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[Dedication]

We, as Seventh-day Adventists have long understood that the last day crises which will reveal who is fully committed to following the Lord will include as the sign of that loyality the Sabbath issue.
When Sunday is enforced as the means to bring the country back to God, people will all be enlightened to the question as to whether Sunday or Saturday is the true  Sabbath of the Lord, and they will be brought to the valley of decision -- to obey  the Sunday laws or obey and follow the law giving Savior.
To keep Saturday the 7th day will be seen as rebellion against the Christian movement that seeks for unity and claims to be returning the nation back to God.

I can see that very thing happening in the Samoan Islands right now (but that is a topic in another thread)

This thread is to discuss whether the prophetic picture in the above scenerio is indeed in scripture.

[Dedication]

BIBLE STUDY

Rev. 12 -- We see the dragon, that serpent the devil, and in the last verse we see what he is ANGRY about.

Rev. 12:17 And the dragon was very angry 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.

So in the last days the devil directs special attacks  against people who honor God's commandments and have understanding of the prophetic word given by Jesus Christ.

Next in Rev. 13 we see the seven headed beast with all kinds of linguistic links to Daniel 7 (bear feet, leopard body, lion mouth, persecutes God's saints for same amount of time etc as the beast in Daniel 7 etc.)  So this beast is obviously the result of, or continuation of the powers that shaped western civilization in the "old world".

We also notice that it is very religious as worship is a a key word in Rev. 13
The chapter emphasizes worship with many repeats of the word worship.
So what is the religious power that follows in the Babylon, Persia, Grecia, Roman?   It is papal Rome.

So from scripture (comparing Rev. 13 with Daniel 7) we see the Roman Church is the power represented by this leopard like beast.

This beast is the dragons "hench man" to fight against God's commandment keeping faithful.
 Daniel tells us he thinks to change times and laws.

Now just stop to think for a moment,  they are fighting against the commandments of God --
Which commandments is this religious body fighting against. 
We need to comend them for being very conscientious on many of those ten commandment,  but there are two that have been ignored and even fought against by the leading men in these religious   
The second and the fourth commandments,'''

Now the second commandment deals with setting up images and worshipping before them.  It's not dealing with times and laws.  Besides, the Protestant world in general has not rejected or fought against that commandment.

That leaves us with only one commandment.
The fourth!  And yes it deals with time.
And yes, both Catholic and Protestant's fight against the Sabbath commandment.

Dan. 7:25 And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the 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.
7:26 But the judgment shall sit,

Well, let's go on to Rev. 14

The first angel's message is almost a repeat of the fourth commandment -- and also notice how it links "judgment sits" with "worship the Creator" as Daniel links "change law," with "judgment shall sit".

Rev. 14:7
....Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Ex. 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ...
20:11 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.

Now Rev. 13-14 is all about worship.
count how many times the word worship appears in those two chapters.

We either pay homage to God our Creator (whose memorial is the Sabbath (see Gen. 2:1-3)
or
To the beast.

Romans 6:16 Don't you know, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

And remember the issue is --
Rev. 12:17 and Rev. 14:12 the faithful remnant, the saints, "keep God's commandments"
and this make the dragon very angry.

Sunday is the sign or mark that the church uplifts as their claim that their authority is greater than the authority of God. (of course some discussion on history brings this home as well) In trampling upon the law of God, even if it's just one of the ten, they deny the authority of the Law-giver, and accept in HIS place, the authority of man.

[Bob Pickle]

The fact that Rev. 14:7 quotes from the 4th commandment in the context of talking about the beast and his mark and God's commandments, that is very significant.

It should also be noted that Rev. 13 & 14 refer to worshiping the image of the beast on pain of death. In Daniel 3 where we find a similar situation, we find a particular time of worship being legislated on pain of death.

But while the penalty in Dan. 3 is death in a furnace of fire, the penalty imposed by God in Rev. 14:9-12 for worshiping the image is the second death in the lake of fire.

[Battle Creek]

Does the fact that we keep the forth commandment guarantee that none of us break any of the other ten commandments?

[Dedication]

It all depends on what a person believes "keeping the seventh day" means?
Simply taking the day off from work and showing up at a church service guarantees nothing.

However, true Sabbath keeping is a relationship experience with our Creator.  It carries over into the whole week, and reaches it's peak on Sabbath days.   And yes, a person in a vital relationship with Christ  is guaranteed to have God's law  written upon the heart and mind, (Heb 10:16) and though they need to mature, and will slip as they grow in this relationship, their connection with Christ changes them and gives them a righteousness that far exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees.