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36
From Here to Forever
them to make the Sabbath a day of sadness and gloom in order to
show hatred of Judaism.
The emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a pub-
lic festival throughout the Roman Empire.
The day
of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects and honored by
Christians. He was urged to do this by the bishops of the church.
Inspired by thirst for power, they perceived that if the same day
was observed by both Christians and heathen, it would advance the
power and glory of the church. But while many God-fearing Chris-
tians were gradually led to regard Sunday as possessing a degree
of sacredness, they still held the true Sabbath and observed it in
obedience to the fourth commandment.
The archdeceiver had not completed his work. He was resolved
to exercise his power through his vicegerent, the proud pontiff who
claimed to represent Christ. Vast councils were held in which digni-
taries were convened from all the world. In nearly every council the
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Sabbath was pressed down a little lower, while Sunday was exalted.
Thus the pagan festival came finally to be honored as a divine insti-
tution, while the Bible Sabbath was pronounced a relic of Judaism
and its observance declared accursed.
The apostate had succeeded in exalting himself “above all that
is called God, or that is worshiped.”
2 Thessalonians 2:4
. He had
dared to change the only precept of the divine law that points to the
true and living God. In the fourth commandment, God is revealed as
the Creator. As a memorial of the work of creation, the seventh day
was sanctified as a rest day for man, designed to keep the living God
ever before the minds of men as the object of worship. Satan strives
to turn men from obedience to God’s law; therefore he directs his
efforts especially against that commandment which points to God as
the Creator.
Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday
made it the Christian Sabbath. But no such honor was given to the
day by Christ or His apostles. The observance of Sunday had its
origin in that “mystery of lawlessness” (
2 Thessalonians 2:7
, RV)
which, even in Paul’s day, had begun its work. What reason can be
given for a change which the Scriptures do not sanction?
In the sixth century, the bishop of Rome was declared to be the
head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the papacy.