Amazing Facts

Guest (Male): This presentation is brought to you by the friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry.

Doug Batchelor: How many of you you keep your cell phone by your night stand? Come on, fess up. And it's the first thing you reach for when you wake up in case you miss something. You know, the Lord told us speaking of the second coming. Beware lest your heart be overcharged with the cares of this life, lest that day overtake you as a thief. We can become so busy day after day saying one of these days I'm going to get ready. And the devil sees to it that we're always too busy to be ready. The Christian religion is a religion that invites us to have rest.

Jesus says in Matthew chapter 11, come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What was the practice of Paul and the apostles regarding the Sabbath day? Answer? Paul, as his custom was, he went into them for three Sabbaths, and he reasoned to them from the scriptures. Some say, well, that's because that's where the Jews were gathered. No, it says in Acts 18, he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks. And the word Greek there means Jews and Gentiles. Because they were teaching the Gentiles that this is one of the Ten Commandments.

When the Jews out went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Number seven. Did Jesus intend for his people to keep the Sabbath after he died for their sins? In Matthew 24, looking down in time, he said, pray that your flight be not in the winter or on what? The Sabbath day. He's looking down 40 years, and people say, well, that's because the gates of Jerusalem were locked on Sabbath. No, they weren't. People used to go. It was only during the time of Nehemiah, he threatened to lock the gates cuz the people were doing business with the pagans on the Sabbath day.

People were free to come and go on the Sabbath day. They would go to the Mount of Olives or different places. They didn't get locked in the city. He expected his people. And when he says pray that your flight, he's not just talking about fleeing Jerusalem. He's talking about the time of trouble at the end of time. Fleeing. Does the Bible teach that God's end time people would also be keeping the seventh day Sabbath? What does the Bible say? The dragon, who is he? Satan was enraged with the woman. Now, what does the woman represent?

The woman that the devil is enraged with is she the true or the false church? If the devil's mad at her, she's got to be the true church. Does that make sense? The devil is enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the remnant, the remainder, the rest of her seed, her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. Who does the devil especially hate? Those who keep the commandments. What is the whole mark of the beast about? Trying to compel people to break one of God's commandments.

So, God's people, it may not be popular, but Jesus said, don't follow a multitude to to do evil in the last days. Who said it's going to be popular? Your faith is going to be tested. Fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him that made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the springs of water. That's a quote from the fourth commandment. Sabbath is the fourth commandment. Where he says six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth and the sea. It's calling us back to worship the creator.

Here is the patience of the saints. Here are those who keep This is Revelation 14 still. Here are those who keep the commandments of God. Now, how many of you keep some of the commandments? Let me see your hands. Every hand ought to go up. You keep some of them. How about when you're asleep? I mean, you know, everybody in prison keeps some of the commandments. Is God looking for people at the end of time that will keep some of them, some of the time? Deuteronomy chapter five, I think it's verse 29, Moses said, oh, that my people would fear me and keep all of my commandments always, that it might be well with them and their children after them, that it might be well with them.

God wants to bless us, friends. Blessed are those who do his commandments. This is last chapter in the Bible, that they might have a right to the tree of life and enter through the gates of the city. Friends, when I learned the Sabbath truth, I can just tell you it has been a blessing for me. Number nine. Will all of the saved in heaven keep the Sabbath? What does the Bible say? Look in Isaiah 66 verse 22 and 23. As the new heavens and the new earth that I will make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your descendants and your name remain.

And it will come to pass that from one new moon to another, that means from month to month, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come and worship before me. Now, what are we doing? Coming to worship before him. Is the Sabbath a time to come together and worship before him? Does it say all Jews will come and worship before me? Is that what it says? He's talking about the new heaven and the new earth, all flesh. Well, we know that Adam kept it in the garden. We know the children of Israel kept it.

We know that Jesus and the apostles kept it. And they it was kept by God's faithful through history to the present. We're going to keep it in heaven. Does it make sense we should still be keeping it now? I think so. You know, I should also add I've met people and they said, Pastor Doug, wink wink, uh, I keep the Sabbath every seventh day. I keep an electronic Sabbath. In our home, we turn off our cell phones, we turn off the TV, we just spend time together as a family, we go out in nature, we do things.

And that's wonderful. But that's not fully keeping the Sabbath. Leviticus No. Yes. Leviticus chapter 23, it said, the Sabbath, six days you shall do your work. The seventh day is a holy convocation. The word convocation means an assembly, a coming together. God wants us to come together. Jesus went to the synagogue. The word synagogue means the gathering. There's something that happens when we come together to worship the Lord. He is with us in a special way on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell. They were in one accord in one place. Where two or three are gathered together in my name.

It's good that you're resting on the seventh day, but God also wants us to come together to worship him. If you want to come together to worship him in heaven, it'd be a good idea to start practicing now. Amen? And God will bless you. Number 10. Can we be certain that the present seventh day of the week, Saturday, is the same day that Jesus kept holy? Well, Pastor Doug, haven't there been calendar changes and thousands of years have gone by and who knows what day it is? This always makes me laugh because people never have any confusion about the days of the week until they learn the Sabbath truth.

People never say, well, I don't know whether I should be going Sunday or Tuesday cuz we really don't know which is the first day of the week. No no one ever has that problem. But when they learn the Sabbath truth, people start to squirm. You know, friends, I can talk about all kinds of theology, and it doesn't affect people like the Sabbath truth cuz the Sabbath truth affects how you spend your time, which for some people is more difficult than if I were to preach on tithe and offering. It'd be easier for some people to give their money than to give their time.

But God says, if you love me, I want this quality time. Am I your God? Do you worship me? Well, have the days changed? Well, you can look in the Bible, and it's pretty clear what the days were. That day This is Luke 23 verse 54, and it goes into Luke 24 verse one. Read it for yourself. That day, the day Jesus was crucified, was the preparation. They called Friday the preparation day. And the Sabbath drew on. Sabbath's approaching. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils, and they rested on the Sabbath day according to the commandments.

Now, this would have been a really good place at the end of Jesus's ministry to say Jesus died on the cross and did away with the law. But Luke, who is a Gentile, he states the commandment like they all understood. They rested according to the commandment. Now, on the first day of the week, Jesus rose Sunday, no question. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb. Friends, this just this just blows me away. The Sabbath was so important to the apostles after walking with Jesus and listening to him teach and watching his example for three and a half years that when the sun went down Friday and they were not finished in balming his body, they said, Sabbath beginning, Jesus would not be pleased or at least they had doubts about it.

They said, let's pause. According to Jewish law, you still had three days to embalm somebody. They said, let's stop. We will come back Sunday morning and finish. Isn't that right? That's why they came to the moons the the tomb Sunday morning because a month Yeah, because very early in the morning, they weren't done yet. This labor of love they would not even complete because they knew the Sabbath was so important to Jesus. Should it be important to his people today is the question that we're asking. So, we know Friday was the preparation day. Sunday the day he rose.

What comes in between Friday and Sunday? Saturday is the Sabbath. If you don't believe me, believe Miriam Webster. You look it up there for yourself. Saturday noun the seventh day of the week. Now, there are some countries that are changing their calendars, so they put Sunday as the seventh day. They're just doing this on their own cuz they're doing it for the work week. The days of the week have not changed. No country can do that. By the way, you know what it says about the beast power? Daniel chapter seven verse 25, the beast power will think to change times and laws.

Name one of the Ten Commandments that is a time as well as a law. It's only the Sabbath. No question. Are you aware that out of 145 languages in the world, the word for the seventh day of the week is Sabbath? How do you say Saturday? And you can go through all these different languages. Even though they're keeping Sunday, their word for the seventh day is Sabbath day cuz it goes all the way back to the tower of Babel, friends. There's no question. Even when many of the settlers came to North America, I remember talking to some friends from the Sioux Indians, and they said, yeah, we had a seven day week, and one of the days was a day of rest.

Why does the whole world celebrate a seven day week? Where do you get that? Now, follow me. You get a 24 hour day. Everyone has a 24 hour day cuz it takes 24 hours for the earth to rotate one time on its axis. All the countries of the world used to have a month with approximately 27 to 30 days because of the lunar cycle. And all of the calendars in the ancient world had a year with about 360 to 368 days because of the solar cycle. There's something in the sun, moon, and stars that gives us these time periods.

Why does the whole world have a seven day week? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. It only can be traced back to the Bible. All right. For anyone who still doubts about have there been changes to the calendar that affects we did change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. The change in the calendar never affects the weekly cycle. Let me tell you what happened. They needed to make an adjustment because they needed to add leap year cuz the calendar kept moving every year a little further off when it was only 365 days.

So, they moved from the Julian calendar 1582 Thursday the fifth changed to Friday the 15th. They added 10 days. Thursday the fifth Julian calendar Gregorian calendar went to Friday the 15th. I think it was 1582. You can check on me. They changed the days of the month. It never affected the days of the week. Thursday was followed by Friday. You're with me? That's why your birthday is a different day of the week every year because the weekly cycle and the calendar it fools us. They're on the same page. They're completely different cycles of time. They don't affect each other.

From the time of Adam to the present, it's gone 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 It hasn't changed. There's been no reason to change it. And you might convince me that there was a Jewish family that got shipwrecked on an island and they lost track of time and forgot what day the Sabbath was. But you're not going to convince me the whole nation forgot. You're not going to convince me that all the Muslims forgot what day was Friday. And the Christian world forgot which day was the first day of the week.

So, we know what the days are, friends. Oh, I forgot to read this to you. Someone wrote a letter to the US Naval Observatory that monitors time, and they said there has been no change in the calendar that as far as antiquity goes has any effect on the weekly cycle. Number 11. Does God allow anyone to change his day? No. The Bible says every word of God is pure. Do not add to his words lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. This is New Testament, Hebrews.

The word rest there is There remains therefore a Sabbath for the people of God. God did not do away with one of his commandments. Just before Jesus gave the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy five 1 through 17, he warned that no one should add to or take away from them. God makes covenant, and what he has said lasts forever. Number 12. So, when does the Sabbath begin and when does it end? Answer? The Bible says from evening to evening you shall celebrate your Sabbath. That's Leviticus 23 verse 32. And people were waiting to be healed. They thought the religious leaders would be upset if Jesus healed them on the Sabbath.

So, they waited until sundown so they could come and be healed. Jesus didn't say they couldn't be healed on Sabbath. It's okay to heal people on Sabbath. You with me? The argument was with how to keep the Sabbath. And so it says Mark 1 32 at evening when the sun had set. Number 13. What day is the Lord's day that you find in Revelation chapter one verse 10? Now, the Bible tells us that John And this is Revelation one verse nine and 10. I, John, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I was in the spirit on the Lord's day. And I heard behind me a loud voice as a trumpet. Now, friends, I I know this is sensitive, and I don't want to hurt anybody, so forgive me if I'm being a little too forceful in saying this. But how often have you heard a pastor say, we'll see you again next Lord's day? And they're talking about what day? Sunday. Where in the Bible does God call Sunday the Lord's day? This is This is a presumption. As you look through the Bible, the only thing you're going to find is it's calling the seventh day of the week, the Lord's day.

Now, you know what convinced me? Or let me give you some verses real quick. Exodus 20 verse 10. But the seventh day This is the Ten Commandments. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Jews. What day does he say is his day? Seventh day. Here's another one. Isaiah 58 13. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, what day does he call my day? The Sabbath. Here's another one. Therefore Jesus the son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. He created it. Jesus created it.

He picked it. There was nothing wrong with the seventh day. Did the Sabbath day come before or after sin? Before. So, was it part of God's perfect original plan? Is God going to restore his perfect plan, the Garden of Eden and the tree of life? Yeah, it says there's it never there's nothing wrong with it. Needed no changing. God declares by his holy Sabbath that it's never referred to as the first day of the week. Let me show you something else. Well, Pastor Doug, I thought it was just for the Jews. You know, I've been quoting you scripture.

Sometimes I just quote the book. I don't quote the verse. You know why? I want you to read the whole chapter so you get the context. But if you look in your Bible in Isaiah chapter 56, some says, well, Pastor Doug, the Sabbath it was for the Jewish nation. Look at this. Isaiah 56 verse six. Also the son of the stranger, the foreigner who joins himself to the Lord to serve him. Anybody who wants to join themselves to Jehovah, to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants. Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast to my covenant, even them I'll bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful.

Friends, we're talking about blessing, we're talking about rest, we're talking about joy, and yet some of you are worried about what you just heard. Don't let the devil scare you. Make them joyful in my house of prayer. Jesus is my house will be called the house of prayer for all nations. It's for everybody. Can you say amen? You know one thing that convinced me? When I first learned these things, I accepted Jesus, reading the Bible up in the cave, started going to church. I had no preference. I just wanted to go to Christian church to believe the Bible.

I went to lots of different churches, and I met Christian lovely people, converted people in many churches. Is that clear? But then I started learning the Sabbath truth, and I went to my pastors and said, why do we go to church on Sunday? I asked 10 different pastors and got 11 different answers. They all disagreed. One said, well, Doug, we keep it in honor of the resurrection. I said, well, that's beautiful. I said, where's the commandment? Well, we don't have a scripture, but there's a long-standing tradition. Well, Jesus said, why do you break my commandments to observe your tradition?

Then I went to another pastor. He said, Doug, we are no longer under the law. We're now under grace. I said, so we don't need to keep the Ten Commandments? Well, we need to keep the Ten Commandments that are repeated in the New Testament. So, I went and looked through the New Testament. I said, you know, the only commandment not repeated in the New Testament says, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain. Can we break that?

They thought that the Sabbath wasn't in the New Testament. It is. Don't let anyone fool you. Then I went to another one, and he said, well, we're not we're not under the law. It's all been nailed to the cross. I said, can we break the other nine? No. God took away the law but then reattached all but one. That's like you're saying, I got one finger hurting me, so I'll cut off all 10 and sew the other nine back. That doesn't make any sense. Then I talked to another guy, very creative. He said, back in the days of Joshua, Joshua prayed.

The sun stood still for almost 24 hours. Saturday turned into Sunday. I said, yeah, well, why did they keep the Sabbath day for another 1,400 years after that on Saturday? And I kept getting all these different answers. The answer was they didn't have thus saith the Lord. All right. Keep going. Number 14. What precious blessing comes through keeping the Sabbath commandment? Answer? He says, my presence will go with you, and I will give you what? Rest. You can read again Matthew 11 verse 28. Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Some of you are having health problems that are stress related. You might discover that in embracing the Sabbath truth that there'll be healing that will even come into your life. For we who have believed Hebrews four verse three, for we who have believed do enter that what? We enter that rest. And again John, First John 5 3. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome, friends. It's not meant to be a burden. It's meant to be a blessing. But I know I was where you are.

It's different. A lot of people have never heard this before. Just ask yourself, is it biblical? And whenever you're in doubt, say, Lord, I'm going to do what you did. When you stand before Jesus judgment day and he says, why did you keep the seventh day Sabbath? I'll say, well, Lord, it's one of your Ten Commandments, and I found no commandment that said don't keep it anymore, so I kept it. Whenever you're in doubt, do the safe thing, friends. Follow Jesus, and you're safe. Follow his word. And finally he says, if you what if you love me, keep my commandments.

What's the reason to keep that commandment? Because you love them. And friends, the Sabbath provides quality, holy, sanctified, blessed time to nurture your love relationship with Jesus. Do you realize that our biggest problems in life are love problems? Our problems are usually with people, and it's love problems. If we could just love people more, we treat them better. The golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Our biggest problems is we don't love God more. You know, if you love God more, you'd serve him better. The Sabbath provides that sacred holy time to spend more time with God, more time with God's people, learning his word, strengthening your faith, finding rest.

It's also a day, yes, for some physical rest from the regular work of the week. And I know some of you are thinking, Pastor Doug, with my job and my life, I don't know how I'm going to do that. Do not worry about that now. I have never known anybody that made their decision to follow Jesus, and he did not part the sea and move the mountains. God will do miracles for you once you make up your mind you want to do his will. Amen? He is still a wonder working God. You say, Lord, it's your truth.

I don't know how, but I'm going to put you first, and he will bless you. The eyes of the Lord are looking for people that will put him first, and he'll do wonderful things for you. So, just right now, don't worry about the problems. Just ask yourself, is it biblical? Is this the word of Jesus? Is this the example of Jesus? You make your decision, say, I'm going to follow you, Lord, and watch and see what he does for you. Friend, God is offering you peace and eternal life. How? Well, it all begins by simply turning towards the Lord.

The Bible promises that if we draw near to God, he will draw near to us. You can turn to him right now and ask for forgiveness in a new heart, and he's ready to forgive and receive you. That's why Jesus came. Whether you know it or not, he's always been your best friend. A new life is only a prayer away. Just ask him now.

Guest (Male): My question comes from Matthew chapter seven. Can you be think you're doing the will or not be doing the will?

Doug Batchelor: Well, yes, it is possible for a person to think You know, the Bible says there's a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death. Uh, and there are, you know, no doubt our people who have followed false teachers that they thought that they were true, but they were following false shepherds. So, it is possible for a person to think they're on the right path. So, now, God knows everybody. So, when he says, I'll declare I don't know you, Jesus is talking about the term knowing someone in the intimate sense.

The Bible says Adam knew his wife. She had a child. So, Christ is saying that I don't really know you. We don't have a love relationship where you know me. Sometimes a person will say, well, do you know the Lord? Some people know the Bible, and they don't know the Lord. And so Christ is saying that anyone who is living in in disobedience doesn't really know me cuz he says, depart from me, you who work lawlessness or some versions say wickedness. And but the actual the actual definition is lawlessness. You are without law. There's a lot of churches out there that say, Lord, Lord, but they're living in sin.

They say, well, once you're saved, you can't be lost. They don't really know God. They don't know about his holiness. They don't know about his power to deliver them. And when he comes, they're going to say, but Lord, we were in church every week, and we fed the poor, and he'll say, depart from me, you who work lawlessness. You, you know, you did not turn away from your sin. And there's going to be a lot of stunned people. The scary word in this passage is the word many. He doesn't say it's few. He said it's many.

There's a lot of deceived people out there. He says there'll be many false Christs. And we want to make sure we're not deceived, so we know the word, and we're following Christ. We know him.

Guest (Male): You know, we have a book, Pastor Doug, that talks about you know being one saved and always saved. How does that work? It's called Can a saved man choose to be lost? And we'll be happy to send it to anyone who calls and asks. The number is 800 835 6747. Ask for the book by name Can a saved man choose to be lost? And we'll be able to send you a digital copy.

Guest (Male): Don't forget to request today's free offer. It's sure to be a blessing. And thank you for your continued support as we take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Guest (Male): This presentation was brought to you by the friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry.