Timely and Inspiring Prophetic Analysis so you can Prepare.

By Elder Lawrence Nelson

Forgive me, but I must give away to a little reminiscing in my old age. As a boy of some twelve years I was determined to become a preacher like H.M.S. Richards. He was conducting a large evangelistic series of meetings in Los Angeles in which Henry deFluerer was his singing evangelist. I begged my father each night to take me to his five-pole-tent meeting. We would go early so we could sit near the platform for I was determined to catch every word and action of Elder Richards. During the day following the evening meeting I spent considerable time in the backyard garage where I would try to preach his sermon to my imaginary audience.

One night, as Elder Richards was preaching, an elderly man who was sitting near me to the left side of the platform, fell asleep and began to snore so loudly that it was difficult to hear the preacher. It soon became apparent that it was bothering the speaker too. Elder Richards continued to preach but he began to move slowly away from the pulpit toward the snoring, old man. When he stood directly in front of him, Elder Richards artfully worded his sermon – which was on the Mark of the Beast – that we should each realize that this mark would be a life and death issue. Pausing, he shouted with all the breath he could muster, “Wake up, before it’s too late!” Instantly the snoring man awakened and ceased to annoy the listeners. Elder Richards continued his preaching as he walked back to the pulpit.

Never have I felt such an urge in my tape ministry to awaken sleeping Seventh-day Adventists for soon, very soon, we shall find ourselves in a vastly different world than we now live in. My heart beats faster when I read these inspired words, “The scenes to be enacted in our world are not yet even dreamed of. Satan is at work through human agencies. Those who are making an effort to change the constitution and secure a law enforcing Sunday observance little realize what will be the result. A crisis is just upon us.” Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, p. 753.

Let us first seek God in prayer. Oh, loving Father, open our hearts, by Your Holy Spirit, to realize how soon this final crisis is to break upon us. Pull back Thy prophetic curtain that we may discover that most of the inspired predictions of the coming crisis have already taken place. May we not be overtaken by this overwhelming surprise of a sudden national Sunday law. This we ask in the precious name of Jesus our Savior, Amen.

Every sermon should be based on scripture, so let us turn to Esther 4:14 (the last part). Here we find a very dramatic statement. Notice the words, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” There is no doubt in my mind that the book of Esther was recorded in sacred history for our admonition. In this chapter we read of the plan of King Ahasuerus to exterminate every living Jew in the then-known world. From this experience we can fully comprehend just what is about to happen to every Seventh-day Adventist in this soon-coming end-time crisis.

Consider, briefly, what happened in the day of Queen Esther. You remember Mordecai had not caused Haman any harm – he had simply refused to show Haman a worshipful reverence. This led Haman, in his anger, to give false statements to the king, who in turn issued a decree that every Jew was to be killed in a world-wide massacre upon a given date. Inspiration, however, tells us that Satan was the hidden instigator of this scheme for he wanted to rid the earth of Sabbath-keepers.

How wonderful is our God. He knows and understands the thoughts of man and Satan. For by His divine providence God arranged for Esther, a Jew who feared the living God, to be made the queen of Persia. Mordecai, a near relative to the queen, decided in this crisis to appeal to Easter that she venture into the monarch’s presence – even though this might cause her death. Listen to the words of Mordecai to Esther, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Both Esther and Mordecai realized that their future, and that of every seventh-day keeper, was absolutely hopeless unless God would intervene and work mightily.

Today God’s commandment-keeping people are seen as a Mordecai in this world who are refusing to show worshipful reverence to the idol Sunday as demanded by pagan, papal Rome. Inspiration reveals that Satan will arouse the majority to accept popular customs and traditions and join with the lawless and the vile to destroy Sabbath-keepers. Listen carefully as I quote, “Wealth, genius [and] education will combine to cover them with contempt. Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church members will conspire against them. With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, they will seek to overthrow their faith. By false misrepresentations and angry appeals, men will stir up the passions of the people.” Prophets and Kings p. 605, 606.

Now since these enemies of the truth have no “thus saith the scriptures” they will bring against the advocates of the true Sabbath oppressive enactments. I read on p. 606 of Prophets and Kings , “On this battlefield will be fought the last great conflict in the controversy between truth and error. And we are not left to doubt as to the issue.” Are you ready for this? Do you have any idea what is coming?

Would you permit me, at this time, to pull back the prophetic curtain and show you what God has revealed to us is about to happen? In The Great Controversy p. 605 it states, “The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty.” And then on p. 607, speaking of the Sunday-keeping churches are these words, “[They will appeal] to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite.” Let me put that together for you. Sabbath-keepers will be opposed by all Protestant churches and all Catholic churches under the leadership of the man of sin. Are you ready for this?

This union is now developing before our very eyes, day by day, in what we know as the Ecumenical movement. Forced Sunday worship is its ultimate goal. Why are so many of us asleep? Its purpose is to soon pass laws to force Sabbath-keepers to worship on Sunday. Not only to make us keep Sunday sacred but I read again on p. 639 of The Great Controversy, They will “compel God’s people to profane His Sabbath.” Do you really understand what that means?

Now, I am sure that there are those who are listening to me who are saying, “Pastor Nelson, how in the world could this take place in America? Why, we have a Constitution, and the Constitution provides us with absolute protection to worship as we choose.” Let me tell you how it is going to happen. The American people are sound asleep. Few, if any, realize that we are living in the very last days and this includes Seventh-day Adventists who carry on business as usual every day. Somehow they don’t realize that we are in the end time.

Ellen White has tried to awaken us with these words, “Soon we shall be faced with an overwhelming surprise.” She tells us in Testimonies for the Church, Volume 8, p. 28, “Transgression has almost reached its limits. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings.” Are we ready for this when we are frozen with fear? Let me read it again, “A great terror is soon to come.” Maybe we would sit up and think when we are told in Malachi Martin’s book The Keys of this Blood, that Mary had told the pope that there will come a great, cataclysmic event that will bring such terror on this world that the people will arise and ask the pope to rule over them. When the devil, in the guise of Mary, says there is terror coming, and when God says that there is terror coming, we had better wake up.

Consider with me, very carefully, what I am about to bring to you. There is no greater, alarming prediction in the Spirit of Prophecy than that found in Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, p. 451. “Our country shall repudiated every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government.” I am going to shock you when I tell you that this has already happened. No, I didn’t misstate. I repeat – it has already taken place. Do you know that since 1955, we have been living in a nation which can no longer be considered as a Republican government, for the United States is now an integral part of the United Nations, which is the New World Order. As a result, the laws of the United States have been changed every day to conform with the United Nation laws.

Do I hear you say that you find this hard to believe? Well, so did I, until I recently discovered these facts. I am going to read to you now from the Constitution, Article 6. You can go to your library and read it for yourself. “This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall become the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.” Now this tells us that our Constitution says that if we ever make any treaties with other world powers, that they supercede the Constitution. I repeat, if our nation makes any treaty with another world power that treaty supercedes our Constitution.

Now let me give you some undisputed facts. In 1945, some 55 years ago, the United States of America, under the authority of Article 6 which I have just read, signed the United Nations treaty when Harry S. Truman, our president, signed the charter of the United Nations with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. Under the terms of Article 6, the signing of the charter of the United Nations supercedes the United States Constitution. How could we be, as a nation, so stupid? I’ll tell you why – the men who were leading this nation felt that we could always keep our Constitution because we have a veto power in the United Nations Security Council. If we felt that some new law was contrary to our Constitution we could veto it and our veto could stop it.

But, what our men overlooked was what was found in Article 25 of the United Nations treaty with the United States in which it said, “Members of nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accord with (and notice the words) the present charter .” This implied that there would be other charters that would follow. Since the veto power proved to be a hindrance to what the New World government was determined to attain, a way had to be found to circumvent the veto power of the United States. So what did they do? In 1950, the General Assembly met and adopted a new resolution, which would do away with the veto power by expanding the power of the General Assembly, making it above the Security Council. Do you see what happened?

Would you believe it, that our government, the United States of America, signed this amended charter as “the law of the world” – which overrides our Constitution. So now the General Assembly of the United Nations can make any law it chooses if two-thirds of the world governments agree, thus overriding any provision of our Constitution. Let me tell you what this means. The United States must now ignore, abolish, revise, rescind, any law of our nation which conflicts with any law that the United Nations proposes. Think of it. In other words, the veto power is no more. Today, we are living in America subject to any law which is, or will, be passed by the United Nations with a two-thirds majority vote. And may I remind you that most of the nations of the world are predominately Catholic.

No wonder the following speech, which I am going to give to you word-for-word, was given before the United States Senate. This was given by Carl B. Rix who was the president of the American Bar Association. He knows what he is talking about and this is what he said. I am reading from the United States Congressional record, page A3220.

“Congress is no longer bound by its constitutional system of delegated powers. Its only test is under the obligatory power to promote human rights in these fields of endeavor: Civil, political, economic, social and cultural. These are found in Articles 55 and 56 of the Charter of the United Nations, a ratified and approved treaty. They are being promoted in all parts of the world by the United Nations. Congress may now legislate as an uninhibited body with no shackles of delegated powers under the Constitution. Our entire system of government of delegated power of Congress has been changed to a system of undelegated powers without amendment by the people of the United States.” And would you believe it, not one person in the Congress stood up and disagreed. They knew that the power of the Constitution was gone. Listen to what he said once more – a charter that has been ratified and an approved treaty. “Congress may now legislate as an uninhibited body with no shackles of a delegated powers under the Constitution.” It’s gone. The Constitution has already been repudiated. Are you amazed? Of course you are; you are startled.

This is what Ellen White said would happen. We would repudiate everything in the Constitution and it has been done. You will find a whole chapter concerning this, entitled “Treason in High Places” in a book entitled Behold a Pale Horse written by William Cooper in 1991 and published by Publishing Light Technology Publishing, P.O. Box 1495, Sedona, AZ 86336. The author, William Cooper, was a former United States intelligence officer and shortly after the Oklahoma City bombing (because he knew too much and revealed too much) President Clinton secured a FBI file and ordered all government agencies to prosecute him and shut him up. He was recently killed by a government SWAT team officer.

Now back to our subject. What is the United Nations, under papal control, waiting for to enact a Sunday Law to compel all to recognize the pope as above God? They are waiting for some cataclysmic event that will so totally strike terror to the citizens of the United States that they will say, “The only thing that can save us is to bow to the demands of papal Rome and keep Sunday holy . “ Also they are waiting for the Protestant churches to join with Catholics in demanding of Congress to make it a law. I want to tell you that this could happen at any time. You may not be awake as to what is already taking place, but this government knows that there are thousands of its citizens who, when they see their liberties coming to an end, are going to arise in revolt. There will be bloodshed. That is why President Clinton spent 32 billion dollars to add 100,000 policemen to take care of this coming situation.

But that’s not all. I read that Satan has some plans too. He is going to bring disease and disaster. I am reading from The Great Controversy p. 589, 590 in which she writes about Satan’s coming. “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.”

What a picture that God has given us. Why? What is Satan up to? – He is soon going to say that all these disasters are being caused by Seventh-day Adventists. Sounds unbelievable but let me read it to you in The Great Controversy p. 590. “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 the troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.”

Beloved, there is going to be trouble in this United States like you have never seen. I heard a man just the other day on television say we are faced with coming anarchy. That’s a frightening word but did you notice that Sister White uses the same word? Listen how she uses it. “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 Great Controversy p. 592.

If you think this is some fantasy listen carefully. While working on this sermon I received a document in the mail printed by the Vatican which was distributed by the Inter-American Division to all their workers, so it must be authentic. It is the Catholic plan to evangelize Seventh-day Adventists. There are ten points in all. I shall read only the last point under the heading of “Purpose.” I am quoting, “To make Seventh-day Adventists understand that if they do not unite with Catholics and Protestants to seek world peace they will be guilty of all the evils and/or disasters that come upon the earth.” This is exactly what God revealed will happen. Isn’t that astounding – and almost the exact words that He revealed to His prophet, Ellen White.

In just a little time it is not going to be like it is today. Are you going to be faithfully keeping the Sabbath day when the whole world is against us? Do you realize what it will take to live in this New World Order that will come under the control of the man of sin who will direct the Ecumenical movement to exterminate you? Why are we to be the brunt of all this coming trouble? We are the only people left in this world who are an obstacle for Satan to completely rule this world. Have you ever thought of that? No wonder the devil is going to go about like a roaring lion to get control of this world.

What would you do – for you will not find any help in our Constitution? It is only a memory of what it used to be; it’s gone forever. What will you do, appeal to the Supreme Court of the land? They have already publicly declared, “When religious rights clash with the government need for a uniform rule the court will side with the government.” What will you do when your own church refuses to help you – for we are told that some of our leaders will encourage us to keep Sunday? Furthermore, we are told by God’s servant they will testify against you. What will you do when you cannot buy or sell – your money will be worthless. What will you do when you are commanded to obey the pope or go to jail? Am I making this too real? I think not. There is only one thing that you can do. You must trust in God that He will keep you faithful, providing you have been a faithful servant of God keeping all of His commandments specifically keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy week by week.

Do you realize what it is going to be when the papacy takes control of the United Nations? We are told in Revelation 17:12 that the ten kingdoms of the world are going to give their power to the beast. The whole world will be organized against you. Now I want to read again from the book entitled Behold a Pale Horse written by William Cooper, a former United States intelligence officer. This is the man that was murdered by the US government for knowing too much and speaking too much. He gives the most astonishing information beginning on page 89, which reveals that the papal power is not what it claims to be.

Listen, “The Vatican has stated at various times that the pope is for total disarmament; the pope is for the illumination of the sovereignty of the United States. The pope is also stating that the property rights are not to be considered true property rights. The pope believes that only the Vatican knows what is right for man. In the early 1940’s the I.G. Farben Chemical Company employed a Polish salesman who sold cyanide to the Nazis for use in Auschwitz. The same salesman also worked as a chemist in the manufacture of the poison gas. This same cyanide gas, along with Zyklon-B and malathion was used to exterminate millions of Jews and others groups. Their bodies were burned to ashes in the ovens. After the war this salesman, fearing for his life, joined the Catholic Church and was ordained as a priest in 1946. This salesman was ordained Poland’s youngest bishop in 1958. After a 30-day reign, his predecessor was assassinated and our ex-cyanide-gas-salesman assumed the papacy as Pope John Paul II.”

The pope has challenged the world leaders by claiming that the people of the world already recognize the absolute authority of Rome because they observe the Sunday sabbath that was ordered by the pope in the Council of Laodicea – 364 AD. The original Ten Commandments, given Moses by God, ordered that we should “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 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.”

The seventh-day Sabbath as handed to Moses by God is Saturday. The celebration of Sunday as the sabbath is a verification that the people recognize the pope as superior to God. Did you know that the Los Angeles Times of December 12, 1984 quoted Pope John Paul II as saying, “Don’t go to God for forgiveness of sins – come to me.” The pope committed blasphemy thus fulfilling prophecy according to the book of Revelation. The pope is telling us that he is God. Remember, never worship a leader. If you worship a leader you no longer have the ability to recognize when you have been deceived.

Did you get that amazing fact? I want to tell you that we are soon to be in for a time of trouble such as never was and this time of trouble is coming to our church. Every Seventh-day Adventist is going to be persecuted. Will we submit to a New World Order and keep Sunday and receive the mark of the beast or will we give our allegiance to the divine authority of God by keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy and receive the seal of the Eternal God? Remember what it says in Prophets and Kings p. 602, “On this battlefield will be fought the last great conflict in the controversy between truth and error.” Will we stand as did Esther and publicly say, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this,” and then say, “If I perish, I perish” – I will keep holy the seventh-day Sabbath.

Since this is the great test that is coming there must be some dramatic changes in the way we are keeping the Sabbath if we are going to die for it. The Sabbath day is not a “fun day” as most Sunday-keepers observe their day. The devil is out after us as never before to ensnare us Sabbath-keepers in turning our minds from the holy Sabbath day to that like the Sunday “sun worshipers.”

A few years ago I was pleading with an Adventist youth who was a baptized member of our church. He attended one of our colleges. I was concerned because this young man felt that the Sabbath was a “fun day.” He told me that he goes rock climbing, snow skiing, and thinks nothing of hiking eight or ten miles on the Sabbath day. These, by the way, are all perfectly excellent outdoor pleasure activities in recreation, but is it Sabbath keeping? Then I turned to the scriptures and read to this young man Isaiah 58:13, 14. “If you turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.”

Immediately this young man became defensive. He told me the Sabbath was made to have a good time and as proof he told me that at La Sierra University the administrators are taking the young people out on Sabbath afternoons to do good things in the community. Now that sounds good, doesn’t it? Then he described the program. The young people go out with picks, shovels, saws, hammers, paint brushes, with lawnmower and rakes repairing broken windows and doors and painting the homes, to fix up the yards of poor people who are too old to go out and do this sort of thing anymore.

I know this to be true for I read of this program in the Riverside, CA newspaper, since our La Sierra University is within its confines. The paper praised these young people for doing such good things in the community, but is it Sabbath keeping when it can be done on any other day of the week? Then this young man spoke of his convictions, “If this is Sabbath keeping, so is my hiking, my snow skiing, my rock climbing and all the rest of it.” And I’m sorry to have to say he was right. If that is true Sabbath keeping. God be merciful to our young people who are being misled today by the very ministers of this denomination who are paid from the sacred tithe, who some day will face the wrath of God because they are teaching our young people to break and dishonor God’s holy Sabbath day.

Now let us consider how we keep the Sabbath day as we associate with others. The Spirit of Prophecy encourages us to gather together Sabbath afternoon to enrich each other in a time of fellowship with singing, prayer and study. But does this make it right for those attending our church in various places after the eleven o’clock service to drive to their favorite restaurants, to purchase meals and spend the rest of the afternoon socializing? Beloved, this is not Sabbath keeping – it is a sin – and sin will keep sinners out of heaven. Little by little the devil is getting Seventh-day Adventists to compromise one of the most glorious truths in the Bible – the seventh-day Sabbath.

Even our medical institutions are being entrapped. I have learned that one of our large hospitals has authorized one of its operating rooms to be fully staffed on the Sabbath day to take care of all types of surgery – (are you listening?) which have been scheduled during the week – to be preformed on the Sabbath day. Isn’t it strange when the need for money becomes the predominant factor to rationalize God’s commandments? Can we honestly give the Third Angel’s Message to the world and say, “Come out of Babylon,” and then as a church organization we don’t keep the Seventh-day Sabbath ourselves? Think it over.

In the book Medical Ministry, which was written for our medical institutions and our doctors and nurses, are these words on page 214, “Often physicians are called upon the Sabbath to minister to the sick, (then are these words) [but] ordinary treatment, and operations that can wait, should be deferred till the next day.” When will we learn, or must we wait until God’s wrath is poured out. I thank God for our godly doctors and nurses that we have in our churches. Praise the Lord for them. We have the most wonderful medical workers who are faithfully keeping the Sabbath.

As I read in Desire of Ages p. 207, “The necessities of life must be attended to, the sick must be cared for, the wants of the needy must be supplied. He will not be held guiltless who neglects to relieve suffering on the Sabbath. God’s holy rest day was made for man and the acts of mercy are in perfect harmony with its intent. God does not desire His creatures should suffer one hour’s pain that may be relieved upon the Sabbath.” And then come these words in Patriarchs and Prophets p. 307, “Acts of necessity and mercy are permitted on the Sabbath, the sick and the suffering are at all times to be cared for; but unnecessary labor is to be strictly avoided.”

What about when we get together on Sabbath afternoon to visit. We are encouraged to do this that we may sing, read and study and discuss spiritual things. But is this a time for us to get together and talk about business deals, about our farming activities or about household repairs that we have made or that we are going to make? The commandments include all within our gates. “Those who discuss business matters or lay plans on the Sabbath are regarded by God as though engaged in the actual transaction of these plans. To keep the Sabbath holy, we should not even allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character.” Patriarchs and Prophets p. 307. “The example of ministers, especially should be circumspect in this respect. Upon the Sabbath they should conscientiously restrict themselves to conversation upon religious things, to present truths, present duty, Christian hopes and fears, trials, conflicts, afflictions and to overcome at last and with the reward that is to be received.” Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2, p. 703, 704. By God’s grace, I am going to follow such counsel.

Let me give you some Sabbath guidelines. In the Spirit of Prophecy the Sabbath day is spoken of as a day of delight. Ellen White uses the words “a joyful day,” “a most interesting day,” “the sweetest day of all.” I like that – it is something that we should look forward to. In Ministry of Healing p. 308 are these words, “It is well, on the Sabbath, to provide something that will be regarded as a treat.” This suggests something that the family does not have every day. When you prepare the Sabbath meal do you have a treat? This will be especially helpful to teach our children that this is a special day.

Now, I want to make suggestions that the next Sabbath afternoon, after you have had the noon meal, read what Ellen White says on how to keep the Sabbath day holy. You will find the following:

1. “The Sabbath is a time for us to help the needy with food and clothing.” Counsels to Teachers p. 360.

2. It is a time to walk in the fields and the groves; to behold God’s handiwork. Testimony Treasures Volume 3, p. 24.

3. If it is cold, put on a heavy jacket and the long underwear – get out and see what God has made. She tells us to discuss the flowers, the trees, the shrubs and listen to the sound of nature. Testimony Treasures Volume 3, p. 27. Go ahead, sit down by a brook and listen to the water as it bubbles along. Listen to the wind blowing through those pinecones and needles.

4. Spend time to study the coming Sabbath School lesson. Education p. 251, 252.

5. Have you wondered what to do on Sabbath afternoon? Spend the Sabbath afternoon to review the Sabbath sermon notes you have taken. Education p. 251.

6. Spend time in meditation, counting your blessings. Contemplate God’s love in God’s great sacrifice. Desire of Ages p. 207. Sit down for thirty minutes and think about the cross and what Jesus did for you – this is true Sabbath keeping.

7. Take time for a healthful rest – she did not say a five-hour sleep – but she did say take a rest. Desire of Ages p. 207.

8. Visit the widows and the orphans. Have you ever thought on Sabbath afternoon to go and visit those who are alone or invite them home for a meal? Desire of Ages p. 207. Encourage them to pray and pray for them.

9. To parents, I read, “Entertain your children with spiritual activity.” Testimony Treasures Volume 3, p. 24. That doesn’t mean that we go outside and throw the basketball into the hoop or get on the bikes and ride around. We must jealously guard the edges of the Sabbath.

The shoes ought to be shined before the Sabbath, the baths should be taken, the food should be prepared as much as possible before the Sabbath day. “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.” The apostle John saw in the last days a small group keeping the Sabbath day and on their foreheads was written the Father’s name which means they represent the character of God. Inspiration says, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.

I ask you, in this coming crisis, are you going to be willing to die for the Sabbath day? Are you ready to stand up as Esther and say, “If I perish, I perish”? Now is the time when we must learn to be obedient to the Sabbath commandment. Now is the time when we must keep the Sabbath day holy if we are going to be sealed for eternity. “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14. Keep the Sabbath holy.

Let us pray. Dear heavenly Father, please forgive us for having broken the edges of Thy holy Sabbath day. Help us to keep the Sabbath day holy that we may be ready when the final test breaks upon us so Thy power will sustain us. In Jesus’ name we ask, Amen.

By Elder Lawrence Nelson

Forgive me, but I must give away to a little reminiscing in my old age. As a boy of some twelve years I was determined to become a preacher like H.M.S. Richards. He was conducting a large evangelistic series of meetings in Los Angeles in which Henry deFluerer was his singing evangelist. I begged my father each night to take me to his five-pole-tent meeting. We would go early so we could sit near the platform for I was determined to catch every word and action of Elder Richards. During the day following the evening meeting I spent considerable time in the backyard garage where I would try to preach his sermon to my imaginary audience.

One night, as Elder Richards was preaching, an elderly man who was sitting near me to the left side of the platform, fell asleep and began to snore so loudly that it was difficult to hear the preacher. It soon became apparent that it was bothering the speaker too. Elder Richards continued to preach but he began to move slowly away from the pulpit toward the snoring, old man. When he stood directly in front of him, Elder Richards artfully worded his sermon – which was on the Mark of the Beast – that we should each realize that this mark would be a life and death issue. Pausing, he shouted with all the breath he could muster, “Wake up, before it’s too late!” Instantly the snoring man awakened and ceased to annoy the listeners. Elder Richards continued his preaching as he walked back to the pulpit.

Never have I felt such an urge in my tape ministry to awaken sleeping Seventh-day Adventists for soon, very soon, we shall find ourselves in a vastly different world than we now live in. My heart beats faster when I read these inspired words, “The scenes to be enacted in our world are not yet even dreamed of. Satan is at work through human agencies. Those who are making an effort to change the constitution and secure a law enforcing Sunday observance little realize what will be the result. A crisis is just upon us.” Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, p. 753.

Let us first seek God in prayer. Oh, loving Father, open our hearts, by Your Holy Spirit, to realize how soon this final crisis is to break upon us. Pull back Thy prophetic curtain that we may discover that most of the inspired predictions of the coming crisis have already taken place. May we not be overtaken by this overwhelming surprise of a sudden national Sunday law. This we ask in the precious name of Jesus our Savior, Amen.

Every sermon should be based on scripture, so let us turn to Esther 4:14 (the last part). Here we find a very dramatic statement. Notice the words, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” There is no doubt in my mind that the book of Esther was recorded in sacred history for our admonition. In this chapter we read of the plan of King Ahasuerus to exterminate every living Jew in the then-known world. From this experience we can fully comprehend just what is about to happen to every Seventh-day Adventist in this soon-coming end-time crisis.

Consider, briefly, what happened in the day of Queen Esther. You remember Mordecai had not caused Haman any harm – he had simply refused to show Haman a worshipful reverence. This led Haman, in his anger, to give false statements to the king, who in turn issued a decree that every Jew was to be killed in a world-wide massacre upon a given date. Inspiration, however, tells us that Satan was the hidden instigator of this scheme for he wanted to rid the earth of Sabbath-keepers.

How wonderful is our God. He knows and understands the thoughts of man and Satan. For by His divine providence God arranged for Esther, a Jew who feared the living God, to be made the queen of Persia. Mordecai, a near relative to the queen, decided in this crisis to appeal to Easter that she venture into the monarch’s presence – even though this might cause her death. Listen to the words of Mordecai to Esther, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Both Esther and Mordecai realized that their future, and that of every seventh-day keeper, was absolutely hopeless unless God would intervene and work mightily.

Today God’s commandment-keeping people are seen as a Mordecai in this world who are refusing to show worshipful reverence to the idol Sunday as demanded by pagan, papal Rome. Inspiration reveals that Satan will arouse the majority to accept popular customs and traditions and join with the lawless and the vile to destroy Sabbath-keepers. Listen carefully as I quote, “Wealth, genius [and] education will combine to cover them with contempt. Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church members will conspire against them. With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, they will seek to overthrow their faith. By false misrepresentations and angry appeals, men will stir up the passions of the people.” Prophets and Kings p. 605, 606.

Now since these enemies of the truth have no “thus saith the scriptures” they will bring against the advocates of the true Sabbath oppressive enactments. I read on p. 606 of Prophets and Kings , “On this battlefield will be fought the last great conflict in the controversy between truth and error. And we are not left to doubt as to the issue.” Are you ready for this? Do you have any idea what is coming?

Would you permit me, at this time, to pull back the prophetic curtain and show you what God has revealed to us is about to happen? In The Great Controversy p. 605 it states, “The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty.” And then on p. 607, speaking of the Sunday-keeping churches are these words, “[They will appeal] to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite.” Let me put that together for you. Sabbath-keepers will be opposed by all Protestant churches and all Catholic churches under the leadership of the man of sin. Are you ready for this?

This union is now developing before our very eyes, day by day, in what we know as the Ecumenical movement. Forced Sunday worship is its ultimate goal. Why are so many of us asleep? Its purpose is to soon pass laws to force Sabbath-keepers to worship on Sunday. Not only to make us keep Sunday sacred but I read again on p. 639 of The Great Controversy, They will “compel God’s people to profane His Sabbath.” Do you really understand what that means?

Now, I am sure that there are those who are listening to me who are saying, “Pastor Nelson, how in the world could this take place in America? Why, we have a Constitution, and the Constitution provides us with absolute protection to worship as we choose.” Let me tell you how it is going to happen. The American people are sound asleep. Few, if any, realize that we are living in the very last days and this includes Seventh-day Adventists who carry on business as usual every day. Somehow they don’t realize that we are in the end time.

Ellen White has tried to awaken us with these words, “Soon we shall be faced with an overwhelming surprise.” She tells us in Testimonies for the Church, Volume 8, p. 28, “Transgression has almost reached its limits. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings.” Are we ready for this when we are frozen with fear? Let me read it again, “A great terror is soon to come.” Maybe we would sit up and think when we are told in Malachi Martin’s book The Keys of this Blood, that Mary had told the pope that there will come a great, cataclysmic event that will bring such terror on this world that the people will arise and ask the pope to rule over them. When the devil, in the guise of Mary, says there is terror coming, and when God says that there is terror coming, we had better wake up.

Consider with me, very carefully, what I am about to bring to you. There is no greater, alarming prediction in the Spirit of Prophecy than that found in Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, p. 451. “Our country shall repudiated every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government.” I am going to shock you when I tell you that this has already happened. No, I didn’t misstate. I repeat – it has already taken place. Do you know that since 1955, we have been living in a nation which can no longer be considered as a Republican government, for the United States is now an integral part of the United Nations, which is the New World Order. As a result, the laws of the United States have been changed every day to conform with the United Nation laws.

Do I hear you say that you find this hard to believe? Well, so did I, until I recently discovered these facts. I am going to read to you now from the Constitution, Article 6. You can go to your library and read it for yourself. “This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall become the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.” Now this tells us that our Constitution says that if we ever make any treaties with other world powers, that they supercede the Constitution. I repeat, if our nation makes any treaty with another world power that treaty supercedes our Constitution.

Now let me give you some undisputed facts. In 1945, some 55 years ago, the United States of America, under the authority of Article 6 which I have just read, signed the United Nations treaty when Harry S. Truman, our president, signed the charter of the United Nations with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. Under the terms of Article 6, the signing of the charter of the United Nations supercedes the United States Constitution. How could we be, as a nation, so stupid? I’ll tell you why – the men who were leading this nation felt that we could always keep our Constitution because we have a veto power in the United Nations Security Council. If we felt that some new law was contrary to our Constitution we could veto it and our veto could stop it.

But, what our men overlooked was what was found in Article 25 of the United Nations treaty with the United States in which it said, “Members of nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accord with (and notice the words) the present charter .” This implied that there would be other charters that would follow. Since the veto power proved to be a hindrance to what the New World government was determined to attain, a way had to be found to circumvent the veto power of the United States. So what did they do? In 1950, the General Assembly met and adopted a new resolution, which would do away with the veto power by expanding the power of the General Assembly, making it above the Security Council. Do you see what happened?

Would you believe it, that our government, the United States of America, signed this amended charter as “the law of the world” – which overrides our Constitution. So now the General Assembly of the United Nations can make any law it chooses if two-thirds of the world governments agree, thus overriding any provision of our Constitution. Let me tell you what this means. The United States must now ignore, abolish, revise, rescind, any law of our nation which conflicts with any law that the United Nations proposes. Think of it. In other words, the veto power is no more. Today, we are living in America subject to any law which is, or will, be passed by the United Nations with a two-thirds majority vote. And may I remind you that most of the nations of the world are predominately Catholic.

No wonder the following speech, which I am going to give to you word-for-word, was given before the United States Senate. This was given by Carl B. Rix who was the president of the American Bar Association. He knows what he is talking about and this is what he said. I am reading from the United States Congressional record, page A3220.

“Congress is no longer bound by its constitutional system of delegated powers. Its only test is under the obligatory power to promote human rights in these fields of endeavor: Civil, political, economic, social and cultural. These are found in Articles 55 and 56 of the Charter of the United Nations, a ratified and approved treaty. They are being promoted in all parts of the world by the United Nations. Congress may now legislate as an uninhibited body with no shackles of delegated powers under the Constitution. Our entire system of government of delegated power of Congress has been changed to a system of undelegated powers without amendment by the people of the United States.” And would you believe it, not one person in the Congress stood up and disagreed. They knew that the power of the Constitution was gone. Listen to what he said once more – a charter that has been ratified and an approved treaty. “Congress may now legislate as an uninhibited body with no shackles of a delegated powers under the Constitution.” It’s gone. The Constitution has already been repudiated. Are you amazed? Of course you are; you are startled.

This is what Ellen White said would happen. We would repudiate everything in the Constitution and it has been done. You will find a whole chapter concerning this, entitled “Treason in High Places” in a book entitled Behold a Pale Horse written by William Cooper in 1991 and published by Publishing Light Technology Publishing, P.O. Box 1495, Sedona, AZ 86336. The author, William Cooper, was a former United States intelligence officer and shortly after the Oklahoma City bombing (because he knew too much and revealed too much) President Clinton secured a FBI file and ordered all government agencies to prosecute him and shut him up. He was recently killed by a government SWAT team officer.

Now back to our subject. What is the United Nations, under papal control, waiting for to enact a Sunday Law to compel all to recognize the pope as above God? They are waiting for some cataclysmic event that will so totally strike terror to the citizens of the United States that they will say, “The only thing that can save us is to bow to the demands of papal Rome and keep Sunday holy . “ Also they are waiting for the Protestant churches to join with Catholics in demanding of Congress to make it a law. I want to tell you that this could happen at any time. You may not be awake as to what is already taking place, but this government knows that there are thousands of its citizens who, when they see their liberties coming to an end, are going to arise in revolt. There will be bloodshed. That is why President Clinton spent 32 billion dollars to add 100,000 policemen to take care of this coming situation.

But that’s not all. I read that Satan has some plans too. He is going to bring disease and disaster. I am reading from The Great Controversy p. 589, 590 in which she writes about Satan’s coming. “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.”

What a picture that God has given us. Why? What is Satan up to? – He is soon going to say that all these disasters are being caused by Seventh-day Adventists. Sounds unbelievable but let me read it to you in The Great Controversy p. 590. “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 the troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.”

Beloved, there is going to be trouble in this United States like you have never seen. I heard a man just the other day on television say we are faced with coming anarchy. That’s a frightening word but did you notice that Sister White uses the same word? Listen how she uses it. “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 Great Controversy p. 592.

If you think this is some fantasy listen carefully. While working on this sermon I received a document in the mail printed by the Vatican which was distributed by the Inter-American Division to all their workers, so it must be authentic. It is the Catholic plan to evangelize Seventh-day Adventists. There are ten points in all. I shall read only the last point under the heading of “Purpose.” I am quoting, “To make Seventh-day Adventists understand that if they do not unite with Catholics and Protestants to seek world peace they will be guilty of all the evils and/or disasters that come upon the earth.” This is exactly what God revealed will happen. Isn’t that astounding – and almost the exact words that He revealed to His prophet, Ellen White.

In just a little time it is not going to be like it is today. Are you going to be faithfully keeping the Sabbath day when the whole world is against us? Do you realize what it will take to live in this New World Order that will come under the control of the man of sin who will direct the Ecumenical movement to exterminate you? Why are we to be the brunt of all this coming trouble? We are the only people left in this world who are an obstacle for Satan to completely rule this world. Have you ever thought of that? No wonder the devil is going to go about like a roaring lion to get control of this world.

What would you do – for you will not find any help in our Constitution? It is only a memory of what it used to be; it’s gone forever. What will you do, appeal to the Supreme Court of the land? They have already publicly declared, “When religious rights clash with the government need for a uniform rule the court will side with the government.” What will you do when your own church refuses to help you – for we are told that some of our leaders will encourage us to keep Sunday? Furthermore, we are told by God’s servant they will testify against you. What will you do when you cannot buy or sell – your money will be worthless. What will you do when you are commanded to obey the pope or go to jail? Am I making this too real? I think not. There is only one thing that you can do. You must trust in God that He will keep you faithful, providing you have been a faithful servant of God keeping all of His commandments specifically keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy week by week.

Do you realize what it is going to be when the papacy takes control of the United Nations? We are told in Revelation 17:12 that the ten kingdoms of the world are going to give their power to the beast. The whole world will be organized against you. Now I want to read again from the book entitled Behold a Pale Horse written by William Cooper, a former United States intelligence officer. This is the man that was murdered by the US government for knowing too much and speaking too much. He gives the most astonishing information beginning on page 89, which reveals that the papal power is not what it claims to be.

Listen, “The Vatican has stated at various times that the pope is for total disarmament; the pope is for the illumination of the sovereignty of the United States. The pope is also stating that the property rights are not to be considered true property rights. The pope believes that only the Vatican knows what is right for man. In the early 1940’s the I.G. Farben Chemical Company employed a Polish salesman who sold cyanide to the Nazis for use in Auschwitz. The same salesman also worked as a chemist in the manufacture of the poison gas. This same cyanide gas, along with Zyklon-B and malathion was used to exterminate millions of Jews and others groups. Their bodies were burned to ashes in the ovens. After the war this salesman, fearing for his life, joined the Catholic Church and was ordained as a priest in 1946. This salesman was ordained Poland’s youngest bishop in 1958. After a 30-day reign, his predecessor was assassinated and our ex-cyanide-gas-salesman assumed the papacy as Pope John Paul II.”

The pope has challenged the world leaders by claiming that the people of the world already recognize the absolute authority of Rome because they observe the Sunday sabbath that was ordered by the pope in the Council of Laodicea – 364 AD. The original Ten Commandments, given Moses by God, ordered that we should “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 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.”

The seventh-day Sabbath as handed to Moses by God is Saturday. The celebration of Sunday as the sabbath is a verification that the people recognize the pope as superior to God. Did you know that the Los Angeles Times of December 12, 1984 quoted Pope John Paul II as saying, “Don’t go to God for forgiveness of sins – come to me.” The pope committed blasphemy thus fulfilling prophecy according to the book of Revelation. The pope is telling us that he is God. Remember, never worship a leader. If you worship a leader you no longer have the ability to recognize when you have been deceived.

Did you get that amazing fact? I want to tell you that we are soon to be in for a time of trouble such as never was and this time of trouble is coming to our church. Every Seventh-day Adventist is going to be persecuted. Will we submit to a New World Order and keep Sunday and receive the mark of the beast or will we give our allegiance to the divine authority of God by keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy and receive the seal of the Eternal God? Remember what it says in Prophets and Kings p. 602, “On this battlefield will be fought the last great conflict in the controversy between truth and error.” Will we stand as did Esther and publicly say, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this,” and then say, “If I perish, I perish” – I will keep holy the seventh-day Sabbath.

Since this is the great test that is coming there must be some dramatic changes in the way we are keeping the Sabbath if we are going to die for it. The Sabbath day is not a “fun day” as most Sunday-keepers observe their day. The devil is out after us as never before to ensnare us Sabbath-keepers in turning our minds from the holy Sabbath day to that like the Sunday “sun worshipers.”

A few years ago I was pleading with an Adventist youth who was a baptized member of our church. He attended one of our colleges. I was concerned because this young man felt that the Sabbath was a “fun day.” He told me that he goes rock climbing, snow skiing, and thinks nothing of hiking eight or ten miles on the Sabbath day. These, by the way, are all perfectly excellent outdoor pleasure activities in recreation, but is it Sabbath keeping? Then I turned to the scriptures and read to this young man Isaiah 58:13, 14. “If you turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.”

Immediately this young man became defensive. He told me the Sabbath was made to have a good time and as proof he told me that at La Sierra University the administrators are taking the young people out on Sabbath afternoons to do good things in the community. Now that sounds good, doesn’t it? Then he described the program. The young people go out with picks, shovels, saws, hammers, paint brushes, with lawnmower and rakes repairing broken windows and doors and painting the homes, to fix up the yards of poor people who are too old to go out and do this sort of thing anymore.

I know this to be true for I read of this program in the Riverside, CA newspaper, since our La Sierra University is within its confines. The paper praised these young people for doing such good things in the community, but is it Sabbath keeping when it can be done on any other day of the week? Then this young man spoke of his convictions, “If this is Sabbath keeping, so is my hiking, my snow skiing, my rock climbing and all the rest of it.” And I’m sorry to have to say he was right. If that is true Sabbath keeping. God be merciful to our young people who are being misled today by the very ministers of this denomination who are paid from the sacred tithe, who some day will face the wrath of God because they are teaching our young people to break and dishonor God’s holy Sabbath day.

Now let us consider how we keep the Sabbath day as we associate with others. The Spirit of Prophecy encourages us to gather together Sabbath afternoon to enrich each other in a time of fellowship with singing, prayer and study. But does this make it right for those attending our church in various places after the eleven o’clock service to drive to their favorite restaurants, to purchase meals and spend the rest of the afternoon socializing? Beloved, this is not Sabbath keeping – it is a sin – and sin will keep sinners out of heaven. Little by little the devil is getting Seventh-day Adventists to compromise one of the most glorious truths in the Bible – the seventh-day Sabbath.

Even our medical institutions are being entrapped. I have learned that one of our large hospitals has authorized one of its operating rooms to be fully staffed on the Sabbath day to take care of all types of surgery – (are you listening?) which have been scheduled during the week – to be preformed on the Sabbath day. Isn’t it strange when the need for money becomes the predominant factor to rationalize God’s commandments? Can we honestly give the Third Angel’s Message to the world and say, “Come out of Babylon,” and then as a church organization we don’t keep the Seventh-day Sabbath ourselves? Think it over.

In the book Medical Ministry, which was written for our medical institutions and our doctors and nurses, are these words on page 214, “Often physicians are called upon the Sabbath to minister to the sick, (then are these words) [but] ordinary treatment, and operations that can wait, should be deferred till the next day.” When will we learn, or must we wait until God’s wrath is poured out. I thank God for our godly doctors and nurses that we have in our churches. Praise the Lord for them. We have the most wonderful medical workers who are faithfully keeping the Sabbath.

As I read in Desire of Ages p. 207, “The necessities of life must be attended to, the sick must be cared for, the wants of the needy must be supplied. He will not be held guiltless who neglects to relieve suffering on the Sabbath. God’s holy rest day was made for man and the acts of mercy are in perfect harmony with its intent. God does not desire His creatures should suffer one hour’s pain that may be relieved upon the Sabbath.” And then come these words in Patriarchs and Prophets p. 307, “Acts of necessity and mercy are permitted on the Sabbath, the sick and the suffering are at all times to be cared for; but unnecessary labor is to be strictly avoided.”

What about when we get together on Sabbath afternoon to visit. We are encouraged to do this that we may sing, read and study and discuss spiritual things. But is this a time for us to get together and talk about business deals, about our farming activities or about household repairs that we have made or that we are going to make? The commandments include all within our gates. “Those who discuss business matters or lay plans on the Sabbath are regarded by God as though engaged in the actual transaction of these plans. To keep the Sabbath holy, we should not even allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character.” Patriarchs and Prophets p. 307. “The example of ministers, especially should be circumspect in this respect. Upon the Sabbath they should conscientiously restrict themselves to conversation upon religious things, to present truths, present duty, Christian hopes and fears, trials, conflicts, afflictions and to overcome at last and with the reward that is to be received.” Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2, p. 703, 704. By God’s grace, I am going to follow such counsel.

Let me give you some Sabbath guidelines. In the Spirit of Prophecy the Sabbath day is spoken of as a day of delight. Ellen White uses the words “a joyful day,” “a most interesting day,” “the sweetest day of all.” I like that – it is something that we should look forward to. In Ministry of Healing p. 308 are these words, “It is well, on the Sabbath, to provide something that will be regarded as a treat.” This suggests something that the family does not have every day. When you prepare the Sabbath meal do you have a treat? This will be especially helpful to teach our children that this is a special day.

Now, I want to make suggestions that the next Sabbath afternoon, after you have had the noon meal, read what Ellen White says on how to keep the Sabbath day holy. You will find the following:

1. “The Sabbath is a time for us to help the needy with food and clothing.” Counsels to Teachers p. 360.

2. It is a time to walk in the fields and the groves; to behold God’s handiwork. Testimony Treasures Volume 3, p. 24.

3. If it is cold, put on a heavy jacket and the long underwear – get out and see what God has made. She tells us to discuss the flowers, the trees, the shrubs and listen to the sound of nature. Testimony Treasures Volume 3, p. 27. Go ahead, sit down by a brook and listen to the water as it bubbles along. Listen to the wind blowing through those pinecones and needles.

4. Spend time to study the coming Sabbath School lesson. Education p. 251, 252.

5. Have you wondered what to do on Sabbath afternoon? Spend the Sabbath afternoon to review the Sabbath sermon notes you have taken. Education p. 251.

6. Spend time in meditation, counting your blessings. Contemplate God’s love in God’s great sacrifice. Desire of Ages p. 207. Sit down for thirty minutes and think about the cross and what Jesus did for you – this is true Sabbath keeping.

7. Take time for a healthful rest – she did not say a five-hour sleep – but she did say take a rest. Desire of Ages p. 207.

8. Visit the widows and the orphans. Have you ever thought on Sabbath afternoon to go and visit those who are alone or invite them home for a meal? Desire of Ages p. 207. Encourage them to pray and pray for them.

9. To parents, I read, “Entertain your children with spiritual activity.” Testimony Treasures Volume 3, p. 24. That doesn’t mean that we go outside and throw the basketball into the hoop or get on the bikes and ride around. We must jealously guard the edges of the Sabbath.

The shoes ought to be shined before the Sabbath, the baths should be taken, the food should be prepared as much as possible before the Sabbath day. “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.” The apostle John saw in the last days a small group keeping the Sabbath day and on their foreheads was written the Father’s name which means they represent the character of God. Inspiration says, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.

I ask you, in this coming crisis, are you going to be willing to die for the Sabbath day? Are you ready to stand up as Esther and say, “If I perish, I perish”? Now is the time when we must learn to be obedient to the Sabbath commandment. Now is the time when we must keep the Sabbath day holy if we are going to be sealed for eternity. “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14. Keep the Sabbath holy.

Let us pray. Dear heavenly Father, please forgive us for having broken the edges of Thy holy Sabbath day. Help us to keep the Sabbath day holy that we may be ready when the final test breaks upon us so Thy power will sustain us. In Jesus’ name we ask, Amen.