BLACK SABBATH

CHAPTER 14

SEVEN SALLIE

NOW WHEN THEY BRING YOU TO THE SYNAGOGUES AND MAGISTRATES AND AUTHORITIES, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT HOW OR WHAT YOU SHOULD ANSWER, OR WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY. FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU IN THAT VERY HOUR WHAT YOU OUGHT TO SAY. (Luke 12:11, 12)

            “You just don’t get it!” the Congressman barked. His silver hair was perfectly coifed, and his capped white teeth seemed like a tight fit in his mouth. “It’s been proven that the Sunday laws have brought peace out of chaos. Mandatory worship has brought reverence back to God from a disrespectful and sinful society.”

            “Reverence to the god of this world, and of this age,” I replied.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            “The Bible says, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17). When you tell someone they HAVE to worship a deity, where is the liberty in that?”

            “Do you have children, Mr. Sallie?”

            “You know that I do. It was my daughter that arranged this hearing.”

            “When you instruct a child to say their prayers before bed time or at a meal, is that removing their liberty?”

            “Are you saying the citizens of this state and this country are like children that need their elected representatives to parent them and order them to say their prayers?”

            “Part of my campaign when I ran for office was supporting the agenda to bring our country back to morality. So you see, Mr. Sallie, you are not just rebelling against the authorities, you are rebelling against we the people.”

            “Well, if the majority of we the people want to take away my freedom to worship God according to my convictions, then I guess that would be rebelling. I obey the government of the God of the Bible first and foremost.”

            “Ah, and that’s where you missed the boat.  Don’t you see? We have joined our government of this fine country with the government of God.”

            “Poppycock.”

            “Poppycock?” he laughed mockingly. “Who uses poppycock in this day and age?”

            “It seems I just did.”

            “I suppose an archaic term goes with archaic reasoning.”

            “My reasoning comes from the Bible.”

            “With all due reverence to the Holy Scriptures, that’s part of your problem. Even the newest portions of the Bible were written two thousand years ago. That’s why Jesus gave authority to the church. Societies change and evolve, and then they need to adapt to those changes through the democracy of the ecclesiastic.”

            “Help me understand, Congressman. Are you saying the church has authority over the Bible?”

            “It does indeed.”

            “Not in my religious convictions, Sir. The Bible warns of an apostate religion. It predicted the dark ages, and it warns of persecution once again at the end of time. So the Bible has absolute supreme authority over the church. ”

            “And you have a right to those beliefs, Mr. Sallie. But you also have an obligation to obey the law of the land. The view that these Sunday laws will bring about persecution is ludicrous. The majority of we the people have concluded that Sunday reverence and worship is for the betterment of society.”

            “The majority killed Jesus. The majority refused to get on Noah’s ark. The majority bowed down to Nebuchadnezzar s golden image, save for Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego. Now you’re trying to force Bible Sabbath keepers to bow down to your idol of Sunday.”

            “How dare you call the holy day of God an idol! I think our patience with the obstinacy of you anti-Sunday rebels has run its course. I think it’s due to your irreverence that we haven’t eradicated natural calamities, famine and strife. Maybe it might be best if you all were eradicated.”

            “Seriously? You just said Sunday laws wouldn’t lead to persecution.”

            “I miss spoke, I do apologize,” he back tracked. “Scratch that from the record.”

            “So by eradicated, you mean that it is expedient that Sabbath keepers be eliminated for the good of the country? Kind of like what Caiphas said regarding Jesus in John 11:50?”

            The Congressman looked around puzzled. I suppose he didn’t know what I was referring to. But he quickly regained his composure and made an attempted at a joke. It did obtain a few snickers when he declared, “Maybe they should bring back the frontal lobotomy for you fanatics.”

            The joke was tasteless, so I wondered if he was trying to lure me into something I said when I was a well-known, polarizing talk show host, during my pre-Christian days. I’m not proud of the many things I said and did back then. Especially of my reputation as a carouser, which led to my comment.

            So I will fill you in, because he was in fact trying to entice me with a well-known quote of mine from my syndicated show from the past. I had a guest on my show that was discussing realms of psychiatry. After he shared the history of the frontal lobotomy, and how it turned so many into zombies, I had said, ‘I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.’

            The Congressman smirked at me in anticipation, but I didn’t take the bait. I calmly asked, “Congressman, do you understand the rebellion in heaven? Do you understand the reason we exist in a sin filled world?”

            “Since you seem to have all the answers, why don’t you enlighten me?”

            “With all due respect, Congressman, you are very public with your profession of Christianity. Would you mind explaining your view on the fall of mankind?”

            “Your agenda is the one under scrutiny here, Mr. Sallie. I have simply been selected by my colleagues to lead this inquiry, which was, as you know, requested by your daughter. My personal views are irrelevant. I am here to uphold what has become the law of the land, and to stop people like you from thinking they can make their personal views the law of the land.”

            “That’s absurd!” I replied. “I am in no way, at all, expecting or even wanting my personal views to be the law of the land. I am simply arguing for the right to exercise freedom of religion, established by our founding fathers. And part of that freedom is not being required to observe a day contrary to the Ten Commandment Law of God.”

            “Objection!” the Congressman barked.

            There was a judge presiding over our conversation, but up until now he had been a silent observer. “Congressman, this is an informal hearing, not a trial, so there are no objections. On the other hand, Mr. Sallie, be careful not to defame other persons’ convictions of faith.”

            “Have I done such, your Honor?” I asked.

            “No Sir, but you are getting close.”

            “May I ask how?”

            “By insinuating that the sabbath of the majority is not part of the Decalogue.”

            “With all due respect, your Honor, it is not.”

            “That may be your truth, Mr. Sallie. But you need to respect the truth of your fellow citizens.”

            “In reality, is there such a thing as your truth and my truth? Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and the Holy Bible is the book that testifies of Him. So anybody’s personal, so called, truth is irrelevant. The Bible is the only source of genuine truth. Creation is truth, while evolution is a theory.”

            “Can you explain Creation, Mr. Sallie?” The Congressman asked.

            “Only from the perspective of the Bible. God created in six days and rested the seventh, establishing the Sabbath.”

            “Very well, Mr. Sallie. But many of us believe in a combination of Creation and evolution. There’s no way you can prove it was six literal days. The six day account is likely a hypothetical situation.”

            “Is that why the accuracy of the real Sabbath is unimportant to your side? Because you view Creation as hypothetical?”

            “I do not view Creation as hypothetical, only the duration. But you are getting side tracked. We may just need to agree to disagree. I say the church has authority to declare what is the sabbath, and you say it doesn’t. But regardless, of what you or I want, the Sunday sabbath has become the law of the land.”

            “Yes, it has become the law of the land,” I agreed. “And the Bible predicted this would happen. In the Old Testament book of Daniel no less (verse 7:25), it says that man would arrogantly intend to change times and law, as well as persecute God’s people. The Sabbath as well as Creation represent time, and obviously the Sabbath also represents law.”

            “Once again, Mr. Sallie, you interpret the Bible one way, John Doe another, Joe Smith yet another. That’s why the church, now finally combined with the state, has supreme authority over the Bible and all of its interpreters. This is now the entity that has moral authority, and you might as well get used to it. Signing in with a worship service, of your choice mind you, once a week every Sunday is not a tall order. There are some services that are not even a half hour long. That’s easier than paying taxes.”

            “My church doesn’t have a Sunday service.”

            “Well maybe it should.”

            “Why don’t you make a law requiring that?”

            “It’s not a bad idea, Mr. Sallie. You know, you ought to be grateful. In some places people like you are imprisoned and even put to death.”

            “I am grateful. Because I have no fear of what man can do to me (Matthew 10:28). I have eternal life through Jesus Christ.”

            He emitted a sarcastic snort. “Maybe you and you fanatical supporters should start having some fear.”

            I had noticed his face getting a hot pink. I assumed it was because he was agitated with me. Then he suddenly appeared to have a bad case of acne. He started grunting and scratching his face. Other observers in the court were doing the same, including the judge. A foul smell filled the court room as the rashes became loathsome sores (Revelation 16:2).

            I glanced at my companions, Brock Storm and Louis Lewis. They looked as baffled as I felt. We were the only three in the courtroom without sores. Cries and shrieks echoed from the tall dome like ceiling. Then we started to hear a few of them blame us Sabbath keepers for the plague.

            My eyes locked with Brock’s, and he gave a wave of his head, communicating ‘let’s get out of here.’ I made my way to my compadres, and the three of us headed for an exit. Everyone was so discombobulated by the pain of their sores and so freaked out at seeing them on everyone else, we slipped out unnoticed.

            Former Lieutenant Louis Lewis drove a former squad car. It was a dark blue Ford Crown Vic. Lou gunned the engine as we left the city post haste. Brock rode shotgun and I leaned in between the seats from the back. Then with a racing heart, I said, “That was the first of the seven last plagues. Do you know what this means, fellas?”

            Lou glanced at me with uncertainty. He was still new to the study of eschatology. Brock glanced at me with certainty. “We are getting closer than ever to the second coming of Christ.”

            “That’s right,” I replied. “Now we need to get back to the group and pray earnestly for direction with our next move.”