6. The
saints are already said to be "kings and priests." The original may be
better stated, "a kingdom of priests" or "kingdom and priests." Review
Revelation 5:10;
20:4, 6.
What position will the overcomers have in God's kingdom?
John says, "Every eye
shall see Him." Christ's coming will be a spectacular worldwide event and
will result in a great many wicked destroyed (Matthew
24:27-28). Those who crucified Jesus will also see Him (John
19:37;
Zechariah 12:10).
Daniel 12:1-2 predicts a special resurrection of both just and
unjust. Possibly in this group raised from the dead, are those who put
Jesus to death, who will see Messiah coming in the heavens and will face His
wrath. The whole earth will "wail" in fear when they see Christ coming to
take vengeance on those who have lived wickedly.
The Lord's
Day
Revelation 1:9-10
says that John was on the Island of Patmos
when He received the testimony of Jesus--the events recorded in the book of
Revelation. John said he was being engaged by the Spirit on the Lord's
Day. In the clear context of Revelation, John was taken forward in time to
the Day Christ is exalted as Savior and Lord in His glorified body. The
Revelator sees Christ judging His church on that day, as High Priest in the
Holy Place ministering among the golden candlesticks and dressed in priestly
garments.
Commentators have attempted
to see Sunday in this verse, a day which sometime later in Christian history
was referred to as the Lord's Day. However, at around 90 A.D. the church
still observed of the seventh day. This Jewish prophet is relaying a vision
on a day the Lord Jesus claimed as His own; therefore, John may be speaking
of the Day of the Lord of which he had just written: "Look, He is coming
with clouds, and every eye will see him" (v.7); that Day of "loud voice like
a trumpet."
We must remember two vital
facts about the book of Revelation: First, it is a book of prophecy
primarily concerning the time of Christ’s coming and the events that lead up
to it (Revelation
1:1-3). Second, it is written by a Jew steeped in the language of
the Old Testament. To him, the phrase en teé kuriakeé heeméra ("on
the Lord’s day")—and its Hebrew or Aramaic equivalent—would imply what is
called in the Old Testament "the Day of the Lord," the time of the coming
destruction that climaxes in the return of Christ (Isaiah
13:6-9;
Joel 1:15;
2:1;
2:11;
Amos 5:18).
If one wants to insist upon
this text applying to a definite day of the week, he must look elsewhere to
see which day the Bible calls the Lord’s Day. Jesus says inMark 2:28 that He is Lord of the
Sabbath, and thus, as Master of that day, it belongs to Him. The only day
that belongs to Him is the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week.
Isaiah 58:13 calls the Sabbath "My [the
Lord’s!] Holy day." The other six days are ours to do our work and
pleasures.
Finally, in the original
commandment in
Exodus 20:10, the Lord says, "The
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God." Therefore, if John saw
this vision on any day of the week—if it indeed occurred on "the Lord’s
day"—it was the seventh-day Sabbath!
8. What is
the Lord's Day according to Scripture and Scripture alone (Mark
2:28)?
The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
9. When was
the Sabbath first instituted and given to all of mankind (Genesis
2:2-3)?
10. Does
Jesus affirm it is still relevant to the last days (Matthew
24:20)?
How
The Bible gives a clear connection between the revelation of the Ten
Commandments (the Ark of the Covenant) and judgment for sin.
Historical
Background of Sabbath & Sunday
The early church
continued observance of the Sabbath
by resting on the seventh day according to the Ten Commandments, while
Sunday grew in popularity as the day in commemoration of the resurrection of
Jesus. For decades the two days were both held in esteem. In the first and
second centuries, as Christianity's Jewish roots became more obscure and the
Gentiles gained leadership in the church, Sunday became the focus day of
worship, for it was the pagan day of worship and the day more common to
Gentile converts.
Sabbath became less
important in the minds of Christian leaders and converts so that by the
fourth century when the church had developed into an organized religion, the
Sabbath was officially abandoned and church decree made Sunday the official
day of rest. Only pockets of Christian believers and the Jews through the
centuries held onto the seventh day Sabbath, as commanded by God.
The Catholic Church
tried to transfer the command of Sabbath rest to Sunday,
but there is no Biblical basis for this edict. Although men have attempted
to change the Sabbath day of rest and to institute laws promoting rest on
Sunday, God's Word stands the test of time. If God intended just one day of
man's choice in seven to be a day of rest, He would have said so.
Nevertheless, God said to "remember the seventh day," and our calendar and
Judaism confirm that from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday is the Sabbath
rest.
Daniel 11:28-30
says Antichrist's "heart will be set against the Holy Covenant... he will
return and show favor to those who forsake the Holy Covenant." Jesus
Himself said with undeniable candor: "I tell you the truth, until heaven
and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."
Jesus linked the unchanging Law to the end of the age, not until the
disappearance of heaven and earth can any of the Commandments be modified or
deleted. I don't know how Jesus could have made Himself any clearer on the
matter.
Revelation distinguishes
the true followers of Christ as those who keep the Commandments of God (Revelation
12:17), from those who will give their allegiance to Antichrist
who will forsake the Ten Commandments for his own brand of Sabbath-keeping.
Sunday will likely be both promoted and legislated as the law of the land,
and some of God's commandment keeping saints may face persecution, or even
death, over this issue.
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