The months-long debate in the American Congress on the flow of illegal immigrates across the U.S.-Mexican border has reached a stalemate. So the disagreeing House and Senate members are taking their arguments to the people—town-meeting style—in gatherings throughout the U.S. between now and the fall elections.

No one knows with certainty how many immigrants are in the United States illegally. The figure often put forth is 11 to 12 million. Clearly, if even a tiny percentage of these illegal immigrants are terrorists, the future implications for America are ominous.

Both the House and the Senate have proposed legislation to address the problem—which encompasses national security, as well as economic issues. The House version concentrates upon securing the border immediately against further incursions of illegal immigrants, making no provision for a path to citizenship for those presently in the country. The Senate version attempts to address both.

Legal and illegal immigration is an issue throughout the world. In Europe, for example, countries rely upon immigration to solve their need for laborers. Yet, increasingly, they are wrestling with other problems created by immigration.

Europe's immigrant laborers are principally Muslim who have larger families than other Europeans, and seldom assimilate into prevailing national cultures. For these reasons, Muslims eventually are likely to become both the religious and cultural majority of Europe.

Did you know that God gave ancient Israel numerous laws concerning immigration? Here is one example: "Do not be hard on the man from a strange country who is living among you; for you have had experience of the feelings of one who is far from the land of his birth, because you yourselves were living in Egypt, in a strange land" (Exodus 23:9, Bible in Basic English).

Another one actually says that immigrants should enjoy the same privileges as naturally born citizens! "Let him be to you as one of your countrymen and have love for him as for yourself; for you were living in a strange land, in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 19:34).

Since these laws were specific to the Israelite nation at that time they have not retained the same force of law in today's world. But they do reveal how God thinks and are instructive for today's believers.

Because the present population of nearly every nation, including the United States, is the result of some degree of immigration, the counsel of the statutes of ancient Israel is still valuable.

Immigrants were welcomed in that land ruled by God. However, a consistent theme throughout the statutes of that land was that God required immigrants to worship Him, the living God. Regarding that worship, spiritual laws that existed before the strictly ceremonial laws were imposed on ancient Israel are still applicable today.

These higher laws are permanent, eternal. God codified them in the Ten Commandments, where we find one that specifically mentions immigrants—the Sabbath law: "But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you…nor the alien within your gates, so that [they] may rest, as you do" (Deuteronomy 5:14, NIV).

Some of you reading these words are Israelite by nationality (I do not mean Jews only—for details see our booklet, The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy). Did you know that the God of your fathers ordered the seventh-day as a day of worship and rest for all time?

Unfortunately, today there is almost universal ignorance about this profoundly significant commandment. It was given to be a constant reminder that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day and, as our Creator, He alone is to be worshipped.

Some of you reading this are immigrants living in Israelite nations (including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the U.S.). Did you realize that the Creator includes you in this permanent command, that He specifies your obligation to obey its requirement to rest from your normal labor and personal pursuits in order to worship Him weekly?

I'm framing this around the immigration debate just to illustrate that point, not to imply that this commandment, with all of its benefits, is for Israelite nations exclusively. The commandment comes from the lips of humanity's Creator and it is truly a revelation and command for all people.

To learn the full details of the modern identity of the so-called 'Lost Tribes of Israel'—and how they lost sight of their own identity partly because they ceased observing the Sabbath commandment—request or download your free copies of The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy and Sunset to Sunset: God's Sabbath Rest.