Gwyneth is a student of Southern Adventist University and a baptized Christian. Her parents are missionaries in Africa. I asked Gwyneth how she felt about the possibility of being threatened with death because of her beliefs. “I don’t really want to think about it,” was her reply. “Hopefully, God will be there.”{§}
Seventh-day Adventists understand the Bible to foretell grave persecution for Sabbath-keeping Christians such as ourselves, just before Jesus returns.{**} It’s not something many of us like to think about, but it seems inevitable. Gwyneth’s feelings are not uncommon.{††} Can we have hope? Will God be there?
This book proposes to answer those questions. Whether you already belong to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, or are a potential member, it is this writer’s intention to bolster the faith of those who ponder the prospect of keeping the Saturday Sabbath during an hour of great unpopularity; even capital punishment.{‡‡} The purpose of this study is to impart—by the grace of God—a greater measure of peace until that time, and the assurance of victory when it comes.
Undue anxiety over this matter not only lowers the quality of one’s life today, but risks the loss of life eternal. Consider the following words of Jesus: “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”{§§} “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried….be thou faithful until death, and I shall give thee a crown of life.”{***} “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell….Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny.”{†††} “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving….shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”{‡‡‡}
Seeing that it is of vital importance, just how then does one “overcome” the persecutor? The Bible has the answer: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony.”{§§§} This book contains testimony regarding many Sabbath-keeping Christians who endured and overcame persecution. May their stories foster an abiding faith in Jesus, and give you the courage to say, “though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”{****}
The American Heritage Dictionary has as its chief definition of Christian: “Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.”{††††} Patterning their lives after that of the Master, Christians obey the command of Christ: “follow Me.”{‡‡‡‡} By “Sabbath-keeping” Christians, we mean those who follow Jesus in observing the original day of rest and worship, “as His custom was.”{§§§§} This day is now called “Saturday” on the English calendar. In other languages, however, this same day is called “sabbat, sabbado, sabota,” or some similar rendering of the Hebrew word, “Shabbath.” (See Appendix A.)
Can we be certain that this Saturday Sabbath is the same seventh day as in Christ’s time? “We have had occasion to investigate the results of the works of specialists in chronology,” says the U.S. Naval Observatory, “and we have never found one of them that has ever had the slightest doubt about the continuity of the weekly cycle since long before the Christian era.”{*****} Granted, the calendar has changed (from Julian to Gregorian in 1582 and in England in 1752).{†††††} But these changes only affected the numbering system corresponding to a month; never altering the names or order of any week day. In other words, Saturday has always directly followed Friday; Friday has always directly followed Thursday, etcetera. By whatever names the days were called prior to these, the pattern remains true.
Amazingly, among Christian scholars who do not keep the original Sabbath, their own research substantiates its validity; even undoing arguments for the adoption of Sunday. (See Appendix B.) The mere fact the day has not technically changed, however, by no means accounts for the great devotion of our martyrs{‡‡‡‡‡} in keeping the Sabbath of the Lord Jesus. The issues stem far beyond a mere desire to be historically accurate, as the continuing reader shall discover. Suffice it to say for now that the Christian day of worship “presents a point of disagreement, with some groups continuing to adhere to…Saturday.”{§§§§§} This disagreement “has plagued Christianity and is still a debated topic.”{******} Because no Scripture can be found authorizing the change of the Sabbath day, other means have been employed in attempt to end the “plague.”
So we come to our next definition. The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics tells us that “persecution carries the connotation of unjust injury or harassment, usually because the victim espouses values or beliefs contrary to those dominant in a society.”{††††††} Because Sabbath-keeping Christians have always been a minority, they have received a corresponding degree of abuse.
“This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints—those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.”{‡‡‡‡‡‡} That text (from the book of Revelation) renders an excellent definition of perseverance for the purpose of our study. Those who cling to their biblical convictions, in spite of persecution, are in good company (with the Revelator). “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God.”{§§§§§§} Why was the apostle John banished to that lonely isle? What called for his patient endurance in being thus persecuted? The above text tells us, it was his unyielding stand “for the word of God.”
The limitations of this study include time constraints{*******} and an incomplete historical record. It should be noted that concerted efforts have been made to erase history{†††††††} pertaining to the integrity of minority church groups as well as the criminal activities of certain majorities, presumably in order to strengthen the image of authority among dominant sects. But God has not permitted all to be lost. On the other hand, many more readily available accounts are rife with bias, so that the reader must take care to look beyond the bigotry, with an eye which apprehends the animosity toward those perceived as a threat to established institutions.
Not intending any slight to those of the Jewish faith, the scope of our study is limited to Sabbath-keepers within the Christian religion. A larger demographic would be unmanageable for this writer. Finally, it is assumed the reader is familiar with some basic tenets of Christianity.
Our approach will be to examine certain occurrences of said persecution as broken into three basic timeframes: distant past, recent past, and anticipated future. Within each period, we shall analyze some dynamics of the conflicts and draw from them lessons of faith. The hand of God will be seen in sometimes astonishing intervention for His people.