Category: Bible Truth

Were you taught the correct Commandments??

January 9th, 2024

By the deceitfulness of Satan many have been taught a variation of Catholic Commandments and not the true written in stone 10 Commandments of the Bible. (Just as I was – on the left side of the picture above, are the commandments I had learned from my catechism growing up as a Lutheran).

Did you know that these changes were prophesied? “And he (the Papacy) shall speak great words against the most High…and think to change times and laws.” (Daniel 7:25)

So, what were some of these changes?

1. The Papacy (Catholic Church) removed the 2nd Commandment, due to their worship of Mary and bowing down to statues. They then moved the Commandments up in number and split the 10th Commandment into two, so there would still appear to be 10 Commandments.

2. The Papacy also changed God’s 4th Commandment; changing God’s Seventh day Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday (the first day of the week).

NOTE: Please also see comparisons of commandments at the bottom this page. 🙂

“Sunday is a Catholic institution… From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.” – Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, August, 1900.

“Sunday… It is the law of the Catholic Church alone.” – Catholic American Sentinels, June 1893

“Sunday is our MARK of authority… The church is above the Bible, and this transference of the Sabbath observance is a proof of that fact.” – Catholic Record of London, Ontario, September 1, 1923

What does the Lord say?

Matthew 5:17 KJV, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

“For I am the LORD, I change not;..” (Malachi 3:6)

John 14:15 KJV, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

2 John 1:6 KJV, “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.”

Hebrews 4:4-11 KJV, “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. (5) And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. (6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: (7) Again, he limiteth 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. (8) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. (9) There remaineth therefore a rest (sabbatismos) to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. (11) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” (For more information on Hebrews 4 and the Sabbath, visit: https://healinggraceofgod.org/2023/02/21/sabbath-justified/)

God bless 🙂
How does the Lord heal?

May 15th, 2023

Table of Contents:
–Why is the Lord allowing this?

–So, why doesn’t everyone receive physical healing when they come to the Lord?

–But then the question is, do we truly want to be healed?

–If God deems it best to not heal us physically, has He forsaken us?

–It’s all about perspective.

–So, how does the Lord heal?

I was inspired to write this due to a dear friend coming to learn she was diagnosed with cancer. Since sending this letter, I have updated and changed portions of this letter/article specifically for online. I pray you are blessed!

Good morning,

There are many ways in which the Bible speaks about healing, and this is a topic that has been of deep interest to me over the years, due to my own personal health and most especially because of loved ones near and dear to me having to go through hard health trials. I pray what you read below comforts and encourages you today. 🙂

God bless!

Why is the Lord allowing such trials? How does the Lord heal us?

Why is the Lord allowing this?

As you know, and all can attest to, is that trials and hardships are a part of this life. And they aren’t just a part of this life, they are actually a guarantee in this life, for all, including Christians.

Whether those trials are a result of our own sinful choices, the poor choices of others, for our sanctification, pruning, or for the glory of God to be seen, it is of God’s mercy and love that He does allow us to experience and go through such trials and afflictions.

“Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” (Psalms 119:67)

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” (Psalms 119:71)

“I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” (Psalms 119:75)

Now this isn’t to say that God desires any of us to suffer, no, that isn’t the case one bit. He simply knows what the very best thing for us is. If God is allowing grief, then He is doing it with compassion, for He doesn’t willing afflict us. “But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.” (Lamentations 3:32-33)

No good parent wants to punish their children, but they also know that the very best thing for their child is to discipline them, hoping they will learn their lesson and be better for it. All the more does our perfect Father in Heaven, desire what is the very, very best for us…and correction is one of the many ways in which the Lord shows His love toward us.

“And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.” (Hebrews 12:5-13)

Many are walking contrary to the Lord’s Commandments and His perfect will; they live life as they please and as they deem right, so the Lord allows such afflictions. He longs for all those walking contrary to His will to turn from their wicked ways and come to Him; for He knows that He is the very best thing for them.

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)

I can say personally that if it wasn’t for experiencing many hard trials, I would have never desired to seek the Lord, I would have never desired to turn away from my sin, and know if there was more to this life than the life I was living. I cannot thank God enough for the trials He allowed many years ago, and the trials He allows today. For they are what He used to bring me to Jesus, and they are also what continue to keep me close to His side.

So, why doesn’t everyone receive physical healing when they come to the Lord?

All of those made in God’s image are indeed promised healing, but this is on account that they repent, give their lives to Him and by His grace and strength obey His Commandments (to the light that they have been given- , How do I give my life to Jesus?) but that promise isn’t guaranteed to come on this side of eternity.

“In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.” (2 Kings 20:1-7)

Notice that the Lord said He would heal Hezekiah, but there was also a test for Hezekiah. Hezekiah was by faith to listen to God’s instructions and “take the lump of figs” and lay it on the boil. If, by faith, Hezekiah was obedient to what the Lord instructed Him to do, he would receive healing. By faith in what God had promised, Hezekiah took the lump of figs, and he was healed.

There are many times in life when the Lord has shown us what He would have us to do, and specific to our to health, He has shown us the best steps to take for healing to come. Yet, for one reason or another, whether that be fear, lack of understanding, ignorance, unbelief, wanting the “quick fix”, lack of trust, etc…we often miss hearing the very way in which we could receive true healing as the Lord would desire to give us. In our pride, fear, and often misunderstanding of how the Lord answers such requests, we can refuse or miss the very thing that would bring us the true healing we need.

Take also the example of Naaman spoken about in 2 Kings 5:1-14: “Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”

It was according to the Lord’s will that Naaman (who wasn’t a Christian) the leper could indeed receive healing on this side of eternity, but here again we see that Naaman was tested to see if he had faith that God could indeed heal him by heeding the instructions he was given by God’s prophet Elisha.

After the Lord gave instruction, Naaman initially refused to do as the Lord said. “.. Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper..” It was because of Naaman’s pride and the false expectation of how HE thought the Lord would deem fit to provide the healing. And because the Lord knew the pride that Naaman had, in how he was known as this “mighty man of valour”, the Lord tested Naaman’s pride when He chose the river of Jordan over the classy rivers of Damascus, which were “..better than all the waters of Israel..”

We have sadly all done this at some point or at many points in our lives and even in our walks with the Lord, not only in regard to specific health needs or physical healing, but in many aspects of life. We often think WE know the best route or the best decision to make. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

We all have made many decisions without asking the Lord what He would deem best and what He would have us to do. And the times when we have sought the Lord, how often have we lacked patience to wait for His answer. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

It is God’s mercy and love toward us that He has provided this story as an example for us to refer to and learn from in multiple ways.

We also see that Naaman received a kind rebuke from his servants, “..My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” Just as God will often, in His longsuffering toward us, send people into our lives to encourage, share with us, and remind us of what He had already instructed us to do, if we desire to receive the answer to our concerns and many prayers. It’s simply up to us to humble ourselves, listen, and obey.

But then the question is, do we truly want to be healed?

Sounds like a question with an obvious answer. You may be thinking, “Of course! Someone that is sick wants to be healed,” so the better question is: “Are they looking for true healing?”

Receiving physical, mental, and emotional healing of any sort is always a blessing and is much more preferable than being sick. But again, why is it that we desire to be healed? What would we do with our lives if we received the healing for which we longed for and have prayed for?

Is it so we can go back to the very things that God was trying to rescue us from in the first place? Drinking, partying, being promiscuous, partaking in dangerous activities, seeking after money and financial success, vanity, spending too much time working, neglecting our own health, neglecting our family, pride of life, fame, fortune, disobeying God and His commandments in one way or another?

We must ask ourselves? Do we truly desire to be made whole, not only physically and mentally, but spiritually as well? Are we willing to do whatever it takes to receive true healing? Are we willing to give up and let go of the very habits and sins that may be the direct cause of (or at least contributing to) our many ailments?

Do we want to be healed so we can live as the Lord would desire us to? Or are we expecting to receive healing instantly?

Take the man that struggled with the ailment of palsy. “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house.” (Matthew 9:2-7)

This man longed to receive physical healing; think of all the things that he wasn’t able to do, let alone never had the chance to do because of his palsy (paralysis). Yet, what he longed for more than any physical healing was to know and have the assurance that his sins were indeed forgiven. He longed for the hope of salvation and hope of eternity. Just as Jesus prioritized this man’s spiritual healing, Jesus does the same for you and me. And just as Jesus read the heart (mind) of the man with palsy, and the scribes’ thoughts, the Lord sees and reads the hearts of you and me. And if He deems that it is best for our salvation’s sake to not receive full physical healing on this side of eternity, then we must trust Him and believe that He is allowing it for our good. For God knows that maybe if we received full physical healing, we would leave Him again and pursue the very things that took us away from Him in the first place.

God answers each and every one of our prayers according to what He deems best and in the time that He deems best. If it be according to the Lord’s will, healing can happen immediately, but the Lord will also answer our prayers by guiding us to His Biblical diet, natural remedies, and proper lifestyle changes that would bring immense healing as well. Yet, in our often desire for instant gratification, and in our impatience and unwillingness to take the path that takes time, effort, discipline, trust, patience, and faith we often put it aside and then get frustrated or even blame God when we still don’t feel any better. We often decide to take the “easier” route, refuse to change our ways, and go for the option that seems best in our eyes, but sadly only brings us down a far worse path. Yet, His arm is outreached yet.

It is in the process and journey of healing that there is potential for the most growth to happen, for He uses it to teach many lessons, most especially to rely on Him. For in the times of struggle, are we on our knees pleading to God? Do we believe God? Are we being patient to receive that healing? Are we seeking Him in His Word? In the times of struggle, are we thanking God for the healing He has brought and the many blessings He has given? During the good and rough times, are we praising Him for sending His only begotten Son for us? The times we fail to do this, He helps us to see where we have areas we need to grow. Oh how He loves us and cares for us. Though we have so greatly sinned against Him, yet He is so willing to forgive us, cleanse, pick us back up, encourage us, and guide. What love.

The Lord sees what it is we truly desire, and our willingness to surrender our ways and trust God’s ways.

If God deems it best to not heal us physically, has He forsaken us?

Even for the born again Christian that desires nothing more than to please and obey their Father in Heaven, God sees who will have the strength to make it through tough trials ahead. He sees what they will be able to handle and therefore He may allow His child to go to sleep (die) earlier than they or others may have expected, whether through sickness or another trial, to make sure that son or daughter will indeed be rising to meet Him in the air when He returns. Or for the precious unconverted soul on their death bed, knowing they are soon to die may be that the very best circumstance for them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Just as the thief on the cross. Thank you, LORD! Whatever the circumstance or wherever we are in our walk with God, God sees the whole picture, while we only see parts. Because we can only see small bits of the whole picture, it is sometimes very difficult to understand why He is allowing sickness or injury, but there again in His amazing love He uses these trails to draw us to Him and to trust Him. May we take comfort in the Scriptures, knowing that His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts, (Isaiah 56:8&9) and that it is our Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom of heaven. (Luke 12:32) We can be comforted in the knowledge that our loving Father knows exactly what He is doing, and it is all to His glory and for our salvation sake. Praise His Name!

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Just as was talked about earlier, the Lord may not heal a precious soul from all their physical ailments, but when they do come to God desiring more than anything to be cleansed and to be made whole spiritually, God doesn’t then leave them to bear their burdens alone. No, not at all! Rather the complete opposite! Praise His Name!

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

He will abundantly bless them with joy and peace like never experienced before in the midst of their difficult circumstance. God will comfort their hearts, bless them with the faith and strength needed each and every day, and give them hope; the hope of Heaven and joy knowing that the One who healed their broken hearts, and carried them through, they will very soon get to meet face to face … never to be apart again.

“But He (Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:1-6)

Though we often forsake Him, if we stay close to His side. He will never forsake us. And when we often falter, fall into despair, or are tempted to doubt His care, we can time and time again come to the foot of Jesus’ cross, tell Him of our burdens and ask for His strength. He never wearies or gets tired of our continual coming to Him. What a loving Saviour and loving Father we have. May we cling to Jesus and never let Him go. Praise His Name!

It’s all about perspective.

I love reading testimonies of those that have faithfully clung to Jesus through the hardest of times, because it so beautifully shows the strength of Jesus in them while in the midst of the toughest circumstances. It gives me so much hope to know that just as others have been given the courage and strength from Jesus during the toughest trials, He too will do the same for me and others in the tough times ahead.

One of my favorite stories is about a lady named Annie Flint; she suffered through immense physical pain. Yet, in the midst of her worst pain, though she wasn’t physically able to write at this time due her physical limitations, someone wrote down her words for her. This is her beautiful poem:

“He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy;
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure.
His pow’r has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

Those that have suffered through the most trying pains and have experience the greatest grief, they have also had the blessed opportunity to relate all the more to what Our Precious Saviour suffered when He was brutally beaten and crucified on the cross for something He didn’t deserve. And not only did He not deserve what He suffered through, He suffered because of our sins! We caused His suffering! And it is in our many times of weakness, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, His strength is so mightily seen and shown!

(Please note, that Satan also can cause certain ailments and diseases to us and our loved ones due to allowing certain evils in our life or home, like partaking in new age practices for example or committing willful sin (known sin), having idols in our home (like Buddha), TV (not just the screen used for work or something edifying), witchcraft books, fictional books, etc. Please see the example mentioned at the end of my “Is acupuncture Biblical” post to see what positive changes happened when the acupuncturist renounced and repented of his successful practice.)

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

It’s also important to understand that the trials we experience aren’t always a result of our own sins, but rather for the glory of God to be seen and known by many.

Take the story of the man that was born blind, “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” (John 9:1-7)

Or take the story of Job: Job was perfect and righteous in the sight of the Lord, yet the Lord allowed him to lose all that he had but his life. (Read Job chapters 1-3) And what was Job’s initial response after he lost all of his children, health, abundant livestock, garden, and servants? Job said: “..Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)

It is such stories like Job’s that God has blessed us with to teach us many wonderful lessons. It wasn’t because of any sin that Job committed, that God allowed such trials. Yet, we see Job’s response at the beginning. We see His faithful trust in God regardless of the immense suffering. What an example!

May the Lord bless us all by His grace and His power working in us, to have such faith as Annie did, as Job did, and as so many other faithful Christians we have read about, but most especially, may we all have the same faith as our blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ did.

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12)

If we faithfully day in and day out stay close to Jesus, we will be filled with wondrous joy and abundant peace, and we will be given the grace and strength sufficient for every trial we face. “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25)

So, how does the Lord heal us physically?

If it be according to the Lord’s will that He would deem it best for us to receive physical healing on this side of eternity, there are many ways in which physical healing can come, but regardless of which way the Lord deems fit, it is by our faith that any healing will occur in the first place; simple faith.

Now, just to be extra clear..this isn’t the same as the false prosperity gospel spoken of today, wherein the only reason they conclude or give if someone doesn’t receive healing, is because they didn’t have enough faith, didn’t give enough money, etc. This is a very dangerous false doctrine; one that has brought much disaster to many precious souls. 😦

Healing can happen immediately, in the midst of or right after being in prayer. It can happen after a faithful and obedient Christian lays hands and/or prays for that sick person. (But the recipient of those prayers, themselves, still need to have the faith that the Lord can indeed heal them.) Healing can happen through chiropractic adjustments (the spine getting realigned, an ankle bone get put back into place, for example), through traditional muscular massage, herbs, poultices, vitamins and minerals, water therapy, a cleansing protocol (juice cleanse for example), raw food diet, fasting, fasting and prayer, a plant based diet, lifestyle changes, eliminating highly processed foods, pop, etc. Often it’s a combination of these things along with a consistent healthy diet and lifestyle. 🙂

Click here for more information on God’s healing diet! https://remnantofgod.org/health.htm

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” (1 John 3:22)

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)

Take the lady who was plagued with the issue of blood for 12 years and had spent all of her money seeking physicians. “And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” (Luke 8:43-48) Praise His Name!

Or take the man that was blind from birth or the man who suffered with palsy as we mentioned earlier. Or the man that had an infirmity 38 years. “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.” (John 5:5-9)

Or even take the man that was crippled from birth, that was healed because of his faith; “And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.” (Acts 14:8-10)

There are countless amazing healings that Jesus performed all throughout Scripture and there are many amazing testimonies of His healing power today!

Jesus perceived that many precious but struggling souls had the faith to be healed; for they truly believed that Jesus had the power to heal them. If we too believe (and it’s according to the Lord’s will), we can and will indeed receive healing! We simply must believe!

“And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.” (Mark 9:20-27)

Remember when we read earlier about Hezekiah and Naaman? They were both promised healing … IF they, by faith, followed through with what the Lord had instructed them to do. For Hezekiah it was taking the lump of figs and putting it on his boil. For Naaman, it was dunking in the Jordan River seven times. We too must be willing to, by faith, listen and do our part. Even if the answer given isn’t our preference or what we are accustomed to.

Whether we receive physical healing on this side of eternity or not, it is still by our faith in the atoning blood of Jesus to cleanse us of our sins, that we can have confidence that we will receive complete healing when we are changed, and receive our perfected bodies at the coming of Jesus. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

Praise the Lord!

Thank you for taking the time to read this today. I pray you were blessed by what you read. If you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

I will be adding more recipes, healing remedies, and more information on health soon. 🙂

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly. 🙂
How does the Bible say we are to keep the Seventh Day Sabbath holy?

April 19th, 2023

Keeping the Sabbath of our God shows that we are willing to forsake our own thoughts and ways during the time our God set aside for us 6000 years ago. It shows our Lord that we have a willingness to learn of Him, study His Word, as well as to think and meditate on Him and all He has created for us. Keeping Sabbath also shows our Father we have a heartfelt desire to obey Him. He sanctified this holy day long ago as a way to gently test our faith in Him as well as glorify Him and declare Him Creator God. Some look at Sabbath as our preverbal tree in the garden. Will we obey Him, or not? When you think about it, we could literally be without sight, speech, or even hearing and we could still glorify Him each and every Sabbath by keeping this day holy in His name. In this case, we can see that without so much as saying a Word, it can be known by others we worship the Creator God by keeping this day holy in whatever way we can.

The Sabbath was made for man to give him rest from physical labor and to worship the very God that not only made him, but all he knows in life. On our Lord’s Holy Sabbath, we can forget all about the day to day activities throughout the week that have become rather routine to us over the many years and use this day to draw closer to our God in study of His Word, in meditation of all He reveals to us about Him, and in prayer to Him for whatever our hearts desire, so long as it is not to consume it upon our lusts of course.

James 4:3 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

As the world comes to a close, I like to look at Sabbath as a way to have a glimpse of that eternal rest with our Lord in His kingdom. When we keep the Sabbath day holy, we show faith and belief in all of God’s promises to us, especially regarding that eternal rest we will experience in His Kingdom.

So … how do we keep this day holy?

First off, let’s look at what we cannot do on Sabbath day. Afterward, we can look at what we can do. You may find what we can do far outweighs what we cannot do. And it’s not so much we cannot do these things because they are evil. We can work 6 days a week can we not? But work in itself is not evil. So, it’s not about sin so much as it is about pleasing our Father by simple obedience to rest on the day He sanctified. In Genesis chapter two we find the first instance of the words “Seventh day” being mentioned.

Genesis 2:2-3 “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

The word “sanctified” means “to set apart for holy use.” If we believe this Creator God does as He does because of His eternal perfection in all things, then we are wholly aware that when He chose to rest after doing His work, it is a good thing to do so because He is perfect in all things. This rest of His is an example even unto us, His creation. As we work through the week, are we not creating in a sense with what we do? Some of us actually see this firsthand if we are builders, artists, or even teachers that help create in the mind of their students a better way. If the God we worship saw fit to stop and rest from His work of creation, what does it say of man when he believes he must work on Sabbath because he is unable to provide for his family? How can mankind claim anything he does is more work intensive and necessary than creating all that is seen and unseen? If we believe we are busier than the Creator God, what does that say about us? It says we think pretty highly of self and not much of Him. If the Creator can stop and rest in a work we could never do in a trillion lifetimes, so can we, His creation, kick back and rest.

Exodus 31:13-15 “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.”

Nehemiah 13:15 “In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.”

Rather blunt is it not? As Nehemiah continues, we find another act of the people that is not allowed on Sabbath.

Nehemiah 13:16-17 “There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?”

We must never buy or sell anything on Sabbath day. This means we should never go into stores, restaurants, gas stations, or even walk up to vending machines to buy a bottle of water. Some will ask why it is wrong to buy on Sabbath when we are not the ones doing the work of selling? I ask, are we not called of our God to be examples to the people God puts in our path? Are we not supposed to display what is acceptable to do as Christians? If we, the Remnant of God, who understand truths which most cannot, step into places of business to purchase items on this holy day we would be condoning work being done on Sabbath. In so doing, we would then be looked upon as hypocrites, and the message we hope to portray is soiled. If we preach we must not work on Sabbath, and then go up to those working and ask them to do their job so we can purchase items from them, what will that say about our Lord’s Law? Now, there are emergencies wherein this is allowed, but we will get into that a little later.

Another blessing we can recognize for Sabbath is food preparation. We are told in Scripture that we must not work at preparing food on Sabbath as this can be easily done on Friday. This is a blessing for those that usually do the work of preparing the food throughout the week because this is one day they do not have to do such things. The Jews of old actually called Friday the day of preparation for that reason, as well as the reason of preparing self for Sabbath. I look at each Sabbath as a day of communion with my Lord, and I like to prepare accordingly.

Exodus 16:23, 30 “And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. So the people rested on the seventh day.”

Since we have different technology today, in that we don’t have to gather wood from the forest, rub sticks together to start a fire, or travel great distance for water, we can simply warm our food on Sabbath by flicking a switch on a stove. No work is needed to do this, so no sin is realized as long as the toil of preparing the food the day before was finished. However, the day is approaching when some of us will find ourselves in the forest hiding from those that seek our lives as we wait for our Lord’s return. Then it would be sin because at this time we would have to gather wood and water. We would do well to pray that this flight of ours doesn’t happen in Winter or on Sabbath itself, as this would test the faith of some. I personally would see no sin in keeping a fire lit on Sabbath to prevent hypothermia, of course. But this would also mean on Friday I would have gathered twice as much wood to keep warm for Friday night and all day Sabbath.

One more thing should be mentioned that would be a good thing to do before Sabbath, is that it is a good idea to right any wrongs done to your fellow man before Sabbath arrives.

Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

As we move along, we find our Lord also instructs us in the Fourth Commandment itself that any servile work of any kind whatsoever is not allowed on Sabbath. Rest means just that, rest.

Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

What this entails is, no secular work is allowed at all. Even work you’re not paid for like sweeping the floor in your home, mowing your lawn, cleaning your gutters, etc. This also includes work being done on land you own. Within thy gates means just that. Not even the cattle are to work on this day. A lot of farmers have a hard time with this because sometimes the Sabbath is the only day they seem to be able to work the fields due to bad weather the other six days. What they fail to realize is, our Lord knows exactly what the weather is doing beforehand in every area of the planet. He watches them just as He does with any test sent upon His people. Yes, there are occasions of emergency wherein work is allowed. For example, Jesus clearly outlines this in Matthew chapter twelve …

Matthew 12:11-12 “And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?  How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”

A quick example of this would be a sick loved one. The medicine needed to help them can be purchased on Sabbath day. So, don’t worry if you have to go to the corner market to buy something on Sabbath if it’s an emergency. (Water, cold pack, hot water bottle, blanket, ice, extra clothing, etc.)

This next situation seems to be a gray area for some Sabbath keepers, so I will try to explain it as best I can.

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, 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:”

Doing thine own pleasure covers a myriad of points. A few examples could be games, TV, radio, hobbies, reading magazines, or anything else that would constitute a pleasure outside Sabbath allowances. By the way, “speaking thine own words” can also be defined as sitting on a phone talking with a friend about everyday activities. It would be okay if you were talking with that friend about things in God’s Word and testifying to His goodness and creation of course, but gabbing away on a phone, or in person about topics not appropriate for Sabbath day will make the Sabbath appear like any other day wherein your own pleasures are allowed. If the soul you’re talking with is a nonbeliever you may harm them spiritually. When we refuse to talk with friends on Sabbath about such things, that can be a witness to them. Who knows, one day they may come to know Jesus Christ as we do, and you would have been used by God Himself to help gain a soul for Heaven by making them think about Him when you refused to gab on the phone during Sabbath! So, for you, young people; this can be your own special way to share Jesus with your friends, cousins or anyone else you approach on Sabbath, and it’s as easy as saying, “I will get back to you after Sabbath.”

Some have asked if it’s okay to be intimate with one’s spouse on Sabbath day. I ask, would that not also be considered “thine own pleasure?” This gray area can be well lit when we peer into what Moses was asked to tell the people gathering to meet with the Lord one day long ago …

Exodus 19:10-11, 14, 15 ” And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.”

If this holy day of meeting with the Lord was to be done so in a sanctified manner, would not the Sabbath, which He sanctified in Eden before sin entered the world be just as holy, if not more so? Is this not the same God we commune with that was at Sinai back then? Does He not expect and deserve the same reverence even now especially since He is about to return for us, His people?

The amazing thing here is, there aren’t many things we cannot do on Sabbath. It’s not as restricted as some make it out to be. I don’t look at Sabbath as a day that I can’t do this or that. It’s more like a day I don’t have to do this or that, and I get to do this and that. In other words, there are many things we can do on this holy day that can make it a joy to behold.

For example, Sabbath is the perfect day to forget all about our troubles, our jobs, and any other aspects of life so we can truly rest and relax. On this day, we can find a blessed and oftentimes enriching fellowship with like-minded believers when we attend church. It doesn’t matter if you have no church in your area either. You can do this at home, with friends in a small home church you can start, or if you have Internet, or even a phone you can attend with believers in real time online. Not like the TV and radio pre-recorded services that are mostly all about money anyway. Sabbath has always been the day when believers would gather to worship the Lord. In fact, Jesus Himself, our perfect example, did this perfectly each 7th day He walked among us 2000 years ago. Speaking of Jesus, Luke said …

Luke 4:16 “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”

Another thing we can do on Sabbath is show God how much we love, honor, and respect Him. Think about that for a moment. He gives us one day a week to do for Him what He has done for us every day of the week since birth. Yes, most of us do this each day as well in evening, mid-day, and morning prayer, but on Sabbath it is especially good to do so because in Heaven itself He is resting and looking upon us with love.

Psalms 89:7 “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”

As many of us have learned over the years, if we study His Word diligently, to fear Him is to give Him reverence. What better day to do this than on Sabbath when all the host of Heaven are in worship of Him as well. It is written in Matthew 6:10 that His will is done on earth as it is in Heaven,

Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

And since we understand this God we worship is one that never changes according to Malachi 3:6, then is there Sabbath service in Heaven?

Isaiah 66:22-23 “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.”

This is a holy day! Even in Heaven it is considered holy! Nothing that defileth should enter therein as far as I’m concerned. The reason I believe this is because Sabbath is also kept in Heaven. According to Revelation 21:27, Heaven is a kingdom where,

Revelation 21:27 ” And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Since we know He never changes, and His will is done on earth as it is in Heaven, then even though the “new heavens and new earth” are future events, we know that we will be worshipping Him each and every Sabbath we are there. If He kept this Sabbath holy before the new heavens and new earth were made, He is keeping it now as well as later because He is a God that never changes. Since we know He kept it back when His Word was penned, this means He keeps it now. A God that never changes means just that, He never changes!

The wonderful thing about all this is, they are keeping Sabbath in Heaven each and every week. Imagine that if you can! When we stop and rest to keep Sabbath here on earth, the Father, His Son Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Enoch, Elijah, Moses and the many that came out of the graves when Jesus resurrected (See Matthew 27:50-52) are also keeping Sabbath in Heaven.

Matthew 27:50-52 “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,”

Not only that, but according to Revelation 5:11 there are,

Revelation 5:11 “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;”

What better day to worship our God than the exact same day all of Heaven worships Him? We are so privileged to take part in such a service that is happening INSIDE HEAVEN on Sabbath each and every week! And since nothing defiles that Heavenly Kingdom, we should do the same here if we want to be considered participants of this holy day. There is no other day on earth that can lay claim to such a blessing! Out of all the days of the week, there is only one considered blessed. Only the Sabbath is kept on earth as it is in Heaven.

Another wonderful thing we can do on Sabbath is to visit the sick and pray for their healing. Do you recall the man that was sick 38 years who laid by the pool of Bethesda waiting for the angel to trouble the waters so he could enter the water to be healed? Do you recall what Jesus did for this man, and when?

John 5:8-9 “Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.  And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.”

Jesus Himself declared on more than one occasion that doing such things on Sabbath was a very good thing.

Matthew 12:10-12 “And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.  And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?  How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”

The Sabbath day is to be a delight, a day of worship, and a day of rejoicing each and every week. What a blessing He has granted us in this busy world we find ourselves in. Our Lord has promised us that if we keep this day holy, He will bless us. So, on top of all the things we can do on Sabbath, one is we can receive blessings from Heaven for simply keeping one day out of seven for Him. Praise His name!

Isaiah 56:2 “Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.”

What is just one of the blessings we receive for obeying Him?

Acts 5:32 “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.”

Sabbath is also a day for prayer. Yes, we all pray seven days a week, and many of us do so as Daniel did, three times a day. However, the Sabbath is an especially good day to go to the Throne of grace. The early church did this each Sabbath as Scripture confirms …

Acts 16:13 “And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.”

Why do you suppose they looked upon Sabbath as a better day for prayer? Why is it that “… prayer was wont to be made” on Sabbath by the early church? The Lord does not wait for the Sabbath to pass to answer these prayers.

Sabbath is obviously a day the Lord highly esteems. We know our Saviour Jesus healed many on Sabbath, as well as preached on this day truths that would gain eternal life for many. However, what some fail to remember is that John, the favored apostle of our Lord while “… in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10) received a vision that we know of today as the Book of Revelation. So, as we can see, praying on this day makes for an amazing experience to say the least. In just the few Scripture references shared we found that many were healed, many learned truths that will gain them eternal life, and one was given a vision that has helped billions come to His Truth thus far.

In the Word, we find a simple Truth that cuts very deep into the hearts of those that trust this God we worship …

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

When we come together on Sabbath day, we find new Truths that can bless our walks. Which in turn blesses us with a stronger faith. When our Lord says “come now, and let us reason together” it is an open invitation to go into His Word and learn of Him and His will for our lives. We can do this seven days a week, yes, but oftentimes the young in Christ need a little help in grasping some of the meat in the Scripture as they travel through His Word. When the minister of God is moved by the Spirit of the Lord on Sabbath to utter Truths we may not understand on our own, we are blessed.

Acts 17:2 ” And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,”

Acts 18:4 “And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.”

In the Old Testament, it was the shewbread that represented the Word of God in the Sanctuary. Each Sabbath we found it was to be changed so as to bring fresh Truth to those coming to feast on His Word given via the priest on Sabbath.

1 Chronicles 9:32 “And other of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the shewbread, to prepare it every sabbath.”

If you are of a certain age wherein you have seen many Sabbaths in life, you know there have been many times you have received blessings on this holy day. If you were ever a Sunday keeper and then converted to Sabbath keeping you know Sunday was NEVER like this!

It doesn’t matter how many times we read the Bible throughout the week, or attend Sabbath services throughout the years, the Word of God is such that we can always find something new within its pages all throughout our lives. Sabbath allows us to see an eternity of blessings while still looking through a glass darkly here on earth. And as Isaiah 66:23 stated earlier, when we come to eternity, we will still see this day as a blessing each and every week, forever and ever.

One more thing we can do on Sabbath is …

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Sabbath day can and should be the best day of the week with so many good things we can take part in and be blessed by only on this day.

Below are some ideas as to how to keep the Sabbath holy:

Take nature walks

Children Sabbath schools

Study nature and natural health

Type up Bible studies you can email or snail mail to loved ones

Color Bible pictures for children

Visit the sick

Leave tracts at park tables, outhouses, parking lots, etc.

Sing songs of praise

Visit the elderly

Read the family Bible chapters

Go to a pond and feed the ducks

Go witnessing door to door

Read and study the Bible by yourself

Make 3X5 cards of Scripture and memorize them

Play Bible games

I pray you were blessed!

(This post was reposted with permission from RemnantofGod.org)

Please visit RemnantofGod.org for more information!
Sabbath Justified!

February 21st, 2023

The issue of the sabbath is one that has been obscured by many centuries of tradition. However, does tradition take precedent over truth? Matthew 15:8-9 “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”. It is possible to think you’re worshipping God whilst not doing the very thing he commands. Luke 6:46 “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say”? The sabbath has been commanded to all of God’s children from the start. It’s one of the ten commandments.

Exodus 20:8-11

King James Version

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it

Was the sabbath Just for the children of Israel?

Many think that the sabbath was just from the time of Moses. However, God merely gave the children of Israel that which was already created. Exodus 16:4-5 “Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.  And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily”. God tested the children of Israel to see if they would keep his sabbath. He says he was going to prove them to see if they will keep his commandments or not. By saying that God makes it clear they were already there. Exodus 16:29-30 “See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day”. We therefore cannot conclude that the children of Israel only had to keep the sabbath after they received the ten commandments. They had received it even before they officially heard it from mount Sinai. This is because the sabbath was made in creation week. Genesis 2:3 “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made”. Nehemiah confirms that God had merely given the children of Israel the sabbath. Nehemiah 9:13-14 “Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant”. Why did he say he made it known unto them? The children of Israel had lived in Egypt for hundreds of years by that point and their culture was predominantly Egyptian. Many of the children of Israel didn’t keep the sabbath. Hence God made known unto them something they should have been keeping.

Was the sabbath made for Jews?

Mark 2:27 “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”. When Jesus says the sabbath was made for man it’s interesting to see some take this as “therefore we don’t need to keep the sabbath”. Pause for one moment. If I tell you clothes were made for humans and not humans made for clothes. What does that mean? Am I saying don’t wear clothes? No! What Jesus is teaching here is the sabbath is made to fit humans and not the other way around. It’s meant to be a delight to mankind and not a burden. This is because the Jewish leadership added many extra commandments to the sabbath, making it weary for themselves. They ended up trying to mould the people to this false standard of righteousness to the point it became a dread. Jesus is clear the sabbath was made for man. If you are part of mankind, the sabbath is for you.

Where in the New Testament does it say we have to keep sabbath?

In writing to the Hebrews Paul explains we must keep sabbath.

Hebrews 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest [believers enter into this 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.

Paul is talking about a rest here which belongs to God, which is to do with the creation. What is he talking about?

Hebrews 4:4-6 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day [the sabbath] 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:

Paul then goes on to explain that this rest was about the seventh day, the sabbath. He states that in his time there are some that must enter into that rest, or in other words keep the sabbath. He then goes on to say the Jews didn’t enter into that rest (keep the sabbath). Do the scriptures support the Jews of that time not keeping the sabbath properly?

Exodus 16:27-28 “And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?”

Psalm 95:10-11 “|Forty years long [numbers 14:33-34] was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest”.

It’s clear that generation didn’t enter that rest (keep the sabbath).

Hebrews 4:7-10 “Again, he limiteth 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 [time] There remaineth therefore a rest [sabbatismos] to the people of God”.

The word rest in verse 9 comes from a different Greek as opposed to the other verses. The word sabbatismos (transliterated) is the word used in verse 9, it means a keeping of sabbath. Paul states again that the rest is about. “a certain day”, he even states that Jesus had given them that rest (the sabbath).

In short, Hebrews 4:4-9 is Paul explaining to the believers that the Jews who refused the sabbath, refused it because of unbelief and warns us not make that same mistake and to enter into that rest [keeping the sabbath day].

Hebrews 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

The Christians were keeping sabbath in the New Testament.

The book of acts is a historic account of the major actions of the early church. Notice what day they were worshipping.

Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.

Some may see synagogue and feel “oh but that’s a Jewish service”. The temples at the time were just called synagogues. We would understand this to be church, the gentiles were also coming to the synagogue on sabbath.

Acts 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

Acts 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

After this, Paul focuses even more on the gentiles:

Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Paul and his companions, focusing on the gentiles continue to keep sabbath:

Acts 16:12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.

13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

Then Paul tries to continue to reason with the gentiles and some Jews who were willing to hear:

Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures

Acts 18:4;11 “And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. … And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them”.

There are over 80 recorded sabbath meetings in the book of Acts. If they worshipped on Sunday, there would be at least one.

Acts 20:7 was not a church service

Acts 20:7-8 “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow [morning]; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together”. First of all the Christians broke bread all the time. Acts 2:46 “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart”. Many read Acts 20:7 as a church service that’s taking place. However, the It’s night-time. The days were counted sunset to sunset, hence this would be the equivalent of Saturday evening for us. At that time the sabbath is over but it counts as the first day (Sunday). However, it says Paul was ready to depart in the morning (when it’s light). Acts 20:11 “When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed”. For it to be the first day of the week, midnight and Paul not leave till the break of day (sunrise) must mean: this was the evening of Saturday, which went until midnight, Eutychus fell and God revived him through Paul, they continued talking till it was sunrise Sunday. It is obvious the reason they were together is because they just finished spending sabbath day with each other. The reason Paul didn’t depart is because he wouldn’t make such a journey on sabbath but on Sunday he would.

Verses taken out of context

Romans 14:5 “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind”.

Is Paul against Paul? In Romans 14:5 Paul is trying to deal with a problem. In Rome you had a mix of new gentile believers and Jewish converts. The Jews had extra customs which they tried to impose. The new believers, who were gentiles, also had certain days they esteemed highly. Nowhere in the scripture does it mention the seventh day.

The Jews used to fast Monday and Thursday they thought these were especially good days to fast.

“In the Book of Esther an additional fast is recorded (ix. 31; comp. iv. 3, 16), which is commonly observed, in commemoration of the fast of Esther, on the thirteenth of Adar, although some used to fast three days—the first and second Mondays and the Thursday following Purim (Soferim xvii. 4, xxi. 2)”. (Jewish encyclopaedia)

Jesus pointed out some of these fast days in Luke 18:11 Notice what he says about the Pharisee: Luke 18:11-12 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess”.

Paul had to let the church know that whilst one man may see one day as special another may not, one man may set apart that day unto God and another may not. However, the sabbath is not to thought of as a day for one man to esteem. No.

Romans 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

Some see the term “sabbath days” and think God is talking about the 4th commandment, but don’t ask why are meat, drink, holydays or the new moons mentioned? What they don’t realise is that before the cross there were two types of sabbath days. The annual feast day sabbaths and the weekly sabbath. These two were distinct from each other.

The annual feast day sabbaths/convocations were on set days of the year and so they could be on a different weekday year to year. A feast day sabbath is celebrated with meat offerings and drink offerings. In Leviticus 23 we see that these sabbath days with meat and drink are SEPARATE from the 4th commandment sabbath of God.

Leviticus 23:37 “These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: 38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD. 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath”.

Note in verse 39 If you have a sabbath on the first day of the seventh month. Next year it won’t be a Saturday it could be any other day of the week. These feast day sabbaths were connected to the work of the sanctuary. Which was meant to be a lesson of how the plan of salvation would go down. Hence Paul is writing Colossians 2:16 assuming the reader understands Leviticus 23 as all of Leviticus 23 outlines the different sabbath feasts.

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.

Notice Paul says Christ abolished the law of commandments CONTAINED IN ORDINANCES.

What does ordinance mean? An ordinance is a decree not all decrees are permanent, think of it like an executive order. It’s not permanent law but it is to be followed until the giver of the law says otherwise (God).

One example of the ordinances God gave the children of Israel was the feast of unleavened bread Exodus 12:17 “And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever”.

Exodus 12:43 “And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof” Things like the Passover were meant to be temporary to teach the children of Israel how salvation would work. In other words, these ordinances were a shadow of what’s to come. God did not abolish the ten commandments.

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. 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.” Has heaven and earth passed? No. The ten commandments are still binding. when this earth passes and is destroyed God will make a new earth, Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Galatians 4:10-11 “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain”. There’s no mention of the sabbath nor the seventh day in this verse. If the observation of days, months and years was a sin in itself then should we as Christians condemn others they say “happy new year?” Let’s see what days, months and times Paul is talking about. Reading a couple verses before we will notice Galatians 4:8-9 “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” Paul is talking about them turning again to the weak beggarly elements. Apart from discarding of Christ, some Galatians slipped into old pagan rites. The Galatians ethnically were celts. Some celts worshipped the pagan goddess Cybele, which was also worshipped in other places in the Roman Empire. There would be festivals and feast days dedicated to these gods and goddesses. (There were other pagan gods)

“In Rome, Cybele’s popularity continued to flourish, partially due to her spring festival held in March (some sources say April) called the Megalensia. The festival included public games as well as a theatrical performance at Circus Maximus. It began on March 15 with a procession of reed-bearers (cannophori) and a ritual sacrifice; the latter was for the successful planting of spring crops. On March 22, after a week of fasting and purification, a pine tree (the symbol for Attis) was brought to Palatine Hill temple”. – World History

Jesus is our sabbath?

Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. People take this verse to mean “as long as we’re in Jesus we’re keeping the sabbath”. Jesus doesn’t connect this phrase to the seventh day at all. It’s just an invented idea to avoid the sabbath. However, some are taught this and follow along. Reading one verse later we discover he’s talking about his character and labouring in this life Matthew 11:29-30 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. Therefore, when we become meek and lowly like Jesus we will find rest. This has nothing to do with the 4^th commandment rest.

Jesus broke the sabbath?

There are some pastors who are so eager to avoid the sabbath that they will take the accusation of the Jewish leaders 2000 years ago to say, “look Jesus broke sabbath, we don’t have to keep it”. They don’t realise they are then saying Jesus wasn’t the spotless lamb to be offered to God. Mark 3:4-6 “And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him”. If someone believes Jesus broke the sabbath, ask them. Which commandment in the Old Testament states, thou shalt do no miracle upon the sabbath day? The Pharisees were just making things up.

In another instance they caught Jesus’s disciples plucking corn on the sabbath. Matthew 12:1-2 “At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day”. Again people take the side of the Pharisees to say by Jesus defending the actions of his disciples, he was condoning sabbath breaking.  What many miss here is that there is a provision in the law to pluck the ears of your neighbour’s standing corn. Deuteronomy 23:25 “When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn”. The disciples weren’t farmers hence they weren’t breaking sabbath. Had they been farmers harvesting crop then yes it would have been sin. They were merely hungry men satiating their hunger.

Jesus’s defence of his disciples.

Matthew 12:3-4 “But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests”? David when he was hungry nearly to the point of death ate the shewbread which was only for the priests. Jesus was showing that in times of emergency you do that which is good on the sabbath to make them whole. Matthew 12:12 “…Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days”.

Matthew 12:5 “Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?” Why did Jesus say the priests profane the sabbath? Numbers 28:9-10 “And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering”. The sabbath is not here desecrated because God commanded the priests to do this work on sabbath. This kind of work done by a normal man would have been sin.

Matthew 12:6-7 “But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless”. His disciples were innocent, but Jesus explains that there was one greater than the temple in their presence. The one who instructed them how to build it (himself). Had the disciples really been breaking sabbath, he would’ve stopped them. Now Jesus requires sacrifice as they have sinned.

Lord of the sabbath?

Matthew 12:8 “For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day”. This verse is taken to mean Jesus is ruler of the sabbath, therefore I can do what I like on the sabbath because I’m in him and he allowed his disciples to do what they like. The reason Jesus is Lord of the sabbath is because he’s the one that blessed the created and blessed that day. The Father says: Hebrews 1:8;10 “But unto the Son he [The Father] saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.  And, Thou, Lord [Jesus], in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands”. If Jesus created the world, then that means Genesis 2:2 “And on the seventh day God [Jesus] ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made” Jesus is Lord of the sabbath because HE CREATED IT! By keeping that day, you acknowledge Him as Creator. Hebrews 4:8 “For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day”. Exodus 20:11 “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it”.

John keeps sabbath years after Jesus’s ascension.

Revelation 1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet”. Whilst some think the Lord’s day is Sunday, there are zero verses to substantiate the claim. We can call the sabbath the Lord’s day using scripture.

Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

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, 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:

Nehemiah 9:14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant.

Its clear John was in the Spirit on the sabbath day. People think the Lord’s day is Sunday because that’s when he resurrected. The ordinance to remember his resurrection is baptism not Sunday. Romans 6:3-4 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”.

Jesus validated the continuation of the sabbath.

Jesus gave a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem. He said Matthew 24:15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!”

This prophecy was fulfilled by Rome in 70 Ad when Titus came against Jerusalem and sacked the city.

“Now this vast multitude is indeed collected out of remote places, but the entire nation was now shut up by fate as in prison, and the Roman army encompassed the city when it was crowded with inhabitants. Accordingly, the multitude of those that therein perished exceeded all the destructions that either men or God ever brought upon the world” – Wars of the Jews, Book VI chapter VII, Josephus Flavius.

Notice what Jesus warned his disciples next Matthew 24:20 “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day”. The same way winter didn’t disappear at the cross is the same way the sabbath wasn’t meant to disappear at the cross. Jesus justified that the sabbath would still be an institution in the future.

We will keep sabbath in heaven.

Isaiah 66:22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord”. We will worship the Lord on the new earth from one sabbath to another.

Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not…

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Would I really go to the lake of fire over a day?

Without Jesus, were Adam and Eve not destined to hell over a piece of fruit? Which is worse? Biting a fruit or disobeying for 24 hours. Would we not be worse than Adam and Eve? The key point is disobedience. 1 Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…” If you had a partner and you asked them to do something special for a celebration of yours, while on any other day you probably wouldn’t mind, but their disobedience on the day that was special to you would disappoint you.

Who talked continually with the children of Israel in the wilderness? Jesus or the Father?

1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

Numbers 21:6 And the Lord [Jesus] sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

Jesus put a man to death for breaking the sabbath. Numbers 15:32-35 “And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp”. This man was put to death because they had just received the commandment of the sabbath, yet he broke it in front of the whole camp. If Jesus is willing to put this man to death over gathering sticks on the sabbath, if we work, renovate the house, or buy and sell on the sabbath shall we not also be put to death? It’s obvious this man won’t be in heaven. If the sabbath wasn’t binding, although we have shown overwhelming evidence that it is, This man’s sin wouldn’t be that he broke the sabbath, but rather that he was born 1400 years too early. He would have a just cause to say, “Lord you let thousands of people break this commandment, and do even more than me on the sabbath, I just gathered sticks”. The more logical conclusion is that he would perish, and we also would perish should we work on the sabbath. Jesus leaves these judgements in the Old Testament to show there will be punishment for sin.

There’s a blessing attached to the sabbath

Isaiah 58:13-14 “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”. Don’t you want the blessing that comes with obedience to the sabbath. Notice this blessing is only for sabbath keepers.

If the sabbath is so justified why don’t many churches keep it?

Daniel 7:25 “And he [Antichrist] shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time”. It was prophesied that a system would arise which would attempt to change God’s law and they admit this in writing. (see the pope is antichrist series to confirm this with scripture).

“Written by the finger of God on two tables of stone, this Divine code (ten commandments) was received from the Almighty by Moses amid the thunders of Mount Sinai…Christ resumed these Commandments in the double precept of charity–love of God and of the neighbour; He proclaimed them as binding under the New Law in Matthew 19 and in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5)…The (Catholic) Church, on the other hand, after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, to the first, made the Third Commandment refer to Sunday as the day to be kept holy as the Lord’s Day…He (God) claims one day out of the seven as a memorial to Himself, and this must be kept holy…” — The Catholic Encyclopaedia, vol. 4, “The Ten Commandments”, 1908 edition by Robert Appleton Company; and 1999 Online edition by Kevin Knight, Imprimatur, John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.

“The Sunday…is purely a creation of the Catholic Church.” — American Catholic Quarterly Review, January 1883.

“Sunday…is the law of the Catholic Church alone…” — American Sentinel (Catholic), June 1893.

“It was the Catholic church which…has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) church.” — Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, p. 213.

“Sunday is our mark or authority…the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.” — Catholic Record of London, Ontario, September 1, 1923.

“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (Saturday Sabbath to Sunday) was her act…And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things.” — H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons.

At the end of the day the two opposite ends on the issue of the sabbath both agree that “a holy day” must be kept. The sabbath keepers say Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. The Catholic Church says Sunday. Whilst both disagree on the day, both agree on why there’s a difference.

Revelation 3:15-16 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth”.

The current situation is like having Person A accuse Person B of robbing a bank. Person B says yes, I robbed the bank, but I have the authority to rob the bank. Then Person C saying the police don’t care about the robbing anyone robbing the bank. Meanwhile Person C is robbing the bank because Person B taught them how to.

In fact, Catholics admit they taught protestants how to rob the bank!

“I am going to propose a very plain and serious question to those who follow “the Bible and the Bible only” to give their most earnest attention. It is this: Why do you not keep holy the Sabbath Day?

You are a Protestant, and you profess to go by the Bible and 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; but who gave you authority to tamper with the fourth?

Why is this? Because, although they talk so largely about following the Bible and Bible only, they are really guided in this matter by the voice of [Roman Catholic] tradition. Yes, much as they may hate and denounce the word [tradition], they have in fact no other authority to allege for this most important change.

In outward act we do the same as yourselves in this matter; we too no longer observe the Sabbath, but Sunday in its stead; but there is this important difference between us, that we do not pretend-as you do-to derive our authority for so doing from a book [the Bible], but we [Catholics] derive it from a living teacher, and that teacher is the [Roman Catholic] Church”.  – The Clifton Tracts (written by Cardinal Wiseman), Vol. 4, published by the Roman Catholic Church.

I pray this study has opened your eyes to see the truth about God’s Holy Sabbath and that you will remember and keep his holy day. The reason God even started that commandment with that word is because he knew at one point in the future we would be taught to forget. That is because God knows Satan’s heart and that he wants to be like him Isaiah 14:12-14 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High”. Satan knows the sacredness of the sabbath as it shows who you honour as Creator. Hence Satan wants to copy the most High by setting up his own sabbath! He wants to lock down this deception by global decree, but the world will be warned. Maranatha!

For more information visit:

https://remnantofgod.org/Sabbath.htm

https://remnantofgod.org/mark.htm

God bless!
Are ALL miracles and supernatural occurrences from the God of the Bible? Can Satan perform miracles? (NEW AGE)

February 12th, 2023

In the final years before the Lord Jesus Christ returns, as prophesied many will “depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing (deceiving) spirits (demons), and doctrines of devils (demons);” (1 Timothy 4:1) This is in large part, sadly due to the many false pastors, preachers and ministers deceiving their flocks. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits..” (Matthew 7:15-16)

Matthew 24:3,11, “(3)And as he (Jesus) sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (11) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”

Take the truth about what happens when someone dies, hellfire, the 7th day Sabbath (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) or 7-year tribulation, to name a few. These precious, often honest but misled souls, put their trust in the counsel of their Pastors and ministers, without looking to the inspired Word themselves to see if what they are being taught is even true. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:” (Amos 8:11)

This in turn leads them into a slumber, a spiritual sleep for they cannot discern the times that we live in, the deceptions of Satan and the urgency of needing to get right with the Lord before it’s too late! For they aren’t being taught the present and straight testimony of the Scriptures, but rather the many smooth things that not only keep the pews full, but falsely comforts the listener to believe they are right with the Lord, when they cherish sin in their hearts.

These many false beliefs and deceptions of Satan are then naturally incorporated into their personal lives, businesses, and every decision they make, making it easy for them to fall prey into misleading deceptions such as near death experiences where they genuinely believe they went to hell and came back to life, the belief that we can communicate with dead loved ones, or one of the many “New Age” beliefs that are popular today.

Some may not be as familiar with the term “New Age” but very simply summed up, New Age is a modern day term for the combination of old time paganism, occultism and spiritualism. New Age may be a newer term, but the practices and beliefs within have been around in various ways for centuries. For “..there is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

New Age practices include yoga, acupuncture, reiki, energy healing, muscle testing (applied kinesiology), meditation, crystals, chakra balancing, emotion code, body code, body-talk, emotional release technique, EFT, self love, self empowerment, positive affirmations, spooky machine, magic, bio resonance feedback, AMIT, horoscope readings, burning sage, astral projection, kundalini, ouija board, astrology, hypnotism, law of attraction, psychic readings, mediums, psychedelics, tarot card readings, out of body experiences, Harry Potter, aliens, spells, curses, Wicca, etc…the list could sadly go on.

All of these practices are another way for Satan to not only get his foot in the door but use as another method to “confirm” in many minds the false doctrines already taught within and around the Christian church today.

One of Satan’s favorite deceptions is the belief that he doesn’t even exist. Or a variation of it. Like ignorance to under-standing his motives, his tactics and hatred for God and therefore His people. He is not to be feared; rather we should be diligent and watchful to not let our guard down, or be ignorant to his craftiness. For Satan desires to do everything and anything he can to keep people from coming to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8) New age is one method he uses to accomplish his goals.

Did you know? 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” We see in the Bible that Satan and his demons can physically appear as light and his ministers of righteousness, and they can also perform miracles, produce “signs” and can even cause pain and bring about physical symptoms as the Lord allows. For example: someone could even believe they have received this miraculous healing from a technique that is demonic or from a false healer, when in reality because Satan was the one that initially caused the pain or symptom in the first place, all he had to do was take it away at the time needed to make a treatment seem beneficial or as a supernatural miracle that must be from God!

We read in Job, that it was Satan that killed Job’s children, caused him great distress and calamity in his life; which included giving him painful boils. Job 2:7, “So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.”

We also see in Exodus that Pharaoh’s wise men, magicians and sorcerers under the power of Satan and his demons were able to replicate many of the plagues with which God plagued Egypt through Moses, but only to a certain point as God allowed, but they weren’t able to protect themselves from experiencing the plagues. Exodus 7:10-12, “And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpant. (11) Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. (12) For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.” And even the magicians and sorcerers recognized this was God’s doing, Exodus 8:18 &19, “And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. (19) Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.” & Exodus 9:11, “And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.”

VERY SOON we will be tested to see if our life is hid in Christ, or if we will be found wanting. For many false Christ’s have already appeared, (take the Siberian “Jesus” for example) but Satan himself will soon appear on this earth pretending to be Jesus Christ (before the real Jesus returns, WHO NEVER TOUCHES THE EARTH) and guess what he (Satan) will be doing? PERFORMING MIRACLES and doing many wonderful works. And these same vessels that Satan will use to perform such miracles, will also claim to have revelations from Heaven contradicting the testimony of the Scriptures… “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” (2 Thessalonians 2:9) Not only will Satan look like Jesus but these miracles that he will be performing will be no measly miracles, for “insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24)

Matthew 24: 23-27, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. (24) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (25) Behold, I have told you before. (26) Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. (27) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Satan, in his cunningness, has been preparing for centuries for this final great deception by the introduction of these doctrines of devils through those prophesied false prophets and teachers, and many other avenues. The introduction of modern spiritualism as we know it today or “the belief that we can communicate with the spirit world” because of the false doctrine of natural immortality of the soul (belief that the soul never dies) have wreaked havoc in the Christian church and the world.

Take the popular Harry Potter series, TV shows, and the many movies of Hollywood that show passed dead ones, coming to life to communicate with their loved ones, often giving messages of hope and assurance. It’s even often portrayed in this light and cute way, or they portray Satan and his demons to look evil when they can just as easily manipulate into whatever would be most convincing to you, like your passed away grandma, or even an alien. For remember, “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light..” yet most do not realize that this is exactly as Satan would have it.

For what does happen to someone with they die?

What does the Bible say? “For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?” (Psalms 6:5) & “The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.” (Psalms 115:17) & “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” (Psalms 146:4) & “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6)

Spiritualism has only opened the door all the more, for the many new age and occult practices we see all around us today; getting many to believe we can access information from the past or present via techniques like muscle testing to help us “access” the subconscious mind or the use of tarot cards, hand reading, looking to the stars, etc.. which is an abomination to the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) in the hopes of breaking “generational curses”, overcoming sinful habits and patterns, to increase health and bring healing, to become successful, financially prosperous, predict the future, access the past, lose that weight, find yourself, etc… All of which takes the focus away from the true Physician, Jesus Christ. The only One that can truly release us from the bondage of sin, heal our broken hearts, and deliver us from the many unfruitful learned patterns that often cause the many ailments of the heart, mind and body in the first place. The miracles or answers that are often given through such techniques, some believe to just be trickery of the practitioner or “healer”; which can be the case sometimes, but more often than not, there is tangible evidence and real feelings associated with these false miracles that many (just as I did) believe must be a miracle from God, when we now understand this isn’t always the case.

Satan and his demons are not only angels (fallen angels) who have been alive and around for as long as this earth has been in existence; almost 6,000 years. They know and saw what happened in your past relatives lives, and they also know what happened in yours. They can easily whisper in our ears, put bad people in our path, bring thoughts to mind, give “answers” via these New Age modalities in an attempt to influence us and deceive us, but they cannot control the will.

The Lord has blessed all of those made in His image with freewill to choose or not to choose by faith Him and His dear Son. This is why a life surrendered to the Lord, reading and studying the Bible with a contrite heart, a desire to obey, and understand His will as did the prophet Daniel is SO IMPORTANT. When we read and study God’s Word daily, we will not only grow in faith and love for God, we will grow to discern what thoughts and decisions would glorify the Lord and which ones would glorify Satan, regardless of our feelings. For we are told in 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” & “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” (Ephesians 6:17) It is by the knowledge of the Scriptures by the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we can know the path we are to take, every step of the way. “…the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15) & “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16)

If you have fallen into believing the lies of Satan just as we all have before, it is of the Lord’s mercy and grace that you are reading this today. Please repent and believe in His wonderful promises like 1 John 1:9, and by faith cling to Jesus Christ and His righteousness. Give your heart and life to Him, He will do a mighty change in you! Satan knows his time is short, for the righteous will soon walk on his ashes. Never again will he and his demons live and tempt us again. (Ezekiel 28:13-19) Praise the Lord! Jesus Christ the Righteous King is returning very soon!

For more information, please visit RemnantofGod.org or Gospelorder.com. God bless! 🙂

Category: Bible Truth

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Are ALL miracles and supernatural occurrences from the God of the Bible? Can Satan perform miracles? (NEW AGE)