Participants:
Series Code: AFNB
Program Code: AFNB002226S
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00:02 male announcer: This presentation is brought
00:03 to you by the friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry. 00:08 Doug Batchelor: In 1629, the emperor of India, Shah Jahan, 00:12 went on a military campaign to crush rebellion in his kingdom. 00:16 Even though she was ill and pregnant, his wife joined him 00:20 on the grueling journey. 00:21 On the way, she collapsed, gave birth to their daughter, 00:24 and then died. 00:26 The beautiful empress was only 39 years old. 00:28 Beside himself with grief, the emperor carried his wife's body 00:32 home and constantly wore white robes of mourning. 00:35 When he finally came out of seclusion, he ordered that a 00:38 beautiful palace be built for his beloved wife. 00:41 It was never to be called a tomb. 00:43 It was to be called by the Indian word mahal, 00:46 meaning palace. 00:48 The palace that the emperor built is one of the most 00:50 breathtaking structures ever built, a dazzling wonder of 00:54 marble and jewels, known today as the Taj Mahal. 00:58 This majestic tomb is an abiding memorial of the emperor's love 01:03 for his wife. 01:04 Did you know that God has also given believers an eternal 01:08 memorial of His creative power of love? 01:12 It's built, not in marble, but in time, and it can change 01:16 your life. 01:17 So, let's dive in together now and explore this important 01:20 and fascinating subject. 01:26 Doug: All right, friends, our study tonight is dealing with 01:29 the subject of Bricks Without Straw. 01:33 The story of the Bible is the story of a people that God calls 01:38 out of slavery into the Promised Land. 01:41 Well, you know, I'm not going to tell you the whole story of the 01:45 ten plagues. 01:46 You know that what happened then is Pharaoh--Moses said, 01:49 "Pharaoh, if you don't let them go, 01:50 it's going to be really bad." 01:53 Plague after plague after plague came. 01:56 Finally, the tenth plague firstborn died, except for those 02:00 who had the lamb's blood on their homes. 02:04 The blood of the lamb protected them. 02:06 Then after that, they began their journey out of the 02:09 Promised Land. 02:10 God parted the Red Sea. 02:12 They're on their way, not to--they're not 02:14 going right to Israel. 02:15 They're actually going south. 02:17 They're going to Mount Sinai because God said, "You're not 02:18 prepared to go to the promised land until we go to Mount Sinai 02:22 and I give you My law." 02:23 Notice God did not give them the law to save them. 02:26 They were saved by the lamb. 02:28 After they're saved by the lamb, He brings them to the law. 02:32 We are not saved by keeping the law, we're saved by the lamb, 02:34 the blood of the lamb, amen? 02:36 But then when you aren't saved, God says, "If you love Me, 02:39 here's My commandments." 02:40 First commandment says, "I am the Lord your God who brought 02:43 you out of Egypt out of the house of bondage. 02:45 I'm the God who saved you. 02:46 If you love Me, here's My law." 02:50 Those who trusted and loved the Lord, 02:52 made it to the Promised Land. 02:54 Those who lost faith, did not. 02:57 It's a pretty simple lesson. 02:59 So, as they're going into the wilderness on the way to Mount 03:01 Sinai, they haven't got there yet, they got hungry. 03:04 God said, "I'm going to rain bread down from heaven for you, 03:07 but pay attention." 03:08 He said, "I'm going to rain bread down from heaven 03:10 six days a week. 03:12 You got to go out and gather it. 03:13 On the sixth day, gather twice as much for the Sabbath day." 03:19 Now, they hadn't been to Mount Sinai yet. 03:21 Where's this Sabbath business come from? 03:24 "Moses said, 'Eat that today.'" He says, "You got twice as much 03:27 here on the sixth day of the week. 03:29 And for today is--eat what you collected the day before, for 03:33 today is the Sabbath to the Lord; today you're not going to 03:35 find it in the field." 03:37 The whole time they were in the wilderness, that manna fell six 03:39 days a week and none fell on the seventh day because God had 03:44 rested and blessed that day. 03:45 All right, let's go into our questions here. 03:47 "What day of the week is the Sabbath?" 03:50 In North America when the Pilgrims came over, there was no 03:53 confusion about whether or not people should keep a Sabbath. 03:55 Everybody believed that. 03:57 So, let's go and find out what the Bible says. 03:58 What day of the week is the Sabbath day? 04:01 And you can read in Genesis chapter 2, verse 2--now, we just 04:04 quoted part of this a minute ago, but I want 04:06 to emphasize something. 04:08 "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had 04:11 done; and He rested on the," what day? 04:14 "The seventh day from all His work which He had done. 04:17 Then God blessed the seventh day and He sanctified it." 04:22 You notice a number that keeps coming up? 04:25 Seventh day, seventh day, seventh day. 04:29 Here, in the very beginning of the Bible, you find the first 04:31 time a number is mentioned three times, 777. 04:34 When you go to the end of the Bible, seven is 04:37 the day of God, God's rest. 04:38 Six is the day that man was made. 04:40 It's a day for man. 04:42 When you get to the end of the Bible, you got 666 at the other 04:45 end of the Bible, and it's about manmade worship. 04:48 And you realize that the whole battle through the Bible is 04:51 about, who do we worship? 04:53 It's repeating itself. 04:55 "How has God demonstrated the importance of His holy Sabbath?" 04:59 Well, you can read in Exodus chapter 20, this is from 05:02 the Ten Commandments. 05:03 By the way, you find it also in Deuteronomy, chapter 5. 05:07 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 05:10 The Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." 05:13 It's very clear which day it is. 05:15 The Bible tells us that God rested on the seventh day, He 05:20 blessed it, and He sanctified it. 05:23 It's obviously important. 05:25 Now, you know, I think it's interesting that when I share 05:28 this message, I often have pastors that will sometimes come 05:32 to programs like this, and I'll visit with them. 05:35 And I remember I was doing a seminar like this one time, 05:39 and pastor didn't wait until after the program. 05:42 He saw some of his members were coming, and he was 05:45 a little concerned that they were going to start asking him 05:47 too many questions. 05:48 And he said, "Pastor Doug," and just shouted out 05:53 from the audience. 05:54 Said, "You're putting these people under 05:56 the bondage of works." 05:58 I said, "All right, brother, why do you say that?" 06:00 He said, "You're putting them under the bondage of legalism." 06:03 I said, "No." 06:04 Said, "I'm telling them to keep the Sabbath day. 06:05 I'm telling them to rest, you're telling them not to. 06:08 You're telling them to work." 06:10 And I said, "Do you think God wants us to keep 06:12 the Ten Commandments?" 06:13 He said, "No." 06:15 Several of his members turned and looked at him like--and then 06:19 he said, "Yes." 06:20 But he knew that would include the fourth and he said, 06:22 "Nine of them." 06:25 This really happened. 06:26 And I said, "So you're telling me and the people here that the 06:29 one commandment you think we ought to forget about is the 06:31 only commandment that begins with the word 'remember'?" 06:35 I said, "That sounds suspicious." 06:38 You know, one reason that I came to believe the Sabbath truth is 06:41 because when I talk to pastors, if I asked ten pastors, I got 11 06:46 different answers on this subject. 06:49 I talked to one pastor, I said, "Why don't we keep 06:52 the Sabbath anymore?" 06:54 "Well, because we don't keep it on the seventh day anymore 06:57 because it's not mentioned again in the New Testament." 07:02 I said, "Really?" 07:03 So, I did a study, and I found out there is one commandment 07:05 that's not repeated in the New Testament. 07:08 You know which one it is? 07:10 "Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 07:13 The Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes 07:14 His name in vain." 07:15 Show me where that's in the New Testament. 07:17 But is the Sabbath mentioned in the New Testament? 07:20 Many, many times. 07:22 It's like an urban myth that just got out there and people 07:24 repeat it, and they don't actually look to find out 07:26 it's not true. 07:28 Then another pastor, he said, "Well, we don't have a command 07:31 to keep the Sabbath day, but we've got a long-standing 07:34 tradition that we now remember Sunday in honor of 07:36 the Resurrection." 07:37 I said, "Okay, that's beautiful. 07:39 Now, where's the verse?" 07:40 "Well, we don't have a verse, but we do have 07:42 a church tradition." 07:44 I said, "I don't know if that's got the authority 07:45 I'm looking for." 07:47 And I kept asking these questions. 07:48 Another one said, "You know, we're not under the law now." 07:50 I said, "Okay. 07:52 Does that mean we break the Ten Commandments?" 07:55 They said, "Well, we keep the spirit of the law, 07:58 but not the letter." 07:59 What does that mean? 08:01 I mean, if you're keeping the spirit of the law, don't you 08:03 keep the letter? 08:05 Yeah. 08:06 And then I talked to--another guy was really creative. 08:09 He was kind of a cowboy evangelist and he said, "Pastor 08:12 Doug," said, "back in the days of Joshua, he prayed, the sun 08:15 stood still, Saturday turned into Sunday." 08:18 I never heard that before. 08:20 I said, "Well, they kept keeping it on Saturday for a long time." 08:24 A lot of confusion out there in the Christian world about this. 08:26 And it's not really hard to figure it out if you look at 08:29 what the Bible actually says. 08:31 Now, is this important? 08:33 Jesus says in Matthew chapter 5, verse 19, "Whosoever therefore 08:37 shall break one of the least of these commandments, and teach 08:40 men so, he will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. 08:44 But whoever will do and teach them will be called great in the 08:48 kingdom of heaven." 08:49 So, please don't take offense with Pastor Doug because I'm 08:51 teaching you about this commandment. 08:53 The Lord and Savior said, "Whoever shall do and teach it 08:56 is called great in the kingdom of heaven." 08:58 I want to be a doer, and I want to be a teacher of 09:01 the Word of God. 09:02 I have to answer to Jesus, so I'm not going 09:04 to teach you what tradition says. 09:05 I'm going to teach you what he says and what 09:07 the Word says, amen. 09:08 So, it's important to Him. 09:11 "Did Jesus intend for His people to be keeping the Sabbath after 09:15 He died for their sins?" 09:17 Some are saying, "Well, you know, once He died on the cross, 09:20 the law was nailed to the cross, and we don't need to 09:22 keep it anymore." 09:25 Jesus told them, speaking of the last days, he said, "And pray 09:27 that your flight," he's talking about this tribulation, "pray 09:31 that your flight--" It depends what airline 09:35 you're booking, right? 09:38 "Pray that your flight may not be in the winter or on the 09:40 Sabbath day." 09:42 Because obviously, in the winter if you're fleeing--he said, 09:45 "Those that be in Judea flee into the hills." 09:47 We may have to flee into the hills in the last days. 09:49 It's hard to find food that time of year, harsh environment. 09:53 And he's also saying that wouldn't be appropriate for 09:56 a day of rest, having to run for your life. 09:58 Jesus, looking down on -- says, "Pray that you 10:01 won't have to do that then." 10:02 Christ still expected His people to recognize the Sabbath, 10:06 even in the future. 10:08 Doug: Don't go anywhere, friends. 10:09 We'll be back in just a moment with the rest 10:11 of today's presentation. 10:13 Are you weary of the never-ending 24/7 schedule 10:16 in today's hectic world? 10:18 Is this stressful grind really the way that life 10:21 was meant to be lived? 10:23 Or is there something better out there waiting for you? 10:26 Well, what if I told you that God had originally designed 10:29 mankind to take a regular refreshing weekly break, and 10:34 that in doing this, your life, and even your health, 10:36 would improve. 10:38 It's a blessing called the Sabbath, and it can change 10:41 your life forever. 10:43 That's why Amazing Facts wants to send you a special, free 10:46 magazine, and it's called "The Rest Of Your Life." 10:49 It's filled with vivid color graphics and fascinating facts 10:53 that reveal the lost Bible truth and commandment known 10:57 as the Sabbath. 10:58 You'll discover the incredible physical and spiritual blessings 11:01 of embracing the Sabbath, as you explore the history from ancient 11:05 times to the present, even to the future. 11:07 To get your free copy, call the phone number on the screen and 11:11 ask for offer number 813 or visit the web address. 11:15 And after you read this incredible resource, be sure 11:18 and share it with a friend. 11:19 Let's return now to today's presentation and learn some more 11:22 amazing facts from the Word of God. 11:26 Doug: Now I am going to preemptively share with you 11:29 a Scripture because you're going to hear these things, you're 11:32 going to go, "I got to ask my friends or 11:33 my pastor about this." 11:35 Two verses that are often misunderstood that people turn 11:38 to when it comes to learning the Sabbath truth, one of them 11:40 is found in Romans chapter 14. 11:42 Let me just read that to you real quick. 11:45 Romans 14, and I'm going to jump to verse 5. 11:49 "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems 11:53 every day alike. 11:54 Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. 11:57 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he 12:00 who does not observe the day, does not observe it." 12:03 What's that talking about? 12:05 "Well, Pastor Doug, that just means that, you know, if you 12:07 want to go to church, go to church. 12:08 If you want to go Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, doesn't 12:10 matter, just go when you feel like going." 12:12 Would God really say that? 12:13 I have never heard a pastor stand up in his church on Sunday 12:16 and tell his congregation that, never ever, ever, because they 12:21 know--well, first of all, if you tell all your people, "Oh, you 12:23 don't have to go, it doesn't matter," well, they have a hard 12:25 enough time getting them to come. 12:28 This is talking about the Jewish converts to Christianity that 12:32 were asking the Gentiles. 12:34 They said, "You've got to keep the ceremonial sabbaths." 12:37 There are two kinds of sabbaths in the Bible. 12:40 There was the perfect Sabbath of the Ten Commandments 12:42 that existed before sin. 12:45 Then there were the ceremonial sabbaths nailed to the cross 12:48 that came after sin that were fulfilled in Christ. 12:51 They were annual sabbaths. 12:53 They were feast days. 12:54 They were other days and new moons. 12:56 They were saying, "You got to keep all these." 12:58 And Paul said, "No, you don't. 13:00 If you want to go ahead, no sin in it, but you don't have to." 13:02 But there was never a contest about the importance of the 13:05 weekly worship day of rest. 13:08 So, using these verses that are talking about the ceremonial 13:11 sabbaths to say that God doesn't care if we keep the Ten 13:14 Commandments is not an honest biblical argument. 13:17 Most pastors know that, but I've heard them use it that way. 13:20 Let me show you the other one. 13:21 It's in Colossians chapter 2, and I'll start with verse 13. 13:25 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the 13:29 uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together--" 13:32 Notice it mentions circumcision. 13:34 That's one of the things they've done away with, part of 13:35 the ceremonial law. 13:37 "He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven all your 13:40 trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting--" It's not the 13:44 finger of God. 13:45 It's talking about handwriting of a man. 13:47 "Of requirements--" not talking about the Ten Commandments, 13:50 these are ordinances. 13:52 "That were against us, which were contrary to us. 13:55 And He's taken them out of the way, having nailed them 13:57 to the cross." 13:58 I just want to pause here and give you some points. 14:02 The ceremonial laws were not written on stone, they were 14:05 written on paper. 14:06 Moses instructed the children of Israel, "Take this scroll, put 14:09 it in a pocket on the outside of the Ark of the Covenant, that it 14:12 might be a witness against you," uses the very words. 14:16 Paul is specifically talking about the ceremonial laws that 14:19 were to be a witness against them that contained ceremonial 14:22 sabbaths, wasn't talking about the Ten Commandments 14:25 inside the Ark of the Covenant. 14:28 Going on here. 14:30 It says, "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that 14:33 was against us, which was contrary to us. 14:35 Having taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross." 14:37 You can't nail stone to anything. 14:40 "Having disarmed principalities and powers. 14:42 He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them 14:45 in it. 14:46 So let no one judge you in food or in drink--" These are the 14:49 food and drink offerings in the sanctuary. 14:51 "Or regard of a festival or new moon or sabbaths." 14:55 There's an S there. 14:56 "Talking about sabbaths, which are a shadow." 14:59 He tells you what sabbaths, the ones which are a shadow 15:02 of Christ. 15:03 All the ceremonial sabbaths and feasts it's talking about, not 15:06 talking about the weekly day of worship and rest. 15:11 It says here, "Don't let anyone judge you about this, the 15:13 substances of Christ." 15:14 Those are the two verses people typically turn to and say, 15:17 "That's one commandment that we don't need to keep anymore." 15:20 But friends, let's be perfectly honest. 15:22 I'm willing to go anywhere that has the truth. 15:28 I accepted the Sabbath truth, not because anyone else 15:31 in my family did. 15:32 Matter of fact, I knew it might be more unpopular. 15:35 I did it only because I had no choice. 15:38 I thought if I'm going to be a Christian, I want to get 15:41 to heaven, I want to be a real Christian. 15:43 And you can't convince me that God would have these Ten 15:46 Commandments that He would speak from a mountain for the whole 15:49 nation, thunder and lightning was His majesty and glory, write 15:55 it with His finger in stone, I mean what more could God do to 15:59 emphasize the glory of it all? 16:00 Give it to His people and say, "This is to be placed in the 16:04 Holy of Holies. 16:05 It's My Word." 16:07 And then say later in the New Testament, "Well, from here on 16:11 out, you only need to keep nine of them." 16:14 "Can we be certain that the present seventh day of the week 16:17 (Saturday) is the same Sabbath that Jesus kept holy?" 16:21 How do we know that for sure? 16:23 That's pretty easy. 16:24 Just look here at the examples you find in the Bible. 16:27 It tells us that day, the day that Christ was crucified, 16:30 Friday, was the preparation. 16:32 They used to prepare on the sixth day of the week by getting 16:35 their cooking, their wood gathered and everything. 16:38 And the Sabbath drew on. 16:41 It says, "And then they returned and they prepared spices and 16:43 fragrant oils." 16:44 Christ was crucified. 16:46 They did not finish their work of embalming him. 16:48 "And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment." 16:52 Notice Luke, a Gentile, writes this. 16:54 That would have been a really good place for him to say they 16:56 rested on the old Jewish Sabbath. 16:58 He doesn't write it like that. 16:59 It says, "According to the commandment." 17:02 He states it as a self-evident truth for any believer 17:05 in Christ. 17:07 Now friends, I can't get past this point. 17:08 This is a speed bump for my logic. 17:11 How in the world could it be that the apostles followed Jesus 17:15 for three and a half years, heard Him teach and preach 17:17 hundreds of sermons as He went from town to town, they lived 17:21 with Him every day, they observed Him week after week, 17:24 when it came to burying Him, there were no Pharisees that 17:28 were overseeing that event. 17:29 It was just the apostles, the inner circle. 17:33 They said, "The sun is going down. 17:36 We are not going to be able to finish embalming Him before 17:40 Sabbath begins. 17:41 Jesus would not be pleased if we did this kind of work on the 17:44 Sabbath day." 17:45 You can't deny they believe that. 17:47 They say, "We'll come back Sunday morning, 17:48 and we'll finish." 17:50 Read it, this is what happened. 17:52 They would not even finish this labor of love because they 17:56 believed it would displease the Lord. 17:58 Jesus never gave them the impression that it didn't matter 18:01 because they wouldn't even violate the Sabbath to finish 18:04 burying Him. 18:05 You see what I'm saying? 18:07 And it does matter. 18:10 "Now on the first day of the week, they came early 18:13 to the tomb." 18:14 So, one thing we just learned here is you've got the 18:17 Preparation Day, which we call, some people call it Good Friday. 18:22 Do you realize that Jesus died just before the Sabbath? 18:26 He said, "It is finished." 18:28 Then Jesus went to sleep, and He woke up Sunday morning to 18:32 continue His work as our high priest. 18:36 Jesus even kept the Sabbath in His death. 18:40 He finished His work of saving man. 18:42 He rested, just like Jesus rested. 18:45 You know on the sixth day of the week, God put Adam to sleep. 18:48 He opened his side and out came a bride. 18:52 You know the story? 18:54 On the sixth day of the week, Jesus had his side opened up 18:56 with a Roman spear and blood came out, 18:58 and the church was born. 19:01 And then He rested on the Sabbath just like Adam. 19:04 This is truth that's been lost, friends. 19:06 And people are missing the blessing. 19:08 So, you got Preparation Day, what we would call, what day? 19:11 Friday. 19:12 Then you get the Sabbath day. 19:13 We commonly call it--these are Roman names Sunday and Saturday. 19:16 And then the first day of the week, 19:18 they call that Easter Sunday. 19:20 Now, is it important that Jesus rose the first day of the week? 19:23 Absolutely. 19:25 But did He change the Sabbath day? 19:27 No. Why would He need to? 19:29 Was there anything wrong with the first choice that God made? 19:32 It's not a man or a church that picked the seventh day, 19:34 God picked it. 19:35 Said, "I bless that day. 19:37 I've hallowed that day." 19:38 Do we find anywhere in the Bible where God said, "I blessed or 19:40 hallowed a different day"? 19:42 In fact, I'm going to ask the studio, if you want, you can 19:44 turn the camera around. 19:45 I don't want to put you on the spot, but just 19:47 to demonstrate this point. 19:48 Show me--I know there's people here from 19:50 all different backgrounds. 19:51 Name one Scripture, you hold up your hand, you tell me, 19:53 I'll repeat it. 19:55 Name one Scripture where we are commanded anywhere to keep the 19:57 first day of the week as the Sabbath. 20:01 There is none. 20:02 The only command to keep a day is the seventh day. 20:06 You know, I think it's interesting that if I were to 20:10 tell you tomorrow there's going to be a new law and the speed 20:16 limit in Northern California is 90 miles an hour, would any of 20:21 you believe me? 20:23 Some of you would like that. 20:25 You might try it even. 20:26 Some of you are already doing it. 20:30 But you wouldn't believe me that that's been posted. 20:32 You know why you wouldn't believe me? 20:34 Because a government has a responsibility that if it's 20:37 going to change a law that is a major law that's going to impact 20:41 all of its citizens, that it needs to carefully promote, 20:44 advertise, announce that change. 20:46 You see what I'm saying? 20:48 One of the Ten Commandments that the people of God had been 20:52 keeping for ages, if God was going to change that, you'd find 20:55 some announcement somewhere. 20:57 You'd find some declaration. 20:58 You'd find some event. 21:00 There'd be something stupendous. 21:02 The reason that you find silence in the Bible is because it was 21:06 assumed by all the New Testament fathers and writers and apostles 21:11 that we're still keeping the original. 21:13 Matter of fact, it wasn't until a few hundred years after Christ 21:16 that a change began to come in. 21:18 The Jews became very unpopular in Rome. 21:21 And some of the Christians, wanting to distance themselves 21:23 from the Jews, they said, "Well, maybe we ought to keep 21:26 two days a week." 21:28 Since the Romans, Sunday was a big day for them. 21:31 That's why you get the word "Sunday," the first day 21:33 was sort of a festival. 21:34 And they said, "You know, we'll be able to win more Romans 21:37 into the church. 21:38 It'll be evangelistic." 21:40 They argued, "This will be good evangelism. 21:41 It'll be easier for them to relate." 21:43 So, for a while they kept two days. 21:45 Gradually, they began to give up the day, the seventh day. 21:50 They called the seventh day a day of fasting, and they called 21:53 the first day a day of feasting. 21:54 Nowhere in the Bible does it say you have to fast on the Sabbath. 21:57 Now, which would you prefer, a day of feasting 22:00 or a day of fasting? 22:03 The day of fasting started becoming very unpopular. 22:07 And gradually, they moved things. 22:09 It didn't happen overnight. 22:10 This happened over centuries. 22:11 And we'll give you more history on that. 22:13 In over 105 languages in the world, the word for the seventh 22:17 day of the week is "Sabbath." 22:20 [Speaking in Spanish] 22:27 Russian, [Speaking in Russian] 22:30 Yeah, right? 22:31 A hundred and five languages of the world. 22:32 Isn't that interesting? 22:34 These are in places that weren't even Christian. 22:35 The word for Saturday is Sabbath day, that's because it goes way 22:40 back before the time of the Jews. 22:43 I remember talking to--I used to pastor on an Indian reservation 22:45 and one of the Sioux Indians said, "Oh, yeah, we had a 22:48 seven-day week before you guys showed up." 22:50 They call--the Navajo call the white men bilagaana. 22:53 They said, "Before you bilagaanas came," and they said, 22:55 "The seventh day was the Sabbath." 22:57 I go, "Well, that's interesting." 22:59 Someone said, "Well, the calendar's been changed. 23:02 We don't know what day is what day." 23:04 Well, friends, you might convince me that, you know, 23:07 some Jewish family got stuck on a deserted island, they lost 23:09 track of time, and they forgot what day the Sabbath was. 23:12 But you're not going to convince me that 15 million Jews around 23:14 the world all woke up and forgot what their holy day was. 23:17 We know what day it is. 23:19 The calendar has been changed. 23:21 We're under the Gregorian calendar now. 23:23 In 1582 when it was changed from the Julian calendar, they added 23:27 ten days to the calendar and October 5 went to October 15, 23:33 but Thursday was followed by Friday. 23:36 People are confused. 23:37 They think because a calendar and the week are on the same 23:39 piece of paper, that they're intertwined. 23:41 They're two completely separate distinct cycles of time. 23:45 That's why your birthday falls on a different day 23:47 of the week every year. 23:49 So, changes in the calendar don't do that. 23:51 Someone wrote a letter to the US Naval Observatory. 23:54 They said, "Have you seen that there's any change in the 23:56 calendar that has affected the weekly cycle?" 23:58 They wrote back and they said, "In all of our research, we have 24:01 not seen--from the time of the Christian era, we've not seen 24:04 anything that has changed the calendar to affect the 24:06 continuity of the weekly cycle." 24:09 So, when people say that, that's a myth argument. 24:13 "Does the Bible teach that God's end-time people would also be 24:16 keeping His seventh-day Sabbath holy?" 24:19 You can read in Revelation 12:17, the dragon. 24:22 Who's the dragon? 24:24 The devil, was wroth or enraged with the woman. 24:26 We've read this before, but it bears repeating. 24:29 Who's the woman, the church? 24:32 And he went to make war with the remnant or the remainder of her 24:35 seed, her offspring, that keep the commandments of God and as 24:40 the testimony of Jesus Christ. 24:44 Again, you can read here in Revelation 14:12 just before it 24:46 talks about the Second Coming, "Here is the patience of the 24:49 saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God." 24:53 Now, would that be one or two of them? 24:55 And they get the faith of Jesus. 24:57 You realize that everybody keeps some of the commandments 25:00 some of the time. 25:02 You do a pretty good job when you're asleep. 25:05 People in jail all keep some of the commandments 25:07 some of the time. 25:09 You know, it says in Deuteronomy chapter 5, "O, that there was 25:13 such a heart in them," God is speaking, "O, that there was 25:16 such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep all of My 25:19 commandments always that it might be well with them 25:22 and their children." 25:24 God wants you to be blessed. 25:27 The Bible says, "If you know these things, happy are ye 25:30 if you do them. 25:33 Great peace have they that love thy law." 25:35 Sometimes people hear, people hear the Sabbath truth, 25:38 and they think it's a burden. 25:39 And God said, "No, no, it's a blessing. 25:41 I want to bless you." 25:43 And they're missing out on that blessing. 25:46 The Bible tells us before Jesus comes again, there's going to be 25:48 a revival of returning to His law. 25:52 And this is a commandment that has been neglected, and it may 25:54 be a real point of contention in the last days. 25:58 Last chapter in the Bible, "Blessed are those," there's 26:01 that blessing again, "who do His commandments." 26:04 Those who hear it? 26:06 Those who listened to it? No. 26:08 "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may 26:10 have a right to the tree of life, and they enter through 26:13 the gates of the city." 26:14 "Pastor Doug, I thought that we're being saved by faith." 26:16 You are saved by faith. 26:18 But do you know the Bible says you're judged by your works? 26:21 It's not me. 26:22 The Bible says, "Behold, He comes and He'll reward everyone 26:24 according to his works." 26:26 Those are the words of Jesus. 26:28 "But I thought we're saved by faith." 26:30 You are saved by faith and if you are saved by faith, 26:32 your works will be different. 26:35 It's that simple. 26:37 And so, it's like, you know, Jesus said, "Not everyone that 26:40 says unto me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom but they 26:43 that do the will of My Father." 26:46 And the simplest expression of God's will in the Bible 26:49 is the Ten Commandments. 26:51 It says that in Psalm chapter 40. 26:53 "Yea, Lord, I love to do Thy will. 26:55 Thy law is within my heart." 27:02 announcer: Don't forget to request today's 27:03 life-changing, free resource. 27:06 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 27:08 download a digital copy straight to your computer 27:10 or mobile device. 27:12 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 27:15 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 27:20 shown on your screen. 27:21 And be sure to select the "digital download" option 27:24 on the request page. 27:25 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 27:28 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want and most 27:32 important, to share it with others. 27:36 female announcer: Did you know Amazing Facts has a free 27:37 Bible school that you can do from the comfort 27:40 of your own home? 27:41 It includes 27 beautifully illustrated study lessons to aid 27:45 in your study of God's Word. 27:46 Sign up today for this free Bible study course by calling 27:50 1-844-215-7000. 27:52 That's 1-844-215-7000. 28:02 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's free offer. 28:04 It's sure to be a blessing. 28:06 And thank you for your continued support as we take the gospel of 28:09 Jesus Christ to the world. 28:11 We hope you'll join us next week as we delve deep into the 28:15 Word of God to explore more amazing facts. 28:23 announcer: This presentation was brought to you by 28:25 the friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry. |
Revised 2024-03-30