THE ONCE ‘DOUBTING THOMAS’ BRINGS THE SABBATH TO CHINA AND INDIA

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

THE ONCE ‘DOUBTING THOMAS’ BRINGS THE SABBATH TO CHINA AND INDIA

“We shall now briefly trace the apostolic Christian Sabbath-keepers from Antioch in Syria to their farthest Christian stations in old China. Thomas Yeates in his ‘Indian Church History,’ (London: 1818), has collected from several sources statements that all agree on the points he presents, that the apostle Thomas travelled through Persia into INDIA, where he raised up many churches. ‘From thence he went to CHINA, and preached in the city of Cambala, [which is] supposed to be the same as Pekin[g], and there he built a church.’- ‘Indian Church History,’ p. 73.

“In the year 1625, there was found in a town near Si-Nguni-fu, the metropolis of the province of Shin-si, a stone having a figure of a cross, and an inscription in two languages…..Chinese and Syriac….as follows:

‘This stone was erected to the honor and eternal memory of the law of light and truth brought from Ta-Cin, and promulgated in China.’ [The inscription consists of 736 words, giving] a summary of the fundamental articles of the Christian faith.’- Ibid, pp. 86-88. That the missionaries who brought the truth to China were Sabbath-keepers can be seen by the following extract from the inscription:

‘On the seventh day we offer sacrifice, after having purified our hearts, and received absolution for our sins. This religion, so perfect and so excellent, is difficult to name, but it enlightens darkness by its brilliant precepts.’ – ‘Christianity in China,’ M. L Abbe Huc, Vol. I, ch. 2, pp. 48, 49, seq. NY: 1873.

“Returning to India we shall find traces of the Sabbath among those churches also. And they had retained the Bible in the ancient language used by the church in Antioch, where the name ‘Christian’ originated. (Acts 11:26).

“It was in these sequestered regions that copies of the Syriac Scriptures found a safe asylum from the SEARCH AND DESTRUCTION OF THE ROMISH INQUISITION, and were found with all the works of ancient [apostolic] purity.’ – Ibid, T. Yeates, p. 167.

‘Whatever may be the future use and importance of those manuscripts, one thing is certain, and that is, they establish the fact that the Syrian Christians of India have the pure unadulterated Scriptures in the language of the ancient church of Antioch, derived from the very times of the Apostles.’ – Ibid, p. 169.” – Facts of Faith, pp. 153, 154.

So what happened to these early Sabbath-keeping churches planted by apostle Thomas, one of the first Twelve?

(To be continued). Bless all, NMF