And there was no BIBLE -- no written record of GOD'S INSTRUCTION, or of GOD'S LAW! The Bible says, "The
Word of the Eternal endureth forever." IF any inspired Word of God had been written prior to Moses, it would be in evidence today. The first
Scriptures were written by MOSES, after the Israelites were delivered out of Egyptian slavery.
The generation of Israelites which Moses led out of Egypt had had no religious instruction or training.
Probably they knew little about the Sabbath. Time could have been lost -- to them. But, if so, God REVEALED IT BY AMAZING MIRACLES!
God Revealed the Creation Sabbath to Israel
In the days of Moses, God revealed the true creation Sabbath to all the Children of Israel, in the raining of
manna from heaven.
At the wilderness of Sin, two weeks before arriving at Sinai, they grumbled and complained from lack of food.
The Lord said, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you ... that I may prove them, whether they will walk in MY LAW or no."
This has to do with whether we will keep GOD'S LAW. To disobey is SIN. And Moses and Aaron said to the people,
"At even [sunset], then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: and in the morning, then ye shall see the
glory of the Lord."
"And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the
Lord ... and it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and
behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud ... And it came to pass, that at even [dusk], the quails came up, and covered the camp, and in
the morning the dew lay round about the host" (Exodus 16:4-13).
Notice, there was a RELIGIOUS ASSEMBLY on this day, and the GLORY OF THE LORD appeared. The quail did not come
up until the sun set. WHY? Because this had been a Sabbath day. At sunset, when it ended, the quails came, and the people were privileged to go to
work gathering in food to eat.
Next morning the manna fell. This was the FIRST DAY of the week. If they tried to keep over any manna till the
following day, it bred worms and stank (verse 20). On the sixth day (verse 22), twice as much came from heaven and all gathered twice as
much.
Then, that sixth day, the Lord said, "Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord" (verse
23). They kept it over, and on this day it did not breed worms nor stink.
However, on the seventh day some of the people must have thought TIME WAS LOST. They were like some modern
people who were not sure WHICH DAY was the Sabbath, or whether it makes any difference. They went out to gather on the seventh day (verse 27) -AND
THEY FOUND NONE! On this day God did not send any! So, by three miracles God showed them WHICH DAY was the true Creation Sabbath.
Time could not have been mixed up or lost under the strict Mosaic regime between then and the time of Christ.
We have shown that Joshua's Long Day was just ONE DAY, and it did not change the reckoning of time in any way. If it did, then, as pointed out,
Christ kept the wrong day! And so we come to the time of Christ, KNOWING that time was not lost up to then.
The Proof of the Jewish People
Now if we are convinced that Jesus set us a RIGHT example, and that He observed the RIGHT seventh day, we need
have no further difficulty.
Notice, the day Jesus kept AS HIS CUSTOM (Luke 4:16) was the same day all the Jews kept, for they were holding
their religious service in the synagogue -- verses 17, 20.
About 43 years after this the Jewish people were driven into EVERY NATION ON EARTH. From that time until now,
they have been separated, scattered into all nations. Through the Middle Ages, the Jews in China had no way of communicating with the Jews of Africa;
the Jews in Europe with those of other parts of the world. Yet today, with communication restored over every part of the world, we do NOT find the
Jews all mixed up.
If time had been lost, the Jews of one part of the world would be observing one day, and the Jews of other
parts other days. But everywhere -- in EVERY NATION ON EARTH, we find the Jewish people have been keeping the SAME IDENTICAL DAY -- the day we call
SATURDAY -- the true seventh day.
The Jewish people are the miracle of all history -- and they are another proof that we have not lost the
Sabbath. Ask any orthodox Jew today if HE has lost HIS Sabbath. Why, such an idea would be nonsense to him. He is not in doubt!
The Proof of the Church
Another line of proof! We have a history of the true Church of God through every century from Christ until
now. It has always been a SABBATH KEEPING Church.
Through the Middle Ages, just as prophesied in Revelation 12:6, this true Church had to FLEE to the wilderness,
clear beyond the jurisdiction of the Roman Empire, dominated by the Roman Catholic Church.
In 363 A. D. the Roman Church passed the Decree of the Council of Laodicea, pronouncing the DEATH SENTENCE
upon any found to be keeping the Sabbath. Many true Christians were MARTYRED for keeping this day. When men were willing to GIVE THEIR LIVES in order
to keep God's commands, do you think they could lose track of the right day?
And coming down to modern times, we find this Church, the true Christian Church, keeping the day we call
Saturday -- the same day the Jewish people have been keeping right down through every year from Christ until now.
The Proof of Reason
And another line of proof. Why should time be lost? How COULD it be lost? Stop, think! One person might,
perhaps, wake up some Saturday morning and think it was Friday, and thus wait until Sunday to keep his Sabbath. But for time to be lost, not only ONE
MAN, but every other person in his town or city -- every person in every province, state, or county of the whole world -- every person in every
nation on earth -- would have to wake up the same morning with the same hallucination! Do you think this possible? Yet you believe this has happened
if you believe that time has been lost!
The Testimony of Astronomers
Finally, we have the scientific testimony of astronomers. We quote from the official government statements to
the League of Nations, as published August 17, 1926, in an official League document.
The government of Finland presented this observation from one of its astronomers:
"The reform [calendar reform before the League] would break the division of the week, which has been
followed for thousands of years, and therefore has been hallowed by immemorial use."
The government of France presented the following statements from two of its leading astronomers:
"One essential point is that of the continuity of the week ... a continuity which has existed for so
many centuries." "The continuity of the week ... is without doubt the most ancient scientific institution bequeathed to us by
antiquity."
Stated Prof. D. Eginitis, director of the Observatory of Athens, a member of the League Committee,
"The continuity of the week ... has crossed the centuries, and all known calendars, still
intact."
And we could go on and on. But this is enough. We have presented the proof of history, the proof of the
calendar, the proof of the Jewish people, the proof of the martyrs of the true Church, the proof of reason, the testimony of astronomers.
And, we might add, as positive proof as any is that of the Roman Catholic Church, which through the centuries
has preserved its Sunday intact, as the day FOLLOWING the seventh-day Sabbath as kept by Jesus and the early apostles. The Catholic priest today is
no more in doubt about his SUNDAY being the true FIRST day of the week, than the Jew is about God's Sabbath.
Would God set apart a certain day, put His blessing on it (Genesis 2:1-3), make it HOLY TIME, command that it be
KEPT HOLY FOREVER, and then let that holy time become so lost we cannot tell when to keep it?
TIME LOST? If so, then you and I are LOST, for it is SIN to profane God's Sabbath! That is the 4th point of
the Law.
Sin is the transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4), and if we break only ONE OF ITS POINTS -- any one -- we are
guilty sinners (James 2:8-11). The very last recorded words of Jesus say: "Blessed are they that do His [His Father's] Commandments, that
THEY may have right to the TREE OF LIFE (Revelation 22:14).
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