In this issue:
Extracts from the Pope’s Letter
Comments from Vatican officials
Pope Launches Crusade to Save Sunday
THE Pope will issue a strongly worded appeal to Roman
Catholics this week to restore the sacred nature of Sunday. Prompted by
concern that the sabbath has been undermined by business and falling
attendances at mass in the West, he will urge Catholics to defend it as a
day of worship and recreation for families.
Final preparations are being made at the Vatican to
distribute an apostolic letter – or exhortation – on the subject from
John Paul II. The document, Dies Domini (The Day of the Lord), is
expected to be addressed to all “faithful Catholics” rather than only to
bishops and priests.
Timed to coincide with the start of the summer holidays, when many
people re-evaluate their lives away from the pressures of work, the
exhortation is likely to form the subject of sermons over the next few
weeks.
It is also expected to win support from other churches –
particularly from evangelical Christians – who share the Pope’s anxiety
about the erosion of the Sabbath.
In Britain, Sunday opening at a growing number of shops has forced
many people to work, making a traditional family day impossible. While
the trend is less marked in other large European countries, including
France, Germany and Italy, church-going has nevertheless been in
decline.
Vatican sources say the Pope has resolved to emphasise the physical
and practical benefits of a day of rest. One said he was keenly aware
that a day off had become a “rare luxury” in some developing countries.
The exhortation is understood to be divided into three sections,
considering the sabbath from the biblical point of view, assessing the
extent of its erosion and setting out a way forward.
It will reflect an appeal made at the height of a debate about
Sunday opening in Rome four years ago, when the Pope warned Italians to
remember the meaning of the day. In vienna last month, he told
Catholics: “Do whatever you can to preserve Sunday. Make it clear that
this day must not be worked, since it must be celebrated as the day of
our Lord.”
The initiative is the latest in a series on social issues by the 78
year old pontiff, who, despite his evident frailty and the onset of
Parkinson’s disease, has left aides in no doubt about his determination
to continue providing vigorous leadership into the new millennium.Two of
his most recent visits overseas – to Cuba and Nigeria – have been taken
up largely with human rights questions. In another apostolic letter
last week, he dismayed liberal Catholics by proposing to excommunicate
those who persistently undermined orthodox teaching on a range of
issues, including women priests, saying the church could not alter a
“choice made by Christ” that only men should be ordained.
The Pope’s exhortation on the sabbath, however, is intended to unite
Catholics around the idea that being fully human means having
sufficient time for both work and leisure. He argues that the dignity of
man depends on reasserting a degree of control over his destiny that
has been threatened by longer working hours and their encroachment on
the sabbath.
Terence Phipps, a lecturer at the Allen Hall Seminary in London,
said the notion of one day’s rest came from the biblical account of the
creation in the Old Testament and was reasserted in the Ten
Commandments. “The Lord’s command is first and foremost to rest,” he
said. “Because people are free, the most natural thing to do is to
worship and praise God on that day of rest.”
In a sign of the broad Christian support the Pope can expect to
command on the issue, David Phillips, director of the Church Society –
an influential grouping within the Church of England – praised the
initiative this weekend. “Anything the Pope says in line with the Bible
is to be welcomed,” Phillips said. “In this country, Sunday has fallen
by the wayside and Christians need to rediscover its sacred character.”
Gary Lysaght, a moral theologian at St John’s seminary in Wonersh, Surrey, also welcomed the forthcoming papal letter.
“It is good to be challenged about the importance of this day,” he said.
“Sadly in Britain B&Q and Sainsbury’s seem to be the new churches
and cathedrals.”
Pope Calls for Sunday Laws
It has happened at last. In the most ominous move
of his whole career, Pope John Paul II has sent out a 33 page “apostolic
letter”, in which he insists on the need for Sunday legislation.
The letter is entitled, “Dies Domini”, or, “The Lord’s Day”. While
it is addressed to “the bishops, clergy and faithful of the Catholic
Church”, we should not be naive enough to believe that these are the
only persons who will be influenced by the letter. Not only is it a
mandate to all Roman Catholics to personally observe Sunday in a more
meaningful way, but it is also a directive to them to do all in their
power to ensure that the whole society conforms to the Pope’s concept of
Sunday observance by implementing “appropriate legislation”, or to put
it more bluntly and in more familiar terms, by the passing of Sunday
laws!
There are several reasons why this move, at this time should be
regarded as most significant. Every single Seventh-day Adventist who
believes the prophecies should now be trimming his lamp. If this does
not shock us into arousing to most earnest efforts, it is unlikely that
anything else ever will.
1. Firstly, the man who has called for this Sunday legislation is
the person who, above all others alive on planet earth, is considered
the symbol of morality. The one whose voice is most authoritative on
social issues. In this area, the Pope is not just a figurehead. When he
speaks, people in high places listen. Things happen. His voice and
influence helped to topple the mighty Soviet Union and brought about
concessions in the attitude of the USA towards Cuba. When he calls for
Sunday laws, we can expect things to happen.
2. Secondly, the Pope is not just asking for a greater respect for
Sunday, on the part of Christians. He states that Sunday rest is “not
merely a religious obligation,” but is, “a human right, which should be
protected by appropriate legislation.” Specifically, he wants laws to
‘protect’ Sunday!
This is not just a strident appeal to willing people to be more
careful in a personal habit and more committed in a personal conviction.
There is the overriding flavour of the dragon’s spirit in the Pope’s
appeal. He wants his convictions, his standards of morality, his concept
of duty to be imposed, not just on all Roman Catholics, but on all
societies; upon all persons living on the face of planet earth. He wants
to ensure that the whole society, all the world shall be persuaded to
respect Sunday rest, not voluntarily, but BY LAW.
3. Thirdly, the context in which this message is given.
“ ‘Dies Domini’, on making Sunday holy is placed above all in the framework of the preparation for the Great Jubilee of the year 2000….” (Bishop Marini)
Please note the significance of this. The Catholic Church
sees the year 2000 as a major landmark and turning point. A “great
jubilee” is planned for that year. Exactly what this jubilee will entail
remains to be seen. However, a vital part of the preparation for this
Jubilee, is the exaltation of Sunday and the promotion of Sunday
observance in the whole society. Hence, the sending out of the Pope’s
letter at this time. It is intended to do a particlar work which must be
accomplished within the next year, 1999, so that things will be in
place by the year 2000. As Bishop Marini put it, “The better one
celebrates Sunday, the better the Jubilee will be celebrated.”
Therefore, the contents of the letter have an urgency about them. It is
necessary for the success of this Jubilee that the reforms called for by
the Pope, (including Sunday laws) be in place before the Jubilee. That
is, before the year 2000. In essence, all Roman Catholics and those who
are influenced by the voice of the Pope have been mandated to see to it
that Sunday laws are passed by the end of next year, 1999, or, within the next 17 months.
4. Fourthly, in this letter, the Pope unveils his heart and shows
us quite clearly where his focus is. He has devoted 33 pages (44
counting the index and bibliography) Exclusively to the Subject of
Sunday observance. His reason?
“the Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his eucharist is at the heart of the church’s life. (chap.3)”
“For Christian families, the Sunday assembly is one of the most outstanding expressions of their identity… (ibid)”
“Sunday…stands at the heart of all worship. (chap.2)”
“Sunday is a day which is at the very heart of the Christian life. (Introduction)”
Sunday observance has always been one of the key pillars of
Catholicism. The Roman Church has hailed it as a “mark of her
authority”. In the past, she has endeavoured to compel others to honour
the day against their will, but in recent times she has had neither the
influence or the power to do so.
Why is it that she has now, once again, openly and
unapologetically undertaken to impose Sunday observance on the whole
society? It is because she feels that the time is ripe. Pope John Paul
II, a cunning politician and an astute tactician, realizes that his time
has come. He has played the whole world like a fiddle for the last 20
years and now finally, the nations are ready to dance to his tune. Once
again, Rome is mistress of the world and is pulling the strings. So,
immediately, the Pope turns to the subject which above all others is
dear to his heart. The one practice which above all others supports
Rome’s claim of supreme authority in the religious world: The practice
of Sunday worship.
Extracts from the Pope’s Letter
Dies Domini
(All titles supplied by the editor)
REASONS FOR THE SABBATH
It would be banal to interpret God’s “rest” as a kind of
divine “inactivity.” By its nature, the creative act which founds the
world is unceasing and God is always at work, as Jesus himself declares
in speaking of the Sabbath precept: “My Father is working still, and I
am working” ( Jn 5:17). The divine rest of the seventh day
does not allude to an inactive God, but emphasizes the fullness of what
has been accomplished. It speaks, as it were, of God’s lingering before
the “very good” work ( Gn 1:31) which his hand has wrought, in order to cast upon it a gaze full of joyous delight.
(Chapter 1)
“ God blessed the seventh day and made it holy ” ( Gn 2:3)
13. The Sabbath precept, which in the first Covenant prepares for
the Sunday of the new and eternal Covenant, is therefore rooted in the
depths of God’s plan. This is why, unlike many other precepts, it is set
not within the context of strictly cultic stipulations but within the
Decalogue, the “ten words” which represent the very pillars of the moral
life inscribed on the human heart. In setting this commandment within
the context of the basic structure of ethics, Israel and then the Church
declare that they consider it not just a matter of community religious
discipline but a defining and indelible expression of our relationship with God ,
announced and expounded by biblical revelation. This is the perspective
within which Christians need to rediscover this precept today. Although
the precept may merge naturally with the human need for rest, it is
faith alone which gives access to its deeper meaning and ensures that it
will not become banal and trivialized.
(Chapter 1)
man’s relationship with God also demands times of explicit prayer ,
in which the relationship becomes an intense dialogue, involving every
dimension of the person. “The Lord’s Day” is the day of this
relationship par excellence when men and women raise their song to God and become the voice of all creation.
…. Everything belongs to God! The Lord’s Day returns
again and again to declare this principle within the weekly reckoning of
time. The “Sabbath” has therefore been interpreted evocatively as a
determining element in the kind of “sacred architecture” of time which
marks biblical revelation.(13) It recalls that the universe and history belong to God ; and without a constant awareness of that truth, man cannot serve in the world as co-worker of the Creator.
(Chapter 1)
To “keep holy” by “remembering”
16. The commandment of the Decalogue by which God decrees the
Sabbath observance is formulated in the Book of Exodus in a distinctive
way: “Remember the Sabbath day in order to keep it holy” (20:8). And the
inspired text goes on to give the reason for this, recalling as it does
the work of God: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the
sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore
the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (v. 11). Before
decreeing that something be done , the commandment urges that something be remembered .
It is a call to awaken remembrance of the grand and fundamental work of
God which is creation, a remembrance which must inspire the entire
religious life of man and then fill the day on which man is called to rest . Rest therefore acquires a sacred value: the faithful are called to rest not only as God rested, but to rest in the Lord, bringing the entire creation to him, in praise and thanksgiving, intimate as a child and friendly as a spouse.
(Chapter 1)
THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH ….the meaning of the Old Testament precept concerning the
Lord’s Day is recovered, perfected and fully revealed in the glory which
shines on the face of the Risen Christ (cf. 2 Cor 4:6). We move from the “Sabbath” to the “first day after the Sabbath,” from the seventh day to the first day: the dies Domini becomes the dies Christi !
(Chapter 1)
The intimate bond between Sunday and the Resurrection of the
Lord is strongly emphasized by all the Churches of East and West. In the
tradition of the Eastern Churches in particular, every Sunday is the anastàsimos hemèra , the day of Resurrection,(18) and this is why it stands at the heart of all worship.
(Chapter 2)
62. It is the duty of Christians therefore to remember that,
although the practices of the Jewish Sabbath are gone, surpassed as they
are by the “fulfilment” which Sunday brings, the underlying reasons for
keeping “the Lord’s Day” holy — inscribed solemnly in the Ten
Commandments — remain valid, though they need to be reinterpreted in the
light of the theology and spirituality of Sunday.
(Chapter4)
Rightly, then, the Psalmist’s cry is applied to Sunday: “This
is the day which the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it” (
Ps 118:24).
(Introduction to the letter)
The Book of Revelation gives evidence of the practice of
calling the first day of the week “the Lord’s Day” (1:10). This would
now be a characteristic distinguishing Christians from the world around
them.
(Chapter 2)
Sunday is a day which is at the very heart of the Christian
life. From the beginning of my Pontificate, I have not ceased to repeat:
“Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to Christ!.”(9) In the
same way, today I would strongly urge everyone to rediscover Sunday:
(Introduction to the letter)
Some communities observed the Sabbath while also celebrating
Sunday. Soon, however, the two days began to be distinguished ever more
clearly, in reaction chiefly to the insistence of those Christians whose
origins in Judaism made them inclined to maintain the obligation of the
old Law….
The distinction of Sunday from the Jewish Sabbath grew ever
stronger in the mind of the Church, even though there have been times in
history when, because the obligation of Sunday rest was so emphasized,
the Lord’s Day tended to become more like the Sabbath. Moreover, there
have always been groups within Christianity which observe both the
Sabbath and Sunday as “two brother days.”
Wise pastoral intuition suggested to the Church the
christianization of the notion of Sunday as “the day of the sun,” which
was the Roman name for the day and which is retained in some modern
languages.(29) This was in order to draw the faithful away from the
seduction of cults which worshipped the sun, and to direct the
celebration of the day to Christ, humanity’s true “sun.”
the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Sunday
celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the
Church’s life.”(41)
SUNDAY MUST BE PROTECTED
An indispensable day!
30. It is clear then why, even in our own difficult times, the
identity of this day must be protected and above all must be lived in
all its depth. An Eastern writer of the beginning of the third century
recounts that as early as then the faithful in every region were keeping
Sunday holy on a regular basis.(36) What began as a spontaneous practice later became a juridically sanctioned norm .
The Lord’s Day has structured the history of the Church through two
thousand years: how could we think that it will not continue to shape
her future? The pressures of today can make it harder to
fulfil the Sunday obligation; and, with a mother’s sensitivity, the
Church looks to the circumstances of each of her children. In
particular, she feels herself called to a new catechetical and pastoral
commitment, in order to ensure that, in the normal course of life, none
of her children are deprived of the rich outpouring of grace which the
celebration of the Lord’s Day brings. It was in this
spirit that the Second Vatican Council, making a pronouncement on the
possibility of reforming the Church calendar to match different civil
calendars, declared that the Church “is prepared to accept only those arrangements which preserve a week of seven days with a Sunday.” (37)
81. The spiritual and pastoral riches of Sunday, as it has been
handed on to us by tradition, are truly great. When its significance and
implications are understood in their entirety, Sunday in a way becomes a
synthesis of the Christian life and a condition for living it well. It
is clear therefore why the observance of the Lord’s Day is so
close to the Church’s heart, and why in the Church’s discipline it
remains a real obligation.
(Conclusion)
PRESENT CONDITIONS ARE HOSTILE TO PROPER SUNDAY OBSERVANCE
Until quite recently, it was easier in traditionally
Christian countries to keep Sunday holy because it was an almost
universal practice and because, even in the organization of civil
society, Sunday rest was considered a fixed part of the work schedule.
Today, however, even in those countries which give legal sanction to the
festive character of Sunday, changes in socioeconomic conditions have
often led to profound modifications of social behaviour and hence of the
character of Sunday. The custom of the “weekend” has become more
widespread, a weekly period of respite, spent perhaps far from home and
often involving participation in cultural, political or sporting
activities which are usually held on free days…. Unfortunately, when
Sunday loses its fundamental meaning and becomes merely part of a
“weekend,” it can happen that people stay locked within a horizon so
limited that they can no longer see “the heavens.”(7) Hence, though
ready to celebrate, they are really incapable of doing so. (Introduction to the letter)
48. Today, as in the heroic times of the beginning, many who wish
to live in accord with the demands of their faith are being faced with
difficult situations in various parts of the world. They live in
surroundings which are sometimes decidedly hostile and at other times —
more frequently in fact — indifferent and unresponsive to the Gospel
message. If believers are not to be overwhelmed, they must be able to
count on the support of the Christian community. This is why they must
be convinced that it is crucially important for the life of faith that
they should come together with others on Sundays to celebrate the
Passover of the Lord in the sacrament of the New Covenant. It is the
special responsibility of the Bishops, therefore, “to ensure that Sunday
is appreciated by all the faithful, kept holy and celebrated as truly
?the Lord’s Day’, on which the Church comes together to renew the
remembrance of the Easter mystery in hearing the word of God, in
offering the sacrifice of the Lord, in keeping the day holy by means of
prayer, works of charity and abstention from work.”(84)
In countries where Christians are in the minority and
where the festive days of the calendar do not coincide with Sunday, it
is still Sunday which remains the Lord’s Day, the day on which the
faithful come together for the Eucharistic assembly. But this involves
real sacrifices. For Christians it is not normal that Sunday, the day of
joyful celebration, should not also be a day of rest, and it is
difficult for them to keep Sunday holy if they do not have enough free
time. ( Chapter 4)
SUNDAY LAWS IN THE PAST WERE HELPFUL TO CHRISTIANS AND CANNOT BE SIMPLY SET ASIDE
64. For several centuries, Christians observed Sunday simply as a
day of worship, without being able to give it the specific meaning of
Sabbath rest. Only in the fourth century did the civil law of the Roman
Empire recognize the weekly recurrence, determining that on “the day of
the sun” the judges, the people of the cities and the various trade
corporations would not work. (107) Christians rejoiced to see
thus removed the obstacles which until then had sometimes made
observance of the Lord’s Day heroic. They could now devote themselves to
prayer in common without hindrance. (108)
It would therefore be wrong to see in this legislation of
the rhythm of the week a mere historical circumstance with no special
significance for the Church and which she could simply set aside. Even after the fall of the Empire, the Councils did not cease to insist upon the arrangements regarding Sunday rest.
(Chapter 4)
ALL MANKIND NEEDS REST. SUNDAY PROVIDES THIS REST
65. By contrast, t he link between the Lord’s Day and the
day of rest in civil society has a meaning and importance which go
beyond the distinctly Christian point of view. The alternation
between work and rest, built into human nature, is willed by God
himself, as appears in the creation story in the Book of Genesis (cf.
2:2-3; Ex 20:8-11): rest is something “sacred,” because it is
man’s way of withdrawing from the sometimes excessively demanding cycle
of earthly tasks in order to renew his awareness that everything is the
work of God.
Therefore, dear Brother Bishops and Priests, I urge you to work
tirelessly with the faithful to ensure that the value of this sacred day
is understood and lived ever more deeply. This will bear rich fruit in
Christian communities, and will not fail to have a positive influence on
civil society as a whole.
(Conclusion)
SUNDAY IS A HUMAN RIGHT WHICH THE STATE MUST GUARANTEE
66. Finally, it should not be forgotten that even in our own day
work is very oppressive for many people, either because of miserable
working conditions and long hours — especially in the poorer regions of
the world — or because of the persistence in economically more developed
societies of too many cases of injustice and exploitation of man by
man. When, through the centuries, she has made laws concerning
Sunday rest, (109) the Church has had in mind above all the work of
servants and workers, certainly not because this work was any
less worthy when compared to the spiritual requirements of Sunday
observance, but rather because it needed greater regulation to lighten
its burden and thus enable everyone to keep the Lord’s Day holy. In this matter, my predecessor Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical Rerum Novarum spoke of Sunday rest as a worker’s right which the State must guarantee. (110)
In our own historical context there remains the obligation to
ensure that everyone can enjoy the freedom, rest and relaxation which
human dignity requires, together with the associated religious, family,
cultural and interpersonal needs which are difficult to meet if there is no guarantee of at least one day of the week on which people can both rest and celebrate….
7. Through Sunday rest, daily concerns and tasks can find their
proper perspective: the material things about which we worry give way to
spiritual values; in a moment of encounter and less pressured exchange,
we see the true face of the people with whom we live. Even the beauties
of nature — too often marred by the desire to exploit, which turns
against man himself — can be rediscovered and enjoyed to the full. As
the day on which man is at peace with God, with himself and with others,
Sunday becomes a moment when people can look anew upon the wonders of
nature, allowing themselves to be caught up in that marvellous and
mysterious harmony which, in the words of Saint Ambrose, weds the many
elements of the cosmos in a “bond of communion and peace” by “an
inviolable law of concord and love.” (111) Men and women then come to a
deeper sense, as the Apostle says, that “everything created by God is
good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer” ( 1 Tim 4:4-5).
CHRISTIANS MUST SEE TO IT THAT SUNDAY IS PROTECTED BY LAW
If after six days of work — reduced in fact to five for many
people — people look for time to relax and to pay more attention to
other aspects of their lives, this corresponds to an authentic need
which is in full harmony with the vision of the Gospel message.
Believers are therefore called to satisfy this need in a way consistent
with the manifestation of their personal and community faith, as
expressed in the celebration and sanctification of the Lord’s Day.
Therefore, also in the particular circumstances of our own time,
Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation
respects their duty to keep Sunday holy….
THE LONG AWAITED MILLENNIUM The coming of the Third Millennium, which calls believers to
reflect upon the course of history in the light of Christ, also invites
them to rediscover with new intensity the meaning of Sunday: its
“mystery,” its celebration, its significance for Christian and human
life….
….On the threshold of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, it has
been my wish to offer you this Apostolic Letter in order to support
your pastoral efforts in this vital area. (Introduction to the letter)
Given its many meanings and aspects, and its link to the very foundations of the faith,
the celebration of the Christian Sunday remains, on the threshold of
the Third Millennium, an indispensable element of our Christian
identity. Dear Brothers and Sisters, the imminence of the Jubilee invites
us to a deeper spiritual and pastoral commitment. Indeed, this is its
true purpose. In the Jubilee year, much will be done to give it the
particular stamp demanded by the ending of the Second Millennium and the
beginning of the Third since the Incarnation of the Word of God. But
this year and this special time will pass, as we look to other jubilees
and other solemn events. As the weekly “solemnity,” however, Sunday will
continue to shape the time of the Church’s pilgrimage, until that Sunday which will know no evening. (Conclusion)
Quotes from Vatican Officials
Following are some quotations
from Vatican officials as they commented on the significance of the
letter and outlined some of its major points as they saw it.
“At the same time, the Sabbath rest is not merely a
religious obligation, the Pope continues. It is a human right, which
should be protected by appropriate legislation.
The 104-page apostolic letter responds to what John Paul sees
as a “banalization” of the Sunday rest. He observes that in some
countries the day has become simply a portion of the weekend— stripped
of its character as the day devoted especially to celebration of the
Resurrection.
Earlier generations of Christians had a much better
understanding of the Sabbath, the Pope writes. He points to the example
of the martyrs who died at the hands of the Roman Emperor Diocletian
because they refused to profane the Lord’s Day. Their example led
eventually to the Church’s decision to make attendance at Sunday Mass a
religious obligation. But in reality that obligation reflects the Third
Commandment, the Pontiff continues; it is a natural expression of the
obligation to “keep holy the Lord’s Day.”
Citing the 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, by Pope Leo XIII,
John Paul notes that the Church has always insisted on the right of
workers to a day of rest. He denounced the “exploitation” practiced by
employers who ignore this fundamental human need, observing that the
exploitation is most common in poor countries.” (Vatican) CWNews.com
VATICAN CITY, JUL 7, 1998 (VIS) – The Holy Father’s Apostolic
Letter “Dies Domini,” the Day of the Lord, was presented this morning in
the Holy See Press Office by Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez,
prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of
Sacraments.
Joining him to explain the document were Archbishop Geraldo
Majella Agnelo, secretary of the same congregation, and Bishop Piero
Marini, master of pontifical liturgical celebrations.
Bishop Marini, pointing out that this letter “has its
reference point in Vatican Council II, in particular on the conciliar
liturgical reform,” said: “‘Dies Domini’ on making Sunday holy, is
placed above all in the framework of the preparation for the Great
Jubilee of the Year 2000. … The Pope indicates Sundays as a qualifying
element of the identity of a Christian and of the Church which is
presented to the generation of the new millennium. … The better one
celebrates Sunday, the better the Jubilee will be celebrated.”
The eve of the Year 2000 will also be a good time for
interreligious dialogue; a time to hold joint meetings in significant
places.
The celebration of the Great Jubilee, which will take place
simultaneously in the Holy Land, in Rome and in all the local Churches
throughout the world, will give glory to the Trinity, God, the Father,
the Son and Holy Spirit.
Relevant Statements by Ellen G. White
The Great Controversy
PG- 578
These records of the past clearly reveal the enmity of Rome
toward the true Sabbath and its defenders, and the means which she
employs to honor the institution of her creating. The word of God
teaches that these scenes are to be repeated as Roman Catholics and
Protestants shall unite for the exaltation of the Sunday.
581
“ Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to
accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are
bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to
re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle
once be established in the United States that the church may employ or
control the power of the state; that religious observances may be
enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and
state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this
country is assured.
“ God’s word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be
unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome
really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is
silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence
in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is
piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of
which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and
unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends
when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is
vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see
and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall
believe and obey the word of God will thereby incur reproach and
persecution.
582
“ The last great conflict between truth and error is but the final
struggle of the long-standing controversy concerning the law of God.
Upon this battle we are now entering–a battle between the laws of men
and the precepts of Jehovah, between the religion of the Bible and the
religion of fable and tradition.
587-589
Yet this very class put forth the claim that the
fast-spreading corruption is largely attributable to the desecration of
the so-called “Christian sabbath,” and that the enforcement of Sunday
observance would greatly improve the morals of society. This claim is
especially urged in America, where the doctrine of the true Sabbath has
been most widely preached. Here the temperance work, one of the most
prominent and important of moral reforms, is often combined with the
Sunday movement, and the advocates of the latter represent themselves as
laboring to promote the highest interest of society; and those who
refuse to unite with them are denounced as the enemies of temperance and
reform. But the fact that a movement to establish error is connected
with a work which is in itself good, is not an argument in favor of the
error. We may disguise poison by mingling it with wholesome food, but we
do not change its nature. On the contrary, it is rendered more
dangerous, as it is more likely to be taken unawares. It is one of
Satan’s devices to combine with falsehood just enough truth to give it
plausibility. The leaders of the Sunday movement may advocate reforms
which the people need, principles which are in harmony with the Bible;
yet while there is with these a requirement which is contrary to God’s
law, His servants cannot unite with them. Nothing can justify them in
setting aside the commandments of God for the precepts of men.
“ Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday
sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the
former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of
sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be
foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of
spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the
Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this
country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of
conscience.
“ As spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of the
day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself is
converted, after the modern order of things. He will appear in the
character of an angel of light. Through the agency of spiritualism,
miracles will be wrought,the sick will be healed, and many undeniable
wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the
Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their
work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.
The line of distinction between professed Christians and the
ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. Church members love what the
world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to
unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all
into the ranks of spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a
certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this
wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of
truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will
alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see
in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the
ushering in of the long-expected millennium.
589-590
“ While appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can
heal all their maladies, he will bring disease and disaster, until
populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. Even now he is at
work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great
conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in
tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place
and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away
the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the
air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These
visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous.
Destruction will be upon both man and beast. “The earth mourneth and
fadeth away,” “the haughty people . . . do languish. The earth also is
defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed
the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.”
Isaiah 24:4, 5.
“ And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God
are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure
of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon those whose obedience to
God’s commandments is a perpetual reproof to transgressors. It will be
declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday
sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until
Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who
present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence
for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to
divine favor and temporal prosperity.
592
“ Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law
and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing
anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the
earth.
“ The dignitaries of church and state will unite to bribe, persuade, or
compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority
will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is
destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free
America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will
yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance.
5T-451
“ When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the
hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp
hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold
union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution
as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for
the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that
the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end
is near.
“ As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the
impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to
us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of
our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to
take her flight, never to return. The people of God will then be plunged
into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have
described as the time of Jacob’s trouble.
7T-182
As we approach the last crisis, it is of vital moment that
harmony and unity exist among the Lord’s instrumentalities. The world is
filled with storm and war and variance. Yet under one head–the papal
power–the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His
witnesses. This union is cemented by the great apostate. While he seeks
to unite his agents in warring against the truth he will work to divide
and scatter its advocates. Jealousy, evil surmising, evilspeaking, are
instigated by him to produce discord and dissension. The members of
Christ’s church have the power to thwart the purpose of the adversary of
souls. At such a time as this let them not be found at variance with
one another or with any of the Lord’s workers. Amidst the general
discord let there be one place where harmony and unity exist because the
Bible is made the guide of life. Let the people of God feel that a
responsibility rests upon them to build up His instrumentalities.
7T-141
the exaltation, by merely human authority, of Sunday in place
of the Bible Sabbath, is the last act in the drama. When this
substitution becomes universal, God will reveal Himself. He will arise
in His majesty to shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His
place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity, and the
earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain.
“ To every human being in the wide world who will give heed, we are to
make plain the principles at stake in the great controversy–principles
upon which hangs the eternal destiny of the soul. To the people far and
near we are to bring home the question: “Are you following the great
apostate in disobedience to God’s law, or are you following the Son of
God, who declared, ‘I have kept My Father’s commandments’?”
“ This is the work before us; for this our publishing institutions were
established; it is this work that God expects at their hands.
Maranatha-161
Those who place themselves under God’s control, to be led and
guided by Him, will catch the steady tread of the events ordained by Him
to take place. Inspired with the Spirit of Him who gave His life for
the life of the world, they will no longer stand still in impotency,
pointing to what they cannot do. Putting on the armor of heaven, they
will go forth to the warfare, willing to do and dare for God, knowing
that His omnipotence will supply their need.
166
As the teachings of spiritualism are accepted by the churches,
the restraint imposed upon the carnal heart is removed, and the
profession of religion will become a cloak to conceal the basest
iniquity. A belief in spiritual manifestations opens the door to
seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and thus the influence of evil
angels will be felt in the churches.
“ The popular ministry cannot successfully resist spiritualism. They
have nothing wherewith to shield their flocks from its baleful
influence. Much of the sad result of spiritualism will rest upon
ministers of this age; for they have trampled the truth under their
feet, and in its stead have preferred fables.
167
. Communications from the spirits will declare that God has
sent them to convince the rejecters of Sunday of their error, affirming
that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God. They will
lament the great wickedness in the world and second the testimony of
religious teachers that the degraded state of morals is caused by the
desecration of Sunday. Great will be the indignation excited against all
who refuse to accept their testimony.
172
Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel’s
message have often been regarded as mere alarmists. Their predictions
that religious intolerance would gain control in the United States, that
church and state would unite to persecute those who keep the
commandments of God, have been pronounced groundless and absurd. . . .
But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated,
the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and
the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had
before. . . .
Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with
holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them. The sins of Babylon
will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing the observances of
the church by civil authority, the inroads of spiritualism, the stealthy
but rapid progress of the papal power –all will be unmasked. By these
solemn warnings the people will be stirred. . . . As the people go to
their former teachers with the eager inquiry, Are these things so? the
ministers present fables, prophesy smooth things, to soothe their fears
and quiet the awakened conscience. But since many refuse to be satisfied
with the mere authority of men and demand a plain “Thus saith the
Lord,” the popular ministry, like the Pharisees of old, filled with
anger as their authority is questioned, will denounce the message as of
Satan and stir up the sin-loving multitudes to revile and persecute
those who proclaim it.
5t-711
“ A great crisis awaits the people of God. A crisis awaits the world.
The most momentous struggle of all the ages is just before us. Events
which for more than forty years we have upon the authority of the
prophetic word declared to be impending are now taking place before our
eyes. Already the question of an amendment to the Constitution
restricting liberty of conscience has been urged upon the legislators of
the nation. The question of enforcing Sunday observance has become one
of national interest and importance. We well know what the result of
this movement will be. But are we ready for the issue? Have we
faithfully discharged the duty which God has committed to us of giving
the people warning of the danger before them?
Ev-361
Thestorm is coming, the storm that will try every man’s faith,
of what sort it is. Believers must now be firmly rooted in Christ, or
else they will be led astray by some phase of error. Let your faith be
substantiated by the Word of God. Grasp firmly the living testimony of
truth. Have faith in Christ as a personal Saviour. He has been and ever
will be our Rock of Ages. The testimony of the Spirit of God is true.
Change not your faith for any phase of doctrine, however pleasing it may
appear, that will seduce the soul.
Last Day Events-136
“ The wicked . . . declared that they had the truth, that miracles were
among them, that angels from heaven talked with them and walked with
them, that great power and signs and wonders were performed among them,
and that this was the temporal millennium that they had been expecting
so long. The whole world was converted and in harmony with the Sunday
law.–3SM 427, 428 (1884).
Open Face is published bi-monthly and is sent free to all who desire to receive it.
David Clayton: Editor and Publisher
P. O. Box 23 Knockpatrick
Manchester, Jamaica W.I.
Phone: (876) 904-7392
email: david@restorationministry.com
