Posted on 12/30/2014 6:02:38 AM PST by SeekAndFind
In my fifth and final column on the greatest guide ever devised for a good world the Ten Commandments I offer my readers what may well be the best single thing you can do (that you are probably not doing now) to improve the quality of your life, your familys life, and ultimately the life of our society.
Many people, even among those who revere the Ten Commandments, do not think that the Fourth Commandment, the Sabbath Day, is particularly important, let alone binding.
Once you understand it, however, you will recognize how both life-changing and world-changing it is.
The Fourth Commandment reads: Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.
Here are six reasons why is this so important.
First, it uniquely elevated the human being. For nearly all of human history, life consisted overwhelmingly of work. In effect, humans were beasts of burden. This commandment changed all that by insisting that people cease working one day out of seven.
Second, no matter how materially poor we may be, at least on the Sabbath Day, we are not just material beings. We are elevated. Recall that the commandment tells us to keep the day holy, not merely not to work. It is enough for animals not to work; we are to make the day holy. No matter what our circumstances, we must remind ourselves at least one day a week that we are sacred beings; we have a soul to feed, not just a body.
Third, more than any other commandment, the Fourth Commandment reminds people that they are meant to be free. As the second version of the Commandment, the one summarized by Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy, states, Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. In other words, remember that slaves cannot have a Sabbath; only free men and women can.
In light of this, in the Biblical view, unless it is necessary for survival, people who choose to work seven days a week are essentially slaves slaves to work or perhaps to money, but slaves nonetheless. The millionaire who works seven days a week is simply a rich slave.
Fourth, while the Bible could not universally abolish slavery, the Sabbath commandment greatly humanized that terrible institution and ultimately helped make slavery impossible. Prior to the Ten Commandments, by definition a slave owner was under no obligation to allow a slave to ever rest, let alone to rest one day every week. Yet that is exactly what the Fourth Commandment commanded. Even a slave has fundamental human rights, one of them being a Sabbath day of rest. Therefore a slave is a human being, too.
Fifth, the Sabbath almost singlehandedly creates and strengthens family ties and friendships. When a person takes off from work one day every week, that day almost inevitably becomes a day spent with other people namely, family and/or friends. It has similar positive effects on marriages. Ask anyone married to a workaholic how good it would be for his or her marriage if the workaholic would not work for a day each week, and you can appreciate the power of the Sabbath Day.
There are those who argue that without God commanding a Sabbath, people could surely decide on their own to stop working a day each week and spend the day with their spouse, family, and friends. But the truth is that almost no one does. There will almost always be some reason not to take that day off an important work project, housework, shopping, etc.
Sixth, the Sabbath commandment granted animals dignity. Even ones animals had to rest one day a week. It is, to the best of our knowledge, the first national law in history on behalf of animals. And its benefits to animals surely went beyond a mandatory day of rest for them. People who felt divinely obligated to give their animals a day of rest were much less likely to treat their animals cruelly any day of the week.
All six of these life-changing and society-changing benefits regarding the Sabbath are available to anyone. You dont have to be a Jew, a Christian, or even a believer in God to derive all these benefits though, for reasons noted, the reality is that those who believe in the God of the Ten Commandments are the ones who have kept the Sabbath alive.
The God factor plays another role in the Sabbath. Just as faith in God brings people to the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath brings people to faith in God. In our secularized modern societies, very few activities bring people to a relationship with God as effectively as does devoting a day each week to the spiritual, not just the material.
Not bad for one day a week.
Thats why the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. No wonder that those who have it in their lives are often happier, with richer family lives, more serenity, a community of friends, and, yes, even better health.
You might want to give it a try. You will indeed have a Happy New Year.
You can see my five-minute video on the Fourth Commandment here.
Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. His most recent book is Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph. He is the founder of Prager University
I am under a new covenant not the old
You have to remember that the gospels are actually OLD COVENANT because they record the time before the cross and the NEW COVENANT
**I am under a new covenant not the old***
I agree. Saved by GRACE, not by observing a sabbath.
As I said in post 11,
Religion wise, all Christians look to Jesus as the center of their faith. Sabbatharians look to the Sabbath.
As it was said by St Paul, Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved!
As the Sabbatharian preacher on AMAZING FACTS said years ago, You are saved by GRACE if you keep the Sabbath!
No mention of Jesus.
I’ll take liberty in Christ over the legalism of a sabbath any day.
Acts uses the word Sabbath 9 times..
1:12, 13:14,13:27,13:42, 13:44,15:21,16:13,17:2, 18:4
Ater the Messiahs resurrection, the Sabbath was still observed ... by the first Apostles..
And the book describes Jews and Greeks attending.
Yahs seal is located in the Sabbath commandment(exodus 20:8).. the name (Yah- your translation probably uses Lord which is not a name) title (Creator/Elohim-) and territory (heaven, earth, sea and all that is in them) of kings/leaders was used as a seal to authenticate documents, agreements, orders, decrees just like pilates seal on Yahshuas tomb and the seal of the lions den in Daniel.. they were not to be broken.
His Sabbath is a sign (exodus 31:13 , Ezekiel 20:12, Ezekiel 20:20)
And His Law(including the Sabbath) is to be a sign on the foreheads of His people and on their hands ( Exodus 13:9 and Exodus 13:16, Deuteronomy 6,8 and 11:18) as well as in their hearts (Hebrews 8:10, Jeremiah 31:33)
Some more sealings on the foreheads referenced in His Scripture:
Revelation 7:3, 9:4, 14:1, 22:3-4..
And some other signs- also in revelation... a counterfeit sign/mark
Rev 13:16 And he causes all, the small and great, and the rich and poor and the free and the bond, that there be given to them a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, that no man should be able to buy or sell , except he that has the mark, even the name of the beast.
A counterfeit mark/sign from the enemy..that will denote ownership and authority, just as His Sabbath and His Commandments are a sign/seal for His True people..
No wonder the enemy would be interested in hiding the True Sabbath from Jews, Christians, etc behind a calendar named after a pope..or deem it irrelevant.. that is a lie from the pit..
Prophetic.
You are free to have faith in Rome and her prostritute daughters..
They will tell you today is a holy day..
On our Creators calendar, it is a work day..His second day of His week. and not a new year at all.. conformity to the world is dangerous.. that is why scripture warns against it.
Revelation 14:7
Worship Him who made heaven, earth the seas and fountains of waters- 2nd angels warning Fear Yah and give Him glory
Exodus 20:12/Deut. 5:12
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work..
But the seventh day is a sabbath of Yah your Elohim. In it, you shall not do any work , you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant or your maidservant, your ox, your ass, or any of your cattle, or your stranger that is within your gates: For in Six Days Yah MADE HEAVEN and EARTH, the SEA and all that is in them and rested the seventh Day. Therefore Yah blessed the seventh day and hallowed it..
Genesis 2
And the heavens and earth were finished. And all the host of them . And on the seventh day Elohim finished His work which He had made, and he rested on the seventh day, from all His work which He had made. And Elohi blessed the seventh day and hallowed it. Because that in it He rested from all His work which Elohim had created and made..
The second angel is referencing the Sabbath commandment and Creation ( the sabbath isnt a Hebrew thing- it was created in the beginning)
1 john 4:5-6
They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. We are of Yah. He that knows Yah hears us. He who is not of Yah does not hear us.
By this we know the spirit of Truth, and the spirit of error.
The world calls today (including you) Thors Day... it is also a worldy new year and for many, a holy day..
On our Heavenly Fathers calendar, it is a work day, His Second Day of the week.
One is Truth. One is Error..
The god of this world has counterfeits...and the battle is who will receive worship..the counterfeit or the genuine..
And He placed His Seal in His Commandments, and specifically His Sabbath Commandment..
The Messiah didnt come here and did away with His Law.. He fulfilled it. He is not only our Savior but our example..
He came here and loosend the Sabbath commandment, but didnt abolish it.. He came here and bound murder and adultery commandments, but didnt abolish them.
Rome and her daughters has taken authority not given them..
They have changed the Commands. have changed the calendar. Changed the holy days. Changed the gospel..
And billions of those aligned with the mother church and her daughters follow her, and her flippancy with His Commands, her calendar, her holy days and her gospel.
And the world wonders after the beast....and may even be on the losing side and not even know it until it is too late..
Loving and making lies.. not welcome in His Kingdom... which will be His rules.. His eternal Law and government..
Some pray for it everyday.. His Kingdom to come... when He comes, many may be surprised that they actually were working for the enemy..and may be surprised the prophets speak of something like His Sabbaths for the new heavens and earth (Isaiah 66:22-24)
Wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Worship is that important..
There are two sides at the end.. which side are you on?
I realized I was on the wrong side... and He has blessed me for repenting and rejecting the world..
And has taught me things that I never would have learned while on the other team..
And I met him as the Greco roman Latin Jesus like all of us do...
He didnt let me stay there..
HalleluYah!
Amen
By grace are you saved...not by law keeping.. works not grace
Grace... getting what you do not deserve
mercy ..not getting what you deserve
The gentiles were exempted
“Paul writes to the Galatians to make them understand that by Gods grace they are no longer under the law. When the Gospel was preached to them, there were some among them of Jewish origin known as circumcisers though they called themselves Christians who did not grasp the gift they had received. They still wanted to be under the burden of the law.
Now God had imposed that burden on those who were slaves to sin and not on servants of justice. That is to say, God had given a just law to unjust men in order to show them their sin, not to take it away. For sin is taken away only by the gift of faith that works through love. The Galatians had already received this gift, but the circumcisers claimed that the Gospel would not save them unless they underwent circumcision and were willing to observe also the other traditional Jewish rites. “
https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/1003/Paul_to_the_Galatians_Augustine.html
The saved keep keep a Sabbath.. not because it is a sin not to.. but because they love to ...that is a huge difference
On the Contrary! Who do YOU FOLLOW?
St Peter and the gospel to the circumcised,
OR
St Paul and the gospel to the uncircumcision! THERE IS A DIFFERENCE!
Galatians 2:
4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our LIBERTY which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the GOSPEL of the UNCIRCUMCISION was committed unto me, as the GOSPEL of the CIRCUMCISION was unto Peter;
8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that WE SHOULD GO TO THE HEATHEN, and they unto the CIRCUMCISION.
10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
WHY DO SABBATHARIANS DEMAND WE WHO HAVE LIBERTY IN CHRIST, LIVE AFTER THE MANNER OF THE JEWS WHO ARE STILL IN LEGALISTIC BONDAGE!
The legalistic covenant began to fade away at the Crucifixion and ceased when the Holy Temple was destroyed, 40 years after the Crucifixion and the ripping of the Vail of the Temple. There are no more sacrifices or holy days! Get used to it.
See my post #71.
“Christ fulfilled them for us... The purpose of the 10 commandments was not law-keeping.. the purpose was to lead us to Christ..”
***Absolutely not, that is astoundingly untrue.***
WHAT! WHAT! WHAT!
GALATIANS3:
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our SCHOOLMASTER to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are NO LONGER UNDER A SCHOOLMASTER.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
AGAIN!
JEREMIAH 31
31Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a NEW COVENANT with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
AND AGAIN,
2 CORINTHIANS 3:
But if the ministration of death, written and ENGRAVEN IN STONES, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
11 For if that which is DONE AWAY was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is ABOLISHED:
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it (THE HEART)shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
As I also said,
Moral laws do not point to Christ, they exhibit the unchanging, eternal nature of God. Ceremonial laws pointed to Christ.
Please answer: DO WE HAVE LIBERTY TO ENGAGE IN BESTIALITY ?
Yes or No.
If so, why ? If not, why not ?
Not according to the Prophets.
***DO WE HAVE LIBERTY TO ENGAGE IN BESTIALITY ?***
The Old written law...
Leviticus 18 King James Version (KJV)
18 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your God.
3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
4 Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God.
5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord.
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.
26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:
27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)
28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.
29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
THE NEW COVENANT;
31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their INWARD PARTS, and write it in their HEARTS; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
BEASTALITY is rejected because it is written in our hearts not to do such a thing! It needs no written law to make people realize it is perversion. It is total perversion just like offering your first born to idols. Such things are usually forced on ruled people by perverse kings and priests of Moloc and Ba’al.
It is rejected because it is totally wrong, and NO demand of the authorities OR JUDGES can make it right. Like homo marriage.
Does the law God wrote in your heart differ at all from the law that is written in the Bible ?
There are certain things that are even repugnant to the pagans without the law saying it is evil. Beastiality and many other things are one of them.
There are simply some things that are “beyond the pale” in any society. Simply because there may be no law against it does not mean it is ok. It is still repugnant even to the pagan.
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