God gave Moses the Ten Commandments after he had led the children of Israel out of Egypt. These were not all of the rules and regulations that were given to the Jews during that time, but it is the best known list.
The Ten commandments are listed in Exodus 20:1-17:
Commandment 1-
Exodus 20:1-3- And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Commandment 2-
Exodus 20:4-6- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Commandment 3-
Exodus 20:7- Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Commandment 4-
Exodus 20:8-11- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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: 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.
Commandment 5-
Exodus 20:12- Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Commandment 6-
Exodus 20:13- Thou shalt not kill.
Commandment 7-
Exodus 20:14- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Commandment 8-
Exodus 20:15- Thou shalt not steal.
Commandment 9-
Exodus 20:16- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Commandment 10-
Exodus 20:17- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
The Catholic church likes to disregard the second commandment. With all their icons and statues, they couldn't have one that said not to bow down to graven images. They still have ten commandments, they just split commandment ten into two.
When asked in the New Testament which of he commandments was the greatest, Jesus was able to sum all ten up quite nicely.
The first four commandments deal with our interactions with God:
Mark 12:28-30- And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
The last six commandments deal with our interactions with humanity:
Mark 12:31- And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
If you love the Lord with all of your being, then you won't take His name in vain, or worship something or someone other than Him. You'll have no problem keeping any days He regards as Holy.
And, if you love your neighbor as yourself, you aren't going to cheat and steal from them. You wouldn't lie about them, or become covetous or envious about what they possess. Because love is more than sacrifice. Sacrifice means that you are giving up something precious. But to love something truly isn't really a sacrifice because you deem the object of your affection worth the cost.
Mark 12:32-33- And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
I don't think that this scribe truly understood what he was saying, even though it was absolute truth!
It's interesting to note that the phrase "keep the commandments" occurs ten times in the Bible-
- Deuteronomy 4:2
- Deuteronomy 6:17
- Deuteronomy 7:11
- Deuteronomy 8:6
- Deuteronomy 10:13
- Deuteronomy 28:9
- Psalms 119:115
- Matthew 19:17
- Revelation 12:17
- Revelation 14:12
Now, currently, we are under the age of grace. We don't observe holy days as a part of our salvation. The only stipulations that were put on the Church were listed in Acts 15:28-29- For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
The time of the Gentiles is a very generous, forgiving, merciful time. We are saved by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and all we must do to have our sins completely and totally forgiven for all eternity is to simply believe that Christ died as a prefect substitute sacrifice for our sin, was buried, and rose again the third day, just like the Scriptures foretold. And we just ask that He apply His payment to our sin debt!
However, the time of the Gentiles is almost over.
Romans 11:25- For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
The church age, or the time of the Gentiles, will end with the rapture of the church. This is where the physical bodies of all the saved over the last two millennia along with the living who have accepted Christ as their Savior will be taken out of the world.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18- But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
This event will trigger the next dispensation of time referred to as Jacob's Trouble, but most commonly called the Tribulation Period. It's important to know that the rules change during this time period.
First, you cannot partake of the "cup of devils". This is referring to the Satanic mass that will become a religious requirement, especially in the last part of the tribulation.
I Corinthians 10:18-21- Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
Blood is always forbidden to be consumed in the Bible. It was forbidden long before the law in Genesis 9:4. It was forbidden under the law in Deuteronomy 12:16. And it is forbidden during the church age in Acts 15:20.
Next, you cannot take the "mark of the beast". This is an implant that all people will be required to accept during the last part of the tribulation.
Revelation 13:15-18- And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
This is why God pounded into the Jews that they should put no marks on their body and that they shouldn't worship idols. Every Catholic thinks it's okay to bow down before an image of what they believe to be Christ or Mary, but the Bible clearly states in Exodus 20 that they aren't to worship any images!
Revelation 14:9-11- And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Anyone who doesn't take this mark and is caught will be killed; anyone who does take this mark will be eternally damned.
Revelation 12:11- And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Matthew 10:39- He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
But just refusing to take the mark doesn't save your soul.
Revelation 14:12- Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 15:3- And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Revelation 12:17- And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This is a faith and works situation, and you can lose your salvation. You must continue to keep the commandments and ask Christ to forgive you and save your soul each time you sin.
You need to beware of false prophets. There will be people who run around stating they are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they aren't.
II Peter 2:17-21- These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
Peter says it would be better for them to have never known. This means that someone who never accepted Christ as their Savior, but also never took the mark and made it alive to the end of the tribulation will get more mercy than someone who was once a believer but then recanted and took the mark of the beast.
Hebrews 6:4-6- For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
You must also treat other believers properly. You cannot use them for your own benefits and then discard them when they are of no more use to you. You'll be judged harshly for that!
I Peter 4:7-10- If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
I Peter 3:8-12- Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
I know this is a lot of information, but it is very important! I have a pdf on my blog that you can download, and I suggest you keep a copy with you because I don't know how long this blog will be available after the rapture!
The Catholics recite a passage of Scripture that is commonly referenced as "The Lord's Prayer". This is actually the Tribulation Saint's prayer.
Matthew 6:9-13- After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
"Hallowed be thy name" because people are praying to the Antichrist and refusing to acknowledge Him as the Creator.
"Thy kingdom come" because they are ready for the Tribulation time period to be over!
"Give us this day our daily bread" because no one can buy or sell without the mark of the beast and they are starving.
"Forgive us our debts" because your forgiveness is based on how you treat the brethren.
"Lead us not into temptation" because everyone will be tempted to accept the mark of the beast.
I pray that you come to the soul saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior during the Church Age of grace. But, if you should be reading this and realize that you are in the Tribulation, I pray that this gives you some answers and some hope.
