As Seventh-day Adventists, our eschatology is unique from all other Christian denominations. From the Three Angels Messages, to the Investigative Judgment, our doctrines stand apart from most others.

One of the teachings that unique to Adventists is the Mark of the Beast. This focus of this article is not explain how we determine what the Mark of the Beast is; therefore to keep it simple, I will quote from the writings of Ellen White:

When the test comes, it will be clearly shown what the mark of the beast is. It is the keeping of Sunday.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:980 (1900).

As a result of this view of end-time prophecy, Seventh-day Adventists are sensitive to any reports where the American government exaults Sunday.

On April 21, 2023, the Heritage Foundation released a comprehensive policy guide titled, "Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise." This publication, was aimed to shape policy decisions among Presidential candidates well ahead of the 2024 election cycle.

However, something in this document caught the attention of Adventists from around the world. Notice what is sas on page 589:

Sabbath Rest. God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest, and until very recently the Judeo-Christian tradition sought to honor that mandate by moral and legal regulation of work on that day. Moreover, a shared day off makes it possible for families and communities to enjoy time off together, rather than as atomized individuals, and provides a healthier cadence of life for everyone. Unfortunately, that communal day of rest has eroded under the pressures of consumerism and secularism, especially for low-income workers. l

• Congress should encourage communal rest by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require that workers be paid time and a half for hours worked on the Sabbath. That day would default to Sunday, except for employers with a sincere religious observance of a Sabbath at a different time (e.g., Friday sundown to Saturday sundown); the obligation would transfer to that period instead. Houses of worship (to the limited extent they may have FLSA-covered employees) and employers legally required to operate around the clock (such as hospitals and first responders) would be exempt, as would workers otherwise exempt from overtime.

Alternative View. While some conservatives believe that the government should encourage certain religious observance by making it more expensive for employers and consumers to not partake in those observances, other conservatives believe that the government’s role is to protect the free exercise of religion by eliminating barriers as opposed to erecting them. Whereas imposing overtime rules on the Sabbath would lead to higher costs and limited access to goods and services and reduce work available on the Sabbath (while also incentivizing some people—through higher wages—to desire to work on the Sabbath), the proper role of government in helping to enable individuals to practice their religion is to reduce barriers to work options and to fruitful employer and employee relations. The result: ample job options that do not require work on the Sabbath so that individuals in roles that sometimes do require Sabbath work are empowered to negotiate directly with their employer to achieve their desired schedule.

According to the document, Christian leaders in the United States are attempting to make working on Sunday and Saturday's less feasible for employers, by requiring them to pay more in wages during these days. Although the document references Sunday and Saturday and is not mandating worship, we should know that at some point the laws of this land will only uphold Sunday:

The time will come when men will not only forbid Sunday work, but they will try to force men to labor on the Sabbath. 2MR p. 299

As Seventh-day Adventists, we must be vigilant when Church and State begin working in concert. We know that one day our government will mandate the Sabbath to be a normal day and Sunday be exalted as the day of rest and worship. And although this law as presently constructed is not a Sunday Law, we should always be reminded time is almost up. Christ > the crisis.