Bibliography
Chapter 11 – The Image
Guardians of the Sacred Flame. A.J. Mitchell p14-17. Audio Roots of Adventism Dr B. Ball.
Sunday Laws in Australia M Tierney. Research for this book was in the public library checking Imperial and Australian laws relating to Sunday-keeping.
Dateline Sunday. Warren J Johns p30. The story of three and a half centuries of Sunday blue-law battles in America.
Ibid.
Ibid.
U.S. News and World Report.’ Jun 18.1990.
The New World Order Pat Robertson.
American Civil Liberties Union letter. 132 West 43rd Sth. New York. NY 10036-6599. USA.
World Watch Dec 1995 p3.
Ibid.
Misplaced.
American Civil Liberties letter as above.
Jan Marcusson newsletter. Mar 6. 1997.
USA Today. April 13. 1997.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Steps to Life Australia. Healesville. 3777.
Jan Marcusson newsletter. Mar 6. 1997.
Connecticut Post. Mar 6. 1997.
Jerry Falwell. Falwell Confidential – Impending Death of Christmas. Dec 10. 2004. Part 1.
Ibid.
Transubstantionally means ‘the transfer of the real body and blood of Christ literally to the bread and the wine’. It is a Roman Catholic understanding of a symbolic service where the blood and wine are symbolically referred to as the body and blood of Jesus Christ, not a literal transferral.
Our Sunday Visitor. Sep 24. 1995.
World Watch. Feb 1995.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Church and State Feb 1987. p10.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Sunday Laws in Australia Par 2. M Tierney. This is a copy of almost every newspaper article on the subject in 1991 from the Melbourne papers.
Ibid.
Ibid. Herald. Sun. Jun 18 1991.
Ibid.
Ibid. This is an eyewitness report on the rally, with notes taken down in shorthand during the meeting. Page 42 of the book.
Ibid.
Pilgrim’s Rest. WM 185. On Sunday laws in Fiji.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Amazing Truth news. Jan 1998.
The Great Controversy p445.
Ibid p605.
5 Testimonies p81.
The Daily Telegraph. Jan 21. 1997. Quoted in Towards Eternity World Watch Jul-Sept 1997.
Isaiah 58:13.14.
Letter from Howard Rand of Destiny. Jun 16 1983.
Special Alert No.43 by Howard Rang. Jul 1983.
Ibid.
Misplaced.
Misplaced.
Max Corbett statement, US attorney.
Newsweek magazine. The foregoing was released in a special statement by P.A. Del Valle, president of the Defenders of the American Constitution. Mr Del Valle is a lieutenant general in the US Army, retired. The information was translated from the July 1967 edition of Light and Labor, by the Branch Publishing House. Cleveland. Ohio. USA.
Ibid.
Ibid.
General Court of Justice North Carolina, Pitt County. City of Greenville vs Wal-Mart Stores. File No.95CVS2028. Jan Marcusson newsletter.
Number plate from Liberty magazine May-Jun 1980.
World Watch. Apr -Jun 1997 p2.3.4. Freedom’s Ring Aug-Sept 1994 p9.
Ibid.
World Watch Jul-Sept 1995 p3.
Ibid.
Jan Marcusson newsletter Oct 1997.
Fresno Bee 4.3.1990.
Lansing State Journal. 3.2.95 by Mark Nixon. Quoted in Jun-May 1995 issue.
Letter from NUNEP to all ,ministers and religious leaders.
Ibid.
Cherith Chronicle. Jul-Sep 1997 p4.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Go to -- Chapter 12
The End
Chapter 11
THE IMAGE
“As many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Revelation 13:15.
We would all like to know exactly when the image of the beast will be formed, but that part of the prophecy has not been revealed, however, the formation has been taking place for many years. It is not something that happens overnight.
Since the days of Constantine, Sunday laws have been handed down wherever the Roman Catholic Church has had involvement in religion and politics. They were well established in Europe during the Dark Ages, and millions were martyred for not obeying the laws of the established church.
When Jesuit missionaries entered England, they took with them Sunday-keeping, eventually to be made a part of the British Imperial Law. 1
Australia began governing her people under British law, which included Sunday laws, but gradually they have been incorporated into Australian Acts of Parliament. 2
When the pilgrim fathers left England, they took with them British Imperial Law, and although they wanted “a country without a king, and a church without a pope”, it was not for some years that the separation of church and state was achieved.
The Church of England dominated the southern colonies, the Congregational Church dominated the northern colonies, and the middle state had no state church. 3
The first state to achieve the separation was Pennsylvania, through the work of William Penn, and the last state Massachusetts in 1833, and although it made the United States the only country in the world with a separation of church and state, the disestablishment was not complete. 4
One symbol of religious establishment, the Sunday ‘blue’ law, remained on the books of most states. These laws remain there to this day.
In 1888, the American Congress voted, after much debate, to close the World’s Fair on Sundays.
Many Christians, especially ministers, rejoiced to have the Fair closed on Sundays, however, other Sunday-keeping Christians, Sabbath-keepers and non-Christians, agitated against it, not because they wanted to visit the Fair on a Sunday, but because it was un-Constitutional. 5
Although it seems a small issue, it was the beginning of the formation of the image to the beast, as it was a national Sunday law.
It was a forerunner to the completed image of Rome.
No matter how they are worded, even if they sound completely secular, Sunday laws are religious. Even Christians who keep Sunday should vote against them.
All who believe in religious liberty, should do likewise.
The same applies for Sabbath laws, and Friday laws, as these three days are religious to specific groups. While you may wish to have your particular day quiet and peaceful, the government has no right to force everyone else to keep it that way.
In today’s society, the separation of church and state is being violated, especially in the United States. According to Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who sits on the US Supreme Court, “The wall of separation between church and state is a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.” 6
Thousands agree with him.
One of the major forces against the separation of church and state is Pat Robertson, who ran for president in 1987. Robertson believes Congress should follow Bible laws to govern its people. 7
When his nomination for presidency failed, Robertson formed the Christian Coalition, which has since grown to many thousands in government circles. These men and women continue recruiting others, and as a result of their work, the Republicans gained the ascendancy.
Other groups have since formed, such as the American Center for Law and Justice, the National Legal Foundation, the American Family Association Law Center, the Western Center for Law and Religious Freedom, the Rutherford Institute, the American Spiritual Liberties Union, the Christian Legal Society, the U.S. Justice Foundation, the Christian Educators’ Association, just to name a few. 8
Groups like these are “setting fire to the Bill of Rights in courtrooms from coast to coast – and are radically altering the way people think about free speech and church/state issues”. 9
They are “seeking to override the 1st amendment so they can establish their theocratic ‘One Nation Under God’. Of course it will include an enforced Sunday law. 10
The Religious Right groups want a “Christian government, Christian laws, Christian institutions, Christian practices, Christian citizenship… Then this is Christ’s nation”. 11
“In nearly every state, extremist religious and political right-wing groups are fanning the flames of intolerance and bigotry, igniting fierce legal battles and triggering explosive social conflicts…(it) is unprecedented in both its scope and strategy. And it is particularly successful in advancing the religious agenda of the Radical Right….” 12
One judge, Roy Moore, put the ten commandments on the wall of his Tennessee courtroom, then refused to obey an appeals court order to take them down. Moore appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court. 13
Thousands rallied at the Alabama Capital to support Moore in his stand to display the ten commandments in his court room.
Countdown to Eternity
Said Governor Rob James, “Let us not rest until we can say that this was the day when the American people set their minds and hearts to return to the principles that served them so well for so long”. 14
Instead of censuring the judge’s actions, Governor James vowed to call out the National Guard and state troopers to defend religion in Moore’s courtroom! “Separation of church and state!” said Governor James, “It comes from the Constitution of the old Soviet Union.” 15
At that moment, the crowd starting chanting – “Tear down the wall. Tear down the wall.”
Judge Moore vowed to continue his crusade until “we have God back in America again. As long as there is breath in our bodies, the ten commandments will never come down from this courthouse.” 16
The Tennessee Senate approved a resolution (27 to 1) urging homes, businesses, places of worship, and schools to post (display) and observe the ten commandments. They did this over the objection of the State Attorney General, who declared the resolution unconstitutional.
Steve Cohen, the one dissenter said, “the vote was an alarming indication of the rising power of the religious right and its efforts to mix religion and politics. The government’s job is not to suggest, promote or choose religious thoughts to be recommended to the people. That’s the job of ministers, rabbis, monks, not legislators.” 17
And he is right.
Groups like the Christian Coalition are not only urging the ten commandments be placed in public places, but they are “trying to intimidate judges who refuse to toe the Religious Right’s line by threatening them with impeachment.” 18
In Washington, the House voted overwhelmingly to express its opinion that the ten commandments be celebrated in public places. In a non-binding resolution that would not have the force of law, the House said that “public displays of the Commandments in government offices and courthouses should be encouraged, not restricted.” 19 However, the case ended with Judge Moore having to take the commandments down.
Separation of Church and State is a true Christian belief, however, the government of the United States is completely turning the whole subject upsidedown, as it is now insisting on taking everything religious from public society. For example, children are forbidden to sing Christmas carols in school, place a nativity scene in the classroom, or even play wordless music that has a relation to Christianity.
The Target chain will not allow the Salvation Army to collect funds at its stores. Macys and Bloomingdales have prohibited the phrase ‘Merry Christmas’ in their stores. No public place is permitted to have a nativity scene, and to be able to keep the giant Christmas tree in the city of New York, the mayor has called it a “holiday tree”. 20
At present there are men and women who are ‘secularizing America’ and taking from it everything that relates to Christianity. Mathew Staver, founder and general council at Liberty Council, says that the “publicly sponsored Nativity scenes on public property are, in fact, constitutional as long the display includes a secular symbol.
The government may publicly exhibit depictions of Mary, Joseph and Jesus or a Menorah if such scenes incorporates the image of Santa Claus or Frosty the Snowman, and public school students may sing Christian Christmas carols such as Silent Night as long as they also sing secular songs, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” 21
However, many local governments are actually removing that which relates to Christianity as well as that which relates to Christmas as you can see from the above example. It seems many believe Christmas is Christianity!
A question was recently asked of a non-practising Buddhist lady living in Australia if she celebrated Christmas with her children. ‘Yes’, she said. ‘It is good for them to believe in Father Christmas. We don’t do it for the religion, but to help them learn to have imagination. If we took it away, what would we replace it with?’
An interesting response. But to equate Father Christmas with the Christian religion is totally false. Father Christmas goes back to Nimrod, and over the centuries it has worked its way into the Catholic religion. The jolly man in a red suit, often called Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, is actually a counterfeit of Jesus Christ, the divine Benefactor of the human race.
Christians certainly need to separate themselves from the celebrations of the heathen Christmas, for it represents ‘Christ’s Mass’, in which Christ is sacrificed transubstantiationally, and at the same time, the Santa figure saying, “Ho, Ho, Ho.” 22
What can Christians replace it with? CHRIST.
It may seem that Christmas celebrations are remote from displaying the ten commandments, however, there is a plan taking affect. To have a controversy over issues that do relate to Christianity or appear to relate to it, and to withdraw permission, is to set the scene to replace them with whatever the leaders choose.
Does the Catholic Church want the ten commandments publicly displayed or Christmas celebrated? Of course, but both are not the genuine article, and do not harmonise with the Bible.
It is all part of the plan to form the image?
Finally, the people will cry out for that which is purported to be the truth.
The Papacy is working behind the Apostate Protestant churches in the United States, and when everything is in place, the people will be so moulded into the need for Sunday-keeping, that Satan will bring about his miracles, and the masses will plead for a Sunday law.
The commandments being agitated are not the full version as shown in all Bibles, but are the abbreviated form. This means they do not specify which day of the week is God’s Sabbath, and by manipulating techniques, the people think ‘Sunday’ when the commandments are mentioned.
One method is to continually refer to Sunday as ‘the Lord’s day’, which is nowhere in the Bible. It is double speak, for the sun-worshippers also refer to their ‘deity’ as ‘lord’. Another method is to call the first day of the week ‘the Sabbath’, which it is not.
Still another is by altering the calendar to make Sunday the seventh day of the week.
Have you noticed this?
The devil is a brainwashing expert.
Another organisation that has been working on making Sunday the law of the land is the Lord’s Day Alliance. With the Republican takeover, they are “now hopeful of seeing the legislation and enforcement of Sunday laws shortly”. 23
Lowel Wiker, a Republican Senator stated, “Make no mistake about it gentlemen, the push is on to get religious laws in the United States.
There is now a conspiracy to pass these religious laws and to destroy religious liberty in this country. Strange as it may seem, the pressure is coming from the preachers.” 24
This same senator confided in Dr Leach of the Religious Liberty magazine, “You and I know that if we pass this religious law (of state ordered prayer in public schools), they will have a whole packet full to push through next week. The next one they intend to push is a National Sunday law.” 25
In Canada, Sunday laws were challenged when Paul Magder opened his fur shop in the Chinatown district of Toronto. He had opened many times, risking a $10,000 fine, but this time he did so “in deliberate defiance”. 26
Magder attends the synagogue on the seventh-day Sabbath, and believes he has a right to open his business on Sunday. When the case came to court, advocates of religious freedom were shocked when the Supreme Court charged Magder, “using the charter to ‘protect’ a majority”. 27
“People have a right to feel their rights are protected. The Supreme Court has not done this”, charged a rabbi, who proposed that businesses be given a choice of which day of the week on which to close. 28
“The Sunday closing law is supported by a broad coalition of major churches and labor groups, with the Roman Catholic Church taking a lead role in lobbying for ‘quietness’ on Sundays”, said Steve Ross in Canada after this case. 29
Australia has also had its run of Sunday law cases. The 1991 Victorian debate was one of the major ones. Beginning with a refusal of a local shop owner to close his store on Sunday, other stores began to join the challenge. Brashs, K-Mart, Safeway, Myer, and many more, until it was a wholesale war against the government. 30
The subject was debated daily in the media.
Then the government made a stand – it would increase Sunday trading days to ten free days per year.
But this did not satisfy the clergy or the trade unions. 31
The debate grew, and finally the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association announced there would be a mass ‘Save Our Sundays’ rally at the National Tennis Centre, combined with a state-wide stoppage. There would be a call to the union’s 55,000 Victorian members to oppose the Sunday trading proposal and refuse to work on Sundays. And there would be a set of rolling stoppages to allow members a chance to discuss the State Government’s plans. 32
The rally was not as great a success as they would have hoped, however, the message came across from the four speakers to ‘Save Our Sundays’. A rally song of the same name was sung to the tune of Advance Australia Fair. 33
The moderator of the Uniting Church, Kerry Graham, spoke on behalf of the churches. He said, “Not all are Christians, but Sunday is the inheritance of all of us. Not just a few… Sunday is part of God’s heritage, and don’t let anyone take it away from you.” 34
Are Sunday laws religious?
There is no question the clergymen of any Sunday-keeping denomination believe they are religious.
Ask the Jewish sector of society.
Ask the Muslims.
Since 1991, Victoria has relaxed its laws (due to a change of government), and in downtown Melbourne, there is a seven-day shopping week. This was brought about to bolster Melbourne as a tourist city. 35
Christians believe Sunday is being desecrated. Sun lovers and sports fans revel in a day that has become equally as free for leisure as any other day of the week.
And the possibility that Sunday laws will be enforced to curtail sport? It seems impossible.
But this is part of the plot.
Suddenly those freedoms will be withdrawn.
There have already been test cases. One place was Fiji. In 1987, a Sunday Observance Decree was issued which stated in part that “Sunday shall be observed in the Republic of Fiji as a sacred day and a day of worship and thanksgiving to Christ the Lord… All persons irrespective of whether or not they profess the Christian faith shall respect Sunday and shall, subject to section (4) of this Decree, neither do nor omit to do any act that may undermine the significance of Sunday to the Christians in the Republic of Fiji…” 36
Was this a religious law?
No question.
A letter from a man in Fiji stated, “Things are really moving here in Fiji. There is Sunday worship enforcement; no recreation, only church and then home.” 37
NEVER ON SUNDAY “The military government has added picnics to its list of activities not permitted on the Sabbath (meaning Sunday). Sporting events and trading are also banned, and public transport and taxis do not operate. Church-going is encouraged, but congregations are advised to go straight home afterwards.” 38
On October 1995, the trial run was over, and Fiji lifted the Sunday bans. 39
There may be other trial runs, but when the United States of America passes a National Sunday Law, then we know religious persecution is very close.
“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” 40
The image will have been formed.
The world surveillance mechanism will have been completed, and all who choose to give their allegiance to the church/state alliance, will have shown by their decision that they ‘worship the beast’.
Those who obey the religious laws enforced by the government will gain the right to buy and sell, and thus they will be entitled to eat.
But they will have ‘the MARK of the beast’.
Men and women who have no regard for God will choose to obey the laws of the land with ease. They will ‘receive the mark in their right hand’, signifying that they do not have religious convictions, but obey out of necessity. It will not be a literal mark, as ‘the hand’ is merely a symbol of the deeds, rather than the thoughts of the mind. (Remember, we have already discussed ‘the number’, which most certainly will be literal, either on the hand or the forehead)
Christians who have not made a full commitment to the Law of God and the Sabbath prior to this time will find the choice incredibly difficult, as they must choose between their belief in God and their own sustenance.
They will be in great anguish at the thought of making a decision that will deprive their families of daily food. Dependents such as children, spouses, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, will cry out, ‘Don’t fail me’.
The choice will have eternal consequences.
If they choose to obey the laws of the land rather than deprive their families of daily sustenance, they will ‘receive the mark in their foreheads’, a conscious decision to transfer their allegiance to man, rather than trust in God.
Yes, the Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty.
“When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not… While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other, choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.” 41
Reader, this is your moment of decision.
“The time of test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands, and conformed to worldly customs, will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death.” 42
When Bill Clinton gave his State of the Union address in January 1997 he said, “Just a few days before my second Inauguration, one of (the) country’s best known pastors, Rev Robert Schuller, suggested that I read Isaiah 58:12. Here’s what it says: ‘Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in’. I placed my hand on that verse when I took the oath of office, on behalf of all Americans. For no matter what our differences – in our faiths, our backgrounds, our politics – we must all be repairers of the breach.” 43
There are two important points in this message. One is that Robert Schuller is the pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim California, a fantastic glass-roofed building, seating thousands of church members. If you take the lift upstairs, you will see a photograph of Schuller and the Pope looking at the plans for the Cathedral. The connection is significant.
The second point is subtle, but for Sabbath-keepers it brings immediate insight into the evil agenda.
The Bible text stating, “Thou shalt be… the repairer of the breach…” refers to people who would repair the breach made in the law of God, especially regarding the seventh-day Sabbath.
Immediately following are the words, “If you turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord…” 44
This is how God wants His holy day kept by His faithful remnant.
Bill Clinton did not have the Sabbath in mind when he spoke his words, but Sunday, the institution of the Catholic Church.
George Bush also honoured the Catholic Church when he said of Pope John Paul 11, “We thank God for this rare man, a servant of God and a hero of history.” 45
The agenda must go on.
Both Clinton and Bush are working towards bringing about a charge against those who keep holy the Sabbath day, for the conspirators believe they are to blame for the breach. (It is not known if Clinton or Bush believe this themselves at this present time, but that day will come)
One man who has publicly made this accusation over the years, is Howard B Rand, editor of ‘Special Alert’.
One of his charges has been that the terrible calamities befalling the United States are due to Sunday not being kept by the American people. The blame he lays at the door of Sabbath-keepers.
In a personal letter to the writer, Rand stated, “It is the duty of the government to set the days of labor with the seventh day following a Sabbath unto the Lord. Our observance of Sunday as our Sabbath day conforms with all the requirements of the Fourth Commandment…. It is the duty of a government to establish such observance, otherwise, there would be confusion if everyone elected to establish a day in accord with their creed or beliefs.” 46
In ‘Special Alert’ No.43, he states, “Because Sunday is the Sabbath of the majority in our land and has been nationally established as the day of worship, it is the day all should be compelled to observe as the Lord’s Day, that is, all, both citizens and strangers in our midst living within our borders.” 47
Rand uses the term ‘compel’ and ‘enforce’ over and over again.
“Thus, designating a Sabbath as a national day of worship, it will become possible to enforce its observance and prevent its desecration, enabling the administration to bring to judgment those who desecrate the day.” 48
On January 4, 1995, a Bill to set up an independent or executive Presidential Commission for the establishment of commemorations, was passed by the House of Representatives in US Congress. (House Resolution 6 – HR6) This Bill has since been reviewed with HR 624, and later HR 746. 49
“A small group of men, the ‘subcommittee on civil service’ has relieved Congress of dealing with commemoratives, and will consider commemoratives urged by different groups, to present directly to the president for him to pass by ‘Presidential Proclamation’.’ 50
According to attorney Max Corbett, “As you recall… it was noted that such a bill did not have a provision precluding the establishment of Sunday as a commemorative day of rest.” 51
As a result of the Bill, George Bush can make a Presidential Proclamation establishing Sunday as a Commemorative Day of Rest at any time. Perhaps sooner than we think!
In the French magazine called ‘Foy et Rai’, a report was given from the United Nations in Geneva Switzerland on the dissolution of the UN organisation to make way for a World Tribunal that would seize all possessions, all savings, bank accounts and deposits. 52
The article stated that “every man, woman a child will receive a certain amount of money and a number. This money is already available and in a bank waiting for distribution… This project and plan provides for a total unification of church and state, and also provides for a single form of worship. The appointed day for all people will be Sunday.” 53
At the end of his speech, someone arose and asked the speaker, “What happens to the minorities who will not accept this plan?”
The reply was, “Their number will be cancelled with a black line and they will be deprived of the right to buy or sell and will thus be forced to destruction.” 54
Bible prophecy is coming to pass before our very eyes.
In Greenville North Carolina, a Sunday law complaint and subsequent law suit resulted in the council’s finding as follows: “The city council hereby finds and declares that the carrying on of unrestricted business activities in the city on Sunday does not result in the due observance of Sunday as a day of rest, and is contrary to the public health, the general welfare, safety and morals of the citizens…” 55
Notice the findings relate to ‘public safety’. This should bring to mind another Council of Public Safety ruling. Remember the French Revolution?
Sunday laws may not be enforced as ‘religious laws’.
It matters not.
Sunday can be called a day of rest for ‘general welfare’, ‘safety’, and ‘morals’. Any reason is enough to bring about a Sunday law at the right time.
Often Sunday laws are tied to trade, with unions fighting for the ‘rights of the worker’. To prevent ‘sweatshops’, the apparel industry has formulated a code of conduct, signed by companies such as NIKE, Reebok, L.L.Been and others. It includes a 60-hour maximum week, and requires “one day off in every seven day period”. At present that day has not been named, but we can guess which one it will be. 56
Australia has chosen not to sign this apparel industry code as its core labour standards are dealt with by the International Labour Organisation. However, it will not be long before this country capitulates. 57
The Massachusetts Council of Churches has recommended that the most successful method to bring in Sundays laws is to use the ‘family time’ concept. “We must articulate a vision of life which values family time, reflective time and communities built on caring and mutual support.” 58
In March 1997, a National Family Day was launched in Australia. The Prime Minister John Howard made a speech at the launch. The day chosen – Sunday, October 26, 1997, Australia’s first National Sunday Law. 59
At this present time, there is much ‘urging’ going on in the United States. The National Sunday Law has not yet been enacted, but men and women are being encouraged in many different ways.
An open letter was pinned to the doors of every home in Rankin County stating that Sunday be used for worship, instead of spending the time in sporting activities. It was signed by the eleven ministers in the area. 60
Not only are ministers making suggestions on how to keep Sunday holy, but so are innovative citizens.
A letter mailed to the editor of a Fresno California newspaper suggested that as “Sunday is a day most people are home, and they water their yards, even if they don’t need to… We won’t need water meters if the city stops all watering on Sundays and we all abide by their rules.” 61
In a newspaper called the Lansing State journal, the following advertisement was placed. “Feel Tired? You are not alone. National Days of Rest are needed as an antidote… I honestly believe Congress should declare several National Days of Rest. Once upon a time in America Sunday was regarded by most people as a day of rest… Sunday, the day of rest, was a good thing. It undoubtedly prevented countless nervous breakdowns and heart attacks... National Days of Rest just might slow life down to sub-light speed.” 62
The suggestions continue.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) organised an ‘Environmental Sabbath’. It was not to particularly be Sunday, but a weekend of June 1990. The special day was called a ‘Sabbath rest’. 63 We may not have heard of it, because many arrangements are being made without public awareness, although information is posted on websites.
In a letter to all religious and spiritual leaders, Noel Brown the Director of UNEP stated, “We invite you to join us in celebration Environment Sabbath/Earth Rest Day”. The advertising included “prayers from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikkism and Islam, as well as from the Native American tradition, the Society of Friends, and the Baha’i faith”. 64
In 1990, the Jesuit-trained Supreme Court Justice Scalia, wrote a devastating majority opinion (ruling) on a certain case which stated that “the right of free exercise (of religion) does not relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a ‘valid and neutral law of general applicability’ on the ground that the law proscribes (or prescribes) conduct that his religion prescribes (or proscribes)”. 65
This ruling utterly devastated and destroyed the free exercise right of the First Amendment. Justice Blackman wrote the dissenting opinion in which he declared, “This distorted view… leads the majority to conclude… that the repression of minority religions is an ‘unavoidable consequence of democratic government’”. 66
With the precious freedom of religious liberty gone, churches and groups across the nation, from the Baptists to the Seventh-day Adventists, from liberal to conservative, lobbied congress to restore the once-hallowed constitutional freedom of religion, this time through statutory law – the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. When this law was passed, there was a great sigh of relief. 67
However, on June 25 1997, the Supreme Court struck down the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, leaving the nation without a legal basis for religious liberty. 68
The stage is set for earth’s crisis.