Bible Readings for the Home Circle Part 125

"Thou shalt have no other G.o.ds before _Me_." Ex. 20:3.

NOTE.-Who the "me" here spoken of is, the commandment itself does not state. Such a prohibition might come from any source. Any heathen could claim it as a command from his G.o.d, and, so far as the commandment itself goes, no one could disprove his claim.

5. Does the second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, or tenth commandment indicate the author of the decalogue?

No; none of them.

NOTE.-The second commandment forbids the making of and bowing down to images, but does not in itself reveal who the true G.o.d is. The third commandment says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy G.o.d in vain," but it likewise fails to reveal the true G.o.d and giver of the law. A wors.h.i.+per of the sun might say he kept this commandment so far as it itself reveals what G.o.d is meant. So of the other commandments here referred to. In the last five commandments the name of G.o.d is not even mentioned.

6. Which commandment alone of the decalogue reveals the true G.o.d and Author of the law?

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy G.o.d: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, 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." Verses 8-11.

NOTE.-The fourth commandment alone reveals the _name_, _authority_, and _dominion_ of the Author of this law. In six days, (1) the _Lord_ (name); (2) _made_ (office, Creator); (3) _heaven and earth_ (dominion). This commandment alone, therefore, contains "the _seal_ of the living G.o.d." By what is revealed in this commandment is shown what G.o.d is referred to in the other commandments. By the great truth revealed here all other G.o.ds are shown to be false G.o.ds. The Sabbath commandment, therefore, contains the seal of G.o.d; and the Sabbath itself, the observance of which is enjoined by the commandment, is inseparably connected with this seal; it is to be kept in memory of the fact that G.o.d is the Creator of all things; and it is itself called a "sign" of the knowledge of this great truth. Ex. 31:17; Eze. 20:20.

7. What reason does G.o.d give for the Sabbath being an everlasting sign between Him and His people?

"It is _a sign_ between Me and the children of Israel forever: _for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed_." Ex. 31:17.

NOTE.-The Sabbath is the sign, or mark, or seal, of the true G.o.d, the Creator.

8. Of what does G.o.d say the keeping or hallowing of the Sabbath is a sign?

"And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be _a sign_ between Me and you, _that ye may know that I am the Lord your G.o.d_." Eze. 20:20.

9. Of what besides a knowledge of G.o.d as Creator, is the Sabbath a sign?

"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_." Ex. 31:13.

NOTE.-The Sabbath is the great sign of G.o.d's creative power wherever and however manifested, whether in creation or redemption; for redemption is creation-_re_-creation. It requires the same power to _redeem_ that it does to _create_. "_Create_ in me a clean heart." Ps. 51:10. "For we are His workmans.h.i.+p, _created_ in Christ Jesus unto good works." Eph. 2:10. At each recurrence of the Sabbath, G.o.d designs that it shall call Him to mind as the One who created us, and whose grace and sanctifying power are working in us to fit us for His eternal kingdom.

10. What scripture shows that a special sealing work is to take place just before the letting loose of the winds of destruction upon the earth?

"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, _having the seal of the living G.o.d_: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, _Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our G.o.d in their foreheads_. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." Rev. 7:1-4. See Eze. 9:1-6.

11. Where did the apostle see this same company a little later, and what did they have in their foreheads?

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood _on the mount Sion_, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, _having His Father's name written in their foreheads_." Rev. 14:1.

NOTE.-The _seal of G.o.d_ and the Father's _name_ must refer to the same thing. The seal is the sign or stamp of perfection, and G.o.d's name stands for His character, which is perfection. And the Sabbath of G.o.d, kept as G.o.d ordained it to be kept, holy, and in holiness, is _a sign_ of this same thing-perfection of character.

When this seal is finally placed upon G.o.d's people, it will be an evidence that His grace and His sanctifying power have done their work, and fitted them for heaven. In the world to come, all will keep the Sabbath, and will therefore have this seal or mark of sanctification, holiness, and perfection of character. Isa. 66:22, 23.

12. What is said of the character of these sealed ones?

"And in their mouth was found no guile: for _they are without fault before the throne of G.o.d_." Verse 5.

13. How is the remnant church described?

"Here is the _patience_ of the saints: here are they that _keep the commandments of G.o.d, and the faith of Jesus_." Verse 12.

14. Against what three things does the third angel of Revelation 14 warn men?

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man _wors.h.i.+p the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand_, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of G.o.d."

Verses 9, 10.

NOTE.-The beast represents the Papacy; the image to the beast represents another ecclesiastical body dominating civil power. See readings on pages 268, 271. And over against the seal of G.o.d stands the mark of the beast, the mark of apostasy. Against this false and idolatrous wors.h.i.+p and the reception of this mark, G.o.d sends this solemn warning.

15. What power mentioned in the thirteenth chapter of Revelation is to enforce this mark?

"And _he_ [the two-horned beast] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive _a mark_ in their right hand, or in their foreheads." Rev. 13:16.

NOTE.-The two-horned beast is understood to represent the United States of America. See reading on page 271. As this nation repudiates her principles of civil and religious liberty, and becomes a persecuting power, other nations will follow her example in oppressing those who refuse to yield their allegiance to G.o.d.

16. What does the Papacy set forth as the mark, or sign, of its power and authority?

"_Question._-How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days?

"_Answer.-By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday_, which Protestants allow of."-_"__Abridgment of Christian Doctrine,__"__ by Rev.

Henry Tuberville, D. D., page 58._

NOTES.-In a letter written in November, 1895, Mr. H. F. Thomas, chancellor to Cardinal Gibbons, replying to an inquiry as to whether the Catholic Church claims to have changed the Sabbath, said: "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." For other statements concerning this, see pages 441, 444, 464.

The true Sabbath being a sign of loyalty to the true G.o.d, it is but natural that the false sabbath should be regarded as a sign of allegiance to apostasy. And such we find to be the case.

17. What do papal authorities say of the observance of Sunday by Protestants?

"The observance of _Sunday_ by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] church."-_"__Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today,__"__ by Monsignor Segur, page 213._

NOTE.-The statement here made is true, and a full realization of the fact will lead those who honestly, but ignorantly, have heretofore been observing Sunday as the Sabbath, to refuse longer to pay homage to apostasy, and return to the observance of that which is the sign of loyalty to heaven,-the only weekly day of rest which G.o.d, in His Word, has commanded men to keep holy, the seventh day.