A SAINT IN SIN CITY

SAUL SALLIE

CHAPTER 13

ENTER BY THE NARROW GATE, FOR WIDE IS THE GATE AND BROAD IS THE WAY THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION, AND THERE ARE MANY WHO GO IN BY IT (Matthew 7:13)

The most common question I get asked is “did you see yourself one day being at the forefront of a major spiritual and political controversy?” The simple answer is yes. When I took a stand for the law of God, I had already reached a certain level of fame, due to my baseball career. So I knew, whether I welcomed it or not, I was to be thrust on a platform to answer for my faith. The only thing I didn’t know was the duration of time, or how prominent. I realized I was putting my promising baseball career in jeopardy, but I believed whole heartedly in what Jesus said in Matthew 16:26.

When I realized the truth about the Biblical Sabbath back in 2022, the topic of the Sabbath and Sunday had become a minor political issue, overlooked by the vast majority. It came to light in November of that year when many spiritual and political leaders had convened on the environment and discussed the “green commandments” or “the climate justice ten commandments.” Prominent among these ideas was the agenda to bring about a mandatory day of rest. Since most religionists adhere to the venerable day of the sun, Sunday was chosen as the day designated for everyone to shut down and give the planet a rest.

Because I’m a prominent sports figure, I was reluctantly put in a position as a spokesperson for the genuine Sabbath. Although I felt unqualified and unworthy, I also deemed it an honor to stand up for God’s truth.

I never felt more secure in God’s arms than when I refused to pitch on the Sabbath in the World Series. I was despised by so many, who didn’t understand my position and felt I was being arrogant by bucking against Sunday laws. But it was also during this time that I felt closest to my true brothers and sisters in Christ, valuing and needing their fellowship like never before.

“Don’t you care about the planet?” I have been asked more times than I can count.

“Of course I do,” was and still is my reply.

“Then why are you rebelling against the Sunday law?” they demanded. “It’s for the good of humanity and the planet.”

That’s the evil genius of Satan. He uses something good to force people into allegiance to a false commandment. But if my accusers examined their judgements of me a little closer, they would see that my life gives the planet more of a rest than their own. At the moment, I keep two sabbaths.

The first one, ordained by God, is from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. This I choose to keep out of love for my Creator and Savior Jesus Christ. The second one, Sunday, the first day of the week, I keep by the dictates of civil law.

This is not a sin. But due to the crime and chaos in the world, there is now talk of requiring people to digitally log onto a Sunday service if you can’t attend one in person. Some of my fellow Sabbatarians see this also as no sin as long as you still keep the fourth commandment written with God’s own finger. Maybe. But I see a big difference between not driving my car on Sunday, and, in a sense, bowing down to the god of the world.

People surprise you. I’ve already witnessed several who I believed to be firm as a rock, giving into “the man.” Why? Fear? Prosperity? Lack of faith? A form of Godliness that denies the power? (2 Timothy 3:5)

Then there was Steve Simon, a teammate of mine who was an atheist. Although we got along just fine, we had many a debate over life views that left us far from being good buddies. However, when tribulation came my way and many who I thought were friends turned on me, Steve had my back. He paid me a visit not long after I became a national pariah for refusing to pitch in the World Series on the Sabbath.

The crux of our occasional spiritual conversations over the years centered around Steve promoting and defending evolution, while I promoted and defended Creationism. When we got together one day and he admitted his life view was evolving into one similar to mine, I didn’t see it as any sort of personal victory. I saw it as a soul making its way to the Savior. You might say, I was simply an instrument God used. Steve’s own words were even humbling.

“You convinced me,” Steve blurted, not long after we sat down with cups of sparkling waters and exchanged some small talk. He was an easy going fellow, in appearance a bit of a modern hippie with long dark hair and a beard long enough he often braided it. His light brown eyes always seemed relaxed, and inviting. He is also a vegetarian and very health conscious.

“Oh yeah?” I replied with both a smile and a frown. “I told you this water was good,” I joked.

“It is, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Oh yeah?” I replied again.

“Yeah, you remember after we won the west division. Everyone went out partying, but you and me stayed in our hotel room, talked, and downed these,” he replied, grinning and holding up his bottle of sparking water.

“Oh yeah,” I replied again, as I tried to figure out what I said, and what exactly I convinced him of.

“You might not have convinced me, if you weren’t such a humble guy,” he told me.

“Oh yeah,” I replied yet again, proving what an articulate guy I am.

“Yeah, it was two things you told me, combined with the stand you took for your beliefs.”

“What two things?” I asked, forcing myself not to say ‘oh yeah’ again.

“The first had to do with evolution. When I mentioned proof that the world was millions of years old, compared to your belief that it is only six thousand. You said, God is eternal, that’s even more than millions or billions. Who knows what he used when he spoke our world into existence?”

“We’ve discussed those differences a few times,” I said with a shrug.

“You said something different with it this time.”

“Oh y… What’s that?”

“You said, if the earth has been around millions, even billions of years, think about how miraculous the times we’re living in are. Man took flight a little more than a hundred years ago. Now people are crisscrossing the planet on jets, kind of like Daniel 12:4 predicted. Not to mention the highway system. Then you have mind blowing technology, like people walking around with little computers in their pockets. And what about the population? Do you remember those stats?”

“I think so,” I replied. “The world population hit one billion for the first time in 1804. Then a mere one hundred and twenty three years later, it hit two billion in 1927. Only thirty three years after that, three billion. Only fourteen years after that, four billion. I can’t remember when it hit five, six, and seven billion.”

“But I got the point,” Steve said. “I don’t know why, but all that got me thinking about something else you brought to my mind. That Jesus, regardless of the Bible, is a real historical person. That scores of people witnessed his miracles. I can’t deny that, but I also don’t buy into the Bible.”

His eyes bore into mine, and I knew I should say something. “I see. Maybe we should sit down and let the Bible verify itself.”

“You’re on,” Steve said with a grin. I couldn’t tell if there was a challenge in his smile or an eagerness to learn.