Commandment Eleven: The Most Important One of All

By George DiGuido

The last several decades have seen an ever-increasing interest in matters Spiritual, in Angels, the Papacy, and Religions. This is reflected in our pop culture: TV, MTV, music, books, movies. And the Press. An evangelical movement promises reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants. All of the above could be should be - a plus. The author, however, posits that the jury is still out, and that there could be a minus. He suggests the possibility of a coming clash between Faiths, of violence in the name of God. This is nothing new; witness the Crusades, Inquisitions, European religious wars, the persecutions that brought the first settlers to America, and now todays religiously inspired acts of international terrorism.

The author - a Bible student and devoted follower of Christ - has been paying rapt attention to developing religious events and has written eight studies on theological themes originally prepared as notes for the teaching of an Adult Education class. They touch on Scriptural prophecies, controversial Bible texts, and events transpiring in the world of Religion. As such they are relevant to this day and to the spiritual direction in which we seem to be heading; as a Faith, a nation, and a world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 24, 2004
• ISBN: 9781462841707

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Copyright © 2004 by George DiGuido.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Rev. date: 08/12/2016

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CONTENTS

A Brief Introduction

The State Of The Dead

How And Why The Sabbath Day Got Changed From Saturday To Sunday

The Church In The Wilderness

The Two Sanctuaries

A Conversation With Pope John Paul II

The Ecumenical Cry for Unity & Resurgence of The Catholic Church

How Do We Get From Here To The End Of The World ?

Dedicated to

Pastor Walter E. Haase

1906-1995

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

FOR CHRISTIANS OF ALL ENOMINATIONS,

INCLUDING THOSE OF

NO CHURCH AFFILIATION

TO:

The Lord’s Coming.

Faith Sharing.

The End Times.

The so-called Secret Rapture.

Commandment Eleven.

Etcetera, etcetera.

Read this book. Don’t be afraid. Nobody is going to call on you.

This is a personal testimony.

The opinions, statements and conclusions in the following eight studies on theological themes are those of George DiGuido, an ordinary guy who also happens to be a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a Christian body that bases its doctrines on the entire Bible, a book they consider to be God’s immutable Word of Truth.

Several of these studies began as notes made by the writer in preparation for the teaching of Adult Bible classes during the period 1954-77; others result from studies based on what has been happening in the Religious and Political worlds in the past forty-five or so years. Since all these papers deal with subjects of universal concern it was thought they might also be of interest to members of other denominations.

It is difficult to present a single, concerted message to people of varying beliefs, be the message secular or religious. Jesus had difficulty in getting his message across to the Pharisees, for instance. Nevertheless, I address this book to Catholics, to Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and other Christian denominations, as well as to fellow Seventh-day Adventists who may desire to share their Faith with others not of like mind, but have not written a book to do so. Like this one.

*     *     *

Let us begin with a maxim: It is a hard thing for people to change their minds. We are all—writer included—comfortable with what we’re familiar with.

Consider these scenarios:

You board your morning commuter train and find someone sitting in your seat. You take another seat, more or less annoyed. You cannot help it; you may even deride yourself for feeling that way.

Arriving late to church you find someone has taken your spot in your pew. This bothers you, too. You cannot help it; it seems part of the human condition. People resist change.

This writer’s philosophy has always been: Hey, live and let live, or, as the French put it, laissez faire. Instinctively this writer resists trying to change anyone. You may also feel that way. (Besides, Ann Landers says it can’t be done. Have you tried to change the mind of a teenager? Good luck.)

On the other hand, the Bible tells us that we—I—should be doing more to advance the cause of the Gospel. I don’t know about you but I’d just as soon sit down, take it easy, and, you know, like watch a baseball or football game. However, read Jesus’ words as quoted in Mark 16:15. "And He said unto them, ‘Go ye unto all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’" This advice is expressed many times in many ways throughout the New Testament: Jesus instructs us to be preachers of the gospel.

Wait, now! Don’t go away. He does not mean we must be a Billy Graham, a Billy Sunday, an Aimee Semple McPherson or even an Elmer Gantry (the evangelist played by Burt Lancaster in the movie.)

Neither does Jesus mean we should stand on a corner pontificating to the masses through a bullhorn. There are many ways to preach. Some do it by leading an exemplary life, others become priests or ministers, and still others do it with their singing or writing of books.

Paul tells us we should not be ashamed to preach for Jesus. In Romans 1:16 he said: I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation for every one who believes.

Matthew 5:14 and 15 quotes Jesus as saying: You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick.

Jesus means we should let our light shine; which means we should tell others about Him and His plan of Salvation.

It probably makes small difference which method we use. It depends on whatever talent we have, and we all have at least one. Trouble is, many of us don’t use it. Scripture tell us we should. Which brings us back to the daunting task of trying to get people to change their minds.

But, wait! The good news is that I don’t have to get others to change their minds. Neither do you have to get others to change their minds. All we have to do is present what we believe. THEY are the ones who decide if there is any truth or logic in it—that is their right. Jesus is the one who will help them make the right decision—not you or I.

There are ideas presented in this book with which many readers may not agree; ideas that many may have never heard before. But there is nothing here that is not solidly based on Scripture.

*     *     *

As my personal means of spreading the gospel to all the world, I have chosen to present through these studies and for the consideration of those of other faiths, my belief in Jesus Christ and in the Testaments, both Old and New, and the manner in which members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church relate to God in their worship of Him. You do not have to believe similarly, but it would be nice if you would read this book through.

First: Since these writings are addressed to Christians, it makes the assumption that you all accept Jesus as our God and Savior. The assumption is that you love Him and believe in His Grace and in the great love He has for you. You will therefore not find in this book the phrase, Jesus loves you. You already know that.

It is assumed you also know that if you ask forgiveness for your sins He will readily and joyfully grant it. You will thus find nothing in these papers to reiterate this astounding and wonderful fact.

Do you pray? Since the assumption is that you do, you will not be reminded of the importance of that kind of communication with God. There is no need in this book to deal with theological sound bites (i.e., clichés) however true they most certainly are.

All of which concerns the emotional aspect of Religion.

But Religion is perceived through a combination of emotion and intellect. Which is the way it should be. Some Religions are skewed too far to the emotional side. Some may be too intellectual. In a study of, say, Science, emotion plays no part because Science engages only the intellectual process. Since it is assumed that your emotional quotient regarding God is in good working order, the emphasis in these papers will be on an appeal to the intellect. I am no Evangelist.

*     *     *

WHY THE ENTIRE BIBLE IS GOD’S

WORD OF TRUTH AND WHY NOT A WORD OF IT SHOULD BE CHANGED.

The Bible is a compilation of sixty-six books written over the course of nearly six hundred years by about thirty or so authors (scholars disagree as to the exact number, but thirty-one to thirty-four seems to be the consensus average).

The Bible is unique in the history of Literature for these reasons:

1. Despite the long period of time that passed between the writing of the first book and the last, the Bible deals with only one subject: God, and Man’s relationship to God.

2. Again, despite the long period and the fact that the writers—Apostles excepted—did not know each other, they were still able to stay on track without contradicting each other. This is nothing short of miraculous—which should not be surprising inasmuch as the Bible was written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.

Some say, however, that the Bible does contradict itself. But this is a claim made through lack of understanding. Generally speaking the Bible is not what one might call an easy read. The Bible must be studied—must be searched diligently; this is what God wants. Only then will it be understood and its contradictions disappear; only then will it reveal its secrets: the mystery of Life and the Godhead.

There exists no other collection of books written over centuries of time that possess such intrinsic integrity; such undeviatingly single a purpose. Certainly no compilation of books dealing with Science—Religion’s adversary. No. Books on Science change constantly because with each century Man’s knowledge of Science increases. Science is a work in progress. The Bible, on the other hand, is not. The Bible does not change and must not change because it does not have to; when it was written it contained all the Truth necessary on which to base Man’s Salvation.

*     *     *

One key to understanding the Bible is to know when a text should be taken as literal, symbolic or prophetic.

For example, let’s consider just five words:

Woman. Wheat. Candlesticks. Beast. Light.

Depending on the context—and oh, is that ever an important consideration—these words can have a literal, symbolic or prophetic meaning.

WOMAN. Consider the word woman as used in Matthew 15:28. "Then Jesus said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith . . ." This verse is talking about a LITERAL woman.

Now take the same word as used in Revelation 17:6. "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of saints . . ." Here the Bible is not talking about a literal woman who has actually drunk the blood of a real person. The context does not support this at all. The woman in this verse is SYMBOLIC. She symbolizes a Church; at times a good church, at other times a bad church.

WHEAT. The word wheat as used in Deuteronomy 8:8 means LITERAL wheat. "A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees . . ." The context here quite obviously refers to actual fruits and vegetables that grow in fields.

But in Matthew 13:30 the same word does not mean the grain from which bread is made. "Gather ye together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn; but gather the wheat unto my barn." In this verse wheat is SYMBOLIC of all those people who will be saved. In fact the word barn is also a SYMBOL: it means Heaven.

CANDLESTICKS. Second Chronicles 4:7 says, And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to the form and set them in the temple. These are LITERAL candlesticks, part of the furnishings for a building.

And in Revelation 1:20 we read. "The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." These candlesticks are SYMBOLIC, and this is easy to interpret because the verse itself tells you they represent churches.

BEAST. This word can either refer to an animal, such as that which can be found in a zoo, or to an exceedingly strong power, such as a nation, king, or an organization such as a church. In Genesis 2:19 we read, "And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field." Since the context describes the creation of the world, the word beast here means a LITERAL animal.

But in Revelation 14:11, the beast is SYMBOLIC of a strong power—in this particular case a church. The verse says, "And they have no rest day or night who worship the beast and his image."

Likewise, the beasts mentioned in the seventh chapter of Daniel are SYMBOLIC (as well as prophetic), referring to successive kingdoms that would dominate the world when their time came. Daniel 7:3 says, "And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse from one another." There are at least seven references to beast(s) in Daniel chapter seven. All refer to exceedingly great powers.

LIGHT. Genesis 44:3 tells us, "As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away." The context of morning tells us that light in this instance is LITERAL daylight.

But in John 11:10 we read of a different kind of light. "If a man walks in the night he stumbles because there is no light in him." This verse doesn’t mean the man has a 75-watt light bulb shining inside of him. The word light here is SYMBOLIC of that man’s spiritual understanding.

If we interpret a word, a phrase or a verse as being literal when it is meant to be symbolic, or symbolic when it should be taken literally, we will misunderstand the Scripture. A fair number of false doctrines have been constructed around misinterpretations such as these.

*     *     *

The Bible states unequivocally and in many places that Jesus will return to this Earth again at His Second Coming. In fact the theme of the Old Testament is that He will come to the Israelites as their (and Mankind’s) Redeemer; the theme of the New Testament is that He will come again even after that. Though many Christians believe this, they apparently find it comfortable to assign this cataclysmic event to a time safely beyond their own lifespan. Which makes it easier to deal with.

Members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, however, believe the return of Jesus is very near—probably within the lifetime of most of us alive today. This is an astounding belief, and, perhaps to some, frightening. We base our belief in the nearness of Jesus’ coming on what we see as the solid fulfillment of many of the Bible’s prophecies, and on the fact that only a few of them remain unfulfilled. An exposition of these prophecies will be treated in several of the studies that follow.

It is probably safe to assume that most people have not made a deliberate effort to study Bible prophecy. And if they have not, there is then no way for them to perceive certain events of the last several decades as Signs of the nearness of Jesus’ return.

But putting aside for a moment the question of when Jesus will return, there are many Christians who think that before He returns a thousand-year period of peace, prosperity, and brotherhood—the so-called millennium—will then take place here on Earth. This is called the Post-Millennialist view: i.e., that Jesus will come after (post) the millennium.

On the other hand the Pre-Millennialist view is that Jesus will come before the millennium, and that His coming will usher in this glorious thousand-year period.

The view held by Seventh-day Adventists—based on what they feel is a diligent study of prophecy—holds that Christ will come before a thousand-year period, yes, though that period will not be one of peace on Earth (as many believe), but rather will be the thousand years described in Revelation 20 in which the Earth has been left desolate—the inevitable result of Man’s wickedness and the reason for the Lord’s second coming in the first place.

So rather than a secularly glorious period, the Book of Revelation tells of a time of great trouble and turmoil on Earth; plagues, judgments and an Armageddon before the End of