While most Christians worship on Sunday, several groups insist that Christians should observe a Saturday Sabbath. Many make it a strong, divisive issue of fellowship and contend that going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday is committing sin. Let us go to the Bible and prayerfully consider two Questions: Are Christians required to keep the Sabbath? On which day does the Bible say we should worship?

We can’t keep up with the overload of wonderful, honest and open correspondence where we can enter into a proper dialogue with friend or foe.

We have tried to respond in depth to many of these people over the years and have never seen it bear fruit. So, for the sake of this work, we are throwing in the towel on this particular crowd and getting on with the real work of the ministry.

After the candidates have completed the initiation they are given the secret password, Jubulum, and the Sacred Word, Abaddon. Here is the true identity of their god. It is revealed in the "Sacred Word" of this ritual, "Abaddon."

The Bible teaches, in Revelation 9:11, that "they [the demons and workers from hell] had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon."

One must ask, "How could any true Christian dare to take upon himself that evil name as a sacred word?"

110 years later, Spurgeon's words still touch my heart with the same impact I am sure his listeners felt. I was in the office quite early one morning, praying, with a burden for those lost in spiritual darkness. I picked up a little booklet someone mailed in and opened it to a page whereon were written almost the very words of my prayers.

"How can we put ourselves into the right position to get at sinners, and win them to Jesus? How can we learn to speak the right words? How shall we suit our teaching to the condition of their hearts? How shall we adapt ourselves to their feelings, their prejudices, their sorrows, and their temptations? Brethren, we who preach the gospel continually may well cry, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." To seek for pearls at the bottom of the sea is child's play compared with seeking for souls in this wicked [world]. If God be not with us, we may look our eyes out, and wear our tongues away in vain. Only as the Almighty God shall lead and guide, and influence, and inspire, can we perform our solemn trust; only by divine help shall we joyfully come back, bringing with us the chosen of the Lord. We are the Bridegroom's friends, and we rejoice greatly in His joy, but we sigh and cry till we have found the chosen hearts in whom He will delight, whom He will raise to sit with Him upon His throne."

"I am bowed down with dismay that my Lord's great love, which led him even to die for men, should hardly be thought worthy of [their] hearing, much less of [their] believing ...but, with a sneer [they] turn aside and prefer the witcheries of sin."

Today, there is so much fruit in lives changed, souls set free and yet, we face so much opposition! We need your prayers and support as never before.

You may not have much in common with Christians you've met or read about. You may be from a different nation, with different abilities, a different income, a different educational or religious background. You may be saying "What's all this got to do with me?" Or "That's fine for them, but my situation, my problems are hopeless." Well, here’s good news! The answer they found is the same answer you can find for yourself. Victory over any adversity may be found by living for Jesus Christ. Whatever you are going through, there is hope in Jesus.

God is real. Jesus is alive! He loves you and is concerned for your well-being. He is the absolute Reality on which all truth is ultimately grounded. His message for you and your world is contained in the collection of 66 books called the Bible. Its transcendent teachings have stood the test of time, the scrutiny of scholars and the furnace of practical experience. They speak not only about history but how to live today in every level and facet of life.

The Bibles’ theme is God's plan of freedom from sin and death, a message that has delivered millions in every nation from self-destructive habits and given them a life both abundant and eternal. By first entering into and then developing a personal relationship with this living God, you will find everything you need for life on earth and for all eternity. Your life will have a sense of purpose marked by confidence and peace of mind. You will understand the true meaning of life. And God Himself will be your loving Father and your great Friend to give you power and to guide your steps.

(1) God created humanity and nature for a wonderful purpose, but a stupid act of rebellion and self-centeredness by the first man and woman caused our race to lose our original relationship with Him and fall into a state of sin. Our sad legacy is now a nature wholly self-centered and impure in thought, word and deed. Our best efforts are selfish; apart from God we cannot even agree on what "good" is.

(2) Gods laws revealed in the Bible are not inventions, but descriptions of reality. They truthfully tell us how things actually are in the moral world. We do not actually "break" Gods laws; they break us. We are punished by our sin as much as we are punished for our sin. All true law has a penalty as important as the law it is designed to protect. The penalty for sin, the violation of Gods moral law is endless death and eternal separation from God; if we live like hell here, our death will only confirm to us the reality of Hell forever. Whether we consider our violations large or small, the sentence must be the same; the "wages of sin is death; the soul that sins shall die."

(3) On our own we can do nothing to cancel or escape this sentence. We deserve to be judged. Nothing we can say or do can possibly justify the life we have lived and the things we have done to hurt ourselves, others and most of all, God.

(4) But God has no personal problems in seeking to forgive and restore us. God has never stopped loving rebellious man nor seeking to pardon us. At great cost to Himself, God found a way to provide a way back to His heart and our true home.

(5) In Jesus Christ God became a man and lived among us. He put on display Gods love, wisdom, power and compassion. Born like no man before Him, He lived a sinless life without historical equal, spoke in wisdom like no man ever spoke, and demonstrated beyond contention Divine power and love in His miracles of healing, provision and deliverance. He even raised three people from the dead. Then to the astonishment of the world He did it decisively Himself!

(6) What seemed at first tragedy turned out to be Divine strategy. To liberate us from our death sentence and reconcile us to Himself, Jesus laid down his sinless life as a substitute for the penalty you and I so thoroughly deserve. He gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for our sin and made our forgiveness and pardon possible. Now if you will trust Him as your substitute, you can go free. The God-Man on the middle cross has taken your place!

(7) After three days in the tomb Jesus rose from the dead by the power of His Father. He was seen then by hundreds of witnesses, has been met since then by millions all over the world and lives today as the Ultimate Victor over sin, death and the grave. Because of what Jesus did, anyone who believes Jesus Christ is God's Son, and trusts in His complete work on the cross for pardon and cleansing will be forgiven of sin and be restored to friendship with God. By His Holy Spirit God Himself will enter your life and break the enslaving power of sin once and for all.

(8) You will not only be given the gift of His eternal life to live forever with him, but life here and now will be forever different. But to experience this you must make a deliberate and conscious decision to surrender your life to Christ as your Lord and Savior.

(9) This experience is called the "New Birth". God tells us in the Bible that the only way a person can become a true Christian is to be "born again." The essential conditions for receiving this new life in Jesus are:

(a) Honesty: All your life you have been living a lie. When you come to God, you must face for the first time the truth about your wrong. To do this you must be utterly real. God will not do business with people who do not mean business with Him. "He that covers his sins shall not prosper; but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy." (Prov.28:13)

(b) Repentance: "I confess that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself from sin." True repentance means turning completely from your selfishness, with the determination to sin no more. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see, hate and forsake your sin. True repentance means giving up of all rights to your life; you must die to all your own plans, dreams and ambitions and put yourself into Gods loving hands for whatever He wants of your life.

True repentance also means the willingness as far as humanly possible to make right all known wrong. Whatever the Holy Spirit speaks to you about, whether it is forgiveness of those who have hurt you, confession of wrong to another, restoring or repaying someone, the Lord Jesus will give you the courage and words to make it right.

(c) Faith: "I believe that God is real, and that Jesus Christ is His son. I freely confess He died on the cross for the penalty I deserved. I believe that I can receive both His forgiveness and a new life through the power of His Spirit living within me." This act of faith is neither an idea or a feeling but an intelligent and deliberate act of the will. Give Him your doubts, your weakness and your loneliness. Your heart will never have peace, your doubts will never clear up, you will never die to the world until you trust, surrender, believe from your heart!

Why wait any longer? Jesus Christ is knocking at the door of your heart, waiting to come in. You can pray a simple, life-changing prayer right now.

In your own words confess to Him that you are a sinner and you hate your sin. Ask him to forgive you and cleanse your soul from all that is not right. Surrender your life wholly to His mercy and power, and ask Him to take over the total control of your life, now and forever. Thank Him for His forgiveness and ask Him to show you how to live for Him.

The Bible says "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation ... the same Lord over all is rich to all that call on Him. For whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:9-13)

History of Christian Martyrs to the First General Persecutions

Under Nero

Christ our Savior, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, hearing the

confession of Simon Peter, who, first of all other, openly

acknowledged Him to be the Son of God, and perceiving the secret

hand of His Father therein, called him (alluding to his name) a

rock, upon which rock He would build His Church so strong that

three things are to be noted: First, that Christ will have a

Church in this world. Secondly, that the same Church should

mightily be impugned, not only by the world, but also by the

uttermost strength and powers of all hell. And, thirdly, that

the same Church, notwithstanding the uttermost of the devil and

all his malice, should continue.

Which prophecy of Christ we see wonderfully to be verified,

insomuch that the whole course of the Church to this day may seem

nothing else but a verifying of the said prophecy. First, that

Christ hath set up a Church, needeth no declaration. Secondly,

what force of princes, kings, monarchs, governors, and rulers of

this world, with their subjects, publicly and privately, with all

their strength and cunning, have bent themselves against this

Church! And, thirdly, how the said Church, all this

notwithstanding, hath yet endured and holden its own! What

storms and tempests it hath overpast, wondrous it is to behold:

for the more evident declaration whereof, I have addressed this

present history, to the end, first, that the wonderful works of

God in His Church might appear to His glory; also that, the

continuance and proceedings of the Church, from time to time,

being set forth, more knowledge and experience may redound

thereby, to the profit of the reader and edification of

Christian faith.

As it is not our business to enlarge upon our Savior's

history, either before or after His crucifixion, we shall only

find it necessary to remind our readers of the discomfiture of

the Jews by His subsequent resurrection. Although one apostle

had betrayed Him; although another had denied Him, under the

solemn sanction of an oath; and although the rest had forsaken

Him, unless we may except "the disciple who was known unto the

high-priest"; the history of His resurrection gave a new

direction to all their hearts, and, after the mission of the Holy

Spirit, imparted new confidence to their minds. The powers with

which they were endued emboldened them to proclaim His name, to

the confusion of the Jewish rulers, and the astonishment of

I. St. Stephen

St. Stephen suffered the next in order. His death was

occasioned by the faithful manner in which he preached the Gospel

to the betrayers and murderers of Christ. To such a degree of

madness were they excited, that they cast him out of the city and

stoned him to death. The time when he suffered is generally

supposed to have been at the passover which succeeded to that of

our Lord's crucifixion, and to the era of his ascension, in the

following spring.

Upon this a great persecution was raised against all who

professed their belief in Christ as the Messiah, or as a prophet.

We are immediately told by St. Luke, that "there was a great

persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem;" and that

"they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea

and Samaria, except the apostles."

About two thousand Christians, with Nicanor, one of the

seven deacons, suffered martyrdom during the "persecution that

arose about Stephen."

II. James the Great

The next martyr we meet with, according to St. Luke, in the

History of the Apsotles' Acts, was James the son of Zebedee, the

elder brother of John, and a relative of our Lord; for his mother

Salome was cousin-german to the Virgin Mary. It was not until

ten years after the death of Stephen that the second martyrdom

took place; for no sooner had Herod Agrippa been appointed

governor of Judea, than, with a view to ingratiate himself with

them, he raised a sharp persecution against the Christians, and

determined to make an effectual blow, by striking at their

leaders. The account given us by an eminent primitive writer,

Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James

was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to

repent of his conduct by the apostle's extraordinary courage and

undauntedness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon,

professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should

not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both

beheaded at the same time. Thus did the first apostolic martyr

cheerfully and resolutely receive that cup, which he had told our

Savior he was ready to drink. Timon and Parmenas suffered

martyrdom about the same time; the one at Philippi, and the other

in Macedonia. These events took place A.D. 44.

III. Philip

Was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee and was first called by

the name of "disciple." He labored diligently in Upper Asia, and

suffered martyrdom at Heliopolis, in Phrygia. He was scourged,

thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified, A.D. 54.

IV. Matthew

Whose occupation was that of a toll-gatherer, was born at

Nazareth. He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, which was afterwards

translated into Greek by James the Less. The scene of his labors

was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered

martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah,

A.D. 60.

V. James the Less

Is supposed by some to have been the brother of our Lord, by

a former wife of Joseph. This is very doubtful, and accords too

much with the Catholic superstition, that Mary never had any

other children except our Savior. He was elected to the

oversight of the churches of Jerusalem; and was the author of the

Epistle ascribed to James in the sacred canon. At the age of

ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had

his brains dashed out with a fuller's club.

VI. Matthias

Of whom less is known than of most of the other disciples,

was elected to fill the vacant place of Judas. He was stoned at

Jerusalem and then beheaded.

VII. Andrew

Was the brother of Peter. He preached the gospel to many

Asiatic nations; but on his arrival at Edessa he was taken and

crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed

transversely in the ground. Hence the derivation of the term,

St. Andrew's Cross.

VIII. St. Mark

Was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is

supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he

served as an amanuensis, and under whose inspection he wrote his

Gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the

people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their

idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.

IX. Peter

Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was

condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome;

albeit some others, and not without cause, do doubt thereof.

Hegesippus saith that Nero sought matter against Peter to put him

to death; which, when the people perceived, they entreated Peter

with much ado that he would fly the city. Peter, through their

importunity at length persuaded, prepared himself to avoid. But,

coming to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to

whom he, worshipping, said, "Lord, whither dost Thou go?" To whom

He answered and said, "I am come again to be crucified." By

this, Peter, perceiving his suffering to be understood, returned

into the city. Jerome saith that he was crucified, his head

being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he

was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and

manner as the Lord was.

X. Paul

Paul, the apostle, who before was called Saul, after his

great travail and unspeakable labors in promoting the Gospel of

Christ, suffered also in this first persecution under Nero.

Abdias, declareth that under his execution Nero sent two of his

esquires, Ferega and Parthemius, to bring him word of his death.

They, coming to Paul instructing the people, desired him to pray

for them, that they might believe; who told them that shortly

after they should believe and be baptised at His sepulcher. This

done, the soldiers came and led him out of the city to the place

of execution, where he, after his prayers made, gave his neck to

the sword.

XI. Jude

The brother of James, was commonly called Thaddeus. He was

crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72.

XII. Bartholomew

Preached in several countries, and having translated the

Gospel of Matthew into the language of India, he propagated it in

that country. He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified

by the impatient idolaters.

XIII. Thomas

Called Didymus, preached the Gospel in Parthia and India,

where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred by

being thrust through with a spear.

XIV. Luke

The evangelist, was the author of the Gospel which goes

under his name. He travelled with Paul through various

countries, and is supposed to have been hanged on an olive tree,

by the idolatrous priests of Greece.

XV. Simon

Surnamed Zelotes, preached the Gospel in Mauritania, Africa,

and even in Britain, in which latter country he was crucified, A.D. 74.

XVI. John

The "beloved disciple," was brother to James the Great. The

churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and

Thyatira, were founded by him. From Ephesus he was ordered to be

sent to Rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cauldron of

boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Domitian

afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the

Book of Revelation. Nerva, the successor of Domitian, recalled

him. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.

XVII. Barnabas

Was of Cyprus, but of Jewish descent, his death is supposed

to have taken place about A.D. 73.

And yet, notwithstanding all these continual persecutions

and horrible punishments, the Church daily increased, deeply

rooted in the doctrine of the apostles and of men apostolical,

and watered plentously with the blood of saints.

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