TABLE OF CONTENTS

Author’s Preface................................................................. 1

INTRODUCTION........................................................ 3
A. Importance of the Subject............................................. 4
B. Definitions.....................................................................5
C. Limitations, Parameters................................................ 7
D. Methodology................................................................. 9

Chapter

I. EARLY PERSECUTION
A. Christ’s Own Day....................................................... 10
B. Early Centuries............................................................13
C. Middle Ages................................................................15

II. RECENT PERSECUTION......................................... 22

A. Sunday Laws in the U.S..............................................25
B. Persecution Outside the U.S........................................32

III. FUTURE PERSECUTION.........................................41

A. The Beast of Revelation..............................................42
B. Might Makes-Up for Right......................................... 45
C. No One Escapes.......................................................... 47
D. New World Order ...................................................... 50

CONCLUSION.................................................................55

APPENDIX A...................................................................57

APPENDIX B...................................................................59

APPENDIX C...................................................................65

BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................................69

i
3 AUDIOBOOK COLLECTIONS

6 BOOK COLLECTIONS
 Many heroes have lived
And many heroes have died
Telling others of Jesus
With Him close by their side
Facing loneliness and danger
Facing misery and fear
Jesus hears every prayer
And Jesus sees every tear

—Alvin Fisher一

一
Writer, Singer, “Heroes for Christ,” music CD. (280 Rigsby Road,
Dayton TN 37321.)
ii
 Author’s Preface

Whether fortunate1 or not, I am not one who has

experienced great persecution. However, one incident looms
large in my memory of the sort to which much of this volume
pertains—when someone expressed genuine animosity
toward me because of my beliefs.
I was working for a South American fellow I’ll call
“Squirt”. He contracted with Weyerhaeuser to groom
timberland for the paper-making corporation. We employed
the “hack-and-squirt” method of killing trees that competed
with the desired species. This involved making a gouge in
the trunk with a machete and squirting a measured dose of
herbicide into the gash. The poison was carried in a hard
plastic backpack from which a tube was connected to the
syringe we carried with one hand; swinging the blade with the
other.
The trouble started when I began reading a wonderful little
paperback called “Open Secrets,” by Don and Marjorie Gray.
One lunch break, Squirt asked about the literature. I invited
him to examine the book for himself, which he did.
Squirt was a gregarious ecumenical Christian. I
thoroughly enjoyed our first meeting at a backyard barbecue,
where he played guitar and sang, “How good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”2 Squirt
often spoke of his desire to see all denominations unite in

1
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your
reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you” (Matt 5:10-12.)
2
Ps 133:1.

1
Christ, putting aside their differences in order to combine
their strength and conquer the unbelieving world. The
chapter of my book he was looking at, however, stated that
unity was only possible through uncompromising adherence
to the Word of God. This information changed our
relationship. Squirt lost his sunny disposition, and talked to
me less.
We started on a new territory the next morning. From a
large tank in back of the truck, I filled Squirt’s pack and lifted
it to his back. He trudged off while I began filling another.
As I wrestled my own pack into position, some of its contents
spilled on me. Fearing contamination, I gingerly slipped off
the shoulder straps, (supposing that the lid was loose),
disposed of the plastic apron I was wearing, donned a new
one, and began wiping the wet pack. When I finally headed
for the trees, Squirt intercepted me.
“You’re taking too long,” he said. “Go back to the truck.
I don’t need your help.” Soon I discovered that Squirt
intended to have me sit there all day without pay. Trying to
avoid harsh words, I made it clear to Squirt that this was not
acceptable for me. There was a clatter of steal, as Squirt
quickly grabbed something from the tailgate. I found myself
staring at the tip of a machete Squirt was shaking in my face.
“Some Christian you are!” …It was all I could think to say.
Apparently, that was enough. Squirt awakened to the
incongruity of his actions, and put the weapon down.

What kind of Christian are you? I ask myself this. If the

stakes were higher, would I withhold my witness? Under the
“right” circumstances, could I become a persecutor? I pray
not. (That is one case, I believe, where it is more blessed to
receive, than to give).

2
 Introduction

Gwyneth is a student of Southern Adventist University and

a baptized Christian. Her parents are missionaries in Africa.
I asked Gwyneth how she felt about the possibility of being
threatened with death because of her beliefs. “I don’t really
want to think about it,” was her reply. “Hopefully, God will
be there.”1

Seventh-day Adventists understand the Bible to foretell

grave persecution for Sabbath-keeping Christians such as
ourselves, just before Jesus returns.2 It’s not something many
of us like to think about, but it seems inevitable. Gwyneth’s
feelings are not uncommon.3 Can we have hope? Will God
be there?

This book proposes to answer those questions. Whether

you already belong to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, or

1
Gwyneth Largosa, Student Dean at Southern Adventist University
in Tennessee, interview by author, Collegedale, 15 April 2003.
2
“In our prophetic interpretation of the end time, a Sunday law will
be passed, the Constitution will be amended, and Sabbath keepers will be
persecuted. The end will knock at the door and Christ’s return will
become a reality.” B. B. Beach and John Graz, 101 Questions Adventists
Ask (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press, 2000), 129.
3
“Gary Burns, a former youth pastor at the Pioneer Memorial church
at Andrews University, reported to our staff one day that all the youth
groups from seventh grade and up that he has worked with over the years,
when asked to identify their major concerns, have always included the
same two issues at the top of their lists: How to know if they are ready for
Jesus to return, and fear over whether or not they will be able to stand
through the time of trouble they’ve heard is coming.” Skip MacCarty,
Things We Don’t Talk About: Help for the Private Struggles of Ordinary
Adventists (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1997), 113.

3
are a potential member, it is this writer’s intention to bolster
the faith of those who ponder the prospect of keeping the
Saturday Sabbath during an hour of great unpopularity; even
capital punishment.4 The purpose of this study is to impart—
by the grace of God—a greater measure of peace until that
time, and the assurance of victory when it comes.

Importance of the Subject

Undue anxiety over this matter not only lowers the quality
of one’s life today, but risks the loss of life eternal. Consider
the following words of Jesus: “Whosoever will save his life
shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall
find it.”5 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:
behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye
may be tried….be thou faithful until death, and I shall give
thee a crown of life.”6 “Fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell….Whosoever shall
deny Me before men, him will I also deny.”7 “He that
overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God and
he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving….shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.”8

4
“A decree will finally be issued against those who hallow the
Sabbath of the fourth commandment, denouncing them as deserving of the
severest punishment, and giving the people liberty, after a certain time, to
put them to death.” Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain
View, CA: Pacific Press, 1950), 616. “And the dragon was wroth with the
woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep
the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev
12:17).
5
Matt 16:25.
6
Rev 2:10.
7
Matt 10:28 & 33.
8
Rev 21:7-8.
4
 Seeing that it is of vital importance, just how then does
one “overcome” the persecutor? The Bible has the answer:
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the
word of their testimony.”9 This book contains testimony
regarding many Sabbath-keeping Christians who endured and
overcame persecution. May their stories foster an abiding
faith in Jesus, and give you the courage to say, “though He
slay me, yet will I trust Him.”10

Definitions

The American Heritage Dictionary has as its chief

definition of Christian: “Professing belief in Jesus as Christ
or following the religion based on the life and teachings of
Jesus.”11 Patterning their lives after that of the Master,
Christians obey the command of Christ: “follow Me.”12 By
“Sabbath-keeping” Christians, we mean those who follow
Jesus in observing the original day of rest and worship, “as
His custom was.”13 This day is now called “Saturday” on the
English calendar. In other languages, however, this same day
is called “sabbat, sabbado, sabota,” or some similar rendering
of the Hebrew word, “Shabbath.” (See Appendix A.)
Can we be certain that this Saturday Sabbath is the same
seventh day as in Christ’s time? “We have had occasion to
investigate the results of the works of specialists in
chronology,” says the U.S. Naval Observatory, “and we have
never found one of them that has ever had the slightest doubt
about the continuity of the weekly cycle since long before the

9
Rev 12:11.
10
Job 13:15.
11
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th
ed., s.v. “Christian.”
12
Matt 4:19, 8:22, 9:9, 10:38, 16:24; 19:28.
13
Luke 4:16.
5
Christian era.”14 Granted, the calendar has changed (from
Julian to Gregorian in 1582 and in England in 1752).15 But
these changes only affected the numbering system
corresponding to a month; never altering the names or order
of any week day. In other words, Saturday has always
directly followed Friday; Friday has always directly followed
Thursday, etcetera. By whatever names the days were called
prior to these, the pattern remains true.
Amazingly, among Christian scholars who do not keep the
original Sabbath, their own research substantiates its validity;
even undoing arguments for the adoption of Sunday. (See
Appendix B.) The mere fact the day has not technically
changed, however, by no means accounts for the great
devotion of our martyrs16 in keeping the Sabbath of the Lord
Jesus. The issues stem far beyond a mere desire to be
historically accurate, as the continuing reader shall discover.
Suffice it to say for now that the Christian day of worship
“presents a point of disagreement, with some groups
continuing to adhere to…Saturday.”17 This disagreement
“has plagued Christianity and is still a debated topic.”18
Because no Scripture can be found authorizing the change of

14
James Robertson, Director of the American Ephemeris, Navy
Department, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C., personal letter,
dated March 12, 1932, as reproduced in S. A. Kaplan, Can Persecution
Arise in America? (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1966), 58.
15
Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., s.v. “calendar.” Copyright (c)
2003.
16
“One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious
principles. …from Greek martus, martur-, witness.” (The American
Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., s.v. “martyr.”) This
same Greek word denoting death in the cause of Christ is often simply
translated “witness” in the Bible, as when Jesus told his disciples, “ye
shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8). This linguistic relationship shows
us that witnessing for Christ often involves the ultimate sacrifice on man’s
part.
17
Ann Coble, “Sabbath,” Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible, ed.
David Noel Freedman, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s, 2000), 1146
(italics supplied).
18
Ibid., (italics supplied).
6
the Sabbath day, other means have been employed in attempt
to end the “plague.”
So we come to our next definition. The Westminster
Dictionary of Christian Ethics tells us that “persecution
carries the connotation of unjust injury or harassment, usually
because the victim espouses values or beliefs contrary to
those dominant in a society.”19 Because Sabbath-keeping
Christians have always been a minority, they have received a
corresponding degree of abuse.
“This calls for patient endurance on the part of the
saints—those who keep the commandments of God and have
the faith of Jesus.”20 That text (from the book of Revelation)
renders an excellent definition of perseverance for the
purpose of our study. Those who cling to their biblical
convictions, in spite of persecution, are in good company
(with the Revelator). “I John, who also am your brother, and
companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of
Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the
word of God.”21 Why was the apostle John banished to that
lonely isle? What called for his patient endurance in being
thus persecuted? The above text tells us, it was his
unyielding stand “for the word of God.”

Limitations, Parameters

19
J. Philip Wogaman, “Persecution and Toleration,” The
Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics, ed. James F. Childress and
John Macquarrie, (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1986), 464.
20
Rev 14:12, NIV.
21
Rev 1:9.
7
 The limitations of this study include time constraints22 and
an incomplete historical record. It should be noted that
concerted efforts have been made to erase history23 pertaining
to the integrity of minority church groups as well as the
criminal activities of certain majorities, presumably in order
to strengthen the image of authority among dominant sects.
But God has not permitted all to be lost. On the other hand,
many more readily available accounts are rife with bias, so
that the reader must take care to look beyond the bigotry, with
an eye which apprehends the animosity toward those
perceived as a threat to established institutions.
Not intending any slight to those of the Jewish faith, the
scope of our study is limited to Sabbath-keepers within the
Christian religion. A larger demographic would be

22
During this writing I pastored two churches in North Florida while
caring for my wife and children. The book is an outgrowth of a project
assigned and due within a six-month period, along with other class
assignments pursuant to a master’s degree. Examination of early periods
borrows largely from the excellent work of Dr. B. G. Wilkinson (cited
below). In most cases, Wilkinson himself refers to a separate, original
source. Much further testimony exists to bolster our witness and I solicit
your stories for a second volume: More Patience. Given the apparent
urgency of the hour, I have decided not to tarry longer in the publication
of this initial installment.
23
“Persecution was not the only way of waging war against the
evangelicals. Their records were systematically destroyed. In the empires
of antiquity a new conqueror often followed up his purging of the
preceding dynasty by the destruction of all writings telling of its past even
to the extent of chiseling annals from stone monuments. In like manner
the noble and voluminous literature of the Waldenses, whether of the
Italian, French, or Spanish branches, was almost completely obliterated by
the rage of the papacy.” Benjamin George Wilkinson, Truth Triumphant
(Brushton, NY: TEACH Services, 1994), 247.
“Much of the past relative to this has been removed from our
History Books and the present generation, for a definite reason, know very
little how Rome controlled Western Europe for over 1000 years and why
our forefathers sought religious and political freedom by fleeing from
Europe.” Chester A. Murray, The Authorized King James Bible Defended,
(Ava, MO: Chester A. Murray, 1983), 54.

8
unmanageable for this writer. Finally, it is assumed the
reader is familiar with some basic tenets of Christianity.

9
Methodology

Our approach will be to examine certain occurrences of

said persecution as broken into three basic timeframes:
distant past, recent past, and anticipated future. Within each
period, we shall analyze some dynamics of the conflicts and
draw from them lessons of faith. The hand of God will be
seen in sometimes astonishing intervention for His people.

10
 Chapter One:

Early Persecution

Christ’s Own Day

The first Sabbath-keeping “Christian” to be persecuted

was, if you will, Christ Himself. It is significant to note His
case, as we may gain some insight into the nature of those
that follow.
The Bible portrays Satan’s antipathy toward Jesus even
before His birth. “And the dragon stood before the woman
which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as
soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who
was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was
caught up unto God, and to his throne.”1 Yet before Christ’s
ascension, God sent an angel to snatch His man child from
the hungry jaws of the devil: “Behold, the angel of the Lord
appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the
young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou
there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young
child to destroy him.”2 From these passages we make three
observations: 1) Just as our Maker anticipates the arrival of
godly seed3, so does our enemy. 2) God makes provision for
the preservation of his people.4 3) The empire of Rome felt
1
Rev 12:4-5.
2
Matt 2:13.
3
“You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was
woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid
out before a single day had passed” (Ps 139:15-15, NLT). “Before I
formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of
the womb I sanctified thee” (Jer 1:5).
4
As the famous preacher George Whitfield said, “I am immortal
until my work is finished.” When one’s work is finished, God may allow
the individual to pass; even at the hands of an enemy. In such a case, we
11
threatened by the influence of Christ (a point upon which we
shall later expand).
One might argue that the death warrant against Christ
pertained to His importance as man’s sacrificial substitute;
not His Sabbath practices. Yet consider this reasoning: If
Christ had sinned, He could not be Savior.5 Sin is defined as
“transgression of the Law.”6 The Sabbath is part of God’s
Law.7 Christ’s Sabbath-keeping was therefore necessary to
man’s salvation (which Satan despises); so the enemy sought
to destroy Him whose life of obedience would mend the rift
between earth and heaven.8
Furthermore, as Jesus came “to save his people from their
sins,”9 His intent is that His people should not transgress the
Law either.10 That His people should obey God’s Law is also

may still be assured of God’s love. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is
the death of his saints” (Ps 116:15). “The righteous perisheth, and no man
layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that
the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into
peace: they shall rest in their beds” (Isa 57:1-2). For those who are
sanctified, the tragedy of their continued living may outweigh the tragedy
of their death. On the other hand, God may allow the unregenerate to live
through long periods of tragedy, if perchance they might repent and be
saved at last.
5
For Patrick of Ireland, a Sabbath-keeper, “opposition to the Ten
Commandments failed to recognize that the culminating reason for the
death of Christ upon the cross was that while becoming man’s substitute
He was to uphold the moral law. The papal church denies the death of
Christ on the cross as man’s substitute and surety.” Wilkinson, 114.
6
1 John 3:4.
7
Ex 20:8.
8
“Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid his face from you” (Isa 59:2). “Without the shedding
of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb 9:22, NLT). “Ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain
conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot”
(1 Pet 1:18-19). “Reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more,
being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom 5:10).
9
Matt 1:21.
10
Rom 8:4.
12
evident at the end of the chapter from which we quoted
earlier: “The dragon was furious with the woman and went
off to fight against the rest of her descendants, all those who
obey God’s commandments and are faithful to the truth
revealed by Jesus.”11 This “woman” represents not merely
the mother of Jesus, but God’s people12 in general—whose
Christian descendants would still keep the Commandments,
including the Sabbath. Revelation 14 indicates such Sabbath-
keeping Christians will endure until the return of Jesus.13

There seems to be something special about the Sabbath

commandment that makes it the particular object of Satan’s
scorn. It identifies God as having the power to create life—
the chief characteristic which distinguishes Him from the
gods of the heathen.14 It is the longest of the Ten
Commandments. It is the only one beginning with the word,
“Remember”—as though God foresaw Satan’s efforts
obliterate the true Sabbath from man’s thinking. The most
widely read history of Christ’s life—a book called The Desire
of Ages—describes the controversy:

Satan was seeking to exalt himself and to draw men

away from Christ, and he worked to pervert the Sabbath,
because it is the sign of the power of Christ. The Jewish

11
Rev 12:17, TEV.
12
“I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate
woman” (Jer 6:5). “Say unto Zion, Thou art my people” (Isa 51:6). In his
letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul wrote: “I have espoused you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor 11:2).
13
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (verse 12). “And I looked,
and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of
man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him
that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come
for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe” (verses 14-15).
14 “
For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the
heavens” (Ps 96:4).
13
 leaders accomplished the will of Satan by surrounding
God's rest day with burdensome requirements. In the
days of Christ the Sabbath had become so perverted
that its observance reflected the character of selfish and
arbitrary men rather than the character of the loving
heavenly Father. The rabbis virtually represented God
as giving laws which it was impossible for men to obey.
They led the people to look upon God as a tyrant, and
to think that the observance of the Sabbath, as He
required it, made men hard-hearted and cruel. It was the
work of Christ to clear away these misconceptions.
Although the rabbis followed Him with merciless
hostility, He did not even appear to conform to their
requirements, but went straight forward, keeping the
Sabbath according to the law of God.15

Early Centuries

First facing this friction within their own culture, Sabbath-

keeping Christians then met the same spirit without. Through
much of the Dark Ages, Rome commanded that every
Saturday be observed with “a rigorous fast,” specifically
intending to create distaste for the sabbath.16
Many national belief systems showed distain for the God
who made the earth in six days and rested the seventh. In
Syria, “Manichaeism dethroned the first chapter of Genesis
by rejecting creation and a miracle-working God, by
demanding celibacy of its leaders, and by worshipping the
sun as the supreme dwelling place of Deity. Imbued with the
ancient Persian hatred of the Old Testament, it ridiculed the
Sabbath of the fourth commandment and exalted Sunday.”17

15
Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, (Mountainview, CA: Pacific
Press, 1940) 283-4.
16
Wilkinson, 144, 232; 326.
17
Ibid, 49.
14
Meanwhile, “the Gnostic18 theology of Alexandria which was
followed by the Church of Rome, was hostile to anything
Jewish, even Jewish Christianity.”19
Rome and Alexandria had a real problem with the religion
of Christ. Fourth-century church historian Socrates observed:
“Although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate
the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath of every week, yet the
Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some
ancient tradition [sun-worship], have ceased to do this.”20
Another contemporary, Sozomen, concurs: “The people of
Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on
the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which
custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria” (ibid).
Jealous of the unifying effect the weekly Sabbath rest had
for Christians, the crumbling empire of Rome thought to
transfer it to her pagan holy day. Emperor Constantine
decreed in the year 321: “Let all judges and people of the
town rest, and the trades of various kinds be suspended on the
venerable day of the sun.”21 When this did not suffice to
maintain her supremacy, Rome went a step further. Emperor
Justinian decreed in 532, “by an edict which he issued to
unite all men in one faith, whether Jews, Gentiles, or
18
“Gnosticism held that human beings consist of flesh, soul, and
spirit (the divine spark), and that humanity is divided into classes
representing each of these elements. The purely corporeal (hylic) lacked
spirit and could never be saved; the Gnostics proper (pneumatic) bore
knowingly the divine spark and their salvation was certain; and those, like
the Christians, who stood in between (psychic), might attain a lesser
salvation through faith.” “Some Gnostics taught that the world is ruled by
evil archons, among them the deity of the Old Testament, who hold
captive the spirit of humanity.” Columbia Encyclopedia, s.v.
“Gnosticism.”
19
Wilkinson, 43. The Catholic Encyclopedia admits that “for a long
time Jews must have formed the vast majority of the members of the
infant church” (ibid., 56). Before Rome’s takeover, Christianity was
patterned after the Jewish church. “For ye, brethren, became followers of
the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 2:14).
20
Wilkinson, 57.
21
Ibid., 255.
15
Christians, such as did not, in the term of three months,
embrace and profess the Catholic faith, were declared
infamous, and, as such, excluded from all employments both
civil and military.”22
Rome felt she had compromised long enough. A few
years later, Augustine threatened the Sabbath-keepers of
Wales: “If you will not join with us in unity, you shall from
your enemies suffer the vengeance of death.”23 The pope
then encouraged William the Conqueror to eradicate those
Celtic Christians,24 when the Normans overthrew England.

Middle Ages

For many centuries there were Sabbath-keeping Christians

in Ireland, including Saint Patrick.25 And the brethren in
Scotland worshipped likewise, unmolested until the year 1130,
when King David confiscated their Lock Leven lands. “He
ordered them to conform to the rites of the Sunday-keeping
monks, on whom he had conferred the dispossessed property,
or to be expelled. Needless to say, they were expelled.”26
Near this same period, the Albigenses of Southern France and
the Waldenses of Northern Italy were slaughtered by order of
the pope. Among their other differences with the Church of
Rome, these groups were fundamentally Sabbath-keepers.27
To deprive one first of material goods and then of his mortal

22
Ibid., 150.
23
Ibid., 161. But some survived. A Seventh Day Baptist historian
observes: “The old Welsh Sabbathkeeping churches did not even then
altogether bow the knee to Rome, but fled to their hiding places” 164.
24
“The historian A. C. Flick says that the Celtic Church observed the
seventh day as the Sabbath” (Ibid., 163).
25
Ibid, 77-99.
26
Ibid, 115.
27
Ibid, 208-211.
16
life—these are two chief tactics employed in the persecution
of our study group.28
Less violent, but perhaps even more deadly, is the
persecution of the mind. Jesus said that we must worship
God “in spirit and in truth.”29 Therefore the Dragon has
waged a propaganda campaign, attempting to obscure the
truth of God. We do well to remember the Jesuit30 motto of
the Roman Church: “Where we cannot convince, we will
confuse.”31 For example, the pagan church early hoped to
lend credence to it’s tradition by pilfering St. John’s words
“The Lord’s Day” and attaching them to Sunday. After
centuries of reiterating this assertion, the fallen church has
persuaded many to think of Sunday when they read
Revelation 1:10, though there is nothing Biblical to suggest
John was referring to other than the seventh-day Sabbath.
Name-calling was another tactic. In 602, Pope Gregory I
issued a bull declaring that “when antichrist should come, he
would keep Saturday for the Sabbath”32—this coming from
the very institution which itself has for centuries born the
odious appellation. (See Appendix C.) Moreover, a
multitude of monikers were given to belie the actual size and
unity of the Sabbath-keeping body. “As each new apostle

28
This combination, in that order, shall be brought to bear upon
Sabbath-keepers in the days just prior to Christ’s return as well (see final
chapter).
29
John 4:24.
30
“Founded in Paris in 1534 by Ignatius of Loyola (but officially
recognized by Pope Paul III in 1540), the order demanded slavish
obedience of all its members for the furtherance of the interests of the
Roman church. They were absolutely unscrupulous in their methods,
holding that it was permissible even to do evil if good might come of it.
The Inquisition could win back individuals where the Reformation had
slight effect. In other areas the Jesuits set up schools to convert the minds
of the populace, sought to infiltrate governmental office, or used every
means fair or foul to advance the cause of the church.” Howard F. Vos,
Exploring Church History, ch. 21, Logos Library System, 1998.
31
Wilkinson, 233.
32
Ibid., 195 (italics supplied).
17
arose, Rome at first was content to treat him and his followers
as a ‘new sect,’ for by so doing she aimed to cover up the fact
that the renewed evangelical wave sweeping over Europe was
another manifestation of the Church in the Wilderness.”33
(This church title is given to Sabbath-keeping Christians in
our key text, Revelation chapter twelve.)
Sabbath-keeping Christians hear the same a put-down as
did their Lord34—of holding a religion for the common
people; not the educated classes. In A. D. 791, a Roman
church counsel remonstrated the last day of the week, “which
also all peasants observe”35 (Thus it is acknowledged how
widely the unaltered religion was practiced.)
Observers of the first day also falsely charged their
counter-parts with Judaizing. Baptist historian David
Benedict writes: “The account of their practicing
circumcision is undoubtedly a slanderous story forged by
their enemies, and probably arose in this way. Because they
observed the seventh day, they were called, by way of
derision, Jews, as the Sabbatarians are frequently at this
day”36

33
Ibid., 235 (italics supplied).
34
“And the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not
mine, but his that sent me” (John 7:16-17, emphasis added). “The Son of
man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous,
and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is
justified of her children” (Matt 11:19). “Consider your own call, brothers
and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many
were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is
foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the
world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the
world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no
one might boast in the presence of God” (1 Cor 1:26-29, NRSV).
35
Wilkinson, 259 (italics supplied).
36
Ibid., 259.
18
 On the other hand, documents were contrived for the
legalistic observance of Sunday.37 Around A. D. 600, the
infamous Letter from the Lord, puts these peculiar words in
Christ’s mouth:

Remember the tables of Moses My servant, and the law

and precepts which I gave him to preach to the peoples,
that they might fear Me and keep My law…. If you do
not correct your ways I will send you worms and
locusts that will eat your harvests and rapacious bulls
that will devour you, because you did not keep the holy
day of the Lord. Anyone who does not keep it will be
accursed. On the Lord’s day you must not wash your
clothes nor wash or cut your hair. Whoever does so, let
him be accursed. I tell you once more that I
was…resurrected on the Lord’s day. …Be very faithful
in keeping the day of the Lord, not even gathering
vegetables from your gardens on the day of the Lord. If
you women dare to do such things, I will send upon you
winged snakes to beat and devour your breasts.38

Specious and sensational, such ploys were not uncommon.39

37
Thus we conclude it was not the legalism of the Jews that made
them repugnant to Rome, but the fact that their legalism was attached to
Sabbath rather than Sunday.
38
Robert Priebsch, Letter from Heaven on the Observance of the
Lord’s Day, quoted in C. Mervyn Maxwell, “The Mark of the Beast,”
Daniel & Revelation Committee Series, vol. 7: Symposium on
Revelation—Book II, ed. Frank B. Holbrook (Hagerstown, MD: Review
and Herald, 1992), 93-94.
39
“Miracles also were called into requisition. Among other wonders
it was reported that as a husbandman who was about to plow his field on
Sunday cleaned his plow with an iron, the iron stuck fast in his hand, and
for two years he carried it about with him, ‘to his exceeding great pain and
shame.’” Francis West, Historical and Practical Discourse on the Lord’s
Day, quoted in Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View,
CA: Pacific Press, 1950), 575.
19
 The Dragon’s campaign is often a war of words. After
eight hours of interrogation, before being burned at the stake,
one of the faithful replied:

You may narrate these doctrines to others, who are wise

in worldly wisdom, and who believe the figments of
carnal men written upon animal parchment. But to us
who have the law written in the inner man by the Holy
Ghost, and who know nothing else save what we have
learned from God the Creator of all things, you vainly
propound matters which are superfluous and altogether
alien from sound divinity.40

Preferring the sound doctrine of Scripture to the

philosophies of men, those who honored the seventh-day
memorial of God the Creator were imbued with implicit trust
in His power. Our martyr continues:

Put therefore an end to words: and do with us what you

list. We clearly behold our King reigning in heavenly
places, who with His own right hand, is raising us to an
immortal triumph;41 and he is raising us to the fullness
of joy celestial. (Ibid.)

Thus we see a devotion born in full confidence of Christ’s

saving work in man’s behalf. In gratitude for this, men

40
Wilkinson, 228.
41
“ If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your
own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the
holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways,
serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall
take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the
earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the
mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13-14, NRSV). “Blessed are
they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life,
and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and
sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and
whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (Rev 22:14-15).
20
rendered obedience. A Waldensian remarked, “The Lord
God commanded us to rest on the seventh day and with that I
let it be; with God’s help and His grace, we all would stand
by and die in the faith, for it is the right faith and the right
way in Christ.”42
What motivated these Christians endure such hardship?
Like Jesus, they were willing to endure mistreatment, if their
stand for truth might have a reformatory influence within the
ailing church.43 Following the history of Sabbath-keeping
Anabaptists, Mennonite author Daniel Liechty observes that
many theologians “turned to the Bible seeking an answer to
the question of where the church had gone wrong.” Some,
“located the fall of the church at the point where the church
stopped observing the Sabbath, where the church stopped
following the moral law.”44 Thus, they took their stand—
though not with harsh defiance. “They sought, without any
surrender of their own historic past which reached back to the
apostles, to cultivate a fraternal attitude as far as possible.”45
Sixth-century Sabbath-keeper Catholicos Aba demonstrated
this spirit, saying, “I preach my own faith, and I want every
man to join it; but of his own free will, and not of compulsion.
I use force on no man; but I warn those who are Christians to

42
Wilkinson, 262.
43
A general departure from the teachings of Scripture signaled the
Church’s “falling away” anticipated by Paul (2 Thess 2:3). The apostle
also warned: “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous
wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after
them” (Acts 20:29-30). Jude concurs: “I felt I had to write and urge you
to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For
certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have
secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the
grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our
only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 3-4, NIV).
44
Daniel Liechty, Andreas Fischer and the Sabbatarian Anabaptists,
(Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1988), 66.
45
Wilkinson, 195.
21
keep the laws of their religion.”46 Indeed, such was the
attitude of Christ Himself.47

46
Ibid., 277 (italics supplied).
47
Jesus allows for freedom of choice, saying “Whosoever will, let
him take the water of life ” (Rev 22:17, italics supplied). “If any man
will come after me, let him” (Matt 16:24). Even the disciples erred in
thinking to violently punish those who rejected Christ’s message, “But He
turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye
are of” (Luke 9:55).
22
 Chapter Two:

Recent Persecution

By the 17th century, much of the Sabbath-keeping

Christian body had been eliminated by oppressive European
church-states. But with the freedoms of a newly founded
United States, a great religious awakening48 occurred. Sleepy
traditionalism was thrown off, and the Seventh-day Adventist
Church rose to its feet.
The year 1844 signaled the cleansing of the sanctuary;49 a
return to pure doctrine50 in the church. The reform was
foretold of God: “And they that shall be of thee51 shall build
the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of
many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of

48
“The Second Great Awakening had an enormous effect on
American society, changing the way Americans worshiped and preached,
inspiring social reform, and converting thousands to Christianity.” PBS,
“1776-1865: from Bondage to Holy War,” This Far by Faith , <http://
www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/journey_2/p_3.html> (27 November 2003).
“The Second Great Awakening began in the last decade of the 18th
century and reached its peak in the second half of the 19th century.”
Thomas Hampson, “The Great Awakening & Revivalism in America,” I
Hear America Singing. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ihas/icon/revivalism.
html> (27 November 2003).
“The Second Great Awakening had a greater effect on society than
any other revival in America.” The Christian History Institute, “The
Second Great Awakening,” Glimpses, vol. 40. <http://www.gospelcom.
net/chi/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps040.shtml > (27 November 2003).
49
See Dan. 8:14.
50
“Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Eph
5:25-26).
51
Christianity is the logical outworking of the Jewish religion, as
Jesus said, “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). In their eagerness not
to be identified with those who rejected the Messiah, Christians had gone
too far in rejecting His Sabbath.
23
the breach, The restorer of paths52 to dwell in. If thou turn
away thy foot from [trampling] the sabbath…”53 Just at the
time when evolution theory was taking hold, these Christians
saw the unique value of the seventh-day as heralding the
Creator54—a claim which Sunday cannot substantiate, but
contrariwise, repudiates.55
To a “No Fear” generation of irreverence and burgeoning
immorality56, an angel with the everlasting gospel57 is heard,
“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him;
for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that
made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters.”58 In their proclamation of the Gospel, Seventh-day

52
“We will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law”
(Isa 2:3, Mic 4:2, italics supplied). This law contains the Ten
Commandments, of which the Sabbath is a part.
53
Isa 58:12-13.
54
“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” (Ex. 20:11).
55
The same body which originated Sunday worship, also denies the
Creator of Scripture. See Stevenson Swanson, “Pope Bolsters Church
Support for Evolution,” Chicago Tribune, 25 October 1996. A quote
from the article: “If taken literally, the Biblical view of the beginning of
life and Darwin's scientific view would seem irreconcilable. In Genesis,
the creation of the world, and Adam, the first human, took six days.
Evolution's process of genetic mutation and natural selection-the survival
and proliferation of the fittest new species-has taken billions of years,
according to [some] scientists.”
56
Evolution theory has been a major contributor. While God says,
“Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Eccl. 12:3), our
students have been taught that they have no Maker to whom they are
accountable. Instead of being made “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:26-27),
young people are made to believe their ancestors bore the image of brute
beasts. No wonder they act like animals. No wonder they have so little
respect for themselves, for others, or for God.
57
(See full text.) The fact that this angel proclaims the gospel means that
the Sabbath-keeping it advocates does not constitute “legalism,” or salvation by
keeping of the Law.
58
Rev 14:6-7.
24
Adventists took up this loud cry59 to worship our Maker on
the day60 specifically designed to commemorate His creative
act. This reformative movement saw rapid growth; the
number of Sabbath-keeping Christians quickly swelled.
Again, the Dragon would vent his rage upon the
commandment-keeping followers of Jesus.61 The genius of
the scheme is emblematic of the superhuman intellect62 of
our adversary. First, the deceiver inspired Sunday-keeping
pastors to embrace the deadly antinomianism63 or
“lawlessness”64 which they had formerly fought. One author
of the day observed the process:

As the claims of the fourth commandment are urged

upon the people, it is found that the observance of the
seventh-day Sabbath is enjoined; and as the only way to
free themselves from a duty which they are unwilling to

59
Again, connected with Isaiah 58, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy
voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression” (v.1).
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4). Note: the error of violating God’s
Commandments is a New Testament teaching.
60
Notice how similar is the wording of Rev. 14:7 to the Sabbath
Commandment in Ex. 20:11. The way to fear God and give glory to Him,
in this context, is to honor the seventh-day sabbath.
61
Rev 12:17.
62
Describing the fall of Lucifer, the Lord says of him: “Thou wast
perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was
found in thee. … therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain
of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the
stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast
corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness” (Ezek 28:15-17).
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”
(2 Cor 11:14).
63
“(ăntinō´meenizem) [Gr.,=against the law], the belief that
Christians are not bound by the moral law, particularly that of the Old
Testament.” Columbia Encyclopedia, “antinomianism.”
64
Paul warns of a time in the Church when “the rebellion occurs and
the man of lawlessness [some manuscripts, sin] is revealed” (2 Thess 2:3,
NIV). This man of sin, called “antichrist” by many scholars and
denominations, is described as “lawless” thrice more in the chapter.
25
 perform, many popular teachers declare that the law of
God is no longer binding. Thus they cast away the law
and the Sabbath together…. The doctrine that men are
released from obedience to God's requirements has
weakened the force of moral obligation and opened the
floodgates of iniquity upon the world.65

Thus the pendulum is set to swing, as what began as a

mindless defense precipitated conditions for an outright
attack against observers of the Saturday Sabbath:

Yet this very class put forth the claim that the fast-
spreading corruption is largely attributable to the
desecration of the so-called ‘Christian sabbath,’ and
that the enforcement of Sunday observance would
greatly improve the morals of society. This claim is
especially urged in America, where the doctrine of the
true Sabbath has been most widely preached. (Ibid.)

Sunday Laws in the U.S.

In America, where the Seventh-day Adventist Church was

organized in 1863 and initially had its highest concentration,
a backlash of bigotry on the part of Sunday-keepers found its
way to the legislative halls. “Blue Laws”—so called for the
blue paper upon which they were printed—forbade certain
activities on Sunday, and soon had those who worshipped on
Saturday “singing the blues.” Seventh-day Adventists could
no longer labor six days and rest the seventh as the Lord
commands,66 but had only five days of the week in which to
work. More than an economic hardship, however, the Sunday
Laws became a vehicle for venting hatred against the little
flock.

65
Ellen White, The Great Controversy, 585-6.
66
“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work” (Ex 20:9).
26
 It soon became apparent that these laws were intended not
so much to strengthen Sunday observance as to weaken the
Sabbath-keeping body. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat ran an
insightful article with this observation on November 30, 1885:

It is a little singular that no one else has been troubled

on account of the law, with perhaps one minor
exception, while members of the above denomination
[Seventh-day Adventists] are being arrested over the
whole State. It savors just a trifle of the religious
persecution which characterized the Dark Ages.67

On Sunday in this same state; at this same time, the trains

ran uninhibited, the hotels were open for business—as were
the drugstores and barber shops—and the livery stables did
more business than any other day of the week.

Conscientious Sabbath-keepers were far from the criminal

element supposed to be subdued by Sunday legislation.
There was the case of the Sabbath-keeping carpenter. (One
wonders how Jesus would have faired in this era.) This Mr.
Star repaired a broken window on Sunday as an act of
charity—no fee incurred—for a Methodist widow. He did the
work in the rain, for the lady had no other place to shelter
herself and her family. At the complaining of a Reverend
Powers from the Missionary Baptist Church, it was Star who
would pay a fee, to the court, in February of 1887. In a
similar case at about that time, John Neusch was observed
gathering overripe peaches from his orchard on Sunday, after
resting and worshipping on Saturday. The witnesses had
come requesting that Mr. Neusch not prosecute a young man
who had stolen peaches the preceding Sunday. Neusch
agreed to overlook the matter, and refused pay. With

67
William Addison Blakely, American State Papers on Freedom in
Religion, 3rd rev. ed., (Takoma Park, Washington D.C.: Review and
Herald, 1943), 538.
27
incomprehensible ingratitude, the acquitted party reported
Neusch for harvesting on Sunday!
Even sadder is the case of Joe McCoy of Louisville
Kentucky. Unlike others who were “seasoned” in the faith,
McCoy was a relatively new Christian. Though he was held
in high esteem, having served as a constable seven years and
two terms as justice of the peace, McCoy had not given his
heart to the Lord until afterward becoming a Seventh-day
Adventist. Upon McCoy’s conversion, the enemy of souls
inspired a Mr. Reatherford of the Methodist Church to have
McCoy arrested for farming on Sunday. Tearfully, the
budding believer decried the paradox of being undisturbed
when “reckless and wicked”, only to be arrested after
committing himself to the right.68 Of course, Jesus warned
His followers that they would incur persecution. It is
confusing, however, when such persecution comes from those
who profess loyalty to the Savior. Jesus pronounces a fearful
woe against those through whom such offences come.69

Not everyone was blind to the injustice of Sunday Laws.

Attorney J. P. Henderson was employed to prosecute
violators. But upon investigation, he found the cases “were
simply of the nature of religious persecutions,”70 and refused
to seek penalty. Public school teacher Mr. E. Stinson stated,

I believe the prosecutions to be more for religious

persecution than for the purpose of guarding the Sunday
from desecration. The men who have been indicted are
all good moral men and law-abiding citizens, to the best
of my knowledge. The indictments, to the best of my
belief, were malicious in their character, and without
provocation. I believe the unmodified [without
provision for observers of another day] Sunday law to

68
Ibid., 537.
69
See Matt 18:1-7.
70
Blakely, 537.
28
 be unjust in its nature, and that it makes an unjust
discrimination against a small but worthy class of our
citizens.71

According to Arkansas Supreme Court Judge Williams of

Little Rock, such a law “was used oppressively upon the
seventh-day Sabbath Christians, to an extent that shocked the
bar of the whole State”; he asserted that “the judges, as men
and lawyers, abhorred it.”72

On May 27, 1892, a W. S. Lowry was tried for Sunday

labor in Paris, Tennessee. The man employed no counsel, but
made this noble declaration:

My convictions on the Bible are that the seventh day of

the week is the Sabbath, which comes on Saturday. I
observe that day the best I know how. Then I claim the
God-given right to six days of labor. I have a wife and
four children, and it takes my labor six days to make a
living. I go about my work quietly, do not make any
unnecessary noise, but do my work as quietly as
possible. It has been proved by the testimony of Mr.
Fitch and Mr. Cox, who live around me, that they were
not disturbed. Here I am before the court to answer for
this right that I claim as a Christian. I am a law-abiding
citizen, believing that we should obey the laws of the
State; but whenever they conflict with my religious
convictions and the Bible, I stand and choose to serve
the law of my God rather than the laws of the State. I
do not desire to cast any reflections upon the State, nor
the officers and authorities executing the law. I leave
the case with you.73

71
Ibid., 539.
72
Ibid.
73
Ibid., 541-2.
29
Lowry was found guilty and spent 45 days on a chain-gang.

Animosity and hypocrisy among the accusers was great.

While other men were hunting, fishing, and working their
farms in a more public and noisy manner, it was only the
Seventh-day Adventist R. M. King who was arrested in
Obion County, Tennessee, upon quietly cultivating his corn in
the summer of 1889. The case advanced to the U.S. circuit
court, where a Colonel Richardson declared, “that the persons
who claimed to be disturbed were disturbed or excited only
because of their religious views.”74 Georgia Attorney
William F. Findley further clarifies this, especially at the
conclusion of this statement:

One of these Seventh-day Adventists was tried over

here in Forsyth County, and I think there never was a
more unrighteous conviction. There was a man named
Day Conklin, who was moving on Friday. He got his
goods wet on Friday, and it turned off [the day ended]
cold. On Saturday he went out and cut enough wood to
keep his family from freezing.75 On Sunday he still
hadn’t his things dry, and it was still as cold as it had
been on Saturday. He still cut enough wood to keep his
family warm, and they convicted him for doing this. I
say that that was an outrage, an unrighteous conviction,
for he was doing the best he could. One of the jurymen
told me that they did not convict him for what he had
done, but for what he said he had a right to do. He said
he had a right to work on Sunday.76

74
Ibid., 547.
75
Conklin clearly was not legalistically rigid in his Sabbath-keeping,
as is often claimed against observers of the seventh-day. In this case, it is
the Sunday adherent who imposes his legalism.
76
Ibid., 554. (Italics original.)
30
Both a juror and a witness against Conklin in this case were
found chopping wood at their own homes the following
Sunday, without incrimination.

In 1909, a party with two children under that age of

fourteen was accused of picking strawberries on Sunday.
One of the supposed witnesses to the crime was no closer
than a quarter mile and on the opposite side of a hill. Another
“witness” proved to be more than 150 miles distant at the
time of the incident. The plaintiff’s hostility was evident in
that he was reprimanded several times by the magistrate for
improper language. An August 19 Washington Post article
somewhat sarcastically observed that the accuser, “deeply
imbued with the gloomy faith of a John Balfour of Burley,
this excellent and exemplary man, just from the sanctuary,
where he worshiped in the name of Him who sat at meat with
publican and sinner and plucked green corn [on the Sabbath
day77]…had the five of them arrested for breaking the
Sabbath.”78

In Maryland a Seventh-day Adventist was turned in by the

minister of another denomination for husking corn on Sunday.
In that same state, members of the Methodist Church
volunteered their witness against a Mr. Baker for violation of
Sunday “sacredness.” Baker had formerly worshipped with
those who testified against him. And it was also in Maryland
that a Mr. Ford prosecuted his own brother for hauling some
window sashes to a new Seventh-day Adventist church on
Sunday, responding to a threat that they would otherwise be
destroyed at the boat dock. It so happened that this same
prosecutor was also the dock agent, having reneged on his
promise to transfer the sashes to the safety of the freight
house. In another instance from that region, a Mr. Bullen was
accused of five minutes labor one Sunday while inspecting

77
See Matt. 12:1-14.
78
Blakely, 560.
31
his garden. “At the same time axes were to be heard all
around the neighborhood. Even their informants were caring
for their boats, baling out water, drying sails, etc., preparing
to amuse themselves on the same ‘Lord’s day, commonly
called Sunday.’”79 A Sunday-school superintendent met
Bullen on his way to trial, stating that he would give a
hundred dollars to put him in the penitentiary for life. And a
Watchman’s Association was formed in Shady Side
Maryland, for the express purpose of catching seventh-day
observers in violation of Sunday laws. The would-be
offenders received many threats, had their worship services
disrupted, and suffered damage to the door and transom of
their meetinghouse.80 These things took place in the early
and mid 1890s.

In the Fall of 1910, the state of Virginia saw another

example of blatant persecution. The case involved a Mr.
Eugene Ford, who worshipped on Saturday. While Sunday-
laws were in force, Ford’s employer, a nominal Sunday-
keeper, nevertheless requested he do a small job for him on
the first day of the week. This would involve repairing some
dredging machines which the owner wished to pick up that
day, hiring also a driver for that purpose. But Ford’s faith
irked a certain Methodist Sunday-school teacher, who readily
reported him alone as a violator. (The whistle-blower himself
was known to have sold and delivered crab meat and gasoline
on Sunday that summer.) We are somewhat comforted to
find that Ford’s employer volunteered to pay the fine, though
neither he nor the others involved in that Sunday’s business
were faulted. In fact, the complainant declared that he
“would not cause the arrest of anyone for Sunday work
except an observer of the seventh day.”81

79
Ibid., 557.
80
Ibid.
81
Ibid., 562.
32
 In several cases men took ill and died on account of
lengthy terms in abysmal jails, leaving poor families bereaved
and in great hardship. But it took a while for these injustices
to quicken the conscience of our country. Sunday-law
violators were still being prosecuted throughout the 1920’s
and 30’s, in places such as Alabama, California, Georgia,
Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington,
Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Though
enforcement has waned over the years, it is a fact that all of
the United States—with the exception of Alaska—retain
Sunday Laws on their books to this day.82 One might think
that our society has matured beyond such bigotry, but modern
man is just as susceptible to blind rage. We shall see in our
next chapter that all it takes is the “right” set of circumstances
to rekindle the fire of persecution against Sabbath-keeping
Christians. A lucky strike of lightning is all that’s needed to
resurrect this Frankenstein’s monster.

Persecution Outside the U.S.

By this time, there were Seventh-day Adventists all over

the world. In 1939, a 40-year old father of three was drafted
into the German army. His name was Franz Hasel. Being a
very conscientious Christian, Hasel requested medical (non-
combatant) duty. Upon noting his religious status, the man
enrolling him asked another officer what was a Seventh-day
Adventist. “They are like the Jews,”83 came the response.
“They keep Sabbath.” Franz was assigned to a front-line
bridge-building brigade—the most dangerous work
conceivable.

82
Miriam Cho, “State Sunday Laws”, Liberty, Nov./Dec. 2003, 13.
83
The Hasel bloodline was thoroughly Aryan.
33
 Hasel was not the only professed Seventh-day Adventist to
be drafted into Hitler’s wehrmacht.84 But because of this
man’s unique determination to honor the Sabbath, and the
availability of his story, Hazel’s life is a showcase of both
persecution and divine provision to persevere in spite of it.
We shall borrow largely from the account of his youngest
daughter, Susi Hasel Mundi, in her book, A Thousand Shall
Fall.85
Out of the original company86 of 1200, Hasel would be 1
of only 7 to survive; 1 of 3 never to be wounded. During the
entire war, Franz refused to perform any work on the
Sabbath.87 The Lord assisted with various providences such
as muddy roads or extreme fatigue among the men, making
Saturday travel disagreeable. Franz was also granted the
wisdom and tact to exchange duties with others, or reason as
to why certain projects might be postponed until Sunday. At
first his superiors were censorious and noted on his papers
that he should be court-martialled at the end of the war, but
put up with him in the meantime for his exemplary work.
It is important to note that Hasel’s morality was not
exclusive to Sabbath-keeping, but extended to every aspect of
life. Franz refused to partake in the frequent incidence of
looting, or rude and drunken conduct at parties. Before long,
he was entrusted with their paychecks as company clerk and
later accountant. The well-respected corporal was eventually
ordered to bunk with his sergeant, who took note that this

84
(military)
85
Susi Hasel Mundi, A Thousand Shall Fall, (Hagerstown, MD:
Review and Herald, 2001). The title refers to Psalm 91—a wonderful
promise to all of God’s people of His special watchcare through all
manner of tribulation.
86
Thousands more cycled through the company as their forerunners
perished.
87
On a single occasion he may have forgotten his customary
Sabbath observance, Franz admits, when fleeing with his company from
Russia back to Germany after the war had ended.
34
Sabbath-keeper always escaped injury.88 (Franz was not
without sin, but was willing to make things right when
repentance was offered89 him. Thus he found himself the
beneficiary of the One who declares, “Those who honor90 Me,
I will honor.”91)
Finally, Franz would give a Bible study that convinced his
leaders their mission was doomed, and he was given
command of the entire company for their retreat from the
Russian front. While discharging German soldiers, a U.S.
officer noticing Hasel’s court-martial for Sabbath observance
marveled in disbelief. “I’m a Jew myself, by the way. But
even in the American army I don’t keep the Sabbath because
it’s too difficult.”92 The colonel erred on two points: 1) Not
all Sabbath-keepers are Jews. 2) Nothing to which God calls
us too difficult. “I can do all things through Christ.”93
(Again, our study is limited to Sabbath-keeping Christians.)
Mrs. Hasel also tried the Lord of the Sabbath94 and found
Him true. Wrestling with the decision of whether to let her
children attend school for two hours on Sabbath, she finally
pled to the Savior, “Don’t ever let my children become more
important to me than you are.95 Don’t let them become my

88
Perhaps this had something to do with Franz’s early disposal of his
Lugar pistol, exchanging it for a wooden replica. Jesus promises that he
who lives by the sword shall die by the sword, and that the merciful shall
be shown mercy. (See Rev 13:10 and Matt 5:5.)
89
We cannot even repent of ourselves; like every good thing, it is
the gift of God. (See Acts 5:31, 2 Tim 2:25.) How important then to
seize the opportunity before it passes and leaves us destitute.
90
Few today conceive of the sacrifice involved in truly honoring
God. Few comprehend the deference due His holy and exalted name.
Therefore the angel of the end cries, “Fear God and give glory to Him”
(Rev 14:7).
91
1 Sam 2:30.
92
Mundi, 144.
93
Phil 4:13.
94
Jesus declares, “The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath”
(Mark 2:28).
95
“He that loveth son or daughter more than me,” says Jesus, “is not
worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37.) Ironically, her willingness to give her
35
idols.”96 The first Principal who reproached her for this
resolution was soon shipped away to war and became missing
in action. When pressure was again brought to bear, the
Allies changed their bombing schedule to daytime on
Saturdays, while continuing to raid evenings every other day.
When she had to leave Frankfurt and gather her brood to the
relative safety of the country, Mrs. Hasel again made her
request to the school. This time, the principal let her children
off on Saturdays under the pretense that they needed less
instruction because of their advanced education in the city.
Helene Hasel’s fortitude was especially inspiring as she
was persecuted for refusing to join the Nazi party. After
months without rations for the little ones or herself (friends
provided), Mrs. Hasel was eventually called to the Party
headquarters—an appointment from which many never
returned. When the interrogating officer learned that her
resistance was based on her beliefs as a Seventh-day
Adventist, his indignation suddenly eased. As it turned out,
his neighbor was also of the faith, and had done much to
comfort the officer in times of need. So we see one way in
which God turns the tides of persecution is through the
winsomeness and charitable acts of His people. Another
example is seen in Helene’s willingness to cook for Allied
invaders when others refused, resulting in her bedroom being
the only one left unmolested that night. Hers was often the
only laundry left hanging, with the rest torn down and
trammeled. And upon returning to the city after the war
(1945), her apartment stood intact though surrounded by
rubble. These are but a small sampling of the many honors
bestowed upon this faithful family.

Next we examine the case of Glorious Country Wong, as

he is called in Stanley Maxwell’s, The Man Who Couldn’t Be

children up entirely to the will of God ensured their safe return to her
bosom.
96
Mundi, 30.
36
Killed. In 1948, this Seventh-day Adventist citizen of China
was sentenced to 20 years in prison, during the oppressive
People’s Revolution. Being a Christian was scarcely
tolerable in itself, for the association with capitalist
Westerners. But it was Wong’s “laziness” in refusing to
work Saturdays that aroused his persecutors. Of the 5000
sent to the desert work camp, Wong would be among just 18
to survive, and the only one released to see his family again.
Satan did his best to destroy this little Sabbath-keeping
clan. Neighbors were conscripted by the government to
pressure and manipulate. One said to his first wife, “I believe
you have a good chance to influence your husband. With
your wifely wiles, you can dissuade him from pursuing his
feudalistic path.”97 This ploy is reminiscent of the serpent’s
whispers to Eve, or the Philistines’ efforts to overcome
Samson through his wife Delilah (Genesis 3, Judges 16). So
the Communists tried to access Wong’s heart through “the
weaker sex.”98 Especially in our current age, when nihilistic
despair has elevated romance to the height of human
attainment, this is a critical avenue the adversary uses in the
persecution of God’s people. But Wong was unshakable;
even willing to give up his cherished second wife—a
beautiful opera singer—in order to conform to the biblical
model. Again, we see a zeal not just for a day, but for the
entire way99 of Christ.
Wong was no mere mispatriot. “Seventh-day Adventists
believe it’s their duty to obey the government—as long as it
doesn’t go against God’s laws. If I have to sin against your
government100 in order not to sin against God, I choose to

97
Stanley Maxwell, The Man Who Couldn’t Be Killed (Nampa,ID:
Pacific Press, 1995), 65.
98
1 Peter 3:7.
99
See Acts 19:9; 23; 24:14; 22.
100
Some 50 years earlier, ‘twas written: “Those who honor the Bible
Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law & order. …Their
conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and
37
break my government’s regulations.”101 Wong’s testimony is
like that of the early apostles: “We ought to obey God rather
than men.”102
“I’m sure your so-called Real God would make an
exception for criminals in hard labor camps who must work,”
a guard pretends compassion. “We have priests available
who could give you absolution. I’ll arrange it for you.” Mr.
Wong replies, “A priest isn’t above God’s laws.”103 This
exchange shows the absurdity of a religion that would have
God obey man.
Wong chooses God’s rest over whatever ease his
adversaries offer; yet treats them with respect. “I know you
mean good to me. If I could follow your wishes, I would.”
“Don’t be afraid,” says the warden. “Why do you think I’m
afraid?” Mr. Wong replies. “You have no idea how much
courage it takes to stand here and take the inmates’ beatings
in silence.”104 Indeed, Wong’s was a super-human courage,
withstanding many consecutive days of kicking, slapping,
punching and; being thrown to the ground and leapt upon by
his fellows from morning ‘til night, when he’d sleep with
eyes swollen shut. Many times Wong did not believe he
could endure another day, but always awoke with fresh
resolve to stand for Jesus. Thus applies the sacred promise,
“As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”105 On the 17th day, for
a grand finale, both of Wong’s arms were broken. But his
heart reached out to Jesus. “Please heal my arms and face to
prove to both prisoners and jailers that you are the Real
God. …I believe you can perform a miracle for me, because
your reputation is at stake.”106 Here we see the pure motive

contempt for authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the

government.” Ellen White, The Great Controversy, 592.
101
Maxwell, 134.
102
Acts 5:29.
103
Maxwell, 135.
104
Ibid., 148.
105
Deut 33:25.
106
Maxwell, 212.
38
that propels the Sabbath-keeper past the pain: a love for God,
and His righteousness. “Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven”107—a Glorious Country, indeed.

In February of 1962, Seventh-day Adventist minister

Noble Alexander was also sentenced to 20 years in prison.
During Castro’s communist revolution, this black Cuban not
only faced prejudice because of his color, but persecution for
his faith. Again, professing Christianity in itself was enough
to bring wrath upon the believer in this country, but Noble’s
affliction was magnified because of his unyielding devotion
to the Lord of the Sabbath.
Refusing to show up for work on Saturday, Noble was
thrown into a lake108 of open sewer—a fate that killed many.
“For You, Lord. I will fight to stay alive for You. But why,
Lord? Where are you in all of this?”109 Immediately,
Noble’s eyes were drawn to a budding lily upon the surface.
Over the next three hours, he watched the flower slowly
unfold into a blossom of pure white. Jesus—“the lily of the
valley.”110 Through many valleys Noble walked with Jesus.
His captors employed all manner of torture— physical and
psychological—in attempt to destroy his devotion.
As to his question “Why, Lord?”—Noble eventually found
the answer. “I did not know then that the agony I suffered
would ease the way for my brothers who would come to
accept the Sabbath day as holy. The guards would call them
one of Noble’s people, and leave them in on the Sabbath. But
the guards had it all wrong. They were not Noble’s people,

107
Matt 5:10.
108
A “lake of fire” is reserved for the enemies of God’s people (Rev
19:20, 20:15). This may encourage those who are tempted to avenge
themselves, knowing that justice will be executed in the end.
109
Noble Alexander, I Will Die Free (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press,
1991), 73.
110
Song 2:1.
39
they were God’s.”111 Like Jesus, Noble endured his cross,
“for the joy that was set before him.”112 That is to say, the
pleasure of knowing one has ministered to others is the
overcomer’s most powerful incentive.
During the first decade of his incarceration, thoughts of his
sweet spouse buoyed Noble’s spirits. But after so long
waiting, the woman finally filed for divorce, and Noble
became despondent. “Pastor, stop thinking about Yraida,”
pled the inmates, “Come, do your duty for us before you lose
it all.”113 The platonic love of the brethren revived him.
Often, when the Noble despised his own existence, the needs
of his fellows constrained him. This is what also drove the
apostle Paul despite bitter persecution;114 it is the Spirit of
Christ.115
On February 3, 1983, Noble’s 20-year sentence was
fulfilled; yet he remained in chains. Official documents
described him as having terrorist links. (Indeed, Noble led a
large resistance, but only inasmuch as regarded Sabbath work
duties, and leading others to Christ. For this, he was labeled
as an enemy of the communist state.) This devastating
disappointment understandably made Noble’s internal
struggle more fierce. “Demons of discouragement
surrounded me with clouds of despair,” writes Noble, “only
to have the powers of heaven force them back.”116 Again, his

111
Ibid., 77.
112
Heb 12:2.
113
Alexander, 132.
114
“I'm torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and
sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be far better for me,
but it is better for you that I live. I am convinced of this, so I will continue
with you” (Phil 1:23-25, NLT).
115
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are
perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but
not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord
Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For
we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life
also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor 4:8-11).
116
Alexander, 169.
40
Christian purpose mitigated melancholy. “God didn’t want
me to waste unnecessary energy on discouragement. He’d
given me a mission, and He expected me to be about His
business.”117 “I waited, hoped, and continued on with my
ministry.”118
Noble’s was not the only release date that came and
went—and many died of broken spirits at that point. Yet it
was precisely because of his commitment to the gospel
commission that Noble was liberated, in more ways than one.
A testimony of Noble’s discipleship found its way into the
hands of America’s Reverend Jesse Jackson. Noble was
suffering persecution “because he preaches,” said the letter,
“just like you.”119 Visiting Cuba as part of his campaign for
the 1984 presidency, Jackson brought pressures to bear for
the final release of our Sabbath-keeping hero, after 22 years
of imprisonment.

117
Ibid., 170.
118
Ibid., 171.
119
Ibid.
41
 Chapter Three:

Future Persecution

As we have observed in Revelation 12 and in history,

Satan vents his wrath in particular against Christians who
keep the original Ten Commandments, from the very day
Jesus established his church. In Revelation 13, we see
Satan’s final attempt to eradicate this body, just before the
return of Christ in chapter 14. “And except that the Lord had
shortened those days,” Jesus foretold, “no flesh should be
saved.”120 That is to say, the Lord must return for his church
at this time, or there would be nothing left of it.
The enemy of God’s people has had nearly six thousand
years to refine his tactics. In the end, the devil has a foothold
in all earthly governments.121 With globalism and the aid of
technology,122 Satan’s human agencies are able to profile,
track and apprehend anyone who does not cooperate. Sadly,
most of the population will comply.123
Comply with what? Here’s where so many people,
including professed124 followers of Jesus, are truly left

120
Mark 13:20.
121
“For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree,
and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be
fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which
reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (Rev 17:17-18).
122
This technological/information age heralds the last days, as the
angel told Daniel, “seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall
run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Dan 12:4, italics
supplied).
123
“All the world wondered after the beast. …and they worshipped
the beast” (Rev 13:3-4).
124
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father” (Matt 7:21).
“If it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matt 24:24).
42
behind.125 They are, as it were, “a day late, and a dollar
short.” For the conflict is the same as it always was—
demanding the observance of Sunday instead of the Sabbath
of the Commandment—only on a world-wide scale.
Preposterous, you say.

The Beast of Revelation

Why should you be surprised? Or, “Why are you

astonished?”—says the angel—“I will explain to you the
mystery126 of the woman and of the beast she rides.”127
There’s no need to be mystified. A little study will show
what Protestant Reformers128 have known for centuries: this
woman represents the apostate Christian church, carried along
by Papal Rome—the Beast. George W. Bush was rudely
awakened to this fact when his first presidential campaign
125
The idea that the antichrist has not yet arrived, as popularized by
the Left Behind series, was originally instituted by Rome’s Jesuit
priesthood in order to get students of the trail of the Pope as Antichrist—
revealed explicitly in Scripture and taught by the Protestant Reformers.
(See Appendix C.) Even Billy Graham denounces the dangerous “second
chance” theology of Left Behind.
126
Again, a woman represents a church. “For this cause shall a man
leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they
two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning
Christ and the church” (Eph 5:31-32).
127
Rev 17:7, NIV.
128
Huss, Wycliffe, Luther, Melancthon, Zwingli, Calvin, Beza,
Bucer, Knox, Ferrar, Hooper, Latimer, Ridley, Cranmer, Ussher, Firth,
Barnes, Philpot, Becon, Turner, Cartwright, Barrow, Jewel, Coverdale,
Lord Cobham, Hooker, Marshall, Potter, Thomas Fuller, Twisse, Keith,
Hales, Chalmers, Spurgeon, Wylie, Elliott, Cumming, Goode, Ryle,
Candlish, Albert Bames, Wordsworth, Birks, Hislop, A. J. Gordon,
Moody, Hudson Taylor, Guinness, Salmond, Dinsdale Young, Horn,
Close, T. T. Shields, Kensit, Baron Porceli, Ainsworth, Dent, Foxe, Fulke,
Bradford, Bullinger, Rogers, Hutchinson, Whitgift, Sir Francis Drake, Sir
Isaac Newton, Sir Henry Vane, Brightman, Milton, Beard, Baxter, Bishop
Newton, John Bunyan, Fleming, Wesley, Matthew Henry, Jonathan
Edwards, Gill, Clarke, Trapp, Brown—to name a few.
43
was criticized for his appearance at Bob Jones University—an
institution having long taught the doctrine. Before his
political fall129 from grace, Catholic Senator Robert Torricelli
reacted by proposing a bill130 that would make it a “hate
crime” to identify the Roman Church as the Beast of
Revelation.
No one wants to wear this label, and the guilty party will
naturally deny its validity. But it is the title that God gives,
and who would dare attempt to silence Him? “With a loud
voice,” we hear the most solemn warning in Scripture, “If any
man worship 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 God, which is poured out without mixture into
the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire
and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the
presence of the Lamb.”131 Again, this conflict is manifest at

129
“Mr. Torricelli made the decision to step down after he was
reprimanded by the Senate Ethics Committee in July this year for
accepting improper gifts from businessman David Chang and then
lobbying on his behalf.” “Resignation heats up US Senate race,” BBC
News, 1 October 2002. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/
2289657.stm> (26 November 2003).
130
The legislation is referenced this interview between Larry King
and the University President: “I would die for a Catholic's right, a Jew's
right to believe what he believes. I would not want anybody to abridge
that. I would not want the U.S. Senate to write a resolution of censure
against you as a Jewish man. I think this is horrible, I think this is the
most un-American thing that could happen. KING: Yes, I think Torricelli
or someone is proposing the resolution of censure against your school.
JONES: That's right, yes. Imagine that, imagine that. Our forefathers
came to this country for the purpose of establishing freedom of worship,
and to think that our government has come to the place now where a
senator would even imagine such a thing.” “Larry King Live: Dr. Bob
Jones III Discusses the Controversy Swirling Around Bob Jones
University,” CNN.com Transcripts, Aired 3 March 2000.
http://www.cnn .com/TRANSCRIPTS/0003/03/lkl.00.html (26 November
2003).
131
Rev 14:9-10
44
the second advent of Christ.132 Why the angry arrival? It is
because the Beast seeks to destroy Sabbath-keeping
Christians that the same condemnation returns upon its own
head.133
Proportionate to the urgency of God’s warning is the dense
demonic fog surrounding it. Spurious interpretations of The
Mark of the Beast are as vast as the Vatican is wealthy.
Cutting to the chase, let us examine the heart of the matter, by
the Church’s own admission: "Sunday is our mark of
authority! …The Church is above the Bible, and this
transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact.”134
"Of course the Catholic church claims that the change was her
act. And the act is the mark of her ecclesiastical power and
authority in religious matters."135 "It's the mark of our
authority to over-rule God's law."136

132
“Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation
to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when
the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In
flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey
not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory
of his power” (2 Thess 1:6-9).
133
“He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Rev 13:10). “Reward her
even as she rewarded you” (Rev 18:6). “As you judge, so shall you be
judged,” says Jesus, “and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured
to you again” (Matt 7:2).
134
Diocese of Bishop Most Rev. Michael F. Fallon, D.D., LL.D.,
The Catholic Record, (London, Ontario, 1 September 1923). (Italics
supplied.)
135
Letter regarding the change of the sabbath, from H.F. Thomas,
Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons, 11 November 1895. (Emphasis added.)
136
Father Enright, C.S.S.R. of the Redemptoral College, Kansas City,
Mo., as quoted in J. N. Andrews, History of the Sabbath (Battle Creek, MI:
Steam Press, 1873), 802. (Emphasis added.) Remember, the enemy of
God would “think to change times & laws” (Dan 7:25).
45
Might Makes-Up for Right

God’s condemnation of Sunday-keepers does not come

until this false Sabbath is forcibly imposed upon all
inhabitants of the earth, and those who worship on the
seventh-day are threatened with extinction. It then becomes a
crime of complicity when these erring believers consent to
the condemnation of the innocent. This is the future
persecution, and it will be on a grand scale.
As was noted in the first chapter, the initial assault is upon
the material assets of the true worshipper. When this does not
seem to suffice, the threat of death follows. Both are referred
to in the following Scripture:

The image137 of the beast should both speak, and cause

that as many as would not worship the image of the
beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small
and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a
mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that
no man might buy or sell,138 save he that had the mark.
(Rev 13:15-17.)

137
“Let us make man according to our image, according to our
likeness” (Gen 1:26, italics supplied). The “image of the Beast” is a
powerful union of church and state, though not professing to be controlled
by the Catholic Church, nonetheless made in its likeness. Pope Leo XIII
outlined the plan thus: “All Catholics should exert their power to cause
the constitution of states to be modeled after the principles of the true
church” (Italics added. Encyclical, Immortale Dei, 1885, quoted in A. T.
Jones, American Sentinel, 1886, Vol. 1, No. 12.) This image shall
“speak” Sunday laws into existence, and “cause” or enforce their
observance.
138
“There is a class of people in this country who will not keep the
Christian Sabbath [Sunday] unless they are forced to do so; but this can
easily be done. If we would say we will not sell anything to them, we will
not buy anything from them, we will not work for them or hire them to
work for us, the thing could be wiped out, and all the world would keep
the Christian Sabbath.” Rev. Bascom Robbins, sermon, "The Decalogue,"
Burlington, Kansas, January, 1904.
46
 Though it is mentioned first,139 the death decree shall
logically follow economic sanctions. (Otherwise, there would
be none alive to prevent from buying and selling.) One
should note that receiving its Mark is equivalent to
worshipping the Beast, as Monsignor Louis Segur clarifies:
“The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage
they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the
[Catholic] Church”140

This persecution is at the door. The Catholic Church of

late has been very public141 about its intention to enforce the
Mark worldwide, and to punish dissenters. A 1998 headline
read: “Pope launches crusade to save Sunday.”142 (The word
“crusade” references Rome’s historic143 use of deadly force to
advance her religion.) Another article144 states, “Pope John
Paul II is issuing a stern warning to Catholics that that they
should set aside Sunday for worship; not errands or their free
time.” The threat follows: “In his letter, the pope goes on to
say that a violator should be ‘punished as a heretic’.” Finally,
it is revealed that the punishment is not limited to Catholics

139
Like the parallelisms of biblical “wisdom literature,” apocalyptic
scriptures often cycle back through the same subject, adding new details
each time. The effect can give the appearance of events being out of order.
140
Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About Protestantism of Today,
(1868), 213 (italics supplied).
141
As to the fulfillment of Beast prophecies, the answer is right
under our noses, yet unseen, as we look afar off to some antichrist still on
the horizon, according to the popular futurist interpretations of Revelation.
142
Sunday Times, (London, 7 May 1998). (Italics supplied.) This
article gave an overview of the Apostolic Letter, Deis Domini (“The
Lord’s Day”), distributed worldwide that same year by the Church of
Rome.
143
“That the Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than
any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be
questioned by no Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history.”
W. E. H. Lecky, History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of
Rationalism in Europe, vol. 2, (New York, Braziller, 1955), 45.
144
Mark Puls and Charles Hurt, “Pope's call for worship welcomed,”
The Detroit News, 7 July 1998, (italics supplied).
47
alone. “Though the pope’s letter is directed at Catholics, his
concerns reach beyond the Vatican and into other
religions.”145

No One Escapes

Other religions, and even the irreligious, are in the

Vatican’s sights. “Pope John Paul II is preparing146 the
church and mankind to make a decisive choice for the third
millennium.”147 The choice? “Reason and common sense
demand the acceptance of one or the other of these
alternatives: either Protestantism and the keeping holy of
Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sunday.
Compromise is impossible.”148

At that time, some will think to compromise by observing

Sunday outwardly, in order to avoid punishment, while

145
That the Beast of Rome is concerned about other religions is no
new news. Her very inception was an effort to expand the dominion the
Roman Empire. The word “Catholic” means “universal,” intimating the
intention of engulfing the believing world.
146
“Italian papers have wondered which dramatical plans the pope
has, since he needs such a brutal power elite to lean heavily on.”—"Mens
vi venter", no. 3, 1992, p. 25-26, as quoted in James Arrabito, "The
History of the Jesuits", 2 hrs, LLT Productions, videocassette—an English
translation of a Norwegian newsletter describing Opus Dei (a Catholic
order that has penetrated most of the world governments). In February of
2001, a tiny view of the plot was exposed only momentarily, when a
member of Opus Dei was arrested for selling U.S. secrets to Russia.
“Robert P. Hanssen, the FBI special agent and suspected spy, was a
member of an elite religious group that works to spread the Catholic faith
by recruiting members active in the upper echelons of government and
business.” The Washington Times, National Weekly Edition, 26
February—4 March 2001, as quoted in G. Edward Reid, Battle of the
Spirits, (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2001), 158.
147
Our Sunday Visitor, 30 November 1986. (Emphasis added.)
148
James Cardinal Gibbons, The Catholic Mirror, December 1893.
48
having no inward conviction of its importance. Such receive
the Mark in their hand.149 That is, their actions prove their
loyalties,150 though they convince themselves otherwise.
Those who have the Mark in their forehead151 sincerely
believe that it is God’s will to enforce Sunday observance.
By contrast, the Sabbath-keepers have “the seal of God in
their foreheads.”152 “These are they which keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”153 Christ’s
disciples at this time will uphold God’s Law—the original154
Ten Commandments. As it is written, “seal the Law among
my disciples.”155 Unlike the Mark of the Beast, however, the
Seal of God cannot be received in the hand, because mere
outward compliance is meaningless156 with Him.
The Mark of the Beast in its biblical context is clearly
connected to the issue of worship. (The deceiver would lead
us off track with dummy decoys; ideas such as a tattoo or

149
According to Jesus in Matt 5:30, the right hand represents
habitual activity, the sinfulness of which one does not realize.
150
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom 6:16). “In keeping the Sunday they
are following a law of the Catholic Church.” (Letter from Chancellor
Albert Smith, Archdiocese of Baltimore, 10 February 1920.)
151
The forehead represents a stubborn mentality. In spite of
evidence to the contrary, they are convinced. “Thou hadst a whore's
forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed” (Jer 3:3). “As an adamant harder
than flint have I made thy forehead” (Ezek 3:9).
152
Rev 9:4.
153
Rev 14:12.
154
Not only has the seventh-day sabbath (Saturday) been replaced by
Rome’s “Day of the Sun,” but the Catholic version of the Decalogue has
dispensed with the second commandment entirely—the one forbidding
idol worship (a prevailing practice in the Roman Church even today,
though re-defined as “veneration,” in Clintonesque oblique fashion.) See
Exodus, chapter 20.
155
Isa 8:16.
156
“I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for
man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the
heart” (1Sam 16:7). “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts” (Ps
51:6).
49
computer chip.157) Consider the Mark of Cain.158 He
persecuted Abel (to death) because his brother worshipped
more strictly in accordance with the command of God. It is
doubtful that there was any physical mark on his forehead,
but perhaps a furrowed brow corresponding to his hardened
heart, which said to others “Don’t mess with me!” It was a
vengeful spirit which accompanied Cain. As it was with this
one man in the beginning of earth’s history, so will it be with
the majority in the end.

New World Order

“These have one mind, and shall give their power and
strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb,
and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords,
and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and
chosen, and faithful.”159 “The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the
LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their
bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”160

157
This becomes laughable when one imagines the Seal of God
being a tattoo on the forehead as well. (Some Bible versions say “in;”
some say “on.” Understood symbolically, the meaning of the mark and
seal carries with ease. Literal interpretation requires inconsistent
adaptations.) As for computer chips, which are today being implanted in
some animals for identification, we should consider that if this were the
case with humans, they still must meet a great deal more biblical criteria
to qualify as worshippers of the Beast. Many might refuse such a
procedure simply on the basis of its invasiveness, but such refusal would
not constitute the Seal of God. The Bible leaves room for no “in
between” group (see Rev 13:8). Granted, some technology (i.e. a cashless
society) will probably be used to prevent Sabbath-keepers from buying or
selling.
158
See Genesis, chapter 4.
159
Rev 17:13-14.
160
Ps 2:1-5.
50
Sabbath-keepers will be seen as a pesky minority holding
back the rest of society. Moreover,

It will be declared that men are offending God by the

violation of the Sunday sabbath; that this sin has
brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday
observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those
who present the claims of the fourth commandment,
thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of
the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor
and temporal prosperity.161

A great critic of Seventh-day Adventists, Evangelical

preacher D. James Kennedy is laying the groundwork for that
conclusion with statements such as this:

On Sunday, Kennedy talked about “the moral

obligation to fight for freedom.” He called for trust in
God and for the protection of troops abroad and the
nation at home. He referred to George Washington,
who urged citizens to obey God's laws162 if they wanted
God's protection. “If we are offending God and robbing
our nation of the blessings of heaven upon our

161
Ellen White, The Great Controversy, 590 (italics supplied).
162
Doubtless these laws will be understood to be the Ten
Commandments (as altered by man). Coming from the perspective of the
“social gospel,” however, Washington probably spoke in terms of “the
golden rule.” He lived in that era when those who keep the original
Commandments were virtually non-existent (see second chapter).
Furthermore, it is debatable whether Washington’s religion is desirable
for us. As a Deist, he exalted “nature’s god,” disavowing the supernatural;
Scripture’s God. What’s more, Washington seldom attended church.
Finally, it is doubtful that Jesus would have us to return to an Old
Testament theocracy, abandoning the New Covenant and the Divine
Commission. We are seeing today regression to Old Covenant thinking,
with the accompanying bloodshed and territorial disputes.
51
 (battles),” Kennedy said, “it is the soldiers who will
bear the brunt of our lack of blessings.”163

The temporal prosperity164 of the world’s superpower took

a painful hit on September 11, 2001, and was probably as
much a source of outrage as any. Now, as the lives of
Westerners are lost in the “war on terror,” enormous
pressures are being brought to bear within the world
community to subdue Islam. Perhaps next religion to be
humbled will be that of the Jews, for agitating Palestine. The
design is to make “Christianity” come out smelling like a
rose,165 with the Pope pleading for peace.
The majority of people are coming to the point where they
are ready to do anything to end religious rivalry. Bill
Lambert,166 New England Director of the Theosophical
Society, foresees the Holy Land as literal grounds for
compromise. "At the proper moment in history, the Pope will
visit the combined Jewish/Christian/Moslem sector of
Jerusalem to announce that all religions should be combined
into one. This action will then finally break the Middle East
logjam.” Such a scenario seems plausible, as Lambert
observes, “Any purely political settlement in the Middle East
would not, by itself, bring peace. In other words, a purely
political settlement would leave the religious nature of the
problem unsolved.” Next, Lambert fingers the mainspring:

163
Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA Today, “No rest on the Sabbath for
Iraq war debate,” 25 March 2003. (Emphasis added.)
164
This term (appearing originally at the end of our first quotation,
opposite page) regards earthly concerns and material wealth; things which
are temporary, as opposed to eternal in nature. Many bewail the loss of
their comfortable lifestyle and material wealth (see Rev 18, Jas 5:1).
Whereas Jesus admonishes, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through
and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matt 6:19-20).
165
The recent stink over sexual misconduct notwithstanding
(slowing her progress only temporarily).
166
Seminar, "Possible and Probable Events in the Future," Boston,
18 August 1991. (Emphasis added.)
52
“The impetus toward this type of settlement is made possible
only because of a general fear of war. This fear of war must
be maintained until the desired political and religious changes
have been instituted.” Finally, Apocalyptic images are
interwoven, begging the interest of the Christian. “Belief in
Armageddon is intertwined around Israel and the Middle East,
and is causing nations toward this region, possibly setting the
stage for massive, even nuclear, war.”
In the light of such a threat, it is easy to see how one could
justify dramatic action against those who will not accept the
religious compromise. “Yea, the time cometh,” says Jesus,
“that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God
service.”167 Like Joseph Stalin in his ethnic cleansing of
Russia, they reason: “You must break a few eggs to make an
omelet.”168 Such is anticipated, in the formation of a New
World Order.169
Yet Christ does not call for unity “at any cost.” In the
seventeenth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus indeed prays that
His people “might be one.”170 It is crucial to observe,
however, that this unity pertains only to God’s elect; not the
population as a whole. Verse 9: “I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” And
how do we know who are His? In verse 17, we see it is the
sacred truths of Scripture that set God’s people apart:171

167
John 16:2.
168
This phrase was used with reference to the killing of 10 million
Ukrainians. Alex Massie, “ Pulitzer board asked to revoke prize,” The
Scotsman, 26 June 2003.
169
Pope John Paul II “insists that men have no reliable hope of
creating a viable geopolitical system unless it is on the basis of Roman
Catholic Christianity.” Malachi Martin, The Keys of This Blood: The
Struggle for World Dominion between Pope John Paul II, Mikhail
Gorbachev, and the Capitalist West, (New York: Simon & Schuster
Trade, 1990), 493.
170
John 17:11, 21, 22; 23.
171
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth,” says Jesus, “I
came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at
variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother” (Mat
53
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” In
contrast, Satan would unite the whole world by an
adulteration of God’s Word.
It is the minority who follow Jesus—a small persecuted
“remnant;172 not a popular movement. “Because strait is the
gate, and narrow is the way,” says Jesus, “which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it.” 173 In fact, so scarce are
genuine believers in that last hour, Christ asks, “When the
Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”174 The
question is designed to alert us to our need; not leave us
hopeless. In the preceding verse, Jesus says He will come for
a persecuted people in that day: “And shall not God avenge
his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he
bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them
speedily.” Help is on the way; when Jesus comes with all His
angels, we shall no longer be a minority.
Just as the world enacts its cruel “peace plan,”175 Jesus
suddenly returns for His saints. “For yourselves know
perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the
night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then
sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a
woman with child; and they shall not escape.”176 “For thus

10:34-35). “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17).
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword” (Heb 4:12).
172
“The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war
with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and
have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev 12:17).
173
Matt 7:14.
174
Luke 18:8.
175
“The U.N. sees the Vatican as holding the leadership key to
religious tolerance and unity to help bring world peace.” Current Issues,
p.1, as cited in New Beginnings, disk 3, presentation 21, slide 128, His
Word Seminar, 2001. The meaning of such “religious tolerance,” is
undoubtedly a setting aside of differences; even biblical imperatives.
Those who cannot tolerate this compromise, will not be tolerated, as Sen.
Torricelli suggested (mentioned earlier in this chapter).
176
1 Thess 5:2-3. (Emphasis added.)
54
saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear,
and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth
travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his
hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are
turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none
is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be
saved out of it.”177 Instead of “Peace and Safety,” the elect
will cry, “Jesus, save me!” It is not with the world we must
make peace, but with God. Wrestling in prayer with Divinity
as did Jacob178 in that midnight hour, the Sabbath-keeper
prevails with God who bids him, “Let him take hold of my
strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall
make peace with me.”179 That is the only peace plan which
shall prevail.

177
Jer 30:5-7. (Emphasis added.)
178
Gen 32:24-28.
179
Isa 27:5. (Emphasis added.)
55
 CONCLUSION

As one Seventh-day Adventist pioneer180 put it, “we have

nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the
way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past
history.”181 From Genesis and The Mark of Cain, to
Revelation and The Mark of the Beast, we may read of God’s
faithful, and His faithfulness to them. From A to Z—“from
the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias”182—
we behold the testimony of undaunted martyrs. It is hoped
that this book, Patience of the Saints, has also contributed to
the courage of the reader.

As Sabbath-keepers, we place special emphasis183 on the

supernatural ability of God, every seven days
commemorating the miracle of His six-day Creation. Herein
is a key to our staying power in the face of mortal threat. We
believe the same God who formed man from dust one day184
in the beginning, can just as easily regenerate our dead bodies

180
Ellen White, Life Sketches, (Review & Herald, Hagerstown, MD,
1902), 196.
181
The history of the SDA church itself has a rich heritage. Even the
Great Disappointment of the Millerites (a pre-cursor to the current
denomination) has a valuable lesson for us today. It was a “trial run” of
the Second Coming of Christ. When Christ did not come as expected in
1844, the majority of those who professed to love His appearing lost their
way afterward. (Unfortunately, such will be the case when Christ does not
“rapture” the church before Revelation’s plagues begin to fall. Psalm 91
holds assurance for God’s people in that day.) The few that remained
proved themselves of truer devotion, clinging to Christ until He made
sense of it all. If Jesus indeed had come, one wonders whom He would
have claimed.
182
Matt 23:35.
183
As God Himself has commanded the emphasis to be placed.
184
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”
(Gen 2:7). See also verses 23-31 of the 1st chapter.
56
in the last day.185 Ironically, it is the Catholic religion which
denies that man was created in a single day,186 whilst
claiming to have instituted Sunday as a memorial of Christ’s
resurrection. Truly, Rome was not built in a day, but
according to Scripture, man was. Since the Roman Church
teaches that God’s Word cannot be taken literally regarding
the Creation, then the resurrection is equally suspect, as they
both require the same miracle of spontaneous life. The great
argument for the first day will soon defeat itself, when masses
huddle beneath its passing protection for fear of their mortal
lives, while those who keep the seventh day put their money
where their mouth is—truly willing to bank on the promise of
the resurrection. Indeed, followers of the Beast shall prove to
be a day late, and a dollar short.

185
“And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the
last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which
seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will
raise him up at the last day” (John 6:39-40). See also verses 44, 54, and
11:14. (Italics supplied.) “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the
earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt.” (Dan 12:2).
186
The Pope advocates evolution theory. (See chapter two.)
57
 APPENDIX A

Names of the Seventh Day of the Week

In Various Languages187

187
Brian Jones, A Time for Joy, (Wildwood GA: Family Heritage
Book, 1998), 19.
58
Name of the Language Seventh Day

Afghan Shamba
Ancient Syriac Shabbatho
Babylonian Sabatu
Bohemian Sobota
Bornu [Central Africa] Sibta
Bulgarian Subbota
Ethiopic Sanbat
French Samedi
[Sabbath day]
Greek Sabbaton
Hebrew Shabbath
Hungarian Szombat
Italian Sabbato
Kurdish Shamba
Latin Sabbatum
Lithuanian Subata
Maba [Central Africa] Sab
Malayan hari-sabtu
[Sabbath day]
Polish Sobota
Portuguese Sabbado
Romanian Sabat
Russian Subbota
Serbian Subota
Spanish Sabado
Turkish Yom-es-sabt
[day the Sabbbath]
Urdu [India] Shamba

Dozens more languages from Asia, Africa, Europe and the

Middle East designate the seventh day as “Sabbath” in readily
recognizable lingquistic variants.

59
 APPENDIX B

The Seventh-day Sabbath Confirmed

by Non-Adventist Scholarly Publications

60
 It is acknowledged that “the primitive [early] Christians
largely continued to keep the seventh day”188 It is
acknowledged furthermore that even today, Christians “such
as the Seventh-day Adventists, observe Saturday in literal
fulfillment of the Fourth Commandment rather than the
Sunday adopted by most Christian bodies” (ibid). One may
well question whether this “adoption” of Sunday is preferable
to the legitimate child (i.e. Saturday). One might also ask
which offspring bore greater resemblance to the loving Father
when, “while the major reformers189 were calling for
persecution of the Jewish faith, Sabbatarians were seeking
positive interaction between Christianity and Judaism.”190
In response to the claim that the seventh-day should be
abandoned to the Jews, “Seventh Day Adventists and other
sabbatarian groups argue that God instituted the sabbath at
creation for all time and all people (Gen. 2:2-3; Isa. 66:22-23).
This position holds that no human person or group has
authority to change God’s divine and eternal command. The
sabbath was replaced by Sunday as a result of three apostate
influences in the second century: anti-Judaism… sun cults…
and the church of Rome”191
“Christ identified himself as the Lord of the sabbath (Mk
2:28). In so speaking he was not depreciating the importance

188
E. A. Livingstone, “Sabbath,” The Oxford Dictionary of the
Christian Church, (Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997), 1433.
189
(A euphemism for the intolerant Roman influence, better
described as a deformity within the church. These “reformers” are not to
be confused with those of the Protestant Reformation which would come
much later; a reaction to Rome’s injustice.)
190
Daniel Liechty, “Sabbatarianism,” The Oxford Encyclopedia of
the Reformation, vol. 3, ed. Hans J. Hillerbrand, (Oxford, NY: Oxford
University Press, 1996) 439.
191
Willard M. Swartley, “Sabbath,” The Encyclopedia of Early
Christianity, Second Edition, vol. 2, ed. Everett Ferguson, (New York:
Garland Publ., 1997), 1007-8.
61
and significance of the sabbath”192 His declaration “does not
necessarily imply that the Church had stopped observing the
seventh day” 193
“Jesus observed the sabbath. He never broke any
regulations found in the Torah [Old Testament]” ibid. “Jesus,
at the beginning of his ministry in Galilee, ‘went to the
synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day’(Luke
4:16). The phrase ‘as his custom was’ indicates that Jesus
continued to worship on the sabbath.”194 “The four Gospels
record among eight sabbath incidents six controversies in
which Jesus ‘rejected the rabbinic sabbath halakah’ (Jeremias
1973: 201)” ibid. “At times Jesus is interpreted to have
abrogated or suspended the sabbath commandment on the
basis of the controversies brought about by sabbath healings
and other acts. Careful analysis of the respective passages
does not seem to give credence to this interpretation. …Jesus
reforms the Sabbath and restores it to its rightful place as
designed in creation, where the Sabbath is made for all
mankind and not specifically for Israel, as claimed by
normative Judaism (cf. Jub. 2:19-20, see D.3). The
subsequent logion, ‘The Son of Man is Lord even of the
sabbath’ (Mark 2:28; Matt 12:8, Luke 6:5), indicates that
man-made sabbath halakhah does not rule the sabbath, but
that the Son of Man, not man, is Lord of the sabbath. It was
God’s will at creation that the Sabbath have the purpose of
serving mankind for rest and bring blessing. The Son of Man
as Lord determines the true meaning of the sabbath. The
sabbath activities of Jesus are neither hurtful provocations nor
mere protests against rabbinic legal restrictions, but are part

192
E. J. Young and F. F. Bruce, “Sabbath,” The Illustrated Bible
Dictionary, part 3, ed. J. D. Douglas, (Wheaton, IL: Inter-Varsity Press,
Tyndale House, 1980), 1355.
193
J. C. McCann, Jr., “Sabbath,” The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, ed Geoffrey W. Bromiley, (Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans, 1988), 251.
194
Gerhard F. Hasel, “Sabbath”, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 5,
ed. David Noel Freedman, (New York: Doubleday, 1992).
62
of Jesus’ essential proclamation of the kingdom of God in
which man is taught the original meaning of the sabbath as
the recurring weekly proleptic ‘day of the Lord’ in which God
manifests his healing and saving rulership over man.”195
“Jesus urged his followers to pray that their flight ‘may not
be in winter or on the sabbath’ (Matt 24:20; Mark 13:18
omits ‘on the sabbath’). Jesus anticipated that his followers
would continue to regard the sabbath as holy in the future.
His request for them was that they be spared from having to
flee on the sabbath, but he presupposes that they would flee if
they had to.” “In short, Jesus declared himself Lord of the
sabbath. He consistently rejected man-made sabbath
halakhah. He freed the sabbath from human restrictions and
encumbrances and restored it by showing its universal import
for all men so that every person can be the beneficiary of the
divine intentions and true purposes of sabbath rest and joy.
Carson has concluded, ‘There is no hint anywhere in the
ministry of Jesus that the first day of the week is to take the
character of the Sabbath and replace it’ (1982: 85).”196
Regarding the book of Acts: “There is silence on the
subject of sabbath abolition at the Jerusalem conference
(15:1-29). There is also no evidence for the abrogation of the
sabbath after the Jerusalem council in the apostolic age or by
apostolic authority in the early church (Turner 1982: 135-37).
Early Jewish and non-Jewish Christians continued to worship
on the seventh day as far as the evidence in the book of Acts
is concerned.
The single reference to ‘the first day of the week in Acts
10:7-12, when Christian believers broke bread in a farewell
meeting at the imminent departure of Paul is debated in its
meaning. Some scholars suggest that Roman reckoning is
used so that ‘the first day of the week; means Sunday night
(Rordorf 1968: 200-2; Turner 1982: 128-33) and other
scholars suggest that Jewish reckoning is used and in that

195
Ibid., 855.
196
Ibid.
63
case it means Saturday night (Bacchiocchi 1977: 101-11;
Mosna 1969: 14-14).”197 Moreover, bread was broken on
many different days of the week.198
Some Sunday-advocates see a slighting of the Sabbath in
Collossians 2:16, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by
what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a
New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.” However, the
indefinite article “a” (rather than “the” Sabbath day), points to
the variety of ceremonial Sabbaths that occurred on days
other than the last of the week, as did the New Moons and
religious festivals associated with the sanctuary service.
Moreover, “within the context of the Galatian Judaizing
heresy, ‘sabbath’ seems to refer to something other than
wholesome weekly sabbath-keeping.”199
In Hebrews 4:4, Paul confirms the sabbath to be the
seventh-day. He also sees in the command to physically rest,
a message of spiritual rest for the Christian. In so doing,
however, he does not “allegorize away” the literal observance
of the day. First-day observers who throw this theory at their
seventh–day counterparts, would never accept the claim—if
the tables were turned—that a specific day of worship is now
inconsequential.
Simply because the word “sabbath” receives diverse
treatment in the New Testament, we need not assume God’s
holy day has been abolished. Apply this logic to the subject
of idols: The New Testament seems to indicate that idols are
nothing.200 Furthermore, idolatry is given a “spiritual”
meaning; not necessarily pertaining to graven images.201 Are
we then to conclude that the second commandment has been
suspended or superceded?

197
Ibid.
198
Acts 2:46.
199
Hasel, 855.
200
1 Cor 8:1; 10:19.
201
Col 3:5; 1 John 5:21.
64
65
 APPENDIX C

Historical View of Antichrist

As the Pope of Rome202

Source: Steve Wholberg, The Antichrist Chronicles: What Prophecy

202

Teachers Aren't Telling You!, (Texas Media Center, 2001), 56-60. See
website: <www.endtimeinsights.com>
66
Martin Luther (1483-1546) (Lutheran): "Martin Luther
was the first to identify the papacy as such with the Antichrist.
At first he discounted the value of John's Apocalypse. But
then he saw in it a revelation of the Church of Rome as the
deceiving Antichrist who secretly served Satan … a view that
was to become dogma for all Protestant Churches."
Newsweek, November 1, 1999. p. 71.

"Luther... proved, by the revelations of Daniel and St. John,

by the epistles of St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Jude, that the
reign of Antichrist, predicted and described in the Bible, was
the Papacy ... And all the people did say, Amen! A holy terror
seized their souls. It was Antichrist whom they beheld seated
on the pontifical throne. This new idea, which derived greater
strength from the prophetic descriptions launched forth by
Luther into the midst of his contemporaries, inflicted the most
terrible blow on Rome." Taken from J. H. Merle D'aubigne's
classic work, History of the Reformation of the Sixteen
Century, book 6, chapter 12, p. 215.

On August 20, 1520, Luther declared, "We here are of the

conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real
Antichrist." Quoted in LeRoy Froom's monumental work,
The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, Vol. 2, p. 121.

John Calvin (1509-1564) (Presbyterian): "Daniel and Paul

had predicted that Antichrist would sit in the temple of God.
The head of that cursed and abominable kingdom, in the
Western Church, we affirm to be the Pope." Institutes of the
Christian Religion, by John Calvin. Vol. 2, pp. 314, 315
(1561 edition).

"Some persons think us too severe and censorious when we

call the Roman pontiff Antichrist. But those who are of this
opinion do not consider that they bring the same charge of
presumption against Paul himself, after whom we speak and
whose language we adopt... I shall briefly show that (Paul's
67
words in II Thess. 2) are not capable of any other
interpretation than that which applies them to the Papacy."
Ibid. p. 410.

John Knox (1505-1572) (Scotch Presbyterian): John Knox

wrote about "that tyranny which the pope himself has for so
many ages exercised over the church." Along with Martin
Luther, Knox finally concluded that the Papacy was "the very
antichrist, and son of perdition, of whom Paul speaks." The
Zurich letters, by John Knox, p. 199.

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) (Anglican): "Whereof it

followeth Rome to be the seat of antichrist, and the pope to be
very antichrist himself. I could prove the same by many other
scriptures, old writers, and strong reasons." Taken from
Works by Cranmer, Vol. 1, pp. 6-7.

Roger Williams (1603-1683) (First Baptist Pastor in

America): Roger Williams spoke of the Pope as "the
pretended Vicar of Christ on earth, who sits as God over the
Temple of God, exalting himself not only above all that is
called God, but over the souls and consciences of all his
vassals, yea over the Spirit of Christ, over the Holy Spirit, yea,
and God himself...speaking against the God of heaven,
thinking to change times and laws; but he is the son of
perdition (II Thess. 2)." Quoted in Froom's The Prophetic
Faith of Our Fathers, Vol. 3, p. 52.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647): "There is no

other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can
the pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof; but is that
Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition that exalteth
himself in the church against Christ and all that is called
God." Reproduced in The Creeds of Christendom, With a
History and Critical Notes, by Philip Schaff. Vol. 3, p. 658,
659, Chapter 25, Sec. 6.

68
Cotton Mather (1663-1728) (Congregational Theologian):
"The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist in the
Christian Church: and in the Pope of Rome all the
characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously answered
that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a
marvelous blindness upon them." The Fall of Babylon, by
Cotton Mather. Quoted in Froom's book, The Prophetic Faith
of Our Fathers, Vol. 3, p. 113.

John Wesley (1703-1791) (Methodist): Speaking of the

Papacy, John Wesley wrote, "He is in an emphatic sense, the
Man of Sin, as he increases all manner of sin above measure.
And he is, too, properly styled the Son of Perdition, as he has
caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his
opposers and followers... He it is...that exalteth himself above
all that is called God, or that is worshipped...claiming the
highest power, and highest honor...claiming the prerogatives
which belong to God alone." Antichrist and His Ten
Kingdoms, by John Wesley, p. 110.

A Great Cloud of Witnesses: "Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther,

Calvin, Cranmer; in the seventeenth century, Bunyan, the
translators of the King James Bible and the men who
published the Westminster and Baptist confessions of Faith;
Sir Isaac Newton, Wesley, Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards; and
more recently Spurgeon, Bishop J.C. Ryle and Dr. Martin
Lloyd-Jones; these men among countless others, all saw the
office of the Papacy as the antichrist." Taken from All Roads
Lead to Rome, by Michael de Semlyen. Dorchestor House
Publications, p. 205. (1991).

69
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75
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