In some denominations there is the doctrine which claims that all those who have their worship services on Sunday and not on the Sabbath, as required by the law, are part of the antichrist system. They refer to Rev. 14:6-13 and declare, “Whoever holds services on Sundays has the mark of the beast and will be tormented for all eternity.” This is a terrible, arbitrary interpretation, not only because it is false – for there it does not say anything about Sunday – but because it distracts from what it is really all about. When the subject is as crucial as the one about the mark of the beast, namely about the direct sign of the antichrist, then that is all the more reason to consult all of the Scriptures which address that matter and thus produce an absolute, biblical denominator. Any private interpretation of a Scripture is the work of the enemy. The revelation of the true meaning is a necessity; it emerges only from the collectiveness of all the Scriptures that pertain to it.

Rev. 13:11-18 provides the information about end-time events and also that the mark of the beast is “the number of a man,” not the number of a day. The number of the “superman” was even calculated for us: 666. Since the reformation, it has been identified as VICARIUS FILII DEI and directly applied to the papacy.

There is not a single Scripture which states that someone who preaches on a Sunday or takes part in a service has the mark of the beast. And there is not a single passage which in any way insinuates that all those who keep the Sabbath have the seal of God, as some people claim. These are teachings of men and, in fact, entirely unbiblical. According to the Scriptures, the seal of God is placed on the true believers by the Holy Ghost (2. Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13; Eph. 4:30).

The alleged basis of the argument is the Word from Dan. 7, verse 25. However, it is taken out of context, for it refers to the predetermined end time in which the people of Israel are delivered unto the antichrist for three and half years after breaking the covenant (Dan. 9:27). “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.” Daniel did not see what concerns the Church, but what would take place with Israel (Dan. 10:14).

One has to read every Bible text in its entirety and leave it in the context in which it actually belongs. For instance, when one reads Dan. 7:23-27, he can clearly see that it is about the last time period of the 3 ½ years of the tribulation, after which the millennial reign starts: “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High …” (v. 27). In reference to the time span for Israel, during which it is also about the mark of the beast, it states: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” (Rev. 14:12-13).

The assertion that the Sunday was established by the Catholic Church is incorrect. The first day of the week was already the meeting day of our risen Lord, the apostles, and of the believers in the early church. The designation “day of the sun,” however, is of pagan origin; therefore, the name chosen for the first day is indeed unbiblical, but not the day itself. True is that the hatred against the Jews by the developing state church in the third century was getting so strong that they finally cursed them as murderers of Christ and rejected them together with the Sabbath. In the year 321, even before the state church existed as an organisation, the emperor Constantine issued the decree wherein he forbade the Jews to keep the Sabbath and imposed the Sunday as the day of worship for them also. For all citizens in the Roman Empire, the Sunday was introduced as the obligatory day of worship. That is how God’s Old Testament people had their Sabbath taken away, which had been chosen for them by God Himself, thus leaving them with a moral dilemma and exposing them to persecution, banishment, and even death. This decree, however, goes back to the instigation by men of the church and is absolutely condemnable. On the other hand, nobody has the right to cause a moral dilemma for the Church from the nations for the sake of the Sabbath. We were not obligated to the Sabbath nor to the Sunday, but were pardoned and are living in the liberty of the children of God.

Furthermore, whoever declares the Sunday to be the “day of the Lord” is spiritually blind. Throughout the entire Old Testament and New Testament, “the day of the Lord” is described manifold (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20; a. o.). It states that the sun shall turn into darkness and the moon into blood before “the day of the Lord” comes. “The day of the Lord” will come as a thief in the night (1. Ths. 5:1-3; a. o.). Rev. 1:10 also refers to it, and not to the Sunday. On the isle of Patmos, John did not see what would happen on a Sunday, but what would take place on the “day of the Lord,” as described in the subsequent chapters.

It is very noteworthy that God did not want to bring forth Messianic Jews from the nations, but children of God who are led by the Spirit of God. Certainly, nobody should try to have Jews become Gentile Christians either. Actually, there are neither “Messianic Jews” nor “Gentile Christians” – there are only Jewish and Gentile believers of the Bible who are born again and have become children of God. Everything has to be left in the divine order.

Although those who celebrate the Sabbath as the seventh day appointed by God do so seriously and sincerely, they thereby have only the letter of the law, but not the revelation about the entering into the rest that was given to God’s people by His grace.

There is nothing else left but to hope that everybody understands what was shown forth here in a few words. Not many should become teachers (Jas. 3:1). God Himself has set into His Church apostles, prophets, and teachers (1. Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11) who today teach exactly what was taught in the original Christianity. Every biblical subject was sufficiently dealt with in the Scripture. Paul could say of himself that he was set as a teacher (1. Tim. 2:7; 2. Tim. 1:11). Likewise we know that all true servants of God preached the doctrine of the apostles according to the Scriptures, just as it was decreed for the New Testament Church. Everybody should hold fast to what was left unto us clear and true in the Scriptures and should forget every interpretation. Blessed is the preacher who applies the Word of truth correctly and all who rightly believe it!

There was a time without a Sabbath until the law was given. There was the time of Israel with the Sabbath. Now we are in the time span of the Church; thereafter comes the millennial reign with the King in the Millennium. May the Lord God give grace that only he teaches who was taught by God and only he speaks to whom the Lord has spoken through His Word, which alone gives clarity. May all hear only what the Spirit of God says through the Word of God.

When the Bible speaks so clearly about a subject, the letter is nevertheless insufficient; everything always has to be revealed by the Spirit. It does not make sense at all to waste time with arguments and discussions. Whoever does not allow himself be taught by the Word is unteachable. We can only say:“May Israel as God’s people of the Old Covenant do what God said to them. And may God’s people of the New Covenant do what was left unto us in the Word since the founding of the New Testament Church.” Blessed be the people of Israel and blessed be the Church of God from all nations in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Let us respect the divine order for the New Testament Church in faith and practice as set forth by the Apostles of the Lord. “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42). Amen.

In some denominations there is the doctrine which claims that all those who have their worship services on Sunday and not on the Sabbath, as required by the law, are part of the antichrist system. They refer to Rev. 14:6-13 and declare, “Whoever holds services on Sundays has the mark of the beast and will be tormented for all eternity.” This is a terrible, arbitrary interpretation, not only because it is false – for there it does not say anything about Sunday – but because it distracts from what it is really all about. When the subject is as crucial as the one about the mark of the beast, namely about the direct sign of the antichrist, then that is all the more reason to consult all of the Scriptures which address that matter and thus produce an absolute, biblical denominator. Any private interpretation of a Scripture is the work of the enemy. The revelation of the true meaning is a necessity; it emerges only from the collectiveness of all the Scriptures that pertain to it.      

Rev. 13:11-18 provides the information about end-time events and also that the mark of the beast is “the number of a man,” not the number of a day. The number of the “superman” was even calculated for us: 666. Since the reformation, it has been identified as VICARIUS FILII DEI and directly applied to the papacy.

There is not a single Scripture which states that someone who preaches on a Sunday or takes part in a service has the mark of the beast. And there is not a single passage which in any way insinuates that all those who keep the Sabbath have the seal of God, as some people claim. These are teachings of men and, in fact, entirely unbiblical. According to the Scriptures, the seal of God is placed on the true believers by the Holy Ghost (2. Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13; Eph. 4:30).

The alleged basis of the argument is the Word from Dan. 7, verse 25. However, it is taken out of context, for it refers to the predetermined end time in which the people of Israel are delivered unto the antichrist for three and half years after breaking the covenant (Dan. 9:27). “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.” Daniel did not see what concerns the Church, but what would take place with Israel (Dan. 10:14).

One has to read every Bible text in its entirety and leave it in the context in which it actually belongs. For instance, when one reads Dan. 7:23-27, he can clearly see that it is about the last time period of the 3 ½ years of the tribulation, after which the millennial reign starts: “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High …” (v. 27). In reference to the time span for Israel, during which it is also about the mark of the beast, it states: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” (Rev. 14:12-13).

The assertion that the Sunday was established by the Catholic Church is incorrect. The first day of the week was already the meeting day of our risen Lord, the apostles, and of the believers in the early church. The designation “day of the sun,” however, is of pagan origin; therefore, the name chosen for the first day is indeed unbiblical, but not the day itself. True is that the hatred against the Jews by the developing state church in the third century was getting so strong that they finally cursed them as murderers of Christ and rejected them together with the Sabbath. In the year 321, even before the state church existed as an organisation, the emperor Constantine issued the decree wherein he forbade the Jews to keep the Sabbath and imposed the Sunday as the day of worship for them also. For all citizens in the Roman Empire, the Sunday was introduced as the obligatory day of worship. That is how God’s Old Testament people had their Sabbath taken away, which had been chosen for them by God Himself, thus leaving them with a moral dilemma and exposing them to persecution, banishment, and even death. This decree, however, goes back to the instigation by men of the church and is absolutely condemnable. On the other hand, nobody has the right to cause a moral dilemma for the Church from the nations for the sake of the Sabbath. We were not obligated to the Sabbath nor to the Sunday, but were pardoned and are living in the liberty of the children of God.

Furthermore, whoever declares the Sunday to be the “day of the Lord” is spiritually blind. Throughout the entire Old Testament and New Testament, “the day of the Lord” is described manifold (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20; a. o.). It states that the sun shall turn into darkness and the moon into blood before “the day of the Lord” comes. “The day of the Lord” will come as a thief in the night (1. Ths. 5:1-3; a. o.). Rev. 1:10 also refers to it, and not to the Sunday. On the isle of Patmos, John did not see what would happen on a Sunday, but what would take place on the “day of the Lord,” as described in the subsequent chapters.

It is very noteworthy that God did not want to bring forth Messianic Jews from the nations, but children of God who are led by the Spirit of God. Certainly, nobody should try to have Jews become Gentile Christians either. Actually, there are neither “Messianic Jews” nor “Gentile Christians” – there are only Jewish and Gentile believers of the Bible who are born again and have become children of God. Everything has to be left in the divine order.

Although those who celebrate the Sabbath as the seventh day appointed by God do so seriously and sincerely, they thereby have only the letter of the law, but not the revelation about the entering into the rest that was given to God’s people by His grace.

There is nothing else left but to hope that everybody understands what was shown forth here in a few words. Not many should become teachers (Jas. 3:1). God Himself has set into His Church apostles, prophets, and teachers (1. Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11) who today teach exactly what was taught in the original Christianity. Every biblical subject was sufficiently dealt with in the Scripture. Paul could say of himself that he was set as a teacher (1. Tim. 2:7; 2. Tim. 1:11). Likewise we know that all true servants of God preached the doctrine of the apostles according to the Scriptures, just as it was decreed for the New Testament Church. Everybody should hold fast to what was left unto us clear and true in the Scriptures and should forget every interpretation. Blessed is the preacher who applies the Word of truth correctly and all who rightly believe it!

There was a time without a Sabbath until the law was given. There was the time of Israel with the Sabbath. Now we are in the time span of the Church; thereafter comes the millennial reign with the King in the Millennium. May the Lord God give grace that only he teaches who was taught by God and only he speaks to whom the Lord has spoken through His Word, which alone gives clarity. May all hear only what the Spirit of God says through the Word of God.

When the Bible speaks so clearly about a subject, the letter is nevertheless insufficient; everything always has to be revealed by the Spirit. It does not make sense at all to waste time with arguments and discussions. Whoever does not allow himself be taught by the Word is unteachable. We can only say:  “May Israel as God’s people of the Old Covenant do what God said to them. And may God’s people of the New Covenant do what was left unto us in the Word since the founding of the New Testament Church.” Blessed be the people of Israel and blessed be the Church of God from all nations in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Let us respect the divine order for the New Testament Church in faith and practice as set forth by the Apostles of the Lord. “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42). Amen.