Even now, perhaps, the stage is being set for this impending persecution. On June 6, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI made this urgent appeal to more than 15,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome that Sunday must be a day of rest for everyone, so people can be free to be with their families and with God. “By defending Sunday, one defends human freedom.” This isn’t, of course, the same thing as demanding that others keep this day, as opposed to the biblical Sabbath, but it does show that the idea of Sunday as the “day of rest” is, definitely, a real issue. Sooner or later, laws will be passed, and those who conscientiously follow the Word of God and keep the true Sabbath will be labeled as opposing society’s best interests.
In this time of crisis, God’s faithful people will, by His grace and through His power, stand firm in their convictions to follow Him. They will not yield to the pressure.
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In contrast to the mark of the beast, they will receive the seal of God. Seals were used in ancient times to attest to the authenticity of official documents. We would then expect to find God’s seal embedded in His law. Ancient seals were a distinctive individualized mark. Isaiah the prophet says, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16, NKJV).
Read Exodus 20:8-11. What elements of a biblical seal do you find in the Sabbath commandment? How is the Sabbath command different from all the other commandments?
The fourth commandment contains three elements of an authentic seal. First, the name of the sealer: “The LORD your God” (Exodus 20:10, NKJV). Second, the title of the sealer: the Lord who “made,” (Exodus 20:11) or the Creator. And third, the territory of the sealer: “the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Exodus 20:11, NKJV). According to Revelation 7:1-3, the seal of God is placed only on our foreheads, a symbol of our minds. Jesus respects our freedom of choice. He invites us to let Him shape our minds by His Holy Spirit so that we cannot be moved from the anchor of our faith in the Word of God (Ephesians 4:30). Thus, we understand that the faithful are those who “keep the commandments of God, and [have] the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12), and included in those commandments is the fourth, the one commandment the beast power thought to change (Daniel 7:25).
| What conditions can you see currently developing that could potentially lead to the restrictions of our religious liberty? What obstacles remain, as well? |
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