THE “CHANGE” OF THE LAW
May 5th – 11th, 2018
MEMORY TEXT: “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Daniel 7:25
SABBATH AFTERNOON: The crisis that is soon to befall our world all revolves around the issue of “the law of God”. “God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh day” and made it holy to be a day of worship. But Satan has made God’s law, especially the seventh-day Sabbath, “an object of special attack”. God’s remnants obey the Creator whilst the unjust obey creatures (Rev. 13, 14).
SUNDAY: God’s remnants, even men closest to Christ had their wars against sin. Such is the story of every Christian. In our own selves we cannot escape from the pit of sin (Rom. 8:1; 7:15-25). Amidst the defect of God’s people, “Christ does not turn away from” them when they surrender their lives to Him. Apostle Paul found his answer in Jesus when he cried out to be delivered from sin.
MONDAY: God’s law is a revealer of sin and the price of death the sinner has to pay. Yet, it offers no remedy of solving the problem (read Rom. 7:15-25). “Without the law we have no knowledge of what sin is”. “Not one command has been annulled, not a jot or tittle has been changed” (Rom. 7:7). “The law does not produce death; sin does (Rom. 7:13, 6). We need Jesus to be saved.
TUESDAY: Amongst God’s law, it’s the Sabbath commandment that the apostate claim to be “done away with” or replaced by the first day—Sunday. Yet this claim has no biblical support. Hence, several texts in the NT has been misinterpreted (read John 20:19-23; Acts 20:6, 7; 2:46; 1 Cor. 16:1-4). These texts has no prove that Sunday has replaced the seventh-day Sabbath. The law is immutable.
WEDNESDAY: Christ Himself who made the Sabbath worshipped on the Sabbath day, including His disciples. He rested on the Sabbath when alive and even in the tomb (Luke 4:14-16; 23:55, 56). The women who had been with Jesus knew about the Sabbath and rested when He died (Luke 23:56; John 14:15). The Apostles kept the Sabbath also after His ascension to heaven (Acts 13:14, 42-44; 16:12, 13).
THURSDAY: Just as God does not change, so is His law (including the Sabbath, Jam. 2:10-12). Amongst the four great kingdoms that ruled the world was the Roman Empire (Daniel 7). A little horn (identified as the Papacy) that arose from it intended to change God’s law. Under the Papal rule, the seventh-day Sabbath was replaced with Sunday (compare Rev. 13:1-17 & Dan. 7:1-8, 21, 24, 25).
PREPARATION DAY: Satan after failing to conquer heaven seeks to conquer the earth. In the last days of earth’s crisis, he is embittered against God’s remnants who keeps His law (Rev. 12:7; 13:2, 4). Satan who claims not only to be God but above God demands worship due to the Creator. Hence, he attacks the Sabbath (Gen. 2:1-3) commandment which points to God as the Creator.
– Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 53, 54.
Keyword
NT- New Testament
Captions
SUNDAY- The Promise
MONDAY- The Law and Sin
TUESDAY- From Sabbath to Sunday?
WEDNESDAY- The Seventh Day in the New Testament
THURSDAY- The Attempted Change of the Sabbath
Discussion Questions
📌 What is the problem with those who talk about the reality of sin and yet argue that God’s law has been done away with? What great inconsistency can you point out in that line of reasoning?
📌 What has been your own experience with those who argue for Sunday instead of Sabbath? What arguments did you use, and how effective were they? How can you deal with the common argument that keeping the seventh-day Sabbath is an attempt at salvation by works?
📌 As we talk to others about the Sabbath and as we prepare for end-time events, why is it important to make it clear that the challenges regarding the “mark of the beast” have not yet happened?
Credits/Edits
Source: Brother Steve Lawrence (SDA, Bermuda)
Format: Edited for presentation and to reflect KJV
