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ANSWER: As a Seventh-Day Adventist, I will say that there is a great misconception that Seventh-Day Adventists (SDA) believe that Sunday-keeping is the mark of the beast (before legislation). This is not currently true because it is conditional. The Adventist Church teaches that only when Sunday-keeping becomes a legal and mandatory day of worship which imposes forceful observance and the restriction of the freedom of conscience, then do the Adventists consider Sunday-keeping as the ‘mark of the beast’ based on forceful religious obligation.I. WHAT DOES THE ADVENTIST CHURCH TEACH OFFICIALLY?The writings of Ellen G. White in “SDA Bible commentary” states:"Sundaykeeping is NOT YET the mark of the beast, and will not be until the decree goes forth causing men to worship this idol sabbath. The time will come when this day will be the test, but that time has not come yet."—”The S.D.A. Bible Commentary”, 7:977 (1899).II. WHY DO ADVENTISTS CONSIDER ‘SUNDAY’ AS THE MARK OF THE BEAST?The Adventist Church, on the account of the Historicist interpretation of Bible Prophecy, recognizes that the Roman Catholic Church is part of the fourth beast in Daniel 7, which they teach to be the Roman Kingdom where the Catholic Church developed its political and church power; hence is one reason why they call it the “mark of the beast” (in other words “the mark of Rome”).Catholicism teaches that the Papacy was the one who transferred the solemnity of the Sabbath from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. The Adventist Church does not recognize this transference but they acknowledge that the Catholic Church attempted to do so. This can be found in canon law #29 of the Council of Laodicea.“It was the holy Catholic Church that changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, the 1st day of the week. And it not only compelled all to keep Sunday, but at the Council of Laodicea, AD 364, anathematized those who kept the Sabbath and urged all persons to labor on the 7th day under penalty of anathema.”—Catholic Priest T. Enright, CSSR, Kansas City, MOIn reference to the use of the words “mark of the beast”, the Roman Catholic Church church also recognizes Sunday-keeping as the official “mark” of their ecclesiastical authority over the Bible as the “Universal Church” on planet Earth."Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change [of the Sabbath to Sunday] was her act…AND THE ACT IS A MARK of her ecclesiastical power."—From the office of Cardinal Gibbons, through Chancellor H. F. Thomas, November 11, 1895“Sunday is our MARK of authority…the church is ABOVE the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact”.—“Catholic Record of London” (Ontario September 1, 1923)These statements can also be defended by Catholic apologists on the accounts that Tradition is equal or supersedes the Scriptures according to the Council of Trent.The Catholic Church wants protestants to observe Sunday because in doing so they understand that they are acknowledging the power of the Papacy over them."If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day. In keeping the Sunday, they are following a law of the Catholic Church."—Albert Smith, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, replying for the Cardinal in a letter, February 10, 1920."It was the Catholic Church which, by the authority of Jesus Christ, has transferred this rest (from the Bible Sabbath) to the Sunday… Thus the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an HOMAGE THEY PAY, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) Church."—Bishop Monsignor Louis Segur, “Plain Talk about the Protestantism of Today”, page 2l3."Protestants. . .accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change... But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that… in observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope."—”Our Sunday Visitor”, February 5, 1950. [A Jesuit publication]."Therefore, also in the particular circumstances of our own time, Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy."—Pope John Paul II, “Dies Domini”, 1998"In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays."—”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, #2188Surprisingly, some Catholics also state these:“The Catholic Church, for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday...The Adventists are the only body of Christians with the Bible as their teacher, who can find no warrant in its pages for the change of day from the seventh to the first. Hence their appellation, ‘Seventh-day Adventists.’”—The Catholic Mirror (September 23, 1893)"Perhaps the boldest thing, the most revolutionary change the Church ever did, happened in the first century. The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday. "The Day of the Lord" (dies Dominica) was chosen, not from any directions noted in the Scriptures, but from the Church's sense of its own power. The day of resurrection, the day of Pentecost, fifty days later, came on the first day of the week. So this would be the new Sabbath. People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority, should logically become 7th Day Adventists, and keep Saturday holy."—Sentinel, Pastor's page, Saint Catherine Catholic Church, Algonac, Michigan, May 21, 1995"The [Catholic] Church changed the observance of the Sabbath to Sunday by right of the divine, infallible authority given to her by her founder, Jesus Christ. The Protestant claiming the Bible to be the only guide of faith, has no warrant for observing Sunday. In this matter the Seventh-day Adventist is the only consistent Protestant."—The Catholic Universe Bulletin, August 14, 1942, page 4.The Mark of the Beast kingdom, Papal Rome, is Sunday. It is not some microchip planted in the head or forhead.Revelation 14:9-10“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’”Notice that the condition by which one receives the mark of the beast is a matter of worship. One “worships” the beast by submitting to its self-proclaimed authority through its mark.III. WHY IS THE SABBATH SIGNIFICANT ANYWAYS?All else aside, even though the Mark of the Beast has not become an issue of absolute obedience yet, this is not to say that the Sabbath is not a moral test today for Christians today. The true observance of the fourth commandment, as it was never changed is an outward sign of loyalty to God (Leviticus 22:31) and the sign of our love towards the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:15), just like the rest of the ten (James 2:10).The Sabbath is important because the day on which we worship determines the authority we worship. In other words, the Sabbath is not only about personal rest/date with the Lord, it is about power, authority, and worship.Today, the counterfeit sabbath is Sunday and very few Christians know the history as to why that is. To make your own sabbath is essentially to denounce God’s own penmanship as the Creator of the Heavens and of the Earth “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. THEREFORE the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11).In other terms, God, the master artist of Time, Space, and matter had written His final genuine signature as the author (artist) of Creation with the Sabbath. The Seventh-day Sabbath is a memorial of the Creator etched into Time itself so that no one would forget who He is. The Sabbath commandment (4th commandment) is the only commandment that starts with the word “remember”.Ellen White writes: “Those who keep the Sabbath Holy as the LORD has specified, reveal that they are His peculiar People, and that He who made the Heavens and the Earth is their God” (Manuscript Releases, Vol. 18, 32.1)Exodus 20:11“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”On the other hand, Sunday is merely a counterfeit signature (see quote below) of a counterfeit artist over the masterpiece of Creation.The Catholic Church presumptuously boasts,"Not the Creator of the Universe, in Genesis 2:1-3, but the Catholic Church ‘can claim the honor of having granted man a pause to his work every seven days.’"—S.C. Mosna, Storia della Domenica (1969): 366-367We can only generally conclude that we are not able to say who has received this light and who has not either because we cannot know the true ‘heart’ or ‘convictions’ of any individual (1 Samuel 16:7).The “SDA Bible commentary” (5:1145, 1893) further explains:"We shall not be held accountable for the light that has not reached our perception, but for that which we have resisted and refused. A man could not apprehend the truth which had never been presented to him, and therefore could not be condemned for light he had never had.”IV. SO DO ADVENTIST REALLY BELIEVE THAT ALL SUNDAY-KEEPERS ARE DOOMED TO HELL?Note that the Holy Bible also teaches that there will be MANY Sunday-keepers in Heaven as well because of their sincerity of Heart in doing the best to the best of their knowledge because it is written,Matthew 5:19“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”Note that those who “break one of the least commandments” are “still in the heaven” as with those who kept all of the commandments. Even Sabbath-breakers, who sincerity did NOT know the Sabbath Truth will be in Heaven as well as those who were former murders, liars, adulters, etc.HOWEVER, those who knew the truth and yet defiled it will reap the consequences of their sin because the truth had been revealed to them, and yet they did not listen and thus they sinned losing their assurance of salvation when they don’t repent.James 4:17“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”Hebrews 10:26“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,”Members of the Seventh-Day Adventists are not the ones only going to Heaven because it is written, “And other sheep I [Jesus] have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16).The Adventist Church merely serves as a messenger and a ministering example of the Three Angels’ Messages of Revelation 14. Church Membership is not what saves people it is the blood of Christ brought into acceptance from the knowledge of His Truth. His blood assures us of that salvation but that eternal assurance of salvation is still conditional to obedience, but if we falter again, grace still abounds and we can return back to that assurance at any time before the close of divine probation so do not take grace for granted for it is the “grievance of the Holy Spirit”.Conditional Salvation Under Unconditional Grace:James 4:17“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”Hebrews 10:26“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,”Ephesians 4:30“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”Mark 3:28-29“28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.”Proverbs 29:1“He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.V. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THOSE WHO KEEP THE SABBATH?The true followers within the Seventh-Day Adventist Church will never pay homage to the Papacy by honoring the counterfeit sabbath and neither will she become like the Mother of Harlots. The Adventist Church was never born as a daughter from the womb of the mother.Ellen White wrote:The Beginning of the End“Evil on evil! says the Lord the Eternal—it is coming, the hour has come, the hour is striking, and striking at you, the hour and the end!” (Ezekiel 7:5, 6), Moffatt.Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought. The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that all, "both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond," shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath. All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death. On the other hand, the law of God enjoining the Creator's rest day demands obedience and threatens wrath against all who transgress its precepts. {“Maranatha, The Lord is Coming” (Mar), 215.2}With the issue thus clearly brought before him, whosoever shall trample upon God's law to obey a human enactment, receives the mark of the beast; he accepts the sign of allegiance to the power which he chooses to obey instead of God… {Mar 215.3}The World Against God's People (July 28)“The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). {Mar 217.1}Our people [The Seventh-Day Adventists] have been regarded as too insignificant to be worthy of notice, but a change will come. The Christian world is now making movements which will necessarily bring commandment-keeping people into prominence (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 546.2). {Mar 217.2}The whole world is to be stirred with enmity against Seventh-day Adventists, because they will not yield homage to the papacy, by honoring Sunday, the institution of this antichristian power. It is the purpose of Satan to cause them to be blotted from the earth, in order that his supremacy of the world may not be disputed (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p.37). {Mar 217.3}Every position of truth taken by our people will bear the criticism of the greatest minds; the highest of the world's great men will be brought in contact with truth, and therefore every position we take should be critically examined and tested by the Scriptures. Now we seem to be unnoticed, but this will not always be. Movements are at work to bring us to the front, and if our theories of truth can be picked to pieces by historians or the world’s greatest men it will be done. {Mar 217.4}Persecution by Protestants and Catholics“Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 10:22).There is no necessity for thinking that we cannot endure persecution; we shall have to go through terrible times. The persecutions of Protestants by Romanism, by which the religion of Jesus Christ was almost annihilated, will be more than rivaled when Protestantism and popery are combined. {Mar 194.3}The commandment-keeping people of God erelong will be placed in a most trying position; but all those who have walked in the light, and diffused the light, will realize that God interposes in their behalf. When everything looks most forbidding, then the Lord will reveal His power to His faithful ones. When the nation for which God has worked in such a marvelous manner, and over which He has spread the shield of Omnipotence, abandons Protestant principles, and through its legislature gives countenance and support to Romanism in limiting religious liberty, then God will work in His own power for His people that are true. The tyranny of Rome will be exercised, but Christ is our refuge. {Mar 194.4}Those who preach unpopular truth in our day meet with determined resistance, as did the apostles. They need expect no more favorable reception from a large majority of professed Christians than did Paul from his Jewish brethren. There will be a union of opposing elements against them; for however diverse from each other different organizations may be in their sentiments and religious faith, their forces are united in trampling under foot the fourth commandment in the law of God. Those who will not themselves accept the truth are most zealous that others shall not receive it. {“Spirit of Prophecy”, Vol. 3, 392.1}Persecuted for Christ's Sake“All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12)Those who living during the last days of this earth's history will know what it means to be persecuted for the truth's sake. In the courts injustice will prevail. The judges will refuse to listen to the reasons of those who are loyal to the commandments of God, because they know that arguments in favor of the fourth commandment are unanswerable. They will say, "We have a law, and by our law he ought to die." God's law is nothing to them. "Our law" with them is supreme. Those who respect this human law will be favored, but those who will not bow to the idol sabbath will have no favors shown them. {Mar 195.4}VI. CLOSING THOUGHTS:The Sabbath, Another Test of Love and Loyalty:The Devil had always used the Ten Commandments as a test for the loyalty of God's Children and the Sabbath commandment is not an exemption. In the days of the prophet Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ), Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tested upon their loyalty to the First and Second commandment when King Nebuchadnezzar II forced all within his realm to publicly bow down and worship to the golden idol he set up in his honor (Daniel 3:8-25); however, the Lord's children Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were only three in number refused to disobey the First and Second commandment of the living God because they loved the Son of God with all of their "heart, soul and mind" (Matthew 22:37-40).The Sabbath controversy may seem to be a minor issue, but my friend that assumption is far from the truth, it is a major issue as important as the obedience to all of the other nine commandments. In the last days, Satan is going to use the fourth commandment as a test to differentiate between God's people and the people who pay homage to the beast after receiving the light of the truth. The Sabbath commandment is not in the exemption.VII. SABBATH RESOURCES:Quotations from Catholics, Protestants, and historians about the Sabbath100 Amazing Facts About The Sabbath and SundayHow the Sabbath was “changed”History—How Sunday came into the Church: Constantine’s Christianity