III. FOURTH COMMANDMENT
EXODUS 20:
- 8 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."
- 9 "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:"
- 10 "But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:"
- 11 "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."
- NOTE:
- The fourth commandment is the only one of ten that God starts with the word "remember". Could it be because He knew that people were going to forget it?
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REVELATION 14:12 gives as one of two identifying characteristics of the saints, that "they keep the commandments of God". Could it be, they keep all ten instead of just nine, and this is why it distinguishes them?
- Could it be that the fourth commandment, as well as the other nine, have been in effect since creation and was only reemphasized on Mount Sinai? Cain was punished when he broke the sixth commandment by killing Abel, etc. When Adam and Eve sinned they lost the privilege of talking to God face to face. Could it be that from that time on God's law was passed on, by mouth, from generation to generation until it was forgotten? This would require God to restate what had been forgotten.
- The fourth commandment is part of the ten commandment law and the only part of the Bible that God spake and wrote Himself, personally. (see section II. A. page 6)
- Could the fourth commandment be to the ten commandments what the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" was to the Garden of Eden--a "test"?
- The fourth commandment is the only part of the law that contains God's: name ("God"), God's title ("Creator"), and God's realm of authority ("Heaven and Earth"). The Presidential Seal for the United States contains his title (President) and his realm of authority (United States of America). Could the fourth commandment be God's "Seal of Authority"? Would the adversary work hard to void God's sign of authority?
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