Laying to Rest the Day of Rest

The German Constitutional Court has forced Berlin to observe Sunday as a day of rest from work and spiritual improvement. While this may receive approving nods from a majority of Christians, some are beginning to call to attention the fulfillment of some Revelation prophesy about the conversion of the ‘day of the Lord.’ This is quite oxymoronic granted that the same constitution declares that Germany shall have no state religion. The move is now being viewed in some quarters as a demonstration that the ‘end of days’ is here with us.

But before re-ignite the controversy theories purporting the Pope to be the anti-Christ, I prefer to recall where the Sabbath law originated. Christianity and Judaism teach that God rested after creation work on the seventh day and thus sanctified the day henceforth. (Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:11). It was not until after the death of Jesus that early Christians and later Catholics, begun observing Sunday, ‘the Lords Day’ as the sanctified day of the week (Acts 15:21). That was the day that Jesus is said to have resurrected. Protestants, Anglicans and Orthodox Christians followed suit but Seventh Day Adventists have retained the practice of observing the Seventh day as was originally directed.

Further, Sunday is said to have been a day of witchcraft and idol worship since Babylonian times and when Christianity was taken to ‘gentiles’ deeply rooted in their ‘paganism’, the Catholic Church made a concession to switch solemnity from the Seventh Day to the First Day of the week. That has set up the Pope to fit the descriptions of the anti-Christ in John’s visions as recorded in the Book of Revelation. The Church further created other ‘holy’ days to compete pagan feasts and make the new religion tangible for the fresh converts. Easter and Christmas were both created long after Jesus had died in celebration of the founder of Christianity.

There existed many other arguments as to whether gentiles converted to Christianity in the early Church were bound by the Ten Commandments. Circumcision for example was a Jewish practice that Paul held did not have to be followed by those under the ‘new’ covenant (Acts 15:24-25). Paul, as an intellectual, could see the difficulty in observing the over 600 specific Judaic commandments which included not eating blood or flesh from a strangled animal. Thus, was Cafeteria Christianity born.

Cafeteria Christianity allowed the religion’s followers to choose, like on a cafeteria menu, the laws to observe and the ones not to. Paul set a precedent that has today allowed women to have a more dignified position than the chauvinistic apostle would have allowed during his lifetime. Theologians have justified the conversion of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday as not being significant to deny one entry to heaven. In fact, Jesus is said to have healed on the Sabbath and taught in the Synagogues. Matthew records Him to have asserted in chapter 5 that He came to fulfill the law and not to destroy it.

Many intellectuals have been able to link the Papacy to the prophesied global leader, the beast. But so have many other leaders before and after. Hitler was thought to be the anti-Christ. Imagine the disappointment when he did not rule the world and Jesus did not return. Today, Obama is said by some to be the leader to bring the world together as one against God. I suspect he will die and leave the doomsday prophets a disappointed lot.

Before you pack your bag in readiness for rapture on account of the actions of a German Constitutional court, consider the leeway that Paul provided. Remember that following in the footsteps of Jesus, he did not interpret the scripture in literal terms. Remember that others before you have waited and been disappointed. If Jesus really is coming again, He probably knows the date He will do so. I doubt that German legislation would be the precipitating factor. Practise selective obedience to the scripture and enjoy become Cafeteria Christians. Paul already taught you. Then you will be able to be a Gentile and a Jew at the same time. You will mix the world with the law and you will have no need to panic over an imminent return of Christ.

The Tin Man.