Saturday, September 22, 2018

Sabbath- As the End Draws Near


Lately the Lord has been impressing upon me the need to get the truth out there, particularly the Sabbath truth. So many do NOT realize the importance of this truth. It's easy to gloss over it and pay it no heed at all choosing rather to grab hold of the seemingly more important truths- such as accepting Christ as our Savior.  People do NOT seem to realize the same Lord that they so happily, and even joyously accept as their Savior and proclaim such to all far and wide, is the Lord who said these words--

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Jesus did NOT say, If you love me, just love me.  Jesus Himself ADDED the words- keep my commandments.

Of course now we'll have a whole slew of people eager to point out that the only commandments Jesus wants us to keep are 1) Loving God. 2) Loving Each Other.   That's it, end of story, and for many that is it and the story ends there for them because they do NOT want to study God's word and eat the tough, chewy meat of the scriptures but would much rather sip the easily digested milk of the Word, never ever going on to grow up into the Lord but forever remaining an infant in knowledge and truth.  We are accountable for our decisions.

Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 

We are given milk first but we must grow and when we grow we leave behind the simple, easily digested milk and begin to eat things with much more substance.

So, yes, the commandments hang on those two - loving God and loving each other, but the loving includes obedience to God's word, to His truth.  Very few people who are Christians will deny the moral laws of God- the Ten Commandments- a law He wrote Himself, unlike any other law given.  Jesus didn't come to do away with the law, but to reveal to us how to keep the law by fulfilling it Himself. His life was one of complete obedience to the Ten Commandments. Some tried to say He broke the Sabbath commandment and should be stoned to death, but He did not break the Sabbath commandment, He kept it as God intended it to be kept unfettered by the overwhelming traditions man had placed upon it.

The Sabbath our Savior kept was the same Sabbath kept by Jews today, the same Sabbath the Jews kept in Jesus' day. The seventh-day Sabbath.

Why wouldn’t it be important to keep the Sabbath on the day it was ordained to be kept by God?  Even in the wilderness BEFORE the written Ten Commandments were given, God provided food fresh every day from heaven and told the people NOT to try and store any for the next day- EXCEPT on the sixth day, it was that day they were to get double and keep some for the next day when no food would come from God.  The Sabbath was and is a very special day, so why wouldn't it be important?

If you don't believe in keeping the Sabbath nothing I say will convince you to keep it, and it's not my job to convince anyone of anything. The Lord will soften the hearts of ALL who truly love Him and when the time comes for the Sabbath to be a sealing point, those people will comprehend the truth through the Holy Spirit's guidance.

Read the following- EG White- Early Writings-

'I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God's dear, waiting saints.

I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully. This enraged the churches and nominal Adventists, as they could not refute the Sabbath truth. And at this time God's chosen all saw clearly that we had the truth, and they came out and endured the persecution with us.
(page 33)
Notes on page 33-
This view was given in 1847 when there were but very few of the Advent brethren observing the Sabbath, and of these but few supposed that its observance was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbelievers. Now the fulfilment of that view is beginning to be seen. "The commencement of that time of trouble," here mentioned does NOT refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to A SHORT PERIOD JUST BEFORE THEY ARE POURED OUT, while Christ is in the sanctuary. (Page 85)'   EG White Early Writings.

*******

This time is NOW.

We are living in the SHORT period just before the plagues. God would have His people find His truth and keep His truth right now!  Could this be why my heart is heavy with the need to get the truth out for people to see? Oh how broad is the way leading to destruction! Oh how many live unconcerned with their eternal life, focusing solely on their lives now! Satan has deceived ALL but so very few! Please, LORD, we would NOT be deceived by the evil one! Keep us in YOUR TRUTH!

Please, LORD, we do NOT want to be among those lost to You!

EG White- Early Writings- page 37-
'This was the time of Jacob's trouble. Then all the saints cried out with anguish of spirit, and were delivered by the voice of God. The 144,000 triumphed. Their faces were lighted up with the glory of God. Then I was shown a company who were howling in agony. On their garments was written in large characters, "Thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting." I asked who this company were. The angel said, "These are they who have once kept the Sabbath and have given it up." I heard them cry with a loud voice, "We have believed in Thy coming, and taught it with energy." And while they were speaking, their eyes would fall upon their garments and see the writing, and then they would wail aloud. I saw that they had drunk of the deep waters, and fouled the residue with their feet--trodden the Sabbath underfoot-- and that was why they were weighed in the balance and found wanting. '


Please LORD we would NOT be among those found wanting! Help us to believe as we first believed and not give up any truths You have revealed to us! Please, keep us from EVIL! We would be YOURS!

All through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD and SAVIOR, NOW and FOREVER!!!!!!!



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