[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

If God exists and if God is a God of love, why is there so much suffering in our world? Is He powerless to stop it? This challenge is often thrown up by atheists, agnostics, and also sincere individuals who struggle to understand. How can a loving God permit wars that kill, maim, and destroy property? Why diseases, famines, and other so-called natural disasters? Some smugly ask these questions in an attempt to dismiss God. Others sincerely look at the cruelty in the world and wonder, why? Why doesn’t a loving God stop war, disease, natural disasters, and cruelty toward women and children?

On this Tomorrow’s World program, I’ll give you three reasons why a loving God allows pain and suffering. Yes, there is great suffering found everywhere and you may personally be going through a painful trial yourself, but our Creator IS a God of love. Now stay tuned as I will be back in five seconds and give you three reasons WHY a loving God allows such great suffering on this troubled planet.

If God Is Real…

A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World, where we fearlessly take on the hard questions and tell you the plain truth straight from the pages of the Bible. Atheists and agnostics think they have the perfect argument against God’s existence, when they ask. “How can there be a loving God when children are abused, women are raped, people die from excruciatingly painful diseases, and innocent people are displaced and killed in war?” There are answers and I’ll give you three of them today, but there are two aspects to this question:

#1: Does God exist?

And, number two, if He does,

#2: Is He truly a God of Love?

Please bear with me as I address the question of God’s existence. Frankly, dear friends, that is not as difficult as some make it out to be. It comes down to this: Either the vast universe and life on this planet is the result of blind chance, or it is the result of an intelligent Designer, in other words, God. Setting aside the huge question of how the universe came to be, let me get to the crux of this issue of life itself. Could life arise from non-living matter by chance? Evolutionist Bill Bryson addresses the unlikelihood of life arising as a result of chance when discussing proteins—the building blocks of cellular life. As all knowledgeable people know, proteins are made up of long strings of amino acids connected in precise meaningful ways—similar to the way letters form sentences. You cannot throw vowels and consonants randomly together and form meaningful sentences. Nor can you throw amino acids together randomly and form functioning proteins. As an example, Bryson speaks of the most common protein found in all of us—collagen:

But to make collagen, you need to arrange 1,055 amino acids in precisely the right sequence. But – and here’s an obvious but crucial point – you don’t make it. It makes itself, spontaneously, without direction, and this is where the unlikelihoods come in. The chances of a 1,055 sequence molecule like collagen spontaneously self-assembling are, frankly, nil. It just isn’t going to happen (Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, p. 288).

What an amazing admission! But collagen is only one protein needed for life. As Bryson points out:

No one really knows, but there may be as many as a million types of protein in the human body, and each one is a little miracle. By all the laws of probability proteins shouldn’t exist (ibid.).

Now, why does he call them little miracles? And why shouldn’t they exist? Bryson explains the laws of probability and points out that the odds of a more typical 200 amino acid protein self-assembling is 1 in 10²⁶⁰. That is a single chance in 1 followed by 260 zeros! About which Bryson states:

That in itself is a larger number than all the atoms in the universe (ibid.).

Think about that! This is only one typical protein, of which there may be as many as one million different types in the human body. If the odds are so great for forming a protein made up of 200 amino acids, what are the odds for collagen?

But my favorite Bryson quote comes from his book The Body, in which he explains:

You could call together all the brainiest people who are alive now or have ever lived and endow them with the complete sum of human knowledge, and they could not between them make a single living cell, never mind a replicant Benedict Cumberbatch [a British actor] (Bryson, The Body, p. 4).

Who is it now who believes in miracles?

Bryson’s comments mirror those of Michael Denton, PhD in biochemistry. We often hear the term “simple cell” thrown about. Here is what this biochemist says about that so-called simple cell:

The complexity of the simplest known type of cell is so great that it is impossible to accept that such an object could have been thrown together suddenly by some kind of freakish, vastly improbable, event. Such an occurrence would be indistinguishable from a miracle (Denton, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, p. 264).

He explains what many scientists are coming to understand and why former evolutionists are changing their minds on the subject.

Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small… each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery… far more complicated than any machine built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world (Denton, p. 250).

The evidence for intelligence—that is God—as the cause of life is massively compelling for anyone willing to look at the facts. So, why do we have terrible suffering in our world? If God is all-powerful, why CAN’T He, or why WON’T He, put an end to all the awful suffering that is here on this earth?

Humanity Both Victim and Perpetrator

The answer IS NOT that God does not exist. It IS NOT that He is too weak. And it IS NOT that He does not care.

No, God exists. He is all powerful. And He truly IS a God of love and compassion, but again, we wonder: “If God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” that we might have life, WHY does He allow war, children to be abducted, women to be raped, and people to die from long-lasting and painful diseases?

Let’s ask a relevant question: Are we looking in the wrong direction by placing blame on God? The answer is, yes. So, the first reason for suffering here on earth is:

#1: We are doing it to ourselves.

Consider this. A teenage boy is told by his parents not to smoke, as smoking can cause lung cancer, oral cancers, heart disease, emphysema, and a host of other maladies. His parents dearly love him and don’t want him to hurt himself, but as with so many teens, he rejects his parent’s loving advice and chooses rather to follow his friends and his own judgment. He takes up smoking, or more likely today, vaping. Of course, he doesn’t think HE will be addicted, nor suffer the consequences he’s warned about. No, he thinks he’s the exception. But 35 years later he comes down with lung cancer and his life, his hopes, and his dreams, are cut short by a long, painful death. Whose fault is it? His parents? No, they did everything they could reasonably do to prevent him from picking up the dangerous habit.

Is it God’s fault? Why blame Him when God commanded him to obey his parents? And note this additional warning to everyone not to trust one’s own heart:

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12).

That’s from Proverbs 14:12, and the warning is so important that it’s repeated in chapter 16, verse 25. Can we not make the rational judgment that it is his own fault? Even though he was warned by parents, God, the Surgeon General, and probably numerous others, the immediate pleasure of fitting in with his peers was more important than what MIGHT happen decades later.

Trusting our own ways, what SEEMS right in our own eyes, and short-sightedness, have been man’s problem from the beginning. However, the problem does go deeper than that. When God created the first man and woman, he placed them in a beautiful garden filled with the most delicious organic fruits and vegetables that one could ever imagine. In this garden, He planted two special trees. We read of them in Genesis 2, verse 9:

And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9).

These two trees were symbolic. To eat of the tree of life was the choice to trust God for determining right and wrong, and to live accordingly. But, to take of the other tree was an act of rebellion against God’s rule, symbolizing man choosing for himself to determine good and evil. We are not animals that act according to instinct. God made us free moral agents. We must make moral choices and His laws reveal which choices are right. And He informs us that there are consequences for our decisions. Deuteronomy the thirtieth chapter in verse 19 tells us:

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).

There was no ambiguity here: blessings and life on one side, curses and death on the other. So why do we blame God for the choices that we freely make? Just as with a rebellious teenage son, we think we know better. We think God is keeping something good from us because there is a temporary benefit. For the teenager, the vanity of being accepted and looking good in the eyes of his friends, seems worth taking a risk on something that may or may not happen in the future.

Freedom to Choose Between Right and Wrong

To anyone with an objective mind, the blame for our pain and suffering is our own, not God’s. He made us free moral agents and leaves it up to us to choose. Still, people argue, “An all-powerful loving God should stop it.” Now, let us consider how God would stop us from making bad decisions and suffering the consequences of them.

God would have to take away free moral agency. In effect, He would have to force us to make right choices. But our first parents said, by rebelling against God and taking of the forbidden tree, “God, stay out of our business. Don’t tell us what to do. We want to do our own thing.” And if we’re honest with ourselves, we must admit we are no different. Yes, we may rationalize that we are different, but we deceive ourselves, as Jeremiah told us in the seventeenth chapter, verse 9:

The heart [that is, the mind of man] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9).

Wars are fought between nations, between neighbors, and even in homes between husbands and wives. Whether it is domestic violence or whether it is one nation warring against another, the result is pain and sorrow.

When there is conflict between individuals or nations, there are causes, and one cause is revealed in James the fourth chapter, verses 1 and 2:

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war (James 4:1–2).

Selfish desire, lust, and greed end in conflict, but we learn elsewhere another cause of conflict, and that is human pride. Notice these Proverbs:

By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom (Proverbs 13:10).

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).

He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will be prospered (Proverbs 28:25).

As we see, human nature involves lust, greed, pride, and selfish desire. To put it another way, we want what we want and dismiss God’s law of outgoing concern.

Correction for a Purpose

As explained earlier, rather than blaming God, reason #1 is:

#1: We are doing it to ourselves.

Blaming God is easy, but it’s wrong-headed. Most of our trials are a direct result of our own actions. How can one blame God for lung cancer if we refuse to heed the warnings? The same can be said for wars, accidents, and injuries. Don’t blame God. The fault is with human beings! But there are other reasons for suffering, as well;

#2: God is a loving parent who occasionally punishes us for our good.

Not only has God put in place natural consequences for disobedience, but He also steps in as a loving parent to remind us when we go astray. This is explained in Hebrews the twelfth chapter, beginning in verse 5:

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “MY SON, DO NOT DESPISE THE CHASTENING OF THE LORD, NOR BE DISCOURAGED WHEN YOU ARE REBUKED BY HIM; FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CHASTENS, AND SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons (Hebrews 12:5–8).

God is looking at the long-game. Suffering, whether as a result of our own foolishness, that of others, or discipline from God, produces character needed to be in God’s family. As we read in Hebrews 12:11,

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11).

And this brings me to the most important reason for human suffering.

#3: God desires for us to live forever in His Kingdom as His children.

Most people have no idea WHY God created us. To them, we are here to cram into life as much happiness, fun, and success as possible before we die. They see this life as the dessert, and anything that comes later as the broccoli. Few understand what is at stake: a few years on earth, or life for eternity. And what kind of eternity? The Bible is clear. Scripture after Scripture speaks of us becoming children of God. The Apostle Paul even calls us “joint heirs with Christ”—notice Romans the eighth chapter, verses 14–17:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, [now notice this] if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans 8:14–17).

This is the context in which he puts in perspective the temporary suffering that comes with this life. Continuing in verse 18:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Romans 8:18–21).

In light of this, consider the common refrain “no pain, no gain.”

Yes, this temporary existence with all its trials, no matter how severe they may be, is nothing in comparison to what the future holds for those who learn to put God first. This is why Paul also said,

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

There is much suffering in our world—some excruciating and long-lasting—but blaming God is wrong-headed. He has given us free moral agency to make decisions. Most of the heartache we suffer is the result of bad decisions. Sometimes, it is the decision of others that cause us grief, but much of the time it’s our own. Some suffering is a direct result of God stepping in as a loving parent to let us know that we are on the wrong track. He wants us to succeed. He wants us to be in His Kingdom. A few years of pain now can yield a far greater reward. As it tells us in Psalm 16:11:

You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

All suffering must be understood in the context of John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

I hope you profited from this video.

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Thanks for watching! See you next time.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

What Is the Fourth Commandment?

Billions of people in the world are missing out on the New Testament message of abundant living. Human reason, including non-biblical ideas of “human love,” continues to lead the world toward suffering, confusion, and disaster. What is the true way to love and peace in the world? Most professing Christians know the answer, Matthew 22:37. Jesus Christ gave these two principles to be obeyed by every human being:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).

My friends, this is the way to true life, meaning, and fulfillment. But why do so few enjoy this true life? Because human beings do not like to be told what to do. These are “commandments” and humans resist commandments, including the Ten Commandments.

But many would rather remain ignorant, because it suits their selfish desires. Aldous Huxley, the famous English author, expressed this perspective well: “Most ignorance is vincible ignorance. We don’t know because we don’t want to know. It is our will that decides how and upon what subjects we shall use our intelligence” (Ends and Means, p. 312). But there IS a God, and He commands us to love Him!

The First Great Commandment to love God is defined by the first four of the Ten Commandments, and the Fourth Commandment of the Ten emphasizes a weekly action in loving God.

Exodus 20:8–10,

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.”

My friends, will you love God? Will you obey the Fourth Commandment? You need to know the true Christian way of life and the true Sabbath of Jesus Christ!

Stay tuned!

Christians and the Sabbath

Billions of people all over the world enjoy holidays. They celebrate secular holidays and religious holy days.

Muslims worship on Friday and follow the call to prayer five times a day. Jews around the world have worshiped for thousands of years on the Sabbath, the day that begins at sunset every Friday evening, and continues through sunset on Saturday. Professing Christians meet for Sunday church services, proclaiming theirs is the true day for worship.

The Sabbath controversy has continued for centuries. Did the New Testament change the Sabbath observance to Sunday worship? Should religious people set aside ANY special day as HOLY? Does your Bible COMMAND us to observe SUNDAY, the first day of the week, as a day of worship? Or should Christians observe the seventh-day Sabbath? On today’s program, we’ll answer that question from the Bible.

The most important questions of life are answered in your Bible. And yet, we see religious conflicts and differences even among professing Christian denominations. Why do so many professing Christians keep Sunday, while others keep Saturday as the Sabbath?

To answer the question, let’s look at the beginning of Christianity as recorded in your Bible. If you have your Bible, turn to Acts 13:42. In the first century AD, the Apostle Paul had preached on the Sabbath in the ANTIOCH synagogue. His audience consisted of both Jews and Gentiles. Notice that after the Jews left the meeting, the Gentiles made a request. Now, this was YEARS after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Surely, if Christians were to keep Sunday, the Gentiles would have met with the Apostle Paul the very next day, Sunday, after they had met in the synagogue on Saturday. But did they? Acts 13:42, “So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them [WHEN? The next day, Sunday? No!].” “The Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.” Read that again in your own Bible. “The Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.”

My friends, the New Testament Church of the first century observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Let’s continue reading in Acts 13:43: “Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. [Now, listen to this!] On the NEXT SABBATH almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God” (Acts 13:43–44).

Yes, it was the Apostle Paul’s custom to preach on the Sabbath as it tells us in Acts 17:2. Many were converted to Christianity and continued observing the Fourth Commandment. Paul was very effective in his preaching to both Jews and Gentiles, as we read in Acts 18:4. He was in Corinth on this occasion:

“And he [the Apostle Paul] reasoned in the synagogue EVERY SABBATH, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.”

The Christians of the first century AD observed the seventh-day Sabbath. But when was it changed to Sunday? And WHO popularized Sunday observance?

The Catholic Encyclopedia, on the topic of “Sunday,” states this: “Tertullian (202 [AD]) is the first writer who expressly mentions the Sunday rest: ‘We, however (just as tradition has taught us), on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection ought to guard not only against kneeling, but every posture and office of solicitude, deferring even our businesses lest we give any place to the devil’” (“Sunday,” The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 14, 1912). That was not until 202 AD, more than 170 years AFTER the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior, Jesus Christ!

And it was not until the fourth century AD that the Emperor Constantine ENFORCED Sunday worship throughout the Roman Empire. Constantine had been a pagan sun-worshipper. He gave the following edict in 321 AD: “On the venerable day of the SUN let all magistrates and people … REST” (“Sunday Legislation,” Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. 11, p. 147, 1911).

The sun-worshiping emperor Constantine, declared Sunday to be a day of rest. But what was the justification for that? Even Tertullian, whom we mentioned earlier, cited “TRADITION” as his authority. Listen, what is your foundation of truth? What is the source of your religion? Is it tradition apart from the Bible? Is it church authority apart from the Bible? Or is it the Bible itself?

Jesus gave a very strong warning when human traditions contradict the commandments of God. Turn to Mark 7. Many churches have followed that wrong pathway, just as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Mark 7:7.

Jesus said, “In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…. All too well you REJECT THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, that you may keep YOUR TRADITION” (Mark 7:7–9).

That is a warning I hope all of us will heed. Jesus stated He is Lord of the Sabbath. He observed the Sabbath regularly and He did NOT break the Sabbath commandment as some theologians assert. As He said in John 15:10, “I have kept My Father’s commandments.”

And we as Christians must strive to follow our Savior’s example. He warned us, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven’” (Matthew 7:21).

My friends, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and the instructions of your Bible? Or will you follow the tradition of men?

The Sabbath Rest—A Day of Worship

Turn in your Bible to Mark 2:27. Jesus stated,

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

And notice what Jesus DID NOT SAY. He did NOT SAY, “The Sabbath was made for the Jews.” No, the Sabbath was made for ALL HUMANITY—for every man, woman, and child on planet earth! That is what Christ proclaimed!

We’ve seen that Jesus instructed His followers to keep the Ten Commandments. He Himself observed the seventh-day Sabbath, as did the Apostles. But is there OTHER New Testament evidence that Christians should observe the Sabbath? Yes, there is!

Turn in your Bible to Hebrews 4. In this chapter, the Sabbath is pictured as a type of the millennial rest, as well as a memorial of God’s rest at creation. Hebrews 4:8. Speaking of the disobedience of the ancient Israelites on their way to the promised land, Hebrews 4:8 states, “For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. [Now, listen! Verse 9] There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:8–9). The original Greek word for the word “rest” in verse 9 is “sabbatismos” which means “a Sabbath-keeping” (according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words) (“Rest,” Vine’s Complete Expository of Old and New Testament Words, p. 529, 1985).

Both the Revised Version and the New International Version translate verse 9 as “a Sabbath rest.” Yes, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, even to this day!

Now, does this mean a symbolic rest—or a literal Sabbath rest? The Anchor Bible Dictionary cites several secular Greek writings, where “sabbatismos” LITERALLY means “Sabbath observance” or “Sabbath celebration” (“Sabbath,” The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 5, pp. 855–856, 1992).

My friends, there is no question that this verse is a New Testament statement on literal Christian observance of the Sabbath.

The context of Hebrews the fourth chapter does speak both of symbolic and literal rest. The Greek word “katapausis” is also translated “rest” in this section. But notice what God says of those who have now entered into God’s rest, that is—those who are converted, those who will now follow Christ. Notice this important statement in verse 10 of Hebrews 4. “For he [the individual Christian] who has entered His rest [God’s rest] has himself also ceased from his works [notice] AS GOD DID FROM HIS.”

If we, as converted Christians, are to cease from our works just as God did from his, we simply need to ask one question: HOW did God cease from His works? Verse 4 of Hebrews 4) gives us the answer: “For He has spoken in a certain place of THE SEVENTH DAY in this way: ‘And God rested on THE SEVENTH DAY from all His works.’”

There is no guessing here. New Testament Christians are supposed to rest just as God rested—on the Seventh Day! The Bible is very clear. Both the Old Testament AND the New Testament give Christians the clear example and instruction to keep the Sabbath Day Holy!

The scholarly Anchor Bible Dictionary affirms the responsibility of New Testament Christians to observe the Sabbath. It states: “PHYSICAL sabbath-keeping on the part of the NEW COVENANT believer as affirmed by ‘sabbath rest’ epitomizes cessation from ‘works’ (4:10) in commemoration of God’s rest at creation (4:4 = Gen 2:2) and manifests faith in the salvation provided by Christ” (vol. 5, p. 856). That’s quite a plain statement!

Do you realize, my friends, that the fourth commandment was not instituted at Mt. Sinai during the time of Moses? It already existed at the recreation as we read in Genesis 2:2. The fourth commandment states: “REMEMBER the Sabbath Day” (Exodus 20:8). God established the weekly Sabbath, not during Moses’ time! God established the Sabbath more than 2,500 years before Moses! Your Bible proves that fact.

The bottom-line question is: WHO or WHAT is your authority? Is it the Bible? Or some church and religion APART FROM the Bible?

The Sabbath has Never Been Changed

As we’ve seen, some religious leaders, including Roman Catholic and Protestant, claim TRADITION or church administration, APART FROM THE BIBLE, as their reason for keeping SUNDAY, rather than the Sabbath.

My friends, we can be very thankful that original Christianity, the Christianity of the first century, which observed the fourth commandment, has continued to this day. Biblical Christianity has continued in spite of persecutions through the centuries. For example, in the seventeenth century, Sabbatarian Christians were persecuted in England and searched for religious freedom in the new lands, the colonies of North America.

The royal charter of 1663 granted by Charles II of England, guaranteed religious freedom to the colony of Rhode Island. That charter can be seen today in the Providence, Rhode Island statehouse.

Stephen Mumford and his wife came to Newport, Rhode Island in 1665 in search of religious freedom. They were the first Christian Sabbath keepers in America. As their group expanded and grew, they needed a larger meeting hall. The Sabbatarians built a large meeting hall in 1729. It is now preserved by the Newport Historical Society. If you’re ever in Newport, Rhode Island you will want to visit this historic building. In fact, the oldest Jewish synagogue in America is located right next door to the Christian Sabbath meeting hall.

In the Newport Sabbatarian meeting hall is a raised pulpit. Behind the pulpit are two large plaques inscribed with the Ten Commandments. At the bottom of the second plaque is the Apostle Paul’s bold statement of Romans 3:31 in the King James Version, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” Yes, these New Testament Christians affirmed their allegiance to Christ’s statement, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

Sabbatarian church records, preserved in the Newport Historical Museum, contain members’ names and contributions. Most significantly, the church describes itself in those records as “keeping the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, and in particular the Lord’s 7^th Day Sabbath.” And in eighteenth century Rhode Island, there were other prominent Sabbatarians, including two governors of the Rhode Island colony, Richard Ward and his son Samuel—and even the first president of Brown University, James Manning, was a Sabbatarian.

Sadly, many over the centuries have chosen human tradition over God’s plain teachings. The noted Catholic theologian, James Cardinal Gibbons, wrote this bold statement: “But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify” (The Faith of Our Fathers, pp. 72–73, 1917). That is a quote from Gibbons’ The Faith of Our Fathers, first published in 1876.

In other words, Gibbons is saying, if the Bible is your authority, you have NO basis for observing Sunday. The Scriptures, as he states, “enforce the religious observance of Saturday.” We agree with his statement. What Gibbons and other Catholic authorities state, is that, it is the authority of the Catholic Church that changed observance in the Christian world from Saturday to Sunday, NOT the New Testament scriptures! And that occurred in the Council of Laodicea in the middle of the fourth century!

Furthermore, here is an admission by Harold Lindsell, editor of Christianity Today magazine and Southern Baptist minister (November 5, 1976): “There is nothing in Scripture that requires us to keep Sunday rather than Saturday as a holy day” (“Consider the Case for Quiet Saturdays,” Christianity Today, November 5, 1976, p. 42).

So, will you keep the seventh-day Sabbath? It is a memorial of the Creation—and points to the true God and true Creator of the Universe. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament also emphasizes the Sabbath as a foreshadowing of the millennial Sabbath, the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. The seventh-day Sabbath has deep meaning for Christians.

The Blessing of the Seventh Day Sabbath

“The Sabbath was MADE for MAN, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

My friends, Christ and the Apostles observed the seventh-day Sabbath, and the biblical holy days. The Scriptures admonish us to follow their example. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The Apostle Peter exhorted us to follow the example of Christ. 1 Peter 2:21, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” In observing the New Testament Passover, Jesus instructed His disciples to follow His example, even by practicing the foot-washing service. Jesus said in John 13:15, “For I have GIVEN YOU AN EXAMPLE, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:15–17).

We look forward to the day when all peoples and all nations will do as Christ says. The Messiah will establish world peace, world government, true education, and the biblical way of truth, love, and life. All nations will OBSERVE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. They will observe the weekly Sabbath and the biblical holy days! What a wonderful, peaceful, and prosperous world it will be for all peoples! Will you obey the fourth commandment? Will you follow our Lord’s instruction in Matthew 19:17? Jesus told the young rich man and us: “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

God’s commandments are a joy for true Christians! As the Apostle John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3)—or “not grievous,” as the KJV has it. The seventh-day Sabbath brings joy to those who observe it as God commands!

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