment hour (Rev. 14:7), and because the very next event is the glory-coming of the Son of Man. Rev. 14:14. Now let us read the message — threefold in its composition — and see what it comprehends. Under the escort of a mighty angel, the people of God go forth, "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. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation. . . . Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:7-12. First of all, notice carefully that this message calls upon the world to "fear God" and "worship Him." Secondly, be sure to see next that the same people are told not to worship the beast. Lastly, note the conclusion or result of this message — it brings out a people who "keep the commandments of God." Taking all points together, there is absolutely no doubt as to what the message really contemplates: it is a clear call to return to the Sabbath of the Lord, and to refuse longer to follow the teaching and practise of the beast — the great apostasy, including the Papacy — in its wilful substitution of the sun-day. A brief analysis of the wording of the message itself will make this plain. "Fear God." This word "fear" signifies awe or reverence, and corresponds to the word of Eccl. 12:13, "Fear God, and keep His commandments." The Scriptures show clearly that true reverence for God is always expressed in willing obedience. Ps. 4:4; 119:161; Heb. 12:28. "And worship HIM." It is evident that mankind are not worshiping Him, hence this strong admonition. The worship is being given to some one other than God. And as true worship, like true fear or reverence, is only another term for faithful obedience (1 Sam. 15:22, 23; Matt. 7:21-23; Luke 6:46), we may see that men are obeying some rule of life foreign to God's commandments. The call is to come back to His law, to His allegiance. But further, "worship Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." What does this mean? Ah, it is the heralding of God's creative power. It is a direct appeal to honor Him who spoke the law from Sinai, and who, in the fourth commandment, declared, "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." And just so surely as God calls upon men to honor Him, to worship Him, as the Creator, just so certainly and at the same time does He call upon them to observe the Sabbath which is the memorial of His creative power. Rev. 14:7 is a ringing message of truth calling to the world in the last days to return to God's commandments in true Sabbath-keeping. The message is very forcible in its denunciation of worship of the beast. He who worships the beast, shall suffer the wrath of God. But what can that worship be? Plainly this: The beast is he who opposed himself to God and exalted himself above God by deliberately changing the law and putting into the place of the Sabbath a corrupt heathen substitute. And when man or woman endorses such act of viciousness and fraud by accepting and honoring that heathen substitute he or she thereby worships the beast instead of God. And to let the world know this, is the object of the message. The great fact that those who come out under the message are declared to be keepers of the commandments (Rev. 14:12), is conclusive evidence that the message itself is concerning those commandments, and specifically concerning the fourth, for that is the one which the Papacy to purposely wrenched from its place. Rev. 14:6-12 is a grand and glorious Gospel Sabbath message. In it Jehovah again proclaims the sign of sanctification (Eze. 20:12, 20), and calls men, for the last time before the close of earth's history, to have His complete law written upon the heart. Heb. 8:10. He who obeys the message and takes his stand against the world, will be made to suffer by oppressive human laws (Rev. 13:15-17); but having the faith and obedience of the Lord Jesus (Rev. 14:12), he triumphs, and stands at last glorified on the other shore. Rev. 15:2, 3. This same work of Sabbath reformation7was pointed out by the prophets long before the first advent of our Lord. Speaking of the last days, when God's "salvation is near to come," and His "righteousness to be revealed," God says, "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil." In this work of Sabbath reform the "eunuchs" and the "sons of the stranger" would have part, and together would take hold of God's everlasting "covenant." The wonderful message closes with the assurance, "The sons of the stranger [the Gentiles] that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: . . . for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people." Isa. 56:1-7. Only a word of comment is necessary. This is a great Sabbath message for the last days, for "all people," and shows most clearly that the Sabbath is a part of the everlasting covenant of the Gospel of Christ. Like Rev. 14:6-12, it is a world-wide movement, the "everlasting Gospel" to all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, and peoples, and having for its great central, reform truth God's holy Sabbath. Sabbath reform is brought to view again in Isaiah 58. The servant of God is directed to "cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression." One of the great transgressions pointed out is trampling the Sabbath under foot. Says the Lord, "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Such people, God declares, shall be called "The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." Isa. 58:1, 12-14. In view of what has been written regarding the attack upon God's law by the papal "man of sin," the "breach" just spoken of will be readily understood. The breach in God's law was made by tearing out the holy Sabbath and putting in its place a foul festival day. Let us thank the Lord, however, that the breach will be restored. Brother, sister, this message of Sabbath reform is now going to the world. Agitation of the Sabbath question is to be found everywhere. In all parts of the world the message of the everlasting Gospel with its blessed Sabbath-center is sounding, and men are taking their stand against the beast and his worship. Success crowns the work, for God's all-powerful Word is behind the movement. What is your relation to the message?