One Side Is Supported by God, Christ, the Prophets, and the Apostles—The Other Proceeded from Paganism and Apostasy
By GEORGE W. REASER
OF practically every issue, it is commonly said that “there are two sides to the question.” This principle holds in the Sabbath question, which at present is agitating the civilized world. When the claims of the seventh-day Sabbath, established in Eden, are presented, many persons are inclined to quote the phrase, “There are two sides to the question.”
This is freely conceded. There are two sides to every question that involves obedience and loyalty to God. And yet there can be only one right side to any question of obedience and loyalty. The other side must be the wrong side. One side of every moral issue is the side of God, of honor, of right, of good men. The other side is the side of Satan, of dishonor, of wrong, of either misinformed or evil men.
GOD AND CHRIST ON RECORD
This is true of the Sabbath question. God and Christ have put Themselves on record as regards Their attitude to the seventh-day Sabbath. At the foundation of the world, “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” Gen. 2:3. Twenty-five centuries later He said: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. . . . The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Ex. 20:8, 10. Early in the ministry of Jesus, He stated His position in reference to the Sabbath of Jehovah, in these words: “The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:28.
On the Lord’s side of the Sabbath question, we find all the prophets and apostles and holy men of Bible days. On the wrong side of the Sabbath question, we find, first, the ancient pagan world, with Sunday set apart as the chief day in the weekly calendar for the worship of their favorite god. Next we find, on the same side of the question, that great apostate church which inspiration styles “the man of sin,” “the son of perdition.” Still back of these systems we must look for the real founder of sun-worship and the Sunday institution.
If it is wrong to worship the sun rather than the Creator; if it was a wicked thing to establish a weekly day of worship, rival to the Sabbath of Jehovah,—then, I repeat, we must look farther back than the pagan and papal systems to discover who, primarily, is on the side of the Sunday institution. As there is absolutely no Scriptural authority for that institution as supplanting the Sabbath of the Lord, its origin must be evil, and we are justified in locating this evil at the door of the author of all evil.
The Sunday institution in its last analysis stands for apostasy; the Sabbath, for loyalty to Heaven. God and Christ can not be on both sides of this question. Neither can any true child of God. The Father and the Son having put Themselves on record in regard to the side of this vital question on which They stand, is it not the wisdom that will insure safety and also secure the blessing of Heaven, for every soul who professes the name of Christ, to be sure that he is on the Lord’s side of the Sabbath question?
It is true that many conscientious Christians have found themselves innocently, because uninformed, keeping Sunday instead of the Sabbath. But now the last reform message is being proclaimed to the world, calling the honest in heart back to “the old paths” of obedience and loyalty to God. This reform message is developing a people of whom inspiration says, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:6-12.
Photograph by Paul Thompson
Happy and eternally blessed will be he who finds himself on the Lord’s side of every question pertaining to godliness, “when the King comes in.”
