It is evident from these scriptures that in the last day when men are waiting g for the Saviour to appear, there will be a call for those who really love the Lord to separate themselves from the world, to observe the Lord’s true Sabbath, and to depart from evil.
The message of Sabbath reform is “If thou 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, honorable; and shalt honor him, not going thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (Is 58:13-14)
The Sabbath of Jehovah is not now, by the majority even of professed Christians, called holy and honorable. By many it is stigmatized as “Jewish.” The Lord foresaw this and inspired the prophet to write as he did. “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath…” This is a strong expression, indicating that many would be trampling upon God’s day, and doing their own pleasure upon it, instead of seeking God, and honoring Him by keeping the Sabbath holy.
No other day of the week in all the Bible is claimed by God as His day but the seventh day. During the second, third and fourth centuries of the Christian era, when apostasy came in like a flood, men without any warrant or command of Scripture, thinking to do honor to Christ and despite to the Jews who crucified Christ, began to neglect the Sabbath of the fourth commandment and to honor the day of the week on which Christ showed Himself after the resurrection, the first day, as “the Lord’s Day,” until finally the Sabbath was almost wholly lost sight of; Sunday generally took its place.
But there was no more warrant for this change in the divine and unchangeable law of God than there was for the other errors which crept into the professed Christian church during this time— such as abstaining from meat on Friday in honor of the crucifixion; Marioloatry, the worship of the Virgin Mary; the Mass; purgatory; indulgences; prayers for the dead; saint worship; and the human vicarship of Christ. There was no more divine authority for the one than the others; all came in through apostasy.
The Bible knows but one true and living God, one lawgiver, one mediator between God and man, one Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, one body, one spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism and one Sabbath.
When the visible representation of the invisible spiritual body of Christ allows its members to adopt ideas, opinions and personal desires they think are necessary for progression in a changing society, in most instances it means the unchanging church is adopting the practices of a changing world. The true church will always remain steadfast, unmovable and unchangeable and know that the changing world is to be brought into the unchanging church.
Never forgetting: “For I am the Lord, I change not,” “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Mal 3:6-7) Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today,and forever. (Heb 13:8)

Dr. Waiters can be reached at 704-636-3369.