THE FOLLOWING NEWS ITEM APPEARED IN ‘THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH’ OF FRIDAY 2ND MAY.
Evangelical Presbyterian Church hits out at Belfast pilot scheme extending Sunday trading hours
What I noted with despair and disappointment is that there is no mention of the desecration of the day ordained of God as a day termed in this New Testament era, as the ‘Day of the Lord’!
John the Apostle wrote from the island of his exiled sufferings for the cause of the Saviour.
“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,” Revelation 1:9-10.
It was an essential part of the Ten Commandments that one day in seven be observed reverently.
“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,” Exodus 20:8-11.
The Lord ‘hallowed’, or made holy, the seventh day in the Old Testament era, as a commemoration of the finishing of His six-day work of creation. In this New Testament age, we find Christians gathering on the first day of the week, in commemoration of another ‘finished work’ — that of the Saviour’s work of redemption as was indicated by His rising from the dead on the first day of the week.
This became the ‘Christian Sabbath’ or rest day, with the same reverence shown to it and observed by believers as was commanded of God for the Sabbath Day of the Ten Commandments.
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight,” Acts 20:7.
“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come,” 1 Corinthians 16:2.
But in the statement of condemnation by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church there is no reference to disobedience of God’s commandment or the desecration of His day. Rather, there is a reference to the rights of shop workers!
That is indeed an issue BUT it is not the issue!
Offending the Lord is a much greater wrong than offending or encroaching upon the rights of shop workers.
Of course, it is all in aid of increasing business and trading and wealth-making for traders and businessmen.
That is the increasingly dominant consideration of this age. The Bible reveals that ‘merchants’, not politicians, will be the power behind the ‘throne’ as the age draws to a close.
Consider these words regarding the manifestation of the religious/commercial/political conglomerate that will dominate the ancient Roman earth at the close of this age.
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies,” Revelation 18:1-3.
The ‘merchant’ will be the chief benefactor of this time of defying God and His truth.
This decision in Belfast is but a foretaste of that supremacy of profit-making over all other considerations.
Not surprisingly, it is reported that: “An amendment to the plans asking for the issue to go back to committee, supported by the DUP, SDLP, Green Party, UUP and TUV failed. The plans were backed by Sinn Fein and Alliance.’
Sinn Fein and the Alliance parties are representative of rebellious Roman Catholicism and the false religion of ‘Ecumenism’!
It is sad that no voice was reported as being raised against the breaking of the Sabbath Day and the defiance of God’s Law in this report!
Sincerely in Christ’s name,
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
Update on the Evangelical Presbyterian Church statement on Sabbath desecration.
I have just been informed that the statement of the EVANGELICAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH on the proposed opening of shops on the Lord’s Day actually contained the following statement which did not appear in the press report.
“However, as evangelical Christians, we believe that an even more compelling argument against Sunday opening is that Sunday is the Lord’s Day, and that it should therefore be set apart from the other six days as a day of worship and rest. All commercial activity should therefore be reduced to an absolute minimum and families encouraged to attend church and spend quality time together.
The current direction of travel as proposed by Belfast Council is not in the best interests of society as a whole and we urge Councillors to think again.
Rev Robert Johnston
Convenor, Public Morals Committee
Evangelical Presbyterian Church”
I welcome this statement, omitted from the news report. As I said in my original article, ‘I noted with despair and disappointment’ that there was no mention of the desecration of the day ordained of God as the Sabbath.
I am pleased that I can highlight the fact that the desecration of the Sabbath was objected to in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church statement though was overlooked by the press.
Sincerely in Christ’s name,
Ivan Foster
The Belfast telegraph report reads:
Sunday trading hours in Belfast are to be extended for a pilot period.
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church has hit out at a pilot scheme extending Sunday trading hours in Belfast.
On Thursday evening, Belfast City Council agreed plans for the scheme, which will allow shops to open from 10am on Sundays during the six-week pilot period.
An amendment to the plans asking for the issue to go back to committee, supported by the DUP, SDLP, Green Party, UUP and TUV failed.
The plans were backed by Sinn Fein and Alliance.
As things stand, larger shops in Belfast can only open from 1pm to 6pm, while smaller stores have more flexibility.
Reverend Robert Johnston of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church said members were “concerned and saddened” by the pilot plans.
“Those who support this further extension of Sunday opening argue that it will revitalise the heart of the city on Sundays, with a particular focus on tourism,” he said.
“While we are supportive of the idea of revitalising our capital city, there are ways of doing this which do not involve extending the opening hours of shops on a Sunday.
“Some politicians and trade unionists have expressed concern for the rights – or lack of rights – of shop workers, including the right to have a family life. We understand that shops in several European countries are closed on Sundays for this very reason.”
Retail NI has recommended that the council set up a “Sunday morning working group”, made up of business representatives, trade unions and others “to agree an inclusive way forward and a plan for the summer months.”
The body’s chief executive Glyn Roberts said: “The remit of this group should be wider than just the City Centre and include all parts of the city in a new plan for Sunday morning.”
“To completely deregulate Sunday trading and create another normal shopping day shows a poverty of ambition and ideas for the city.
“It is an idea that belongs to the past and not to a modern progressive 21st century city.
“We need new thinking to animate Sunday mornings and offer shoppers and visitors something different.
“This proposal will provide large multinationals with even more trading time, directly at the expense of small independent retailers who use trading time on Sunday mornings to sustain their business.”