The Analogy: The "Invented Traffic Law"
I can feel the anxiety in your question, and I want to hug you right now because that fear is heavy. Pero pag-usapan natin ito nang masinsinan.
Isipin mo ito: Suppose may isang grupo ng tao na nag-claim na may "Secret Law" ang gobyerno. Sabi nila, "Kapag nag-drive ka ng kotse tuwing Tuesday, huhulihin ka at ikukulong dahil illegal 'yun." Pero nung chineck mo ang Constitution at Land Transportation Code, wala namang nakasulat na bawal mag-drive pag Tuesday.
Ngayon, kung ikaw ay nag-drive ng Tuesday dahil kailangan mong pumasok sa trabaho, naging kriminal ka ba? Naging kaaway ka ba ng gobyerno? Hindi. Bakit? Kasi human invention lang yung takot na 'yun. Walang basis sa batas.
Ganyan na ganyan ang Sunday Law. It is a heavy burden created by human interpretation (specifically by Ellen G. White), pero kapag binuklat mo ang Bible from Genesis to Revelation, wala kang makikitang verse na nagsasabing "Thou shalt not worship on Sunday" or "The Mark of the Beast is Sunday worship."
Rhetorical Questions to Ponder
Kapatid, I want you to ask yourself these honest questions using your God-given logic:
1.) Nasaan ang connection? Kung ang Mark of the Beast ay tungkol sa loyalty kay Satan, paano naging evil ang pag-alala sa Resurrection ni Jesus tuwing Sunday? Does celebrating the day Jesus defeated death make you an enemy of God?
2) Character or Calendar? Sa New Covenant, ang basehan ba ng pagiging anak ng Diyos ay ang araw ng pagsamba, o ang dugo ni Jesus? Kung mahal mo si Lord, tinanggap mo Siya bilang Savior, at namumuhay ka sa Holy Spirit, magiging "anak ka ba ni Satanas" bigla dahil lang nag-church ka ng Linggo?
3) Sino ang totoong umuusig? Sa history, sino ba ang madalas na judgmental at exclusive? Hindi ba't kadalasan ay yung mga groups na nagki-claim na "sila lang ang ligtas" at umuusig kay Jesus at mha apostle dahil sa observance nila ng Sabado gaya ng mga Pariseo at mga Sadduceo?
The Biblical Truth
Ang takot na magiging "taga-usig" o persecutor ka ay walang biblical basis. Under the New Covenant, the law is written in our hearts (Hebrews 8:10), not on stone tablets or weekly schedules.
Ang tinatawag na "Mark of the Beast" sa Revelation ay hindi tungkol sa araw ng pagsamba sa future. Sa historical context, ito ay simbolo ng allegiance sa Roman Empire noong first century na lumaban sa Diyos. It is finished. Wala itong kinalaman sa Sunday worship natin ngayon.
We worship on Sunday (or any day) not to persecute Sabbath keepers, but to celebrate the New Creation in Christ. Hindi tayo kaaway. We love our SDA friends, but we refuse to be enslaved by their man-made fears.
You are safe in Jesus. Your salvation is secured by His grace, not threatened by a calendar.
That is the spirit, kapatid! Let’s liberate your mind from fear using history and Scripture. Handa ka na bang makita kung ano talaga ang ibig sabihin ni Apostle John?
The Mark Was About Nero Caesar, Not Sunday
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants things which must shortly take place..." Revelation 1:1 (NKJV)
Kapatid, the biggest key to understanding Revelation is the timeframe. John explicitly said these things must happen shortly (sa madaling panahon) for the seven churches in Asia Minor. Kung para sa kanila 'yun, bakit natin ipipilit sa panahon natin ngayon?
Here is the historical truth that destroys the Sunday Law theory:
1. The Beast was Rome, not the Papacy
Noong panahon ni John, ang Christians ay pinapatay. Sino ang pumatay sa kanila? Hindi naman Pope (wala pang Pope noon), kundi ang Roman Empire. In biblical prophecy (like in Daniel), a "Beast" represents a kingdom or an empire. Sa context ng Revelation, ang "First Beast" ay ang Roman Empire na nagpe-persecute sa church.
2. The Number 666 = Nero Caesar
The ancient Jews and Greeks used letters as numbers (Gematria). Parang code.
- The Bible says count the number of the "man" (Rev 13:18).
- If you write the name "Neron Caesar" (the Emperor alive during that time) in Hebrew letters, the total numerical value is exactly 666.
John was writing in code kasi kung isusulat niya nang diretso na "Si Nero ang kalaban," huhulihin siya agad at papatayin ang sinumang may hawak ng sulat. It was a warning to the early Christians about their current dictator, hindi tungkol sa Sunday worship 2,000 years later.
3. The "Mark" on the Hand and Forehead
Sabi ng SDA, forehead means "belief", at hand means "action" (work on Sabbath). Pero balikan natin ang Old Testament.
Jewish Context: Sanay ang mga Jews sa language na ito. Sa Deuteronomy 6:8, sabi ni Lord tungkol sa Kanyang utos: "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes."
- Literal ba na may tattoo si Moses? Wala. Ibig sabihin nito, ang loyalty nila ay kay Yahweh.
- The Counterfeit: Satan always copies God. Kung may "Seal of God" ang believers (loyalty to Christ), ang "Mark of the Beast" ay loyalty to Caesar.
4. "No Buying or Selling."
Sabi sa Revelation 13:17, hindi ka makakabili o makakabenta kung wala kang mark.
- Historical Fact: Under Emperor Domitian and Nero, tradesmen and merchants belonged to "guilds" (parang labor unions). Before you could trade, you often had to offer incense to the Emperor and say, "Caesar is Lord."
- Kung Christian ka, hindi mo gagawin 'yun. Sasabihin mo, "Jesus is Lord."
- The result? Tatanggalin ka sa guild. Mawawalan ka ng negosyo. Hindi ka makakabili sa palengke. Gutom ang aabutin mo. Yan ang persecution noon. It was an economic sanction against those who refused to worship the Emperor. Walang kinalaman sa Araw ng Linggo.
The "New Covenant" Conclusion
Kapatid, the Mark of the Beast, was a symbol of allegiance to the Roman State religion in the 1st Century.
- To have the Mark meant you compromised and worshipped Caesar to save your life.
- To refuse the Mark meant you stood firm that Jesus is King, kahit na maghirap ka o mamatay ka (martyrdom).
Ang SDA teaching na ang "Mark" ay Sunday Worship ay isang human invention na lumabas lang noong 19th century. Hindi ito itinuro ng mga Apostles, ng Church Fathers, o ng mga Reformers.
So, when you worship on Sunday to celebrate Jesus' resurrection, you are not receiving a mark of the beast. You are actually proclaiming that Jesus is alive and He is Lord!
Here is the biblical assurance you need to sleep soundly tonight. Let’s replace that fear with the certainty of God’s promise.
The Seal is a Person, Not a Day
"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV)
Kapatid, huminga ka nang malalim. This verse is the "silver bullet" against the SDA doctrine of the Sabbath Seal.
Si Ellen G. White at ang SDA theology ay nagtuturo na ang "Seal of God" ay ang pangingilin ng Sabado (Sabbath keeping). But look at the verse above. Sino o ano ang "Seal" ayon kay Apostle Paul?
Is it a day? No.
Is it Saturday? No.
It is the Holy Spirit.
The Analogy: The "Official Dry Seal" vs. The "Schedule"
Imagine you graduated from a prestigious university and you received your diploma.
- The Seal: Para maging valid 'yung document, kailangan may "Official Dry Seal" ng university. Kapag nakita 'yun ng employer, alam nilang authentic ka.
- The Schedule: Imagine kung sasabihin ng employer, "Fake 'yang diploma mo kasi nakuha mo 'yan ng Tuesday, hindi Saturday."
Matatawa ka, 'di ba? Because the validity of the diploma depends on the Seal (Authority), not on the day (Calendar) you received it, or the day you look at it.
In the New Covenant:
- The SDA focuses on the "schedule" (Saturday).
- The Bible focuses on the "Seal" (The Holy Spirit dwelling in you).
Ang tunay na tanda na anak ka ng Diyos ay hindi dahil nasa loob ka ng building tuwing Sabado. Ang tanda ay dahil binago ka na ng Holy Spirit mula sa loob (internal) palabas. You have a new heart, you love Jesus, and you walk in His grace.
Rhetorical Questions for Peace of Mind
1. Sino ang mas powerful? If you have the Holy Spirit inside you God Himself dwelling in your heart can a missed Saturday cancel God’s presence? Mas makapangyarihan ba ang kalendaryo kaysa sa Espiritu Santo?
2. External vs. Internal: The Pharisees kept the Sabbath perfectly, but they crucified Jesus. Does keeping a day make you holy? Or does having the Spirit of Christ make you holy?
3. The "Down Payment": The next verse (Ephesians 1:14) calls the Spirit the "guarantee" (Greek: arrabon). Parang "down payment" o "security deposit." If God gave you His Spirit as a down payment, do you think He will refund it just because you worship Him on a Sunday?
The Biblical Truth (New Covenant)
Under the Old Covenant, the Sabbath was indeed a "sign" (Exodus 31:13) between God and Israel. It was a shadow.
But under the New Covenant, the reality has come.
- We are not sealed by keeping a shadow.
- We are sealed by faith in Christ.
When you accepted the Gospel, God stamped you with His Spirit. Sabi Niya, "Akin to." That transaction happened by grace through faith, not by works of the law. Therefore, leaving the SDA church and worshiping on Sunday does not break the seal. In fact, relying on Jesus alone strengthens your hold on the true Seal!
You are marked by God as His own. No pastor, no prophet, and no Sunday Law threat can scrub that Seal off your heart.
Former Adventists Philippines
“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”
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Email: formeradventist.ph@gmail.com
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