Notice to readers: If you come across any news or quotations relevant to the current push for Sunday laws in the United States or elsewhere, please send them to us that we may post them here. Updates are close to the bottom of this article, in the section beginning with the subtitle “Important Prophetic Quotes”. If you enjoy what we do, please consider supporting us by getting our book Identifying the Antichrist: 16 Identification Marks to Identify the Beast.
The secular position on the idea of a Sunday Law:
“… [i]n light of the evolution of our Sunday Closing Laws through the centuries, and of their more or less recent emphasis upon secular considerations, it is not difficult to discern that as presently written and administered, most of them, at least, are of a secular rather than of a religious character, and that presently they bear no relationship to establishment of religion… [T]he fact that this [prescribed day of rest] is Sunday, a day of particular significance for the dominant Christian sects, does not bar the State from achieving its secular goals.” –findlaw.com.
The Secular world will have no problem with a
National Sunday Law!
(see the McGowen vs. Maryland case 366 U.S. 420)
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Is It biblical?
Revelation 13:16-17
(16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Notice first off that the Mark is related to buying and selling. Without it, You can not make any business transactions. Now before we continue, there is an important thing we must understand in this battle between Christ and Satan. The whole drama that unfolds in the book of Revelation reveals that Satan wants to destroy, but God intervenes and provides a way of escape through his son Jesus Christ. But while destroying, Satan manages to deceive people by the millions with his lies and wonders (Rev. 13:13-14). What are the ways he deceives the people? He counterfeits God. From the very beginning, Satan wanted to be worshiped as God (Isaiah 14:14). And because in his terrible form he knows we will not worship him nor believe him, he “transforms as an angel of light” – 2 Cor. 11:14. He has is own prophets, as God has his. His own apostles, church, believers, writings, etc. He counterfeits everything that God has, in order to “deceive” the people. It is a no marvel, then, that we read of his deceptions in the book of Revelation. Now with this in mind, read Revelation 13:17 once more. Notice the words “buy and sell.” Note closely, this is a “law” that is being enforced, that without this Mark no one can buy or sell. Now, what, in relation to God, forbids buying and selling, which Satan can “counterfet?” The answer is his law, specifically the fourth commandment. Take a look:
Exodus 20:8-11
(8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.(9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:(10) But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:(11) For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (see also Nehemiah 13:16-18)
God has said that no business transactions are to take place within God’s people on the seventh day. That means no buying and no selling. Has Satan counterfeited this as well? We know of only one other day that people claim has taken place of the seventh day Sabbath… and that day is the first day of the week, Sunday.
The very phrase “buy and sell” gives plenty of evidence that this is a law that forbids any type of work to be performed unless it is obeyed, hence a Sunday law. But is the Sabbath even mentioned as related somehow to this whole scenario, which would in turn give it the very possibility of being counterfeited? Yes! Turn with me to chapter 14:
Revelation 14:6-7
(6) And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,(7) Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
In keeping with what was just explained, notice also now that in the other side, God’s side, those sealed by God are a people proclaiming a message (symbolized by the flying angel) saying “worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea…” This same phrase is found in the Sabbath commandment:
“… for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth and the sea” –Exodus 20:11.
While the people of the world obey the beast and his law, God urges the world through his people that the Seventh day is the Sabbath, not Sunday, and that we are to worship the true God by obeying his commandment, all of them, especially the one which gives him that title of creator. It’s a battle between who will be worshiped as the one true God.
That Satan wants us to violate God’s law is made crystal clear through all of Revelation 13. Verse 15 shows how he wants the world to violate the 1st and 2nd commandments by forcing (speak and cause) people to worship the image. We know that when we break even one of God’s law, we automatically break them all (James 2:10). Yet God’s people are described as those who… “keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus” -Revelation 14:12. These will be the ones allowed to eat of the tree of life… because they “do his commandments” –Rev. 22:14.
“The die had been cast at the February 2007 meeting of CCT: The agreement had been made to work toward a U.S. National Sunday Law. As you will recall, it was included as Point Seven in a Ten Point Objective… But that seventh item was crucial: It called for a National Sunday Law!” -Vance Ferral
“On May 31, 1998, the papal encyclical, Dies Domini, which Ratzinger as head theologian drafted, was issued by the Vatican. You can find the complete text in our tract set, Pope John Paul II Calls for National Sunday Laws, Parts 1-4 [WM–843-846]. Ratzinger, already 72 at the time, was working steadily toward the fulfillment of an objective, which he wanted to accomplish before his death.” -Vance Ferral
A Sunday Law IS Coming!
Protestant and Catholic leaders unite to take control of the secular “wheel,” just as EGW predicted
“I believe that what God is doing today is calling for the black church to team with the white evangelical church and the Catholic Church and people of moral conscience. And in this season, we need to begin to tell both [major political] parties, Listen, it’s our way or the highway.” -Bishop Harry Jackson Jr.
The National Sunday Law: A real Crisis!
Now the churches are uniting in an effort to protect “the Lord’s day.”
“New research finds that many youths who had been classified as “religious” because of their church attendance succumbed to temptation after (Sunday) blue laws were repealed. They drank more alcohol and used other drugs.” -Christian Science Monitor 2006, “Maybe Blue Laws weren’t so bad.”
Video: Movements for Sunday Laws
Notice: Sometimes the pages where these prophetic quotes are found suddenly get deleted (this has happend to us before), so with some of these quotes we went ahead and photocopied the quote directly from those pages just in case. Each new quote we add begins from the top of the list. Compare the following quote by Ellen G. White with the information that will follow:
“Thus, it is necessary to promote reflection and efforts at reconciling the demands and the periods of work with those of the family and to recover the true meaning of the feast, especially on Sunday, the weekly Easter, the day of the Lord and the day of man, the day of the family, of the community and of solidarity.” –Zenit.org
“Sunday was proclaimed by four Gulf Coast state governors to be a day of prayer for a solution to stop the oil spill and those impacted by it.” -Christian Web News (cwnewz.com)
“Facing a steep economic downturn that is putting some of them out of business, Oregon auto dealers will go to the Legislature this winter seeking some novel assistance: a guaranteed day off.
The car dealers will ask Oregon lawmakers to impose ‘blue laws’ prohibiting auto sales on Sunday. Greg Remensperger, executive vice president of the Oregon Automobile Dealers Association, said his members voiced ‘overwhelming support’ for the measure at a series of recent regional meetings.” –Oregan Auto Dealers asking lawmakers for a Sunday Law
“Back to Church Sunday is a campaign specifically designed to increase church attendance by creating a special service and then empowering church members with the tools they need to invite neighbors, friends and loved ones back to church. Using these great resources for planning, promotion and execution your church can plan a Sunday that will excite your members, encourage invitations as well as welcome and connect visitors to your ministries.” –National Back to Church Sunday
“From this follows the obligation of the cessation from work and labor on Sundays and certain holy days.” –Encyclical letter of the supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI (ctrl+F and paste these words into the search to find)
“Sunday shopping continues to spark debate…” –YouTube video
“While the concept of Sunday worship and family and community gatherings may appear to be a little hackneyed, it is nonetheless valid for this council”s community.”Perhaps we could promote ourselves as the ‘time out” centre where people could well and truly smell the roses on a Sunday,” Mr Hickey wrote.” –Battle lines drawn over shop hours
“An extra day doesn’t mean sales go up,” she said. “People have only got so much money to spend… I love waking up on Sunday knowing I won’t have any staff ringing me saying they can’t come in. I appreciate the day of rest,” she said.” –Seven-day trade: retailers divided
“Of all the remedies to American consumer insatiability that so undermined our national character and finances over the past few years, none would be as effective, nor as direct, as simply rediscovering our lost (sunday) Sabbath… But beyond a weekly family feast, we need a national Sabbath.” -Give it a Rest! full article found at jpost.com.
“I told the governor, a man of sincerity and humility, that the consensus among economists is that the American economic collapse came about through greed, reckless spending and reckless borrowing. What better way to remedy it than to give our citizens a day for saving rather than splurging, suffused with peace rather than clogged with traffic, a day to fill our inner emptiness not through impulse buying but through prayer at church, bike-riding with the kids, or lunching with friends.” -Give it a Rest! full article found at jpost.com.
“Life in 21st century America is busy. Many people complain of hectic schedules, unending demands and never ending to do lists. The stressful spirit of going 24-7 has become the norm for too many, even starting from a young age. … Our faith traditions remind us that one day a week was supposed to be different from others.” – Statement by Pastors from 17 churches of various denominations that will be read from pulpits and published in church newsletters. Click HERE.
(notice: keep in mind that these pastors believe
the Sabbath is on Sunday)
“This year’s ONE Sabbath season starts in October 2008 and runs through the first 100 days of the next administration. During this critical time, as our leaders set national priorities, we can demonstrate our own priorities by holding worship services, small-group discussions and youth activities focused on ending extreme poverty and global disease.” –One.org. See YouTube video HERE.
“Polish lawmakers proposed a draft bill on Thursday that would require stores to remain closed on Sunday in order to protect people forced to work on Sunday, a day of rest for Christians.” -CNNnews (found at Catholic Culture.org)
“‘Our decision to close on Sunday was our way [League comment: rather then God’s way -Ex. 20:8-11] of honoring God and directing our attention to things more important than our business.’ Chick-fil-A, the third-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the country, gives all employees Sunday off to spend with family and to express their faith… Today, there are more than 1,040 restaurants in 34 states and Washington, D.C. Remarkably, Cathy has led Chick-fil-A® on an unparalleled record of 34 consecutive years of annual sales increases.” –S. Truett Cathy, Closed On SundayChick-fil-A Restaurants.
“Not that the Sabbath was discontinued, but continued on another day. Like a picture on a wall, he picked it off of this wall and he put it on this wall. He moved the Sabbath, however its the same picture.” –BlueLaw.net, a website which promotes Sunday Laws, says Sabbath is on Sunday
“… she (Juda Shulavitch) is pushing for a return to laws that would shut down businesses one day a week…” –CBS Sunday Morning segment seems to uplift Sunday Laws
“Time for us to let Rodney MacDonald know we are not happy with his decision to ignore the plebiscite on Sunday shopping vote that was held in 2004. Say no to Sunday shopping, Lets hold our politicians accountable. A hit of an election is coming this spring or summer. It’s time to speak out.” –YouTuber from Nova Scotia helps rally a gathering to hold their government accountable for not giving them a Sunday Law!
“The Secretariat of COMECE, the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) and the Church of England welcome the initiative of several Members of the European Parliament, to ask the House to decide on a Written Declaration “on the protection of a work-free Sunday as an essential pillar of the European Social Model and as part of the European cultural heritage… It is of fundamental importance for family relations, but also for social and cultural life to safeguard one of the few remaining times which can be shared by children and their parents.” –Protection of the work-free Sunday: MEPs launch Written Declaration
“When I look at all the business that are opened on Sunday I get disappointed. So today instead of focusing on the bad I focused on the good – that is those shops which are closed on Sunday. When you dealing with small businesses you will find that most are closed. It’s mostly the big businesses or the franchises which keep their doors opened.” –An advocate for Sunday blue laws on YouTube defends Sunday as if it were the Sabbath
“When I was a child in the fifties, most retail stores and shopping centers were closed on Sundays. People went to worship, if that was your thing, and then spent the day relaxing – visiting friends, or tinkering around the house… So, after I write this, I’m going to turn off my computer, leave my phone on my desk, and take a walk on the beach. I’m going to smell the salt water, watch the gulls fly and feel the sunshine on my shoulders. After that…well, I actually don’t have any plans. Happy Sunday.” –The Sunday Post
“France and the French people remain fond of Sunday as a rest day. This text will conserve Sundays as a day of rest.” –Time Magazine, Sunday shopping? France says Non
“87% of people think it is important for family stability and community life to have a common day off each week.” –NOP Consumer Poll, 2005, Keep Sunday Special
“We don’t want to tell people how to live their lives, but we do believe there need to be some limits to protect the things that matter most. Here are five reasons to keep Sunday special: Protecting relationships, Preserving community, Saving local business, Respecting faith, Getting rest.” –Keep Sunday Special
“With progress, of course, comes backlash from those who desperately want to preserve the old ways. Mom-and-pop liquor stores in New York fought to keep the blue laws to have more time with their families. Car dealers in Kansas City, Mo., pushed for a law to make them close on Sundays so they could have a day off without losing out to competition. Chick-Fil-A, a chain of more than 1,100 restaurants in 37 states, closes on Sundays because its founder, Truett Cathy, promised employees time to “worship, spend time with family and friends or just plain rest from the work week,” says the chain’s website.” –Time Magezine, and on the Seventh Day we rested?
“Calls on the Member States and the EU institutions to protect Sunday, as a weekly rest day, in forthcoming national and EU working-time legislation in order to enhance the protection of workers’ health and the reconciliation of work and family life…” –Europian Parliament’s recent written decleration
“As Pope Benedict XVI bid farewell to Austria today, he called on everyone to live Sunday’s in a Christian manner. Quoting a 20th century German bishop, Benedict exhorted people to “Give the soul its Sunday and give Sunday its soul.” -Pope Benedict exhorts Christians to keep Sunday holy
“The Catholic Church wants Sunday observance enshrined in EU law. The European Parliament is debating changes to its Working Time Directive. The Vatican wants a clause in this law that would force every citizen in the European Union to rest on Sunday.” –theTrumpet.com
“So perhaps we should consider enacting a Sunday Law. Not to restrict people from working, but to give liberty to those who can’t choose. And imagine the tax dollars that would be saved?” -Voter and Supporter talks about enacting a Sunday law at the Barack Obama main website. click HERE.
“The National Assembly has voted in favour of legislative changes that demand the closure of shops on Sundays. The lawmakers decided unanimously, with 63 votes, to implement the will of the Slovenian voters, who decided at a referendum last September that shops should be closed on Sunday, bar a few exceptions.” –Sunday law passed in Slovenia, click HERE.
“Germany’s highest court has upheld the country’s restrictive retail opening hours, disappointing consumers hoping to shop on Sundays and public holidays.” –Germany rejects Sunday shopping.
“The Croatian parliament has passed a law forcing shops to close on Sundays in a concession to the Roman Catholic church.” -National Sunday Law recently passed in Croatia, click HERE.
“Today, Louis Vuitton is unable to sell its handbags on the Catholic day of rest (Sunday). In the future, as Europe becomes more integrated and the Vatican takes on a greater leadership role, we know that Sunday observance will be enforced as an identifying sign of the next incarnation of the Holy Roman Empire.” -France enforces Sunday Rest, ept. 2006, by thetrumpet.com.
“Beginning Dec. 30, stores will no longer be allowed to open on Sunday, making Prince Edward Island the only jurisdiction in Canada that forces retailers to close their doors on Sundays.” -Sunday shopping ends this weekend in Prince Edward Island, by The Guardian.
“(IsraelNN.com) MK Zevulun Orlev (NRP) has announced the findings of a poll showing 56% support amongst Israelis for his proposed legislation making Sunday a day of rest and allowing some public transportation and entertainment on the Sabbath.” -Sabbath-Sunday Bill Survey Shows Support, by IsraelNationalNew.com.
“Likud MK, Leah Ness, is proposing a new bill aimed to shorten the Israeli workweek from 5.5 to 4.5 days by making Sunday a day off, MAARIV reported.” -Sunday Could Become a Day Off in Israel, by Israeli Consulate. Tuesday, March 30, 2004.
“Examples of this fear is SDAs worries that the Pope and Protestant denominations will lobby and the United States Congress to pass a Sunday law. SDAs live in fear that if such a law is passed then those that worship on Sunday will hunt them down and put them to death. SDAs have more faith in their prophetess non-biblical visions than they do in the word of God.” -Robert K. Sanders, ex-SDA elder.
“SDAs are so paranoid that they are continually reading the newspapers and watching TV to see if the United States government is making any Sunday blue laws, or if the Pope of Rome is promoting Sunday keeping with efforts to unite Protestant denominations with Rome as a fulfillment of EGW’s prophecies.” -Robert K. Sanders, ex-SDA elder.
“While keeping the Sabbath has been made into a gargantuan issue by Seventh-day Adventists, to non-Sabbatarians it is no issue at all.” -Dirk Anderson, ex-SDA.
