Aunt Sevvy, where does the Bible say that there’ll be a conflict about Sabbath & Sunday observance?
5 May 2025 |
Dear Aunt Sevvy,
Where does it say in the Bible that there will be a final conflict over Sabbath and Sunday observance? I can’t find it.
Signed, Bible Student
Dear Student,
The biblical “proof” for this idea involves a lot of parts. Here are just a few of them:
- Revelation 12:17 says that “The dragon [Satan] was wroth with the woman [the church], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God.…” “Keeping the commandments of God” is meant to pinpoint particularly the fourth commandment, which few Christians besides Adventists have honored. The pioneers said this meant Satan would work through other agencies—notably, the Roman Catholic Church—to persecute Sabbath keepers.
- Revelation 14, the three angels’ messages, is at the heart of the Sabbath-Sunday conflict idea. The first angel commands worship of “him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water,” which brings to mind that the Sabbath is, in Exodus 20, the sign of God as the creator. The second angel declares the fall of “Babylon,” which Adventist pioneers said was the Sunday-keeping churches. The third angel implements the mark of the beast which is interpreted, in light of the previous two angels, as the persecution the Roman Catholic Church will unleash against those who keep Sabbath.
- You can also add in Daniel 7:25, which describes a power that will “think to change times and laws.” This, we Adventists have traditionally taught, refers to the papacy changing the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday.
Aunty loves the Sabbath, but let’s be honest: to prove an end-time Sabbath-Sunday conflict requires using these passages out of context, and providing meanings that aren’t self-evident. It would be almost impossible to discover without Ellen White telling us how they should be interpreted.
It’s been close to 200 years since The Great Disappointment, and neither Roman Catholics nor anyone else has initiated Sabbath-Sunday persecution. You can believe it if it helps you to sleep, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for Aunty to think that Sabbath vs. Sunday is the major issue in the time of the end.
Aunt Sevvy
PS: What will be the important issue of the end times? Aunty doesn’t know for sure, but she thinks Matthew 25:31-46, the last parable Jesus told about the time of the end, should be seriously considered. Read it and see what you think!
Aunt Sevvy has collected her answers into a book! You can get it from Amazon by clicking here.
You can write to Aunt Sevvy at DearAuntSevvy@gmail.com. Your real identity will never be revealed.
