The future

[BobRyan]

2 - what is the mark of the beast ?

[BibleOnly]

Only if we exclude "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God" Heb 4.

But this is precisely the scripture that indicates that the nature of the Sabbath has changed !!!

And ignore "Worship him who made the heavens and the earth and the seas and the springs of water" Rev 14.

This has NOTHING to do with the Sabbath. You can only worship God one day a week ?

And ignore Matt 2:27 "The Sabbath was made FOR mankind".

But, this again contradicts what you believe. You believe God made man to keep the Sabbath, not the Sabbath to benefit man. You can't consider that it was a shadow, as Hebrews indicates, of the fulness of the rest I have in Christ.

And ignore Isaiah 66 "From Sabbath to Sabbath..shall ALL mankind come before Me to worship".

You're just searching your concordance for the word Sabbath regardless of context now

And of course James 2 telling us that he who chooses to break one of the commandments is guilty of breaking them all.

And yet, you are not circumcised. So, I guess that living in Christ does not mean keeping all the commandments of the old testament, in the form they were given then.

[BobRyan]

Only if we exclude "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God" Heb 4.

[BibleOnly]

OK, well, I see no point in responding to this. I've explained why I disagree. If you think that Jesus died so we could be the same as people in the Old Testament, then I wish you all the best. I really don't understand why Jesus said He came to give us rest, if we already had it, and if it didn't get better or change in any way.

[BobRyan]

In Gal 1:6-11 Paul said there has only ever been "ONE gospel" and in Gal 3:7 He says that one and only Gospel "was preached to Abraham".

Those who prefer a "two gospel" Bible so they can ignore the OT as the "bad bible" and just pay attention to the NT - are missing the point of the NT authors as THEY claim that the OT is the BASIS for NT doctrine "Acts 17:11 - they studied the scriptures daily to SEE IF those things were so".

The sola scriptura model of testing all doctrine was the model for NT saints - when it came to the OT as "scripture" for "All scripture is given by inspiration from God and is profitable for doctrine".

Those who only seek to escape from the Bible's 39's books are missing the point of the NT teaching.

But then - you probably already knew that.

Jesus said "do NOT think I have come to destroy or abolish the word of God - I have not come to abolish but to fulfill".

Paul said "Do we then make void the LAW of God by our faith - God forbid! In fact we establish the Law of God" Rom 3:31.

Paul also said in 1Cor 7:19 "But what matters is keeping the Law of God".

Those who suppose that the Law of God cannot be found in the OT - are not spending enough time in the Bible.

Jesus is never called "the new Sabbath" in all of scripture. Not in the OT and not in the NT.

Jesus rather is "Lord of the Sabbath" Mark 2:28 just as the Sabbath is said by God to be "The Holy Day of the Lord" in Isaiah 58.

The Bible works - front to back -- 66 books. All of it.

No wonder God tells us in Isaiah 66 that in the New Heaven and New Earth all of mankind will come before God to worship "from Sabbath to Sabbath".

In Acts 21:20-26 Paul is confronted by a false accusation that is still being hurled against Paul to this very day. The false accusation was that he was teaching Christians to ignore the Law of God. Paul is then asked to prove to all once and for all that this was never his position as a Christian Apostle.

Question for the Bible student - what does Paul do in Acts 21 to prove that this accusation is false?

in Christ,

Bob

[BibleOnly]

In my view, the person who continues to argue when the other person has indicated they want to stop, is usually looking to prove self righteousness, and not the righteousness of God. Beware lest you fall in to the love of arguing and trying to prove you are right, instead of being teachable from the scriptures. Most of the words you put in my mouth, contradict the things I have said, it's just that I don't agree with you. Building straw men to argue with is generally the last resort of those with no leg to stand on.

[Aliensanctuary]

Quote:

It is then literally a mark ? You get marked on your head and hand, and people check for that mark and won't let you buy food, work, etc without it ?

mark-a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude) (from Strong's Concordance)

seal-the stamp impressed (as a mark of privacy, or genuineness) (from Strong's Concordance)

Sounds like both the Mark of the Beast and the Seal of God will be something permanent, and difficult to conceal. One will not be stamped with the Seal of God without informed consent as to the responsibilities and risks that the bearer agrees to take.

According to scripture, 144K descendents of Jacob will receive the Seal of God in declaration of their servitude to God. Their responsibilities will be greater than the duties of the huge crowd of those dressed in white, standing before the Throne of God with the angels encircling it.

[John317]

All of this just seems like an incredible interpretation of Revelation. Some things are literal, others are not, but all of this is reliant on our society changing overnight in a way that no-one is going to support and no-one has a stake in.

Remember Daniel 3? There the people were required to decide whether to obey God or whether to obey a law of men that demanded disobedience to the commandments of God.

Just before Christ returns, we will see the same situation, only on a world-wide scale.

That is exactly the situation as presented in the prophecy of Revelation 13 and 14.

The mark of the beast is contrasted with the seal of God.

If a person receives the seal of God, he won't receive the mark of the beast. On the other hand, if a person receives the mark of the beast, he won't receive the seal of God.

Rev. 7 and 14 shows that the way to qualify for the seal of God is to obey God's commandments from the heart. People are sealed by the Holy Spirit. Those who are sealed have washed their robes in the blood of Christ and no lie is found in their mouth. God's name is in their foreheads. God's name is His character, so these people who've been sealed have God's character in them. They have the mind of Christ.

Twice the book of Revelation identifies God's people as those who obey God's commandments. It also says they have the faith of Jesus and the testimony of Christ, which is the Spirit of prophecy.

They are a very small group in comparison with the rest of humanity, because Revelation 14 says "all the world" worship/obey the beast.

Notice that Revelation 14 says that just before the second coming of Christ (Rev. 14:14), a warning message is given to all people on earth about the severe consequences of worshipping the beast and receiving his mark (Rev. 14: 9ff).

The way to avoid worshipping the beast and receiving his mark is to obey the first two messages of Rev. 14. Those messages are given in order to help people avoid the mark of the beast and the seven last plagues that will come on the wicked just before the second coming.

Notice that Rev. 14: 9-11 contrasts the many wicked of the world, who receive the mark, with the relative few who obey God's commandments and are saved.

This can only mean that the demand of the beast powers will require that the people of the world disobey the commandments of God.

Now, which one of the commandments of God is in direct contrast with the mark of the beast's authority? Sunday.

And which of the commandments of God do most people of the world believe has been changed or abolished? The Sabbath commandment.

Many millions of Christians today believe that disobeying the Sabbath commandment is of no consequences, so they will find it quite easy to obey Sunday laws. On the other hand, they would not find it easy to knowingly disobey the other 9 commandments.

[BibleOnly]

I kind of agree with most of this. What I disagree with the most, is the idea that the beast is literal and in the future.

Notice that Rev. 14: 9-11 contrasts the many wicked of the world, who receive the mark, with the relative few who obey God's commandments and are saved.

This can only mean that the beast powers demand that the people of the world disobey the commandments of God.

Now, which one of the commandments of God is in direct contrast with the mark of the beast's authority? Sunday. And which of the commandments of God do most people of the world believe has been changed or abolished? The Sabbath commandment. Many millions of Christians today believe that disobeying the Sabbath commandment is of no consequences, so they would find it quite easy to obey Sunday laws. They would not find it easy to knowingly disobey the other 9 commandments.

Most of this is conjecture. I don't know anyone who thinks that 'disobeying the Sabbath law has no consequence'. They either wrongly think that the Sabbath is Sunday, or they correctly understand that it was a type that was fulfilled by the ability to rest in God through salvation experience.

How is Sunday 'in direct contrast to the mark' ? Or Saturday even ? That's only true if the mark is what you assume it is, with no scriptural reference.

[John317]

What I disagree with the most, is the idea that the beast is literal and in the future.

This understanding of the prophecy is not saying that the beast is literal. The beasts of Rev. 13 are figurative just like the beasts of Daniel 7 and 8.

The beasts are "animals" that represent earthly powers, such as Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, etc.

The sea-beast and earth-beast of Rev. 13 represent power which exist today, so they are not merely future. The sea-beast is symbolic of the papacy and the earth-beast represents the United States of America.

Notice that Rev. 13: 10 speaks of the sea-beast going into captivity. The very next verse (v.11) describes the earth-beast coming on the scene of action.

In 1798, the papacy appeared to be brought to an end when Napoleon's General Berthier took the pope captive. At the same time this was happening, the United States of America was coming into being.

The prophecy says that the United States of America would become a great earthly power and that the papacy would eventually return to world power. When this happens, the United States will cause the nations of the world to make an image to the first beast and pass laws that require people to worship this beast and receive its mark.

Is the earth-beast a great power in the world today? Certainly.

Has the sea-beast returned to being a great power in the world? Yes.

The earth-beast and the sea-beast have already worked together in order to help bring down the USSR. They are very close allies today.

Moreover, the earth-beast which at first looked like a lamb is beginning to speak like a dragon.

[John317]

Now, which one of the commandments of God is in direct contrast with the mark of the beast's authority? Sunday. And which of the commandments of God do most people of the world believe has been changed or abolished? The Sabbath commandment. Many millions of Christians today believe that disobeying the Sabbath commandment is of no consequences, so they would find it quite easy to obey Sunday laws. They would not find it easy to knowingly disobey the other 9 commandments.

Originally Posted By: Bible

Only]Most of this is conjecture. I don't know anyone who thinks that 'disobeying the Sabbath law has no consequence'. They either wrongly think that the Sabbath is Sunday, or they correctly understand that it was a type that was fulfilled by the ability to rest in God through salvation experience.

Do people who worship on Sunday believe it's wrong to disobey the Sabbath commandment?

If you believe the Sabbath-commandment came to an end, do you believe it's a sin to break it? Obviously not, and that is my point. Untold millions of Christians would obey a world-wide Sunday law and think they were still obeying the commandments of God.

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

How is Sunday 'in direct contrast to the mark' ? Or Saturday even ?

Sunday is not in direct contrast to the mark. Sunday is the mark. It is the mark of the sea-beast's power, and the sea-beast has conceded this many times before.

But the mark-- Sunday- is in direct contrast to the Sabbath commandment. God says the Sabbath is a mark of His authority, and the sea-beast power, the papacy, says that Sunday is a mark of his authority.

Actually, Sunday-worship is Satan's counterfeit sabbath, and he has succeeded in getting most of the world to accept his false day of worship in place of God's Sabbath. Satan's objective is to get the entire world to obey his counterfeit sabbath and to reject the Lord's Sabbath. He is getting close to that objective today. He will eventually make it appear that the ones who keep the Lord's Sabbath are the cause of the world's problems. Rev. 13: 15-17.

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

That's only true if the mark is what you assume it is, with no scriptural reference.

The Bible is clear that the Sabbath is a sign, or symbol, of God's authority.

It's a memorial of God's creation of the heavens and the earth and of all that is them.

The Sabbath is also a sign that God is the One who sanctifies us.

The Sabbath-commandment is right in the middle of the moral law, the Ten Commandments. It connects the first 3 commandments with the last six commandments, and it also contains more words than any of the other commandments in God's law.

There was only one reason that Adam and Eve would not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That reason was God's commandment.

Similarly, there is only one reason for humans to rest and worship God on the seventh day of the week. There is nothing in nature or in reason that would cause people to keep the Sabbath. The only reason is God's commandment.

Thus the Sabbath commandment will have the same role as a test at the end of the world as the tree of knowledge was a test at the beginning.

Both tests are all about allegience, worship, & obedience.

[BibleOnly]

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

What I disagree with the most, is the idea that the beast is literal and in the future.

This understanding of the prophecy is not saying that the beast is literal. The beasts of Rev. 13 are figurative just like the beasts of Daniel 7 and 8.

The beasts are "animals" that represent earthly powers, such as Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, etc.

The sea-beast and earth-beast of Rev. 13 represent power which exist today, so they are not merely future. The sea-beast is symbolic of the papacy and the earth-beast represents the United States of America.

Notice that Rev. 13: 10 speaks of the sea-beast going into captivity. The very next verse (v.11) describes the earth-beast coming on the scene of action.

In 1798, the papacy appeared to be brought to an end when Napoleon's General Berthier took the pope captive. At the same time this was happening, the United States of America was coming into being.

The prophecy says that the United States of America would become a great earthly power and that the papacy would eventually return to world power. When this happens, the United States will cause the nations of the world to make an image to the first beast and pass laws that require people to worship this beast and receive its mark.

Is the earth-beast a great power in the world today? Certainly.

Has the sea-beast returned to being a great power in the world? Yes.

The earth-beast and the sea-beast have already worked together in order to help bring down the USSR. They are very close allies today.

Moreover, the earth-beast which at first looked like a lamb is beginning to speak like a dragon.

OK. I disagree with the identification of the USA, but I agree that Revelation is current. So you think the US will make Sunday laws for the whole world ? Having first been taken over by force, I assume.

[John317]

Only if we exclude "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God" Heb 4.

But this is precisely the scripture that indicates that the nature of the Sabbath has changed !!!

Please notice the following points about Hebrews 4.

1) The Sabbath is associated with salvation in a very positive way. There is nothing negative said about the seventh-day Sabbath.

2) The Sabbath is a symbol of the salvation/rest we have in Christ.

3) It is obvious that the readers of the book of Hebrews were well acquainted with the seventh-day Sabbath. If they weren't, the symbol wouldn't have much meaning. There's nothing in chapter 4 to indicate that the seventh-day Sabbath is a thing of the past.

4) On the contrary, the writer says that it is those who have truly ceased from their works AS God ceased from His works who have entered God's rest.

5) How do we cease from our works AS God ceased from His works? Hebrews 4: 4 gives the answer:

For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."

6) Therefore resting on the seventh-day Sabbath is a symbol of the greater rest that we have in Christ. It is a reminder every time we keep it that we are resting in Christ, ceasing from our own works and resting in Him.

7) Question: Would it make sense to jettison this symbol which is a constant reminder of the rest we have in Christ, yet a rest that will not be complete until the second coming of Christ?

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

And ignore "Worship him who made the heavens and the earth and the seas and the springs of water" Rev 14.

I agree-- we shouldn't ignore Rev. 14:7.

Look also at Acts 17: 24--

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,

Acts 14: 15--

"... We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

Notice that these verses are clear references to the Sabbath commandment in Exodus 20: 11--

Exodus 20:11

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Therefore, Rev. 14: 7 is a clear call for the world to remember who made the world and gives us life. One way we do this is by "remembering" [not forgetting] to keep holy the Sabbath day because God blessed it and made it holy. God calls it "My holy day," "the holy day of the Lord." Isaiah 58: 13.

The Sabbath is never called "man's day" but it belongs to God who made it. Christ said He made it for mankind's [our] benefit. How are we using it? Most of the world-- even of those who claim to follow Christ-- have forgotten the very thing He said to "remember."

Satan is making war against both the Sabbath and marriage-- the two gifts that God gave mankind in Eden, before the entrance of sin.

[BibleOnly]

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

Only if we exclude "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God" Heb 4.

But this is precisely the scripture that indicates that the nature of the Sabbath has changed !!!

Please notice the following points about Hebrews 4.

1) The Sabbath is associated with salvation in a very positive way. There is nothing negative said about the seventh-day Sabbath.

[John317]

I disagree with the identification of the USA, but I agree that Revelation is current.

I think you'll find that the USA is the only earthly power that fulfills the prophecy concerning the power described in Rev. 13.

Can you think of a world power (besides the USA) that was rising up in a relatively unpopulated area at the same time the papacy was going into captivity and receiving "a deadly wound"?

By the way, there were Bible students who made this prediction back in the 1800s about the USA on the basis of Rev. 13. That was at a time when the USA was not a great world power.

It was also predicted during that time on the basis of Rev. 13 that the papacy would regain its power. This was at a point when most people believed the papacy was finished and would never rise again.

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

So you think the US will make Sunday laws for the whole world ? Having first been taken over by force, I assume.

No, I don't think the USA will force the whole world to make Sunday laws.

The USA will lead the way in first making such laws, and later the whole world will eventually adopt similar laws. Of course, before this happens, the USA will reject the US Constitution and its principles of republicanism. As the prophecy says, it will speak as a dragon. Sadly, I believe we are beginning to see this change today.

[BibleOnly]

I take it you don't like Obama then

The whole world ? Not just France and Australia, but Haiti and Zimbabwe ?

[John317]

Please notice the following points about Hebrews 4.

1) The Sabbath is associated with salvation in a very positive way. There is nothing negative said about the seventh-day Sabbath.

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

There is nothing negative said about the Sabbath concept. In the same way that nothing negative is said about the law, it says we were bad, not the law, it was our fault we could not keep it.

I agree that the law of God is good and holy, and the fault lies in the human heart, not in God's law.

However, if the weekly Sabbath had been done away with because it was burdensome, and if the writer considered the keeping of the Sabbath to be legalism, we could justly expect something about this to occur in Hebrews 4. But instead, we find that the Sabbath is used as a symbol of God's gifts of salvation and spiritual rest in Christ.

On the contrary, though, there's every indication that the weekly Sabbath is still being kept, and there's nothing said which suggests it will come to an end.

The writer says, "Therefore the Sabbath-rest remains for the people of God." What "remains" is not new but must have existed before.

So the "Sabbath-rest" he speaks of remains over from an earlier period of time. It points both forward and backward-- forward to the salvation/rest which believers have in Jesus and is to be completely fulfilled on the new earth, and backward to God's rest on the seventh-day because of His finished work of creation. Therefore, the Sabbath-rest that remains to God's people is intimately associated with God as both Creator and Redeemer.

[John317]

I'm not an Obama fan, no, but I do pray for him and want him to be a good and successful president because I love the United States.

Yes, I believe the entire world will eventually worship the beast. They can worship for all kinds of reasons-- including financial and economic ones. The prophecy presents it as a kind of boycott, so nations will no doubt obey the laws out of self-presevation and economic pressure. All this suggests that the time is coming when the whole world will believe certain actions must be taken in order to survive. It suggests a world-wide economic failure, as well as nuclear war, disease, starvation, natural castrophies-- all happening at once and on a scale unheard of before.

[John317]

2) The Sabbath is a symbol of the salvation/rest we have in Christ.

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

Yes, the Saturday Sabbath was indeed a symbol of the rest we have in Christ.

Where does the Bible say the Sabbath "was" a symbol of the rest we have in Christ?

Remember that the NT was written decades after the ascension of Christ, yet it still refers to "the Sabbath" as something presently in existence-- i.e., long after the death and resurrection of our Lord. All the NT writers speak of "the Sabbath" in the present tense, never in the past tense. That is very significant.

What good is the symbol if it no longer exists?

What the symbol points to, i.e., complete rest in Christ, has not yet been totally fulfilled. It won't be until Christ returns.

[BibleOnly]

Originally Posted By: John317

Please notice the following points about Hebrews 4.

1) The Sabbath is associated with salvation in a very positive way. There is nothing negative said about the seventh-day Sabbath.

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

There is nothing negative said about the Sabbath concept. In the same way that nothing negative is said about the law, it says we were bad, not the law, it was our fault we could not keep it.

I agree that the law of God is good and holy, and the fault lies in the human heart, not in God's law.

However, if the weekly Sabbath had been done away with because it was burdensome, and if the writer considered the keeping of the Sabbath to be legalism, we could justly expect something about this to occur in Hebrews 4. But instead, we find that the Sabbath is used as a symbol of God's gifts of salvation and spiritual rest in Christ.

On the contrary, though, there's every indication that the weekly Sabbath is still being kept, and there's nothing said which suggests it will come to an end.

The writer says, "Therefore the Sabbath-rest remains for the people of God." What "remains" is not new but must have existed before.

So the "Sabbath-rest" he speaks of remains over from an earlier period of time. It points both forward and backward-- forward to the salvation/rest which believers have in Jesus and is to be completely fulfilled on the new earth, and backward to God's rest on the seventh-day because of His finished work of creation. Therefore, the Sabbath-rest that remains to God's people is intimately associated with God as both Creator and Redeemer.

The concept remains, yet it has changed, from Saturday, to 'today. That is what it says. Why do you think the Sabbath is identified as 'today' in these verses ?

[BibleOnly]

I'm not an Obama fan, no, but I do pray for him and want him to be a good and successful president because I love the United States.

Yes, I believe the entire world will eventually worship the beast. They can worship for all kinds of reasons-- including financial and economic ones. The prophecy presents it as a kind of boycott, so nations will no doubt obey the laws out of self-presevation and economic pressure. All this suggests that the time is coming when the whole world will believe certain actions must be taken in order to survive. It suggests a world-wide economic failure, as well as nuclear war, disease, starvation, natural castrophies-- all happening at once and on a scale unheard of before.

I am pretty fond of the US, too, although I don't live there, I visit about four times a year :-)

[BibleOnly]

Originally Posted By: John317

2) The Sabbath is a symbol of the salvation/rest we have in Christ.

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

Yes, the Saturday Sabbath was indeed a symbol of the rest we have in Christ.

Where does the Bible say the Sabbath "was" a symbol of the rest we have in Christ?

Remember that the NT was written decades after the ascension of Christ, yet it still refers to "the Sabbath" as something presently in existence-- i.e., long after the death and resurrection of our Lord. All the NT writers speak of "the Sabbath" in the present tense, never in the past tense. That is very significant.

What good is the symbol if it no longer exists?

What the symbol points to, i.e., complete rest in Christ, has not yet been totally fulfilled. It won't be until Christ returns.

What good was circumcision then ? The schoolmaster is not needed any longer, we have been brought to Christ. The sabbath concept still exists. So does the concept of circumcision. But, they were fulfilled in very different ways, obviously.

While I agree that we look to the return of Christ, still the church age represents something new, and better, and part of that 'betterness' is the rest that Christ promised, which we have now. Well, I sure do :-)

[John317]

3) It is obvious that the readers of the book of Hebrews were well acquainted with the seventh-day Sabbath. If they weren't, the symbol wouldn't have much meaning. There's nothing in chapter 4 to indicate that the seventh-day Sabbath is a thing of the past.

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

There IS a progression from Saturday to 'today' to there 'remaining a rest' that we should strive to enter. How does one strive to take Saturday off ?

We don't strive to "take Saturday off," unless "striving" means telling an employer that we believe it would be wrong to work on the Sabbath and then praying that God will influence an employer to give us the day off.

By "striving to enter the rest," I take to mean making sure that we are resting in Christ; that is, making sure daily that Christ is our personal Savior and the Lord of our life.

If Christ is our personal Savior and the Lord of our life, will we obey His commandments?

Please notice that the Bible never calls the seventh day "Saturday." That is a name originating in paganism.

The Bible calls all the days of the week by their number, except for the seventh day of the week, which the Bible calls "the Sabbath," "My Sabbath," "the Lord's day," "My holy day," "the holy day of the Lord," etc.

In the Bible, the first day of the week is merely one of the work days, a day reserved for common labor. There are six work days, and one day that is holy. This means "Sunday," along with the other five days, is a common work day.

If the Sabbath were done away with, it would mean there are seven work days and no day devoted to rest and worship of the Living God. It would mean, then, that all the days of the week belong to man and none to God.

[BibleOnly]

"If the Sabbath were done away with, it would mean there are seven work days and no day devoted to rest and worship of the Living God. It would mean, then, that all the days of the week belong to man and none to God."

Good thing it's not done away with then :-) Instead, it's made better.

I never said the sabbath was 'done away with', and I don't get how you can not accept the concept that every person in the West rests for one or two days of the week in the physical, natural way that you think is so important, but that whatever I am doing, I rest in Christ every moment of my life, all the time, all the same.

[John317]

The Sabbath is never called "man's day" but it belongs to God who made it. Christ said He made it for mankind's [our] benefit. How are we using it? Most of the world-- even of those who claim to follow Christ-- have forgotten the very thing He said to "remember."

Originally Posted By: BibleOnly

This is also a word game. It says 'remember' because it's something to remember once a week, not something to do all the time. You guys make far too much of this.

I agree that it is something to remember.

But perhaps God didn't mean for people to remember the Sabbath only once a week. I believe God wants us to remember the Sabbath all through the week.

Only a holy [i.e., sanctified] person can keep the Sabbath holy. If a person is not holy throughout the week, he can't really keep the Sabbath holy as God intended. By a holy person, I mean someone who belongs to God and is separate from sin all week long. ["Be ye holy, for I am holy."] The true Sabbath-keeper remembers this every day of the week. So the Sabbath is really the goal of the entire week.

Can you think of any other commandment, besides the Sabbath commandment, which most Christians today claim we can forget?

It really seems to me that God had a very good reason to command people to "remember" the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. He apparently knew that it was the one commandment that people would try hardest to forget.