Remembering the 4th:

Overcoming Deception Through Increased Knowledge

A Biblical and Historical Expose of God's Sabbath

1
 What follows is something very powerful that finds its way into the deepest recesses of the
spirit, especially when prayerfully considered. This is a personal testimony to a serious and fascinating
study undertaken on a life-transforming topic. Anyone and everyone who regards themselves as
followers or seekers of Christ Jesus are called to read and understand the truths herein. Interpretation,
revelation, and declaration, as based on the Holy Scriptures, are hereby put forth, and it is expected that
the reader who diligently completes this study will come away having learned. As Paul writes,
“reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2Tim4:2) and “let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works...exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the
day approaching” (Heb10:24-25).

In the first section, the KJV is utilized to cite scripture, with reference to Strong's Concordance for
word clarification and definition. Scripture outside of the books of Paul is explored first, and then his
Epistles subsequently drawn from. Many of the verses require no commentary, while others do. The
author's commentary will be in orange color. No denominational affiliation or endorsement is tied to
this work.

Let the thesis be clearly stated from the beginning: Scripture attests that the body of Christ, His
church, is to keep God’s Sabbath day, as it was originally given by God in His order, as written in the
4th Commandment:

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."

This Commandment is expanded in Scripture, receiving the most attention, and providing the most
explanation out of any of the Commandments:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor
your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who
is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in
them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it”
(Exodus 20:8-11)

While God is interested in our substituting weekly work schedules for a day of rest in order to recharge
our minds and bodies, He is also intensely interested in our spiritual rejuvenation through the
development of relationship with Him. This is accomplished through obedience to His 4th
Commandment, as we grant ourselves a day of Sabbath rest. In His wisdom, God knew that a personal
relationship with Him can only be developed given adequate time and space, as we delight ourselves in
the Lord. But while we should be drawn to the idea of a day spent honoring God according to His
simple pleasures, and not in pursuit of our own worldly pleasures, we might discover that this particular
pursuit is not as simple as it seems.

I. Analyzing Biblical Content and Meaning

So, what else does Scripture say about the Sabbath? Let’s start with a most important verse, one
in which God establishes the Sabbath as a ‘perpetual covenant’:

2
Exodus 31:16-17 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath
throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of
Israel forever (Important word choices)

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth
covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations

Proverbs 3:1-3 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of
days, and long life, and peace (: +prosperity), shall they add to thee....write them upon the table of thine
heart

Ezekiel 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they
might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.

Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and
call the sabbath a delight (many attest it is a delight), the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt
honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words

Matthew 19:17 But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. (Jesus speaking)

1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not
grievous.

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant
of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This particular combination appears to be of significance.

Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men
so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the
same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

1 John 2:3-4 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I
know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
(Pause and consider)

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
The great accuser and destroyer, Satan, stands waiting to accuse the saints of God at their stumbling before the
easiest of the Commandments to break, the 4th.

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone (22) Seest thou how faith wrought
with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

2Peter 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after
they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (Pause and consider)

3
1 John 3:4-6 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the
law...Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

Matthew 5:17-18 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil (as the necessary sacrificial atonement that the law requires for sin, not a replacement
of commandment, but in place of God's people). For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Come the end of days, ie,
Judgment Day, or “The Day of the Lord” / “The Lord's Day”)

Everything written in these verses, including spoken by Jesus Himself, suggests that we are to keep the
Commandments, which of course includes the Sabbath. There is also the suggestion of consequence,
which causes trepidation. But we must remain honest and diligent, remembering a couple things Jesus
said:

Matthew 7:14 Because strait (: narrow) is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and
few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Cross-reference Matthew 22:12-14)

These verses demonstrate why this topic is so important to comprehend, and why Satan's attempt at
deception is so necessarily crafty and pervasive.

Why, then, is there the notion that keeping God's Sabbath day is no longer necessary, and that it
is simply a “legalistic” observance? Outside of Paul's writings there is no such notion, whatsoever. So 1
of 3 things seems to be possible here: 1) Paul knew something that nobody else did; 2) Paul was
incorrect in his assertions; or 3) Paul's writings have been misinterpreted either innocently or for the
purposes of perpetrating Satan's deception. It would appear to be some variation on number 3.

What is it of Paul's that has been misinterpreted? Potentially much.

Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Ordinances are not the same as supreme laws (think parking by-laws vs. US Constitution), and this context
represent the many rules and regulations that were tethered to ceremonial and food laws that ancient Israel (and
modern Jews) observed, and expanded at their own whim. It is also necessary to keep Ezekiel 20:25 in mind, in
its context of God punishing Israel for polluting His holy Sabbath: “Wherefore I gave them also statutes that
were NOT good...." Statutes can be understood as ordinances.

Colossians 2:20-22 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as
though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all
are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Again, Paul is writing of ordinances as well as other burdensome Jewish-made regulations. These are not God's
Holy Commandments, also known as the Decalogue. *Remember Jesus in Mark 7:7-9.

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of

4
the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
This verse appears unambiguous, but upon closer study one will see that the word days is plural, and indeed is
referencing the “High Sabbaths”, or feast days. These are not to be confused with the weekly Sabbath day. For
more, see a quick summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Sabbaths

Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law;
for they are unprofitable and vain.
Understanding that this reference to law (or nomikos, an adjective) pertains to the teachings of established man-
made legalisms (ie, ordinances), one begins to read such verses in a different light.

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
The word end means “fulfillment”, as in Matthew 5:17. It does not mean “abolition” (nor does law mean
“Commandments”), or Paul wouldn't repeatedly exhort us to, for example, 'put away lying and stealing'; 'honor
mother and father'; 'commit no adultery'; 'flee from idolatry', etc. See 1Cor6:9 and Gal5:21

2Corinthians 3:12-17 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not
as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end
of that which is abolished (ordinances and Jewish legalisms, not Commandments): But their minds were
blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament;
which vail is done away in Christ. (ordinances) But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is
upon their heart. (regarding adherence to ordinances and rituals, rather than accepting atonement from
Christ) Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that
Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (Liberty meaning freedom from our bondage
to death through sin, not freedom from His 10 Commandments)

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is
dead in vain.
This by itself does not suggest that the Commandments are abolished, but rather, as in Romans 3:28 “Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without [meaning, 'separately from'] the deeds of the law.” It is also
important to note that the Book of the Law is differentiated in Scripture from the stone Decalogue.

Galatians 3:23-25 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which
should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that
we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
The law refers to the ordinances contained in the Book of the Law (not the Decalogue). Furthermore, to
diligently follow God's Commandments requires supreme faith in Him. The unfaithful of Israel infamously
rejected His Commandments, and were indeed judged by Him repeatedly over centuries in the Bible. “O that
thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!” (Isaiah 48:18)

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Free from the bondage to death (and the yoke of Jewish legalisms) through Christ and the washing/ renewing
that comes through the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (ordinances and legalisms)

Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (ordinances)

5
Hebrews 9-10 ...
Discusses at length the topic of sacrificial laws within the first covenant, which ultimately failed to sanctify
sinners. Since the relevant trespasses required animal sacrifice, they therefore were not pertaining to the 10
Commandments, the violation of which required the death of the very sinners themselves. So Paul's
admonishment here of the law and first covenant pertains not to the 10 Holy Commandments.

Finally, it is important to emphasize what Jesus Himself spoke in Mark 7:7-13: “Howbeit in vain do
they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment
of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things
ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own
tradition....Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and
many such like things do ye.”

...

Now we turn to verses from Paul that show rather clearly what he believed about God's 10
Commandments, as well as about the Sabbath specifically (keeping in mind that walking in the
Commandments is supported everywhere else in the Bible, as laid out above):

2Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Containing two points: How does one know God? There is something to be said for walking in His
Commandments faithfully. Likewise, how does one obey the gospel of Christ? There is something to be said
about “doing the will of His Father”. They are inextricably linked.

1Timothy 6:14 That thou keep [this] commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of
our Lord Jesus Christ
The KJV presents the word this as an added word to the text, not written in the original Greek epistle. This
addition changes the meaning of the sentence in a significant way, whereby without it, it reads as keeping the
Commandments generally; “without spot”, no less. How might Paul react to being charged with legalism?

Hebrews 3:18-4:11 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that
believed not (: disobeyed or rebelled, as in against the Commandments)? So we see that they could not
enter in because of unbelief (: unfaithfulness). Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of
entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached,
as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that
heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they
shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he
spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his
works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some
must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief
(: disobedience): Again, he limiteth (: designated) a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a
time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them
rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest
(sabbatismos meaning, “keeping of the Sabbath day”) to the people of God. For he that is entered into
his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works (: labor or employment), as God did from his. Let us
labour (: spoudazó, meaning “I am eager; zealous”) therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall

6
after the same example of unbelief (: disobedience).
We have Paul's clear instruction to be faithful unto God's Commandments, and specifically to His Sabbath day
so that we may enter into rest with Him, physically and spiritually. This is done by faith and obedience.

Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid

Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God
forbid.

Romans 7:12-13 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then
that which is good made death unto me? God forbid.

Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid.

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid

Galatians 2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

Paul's teachings on the Commandments are clear, and distinct from ordinances, when read properly;
these are not and should not be evasive.

2Corinthians 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this
world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Of final note (in keeping with Matthew 7:21) is not one which is often heard in a sermon, and
may serve to damper the spirits of some, but is nevertheless Biblical truth, and warrants attention,
having put forward the preceding scriptures on keeping the Sabbath, which is a Commandment. God is
merciful, and full of grace, but we ought to be careful about walking a fine line with too much
confidence in 2nd , 3rd , and 4th chances, walking in perpetual, conscious and/or unrepentant sin (which
is the transgression of Commandment). This doesn't honor God.

1Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins

Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened...If they shall fall away, to
renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put
him to an open shame.

The 3 preceding scriptures are very important to meditate over.

7
 Having covered foundational verses pertinent to this topic, it is now acknowledged that there
exist different arguments against the necessity of keeping God's (7th day) Sabbath. While the “legalism”
argument is prominent in rejecting any Sabbath day whatsoever, section 1 above has thoroughly
addressed such a position. But there remain other contentions, having to do with the Apostles, tradition,
and the Catholic Church abrogating the 7th day (Saturday) and transferring it to the 1st day (Sunday),
with none being as essential as the observance that Christ Jesus was resurrected from the dead on a
Sunday, thus warranting said transference.

II. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath

It is here that Scripture will be cited to propose a potentially transformative revelation on this issue.

Reading in Leviticus, one comes to chapter 23. In verse 5, it states “In the fourteenth day of the
first month at even[ing] is the LORD'S passover.” For simplicity, let's refer to this as Nisan 14 6pm.

In verses 6-7, it reads “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto
the LORD....In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.”

Again, for simplicity, let's refer to this as Nisan 15 6pm. We can see that this is a “high sabbath” feast
day, and is treated the same as regular Sabbath days regarding work. We know it commences in the
evening (~6pm), using verse 23:32 for clarification (...at even[ing], from even[ing] unto even[ing],
shall ye celebrate your sabbath).

*Therefore, we know Passover starts at Nisan 14 6pm and the high sabbath feast of unleavened bread
begins at Nisan 15 6pm. Let's look in the New Testament now.

Matthew 26:17 reads “Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread [Nisan 15] the disciples came
to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover [Nisan 14].”

An immediate problem with this should be apparent. How can Nisan 15 come before Nisan 14?

Seeking clarification from the original Greek via Strong's Concordance, we find that the word first
means “before” but also “principal or chief”. So the real meaning could be either of the following: Now
before the first day of the feast of unleavened bread... or Now the principal day [the passover] of the
feast of unleavened bread...This would make sense, because we see in the immediately following
verses (Matthew 26:18-20) that Jesus' disciples prepared the passover meal for him and in the evening
(Nisan 14 6pm) they all say down to eat together.

With this established, it becomes easily deduced that Jesus was crucified the next day on Nisan 15 and
died around 3pm. The high sabbath of the feast of unleavened bread was to begin in only a matter of
hours at 6pm, explaining why there was such urgency in handling Christ's body.

In Mark 15:42 it reads “And now when the even[ing] was come, because it was the preparation, that is,
the day before the [high] sabbath...” we see Joseph of Arimathaea scrambling to prepare Jesus' body to
be entombed before the dawn of the following morning, Nisan 16, since doing work on that high
sabbath day was explicitly forbidden. We also get the sense that preparatory work for the feast was

8
permitted the evening of Nisan 15.

Luke 23:54 says as much regarding Joseph's rushed handling of Jesus' body, “And that day was the
preparation, and the [high] sabbath drew on.”

John 19:31 confirms this truth: “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies
should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought
Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”

Biblical precedent for this being established in Deuteronomy 16:4: “neither shall there any thing of the
flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day [of unleavened bread, Nisan 15] at even[ing], remain all
night until the morning

This means that from Nisan 15 6pm to Nisan 16 6pm it would have been impermissible for Jesus to
remain on the cross, due to the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, which was a “high sabbath”
day, and whereon (after the Nisan 15 evening feast preparation) it would have been unlawful to work.
Therefore, Joseph rushed to prepare Jesus for the tomb.

Returning to Mark, it is suspect that this is a passage that may have caused some of the confusion and
inconsistencies regarding the amount of time that passed between Jesus' death and resurrection.

Mark 16:1 reads “And when the [high] sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.” We now see
specifically this means that the first day of unleavened bread, or Nisan 15 6pm to Nisan 16 6pm, had
passed. Technically, this passage could refer to an event that happened the night of Nisan 16 after 6pm,
but since they were buying, it most likely means after the dawn of Nisan 17 during standard hours of
commerce.

Therefore, Mark 16:1 may confidently be read like this: On Nisan 17, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the
mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

BUT!

This does not mean that they did come to anoint Jesus in His tomb on Nisan 17, merely that they
bought the spices on this day.

Continuing with verse 16:2, it is tempting to interpret it as all happening on the same day (Nisan 17).
Verse 16:2 reads “And very early in the morning the first day of the week they came unto the sepulchre
at the rising of the sun.” But it really wouldn't make sense to be happening all on the same day, since
they most likely wouldn't (or couldn't) have bought the spices at nighttime of Nisan 16, and couldn't
have bought them before dawn Nisan 17; remember, they came to the tomb before or around dawn.

Indeed, Luke 23:56 through Luke 24:1 confirms that the purchase of the spices took place on a day
separate from their trip to the sepulchre: 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments;
and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week,
very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared...

9
Studying the scriptures of Mark in conjunction with those of Luke clarify the order of events, revealing
the buying and subsequent preparation of the spices. Therefore, it may be concluded that Nisan 17 is
NOT the day that the two Marys came to anoint Christ, and therefore is not the day of His resurrection.

Now for the very contentious part, although easily resolved. In every book (Matthew 28:1,
Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1) it reads the same way in the KJV: “The first day of the week...”
(Which will prove to be a very significant phrase)

Have you, dear reader, ever referenced Strong's Concordance to understand why the word “day” is
italicized in every instance (in KJV)? Because it wasn't part of the original Greek. In fact, did you
know that upon referencing Strong's, one will discover that the words “day of the week” are all
connected as a unified phrase, in every case, and are derived from one single Greek word?

Do you know what that Greek word is?

Sabbaton. Or Sabbath.

The Hebrew/Jewish Sabbath was never, ever, the first day of the week (Sunday). It had always been
Saturday, from the dawn of Creation up to that point.

Christ Jesus, who was crucified on the Passover of Nisan 15, was discovered resurrected on God's most
holy day, Sabbaton—the Sabbath—or Saturday, three days and three nights later, as foretold by Jesus
Himself, on Nisan 18. This simple truth should be freely accessible to all of us, directly from Scripture,
except for the problem of mistranslations that have been prescribed to our most holy book.

Elementary math reveals that 18-15=3, but let's break it down more specifically:

Nisan 14 (Tuesday 6pm)- Passover feast commences

Nisan 15 (Wednesday 3pm)- Christ dies on cross

Nisan 15 (Wednesday 6pm-6am)- Christ's body entombed *Night 1

Nisan 16 (Thursday 6am-6pm) *Day 1

Nisan 16 (Thursday 6pm-6am) *Night 2

Nisan 17 (Friday 6am-6pm) *Day 2

Nisan 17 (Friday 6pm-6am) *Night 3

Nisan 18 (Saturday ~6am) Christ's resurrection * Day 3

10
According to Scripture, Christ Jesus was discovered risen on the first weekly Sabbath following His
crucifixion. Moreover, there is Biblical evidence that supports this being also the first weekly Sabbath
in a series of seven preceding Pentecost. Reading in Leviticus, we discover God's relevant timeline:

Leviticus 23:10-11 Ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall
wave the sheaf before the LORD...on the morrow after the [high] sabbath the priest shall wave it.

We understand that this high sabbath referenced was the first day of unleavened bread, or Nisan 15,
meaning then that this “feast of firstfruits” fell on Nisan 16. Scripture continues to inform us:

Leviticus 23:15-16 Ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the [high] sabbath, from the day that
ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering seven sabbaths shall be complete: even unto the morrow after
the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

Thus one can see that it would have been perfectly expected that during this time period a recorder of
events would have counted the weekly Sabbaths and made reference to them in numerical order, in
relation to the event being discussed. In the case of Christ's resurrection, it is documented as being
discovered on “the first Sabbath”, or mia ton sabbaton (μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων).

Luke 23:56 (cited above) is now easily understood to mean that the trio of disciples returned to rest for
God's weekly Sabbath, which always began at sundown on Fridays, before descending upon Christ's
empty sepulchre the following morning at dawn.

Here now are the relevant scriptures for Christ being raised on the third day:

Matthew 17:23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again.

Matthew 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and
the third day he shall rise again.

Luke 18:33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

Luke 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified,
and the third day rise again.

Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from
the dead the third day:

Acts 10:40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;

1Cor 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Most importantly, Christ himself told us in Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonas was three days and three
nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth.”

11
Christians still promulgating the idea that Christ was crucified on a Friday afternoon and raised on a
Sunday morning need to reconsider the implicit mathematics given in Scripture.

Now that we can see with fairly sound confidence that Christ was crucified on Nisan 15 and
resurrected on Nisan 18, should we not want to put Him in remembrance on these two very important
days? Of course we should.

This revelation, though, comes more importantly back to the topic of the Sabbath, and has significant
bearing on the course of this discussion. Having demonstrated that Christ Jesus was resurrected on the
Sabbath, according to Scripture itself, we need to carefully consider how, and why, we approach the 4th
Commandment of God the way we do.

III. Church History's Revelation

It is here that a collection of highly pertinent historical compositions on the Sabbath are
introduced. There is something striking and revelatory in reading what spiritual commentators were
saying in times long past, before our digital world became overwhelming with conflicting information.

These extracts should answer many of the questions that you might now have, and more so. Make note
of the dates (as well as the sources); it will be a remarkable discovery for many to learn that several
citations from the late 1800s may be found discussing the very controversy that precedes. Reading all
in succession, one discovers a progression (non-chronological) in the ideas espoused (some truly
remarkable), documented here for conveying the author's message. Actual images of the book pages are
appended to this work.

1910, Geiermann Catechism (pg. 50):

Q: Which is the Sabbath day?
A: Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Q: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
A: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of
Laodicea (A.D. 336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.
….
Q: What does the Third Commandment command?
A: The Third Commandment commands us to sanctify Sunday as the Lord's Day.

1929, An Advanced Catechism, O'Brien (pg. 181-182):

Are the Sabbath day and the Sunday the same?
The Sabbath day and the Sunday are not the same....The change from Saturday to Sunday was
made by the Apostles, though the Bible does not clearly teach Sunday observance....
Why does the Church command us to keep Sunday holy instead of the Sabbath?
The Church commands us to keep the Sunday holy instead of the Sabbath because on Sunday
Christ rose from the dead...

12
1938, The Faith of Millions, O'Brien (pg. 394):
...the old Mosaic law...was abrogated....To signal this transition from the old to the new law, the
Apostles transferred the observance to Sunday....The Church by the authority divinely
committed to her has given explicit formulation...:“Thou shalt hear Mass on Sunday and
holydays of obligation...”...under pain of mortal sin.

1943, Forbidden Sunday and Feast Day Occupations, Kelly (pg. 2):
It is now commonly held that God simply gave His Church the power to set aside whatever day
or days, she would deem suitable as Holy Days....When the Gospel was promulgated, the
observance of the Sabbath...was abrogated....The determination of the Sunday is then of
ecclesiastical origin.

1876, The Faith of Our Fathers, Gibbons (pg. 72-73):

But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line
authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of
Saturday, a day which we never sanctify....We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures
alone cannot be a sufficient guide and rule of faith...because they do not contain all the truths
necessary for salvation.

1860, Papal Teachings of the Church (pg. 160-161):

...the Sovereign Pontiff enjoyed political liberty, which is so necessary for him to exercise his
spiritual power, his authority, and his jurisdiction over the whole world.

1833, Douay Catechism, Tuberville (pg. 58):

Q: Why was the Jewish Sabbath changed into the Sunday?
A: Because Christ was born upon a Sunday, rose from the dead upon a Sunday, and sent down
the Holy Ghost upon a Sunday...
….
Q: How prove you that the Church hath power to command feasts and holydays?
A: By the very act of changing the sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and
therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly...
….
A: ...by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the Church's power to ordain feasts, and to
command them under sin...

1938, The Church: Interpreter of the Bible, O'brien (pg. 147):

...the Bible does not contain all the teachings of the Christian religion....Let me address myself
in a friendly spirit to my dear Protestant reader: You believe that the Bible alone is a safe guide
in religious matters. You also believe that one of the fundamental duties enjoined upon you by
your Christian faith is that of Sunday observance. But where does the Bible speak of such an
obligation?...The day mentioned in the Bible is not the Sunday, the first day of the week, but the
Saturday, the last day of the week....In observing the Sunday as you do, is it not apparent that
your are...proclaiming the need of a divinely established teaching authority which in theory you
deny?...She [the Catholic Church] is not dependent on it [the Bible] for her existence, nor is she
limited in her doctrines to it.

13
1851, Controversial Catechism, Keenan (pg. 108):
Q: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of
precept?
A: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree
with her,—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for
the observance of Saturday the seventh day,—a change for which there is no scriptural
authority.

1912, History of the Sabbath, Andrews & Conradi (pg. 802):

“The Catholic Church of its own infallible authority created Sunday a holy day to take the
place of the Sabbath of the old law.” (Kansas City Catholic, Feb. 9, 1893)
“The Bible says, 'Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.' The Catholic Church says,
No! By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep the first day of
the week. And lo, the entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of
the holy Catholic Church!” (Father C. Enright, Kansas City, Mo., 1893)

1900, The Question Box, F.G. Lentz (pg. 98-99):

If you follow the Bible alone there can be no question that you are obliged to keep Saturday
holy, since that is the day especially prescribed by Almighty God to be kept holy to the Lord. In
keeping Sunday, non-Catholics are simply following the practise of the Catholic Church for
1800 years, a tradition, and not a Bible ordinance....With the Catholics there is no difficulty
about the matter. For, since we deny that the Bible is the sole rule of faith, we can fall back
upon the constant practise and tradition of the Church...

1883, “The Observance of Sunday and Civil Laws for its Enforcement,” American Catholic
Quarterly Review, Shea (pg. 139; 149):
...the State, in passing laws for the due sanctification of Sunday, is unwittingly acknowledging
the authority of the Catholic Church, and carrying out more or less faithfully its prescriptions.
The Sunday...is purely a creation of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church created the Sunday....in her definition of her own law for the sanctification
of the Lord's Day...

1876, A Doctrinal Catechism, Keenan (pg. 181):

...the Scripture speaks of Saturday or the Sabbath, but gives no command anywhere regarding
Sunday or the first day of the week.

1860, Instruction, Perry (pg. 189):

What day of the week is the Seventh or Sabbath day? It is Saturday. Then why do we not keep
Saturday holy? Because the Church, in the Apostles' time, transferred the obligation from the
Seventh to the First day of the week....Protestants profess to learn the whole of their religion
from the Bible; but where does the Bible tell them that the obligation of the Sabbath is
transferred from the Seventh to the first day of the week?

375, Panarian, Epiphanius (pg. 117-118):

…“Nazoraeans”...are simply complete Jews. They use not only the New Testament but the Old
Testament as well, as the Jews do....they do not repudiate the legislation....They have no
different ideas...except for their belief in Christ...For they acknowledge both the resurrection of

14
 the dead and the divine creation of all things, and declare that God is one, and that his Son is
Jesus Christ....They are different from the Jews, and different from Christians....but since they
are still fettered by the Law—circumcision, the Sabbath, and the rest—they are not in accord
with Christians.

1950, The Australian Catholic Truth Society Record, Rumble (pg. 24):
...in 336 A.D., the Catholic Church, at the Council of Laodicea, made the ecclesiastical
law....And all Christians accepted that law....Seventh Day Adventists are right, however, in
accusing other Protestants of inconsistency....The only direct authority for the obligation of
Sunday, is that of the Catholic Church...the Bible itself teaches clearly that the Catholic Church
is directly authorized by Christ to legislate in His name.

1903, The Question Box, Conway (pg. 254-255):

Who gave the Pope the authority to change a command of God?
If the Bible is the only guide for the Christian, then the Seventh Day Adventist is right in
observing the Saturday with the Jew. But Catholics learn what to believe and do from the
divine, infallible authority established by Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church....Is it not strange
that those who make the Bible their only teacher should inconsistently follow in this matter the
tradition of the Church?

1883, American Catholic Quarterly Review, Shea (pg. 152):

Protestantism, in discarding the authority of the Church, has no good reason for its Sunday
theory, and ought, logically, to keep Saturday as the Sabbath, with the Jews and Seventh-Day
Baptists.

1920, Personal letter from Baltimore Archdiocese Albert Smith to “Mrs. Ashby”:
...your Seventh-Day Adventist friends are telling you the truth, when they say that it was the
Catholic Church which changed the day of worship....If protestants would follow the Bible, they
should worship God on the Sabbath Day....In the year 300, the Council of Elvira made the law
a definite one.

1890 (November 26), Woodland Daily Democrat (pg. 2):

Father Enright, a noted Catholic priest of Iowa...: “Every one knows that Sunday is the first
day of the week, Saturday is the seventh day, and the Sabbath, the day consecrated as a day of
rest. It is so recognized in all civilized nations....It was the Holy Catholic Church that changed
the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday....the council of Laodicea, A.D. 364, anathematized
those who kept the Sabbath, and urged all persons to labor on the seventh day to labor under
penalty of anathema.”

1890 (February 6), The American Sentinel (pg. 46):

Father Enright on the Sunday: “My brethren, look about you upon the various wrangling sects
and denominations. Show me one that claims, or possesses the power to make laws binding on
the conscience. There's but one on the face of the earth—the Catholic Church—that has the
power to make laws binding upon the conscience, binding before God, binding under pain of
hell fire. Take for instance the day we celebrate—Sunday. What right have the Protestant
churches to observe that day? None whatever....But Sunday is not the Sabbath according to the

15
 Bible and the record of time. Every one knows that Sunday is the first day of the week, while
Saturday is the seventh day and the Sabbath, the day consecrated as a day of rest. It is so
recognized in all civilized nations. I have repeatedly offered $1000 to any one who will furnish
any proof from the Bible that Sunday is the day we are bound to keep....It was the holy Catholic
Church that changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, the first day of the week. And it
not only compelled all to keep Sunday, but at the Council of Laodicea, A.D. 364, anathematized
those who kept the Sabbath and urged all persons to labor on the seventh day under the penalty
of anathema.”

1893 (September 2), The Catholic Mirror, “The Christian Sabbath” (pg. 8):
The Adventists are the only body of Christians with the Bible as their teacher, who can find no
warrant in its pages for the change of day from the Seventh to the First...Their cardinal
principle consists in setting apart Saturday for the exclusive worship of God, in conformity with
the positive command of God Himself, repeatedly reiterated in the Sacred Books of the Old and
New Testament...endorsed by the teaching and practice of the Son of God whilst on earth....The
Protestants...have rejected the day named for His worship by God, and assumed...a day for His
worship never once referred to for that purpose....In the pages of the Acts of the Apostles, the
Epistles, and the Apocalypse, not the vestige of an act canceling the Saturday arrangement, can
be found....Protestants...have no other resource left than the admission that they have been
teaching and practicing what is Scripturally false for over three centuries, by adopting the
teaching and practice of what they have always pretended to believe an apostate church....No
protestant living to-day has ever yet obeyed that command, preferring to follow the apostate
church referred to than his teacher the Bible...
We shall enter on the discussion of the merits of the arguments wielded by both sides.
(part 1 of 4)

1893 (September 9), The Catholic Mirror, “The Christian Sabbath” (pg. 8):
It is, then, an incontrovertible fact that the Bible alone is the teacher of Protestant
Christianity....Nor can we imagine any one foolhardy enough to question the identity of
Saturday with the Sabbath or seventh day, seeing that the people of Israel have been keeping
the Saturday from the giving of the Law....The correct interpretation of the special day of the
week, Saturday, to be kept “holy to the Lord”....We deem it necessary to be perfectly clear....The
Bible—the Old Testament—confirmed by the living tradition of a weekly practice for 3383 years
by the chosen people of God, teaches, then, with absolute certainty, that God had, Himself,
named the day to be “kept holy to Him”—that the day was Saturday....There is not one of the
ten made more emphatically familiar, both in Sunday school and pulpit, than that of keeping
“holy” the Sabbath day....It is surely incumbent on the reformed Christian to point out in the
pages of the New Testament the new Divine decrees repealing that of Saturday....Examining the
New Testament...we find the Sabbath referred to sixty-one times...the Saviour invariably
selected the Sabbath (Saturday) to teach in the synagogues and work miracles. The four
Gospels refer to the Sabbath (Saturday) fifty-one times....The Redeemer refers to himself as “the
Lord of the Sabbath”...He never once hinted at a desire to change it....Nine times do we find the
Sabbath referred to in the “Acts”, but it is the Saturday....Thus, it is impossible to find in the
New Testament the slightest interference by the Saviour, or His Apostles, with the original
Sabbath....Hence, the conclusion is inevitable, viz: that, of those who follow the Bible as their
guide, the Israelites and Seventh-Day Adventists have the exclusive weight of evidence on their
side, whilst the Biblical Protestant has not a word in self-defense for his substitution of Sunday

16
 for Saturday.
(part 2 of 4)

1893 (September 16), The Catholic Mirror, “The Christian Sabbath” (pg. 8):
...the assumption of a new teacher—the Bible alone—as their newly-fledged oracle. The
sagacity of the evil one foresaw but the brilliant success of this mancurer....The Redeemer, in no
instance, had, during the period of His life, deviated from the faithful observance of the Sabbath
(Saturday)...He never having once, by command or practice, hinted at a desire on His part to
change the day by the substitution of another....The indisputable fact that the Apostles for the
following thirty years (Acts) never deviated from the practice of their Divine Master in this
particular....The exclusive use of the Sabbath by the Jews and Christians for thirty years after
the death of the Savior as the only day of the week observed by Christ and His Apostles....Who
but the Biblical Christian, driven to the wall for a pretext to excuse his sacrilegious desecration
of the Sabbath, always kept by Christ and His Apostles....What more absurd conclusion that to
infer that reading of the Scripture, prayer, exhortation, and preaching which formed the routine
duties of every Saturday, as has been abundantly proved, were overslaughed by a request to
take up a collection on another day of the week.
(part 3 of 4)

1893 (September 23), The Catholic Mirror, “The Christian Sabbath” (pg. 8):
...we now proceed to examine the third and last class of texts relied on to save the Biblical
system from the arraignment of seeking to palm off on the world, in the name of God, a decree
for which there is not the slightest warrant or authority from their teacher, the Bible....What
simpleton does not see that the Apostle here plainly indicates the Day of Judgment?...He was
ordered to write, in full, his vision of what is to take place antecedent to and concomitantly with
the “Lord's day” or the day of Judgment: the expression “Lord's day” being confined in
Scripture to the day of Judgment exclusively....We have been careful to make the above
distinction, lest it might be advanced that the 3rd Commandment was abrogated under the New
Law. Any such plea has been overruled by the action of the Methodist Episcopal Bishops in
their Pastoral 1874...: “The Sabbath...has never been abrogated....It is not lawful for the
church to ordain anything that is contrary to God's written Word.”...The Israelites and
Seventh-Day Adventists are witnesses of their weekly desecration of the day named by God so
repeatedly, and whilst they have ignored and condemned their teacher, the Bible, they have
adopted a day kept by the Catholic Church....The history of the world can not present a more
stupid, self-stultifying specimen of dereliction of principle than this. The teacher demands
emphatically in every page that the Law of the Sabbath be observed every week, by all
recognizing it as “the only infallible teacher,” whilst the Disciples of that teacher have not once
for over 300 years observed the Divine precept.
(part 4 of 4)

1852, The Catholic Christian Instructed, Challoner (pg. 202-204):

Q: What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday, preferably to the ancient Sabbath, which
was the Saturday?
A: We have for it the authority of the Catholic Church...
Q: Does the Scripture anywhere command the Sunday to be kept for the Sabbath?
A: ...St. John speaks of the Lord's Day, Rev. I. 10; but he does not tell us what day of the week
this was, much less does he tell us that this day was to take place of the Sabbath ordained in the

17
 commandments...neither the one nor the other tells us, that this first day of the week was to be
henceforward the day the day of worship, and the Christian Sabbath; so that truly, the best
authority we have for this is the testimony and ordinance of the Church....
…
Q: But has the Church a power to make any alterations in the commandments of God?
A: The commandments of God, as far as they contain his eternal law, are unalterable and
indispensable...

1851, Controversial Catechism, Keenan (pg. 53-54):

A:...In profaning Saturday, they violate one of God's commandments, which He has never
clearly abrogated: “Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath-Day.”
Q: Is the observance of Sunday, as the day of rest, a matter clearly laid down in Scripture?
A: It certainly is not...To say, we observe the Sunday, because Christ rose from the dead on that
day, is to say we act without warrant of Scripture...
Q: Is it not said...that St. John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, that is, Sunday; and is not
this scriptural proof that Sunday is the day to be observed in the New Law?
A:...Must we observe, as a day of rest and holiness, any day upon which an Apostic was in the
Spirit?
Q: But it is called the Lord's day?
A: And is not every day the Lord's day?...Does it tell you that the obligation of keeping Saturday
is done away with..?
Q: Is it not said in the Acts—“And upon the first day of the week...?
A: But does this text abrogate the observance of Saturday the seventh day..? Certainly not....
Q: Does not St. Paul order the Galations and Corinthians to make collections on the first day of
the week?
A: Yes; but, again, this does not abolish the observance of Saturday....
…
A: Protestants have no Scripture for the measure of their day of rest; that they abolish the
observance of Saturday without warrant of Scripture; that they substitute Sunday in its place
without scriptural authority....Hence, we must conclude, that the Scripture...does not contain all
necessary truths; and, consequently, cannot be the only rule of faith.

To concisely summarize the preceding quotations, primarily from Roman Catholic leaders and
authors (and this summary should not be substituted for a thorough reading of them), it may be
concluded that there is a degree of disunity in explaining precisely why and when the Sabbath was
changed from Saturday to Sunday, but agreement in that it is wholly a creation of the Roman Catholic
Church, and that Protestants who observe Sunday as the Sabbath are showing their institutional
deference to the Roman Catholic Church. This is now firmly established and indisputable.

This now anticipates the question: what are the implications of all of this? What exactly is the
point of it all? The author's own mother asked him this very question recently. She asks: “So what do
you think God will do with all these people who are obviously saved and Love the Lord, but who use
Sunday as their Sabbath?”

The author's response was as follows:

18
 I think it is an excellent question, and a necessary
one. Obviously I don't know what will happen; I
can just point to scripture that I have studied that
may lend some ideas [see section 1 above] ….
Having cited all of these verses, though, I don't
know how I would be able to say that those who
don't keep God's Sabbath day would be held
guiltless, and not be accused myself of
contradicting scripture.

Furthermore, I would ask of those individuals

defending their “observance” of Sunday as the
Sabbath: are they even “keeping” the Sabbath
that day in accordance with the Lord's
instruction? (and if not, what does this say of
their obedience? Is not “love” of God tantamount
to obedience?)

One thing we know is that many people will

receive a mark and be deceived, and not be given
salvation due to receiving this mark. Although
nobody seems to know what the mark is. Who is
to say that it is not somehow related to keeping
[false] Roman Catholic doctrine rather than
plain-as-day Biblical doctrine?

How many people would have supposed that by

adopting the Roman Catholic-pronounced "holy
day" of Sunday, rather than God's Sabbath day,
that they would be branding their souls with the
infamous mark?

It's too serious of an issue to take lightly.

(Note: Luke12:48 offers perhaps the most Biblically reassuring answer to the topical question above)

Naturally, one may desire to investigate whether any of our faithful predecessors had speculated
along these lines—that the substitution of Sunday for the seventh-day Sabbath is to any degree
correlated with “the Antichrist” and “mark of the beast”—using Biblical Scripture to rest their ideas
upon. Interestingly, one Sebastina Frank wrote in 1536 AD in Frank’s Chronica, pg. 193: “Some have
suffered torture and separated themselves simply because they would not rest when others kept Sunday,
for they declared it to be the holiday and law of Antichrist, with whom they would have nothing in
common, as well as were the other holidays.” Indeed, author and minister JN Andrews comes to the
same conclusion in his authoritatively unparalleled book of the late 19th Century, History of the
Sabbath. All researchers of the Sabbath topic—indeed, all Christians—must necessarily read this
important historical work.

Exploring this concept further, the following provocative essay (not the author's own) unravels this
proposition of the Sabbath seal, Sunday mark.

19
 The Sabbath and The Mark of the Beast

A tattooed number, a computer chip under the skin, or something more subtle? It's one of the
most misinterpreted prophecies in all of the Bible - yet it is so important to correctly understand this
subject. But in studying the mark of the beast, we must address some very sensitive issues, naming
names and being specific. This is not a popular thing today, but we must be firm because God loves His
people and He wants them to know the truth. This message is not ours, but Jesus'. And with eternal
death facing those who receive the mark, it would be a crime to not help Him deliver this message. This
lesson should probably be prefaced with a warning: "THE DEVIL DOES NOT WANT YOU TO READ
AND COMPLETE THIS STUDY GUIDE." Please read Revelation 13:1-8, 14:9-12, and 16-18, and
pray for the Holy Spirit to grant you an honest and understanding heart before embarking on this study
adventure. An Urgent Reminder We learned from Study Guide 2 that a terrible conflict is in progress
between God and the devil. It has raged through the centuries since Lucifer, heaven's most powerful
angel, rebelled against God. With the angels who joined him, he attempted to overcome God and seize
control of the universe. God and the loyal angels had no choice but to eject Lucifer and his angels from
heaven. Lucifer, who became known as the devil and Satan, was infuriated. His determination to
destroy God and control the universe has grown with every passing year. Amazingly, he has won the
support of the vast majority of earth's people in his rebellion. The Lord also asks for people's loyalty
and support, but He leaves all free to choose. Soon every person on earth will have aligned with either
Satan or God. The final battle between Satan and God is just ahead, and it is described in the book of
Revelation. This book points out that God has an emblem, or mark, which will identify His people.
Satan also has an emblem, or mark, that will identify those who support him. As usual, Satan will work
through an earthly power symbolized in Revelation by a beast to impose his mark. This Study Guide
will reveal the beast's mark, which every lost person of the end time will receive. Unless you know
what his "mark" is, how will you avoid receiving it?

1. In order to know what the "mark" is, we must first identify the beast. How does the Bible describe
the beast?
Answer: Revelation 13:1-8, 16-18 provides 11 identifying characteristics. They are listed below:

A. Rises from sea (verse 1).

B. Composite of the four beasts of Daniel chapter 7 (verse 2).

C. Dragon gives it power and authority (verse 2).

D. Receives a deadly wound (verse 3).

E. Deadly wound healed (verse 3).

F. Strong political power (verses 3, 7).

G. Strong religious power (verses 3, 8).

20
H. Guilty of blasphemy (verses 1, 5, 6).

I. Wars with and overcomes the saints (verse 7).

J. Rules for 42 months (verse 5).

K. Has mysterious number 666 (verse 18).

Do some of these points have a familiar ring? Certainly! We encountered many of them earlier when
we studied about the Antichrist in Daniel chapter 7. The "beast" of Revelation 13 is simply another
name for the "Antichrist," which we learned from Daniel 7 is the papacy.

Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation often cover the same ground as prior prophecies, but each time
new features are added that help make the prophecies certain. So expect to learn some new things about
the Antichrist from this Study Guide. Now let's consider, one by one, the 11 points that describe the
beast.

A. It would rise from the sea (Revelation 13:1).

The sea (or water) in prophecy refers to people, or a populated area (Revelation 17:15). So the beast, or
Antichrist, would arise from amid the established nations of the then-known world. The papacy, as we
all know, arose in western Europe, so it fits this point.

A Word of Explanation

In harmony with God's command to honor all people (1 Peter 2:17), we pause here to recognize the
papacy for her many good deeds and activities. Her hospitals, orphanages, care for the poor, homes
for unwed mothers, and care for the aged are appreciated universally. She can honestly be lauded for
many things. But, like all other organizations, she has also made mistakes. God pinpoints some of her
errors in Revelation. The Lord, who blesses and comforts, must sometimes chasten and correct.
Please ask His Spirit to speak to you as you study this crucial topic.
B. It would be a composite of the four beasts of Daniel chapter 7 (Revelation 13:2).
Study the comparison below to see how it all fits together:

Daniel chapter 7 Revelation chapter 13

Babylon Lion-like beast (vs. 4) "Mouth of a lion" (vs. 2)

Medo-Persia Bearlike beast (vs. 5) "Feet of a bear" (vs. 2)

Leopard-like beast (vs. "Like unto a leopard" (vs.

Greece
6) 2)

"Having ... ten horns" (vs.

Rome Ten-horned beast (vs. 7)
1)
The four beasts of Daniel 7 are depicted as part of Antichrist, or the beast, because the papacy
incorporated pagan beliefs and practices from all four empires. She clothed them in spiritual garb and
spread them to the world as Christian teachings. Here is one of many supporting statements from
history: "In a certain respect, she [the papacy] has copied her organization from that of the Roman
Empire, has preserved and made fruitful the philosophical intuitions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle,

21
borrowed from both Barbarians and the Byzantine Roman Empire, but always remains herself,
thoroughly digesting all elements drawn from external sources." 1 This point definitely fits the papacy.

C. The beast must receive its power, seat (capital), and authority from the dragon (Revelation
13:2).
To identify the dragon, we go to Revelation chapter 12, where God's end-time church is pictured as a
pure woman. In prophecy, a pure woman represents God's true people or church (Jeremiah 6:2 Isaiah
51:16). (In Study Guide 23, we will present a detailed study of God's end-time church of Revelation
chapter 12. Study Guide 22 explains Revelation chapters 17 and 18, where fallen churches are
symbolized by a fallen mother and her fallen daughters.) The pure woman is portrayed as pregnant and
about to deliver. The dragon crouches nearby, hoping to "devour" the baby at birth. However, when the
baby is born He evades the dragon, fulfills His mission, and then ascends to heaven. Obviously the
baby is Jesus, whom Herod tried to destroy by killing all the babies in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). So
the dragon represents pagan Rome, of which Herod was a king. The power behind Herod's plot was, of
course, the devil (Revelation 12:7-9). Satan acts through various governments to accomplish his ugly
work in this case, pagan Rome.

We will quote just two supportive references from history, though there are many: (1) "The Roman
Church ... pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual
continuation. ...The Pope ... is Caesar's successor." 2 (2) "The mighty Catholic Church was little more
than the Roman Empire baptised. Rome was transformed as well as converted. The very capital of the
old Empire became the capital of the Christian Empire. The office of Pontifex Maximus was continued
in that of Pope." 3 So this point also fits the papacy. She received her capital city and power from pagan
Rome.

D. It would receive a deadly wound (Revelation 13:3).

The deadly wound was inflicted when Napoleon's general, Alexander Berthier, entered Rome and took
Pope Pius VI captive in February of 1798. Napoleon decreed that at the death of the pope, the papacy
would be discontinued. The pope died in France in August of 1799. "Half Europe thought ... that
without the Pope the Papacy was dead." 4 So this point also fits the papacy.

E. The deadly wound would be healed, and the entire world would give homage to the beast
(Revelation 13:3).
Since its healing, the strength of the papacy has grown and increased until today she is one of the most
powerful religio-political organizations and influence-centers in the world. Malachi Martin,
consummate Vatican insider and intelligence expert, reveals the following in his best-selling book The
Keys of This Blood 5 (page numbers in parentheses):

ABOUT THE POPE:

He is as determined to be world ruler as was Constantine in his day (49). He is protected by four
governments (120). He is the best-known person of the 20th century (123). He is personal friends
with the leaders of 91 countries (490). People of the world seem to him ready for strong worldwide
moral government with control (160). Sixteen thousand journalists covered his American visit (490).

ABOUT THE PAPACY:

22
 The American ambassador says the Vatican is unmatched as a "listening post" (120). The Vatican
knows by Saturday what will happen on Monday anywhere in the world (439). Papal structure is
prepared for worldwide rule now (143).

Obviously, the wound is healed and the eyes of the nations are upon the Vatican, so this point
also fits the papacy.

F. It would become a strong political power (Revelation 13:3, 7).

See item E above.

G. It would become a very powerful religious organization (Revelation 13:3, 8).

See item E above.

H. It would be guilty of blasphemy (Revelation 13:5, 6).

The papacy is guilty of blasphemy because her priests claim to forgive sins and her popes claim to be
Christ.

I. It would war with and persecute the saints (Revelation 13:7).

The papacy did persecute and destroy millions of saints during the Dark Ages.

J. It would reign for 42 months (Revelation 13:5).

The papacy reigned for 42 prophetic months, which equals 1,260 years, from A.D. 538-1798.

Points H through J also clearly fit the papacy. We touched on them only briefly here because they were
covered thoroughly in Study Guide 15, question 8, items E, G, and H.

K. It would have the mysterious number 666 (Revelation 13:18).

This verse says, "It is the number of a man," and Revelation 15:2 says it is "the number of his name."
What man do you think of when you think of the papacy? Naturally, we all think of the pope. What is
his official name? Here is a Catholic quote: "The title of the pope of Rome is "Vicarius Filii Dei"
(English: "Vicar of the Son of God").6 Malachi Martin, in The Keys of This Blood, uses the same title
for the pope on pages 114, 122. A footnote for Revelation 13:18 in some Douay [Catholic] versions of
the Bible says, "The numeral letters of his name shall make up this number."

Again, the papacy fits the identification point. The beast with the "mark" is the papacy. No other power
in history could possibly fit these divine descriptive points. Now that we have positively identified the
beast, we can discover her mark, or symbol of authority. But first, let's look at God's sign of authority.

2. What is God's mark, or symbol, of authority?

"I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord
that sanctify them." Ezekiel 20:12. "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six
days the Lord made heaven and earth." Exodus 31:17.

23
Answer: God is saying in the texts above that He gave us His Sabbath as a glorious sign of His power
to create and His power to sanctify (convert and save) us. In the Bible, the words seal, sign, mark, and
token are used interchangeably.7 God's sign, the Sabbath, represents His holy power to rule as Creator
and Saviour. Revelation 7:1-3 says it will be written upon the foreheads (minds, Hebrews 10:16) of His
people. It will signify that they are owned by Him and have His character. Hebrews 4:4-10 confirms
this by saying that when we enter His rest (receive salvation), we should keep His seventh-day Sabbath
holy as a symbol, or mark, of salvation. True Sabbath-keeping signifies that a person has surrendered
his life to Jesus Christ and is willing to follow wherever Jesus leads.

Since the symbol, or mark, of God's authority and power is His holy Sabbath day, it seems likely that
the symbol, or mark, of God's challenger, the beast, might also involve a holy day. Let's see if it does.

7(Compare Genesis 17:11 with Romans 4:11 and Revelation 7:3 with Ezekiel 9:4.)

3. What does the papacy say is her symbol, or mark, of authority?

Answer: Notice the following section from a Catholic catechism:

"Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of
precept?"

"Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree
with her - she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the
observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."8

So the papacy is here saying that it changed Sabbath to Sunday and that virtually all churches accepted
the new holy day. Thus, the papacy claims that Sunday as a holy day is the mark, or symbol, of her
power and authority.

4. Did God predict such a change in Scripture?

Answer: Yes! In describing the Antichrist in Daniel 7:25, God said it would "think to change times and
laws."

A. How has the papacy tried to change God's laws? In three different ways: In her catechisms she
has (1) omitted the second commandment against veneration of images, and (2) shortened the fourth
(Sabbath) commandment from 94 words to just eight. The Sabbath commandment (Exodus 20:8-11)
clearly specifies Sabbath as the seventh day of the week. As changed by the papacy, the commandment
reads: "Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day." Written thus, it can refer to any day. And,
finally, she (3) divided the tenth commandment into two commandments.

B. How has the papacy attempted to change God's times? In two ways: (1) She has changed the
time of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day. (2) She has also changed God's "timing" for
the beginning and closing hours of the Sabbath. Instead of counting the Sabbath day from sundown

24
Friday night to sundown Saturday night as God mandates (Leviticus 23:32), she adopted the pagan
Roman custom of counting the day from midnight Saturday night to midnight Sunday night. God
predicted these "changes" would be attempted by the beast, or Antichrist.

Notice the following section from a Catholic catechism:

"Question: Which is the Sabbath day?

Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.

Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?

Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity
from Saturday to Sunday." 9

Here is another Catholic statement: "The Church is above the Bible and this transference of Sabbath
observance from Saturday to Sunday is proof positive of that fact." 10

The papacy is saying in these references that its successful change of Sabbath observance to Sunday
worship is proof that its authority is greater, or "above," Scripture.

5. How could anyone dare attempt to change God's holy day?

Answer: We ask the papacy, "Did you really change Sabbath to Sunday?"

She replies, "Yes, we did. It is our symbol, or mark, of authority and power."

We ask, "How could you even think of doing that?"

It's a pertinent question. But the question the papacy officially asks Protestants is even more pertinent.
Please read it carefully:

"You will tell me that Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath, but that the Christian Sabbath has been
changed to Sunday. Changed! but by whom? Who has authority to change an express commandment of
Almighty God? When God has spoken and said, Thou shalt keep holy the seventh day, who shall dare
to say, Nay, thou mayest work and do all manner of worldly business on the seventh day but thou shalt
keep holy the first day in its stead? This is a most important question, which I know not how you can
answer. You are a Protestant, and you profess to go by the Bible and the Bible only and yet in so
important a matter as the observance of one day in seven as a holy day, you go against the plain letter
of the Bible, and put another day in the place of that day which the Bible has commanded.

The command to keep holy the seventh day is one of the ten commandments you believe that the other
nine are still binding who gave you authority to tamper with the fourth? If you are consistent with your
own principles, if you really follow the Bible and the Bible only, you ought to be able to produce some
portion of the New Testament in which this fourth commandment is expressly altered." 11

25
11Library of Christian Doctrine: Why Don't You Keep Holy the Sabbath-Day? (London: Burns and
Oates, Ltd.), pp. 3, 4.

Tragically, both Catholicism and Protestantism stand guilty before the judgment bar of heaven
for rejecting God's holy Sabbath, His sacred sign of identification.

6. What solemn warnings has God given regarding His law and His sign, or mark?
Answer: A. God warns religious leaders against causing people to stumble by saying that some
commandments do not matter (Malachi 2:7-9). For example, some ministers teach, "It doesn't matter
what day you keep holy."

B. God warns people who want their ministers to preach smooth fables rather than the truth about His
law (Isaiah 30:9, 10).

C. God warns people about hardening their hearts against the truth of His law (Zechariah 7:12).

D. God warns people who say it would seem "strange" to keep God's law like the Sabbath, for example
(Hosea 8:12).

E. God states that the upheaval, tragedy, problems, and woes of earth come because people refuse to
follow His law, and have even tried to change it (Isaiah 24:4-6).

F. God warns religious leaders who refuse to preach the prophecies of the end time (Isaiah 29:10, 11).

G. God solemnly warns that leaders who teach there is really no difference between sacred things (such
as God's holy Sabbath) and common things (such as Sunday) will face His indignation (Ezekiel 22:26,
31).

7. Revelation 13:16 says people will receive the mark of the beast in the forehead or in the hand. What
does this mean?
Answer: The forehead represents the mind (Hebrews 10:16). A person will be marked in the forehead
by a decision to keep Sunday as a holy day. The hand is a symbol of work (Ecclesiastes 9:10). A person
will be marked in the hand by working on God's holy Sabbath or by going along with Sunday laws for
practical reasons (job, family, etc.). The sign, or mark, for either God or the beast will be invisible to
people. You will, in essence, mark yourself by accepting either God's sign or mark, the Sabbath, or the
beast's mark, Sunday. Though invisible to men, God will know who has which mark (2 Timothy 2:19).

8. According to Isaiah 58:1, 13, 14, what decisive message does God deliver to His people in the last
days?
"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression." "If thou
turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a

26
delight, ... Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isaiah 58:1, 13, 14.
Answer: He says, show "my people" that they are (innocently perhaps) sinning because they are
trampling on My holy day, and ask them to quit breaking My Sabbath so I can bless them. Speak loudly
so they will hear you!

Notice that the third angel of Revelation 14:9-12, who brings the message about the mark of the beast,
speaks with a loud voice also (verse 9). The message is too important to treat as ordinary. It's a life-or-
death issue. Jesus says His sheep, or people, will follow Him when He calls them. (John 10:16, 27).

9. Do people who worship on Sunday (as a holy day) have the mark of the beast now?
Answer: No! No one will have the mark of the beast until Sunday worship becomes an issue forced by
law. At that time (just ahead), those who decide to follow the false teachings of the beast and worship
on Sunday (the beast's counterfeit holy day) will receive the mark of the beast.

Those who follow Jesus and obey His truth will keep His Sabbath day holy and receive His mark.
Those who expect to refuse the beast's mark in the future must step under Jesus' Sabbath banner now.
His power is available to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Without Him, we can do nothing (John
15:5). With Him, all things are possible (Mark 10:27).
(note: The author does not endorse the answer to point number 9, but regards it as dangerously
presumptuous and difficult to know with certainty)

10. According to the book of Revelation, whom did John specifically see in God's eternal kingdom?
Answer: The answer is threefold and very clear:

A. Those who have God's mark, or sign (His Sabbath), in their foreheads (Revelation 7:3).

B. Those who refused to identify with the beast or his image and who refused to have his mark or name
in their foreheads (Revelation 15:2).

C. The people who today, and for eternity, follow where Jesus leads, trusting Him fully in everything
(Revelation 14:4). There is no other way.

11. What is Jesus saying to people today?

"He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12.
Answer: What a fantastic promise! If we follow Him, we will not end up in darkness but will, instead,
have glorious truth. Nothing could be more exciting! Further, following Him and keeping His Sabbath
will put God's mark on our foreheads and protect us from the dreadful plagues (Psalms 91:10) that will
fall upon the disobedient (Revelation chapter 16). It also marks us as ready for translation at Jesus'
second coming. What blessed protection and assurance God has offered us!
https://www.sabbathtruth.com/faq/advanced-topics/the-sabbath-and-the-mark-of-the-beast

27
 This has been a spiritually-led study conducted by

AGood and Faithful Servant

July 2017

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

28