On November 8, 2016, many Americans will vote for either one of two candidates running for the highest office in the land, wishing to become the most powerful person in the world. This election is truly extraordinary, as we have never seen in the recent history of the USA two candidates who are both very much disliked by a majority of the people, and whose reputation is one of being untrustworthy and dishonest. The mud-slinging libelous contest by both candidates and their campaigns is unparalleled, with new charges and accusations being raised on a daily basis.

The media is having a field day, with endless discussions and mindless debates, and people are taking positions, not because they are convinced of “their” choice, but they fear the “greater evil” of the other candidate.

Looking at this unique disastrous development, even people in God’s Church might be tempted to vote in a few days to “prevent” greater harm. If they do, they are not only engaging themselves in taking an absolutely ridiculous position (no matter whom they are voting for), but they might be held responsible by God for sinning greatly.

In our Q&A #684, dated April 17, 2015, titled “Is It Really That Important to Understand that We Must Not Vote in Governmental Elections?“,  the following was stated:

“To be blunt, voting in governmental, national and presidential elections violates God’s plan for true Christians and constitutes a grave sin. It manifests the absence of faith in God; reveals a complete lack of understanding as to what the role of a true Christian is today; and shows utter ignorance as to who is ruling this world. We will not mince words in this Q&A, because FAR TOO MANY Christians are deceived and are deceiving others on this topic, foolishly thinking that they are serving God and their country by voting in governmental elections.

“We point out the following in our Statement of Beliefs: ‘We believe that a Christian’s duty to God is of a superior and higher nature than our duty arising from any human relationship (Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-29). We therefore, following Biblical commands and principles, do not participate in voting for national elections or jury duty, and we do not join the military.’

“Why is this? WHY do we take such a strong stance against voting in national elections, while other Christians do not seem to see any problems with this? WHY do we claim that it is part of the Christian DUTY NOT to vote in governmental elections?

“The simple answer is: We will NOT water down the truth of God, even though many others do. We will NOT swim with the stream of national pride, patriotism and nationalism, if it involves violating God’s Law. We WILL obey God rather than man, not being afraid of men and their antagonistic reactions and hateful persecution, but being FEARFUL of becoming luke-warm and compromising with God’s Will, even though many Christians do.

“In our free booklet, ‘Should You Fight in War?’, we address biblical passages which PROHIBIT a true Christian from voting in governmental and presidential elections and from getting involved in political campaigns in ANY way, pointing out that one cannot separate the issues of voting, jury duty service and FIGHTING IN WAR! We state the following:

“’It is inconsistent to take the position that one cannot join the military because one is an ambassador of Jesus Christ and a citizen of another government – the Kingdom of God – while at the same time serving on a jury or voting in governmental elections. For instance, in the United States, the President is also the Commander-in-Chief, having both the right and the obligation under the Constitution, in certain circumstances, to declare war. How can one refuse to participate in war, while voting for a person who has the right and the obligation to declare war? In the past, people were disqualified as conscientious objectors because they did not refuse to serve on a jury or to vote in governmental elections. It was ruled that such an obvious inconsistency in position showed evidence for non-sincerity of the applicant.’

“We also explain in our booklet that it is SATAN who rules this world and EVERY country, WITHOUT exception. It is true, of course, that Satan can only do what God ALLOWS him to do, but generally speaking, God is NOT getting involved in the affairs of this world, and neither should we. God will ONLY intervene and see to it that certain individuals end up in governmental positions, if they are temporarily needed to fulfill aspects of God’s plan. But this would be GOD’s doing, NOT ours.

“We state the following in our above-mentioned booklet: ‘Another reason why a Christian is not to vote for a candidate in governmental or local council elections is because he understands the truth about this being Satan’s world at the present time. It is Satan who, with the general permission of God, places candidates into governmental offices. If we were to vote, we might involve ourselves quite directly in Satan’s system. Hosea 8:4 gives us God’s warning in this regard: “They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.”

“‘Sometimes, in order to ensure that certain aspects of His plan are fulfilled, God Himself might intervene to see to it that the person best (or perhaps worst) suited for the job at that time gets the job… How would God look at us when He intervenes directly to place a specific person into office, while we did not vote for that person, but rather for someone whom God does not want to see in charge at that time? It is obvious that our vote would be found to be in opposition to God’s Will.

“‘To give a prophetic and an historical example, Biblical prophecy reveals that a final political leader of the resurrected Roman Empire – the “beast” – will soon arise in Europe. According to God’s prophetic plan, this person will be placed in office in the very last days, wreaking total havoc on this planet. It is Satan, with God’s permission, who will give his power and authority to this person (Revelation 13:4-5). A Christian could not and should not vote for this person, of course, as he will persecute and kill many of the ‘saints’ (Revelation 13:7), and he will even attempt to fight the returning Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:19). Neither should a Christian have voted for Adolph Hitler, although it is clear now that Hitler came to power, as prophesied, to bring about the ninth resurrection of the Roman Empire. This is to say that God allowed Hitler to become ruler over Germany so that prophecy could be fulfilled.

”The Bible shows that God sometimes appoints directly, or permits Satan to place into office, strong or weak leaders, depending on the situation, in order to insure that God’s purpose will be carried out. For example, God allowed ancient Pharaoh, at the time of the Exodus, to be ruler over Egypt for a very specific reason – ‘that [God] may show [His] power in [him], and that [God’s] name may be declared in all the earth’ (Exodus 9:16).

“In regard to Pharaoh, we read that God placed him into power because he was a stubborn, self-righteous and ungodly person who would refuse to obey God and do His Will. God announced to Moses that He was ‘sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand’ (Exodus 3:19). Pharaoh would only yield after God had stricken Egypt with ‘all Mywonders which I will do in its midst’ (verse 20). God pronounced to Pharaoh that ‘indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth’ (Exodus 9:16). Paul later quoted this passage in Romans 9:17 in the context of God’s Will and His decision as to whom He wants to grant mercy in this day and age. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:4 that ‘The LORD has made all FOR HIMSELF, Yes, even the WICKED  for the day of doom.’ The fact that GOD raised up and gave rulership to wicked Pharaoh for the day of his doom in order to show His mercy towards Israel PROVES that any HUMAN voting for governmental leaders is useless, futile and CONTRARY TO GOD’S Will.

“While the Jewish leadership was willing to fight the Babylonian army under King Nebuchadnezzar, the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed God’s Will to the Jewish people NOT to fight, but to put down their weapons and to surrender to the foreign king. Jeremiah did not find a popular acceptance of this command; in fact, he was labeled a traitor and imprisoned as a consequence. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered and subdued the house of Judah, as it had been prophesied, but he was by no means a righteous king. He was full of pride and because of his arrogance and lack of humility, God removed him from his throne for seven years and let him become insane, living with the animals. After that, God restored his sanity and placed him back on his throne. The accompanying lessons before, during and after Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity are strikingly revealed in the Bible. We read in Daniel 2:21 that God ‘removes kings and raises up kings’ (Daniel 2:21). We also read in Daniel 4:32; 5:21 that it is GOD who gives a kingdom to whomever HE chooses. God wants us to know that ‘the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever HE WILL, And sets over it the LOWEST of men’ (Daniel 4:17). The Authorized Version even says that He ‘setteth up over it the BASEST of men.’

“As mentioned, God will do so when His plan requires it; otherwise, He leaves it to Satan to appoint those whom he wants to rule this world. Satan understands this. He showed Jesus in the wilderness all THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD in a moment of time, and said to Him: ‘ALL this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to ME, and I give it to WHOMEVER I WISH’ (Luke 4:5-6). Jesus knew this to be true, and we do not read that He disputed Satan’s claim. This is simply NOT God’s world, and neither is it the world of true Christians. Jesus said that the world hates us because we are not part of it (John 17:14). How FOOLISH to think that we should be a part of it by voting in governmental elections, believing that we can thereby make this world a better place or help our country in any way. How FOOLISH to think that we should be trying to improve Satan’s handiwork.

“In our before-mentioned booklet, we state the following about the related topic of jury duty service: ‘A true Christian is a stranger, alien and exile (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13) while here on earth; an ambassador for Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20); and a representative of God’s Kingdom. As such, and in being a light to the world by proper conduct (Matthew 5:14-16), a true Christian does not take part in this world’s governmental or political affairs, as presently, it is not God who rules this earth, but Satan the devil (Revelation 2:13; Luke 4:5-6). Christians are challenged to come out of the governmental and political systems of this world. Christ, knowing that God’s Kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), refused to judge a civil matter when He was asked to do so (Luke 12:14). Paul, likewise, prohibited judging those ‘who are outside’ the church (1 Corinthians 5:12).’

“As Christ did not JUDGE a civil matter, so He did not VOTE in governmental elections either, and Christians are likewise PROHIBITED from doing so. The Bible is very clear: We are SINNING if we judge in jury duty services or vote in national elections, while forgetting our true responsibility of being AMBASSADORS for Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. Once God rules on earth, there will be NO MORE VOTING in political campaigns. For true Christians, there must be no voting today.”

We are afraid that this biblical warning will fall on deaf ears of those who in their misguided zeal are determined to vote, no matter what God says. They will do this at great personal peril, because God is not mocked; and what a man sows that he will reap. Especially in this coming presidential election, their vote will only contribute to the destruction of the flesh.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

In the first four installments of this series, we addressed questions related to God’s command not to do “work” on the Sabbath; not to pursue our own “pleasure”; not to engage in “business”; whether it is permissible to eat out in a restaurant on the Sabbath; and attendance of and proper appearance in our Church worship services. In this final installment, we will address proper conduct during our Church services.

We need to understand that God has given His Church the responsibility to teach His law, including proper conduct during Sabbath services. In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul tells Timothy: “I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground (or foundation) of the truth.” We are not to “despise the church of God” through improper conduct (compare 1 Corinthians 11:22).

God expects of members and attendees to KNOW how to conduct themselves in Church services, which are sacred convocations or assemblies, and to realize that God is to be “greatly feared,” respected, hallowed and “to be held in reverence” “in the assembly of the saints” (Psalm 89:7).

It should go without saying that we are not to come to services “drunk” (compare 1 Corinthians 11:21); nor should we even think of taking a break during services “for a cigarette.” But although we may not get drunk or smoke just before or during Sabbath services, if we have done so the night before, this will become obvious to the entire congregation (the smell of smoky garments cannot be hidden, nor the face of a person recovering from drunkenness). Even apart from Church services, getting drunk or smoking is sinful behavior and must be overcome. This means, we must work on getting rid of sin in our lives. Even if we appear properly dressed in Sabbath services, God will still not accept us if we show Him throughout the week that we are not serious about overcoming our sins and living His Way of Life (compare Isaiah 1:12, 16).

Paul had to deal with a terrible situation in the Corinthian Church, when he chided the members as follows: “I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you…” (1 Corinthians 11:17-18). It is critical that Church members, who assemble on the Sabbath, do not have any unresolved problems between them.

In a Q&A on proper appearance and conduct in our worship services, we stated the following:

“It is critically important to understand that we appear in front of God during the entirety of our worship service; and this means that every aspect of the service is to reflect our worship of God. This is true whether we are attending together with our brethren in a Church hall, or whether we are, due to necessity, listening in to live Church services from our homes. This means we stand up respectfully and humbly when participating in the opening or closing prayer, and we stand up and participate joyfully in the singing of the congregational hymns [in the Church hall AND at home].

“We concentrate on and listen carefully to the messages (including the announcements, as well as the sermonette and sermon). It is understood, of course, that parents will have to take care of their babies and young children, which might even require at times to take them out of the Church hall, when they get too loud and disturb others. But apart from these sometimes inevitable distractions, there is no excuse for not paying close and undivided attention to services. It would be highly inappropriate to engage in jokes or unnecessary conversation during services (except for unavoidable situations, such as when our technical staff may at times have to communicate with each other to make sure that the services are being properly broadcast, etc.). It would also be offensive to God if someone were to get up during services (whether in a Church hall or at home) [to engage in unnecessary conduct]…

“In services, most of us do not have many opportunities to audibly participate, except for saying ‘Amen’ to the opening and closing prayers, after having listened carefully and attentively to every word of the prayers, and for singing joyfully during the song service. We cannot overemphasize the importance of participation in the song service with all of our heart, concentrating on each word which we are singing, and agreeing with it completely, knowing that we are not doing so to impress others, but because we are worshipping God when we sing out loud [compare Psalm 26:12; 149:1].

“Church services ARE FORMAL WORSHIP services, in dedication to God and in fellowship with His holy people, and all of us must always keep this in mind throughout the entirety of the service…”

As mentioned, these statements also apply when we are participating in live services over the Internet. Even though we might be in the privacy of our homes, we should not think that we can therefore dishonor the sacred nature of services by “doing our own thing.” While no other human being might see us, God does, and He evaluates us as to how sincere and committed we are to Him and the holiness of His Sabbath days. In fact, when we attend Sabbath services, either in person or via the Internet, we are appearing before God and His heavenly throne and majestic surroundings, as we read in Hebrews 12:18-24. The New International Version renders verse 23: “You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.” The Living Bible speaks of “the gathering of countless happy angels”; the New American Bible refers to the angels “in festal gathering”; and the New Jerusalem Bible states that angels “have gathered for the festival.”

1 Peter 1:10-12 states that angels “desire to look into” the things which are revealed to the Church of God; and Ephesians 3:8-10 adds that God reveals the truth to His Church, which proclaims it, including in Sabbath services, to angels and humans. God and His angels observe whether we eagerly and regularly attend Church services; whether we listen diligently and attentively to the messages and the prayers; and whether we participate whole-heartedly in the song service (perhaps even conducting at times special music).

These principles apply to our children and teens as well. When they are old enough, they should listen to the messages, and their parents should also teach them at home about God’s Way of Life (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; 32:46). Jesus was 12 years old when He was in the Temple, “listening to [the teachers] and asking them questions,” so that all “were astonished at His understanding and answers” (Luke 2:46-47). Our children and teens should be willing to listen and to learn (Proverbs 4:1-4; 5:7-14). They should rise up for (and, if possible, participate in) the song service and they should stand and listen to the opening and closing prayers (unless for little children who might be sleeping during services).

Our children and teens should not be doing school work or reading books or comics during Sabbath services, nor should they entertain themselves with video games during services. If they are old enough to read books, then they are also old enough to listen to the messages (they might even be old enough to read the Scriptures in their own Bibles together with the ministers who might read them from the pulpit).

Parents ought to supervise their children before, during and after services. Generally, our children should be sitting together with their parents. If, on occasion, they may want to sit together with another child, then at least one parent should be sitting with them; children should not be sitting together by themselves. They should also be responsible enough, if they have to go to the restroom during services, to immediately return to services; otherwise, a parent should accompany the child to and from the restroom. When the Church meets in a hotel, it is very important that children are not left to themselves before and after services (compare Proverbs 29:15), as disturbing or loud conduct and running in the hall ways of the hotel could even cause the Church to lose the opportunity of renting at the facility; in any event, it would not give a good impression to others when our children were to behave improperly.

At the same time, we must not forget that the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days are FEAST Days, as we explain in our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days.” We point out that Paul essentially told the members in Colossians 2:16-17: “Let no one judge you for keeping the Sabbath or the Holy Days with eating and drinking, rather than fasting, but let the Church determine or resolve this.”

Paul made clear that the Church is to resolve, settle or decide in what way we are to observe the Sabbath, which would also include our conduct during Sabbath services. Church members should not listen to those outside the Church or to attendees with different and strange ideas; nor should they devise their own concepts as to how to keep the Sabbath and how to observe Church services. Rather, they should listen to the Church leadership for the explanation and resolution of these questions, including administrative decisions in “gray” areas which may need clarification.

In conclusion, it is very important to God THAT and HOW we appear before Him in Sabbath services (that is, with clean garments AND clean hearts); and HOW we behave in God’s sacred assemblies—understanding how to conduct ourselves in the house of God.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

In the first three installments of this series, we addressed questions related to God’s command not to do “work” on the Sabbath; not to pursue our own “pleasure”; not to engage in “business”; whether it is permissible to eat out in a restaurant on the Sabbath; and attendance of Church services. In this installment, we will address guidelines for proper appearance in our worship services. The next and final installment in this series will address proper conduct during our Church services.

In addressing our proper dress code during Church services, we stated the following in our Q&A on wedding rings:

“Some have raised the issue that the wearing of rings… especially by women… allegedly violates biblical injunctions… This assumption is wrong… James 2:2-4 speaks about a ‘man with gold rings, in fine apparel,’ coming into our assembly or church services. James is not saying that the man should stop wearing gold rings or fine clothes; rather, his point is that the brethren should not show favoritism towards him and look down on those in the church who do not possess such fine things…”

We elaborated on this in our Q&A on James 2:2-4, as follows:

“If we apply James’ statements to worship services on the weekly or annual Sabbaths, two factors have to be kept in mind. First, James is drawing a comparison. He compares the appearance of a rich and prosperous man — who is aware of his riches and manifests them without any sense of recognition or compassion for others — with the appearance of a poor man. The translation of the words ‘with filthy clothes’ in James 2:2 (‘vile raiment’ in the Authorized Version) is somewhat misleading in the context. The Greek word for ‘filthy’ or ‘vile’ is ‘rhuparos’ and can ALSO have the meaning of ‘relatively cheap’ (compare Strong’s under No. 4508)…

“Second, if applied in that sense, it is important to note that the context speaks of a person ‘coming into your assembly.’ James does not seem to be talking about regular Church members (who know how they ought to dress when they appear before God), but a newcomer or a guest.

“But others are not to condemn a ‘poor’ person who is visiting for the first time or who has just begun attending because he is not dressed in an appropriate way. In addition, the way in which he is dressed might be the best the person can do… rather than condemning a person or looking down on him for not dressing up, we should be lending a helping hand and give the needy what is necessary to meet the proper standard…”

Regarding proper standard and dress code for men and women in Church services, we continued to state the following in our Q&A on wedding rings:

“The… passages in 1 Peter 3:3-6 and 1 Timothy 2:9-10 do not prohibit women to wear jewelry or fine clothes or rings per se… but as we also read in Isaiah 3:16-23, they warn against the overemphasis and misuse of the same for wrong purposes, in order to draw undue attention to themselves and their riches…  the Living Bible renders 1 Peter 3:3 as follows, by accurately conveying the intended meaning: ‘Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on jewelry, or beautiful clothes, or hair arrangement. Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit which is so precious to God.’

“At the same time, these passages do not say that women should dress inappropriately or sloppy, without adorning themselves in some way, when attending Sabbath services. The Sabbath is a holy feast day, and we are appearing in front of God on that day, who is our King. We would not appear before a worldly king with dirty clothes or in a sloppy and casual attire…

“When God gave instructions for the creation of ‘holy garments’ for the priests of Israel, He specifically wanted them made ‘for GLORY and for BEAUTY’ (Exodus 28:2). Regarding how both men and women dress when attending Church services, we find a meaningful example in the time when the children of Israel were commanded to wash their clothes in advance of appearing before God (Compare Exodus 19:10,14)…

“Likewise, the priests were to wash themselves when appearing before God (Compare Exodus 30:19-20); and, they were to wear special clothing… Note that we are today a ‘holy’ and a ‘royal priesthood,’ as 1 Peter 2:5, 9 points out, also showing our duty to appear before God during Sabbath services with washed and special clothing…

“It has been the practice of the Church of God to recognize that we are appearing before God when we assemble for Sabbath services along with other special commanded assemblies as given by God [such as commanded worship services throughout the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, even though only the first day is a Holy Day]. As such, we do recommend that each person present himself or herself in the best apparel they have available. The foremost idea is to specially prepare to appear before God to honor HIM!”

In a related Q&A on proper appearance in our worship services, we stated the following:

“That we ought to appear properly dressed for worship services, has been the long-standing teaching of the Church of God, and for good reason:

“We must understand that we are appearing before GOD. God is a great King. God is the Creator of everything that is good and costly and priceless. He is the Creator of beauty. He most certainly is the Creator of quality. He owns all the gold and silver, and it is He who made it all. If we were to be invited by an earthly king, how would we appear in front of him?… Would you want to appear in unwashed, dirty clothing, wearing washed-out jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers?

“How much more should we appear before GOD, the KING over His creation, in proper clothes! The famous parable in Matthew 22:10-13 about the king’s wedding feast for his son contains a spiritual lesson, but it also describes a physical principle–that we dress appropriately for the occasion. It DID matter to the king–God the Father–how the guests were dressed for the wedding of His Son, Jesus Christ.

“In this context, we must not neglect culture. In the Western World, it is normally appropriate for men to wear a suit, or a nice combination, with a shirt and a tie… In the U.S.A., Canada or in England [and we might include continental Europe as well], men don’t dress up, when they appear in worship services with an open shirt, a T-shirt or jeans.

“Ladies should also wear appropriate clothing, of course. In addition, their dresses should not be too short or too tight or too revealing…

“God gives us the freedom to determine what is appropriate clothing, within the acceptability of proper dress in our cultures, but to clarify, God does not give us the freedom to violate His specific instructions so that we can follow our culture. For example, God has told us how to wear our hair. We are told that it is a shame for a man – young or old – to wear long hair…

“God takes great exception to the self-absorbed and self-willed practices of people who lose all restraint. This applies to inappropriate sloppy appearance, as well as to the over-emphasis on wealth and riches… Our responsibility is to dress modestly and yet to dress with quality garments that reflect our honoring of God…”

As we pointed out in our previous Q&A (“How Are We to Keep the Sabbath?,” Part 3), young children should attend Church services with their parents. The rules of proper dress code apply to our children as well. We are not saying, of course, that our young boys need to appear in a suit (even though some might wish to dress them up in such a “cute” way), nor, that our young girls need to wear a “wedding dress,” but our children should not appear sloppy and uncombed, wearing “every-day” street clothes, washed-out or torn jeans, T-Shirts or Sneakers. Their appearance should reflect the sanctity and holiness of Sabbath services.

Regarding the proper dress code during participation in our live Internet services, we stated the following in the above-mentioned Q&A:

“We realize that for some brethren, it is impossible or very difficult to attend our Church services in person. They might be scattered; they might be too sick or handicapped; or there might be other valid reasons preventing them to attend in person. Since they cannot physically join with other members on the Sabbath, they listen to sermon CDs, or they sit in and listen to live Internet worship services… if scattered brethren have Sabbath worship services ‘in their home,’ while listening to CDs, to our sermonettes and sermons which are posted online, or to live Internet Church services, they still appear before God during that time in a SACRED assembly, and we don’t want to appear before God uncombed, unshaved and unwashed, or by just wearing our pajamas.

“The requirement of proper attire does of course not apply to somebody who is sick and in bed; or to those who might be listening to CDs or tapes during the week or after the Sabbath is over. Nor does it apply to those who might be listening in to live services from overseas, after the Sabbath has already passed for them. We are strictly addressing live Internet services for those participating in Sabbath services in lieu of attending in person, simply because they are scattered or are suffering, for example, from a flu, which would not prevent them from being dressed appropriately…”

To emphasize the fact that participants in our live Internet services appear before God in a sacred assembly, we have published the following statement on our LiveStream page regarding “Attending Live Internet Church Services”:

“The Church of the Eternal God broadcasts weekly and annual live services over the Internet for those who are unable to attend our local services in person. We emphasize that the live broadcasts of our Church services are holy and sacred convocations. Participants over the Internet should conduct themselves appropriately during services, in accordance with our doctrines and practices, and this includes proper dress when we are appearing before God. We encourage any person interested in participating over the Internet to contact the ministry to receive guidance and answers to any questions.”

These same principles apply to those who use CDs or tapes for their Sabbath services at home, in lieu of participating in Church services in person.

Before ending this installment, we would like to make the following observations:

We are presenting these Q&A’s on proper Sabbath observance to provide a balanced approach, based on God’s Word. We also need to emphasize that God’s true ministers are the custodians or “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1); and that God’s Church is the “pillar and ground of [God’s] truth” (1 Timothy 3:15), speaking with godly authority on administrative matters (Matthew 18:18), such as how to keep the Sabbath properly. The question arises whether God will accept worship from members or prospective members when they devise their own practices, and whether He will inspire and lead people who reject His ministry. The biblical record has strong warnings for those who refuse the clear instructions and principles established by God in His Word and faithfully taught by His ministers (Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 13:17).

The Jews of Jesus’ time had warped the keeping of the Sabbath by replacing the godly approach with their own customs and traditions. Those actions led them to seek to kill Jesus over the way He properly taught and kept the Sabbath. The keeping of the Sabbath in our generation is still the subject of false teachings, and the Church of God, under God’s inspiration, upholds the truth of correct Sabbath observance.

In addition, we need to ask whether knowledge of TRUE Sabbath observance has been lost and is being rejected by some. All kinds of people in their own groups and all kinds of people in their own minds talk about keeping the Sabbath. As Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong used to say about the differing “Christian” denominations—“they can’t all be right!”

After Mr. Armstrong’s death in 1986, the new administration of the Worldwide Church of God began to disembowel the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days—to water them down—to provide alternate observances, until it completely rejected the weekly and annual Sabbaths in their entirety. This was not unlike the way King Jeroboam set up more “convenient places” than Jerusalem and the Temple of God for worship.

The residue of people who once attended the Worldwide Church of God have mostly thrown away Sabbath keeping. Various Church of God groups are hanging on, but the question must be asked whether the grip of some has been slipping with the passage of time. Right Sabbath keeping is so much more than just knowing ABOUT the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days—God expects obedience concerning the sacred times He has established!

When God looks across this earth during His weekly Sabbaths and His annual Holy Days, how many faithful Sabbath keepers does He see? Our series on the right way of Sabbath keeping should be viewed as a clarion call for the people of God to WAKE UP!

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writers: Norbert Link and Dave Harris