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                                  Selected Sabbath Sermons

Cover of Clyde Kearbey's Sermon Booklet

This little volume was found in a small church in Junction City, Kansas, in 1970. The theme is the Sabbath. The writer is Clyde F. Kearbey, an evangelist in Kansas. The date of this printed work is unknown, although the probably date is the mid-1950s. The material herein is about 50 years old, but, in another sense, it is timeless. It is about the Sabbath of the Lord, and attempts by men to abolish, destroy, or change it. The attempts aren't new.

There are six sermons in all, and no attempt will be made to edit them. One can see that the theme of the messages is as current as this morning's newspaper, for the Bible never changes. People change, and people try to change God's Word, but God's Word stands forever.

Listed below are the sermons with a link to the text. All are on the Sabbath. There is one sermon on the second coming of Christ, but it was too faded to copy. Enjoy the six sermons!







WHICH DAY IS THE LORD'S DAY?


By EVANGELIST CLYDE F. KEARBEY

"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word."

These words were spoken by a rugged prophet of God as he stood on the top of Mount Carmel face to face with a people who claimed to be the chosen people of God, but a people who had turned from the worship of the true God to the worship of Baal, the Sun-god.

Here, too, that day was the king of that people whose fathers had walked dry-shod through the piled-up waters of the Red Sea. A people who had followed the cloud by day and the fire by night through the wilderness experience and then encamped at the foot of Mt. Sinai had heard God's voice in thunder-like tones proclaim His law of Ten Commandments. And even while Moses was receiving the law on tablets of stone they had turned to the sun worship of Egypt. Just so had Israel permitted the wicked Jezebel to introduce sun worship.

The time had come for a test with this false religion. And on the top of Mt. Carmel they hear Elijah cry out, "How long halt ye between two opinions, you must decide between God and Baal."

The crowd looked over at Elijah, and they saw him standing there alone, alone except for the invisible hosts of the God whom he served. Then they looked and saw hundreds of the priests of Baal, dressed in their rich, flowing robes, and they asked the question that has been asked ever since sin opened the gate to the "Broad and Easy Way:" "Can Elijah be right and all these priests of Baal be wrong?"

"Can a dozen Galileans from the common walks of life be right when the Scribes and the Pharisees have not believed? Can a simple monk nailing his thesis to the church door in Wittenberg be right and all the church of St. Peter be wrong? Can a remnant in Israel today be right, and the rest of Christendom be wrong?"

The broad way is the easy way. It is easy because it is all down grade. There is no climbing on the broad way. And if one has no convictions of his own he can hitchhike along on grandma's or grandad's religion. That isn't true, however, on the straight way. There is no crowd, and sometimes it seems that one has to stand alone. But thank God there is no need for one to miss the strait way because someone has traveled it before us and marked it with His own blood.

Sometimes it dips down into a Gethsemane of discouragement. Sometimes it crosses the Kidron into judgment hall where friends forsake and loved ones deny. Again it may lead up a Golgotha where there is a cross to carry and a thorny crown to wear, but friends, cross or no cross, thorns and stripes or no stripes, I plead with you tonight to choose this strait way because it is the only one which goes through the tomb. All other roads end in the tomb, only the bloodstained road goes through.

Jesus is our example. He is the one who marked the road for us. Had His death been all that was necessary he might have died in the manger cradle and made an atonement for men, but He lived for thirty-three years to show us how to live. If He is our example then we should live as He lived.

Let us slip back through the centuries for 1900 years. We are sitting in a synagogue in old Nazareth. A young man stands up to read and His words are recorded in Luke 4:18-20. When He had finished we see Him hand the scroll to the minister and sit down. Jesus is just starting His ministry of preaching. We can hardly wait until the meeting is over that we may ask Him some questions. And wouldn't that be wonderful. There are so many things which perplex us. And yet, Jesus is "the same yesterday, today and forever." The answers he would have given back there we can find today in the Bible.

Let us imagine that we introduce ourselves to Jesus. We tell Him that we are from down here in the 20th Century, and that men today are modernists. Many of them no longer believe in God or in creation, and Jesus we would like to know, "Do you believe in creation?"

"Do I believe it?" he says. "Why certainly I believe in it because I'm the one who was the creator." John 1:1-3, "In the beginning was the Word, and the "Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY HIM; and without him was not anything made that was made."

And we say, "Well, Jesus, if You made the world why didn't You give the world something as a reminder that You had made it?" "I did," He answers. "You will find it in Genesis 2:1-3, 'Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and SANCTIFIED IT: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

"But, Jesus, if You gave the seventh day as the day sanctified or set apart as Your day, why didn't You observe it?"

And again He answers, "I did. Notice Luke 4:16, 'And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, AS HIS CUSTOM WAS, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read."

"Well, Jesus, that is plain, we see that You kept the Sabbath, the seventh day or the day now commonly called Saturday. But do You expect us to do as You did or would it be better for us to follow the crowd ? "

"Matthew 16:24, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.''

"But, Jesus, our leaders down in the 20th Century tell us that it isn't necessary to keep the commandments any more. All we need to do is love You."

"John 14:15, 21 'If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ..."

"But, Jesus, they tell us that You came to abolish the law."

And He answers, "Matthew 5:17-19, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, TILL HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS, one jot or one tithe shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

Jesus fufilled or kept God's Ten Commandments. Had he broken one, He would have been a sinner and could not have been our Redeemer because He must needs have died for His own sins. "But, Jesus, did You ever claim that the Sabbath was Your day? They try to tell us that another day is the Lord's Day."

"Mark 2:27-28, 'And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."

It is the Lord's day. He made it FOR MAN, for his good.

"Well, but Jesus, we have been told that the Sabbath is Jewish. What about that?'

"No, I made the Sabbath at creation 2000 years before there was a Jew. How then could it be Jewish? Do you think I made the Sabbath, blessed and sanctified it, then waited 2000 years for a Jew to come along and keep it? I said it was made for MAN, and when I made it there was only one man, Adam the father of all humanity."

Now friends, there is hardy a person who as a child did not study the Ten Commandments in his Sunday School lessons. He was taught to keep them. Some time ago I picked up this respective reading in a Baptist Church.

"Bless us, 0 Lord, and incline our hearts to keep this law."

I wondered what law the Baptists were praying that they might be able to keep and here it was in the response:

"Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy."

The Baptists were praying that they might keep God's Sabbath. Do they know what day the Bible teaches is the Sabbath? Let one of their most popular evangelists, Dr. John R. Rice, answer:
"Seventh-day Adventists are getting multitudes of people because it is easy for them to prove from the Bible that Saturday, the seventh day is the Sabbath." Sword of the Lord, Vol. 6, No. 31, p. 3.

I was reared on a farm in Southern Missouri. Through that farm went one of the best fishing streams I have ever seen, and it seemed to me that some of the very best fishing days came on Sunday. But never did I go fishing on Sunday when I was a boy because my father was the Methodist Sunday School Superintendent, and good little Methodist boys, the preacher said in those days, didn't fish on Sunday. His reason was that God had set the seventh day apart at creation and had included it in the Ten Commandments.

When I began to study for myself I learned that Sunday was not the seventh day and that it had never been the Sabbath. Now, I went to my preacher and here was the answer: "Don't worry about that, son, that commandment has all been abolished." Can you blame me for asking, "Preacher, why didn't you find that out in time for me to go fishing?"

No, friends, excuses have been made by the hundreds for not obeying this commandment, but if one is willing to study the Bible he must shut his eyes to keep from seeing the truth. I have heard some say there is no command in the New Testament for the Sabbath. But Jesus himself gave a command, which was to reach to the fall of Jerusalem, far beyond his resurrection.

Matthew 24:20, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day ..."

Suppose this text read, "pray that your flight be not on the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK," would our Sunday keeping friends miss it then?

And if Jesus changed the Sabbath and "wanted the first day observed after His death instead of the Sabbath, isn't it strange that even His mother and His disciples know nothing of it?

Luke 23:54-56, "And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT."

These women had never been told that they were supposed to keep the Sabbath after the death of Christ, and here they are observing the commandment after His death.

But I hear someone say, "What about Paul? He was the apostle to the Gentiles, surely he would teach them to observe the new Lord's Day." Now I know that many sincerely believe that Paul taught the churches to observe Sunday because Christ arose on that day, but I have repeatedly challenged anyone to attempt to prove from the Bible that Christ even arose on the day men now -observe as His resurrection day, or that Paul ever preached on that day or took the Lord's Supper on that day, and no one has seriously attempted to prove it. In my sermon which follows this one, "Why Many Christians Observe Sunday," I prove that ever reason given for the observance of Sunday is based on GUESSES.

Let us examine .the record and see how Paul taught. Acts 16:13, "And ON THE SABBATH we went out of the city BY A RIVER SIDE, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither." To get around the more than eighty times that Paul preached on the Sabbath people say, "Of course, h'e preached on the Sabbath because that was the only day he could get a crowd in the synagogue." This was OUT BY THE RIVERSIDE. When there was no church Paul kept the Sabbath out by a riverside.

Then some say, "It was just an exception here at Phillippi, it wasn't Paul's manner to always do it." Let us consult the record again.

Acts 17:2, "And Paul, AS HIS MANNER WAS, went in unto them, and THREE SABBATH DAYS reasoned with them out of the scriptures ..."

"Well, they continue, "Paul might have taught Jews on the Sabbath, but I'm sure he would not have taught the Gentiles. Surely he would have introduced to them the new LORD'S DAY." But again we demand the Scriptural record.

Acts 18:4, "And he reasoned in the synagogue EVERY SABBATH, and persuaded the Jews and THE GREEKS."

People are not willing to give up easily, however, a doctrine which centuries of pagan tradition has instilled into their minds, and so they argue this way: "Maybe the Greeks, who were Gentiles of course, just happened to be around that day while Paul was teaching the Jews. If they had showed some interest and had asked Paul to preach to them, there would have been no excuse to preach on the Sabbath and Paul would have taught them to observe the new Lord's Day."

Acts 13:42, 44, "And when THE JEWS WERE GONE OUT of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them THE NEXT SABBATH. And THE NEXT SABBATH CAME ALMOST THE WHOLE CITY together to hear the word of God." Why didn't Paul tell them about the new Lord's Day? The answer, my friends, is simple. HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF IT.

How often we hear people repeat, parrot-like, the obvious error that the Sabbath is nowhere mentioned in the New Testament. Listen how plain Paul makes it in Hebrews chapter four where he insists that it not only is a sign of creation, but to the Christian is also a sign of re-creation or redemption.

Hebrews 4:1, "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it."

I have heard many say, "I can keep any day as MY Sabbath." And they are right, but the Bible says nothing about keeping YOUR Sabbath. It is the Sabbath OF THE LORD THY GOD. Now when did God make his Sabbath? And we have learned that this was actually Christ in His preincarnation, for "without him was not anything made that was made." Now when did He make it?

Verse 3, "For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, as I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into MY REST: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.''

Christ made the world in six days and then He made the Sabbath. He made it different from all other days, set it aside, blessed and sanctified it. And in the next verse He makes it so plain that He is talking about the seventh day of creation that no one can have an excuse for missing it.

Verse 4, "For he spake in a certain place of the SEVENTH DAY on this wise, AND GOD DID REST THE SEVENTH DAY from all his works."

Verses 8-11, "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest (margin-"keep- ing of a sabbath") to the people of God. For he that is entered into HIS REST, he also hath ceased from his own works as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief (mar- gin-"disobedience) ."

Notice that in the New Earth the Sabbath will still be observed.

Isaiah 66:22-23, "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and FROM ONE SABBATH TO ANOTHER, shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord.''

Isn't it plain that Jesus intended for His followers to keep the Sabbath? Always someone says, "But my mother was a good woman, and she died keeping Sunday. Will she be lost?"

Let me illustrate it this way. How many think it a sin to tell a lie? Of course, everyone does. Now here is a simple little arithmetic question. How many inches are there in one yard? You say, "36 inches," and that is right. Now, tell me what is this I hold in my hand? I hear you say, "a yardstick." How many say that this is a yardstick? I see most all of you do, and I'm sorry to say that every one of you is a story-teller. You know there are thirty-six inches on a yardstick, and this one only has 35 inches because I cut one of them off. Of course, you didn't know that, and God will not hold you responsible for telling something that wasn't true.

James tells us in James 4:17, "Therefore to him that KNOWETH TO DO GOOD, and 'DOETH IT NOT, to him it is sin." My mother taught me to keep the Ten Commandments, and she did not realize that the copy that she was using had one commandment cut off. God will not hold her accountable.

It seems not so long ago that I stood where many of you stand today. It was at the crossroads. I heard the call, which you hear today, "How long halt ye between two opinions?" I looked on the side of the Sunday-keepers, and, there were great men, spiritual leaders, my own church, my father, mother, and brother. I saw my job, and all it seemed that this world held for men was on that side, and I thought, "Can it be possible that all these are wrong and that this little group of Sabbath-keepers on the other side are right?" But when I looked on the other side I saw that it was not such a small group after all. There was Adam, Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Peter, James, John and Paul. There was the mother of Jesus, the early church for centuries after Christ, and nearly a million people in the world today who dare not to bow the knee to Baal, the sun god.

Then, towering head and shoulders above all the others, I saw One altogether lovely. He stretched out His hands and there were the scars where my sins had driven the cruel nails. I heard His voice so tender, so pleading as He said, "come unto me," and, "where I am there shall also my servant be," and I said, "Take the world, take my job, my loved ones, take all if necessary, but give me Jesus." And friends since I made an absolute surrender to Christ I have found that He satisfies. I'm satisfied with Him and I'm determined to so live through His grace and power that He, too, may be satisfied with me.


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WHO CHANGED THE SABBATH?


By EVANGELIST CLYDE F. KEARBEY

We are charging in this sermon that the Roman Church has tampered with the law of God in attempting to change the sabbath from Saturday, the seventh to Sunday, the first day of the week. I think these charges are plain, there has been no quibbling, no use of ambiguous language. We will present evidence from Scripture, from friends of the Catholic Church and, the written testimony of the Papacy itself pleading guilty to this charge.

First we will prove that God did not change the sabbath. Let us ask God, "Did you, as the Creator, gave a sabbath to the world?"

He answers Gen. 2:1-3: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

Most churches will go back to Creation to teach the beginning of the sabbath until a Seventh-day Adventist comes around then they have trouble getting any farther back than Mt. Sinai. But God says that he made the sabbath at Creation and gave a COMMAND which sanctified, or set it a" part as a holy day. Now let us ask God if he included the sabbath in the law which he spoke with his own mouth from Mt. Sinai.

Exodus 20:1 & 8-11: "And God SPAKE all these words saying: --- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work; But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shall not do any work ________ 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."

The only law which came directly from the lips of God was the Ten Commandments. Now let us ask God if he ever changed his mind and altered any part of this law.

Ps. 89:34: "My covenant will I not break NOR ALTER THE THING that has GONE OUT OF MY LIPS." God says that he will not change the thing that has gone out of his lips. He spoke the sabbath command' with his lips and since God cannot lie, we must conclude that God did not change the sabbath. Next we shall prove that Jesus did not change the sabbath. We are speaking of Jesus now during his lifetime on earth. Actually it was Jesus who made the sabbath in the beginning: Now Jesus, since you are actually the one who made the sabbath and included it in the moral law, did you change the sabbath?

Matt. 5:17-19: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.. For verily I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass, one jot or one title shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven."

"Jesus, did you leave a command that the sabbath should be kept after your resurrection?" In speaking of the fall of Jerusalem which occurred nearly forty years after the resurrection, Jesus commanded in Matt. 24:20: "Pray that your flight be not in Winter, neither on the sabbath day."

Well Jesus did you claim the sabbath. was your day and did you make it for all men? Mark 2: 27-28: "The sabbath was made FOR MAN, ______ therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the sabbath." The sabbath then is the LORD'S DAY. It is the day he made for the good of ALL MANKIND. The Church of Christ makes it clear in these words:

"It was made for man, as man, that is ALL MEN."-C. E. W. Dorris-.Gospel Advocate Pub. Co.

The sabbath was made FOR MAN in that the nature of man requires physical rest for body and mind. The sabbath was set apart by the Lord for physical rest and spiritual and moral growth. Man still needs time for physical rest, mental rest, and social improvement."- Adult Gospel Quarterly- 1st Quarter 1944 p. 16.

When the Church of Christ teaches its boys and girls in Sunday School they tell them that 'God made the Sabbath for All Men, and that a day of rest is necessary for physical, mental and social improvement. But when I debate with these men then they declare that the sabbath was given at Sinai and was only ''for the Jews. And they forget that they have taught in their Sunday Schools that it is necessary for man's good and call it a yoke of bondage.

Since there is no record that Jesus changed the sabbath let us ask some of the apostles if they changed it. If it is true that the Gentile Christians began to keep Sunday then Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, surely would have mentioned this new Christian Sabbath. '''Paul, which day did you keep?"

Acts 17:2: "And Paul AS HIS MANNER WAS, went in unto them and THREE SAB BATH (DAYS REASONED W.ITH THEM OUT OF THE, SCRIPTURES." "Well but this of course was only when you taught Jews, you didn't teach anyone but Jews on the sabbath, did you?"

Acts 18:4: "And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath and persuaded the Jews AND THE GREEKS."

"Yes but how about the Gentiles when there were no Jews around?" Acts 13:42 & 44: "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the GENTILES besought that these words might be preached to them the NEXT SABBATH-- -and the next SABBATH DAY came almost -the whole city together to hear the word of God."

"That is plain enough, Paul, but we have one more question. You were sent up with Barnabas, by the Jerusalem council to tell the new Gentile Christians certain things they were to do, now tell us why did you not tell them something about this new Christian sabbath? Why didn't you tell them to keep the first day of the week?" This Jerusalem council was in 52 A. D. some 20 years after Pentecost. Now if the church started keeping the first day of the week after Pentecost and had been doing it for 20 years surely this council should have mentioned it. Let us examine the facts:

Acts 15:19-20: "Wherefore my sentence its, that we TROUBLE NOT THEM, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: BUT that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood."

Now James, who presided over the council says, "We will not trouble these new Christians about anything except these few points they need to be admonished about especially." Why didn't they mention the new Lord's day? "But," I hear our Sunday-keep friends say, "why didn't they also mention the sabbath?" The answer of course is that these converted Gentiles were keeping the sabbath and needed not to be told for this same reason that murder and several other things were not mentioned. However adultery and idol worship were so much a part of their heathen religion that. special emphasis had to be placed upon these things. To prove that these Gentile Christians owere observing the sabbath one need only to read the next verse in this 15th chapter of Acts:

"For Moses of old time hath in ever city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues EVERY SABBATH DAY."

The argument is this: "We will stress these few things, ,the other things' they will get as they assemble for worship and-hear the reading of the scriptures on the SABBATH DAY." Now how could they hear these things on the sabbath if the church was hot meeting on the sabbath 20 years after Pentecost? And let us ask James further: "Did you ever teach that one of the Ten Commandments could be broken? James 2:10-11: "For whosoever shall keep the .whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all, for he that said, (Margin: "that same law which said") Do not commit adultery, said also. Do not kill, Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law."

There is no record of any change in the New Testament, therefore neither Jesus nor his apostles made the change. In fact history reveals that the sabbath was kept by the early church until Roman influence forced a change during the Dark Ages and, even then the true Church kept the sabbath.

Socrates, a historian, who wrote about the middle of the FIFTH CENTURY says, "Almost ALL CHURCHES throughout the world CELEBRATE THE SACRED MYSTERIES (Lord's Supper) ON THE SABBATH OF EVERY WEEK." Here 400 years after Christ we are told that the churches throughout the world were observing the Lord's Supper on the Sabbath.

Now James, who presided over the council says, "We will not trouble these new Christians about anything except these few points they need to be admonished about especially." Why didn't they mention the new Lord's day? "But," I hear our Sunday-keep friends say, "why didn't they also mention-the sabbath?" The answer of course is that these .converted Gentiles were keeping the sabbath and needed not to be told for this same reason that murder and several other things were not mentioned. However adultery and idol worship were so much a part of their heathen religion that special emphasis had to be placed upon these things. To prove that these Gentile Christians were observing the sabbath one need only to read the next verse in this 15th chapter of Acts:

"For Moses of old time hath in ever city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues EVERY SABBATH DAY." The argument is this: "We will stress these few things, ,the other things' they will get as they assemble for worship and-hear the reading of the scriptures on the SABBATH DAY." Now how could they hear these things on the sabbath if the church was hot meeting on the sabbath 20 years after Pentecost?

And let us ask James further: "Did you ever teach that one of the Ten Commandments could be broken? James 2:10-11: "For whosoever shall keep the .whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all, for he that said, (Margin: "that same law which said") Do not commit adultery, said also. Do not kill, Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law." There is no record of any change in the New Testament, therefore neither Jesus nor his apostles made the change. In fact history reveals that the sabbath was kept by the early church until Roman influence forced a change during the Dark Ages and, even then the true Church kept the sabbath.

Socrates, a historian, who wrote about the middle of the FIFTH CENTURY says, "Almost ALL CHURCHES throughout the world CELEBRATE THE SACRED MYSTERIES (Lord's Supper) ON THE SABBATH OF EVERY WEEK." Here 400 years after Christ we are told that the churches throughout the world were observing the Lord's Supper on the Sabbath.

Over and over I have challenged Sunday-keepers to produce historical statements which show that Sunday was observed as the Lord's day. And I have agreed to show that the authors of those statements were half-converted- Sun-worshippers of either Rome or Alexandria or else the statements were forged writings. As yet no one has attempted to take that challenge.

We will now call some of the Sunday-keeping Protestant churches for their testimony? First the Christian church through one of its great leaders, Dr. N. Summerbell, in his book, "THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH," p. 145:
"The Roman church had totally apostatized. It reversed the fourth commandment by doing away with the sabbath of God's word, and INSTITUTING SUNDAY"
And from the founder of the Christian church, Dr. Alexander Campbell: "But say some it was changed from the 7th to the first day. Where, when, and by whom, no man can tell. No, it never was changed, for the reason assigned must be changed before the memorial can be changed. It is all old wive's fables to talk of the change of the sabbath from the seventh to the first day. If it be changed it was that .personage changed it who changes times and laws ex-officio. I think HIS NAME IS DR. AiNTI-CHRIST."

NAZARENE: "The seventh day, Saturday, was the original sabbath of the Lord. Seven-day Adventists have an argument in the fact that SUNDAY IS IDENTICAL WITH THE HEATHEN FEAST DAY TO BAAL. Their arguments are hard to meet and they are 'BRINGING IN A LOT OF PEOPLE." CHURCH OF CHRIST- "THE COMMANDMENTS CAME WITH MOSES and passed away at the cross, but we should keep NINE OUT OF THE TEN. The sabbath meant something to the Jews but not to the Gentiles of the early church. The only sabbath we have ever had IS SATURDAY. If we kept Sabbath now we would KEEP SATURDAY. But we merely honor Sunday to commemorate the resurrection. THE CATHOLICS CHANGED IT FORMALLY."

These people recognize that the formal change was made by the Catholic church. However, they teach that the Ten Commandments should all be kept except the fourth. They have them all nailed to the cross and then nine of them brought back after Pentecost. It 'is like cutting off all ten fingers and then trying to put nine of them back just because one was diseased.

What does the Catholic church say about the change of the Sabbath? Father E. Enright: "There is but one church on the face of the earth which has the power, or claims power, to make laws binding on the conscience, . . . For instance, the institution of Sunday. What right has any other church to keep this day? You answer .by virtue of the third commandment. (It is the third in the catechism because they left out the second which forbids IMAGE WORSHIP) which says, 'Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day'. But Sunday is not the sabbath. Any schoolboy knows that Sunday is the first day of the week. I have repeatedly offered $1,000.00 to anyone who will prove by the Bible alone that Sunday is the day we are bound to keep, and no one has called for the money. It was the Holy Catholic Church that change the day of rest from Saturday the seventh day to Sunday the first day of the week."

Abridgement of Christian Doctrine," by Rev. Henry Tuberville: QUESTION: How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days?
    ANSWER: By the very act of CHANGING THE SABBATH INTO SUNDAY, which Protestants allow of and therefore they fondly contradict themselves by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feast days commanded by the same church."

KANSAS CITY CATHOLIC, Feb. 9, 1893: "The Catholic Church by virtue of her divine mission, CHANGED THE DAY FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY."

CONVERTS CATECHISM:
QUESTION: Which day is the Sabbath?
    ANSWER; Saturday is the Sabbath day.
QUESTION: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
    ANSWER: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 336) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."

QUESTION BOX by Father Conway, P. 179:
"What Bible authority is there for changing the sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week?
"Who gave the Pope authority to change a command of God?
    ANSWER: "If the Bible is the only guide for the Christian, then the Seventh-day Adventist is right in observing Saturday . . . but Catholics learn what to believe and do from the Catholic Church WHICH MADE SUNDAY THE DAY OF REST."

PLAIN TALK ABOUT PROTESTANTS, P. 213: "It is worth while to remember that this observance of Sunday, in which after all, the only Protestant worship consists' not only has no foundation in the Bible, but is in flagrant contradiction to its letter, which commands rest on the Sabbath, which IS SATURDAY. It was the CATHOLIC CHURCH, WHICH HAS TRANSFERRED THIS REST TO SUNIDIAY. Thus the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is a homage they pay in spite of themselves, to the AUTHORITY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH."

When I read that a few years ago I said: "Here is one who pays homage no longer." And I want to give you a few examples of how our Protestant friends squirm to get out of this dilemma. I have no quarrel with our honest Catholic friends over this question, for they do not take the Bible as their guide, but Protestants who claim that they do take the Bible, should give proof for their doctrines from its pages.

EDIFYIING INSTRUCTION IN THE CATECHISM, by K. A. Dachel, pp 23, 24, (Lutheran):
"When God gave the third (the Lutherans did not change their catechisms either and the second commandment is left out as in the Catholic Catechism) commandment ... he designated definitely the seventh day, which already had been sanctified by Him at creation, as this rest day. And as Christ says that He had not come to destroy the law (Matt. 5:17) so he has also in the words' of His last prophetic speech (Matt. 24:'20) which has reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, expressly emphasized the sabbath, or Saturday as the still valid rest day, by saying: "Pray that your flight toe not on the sabbath." For this' reason many godly Christians have solemnly upbraided the Christian church for keeping Sunday instead of Saturday; The church can have no right to change God's commandment, and, if in the catechism the whole commandment had been, embodied verbatim in its entire wording from Exodus 20:8-11 then we should still keep the Saturday holy, and not the Sunday."

In other words if the Lutherans had in their catechisms written the sabbath commandment as it is in the (Bible, the Lutherans' would today be keeping the seventh day with the Adventists. Haw then, can Lutherans claim to stand on the Bible only, and still keep Sunday, a day they admit came from the Catholic church?

DR. HISCOX, the author of the Baptist manual:
"There was and is a commandment to 'keep holy the sabbath day', but that sabbath was not Sunday. . . . Where can the record of such a transaction (change of the sabbath) be found? Not in the New Testament-absolutely not." "What a pity that it comes branded with the Mark of Paganism, when adopted BY THE PAPAL APOSTASY and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism."

In the back of the hymn book in the Baptist church some time ago, I read this responsive reading;
    "Incline our hearts to keep this law, 'Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy."

Baptists pray to be able to keep the sabbath commandment until a Seventh-day Adventist comes around and then they declare that commandment has been abolished. Rom. 6:16 says that we are servants to whom we yield ourselves to obey. If we keep the Sabbath, we obey God, if we keep Sunday we obey the Catholic church. How long shalt ye between two opinions? Either give up Sunday or give up the idea that you stand on the Bible only. You cannot be consistent nor honest and hold onto both.


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WHY MANY CHRISTIANS KEEP SUNDAY


By EVANGELIST CLYDE F. KEARBEY

If you would start down the street and ask 100 church members why they observe Sunday, you would get this answer well over 90% of the time. "Just because I was reared that way."

I have in my possession the copy of a letter making a "bona fide" offer of $5,000.00 for one text from the New Testament which says that one should observe the first day of the week. Now if people really believe that their observance of Sunday is based upon the New Testament, isn't it strange that someone does not produce Scripture to prove they are right?

There are very few ministers who even claim that God had anything to do with the setting aside of Sunday as a religious day. Sometime ago a minister stated his prayer on the radio on Sunday morning, "Oh Lord, on this day which Thou hast set aside---." There he stopped. He knew that the seventh day was the one God set aside, and that He had never changed that day, so the preacher changed his prayer. He started over and said this, "Oh Lord, on this day, which WE have set aside to worship Thee." If a man's conscience bothers him so much that he cannot pray that kind of a prayer then certainly he should not teach men that God requires them to observe a man-made day.

We are going to examine in this sermon every text in the Bible which mentions the first day of the week. Many people are surprised to learn that it is mentioned only nine times in the entire Bible. Surely, if the Bible teaches us to observe the first day of the week then it should be in these nine texts.

The first and only time that the first day is mentioned in the Old Testament is in Genesis 1:5. "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.''

When God created the first day of the week He made it of two parts, evening and morning. The first part of the day is composed of the darkness called here "evening." The first day then begins at evening. Does the Bible reveal just when "even" is?

Leviticus 23:32 "from even to even shall ye celebrate your Sabbath."

Deuteronomy 16:6, "there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN ..."

Mark 1:32 "And at even, when the sun did set …."

The first day of the week then begins at Sunset Saturday and ends at sunset Sunday. It may be that some of you do not know that l50 years ago Sunday was observed here in America from sunset Saturday to sunset Sunday. In his book Skulls and Replics, the infidel Robert Ingersal reveals that this was the practice in his day:

    "When I was a boy,'' he says, ''there was one day in each week too good for a child to be happy in. In those good old times Sunday commenced WHEN THE SUN WENT' DOWN on Saturday night, and closed WHEN THE SUN WENT DOWN on Sunday night."

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 14, p. 336, Article "Sunday," says, "The method of reckoning the Sunday from SUNSET TO SUNSET CONTINUED in some places down to the 17th century, but in general since the middle ages the reckoning FROM MIDNIGHT TO MIDNIGHT has been followed."

A. H. Kellner, Heorlology, pp. 1 says, "In conclusion it is to be noticed that, in the middle ages, the rest from labor commenced, contrary to our present custom, WITH VESPERS of Saturday. Pope Alexander III, however, decreed that local custom should retain its prescriptive right, and so it came to pass that the practice of reckoning the feast day from midnight to midnight."

Actually then, Sunday, as it is observed by the churches today, is a part of two days. That time from sunset Sunday to midnight is part of the second day of the week. I have repeatedly offered in my public meetings to let any man take one hour in my pulpit to show from the Bible where he gets his authority for taking a part of the second day of the week and calling it the Lord's Day. Every man I have met has been forced to back up six hours and admit that he got that much of his so-called Lord's Day from Pope Alexander III.

In the Christian Church and the Church of Christ if a member has to work on Sunday and is unable to get to church that day he can come to meeting Sunday night and take the Lord's Supper. Repeat edly I have tried to get ministers of these two churches to show me what authority they had to take the Lord's Supper on the first part of the second day of the week, and so far it has been just as it was with the sun-worshipping priests of Baal when they faced Elijah on Mt. Carmel, "they answered him not a word."

God gave the Sabbath at creation. It is the only day He has ever blessed. Genesis 2:2-3, "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

Most churches go back to creation and to the Ten Commandments for their authority for keeping Sunday until a Seventh-day Adventist comes around, and then they make excuses and become so confused that they do not know why they observe Sunday.

When we went to Greeley, Colorado, some time ago a certain minister who was preaching on the radio was evidently having a little trouble keeping some of his members away from those beautiful mountain lakes where trout bite even on Sundays. He was trying to bolster his authority for Sunday and made this statement.

"God gave us the seventh day and it belongs to him." But as soon as we pitched our tabernacle and began to preach the Sabbath he turned right around and declared that the Sabbath was abolished. Is it any wonder that God calls it "Babylon," "confusion," and says, "Come out of her my people." Into such depths of confusion will men go when their doctrines are not founded on the Bible.

The next time the first day is mentioned is in the last chapter of the first book of the New Testament. Matthew 28:1, "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre."

This text does not even say that Christ arose the first day, in fact, many people find here evidence that Christ arose before the first day began because the women came "in the end of the Sabbath." Be that as it may the time of the resurrection is not revealed which is sure proof that the Lord did not want the time of His resurrection observed. One has to guess, and this text is certainly no help to the one who is guessing.

The third time the first day is mentioned is in Mark 16:1-2. "And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and. anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun."

No authority is given here for keeping the first day. We are told that Christ was gone when they came. When the resurrection took place we are not told.

The next one is in verse 9 of this same chapter. "Now when Jesus was risen, early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene ..." This does not tell us that we should observe the first day. It comes nearer than any other text to saying that Christ arose on this day, but even this one doesn't say so. It says that after he WAS RISEN, He appeared on the first day to Mary Magdalene. God evidently thought the time of the resurrection was unimportant.

The fifth text is Luke 24:1, "Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them."

These women came to do on the first day of the week what they would not do on the Sabbath. In the verse just preceding this we are told, "they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment."

Again we have no reason to assume from this text that we should observe Sunday. Again we are not told when the resurrection took place.

Our sixth text is John 20:1, "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the spulchre."

When Mary came He was already gone (before daylight), and there is no hint that the day should be observed in any way whatsoever.

Our next text is in this same chapter verse 19. "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."

"Afterwards he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and UPBRAIDED THEM with their unbelief and hardness of heart, BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED NOT them, which had seen him after he was risen."

The next text is the one our Sunday-keeping friends use as their basis for assembling on the first day of the week. Let us examine it closely.

Acts 20:6-8, "And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech UNTIL MIDNIGHT. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together."

There are some churches as I have mentioned earlier who take the Lord's Supper on Sunday on the strength of this text, but I am going to show you that this assembly was not on the day which they observe as the Lord's Day, and neither can they be sure that the Lord's Supper was being observed. So we intend to prove that the whole rotten structure of Sunday observance rests entirely upon guesses which men have many centuries after Christ made in an attempt to find an excuse for Sunday.

First let us consider the problem of whether or not we can be sure that this was the Lord's Supper. No one will affirm that the term "breaking bread" ALWAYS means the Lord's Supper. Anyone must admit that this term is used more times to refer to a common meal; therefore one is merely guessing that it was not a common meal in this instance. Had the Lord wanted the Lord's Supper always taken on the first day, surely He would not have left it for someone to guess at.

If the term "breaking bread" does mean the Lord's Supper then the early church took it every day.

Acts 2:46, "And they continuing DAILY with one accord in the temple, and BREAKING BREAD from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church DAILY such as should be saved."

We can be sure that they were meeting every day for worship because Acts 5:42 says, "and DAILY in the temple, and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."

Certainly if they met DAILY to break bread, to preach and add members to the church and to praise God, then, of course, they met on the first day and every other day. Then why get excited about one text which says they met on the first day after they had been together for a whole week already and had probably met for a social meal following the Sabbath? This Troas meeting very likely would not have been mentioned except for the miracle which was performed in bringing the young man back to life.

It was customary for the early church to assemble following the Sabbath for a social meal together. Dr. Cotton, who wrote in favor of Sunday in his book, From Sabbath to Sunday, p. 108 says, "The early Christians probably assembled, as we have shown, AT THE CLOSE OF THE SABBATH. In this home service at the termination of the Sabbath, the purpose was to make a distinction between the sacred and profane, between the Sabbath and the rest of the week."

Furthermore, this assembly did not occur on the day men now observe as the Lord's Day. You remember that the first day begins at sundown Saturday night according to Bible reckoning; therefore this meeting was between sunset on the Sabbath and midnight for it says that "Paul preached UNTIL MIDNIGHT." But, those who keep Sunday do not even begin to observe their so-called Lord's Day until midnight; therefore they keep a day as the Lord's Day because a supper was eaten on an entirely different day, which they guess was the Lord's Supper. It is confusing friends? Why not ask the Sunday-keeper to explain why he follows the command of Pope Alexander III and calls the time from midnight to midnight the Lord's Day, thus actually observing part of the second day of the week.

In Acts 20:11 we notice that after midnight Paul again broke bread and ate. In debating with Church of Christ and Christian ministers I have found that they say that this was simply a common meal which Paul took for nourishment. There is no record of anyone else's eating here. In verse 7 "breaking bread" means the Lord's Supper, but in verse 11 it means a common meal. Pray tell me what magic charm do these men have to be so sure. Isn't it clear that they must GUESS.

This was a farewell service for Paul because he was leaving to walk 19 miles on Sunday to meet the ship at Assos (verse 13), and the church gathered after the Sabbath and spent the entire night with Paul. On that part of the day men now assemble for their services, Paul was walking across the peninsula and chances are that most of the church was having a nap after their all night visit with Paul.

Only one text remains as a foundation for Sunday observance. If that fails; the entire structure comes tumbling down. That text is I Corinthians 16:1-2.

"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I "have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you LAY BY HIM IN STORE, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."

This text is used to prove that the early church came together on the first day of the week to take an offering. This, of course, is only wishful thinking on the part of those who need authority for observing the pagan Lord's Day which has been palmed off on them by the Roman Church.

First of all, it is an individual matter, "let EVERY ONE OF YOU," and they were not to give it as an offering until Paul should send someone to receive it. They were commanded to "lay BY THEM IN STORE." Some translations say, "at home," and that undoubtedly is the true meaning. This involved work, figuring and collecting an offering for the poor, that Paul did not ask them to do on the Sabbath. The church still assembled, as they did for centuries after Christ, ON THE SABBATH. Here's Paul's letter would have been read, and they were admonished to take care of this matter the very next day. It was to be laid by IN STORE AT HOME and kept till Paul should come.

If everyone today kept the Sabbath, what a job preachers would have in getting people to change to Sunday on their guesses concerning these last two texts. We will show in later sermons that when the change was made in the Dark Ages by an apostate church, that the appeal was not to Scripture but to pagan tradition. It is high time for Christians to cast aside the feeble GUESSES of men and stand firmly on the Word of God. Won't you, friend, as you read these words determine to follow on through a study of this series of sermons and let God's Spirit speak through His Word?


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ANTICHRIST


by EVANGELIST CLYDE F. KEARBEY

In Daniel chapter 7 we have presented to us a vision of four 'beasts; a lion, a bear which reared itself on one side, a leopard and a terrible dragon beast with ten horns. Among these ten horns there came up a little horn which plucked up three of the other horns. Verse 17 says, "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth."

The word translated "kings" is also translated "kingdoms" as appears in 'the next verse, "But the saints of the most High shall take the KINGDOM . . ."

These beasts then represent the four world empires which are introduced in the great image of Daniel chapter two. There the head of gold represented Babylon, the 'breast and arms of silver represented Medo-Persia, the thighs of brass, Grecia, and the legs of iron,Rome, which was divided as the 'ten toes of the feet. Here in Daniel 7, Babylon is symbolized ., by the lion, Medo-Persia by the bear, Greece by the leopard, and Rome by 'the dragon with /ten horns which had another little horn come up.

Daniel was especially interested in this dragon beast and the horns. Verses 19-20, "Then I would know .the truth of the fourth beast. . . . And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things. . . ." Notice the things which 'this Little Horn was to do, and see later how it compares exactly with the beast power of Revelation 13. Verse 21, "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them." Verses 24-25, "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the o saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."

This Little Horn arose in the midst of the ten divisions of the Roman Empire. Rome was divided into ten parts in 476 A.D. We would therefore expect to see this Little Horn power uproot three horns and appear on the scene after 476 A.D. What are the facts? In 533 Justinian declared that the Bishop of Rome should be the UNIVERSAL BISHOP. That is, that he should have supreme authority over all the others. In 538 the last of the three Arian divisions were uprooted thus permitting the papacy to have complete sovereignty on the dominion of the old Roman Empire.

The prophecy said that he would have this power for "a time and times and the dividing of time." A "time" is a Hebrew idiom for a year, hence 1 time and 2 times and % time would equal 3% years. Prophetic time is figured on the 360 day year of Hebrew reckoning hence:

  360
+720
+180
1260 years

538 AJD. last horn uprooted 1360 1788 A.D. end of this reign of power or the wounding of beast of Rev. 13. The papacy then was to have power from 538 A.D. until 1798 when, as we learn from Revelation 13, a deadly wound was to be delivered. Let us take a look at this same power represented to John as a beast. Revelation 13:1-2, "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like un'to a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave ihim his power, and his seat, and great authority."

This beast was a composite of the beasts of Daniel 7. It had the head of the Babylonian lion, the feet of the Persian bear, the body of the Grecian leopard and the Roman dragon gave him his POWER, his SEAT and great AUTHORITY. This was the papal power which was to rule over the territory of all the other empires and would get his seat or his capital city, and his power and authority from pagan Rome, the fourth beast. Let us look at the facts of history.

First where is the SEAT or HEADQUARTERS of Roman Catholicism? Every school boy should know that it is Vatican City at Rome. From whom did they obtain Rome as their headquarters? In Vatican City hangs a picture showing Constantine, the Roman Emperor, surrendering Rome to the pope and the picture is entitled, "The Donation of Constantine." In 321 A.D. Constantine left Rome to the Roman bishops and moved his capitol to the city later named for him, Constantinople.

The seat or headquarters he received from the Roman dragon. Now, how about the POWER and AUTHORITY? That, too, came from the Roman Emperor. In 533 A.D. Emperor Justinian decreed that all other bishops should be subject to the bishops of Rome who from henceforth should be known as the UNIVERISAL BISHOP.

The word "ANTICHRIST" means "a substitute Christ." The meaning of the Greek prefix "anti" means "instead of" or a "substitute for." In English we use the word "VICE", i.e., we have a "VICE-PRESIDENT", one who takes the president's place or substitutes for him in his absence. In Latin the same word is "VICAR". The pope is called the "Vicar Christ", or a substitute Christ, one who acts in Christ's stead. In fact he is said to actually be Christ in human flesh.

The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but is JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF hidden under the veil of flesh."-Catholic National, 1895. In Latin he is the "Vicar Christ", in English "Vice Christ" and in Greek "Anti-Christ". Paul speaks of this same power in II Thessalonians 2. Notice verses 1-2, "Now we beseech you, brethren, BY THE COMING OF OUR LORD Jesus Christ, and by OUR GATHERING together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand."

Paul had written the first letter to the Thessalonians and had talked of Jesus' coming with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, etc., and had said "we which are alive and remain." This evidently had led the church to believe that Jesus was coming soon. Now Paul writes the second letter and warns them not to get unduly excited because Christ will not come until the antichrist, or man of sin as he is called here appears first. Verse 3, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that MAN OF SUN BE REVEALED, the son of perdition." Then in the next verse he shows that this is the antichrist, one who claims to be God on earth. Verse 4, "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, SHEWING HIMSELF THAT HE IS GOD." The following are a few statements which show that the Catholic leaders do "SHOW THEMSELVES TO BE GOD ON EARTH."

Pope Innocent III, "Indeed it is not too much to say that in view of the solemnity of their offices THE PRIESTS ARE SO MANY GODS." Ferraris Ecclesiastical Dictionary: "The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not mere man, but AS IT WERE GOD, and the Vicar of God. "The pope is as it were God on earth. "Hence the pope is crowned with a triple crown, as KING OF HEAVEN, of earth and of the lower region. "The pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man but of God." (Remember that the Little 'Horn of Daniel '^would think himself able to change times and laws".) Pope Leo III, "We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty."

Paul said in II Thessalonians 2:4 that they not only would claim to be equal to God by acting in his stead but would actually exalt themselves ABOVE God. That they do by claiming the power to CREATE THEIR CREATOR. "If the person the Redeemer had not yet been in the world, the priest by pronouncing the words of consecration, would produce this great person of a man-god. '0 wonderful dignity of the priests,' cries out St. Augustine, 'in their hands, as in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, the Son of God becomes incarnate.' Hence priests are called THE PARENTS OF JESUS CHRIST." (Do you see why they are called "Father"?) Dignity and Duties of the Priest, pp. 32-33.

Continuing from this same book, "Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called, the creator of his Creator. He that created me without me is himself created by me." This is supposed to toe a blasphemous power. You will remember that the Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy when he claimed power to forgive sins saying that that power belonged to God alone. Blasphemy then is claiming power which belongs to God only. The papacy even claims power to forgive sins.

"The priests of the church exercise the power of forgiving sins by hearing the confession of sins, and granting pardon for them." A Catechism of Christian Doctrine, p. 33. God has said in the Bible that after death man cannot hope for salvation, but the papal church revokes the decree of God and extends salvation to those who have died, provided someone else pays for it.

They say that Christ appeared to St. Gregory and promised to release any soul from purgatory on payment of a fee for the Gregorian masses which are thirty in number and the minimum price is $30.00. The following advertisement ran in "Our Sunday Visitor," August 11, 1946. "ARE YOU INSURED?" "Write and ask us about our plan to offer the Gregorian masses AFTER YOUR DEATH. This is real insurance for your soul." If the pope is God then he, of course, is infallible, and that claim, too, is made in the Baltimore Catechism quoted below, pp 22-23.

"Question: When does the church teach infallibly?
"Answer: The church teaches infallibly when it speaks through the pope and bishops united in general council, or (through the pope alone when he proclaims to all the faithful a doctrine of faith or morals."

The pope cannot make a mistake in regard to doctrines, yet at one time there were four of these "infallible popes" all declaring that the others were the antichrists. Revelation 13:3-5 states that one of the heads was to receive a deadly wound after he had continued to rule for forty and two months. Forty-two months would be the same as a "time, times and dividing of time" for 42 times 30 equals 1260 days or literal years (In prophecy a day is tor a year, Eze. 4:6). The last of the three little horns was uprooted in 538 A.D. Figuring from here, 1260 years brings us to 1798.
538 A.D. + 1260 =1798 A.D.

In this year we should find that the papal power received a deadly wound. What are the facts? This statement is from the official Swedish newspaper for March 29, 1798: "Rome, Feb. 21 (1798) Pope Pius VI has occupied the Papal chair for all of 28 years, the IS inst. his government in the papal states was abolished, and five days later, guarded by one hundred French soldiers, he was taken away from his palace and capital."

Berthier, a general under Napoleon, marched into Rome and took Pope Pius VI prisoner just as the prophecy pointed out in 1798. But Revelation says that this wound was to be healed. In 1929 that wound was healed, and now the Catholic Church is again coming to power. (This will be considered further in - a later sermon, "The United States in Bible Prophecy".) Many times in the Bible God points out this apostate power and her reign of 1260 years. It is important that God's people recognize her, for she it is who will make all nations drink of her abominable doctrines of paganism.

Another picture is given in Revelation 17 under the symbol of an impure woman sitting on the scarlet-colored beast. Verses 3-4 tell us that she is clothed in purple and scarlet. Incidentally these are the official colors of the Roman Catholic Church. The bishops wear purple, and the cardinals wear scarlet. Verses 5-6, "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." This woman persecuted the saints just as the Little Horn of Daniel "made war with the paints and prevailed against them." The Catholic Church will not even deny that she has been and still is a persecuting power where she has numerical superiority. Verse 18, "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth."

Anyone who has studied history must remember that Rome made and unmade kings at will during the heighth of her power. This is the power which has the mark known as "THE MARK OF THE BEAST". Revelation 13:16, "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." What the mark is we will discuss in a later sermon. But to the person who is open minded, this point should be clear; THE MARK OF THE BEAST IS THE MARK OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. Many have confused the MARK with the NUMBER of the beast, which is 666. They are not the same. We are given the number in order that we may more clearly identify the beast which has the mark.

This number is found in his name or title. Revelation 13:17, "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the NUMBER OF HIS NAME."

What is the official title of the pope of Rome? From the Sunday Visitor, April 18, 1915 "The letters inscribed in the pope's Miter are these, 'Vicarius Fili Dei,' which is Latin for 'Vicar of the Son of God'." In the Douay Version of the Bible, which is the Catholic version, we find this footnote regarding the 18th verse of this 13th chapter of Revelation:
"The numeral letters of his name shall make up this number." Now that we know that the number is in his name, and we know what that name is let us read that l8th verse and then see what find by taking the numeral letters of the name Vicarius Filii Dei. Verse 18, "Here is wisdom. Let him hath understanding count the number of beast: for it is the number of a man; and number is Six hundred three-score and six (666) 

 LATIN                         HEBREW 

V -------- 5                 R ------200 	
I -------- 1                 O ------  6
C ------ 100                 M ------ 40 	
A -------  0                 I ------ 10 	
R -------- 0                 I ------ 10 	
I -------- 1                 TH -----400 	
V -------- 5                 ___________	
S -------- 0 			     666


F -------- 0                   GREEK 	
I -------- 1                 L ------ 30			
L ------- 50                 A ------  1	
I -------  1                 T ------300 
I -------  1                 E ------  5
 			                 I ------ 10
D ------ 500                 N ------ 50
E -------  0 		         O ------ 70
I -------  1 	             S ------200
____________                 ___________
         666                         666
 		
SATAN'S TITLE (Greek)
T ------ 300 		
E -------  5 		
I ------- 10 		
T ------ 300 		
A -------  1 		
N ------- 50 
____________		
         666

In the book of Ezekiel, Satan is called "THE PRINCE OF TYRUS" meaning "PRINCE OF TRYANNY." "This title as rendered in the Greek is "TEITAN", as computed above. Thus "THE SON OF PERDITION" bears Satan's number even as THE SON OF GOD, bears his Father's name. God has given many ways by which we may identify this power. Any other power might possess one or two of these characteristics, but no other power on earth possesses all these marks which point unmistakably to the Roman Catholic Church as the Antichrist, the Man of Sin, the Little Horn, the Beast, or the Mother of Harlots. Notice a few characteristics which the Antichrist must have:

1.-He must arise as the Little Horn in Europe (among the 10 divisions of the Roman Empire.

2.-He must uproot three divisions.

3.-He must reign 1260 years then receive a deadly wound which must be healed.

4.-He must show himself to be God or earth.

5.-He must claim to be the Vicar or substitute Christ.

6.-He must take to himself powers belonging only to God.

7.-He must persecute the saints.

8.-He must have the number 666 in his title and this number we find in the Hebrew of the Old Testament, and the Greek of the New Testament, and in the Latin of the Catholic Mass.

Friend, if you are willing to accept the verdict of such overwhelming evidence, you must admit that the papal power is the antichrist. This is the power which has the mark. In later sermons we will show you what that mark is. Won't you determine now not to receive the mark of this apostate power.


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THE MARK OF THE BEAST


By EVANGELIST CLYDE F. KEARBEY

Before the seven last plagues are poured out upon this world there is a special sealing work to be accomplished, according to Revelation 7:1-3. God is going to put a mark or a seal upon His people, and the antichrist is going to put a mark upon his followers. The purpose of this sermon is to determine what God's mark or sign is, and also to show what the counterfeit sign or mark of the antichrist, the beast of Revelation 13, is.

First let us show how clearly the Bible reveals God's sign or seal of authority, and then it will be easy to determine what is the counterfeit mark of the beast power.

Revelation 14:1, "And I looked, and, lo, a lamb stood on Mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having HIS FATHER'S NAME written in their foreheads."

Here we are told that God puts His name into the foreheads of His people. Notice Revelation 7:2-3. "And I saw another angel ascending; from the east, having THE SEAL 0F THE LIVING GOD . . . Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have SEALED the servants of our God in their foreheads."

In one place we see that this special group has God's name in their forehead and in another place it is said to be His seal that goes in the forehead; therefore there must be a relationship between God's name and His seal.

Let us notice Exodus 13:9 to see just owhat it is that God puts in the forehead which contains His name or His seal.

"And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth. ..."

God speaks of putting a sign in the hand and in the forehead that His people may remember His law. God's sign, His seal and His name must bear a close relationship.

Most people, I suppose, have seen a notary's seal. It is a little instrument which impresses his name, his office and the territory over which he has authority into a legal document. That seal appearing on any document is the sign of authority.

So God's seal or sign of authority must appear upon some document which He has written. In all the sacred writings there is only one thing which God Himself wrote, and that is the Ten Commandments. There must appear then in His law that which is the sign of His authority. Now, why does God have authority to give a law? What right has He to give us commands more than have the gods of the heathen'? Psalms 96:5, "For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord MADE the heavens."

God's authority then is in His creatorship; therefore there should be somewhere in the Ten Commandments that which points him out as the Creator. It is His seal or His sign of authority.

Exodus 31:l6-17, "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a .SIGN between me and the children of Israel forever: for IN SIX DAYS THE LORD MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed."

God gave the Sabbath as His seal or sign that He created the world. It is the sign of His authority. It contains His name, "The Lord," His office, "the creator," and the territory to which He gave the Ten Commandments, "heaven and, earth."

Do other inspired men speak of the sabbath as God's sign or seal? Notice Ezekiel 20:12, 20.

"Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a SIGN between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. And hallow my sabbaths: and they shall be a SIGN between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God."

Dwight L. Moody taught that the Sabbath was God's sign of creation or His seal of authority:

"He that observes the sabbath aright holds the history of that which it celebrates to be authentic. He therefore believes in ... the creation of the heavens and the earth, and as a necessary antecedent to all this, in the Creator, who at the close of his latest creative effort, rested on the seventh day. The SABBATH THUS BECOMES A SIGN by which the believers in a historical revelation are distinguished from those who have allowed these great facts to fade from their remembrance." Quoted in The Moody Bible Institute Monthly, November, 1930.

Here is what the Salvation Army says in the War Cry for September 27, 1947, "Remembering the Sabbath is undoubtedly a solemn obligation placed upon us by God himself, instituted by him IN THE CREATION OF THE WORLD, for we read in Genesis 2:3, 'And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.' When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, the keeping of the sabbath became a part of the law; it was invested with the character of a SIGN."

The Bible and most churches recognize that God gave the sabbath as a sign of His authority by virtue of His being the Creator. Now if God puts His law in the forehead and if His seal is in His law why does He talk about a special sealing work in the last days to put His seal back into the foreheads of His people?

If it were possible to erase the seal impressed upon a legal document it would lose its sign of authority, and we would say that the document was void. Let us carry this illustration a little further. Suppose we take a check and erase the signature. Without that signature the check is worthless. We say that it is void. Now if men take the Sabbath out of the Ten Commandments?, then God's name is taken out. It is the only commandment which tells us who it is that has authority as Creator to give a law; therefore to take out the Sabbath would make the law void. Notice Psalms 119:126-28.

"It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. Therefore I esteem ALL thy precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way."

This message puts God's law back into the minds of His people is the new covenant message.

Hebrews 10:16, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them."

But because men accept all the commandments of the ten except the Sabbath command, God has a special message in Revelation which puts His seal or the Sabbath back into the foreheads of His people.

Now that we know what God's sign or seal is which He puts into the forehead, let us see what the counterfeit mark is which the antichrist puts into the right hand and foreheads of his people.

Suppose I wish to forge a check on someone else's bank account. In order to get it cashed I will have to sign that individual's name just as nearly like he signs it as possible. It must bear his name as a sign that he authorizes the cheek.

Going further we know that there has arisen on this earth an apostate power, the antichrist, which claims to be God on earth. The head of the Roman Catholic Church claims to be God on earth and even claims to be able to create the Creator. Notice this statement from Duties and Dignities of the Priest, pp. 32-33.

"If the person of the Redeemer had not yet been in the world, the priest by pronouncing the words of consecration would produce this great person of a man-God. Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called the CREATOR of his Creator. He that created me without me is Himself created by me."

Therefore if God created the Sabbath as the sign of His creatorship, then a power which claims to be able to create even the Creator will have a counterfeit sign of a counterfeit sabbath. For this reason the Catholic Church changed the Sabbath from Saturday the seventh day to Sunday the first day of the week. This we have proved in the sermon "Who Changed the Sabbath?".

The book of Revelation presents the Catholic Church as the beast of Revelation 13 which was to arise on the dominion of the world empires before it. It is represented in the book of Daniel by a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a terrible dragon with ten horns. The lion represented Babylon, the bear, Medo-Persia; the leopard, Greece; the dragon represented Rome, and the ten horns the ten divisions of Rome among which a little horn came up. This little horn is the same as the beast of Revelation 13.

In the 13th chapter of Revelation the papal beast has the head of the Babylonian lion, the feet of the Persian bear, the body of the Grecian leopard, and th.e Roman dragon gives him his SEAT, his POWER and AUTHORITY. In Our sermon on the antichrist it is made plain how the Catholic Church fulfills all these specifications.

This is the beast which has the mark or the counterfeit sabbath which it places in the minds or foreheads of its people. (Revelation 13:14-17).

There is an abundance of history to prove that the true Sabbath has been kept through all the ages. Only a few forged writings or those from half-converted pagan sun-worshippers of Rome and Alexandria, Egypt, mention the introduction of the "Sun's day" as a new day of worship. I have repeatedly challenged men to bring me their historical statements regarding Sunday and I have promised to expose everyone of them. So far no one has accepted the challenge. Like the sun-worshipping priests on Mt. Carmel "they answered not a word."

Sunday is just as pagan in its origin as is Christmas and Easter. It is a product of sun worship and has been Satan's mark ever since he fell from heaven and took "THE DAY STAR" as the object of his false worship. Dr. Stanley in his History of the Eastern Church says, "The same tenacious adherence to the ancient God of, Light has left its trace, even to our time on one of the most sacred and universal of Christian institutions. The retention of the old pagan name, "Sunday," for the weekly Christian festival is in great measure owing to the union of pagan and Christian sentiment with which the first day of the week was recommended by Constantine to his subjects, pagan and Christian alike, as the venerable day of the sun. "It was his method of harmonizing discordant religions of the empire under one common institution."

It was and still is the policy of the Catholic Church to take any pagan customs which it finds in a heathen land and retain them giving them a Christian meaning.

The man who wrote the manual for the Baptist Church, Dr. Hiscox, testifies that Sunday bears the MARK of paganism Here is his statement:
"Of course, I quite well know that Sunday did not come into use in early Christian history as a religious day. Where can the record be found? Not in the New Testament! Absolutely not! What a pity that it comes branded with the MARK OF PAGANISM, and christened with the name of the sun-god when adopted and sanctioned BY THE PAPAL APOSTASY and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism."

Dr. Hiscox says that Sunday bears the MARK OF PAGANISM, now what does the Catholic Church say is its mark or sign of authority? I quote the following from the Doctrinal Catechism by Reverend Stephen Keenan:
Ques. "Have you any other way of proving that the church has power to institute festivals of precept?"
    Ans. "Had she not such power, she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."

From Cardinal Gibbons we have this Statement. "Of course, the Catholic Church claims that it (the changing of the Sabbath) was her act, and the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things."

Friends, I doubt if any who have read these sermons can question that the Roman Catholic Church is the antichrist represented by the Little Horn of Daniel and the beast of Revelation 13. Now if it is clear that this power is the beast, the mark of the beast must be the mark of Roman Catholic power. The changing of God's Sabbath, His sign of Creatorship, to the Sun's day is clearly that mark.

Let us imagine that we are seated in St. Peter's Cathedral in Vatican City. It is coronation day. A new pope is to be crowned. Coming down through the vast crowd we see a group of men carrying a golden throne and seated on the throne is a man wearing rich flowing robes. He is covered with bright jewels and the people are bowing to him as to a god. He comes to where a cardinal is standing with a triple crown. We listen to the blasphemous words that are supposed to make this man king of heaven, of earth and purgatory.

Then the scene changes. The dome of St. Peter's cathedral fades away, and we see Golgotha, the "place of the skull." Gone is the haughty Vicar of Christ who claims to be the chief shepherd on earth, and in his place we behold Christ the Lamb of God. What a contrast! Gone are the purple robes of the bishops and the crimson robes of the cardinals, and instead Christ wears a purple robe of mockery with crimson stain's of blood. Gone are jewel-bedecked hands of the vicar, and we see the nail-pierced hands of Christ. Gone is the triple crown that makes its wearer king of heaven, of earth and the lower regions, and upon the brow of Christ rests a crown of thorns. Gone are the blasphemour words that change God's law and alter it to suit their own evil natures, and we seem to hear the words of Christ, "Think not that I come to destroy the law or the prophets, I am not come to destroy but to fulfill."

Friend, you must choose. It is neither Christ or antichrist. You will have either the seal of God in your forehead or the mark of the beast.

Ezekiel 22:26, "Her PRIESTS have violated my law . . . and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them."

The Spirit of God has made it possible for you to receive this truth. Soon those who reject will drink of the wine of the wrath of God. (Revelation 14:9-10; 16:1-2).

You are without excuse, friend. How will you answer that question, "How long halt ye between two opinions?" if the Lord be God, follow him, but if Baal then follow him?" The record says, "They answered him not a word." (I Kings 18:21). But you will have to answer, either now or in the judgment. Won't you choose to serve and obey God while He so kindly extends to you another opportunity?


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THE UNITED STATES IN PROPHECY


By EVANGELIST CLYDE F. KEARBEY

Revelation 12:1, "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon un- der her feet. and upon her head a crown of twelve stars."

A woman in prophecy symbolizes a church. Here we have a church clothed in light. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 8:20: "To the law and the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Therefore we would conclude that this church keeps God's commandments and has the testimony of Jesus. In fact verse 17 of this 12th chapter of Revelation speaking of the REMNANT or the last church of God on earth has these very characteristics. It says of it, "which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

This woman is pictured as standing on the moon. The Psalmist said, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet . . . . " Here then in another characteristic of this church, she stands on the Word of God. She does not base her teachings on traditions and commandments of men.

She has upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The first Christian Church which presented Christ to the world was composed of twelve members, the apostles.

The next few verses show how this early church presented Christ to the world. The dragon is pictured attempting to destroy the Christ, and then we are told in verse 5 that Christ was caught up to God and to his throne.

Verse 6 says that the woman, the true church, was forced to flee into the wilderness for 1260 days or literal years. This, of course, is the time period so often alloted to the Roman Catholic Church in the prophesies. While she held sway the true church was hiding in the wilderness.

Here for a few verses the mind of the prophet is directed to the beginning of the great controversy in heaven between Christ and Satan, and how it was brought down to earth where Christ and Satan met face to face in a duel to the death between good and evil.

Verse 13, "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he perse- cuted the woman which brought forth the man child."

When Satan realized that he had failed to destroy Christ, he sat about to organize a great system of apostasy to oppose the church of God. This great system was set up in 538 A. D. It was to last for 1260 years before it received a deadly wound in 1798 as we learn from the next chapter of Revelation.

Notice the next verse: "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilder- ness, into her place, where she is nourished for a TIME, AND TIMES, AND HALF A TIME, from the face of the serpent."

A time (times, and half a time would equal 1260 days or years again. During this time the true church, the Hussites and Waldensees, etc., was hiding from the face of Rome. These faithful people were keepers of God's commandments. They recognized that the Pope was antichrist and refused to keep the Sunday of Roman paganism in place of God's Sabbath. Not many records are left of these persecuted people except in the writings of Rome directed against them.

To prove that they were the faithful church, here is a statement from The Ecclesiastical History of The Ancient Churches of Piedmont, e. 1690, p. 154.

"They say that the blessed pope is the antichrist . . . He lays it down also as one of their opinions, that the keeping of the Sabbath ought to take place."

In 1488 Pope Innocent VIII called uopn all the European nations to exterminate the Waldensees. He sent out as it were a great flood of people to kill them, promising forgiveness of sins to all who would destroy these hated commandment keepers.

Just four years after the edict in 1488, God removed his hand from a great uninhabited continent, and in 1492 Columbus discovered America. Soon to its shores from the lands of persecution came men and women to find freedom to worship God.

Notice how plain verses 15-16 make this: "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried aWay of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened up her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth."

Here in America then the true church will find a haven of refuge. Here the seed of this woman which keeps the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus will flee, and here Satan will follow to make his last great effort to overthrow the cause of God.

Verse 17, "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."

The next chapter reveals the two great powers through which Satan will work to overthrow the truth.

Revelation 13:1-2, "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority".

This beast came up out of the sea. The lion, the bear, the leopard, and the dragon which Daniel saw, representing respectively, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia. and Rome, also came out of the sea. The sea represents peoples and nations (Revelation 17:15); therefore these arose in the midst of peoples and on the waters).

Notice that this beast is a composite of all the beasts which Daniel saw. It had the head of a Babylonian lion. the feet of the Persian bear, the body of the Grecian leopard, and the Roman dragon gave it its seat, power, and great authority.

In our sermon on the great antichrist we proved this power to be Roman Catholicsism. Did the papal power receive its SEAT from pagan Rome? Constantine left Rome to the Bishop of Rome and he himself moved his seat of empire to Constantinople. Did the papacy receive its POWER from Rome? In 533 A. D. Justinian, the Roman emperor, declared that the bishop of Rome was the universal bishop. In other words, he gave the pope power over all other bishops.

In Daniel's prophecy the dragon beast had ten horns. Among those ten another little horn came up. This little horn in Daniel is represented by this beast in Revelation 13. That. little horn uprooted three horns as it came to power. Three of the ten divisions of the old Roman Empire were Arian and would not accpet the pope as universal bishop. These had to be uprooted, and the last one was overthrown in 538 A. D.

Verse 5 says, "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to .continue forty and two months."

Forty two months is equal to 1260 days. Again we have that period confirmed; 538 plus 1260 gives us 1798 when the beast was to receive a deadly wound.

Verse 3, "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."

In 1798 Berthier, a French general under Napoleon, marched into Rome and took Pope Pius VI prisoner. He delivered a deadly wound to the papal power exactly 1260 years from its beginning in 538 A. D.

Verse 10 mentions the receiving of this wound and in the next verse John says: "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon."

About 1798 another power was coming up OUT OF THE EARTH. The other beast came out of the sea which represents peoples and nations. Where in 1798 was there a great nation arising on what had been a great uninhabited continent? The United States was just starting as a new nation on this new continent which God had uncovered at just the right time, or as it says in chapter 12:16, "The earth opened her mouth" to help the woman.

The United States is symbolized here as a beast with two lamblike horns but speaks like the dragon. The horns represent the two principles upon which our government was founded: civil and religious liberty, a state without a king and a church without a pope.

In 1754 John Wesley made this statement in speaking of this two-horned beast: "He has not yet come, tho he cannot be far off, for he is to appear at the end of the 42 months of the first beast."

Forty-four years before the papal beast received its deadly wound, John Wesley declared that this beast would soon arise. In the years that I spent in the Methodist Church I never heard a sermon on this beast, but John Wesley preached on it.

Verse 12, "And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound WAS healed."

The United States will exercise all the power of the first beast before him. The whole world wondered after the first beast. For this reason Seventh-day Adventists have long preached that the United States would some day be. the greatest nation on earth. Certainly she is'that today. She will have power to make the nations worship or obey the first beast and will begin to exercise such power AFTER the wound of the first beast WAS healed.

That wound was healed, as we learned in our sermon on the antichrist, in February, 1929. Here is the statement I took from a Washington, D. C., paper:

"Spellman Flays Slur at Vatican" Archbishop Spellman today denounced as an insult to the Catholic church, a statement issued Saturday by 1600 religious leaders calling on the Big Three to bar the Vatican from the peace table.

The statement condemned the past political record of the Vatican and charged that in 1929 the Papacy re-entered the political field. From the Catholic Register I took this statement in February, 1949:

In 1929 the wound was healed. What happened in America? That was the year, if you remember, that the bottom dropped out of the economic structure of America. Some of us can still remember those depression years when eggs were less than a cent a piece and butter lOc per pound. Out of that economic collapse came the New Deal. Now, let me say right at the start that I am not a Republican. I even voted for the New Deal, and I had a very good reason. MY DAD WAS A DEMOCRAT. I once belonged to a church for the same reason—my Dad belonged.

So far as politics are concerned they mean nothing to me. I cannot tell that one garbage can smells any different than another, but I think you will agree with me that in recent years immediately following 1929 machinery began to be set in motion which restricts our liberties. The rationing program, of course, was necessary, but the Bible does not say that it would not be necessary, it only says that it would come when men could neither buy nor sell without certain regulations.

Verse 13, "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."

Because the United States has the power to make fire come down on the earth in the sight of men, she will be able to dictate to the nations. Surely the possession of the atomic bomb today gives her just such power. Now all the nations once ruled by the Old Roman Empire cpme to her for protection.

Dr. James Strong says, "The word 'fire' in this passage means 'lightning'. The original Greek term is 'pur'. But a deeper meaning than either fire or lightning is implied in the root rendering. The word translated lightning elsewhere in the New Testament is 'astrap'. By associating the two meanings in the original text, the following description is compounded: ' A BRIGHT, SHINING, BURNING FLASH.' A better description of the concussion of an atomic bomb could not be formulated in any language."

"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh (a bright, shining, burning flash) come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."

The United States will speak like the dragon beast. In other words, she, too will become a persecuting power. Now I do not mind surrendering things which have to be rationed in order that oui country, the most glorious one on earth may win victory over her enemies, bu1 there is one thing I do not want to surrender and that is my freedom to worship God. But that, too, is in danger.

Verses 14-15, "saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."

The first beast was a religious organization which persecuted through civil power. An image to the Papal beast will be a FEDERATION OF PROTESTANT CHURCHES. Have you ever heard anything about protestant churches uniting? Here is a statement from Reverend G. Bormby Oxnom, Methodist bishop of New York. He asked that, "protestants work for the union of protestantism and of Eastern Othodoxy until the Christians of the world belong to but two great churches." (Notice TWO religious systems, the beast, Catholicism, and the image, united protestantism.)

Verses 16-17, "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, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

The mark of this beast we have found is the Sunday-sabbath. How do some receive it in the forehead and some in the hand? Some receive it as a religious institution in the mind, others because Sabbath is the best day for business will line up with the Sunday-keepers, receiving it in their hands as a civil institution. That this is the plan is proved by this statement, from a prominent minister made before a Sunday union convention in Wichita, Kansas:

"We the Sabbath-union, W.C.T.U.. all churches, and the Y.M.C.A. are laboring with all our might to carry the RELIGIOUS SABBATH with our right arm, and the CIVIL SABBATH with our left. Hundreds of thousands will receive it as a religious institution all the rest as a civil institution, and thus we will sweep in the whole world."

A few years ago it was hard for me to understand how the United States could attempt to force men to keep Sunday by refusing to let them buy or sell. It is easy to see it today. If war would begin with Russia tomorrow, we would probably have a compulsory labor law. Men would be drafted to work. The federation will attempt to protect Sunday, and the labor unions will back them for a civil sabbath. Then where will the poor Sabbath-keeper be? No work, no ration card. No ration card, no buying or selling.

You say, "They will never do that in America." Do not be too sure. There are now Sunday laws in 42 of the 48 states in America,-IN SPITE OF THE CONSTITUTION. Furthermore, this statement from Reverend Bascom Robbins made a few years ago in Burlington, Kansas, shows just how the churches plan to put Sunday over:

In the Christian decalogue (Ten Commandments) the first day was made the Sabbath by divine appointment. (No authority given). But there is a class of people who will not keep the Christian Sabbath UNLESS THEY ARE FORCED TO DO SO.

But that can be easily done. We have millions of men, besides women and children, in this country who want this country to keep the Christian Sabbath (Sunday). If we would say, 'We will not sell anything to nations as a result of war (wind striving 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 Sunday.

The Bible says, "This is the way it will be done." The Sunday-advocates say, "This is the way we will do it."

Last year men were thrown in prison in these United States for working on Sunday, a man-made institution. We pitch a tabernacle in a city and begin to preach the Sabbath, and immediately ministers all over town declare that the Ten Cmmandments are all abolished. Often as soon as we leave they support legislation to force men to keep Sunday and appeal for divine authority to the fourth commandment which was abolished while we were in town.

I have statements in my files showing that church after church favors enforcing this mark of the beast, or the Sunday-sabbath by civil legislation.

God is calling for men and women today with the courage of their convictions who will obey God rather than men. Truly the dragon is wroth with the woman and has gone forth to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. But we have the assurance that eventually Christ and those who obey Him will stand triumphantly on the Sea of Glass having the victory over the BEAST and his IMAGE, his MARK and his NUMBER. We invite you, friend, to come over on the winning side now.


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