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SATURDAY, THE BEST DAY TO SEE YOU!

SATURDAY

Marcelo Augusto de Carvalho

 

 

 

- At the end of the sixth day, God looked at all His great work, and saw that everything was very good.

- I could also: the biblical account describes the world's original environment as the most beautiful and harmonious.

- The waters of the firmament appear to have been a vast mantle of invisible evaporated water. Functioning as a greenhouse, this canopy would have prevented large temperature differences or rapid changes of this on the entire face of the earth. It would also have prevented violent sales and storms.

- The current hydrological cycle, by which evaporated ocean waters are carried by the wind to earth and then condense and fall, would have been impossible under those conditions.

- The waters of the numerous seas, evaporated daily, would have moved only short distances from their point of origin before condensing again at night over the adjacent areas.

- In addition to numerous interconnected seas, there were rivers fed by artesian springs, coming from underground reservoirs in which the waters had been trapped under pressure in the crust of the earth on the third day of creation. These deposits were the great abyss that later overflowed into the flood. One of the river systems bathed the garden planted by God in Eden.

* When God declared the works of His hands very good, and rested on the seventh day, does not this give sufficient evidence that God's creation was complete and perfect?

 

GENESIS 2.1-3

 

The seventh day of creation was stipulated by God as a separate weekly moment for man's fellowship with Him. God desired to communicate with Adam as parents do with their children. For this reason, He did not ask, nor did he give alternative to Adam's desire for the matter. He commanded, and more, gave His example by resting on this day of all the works he had done.

 

For many these facts it is unsettling; why would God mark a special day marked by a weekly calendar for such a relationship? Does this text of Scripture not present heresy? Does God usually take these actions even today?

 

EXAMPLES OF NATURE

 

If we look at the lives of irrational animals, we will clearly see how God directs their existence for faithfully established periods of time, from which animals cannot leave, if they want to stay alive. And that by this evidence there is no wonder that God has established times and moments in man's life for his worship of his Creator.

 

- For the animals, there is a suitable time for everything: a right time to work hard and a certain time to sleep; an excellent dating station and a station suitable for saving energy. And respecting this own calendar is usually a matter of life and death, that is, acting according to the cycles of the environment, such as night-day, to increase the chances of survival. In fact, this is because the Creator has placed in them a series of substances, which circulating in the body, function as a true biological clock.

- For example: even hermaphrodite species, which dispense partners to have children, are always measuring environmental conditions; thus the chicks are programmed for the time most favorable to their survival. In this way, the hermaphrodite earthworm leaves to spawn when the climate becomes cool and humid, because in the heat, there is a great probability that the sensitive chicks do not avenge.

- The droophiles, known as fruit flies, have the right time for mating. Always in the late afternoon they inturn to "passion", marking new meetings in punctual intervals of 24 hours. The curious thing is that these little doughnuts never lose sight of time. Even when raised in the laboratory, without receiving any sign of the environment, such as differences in lighting, they continue to mate in the afternoon, repeating the meeting daily. They therefore have a sophisticated internal clock, capable of marking not only second pulses - otherwise the fly would lose the compass in the court dance that it does for mating- as periods of about 24 hours, the so-called circadian periods.

- There are those who change their temperament according to the season, as is the case with the saguis. Possessing the same capacity, penguins have an appointment to move daily from the colony towards the coast and vice versa. The curious thing is that in the polar summer, the 24 hours of the day seem not to pass, because it never falls apart. Even so, penguins distinguish the tiny changes in the length of light waves throughout the day. This ability to notice these alternationis not proper to the eyes, which only function as glass chambers, capturing the image, but rather the brain, which has a clock capable of marking time thanks to light indicators.

- The Arctic fox responds to the luminosity of autumn by changing the gray coat it had in the summer for a white coat, thus making it camouflaged in the middle of the winter snow, making it difficult for predators to take action.

- Not always, however, the biological clock works as a function of years. It divides time according to the needs of each species. Thus, scientists observed changes in the organism of the big-hand crab every 12 hours, that is, it has a circamaré clock, regulated by the sea shuttle: on the middle of the day when the tide is high, the crustacean remains hidden under water; when the tide drops, it immediately rises to the surface.

- For scientists, the hands and gears of this biological clock should be hormones, substances that act made chemical messengers. They can remain constant when the signals of the middle disappear, hence the punctuality of the drosophila mosquinhas. Before it was assumed that these rhythms could be taught from father to son, however, this hypothesis is not correct, because the wasp and spider, for example, do not get to know the parents and, despite this, reproduce the rhythms of paternal activity.

- Even for certain insects, the seasons are important synchronizers. The point is that biological clocks can generally be guided by multiple synchronizers at the same time. Thus, insects are more sensitive to the variation from light to dark, throughout the day, until nightfall. Cockroaches tend to get more agitated in the early evening. But not for that reason, the sensor cells on the surface of your body fail to measure temperature, to send signals when the weather warms up, the way they like it. Hence the proliferation of these insects on summer nights, when the hands of their watch mark two favorable conditions at the same time.

- Some animals use very original synchronizers, such as the hummingbird, which in addition to using luminosity, it records in your brain the times when flowers produce more nectar and sugar to feed it.

- Reports from 1735 show something else amazing. Canada's lynx reaches its maximum population every 9.6 years. Atlantic salmon fishermen fish their best salmon every 9.6 years. Illinois bedbugs have cycles of 9.6 years, and so is the case with wheat crops in the United States and the same as cases of heart disease in the State of New England.

 

THERE'S TIME FOR EVERYTHING

 

* These examples clearly show us that "There is time determined for every purpose under heaven" Ecclesiastes 3.1. And to worship God, it was through Him that separated the sacred hours of the Sabbath.

It is interesting to note that for all time, the patriarchs of the faith have faithfully followed this divine ordinance. Adam since Eden has kept the Sabbath, teaching the same to his children, who even in this life of sin have obeyed such a commandment.

The same is said of Abram, for God chose him, for he was sure that he would educate his children in the divine guidelines.

When the people of Israel came down to live in Egypt, they kept the Sabbath; but when they became slaves, this privilege was taken away from them, and no more observance of the holy day. For this reason, as they left Egypt and pilgrimaged in the wilderness, God was so emphatic with them, teaching them to sanctify the Sabbath in all their generations. He spoke to them under Mount Sinai, wrote with His own finger this ordinance, promising blessings to the faithful, as well as punishment to the rebels.

The prophets always fought that, in the long period of apostasy of kings, the people would return to guard the divine laws, including the Sabbath that was already forgotten by many. Ezekiel appealed to them in his time saying that sabbath observance was a sign between God and his people, Ezekiel 20:12 and 20.

Isaiah also preached to them by presenting them with the blessings God offered them if they were faithful to the fourth commandment of God's Law in Isaiah 58.

All the prophets preached, but they continued in frank rebellion. God then allowed them to go into captivity in Babylon. These 70 years away from home served as a lesson to them.

When they returned, they decided never to be idolatrous, and to observe the divine laws with care and zeal. The problem was that they did it for fear of future punishment, not for God's sake. They then became loyalists, being thorough in keeping the laws, especially in the Sabbath commandment. They invented 33 laws for their observance, making it unbearable.

When Christ came to earth, he tenaciously fought this way of keeping the Sabbath, but he never failed to do so. It was his custom to keep it, and even at his death he did so, leaving to be resurrected on the first day of the week. (Luke 4:16, John 20). He himself stated if the Lord of the Sabbath, and that if he wanted to make any change in the observance of this, He would do it as he pleased, Mark 2:28 and 29. But he never did.

The apostles also observed the fourth commandment of the decalogue (Exodus 20:8-11). We see this through the passages of Acts 17.2. The first believers did the same - Acts 13. 42 and 43.

Interestingto note that there is no biblical reference to any authorized change of sacred Sabbath day observance. We know very well that this happened by will and human order.

The first Christians were by too many missionaries, and they took the Gospel to all parts of the world. As the Church became stronger and stronger, she attracted hatred both of the other religions, who were pagan, as well as the established government, which found itself threatened by the strength of Christians. Thus, united, the pagan religions using the military force of the State persecuted for centuries the Christians, who only grew with this treatment.

Seeing that they could not beat them, a Roman governor named Constantine used a tremendous strategy: he declared Christianity as the religion of his empire, but did not banish the pagan religions, of which he himself was a part. As a sun worshipper, doing such worship on the first day of the week, he commanded that the Sabbath of Christians, as well as the Sunday of the pagans, be observed religiously. And he also promised not to persecute Christians anymore. With this, worldliness took over the Early Church, depraving it with the spurious doctrines of those who were forced to become Christians. This decree of Constantine was promulgated in 321 AD, and the restricted observance of Sunday was proclaimed in 528 AD by Justinian, also Roman emperor.

Despite this unscripted change, modern Christianity follows such determination, in total disapproval of God's will. Even in heaven, the Saints will observe the Sabbath throughout eternity- Isaiah 66:20.

Well, since we are convinced of sabbath observance, now what interests us is to know the correct observance of it. How do you keep Saturday? For such explanations, I use here the quotations written by Ellen White, whom I believe is inspired by God, and from whom we find no incoherence in her writings to the Word of God.

 

WE WILL START TO ADDRESS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS

 

1) The preparation- "Throughout the week we must keep in mind the Sabbath and make the indispensable preparation, in order to observe it according to the commandment... On Friday the preparation for Saturday should be finished... Be careful to put all clothes in order and leave cooked whatever is to sewe. Brush your shoes and take your bath... The Sabbath should not be employed in fixing clothes, baking food, in amusements or any other worldly occupations... and make the worldly newspapers disappear..."

 

2) When it begins and when it ends- respect such milestones- "We must observe the limits of the Sabbath. Remember that every minute is holy time. Whenever possible, employers should grant employees the hours that eat between noon on Friday and the beginning of Saturday. Give them time for preparation, so that they may greet the Lord's day with peace of mind. In doing so, they will not suffer any harm, not even in relation to the time things."

 

3) Worship- "Before sunset, all family members must gather to study the Word of God, sing and pray..."

 

4) Physically ready to meet with the Lord- "No service concerning the six working days will be left for the Sabbath. During the week, we will be careful not to exhaust our energies with physical work to the point that, on the day the Lord rested and restored himself, we are too weary to take part in His worship..."

 

5) Wear the best clothes- "They should not attend the divine presence with clothes worn in the service during the week. Everyone must have a special costume to attend saturday services... We must dress with goodclothes and elegance, since without luxury and without adornments..."

 

6) Get up early, and make a quick worship- "You must not waste the precious hours of the Sabbath, getting up late. On Saturday the family should get up early. Waking up late, it's easy to get in the way of the morning meal and sabbath school preparation. This results in haste, impatience and precipitation, giving way to the family having inappropriate feelings of that day. Desicant, the Sabbath becomes a burden, and its approach will be for it rather cause for displeasure rather than rejoicing."

 

7) It is our duty to attend sabbatical services, and do so with pleasure- "Each one must feel that he has a part to play in order to make Saturday meetings interesting. You should not come together simply to fill out a formality, but to exchange ideas, to share your daily experience, to offer actions of grace, and to express your sincere desire to be enlightened to know God and Jesus Christ.... Don't imagine that you can be Christians and live focused on yourself... each person's experience will be to some extent determined by that of his companions."

"God teaches that we must gather in His house in order to cultivate the qualities of perfect love. With this the inhabitants of the earth will be empowered to the heavenly abodes that Christ went to prepare for those who love Him."

"While we are urged not to leave our meetings, they are not only intended for our own refreshment. We must draw inspiration from a more ardent zeal to communicate to others the blessings we receive. It is our duty to be zealous of God's glory, avoiding any bad witness, either by the sad expression of our face or by words of disregard, as if divine claims constituted a restriction on our freedom... By the physiognomy, temperament, words, and character, we must testify that it is good to serve God...".

 

8) We must prepare for divine worship- "As I cross the doors of the house of God, I ask the Lord to keep you from the heart all that is evil. I have introduced into His house only what He can bless... Pray in favor of the person who will lead the meeting. Pray that great blessing may come to the congregation, through him who must minister the word of life... God will bless all those who prepare for His worship in this way...".

 

9) As should worship- "Preaching in Sabbath meetings in general should be brief, giving opportunity to those who love God, to express gratitude and tax him individual worship... Nobody goes to church to sleep. Sleep is something that should not manifest itself in the house of God... The house of God is desecrated and the Sabbath is violated by the children of Sabbath observers. They run around the house, play, talk and express their bad mood in the very meetings in which the Saints gather... where sacred silence should be and where there should be perfect order, care and humility, Babylon becomes a place where confusion, disorder and slouch rules. This is enough to exclude God from our meetings and cause His wrath to be kinded... take care of your children on The Sabbath. Do not allow them to violate you, for you yourselves will be violating it if you consent to your children doing so...".

 

10) After the service, and the rest of the Sabbath- "We should not, on Saturday, increase the amount of food or prepare greater variety than in other days... the Sabbath meal should be simpler, and it should be easier to eat less than the common, in order to have a clear spirit and in a position to understand the spiritual themes..."

"Although we should refrain from cooking on Saturdays, it is not necessary to eat cold food. On cold days, it is advisable to heat the food prepared the day before..."

"Sabbath School and preaching worship occupy only part of the Sabbath. The remaining time can be spent at home and be the most precious and sacred that the Sabbath provides. Much of that time, parents should spend with their children. In many families, younger children are abandoned to themselves in order to entertain themselves as best they can. Abandoned to themselves, the children soon become restless and begin to play or take care of illicit things. In this way the Sabbath loses its sacred importance to them. When it's a good time, parents should go out with their children to walk through the fields and woods. In the midst of the beautiful things of nature, explain to them the reason for the institution of the Sabbath. Describe to them the work of God's creation... Tell them of the plan of salvation... I repeated to them the sweet history of Bethlehem. Present to them how Jesus was an obedient son to his parents, as he was a faithful and diligent young man, helping to provide for the family...".

"At sunset, his voice will be given in prayer and songs of praise to God, celebrating the end of the Sabbath and asking for the Lord's assistance in the care of the new week...".

* A question can now come to the minds of many: how to keep the Sabbath with pleasure and satisfaction in the heart?

- It is a fact that most people do not observe the fourth commandment with great pleasure. But here's Mrs. White's tip that will help us a lot if we follow him:

 

"Going through, not the obscure chapters of our existence, but the proofs of God's great mercy and untold love, we will find more reason to expand in praise than in grievances... The language of the soul will not manifest itself then, in selfish murmurings and discontent, but in expressions of praise that will spring from the lips of the true believers of God as streams of crystalline waters...".

 

Appeal: We were created to worship God on this holy day. It's born in us. If we do not do or do without pleasure, this observance will destroy our joy as it did with the Jews 2000 years ago. Love God with pleasure!

 

SOURCE

Adventures of Creation. Dr. Haroldo G, Coffin. Casa Publicadora Brasileira, Tatuí-SP, Brazil. 1993 edition.

Youth Inspiration. Casa Publicadora Brasileira, Tatuí-SP, Brazil. Editions from 1977 to 2005.

 

Pr. Marcelo Augusto De Carvalho - April 1997 São Paulo SP Brazil