Jesus is coming. . .soon! Are you ready?

1
Jesus is coming. . .soon! Are you ready?
2
Is the first-day the valid day of worship for
Christians?
3
Bible Evidence?
But there rose up certain of the sect of the
Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was
needful to circumcise them the Gentiles, and to
command them to keep the law of Moses.
Acts 155
4
Bible Evidence?
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not
them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to
God but that we write unto them . . .
5
Bible Evidence?
. . . that they abstain from 1 pollutions of
idols, and from 2 fornication, and from 3
things strangled, and from 4 blood. Acts
1519, 20
6
Bible Evidence?
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke
upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our
fathers nor we were able to bear?
Acts 1510
7
Is Sabbath Ceremonial?
What makes a law ceremonial?
8
Is Sabbath Ceremonial?
Ceremonial laws had to do with the conception of
sin as uncleanness, rendering the sinner
therefore unfit for the presence of God.
9
Is Sabbath Ceremonial?
They were laws intended to lead to a true
conception of repentance, as including both the
seeking of atonement through sacrifice and
restitution for a wrong that was
committed. International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia
10
Is Sabbath Ceremonial?
The change from the seventh to the first day was
authorized in the thirteenth century by making
the Sabbath a Jewish ceremony and the fourth
commandment . . .
11
Is Sabbath Ceremonial?
. . . a ceremonial law. This, however, raised
the problem of a ceremonial law in the midst of
the moral law.
Daniel AugsburgerThe Sabbath and Lords Day
During the Middle Ages
12
Is Sabbath Ceremonial?
Sabbath, it was asserted, should lead the
Christian to think of Christs rest in the tomb,
or the moral duty to desist from sin, and of the
future blessedness in heaven. The bond with
Creation had been totally lost.
Daniel AugsburgerThe Sabbath and Lords Day
During the Middle Ages
13
Is Sabbath Ceremonial?
What makes a law moral?
14
Is Sabbath Ceremonial?
Moral law reveals the will of God as the rule for
the disposition and conduct of all responsible
beings toward Him and toward each other. Moral
law is therefore a rule of living, conformable to
righteousness.
Websters Dictionary (1913 edition)
15
Did the Roman Catholic Church change the official
day of worship from Seventh-day Sabbath to
Sunday??
16
The Roman Catholic Church A.D.1054
17
Did the Roman Catholic Church change the official
day of worship from Seventh-day Sabbath to
Sunday??
18
Gospel Opponents
Pharisees Gnostics Antinomians
19
Gnostic Roots
Alexandria was one of the greatest university
cities in the world at the beginning of the
Christian Era. Here nearly every religion had its
school of learning, and here the teachers and the
students of these different faiths . . .
20
Gnostic Roots
. . .mingled and discussed their philosophies
and religious ideas. As a result, they fused
their beliefs into a conglomerate mass of
opinions that later spread throughout the
Christian church.
W.E. StrawOrigin of Sunday Observance, p. 39
(1939)
21
Gnostic Roots
In general it may be said that Gnosticism led
the way in the amalgamation of Christian and
pagan thought and life that was to transform the
religion of Christ and His apostles into the
Christianity of the third and following
centuries.
Albert Henry NewmanA Manual of Church History,
vol. I, p. 194 (1906)
22
Gnostic Roots
Gnosticism the thought and practice especially
of various cults of late pre-Christian and early
Christian centuries distinguished by the
conviction that matter is evil and that
emancipation comes through gnosis (knowing)
23
Gnostic Roots
Early influential Christian teachers Justin
Martyr (A.D. c. 103 165) Clement of
Alexandria (c.150 c. 215 ) Irenaeus (2nd
century AD c. 202 ) Origen (c. 185 254 )
Augustine (was a Manichean A.D. 354 430)
24
Gnostic Philosophy
Gnosticism didnt completely reject the OT
teachings, but reshaped and altered those
teachings to their own purposes, mixing their
pagan mystical ideas with the truth of the Bible.
25
Gnostic Philosophy
Dualism Views the physical world as
essentially evil Good rests only in the
mystical spirit realm Salvation comes
through escaping the evil power of matter
26
Gnostic Philosophy
Docetism A belief in early Gnostic
Christianity that Christ only seemed to have a
human body and to suffer and die on the cross
Christs humanity was thus a mystical
manifestation of spirit
27
Gnostic Philosophy
Antinomianism It made no difference to the
spiritual man whether he sinned with his body
or not breaking of the moral law to show freedom
from the restrains of the Creator was considered
a solemn obligation
28
Gnostic Philosophy
The Nicolaitans distorted in an antinomian sense
the doctrine taught by Nicolaus, who in all
probability proclaimed the liberty of the gospel,
as his fellow-deacon, Stephen, did. But the
liberty claimed by the Nicolaitans was liberty to
sin. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
29
Countering Gnosticism
In the First Epistle of John there is a distinct
polemical purpose. There is no book of the New
Testament which is more purposeful in its attack
of error. There is the spirit of error (1 John
46), opposing the Spirit of truth. . . .
30
Countering Gnosticism
Many false prophets are gone out into the
world (1 John 41), and this from the church
itself, They went out from us, but they were not
of us (1 John 219) and these false prophets
are distinctly named the antichrist (1 John
222) . . .
31
Countering Gnosticism
. . . and the liar (same place), and the
deceiver and the antichrist (2 John 17). This
peril, against which the apostle writes, and from
which he seeks to defend the church, was
Gnosticism. International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia
32
Countering Gnosticism
John refers to his opponents the Gnostics use
of such phrases as I know God, I abide in
Christ, I am in the light. The apostle
therefore describes these lofty claims as false,
because those who made them possessed neither
love nor obedience. International Standard
Bible Encyclopedia
33
Two Systems
The situation in Rome and Alexandria, however,
was not typical of the rest of early
Christianity. In these two cities there was an
evident early attempt by Christians to terminate
observance of the seventh-day Sabbath. . .
34
Two Systems
. . . But elsewhere throughout the Christian
world Sunday observance simply arose alongside
observance of Saturday. . . .The earliest direct
evidence for Christian weekly worship on Sunday
comes from second century Alexandria and Rome.
Kenneth A. StrandThe Sabbath and Sunday From
the Second Through Fifth Centuries
35
Two Systems
During the first two centuries there developed
two separate and distinct types of Christian
worship. The one in Syria and Asia Minor held to
the old orthodox ways of life, and adhered to the
Sabbath and primitive Christianity. . .
36
Two Systems
. . .The other from Alexandria and Egypt allowed
many Gnostic and foreign sentiments to enter, and
with them Sunday worship and other foreign
practices unknown in the apostolic church and
opposed by the early apostles.
W.E. StrawOrigin of Sunday Observance, p. 75
(1939)
37
Gnostic Influence
Their matter-despising dualism always implied an
alteration of the Biblical doctrines of man, of
Christ, and especially of creation. As a
consequence, in these Gnostic circles of
influence. . .
38
Gnostic Influence
. . . honoring the seventh-day of creation week
became not merely an option that might be
dispensed with in the spirit of Christian
freedom (as often held today), but one
obligation that must necessarily be set aside.
. . .
39
Gnostic Influence
. . .The seventh-day Sabbath was for them a
celebration of the despised material world,
created by inferior and fallen powers.
Aecio E. CariusGnostic Roots of Sunday-Keeping
40
Gnostic Influence
For the Gnostic Christian the act of the highest
God was demonstrated in the production of light.
Light signified, for all Gnostic and related
systems the essential nature of the true God.
41
Gnostic Influence
Matter is the opaque substance that plunges the
world into darkness as earth is interposed in
front of the sun at dusk.
Aecio E. CariusGnostic Roots of Sunday-Keeping
42
Gnostic Influence
To observe the seventh-day Sabbath was for these
Gnostics a burden to be avoided because to them
it was paying tribute to the fallen supernatural
powers of the universe who were responsible for
the creation of evil matter.
43
Gnostic Influence
They celebrated the Sunday of every week, not on
account of its reference to the resurrection of
Christ, for that would have been inconsistent
with their Docetism, but as the day consecrated
to the sun, which was in fact their Christ.
General History of the Christian Religion and
ChurchAugust Neander, p. 194 (1851)
44
Gnostic Influence
The Gnostics believed that seven angel-creators
corresponding to Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun,
Venus, Mercury and Moon made our
world. Sabbath and Sunday in Early
ChristianityRobert L. Odom, p. 96 (1977)
45
Gnostic Influence
The earliest known rationale for Sunday worship
appears in the writing of Justin Martyr. His
rationale is grounded, not in the first place on
a commemoration of the Resurrection, but on a
celebration of Gods creation of light . . .
46
Gnostic Influence
. . .Sunday is the day on which we all hold our
common assembly, because it is the first day on
which God, having wrought a change in the
darkness and matter, made the world. (First
Apology, 67).
Aecio E. CariusGnostic Roots of Sunday-Keeping
47
Gnostic Influence
Gospel of Barnabas 159 states We keep the
eighth day with gladness, on which Jesus arose
from the dead.
Translated by J.B. Lightfoot
48
Legacy of Paganism?
49
Origins of Weekday Names
Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn
Latin dies Solis dies Lunae dies Martis dies Mercurii dies Jovis dies Veneris dies Saturni
Spanish domingo lunes martes miércoles jueves viernes sábado
English Sunday Monday Tues.Tiw's daeg Wed.Wods dæg Thurs.Thors daeg FridayFriggas daeg Sabbath or Saturday
Babylon Shamash Sin Nergal Nabu Marduk Ishtar Ninurta
50
Origins of Weekday Names
This particular astrological system therefore
owed its origin to four distinct nationalities.
The conception of the influence of the planets
was Babylonian the mathematical working out of
the order of the planets was exclusively Greek. .
.
51
Origins of Weekday Names
. . .the division of the day into 24 hours was
Egyptian the free continuous 7-day week was
particularly Jewish. These four influences were
brought together in Alexandria Egypt not very
long before the Christian era. International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia, p. 299
52
Origins of Weekday Names
We owe the names of the days of the week to the
astrological conception of the planets as being 7
in number. Some writers have supposed that the
week of 7 days owed its origin to this
astrological conception . . .
53
Origins of Weekday Names
. . .and that the 7th day Saturn's Day
became the Sabbath, the Day of Rest, because
Saturn was the planet of ill-omen and it was then
unlucky to undertake any work under its sign.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol.
1, p. 299
54
Astrological Symbols
55
Origins of Weekday Names
Norse goddess Freya aka Frigg inAnglo-Saxon
56
Revelation 13 What does all this history about
the change of the Sabbath have to with Revelation
chapter 13?
57
Biblical Proof
Daniel 7 Daniel 7 Revelation 13 Revelation 13
23 shall devour the whole earth 3 power given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations
25 shall speak great words against God 5 mouth speaking great things and blasphemies
25 think to change times and laws 12 cause all to worship the first beast
25 time, times and dividing of time 5 continue forty and two months
58
Changing Gods Law
Ques.Why do we observe Sunday instead of
Saturday? Ans. We observe Sunday instead of
Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the
Council of Laodicea (A.D. 336), transferred the
solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.
Peter GeiermanThe Converts Catechism of
Catholic Doctrine (1910)
59
Changing Gods Law
Q Have you any other way of proving that the
Roman Church has power to institute
festivals? A Had she not such power she could
not have instituted one festival in which all
modern religionists agree with her she could
not have substituted. . .
60
Changing Gods Law
. . . the observance of Sunday the first day of
the week, for the observance of Saturday, the
seventh day of the week, a change for which there
is no Scriptural authority.
Stephen KeenanA Doctrinal Catechism (1851)
61
Changing Gods Law
Of course the Catholic Church claims that the
change was her act . . . and the act is a mark of
her ecclesiastical authority in religious things.
H.F. Thomas Chancellor of Cardinal
GibbonsNovember 11, 1895
62
Roman Catholic Position
It was the Catholic Church which, by the
authority of Jesus Christ, has transferred this
rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection
of our Lord. . . .
63
Roman Catholic Position
. . .Thus 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 Gaston de SégurPlain Talk About
the Protestantism of Todayp. 213 (1868)
64
The RevelationofJesus Christ