Chapter 26—A Work of Reform
The work of Sabbath reform to be accomplished in the last days
is foretold in the prophecy of Isaiah: “Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye
judgment, and do justice: for My salvation is near to come, and My
righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and
the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from
polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” “The sons of
the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to
love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, everyone that keepeth
the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; even
them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My
house of prayer.”
Isaiah 56:1, 2, 6, 7
.
These words apply in the Christian age, as shown by the context:
“The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I
gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.”
Verse 8
.
Here is foreshadowed the gathering in of the Gentiles by the gospel.
And upon those who then honor the Sabbath, a blessing is pronounced.
Thus the obligation of the fourth commandment extends past the cru-
cifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, to the time when His
servants should preach to all nations the message of glad tidings.
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The Lord commands by the same prophet: “Bind up the testimony,
seal the law among My disciples.”
Isaiah 8:16
. The seal of God’s
law is found in the fourth commandment. This only, of all the ten,
brings to view both the name and the title of the Lawgiver. It declares
Him to be the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and thus shows
His claim to reverence and worship above all others. Aside from this
precept, there is nothing in the Decalogue to show by whose authority
the law is given. When the Sabbath was changed by the papal power,
the seal was taken from the law. The disciples of Jesus are called
upon to restore it by exalting the Sabbath of the fourth commandment
to its rightful position as the Creator’s memorial and the sign of His
authority.
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